Letter 823: This Theodorus was born among us but is enrolled among you, having inherited his father's citizenship.

To Modestus. (363) This Theodorus was born among us, but he is enrolled among you, having inherited his father's citizenship. Having become my pupil at the time when I was just taking up the profession, he imitated my labors over rhetoric, and the goodwill of brothers toward me. His time of study, then, gave us hopes that he would prevail mightily in the law courts and would earn wealth from his eloquence; but as he went on he came to admire gold instead of bronze, and he became finer than to think great the power there [in the courts], surpassing others in self-restraint, practicing justice, shunning crowds, and loving tranquility. But now he has come to you under compulsion, to which, the saying goes, even the gods yield. Receive the man, then, kindly, and as is fitting for a citizen and a pupil of mine, and make his discharge from his affairs swift for him; and if anyone attempts to do him wrong, oppose him together with the laws; for it would be of the most absurd things, if we should be of no benefit to him at all, neither his father nor I, and that when both of us have long since been held in honor by you.

Μοδέστῳ. (363) Θεόδωρος οὗτος ἔφυ μὲν παρ᾿ ἡμὶν, ἐγγέγραπται δὲ παρ’ ὑμῖν πολιτείας πατρικῆς κληρονομήσας. γενόμενος δὲ φοιτη- τῆς ἐμός, ὅτε ἄρτι τοῦ πράγματος ἡπτόμην, τοὺς μὶν ἐμοὺς περὶ λόγους ἐμιμήσατο πόνους. τὴν δὲ τῶν ἀδελφῶν εὔνοταν εἰς ἐμέ. αἱ μὲν οὖν διατριβαὶ παρεῖχον ἡμῖν ἐλπίδας, ὡς μέγα ἐν δικαστηρίοις ἰσχύσει καὶ πλοῦτον ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἐρ- γάσεται· προιὼν δὲ χρυσὶ ἀντὶ χαλκῶν ἐθαύμασε καὶ ἐγένετο καλλίων τοῦ τὴν ἐκεῖ δύναμιν ἡγεῖσθαι μέγα σωφροσύνῃ τε διενεγκὼν καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀσκῶν καὶ φεύγων ὄχλους καὶ ἡσυχίας ἐρῶν. νῦν δὲ ἥκει παρ’ ὑμᾶς ὑπ’ ἀνάγκης, ἧς ἡττᾶσθαι καὶ θεοὺς λόγος. δέχου δὴ τὸν ἄνδρα ἡμέρως καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς ἐμὸν πολίτην καὶ μαθητήν, καὶ ταχείας αὐτῷ ποίει τὰς ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀπαλλαγάς, κἂν ἐπιχειρῇ τις ἀδικεῖν, ἀπάντα μετὰ τῶν νόμων· ὡς ἔσται τῶν ἀτοπωτάτων, εἰ μηδὲν αὐτὸν ὀνήσομεν μήθ’ ὁ πατὴρ μήτ’ ἐγώ, καὶ ταῦτα ἄμφω παρὰ σοὶ πάλαι δὴ τιμωμένω.