Letter 716: You know better than most that I want the temples to recover their beauty no less than the priests do.

To Hesychius. (362) That I desire no less than your priests do that the temples should recover their beauty, you know perhaps better than others; yet I would not wish this to come about through the demolition of houses, since it could come about even with those houses still standing, so that the things which exist may stand firm, and the things which lie fallen may be raised up, and we may not adorn some things while we disfigure others among the cities. As for the house of Theodoulos, it is easy to bring an accusation against it, but it deserves to be spared, being beautiful and large and making our own city fairer than others; and especially since Theodoulos did not tear the temple apart out of insolence and drunken violence, but, when there were sellers, he bought it, paying the prices, doing a thing which it was permitted to all who were able to do so to purchase. Those who know all the affairs of Theodoulos say that he has often bought such things, and they thought it necessary to make use of a law court; but when I learned that you were the judges, I did not permit them to seek better ones, knowing that you would deliberate upon some such course by which you will appear both to be mindful of the god and not to be neglecting the city. If therefore some moderate outcome should come about, write to us, so that we may praise you.

Ἡσυχίῳ. (362) Ὅτι μὶν οὐχ ἧττον τῶν ἱερέων ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμῶ τοὺς νεὼς κομίσασθαι τὸ κάλλος, οἶσθά που μᾶλλον ἑτέρων· οὐ μέντοι βουλοίμην ἂν οἰκιῶν καθαιρουμένων γενέσθαι τοῦθ’, ὃ γένοιτ’ ἂν καὶ μενουσῶν ἐκείνων, ὅπως τὰ μὲν ὄντα ἑστήκῃ, τὰ δὲ κείμενα ἀνιστῆται, καὶ μὴ τὰ μὲν κοσμῶμεν, τὰ δὲ λωβώμεθα τὰς πόλεις. τῆς δὲ οἰκίας Θεοδούλου κατηγο- ρῆσαι μὲν πρόχειρον, φείσασθαι δὲ ἄξιον οὔσης καλῆς τε καὶ μεγάλης καὶ ποιούσης ἑτέρων καλλίω τὴν ἡμετέραν, ἄλλως θ’ ὅτε Θεόδουλος οὐχ ὕβρει καὶ παροινίᾳ διέσπα τὸ ἱερόν, ἀλλ’ ὄντων τῶν πωλούντων ἐώνητο τιθεὶς τὰς τιμάς, πρᾶγμα ποιῶν, ὃ πᾶσιν ἐξῆν τοῖς δυναμένοις ὠνεῖσθαι. λέγουσι δὲ οἱ πάντα εἰδότες τὰ Θεοδούλου πολλάκις αὐτὸν ἐωνῆσθαι τοιαῦτα καὶ ᾤοντο δεῖν χρῆσθαι δικαστηρίῳ γνοὺς δὲ ἐγὼ δικαστὰς ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐπέτρεψα ζητεῖν ἀμείνους εἰδὼς ὑμᾶς βουλεύσεσθαί τι τοιοῦτον, ᾧ καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ φροντίζοντες φανεῖσθε καὶ τῆς πόλεως οὐ καταμελοῦντες. ἢν οὖν τι γένηται μέτριον, ἐπιστέλλετε πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ἕν’ ὑμᾶς ἐπαινῶμεν.