Letter 555: Word of the deeds this man Maiorinus has done for me has probably reached you already.

To Andronicus. [357] It is likely that a report has reached you of the deeds with which this Maiorinus here has treated me; for it is your concern to be ignorant of nothing of my affairs, and his conduct toward us has been such as would create a reputation, but nothing prevents it from being told by me as well. This man, being of distinguished birth, for his father held the greatest office, and having attended for the sake of rhetoric upon no mean sophist, as soon as I came and displayed a discourse, was at once captivated; and he did not dishonor the other man, yet he admired me, both approaching and associating with me and loving me and praising me and cooperating in the increase of the flock, and, saying everything and doing everything, he showed himself no worse than those of you who have chosen our cause, and better than the many here. And when some reproached him for setting the one who was not his teacher before his teacher, he said this: "Does it seem to you among the noble things to set the worse before the better?" With such words he met them, saying also that they wronged him, as the saying goes, by making him not eat of his own vitals. And altogether the young man is good, not quick to anger, steadfast in friendship, knowing how to make his own affairs lesser than the helping of his acquaintances. For not so much as a leaf from an olive tree, as they say, but by however much one might become rich, by so much does he hold himself aloof, releasing his comrades from difficulty; and being concerned in matters where concern is needed, he does not flee from the things that bring delight to the mind. And whoever associates with him even a little is held fast by the gentleness and the charm of his ways. Let him therefore learn through you who among your people are the diligent ones, and in addition to learning let him acquire through you the diligent as his companions. As for the partnership of the journey, which he makes with those who are not well-disposed toward us, do not take it into suspicion. For it has come about by necessity, and he shares in the carriage but stands apart in his judgment. And when you make trial of him and come into conversation, you will say that I have not been deceived.

Ἀνδρονίκῳ. (357) Εἰκὸς μὲν ἥκειν ὡς ὑμᾶς λόγον τῶν ἔργων, οἷς εἰς ἐμὲ κέχρηται Μαιορῖνος οὑτοσί· ὑμῖν τε γὰρ ἐπιμελὲς μηδὲν τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγνοεῖν τά τε τούτου τοιαῦτα περὶ ἡμᾶς, οἷα φή- μην ἂν ποιήσαι, κωλύει δὲ οὐδὲν καὶ παρ’ ἐμοῦ λεχθῆναι. οὗτος γενόμενος ἐξ ἐνδόξων, τὴν γὰρ δὴ μεγίστην ἦρξεν ἀρχὴν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ φοιτήσας ἐπὶ λόγοις οὐ παρὰ φαῦλον σοφιστήν, ἐπειδὴ ἥκων ἔδειξα λόγον, εὐθὺς ἑάλω καὶ τὸν μὲν οὐκ ἠτίμασεν, ἐμὲ δὲ ἐθαύμασε καὶ προσιὼν καὶ συνὼν καὶ φιλῶν καὶ ἐπαινῶν καὶ συμπράττων εἰς αὔξησιν τοῦ ποιμνίου, καὶ πάντα μὲν λέγων, πάντα δὲ ποιῶν ὑμῶν τε τῶν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἑλομένων οὐ χείρων τῶν τε ἐνταῦθα πολλῶν ἐφάνη βελτίων. ἐπιτιμώντων δὲ ἐνίων αὐτῶ τὸ τὸν οὐ διδάσκαλον πρὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου ποιεῖσθαι τόδε φαυλότερον ἴφη πρὸ τοῦ βελτίονος τίθε- σθαι τῶν καλῶν ὑμῖν εἶναι δοκεῖ; τοιούτοις ἀπήντα πρὸς αὐτοὺς λόγοις καὶ ὡς ἀδικοῖεν αὑτὸν σπλάγχνων, φασί, ποιοῦντες μὴ φαγεῖν. ἔστι δὲ καὶ ὅλως ὁ νεανίσκος άγα- θός, οὐχ ἕτοιμος εἰς ὀργήν, βέβαιος εἰς φιλίαν, εἰδὼς ποιῆσαι τὸ ὄντα ἐλάττω τοῦ βοηθῆσαι γνωρίμοις. οὐ γὰρ ὅσον φύλλον ἀπ’ ἐλαίας, φασίν, ἀλλ’ ὅσοις ἄν τις γένοιτο πλούσιος, τοσού- τῶν ἀφίσταται λύων ἀκαιρίαν ἑταίρων· φροντίζων δὲ ἐν οἷς δεῖ φροντίδος οὐ φεύγει τὰ φέροντα τῇ γνώμῃ τέρψιν. ὅστις δὲ αὐτῷ συγγένοιτο καὶ μικρά, κατέχεται τῇ τε πρᾳότητι καὶ χάριτι τῶν τρόπων. μαθέτω δὴ διὰ σοῦ τῶν παρ’ ὑμῖν τοὺς σπουδαίους καὶ πρὸς τῷ μαθεῖν κτησάσθω διὰ σοῦ τοὺς σπουδαίους συνήθεις. τὴν δὲ τῆς πορείας κοινωνίαν, ἣν ποιεῖται μετὰ τῶν ἡμῖν οὐκ ἐπιτηδείων, μὴ λάβῃς δι’ ὑπο- ψίας. ἀνάγκῃ τε γὰρ συμβέβηκε καὶ τοῦ μὲν ὀχήματος κοι- νωνεῖ, τῆς δὲ γνώμης ἀποστατεῖ. πειρώμενος δὲ καὶ εἰς λό- γους ἰὼν φήσεις οὐκ ἠπατῆσθαί με.