A letter from Besarion to Apollonios at Oxyrhynchus, around AD 285, reporting that the assessor of the former epistrategos and an official had arrived saying that 15 animals belonging to the prefect's princeps needed hay. Besarion urges Apollonios to have the hay sent at once so that no complaint arises.
In English machine translation
To my lord brother Apollonios, Besarion greetings.
The assessor of the departed epistrategos, together with an official (officialis), came to us and said that animals of the princeps of the prefect were here, 15 in number, for which they needed 5 bundles of hay, and that a letter written by the princeps about the supply of hay had been delivered to Philiarchos the strategos, who is present. So I am writing to you so that he may see to it that hay is sent here. But have it sent immediately, so that they may not appear to find fault with anything for this reason.
Farewell, I pray.
The princeps was the head of the prefect's office staff; a mandakion was a bundle or truss of hay. The text reads 5 bundles for 15 animals as written.
Working translation of the DDbDP edition, made with Claude Opus 5.5 from the edition and the catalogue records shown below (catalogued as Letter from Besarion to Apollonius). It has not been reviewed by a papyrologist: check the edition before citing. Restorations follow the edition; […] marks lost text and (?) an uncertain reading.