An ex-slave came to Psellos, justifying his request to be accepted into the monastery of an anonymous hegoumenos, according to the will of his former master. The hegoumenos sealed a document for the monk, implying approval, but then rejected him. Psellos asked who but the hegoumenos could save him, and stressed that he could not be despised as an ex-slave, as his soul was as good as the emperors' souls