Letter 728: No sooner had the emperor released you than he encountered me.

To Celsus. The emperor had no sooner let you go than he joined company with me, and at first he nearly passed me by in silence, since my face had been altered both by time and by illness; but when his uncle, who bears the same name [Julian], said something to him about me - who I was - he was stirred with a marvelous emotion there upon his horse, and taking hold of my right hand he would not let go, but pelted me with jests of the most charming kind, sweeter than roses, while I for my part did not refrain from jesting in return. And he was admirable in both respects, in what he said and in what he endured. After resting himself a little and gladdening the city with horse races, he bade me deliver a speech. And I spoke when invited, not having forced myself upon him; and he took delight in it, confirming for me my prelude - for I had said in the prelude that he would, on account of his love, judge everything of mine to be fine. And so it turned out. Now you too are among those who have spoken and obtained a favorable verdict, with the gods near at hand helping you from the altar and furnishing you courage against the heat; yet you were so far from sending me the speech that you did not even write that you had spoken, but to Olympius, speaking ironically, you said that you had vomited it forth, while to us you did not even say so much as that.

Κέλσῳ. (362) Οὐκ ἴφθη σε ἀφεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ συνέμιξεν ἐμοὶ καὶ μικροῦ μὲν σιγῇ παρέδραμεν ἠλλοιωμένου μοι τοῦ προσώπου καὶ χρόνῳ καὶ νόσῳ, φράσαντος δὲ τοῦ θείου τι κοὶ ὁμωνύ- μου πρὸς αὐτόν, εἴην, κίνησίν τι ἐκινήθη θαυμαστὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς λαβόμενος οὐ μεθίει σκώμμασί τι χαριεστάτοις καὶ ῥόδωι ἡδίοσιν ἔπαττέ με κοὶ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀπεχόμενον τοῦ σκώπτειν. ὁ δὲ ἀμφοτέροις ἦν θαυμαστός, οἷς τε ἔλεγεν οἷς τε ἠνείχετο. μικρὰ δὲ αὑτὸν ἀναπαύσας καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἁμίλλαις ἵππων εὐφράνας ἐκέλευέ με λέγειν. καὶ εἶπον παρακληθείς, οὐκ ἐνοχλήσας, ὁ δὲ ἐτέρπετο βεβαιῶν μοι τὸ προοίμιον· ἔφην γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν προοιμίῳ πάντα τἀμὰ καλὰ νομιεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐρᾶν. καὶ οὕτως ἐξέβν. σὺ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν εἶ τῶν εἰπόντων καὶ ψήφου τετυχηκότων ἐγγύθεν σοι τῶν θεῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βωμοῦ βοηθούντων καὶ παρεχόντων πρὸς τὸ θάλπος ἀνδρείαν τοσοῦτον δὲ ἀπέσχες πέμψαι μοι τὸν λόγον, ὥστ’ οὐδ’ ὅτι εἴρηκας ἔγραψας, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὶν Ὀλύμπιον εἰρωνευόμενος ἔφης ἐμέσαι, πρὸς δὲ ἡμᾶς οὐδὲ τοῦτο.