Personal Letters, 4th Century CE Hermias (162)
“Hermias greets his sister. For the rest of it, I don’t know what I should write to you about—for I have talked myself to exhaustion again and again to you and you do not listen. It is right, when a man notices that he is in rough times, to retreat and not merely fight against what has been allotted him. Even though we are by birth from modest and ill-starred folk, should we not still yield and give some space to ourselves?
At this point, nothing has happened. Even so, if it is sweet to you, have someone come to me, either Gounthos or Ammonios who may remain until I know how my affairs are. Should I be slowed down or even cut off until God should pity us?”
Τῇ ἀδελφῇ Ἑρμείας χαίρειν. λοιπὸν τί σοι γράψω οὐκ οἶδα, ἀπαίκα-{κα}μον γάρ σοι αἵκαστον λέγων καὶ οὐκ αἰνακούεις. χρὴ γάρ τινα ὁρῶντα αἱαυτὸν ἐν δυστυχίᾳ κἂν ἀναχωρῖν καὶ μὴ ἁπλῶς μάχαισθαι τῷ δεδογμένῳ. μετρίων γὰρ καὶ δυστυχῶν γένεσιν αἴχοντες οὐδὲ οὕτω αἱαυτοῖς προσαίχομεν; τέως μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν οὐδέπω παίπρακται. κἂν ὥς, εἴπερ μέλι σοι, ἀπόστιλόν μοί τινα ἢ Γοῦνθον ἢ Ἀμμώνιον παραμένοντά μοι ἄχρις ἂν γνῶ πῶς τὰ κατ᾿ αἰμαὶ ἀποτίθαιται. μὴ ἄρα παρέλκομαι ἢ καὶ εἴργομαι ἔστ᾿ ἂν ὁ θεὸς ἡμᾶς αἰλαιήσῃ;
