John Cantacuzenus, Histories

makes it more unpleasant than death. I confess, then, that I sin and am worthy of blows and scourges, and it would have been the greatest of benefits to me, if indeed I were scourged by you, my father, 1.30 in private for my mistakes; but for your anger to be carried to such a point that I am so insulted with many present, is more grievous than anything. If, then, God, looking mercifully upon my sins, will also guide you to be gentler to me and to sympathize with me as a son, this would be best; but if things are to be carried on in the future just as they are now, let another emperor be appointed by you, whoever may seem to you useful and good.” When Joseph had conveyed these things as an envoy from the emperor Andronikos to his grandfather and emperor, and then on his own behalf had delivered some frequent words of praise for the young emperor and had gently reproached the emperor for behaving more harshly than was fitting towards the young man, he himself sent back this reply: “While all other fathers acquire their love for their children at the time of their birth and increase it as they grow, I myself so loved you even before you came into the light, that I have many of those renowned for virtue and living a life close to God as witnesses of my love. For there is not, there is not anyone whom I have not often and again beseeched to offer more fervent and frequent prayers to God on your behalf, not only that no difficulty should attend your birth, but also that, once born, you might be proven to be in all things excellent and worthy of so many prayers. And I myself, though rashly, because I did not have confidence on account of the perversity of my life, yet I acted nonetheless, and often shed many tears 1.31 praying to God, both that you might be born, and that once born you might prove worthy of my prayers. How then, could I now hate and cast off him whom I so loved and beyond measure while he was still dwelling in his mother's chambers, now that he has come to such an age? It is not reasonable to say these things. But that I use harsher corrections and attack you with biting words should not be taken as a sign of hatred, but rather of the utmost love and of a concern befitting a father, who wants his son to be excellent in all things, and especially as he is now ascending to the dignity of so great an office. For in him even the most trivial of faults would be judged by the wise as very great, since he is set forth as an example of all that is good for all men, and for this reason it is right for him to be polished to beauty in all things.” To these replies, which were so gentle and kind, the young man also sent back more gracious thanks to the emperor, and for two successive years the trouble abated, with the emperor looking more favorably upon his grandson, and if ever he had to rebuke him, doing so with moderation, so that the young man, as one being admonished, confessed his gratitude. But these things were while the emperor Michael was still alive; but when he had died, the emperor was in other respects at war with his grandson, and indeed, remembering what was said a little before, that the young Andronikos, being pained by the excessive rebukes, had sent word to him, saying, “If you would but change your bitterness towards me; but if not, then let another emperor, whom you wish, be appointed 1.32 by you.” he now sent a message back to him, saying, “What you sought before, will now come to pass, and another emperor will be appointed in your place, while you shall receive the first honors from him.” To these things the young Andronikos replied as follows: 7. “For those whose minds are disturbed by anger or grief or some such thing, it is consistent not to retain the memory of what they say or what they do at the time of their disturbance. For where they are not even aware for a short time of what they are doing, they would scarcely remember words after time has passed. But those who have been benefited by someone in words or in deeds retain the memory of the benefits for many years. For when the soul is calm and settled and takes pleasure in the benefits, it happens that the memories of both words and deeds are engraved as if on bronze. And so I myself, O

ἀηδεστέραν ποιεῖ θανάτου. ἁμαρτάνειν μὲν οὖν ὁμολογῶ καὶ πληγῶν ἄξια καὶ μαστίγων, καὶ ἦν ἂν ἐμοὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν ἡ μεγίστη, εἴ γε ἐν τῷ κεκρυμμένῳ παρὰ σοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς 1.30 τῶν σφαλμάτων χάριν ἐμαστιγούμην· τὸ δ' εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐξάγεσθαι τὴν ὀργὴν, ὡς καὶ πολλῶν παρόντων οὕτω προπηλακίζεσθαι, πάντων ἀνιαρώτερον. ἂν τοίνυν ἵλεων ἐπιβλέψας ὁ θεὸς ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἁμαρτίαις, ὁδηγήσει καὶ σὲ πρᾳότερόν μοι γενέσθαι καὶ συμπαθεῖν ὡς υἱῷ, τοῦτ' ἂν εἴη βέλτιστον· εἰ δ' ὁμοίως ὥσπερ νῦν, κἀν τοῖς ἐφεξῆς τελεῖσθαι μέλλει, ἕτερος προβληθήτω σοι βασιλεὺς, ὃς ἄν σοι δόξῃ χρήσιμος καὶ καλός.» Ταῦτα διαπρεσβευσαμένου Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ Ἀνδρονίκου βασιλέως πρὸςτὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα, εἶτα καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συχνούς τινας ἐγκωμίων λόγους τοῦ νέου βασιλέως διεξελθόντος καὶ πρᾴως πως καθαψαμένου τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς τραχύτερον ἢ προσήκει προσφερομένου τῷ νέῳ, ἀντεμήνυσε καὶ αὐτὸς τοιαῦτα· «Τῶν ἄλλων πάντων πατέρων ἅμα τῇ τῶν παίδων γεννήσει τὸ πρὸς αὐτοὺς φίλτρον κτωμένων καὶ συναυξανόντων αὐξανομένοις, αὐτὸς οὕτως ἐφίλησά σε καὶ πρὶν εἰς φῶς προελθεῖν, ὡς καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν διαβεβοημένων ἐπ' ἀρετῇ καὶ θεῷ προσεγγίζοντα βίον ζῶντας μάρτυρας ἔχειν τοῦ φίλτρου. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδεὶς, ὃν οὐ πολλὰ πολλάκις ἱκέτευσα, θερμοτέρας καὶ συχνὰς ὑπὲρ σοῦ θεῷ προσάγειν εὐχὰς, ὡς μὴ μόνον μηδὲν δυσχερὲς ἀπαντῆσαι τῇ σῇ γεννήσει, ἀλλὰ καὶ τεχθέντα, πάντα ἄριστον καὶ τῶν τοσούτων εὐχῶν ἄξιον ἀποδειχθῆναι. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ προπετῶς μὲν διὰ τὸ μὴ τὸ θαῤῥεῖν ἔχειν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ βίου διαστροφῆς, ἔπραττον δ' οὖν ὅμως, πολλὰ πολλάκις ἐδά 1.31 κρυσα προσευχόμενος τῷ θεῷ, ὥστε σε καὶ γεννηθῆναι, καὶ γεννηθέντα τῶν ἐμῶν εὐχῶν ἄξιον ἀποβῆναι. ὃν οὖν ἔτι τοῖς μητρικοῖς θαλάμοις ἐνδιατρίβοντα οὕτως ἐφίλησα καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ μέτρον, πῶς εἰς τοσοῦτον ἡλικίας προήκοντα νῦν μισεῖν εἶχον καὶ ἀποσείεσθαι; οὐκ ἔστι σὺν λόγῳ φθέγγεσθαι ταῦτα. τὸ δέ με τραχυτέραις χρῆσθαι ταῖς διορθώσεσι καὶ δάκνουσι καθάπτεσθαι λόγοις, οὐ μίσους τεκμήριον χρὴ ποιεῖσθαι, ἄκρας δὲ μᾶλλον ἀγάπης καὶ κηδεμονίας πατρὶ πρεπούσης, βουλομένῳ τὸν υἱὸν διὰ πάντων ἄριστον εἶναι, καὶ μάλιστα πρὸς ὄγκον τηλικαύτης ἀρχῆς ἐπιβαίνοντα ἤδη. ἐν ἐκείνῳ γὰρ καὶ τὸ φαυλότατον τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων παρ' εὖ φρονοῦσι μέγιστον ἂν κριθείη, ὡς μίμημα παντὸς καλοῦ πᾶσι κειμένῳ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εἰς κάλλος ἀπεξέσθαι διὰ πάντων δικαίῳ ὄντι.» Ταύταις ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν οὕτως ἡμέροις οὔσαις καὶ προσηνέσι καὶ ὁ νέος χαριεστέρας ἀντέπεμπε τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰς εὐχαριστίας, καὶ δυσὶν ἔτεσιν ἐφεξῆς ἐλώφησε τὸ κακὸν, τοῦ βασιλέως εὐμενέστερον ἐπιβλέποντος τῷ ἐγγόνῳ, εἰ δέ ποτε καὶ ἐπιπλήττειν ἔδει, συμμέτρως τοῦτο ποιοῦντος, ὡς καὶ τὸν νέον, οἷα δὴ νουθετούμενον, χάριν ὁμολογεῖν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἔτι περιόντος βασιλέως τοῦ Μιχαήλ· ἐπεὶ δ' ἐτεθνήκει, τά τε ἄλλα ἐκπεπολέμωτο πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ δὴ καὶ, ὃ μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἴρηται, μεμνημένος, ὡς ὁ νέος Ἀνδρόνικος ἀλγυνόμενος ταῖς πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἐπιπλήξεσι μεμήνυκε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς «εἰ μὲν μεταβάλοις τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ πικρίας· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' ἕτερος ὃν ἂν ἐθέλῃς προβεβλή 1.32 σθω σοι βασιλεύς.» ἀντεμήνυσεν αὐτῷ νῦν καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς «ὃ πρόσθεν ἐζήτεις, γενήσεται νῦν, καὶ ἕτερος ἀντὶ σοῦ προβληθήσεται βασιλεὺς, σοῦ τὰς πρώτας παρ' αὐτοῦ τιμὰς καρπουμένου.» πρὸς ταῦθ' ὁ νέος Ἀνδρόνικος ἀπεκρίνατο τοιαῦτα· ζʹ. «Τοῖς ἐξ ὀργῆς ἢ λύπης ἤ τινος τῶν τοιούτων τεταραγμένοις τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀκόλουθόν ἐστι, μήθ' ὧν λέγουσι μήθ' ὧν δρῶσιν ἐν τοῖς τῆς ταραχῆς καιροῖς παρακατέχειν τὴν μνήμην. ὅπου γὰρ μήθ' ὧν πράττουσιν αἰσθάνονται κἂν πρὸς βραχὺ, σχολῇ γ' ἂν μεμνήσονται λόγων παρεῤῥυηκότος χρόνου. οἱ δέ γε παρά τινος λόγοις ἢ πράγμασιν εὐεργετούμενοι, καὶ εἰς πολλοὺς ἐνιαυτοὺς τὴν μνήμην παρακατέχουσι τῶν εὐεργετημάτων. ἡμέρου γὰρ οὔσης τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ καθεστηκυίας καὶ ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις ἐνηδομένης, ὡς ἐν χαλκῷ συμβαίνει καὶ τῶν λόγων καὶ τῶν ἔργων ἐγκολάπτεσθαι τὰς μνήμας. καὶ αὐτὸς τοίνυν, ὦ