Laudator Temporis Acti

Procopius, History of the Wars 8.6.9 (tr. H.B. Dewing):

[F]or I am aware that as a general thing all men, if they first discover an ancient argument, are no longer willing to devote themselves to the labour involved in the search for truth nor to learn instead some later theory about the matter in hand, but the more ancient view always seems to them sound and worthy of honour, while contemporary opinions are considered negligible and are classed as absurd.

ἐκεῖνο εἰδὼς ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἄνθρωποι ἅπαντες, ἤν τινος φθάσωσι λόγου ἀρχαίου πεποιημένοι τὴν μάθησιν, οὐκέτι ἐθέλουσι τῇ τῆς ἀληθείας ζητήσει ἐμφιλοχωροῦντες ταλαιπωρεῖν, οὐδὲ νεωτέραν τινὰ μεταμαθεῖν ἀμφ᾽ αὐτῷ δόξαν, ἀλλὰ ἀεὶ αὐτοῖς τὸ μὲν παλαιότερον ὑγιές τε δοκεῖ καὶ ἔντιμον εἶναι, τὸ δὲ κατ᾽ αὐτοὺς εὐκαταφρόνητον νομίζεται εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ γελοιῶδες χωρεῖ.

This is the opposite of the modern procedure, which I would describe as follows, slightly modifying Procopius:

For I am aware that as a general thing all men, if they first discover a recent argument, are no longer willing to devote themselves to the labour involved in the search for truth nor to learn instead some earlier theory about the matter in hand, but the more recent view always seems to them sound and worthy of honour, while earlier opinions are considered negligible and are classed as absurd.