Official Correspondence and Declaration

From the prytanis. The whole food-supply, my lord praefect, ought to be forthcoming for the citizens, but especially the provision of bread. You have now in the past year propitiously revived for us ... the civic office of eutheniarch and agoranomus, which had long been in abeyance. I myself, my lord praefect, having been recently appointed by your propitious right hand to the prytany at Oxyrhynchus readily came forward to assume this crown of office and have had no other care, undertaking (?) the expenses imposed upon me for the management of the public baths and other municipal charges and the continual service of the senate in the appointment of magistrates. Now the order of gymnasiarchs has so far designated only two eutheniarchs of the three annually required, namely Heracleus son of Plutarchus and Sarapammon son of ..., who came forward at the behest of the senate and at first declined the office but afterwards were persuaded and assumed it, and partially supplied the needs of the post which ought to be entirely contributed to the city by lot; for a period of four months is allotted to each, in order to avoid the ... trouble of collective responsibility throughout each period. Thereupon Iurged Ammonius son of Ptollarion, gymnasiarch in office, from whom, it was ascertained, amonth more of his superintendence of provision was due, to discharge this in the meantime in order that they might make a recovery and easily discharge the remainder of their office without reproach. But since these persons when called upon to supply the city with food during the rest of their term of office persist in their refusal, I am obliged to have recourse to your probity, begging you to [order] them through the strategus to ...