Letter 80: Chrysostom tells Firminus that illness prevented a meeting but not friendship, and reports safe arrival.

Your illness cost us the pleasure of your company, but it has not harmed our love at all. One meeting was enough to make us love you warmly, because from the beginning you showed us such eager and unforced affection that time itself was hardly needed to test it. So I write to tell you what I know you want to hear: we are well, we completed the journey safely, and we are enjoying quiet, calm, and goodwill from everyone here. No one is driving us away or troubling us. Since this good news will please you, repay us with the same gift: write and tell us about your own health. We care deeply to know it.

Πʹ. Φιρμίνῳ. Εἰς μὲν τὴν συνουσίαν σου μεγάλα ἡμᾶς τὸ ἀῤῥωστεῖν σε ἐζημίωσεν· εἰς δὲ τὴν ἀγάπην οὐδὲ μικρὰ παρέβλαψεν. Ἤρκεσε γὰρ ἡμῖν καὶ τὸ ἅπαξ σοι συγγενέσθαι, εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι σου σφοδροὺς ἐραστάς. Τούτου δὲ αἴτιος αὐτὸς, οὕτως ἐκ προοιμίων σφοδρὸν καὶ μανικὸν περὶ ἡμᾶς ἐπιδειξάμενος ἔρωτα, καὶ οὐκ ἀφεὶς δεηθῆναι τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ χρόνου πείρας, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ τε φανεὶς, καὶ ἑλὼν, καὶ μετὰ ἀκριβείας σαυτῷ προσδήσας ἡμᾶς. ∆ιὰ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς γράφομεν, καὶ ἅπερ ἐπιθυμεῖς ἀκοῦσαι δηλοῦμεν. Τίνα δὲ ταῦτά ἐστιν; Ὑγιαίνομεν· ἀδεῶς τὴν ὁδὸν διηνύσαμεν· ἐντρυφῶμεν ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ ἀπραγμοσύνῃ πολλῇ· πολλῆς παρὰ πάντων ἀπολαύομεν εὐνοίας· ἄφατον καρπούμεθα παραμυθίαν. Οὐδεὶς ὁ ἐλαύνων ἐνταῦθα, οὐδὲ ἐνοχλῶν. Καὶ τί θαυμάζεις εἰ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὅπου γε καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν μετὰ πολλῆς ἠνύσαμεν τῆς ἀδείας; ∆ήλου δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡμῖν τὰ σὰ, ἵν' ὥσπερ σὲ τούτοις ἥσαμεν τοῖς διηγήμασιν, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ πολλῆς ἀπολαύσωμεν τῆς εὐφροσύνης, τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῆς σῆς μανθάνοντες. Οἶσθα γὰρ ἡλίκην ἐντίθησι τὴν ἡδονὴν τοῖς φιλεῖν ἐπισταμένοις γνησίως τὸ χρηστόν τι περὶ τῶν ἀγαπωμένων μανθάνειν.