Letter 559: It must seem a great wonder to you that Letoius carries letters from me to everyone else but not to you alone.

To Crescens. (357) It is a wonder to you, no doubt, among the very greatest of wonders, that Letoius should carry to all the others letters from us, but to you alone should carry none. But this was the boy's error; it was not a failing on my part. For along with the others, the letter which I had written to you had been made ready; but as he was setting out to Letoius, I ordered the servant to convey the writings. Since, however, there were many affairs at the very moment of departure, my boy gives them to the ambassador's man. And I supposed that everything had been handed over. But I see the letter lying there, and I cried out, and I am punishing the servant. Then at once Fortune consoles me by giving another ambassador, one as good as that former man and a friend to us both. I would scarcely have sufficed for the things it was possible to say, but you could even instruct another about him, so that there would be no need to make a long letter to you.

Κρήσκεντι. (357) Θαῦμά σοί που τῶν πάνυ θαυμάτων τὸ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις παρ’ ἡμῶν τὸν Λητόιον φέρειν ἐπιστολάς, σοὶ δὲ μόνῳ μὴ φέρειν. τοῦτο δὲ τῷ παιδὶ μὲν ἡμάρτηται, ἐμοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐλλέ- λειπται. μετὰ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἄλλων ἣν ἐγεγράφειν πρὸς σὲ ἐπιστολήν, ἡτοίμαστο, πορευόμενος δὲ παρὰ τὸν Λητόιον ἐκέ- λευσα τὸν οἰκέτην κομίζειν τὰ γράμματα, πολλῶν δὲ πραγμά- τῶν ὄντων ἐπ’ αὐτῆς τῆς ἐξόδου τῷ πρεσβευτῇ δίδωσιν οὑμὸς παῖς τῷ ’κείνου. καὶ πάντα ᾠόμην δεδόσθαι. κειμένην δὲ ὁρῶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν καὶ ἀνέκραγον καὶ κολάζω τὸν οἰκέτην. εἶτ’ εὐθὺς ἡ Τύχη με παραμυθεῖται πρεσβευτὴν ἕτερον δοῦσα καὶ χρηστὸν ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνον καὶ φίλον ἀμφοῖν. μόλις ἂν οἷς ἐνῆν εἰπεῖν ἤρκουν, σὺ δὲ κἂν ἄλλον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δι- δάξαις, ὥστ᾿ οὐδὲν ἂν δέοι πρὸς σὲ μηκύνειν.