Letter 755: To the same. (362 AD)

To the same. (362 AD) Orion became my friend in earlier times, when his mother brought us together. He seemed a decent man — one who blamed rather than imitated those who abused their power. I also heard from the people of Bostra that he neither made war on the temples nor drove out priests, and that he relieved many people's misfortunes by governing with great mildness. Now I have seen him downcast and shrunken. He shed tears before he could speak. He barely escaped the hands of those who attacked him — though he had harmed no one in anything when he had the power to do so — and was nearly torn apart. He added the exile of his brother, the wandering of his whole family, land left unsown, and the seizure of his possessions. None of this, I know, is the emperor's wish. He says: if someone holds temple funds, let them be collected — but otherwise, let no one be dishonored or harmed. But those who have no real charge to bring simply drive people from the country, since if they had evidence to convict them, they would sooner summon them back from exile than scheme to expel them. Those people are plainly coveting others' property while pretending to champion the gods. It would be fitting for a governor — especially you — to recall the exiles by decree, and to warn the others not to treat whomever they please as Mysian plunder, but to return what they hold unlawfully and henceforth abide by the law. If you do this, best of men — promising the one group and compelling the other — you will restore to some what is theirs and make the others better people. Once Eucladius returns, Orion will come home, the scattered family will reassemble, and I will be seen as not having neglected a friend in trouble, and you as having heeded a friend's counsel.

Τῷ αὐτῷ. (362) Ὠρίων γίγνεταί μοι φίλος ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων χρόνων τῆς τε μητρὸς ἡμᾶς συναγούσης καὶ ἅμα χρηστὸς δοκῶν καὶ τοὺς τῇ δυνάμει κακῶς χρωμένους οὐ μᾶλλον μιμούμενος ἢ μεμ- φόμενος. ἤκουον δὲ καὶ τῶν τὴν Βόστραν οἰκούντων ὡς οὔτε πολεμοῖ τοῖς ἱεροῖς ὄνθ’’ ἱερεῖς ἐλαύνοι πολλοῖς τε λύσειε συμφορὰς πρᾳότατα καταστησάμενος τὴν ἀρχήν. τοῦτον ν9ν εΙδον κατηφῆ καὶ συνεοταλμἐνον. καὶ δάκρυα πρὸ τῶν λόγωνἀφεὶς ἐγὼ μόλις τὰς τῶν παθόντων ἐμοῦόιαπέφευγαχεῖραςλυπήσαςμὲνοὐδέναοὐδέν, ἡνίκα ἐξῆν, μικρο9 δὲ διασπασθείς. καὶ προσετίθει φυγὴν ἀδελφοῦ καὶ γένους ὅλου πλάνην καὶ γῆν ἄσπορον mxI σκευῶν ἁρπαγήν. ὧν οὐδὲν οἶδα τὸν βασιλέα βουλόμενον, ἀλλ’ εἰ μέν τις ἔχει τῶνἱερῶνχρημάτων, εἰσπρατ- τέσθωφησίν·εἰδὲμή,μήτεἀτιμαζέσθωμήτεκακού- σθω. ἀλλ’, οΙμαι, τῶν οὐδὲν ἐχόντων ἐγκαλεῖν τὸ τῆς χώρας ἐκβαλεῖν ἐστιν, ἐπεὶ οΙς γε ὑπῆρχεν ἐλέγχειν, μᾶλλον ἂν ἐκάλουν φεύγοντας ἢ ὅπως μεταστήσονται ἔπραττον ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὐκ εἰσιν ἄδηλοι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυ- μοῦντες ἐν τῷ τοῖς θεοῖς προσποιεῖσθαι βοηθεῖν· τὸν δ’ αὖ ἄρχοντα καλόν, ἄλλως τε καὶ σέ, τοὺς μὲν κατάγειν κηρύγματι. τοῖς δὲ προειπεῖν μὴ Μυσῶν λείαν οὓς ἐθέλουσι ποιεῖσθαι, ἀλλ’ ἀποδοῦναι μὲν ἃ παρὰ τοὺς νόμους ἔχουσι, χρήσασθαι δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ τοῖς νόμοις ἂν ταῦτα, ὦ ἄριστε, τοῖς μὲν ὑπόσχῃ, τοὺς δὲ ἀναγκάσῃς, τοῖς μὲν ἀποδώσεις τὴν αὑτῶν, τοὺς δὲ ποιήσεις βελτίους. Εὐκλαδίου δὲ κατελθόντος ἐπάν εισι μὲν Ὠρίων, ἐπάνεισι δὲ τὸ διεσπαρμένον, δόξω δὲ ἐγὼ μὲν ἀτυχοῦντος οὐκ ἠμεληκίναι φίλου, σὺ δὲ φίλῳ παραι- νοῦντι πεπεῖσθαι.