Letter 81: Chrysostom praises Hymnetius's medical skill and asks him to replace presence with frequent letters.

We will never stop praising you everywhere, both as a good man and as an excellent physician, and also as someone who knows how to love genuinely. Whenever people here speak about our illness, your name necessarily enters the conversation; having experienced both your skill and your kindness, we cannot keep your good deeds quiet. Your affection has made us so attached to you that, even though we are now well, we would gladly pay a great price simply to have you here and see you. Since the difficulty of the road and the fear of the Isaurians make that impossible for now, write to us often. By the constancy of your letters you can give us something like your presence, sweetening the letters with the honey of your own character.

ΠΑʹ. Ὑμνητίῳ ἀρχιατρῷ. Οὐ παυσόμεθά σε παρὰ πᾶσι θαυμάζοντες, καὶ ὡς ἅνδρα χρηστὸν, καὶ ὡς ἰατρὸν ἅριστον, καὶ ὡς φιλεῖν εἰδότα γνησίως. Ὅταν γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα περὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἡμῶν γίνωνται λόγοι, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπεισέρχῃ τοῖς διηγήμασι τούτοις, καὶ τῆς πολλῆς σου καὶ ἐπιστήμης καὶ εὐνοίας πεῖραν λαβόντες, οὐ δυνάμεθα σιγῇ τὰς εὐεργεσίας κατέχειν, ἀλλ' εἰς ἅπαντας ἀνακηρύττομεν, ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τὰ μέγιστα χαριζόμενοι. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἡμῖν φίλτρον ἐνέθηκας, ὅτι καίτοι γε ὑγιαίνοντες πολλοῦ ἂν ἐπριάμεθά σε ἐνταῦθα ἑλκύσαι, ὥστε σε μόνον ἰδεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τοῦτο ἐργῶδες, καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς ὁδοῦ δυσκολίαν, καὶ διὰ τὸν τῶν Ἰσαύρων φόβον, τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐπιχειροῦμεν τέως· ἀξιοῦμεν δὲ συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν. ∆υνήσῃ γὰρ ἡμῖν τὴν ἐκ τῆς παρουσίας ἡδονὴν χαρίζεσθαι τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν γραμμάτων, τῷ μέλιτί σου τῶν τρόπων τὰ γράμματα ἀναχρωννύς.