To Eusebius. (~361 AD)
If Julian were not my friend, I would envy him his fortune — that he had your company here with us before, and now has it again without us. But as it is, I feel no envy at all; instead I count him most blessed, both for being with you and for being loved by you.
For you do not define friendship by words and dinner tables. Rather, the moment you have honored someone with that title, deeds follow at once. Neither fear of danger nor the weight of toil would ever make you a bad companion. Just as a man whom the gods assist cannot fail in his undertaking, so whoever entrusts his affairs to you is bound to succeed.
I say this as one who has succeeded and prospered through you. I pestered many people and placed my hopes in many — and found them all empty, except for what came from you. May you never lose your power to help, and may I never fall from the honor of your regard.
If Julian were not my friend, I would envy him his fortune — that he had your company here with us before, and now has it again without us. But as it is, I feel no envy at all; instead I count him most blessed, both for being with you and for being loved by you.
For you do not define friendship by words and dinner tables. Rather, the moment you have honored someone with that title, deeds follow at once. Neither fear of danger nor the weight of toil would ever make you a bad companion. Just as a man whom the gods assist cannot fail in his undertaking, so whoever entrusts his affairs to you is bound to succeed.
I say this as one who has succeeded and prospered through you. I pestered many people and placed my hopes in many — and found them all empty, except for what came from you. May you never lose your power to help, and may I never fall from the honor of your regard.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.