Letter 802: It is obvious that in every city you passed through, you filled them all with talk about me.

To Nicocles. (363 AD) It is obvious that in every city you passed through, you filled them all with talk about me. For here too, when you began doing this, you filled every ear — willing and unwilling alike — pleasing some and annoying others. So I would be surprised if you did not shout similar things even to the farmers cutting their furrows up to the highway. To me, these praises are worth more than the tithe of Syracuse, though somewhat less than what the god said to your lawgiver [Lycurgus]. For since you would never flatter — you would not flatter even a king's fortune, let alone a sophist — and since you could never fail to recognize beauty or ugliness in speech, how can your praise not make the one praised great and illustrious among the company of Greeks? We in turn never cease praising you, but we do something like a man who, having borrowed wheat, repays in barley with the same measure — he has kept the measure, but has not repaid in full. For not even that Spartan I just mentioned, honored by the oracle — if he had adorned the Pythian god in return with verses, it would not have been equal, not even if the verses were very many. Here, then, we fall short. But in affection we either win or at least are not defeated. And I have reached such confidence in you and belief that I would obtain anything, that I send our friends who travel there and need allies to your door, knowing you will imitate my attitude toward them but employ greater power. As for the man who brings you this letter, do not consider him one of the common sort — he is no different to me than a son. The reason is his fairness, his sense of respect, and his having won the praise of the elders, first and foremost my uncle, whom if you know, you would know this man too — for my uncle would never have admired one who was not good. Modestus also cares for this young man — at first because I asked him to, but after experience, on his own account. You will see him showing a father's devotion to this Hyperechius, but there is nothing like the patronage of the divine Nicocles — for Modestus too will praise him eagerly if he learns it will also please you. Let this man hear plainly from your own mouth that in approaching you he will not be a nuisance — or rather, that if he conducts any of his affairs through someone else, you will consider yourself wronged and will demand satisfaction from him.

Νικοκλεῖ. (363) Οὐκ ἄδηλον ὅτι δι’ ὅσων ἦλθες πολίων, πάσας ἐνέπλη- σας τῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν λόγων καὶ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα, ὡς ἤρξω τοῦτο ποιεῖν, πάντα ὦτα ἐνέπλησας τῶν τε βουλομένων τῶν τε οὐκ ἐθελόντων, τοῖς μὲν χαριζόμενος, τοὺς δὲ ἀνιῶν ὥστε θαυ- μάσαιμ’ ἂν εἰ μὴ παραπλήσια καἰ πρὸς τοὺς γεωργοὺς ἐβόας, ὅσοι μέχρι τῆς λεωφόρου τὰς αὔλακας ἔτεμνον. ἐμοὶ δὲ μείζω μὲν ταῦτα τῆς Συρακουσίων δεκάτης, μικρῷ δὲ ἐλάττω τῶν εἰς τὸν ὑμέτερον νομοθέτην ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ λεχθέντων. ὃς γὰρ οὔτ᾿ ἂν κολακεύσαις, οὐδὲ γὰρ βασιλέως σύ γε τύχην, μὴ ὅτι γε σοφιστήν, οὔτ’ ἂν ἀγνοήσαις λόγου κάλλος ἢ αἶσχος, πῶς οὐκ ἐπαινῶν τόν γε ἐπαινούμενον μέγαν ποιεῖς καὶ λαμ- πρὸν ἐν Ἑλλήνων χοροῖς; ἡμεῖς δὲ σὲ ἐπαινοῦντες ν οὐ παυόμεθα, ποιοῦμεν δὲ παραπλήσιον ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις πυ- ροὺς χρησάμενος ἀποδοίη κριθὰς αὐτῷ τῷ μέτρῳ τὸ μὶν γὰρ μέτρον οὗτος ἐτήρησεν, ἀπέδωκε δὲ οὐκ εἰς ἅπαν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος, οὗ νῦν ἐμνήσθην, ὁ Λακωνικὸς τιμηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ χρησμοῦ εἰ τὸν Πύθιον αὐτὸς ἀντεκόσμησεν ἔπεσιν, ἴσον ἂν ἦν, οὐδ’ εἰ πάνυ πολλὰ ἦν τὰ ἔπη. ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν λειπόμεθα, φιλοῦντες δὲ ἡ νικῶμεν ἢ πάντως γε οὐ νικώμεθα. πρὸς τοσοῦτον δὲ ἥκω τοῦ θαρρεῖν σοι καὶ οἴεσθαι παντὸς ἂν τυχεῖν, ὥστε καὶ τῶν ἡμετέρων φίλων τοὺς ἐκεῖσε ἰόντας καὶ δεομένους φίλων ἐπὶ τὰς δὰς πέμπω θύρας ὡς σοῦ γνώμην μὲν τὴν ἐμὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς μιμησομένου, ῥώμῃ δὲ μείζονι χρη- σομένου. δι’ οὗ δὲ ταύτην λαμβάνεις τὴν ἐπιστολήν, μὴ ἴνα νόμιζε τῶν πολλῶν, ἀλλ’ υἱέος μοι διαφέρειν οὐδέν. αἰ· τίον δὲ <ἡ> ἐπιείκεια καὶ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαί τε καὶ δόξης καὶ λαβεῖν ἐπαινέτας τοὺς γέροντας, ὧν καὶ πρῶτον καὶ μάλι- στα τὸν θεῖον τὸν ἐμόν, ὃν εἰδὼς εἰδείης ἂν καὶ τοῦτον· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος τὸν οὐκ ἀγαθὸν ἐθαύμασε. μέλει δὲ καὶ Μοδέστῳ τοῦ νεανίσκου τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὑπ’ ἐμοῦ παρακλη- θέντι, μετὰ δὲ τὴν πεῖραν ὑφ’ ἑαυτοῦ. ὄψει δὲ αὐτὸν τὰ πα- τρὸς εἰς Ὑπερέχιον τουτονὶ σπουδάζοντα, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲν οἷον εἰς προστασίαν ὁ δαιμόνιος Νικοκλῆς· οὕτω γὰρ κἀκεῖνος αὐτὸν ἐπαινέσεται σπουδάζων, εἰ ὅτι καὶ σοὶ χαριεῖται γνοίη. 8, μα- θέτω τοίνυν οὗτος ἀκούσας διαρρήδην ἐκ τοῦ σοῦ στόματος ὡς προσιὼν οὐκ ἐνοχλήσει, μᾶλλον δὲ ὡς, εἰ δι᾿ ἄλλου τῶν αὑτοῦ τι θήσεται, σύ γε ἠδίκησαι καἰ λήνη παρὰ τοῦδε δίκην