Letter 367: You do seem to think me very fond of gold, since you told Olympius to bring me the gold piece for the wedding...

To Acacius. (358) You seem to me to think me very much a lover of gold, since you were urging Olympius to bring me the stater [a gold coin] for the wedding without a letter. But he, since he knew what sort of man I am toward gold and what sort toward letters, would not accept both, and let go the worse of the two. He brought me, however, the account of the wedding, more precious to me than any gold whatever. And it was something of this kind. He said that you trembled as you were about to show the girl. Sweet is such trembling to a father, and one he prayed might come upon him: that when the maiden appeared she struck the spectators with amazement, both by the rest of her and by the beauty of her eyes, so that there were those who said: "Like unto Artemis." At this I was delighted to hear, that the beauty of her body vies with the beauty of her soul, and that our friend is the father of such a daughter, and our pupil the husband of such a woman. And learning that you had been thrown into a tumult by your anxiety over the tables, and by the promises concerning fish, and by the storm that fell upon you, and how you took more out of the waves than another from a tame [calm] sea, how I rejoiced, do you suppose, and with how much laughter I said that to the bridegroom there had been given by his mother land that is quite simply the middle [ground] between Corinth and Sicyon, but that to the bride this did not come about, thanks to your magnanimity. Let Calycius then cease to make mention of poverty, Calycius the Callias, possessing on both sides the best land. The two of them together have chosen fair Zygia [Hera, goddess of marriage] and Artemis the loosener of the girdle. For the birth-pangs of the mother were not hidden from me, mingled with the marriage of a most delightful daughter, among the things I have heard. For indeed the one born is a chorister of ours, this one another Heracles, an emulator of Titianus, who fittingly came thither to share in the festival, and would fittingly come hither to receive what he had before. For if he has become great in a short time, he will appear greater in a longer one. Do not wonder if I do something novel in seeking the new; for the nature of the young is among the things that are new. Let him then bestir himself, and let Calycius not delay, the young man who is to imitate the deeds of his father; for in the law courts the power [lies] in this, if he brings to it labors, whose end is pleasure. And he is justified in holding fast to his art; for even if he has already gained the prize of eloquence, let him for its sake hunt after words; for being base they must never be acquired, but being noble they must always be acquired.

Ἀκακίῳ. (358) Πάνυ μοι φαίνῃ φιλόχρυσόν με νομίζειν, ὃς ἐκέλευες Ὀλυμπίῳ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν γάμων κομίζειν μοι στατῆρα γραμμά- των ἄνευ. ὁ δέ, ᾔδει γάρ, τίς μὲν εἰς χρυσὸν ἐγώ, τίς δὲ εἰς γράμματα, μὴ δεχόμενος ἄμφω καὶ τὸ χεῖρον ἀφῆκεν. ἔφερε μέντοι μοι παντὸς χρυσίου τιμιώτερον τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν γάμων διήγησιν. ἡ δὲ ἦν τοιάδε τις. ἔφασκέ σε τρέμειν μέλλοντα τὴν παῖδα δείξειν. ἡδὺς ὁ τρόμος πατρὶ καὶ ὃν ἐπελθεῖν εὔξατο, φανεῖσαν τὴν κόρην ἐκπλῆξαι τοὺς θεατὰς τῇ τε ἄλλῃ καὶ τῷ κάλλει τῶν ὀμμάτων, ὥστ’ εἶναι τοὺς λέγοντας· Ἀρ- τέμιδι ἰκέλη. τοῦθ’ ἥσθην ἀκούσας <καὶ> α ὅτι τῷ κάλλει τῆς ψυχῆς ἁμιλλᾶται τὸ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ὁ μὲν φίλος ἡμῖν πατὴρ τοιαύτης, ὁ δὲ μαθητὴς ἡμῖν ἀνὴρ τοιαύτης. μα- θῶν δέ σε τεθορυβῆσθαι τῇ περὶ τὰς τραπέζας φροντίδι καὶ ταῖς ὑπὲρ ἰχθύων ἐπαγγελίαις καὶ τὸν ἐπιπεσόντα χειμῶνα καὶ ὡς ἐκ κυμάτων ᾕρεις πλείους ἢ παρὰ θαλάττης ἄλλος ἡμέρου, πῶς ἔχαιρον, οἴει, καὶ μετὰ πόσου τοῦ γέλωτος ἔλεγον τῷ νυμφίῳ μὲν δεδόσθαι παρὰ τῆς μητρὸς γῆν ἀτεχνῶς τὸ μέ- σον Κορίνθου καὶ Σικυῶνος, τῆς νύμφης δὲ ταύτην οὐ γε- νέσθαι μεγαλοψυχίᾳ σῇ. παυσάσθω δὴ πενίας μεμνημένος Καλύκιος ὁ Καλλίας ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἔχων γῆν ἀρίστην. τὼ δ’ ἅμα καλὴν ἥρηνται Ζυγίαν καὶ λυσίζωνον Ἄρτεμιν. οὐ γάρ με ἔλαθον ὠδῖνες μητρὸς ἀναμιχθεῖσαι γάμῳ θυγα- τρὸς ἡδίστης ὧν ἀκήκοα. καὶ γὰρ τὸ τεχθὲν ἡμέτερος χορευ- τής, ἄλλος οὗτος Ἡρακλῆς, Τιτιανοῦ ζηλωτής, ὃς εἰκότως μὲν ἦλθεν ἐκεῖσε μεθέξων τῆς ἑορτῆς, εἰκότως δ’ ἂν ἔλθοι δεῦρο ληψόμενος ἕ πρόσθεν. Λαὶ γὰρ εἰ μέγας ἐν μικρῷ γεγένηται χρόνῳ, μείζων ἐν πλείονι φανεῖται. μὴ θαυμάσῃς δὲ εἰ καινόν τι ποιῶ ζητῶν νέον· καὶ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ νέου φύσις τῶν καινῶν. αὐτός τε οὖν κινείσθω καὶ Καλύκιος μὴ μελλέτω νεανίσκος τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς μιμησόμενος· ὡς ὡς γε ἐν δοκα- στηρίοις κράτος, ἢν προσενέγκῃ πόνους, ὧν τὸ πέρας ἡδονή. δίκαιος δέ ἐστιν ἔχεσθαι τῆς τέκνης· καὶ γὰρ εἰ φθάσας ἔχει τῶν λόγων τὸ ἆθλον, ἐπ’ ἐκείνῳ γε θηρευέτω τοὺς λόγους· αἰσχρὸν μὲν γὰρ ὄντας οὐδεπώποτε κτητέον, καλὸν όὲ ὄντας ἀεὶ κτητέον.