Between 912–927, Nicholas Mystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople maintained a correspondence with Simeon, ruler of Bulgaria. The goal of Nicholas’ correspondence was to persuade Simeon to end hostilities and make peace with Byzantium. For this purpose, he employed various methods and resorted to a variety of arguments. Appeals to temperance and prudence were clearly means of influencing Simeon to abandon military action and take steps that would bring peace. It seems that for Nicholas Mystikos, the primary criterion for recognizing Simeon as a temperate and prudent man were his actions in the political sphere and whether they were aligned with Byzantine interests.