Letter 315: Dionysius, who urged me to write to you, first convinced me that you speak of me with praise -- and he convinced me...

To Cyril. (357) When Dionysius urged me to write to you, he had already persuaded me of one thing beforehand: that you remember me with words of praise. And he persuaded me of it easily. For I, on my part, used to pray that Procopius would prove a good man amid the haunts of the Muses, and it is likely that you, who were so disposed toward that man, count me among your intimates. It was therefore consistent, once I had taken courage to write, not to shrink from declaring my request for a favor as well, especially since the favor had long ago been granted by you before anyone asked for it. But so that my account may not fall into a riddle, I will speak more plainly. Procopius, acting rightly, took pity on Dionysius, seeing him in poverty after the murder of his father; and so that he might not, through lack of sustenance, be deprived of his studies, he assigned the stewards of the estates to bring to him from Cilicia such and such things, and from the regions about the Euphrates as many others again. Now the things from Cilicia, as he said, remained only at the level of letters [on paper], but the others passed into actual effect. And so it was given to this man to be sustained, and to Procopius to be well thought of. But now he is being deprived of these too, since the one who always gave gives no longer, claiming that he has been prevented by letters [written instructions] -- not from Procopius, for he did not dare to lie about that, but from one of the stewards. But do you persuade the stewards not to love their master in such a way that, by a small addition of wheat, they destroy his great reputation. For if Dionysius has either become wicked toward you or become rich, there is reason for the supply to be stopped, either because the need has been resolved or because his disposition is no longer worthy of receiving kindness; but if, remaining in the same indigence, he is also in the same character, while your affairs are proceeding with a fair wind -- and may they so proceed -- do not put an end to the assistance. For this man, knowing gratitude for the former benefits, will blame Fortune for the present state; but there will perhaps be someone to find fault, if you did not preserve those things which you rightly resolved upon, and, by seeking petty things, you withdraw from greater ones. And indeed, if these measures are your own doing, where is the honor in it? For surely the change does not come from your household; but if Procopius is the same man, and it is some slave who is stirring the matter, let him learn not to transgress his master's laws.

Κυρίλλῳ. (357) Πείθων με γράψαι σοι Διονύσιος ἐκεῖνο πρότερον ἔπει- θεν, ὅτι μου μετ’ εὐφημίας μνημονεύεις. καὶ ἔπειθέ γε ῥᾳ- δίως. ἐγώ τε γὰρ τὸν Προκόπιον ἐν μουσείοις εὐχόμην ἀγα- θὸν γενέσθαι σέ τε εἰκὸς τὸν οὕτως ἐσχηκότα πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις ἀριθμεῖν. ἦν οὖν ἀκόλουθον τῷ γράψαι θαρρῆσαι τὸ μηδ’ ἐπαγγεῖλαι χάριν ὀκνῆσαι καὶ ταῦτα τῆς χάριτος πάλαι παρ’ ὑμῶν δοθείσης πρὶν αἰτῆσαί τινα. ἕνα δὲ ὁ λόγος μὴ εἰς αἴνιγμα πέσῃ, σαφέστερον ἐρῶ. Προκόπιος εὖ ποιῶν ἠλέησε Διονύσιον ὁρῶν αὐτὸν ἐν πενίᾳ μετὰ τὸν τοῦ πατρὸς φόνον, ὅπως δὲ μὴ σπάνει τροφῆς στεροῖτο λό- γων, τάττει φέρειν αὐτῷ τοὺς ἐπιτρόπους τῶν χωρίων ἐκ μὲν Κιλικίας τὰ καὶ τά, ἐκ δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Εὐφράτην τόπων ἕτερα τοσαῦτα. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἐκ Κιλικίας, ὡς ἔφη, μέχρι τῶν γραμμάτων ἔμεινε, θάτερα δὲ εἰς ἔργον ἐχώρησε. καὶ ἦν τούτῳ μὲν τρέφεσθαι, Προκοπίῳ δὲ εὐδοκιμεῖν. ἀλλὰ νῦν καὶ τού- των ἀποστερεῖται τοῦ διδόντος ἀεὶ μηκέτι διδόντος φάσκοντος κεκωλύσθαι γράμμασιν, οὐ Προκοπίου, τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ ἐτόλ- μησε ψεύσασθαι, τῶν δὲ ἐπιτρόπων τινός. ἀλλὰ σὺ πεῖσον τοὺς ἐπιτρόπους μὴ οὕτω τὸν δεσπότην φιλεῖν ὥστ’ ὀλίγη προσθήκῃ πυρῶν δόξαν αὐτῷ διαφθείρειν μεγάλην. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἢ πονηρὸς γέγονε περὶ ὑμᾶς Διονύσιος ἢ πλούσιος, ἔχει λόγον στῆναι τὴν φορὰν ἢ τῆς χρείας λελυμένης ἢ τῆς γνώ- μης οὐκ οὔσης εὖ παθεῖν ἀξίας· εἰ δ’ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὢν ἐν- δείας καὶ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐστι τρόποις, ὑμῖν δὲ ἐξ οὐρίων τὰ πράγματα χωρεῖ, καὶ χωροίη γε, μὴ καταλύσητε τὴν ἐπικου- ρίαν. οὗτος μὲν γὰρ τῶν προτέρων εἰδὼ.ς χάριν τῶν νῦν αἰτιάσεται τὴν Τύχην, ἔσται δέ τις ὁ μεμφόμενος ἴσως, εἰ ἃ καλῶς ἔγνωτε, ταῦτα οὐκ ἐφυλάξατε, καὶ φαῦλα ζητοῦντες ἀποστήσεσθε μειζόνων. καὶ μὴν εἰ μὲν ὑμῶν ταῦτα, ποῦ καλόν; οὐ γὰρ τῆς γε ὑμετέρας οἰκίας ἡ μεταβολή· εἰ δὲ Προκόπιος μὲν <ὁ> α αὐτός ἐστι, δοῦλος δέ τις κινεῖ μαθέτω μὴ παραβαίνειν δεσπότου νόμους.