Humanitext Reader

Aeschines · Letters §6.1

Letter to Philocrates: Request to Assist Ariston

Passage 6 of 14 · Greek

Summary

The author, Aeschines, writes to Philocrates to request that he warmly receive and assist Ariston, who was the first to welcome Aeschines in Rhodes and is now traveling to Athens on business.

§6.1AΙΣΧΙΝΗΣ ΦΙΛΟΚΡΑΤΕΙ. Ἀρίστων οὗτος, ὁ κομίζων σοι τὴν ἐπιστολήν, ὁ πρῶτός ἐστιν ἡμᾶς ὑποδεξάμενος ἐν Ῥόδῳ.
AESCHINES TO PHILOCRATES. This Ariston, who is bringing you the letter, is the first who welcomed us in Rhodes.
πέπλευκε δὲ Ἀθήναζε κατὰ χρείαν κηδεστοῦ γέροντος, ἀργύριον εσπράξων παρὰ τοῦ τραπεζίτου Χαρμόλα.
He has sailed to Athens for the need of an elderly relative by marriage, in order to collect money from the banker Charmolas.
σκόπει οὖν, ὅπως αὐτὸν ὑποδέξῃ φιλοφρόνως (ἔστι δὲ κομιδῆ εὐτελὴς τὴν δίαιταν καὶ πρέπων ἡμῖν, ὡ Αθηναῖοι) καὶ τὰ ἄλλα συμπράξεις, ὡς μάθῃ, ὅτι οὐ παντελῶς ἔρημον φίλων ὑπέλαβεν, ἀλλʼ ἔστι τις Ἀθήνησιν Αἰσχίνου μνήμη καὶ λόγος.
See to it, then, that you receive him kindly (and he is altogether simple in his lifestyle and suited to us, as Athenians) and assist him in other matters, so that he may learn that he did not suppose me to be completely destitute of friends, but that there is some memory and talk of Aeschines in Athens.

Notes

  1. §6.1εσπράξων — Future participle active expressing purpose after the verb of motion `πέπλευκε` ('has sailed').
  2. §6.1ὡς Ἀθηναῖοι — While `ἡμῖν` ('to us') is dative, `Ἀθηναῖοι` is nominative plural. This is a constructio ad sensum, implying 'we, who are Athenians,' or an elliptical clause meaning 'as Athenians usually are.'
  3. §6.1ἔρημον — Masculine accusative singular. Since the subject of `ὑπέλαβεν` ('supposed') is Ariston (singular), `ἔρημον` acts as a predicate agreeing with an omitted accusative object (such as `ἐμέ`, referring to the author Aeschines). It is interpreted as 'that he did not suppose [me] to be completely destitute of friends,' which naturally connects with the subsequent mention of Aeschines' memory in Athens.

Cite this passage

Aeschines, Letters §6.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0026.tlg004.humanitext-grc1:6.1

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