[18,20] ἀλλὰ ἔοικα μὲν πάνυ μηκῦναι τὴν συμβουλίαν· σὺ δὲ αἴτιος ἀναπείσας καὶ προκαλεσάμενος· ὥσπερ οἱ ἐν πάλῃ ὑπερέχοντες τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις ὑπείκοντες ἐνίοτε ἐποίησαν αὐτοὺς πείθεσθαι ἰσχυροτέρους εἶναι· καὶ σὺ ἔοικας, ἃ κρεῖττον τυγχάνεις εἰδώς, ἐμὲ προτρέψαι ὡς ἔλαττον ἐπισταμένῳ γράψαι. βουλοίμην δ´ ἄν, εἴ σοι κεχαρισμένον εἴη, καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ποτε ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι, (18,21) ἵνα καὶ ἐντυγχάνοντες τοῖς παλαιοῖς καὶ διαλεγόμενοι περὶ αὐτῶν χρήσιμοί τι γενοίμεθα· ὥσπερ τοῖς ζωγράφοις καὶ πλάσταις οὐκ ἀπόχρη εἰπεῖν ὅτι δεῖ τοιάδε τὰ χρώματα εἶναι καὶ τοιάσδε τὰς γραμμάς, ἀλλὰ μεγίστη ὠφέλεια, εἴ τις αὐτοὺς ἢ γράφοντας ἢ πλάττοντας ἴδοι· καὶ ὡς τοῖς παιδοτρίβαις οὐκ ἀρκεῖ εἰπεῖν τὰ παλαίσματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεῖξαι ἀνάγκη τῷ μαθησομένῳ· οὕτω καὶ ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις συμβουλίαις πλείων ἡ ὠφέλεια γίγνοιτ´ ἄν, εἴ τις αὐτὸν πράττοντα ἴδοι τὸν συμβεβουλευκότα. ὡς ἔγωγε, καὶ εἰ ἀναγιγνώσκειν με δέοι σοῦ ἀκροωμένου, τῆς σῆς ἕνεκα ὠφελείας οὐκ ἂν ὀκνήσαιμι, στέργων τέ σε καὶ τῆς σῆς φιλοτιμίας ἀγάμενος καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἐμὲ τιμῆς χάριν εἰδώς.

[18,20] Well, I seem to have extended my advice to great length, but you yourself are to blame for that by persuading and challenging me. Just as expert wrestlers sometimes give way to those who are weaker and make them believe that they are stronger, so you seem to have led me on to write and tell what you, as it happens, know better yourself, just as if you did not know it so well. But I should prefer, if it proved agreeable to you, that we should get together some time and by reading the ancient writers and discussing them render some service to each other. 21 Just as it is not enough to say to painters and to sculptors that their colours should be just so and that their lines should be just so, but they derive the greatest help if the critic can see them at work, painting or modelling; and just as it is not sufficient for the gymnastic masters to name the different holds in wrestling, but they must go on and demonstrate them to the youth who wishes to learn; so too in consultations like this, the help (p233) would be greater if one were to see the man who has given the advice in action himself. I declare for my part that even if I had to read aloud to you while you listened, for the sake of helping you I should not hesitate, since I both love you and admire you for your ambition, and am grateful for the honour you have shown me.