Letter 923: Libanius urges Optatus to reverse his hostility over Thalassius and publicly reconcile.
When I count up the times you have helped me, saving many people from many troubles at my request, and then look at the insults aimed at me, including those aimed at Thalassius, whom I have made my friend, I cannot believe both came from the same mind. I have often sat with my eyes fixed on the ground, wondering whether the man who should have fought those speaking against me was himself speaking, and wanted others to speak too. Even if you had a complaint, the punishment should not have been so severe. So, my noble friend, let the second act be better, and let it wipe away the first. Be my Stesichorus and sing a recantation. If you do this, everyone will follow; in other matters too, good men listen to you. You have shown me the angry man. Now show me the reconciled one.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
Ὅταν ἀριθμήσω τὰς βοηθείας, αἷς αἰτοῦντος ἐμοῦ πολλοὺς πολλῶν ἐρρύσω κακῶν, εἶτ᾽ εἰς τὰς λοιδορίας ἀποβλέψω τὰς καθ᾽ ἡμῶν, καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἦν ἐν αἷς ὁ Θαλάσσιος, ὃν πεποίημαι φίλον, οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς ἄμφω ψυχῆς εὑρίσκω. καὶ κάθημαι δὴ πολλάκις κατὰ χθονὸς ὄμματα πήξας, εἰ τὸν ἔδει μάχεσθαι τοῖς τι καθ᾽ ἡμῶν λέγουσιν. οὗτος αὐτός τε ἔλεγε καὶ ἄλλους ἐβούλετο. καὶ γὰρ εἴ τε καὶ ἐγκαλεῖν εἶχες, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τοσαύτην ἔδει τὴν τιμωρίαν λαβεῖν. γενέσθω τοίνυν, ὦ γενναῖε, τὰ δεύτερα βελτίω καὶ τούτοις ἐκεῖνα ἐξαλειφέσθω. καὶ γενοῦ Στησίχορος ἡμῖν παλινῳδίαν ἄδων. ἣν γὰρ σὺ τοῦτο ποιήσῃς, οὐδεὶς ὅστις οὐκ ἀκολουθήσει. καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἄλλα καλῶς ποιοῦντες πείθονταί σοι. δείξας οὖν ἡμῖν τὸν ὀργιζόμενον δεῖξον καὶ τὸν διηλλαγμένον.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius foerster vol11 batch4 managed agents v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/download/foerster-libanii-opera/Foerster%20%281922%29%2C%20Libanii%20opera%2011_djvu.xml
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