Letter 226: Antiochus serves the whole city through his medical practice, but the greatest share of his labors is spent on my...

To Andronicus. (360?) Antiochus [a physician] aids the whole city through his medical art, but his greatest labor concerns my own family. And Bassiana, whose very name is worthy of reverence to you, is fastened, as it were, to his hands as to the sacred anchor. These things I have said so that you may know of what sort and how many people you will gladden through the benefits you confer upon Antiochus. For Eulalius, his kinsman, having fallen under the jurisdiction of Trajanus and being enrolled for service in another corps, was registered in the one then under his command, and he was required to provide horses. But the emperor does not permit this, since he also annuls the earlier penalty. This, then, Elpidius confirms for him, and now Eulalius, conveying the decision, is with him, but a little later will be with you. Or rather, take the emperor's decision already, attached here in copies, and exempt the horses from those that are to run [in the races], so that no disturbance may arise afterward in the matter, and so that through us something to the physician's liking may have been accomplished.

Ἀνδρονίκῳ. (360?) Ἀντίοχος ἁπάσῃ μὲν βοηθεῖ τῇ πόλει διὰ τῆς ἰατρικῆς, ὁ δὲ πλεῖστος αὐτῷ πόνος περὶ τὸ γένος τοὐμόν. Βασσιανὴ δέ, ἦς αἰδέσιμόν σοι καὶ τοὔνομα, τῶν ἐκείνου χειρῶν ὡσπερεὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἀγκύρας ἐξῆπται. ταυτὶ δὲ εἶπον, ὅπως εἰδῇς οἴους τε καὶ ὅσους διὰ τῶν εἰς Ἀντίοχον εὐφρανεῖς. τούτου γὰρ Εὐ- λαλιὸς σιγγενὴς περιπεσὼν τῇ Τραϊανοῦ δικαιοσύνη τελῶν εἰς ἑτέραν στρατείαν εἰς τὴν ὑπ’ ἐκείνῳ τότε οὖσαν ἐγγράφεται καὶ ἵππους ἔδει παρέχειν. ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐᾷ βασιλεὺς λύων καὶ τὴν προτέραν ζημίαν. τουτὶ μὲν οὖν Ἐλπίδιος αὐτῷ βεβαιοῖ, καὶ νῦν Εὐλάλιος παρ’ ἐκείνῳ, μικρὸν δὲ ὕστερον παρὰ σοὶ κομίζων τὴν γνῶσιν. μᾶλλον δὲ ἔχε τὴν βασιλέως ἤδη γνῶσιν ἐν ἀντιγράφοις παρεζευγμένην καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἐξαίρει τῶν δραμουμένων, ὅπως μήθ’ ὕστερον ἐγγένοιτο τῷ πράγματι τα- ραχὴ τῷ τε ἰατρῷ δι’ ἡμῶν ἧ τι τῶν κατὰ νοῦν πεπραγμένον.