Letter 95: Nephalius's cheerful invitation lets Procopius expose rumors against him as false.

Your letter already invites me to the festival. It offers me your house, makes what is present common to us, and promises me the good of conversation. I greatly admire your goodwill, and I already feel as if the festival has been fulfilled for me, since I have received your letter. But many obstacles stand in the way of the journey from here. As for you, do well, conquer what grieves you, and remember not only those who are present. If you raise up the downcast by letters too, I will count that more splendid than the good fortune of Polycrates. Good men had shaken my ears with many rumors about you: "He has done something dreadful," they said; "he was caught doing it"; "he has disappeared." They produced witnesses, insisting they had come from there, and one person told another until rumor ran through everyone. When I received your letter, so far from that unjust rumor that it even invited friends to a festival, I was immediately overjoyed. Having proof against the lie, I proclaimed the letter everywhere, so that those who had once been bold barely blushed, looked down at the ground, and, I think, blamed Fortune for not keeping them hidden longer.

Νηφαλίωι Τὰ μὲν ἐξ ὑμῶν γράμματα πρὸς τὴν πανήγυριν ἤδη καλεῖ, καὶ τὸν οἶκον ἡμῖν προτιθέναι φησί, κοινά τε τὰ παρόντα ποιεῖ, καὶ τὸ τοῦ λόγου ἡμῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐπαγγέλλεται· ἐγὼ δὲ τῆς μὲν εὐνοίας ὑμᾶς ὑπεράγαμαι, καὶ δή μοι πεπληρῶσθαι δοκῶ τὴν πανήγυριν, ἐπιστολῆς ὑμετέρας τυχών. πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν ὁδὸν πολλά μοι καθέστηκε τὰ κωλύματα. σὺ δέ μοι καὶ πρᾶττε καλῶς καὶ νίκα τὰ λυποῦντα καὶ μέμνησο μὴ μόνων παρόντων. εἰ δὲ καὶ γράμμασιν ἀθυμοῦντας ἀνάγοις, τοῦτό μοι τῆς Πολυκράτους εὐτυχίας σε μνότερον. πολλὰ γὰρ οἱ χρηστοὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας διέσεισαν ἀκοάς, ὡς "πέπραχέ τι δεινόν"σὲ δὴ λέγοντες - ὡς "ἥλω πράττων" ὡς "γέγονεν ἀφανής". ταῦτα λογοποιοῦντες μάρτυρας παρῆγον, οὓς ἐκεῖθεν ἥκειν διισχυρίζοντο, καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλῳ διηγεῖτο, καὶ διὰ πάντων ἡ φήμη. ὡς δὲ τὴν παρ' ὑμῶν ἐδεξάμην ἐπιστολὴν τοσοῦτον ἀπέχουσαν τῆς ἀδίκου φήμης, ὡς καὶ πρὸς πανήγυριν τοὺς φίλους καλεῖν, εὐθὺς ἐγενόμην περιχαρής, καὶ τοῦ ψεύδους ἔχων τὸν ἔλεγχον πανταχοῦ ταύτην ἐκήρυττον, ὥστε τοὺς πάλαι θρασεῖς μόλις ἐρυθριᾶν καὶ κύπτειν εἰς γῆν καὶ τῆς τύχης οἶμαι καταβοᾶν ὅτι μὴ πλείω χρόνον ἐλάνθανον.