Procopius of Gaza, Letters

confident, that she has come to a friend. Therefore do not deceive her of her hope, by turning away and knitting your brows at her, since they say even lovers who succeed after a long time and with difficulty forget their previous labors because of the present pleasure. But if you should appear gloomy towards her, it is painful to say, but I will say it nevertheless. For I fear that no other will easily come to you, thinking you insolent and considering what the one before her has suffered. 42 To Thomas Now truly for us Justice and the Muses flourish and become housemates. Having found your soul apportioned with just vote and with words, they are now together with one another, as is fitting, being sisters and having a common father, Zeus. For since you long ago departed, no longer having the hand of Caesar, as indeed happened, they forsook our cities, and our affairs are despised, and they were with their father accusing those on earth. But he nodded assent again, and you have come to be with us, and fortune is young again for your subjects. For if you cast a vote, Justice does not deny it, and if you make a speech, the Muses certainly praise it. But I will say what I have admired most. For that one so preeminent should not look down on lesser men but also initiate conversations and be mindful of friendship and be willing to hear what they say, this is an addition to your wonder, philosophizing I think in the manner of Socrates, but for me the matter is burdensome, living as I can on my own and praying to be unnoticed. And if I did not wish to gain another letter of yours, I would have been silent, at a loss as to what I might utter after you. But now I both blush to write and cannot bear to be silent, stirring your tongue to sound musically again and hunting great things with small. And may many and good things come to the one who was allotted to govern our cities; for wishing to show the future before the experience and bringing old fortune to mind, he called you as co-workers and immediately prophesied the future to all. I loved the noble Megas before, as is fitting, and I gave as much as I had. For so the law of the art wishes; but he also has a father and a father-in-law capable through virtue of instilling diligence even in the indolent. But now that you have been added to the young man, I will pray a just prayer: O Zeus and other gods, may I be able to do something greater than before, and may Megas profit from us as much as his guardian wishes. 43 To Zacharias the brother Having received your letter, I seem not to remain in the state I was before, but to revel in the opportunity and to consider the occasion a godsend. For behold, I am suddenly one of those asking of you, and you, marveling I think at the speed, will quickly say the thing from the comedy. But I thought it would be terrible if, by watching the time, I should not ask sooner for that which it is fitting for you to give and for me to receive. For Aeneas, the one delivering the letter to you, is our fellow citizen, whom I wish to fare well through you. For he is of good birth, and he is free in character, and he knows the art of the laws. And he wishes to profit from his art only so much as it is possible for his mind to remain free. For he knows no gain that would please him if it did not come with justice. It is possible to learn this by experience. For having been put forward by certain cities for their legal affairs and having received the title of advocate, he imitated the name, so that he even conquered the nature of the sycophant. For no one blamed him for anything, not even unjustly. But this perhaps even seemed a joke to the rulers before you; for they were only for taking; but he was not one of those who give. Wherefore he was stopped, and others were, as is likely, doing things worthy of what they had given. And he wishes now to be in the same position, bringing to you as a gift the fact of having a just mind. Am I beginning my request to you from improper grounds? Therefore, if you admire the request, honor it with your deeds. 44 To Zacharias the brother I, having seen your letter gladly, as is fitting, but not being able to praise it according to its worth, almost sent the same one back to you, having changed only the address; for with the things you wrote in admiration of my words, I seemed to hear your own words being praised, and you seemed to me to be doing something similar, as if Nireus were to admire Thersites, he who was "1the most handsome man who came to Troy"2. Wherefore

θαρροῦσαν, ὅτι παρὰ φίλον ἀφῖκται. οὐκοῦν μὴ ψεύσῃς αὐτὴν τῆς ἐλπίδος, ἀποστρε φόμενός τε καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς συνάγων αὐτῇ, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς ἐρῶντάς φασι χρόνῳ καὶ μόλις ἐπιτυχόντας ὑπὸ τῆς παρούσης ἡδονῆς τῶν προλαβόντων πόνων ἐπιλανθάνεσθαι. εἰ δὲ σκυθρωπὸς πρὸς ταύτην φανείης, λυπηρὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν, λέξω δ' ὅμως. δέδοικα γὰρ μὴ οὐδὲ ἄλλη πρὸς σὲ ῥᾳδίως ἀφίξεται, ὑβριστήν τε νομίζουσα καὶ τὴν προλαβοῦσαν οἷα πέπονθε λογιζομένη. 42 Θωμᾶι Νῦν ὄντως ἡμῖν ἀνθοῦσι ∆ίκη καὶ Μοῦσαι καὶ σύνοικοι γίνονται. τὴν σὴν εὑροῦσαι ψυχὴν μεριζομένην ψήφῳ δικαίᾳ καὶ λόγοις σύνεισι τὰ νῦν ἀλλή λαις ὥσπερ εἰκός, ἀδελφαί τε οὖσαι καὶ κοινὸν ἔχουσαι πατέρα τὸν ∆ία. ἐξ οὗ γὰρ ἀπέλιπες πάλαι διὰ χειρὸς οὐκ ἔχων ἔτι τὴν Καίσαρος, οἷα δήπου καὶ γέγονεν, ἀπέλιπον μὲν τὰς πόλεις ἡμῖν, ὑπερορᾶται δὲ τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἦσαν δὲ παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ κατηγοροῦσαι τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς. ἀλλ' ἐπένευσε πάλιν, καὶ γέγονας παρ' ἡμῖν, καὶ νεάζει πάλιν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις ἡ τύχη. κἂν γὰρ ψῆφον ἐνέγκῃς, οὐκ ἀρνεῖται ταύτην ἡ ∆ίκη, κἂν λόγον εἴπῃς, ἐπαινοῦσι πάντως αἱ Μοῦσαι. ὃ δὲ μάλιστα τεθαύμακα λέξω. τὸ γὰρ τοσοῦτον προὔχοντα μὴ τῶν ἐλαττόνων ὑπεριδεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγων ἄρχειν καὶ φιλίας μεμνῆσθαι καί τι καὶ λεγόντων ἐθέλειν ἀκούειν, σοὶ μὲν προσθήκη τοῦτο τοῦ θαύματος, τὰ Σωκράτους οἶμαι φιλοσοφοῦντι, ἐμοὶ δὲ τὸ χρῆμα βαρὺ κατ' ἐμαυτὸν ὡς δύναμαι ζῶντι καὶ εὐχομένῳ λαθεῖν. καὶ εἰ μὴ κερδαίνειν ἐβουλόμην ὑμετέραν αὖθις ἐπιστολήν, ἐσίγων ἂν ἀπορῶν ὅ τι φθέγξωμαι μετὰ σέ. νυνὶ δὲ καὶ γράφειν ἐρυθριῶ καὶ σιωπᾶν οὐκ ἀνέχομαι, τὴν σὴν ἐγείρων γλῶτταν μουσικὸν αὖθις ἠχῆσαι καὶ μικροῖς τὰ μεγάλα θηρώμενος. πολλὰ δὲ κἀγαθὰ γένοιτο τῷ τὰς πόλεις ἡμῖν ἐπιτροπεύειν λαχόντι· δεῖξαι γὰρ πρὸ τῆς πεί ρας τὸ μέλλον βουλόμενος καὶ παλαιᾶς τύχης ἄγων εἰς μνήμην, ὑμᾶς ἐκάλει συνεργοὺς καὶ πᾶσι τὸ μέλλον εὐθὺς ἐμαντεύετο. τὸν δὲ καλὸν Μέγαν ἠγά πων μὲν καὶ πρῴην ὥσπερ εἰκός, καὶ ὅσον εἶχον ἐδίδουν. ὁ γὰρ τῆς τέχνης οὕτω βούλεται νόμος· ἀλλὰ καὶ πατὴρ ὑπάρχει καὶ κηδεστὴς ἱκανοὶ δι' ἀρετὴν ἐμποιῆσαι καὶ τῷ ῥαθυμοῦντι σπουδήν. ὑμῶν δὲ νυνὶ προστεθέντων τῷ νέω εὔξομαι δικαίαν εὐχήν· Ζεῦ ἄλλοι τε θεοί, δυναίμην τι μεῖζον ἢ πρό τερον, καὶ ὄναιτο Μέγας ἡμῶν ὁπόσον ὁ κηδόμενος βούλεται. 43 Ζαχαρίαι ἀδελφῶι Ἔοικα τῶν ὑμετέρων γραμμάτων μετειληφὼς οὐ μένειν ἐφ' οἷς που καὶ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τρυφᾶν τῷ καιρῷ καὶ ἕρμαιον ἡγεῖσθαι τὴν ἀφορμήν. ἰδοὺ γάρ σοι τῶν αἰτούντων ἐξαίφνης ἐγώ, σὺ δὲ τὸ τάχος, οἶμαι, θαυμάζων, ταχὺ τὸ τῆς κωμῳδίας ἐρεῖς. ἀλλ' ἐγὼ δεινὸν ἡγούμην εἰ τὸν χρόνον περι σκοπῶν οὐκ αἰτήσω θᾶττον ὃ καὶ σοὶ διδόναι κἀμοὶ λαβεῖν εὐπρεπές. Αἰνείας γὰρ ὁ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὑμῖν ἐπιδιδοὺς πολίτης ἐστὶν ἡμέτερος, ὃν εὐτυχεῖν βούλομαι δι' ὑμῶν. γένους τε γὰρ ἔχει καλῶς, καὶ τὸν τρόπον ἐστὶν ἐλεύθερος, καὶ τέχνην οἶδε τοὺς νόμους. βούλεται δὲ τοσοῦτον ἀπο λαύειν τῆς τέχνης, ὡς ἐξεῖναι καὶ τὴν γνώμην μένειν ἐλεύθερον. οὐ γὰρ οἶδε κέρδος τοῦτον εὐφραίνειν μὴ μετὰ δικαίου γενόμενον. πάρεστι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ τῇ πείρᾳ μαθεῖν. πόλεων γάρ τινων ἐπὶ τοῖς δικαίοις προβεβλημένος καὶ τὴν ἐκδίκου προσηγορίαν λαβὼν οὗτος ἐμιμήσατο τοὔνομα, ὥστε καὶ συκοφάντου φύσιν ἐνίκησεν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ οὐδὲν οὐδὲ ἀδίκως ἐμέμψατο. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τάχα καὶ γέλως ἐδόκει τοῖς ἄρχουσι πρὸ ὑμῶν· μόνου γὰρ ἦσαν τοῦ λαβεῖν· ὁ δὲ τῶν διδόντων οὐκ ἦν. ὅθεν ὁ μὲν ἐπαύετο, ἕτεροι δὲ ἦσαν ὡς εἰκὸς ἄξια δρῶντες ὧν ἐδεδώκεσαν. βούλεται δὲ νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τύχης γενέσθαι, δωρεὰν ὑμῖν προσάγων τὸ δικαίαν ἔχειν τὴν γνώμην. ἆρά σοι τοῦ αἰτεῖν ἐκ μὴ προσηκόντων κατάρχομαι; οὐκοῦν εἰ θαυμάζεις τὴν αἴτησιν, τίμα ταύτην τοῖς ἔργοις. 44 Ζαχαρίαι ἀδελφῶι Ἐγώ σου τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀσμένως ἰδών, ὥσπερ εἰκός, ἐπαινεῖν δὲ πρὸς ἀξίαν οὐκ ἔχων, μικροῦ δεῖν σοι τὴν αὐτὴν ἀντεπέθηκα, τοὐπιγράμμα μόνον μεταβαλών· οἷς γὰρ τἀμὰ θαυμάζων ἐπέστειλας, τῶν σῶν ἀκούειν ἐπαινουμένων ἐδόκουν, καί μοί τι παραπλήσιον ἐδόκεις ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ καὶ τὸν Θερσίτην ἐθαύμαζεν ὁ Νιρεύς, ὃς "1κάλλιστος ἀνὴρ ὑπὸ Ἴλιον ἦλθεν"2. ὅθεν