From: Libanius, rhetorician in Antioch
To: Atarbius
Date: ~359 AD
Context: A plea for a former governor facing post-office persecution -- a common hazard in the late Roman system.
If I could have traveled with Sabinus, I would have spoken to you in person rather than writing -- that's how badly I want to rescue the man from this storm. But since I'm held here by various obligations, I've taken the next best course and am writing instead.
I would ask you, for the sake of both justice and our friendship, to stand firm against the difficulties of the moment and teach people that it is not their right to tear governors apart once they leave office.
I told Sabinus he could count on getting anything from you. It's in your hands now whether that promise makes me look like a braggart or not.
**To Atarbius** (359 AD)
If I had been able to share the journey with Sabinus, I would be speaking with you in person rather than writing — so great is my eagerness to rescue the man from this storm. But since I am compelled by many circumstances to remain here, I have not neglected the second-best voyage, and so I write to you instead.
I would ask you, for the sake of both justice and our friendship, to stand firm against the harshness of the present moment and teach these people that it is not within their right to tear apart governors once they have laid down their office.
I have given Sabinus my word that he would obtain everything he needs from you. It is in your power now to prove me either a braggart in my promise — or not.
Context:A plea for a former governor facing post-office persecution -- a common hazard in the late Roman system.
If I could have traveled with Sabinus, I would have spoken to you in person rather than writing -- that's how badly I want to rescue the man from this storm. But since I'm held here by various obligations, I've taken the next best course and am writing instead.
I would ask you, for the sake of both justice and our friendship, to stand firm against the difficulties of the moment and teach people that it is not their right to tear governors apart once they leave office.
I told Sabinus he could count on getting anything from you. It's in your hands now whether that promise makes me look like a braggart or not.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.