Letter 339: It was no small thing to hear others bring reports of you — some we had hoped for, others exceeded our hopes.

To Clematius. It was no small thing that others too should bring forward words about you, some of which we had hoped for, while others were even greater than our hope; but a great thing, and greater than anything you please, and the crowning point, as they say, was that the noble Encratius should visit the city along with praise of you. For he is more able than another to discern the excellence of a governor, and being far from flattery and a friend of the truth, he has also acquired indeed the power of speech for the praise of noble deeds. No sooner had he arrived than he met with me, and he recounted your doings, adding the prayer that your office might be long. And this meant not that he wished you to toil, but that the cities should not be made to suffer. He also reported your longing for my letters, and said that he had suffered grievously, since he could not give them to me when I asked, and he urged me to write, and I did not refuse. He himself, then, remains held back by us, for we are contending over the man with his native city; but he desired that his brother should meet you with my letters. And he will meet you. And do you, for three reasons, befriend the one who comes: I mean for the sake of his brother, and of his character, and of his letters.

Κληματίῳ. (357/58) Μικρὸν α μὲν οὐδὲ τὸ τοὺς ἄλλους περὶ σοῦ παρ’ φέρειν λόγους, ὧν τοὺς μὲν ἠλπίζομεν, οἱ δὲ καὶ κρείττους ἦσαν ἐλπίδος· μέγα δὲ καὶ Μεῖζον ὅτου βούλει καὶ κολοφών, φασιν, ἐγκράτιον τὸν καλὸν μετὰ σῆς εὐφημίας ἐπιέναι τὴν πόλιν. ἰδεῖν τε γὰρ ἄρχοντος ἀρετὴν μᾶλλον ἑτέρου δεινὸς καὶ πόρρω κολακείας καὶ φίλος ἀληθείας καὶ δὴ καὶ λόγου κέκτηται δύναμιν εἰς ἔπαινον ἔργων καλῶν. οὗτος ἥκων οὐκ ἔφθη μοι συμβαλὼν καὶ διηγεῖτο τὰ σὰ προστιθεὶς εὐχὴν μακρὰν γενέσθαι σοι τὴν ἀρχήν. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν οὐ σὲ βουλο- μένου πονεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ πονεῖσθαι τὰς πόλεις. ἐξήγγειλέ σου καὶ τὸν πόθοι τὸν περὶ τὰ γράμματά μου καὶ δεινὰ πεπονθέναι λέγων, ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ εἶχεν αἰτοῦντι δοῦναι, γράιειν ἐκέλευεν, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἀντέλεγον. αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ὑφ’ ἡμῶν κατεχόμενος μένει, τοῦ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς ἀμφισβητοῦμεν πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν ἐπεθύμησε μετ’ ἐμῶν ἐντυχεῖν σοι γραμμάτων. καὶ ἐντεύξεται. σὺ δὲ τριῶν ἕνεκα τὸν ἥκοντα φίλει, τοῦ τε ἀδελφοῦ λέγω γαῖ τῶν τρόπων καὶ τῶν γραμμάτων.