Letter 750: To the Emperor Julian.

To the Emperor Julian. (362) I repaid Aristophanes his due, and you in turn have repaid me for my affection toward you, an affection brilliant and intense and hidden from neither gods nor men; so that now I almost take flight, lifted up to a great height by your letter, which brought me hopes and adorned my eloquence. And now everything already seems small to me: the wealth of Midas, the beauty of Nireus, the swiftness of Crison, the strength of Polydamas, the sword of Peleus. It seems to me that not even if I had partaken of nectar would I have taken more delight than now, when the emperor, whom Plato long ago sought and at last found late in time, both praised my judgment and admired my eloquence, and, honoring me with the promise of giving, by his willingness to consider together with me what ought to be given, honors me still more greatly. Would not, then, the man who watches for the rising of the heavenly Goat attain anything whatsoever, seeing that for me, who did not even strive for it, the greatest things come to pass, and, should I make request of him for some good thing, the emperor stands ready to grant the favor, imitating the god in heaven? Your letter, then, will be attached to my discourse, declaring to the sons of the Hellenes that the shaft was not sent forth in vain; and Aristophanes will take pride in what has been written by me, and I in what has been sent by you; or rather, both of us will take pride in what has been sent and in what shall be given, for we are both made more venerable to both alike. You must learn of the fear of Aristophanes, so that you may even laugh. One of those accustomed to come in to you in the late afternoon, having arrived at your doors and then having been prevented on the grounds that you were composing some discourse, brought us word of it, and at once there was fear lest, having chosen to wrestle against my discourse, you might overthrow the teacher, and bring round upon Aristophanes the misfortune of Nilus. So there was a running to the noble Elpidius, and he, upon learning what we were afraid of, burst out laughing. Then in this way we took breath again, and a little later we received the beautiful letter.

‘Ιουλιανῷ αὐτοκράτορι. (362) Ἐγὼ Ἀριστοφάνει τὰς ἀμοιβάς, σὺ δὲ ἀπέδωκας ἐμοὶ τοῦ περὶ σὲ φίλτρου λαμπροῦ τε καὶ σφοδροῦ καὶ οὔτε θεοὺς οὔτε ἀνθρώπους λανθάνοντος· ὡς νῦν γε μικροῦ πέτομαι πρὸς ὕψος ἀρθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ἐλπίδας τε ἐνεγκούσης καὶ τὸν λόγον μοι κοσμούσης. καὶ μικρά μοι πάντα ἤδη φαί- νεται, Μίδου πλοῦτος, κάλλος Νιρέως, Κρίσωνος τάχος, Πολυ- δάμαντος ῥώμη, μάχαιρα Πηλέως. δοκῶ δ’ ἄν μοι μηδ’ ἂν τοῦ νέκταρος μετασχὼν ἡσθῆναι μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν, ὅτε μοι βασιλεύς, ὃν πάλαι Πλατῶν ζητῶν ὀψέ ποθ’ εὖρε, τήν τε γνώμην ἐπῄνεσε τόν τε λόγον ἐθαύμασε καὶ τιμῶν τῇ τοῦ δώσειν ὑποσχέσει τῷ μετ’ ἐμοῦ σκοπεῖν ἐθέλειν ὃ δοῦναι δεῖ, τιμᾷ μειζόνως. οὐκ ἄρα ὁ τὴν αἶγα τὴν οὐρανίαν ἐπιτέλ- λουσαν παρατηρῶν παντὸς ἂν τύχοι, ὅπου γε ἐμοὶ τοῦτο οὐ σπουδάσαντι τὰ μέγιστα γίγνεται, κἂν δεηθῶ του καλοῦ, βασι- λεὺς ἕτοιμος εἰς τὴν χάριν θεὸν τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ μιμούμενος; ἡ μὲν οὗν ἐπιστολή σου προσκείσεται τῷ λόγῳ μηνύουσα παισὶν Ἑλλήνων ὡς οὐ μάτην ἐξεπέμφθη τὸ βέλος, καὶ φιλο- τιμήσεται τοῖς μὲν ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ γεγραμμένοις Ἀριστοφάνης, τοῖς ὑπὸ σοῦ δὲ ἐπεσταλμένοις ἐγώ, μᾶλλον δέ, ἀμφότεροι τοῖς τε ἐπεσταλμένοις τοῖς τε δοθησομένοις σεμνότεροι γὰρ ἀμφοτέ- ροις ἀμφότεροι. δεῖ σε τὸν φόβον Ἀριστοφάνους μαθεῖν, ὅπως ἂν καὶ γελάσαις. τῶν τις εἰσιέναι παρὰ σὲ δείλης εἰω- θότων ἥκων ἐπὶ θύρας, εἶτα κωλυθεὶς ὡς σοῦ τινα ποιοῦντος λόγον ἤγγειλεν ἡμῖν, καὶ φόβος εὐθὺς μὴ παλαῖσαι προελό- μένος πρὸς τὸν λόγον καταβάλῃς μὲν τὸν διδάσκαλον, Ἀριστο- φάνει δὲ τὸ Νείλου περιστήσῃς κακόν. δρόμος οὖν παρὰ τὸν καλὸν Ἐλπίδιον, ὁ δὲ μαθὼν ἐφ’ ᾧ δεδοίκαμεν ἀνεκάγ- χασεν. εἶθ’ οὕτως ἀνεπνεύσαμεν καὶ μικρὸν ὕστερον δεχό- μέθᾳ τὴν καλὴν ἐπιστολήν