Letter 265: Nemesius truly is a friend of Hermes [god of eloquence].

To Eutherius. (358) Truly Nemesius is dear to Hermes [god of eloquence]. For this man would neither have spoken thus nor judged another so, had he not enjoyed the good will of the god, since Homer too, when he made mention of Hector for having accomplished great deeds, called him dear to Zeus, showing that everything had been done with the assistance of that god's favor. Admiring him as a good orator, I was able to love him, because he was plainly delighted, as I could see, in your good qualities. For he made known the excellence of your administration, recounting it with pleasure, and to those who listened with pleasure he gave gratification, not as one might who is narrating another man's affairs, but as one who is narrating his very own. With you, then, I rejoiced over the madness of the lover, and with him over the beauty of the darling [object of affection] he pursued. But he came back from there radiant and at once was hastening to the gentle governor, and you will receive him praising indeed even his present circumstances, yet unable not to long for those former ones. And as for the tears - how many of them he will shed when he is about to set out - I seem to see them. Yet let him console himself at least with this, that perhaps Armenia may once again come to be under you, with a greater rank. And the example is close at hand. For to those of you who have administered the lesser charges well, a greater office comes at once - the same prize and the same labor. May God, then, bring these things to fulfillment; and tell Olympius to take courage, since I, both for justice' sake and because you bid it, will hold the affairs of the young men in great forethought.

Εὐθηρίῳ. (358) Ὄντως ὁ Νεμέσιος Ἑρμῇ φίλος. οὐ γὰρ ἂν οὗτος οὔτ᾿ ἔλεγεν οὕτως οὔτ᾿ ἔκρινεν ἄλλον, εἰ μὴ τῆς εὐνο ας ἀπήλαυε τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐπεὶ καὶ Ὅμηρος μνησθεὶς Ἕκτορος μεγάλα εἰρ- γασμένου Διὶ φίλον αὐτὸν ἐκάλεσεν ἐνδεικνύμενος ὡς μετὰ τῆς ἐκείνου ῥοπῆς πάντα ἐπέπρακτο. θαιμάζων δὲ αὐτὸν ὡς ἀγαθὸν ῥήτορα φιλεῖν εἶχον, ὅτι μοι δῆλος ἦν χαίρων τοῖς σοῖς ἀγαθοῖς. τήν τε γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀρετὴν ἐμήνυσε σὺν ἡδονῇ διηγούμενος τοῖς τε ἡδέως ἀκροωμένοις εἶχε χάριν οὐχ ὡς ἄν τις τὰ ἄλλου εκδιηγούμενος, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἄν τις τὰ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ. σοί τε οὖν συνήσθην τῆς τοῦ ἐραστοῦ μανίας τού- τῳ τε τοῦ κάλλους ὧν εδίωξε παιδικῶν. ἀλλ’ ἧκε μὲν ἐκεῖθεν φαιδρὸς καὶ εὐθὺς ἠπείγετο πρὸς τὸν ἤπιον ἄρχοντα, δέξῃ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐπαινοῦντα μὲν καὶ τὰ παρόντα, μὴ ποθεῖν δὲ οὐ δυνάμενον ἐκεῖνα. δάκρυα δέ, ὁπόσα αὐτῷ κινήσεις μέλλων ἀπαίρειν, ὁρᾶν δοκῶ. παραμυθείσθω μέντοι τούτῳ γε αὑτὸν τῷ πάλιν ὑπὸ σοὶ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν ἴσως ἂν γενέσθαι μετὰ μεί- ζονος τοῦ σχήματος. τὸ παράδειγμα δὲ ἐγγύθεν. τοῖς γὰρ τὰ ἐλάττω καλῶς ὑμῖν διῳκηκόσι ·μείζων εὐθὺς ἀρχή, τὸ αὐτὸ γέρας τε καὶ πόνος. ταυτὶ μὲν οὖν τελοίη θεός, Ὀλυμπίῳ δὲ φράζε θαρρεῖν ὡς ἐμοῦγε καὶ τοῦ δικαίου χάριν καὶ ὅτι σὺ κελεύεις ἕξοντος ἐν μεγάλῃ προνοίᾳ τὰ τῶν νέων.