Letter 25: Chrysostom explains why Cucusus limits correspondence and asks Elpidius for news of his health.

We wanted to write continually to your Reverence, and you know this yourself, most honored master. But no one comes to us regularly. The desolation of this place, the fear of robbers that makes it worse, and finally the season of the year, which walls up the roads, make Cucusus inaccessible to everyone. Whenever we find letter-carriers, then, we satisfy our desire and do ourselves the greatest favor. We have done that now through my most honored lords, the presbyters, both offering the greeting owed to your piety and urging you also, whenever possible, to write to us and tell us about your health. You know, my most honored and reverend master, how much it always matters to us to learn this. Even if we have been settled at the very edge of the inhabited world, we cannot forget your genuine, warm, sincere, and guileless love. Wherever we go, we carry it with us and draw from it the greatest comfort.

ΚΕʹ. Ἐλπιδίῳ ἐπισκόπῳ. Ἡμεῖς μὲν ἐβουλόμεθα συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ τῇ σῇ, καὶ οἶσθα τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παραιρεῖται τὸ μηδένα συνεχῶς ἡμῖν ἐπιχωριάζειν ἥ τε γὰρ ἐρημία τοῦ χωρίου τούτου, ὅ τε τῶν λῃστῶν φόβος ταύτην ἐπιτείνων, λοιπὸν δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔτους ὥρα τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀποτειχίζουσα, πᾶσιν ἄβατον ποιεῖ τὴν Κουκουσὸν, ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἂν ἐπιτύχωμεν γραμματηφόρων, πληροῦμεν ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενοι. Ὃ δὲ καὶ νῦν πεποιήκαμεν διὰ τῶν κυρίων μου τῶν τιμιωτάτων πρεσβυτέρων, τήν τε ὀφειλομένην ἀποδιδόντες πρόσρησιν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ σου, καὶ παρακαλοῦντες ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ καὶ αὐτὸν ἡμῖν ἐπιστέλλειν, καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας δηλοῦν τῆς σῆς. Οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοεῖς, δέσποτά μου τιμιώτατε καὶ εὐλαβέστατε, ὅπως ἡμῖν περισπούδαστον ἀεὶ περὶ ταύτης μανθάνειν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς ἀπῳκίσθημεν τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης τὰς ἐσχατιὰς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῆς ἀγάπης σου τῆς γνησίας καὶ θερμῆς, τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς καὶ ἀδόλου ἐπιλαθέσθαι οὐ δυνάμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅπουπερ ἂν ἀπίωμεν, περιφέροντες αὐτὴν ἄπιμεν, μεγίστην ἐντεῦθεν καρπούμενοι τὴν παραμυθίαν.