Letter 785: I did not receive Spectatus as someone who had wronged me — for I would write nothing about you that I would wish to...

To Themistius. (362/63) I did not receive Spectatus as someone who had wronged me — for I would write nothing about you that I would wish to keep hidden. And even if I did err, I did not owe so great a penalty as you exacted by writing as you did. For you instruct me about your own character as though I were unable to learn it in so long a time — twelve years, I believe. And yet not even one of the household slaves raised in your company would have suffered this, nor even that Ister among the barbarians. But you were eager, it seems, to show that the man who, if nothing else, has bathed with you many times is worse than Melitides [a proverbial fool]. I have always believed, and still believe, that you practice philosophy — perhaps now writing more than before, but you observed what pertains to life even earlier, and that was a greater test than the present one. For it is not the same to abide by Plato's laws when free from affairs and to remain unbowed when many people press upon you. You count many pupils and call many of them fortunate — those who can grasp the truth and, having grasped it, advance in eloquence. For both of Plato's gifts are yours: to teach noble things and to do so in beautiful language. This we neither fail to recognize nor keep silent about; all who have come to us for discourse have gone away having heard such praise of you. So stop writing such letters and consider me old, yes — but not yet out of my mind.

Θεμιστίῳ. (362/63) Οὔτε Σπεκτάτον ὡς ἠδικηκότα με εἶδον, οὐδὲν γὰρ ἂν περὶ σοῦ γράψαιμι τοιοῦτον, ὃ κεκρύφθαι βουλοίμην ἄν, εἰ τέ τι καὶ ἥμαρτον, οὐ τοσαύτην γε ὤφειλον δίκην, ὁπόσην ἔλαβες γράφων. διδάσκεις γάρ με περὶ τῶν σαυτοῦ τρόπων ὡς οὐ δυνηθέντα μαθεῖν ἐν οὕτω πολλῷ χρόνῳ, δώδεκα ἔτε- σιν οἷμαι. καίτοι τοῦτό γε μὴ ὅτι τῶν παρὰ σοί τις τρα- φέντων οἰκετῶν, ἀλλ’ οὐδ’ ἂν Ἴστρος ἐκεὶνος ὁ παρὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἔπαθεν, ἀλλ’ ἐσπούδασας, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸν εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο μετὰ σοῦ πολλὰ δὴ λελουμένον Μελιrίδου δεῖξαι φαυ- λότερον. ἐγὼ δέ σε καὶ νῦν καὶ πάλαι φιλοσοφεῖν ἡγοῦμαι καὶ νῦν μὲν ἴσως πλείω συγγράφειν, τὰ δὲ τῷ βίῳ προσή- κοντα καὶ πρόσθεν τετηρηκέναι καὶ γενέσθαι γε μείζω βάσα- νον τῆς παρούσης ἐκείνην. οὐ γὰρ ἴσον ἔξω πραγμάτων ὄντα τοῖς νόμοις Πλάτωνος ἐμμένειν καὶ πολλῶν ἐνοχλούντων μη- δαμοῦ βιασθῆναι. μαθητὰς δὲ πολλοὺς ἀριθμῶν πολλοὺς εὐδαίμονας λέγεις, οἷς ἔστι μὲν τὴν ἀλήθειαν λαβεῖν, λαβεῖν, δὲ μετ’ ἐκείνης εἰς εὐγλωττίαν ἐπιδοῦναι. ἄμφω γὰρ δὴ παρὰ σοὶ τὰ Πλάτωνος, γενναῖά τε διδάξαι καὶ γλώττῃ καλῇ. ταῦτ οὔτ’ ἀγνοοῦμεν οὔτε σιγῶμεν, ἀλλ’ ὅσοιπερ ἡμῖν εἰς λόγους ἦλθον, καὶ τοιούτων λόγων ἀκούσαντες ἀπῆλθον. παῦσαι δὴ τοιούτων ἐπιστολῶν καὶ νόμιζέ με γεγηρακέναι μέν, παρα- φρονεῖν δὲ οὔπω.