Letter 51: Procopius kisses Ulpius's delayed letter and withdraws his accusation.

You have escaped a long accusation I had been preparing against you. When Strategius arrived without letters, he was ashamed to approach me, as of course he would be. After escaping many times, he was barely caught, and I called him abominable and hateful to the gods because he had come to me and reported nothing about you, my dearest friends, about whom I had so often prayed to hear. Still, he made his defense well enough. He said his flight was caused by the fact that he was carrying no letters. I forgave him for being ashamed of this, but I said to myself: "How many things time knows how to carry and change. When noble Ulpius shared my former fortune, he was a friend and seemed one; I would never have thought he would change. But now that he has been lifted into splendor and has become great, he is unbearable in good fortune and forgets what came before. Let him only be fortunate, and I will bear being overlooked with moderation." Saying these and similar things, I gathered a long accusation against you. But when someone came and handed me your letter, first, before opening it, I kissed it many times. Then, when I reached what was inside and found the explanation for the delay, I was very pleased and repented of my earlier words. Instead I said, "How many suspicions people have in vain. Time has not changed my admirable Ulpius, nor has fortune. He is grateful, and he knows that I was once his benefactor." Take care, then, that by falling silent again you do not bring me back once more into accusation.

Οὐλπίῳ Πολλὴν ἡμῖν κατὰ σοῦ μελετωμένην κατηγορίαν διέφυγες. ὡς γὰρ ἧκε μὲν ὁ Στρατήγιος, γράμματα δὲ οὐκ εἶχεν, ἠρυθρία μὲν ἐμοὶ προσελθεῖν, πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλε; πολλάκις δὲ διαφυγὼν μόλις ἑάλω, καὶ δὴ βδελυρὸν αὐτὸν καὶ θεοῖς ἐχθρὸν ἀπεκάλουν, ὅτι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀφιγμένος οὐδὲν περὶ ὑμῶν τῶν φιλτάτων ἀπήγγειλε, περὶ ὧν πολλάκις ηὐχόμην ἀκούειν. ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκεῖνος τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἱκανῶς ἐποιεῖτο· καὶ γὰρ αἴτιον ἔλεγεν τὴν φυγὴν ὅτι γράμματα μὴ κομίζοι. κἀκείνῳ μὲν συγγνώμην ἐδίδουν ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐρυθριῶντι, ἔλεγον δὲ πρὸς ἐμαυτόν· «ὅσα δὴ φέρειν καὶ μεταβάλλειν οἶδεν ὁ χρόνος. Οὔλπιος γὰρ ὁ καλὸς ἡνίκα μὲν ἡμῖν τῆς παλαιᾶς ἐκοινώνει τύχης, φίλος τε ἦν καὶ ἐδόκει, καὶ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ᾤμην ὡς μεταβάλοιτο· ὡς δὲ λαμπρὸς ἤρθη καὶ γέγονε μέγας, ἀφόρητός ἐστιν εὐτυχῶν, καὶ τῶν πρῴην ἐκείνων ἐπιλανθάνεται. εὐτυχοίη δὲ μόνον, καὶ μετρίως οἴσομεν παρορώμενοι». ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα λέγων πολλὴν κατὰ σοῦ κατηγορίαν συνέλεγον. ὡς δέ τις ἐλθὼν τὴν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐπιστολὴν ἐπεδίδου, πρῶτον μὲν πρὶν λῦσαι πολλάκις τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἠσπαζόμην· εἶτα τοῖς ἔνδον περιτυχὼν καὶ τὴν ἀπολογίαν τοῦ βράδους εὑρὼν ἥσθην οὐ μετρίως, καὶ μετέμελέ μοι τῶν πρῴην ῥημάτων. ἔλεγον δὲ μᾶλλον «φεῦ, ὡς πολλὰ μάτην ὑποπτεύουσιν ἄνθρωποι. τὸν θαυμαστὸν γὰρ ἡμῖν Οὔλπιον οὐ μετέβαλεν οὔτε χρόνος οὔτε ἡ τύχη, ἀλλ' εὐγνώμων τέ ἐστι κἀμὲ τὸν πρὶν εὐεργέτην ἐπίσταται». ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ πάλιν σιγῶν αὖθις ἡμᾶς εἰς κατηγορίαν ἐνέγκῃς.