Letter 1285: Undoubtedly it is to better endure insults in silence, like a philosopher, but your attitude is not without elegance...

Undoubtedly it is to better endure insults in silence, like a philosopher, but your attitude is not without elegance either. Indeed, as a victim of individuals known for their perversity, I mean Zosimus, Maron, Eustathios and Martinianos, you had found malicious to avenge yourself on them by bringing them to justice, but also reducing their supporters to silence: then, you inflicted on these insolent men a verbal punishment, limiting it to sarcastic remarks which usually wound those at which they aim without being dangerous. However, in my opinion, the initial reasoning which encouraged you to write is better than the text itself; therefore I would advise you to add to it what is lacking, i.e. a noble attitude and language free from scandalmongering. Because even if those people deserve to hear these sarcastic remarks and others even more severe, however it would be wrong for you to pronounce them, you whose language is a sanctuary of purity. Harpocras received 28 letters from Isidore, and was teaching in Pelusium. He composed a monody against these clerics, which is mentioned several times in the correspondence (e.g. 1291, 1292).