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Letter to John Tornikes

Letter of the most wise great logothete written to the much-desired fellow father-in-law of our mighty and holy lord and emperor, the all-fortunate sebastokrator, lord John Tornikes, who wrote to him moderately and amicably that "you sit falsely and eat the bread of the emperor within the city of Constantine; for the service, which you perform, I am able to come and fulfill also

myself, that is, to teach the boys the organ and to conduct the affairs of the bureau."

By Heracles, suddenly my dearest sebastokrator is possessed by the Muses, possessed

has been revealed as utterly by Hermes; for he has sharpened his tongue for eloquence, he has polished his voice for melody, and is completely filled with Attic graces. Has he then been fed laurel by the Muses and thus suddenly become most learned, as they tell myths of old about the man of Ascra, or having fallen asleep and awakened, did he find bees had built a honeycomb on his mouth, as some have related concerning the Theban lyre? I, for my part, by the Muses, am astounded, and I am filled with shuddering and wonder at such great and marvelous matters, that have come to pass quicker than words can tell. For I have clearly believed you to be eloquent and full of philosophy, and that you have a flood of words, and are able to teach those who wish, just as you have shown in your letter. For how could you not speak the truth, being such a man? But you have envied me my good things and have cast an evil eye upon what is pleasing to your friend 68 and you have chosen to exchange lives, truly wishing to exchange bronze for gold. For you know indeed how great a thing is eloquence, and that its glory will never perish, and that all of eternity will not be able to destroy the fame of its teachings. At any rate, you looked to the grandeur of the matter, and you aimed at its height, which treads the heavens, and for this reason, considering friendship as nothing, you have chosen to take these things from your beloved, and to put upon yourself the most beautiful and honorable things, and to give him your things, which are reckoned much inferior to these; and for you to enjoy the good repute and honor that comes from letters, and for him to receive from you certain pedestrian and lowly things. For what, compared to these great and intellectual contemplations that are removed far above matter, are the dark-hued hides of a compound and the good fortune that is colored by outward appearances, even if it is written with emphasis? I, therefore, although with a discontented and sorely grieved heart, bitten by sorrow, accept the demand of my friend. For what can one do when a friend insists? To exchange lives and fortunes is one of the necessities; for you have not written that we should change places, but lives, and fortune follows life, and life is attended by fortune. I, for my part, have already fulfilled the duties of friendship; for I know my friend to be another self in the unfolding of nature. But—what has escaped me of the letter—of those things which my friend mentioned as being the first and most valuable—I will speak according to him—and the most pleasant and agreeable, I myself have made no mention at all, I mean the pleasures of Constantinople, which were described carefully in this letter, although the descriptions did not come to a conclusion for him where he was speaking about the luxuries of transparent waters and temperate airs and all the other delights. For he has left out things much better than these, the beauties and sizes of the buildings

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Epistula ad Joannem Tornicem

Ἐπιστολὴ τοῦ σοφωτάτου μεγάλου λογοθέτου γραφεῖσα πρὸς τὸν περιπόθητον συμπενθερὸν τοῦ κραταιοῦ καὶ ἁγίου ἡμῶν αὐθέντου καὶ βασιλέως παντευτυχέστατον σεβαστοκράτορα κύριν Ἰωάννην τὸν Τορνίκην, γράψαντα αὐτῷ μετρίως καὶ φιλικῶς ὅτι "ψευδῶς κάθησαι καὶ τρώγεις τὸ ψωμὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντὸς τῆς Κωνσταντίνου πόλεως· τὴν δουλείαν γάρ, ἥντινα ποιεῖς σύ, δύναμαι ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐκπληροῦν καὶ

αὐτός, ἤγουν ἑρμηνεύειν τοὺς παῖδας τὸ ὄργανον καὶ τὰς τοῦ σεκρέτου διεξάγειν ὑποθέσεις."

Ἡράκλεις, μουσόληπτος ἐξαπίνης ὁ φίλτατός μοι σεβαστοκράτωρ, κάτοχος

ἄγαν τῷ Ἑρμῇ ἀναπέφανται· ἐξηκόνισται γὰρ τὴν γλῶτταν πρὸς τὴν εὐφράδειαν, ἀπέξεσται τὸν φθόγγον πρὸς τὴν ἐμμέλειαν, καὶ ὅλος χαρίτων Ἀττικῶν ἀναπέπλησται. μὴν οὖν δάφνην ἐψώμισται πρὸς μου σῶν καὶ οὕτως ἐξαίφνης ἐλλογιμώτατος, ὡς τὸν Ἄσκρηθεν οἱ πάλαι μυθεύονται, ἢ καταδαρθὼν καὶ ἀφυπνισθεὶς εὗρε μελίττας σίμβλον κατεργασαμένας τῷ στόματι, καθά πού τινες περὶ τῆς Θηβαίας λύρας ἐξιστορήκασιν; ἔγωγ' οὖν μὰ τοὺς λόγους ἐκπέπληγμαι, φρίκης τε καὶ θάμβους ἐμπέπλησμαι ἐν οὕτω μεγάλοις καὶ θαυμαστοῖς, θᾶττον ἢ λόγος γεγενη μένοις πράγμασι. πεπίστευκα γὰρ ἐναργῶς καὶ εὐφραδῆ σε τυγχάνειν καὶ φιλοσοφίας ἀνάπλεων, καὶ πλημμύραν εἶναί σοι λόγων, καὶ διδάσκειν τοὺς βουλομένους δυνάμενον καθὼς καὶ ἐδήλους τῷ γράμματι. πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἶχες μὴ τἀληθῆ λέγειν τοῖος ἐών; ἀλλ' ἀπεφθόνηκάς μοι τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ βάσκανον ὄμμα τοῖς τῷ φίλῳ θυμήρεσιν ἐναποπέπομφας 68 καὶ ἐναλλάττειν βίους προῄρησαι, χάλκεια ὄντως χρυσείων ἀνταλλάξαι βουλόμενος. οἶσθα καὶ γὰρ ὡς μέγα τι χρῆμα ὁ λόγος καὶ κλέος τούτου οὔποτ' ὀλεῖται καὶ τὰ τῆς φήμης τῶν διδαγμάτων ὁ σύμπας αἰὼν οὐ διαφθείρειν δυνήσεται. πρὸς γοῦν τὸ μεγαλεῖον ἀπεῖδες τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ τοῦ ὕψους ἐστοχάσω καθεστηκότος αἰθεροβάμονος, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα παρ' οὐδὲν τὸν φίλιον θέμενος ἀφελέσθαι ταυτὶ τοῦ ἀγαπω μένου προῄρησαι, καὶ ἑαυτῷ μὲν περιθέσθαι τὰ κάλλιστά τε καὶ τιμιώτατα, ἐκείνῳ τε δοῦναι τὰ σὰ ἥττω πολὺ τούτῳ τῶν τοιούτων λελογισμένα· καὶ σὲ μὲν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν λόγων εὐκλείας ἀπολαῦσαι καὶ τῆς τιμῆς, ἐκεῖνον δὲ περιπέζιά τινα καὶ χθαμαλὰ λαβεῖν παρὰ σοῦ. τί γὰρ πρὸς τὰ μεγάλα ταῦτα καὶ νοερὰ θεωρήματα καὶ τῆς ὕλης ὑπερανῳκισμένα καὶ τοῦ συγκρίματος κυανόχροα δέρματα καὶ τὸ εὐτυχὲς τοῖς ἔξω χρωματιζόμενον, κἂν μετ' ἐπιτάσεως γράφηται; Ἔγωγ' οὖν εἰ καὶ μετὰ δυσφόρως ἐχούσης καρδίας καὶ λύπῃ δακνομένης βαρυαλγεῖ τὴν τοῦ φίλου ἀξίωσιν δέχομαι. τί γὰρ ἂν καὶ πάθοι τις ὁπόταν φίλος βιάζηται; συναντ αλλάξαι δὲ τοῖς βίοις καὶ τὰς τύχας τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐστίν· οὐδὲ γὰρ τόπους ἀμεῖψαι ἡμᾶς ἀλλὰ βίους γεγράφηκας, βίῳ δὲ τύχη ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ βίος τύχῃ συμπάρεστιν. ἤδη γοῦν αὐτὸς τὰ τῆς φιλίας πεπλήρωκα· ἄλλον γὰρ αὐτὸν οἶδα τὸν φίλον ἐν ἀναπτύξει τῆς φύσεως. ἀλλ'-ὅ με τοῦ γράμματος λέληθεν-ὧνπερ ὁ φίλος ὡς πρωτίστων καὶ τιμιωτέρων-ἐρῶ δὲ κατ' αὐτόν-καὶ ἡδυτέρων καὶ προσηνεστέρων ἀπεμνημόνευσεν, αὐτὸς οὐδ' ὅλως μνήμην πεποίημαι, τὰ ἡδέα λέγω τῆς Κωνσταντίνου, τὰ ἐνδιασκεύως τούτῳ περιηγηθέντα τῷ γράμματι, κἂν οὐκ εἰς τέλος αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς διατυπώσεως γένοιντο ἔνθα περὶ τρυφῶν διελέγετο ὑδάτων τε διειδῶν καὶ ἀέρων εὐκραῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάν των τερπνῶν. παραλέλοιπε γὰρ τὰ κρείττω τούτων πολύ, τὰ κάλλη καὶ μεγέθη τῶν δομημάτων