Ep. 10.118.1Athlētae, domine, ea quae prō īselasticīs certāminibus cōnstituistī, dēbērī sibi putant statim ex eō diē, quō sunt corōnātī;The athletes, sir, think that the rewards which you established for the iselastic contests are owed to them from the very day on which they were crowned; Ep. 10.118.1nihil enim referre, quandō sint patriam invectī, sed quandō certāmine vīcerint, ex quō invehī possint.for it makes no difference, they say, when they made their entry into their native city, but when they won the contest from which they are entitled to make that entry. Ep. 10.118.1Ego contrā scrībō "īselasticī nōmine": itaque eōrum vehementer addubitem an sit potius id tempus, quō intuendum intuendum.I, on the other hand, point to the words 'by the name of iselastic', and so I strongly doubt whether the time to be considered is not rather that at which they 'drove in'. Ep. 10.118.2Iīdem obsōnia petunt prō eō agōne, quī ā tē īselasticus factus est, quamvīs vīcerint ante quam fieret.The same men are claiming allowances for that contest which was made iselastic by you, although they won before it was made so.
Ep. 10.118.2Aiunt enim congruēns esse, sīcut nōn dētur sibi prō iīs certāminibus, quae esse īselastica postquam vīcērunt dēsiērunt, ita prō iīs darī quae esse coepērunt.For they say it is consistent that, just as nothing is given them for those contests which ceased to be iselastic after they had won, so something should be given for those which began to be. Ep. 10.118.3Hīc quoque nōn mediocriter haereō, nē cuiusquam retrō habeātur ratiō dandumque, quod tunc cum vincerent nōn dēbēbātur.Here too I am in no small doubt, for fear that account may be taken retrospectively of anyone, and that something may be given which was not owed at the time when they won. Ep. 10.118.3Rogō ergō, ut dubitātiōnem meam regere, id est beneficia tua interpretārī ipse dignēris.I ask you, therefore, to deign to resolve my doubt, that is, to interpret your own favours yourself.