Letter 271

271. To his Friend Eusebius, a Letter of Recommendation for Cyriacus the Presbyter

When, immediately and close upon your departure, I arrived at the city, how dejected I was at having missed you — what need is there even to say it, to a man who needs no telling, but knows by experience, through having suffered the like? For how much would it have been worth to me to see Eusebius, the best of men in every way, and to embrace him, and to return again in memory to our youth, and to be reminded of those days, in which we had one chamber, one hearth, the same tutor, and leisure and study, and luxury and want, and everything was ours in common, shared equally with one another! How great a worth do you suppose I set on recovering all these things in memory through meeting you, and, scraping off this heavy old age, seeming to have become young again out of an old man? But the enjoyment of those things escaped me; yet to see your eloquence by letter, and to console myself in such manner as I can, I was not deprived of, through my meeting with the most reverend Cyriacus, the fellow-presbyter — whom I am ashamed to recommend to you and to make your friend through myself, lest I should seem to be doing something officious in bringing to you what is already your own and peculiar to you. But since I must be both a witness of the truth, and bestow upon those spiritually joined to me the greatest of the things I possess, I judge the soundness of this man with regard to the priesthood to be manifest to you also, and I too confirm it, knowing against him no injury from those who lay hands on all, who do not fear the Lord. And yet, even if something had been done by them, the man was not on that account unworthy; for the enemies of the Lord rather confirm the rank of those whom they attack than take away anything of the grace belonging to them from the Spirit. But, as I said, nothing was even devised against the man. As, then, a presbyter unmolested, joined to us, and worthy of all reverence, so deign to look upon him, both benefiting yourself and showing favour to us.