Letter 649: Whatever comes from a loving heart is no small thing to me.
To Flavianos. (361)
Whatever comes from a loving heart is no small thing to me. Since I value your thoughtfulness above the gifts themselves, by that measure I judge even the gifts great.
I was delighted by the pigeons. But I wept over the gazelle — I had expected something wonderful from your description, only to find it dead, either overcome by the heat or betrayed by those transporting it. I blamed you for having thought to send it at all.
As for the victory you reported, I am grateful to your namesake. May he come himself to tell us about the battle and how he routed the enemy. And if he also shows us prisoners, he will be greater in our eyes than Cleon.
AI-assisted translation — This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Φλαβιανῷ. (361)
Πὰν ὅ τιπερ ἀπὸ φιλούσης γίγνεται γνώμης, οὐ μικρὸν 20
παρά γε ἐμοί. σοῦ δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν σπουδὴν πρὸ τῶν πεμφθέντων
σκοπῶν ταύτῃ κρίνω καὶ τὰ πεμφθέντα μεγάλα.
ταῖς μὲν
οὖν περιστεραῖς ἥσθην, τὴν δορκάδα δὲ ἐδάκρυσα θαυμαστὰ
μὲν ἐλπίσας ἀπὸ τῶν γεγραμμένων, ἰδὼν δὲ τεθυμένην ἤτοι
τοῦ καύματος ἡττηθεῖσαν ἢ προδοθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγόντων,
ὥσθ’ ὅτι σοι πέμπειν αὐτὴν ἐπῆλθεν ἐμεμψάμην.
τῆς δὲ
νίκης, ἣν ἐμήνυες, χάριν ἔχω τῷ ὁμωνύμῳ, καὶ αὐτός γε δι-
δάξειεν ἐλθὼν τὴν τε μάχην καὶ ὅπως ἐτρέψατο τοὺς ἐναν-
τίους. εἰ δὲ καὶ αἰχμαλώτους δείξει, μείζων ἔσται παρ’ ἡμῖν
τοῦ Κλέωνος.
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