To Aristobulus, Former Prefect and Secretary

Gregory to Aristobulus, and so on. [a]

I confess that my tongue is not enough to express my affection fully; but your own affection will better tell you all that I feel toward you. I have heard that you are suffering from certain opposition. But I am not much grieved at this. For it often happens that a ship which might have reached the depths of the ocean, had the breeze been favorable, is driven back by a contrary wind at the very beginning of its voyage; but by being driven back it is called back into port. Furthermore, if you should happen to receive a long letter of mine to translate, please translate it not word for word but so as to give the sense. For usually, when close attention is paid to rendering the words, the force of the ideas is lost.