νομίζω ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ βοηθήσῃ, τὸ τῆς παροιμίας εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχετε πληρῶσαι ὅτι ἀπῆλθες ἐκ τῆς ὄψεως, ἀπῆλθες ⟦καὶ⟧ ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς· ἀπέκαμον γὰρ [γράφ]ων ὑμῖν ἵνα διὰ τῶν ἀντιγραφῶν σημά[ν]ατέ μοι ἐαν (*) προσέχουσιν ⟦η⟧ ὑμῖν καὶ ποιοῦσιν ὑμῖν ἀποκρίσεις, καὶ ἀνέμους ἀντιγράφετε μήτε πόδια ἐχοντ⟦[α]ι⟧ (*) μήτε κεφαλὴν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Κολλούθου τοῦ παιδὸς πεμφθέντος παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἀρσινοί (*) τῃ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν πέμψαι τὸ ἐρεοῦν μαλλωτὸν μετὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδῶν καὶ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τρεῖς ἥμισυ μῆνας ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἦλθεν κουφά- χαιρα (*) μήτε γράμματα ὑμῶν ἐνεγκών μοι. καὶ ἐν ὅσῳ ταῦτά εἰσιν, ὤφελον κἀγὼ (*) σχεῖν ἐγκέφαλον καὶ μὴ γράψαι ὑμῖν· καὶ ἀρκεῖ μου (*) ἕως τοῦτο γράψαι.
σὺν θ(εῷ) τῇ δεσποί(νῃ) μου Φιλοστοργ(ίᾳ) μητρ(ὶ) Σχολαστικίος υἱὸ(ς) αὐτ(ῆς).
I think that if the hand of God does not help, you have the saying to fulfill upon me that you have departed from sight, you have departed also from the soul; for I have grown weary of writing to you in order that through the copies you may signal to me if they pay attention to you and give you answers, and you copy winds neither having feet nor a head. Nevertheless, also of Colouthus the child sent from me in the Arsinoite I wrote to you to send the shaggy inquiry along with the other kinds and by the grace of God he spent three and a half months there and came back empty-handed, not bringing me your letters. And as long as these things are, I would have preferred to have a brain and not to write to you; and it suffices me to write this.
† νομίζω ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἡ χεὶρ τοῦ θεοῦ βοηθήσῃ, τὸ τῆς παροιμίας εἰς ἐμὲ ἔχετε πληρῶσαι ὅτι ἀπῆλθες ἐκ τῆς ὄψεως, ἀπῆλθες ⟦καὶ⟧ ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς· ἀπέκαμον γὰρ [γράφ]ων ὑμῖν ἵνα διὰ τῶν ἀντιγραφῶν σημά[ν]ατέ μοι ἐαν προσέχουσιν ⟦η⟧ ὑμῖν καὶ ποιοῦσιν ὑμῖν ἀποκρίσεις, καὶ ἀνέμους ἀντιγράφετε μήτε πόδια ἐχοντ⟦[α]ι⟧ μήτε κεφαλὴν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Κολλούθου τοῦ παιδὸς πεμφθέντος παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἐν τῷ Ἀρσινοίτῃ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν πέμψαι τὸ ἐρεοῦν μαλλωτὸν μετὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰδῶν καὶ διὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ τρεῖς ἥμισυ μῆνας ἐποίησεν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἦλθεν κουφόχειρα μήτε γράμματα ὑμῶν ἐνεγκών μοι. καὶ ἐν ὅσῳ ταῦτά εἰσιν, ὤφελον κἀγὼ σχεῖν ἐγκέφαλον καὶ μὴ γράψαι ὑμῖν· καὶ ἀρκεῖ μου ἕως τοῦτο γράψαι. †
† σὺν θ(εῷ) τῇ δεσποί(νῃ) μου Φιλοστοργ(ίᾳ) μητρ(ὶ) † Σχολαστικίος υἱὸ(ς) αὐτ(ῆς).
† I think that unless the hand of God helps, you will fulfill against me the proverb: "Out of sight, out of mind." For I have grown weary writing to you, asking you repeatedly through letters to inform me whether they pay attention to you and give you replies, but you write back winds, having neither feet nor head. Moreover, when I sent the boy Kollouthos to the Arsinoite nome, I wrote to you to send the woolen garment along with the other items, and by the grace of God he spent three and a half months there and returned empty-handed, bringing me no letters from you. Given these circumstances, I wish I had had sense enough not to write to you at all; and it is enough for me to write this much. †
† With God, to my lady mother Philostorgia † Scholastikios, her son.