Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VIII/The Letters/Letter 338

Libanius to Basil.

I you will often write, &#8220;Here is another Cappadocian for you!&#8221;&#160; I expect that you will send me many.&#160; I am sure that you are everywhere putting pressure on both fathers and sons by all your complimentary expressions about me.&#160; But it would not be kind on my part not to mention what happened about your good letter.&#160; There were sitting with me not a few of our people of distinction, and among them the very excellent Alypius, Hierocles&#8217; cousin.&#160; The messengers gave in the letter.&#160; I read it right through without a word; then with a smile, and evidently gratified, I exclaimed, &#8220;I am vanquished!&#8221;&#160; &#8220;How?&#160; When?&#160; Where?&#8221; they asked.&#160; &#8220;How is it that you are not distressed at being vanquished?&#8221;&#160; &#8220;I am beaten,&#8221; I replied, &#8220;in beautiful letter writing.&#160; Basil has won.&#160; But I love him; and so I am delighted.&#8221;&#160; On hearing this, they all wanted to hear of the victory from the letter itself.&#160; It was read by Alypius, while all listened.&#160; It was voted that what I had said was quite true.&#160; Then the reader went out, with the letter still in his hand, to shew it, I suppose, to others.&#160; I had some difficulty in getting it back.&#160; Go on writing others like it; go on winning.&#160; This is for me to win.&#160; You are quite right in thinking that my services are not measured by money.&#160; Enough for him who has nothing to give, that he is as wishful to receive.&#160; If I perceive any one who is poor to be a lover of learning, he takes precedence of the rich.&#160; True, I never found such instructors; but nothing shall stand in the way of my being, at least in that respect, an improvement on mine.&#160; Let no one, then, hesitate to come hither because he is poor, if only he possesses the one qualification of knowing how to work.