Letter 628: The man who brought me your letter but brought you accusations against me instead of a letter from me was, I...

To Eudaemon. (361) The man who brought me a letter from you, but brought you accusations against us in place of a letter from us, was, I conjecture, a poor servant, and he was not acting upon the intention of one who wished to receive a letter, but of one who only seemed to wish to receive it. Let him not, then, be trusted in his accusations, but let the duration of our friendship prevail more strongly than his words. As for you, I would not say that I wonder if, being a poet and then having taken hold of Egypt, you have forgotten the luxury around the Bosphorus; since, if someone were to bring Cassandra to Delphi and lead her into the prophetic precinct, it seems to me that she would no longer reckon the splendors at Ilium ahead of the beauties at Delphi. But now something further as well has been added: Gerontius governs the Egyptians, a man who has eloquence and who honors those who possess it. This means that the tribute has become double for you. For not even if someone were to sing the songs of Tellen [a Sicyonian poet] would he be able to draw you back to yourself.

Εὐδαίμονι. (361) Ὁ παρὰ σοῦ μὲν ἐμοὶ γράμματα ἐνεγκών, σοὶ δὲ καθ ἡμῶν αἰτίας ἀντὶ τῶν παρ’ ἡμῶν γραμμάτων, εἰκάζω, κακὸς διάκονος ἦν καὶ οὐκ ἐχρῆτο γνώμῃ βουλομένου γράμματα λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ δοκοῦντος ἐθέλειν λαβεῖν. μὴ οὖν ἔστω πιστὸς ἐν ταῖς κατηγορίαις, ἀλλ’ ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἡμετέρας φιλίας μεῖ- ζον ἰσχυέτω τῶν ἐκείνου ῥημάτων. σοῦ δὲ οὐκ ἂν φαίην θαυμάζειν εἰ ποιητὴς ὤν, ἔπειτα Αἰγύπτου λαβόμενος ἐπελά- θου τῆς περὶ τὸν Βόσπορον τρυφῆς, ἐπεὶ καὶ Κασάνδραν εἴ τις ἤγαγεν εἰς Δελφοὺς καὶ παρήγαγεν εἰς τὸ μαντικὸν χω- ρίον, δοκεῖ μοι μηδὲν ἂν ἔτι τῶν ἐν Ἰλίῳ λαμπρῶν πρότερον ποιήσασθαι τῶν ἐν Δελφοῖς καλῶν. νῦν δὲ δή τι καὶ πλέον προσγέγονεν· ἄρχει Γερόντιος Αἰγυπτίων λόγους ἔχων τε καὶ τιμῶν τοὺς ἔχοντας. τοῦτο δ’ ἐστὶ διπλοῦν σοι γεγο- νέναι τὸν δασμόν. οὐδὲ γάρ, εἰ τὰ Τέλληνος ᾄδοι τις, οἶός τε ἔσται πρὸς αὑτόν σε μεταστῆσαι.