Letter 988: A sharp complaint about money, duty, and Priscianus' reputation before a governor.

By refusing to give the staters, you have made a friend of the man who received them without paying; but to me he is an enemy, because he has not paid someone whom I wanted paid. You wrong me too, since you are pleased with what has happened and call yourself my friend while opposing what I want. The merchant will either pay you the staters or pay me the penalty. I would not myself accept a bad opinion of you, though someone else might say that you sent a letter freeing yourself from the concern over the tiles and the duty attached to them. I praise the wine very highly, but the law cannot be made to yield to me, and you too must be seen obeying it. You also wronged me by saying that accusations against you had prevailed with the governor through my negligence. If I had learned any such thing, I would certainly have spoken, but I did not. In my five meetings with him, the sophist Priscian was the greater part of the conversation.