Letter 281: To the same person. (359/360)

To the same man. (359/60) Letoius, a young man from Armenia, his mother brought and handed over to me, he being her only son. With him, then, I was pleased, since he is able to receive instruction in oratory, for the colt is keen; and at his mother I marveled, that she neither looks toward a second marriage, and that too though she is the mother of an only child, and that she traveled so great a road, thinking that all would go better for him if she were present to take charge of the management of his affairs. To bring him to full Hellenic accomplishment, then, will be the care of the god and of us; but as for his estate being kept safe for him, that will be the care of his mother, and it will be the care also of Eusebius, who lives with her, who out of his zeal for the divine has also taken up these cares on their behalf, holding that it befits a just man to come to the aid of an orphan and not to allow those who wish to seize it to do so. But though his purpose is noble, some deed might also come of it, if he should enjoy your support; and he will enjoy it, this I know well, since you have chosen to make our concerns greater.

Τῷ αὐτῷ. (359/60) Λητόιον ἐξ Ἀρμενίας νέον ἡ μήτηρ ἄγουσά μοι παρέ- δωκε μόνον ὄντα αὐτῇ. τούτῳ τε οὖν ἥσθην δυναμένῳ δέξα- σθαι λόγους, ἔστι γὰρ ὀξὺς ὁ πῶλος, τῆς τε μητρὸς ἐθαύμασα τὸ μήτε πρὸς δεύτερον γάμον ἰδεῖν καὶ ταῦτα οὖσαν ἑνὸς μητέρα βαδίσαι τε ὁδὸν τοσαύτην ἡγουμένην ἄμεινον αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα ἕξειν, εἰ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀρχῆς ἐπιμεληθείη παροῦσα. τοῦ μὲν οὖν αὐτὸν Ἕλληνας τελέσαι θεῷ τε καὶ ἡμῖν μελήσει, τοῦ δὲ αὐτῷ σωθῆναι τὸν οἶκον μελήσει μὲν τῇ μητρί, μελήσει δὲ <καῖ> Εὐσεβίῳ τῷ ζῶντι μετ’ τῆς, ὃς τῇ περὶ τὸ θεῖον σπουδῇ καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ τούτων φρον- τίδας ἀνείλετο νομίζων προσήκειν ἀνδρὶ δικαίῳ βοηθεῖν ὀρ- φανῷ καὶ μὴ τοῖς βουλομένοις ἁρπάζειν ἐπιτρέπειν. ἀλλ ἡ μὲν προαίρεσις αὐτῷ καλή, γίγνοιτο δ’ ἄν τι καὶ ἔργον, εἰ τῆς σῆς ἀπολαύοι ῥοπῆς· ἀπολαύσεται δ’, εὖ τοῦτο ἐπίσταμαι, σοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα μείζω ποιεῖν ᾑρημένου.