Letter 140: Chrysostom explains that Isaurian raids have blocked the roads and reports partial recovery.

It was no small consolation in so great a wilderness to be able to write continually to your Sweetness, but the pressure of the Isaurian troubles has taken even this from us. With spring's arrival their raids have bloomed too. They are spread along the roads everywhere, making the highways impassable for everyone. Free women have already been captured, and men have been slaughtered. So please forgive us for not writing continually. Since I know you are eager to learn about our health: after suffering terribly through the past winter, we have recovered a little. The irregular weather has disturbed us again, for winter is still strong here, but we expect to shake off the remains of illness when clear summer appears. Nothing harms our body like cold, and nothing helps it like summer and the comfort of warmth.

ΡΜʹ. Θεοδότῳ διακόνῳ. Οὐ μικρὰν εἴχομεν παραμυθίαν ἐν ἐρημίᾳ τοσαύτῃ τὸ συνεχῶς δύνασθαι ἐπιστέλλειν σου τῇ γλυκύτητι· ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο ἡμᾶς παρείλετο τῶν Ἰσαυρικῶν κακῶν ἡ περίστασις. Ἐπιστάντος γὰρ τοῦ ἔαρος ἤνθησε καὶ τὰ τῆς ἐκείνων ἐφόδου, καὶ πανταχοῦ τῶν ὁδῶν εἰσιν ἐκκεχυμένοι, πᾶσιν ἀβάτους ποιοῦντες τὰς λεωφόρους. Ἤδη γοῦν καὶ γυναῖκες ἐλεύθεραι ἑάλωσαν, καὶ ἄνδρες ἐσφάγησαν. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ συγγινώσκειν ἡμῖν μὴ συνεχῶς γεγραφηκόσιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εὖ οἶδα, ὅτι περισπούδαστόν σοι μανθάνειν τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας ἡμῶν, δεινοπαθήσαντες χαλεπῶς κατὰ τὸν παρελθόντα χειμῶνα, ὀλίγον ἀνηνέγκαμεν νῦν, καὶ διαταραχθέντες πάλιν τῇ ἀνωμαλίᾳ τοῦ ἀέρος καὶ γὰρ καὶ νῦν χειμὼν ἐνταῦθα ἀκμάζων, ὅμως προσδοκῶμεν τὰ λείψανα τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀποθέσθαι, καθαροῦ φανέντος τοῦ θέρους. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἡμῶν τὸ σῶμα οὕτως λυμαίνεται, ὡς κρυμὸς, οὔτε ὀνίνησιν, ὡς θέρος, καὶ ἡ τοῦ θάλπεσθαι παραμυθία.