Letter 216: Chrysostom writes despite Musonius's silence and describes winter, robbers, and scarce carriers.

We have already written to your Nobility, my honored and reverend master, and now we do the same again, although you have not written to us even once. Still, we will not stop writing to you continually whenever we can, doing what is proper for us. We would gladly write more often, but we live in a very desolate place. Fear of robbers surrounds the town, winter has blocked the roads, and all this keeps many people from coming here regularly. Whenever we can find letter-carriers, we pay the greeting owed to your Reverence. We know the sincerity of your love, the warmth of your disposition, the steadiness of your mind, your freedom, and your lack of pretense. Wherever we are, we keep you always in memory and cannot forget your kindness. Give us, then, the joy not only of writing but of receiving letters about your health.

ΣΙʹ. Μουσωνίῳ. Καὶ ἤδη ἐπεστάλκαμέν σου τῇ εὐγενείᾳ, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, καὶ νῦν τὸ αὐτὸ πάλιν ποιοῦμεν, καίτοι μηδὲ ἅπαξ σοῦ ἐπεσταλκότος ἡμῖν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἡμεῖς οὐ διαλείψομεν συνεχῶς ὑμῖν ἐπιστέλλοντες, καὶ τὸ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς πρέπον ποιοῦντες. Ἐβουλόμεθα γὰρ καὶ πυκνότερον τοῦτο ποιεῖν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἐν ἐρημίᾳ πολλῇ χωρίου διατρίβομεν, καὶ ὁ τῶν λῃστῶν φόβος πολιορκεῖ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἡ τοῦ χειμῶνος ὥρα ἀποτειχίζει τὰς ὁδοὺς, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα οὐκ ἀφίησι πολλοὺς ἡμῖν συνεχῶς ἐπιχωριάζειν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ γραμματηφόρων ἐπιτύχωμεν, τὴν ὀφειλομένην πρόσρησιν ἀποδιδόαμέν σου τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ. Ἴσμεν γάρ σου τὸ γνήσιον τῆς ἀγάπης, τὴν θερμὴν διάθεσιν, τὸ ἀπερίτρεπτον τῆς γνώμης, τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, τὸ ἀνυπόκριτον. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἐπὶ μνήμης σε διηνεκῶς περιφέρομεν, ὅπουπερ ἂν ὦμεν, καὶ ἐπιλαθέσθαι σου τῆς ἐμμελείας οὐ δυνάμεθα. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ τῷ γράφειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ δέχεσθαι γράμματα, περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς δηλοῦντα, εὐφραινώμεθα, πέμπε συνεχῶς ἡμῖν τοιαύτας ἐπιστολάς. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντες πολλὴν καρπωσόμεθα ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων γραμμάτων παραμυθίαν, ὅταν ἀκούωμεν, ὅτι ὑμεῖς οἱ σφοδροὶ ἡμῶν ἐρασταὶ καὶ θερμοὶ ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ καὶ ἀσφαλείᾳ διάγετε.