a longing for your affection. It was he who emboldened him to disregard both the winter, and the difficulty of the road, and the most grievous illness. Therefore, having commended his love and zeal, most esteemed master, pay him back the reward for this long hardship, by showing him your customary kindness on this occasion as well. For we have sent him to your hands as to a calm harbor, knowing your gentleness, and your sincere, fervent, firm, and constant love. And if anyone should come from there, and it be easy, I desire that you write to us regarding your health. For Eupsychius did not come to us just now; therefore, we have been unable to learn those things which you said he would tell us when you wrote to us previously, for the reason that he himself nowhere appears. Since, therefore, these things are not at all unknown to you, then whatever you had intended to signify to us through him previously, and if there is anything else [635] that it is necessary for us to know, make it known to us now at least, and signify something to us regarding your health, which is of the greatest concern to us, and about which, since we labor with constant anxiety, we also desire to hear constantly.
XXXVIII. To Hymnetius the Archiater
Although we have not written to your Honor frequently, we nevertheless always hold you in our memory, as we have received a great proof of your fervent, upright, and sincere love in a few days. And for that reason, we send to your hands, not otherwise than into a harbor, my most reverend lord, the bishop Seleucus. For he is vexed by a most grievous cough, which the season of the year makes even more fierce, and renders more difficult. Since, therefore, you have understood the nature of his ailment, most venerated master, apply your efforts to rescue him from this tempest, opposing the strength of your art to this troublesome malady, by the help and assistance of which you have often snatched many, when they had come into the same danger, from shipwreck, so that they might not be overwhelmed by such billows.
XXXIX. To Chalcidia
I know the love which you have had for us from the beginning, and that you keep it blooming, and that you bring about its increase, and you do not allow it, through our separation and such a length of time, to become obscured, but rather inflame it all the more. I also know that you receive our letters with great joy of soul; and that you, whether writing or silent, still remain always in the same frame of mind toward us: for this I have experienced in many things, and often. Wherefore I pray you to continue to maintain the same mind toward us; for we have many tokens, many memorials of your sincere love. Therefore we carry you about constantly, as if inscribed upon our soul, and we hold the memory of you in such a way that it can be destroyed by no oblivion, even if we do not write frequently owing to the scarcity of letter-carriers. Knowing these things, therefore, most noble and most religious lady, write to us continually regarding your own health. For although we, when no letters are delivered to us from you, are always inquiring of those who come from there regarding this matter: yet we desire to receive letters from you as well, which may tell us happy things regarding the state of your health.
XL. To Asyncritia
I know that you are currently involved in great calamity. But just as I know this, so also do I know that a huge reimbursement and an ample reward and recompense remain for you for these calamities. For grief brings utility to the soul, and procures for it many rewards. Therefore, knowing and considering these things, receive the greatest consolation from this; and may not only the bitterness of the calamities be set before your eyes, but also the gain which is gathered from them; and write to us continually regarding your health. For we were affected with no small pain when we learned that you were in poor health. Therefore, with great speed, we vehemently desire to know if your condition has eased in any way, so that the worry which we have conceived from this might be lightened.
XLI. To Valentinus
I am sending this third letter, though I have received none from you. But we have understood that you received our letters with great joy of soul, and that you treated him who delivered them with the honor that was fitting, and likewise that you performed all that was your part in those matters which required your aid, and not one of these things escaped us: yet in the meantime, we have received no letter. And if anyone else among those who are of a less generous mind had used such silence, we would have thought that he was pretending the burden of business as an excuse. But since we have proven the sublimity of your mind and the fervor of your love, its sincerity, purity, and constancy, we cannot be brought to be satisfied with this excuse. Do not, likewise, say that you do not reside there: for that is known to us. But we shall take the consolation for your long silence in this one thing only, if you are willing to compensate for what has hitherto been neglected by you, and to send very many letters poured forth from that tongue from which honey flows, which may clearly explain to us the state of your health. For although we sit in solitude, and are encompassed on all sides by a heavy siege and numberless bitter things, we nevertheless do not cease to be in care and solicitude for you, and we ask every day how your affairs stand. Wherefore, I ask that you write to us regarding your health continually, so that we may not learn these things from others, but from you, whose benevolent kindness is sweet and most pleasant to us. For there will be nothing which we do not consider that we have received from you, if we shall have received letters carrying this happy news to us.