Letter 100: Procopius wants no visitor to come without letters from his brothers.

The change in the weather, by explaining the silence forced on us by necessity, now exposes the silence chosen by intention. Compete in letters, then, writing as much as I want. And I want no one to come to me without carrying letters. Whoever arrives and says the usual things - "they were busy," "they were about to write," "I suddenly sailed up" - will depart judged by me as lazy in friendship. If I blame those who do not carry letters, how much more do you think I blame you, who do not give them?

Ζαχαρίαι καὶ Φιλίππωι ἀδελφοῖσ Τοῦ ἀέρος ἡ τροπὴ τὴν ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἡμῖν ἀναφέρουσα σιγήν, τὴν ἐκ προ αιρέσεως διελέγχει λοιπόν. οὐκοῦν ἁμιλλᾶσθε ταῖς ἐπιστολαῖς, τοσαῦτα γράφοντες ὁπόσα βουλόμεθα. βουλόμεθα δὲ μηδένα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἰέναι μὴ κομίζοντα γράμματα. ὃς γὰρ ἂν ἐλθὼν εἴπῃ τὰ κοινὰ ταῦτα, ὡς "ἠσχόληντο δή", ὡς "γράφειν ἔμελλον", ὡς ἐξαίφνης ἀνέπλευσα", ἄπεισι παρ' ἐμοὶ κριτῇ ῥάθυμος περὶ φιλίαν κριθείς. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα τοὺς μὴ κομίζοντας μέμφομαι, πόσον οἴεσθε τοὺς μὴ διδόντας ὑμᾶς;