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attentive, having the power for writing not so much from learning as from nature, so as to compose many things fluently, if only he were moved; for it was necessary, and I pass over most things in silence, if a notable commemoration of a saint was at hand, adding nothing other than this, being briefly relieved from his duties, while one of the clergy was leisurely reciting the introductory hexapsalmos of orthros, that a canon be woven for the one commemorated, as excellent as possible, so that a very great multitude was likely to be benefited, not only those who chanted, but also those who listened to the hymns, whether one was of the chamberlains, or of the arms-bearers and bodyguards of the emperor, or otherwise served in the palace, or another came from elsewhere; 61 for upon all equally he poured out unstintingly the imperial mercy, but more so on soldiers and those for whom literature was their pursuit. For there was no day, no night, no time of sadness, no hour of joy, no rising sun, no setting, when one could see or hear of the sovereign without some benefaction, either he himself being well-treated, or others being treated likewise. But being such, he seemed burdensome to those in authority, because, not according to noble birth and imperial connection, but by merit he selected those in charge of affairs, and honored them with the appropriate dignities; but for those who happened to be his relatives and of his blood, he judged this to be enough and sufficient cause for honor. And this was, if one were to consider it, the action of a ruler who promotes virtue and encourages his subjects toward good repute; for not for the sake of indolence, but for excellence and for being well-led by him and leading others, did he judge that the imperial favors should be distributed. And there was also this to be feared, that both he who acted otherwise than he should was readily punished and he who succeeded was benefited; for the mistake of a magnate is not small, nor indeed, conversely, his success, but the former is like the effect of an excision, so that with the removal of a limb, which has great importance in nature, everything is dragged along with it and turned aside, while success is like the center of a circle, which imparts very great security to the circumference, if it remains in place. And how indeed was he not going to administer the empire fittingly, who under such a father, not even having the name of emperor, being his only son, was nevertheless taught beforehand how to lead securely?

14. How Laskaris was educated by his father John, while being raised to the imperial office. Who, since he once went out to a hunt wearing gold, returned from there, and chanced to meet his father, and indeed when he bowed, his father pretended not to see or pay attention and ignored him as he approached; which, as it happened, seemed a sign of his father's anger toward him, which was indeed true. Wherefore being distressed and thinking and seeking what he had done wrong, he approached his father in private not very boldly. But he, seeing him 63 immediately and as it were lamenting over him, reproached the unsuitability of his attire and said: “What good thing, he said, being conscious of having done for the Romans, do you pour out their lifeblood in pastimes that have no necessity? For do you not know, he says, that these gold-embroidered and silk garments are the lifeblood of the Romans, which should have been used on their behalf, since they are theirs? And do you seek to learn when it is on their behalf? When, of course, with ambassadors from a foreign land present, we might show their wealth by being splendidly dressed; for the wealth of emperors is reckoned the wealth of their subjects; for which reason also to submit to slavery to others is for them in this state utterly abjured; which you using for no purpose, do you not reckon how great the offense is?” Thus and in such things was he who was to be raised to the imperial office educated.

15. How the protovestiarios Mouzalon acted as guardian for the young emperor John. Then, when he died, since the protovestiarios Mouzalon was announced to have the guardianship of the under-age emperor from his father and emperor, who had become a monk, for that young sovereign John, who was not able on account of his age to provide safety for himself, there was every need of the providence of

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προσεσχηκώς, οὐ μᾶλλον ἐκ μαθήσεως ἢ φύσεως τὴν περὶ τὸ γράφειν δύναμιν ἔχων, ὡς καὶ πολλὰ ἐπιρρύδην ἐκτιθέναι, εἰ μόνον ὁρμήσειεν· ἔδει γάρ, καὶ σιωπῶ τὰ πλεῖστα, εἰ περιφανὴς ἁγίου ἐφειστήκει μνήμη, οὐδὲν προσθέντα ἢ ὅπως τῶν πραγμάτων μικρὸν ἀνεθέντα, ἑνὸς τῶν τοῦ κλήρου σχολαιότερον τὸν προκαταρκτικὸν τοῦ ὄρθρου μονολογοῦντος ἑξάψαλμον, κανόνα πλακῆναι τῷ μνημονευομένῳ ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα ἄριστον, ὥστε καὶ παμπληθὲς ἐκινδύνευεν εὐεργετεῖσθαι μὴ ὅτι τοὺς ψάλλοντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς τῶν ὕμνων ἀκροωμένους, κἂν τῶν προκοιτούντων ἦν τις, κἂν τῶν ὁπλοφόρων καὶ σωματοφυλακούντων τῷ βασιλεῖ, κἂν ἄλλως ὑπηρετοίη τοῖς βασιλείοις, κἂν ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν 61 ἐπελθών· πᾶσι γὰρ ἐξ ἴσου τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀνεξαντλήτως ἐπέχεεν ἔλεος, στρατιώταις δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ οἷς ὁ λόγος τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ἦν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἡμέρα, οὐ νύξ, οὐ καιρὸς δυσθυμίας, οὐχ ὥρα χαρᾶς, οὐκ ἀνατέλλων ἥλιος, οὐ δυόμενος, ὅτε τις εὐεργεσίας δίχα τὸν ἄνακτα, ἢ εὖ ἐκεῖνος πάσχων, ἢ ἄλλων τὰ ἶσα πασχόντων, ὁρᾶν ἢ καὶ ἀκούειν εἶχε. Τοιοῦτος δ' ὤν, βαρὺς ἔδοξε τοῖς ἐν τέλει, ὅτι, οὐ κατ' εὐγένειαν καὶ κῆδος βασιλικόν, ἀλλ' ἀριστίνδην τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκλεγόμενος, τοῖς προσήκουσιν ἐσέμνυνεν ἀξιώμασιν· οἷς δὲ συνέβαινε προσγενέσιν εἶναι καί οἱ πρὸς αἵματος, ἀρκεῖν ἔκρινε τὸ τοιοῦτον καὶ ἱκανὸν εἰς λόγον σεμνώ ματος. Τὸ δ' ἦν, εἰ σκοποίη τις, ἀρετὴν ὀφέλλοντος ἄρχοντος καὶ παρακα λοῦντος πρὸς εὐδοκίμησιν τὸ ὑπήκοον· οὐ γὰρ βλακείας χάριν, ἀλλ' ἀριστείας καὶ τοῦ καλῶς ἄγεσθαί τε πρὸς ἐκείνου καὶ ἄγειν ἄλλους, τὰς βασιλικὰς φιλοτησίας ἔκρινε διανέμεσθαι. Καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν προσῆν, ὡς ἑτοίμως καὶ τὸν ἄλλως ἢ ὡς ἔδει ποιοῦντα κολάζεσθαι καὶ τὸν κατορθοῦντα εὐεργετεῖσθαι· οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν τὸ τοῦ μεγιστᾶνος σφάλμα ἢ μὴν ἔμπαλιν τὸ κατόρθωμα, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο μὲν ἐκτομίου πάθει προσέοικεν, ὡς τῇ τοῦ μορίου ἀφαιρέσει, μέγαν ἔχοντος λόγον τῇ φύσει, πάντα συμπαρασπᾶσθαι καὶ παρατρέπεσθαι, τὸ δὲ κατόρθωμα τῷ τοῦ κύκλου κέντρῳ, παμπόλλην ἀσφάλειαν τῇ περιφερείᾳ προσνέμοντι, εἰ κατὰ χώραν ἐκεῖνο μένοι. Καὶ πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἔμελλε τὴν ἀρχὴν διοικεῖν κατὰ τὸ προσῆκον ὅστις ὑπὸ τοιῷδε πατρί, μηδ' ὄνομα βασιλείας ἔχων, ὢν ἐξ ἐκείνου καὶ μόνος, ὅμως ἁγηλατεῖν ἀσφαλῶς προὐδιδάσκετο;

ιδʹ. Ὅπως ἐπαιδεύετο ὁ Λάσκαρις παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς Ἰωάννου, εἰς βασιλείαν ἀναγόμενος. Ὃς ἐπεί ποτε καὶ χρυσοφορῶν ἐξῄει εἰς κυνηγέσιον, ὑπέστρεφε μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἐκεῖθεν, συνήντα δὲ κατὰ τὸ προστυχὸν τῷ πατρί, καὶ δὴ προσκυ νήσαντί οἱ μὴ βλέπειν ἐκεῖνος μηδὲ προσέχειν προσεποιεῖτο καὶ προσιόντος ἠμέλει· ὃ δὴ καὶ συμβαῖνον ὀργῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν πατρόθεν σημεῖον, ὅπερ καὶ ἀληθὲς ἦν, ἔδοξεν. Ὅθεν ἀλύων καὶ ὅ τι ἁμάρτοι διανοούμενος καὶ ζητῶν, πρόσεισιν οὐ μάλα θαρρούντως τῷ πατρὶ κατ' ἰδίαν. Ὁ δ' ἰδὼν 63 εὐθέως καὶ ἀλαστήσας πρὸς ἐκεῖνον οἷον, τὴν τῆς ἀμπεχόνης ἀκαιρίαν ὠνείδιζε καί· «Τί καλὸν συνειδὼς ἑαυτῷ δράσας Ῥωμαίους, ἔφη, τὰ ἐκείνων ἐκχέεις ἐν διατριβαῖς μηδὲν τὸ ἀναγκαῖον ἐχούσαις αἵματα· ἦ γὰρ οὐκ οἶδας, φησίν, αἵματα εἶναι Ῥωμαίων τὰ χρυσόσημα ταῦτα καὶ σηρικά, οἷς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων ἔδει χρῆσθαι, ἐκείνων γε οὖσι; Ζητεῖς δὲ μαθεῖν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων πότε; Ὅτε δηλαδὴ ἐπιστᾶσι πρέσβεσιν ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς τὸν ἐκείνων πλοῦτον λαμπρειμονοῦντες δηλοῦν ἔχοιμεν· ὁ γὰρ βασιλέων πλοῦτος πλοῦτος τῶν ὑπηκόων λογίζεται· παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν καὶ τὸ εἰς δουλείαν καθυ πείκειν ἑτέροις σφίσιν οὕτως ἔχουσι καὶ λίαν ἀπώμοτον· οἷς σὺ διακενῆς χρώμενος, οὐ λογίζῃ τὸ πλημμελὲς ὁπόσον;» Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοιούτοις ὁ εἰς βασιλείαν ἀναχθησόμενος ἐπαιδεύετο.

ιεʹ. Ὅπως ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος Μουζάλων τοῦ μειρακίσκου βασιλέως Ἰωάννου ἐπετρόπευεν. Τότε δὲ θανόντος ἐκείνου, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος Μουζάλων τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν τοῦ ἀφήλικος βασιλέως ἔχειν ἠγγέλλετο παρὰ τοῦ πατρός τε καὶ βασιλέως, τὸν μοναχὸν ὑπελθόντος, τῷ μὲν μειρακίσκῳ ἐκείνῳ ἄνακτι Ἰωάννῃ, οὐχ οἵῳ τ' ὄντι διὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τὸ ἀσφαλὲς περιποιεῖν ἑαυτῷ, προνοίας ἔδει πάντως τοῦ