Letter 807: That famous and great city, where you both distinguished yourself and were honored, has been shaken by many evils —...

To Acacius. (363 AD) That famous and great city, where you both distinguished yourself and were honored, has been shaken by many evils — battling famine and thought by the emperor to be criminal. We spent our time as supplicants but could not escape the accusation. You, it seems, were fortunate: you enjoyed the city's prosperity but did not share in its troubles — unless someone might say you shared in them insofar as what you would have accomplished when things were going well was prevented by the harshness of the times. For wherever we turned, there was despair everywhere, and words were spent in vain. When we approached, those with power to give shut their doors so as not to hear our voice — to such a degree of powerlessness had we come. But if some god dispels the darkness, we shall have work again and perhaps not fail.

Ἀκακίῳ. (363) Ἡ πόλις ἐκείνη ἡ λαμπρὰ καὶ μεγάλη, ᾗ καὶ σαυτὸν ἔδει- ξας καὶ παρ’ ᾗ τετίμησαι, πολλοῖς κακοῖς διασέσεισται λιμῷ τε μεμαχημένη καὶ βασιλεῖ δόξασα εἶναι κακοῦργος, καὶ διε- τελέσαμεν ἱκετεύοντες μέν, ἐκφυγεῖν δὲ τὴν δόξαν οὐ δυνη- θέντες. σὺ δὲ ἄρα εὐδαίμων εὖ πραττούσης μὲν ἀπολαύ- σὰς, τῶν ἑτέρων δὲ οὐ κοινωνήσας πλὴν εἰ ταύτῃ σέ τις κεκοινωνηκέναι φαίη, ὅτι ἃ φερομένης καλῶς ἐπέπρακτο ἄν σοι, ταῦτα τῇ τοῦ καιροῦ χαλεπότητι διεκω/ύθη. ὅπῃ γὰρ ἔλθοιμεν, ἀθυμία πανταχοῦ, καὶ οἱ λόγοι μάτην ἀναλοῦντο· προσιόντων δὲ οἱ δοῦναι κύριοι τὰς θύρας ἀπέκλειον, ὅπως ἡμῶν μὴ ἀκούοιεν τῆς φωνῆς· εἰς τοσοῦτον δυνάμεως ἥκο- με ἀλλ’ ἢν θεῶν τις λύση τὸν ζόφον, ἔργου τε αὖθις ἑξό- μέθᾳ καὶ ἴσως οὐκ ἀτυχήσομεν.