12

And previously the protostrator, but especially the grand domestic from his sojourn near the city of Adrianople with the emperor Michael, since their friendship had become strong over a long time, thought it necessary to take him also as a partner in their actions; both for the sake of his friendship towards them and for his manliness and military experience and prudence, which such actions especially require. Therefore they reveal to him all that the emperor had declared to his grandson, and what sort of responses he had met with, and furthermore all that they themselves had decided concerning their own affairs. And he himself, having approved all these things as being well, chose to share with them both in their plans and in their dangers to the very end. It had been decided by these men along with the emperor that their plans should be revealed to no other of the Romans whatsoever, except to these three, namely the Grand Domestic, and the protostrator Synadenos, and Syrgiannes, and to three other Latins from Genoa, who were proven friends of the emperor, and were able to assist them greatly in their flight from Byzantium to the city of Christopolis. For they themselves promised to man three triremes at their own expense, and having received money from the emperor for seven others, so that there would be ten in all, both to assist the em 1.39 peror in his escape, if it should be necessary, and to remain in alliance near the city of Christopolis, until the emperor should have arranged his affairs well. Their names: from the family of the Oria, Raffaele Oria; from that of the Spinola, Fredego Spinola; and from the de Mari, Raffaele de Mar. And again, as the emperor was deliberating with the two of them concerning which of the cities they should choose for their escape, so that the protostrator might also cast the vote which seemed to him to be the winning one, and as he was associating the city of Christopolis with the alliance from the Kral, but Adrianople with its large population and the army stationed there, and the fact that most of its inhabitants had chosen the side of the young emperor; the protostrator for his part chose the city of Adrianople; but before the council had reached a conclusion, they rose. Then again, as the emperor and the Grand Domestic alone were deliberating about these same matters and considering that for Syrgiannes and the Grand Domestic, since their wives were staying in Thrace, it was easy to take them wherever they wished, but for the protostrator, since his wife along with two young daughters was settled in the city of Adrianople, it was very difficult to move; then also, as they were further considering this, that to bring such a constraint upon the protostrator would be a matter of great inconsiderateness, and to thrust him out of the partnership because he was in difficulty over these things would be both foolish and unjust; foolish, on the one hand, if they should push away a man most excellent in all things 1.40 for the sake of a small reason; and unjust, because having themselves invited him and made him their associate, they would now be thrusting away one who had shown great earnestness and eagerness to share the danger with them, it seemed good, trusting in God and undertaking a small suspicion of danger for the sake of their comrade, to vote rather for the city of Adrianople. Thus putting an end to the deliberation about this, and making their decision clear to the protostrator, they both spurred him on to action and showed him to be more eager than his usual self. But such were their own affairs, while the elder emperor, being greatly provoked by anger toward his grandson, neither greeted his grandson when he came in daily, nor indeed did he deem him worthy of any address when he was leaving again for his house; but he did not share with him a single word, whether good or bad, for four whole months, except that as the young emperor was deliberately lingering every day in the palace more than was necessary, the emperor, seeing the inappropriateness of his constant presence, as if compelled by necessity, would say to his grandson, "Go away now to your house," adding nothing more to this. Moreover, when the young emperor stood before his grandfather with the members of the senate and those in high office, he never allowed him to be seated, but to the others of the

12

καὶ πρότερον ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ, τῷ μεγάλῳ δὲ μάλιστα δομεστίκῳ ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἀδριανοῦ πόλιν παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ διατριβῆς, χρόνῳ πολλῷ τῆς φιλίας αὐτοῖς ἰσχυρᾶς γενομένης, δεῖν ᾠήθησαν κοινωνὸν καὶ αὐτὸν τῶν πραττομένων παραλαβεῖν· φιλίας τε τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἕνεκα καὶ ἀνδρίας καὶ πολεμικῆς ἐμπειρίας καὶ φρονήσεως, ἧς αἱ τοιαῦται μάλιστα τῶν πράξεων δέονται· ἀνακαλύπτουσιν αὐτῷ τοιγαροῦν ὅσα τε ὁ βασιλεὺς μηνύσειε τῷ ἐγγόνῳ, ὁποίων τε τύχοι τῶν ἀποκρίσεων, ἔτι τε ὅσα καὶ αὐτοὶ περὶ τῶν καθ' ἑαυτοὺς βουλεύσαιντο πραγμάτων. ἃ δὴ πάντα καλῶς ἔχειν ἐπιψηφισάμενος καὶ αὐτὸς, κοινωνεῖν αὐτοῖς εἵλετο καὶ τῶν βουλευμάτων καὶ τῶν κινδύνων μέχρι παντός. ἐδέδοκτο δὲ τούτοις ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ, πρὸς μηδένα μηδαμῶς ἕτερον τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐκφανῆ γενέσθαι τὰ βουλευόμενα, ὅτι μὴ τουτοισὶ τοῖς τρισὶ, δομεστίκῳ δηλαδὴ τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ τῷ Συναδηνῷ πρωτοστράτορι καὶ Συργιάννῃ, καὶ Γεννουΐταις Λατίνοις ἑτέροις τρισὶ, φίλοις μὲν οὖσι δεδοκιμασμένοις τῷ βασιλεῖ, δυναμένοις δὲ μεγάλα πρὸς τὴν εἰς Χριστοῦ πόλιν ἐκ Βυζαντίου συγκαταπράξασθαι φυγὴν αὐτοῖς. ἐπηγγείλαντο γὰρ αὐτοὶ, τρεῖς μὲν τριήρεις οἰκείοις ἀναλώμασι πληρώσειν, ἑπτὰ δ' ἑτέρας ἐκ βασιλέως λαβόντες χρήματα, ὡς δέκα τὰς συμπάσας γενομένας, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόδρασιν, εἰ δεήσει, συνάρασθαι τῷ βα 1.39 σιλεῖ, καὶ πρὸς τῇ Χριστοῦ πόλει συμμαχούσας καρτερῆσαι, ἄχρις ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς εὖ διάθοιτο τὰ κατ' αὐτόν· ὀνόματα δ' αὐτοῖς, ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ τῶν Ὀρίων γένους, Ῥάφων τε Ὄρια, ἀπὸδὲ τοῦ Σπινουλῶν, Φρερίγω Σπίνουλα, ἐκ δὲ τῶν Ντεμὰρ, Ῥάφων Ντεμάρ. αὖθις δ' ἅμα τοῖς δυσὶ βουλευομένῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τοῦ, ποτέραν χρὴ τῶν πόλεων ἀποδιδράσκοντας ἑλέσθαι, ὡς ἂν καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ τὴν δοκοῦσαν αὐτῷ τὸ νικᾷν ἔχειν εἰσενέγκῃ ψῆφον, καὶ τὴν μὲν Χριστοῦ πόλιν τῇ παρὰ τοῦ Κράλη συμμαχίᾳ παραζευγνύοντος, τῇ Ἀδριανοῦ δὲ τὴν πολυανθρωπίαν καὶ τὴν ἐγκαθιδρυμένην ἐκεῖ στρατιὰν, καὶ τὸ πλείστους εἶναι τῶν οἰκούντων ἐκεῖ τὰ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ᾑρημένους· ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ μὲν τὴν εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πόλιν ᾑρεῖτο· οὔπω δὲ πέρας τῆς βουλῆς λαβούσης, ἀνέστησαν. εἶτ' αὖθις ἅμα δομεστίκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ μόνῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων βουλευομένων καὶ συνιδόντων, ὡς Συργιάννῃ μὲν καὶ τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ, τῇ Θρᾴκῃ τῶν γαμετῶν ἐνδιατριβουσῶν, ῥᾴδιόν ἐστιν ὅποι βούλονται ταύτας ἀπαγαγεῖν, πρωτοστράτορι δὲ τῆς γαμετῆς ἅμα δυσὶ θυγατριδίοις τῇ Ἀδριανοῦ πόλει ἐγκαθιδρυμένης, πολὺ τὸ δύσκολον μετακινεῖσθαι· εἶτα καὶ τοῦτο προσεπινοουμένων, ὡς καὶ τὸ τοσαύτην ἀνάγκην τῷ πρωτοστράτορι ἐπαγαγεῖν, ἀγνωμοσύνης ἂν εἴη πολλῆς, καὶ τὸ δυσκόλως ἔχοντα πρὸς ταῦτα τῆς κοινωνίας ἀπωθεῖσθαι, καὶ ἀβουλίας ἅμα καὶ ἀδικίας· τοῦτο μὲν, εἰ πρὸς πάντα βέλτιστον 1.40 ἄνδρα μικρᾶς ἀπώσαιντο αἰτίας ἕνεκα· ἀδικίας δ', ὅτι αὐτοὶ προσκαλεσάμενοι καὶ προσεταιρισάμενοι, καὶ σπουδὴν πολλὴν καὶ προθυμίαν πρὸς τὸ σὺν αὐτοῖς κινδυνεύειν εἰσενεγκόντα νῦν ἀπωθοῦνται, ἔδοξε θεῷ θαῤῥήσαντας, καὶ ὑποψίαν κινδύνου μικρὰν τοῦ ἑταίρου χάριν ἀναδεξαμένους τὴν εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πόλιν μᾶλλον ἐπιψηφίσασθαι. οὕτω πέρας ἐπιθέντες τῇ περὶ τούτου βουλῇ, καὶ τῷ πρωτοστράτορι δῆλα καταστήσαντες τὰ τῆς γνώμης, ἀνεπτέρωσάν τε πρὸς τὸ πράττειν, καὶ προθυμότερον ἀπέδειξαν ἑαυτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατ' αὐτοὺς τοιαῦτα, βασιλεὺς δ' ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον ὀργῇ λίαν παρωξυμένος, οὔτε προσιόντα καθημέραν προσηγόρευε τὸν ἔγγονον, οὔτε μὴν πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀπιόντα πάλιν προσρήσεως ἠξίου τινός· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ βελτίονος ἢ φαύλου λόγου ἐπὶ τέσσαρσιν ὅλοις μησὶ μετέδωκε, πλὴν ὅτι τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἐξεπίτηδες ὁσημέραι τοῖς βασιλείοις καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ δέον προσκαρτεροῦντος, ὁρῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς προσεδρείας τὴν ἀκαιρίαν, ὥσπερ ὑπ' ἀνάγκης συνωθούμενος, «ἄπελθε λοιπὸν πρὸς τὴν σὴν οἰκίαν» ἔλεγε τῷ ἐγγόνῳ, μηδέν τι τούτου προστιθεὶς πλέον. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῶν ἐν ἀξιώμασι τοῦ νέου βασιλέως τῷ πάππῳ παρισταμένου, οὐδέποτ' ἐπέτρεψε καθεσθῆναι, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους τῆς