Letter 500: You promised to let me know what state you found your household in, and yet you have written nothing.

To Clematius. You promised that you would let us know in what condition of fortune you would find your household to be, but you write nothing. And yet it was necessary that we too should not be ignorant of it, whether it stands as before or has changed for the better. For we would either have shared your sorrow or shared in your prayers. But, I suppose, in sending letters you are negligent, while in demanding them you are vehement. And yet in giving gifts you are ready, but in receiving them you are most sluggish. But write to us, and consider that you will very soon see Spectatus, with whom proceed, in the name of the gods, into Italy, so that your affairs may turn out better and ours may benefit from the same circumstances.

Κληματίῳ. (356/57) Ὑπέσχου μοι δηλώσειν οὗ τύχης σοι τὸν οἶκον εὑρήσεις ὄντα, γράφεις δὲ οὐδέν. καίτοι χρῆν, εἴτ᾿ ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων ἕστηκεν εἴτ’ ἐπ’ ἀμείνω μεθέστηκε, μηδ’ ἡμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν. ἢ γὰρ συνήσθημεν ἢ συνηυξάμεθα ἄν. ἀλλ’, οἶμαι, γράμματα πέμψαι μὲν εἶ ῥᾴθυμος, ἀπαιτῆσαι δὲ σφοδρός. καίτοι δῶρα δοῦναι μὲν ἕτοιμος, λαβεῖν δὲ ἀργότατος. ἀλλ’ ἐπίστει- λόν τε καὶ τὸν Σπεκτάτον ἡγοῦ τάχιστα ὄψεσθαι μεθ’ οὗ βάδιζε, πρὸς θεῶν, εἰς Ἰταλίαν, ὡς σοί τε βελτίω τὰ παάυ- ματα γένοιτο καὶ ἡμῖν ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν.