Letter 730: What a treasure I had in my hands and never used!

What a treasure I had in my hands and never used! The good Eucarpion was brought here many times by various necessities, and I, suffering from my head, could have long since healed it through his art. I spoke briefly with him, but never went so far as to seek a remedy. That was the folly -- or if you prefer, the bad luck -- of the past. But now he has come and examined my condition more carefully. He discovered its nature and explained what would either stop it entirely or make it hurt less. We began to experience the benefit right from the first treatment -- and it was no small thing. When I praised and acknowledged this, Eucarpion said, "Let Demetrius the sophist know it too." This was the response of a man who knew you would be as grateful as the patient himself. So acknowledge the debt and at the same time push him toward something more ambitious. In a great and prolonged war, many stratagems are needed. Persuade him to write a treatise, so that we may look to it and govern the body by following its instructions. I do not know if I will compose speeches again. But I am sending you the one I delivered recently -- I could not find the earlier ones. The slave assigned to that task was off chasing a goldsmith who had run away with a great deal of other people's money.

Δημητρίῳ. (362) Οἶον ἔχων ἐν χεροῖν ἀγαθὸν οὐκ ἐχρώμην Εὐκαρπίωνα γὰρ τὸν καλὸν πολλαὶ μὲν πολλάκις δεῦρ’ ἤγαγον ἀνάγκαι, τὴν κεφαλὴν δὲ ἐγὼ νοσῶν καὶ δυνάμενος πάλαι διὰ τῆς παρὰ τῷδε ῥαῖσαι τέχνης μικρὰ μὶν αὐτῷ διελέχθην, οὐ μὴν μέχρι τοῦ καὶ ζητῆσαι βοήθειαν προῆλθον. ταυτὶ μὶν τῆς πρὶν εὐηθείας ἤ, εἰ βούλει γε, δυστυχίας· ἀλλὰ νῦν ἥκουσί τε ἀκριβέστερον περὶ τοῦ πάθους καὶ τήν τε φύσιν ἥτις ἦν ἐξεῦρε καὶ δι’ ὧν ἢ στήσεται τελέως ἢ κουφότερον ἀνιάσει ἕφρασε σκεψάμενος. καὶ πεῖρόν γε τῆς ἐπικουρίας εὐθὺς ἐν προοιμίοις ἐλαμβάνομεν οὐκ ἀγεννῆ· ὡς δὲ ἐπῄνουν τε καὶ ὡμολόγουν, γνώτω τοίνυν ἴφη καὶ Δημήτριος σοφιστής. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν εἰδότος ὅτι τοσαύτην αὐτῷ χάριν, ὅσηνπερ ὁ κάμνων, εἴσῃ. σὺ δ’ ὁμοῦ τι τὴν χάριν ὁμολογεῖν καὶ κινεῖν ἐπί τι σοφώτερον· οἷα γὰρ ἐν μεγάλῳ πολέμῳ καὶ μῆκος ἔχοντι πολλῶν δεῖ τῶν ἐπιτεχνήσεων. βιβλίον οὖν ποιησάτω σοῦ πείθοντος, ὅπως εἰς ἐκεῖνο βλέποντες οὕτως ἄγωμεν τὸ σῶμα πειθόμενοι τῷ νόμῳ.