Letter 73: Chrysostom tells Agapetus that time and distance have not weakened their friendship.

Although it has been a long time since we were separated from your Excellency, and although the distance of the road separating us is great, nevertheless we are bound to you in love and spend our time near you. Or rather, we have you in our very mind, carrying you everywhere we may be. The friendship that has existed from the beginning from you toward us, warm, genuine, strong, and unwavering, we hold engraved in our conscience. We ourselves keep our disposition toward you flourishing, most honored and excellent master, allowing it to become no weaker either through the amount of time or through the length of the road. I beg you, then, whenever possible, not to hesitate to write to us continually about your health. You know how tightly we hold to it and what a great favor you will grant us by sending such letters.

ΟΓʹ. Ἀγαπητῷ. Εἰ καὶ πολὺς μεταξὺ χρόνος, ἐξ οὗ τῆς θαυμασιότητος ἐχωρίσθημεν τῆς σῆς, καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ δὲ αὐτῆς πολὺ τὸ μέσον τὸ διεῖργον ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ' ὅμως τῇ ἀγάπῃ συνδεδέμεθά σοι, καὶ πλησίον σου διατρίβομεν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ σε ἔχομεν τῇ διανοίᾳ, πανταχοῦ περιφέροντες ὅπουπερ ἂν ὦμεν. Καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς σοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς γεγενημένην φιλίαν, τὴν θερμὴν καὶ γνησίαν, τὴν σφοδρὰν καὶ ἀκλινῆ ἐγκολάψαντες ἡμῶν ἔχομεν τῷ συνειδότι. Καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀκμάζουσαν τὴν περὶ σὲ διάθεσιν διατηροῦμεν, δέσποτα τιμιώτατε καὶ θαυμασιώτατε, οὐδὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ χρόνου, οὐδὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ μήκους τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀφιέντες αὐτὴν ἀσθενεστέραν γενέσθαι. Παρακαλῶ τοίνυν, ἡνίκα ἂν ἐξῇ, καὶ γράφειν ἡμῖν συνεχῶς μὴ κατόκνει περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας τῆς σῆς. Οἶσθα γὰρ ὅπως αὐτῆς ἀντεχόμεθα, καὶ ἡλίκην ἡμῖν χαριῇ χάριν, τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἡμᾶς διαπεμπόμενος γράμματα.