To Athanasius. (362)
I know what you call my reputation: not a thousand or ten thousand or twice that many people, but Acacius the orator and the mouth of Acacius — worth far more to me than twenty thousand mouths, though not entirely free from suspicion on account of his excessive friendship.
Nevertheless, Gaius shall enjoy whatever we have to give, and with the same eagerness as if he were the son of the man who created that reputation. For you are worthy of honor, and Acacius commands it — calling your boy his own son, and describing in detail how the child is cherished by you and how his mother could hardly be parted from him, clinging to him all the way to the city gates.
This we shall always remember, and you will say that the boy could receive no more from his own father, were he still alive, than he receives from my art.
I know what you call my reputation: not a thousand or ten thousand or twice that many people, but Acacius the orator and the mouth of Acacius — worth far more to me than twenty thousand mouths, though not entirely free from suspicion on account of his excessive friendship.
Nevertheless, Gaius shall enjoy whatever we have to give, and with the same eagerness as if he were the son of the man who created that reputation. For you are worthy of honor, and Acacius commands it — calling your boy his own son, and describing in detail how the child is cherished by you and how his mother could hardly be parted from him, clinging to him all the way to the city gates.
This we shall always remember, and you will say that the boy could receive no more from his own father, were he still alive, than he receives from my art.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.