Res Gestae

Presently, when all this became known at Constantius’ court—for it was necessary that Caesar, like any subordinate, should render an account to Augustus of all his acts—all those who had the chief influence in the palace and were now past masters in flattery turned Julian’s well-devised and successful achievements into mere mockery by endless silly jests of this sort: This fellow, a nanny-goat and no man, is getting insufferable with his victories, jibing at him for being hairy, and calling him a chattering mole and an ape in purple, and a Greekish pedant, and other names like these; and by ringing bells, so to speak, in the ears of an emperor eager to hear these and similar things, they tried to bury his merits with shameless speeches, railing at him as a lazy, timid, unpractical person, and one who embellished his ill success with fine words; all of which did not take place then for the first time.