Best wishes to Nigrinus from Lucian !
The proverb says “An ow] to Athens!” meaning
that it would be ridiculous for anyone to bring owls
there, because they have plenty in the city. If I
wanted to display my command of language, and
were sending Nigrinus a book written for that
purpose, I should be exposing myself to ridicule
as a genuine importer of owls. But it is only
my state of mind which I wish to reveal to you, how
I feel now, and how deeply I have been moved by
your discourse. So I may fairly be acquitted even
of the charge contained in Thucydides’ saying