Letter 61: Procopius retracts a recommendation after the man robbed his host in Gaza.

I already recommended a certain man to you in my earlier letter. I did not know him exactly, but judged him from the character he put on, and thought he was what he was not. He escaped notice by using a fine appearance, though experience has now shown what sort of man he really is. When he was setting out from Gaza and preparing to sail, he lodged, as was natural, with one of my friends until a ship was ready. He was trusted under the law of friendship, and along with many other courtesies received this one too. Then he broke into the house of the man who had welcomed him and stripped him of the money he had. To keep suspicion asleep, he had a key ready for the plot; he opened the chest with it, took what he found, and then restored the chest to its former look. When he had at last sailed, and the owner needed what he thought was stored away, the drama came to proof, and there was no arguing against the evidence. Menelaus too enjoyed guest-friendship of this kind, when instead of repayment he was robbed of Helen. I was moved to write this so that, if he is trusted through you, he may not do the same sort of thing again to the person who trusts him. Otherwise the sufferer will blame you, and you will certainly blame me.

Ζαχαρίαι καὶ Φιλίππωι ἀδελφοῖς Τὸν δεῖνα φθάσας ὑμῖν συνέστησα διὰ τῆς προτέρας ἐπιστολῆς, οὐκ εἰς ἀκριβὲς ἐκεῖνον εἰδώς, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν ἐπλάττετο τοῦτον ἡγούμενος ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν· ἐλάνθανε γὰρ προσχήματι μὲν καλῷ κεχρημένος, ὢν δὲ τοιοῦτος οἷον ὑπέδειξε τοῦτον ἡ πεῖρα. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Γαζαίων ὁρμώμενος καὶ μέλλων ἀνάγεσθαι, κατέλυε μὲν παρά τινι τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, ὥσπερ εἰκός, μέχρι πλοῦς γένηται. πιστευθεὶς δὲ νόμῳ φιλίας καὶ πρὸς πολλαῖς ἑτέραις καὶ ταύτην τὴν χάριν λαβών, τοῦ ὑποδεξαμένου διώρυξε τὴν οἰκίαν, καὶ ὧν εἶχε χρημάτων τοῦτον ἐγύμνωσε. καὶ ἵνα λάθῃ τὰ τῆς ὑποψίας, κλεὶς μὲν ἦν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν εὐτρεπής. ταύτῃ δὲ διανοίξας καὶ ἅπερ εὗρε λαβών, πάλιν τῷ κιβωτίῳ τὸ παλαιὸν ἐπέθηκε σχῆμα. ὡς δὲ μόλις αὐτὸς ἀνήχθη, καὶ πρὸς τὰ δοκοῦντα κεῖσθαι χρεία τὸν κεκτημένον ἐκάλει, ἦλθε τὸ δρᾶμα πρὸς ἔλεγχον, καὶ τοῖς τεκμηρίοις ἀντιλέγειν οὐκ ἦν. τοιούτων καὶ Μενέλαος τῶν ξενίων ἀπέλαυσεν, ἀντ' ἀμοιβῆς τινος τὴν Ἑλένην ἀφῃρημένος. ταῦτα γράφειν ἐπήρθην, ἵνα μὴ δι' ὑμῶν πιστευθεὶς ἕτερα τοιαῦτα τὸν πιστεύσαντα δράσῃ, καὶ μέμψηται μὲν ὑμᾶς ὁ παθών, ἐμὲ δὲ πάντως ὑμεῖς.