for no one of the domestics could stand it. For being by nature irascible, he became,
 because of his malady, still more difficult to handle. It should not occasion surprise,
 therefore, that these persons would not remain with him, but it is much more a cause for
 wonder that I was able to hold out in caring for a man sick of such a malady; for he was
 filled with pus for a long time, and was unable to leave his bed; and his suffering was so great that we did not pass a single day without tears, Cf. Isoc. 14.47 for the same
 expression. but kept up our lamentations both for the hardships we both had to
 endure, and for our exile and our isolation. And there was no intermission at any time;
 for it was impossible to leave him or to seem to neglect him—to me this would have seemed
 more dreadful than the woes which afflicted us. I wish I could make clearly apparent to you my conduct with respect to him; for in that
 case I think that you would not endure even a word from my opponents. The truth is, it is
 not easy to describe the duties involved in my care of the invalid, duties that were very
 hard, very difficult to endure, most disagreeably toilsome, and exacting an unremitting
 care. But do you yourselves consider what loss of sleep, what miseries are the inevitable
 accompaniment of a prolonged nursing of a malady like his. In truth, in my own case, I was reduced to such a condition that all my friends who
 visited me expressed fear that I too would perish with the dying man and they advised me
 to take care, saying that the majority of those who had nursed this disease themselves
 fell victims to it also. My reply to them was this—that I would much prefer to die than to
 see him perish before his fated day for lack of a friend to nurse him. And although my behavior was as I have described, this woman has had the hardihood to
 contest with me his fortune, she who never even saw fit to visit him during his long
 illness, though she had daily information about his condition, and though the journey was
 easy for her. To think that they will now attempt to “brother” him, ἀδελφίζειν , a rare word, “to call
 brother.” as if the effect of calling the dead man by a mane of closer kinship
 would not be to make her shortcomings seem worse and more shocking!