Letter 344: Since you say you take the greatest pleasure in being rebuked, and I have a passion for praising good men, I shall...

To Anatolius. (358) Since you say that you take the greatest pleasure in being found fault with, and since the love of praising good men belongs to me, I shall gratify both you and myself, praising some things and reproaching others. What you have done in the matter of Tuscianus will give occasion for both. For when, upon taking up your office, you summoned the man and made him your assessor, the report of the deed ran through the cities, and there was no place that did not have this on its lips: that now an honest poverty is receiving its wages. So-and-so has summoned so-and-so to Paeonia from Phrygia, because, though he long ago had an opportunity for wealth, he departed holding praise instead of money. And when, among those who marveled, I alone was not doing this, and they were asking on what grounds, I said that whenever I find noble men doing something noble, such as the son of Thetis or the city of the Athenians did, then, seeing the things I expected, I do not rise up to acclaim; since indeed even before the summons, if anyone had asked me whom you would summon, I would have named the very man you have summoned. For surely you were going to look for someone quick-witted, skilled in oratory, knowing how to labor, knowing how to love, knowing how to speak, understanding how to keep silent, long trained to dwell together with poverty. And these things this Tuscianus is for us, who came to us when you sent him. For now he is entering upon the things you long for. And these are matters of reproach. When, then, he came and recounted the laws of the office, I was delighted to see a friend, but I listened, wishing to learn that on which he was sounding. Could you bear to see Truth honored? Nothing is sacred, they say. And yet Tuscianus was magnifying the nature of the business, but to me the business seemed not worthy of the nature of Tuscianus. And as he resisted, I refuted him. But in the middle of winter a letter-tablet arrived bringing him more sustenance, and, if you will, also more dignity-fine things, but still less than your power and my desire. For to Tuscianus there is nothing of these things that is not great, yet it is necessary, even on this very account, that the man should advance toward something great, because everything that comes from you is great to him. For now, even though he might incur a gibe for being fed by the emperor in idleness-and you surely are not unaware of what we call such men-yet if he should obtain what he is worthy of, a fitting form will accompany his sustenance. Let him work, then, my good man, and let him see to it that the work shall not be worse than the idleness. But as for you, if you have not recognized to what station he must be advanced, you do wrong, being a man who so lives with justice; but if you think you ought to do what we say, do not delay, persuaded by Aeschylus and, still earlier, by Hesiod. And indeed I will not pass over even this: seeing the man fighting against the cold with a single cloak, and contending against the rain, and drawing up his line of battle against the mud, I asked whether for his children too his father's reputation might serve in place of clothing. And when he blushed and with a laugh recalled a certain Lysander and Dionysius-the one having given, the other not having taken-I said that he did not know that he was preparing for himself a difficult old age. Him, then, I let go; but I urge you to make Tuscianus's affairs better. For it would be fitting for him to be content with his poverty, but it is the easiest thing for you praetorian prefects to imitate the cloud of Zeus, from which he rained gold upon the Rhodians. And indeed, if you are willing, there might come about an abundance pure of blame. And let this be done now, before Tuscianus takes hold of some office, since in that office he will be willing to go hungry.

Ἀνατολίῳ. (358) Επειδὴ σὺ μὲν φῄς ὡς ἥδιστα ἐπιτιμᾶσθαι, τοῦ δὲ ἐπαινεῖν τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἔρως ἐμοί, καὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐμαυτῷ χα- ριοῦμαι τὰ μὲν ἐπαινῶν, τὰ δὲ ἐγκαλῶν. δώσει δὲ ἀμφοῖν ἀφορμὴν ἃ περὶ Τουσκιανὸν πέπρακταί σοι. ὡς γὰρ ἁψάμε- νος τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκάλεις τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ πάρεδρον ἐποιοῦ, διέθει τὰς πόλεις ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἔργου καὶ τόπος οὐδεὶς ἦν ὃς οὐ τοῦτο εἶχεν, ὅτι νῦν δικαία πενία κομίζεται τοὺς μιδθούς. ὀ δεῖνα τὸν δεῖνα κέκληκεν εἰς Παιονίαν ἀπὸ Φρυγίας, ὅτι καιρὸν εἰς πλοῦτον πάλαι λαβὼν ἀπῆλθεν ἔχων ἔπαινον ἀντὶ χρημάτων. ὠς δὲ ἐν θαυμάζουσιν οὐ τοῦτο ἐποίουν μόνος, οἱ δὲ ἐζήτουν ἀνθ’ ὅτου, τοὺς γενναίους ἔφην ἐπειδὰν εὕρω τι γενναῖον δρῶντας, οἷον ἣ τὸν Θέτιδος υἱὸν ἣ τὴν Ἀθηναίων πόλιν, ἃ προσεδόκων ὁρῶν οὐκ ἀνίσταμαι πρὸς βοήν, ἐπεί τοι καὶ πρὸ τῆς κλήσεως, εἴ τις ὃν καλέσεις ἤρετό με, τοῦτον ἂν ὃν κέκληκας εἶπον. ἔμελλες γὰρ δή- που ζητήσειν ἀγχίνουν, ῥητορικόν, εἰδότα πονεῖν, εἰδότα φι- λεῖν, εἰδότα λέγειν, ἐπιστάμενον σιγᾶν, πάλαι δὴ πεπαιδευ- μένον πενία συνοικεῖν. ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ Τουσκιανὸς οὗτος, ὃς ἧκεν ἡμῖν σοῦ πέμποντος. ἤδη γὰρ εἴσεισιν ὧν ἐρᾷς. ταῦτα δέ ἐστιν ἐγκλήματα. ὡς δ’ οὖν ἧκε καὶ διηγήσατο τῆς ἀρ- χῆς τοὺς νόμους, ἥσθην μὲν ἄνδρα φίλον ἰδών, ἐφ’ ᾧ δὲ ἦχοι μαθεῖν ἐθέλων ἤκουον. ἆρ᾿ ἂν ἀνάσχοιο τιμωμένης τῆς Ἀληθείας; οὐδὲν ἱερόν φασι. καίτοι Τουσκιανὸς ἐσέμνυνε τοῦ πράγματος τὴν φύσιν, εμοὶ δὲ ἐδόκει τῆς Τουσκιανοῦ φύσεως οὐκ ἄξιον εἶναι τὸ πρᾶγμα. καὶ μαχόμενον ἐξήλεγχον. τοὺ χειμῶνος δὲ μεσοῦντος δέλτος ἧκε φέρουσα αὐτῷ πλείω τροφήν, εἰ δὲ βούλει, καὶ αξίωσιν, καλὰ μέν, ἀλλ’ ἔτι τῆς σῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐλάττω. Τουσκιανῷ μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν ὅ τι τούτων οὐ μέγα, δεῖ δὲ καὶ κατ’ αὐτό γε τοῦτο πρός τι μέγα τὸν ἄνδρα προβῆναι, διότι πᾶν αὐτῷ τὸ παρὰ σοῦ μέγα. νῦν μὲν γὰρ κἂν σκῶμμα δέξαιτο τρεφόμε- νος ἐκ βασιλέως ἐν ἀργίᾳ, πάντως δὲ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς, ὅ τι τοὺς τοιούτοις καλοῦμεν· εἰ δ’ ὧν ἄξιός ἐστι τύχοι, σχῆμα πρόσεισι τῇ τροφῇ. ἐργαζέσθω οὖν, ὦ ’γαθέ, καὶ ὅπως γε μὴ τὸ ἔργον χεῖρον ἔσται τῆς ἀργίας. σὺ δ’ εἰ μὲν οὐκ ἔγνωκας αὐ- τὸν οἱ δεῖ προσάγειν, ἀδικεῖς ἀνὴρ οὕτω συζῶν τῇ δίκη· εἰ δὲ οἴει δεῖν ἅ φαμεν ποιεῖν, μὴ μέλλε πειθόμενος Αἰσχύλῳ καὶ ἔτι πρότερον Ἡσιόδῳ. καὶ μὴν οὐδ’ ἐκεῖνό γε παρήσω· τὸν ἄνδρα ἰδὼν μιᾷ χλαμύδι Ἄι πρὸς ψῦχος μαχόμενον καὶ πρὸς ὄμβρον ἀγωνιζόμενον καὶ πρὸς πηλὸν παραταττόμενον, ἠρώτων εἰ καὶ τοῖς παιδίοις ἀνθ’ ἱματίων ἡ δόξα τοῦ πα- τρὸς εἴη. τοῦ δ’ ἐρυθριάσαντος καὶ σὺν γέλωτι μεμνημέ- νοῦ Λυσάνδρου τινὸς καὶ Διονυσίου, τοῦ μὲν δόντος, τοῦ δὲ οὐ λαβόντος ἔφην αὐτὸν οὐκ εἰδέναι χαλεπὸν αὑτῷ παρασκευ- άζοντα τὸ γῆρας ἐκεῖνον μὲν οὖν ἀφίημι, σοὶ δὲ παραινῶ ποιῆσαι Τουσκιανῷ τὰ πράγματα βελτίω. πρέποι γὰρ ἂν τῷ μὲν στέργειν τὴν πενίαν, ἔστι δὲ ῥᾷστον τοῖς ὑπάρχοις ὑμῖν τὴν τοῦ Δῖός μιμήσασθαι νεφέλην, ἀφ’ ἧς ἐκεῖνος ὗσε Ῥο- δίοις χρυσόν. καὶ δὴ καὶ ὑμῶν βουλομένων γένοιτ’ ἂν εὐπορία καθαρεύουσα ψόγου. τοῦτο δὲ ἤδη πραττέσθω πρὶν ἀρχῆς τινος λαβέσθαι Τουσκιανόν, ὡς ἐν ἐκείνῳ γε λιμώττειν ἐθελήσει.