Letter 1007: An appeal to Richomeres' virtue in a dispute involving Charisia and Iamblichus.

I remember the many great honors with which you adorned me when you came here, and I consider myself bound to repay them. I could hardly repay them by action, but perhaps I can do something by speech and by a few words, such as this letter. I ask your noble character, which has always walked the path of virtue, admired by men and pleasing to the gods, to stretch out a hand to decent people in misfortune, to set them upright and help them, while not warring against bad people once they have fallen, though also not defending them. I know Charisia is one of the former. I could say more about her, but it is enough to say this: that long list of money is entirely false. It never belonged to her, nor to anyone else by seizure, and this concerns Iamblichus, who cared for justice as much as you do. Remember those days when you were with us and had not yet met him: you were distressed and often said, 'What god will show me that man?' For this we admired both you and him: you, because you sought him, and him, because he was sought. Not all the gold the earth bears could have driven him from his character, as even every enemy who acted in such a way would admit. How, then, was he likely to come to such shameful profit? How could he, by beatings, make her property his? He sold such things, but he took away nothing, neither more nor less. That this is so, I am ready to swear by all the gods. Let the woman who shrank from nothing stop shrinking from nothing; best of all, let her give up this fraud altogether. If she cannot, let her try it on others.

“Ῥιχομήρει. (891) 1, Τῶν τιμῶν τῶν πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἐκείνων μεμνη- 30 μένος, αἷς μὲ δεῦρ᾽ ἥκων ἐκόσμησας, ὀφείλειν τε ἐμαυτὸν ἀμοιβὴν ἡγούμενος ἔργῳ μὲν ταύτην οὐκ ἂν ἀποδοῦναι δυ- ναίμην, διὰ δὲ λόγου καὶ δημάτων τινῶν τάχα ἄν, οἷόν τι καὶ τὸ ταύτης τῆς ἐπιστολῆς. 3. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀξιῶ τὴν σὴν ψυχὴν ΤΣ Αβοοίϑ , τὴν δι ἀρετῆς ἅπαντα τὸν χρόνον πεπορευμένην καὶ ϑαυμαξο- μένην μὲν ὑπ ᾿ἀνϑρώπων, ἀρέσκουσαν δὲ ϑεοῖς «τοῖν ἴς χρηστοῖς μὲν ἀτυχοῦσι χεῖρά τε ὀρέγειν καὶ ὀρϑοῦν καὶ βοηϑεῖν, τοῖς κακοῖς δὲ μὴ πολεμεῖν μὲν πεπτωχόσι, μὴ μέντοι μηδὲ ἀμύνειν. , ᾿ Η “4 ,, 5.4 Σ , : τούτων δὲ καὶ Χαρισίαν οὖσαν οἶδα ταυτηνί. περὶ ἧς εἶχον μὲν ἄν τι καὶ ἄλλο λέγειν, ἀρκεῖ δέ μοι τοσοῦτον εἰπεῖν, ὡς ὃ κατάλογος ἐκεῖνος ὃ πολὺς ὃ τῶν χρημάτων ψευδής τε ὥπας » ὑτὰ ᾿ β ᾿ τ καὶ οὔτε αὐτῆς ποτε γενόμενος οὔτ᾽ ἄλλου δι᾿ ἁρπαγῆς καὶ ι ἡ «- ᾿ «- “ ταῦτα ᾿Ιαμβλίχου, ᾧ τοῦ δικαίου τοσοῦτος ὅσοσπερ καὶ σοὶ λόγος. 4. ἀναμιμνήσκου δὲ καὶ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκείνων, ἐν αἷς ἡμῖν συνὼν ὅτε μὴ κἀκεῖνον ἔγνως χαλεπῶς τε ἔφερες καὶ τίς ἄν μοι δείξαι ϑεῶν τὸν ἄνδρα; πολλάκις ἠκούσαμεν γα Ὁ τας ἐσ α Λῆο τ ἦν ᾿ λέγοντος. ἐφ ᾧ σέ τε κἀκεῖνον ἐξηλοῦμεν, σὲ μὲν ξητοῦντα, ζητούμενον δὲ ἐκεῖνον. ὃν οὐδὲ πᾶς ὃν ἡ γῆ φέρει χρυσὸς ἐξέβαλλεν ἂν τῶν τρόπων, ᾧ καὶ πᾶς ἐχϑρὸς ὃ τοιαῦτα ἐργα- , πττν πάτον ἐν δε ξ λάρι ζόμενος. ὅ. πῶς οὖν οὗτος ἔμελλεν ἐφ᾽ οὕτω κέρδος ἥξειν αἰσχρόν; πῶς δὲ διὰ μαστίγων αὑτοῦ τἀκείνης ποιήσειν: , Ἥ ἀπέδοτο μὲν γ τοιαύτας. ἀφείλετο δὲ οὐδὲν οὔτε μεῖξον οὔτε ἔλαττον. καὶ ὅτι ταῦϑ᾽ οὕτως ἔσχεν, ἕτοιμος ἐγὼ πάντας ϑεοὺς ὀμνύναι. ὃ. παυσάσϑω τοίνυν ἣ μηδὲν ὀχνήσασα γυνὴ τοῦ μηδὲν ὀκνεῖν καὶ μάλιστα μὲν ὅλως ληξάτω ταύτης τῆς ἀπάτης" εἰ δὲ οὐχ ἂν δύναιτο, πρὸς ἑτέρους τοῦτο ποιείτω.