Letter 560: That letter of mine was old and written as a joke.

To Fortunatianus. The letter was mine, and an old one, and written in jest. For I happened to have sent you a letter from those parts from which I was glad to have gotten away, but it, having come into the hands of others, made those men speak to you about the things that had been written to you. To you this seemed something strange, and in writing you wondered what the matter might be. And it was in playing a joke on you that I wrote those things which you now say you have discovered. Supposing them to have been said in earnest, you missed the truth of the matter, but to my advantage; for indeed you contended on behalf of many fine arguments, which it was better for me to have spoken than to have left in silence. As for Cyril, long since I have considered him my own son, and now already even more so; for he comes to me now from you more honored than a grandfather.

Φουρτουνατιανῷ. (357) Ἐμὸν τὸ γράμμα καὶ παλαιὸν καὶ πρὸς παιδιὰν γραφέν. ἔτυχον μὲν γάρ σοι πέμψας ἐπιστολὴν ἀπὸ τῶν τόπων ὧν ἄσμενος ἀπηλλάγην, ἡ δὲ εἰς ἄλλων ἐλθοῦσα χεῖρας ἐκείνους πρὸς σὲ περὶ τῶν πρὸς σὲ γραφέντων ἐποίει λέγειν. σοὶ δ’ ἄτοπόν τι τοῦτο ἐφαίνετο καὶ γράφων ἐθαύμαζες, ὅ τι τὸ πρᾶγμα εἴη. καί σε προσπαίζων ἔγραψα ταῦτα ἃ νυνὶ φὴς εὑρεῖν. ἃ σπουδῇ νομίσας εἰρῆσθαι δόξης μὲν ἥμαρτες, ἐμοὶ δὲ λυσιτελούντως διὰ γάρ τοι πολλῶν καὶ καλῶν ἠγωνίσω τῶν λόγων, οὓς εἰρῆσθαί μᾶλλον εἶχέ μοι καλῶς ἢ σεσιγῆ- σθαι. τὸν δὲ Κύριλλον πάλαι παῖδα νομίζων ἐμαυτοῦ νῦν ἤδη καὶ μειζόνως. παρὰ σοῦ γὰρ ἥκει μοι νῦν τοῦ πάππου τιμιώτερος.