Letter 856: Libanius praises Proclus for reforming marketplace injustice and says new praise speeches should celebrate the achievement.
Word has reached me of what you have done there: you have driven every injustice out of the marketplace and forced those who profit where they should not profit to behave justly.
These things have not yet been told to the men who compose speeches; the earlier period has been praised instead. But these new achievements will soon receive equal treatment. Better voices, better tongues, and better powers have been found for you. Still, those of us who are here with me must avoid the handsome charge of idleness.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
1. Ἥκει λόγος ὡς ἡμᾶς τῶν ἐκεῖσε πεπραγμένων καὶ ὡς ἐξήλασας ἅπαν ὅσον ἄδικον τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἀναγκάσας εἶναι δικαίους τοὺς ὅθεν οὐ δεῖ κερδαίνοντας. 2. ταυτὶ δὲ οὔπω μὲν εἴρηται τοῖς ποιοῦσι τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλ’ ὁ πρότερος ὕμνηται χρόνος, τεύξεται δὲ καὶ ταῦτα τῶν ἴσων αὐτίκα. καὶ γὰρ εὖ βελτίους εὕρηνταί σοι καὶ φωναὶ καὶ γλῶτται καὶ δυνάμεις· ἀλλὰ τοῖς γε μεθ’ ἡμῶν οὖσι καλὸν ἔγκλημα διαφεύγειν ἀργίας.
Revision history
- 2026-05-27v2.2.34-import
Initial corpus import from modern libanius foerster vol11 batch2 gemini flash v1.
Fields: letter text, metadata, source links. Source: https://archive.org/download/foerster-libanii-opera/Foerster%20%281922%29%2C%20Libanii%20opera%2011_djvu.xml
Related Letters
Libanius asks Proclus to defend Thalassius against renewed slanders and support his admission to the council.
Libanius reminds Proclus of a promise to help Eusebius with his public service obligations without crushing him.
Libanius petitions Proclus to help the son of the deceased Domninus avoid a burdensome municipal liturgy.
Libanius asks Proclus to help Philip, whose education has not saved him from poverty.
Libanius seeks help for Argyrius as he funds civic spectacles.