Letter 856

To Julian the Monk. I marvel how, when the wise and learned monks rarely speak even after being questioned, or fall altogether silent out of humility, you, on the contrary, though no one is questioning you, employ an untutored rashness and, with an unbridled tongue, utter countless words heedlessly, prattling on at random and babbling, as some report.

Ἐγὼ θαυμάζω, πῶς τῶν σοφῶν καὶ ἐλλογίμων μοναχῶν σπανίως φθεγγομένων μετὰ τὸ ἐπερωτῆ- ναι, ἢ καὶ παντελῶς σιωπώντων διὰ ταπεινοφροσύ- νην, αὐτὸς μηδέ τινος ἐπερωτῶντος τῇ ἀπαιδεύτῳ προπετείᾳ χρώμενος, καὶ ἀχαλίνωτον ἔχων γλῶσσαν, μυρίους λόγους λέγεις ἁπλῶς, καὶ ὡς ἔτυχε πλατυ- λογῶν, καὶ βατταριζόμενος, καθώς τινες λέγουσιν.