Procopius of Gaza, Letters

drawing him to goodwill from the first attempt. In addition to these things, the rule of the art, threatening precise accountings if I should overlook any of the proper things; and perhaps the young man's zeal will provide me no small portion. It remains for us to ask for the inclination from the divine, with which alone it is possible to bring our purpose to completion. 117 To Dorotheus You were, it seems, a clever one for putting wings on whomever you wish, and for showing him aloft. For having been winged by your letters, I seemed to be everywhere, as you said, by repute, and I traveled around as many cities as men inhabit, and I went even to the barbarians, carried by a light mind, and every nation seemed to crown me for my words, and, to speak simply, because of your letter I did not know what I was uttering, until one of your gods snatched me from my wings. And having with difficulty ceased from my wandering, "1Why do I suffer these things?2" I say, "1Consider the one who wrote and reckon his goodwill, and you will marvel at how many things the desire of friendship knows how to persuade. For it makes one believe things that are not and to honor false things as truth.2" From this, I think, you are insatiable of praise, and speaking all things readily, you think these things less than what you possess. The measure of your praise is your opinion, which considers nothing sufficient for praise. But hold back, by Philius, writing such things to a man who sees himself as small and is ashamed by the letters. 118 To Diodorus (?) Again a time for piety, and again the course is to your wisdom. For a certain man, one of those who have dedicated themselves to God and are known from philosophy, through an unjust slander, as it seems, has fallen into the judge's wrath, as one who has raised a hostile right hand against those who serve the laws. And those who reported these things transferred the wrongdoings of others, as they say, onto this man. And the judge is full of wrath, and he summons him to himself and hastens to punishment, and the time is at hand, if ever, now seeking philanthropy. Appear, then, and utter something of yours, and you will release the judge from his anger. For if anything terrible has been done, which has not even happened, turn the one who is voting to forgiveness, if for no other reason than by honoring the habit he wears. Appear with many who happen to be suitable for making a request, or rather, even before the others, so that you may seem to be contributing something of your own. But you yourself will receive the praise of all, as one who asked both first and exceedingly, and has become an example of noble philanthropy to the others. 119 To Pancratius "For he wishes not to seem but to be the best," says Aeschylus, choosing to praise someone. Such have you appeared to us, not displaying that common friendship only so long as you are present, nor measuring goodwill by place, but hastening to be better and to conquer yourself. Rightly, then, does forgetfulness not know how to steal you from my mind, but something Socratic always comes to me to say, like "1if I do not know Pancratius, I have forgotten myself2," whose tongue dances for the Muses, and virtue, like a sacred precinct inaccessible to evil, has made his holy soul its own. Therefore, you yourself are happy bearing such tokens, and you inhabit the city that is the common mother of letters, which the Hours, longing for her, made a truce with each other on this account, which the sea washes gently, and the Nile embraces, having poured itself around her like a lover, and from all sides are groves and trees and cornfields, and various graces strike the eyes. But God will increase your happiness, having given it as a reward for your virtue. "But share your success with your friends," delighting us with the good things from your tongue, and sending your poems from your home to our home. For it is not just for those things to be hidden which, when shown to others, will bring the greatest benefit. 120 To Pancratius Those who once sailed past the Sirens and drew in their songs with their ears did not long for their homelands, nor did they remember their children, but it seemed good to them to suffer anything rather than to depart from these, whose pleasure they had tasted. But we, having tasted your muse with the tip, as they say, of a finger, have so raged with whole desire for it, that we choose not to be away from it for even a moment, even if it is necessary to be separated in body. And as you set sail in your mind, we set sail with you and

πρώτης πείρας πρὸς εὔνοιαν ἐφελκόμενος. πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῆς τέχνης ὁ νόμος, εὐθύνας ἀπειλῶν ἀκριβεῖς εἴ τι τῶν προσηκόντων παρίδοιμι· τάχα δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ νέου σπουδὴ μοῖράν μοι οὐκ ἐλαχίστην παρέξεται. λοιπὸν ἡμῖν αἰτεῖσθαι τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θείου ῥοπήν, μεθ' ἧς καὶ μόνης ἔστι πρὸς πέρας ἐλθεῖν τὴν προαίρεσιν. 117 ∆ωροθέωι ∆εινὸς ἄρα τις ἦσθα πτερὰ περιβάλλειν ᾧπερ ἂν ἐθέλῃς, καὶ δεικνύναι μετάρσιον. σοῖς γὰρ γράμμασι πτερωθεὶς πανταχοῦ μὲν ἐδόκουν εἶναι, καθ άπερ ἔφης, τῇ φήμῃ, περιεπόλουν δὲ πόλεις ὁπόσας ἄνθρωποι νέμονται, καὶ μέχρι τῶν βαρβάρων διῄειν κούφῃ διανοίᾳ φερόμενος, καὶ πᾶν ἔθνος ἐπὶ λόγοις ἐδόκει με στεφανοῦν, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν διὰ τὴν σὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἠγνόουν ὅ τι καὶ φένωμαι, ἕως μέ τις θεῶν τῶν σῶν ἀνήρπασε πτερῶν. καὶ τῆς πλάνης μόλις παυσάμενος "1τί ταῦτα πάσχω;"2 φημί, "1σκόπει τὸν γρά ψαντα καὶ λογίζου τὴν εὔνοιαν, καὶ θαυμάσεις ὅσα πείθειν οἶδε τῆς φιλίας ὁ πόθος. καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα γὰρ ἡγεῖσθαι ποιεῖ καὶ τὰ ψευδῆ τιμᾶν ὡς ἀλή θειαν."2 ἐντεῦθεν, οἶμαι, τῶν ἐπαίνων ἀπλήστως ἔχεις, καὶ πάντα λέγων εὐχερῶς καὶ ταῦτα δοκεῖς τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐλάττονα. μέτρον δέ σοι τῶν ἐπαίνων ἡ γνώμη, μηδὲν ἀρκεῖν ἡγουμένη πρὸς ἔπαινον. ἀλλ' ἐπίσχες, πρὸς Φιλίου, τοιαῦτα γράφων πρὸς ἄνδρα μικρὸν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὁρῶντα καὶ τοῖς γράμμασιν αἰσχυνόμενον. 118 ∆ιοδώρωι (?) Πάλιν εὐσεβείας καιρὸς καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν ὑμετέραν σοφίαν ὁ δρόμος. ἀνὴρ γάρ τις τῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἀναθέντων θεῷ καὶ ἐκ φιλοσοφίας γνωριζομένων ἐξ ἀδίκου συκοφαντίας ὡς ἔοικε τῷ τοῦ δικαστοῦ θυμῷ περιπέπτωκεν ὡς δεξιὰν ἀντάρας πολέμιον κατὰ τῶν ἐξυπηρετουμένων τοῖς νόμοις. οἱ δὲ ταῦτα μηνύσαντες τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων ὥς φασιν ἀδικήματα κατὰ τούτου μετέστησαν. καὶ πλήρης ὁ δικάζων θυμοῦ, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ καὶ πρὸς τιμωρίαν ἐπείγεται, καὶ πάρεστι καιρὸς εἴπερ ποτὲ καὶ νῦν φιλανθρωπίαν ζητῶν. φάνηθι δὴ καὶ φθέγξαι τι τῶν σῶν, καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς παραλύσεις τὸν δικαστήν. εἰ γάρ τι καὶ πέπρακται δεινόν, ὅπερ οὐδὲ γέγονενεἰς συγγνώ μην τρέψον τὸν ψηφιζόμενον, εἰ μηδὲν ἄλλο, τὸ περικείμενον αὐτῷ σχῆμα τιμήσαντα. φάνηθι μετὰ πολλῶν, οἳ πρὸς αἴτησιν τυγχάνουσιν εὐπρε πεῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅπως οἰκεῖόν τι δόξῃς συνεισφέρειν. ἀλλ' οὖν αὐτὸς πάντων ἀναδέξῃ τὸν ἔπαινον ὡς καὶ πρῶτος καὶ λίαν αἰτήσας καὶ τῆς καλῆς φιλανθρωπίας γεγονὼς τοῖς ἄλλοις παράδειγμα. 119 Παγκρατίωι Οὐ γὰρ δοκεῖν ἄριστος ἀλλ' εἶναι θέλει φησὶν Αἰσχύλος, ἐπαινεῖν τινα προελόμενος. τοιοῦτος ἡμῖν ἀνεφάνης, οὐ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ κοινὸν μέχρι τοῦ παρεῖναι φιλίαν ἐπιδεικνύς, οὐδὲ μετρῶν τῷ τόπῳ τὴν εὔνοιαν, ἀλλὰ κρείτ των εἶναι καὶ σαυτὸν νικᾶν ἐπειγόμενος. εἰκότως ἄρα σε τῆς ἐμῆς διανοίας οὐκ οἶδεν ὑποκλέπτειν ἡ λήθη, ἀλλ' ἔπεισί τί μοι Σωκρατικὸν ἀεὶ λέγειν, ὡς "1εἰ ἐγὼ Παγκράτιον ἀγνοῶ, καὶ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιλέλησμαι"2, οὗ χορεύει μὲν ἡ γλῶττα ταῖς Μούσαις, ἀρετὴ δὲ καθάπερ τέμενος ἄβατον κακίᾳ τὴν ἱερὰν ψυχὴν ᾠκειώσατο. τοιγαροῦν εὐδαίμων μὲν αὐτὸς τοιαῦτα φέρων γνωρίσμα τα, καὶ πόλιν οἰκεῖς τὴν κοινὴν τῶν λόγων μητέρα, ἣν Ὧραι ποθοῦσαι κατὰ ταύτην ἀλλήλαις ἐσπείσαντο, ἣν προσκλύζει πράως ἡ θάλασσα, καὶ Νεῖλος ἐναγκαλίζεται καθάπερ ἐρωμένῃ περιχυθείς, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἄλση καὶ δένδρα καὶ λήια, καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ποικίλαι προσβάλλουσι χάριτες. ἀλλ' ὑμῖν μὲν τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν θεὸς ἐπαυξήσει, καὶ μισθὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς δωρη σάμενος. "μετάδος δὲ φίλοισι σοῖσι σῆς εὐπραξίας", τοῖς ἐκ γλώττης ἀγαθοῖς εὐφραίνων ἡμᾶς, καὶ πέμπων οἴκοθεν οἴκαδε πρὸς ἡμᾶς τὰ ποιήματα. οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον λανθάνειν ἃ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπιδειχθέντα πλείστην οἴσει τὴν ὄνησιν. 120 Παγκρατίωι Οἱ τὰς Σειρῆνάς ποτε παραπλέοντες καὶ τὰ μέλη ταῖς ἀκοαῖς ἀρυόμενοι οὐ πατρίδας ἐπόθουν, οὐ παίδων ἀνεμιμνήσκοντο, πάντα δὲ πάσχειν αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει καλὸν ἢ τούτων ἀπαίρειν, ὧν τῆς ἡδονῆς ἐπειράθησαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ τῆς σῆς μούσης ἄκρῳ, φησί, δακτύλῳ γευσάμενοι οὕτως ὅλῳ πόθῳ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐβακχεύσαμεν, ὡς μηδὲ μικρὸν ἀπεῖναι ταύτης αἱρεῖσθαι, κἂν ἀνάγκη διεστάναι τοῖς σώμασιν. ἀναγομένοις δὲ ὑμῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ συνανηγόμεθα καὶ