Letter 1002: A warm request that praise be restrained and Nemesius be guided back toward his city.
I do not know that I possess so much, yet you give me even that much by behaving like a lover, as you began doing long ago. Love, with his bow and fire, is like this: he often forces a man to think what is not beautiful beautiful, to admire it, follow it, praise it, and blame those who do not. Something like this seems to have happened to you. You think my speeches are unlike anyone else's, and then, when you fail to persuade others, you are rightly annoyed that they are not persuaded. I am glad to be loved by you, but I ask you to lessen the excess of your praise, so that we do not give critics and mockers their opening. You will also oblige me by making Nemesius act justly toward us. Send him a letter advising him to recognize his homeland at last and not dishonor the city that honors him.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
1. Οὐ τοσοῦτον οἶδα ἔχων, σὺ δέ μοι καὶ τοσοῦτον δίδως πρᾶγμα ποιῶν ἐρῶντος, ὃ ποιεῖν ἤρξω πάλαι. τοιοῦτος δὲ ὁ δαίμων οὗτος ὁ τὸ τόξον ἔχων καὶ τὸ πῦρ, καὶ τὸν οὐ καλὸν πολλάκις καλὸν ἀναγκάζει νομίζειν καὶ θαυμάζειν τε καὶ ἕπεσθαι καὶ ἐπαινεῖν καὶ τοῖς οὐκ ἐπαινοῦσιν ἐγκαλεῖν. 2. τοιοῦτον δή τί μοι δοκεῖς πεπονθέναι καὶ αὐτός· λόγους ἐν ἡμῖν οἵους οὐ παρ' ἄλλῳ νομίζεις, εἶτα τοὺς ἄλλους οὐ πείθων ἀγανακτεῖς εἰκότως οὐ πειθομένων. ἐγὼ δὲ χαίρω μὲν ὑπὸ σοῦ φιλούμενος, δέομαι δέ σου τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις ὑπερβολῆς ἀφελεῖν, ὅπως μὴ τοὺς αἰτιωμένους ἔχοιμεν μηδὲ τοὺς καταγελῶντας. 3. χαριῇ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν Νεμέσιον ποιήσας πρὸς ἡμᾶς δίκαιον. πέμπε δὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιστολήν, ἡ δὲ συμβουλευέτω γνωρίσαι ποτὲ τὴν πατρίδα καὶ μὴ τὴν τιμῶσαν ἀτιμάζειν.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius foerster vol11 batch9 t259 reviewed v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/download/foerster-libanii-opera/Foerster%20%281922%29%2C%20Libanii%20opera%2011_djvu.xml
Related Letters
A gratitude letter praising Heraclius because his deeds outrun his promises.
A second letter to Heraclius that contrasts gratitude for letters with gratitude for deeds.
A request for lawful leave so a student can see his teacher after a long absence.
We haven't yet reached the coast at Naples to see the crown jewel of your estate, but everything the Tyrrhenian Sea...
I can tell that the devoted attention I pay your household is well known to you -- that's why you share good news...