Letter 46: Evagrius apologizes for not sending a basket of written grapes and promises not to neglect Gregory again.

You have been silent toward us for a long time, admirable man. You once planted the vine shoot in me and watered it gently through your letters. Perhaps we too have distressed you more than a little because we did not send you a basket full of the clusters of our writings. I am not the cause of this, but the one who afterward planted in me a vine shoot of evil and put to shame everyone who cared for me. Now, since through the Lord you have become a herald of repentance, forgive me for my neglect. I promise that I will not do this again.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): μακρον χρονον αφ' ημων εσιγησας θαυμασιε ος πρωην εν εμοι το κλημα εφυτευσας και δια των γραμματων σου εν πραυτητι αυτο εποτισας. ταχα δε και ημεις ου μικρον σε εθλιψαμεν οτι σοι καρταλλον πληρη βοτρυων των ημων συγγραμματων ουκ επεμψαμεν· αιτια δε τουτου ουκ εγω ειμι αλλ' εκεινος ο μετα ταυτα κλημα της κακιας εν εμοι φυτευσας και παντας τους με περιεποντας καταισχυνας. νυν δε κηρυξ μετανοιας γενομενος δια του κυριου αφες μοι ολιγωρησαντι και υπισχνουμενωι τουτο ουκετι ποιησειν Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.