Letter 573: That was unmistakably your letter.

To Anatolius. That was unmistakably your letter. Even if the sender's name had not been written on it, I would have identified the author from the contents. You are insolent, and the letter was full of it -- which is why I am amazed that not even the crush of business has made you abandon your usual habits. But you have written nothing honest, and I will prove it. First, you said you did not write to me alone among all your correspondents because, being angry, I would attack you with words. But that was not an inevitable response from someone who had not received a letter. It was perfectly reasonable -- and not at all unlikely -- that a person stung by being overlooked would simply fall silent. Do not focus on the fact that I did write, bearing the slight calmly; consider that the slighted person had cause for pain, and from pain, silence would not unreasonably follow. On this point, then, you have been refuted, and quite brilliantly. By calling me a flatterer, you reveal yourself as a lover of flatterers. For if flattery is a vice, and this vice is in me, and you prefer me above most people, then you admit to being in love with someone wicked. And if it is true that a man is wicked who enjoys praise he does not deserve, then our august prefect stands revealed as wicked. I am astonished: you, in order to win your office, did not stoop to flattery, yet I -- who need neither to hold office nor to grow rich through your favor -- supposedly disgraced myself? I chose poverty precisely to avoid becoming a flatterer. A man who knew how to flatter could have amassed great wealth. As it is, I am as far from riches as I am from flattery, and I do not resent being poor -- I take pride in not being a slave. So I claim to flee the thing I actually do flee in practice. I am not a flatterer, and I resent being called one -- which is exactly what Lasthenes said [a reference to a man falsely accused]. You, on the other hand, desire praise -- and rightly so, since it is a powerful incentive for pursuing virtue. But by pretending to despise it, you are being dishonest. Nor is it right to try to deceive someone you cannot fool. If I do not know the Phaedrus [Plato's dialogue, which discusses rhetoric and truth], then I do not know my own mother. Then you urge me to stop praising and start criticizing. If you are trying to persuade me to criticize someone who has done nothing wrong, you are asking for slander. If the person really has done wrong, persuade yourself to stop doing wrong rather than asking me to lodge complaints. It is far better to be free of suspicion than to go around looking for someone to prosecute the case while under suspicion yourself. Some people do accuse you, making a tragedy out of the sale of the Phoenician [some questionable deal] and the litigants who have fled because of your mistreatment. But I show that they are saying nothing -- though if you do not stop doing such things, I will become your accuser myself.

Ἀνατολίῳ. (357) Σή τοι σαφῶς ἡ ἐπιστολή, ὥστε, εἰ καὶ τοὔνομα τοῦ πέμψαντος μὴ ἐνεγέγραπτο, πάντως ἂν εὗρον ἐκ τῶν ἐπεσταλ- 20 μένων τὸν γεγραφότα. σύ τε γὰρ ὑβριστὴς ἥ τε ἐπιστολὴ πολὺ τοῦτο εἶχεν, ᾧ καὶ θαυμάζω τὸ μηδ᾿ ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποστῆναί σε τῶν εἰωθότων. ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἐπέσταλκας, ἐπιδείξω. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ἔφης διὰ τοῦτό μοι μόνῳ τῶν πάντων οὐ γράψαι τὸ θυμωθέντα με πλῆξαί σε λόγοις. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἦν εὐθὺς ἀναγκαῖον τῷ μὴ λαβόντι ποιεῖν, ἀλλ᾿ εἶχε λόγον καὶ οὐκ ἢν ἔξω τῶν εἰκότων τὸ τῷ μὴ λαβεῖν ἀλγήσαντα σιγῆσαι. μὴ γάρ, εἰ ἐπέστειλα πρᾴως ἐνεγκὼν τὸ παρεωρᾶσθαι, σκόπει, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι τῷ μὲν ἠμελημένῳ τὸ λυπηθῆναι, τῇ λύπῃ δὲ ἠκολούθησεν ἂν οὐκ ἀλόγως ἡ σιγή. τούτῳ μὲν οὖν ἐξηλέγχθης τῷ λόγῳ καὶ μάλα λαμπρῶς· κόλακα δέ με προσειπὼν σαυτὸν ἀποφαίνεις κόλακος. ἐραστήν. εἰ γὰρ τὸ κολακεύειν κακόν, τοῦτο δὲ ἐν ἐμοί, σὺ δὲ ἐμὲ πρὸ τῶν πολλῶν ποιῇ, πονηροῦ τινος ἐρᾶν ὁμολογεῖς. καὶ εἰ τοῦτό γε ἀληθές, ὅτι πονηρὸς ὅστις χαίρει τούτοις οἷς οὐκ ἔοικε, πονηρὸς ἡμῖν ὁ σεμνὸς ὕπαρχος ἀναφαίνεται. θαυμάζω δὲ εἰ σὺ μέν, ὅπως λάβοις τὴν ἀρχήν, οὐκ ἐκολάκευσας, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐδὲν δεόμενος οὔτ᾿ ἄρχειν οὔτε παρ᾿ ὑμῶν πλουτεῖν ἐμαυτὸν κατῄσχυνον, ὅς, ὅπως μὴ γενοίμην κόλαξ, πένης ἐδεξάμην εἶναι· ὡς κολακεύειν γε ἐπισταμένῳ πολὺς ἂν εἴργαστο πλοῦτος. νῦν δ᾿ ἴσον ἀπέχομεν εὐπορίας καὶ κολακείας καὶ οὐκ ἄχθομαι τῷ μὴ πλουτεῖν, ἀλλὰ φιλοτιμοῦμαι τῷ μὴ δουλεύειν. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα λέγω φεύγειν, ἃ δὴ καὶ φεύγω τοῖς ἔργοις, καὶ οὔκ εἰμι μὲν κόλαξ, ἀγανακτῶ δὲ ἀκούων, ὅπερ οὔκ εἰμι, κατὰ τὸν Λασθένην· σὺ δὲ ἐπαίνων μὲν ἐπιθυμεῖς καὶ καλῶς ποιεῖς, μεγάλη γὰρ εἰς ἄσκησιν ἀρε- τῆς ἀνάγκη, προσποιούμενος δὲ καταφρονεῖν οὐ καλῶς ποιεῖς ἐξαπατῶν. ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἐκεῖνο καλῶς δρᾷς ἀπατᾶν ἐπιχειρῶν ὃν οὐκ ἔχεις ἁρπάσαι. εἰ γὰρ ἐγὼ Φαιδρὸν ἀγνοῶ, καὶ τὴν μητέρα ἀγνοῶ. εἶτά μοι παρακελεύῃ τὸ ἐπαινεῖν ἀφέντα ἔχεσθαι τοῦ ἐγκαλεῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐδὲν ἀδικοῦντι πείθεις ἐγκαλεῖν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ποιεῖς ἢ συκοφαντεῖν· εἰ δ’ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀδικοῦντι, σαυτὸν πεῖσον μὴ ἀδικεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ ἡμᾶς ἐγκα- λεῖν. πολὺ γὰρ βέλτιον καθαρεύειν ὑποψίας ἢ ταύτῃ χρώμε- νον ζητεῖν, ὅστις κατηγορήσει τοῦ πράγματος. ἀλλ’ ἐπαι- νῶ τοὺς οὐκ ἀγαθοὺς ἐν ἴσῳ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φεύγεις τοὺς παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐπαίνους. ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἐπῃνέθη, πολλοὶ δὲ παντελῆ μὲν οὐκ ἔσχον τὴν ἀρετήν, ‘ὲν δέ τι μόριον, ὃ μὴ τιμᾶν ἐπαίνοις ἄδικον. εἰ δ οὑν τις καὶ τῶν φαυλοτέρων ἐπῃνέθη, τέχνῃ πρὸς ἀρετὴν Πλήθη. θαυμαζόμενος γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν οὐκ ὄντων ὡς ὄντων αὐτῷ καὶ γενέσθαι τοιοῦτος ἐπεθύμησεν ἄν. σὺ δὲ χαλεπός τις εἶ καὶ τοὺς καθεύδοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐγρηγορότας κακίζων. καίτοι εἰ μὲν Δάρδανος ἠδίκει κοιμώμενος, ὁ μὴ κοιμώμενος ἔξω μέμψεως· εἰ δὲ τὴν ἀγρυπνίαν τούτου ψέγεις, τί μὴ τὸν ὕπνον ἐπαινεῖς ἐκείνου; ἀλλ’ οὔτ’ ἐκεῖνος ἠδίκει κοιμώμενος μεθ’ ἡμέραν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν νυκτὶ φροντισμάτων οὗτός τε κρα- τῶν ὕπνου στεφάνων, οὐκ αἰτίας ἄξιος. ὁρᾷς ὡς οὐκ ἐμὲ τὸ πλουτεῖν, ἴστω γάρ, ἀπέφηνε χείρω, σὺ δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐπήρθης συκοφαντεῖν. παραινῶ δή σοι τούτου μὲν ἀποστῆναι, τοῦ δ’ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔχεσθαι. καίτοι τινὲς κατηγοροῦσί σου τὴν τοῦ Φοίνικος τραγῳ- δοῦντες πρᾶσιν καὶ ὅσοι περὶ τὰς δίκας οἴχονται φεύγοντες ὑπὸ τῶν ὑβρισμάτων. ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τοὺς μὲν οὐδὲν λέγοντας δεικνύω, σοῦ δέ, ἢν μὴ παύση τοιαῦτα ποιῶν, φανοῦμαι κατήγορος.