Letter 714: You know this Diogenes as one of our citizens.

You know this Diogenes as one of our citizens. But that is not all he is to us -- he once endured a trial comparable to that of Zopyrus [the Persian who mutilated himself to gain the enemy's trust and take Babylon for Darius]. Do not look down on the wars that sophists wage, or on the young men who distinguish themselves in them -- Diogenes here is one of those. We once decided to sting Acacius with a playful trick. The trick was a staged student defection. We needed someone who could play the part brilliantly, and no one seemed better than Diogenes. He turned out to be even better than we expected. He was believed immediately. The flattering words came pouring in. He escorted Acacius to his carriage like a proper student, then leapt away at the door and ran back to our group, who were watching the whole thing like an audience at a play. And so, instead of Babylon, we had a reason to laugh -- even my uncle, who was there, could not help himself. Consider, then, how you might repay his courage -- by helping him against a man who owes him money.

κέλσω. (362) Οὐκ ἀγνοεῖς τουτονὶ Διογενῆ ὄντα πολίτην ἡμέτερον, τὼ δ’ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἆθλον ὑπέστη ποτὲ προσόμοιον τῷ Ζωπύρου. μὴ καταφρόνει δὲ μήτε τῶν πολέμων, οὓς πολεμοῦσιν οἱ σοφισταί, μήτε τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀριστευόντων νέων, ὧν ὁ Διογενὴς οὗτος. ἔδοξε γὰρ ἡμῖν δάκνειν ποτὲ μετὰ παιδιᾶς Ἀκάκιον. ἡ δὲ ἦν ἀπόστασις μαθητοῦ πεπλασμένη ζητοῦσα δὴ τὸν ὡς ἄριστα ὑποκρινόμενον τὸ δρᾶμα βελτίων δὲ οὐδεὶς ἐδόκει τοῦ Διο- γένους. ὁ δὲ ἐφάνη καλλίων ἡ προσεδοκήθη. καὶ γὰρ ἐπι- στεύθη ταχέως καὶ ῥημάτων ἥκουσι τῶν ἐκ κολακείας καὶ παρέπεμπε μὲν ὡς ἂν μαθητὴς ὀχούμενον, ἀπεπήδα δὲ περὶ τὰς θύρας ὡς τοὺς ἡμετέρους οἳ ἐκάθηντο θέατρον αὐτῷ. καὶ οὕτως ἀντὶ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος εἴχομεν ἀφορμὴν εἰς γέλωτα καὶ οὐδὲ ὁ θεῖος ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα ἠδύνατο μὴ γελᾶν. σκόπει οὖν ὅπως αὐτῷ τὸν μισθὸν ἀποδώσεις τῆς τόλμης ἐπὶ τὸν ἀποστεροῦντα χρέους τινὸς βοηθήσας.