Letter 789: You seem to want letters from a scoundrel — whether I have forgotten a friend through length of time or suffered...

To Antipater. You seem to be longing for the letters of a worthless man, whether it is that through length of time I have forgotten my friend, or whether I have come to suffer this very thing on account of some prosperity; and indeed I wonder that you have not counted it gain to have been rid of one who is sick with such ailments. For my part, of the common good fortune I have my share, being ruled by the best of emperors; but in private matters I have surpassed none of my neighbors. For I neither build splendidly, nor have I bought up much land, nor am I escorted by lictors who strike and frighten men, nor do I make great promises, nor have I taken vengeance on an enemy. What, then, have you seen in me that makes you insult me? What informer, or which of the seers, told you of this self-importance? I go in to the emperor when summoned, but otherwise by no means, and this not continually. Having gone in, I listen to him speaking--for he is a Siren--and whatever he may utter, becoming no worse than [reading from] a treatise, I depart improved in mind, having been invited to converse, my words mingling with the emperor's words. These are the fruits of my visits. But that this or that man should be made to cease from ruling, O emperor, and that this or that other man should rule, and that to the one honor should come, while you cast the other out from his possessions--these things have departed along with [the lament for] the Adonis of Praxilla, and now in truth the name of the ruler has come to its proper work. Yet even so, if there really were any great power of such kinds, I would be among those who flee self-importance as though it were some burden not to be borne. And you would rightly believe me, were it not that you have suffered the very thing of which you accuse me and have forgotten my character. And indeed this too is strange: to pray to go on living amid the same circumstances, yet to do new things, and such as never before. For remind me, what letter of yours came to us in Syria before this one?--but you would not be able to. Therefore you have become a different man, and while asking from the gods to remain the same, you cut yourself another path, of your own will pleasanter to me, but at war with your own prayers. But as for this path, do not cease from walking it and writing; yet I would wish that you should seek a more reasonable charge against us as well, and that, whenever you do not receive letters, you should rather blame the couriers as having been negligent than at once suppose that the friend has turned bad--the friend who wished the priesthood to fall to you, but was defeated by the man who got there first, this same man having on his side the just claim of having anticipated you.

Ἀντιπάτρῳ. (362/36) Ἔοικας ἀνδρὸς πονηροῦ γραμμάτων ἐπιθυμεῖν, εἴτε διὰ χρόνου μῆκος ἐπιλέλησμαι φίλου εἴθ᾿ ὑπό τινος εὐπραξίας αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔπαθον, καὶ θαυμάζω γε ὅπως οὐ κέρδος ἡγήσω τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα νοσοῦντος ἀπηλλάχθαι. ἐγὼ οἱ τῆς μὲν κοινῆς εὐτυχίας ἰχῶ τὸ μέρος ἀρχόμενος ὑπὸ βασιλέως ἀρίστου. τοῖς δὲ ἰδίοις οὐδένα παρελήλυθα τῶν γειτόνων. οὔτε γὰρ οἰκοδομῶ λαμπρῶς οὔτε γῆν ἐώνημαι πολλὴν οὔθ᾿ ῥα βδούχων παραπέμπομαι παιόντων καὶ φοβούντων οὐδ᾿ ὑπ- ισχνοῦμαι μεγάλα οὐδ’ ἐχθρὸν ἠμυνάμην. τίνα τοίνυν ὄΠ· ἑωρακὼς ὑβρίζεις; τίς μηνυτὴς ἢ τίς μάντεων τοῦτον ἔφρασέ σοι τὸν ὄγκον; εἴσειμι παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα καλούμενος, ἄλλως δὲ οὐδαμῶς, τοῦτο δὲ οὐ συνεχῶς. εἰσελθὼν ἀκούω λέγοντος, καὶ γάρ ἐστι Σειρήν, καὶ ὅ τι φθέγξαιτο, συγγράμματος τοῦτο οὐ χεῖρον ἀμείνων γενόμενος τὴν γνώμην ἄπειμι παρακλη- θεὶς εἰς λόγους τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως λόγοις οὗτοι τῶν εἰσό- δων οἱ καρποί. τὸ δὲ τὸν δεῖνα μέν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, παῦ- δον ἄρχοντα, ὁ δεῖνα δὲ ἀρξάτω, καὶ τῷ μὲν γενέσθω τιμὴ, τὸν δὲ ἔκβαλε τῶν ὄντων, ταῦτα δὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πραξίλλης Ἀδώνιδος οἴχεται καὶ νῦν ἲς ἀληθῶς εἰς ἔργον ἥκει τὸ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὄνομα. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ’, εἰ καὶ σφό- δρα τις ἦν τῶν γε τοιούτων ἐξουσία, τῶν φευγόντων ἂν ἐγε- νόμην τὸν ὄγκον ὥσπερ τι φορτίον οὐ φορητόν. πιστεύοις δ’ ἄν μοι δικαίως, εἰ μὴ ὅπερ αἰτιᾷ πέπονθας καὶ ἐπιλέλησαί μου τοῦ τρόπου. καὶ μὴν κἀκεῖνό γε ἄτοπον εὔχεσθαι μὲν ζῆν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς πράγμασι, καινὰ δὲ ποιεῖν καὶ οἵα οὔπω πρότερον. ἀνάμνησον γάρ με, τί σου γράμμα πρὸ τοῦδε πρὸς ἡμ.ᾶς ἧκεν εἰς Συρίαν, ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις. οὐκοῦν ἕτερος γέ- γονας καὶ αἰτῶν παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ὁ αὐτὸς εἶναι τέμνεις ἄλλην ὁδὸν ἑκὼν ἡδίω μὲν ἐμοί, ταῖς δὲ σαῖς εὐχαῖς μαχομένην. ἀλλὰ ταύτην μὲν ἰὼν καὶ γράφων μὴ παύσαιο, βουλοίμην δ’ ἄν σε καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν ἐπιεικεστέραν ζητεῖν αἰτίαν καὶ ὅταν γράμματα μὴ λάβῃς, μᾶλλον τοῖς διακόνοις ὡς ἠμεληκόσιν ἐγκαλεῖν ἢ τὸν φίλον νομίζειν εὐθὺς γεγονέναι κακόν, ὃς ἐβουλήθη μὲν σοὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην γενέσθαι, τοῦ φθάσαντος δὲ ἡττήθη τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ δίκαιον ἔχοντος τὸ προειληφέναι.