Letter 702: Those who saw the honors you lavished on Artemis are the luckier ones.

Those who saw the honors you lavished on Artemis are the luckier ones. But we too were cheered by the reports, and if our pleasure was not quite equal to theirs, it was not far behind. The man who brought me your letter also brought me an account of everything you had done -- where you led the goddess in procession, in what guise, how she was armed, and that the equipment was paid for out of your own pocket. He mentioned the sacrificial offerings too -- the silver boar and the deer -- and he described the splendor of the procession, the number of guests, the days of feasting, and best of all: that the admirable Demetrius added a banquet of oratory on top of it all. I was leaping with delight, congratulating you on your devotion to Artemis. May you pass the priesthood on to your children, and may land and sea enjoy the return of sacrifice for all time.

Βακχίῳ. (362) Οἱ μὲν ἰδόντες εὐδαιμονέστεροι τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν σοὶ πεφιλοτιμημένα, γεγόναμεν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῖς ἠγγελμένοις ἡδίους καὶ οὐκ ἴσον μὲν ἐκείνοις, οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἔλαττον εἴχομεν. ὁ γάρ σοι τὰ γράμματα φέρων οὗτος ἐκόμιζέ μοι τῶν πε- ποιημένων τὸν λόγον, ὅθεν μὶν σὺ τὴν θεὸν ἦγες καὶ ἐν ὅτῳ σχήματι, ὅπως δὲ ὡπλισμένην, σὸν δὲ εἶναι τὴν σκευὴν ἀνάλωμα. καὶ τῶν ἱερείων ἐμνήσθη τοῦ τι ἀργυροῦ συὸς καὶ τῆς ἐλάφου πομπῆς τε διηγήσατο κόσμον πλῆθός τε δαι- τυμόνων καὶ πλῆθος ἡμερῶν ἐν πότω καὶ τὸ κάλλιστον· προσθεῖναι γὰρ ἔφησε τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων τὸν καλὸν Δημή- τριον ἑστίασιν, ὥστε με σκιρτήμασιν ἔχεσθαι καὶ συνήδεσθαί σοι τῆς περὶ τὴν Ἄρτεμιν θεραπείας. ἀλλὰ σύ γε παισί τι παραδοίης τὴν ἱερωσύνην τῆς τε τῶν θυσιῶν ἐπανόδου γῆ τε καὶ θάλαττα πάντα ἀπολαύοι τὸν χρόνον.