Letter 2019: Here is your son — whom I've pried from my own comfort to satisfy your longing.
Here is your son — whom I've pried from my own comfort to satisfy your longing. Now that you're restored by this dear relief, make your peace with your old happiness.
But if you'll hear my advice: once you've warmed a father's heart with the sight of your boy, put practical matters first. Send the young man back to pursue a civic career. What use is he to you in a military camp?
This is my frank counsel, offered in duplicate [i.e., to both parents]. You'll do what your own greater wisdom dictates. A person who judges conditions firsthand always sees more clearly.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.
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