Letter 349: Tuscianus and I enjoyed each other's company — I by listening to him, he by hearing me speak.

To Aristainetos. (358 AD) Tuscianus and I enjoyed each other's company — I by listening to him, he by hearing me speak. Or rather, I had the advantage, since the speeches I heard were finer than those I delivered. When I was comparing Strategios with his predecessors in the same office — what did Tuscianus do? He went pale, could barely breathe, and looked like a man being struck and wounded, horrified that anyone might seem to have surpassed his favorites: Thalassios, Leontios, and the current one, who speaks no louder than his deeds are great. Some thought he was criticizing, not understanding the situation — that the man who seemed most angry was actually most impressed. For if he hadn't seen the argument was strong, he would have laughed it off. But his distress testified to the power of the speech. So if he suffers something similar in your presence when the speech is recalled, don't fail to notice that by protesting he is actually voting for the man he claims to dislike.

Ἀρισταινέτῳ. (358) Ἀπηλαύσαμεν ἀλλήλων ἐγώ τε καὶ Τουσκιανός, ἐγὼ μὲν ἀκροώμενος τούτου, λέγοντος δὲ ἐκεῖνος ἐμοῦ, μᾶλλον δέ, ἐπλεονέκτουν ἐγὼ καλλίονος ὧν ἐδείκνυον λόγων ἀκοῆς εἰλημ- μένος. ἃ δὲ ἐποίησεν ἐνθάδε παραβάλλοντος ἐμοῦ τὸν Στρατήγιον τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς ἴσης ἀρχῆς—τί οὖν ἐποίησεν; ὠχρία τε καὶ ἀπεπνίγετο καὶ ὅμοιος ἦν βαλλομένῳ καἰ τιτρωσκομένῳ δεινὸν ποιούμενος, εἴ τις δόξει νενικηκέναι τὰ αὑτοῦ παιδικά, τὸν Θαλάσσιον καὶ Λεόντιον καὶ τὸν νῦν τουτονὶ τὸν οὐ μᾶλλον μέγα φθεγγόμενον ἡ μεγάλα ἐργαζόμενον. ὥστε καὶ ἔδοξεν ἐνίοις μέμφεσθαι τὸ μέρος ἀγνοοῦσιν, ὡς ὁ μάλιστα χαλεπαίνων οὗτος ἦν ὁ μάλιστα θαυμάζων. εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐχ ἐώρα τὸ μέρος ἰσχυρόν, κἂν ἐγέλα· νῦν δὲ ἡ τοῦδε λύπη ρώ- μην ἐμαρτύρει τῷ λόγῳ. ἂν οὖν καἰ παρὰ σοὶ πάσχῃ τι τοιοῦτον ἐν μνήμῃ τοῦ λόγου, μή σε λανθανέτω τοῦτον νικᾶν ψηφιζόμενος ᾧ φησιν οὐχ ἡδέως ἔχειν.