The harrowing of hell, or the clearing of the inboxes?

On Easter Saturday, some of my readers are rather busy.

I can tell that they are busy from my inbox.  It’s stonkingly hot out there today — it reached well over 80F today, or 27C in our devalued French measures.  But too many of you were sat in front of your computers for my comfort, when I finally got home from visiting my family today.  I think I’ve replied to you all, tho.

There are some snippets of good news, tho, in between the death threats (just joking), and the demands for money from incompetent Oxford Patristics Conference organisers who haven’t noticed that I paid them a month ago (sadly not).  Oh yes there are.

Firstly, we have a treasure incoming.  Some time back I asked Andrew Eastbourne to translate the section on the month of March from John the Lydian’s De Mensibus (On the Months) book 4.  The first draft of this has arrived, and made me feel somewhat guilty.  Of course I had no real idea of what was in the chapter.  It turns out, tho, that it is full of philosophical and astrological  and mythological stuff, as well as calendar events.  It’s actually much more interesting than I had expected.  Look forward to this one, chaps – it’s good stuff.  I had only a few comments on the flow of the English, so it should be available in final form soonish.

Next, I have received some more letters of Isidore of Pelusium in English from Clive Sweeting.  I’ve not opened the files yet — too late and too tired these evening –, but these too will appear online soon.

Finally I have had an interesting email about the possibility of my publishing a translation that someone has already completed of a rather interesting Syriac text.  This may come to nothing; or it might mean a third volume in Ancient Texts in Translation, the series title for the books like the Eusebius which I am publishing.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday.  As ever on Sunday, I shall have my laptop turned off and in the cupboard.  I recommend the practice to all my readers, and I wish you all a happy Easter.