Letter 73: Procopius tells Castor his small words can become great with Castor's help.

Many things require your goodwill for the bearer of this letter: blood that connects him with me, marriage that confirms the family tie, and, greatest of all, my own letter. I do not say this arrogantly, but with confidence, because my words are small by nature yet can have great force with you. He needs a just tongue and a flow of speech able to extinguish malicious accusation. I know, then, that you will prove greater than my hope. You are always ambitious to appear in action as more than anyone could have expected from you. What remains for you is either to surpass my hope by your deeds or at least to show that the facts are not less than it.

Κάστορι Τῷ φέροντι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πολλὰ παρὰ σοῦ τὴν εὔνοιαν ἀπαιτεῖ· γένος συνάπτον ἐμοί, γάμος τὴν οἰκειότητα βεβαιῶν, καὶ τὸ δὴ μέγιστον ἡμέτερα γράμματα. καὶ οὐκ ἀλαζονείας ὁ λόγος, θαρροῦντος δὲ μᾶλλον, ὡς τἀμὰ μικρὰ μὲν τῇ φύσει, μεγάλα δὲ δύναται παρὰ σοί. δεῖται δὲ γλώττης δικαίας καὶ λόγων εὐροίας σβέσαι δυναμένης συκοφαντίαν. οἶδα τοίνυν ὡς τῆς ἐμῆς ἐλπίδος κρείττων γενήσῃ· φιλοτιμεῖ γὰρ ἀεὶ μεῖζον εἰς πεῖραν ἐλθεῖν ὧν ἄν τις ἐλπίσῃ παρὰ σοῦ. σὸν δ' ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν ἢ τὴν ἐμὴν ἐλπίδα νικῆσαι τοῖς ἔργοις ἢ μὴ ταύτης ἐλάττω δεῖξαι τὰ πράγματα.