Letter 128: Diodorus's favor is honored in silence, but calling Procopius poor insults philosophical freedom.

After receiving the much-talked-about order, about which I had long let loose every voice, I kept silent. I was not forgetting the favor after receiving it, nor inheriting the Muse of Gerontius; Fortune has given that advantage to you alone. Who, seeing him through you, would not satisfy his longing, being well led through an exact image to the model? I honored the favor with silence, so that by speaking less than I wanted I would not fall short. Your favor will lie unwritten with me more than with the Persian king who knew how to honor betrayal and Pausanias when he leaned toward Persia. Yet though you wanted me to receive it, excellent friend, and carried your intention into action, you uttered on my behalf a pitiable phrase, very far from my way of thinking: before the judge himself you called me poor. I was especially indignant at this, if you gape so much toward matter and have fallen from the height of philosophy that for the sake of money you utter low and ignoble words, considering neither my worth nor wise Diogenes, who defined the greatest wealth by an empty wallet. Become free at last, counting property a small thing compared with virtue, which belongs to the whole inhabited world.

Διοδώρωι Τὸ πολυθρύλητον δεξάμενος πρόσταγμα, περὶ οὗ πάλαι πάσας ἀφῆκα φωνάς, σιωπὴν ἦγον, οὐ μετὰ τὸ τυχεῖν ἀμνημονεύσας τῆς χάριτος, οὐδὲ τῆς Γεροντίου μούσης κληρονομῶν· μόνοις γὰρ ὑμῖν τὸ πλεονέκτημα παρέσχεν ἡ τύχη. καὶ τίς μὴ ἐκεῖνον ἰδὼν δι' ὑμῶν ἀποπληρώσει τὸν πόθον; ὥσπερ δι' ἀκριβοῦς εἰκόνος πρὸς τὸ παράδειγμα καλῶς ἀναγόμενος; σιωπῇ τὴν χάριν ἐτίμων, ἵνα μὴ λέγων ἔλαττον οὗ βούλομαι τύχω φθεγξάμενος. καί σοι κείσεται χάρις ἀνάγραπτος παρ' ἐμοὶ μᾶλλον ἢ παρὰ Πέρσῃ βασιλεῖ τιμᾶν εἰδότι προδοσίαν καὶ Παυσανίαν μηδίζοντα, εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα τυχεῖν πάντως ἐθέλων, ὦ βέλτιστε, καὶ πρὸς ἔργον ἐνέγκας τὴν γνώμην, ἐλεεινὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀφῆκας φωνὴν καὶ πόρρω λίαν ἡμετέρου φρονήματος· παρὰ γὰρ αὐτῷ τῷ δικαστῇ πτωχοὺς ἡμᾶς ἀπεκάλεις. ἐφ' οἷς ἠγανάκτησα μάλιστα, εἰ τοσοῦτον κέχηνας πρὸς τὴν ὕλην, φιλοσοφίας ὕψους ἀποπεσών, ὡς χρη μάτων χάριν ἀγεννῆ καὶ ταπεινὰ προσφέγγεσθαι ῥήματα, καὶ μήτε τὴν ἐμὴν ἀξίαν σκοπεῖν. μήτε τὸν σοφώτατον Διογένην, ὃς ἐν ψιλῇ τῇ πήρᾳ τὸν μέγιστον πλοῦτον ὡρίζετο. ἀλλὰ γενοῦ μόλις ἐλεύθερος, σμικρόν τι χρῆμα πρὸς τὴν ἀρετὴν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἡγούμενος.