Letter 749: Be such a man for me in the matter of what you are collecting from Basilicus: divide his payment so that he may put...

To Bacchius. (362 AD) Tend to the sacred rites, my dear Bacchius — with abundant sacrifices, precision in the mysteries, and the restoration of what has fallen. You must show piety toward the gods, gratify the emperor, and make your homeland more beautiful. But do grant favors too, even as you guard your zeal. The Graces are goddesses, after all — honor them accordingly — and it is entirely possible to neglect neither duty nor gentleness. Be such a man for me in the matter of what you are collecting from Basilicus: divide his payment so that he may put down one part now and have the other ready later. No one ever found fault with Aemilianus's conduct — I for one praised it. He was not the sort to act outrageously, though he could have if he wished. Let us then reward his decency by removing from the collection not the urgency, but only the excess of it.

Βακχίῳ. (362) Ἐπιμελοῦ τῶν ἱερῶν, ὦ καλὲ Βάκχιε, καὶ πλήθει θυσιῶν καὶ τελετῶν ἀκριβείᾳ καὶ τῷ τὰ κείμενα ἀνιστάναι. δεῖ γάρ σε καὶ περὶ τοὺς θεοὺς εὐσεβεῖν καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ χαρίζεσθαι καἰ τὴν πατρίδα καλλίω ποιεῖν. δίδου μέντοι καἰ χάριτας ἐν τῷ φυ- λάττειν τὴν σπουδήν. θεάς τε γὰρ οὔσας οὕτω τιμήσεις τὰς Χάριτας καὶ ἅμα ἔξεστι μήτ’ ἐκείνων ἀμελεῖν καὶ πρᾷον εἶναι. γενοῦ δή μοι τοιοῦτος ἐν οἶς εἰσπράττεις Βασιλικὸν με ρίσας αὐτῷ τὴν καταβολήν, ὥστε τὸ μὲν θεῖναι, τὸ δὲ εὐτρε- πίσαι. τῶν γὰρ Αἰμιλιανοῦ τρόπων ἐπελάβετο μὲν οὐδείς ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἐπαινέτης. οὐ γὰρ ἦν τῶν ὑβριζόντων καὶ ταῦτα ἐνόν, εἴπερ ἐβούλετο. δῶμεν δὴ μισθοὺς αὐτῷ τῆς καλο- κἀγαθίας ἀφελόντες τῆς εἰσπράξεως οὐ τὸ ἐπείγειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ λίαν.