Letter 719: What debt you say I have not repaid, I do not know.

What debt you say I have not repaid, I do not know. But the trouble with my head is an old story. I was struck when I was twenty -- that was twenty-eight years ago now -- and it has recently become famous thanks to the help of the gods. For the things that come from the temples to our bodies carry something of the miraculous and provoke much talk. But do not merely sympathize with me -- persuade the divinity who set you your task to say something about me too. He is duty-bound to reward me for two speeches, which even Zenobius mentioned with admiration. That is how powerfully the god's hand guided them. I would like to honor your god with my own speeches as well -- and I could do so by reading yours. So send them, and teach a neighboring city who this god is that upholds yours.

Δημητρίῳ. (362) Τὸ μὲν ὀφείλημα τί ποτέ ἐστιν, ὃ φὴς οὐκ ἀποδοῦναί με, οὐκ οἶδα· τὸ δὲ τῆς κεφαλῆς κακὸν ἀρχαῖον ὄν, εἴκοσι γὰρ ἔτη γεγονὼς ἐπλήγην, ἔστι δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ὀκτὼ καὶ εἴκοσι, νῦν γέγονε περιβόητον ταῖς παρὰ τῶν θεῶν βοηθείαις. τὰ γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν φοιτῶντα τοῖς σώμασιν ἔχοντά τι καὶ τοῦ παραδόξου πολὺν ἐφ’ ἑαυτοῖς κινεῖ τὸν λόγον. σὺ δὲ μὴ μόνον μοι συναλγεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν προβαλόντα σοι τὸν ἆθλον δαίμονα πείθειν φθέγξασθαί τι καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν. δίκαιος δέ ἐστι μισθὸν δυοῖν δοῦναι λόγοιν, ὧν καὶ Ζηνόβιος ἐμνήσθη μετ’ εὐφημίας. οὕτως ἄρα αὐτῶν ὁ δαίμων συνεφήπτετο. βουλοίμην δ’ ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς τοι; σοῖς λόγοις τιμῆσαι τὸν θεόν· τοῦτο δ’ ἂν ποιοίην ἀναγιγνώσκων. πέμπε οὖν καὶ δίδασκε γείτονα πόλιν, ὅστις ἐστὶν οὗτος ὁ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀνέχων.