Letter 728: No sooner had the emperor released you than he encountered me.

No sooner had the emperor released you than he encountered me. He nearly passed by in silence, since my face had been changed by both time and illness. But when my uncle -- who shares my name -- told him who I was, he was suddenly moved with a wonderful stirring upon his horse. He seized my right hand and would not let go, pelting me with the most charming jokes, sweeter than roses, while I gave as good as I got. He was marvelous at both -- the quips he made and the ones he took. After resting briefly and delighting the city with horse races, he asked me to speak. I did so at his invitation -- I did not impose myself -- and he was pleased, confirming my opening line, where I had said that his love for me would make him think everything I said was brilliant. And so it turned out. You yourself are among those who have spoken and won approval, with the gods close at hand helping you from beside the altar and lending you courage against the heat. Yet you were so far from sending me your speech that you did not even write to say you had spoken. To Olympius you said, with false modesty, that you had "vomited it up" -- but to me, not even that.

Κέλσῳ. (362) Οὐκ ἴφθη σε ἀφεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ συνέμιξεν ἐμοὶ καὶ μικροῦ μὲν σιγῇ παρέδραμεν ἠλλοιωμένου μοι τοῦ προσώπου καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ νόσῳ, φράσαντος δὲ τοῦ θείου τι κοὶ ὁμωνύ- μου πρὸς αὐτόν, εἴην, κίνησίν τι ἐκινήθη θαυμαστὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς λαβόμενος οὐ μεθίει σκώμμασί τι χαριεστάτοις καὶ ῥόδωι ἡδίοσιν ἔπαττέ με κοὶ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀπεχόμενον τοῦ σκώπτειν. ὁ δὲ ἀμφοτέροις ἦν θαυμαστός, οἷς τε ἔλεγεν οἷς τε ἠνείχετο. μικρὰ δὲ αὑτὸν ἀναπαύσας καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἁμίλλαις ἵππων εὐφράνας ἐκέλευέ με λέγειν. καὶ εἶπον παρακληθείς, οὐκ ἐνοχλήσας, ὁ δὲ ἐτέρπετο βεβαιῶν μοι τὸ προοίμιον· ἔφην γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν προοιμίῳ πάντα τἀμὰ καλὰ νομιεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐρᾶν. καὶ οὕτως ἐξέβν. σὺ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν εἶ τῶν εἰπόντων καὶ ψήφου τετυχηκότων ἐγγύθεν σοι τῶν θεῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βωμοῦ βοηθούντων καὶ παρεχόντων πρὸς τὸ θάλπος ἀνδρείαν τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀπέσχες πέμψαι μοι τὸν λόγον, ὥστ’ οὐδ’ ὅτι εἴρηκας ἔγραψας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὶν Ὀλύμπιον εἰρωνευόμενος ἔφης ἐμέσαι, πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ τοῦτο.