Letter 112: Among the soldiers there is a brother of this Hesychius, and Hesychius himself has become a friend of ours for no...

To the same man. (359/60) Among those serving in the army there is a brother of Hesychius, and this Hesychius does us not a few favors. For this reason it is possible both to ask a favor of him and to receive one. And he visits your mother with no less confidence than you yourself do. And once I was sitting beside her and conversing with her, and he was begging that a letter might come to you from her on behalf of his brother. But when she said that she had not yet written to you since the misfortunes, and that she was not even able to do this now, he was disheartened; but she, healing his grief, bids me write to you, telling why she has not written herself, since she thinks that your learning the reason for her silence will be able to accomplish as much as a letter. Be eager, then, to do the man a good turn; for indeed the power is there for one who wills it.

**To the same correspondent.** (359/60) There is among the soldiers a brother of Hesychius, and this Hesychius here is a man whom no small number of things have made a friend to us. For that reason, he has the standing both to ask a favor and to receive one. And he enters your mother's house no less boldly than you yourself would. Once, I was sitting beside her in conversation when he came in requesting that a letter go from her to you on behalf of his brother. But she said that she had not yet written to you since the calamities, nor was she yet able to bring herself to do so. At this he grew disheartened, but she, wishing to remedy his distress, bade me write to you explaining why she herself had not written, believing that your learning the reason for her silence would carry the same weight as a letter from her. Do, then, be eager to help the man — for you certainly have the power, if you have the will.

τῷ αὐτῷ. (359/60) Ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς στρατευομένοις ἀδελφὸς Ἡσυχίου, τὸν δὲ Ἡσύχιον τουτονὶ φίλον ἡμῖν οὐκ ὀλίγα ποιεῖ. διόπερ αὐτῷ καὶ χάριν αἰτεῖν καὶ λαμβάνειν ὑπάρχει. καὶ παρὰ τὴν μη- τέρα τὴν σὴν εἴσεισιν οὐχ ἧττον ἡ σὺ θαρρούντως. καί ποτε παρεκαθήμην μὲν ἐγὼ καὶ διελεγόμην αὐτῇ, ὁ δὲ ἐδεῖτο γράμματα σοὶ παρ’ ἐκείνης ἐλθεῖν ἐπ’ ὠφελείᾳ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ. τῆς δὲ εἰπούσης οὔπω σοι μετὰ τὰς συμφορὰς ἐπεσταλκέναι μηδὲ ἤδη δύνασθαι τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὁ μὲν ἠθύμησεν, ἡ δὲ ἰω- μένη τὴν λύπην κελεύει μοι γράψαι σοι, τοῦ χάριν οὐ γέ- γράφεν αὐτή, νομίζουσα τὸ μαθεῖν σε τῆς σιγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν ἴσον δυνήσεσθαι γράμμασι. προθυμήθητι δὴ τὸν ἄνθρω- πον εὖ ποιεῖν· ὡς ἔστι γε βουληθέντι δύναμις.