Letter 649: Whatever comes from a loving heart is no small thing to me.
To Flavianus.
Everything whatsoever that proceeds from a loving disposition is no small matter, at least in my judgment; and I, examining your earnest goodwill before the gifts that were sent, on this basis judge the things sent to be great as well.
With the doves, then, I was delighted; but over the gazelle I wept, having hoped for marvelous things from what you had written, yet, on seeing it slaughtered—either overcome by the heat or betrayed by those who were conveying it—I found fault that it had occurred to you to send it.
And for the victory of which you sent word, I am grateful to your namesake; and may he himself, when he comes, instruct us both in the battle and in how he routed the adversaries. And if he shall also display captives, he will be in our eyes greater 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AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed.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.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius retranslated v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://github.com/OpenGreekAndLatin/First1KGreek/blob/master/volume_xml/libanius_10.xml
Related Letters
1. In all things we find that the providence exercised by our good God over His Churches is mighty, and that thus the very things which seem to be gloomy, and do not turn out as we should like, are ordained for the advantage of most, in the hidden wisdom of God, and in the unsearchable judgments of His righteousness. Now the Lord has removed you...
I am not able to flee from the discomforts of winter so well as cranes are, although for foreseeing the future I am quite as clever as a crane. But as to liberty of life the birds are almost as far ahead of me as they are in the being able to fly. In the first place I have been detained by certain worldly business; then I have been so wasted by ...
As often as it falls to my lot to read your lordship's letters, so often do I thank God that you continue to remember me, and that you are not moved by any calumny to lessen the love which once you consented to entertain for me, either from your wise judgment or your kindly intercourse. I pray then the holy God that you may remain in this mind t...
I've given this letter to the carrier of the official dispatches, paying my respects with a greeting and at the same...
In this letter Jerome, at the request of Damasus, gives a minutely detailed explanation of the parable of the prodigal son. About this page Source. Translated by W.H.