Letter 524: I expected your kinsman to be the cause of no harm and of much good for me.

To Euphemius. (356) I considered that this kinsman of yours would be to me the cause of no evil at all, but of many good things; he, however, has persisted in doing the very thing by which I might most have been harmed. For neither, when he was with us, did he convey to you the letters from us, though he received many; nor do the ones I gave him when he was departing appear to have been received by you. Let him say of what offense he exacted so great a penalty; for that this is a penalty he will not deny. Our own affairs stand thus: there is much toil, part of it arising from the young men, and part from often entering into the contests. And there is added to this being perpetually ill. For throughout all this time, dwelling in the hands of the physicians, we are not yet wholly free of being ill. As for the citizens, with the exception of one, those connected with us in the lawsuits who are truly orators are with us; but those who would have done harm, if they had been with us, are instead doing good to others, eating much and drinking bowls [of wine] of the admirable sophist. But with the man with whom I might justly have had as much strength as no one else, I am weaker than all. And I know that I seem to have power, yet I have no power even a little. And these things, even if they do not now appear credible to you, will appear so a little later.

Εὐφημίῳ. (356) Ἐγὼ τὸν σὸν ἡγούμην συγγενῆ κακοῦ μὲν οὐδενός, ἀγα- θῶν δὲ πολλῶν αἴτιον ἔσεσθαί μοι ὁ δὲ ἀφ’ οὗ μάλιστα ἂν ἐβλάβην, τοῦτο διετέλεσε ποιῶν. οὔτε γὰρ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ὢν τὰ παρ’ ἡμῶν ἔπεμψέ σοι γράμματα πολλὰ λαβὼν ἅ τε ἐπέθηκα ἀπιόντι, ταῦτα οὐ φαίνῃ λαβών. εἰπάτω, τίνος τοσαύτην ἀπῄ- τησε δίκην· ὡς τό γε μὴ εἶναι τοῦτο δίκην οὐκ ἀρνήσεται. τὰ δ’ ἡμέτερα οὕτως ἔχει· πόνος πολύς, ὁ μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν νέων. ὁ δ’ ἀπὸ τοῦ πολλάκις εἰς ἀγῶνας ἐμβαίνειν. καὶ πρόσ- εστι τὸ νοσεῖν ἀεί. πάντα γὰρ δὴ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἐνναίον- τες ταῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν χερσὶν οὔπω τελέως ἵξω τοῦ νοσεῖν ἐσμεν. τῶν πολιτῶν δὲ ἡμὶν πλὴν ἑνὸς ἐχόντων οἰκείως τῶν ἐν ταῖς δίκαις οἱ μὲν ὄντες ὡς ἀληθῶς ῥήτορες μεθ’ ἡμῶν εἰσιν, οἱ δὲ βλάψαντες ἄν, εἰ μεθ’ ἡμῶν ἦσαν, ἑτέρων εὖ ποιοῦντές εἰσιν ἐσθίοντες πολλά, πίνοντες κρα- τῆρας τοῦ θαυμασίου σοφιστοῦ. παρ’ ᾧ δὲ δικαίως ἂν ἴσχυον ὅσον οὐκ ἄλλος, ἀσθενέστερος ἁπάντων εἰμί. καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὡς δοκῶ δύνασθαι, δύναμαι δὲ οὐδὲ μικρόν. καὶ ταῦτά σοι, κἂν μὴ νῦν φαίνηται πιστά, φανεῖται μικρὸν ὕστερον.