Letter 748: It is no surprise that a man born in Ancyra set out to pursue one of the nobler arts, for your city is rich in fine...

To Bosporius. (362) It is no wonder if a man born in Ancyra [Ankara] should set out toward a profession among the more honorable callings; for the city is fruitful for you in producing good natures. And so this Achillius here has rendered what was to be expected of him, having wished, instead of living in luxury at home, to become a physician. And this is the fine thing about him: that there is no one of the cities - and these are many, as many as lie between the city of Alexander [Alexandria] and our own - there is, I say, not one of these which did not wish to acquire the man and to enjoy his skill, yet there is not one which, though it made the attempt, was able to persuade him. For he considered those people worthy and rejoiced to be praised by them, yet he counted everything as secondary to you; and although he knew that fears had been stirred up against him at home by Fortune - for, his father having died, the disturbances are advancing upon him - nevertheless he reckoned the cares to be had among you sweeter than the prosperity to be had among others. It would therefore befit your love of honor and your manliness and your gentleness to do those things by which he shall learn that he acted rightly in hastening toward you. For he will at once take refuge with you, since both he himself knew this and I was urging it, and you, for your part, straightway show to those who have the power to cause grief that you will not permit it. They [...] will not be so bold as to attempt, against the will of Heracles, to drive out Achillius. For it is clear that the missiles will come upon them. They will therefore choose neither to do wrong nor to be struck. And if these things shall stand thus, he will practice his skill in peace, while for you there will be praise from us, and from Asclepius the favor of needing no physician at all, and among the young men a passion for learning something serious, when they see those who have learned saved from terrible straits. And to be the cause of such things in the city is greater than the expenditures laid out upon the city. I have given this letter while Achillius was carrying many from Palestine to the governor. Consider, then, with what intention I added the one to the many; for I think I have planned rightly, yet to keep silent about the reason is better than to write it:

Βοσπορίῳ. (362) Οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν εἴ τις ἐν Ἀγκύρᾳ τεχθεὶς ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τέχνην τῶν σεμνοτέρων· ἀγαθῶν γὰρ φύσεων ἡ πόλις ὑμῖν εὔφορος. ἀπέδωκε δὴ καὶ Ἀχίλλιος οὑτοσὶ τὸ εἰκὸς ἀντὶ τοῦ τρυφᾶν οἴκοι γενέσθαι βουληθεὶς ἰατρός. καλὸν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸ μηδεμίαν τῶν πόλεων — πολλαὶ δὲ αὗται καὶ ὅσαι μεταξὺ τῆς τε Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας — τούτων τοι νυν οὐκ ἔστι μὲν ἥτις οὐκ ἠβουλήθη τὸν ἄνδρα κτήσασθαι καὶ τῆς τέχνης ἀπολαύειν, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ἥτις ἠδυνήθη πειρω- μένη πεῖσαι. χρηστοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐκείνους ἡγεῖτο καὶ ἔχαιρεν ἐπαινούμενος, πάντα δὲ ὑμῶν δεύτερα· καίτοι φόβους μὲν ᾔδει παρὰ τῆς Τύχης ἐγηγερμένους οἴκοι — τοῦ πατρὸς γὰρ αὐτῷ τεθνεῶτος ἐπ’ αὐτὸν οἱ θόρυβοι χωροῦσιν — ἀλλ’ ὅμως τῆς παρ’ ἄλλοις εὐδαιμονίας τὰς παρ’ ὑμῖν φροντίδας ἡδίους ἔθετο. εἴη ἂν οὖν τῆς σῆς φιλοτιμίας τε καὶ ἀν- δρίας καὶ ἡμερότητος πρᾶξαι ταῦτα δι’ ὧν ὅτι καλῶς ἐποίει πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐπειγόμενος εἴσεται. καταφεύξεται μὲν γὰρ εὐθὺς ἐπὶ σέ, τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτός τε ᾖδε καὶ ἐγὼ παρῄνουν, σὺ δ’ εὐθὺς ἐνδείκνυσο τοῖς δυναμένοις λυπεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιτρέψεις. οἱδ’ οὐχ οὕτως ἔσονται θρασεῖς ὥστ’ ἄκοντος Ἡρακλέους ἐπιχειρεῖν ἐλαύνειν Ἀχίλλιον. δῆλον γὰρ ὡς ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἥξει τὰ βέλη. αἱρήσονται οὖν μήτ’ ἀδικεῖν μήτε βάλλεσθαι. εἰ δὲ οὕτω ταῦθ’ ἕξει, ὁ μὲν καθ’ ἡσυχίαν χρήσεται τῇ τέχνῃ, σοὶ δὲ ἔσται παρὰ μὲν ἡμῶν ἔπαινος, παρὰ δὲ Ἀσκληπιοῦ τὸ μηδὲν ἰατροῦ δεῖσθαι, τοῖς δὲ νέοις ἔρως τοῦ μανθάνειν τι σπου- δαῖον ὁρῶσι τοὺς μεμαθηκότας ἐκ δεινῶν σωζομένους. εἶναι δέ σε τοιούτων αἴτιον ἐν τῇ πόλει μεῖζον τῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀναλωμάτων. ταύτην ἐγὼ δέδωκα τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πολλὰς ἐκ Παλαιστίνης Ἀχιλλίου πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα κομίζοντος. ἐννόει δή, τίνι γνώμῃ προσέθηκα ταῖς πολλαῖς τὴν μίαν· ὀρθῶς μὲν γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι βεβουλεῦσθαι, σιγᾶν δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν κρεῖττον ἢ γράφειν·