Free press., 1906-09-01

I let it be corrected at oncei
"Mystharion, son of Heron, aged
about forty years, having a scar on the
little finger of the left hand, agrees that
/ he has sold to Satabous, son of Pekusis,
aged about thirty years, having a scar
on the little finger of the left hand, a
female mouse-colored donkey, shedding
its first teeth, just as it is irrevocably,
and that Mystharion has received from
Satabous the price agreed upon between
them, hfty-six drachma of silver, di-
rectly from hand to hand out of his
house, and that he will guarantee the
sale with every guarantee"
Would not any man of to-day, sirni-
larly situated as Pisais was two thou
sand years ago, pen letter after the
fashion of this one. which he evidently
sent to resident of a neighboring town:
"Pisais to Heracleus, greeting: When
ever you from necessity want to borrow
anything from me, at once give it to
you: and now please give to Cleon the
three staters which Seleucus told you
to give me, even if you have to pawn
your cloak; for I have settled accounts
with his father, but he has allowed me
to remain IN arrears, and now / want
to get receipt. Seleucus has evaded
paying the money by saying that you
have made an arrangement with him to
pay instead Now, therefore, please
consider that you are lending the money
to me, and don't keep Cleon waiting, but
go and meet him. On no account fail
to do this
Here is a townsman's invitation to a
friend that reads, except for the proper
names and the word centurion, as if it
were written to-day:
"1sidorus invites you to dine with him
on the occasion of his daughters we'd
ding, at the house of Titus the centur-
ion. at nine O'Clock"
The form of making a business pro
posal by letter has changed scarcely at
all, except as regards the style of ad-
dress and greeting.
ITO Achilles, also called Sarapammon,
through his guardian Sarapion, from
Apollonius, son of Apollinous, son of
Soterichus, from the Goose-farm quarter.
wish to lease from you for four years,
from the thirtieth of the present month
Alesore, of the oil presses owned by you
at the village of Dionysias, one oil press
in the Harpocration quarter fitted with
a wheel and containing two machines
and cauldroc, with all the appertain-
irg upper rooms, and I will pay each
year in all one metretes six choes of
strained olive oil, and likewise one me
tretes six choes of raphanous oil, pro-
viding every year at the harvest six coty-
lac of raphanous oil, etc, after the pres
ent fashion of expressing the terms
minutely
Finally, the Oxyrhynchus colony and
countryside, white and back alike, were
not unacquainted with the spoiled child
Here is the letter of Greek youngster,
who certainly deserved great many
| more. spankings than his less. petted
| Ilaymates undoubtedly got from time to
time:
''Theon, to his father Theon, greeting:
1t was fine thing of you not to take
re with you to the city. If you won't
tal-e me with you to Alexandria I won't
write YOU a letter or speak to you or
say good-by to you; and if you go TO
Alexandria I won't take your hand or
ever greet you again That is what Will
| happen if you won't take me. Mot'rr
| s1id to Archelaus Tt quite upsets HIN
to be left behird.' 1t was good of you
TO send me presents on the 18th. the
day you sailed. Serd RE a Tyre. i'm
| plore you. If you don't, l won't eat, I
won't drink There now"
Yes, Mr.. Doo!ey though we have
many things that these ancients wot not
| Of, though we of city and town and coun-
| try-side are vastly superior in many ways
to the men and women OF city and town
md countryside two thousand years
90, still we are the sons and daugh-
ters of our fathers and mothers, and you
once more revealed your shrewd philos-
| ophv when you said:
Il see great changes going on every
| 10y of my life, but see no change every
fly years"