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

To Theodorus. You have honored me with your remembrance, but you did not take very good aim at the weakness of my eyes. For no part of my body is sound, but these have failed more than the rest, and unless they take hold of large letters, they look for someone to read aloud for them. You, for your part, have many books, fine ones too, and of the kind to help those who are in such a condition; but I am not yet worthy of such things, and I know that I have been a nuisance, and I ask for pardon. For the book you sent had only one good quality, that it was brought from you and together with your letter, since in every other respect the gift was not your own. It comes back, therefore, once again into the very same storeroom, to lie among the fine things, so that it may drive off envy from the fine things.

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.