Letter 865: Libanius asks Rufinus to help Antioch's ambassadors and recounts how his earlier letter reached Rufinus.

When I gave the excellent Anysius the letter addressed to you, after being persuaded by him that you would not receive a letter from me with displeasure, I was disappointed to hear that he was sitting at home and delaying. But when someone reported that he had reached Europe, was not far from you, and was about to meet you, I was very glad, because the matter gave me hope of receiving a letter from you. Once he was already with you and no letter appeared, I at least wanted to know why: whether you had received mine and were not writing back, or had not received it at all. It would not satisfy me to learn that you had received it and remained silent after receiving it. While I was in this state of mind, a man approached me in the marketplace. As it turned out, he belonged to you, was worthy of serious attention, and had come on administrative business. He said that the letter had pleased you, and that it had become a prize contest for the bilingual men: you ordered them to translate it, and they were exposed in the attempt. So I asked the man who he was and where he came from. When I learned the answer, I rejoiced both for him and for myself: for him, because he was yours; for myself, because the letter had been delivered. In return for it I would long ago have had one from you, if the press of business had not been so great. Now that it is great, it has prevented you. So I release you to those cares by which you improve the emperor's affairs, and, thinking it proper for me to write even if nothing comes from your side, I write and ask you to make every path smooth for our ambassadors. In doing so you will honor our city, the noble birth of the men, and the labors they endured under the Muses for the sake of eloquence.

1. Τὴν ἐπιστολὴν δοὺς Ἀνυσίῳ τῷ βελτίστῳ τὴν πρὸς σέ, παρ’ ὅτουπερ ἐπείσθην ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἀηδῶς ἐπιστολήν μου λάβοις, ἠχθόμην μὲν ἀκούων αὐτὸν οἴκοι τε καθῆσθαι καὶ διαμέλλειν· ὡς δὲ ἤγγειλέ τις τῆς Εὐρώπης τε τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπιβεβηκέναι καὶ μικρὸν ἀπέχειν σου καὶ μέλλειν συνέσεσθαι, λίαν ἡδόμην ἐλπίδα μοι τοῦ πράγματος σῶν γραμμάτων φέροντος. 2. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ μὲν ἦν ἤδη παρὰ σοί, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐφαίνετο, τοσοῦτον γοῦν ἐβουλόμην γνῶναί ποθεν, εἴτε λαβὼν οὐκ ἀντεπιστέλλοις εἴτ’ οὐδὲν λάβοις, ὡς οὐκ ἀρκέσον μοι τὸ λαβεῖν σε καὶ σεσιωπηκέναι ἐπὶ τῷ λαβεῖν. 3. ἐν τοιούτοις δή μου κειμένου προσελθών τις κατ’ ἀγοράν, ἦν δὲ ἄρα τῶν σῶν καί τι τῶν πολλῆς σπουδῆς ἀξίων ἀφῖκτο διοικήσων, ἀρέσαι τέ σοι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἔφασκε καὶ γενέσθαι τοῖς διγλώσσοις ἆθλον ἐκείνην σοῦ μὲν κελεύοντος ἑρμηνεύειν, τῶν δὲ ἐξελεγχομένων. 4. ἠρόμην οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὅστις τε καὶ πόθεν, καὶ μαθὼν ἐκείνῳ τε καὶ ἐμαυτῷ συνήσθην, τῷ μέν, ὅτι σός, ἐμαυτῷ δὲ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς δεδομένης, ἀνθ’ ἧς εἶχον ἂν πάλαι τὴν παρὰ σοῦ τοῦ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκ ὄντος ὄχλου τοσούτου, νῦν δὲ πολὺς ὢν ἐκώλυσεν. 5. ἀφεὶς οὖν σε ταῖς φροντίσιν ἐκείναις, αἷς τὰ βασιλέως ἀμείνω ποιεῖς, καὶ προσήκειν ἐμαυτῷ γράφειν ὑπολαβών, κἂν μηδὲν ἐκεῖθεν εἴη, γράφω τε καὶ δέομαί σου τοῖς παρ’ ἡμῶν πρέσβεσι πάντα ἀποφῆναι λεῖα. τήν τε γὰρ πόλιν ἡμῖν οὕτω τιμήσεις καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐγένειαν καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ ταῖς Μούσαις πόνους οὓς ὑπὲρ λόγων ὑπέμειναν.