Θ]έωνι τῶι κυρίωι πατρὶ χαίρειν. [τῆς μὲν μεγίστ]ης ἀθυμίας ἀπήλλαξας ἡμᾶς δηλώσας ὡς [ἐστί σοι ἀδιά]φ̣ορα τὰ γενόμενα περὶ τοῦ θεάτρου, ἤλπιζον δὲ φθάσας καταπλεῦσαι τυχεῖν λαμπρῶν [ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τί ἀ]ντὶ τῆς προθυμίας ἔπρα[ξ]α̣; νῦν [γάρ, ἐπιζητῶ]ν̣ φιλόλογον, καὶ Χαιρήμονα τὸν καθη- [γητὴν καὶ Δίδ]υμον τὸν τοῦ Ἀρ̣ι̣σ̣τοκλέ̣ο̣[υς], π̣α̣ρʼ οἷς [ἐλπὶς ἦν καὶ ἐμ]έ̣ τι κατορθῶσαι, οὐκέτ̣ι̣ ἐ̣ν̣ τ̣[ῆ]ι̣ πόλει [εὗρον, ἀλλὰ κα]θ̣άρματα, παρʼ οἷς τῆι εὐθείαι ὁδῶι χρη- [σάμενοι οἱ πλείο]ν̣ε̣ς διεφθόροσι (*). καὶ πρότερόν σοι ἔγρα- [ψα, καθάπερ καὶ] ἔγραψα τοῖς περὶ Φιλόξενον, ἐπι- [σκέψασθαι τὸ πρᾶ]γμα, καὶ ὑπʼ ἐκείνων τῶι εὐδοκιμοῦν- [τι συνεστάθην, ὃν κ]α̣ὶ̣ παραιτησάμενον Θέ̣ωνα εὐθὺς [ἀπεδοκίμασας, ο]ἷ̣[ο]ν̣ κ̣[α]ὐ̣τὸς κατεγνωκὼς αὐτοῦ [ὡς ἐνδεῆ παντ]ελῶς ἔ[χ]οντος τὴν ἕξιν. μεταδόν- [τος δʼ ἐμοῦ Φι]λ̣οξένωι τὴν σὴν γνώμην, τὰ αὐτὰ μὲν [ἐφρόνει, διὰ τα]ύτην μόνην τὴν τῶν σοφιστῶν ἀ- π̣ο̣ρ̣[ία]ν̣ σ̣υ̣ν̣π̣α̣θ̣ε̣ῖν τῆι π[ό]λ̣ει φάσ̣κων, καταπλε̣[ύσ]α̣ν- τα δὲ τὸν Δί{δι}δυμον, ὡς ἔ[ο]ικεν, φίλον ὄντα αὐτῶι καὶ σχολὴν ἔχοντα, ἔλεγεν ἐπιμελήσεσθαι τῶν ἄλ- λων, μᾶλλον καὶ τοῦς τοῦ Ἀπολλωνίου τοῦ τοῦ Ἡρώ- δου πα̣ρα̣β̣αλε̣[ῖν] ἔπειθεν αὐτῶι. καὐτοὶ γὰρ με̣[τ]ὰ̣ τού- του δει̣[ν]ό̣τ̣ε̣ρ̣ο̣ν̣ κ̣αθηγητὴν ἕως τοῦ νῦν ἐ̣π̣ι̣ζητ̣[ο]ῦ- σιν, ἀπο̣θ̣ανόντος φιλολόγου ὧι παρέβαλλον. ε̣ὐ̣- ξάμενο[ς] δʼ ἂν ἔγωγε, εἴπερ ἀξίους λόγου καθηγητὰς εὗρον, μηδὲ ἐξ ἀπόπτου Δίδυμον ἰδεῖν, τοῦτο̣ α̣ὐ̣- τὸ ἀθυμῶ, ὅτι ἔδοξεν εἰς σύνκρισιν (*) τοῖς ἄλλο̣[ις] ἔρχεσθα̣ι̣ οὗτ̣ο̣ς, ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας κ̣αθηγεῖτο.
τοῦτο οὖν εἰδώς - ὅτι, πλὴν τοῦ μάτην μισθοὺς πλείονας τελεῖν, ἀπὸ καθηγητοῦ οὐδὲν ὄφελος, ἀλλὰ ἀπʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ἔχω - ταχέως ὅ τι ἐάν σοι δοκῇ γράψον. ἔχω δὲ τὸν Δίδυμον, ὡς καὶ Φιλόξενος λέγει, ἀεί μοι προ̣[σ]ε̣υ̣- καιροῦντα καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι δύναται παρεχόμενον. [ἔτι δὲ] τ̣ῶν ἐπιδεικνυμένων ἀκροώμενος, ὧν ἐστὶν ὁ Π̣ο- σ̣ειδώνιος, τάχα θεῶν θελόντων καλῶς πράξο̣μ̣αι. ἡ δʼ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀθυμία ἐστὶν ἡ ὀλιγωρεῖν τοῦ σώματος ἡ̣μ̣ᾶς ἀναγκ̣άζουσα, ὡς οὐδʼ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι δέον α̣ὐ̣τ̣ῶ\ν/ [τ]ο̣ὺ̣ς μήπω̣ πράσσοντας, καὶ μάλιστα ὅτε οὐ̣[δ]ὲ οἱ χαλκὸν εἰσφέροντές εἰσιν. τότε μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἡμέρας ὁ χρήσιμος Ἡρακλᾶς - κακὸς κακῶς - ὀβολοὺς ἐπ̣[ε]ισ- έφερεν, νῦν δὲ ἅμα τῷ δεθῆναι ὑπὸ Ἰσιδώρου, ὥ̣σ̣[π]ε̣ρ ἦν ἄξιον, ἔφυγεν καὶ ἀνῆλθεν, ὡς δοκῶ, πρὸς σέ. ὃν εὖ ἴσθι μηδʼ ἂν ὀκνήσοντά (*) σοί ποτε ἐπιβουλεῦσαι. οὐ γὰρ ᾐσχύνετο πρὸ πάντων μετὰ χαρᾶς τὰ περὶ τοῦ θεάτρου ἐν τῆι πόλει φημίζων καὶ λαλῶν τὰ ψεύ- δη ἃ οὐδʼ ἂν κατήγορος εἴποι, καὶ ταῦτα μηδὲν ἄξι- ον αὐτοῦ πάσχων, ἀλλὰ λελυμένος καὶ ὡς ἐλεύθε- ρος πάντα ποιῶν. ἀλλʼ ὅμως δύνῃ, εἰ μὴ πέμπεις αὐ- τόν, παραδοῦναί γε τέκτονι. ἀκούω γὰρ ὅτι νεακί- σκος (*) δύο δραχ{α}μὰς τῆς ἡμέρας ποιεῖ. ἢ σύνζευ- ξον (*) αὐτὸν ἄλλωι ἔργωι, ὅθεν πλείονα χαλκὸν λή- ψεται, ἵνα τὸ μισθάριον αὐτοῦ συνλεγόμενον (*) πέμπηται ἡμεῖν (*) διὰ χρόνου. οἶδας γὰρ ὅτι καὶ ὁ Δι- ογᾶς γράμματα μανθάνει. ἐν ὧι τὸν μεικρὸν (*) πέμ- πεις, πλατύτερον ἐν οἰκίᾳ ἰδιωτικῇ τόπον ὀψόμεθα. ἵνα γὰρ γειτνιεύσωμεν Διονυσίῳ, ἐν μεικρωῖ λείαν (*) τ̣ό̣π̣ωι γεγόναμεν. ἐκομισάμεθα τὸν κόϊκα, πάντα ἀσ̣φ̣α̣- λ̣[ῶ]ς̣ ὅσα ἔγραψας ἔχοντα, καὶ τὰ ἄγγη σὺν τῶι ἡμικαδίω̣ι, ἐν οἷς εὕρομεν, ἀντὶ χοέων ιη , κβ . καὶ ὧν ἔγραψας ἔπεμ̣ψα μετʼ ἐπιστολῆς ἑκάστωι ἡμικάδιον. τοῦ ὁλοφάκου τὰ ἓξ μέ(τρα) ἔλαβον, καὶ κῷον ὄξους πλῆρες, καὶ ταριχηρὰ κρέα ρκϛ , καὶ τὰ ἐν τῶι κάδωι, καὶ τὰ ὀπτὰ λ . ἔρρωσο. Χοιὰκ δ .
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To Theon, to the Lord, my father, greetings. You have freed us from the greatest despondency, declaring that the events concerning the theater are indifferent to you. I had hoped to arrive and achieve splendid goods, and what did I accomplish instead of my eagerness? For now, seeking a philologist, and Chairemon the teacher and Didymus the one of Aristocles, among whom there was hope for me to achieve something, I found no longer in the city, but rather purifications, among which the majority, having used the straight road, were destroyed. And I wrote to you before, just as I wrote to those concerning Philoxenus, to consider the matter, and I was established by those who were well-regarded, whom you immediately rejected as soon as you had dismissed Theon, as one who had been condemned by himself as entirely lacking in ability. After I had communicated to Philoxenus your opinion, he thought the same things, claiming that only through this singular difficulty of the sophists could he be sympathetic to the city, while Didymus, as it seemed, being a friend to him and having leisure, said he would take care of the others, rather persuading him to compare with those of Apollonius the son of Herodes. For they themselves, after this, sought a more terrible teacher until now, after the philologist had died, to whom they had turned. I would gladly, if I had found worthy teachers, not even to see Didymus from a distance, this alone makes me despondent, that it seemed to me to come to comparison with the others who were teaching in the land. Therefore, knowing this - that, except for the vain payment of more fees, there is no benefit from a teacher, but I have from myself - quickly whatever you think, write. I have Didymus, as Philoxenus also says, always providing for me and offering everything he can. Moreover, listening to those being demonstrated, of which Poseidonius is one, perhaps I will do well, if the gods wish. But the despondency upon these things is the neglect of the body, forcing us, as we ought not even to take care of those who are not yet acting, and especially when even those bringing in bronze are not present. For then, towards the days, the useful Heracles - bad in a bad way - brought in obols, but now at the same time as he was bound by Isidorus, as it was worthy, he fled and ascended, as I think, to you. Know well that he will not hesitate to plot against you. For he was not ashamed before all, proclaiming with joy the matters concerning the theater in the city and speaking the lies which even an accuser would not say, and these things suffering nothing of his own, but being released and as a free man doing everything. But nevertheless, you can, if you do not send him, to hand him over to a carpenter. For I hear that a young man makes two drachmas a day. Or join him with another work, from which he will receive more bronze, so that his wages, being collected, may be sent to us over time. For you know that even Diogenes learns letters. In which you send the small one, we will see a broader place in a private house. For in order that we may be near Dionysius, we have become in a small smooth place. We have brought the koika, all safely holding what you wrote, and the vessels with the half-measure, in which we found, instead of libations, 18, 22. And what you wrote, I sent with a letter to each half-measure. I received the six measures of the whole sacrifice, and a full jar of vinegar, and salted meats, and what is in the jar, and what is roasted. Farewell. Choiak.