Letter 790: You have honored me with your remembrance, but you did not quite gauge the weakness of my eyes.

To Theodorus. (362/63) You have honored me with your remembrance, but you did not quite gauge the weakness of my eyes. No part of my body is sound, but my eyes have given out more than the rest, and unless they encounter large letters, they need someone to read for them. You have many books, fine and beautiful, the kind that could help someone in my condition. But I am not yet worthy of such things, and I know I have been a nuisance and ask your forgiveness. For what you sent had only one merit: that it came from you and was accompanied by your letter. In every other respect, the gift was not worthy of you. So it has returned to the same storeroom, to lie among the fine things and ward off the evil eye from them.

Θεοδώρῳ. (362/63) Τῇ μὲν μνήμῃ τετίμηκάς με, τῆς δὲ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀσθενείας οὐ μάλα ἐστοχάσω. ἔρρωται μὲν γὰρ οὐδέν μοι μέρος τοῦ σώματος, οἱ δὲ πλέον ἢ τἄλλα ἀπειρήκασι, κὰν μὴ μεγάλων λάβωνται γραμμάτων, ζητοῦσι τὸν ἀναγνωσόμενον. σοὶ δ’ ἔστι μὶν βιβλία πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ κοὶ οἷα βοηθεῖν τοῖς οὅτω διακειμένοις, ἐγὼ δὲ οὔπω τῶν τοιούτων ἄξιος κοὶ οἶδα ἐνοχλήσας καὶ συγγνώμην αἰτῶ· ὡς ὅ γε ἔπεμφας, ἓν μόνον εἶχε καλὸν τὸ παρὰ σοῦ τε καὶ μετὰ σῶν κεκομίσθαι γραμμά- των, ὡς τῇ γε ἄλλῃ τὸ δῶρον οὐ σόν. ἥκει οὖν αὖθις εὶς ταὐτὸ ταμιεῖον μετὰ τῶν καλῶν κεισόμενον, ὅπως βασκανίαν ἀπελαύνῃ τῶν καλῶν.