Letter 126: John's friendly praise lets Procopius endure jokes against rhetoric, but the threat is saved for later.

I have received your friendly letter, truly full of Aphrodite. It blames my long silence in Socratic fashion on the divine sign, and by praise leads me, lying on the ground and unable to look up to the height of virtue - what else am I but a sophist, as you yourself would joke? - toward philosophy itself. Or rather it seduces the ear, so that, stolen by praises that do not belong to me, it may calmly endure rhetoric being accused and may bear the usual little chirpings: "an image of a part of politics," "speaking to crowds," and all the other things playful arguments like to say. I will not say, out of respect, that they come from envy of philosophy and Plato. Yet I think you yourself, wisest friend, actually hold the opposite view of the art, and for the sake of jokes you accuse the shadow of a donkey, as the saying goes, rolling Thrasymachus and Polus against me and whatever else Plato's graces fashioned. But stop now, my excellent friend, speaking badly of the greatest matters. Otherwise... I hold the threat for a better moment.

Ἰωάννηι Δέδεγμαί σου τὴν φίλην καὶ γέμουσαν ὄντως ἀφροδίτης ἐπιστολήν, τῆς μὲν μακρᾶς σιωπῆς σωκρατικῶς αἰτιωμένην ἡμῖν τὸ δαιμόνιον, τὸν δὲ χαμαὶ κείμενον ἐμὲ καὶ πρὸς ὕψος ἀρετῆς ἀναβλέπειν οὐκ ἔχοντακαὶ τί γὰρ ἕτερον ἢ σοφιστήν, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς ἐπισκώψειας; εἰς αὐτὴν φιλοσοφίαν τοῖς ἐπαίνοις ἀνάγουσαν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑποσυρομένην, ὅπως κλαπεῖσα τοῖς μηδὲν προσήκουσιν ἐπαίνοις, ἀνάσχοιτο πράως κατηγορουμένης ῥητορικῆς καὶ φέροι τὰ συνήθη ταῦτα δὴ τερετίσματα, τὸ "πολιτικῆς μορίου εἴδωλον" καὶ τὸ "δήμοις ὁμιλεῖν" καὶ ὅσα δὴ παιζόντων ἐθέλουσι λόγοι· οὐ γὰρ εἴποιμι, φθονούντων αἰδοῖ, φιλοσοφίας καὶ Πλάτωνος. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ οἶμαι περὶ τῆς τέχνης, ὦ σοφώτατε, τἀναντία φρονῶν σκωμμάτων ὡς ἔοικε χάριν ὄνου φασὶ σκιὰν ἐγκαλεῖς, Θρασυμάχους ἡμῖν καὶ Πώλους ἐπεισκυκλῶν καὶ ὅσα δὴ Πλάτωνος ἀνεπλάσαντο χάριτες. ἀλλὰ παῦσαι λοιπόν, ὦ λῷστε, τὰ μέγιστα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀγορεύων κακῶς. εἰ δὲ μή ... ἀλλ' εἰς ἀμείνω καιρὸν ἐπέχω τὴν ἀπειλήν.