Letter 826: You add deeds to hopes, noble Maximus — or rather, your deeds have surpassed our hopes.

To Maximus. (363) You add deeds to hopes, noble Maximus; or rather, you have surpassed our hopes by your deeds, for, besides having preserved the property of our friends by your watchful care over these matters, you have also won for them the reputation that comes from eloquence. Albanius, at any rate, you have shown to be at once an orator and a wealthy man, neither allowing him to keep silent and assisting him when he speaks and adorning him in every way; so that two most pleasant reports are brought to me through those who arrive, the one declaring the strictness of your governance, the other his power, the one already existing, the other expected, and these things coming from no other source than your virtue in ruling. These things are to me greater than the talents of Tantalus, and I would not have accepted even the half added to the talents of Corinth and Sicyon in exchange for having such things to hear. So show yourself the like to me in other respects too, dealing gently with Albanius; but if you should catch him neglectful with regard to eloquence, be harsh and exact a penalty; and if you bind him on this account, I will praise the bond. And I ask you also to urge on the others toward the same things, so that no one may pelt us with the proverb drawn from the single swallow. You have many men capable, if they would accept the lash, of running; and if you set them in motion, you will fortify our craft for us, taking away the means by which the flies now attempt to sting us.

Μαξίμῳ. (363) Ἐλπίσιν ἔργα προστίθης, ὦ γενναῖε Μάξιμε, μᾶλλον δὲ παρῆλθες τοῖς ἔργοις τὰς ἐλπίδας, ὃς πρὸς τῷ τὰ ὄντα τοῖς ἑταίροις σεσωκέναι τῇ περὶ ταῦτα φρουρᾷ καὶ τὴν ἐκ λόγων αὐτοῖς δόξαν εἰργάσω. τὸν γοῦν Ἀλβάνιον ὁμοῦ ῥήτορά τε καὶ πλούσιον ἔδειξας οὔτε σιγᾶν ἀφιεὶς καὶ λέγοντι βοηθῶν καὶ πανταχῆ κοσμῶν· ὥστε μοι δύ’ ἥδιστοι λόγοι κομίζονται διὰ τῶν ἀφικνουμένων, ὁ μὲν τῆς σῆς ἀρχῆς τὴν ἀκρίβειαν μηνύω, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἐκείνου δύναμιν, τὴν μὲν οὖσαν. τὴν δὲ προσδοκωμένην, καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἢ παρὰ τῆς σῆς εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν ἀρετῆς. ταῦτά μοι μείζω τῶν Ταντάλου ταλάν- των καὶ οὐδ’ ἂν τὸ μέσον πρὸς τοῖς ταλάντοις Κορίνθου καὶ Σικυῶνος ἐδεξάμην πρὸ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀκούειν ἔχειν. γί- γνου δή μοι παραπλήσιος κἀν τοῖς ἄλλοις πρᾴως προσφερό- μενος Ἀλβανίῳ· περὶ δὲ λόγους εἰ ῥᾳθυμοῦντα λάβοις, χαλε- πὸς ἴσθι καὶ δίκην ἀπαίτει· κἂν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τούτῳ, τὸν δεσμὸν ἐπαινέσομαι. δέομαι δέ δου καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπὶ τὰ αὐτὰ προτρέπειν, ὡς ἂν μή τις ἡμᾶς τῇ ἀπὸ τῆς μιᾶς χελιδόνος παροιμίᾳ βάλλῃ. πολλοὺς δὲ ἔχεις δυναμένους, εἰ δέξαιντο μάστιγα, δραμεῖν· οὓς εἰ κινήσεις, πυργώσεις ἡμῖν τὴν τέ- χνην ἀφελὼν οἷς νῦν ἡμᾶς ἐπιχειροῦσι δάκνειν αἱ μυῖαι.