Letter 858: Libanius asks Eusebius to restore Diognetus to active speaking, praising his training and value as an advocate.

Diognetus was born and raised in Samosata. When he reached the age at which a man can fall in love with eloquence, he did fall in love with it and came to me. Through steady labor he gained the very thing for which he had come. When people urged him toward other pursuits, he refused to pay attention. He called on Hermes, gave himself over to lawsuits, and became the sort of man whom litigants counted it a great thing to have on their side. He also proved false those who said that, whenever Phoenicia absolutely needed him, he would have to stay silent. You know me well, you honor what belongs to me, and you are ignorant of none of my affairs; so you know how great this is for me. When Diognetus speaks, I rejoice. When he does not speak, I am distressed; and I pray that he may speak again. That is the fruit I seek from this journey. He has traveled because he listened to me; this advice was mine. You will crown it if you give him back to us. If you do not, let the blasphemous words remain unspoken.

1. Γενόμενος ἐν Σαμοσάτοις οὑτοσὶ Διόγνητος καὶ τραφεὶς καὶ λαβὼν ἡλικίαν λόγων δυναμένην ἐρᾶν ἐρασθεὶς ἧκέ τε ὡς ἡμᾶς καὶ συνεχέσι πόνοις κτησάμενος ἐφ’ ἅπερ ἧκε τοῖς μὲν ἐπ’ ἄλλ’ ἄττα παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠξίου προσέχειν, καλέσας δὲ τὸν Ἑρμῆν καὶ ἀφείς αὐτὸν εἰς τὰς δίκας ἐγένετο τοιοῦτος ὥστε μέγα τοῖς δικαζομένοις εἶναι τὸν ἄνδρα ἔχειν. 2. καὶ τοὺς ὅτι πάντως δεῖ Φοινίκης ἢ σιωπᾶν ἀνάγκη διήλεγξεν οὐ τἀληθῆ λέγοντας. εἰδὼς δή με σὺ καλῶς καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν ἀγνοῶν οὐδὲν οἶσθά που καὶ ἡλίκον τι τοῦτ’ ἐμοί. λέγοντος μὲν οὖν ἐγεγήθειν, μὴ λέγοντος δὲ ἄχθομαι καὶ ὅπως εἴπῃ πάλιν, εὔχομαι. 3. καὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης ὁ καρπὸς οὗτός ἐστι. πεπόρευται δὲ ἐμοὶ πειθόμενος καὶ τοῦτο ἐμὴ παραίνεσις· ἣν κοσμήσεις μὲν δοὺς αὐτὸν ἡμῖν, οὐ δοὺς δέ, σεσιγήσθω δὲ τὸ βλάσφημον.