Letter from the architect Herodes to Apollonios about building works TM 19600Hermopolis (?)

[recto] Herodes […] to Apollonios his lord, greetings. The urgent woodwork of the temples and of the guest-house is surely not unknown to you, on account of which we barely managed, on the 2nd of the epagomenal days, to set up the door-frames of the contract for the bedroom in the atrium; and your steward, at my urging, came to the decision to contract for the two doors of the dining room and of the porches (?), so that it may be done without burden and not on daily wages, for the squared timber has been sawn for these. But because his daughter has died, he has held back from the work until he lays aside his mourning, and also for the relief of the public works. I ask you therefore, lord, to allow me, for the free days, to go down by the boat to the brother of Hierakion, for at another time I shall not be able to travel the district on foot […] because of the devastation of the district and the scarcity […] […] […] since the officials have been summoned to go to Memphis for the assize, so that, taking the opportunity, I may find out what Hierakion is doing. For the distance is two days. I made your act of obeisance at the sacrifices of Isis on the night of her birthday festival, and I prayed all the more that you might make the fullest progress. Farewell, lord. Thoth 1. [verso] To Apollonios, lord.