Letter 800: Hyperechius claimed he made this journey on behalf of his brother, but it turned out he came more on your behalf...

To Maximus. (363 AD) Hyperechius claimed he made this journey on behalf of his brother, but it turned out he came more on your behalf than the one he mentioned. His concern for his brother was slight; what he was really doing was running around extinguishing a rumor that was flourishing — untrue, as I was convinced, though there were those who wanted the worst to prevail. These are people who could never win honor themselves, since they do not practice virtue, but who envy those honored for their virtue and breathe easy whenever those men seem to have done something wrong. Against these people I fought, using probability as my ally, but I needed a witness from close at hand who could make my probable case a strong one. Among the others, some kept silent, by their silence joining the accusers, while others said they had heard these things but did not know the truth — differing little or not at all from the first group. But this good man, a friend to you, to me, and to Truth, deployed his tongue as a weapon on your behalf, crying out against the speakers as liars and against those persuaded by them as dupes. And so powerful was he through his relentless efforts that, having cleansed our city of this deception, he now comes to you. And now no councilor has been abused, no profit has mastered his soul, and the noble Maximus is seen to be the man he truly is. I therefore rejoiced for both of you in your praises — you just in your office, he just among those you govern — and it seemed to me you had left nothing wanting in your goodwill toward him. This I did not need to ask, for his actions taught me at once. Such was his eagerness in your defense, showing both a man who speaks truth and one who repays kindness. These are the sort of men I nurture and commend to my friends.

Μαξίμῳ. (363) Υπὲρ ἀδελφοῦ τὴν ὁδὸν Ὑπερέχιος ἴφη ταυτηνὶ πεποιῇ- σθαι, ἐφωράθη δὲ ὑπὲρ σοῦ μᾶλλον ἢ ὃν ἴφη πεποιημένος· εἰς μὲν γὰρ ἐκεῖνον μικρά τις ἦν ἡ σπουδή, περιέτρεχε δὲ σβεννύων φήμην ἀκμάζουσαν οὐκ ἀληθῆ μίν, ὡς ἔγωγε ἐπε- πείσμην, ἦσαν δὲ οἱ βουλόμενοι τὰ χείρω κρατεῖν, πἳ τιμῆς μὶν οὐκ ἂν τύχοιεν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀσκεῖν ἀρετήν, τοῖς δὲ ἀπ ἀρετῆς τιμωμένοις φθονοῦντες, ἂν ἐκεὶνοί τι δόξωσιν ἀδικεῖν, ἀναπνέουσι. πρὸς οὓς ἐγὼ μὲν ἐμαχόμην τῷ εἰκότι συμ- μάχῳ χρώμενος, ἔδει δέ τινος ἐγγύθεν μάρτυρος, ὃς ἕμελλε ποιήσειν μοι τὸ εἰκὸς ἰσχυρόν. τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων οἱ μὲν ἐσίγων μετὰ τῶν κατηγόρων τῇ σιγῇ γιγνόμενοι, οἱ δ’ ἀκοῦ- σαι μὲν ταῦτα ἔφασκον, τἀκριβὲς δὲ ἀγνοεῖν, οὐδὲν ἢ μικρὸν ἐκείνων οἵδε διαφέροντες· ἀλλ’ ὁ χρηστὸς οὑτοσὶ καὶ σοί τε καὶ ἐμοὶ καὶ Ἀληθείᾳ φίλος ἀνθ’ ὅπλων ὑπὲρ σοῦ τὴν γλῶτ- ταν ἔθετο καταβοῶν μὲν τῶν λεγόντων ὡς ψευδομένων, κατα- βοῶν δὲ τῶν πειθομένων ὡς ἐξαπατωμένων. καὶ τοσοῦτον ἴσχυσε τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν ἀγώνων, ὥστε καθήρας ἡμῖν τὴν πό- λιν τῆς ἀπάτης ἔρχεται· καὶ νῦν οὔτε βουλευτὴς ἰς τὰς πλευ- ῥᾶς ὕβρισται κέρδος τε οὐδὲν κεκράτηκε τῆς ψυχῆς δοκεῖ τε ὁ γενναῖος Μάξιμος εἶναι τοιοῦτος οἷός ἐστιν. ἐγὼ οὖν ἀμφοτέροις συνήσθην τῶν ἐπαίνων, εἰ σὺ μὲν ἐν ἀρχῇ δίκαιος, ὁ δὲ ἐν ἀρχομένοις, καὶ ἅμα ἐδόκεις μοι μηδὲν εἰς αὐτὸν εὐ- νοίας ἐλλελοιπέναι. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἠρόμην· ὑπὸ γὰρ ὧν ἔπραττεν εὐθὺς ἐδιδασκόμην. τοσαύτη τις ἦν ἡ περὶ τὴν ἀπο- λογίαν προθυμία δεικνῦσα μὲν τὸν ἀληθεύοντα, δεικνῦσα δὲ τὸν ἀμειβόμενοι χάριτας. τοιούτους ἐγὼ τρέφω τε καὶ συνί- στημι τοῖς φίλοις.