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This also Metochites, the Grand Logothete, who at that time was mediating in the administration of the imperial affairs, 1.55 and was otherwise keen-witted, and had reached the pinnacle not only of our wisdom, but also of foreign wisdom; for having received certain poor and not very accurate principles of astronomy from a certain Bryennios, he himself perfected them by his own labors, so that after this many became precisely skilled in the knowledge of the subject, having been taught by him. And when the emperor was marveling at this and asked one of those who had studied with him, this was Gregoras, how Metochites, having started from poor principles, was thus able to arrive at a complete discovery of the subject, the one who was asked said, "It is not surprising, emperor, that a great torch is lit from a small lamp," and the emperor praised him for his keen wit, and marveled at the appropriateness of the image. So then this grand logothete, because of his intelligence and his wisdom, and the skill he had for the administration of affairs, enjoying great familiarity and favor from the emperor, himself also dared to approach the emperor and discuss the grandson, attempting to persuade him that he must not disturb the established order, nor, by depriving the grandson of the empire, give it to another who had no claim at all, if for no other reason than to guard against the disturbances that would result from this. They then said such things and some others to the emperor; but they seemed to be boiling stones. For the emperor unalterably held to what had been decided from the beginning and showed his ill-will toward his grandson 1.56 by his very actions. It is said that in these times the emperor, having withdrawn into himself and seeming to be pondering something, and speaking to no one, often said to himself as if asking: "Will enmity indeed prove to be stronger than nature?" Whether this saying was directed toward something else he was planning, or whether it was about the enmity toward his grandson, no one was able to learn clearly; everyone, however, took the saying to refer to this, and they considered it a proof of the evils to come. And so in these circumstances the winter ended. 12. As spring was just beginning, on the fifth day of the month of April, the Sunday before Palm Sunday, the emperor sent word to the emperor and grandson to go nowhere else, but to come to him for the time being. And he, turning over in his mind and pondering what could be meant by what was said, and being unable to guess the reason, asked the messenger, adding a request that if he knew anything, he should report it. He said he had nothing certain to say, but he conjectured that the grandfather and emperor wished to discuss some matters with him in the presence of the patriarch and high priests; but what these matters were and to what they tended, he did not know clearly at all. Then, pausing a little, he said, "As I said, I do not know precisely what the matters are, but I guess that they will not be pleasant and gentle, but rather that you are being called as if to a trial. And he requested that he wait a little and engage in a brief 1.57 preparation, so as to come ready for his defense, as one about to be held to account." The emperor, having thanked him for his goodness and prayed for a reward of good things for him from God, and then also saying this, that it would be to his liking to be tried in the presence of many and clear himself of the charges, he ordered him to report to his grandfather and emperor that he would arrive very soon. So he, having prayed for help from God for the emperor in his present circumstances, and having done obeisance, departed. The emperor immediately summoned his companions. But the grand domestic, his uncle Tarchaneiotes, the son of the sister of the first emperor Michael, having died, was there to mourn his deceased relative. But the protostrator, who was staying at home, came to the emperor immediately and asked to learn the reason for the summons. The emperor made known both what had been reported from the emperor, and that he was being called for a trial, and that he had promised to come quickly, adding also this, that it would be to his liking to be tried, being able to easily [show] himself not liable for any of the accusations

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τοῦτο καὶ Μετοχίτης λογοθέτης ὁ μέγας, ὃς μεσιτεύων μὲν τότε τῇ διοικήσει τῶν βασιλικῶν πραγμάτων 1.55 ἦν, ἄλλως δὲ ἀγχίνους, καὶ οὐ μόνον τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἔξω σοφίας εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλακώς· τὴν γὰρ ἀστρονομίαν ἀπό τινος Βρυεννίου φαύλας τινὰς καὶ οὐκ ἀκριβεῖς πάνυ παραλαβὼν ἀρχὰς, αὐτὸς ἰδίοις πόνοις ἐξηκριβώσατο, ὡς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πολλοὺς ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ τοῦ μαθήματος σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ γενέσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ διδαχθέντας· ὃ καὶ θαυμάζοντος βασιλέως, καὶ πρός τινα τῶν ἐκείνῳ φοιτησάντων ἐρομένου, ὁ Γρηγορᾶς οὗτος ἦν, πῶς ὁ Μετοχίτης ἐκ φαύλων τῶν ἀρχῶν ὡρμημένος, οὕτως ἠδυνήθη πρὸς τελείαν ἐξεύρεσιν τοῦ μαθήματος ἐλθεῖν, «οὐ θαυμαστὸν» φάναι «βασιλεῦ» τὸν ἐρωτηθέντα, «ἐκ λαμπάδος μικρᾶς πυρσὸν ἀναφθῆναι μέγαν,» ἐπαινέσαι τε τοῦτον τῆς ἀγχινοίας τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον τῆς εἰκόνος θαυμάσαι. οὗτος δὴ οὖν ὁ μέγας λογοθέτης διά τε τὴν σύνεσιν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν, καὶ τὴν ἣν εἶχεν ἐπιτηδειότητα πρὸς τὴν διοίκησιν τῶν πραγμάτων πολλῆς ἀπολαύων παρὰ βασιλέως οἰκειότητος καὶ εὐμενείας, ἐθάρσησε καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθὼν περὶ τοῦ ἐγγόνου διαλεχθῆναι, πείθειν ἐπιχειρῶν, ὡς οὐ δεῖ τὰ καθεστῶτα κινεῖν, οὐδὲ τὸν ἔγγονον τῆς βασιλείας ἀποστεροῦντα, ἑτέρῳ μηδαμῶς προσήκοντι παρέχειν, εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, τὰς ἀπὸ τούτου ταραχὰς συμβησομένας εὐλαβούμενον. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα καὶ ἕτερ' ἄττα διελέχθησαν βασιλεῖ· ἐδόκουν δὲ λίθους ἕψειν. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἀνεπιστρόφως εἴχετο τῶν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς δεδογμένων καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον 1.56 δυσμένειαν αὐτοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπεδείκνυ. λέγεται δ' ἐν τούτοις τοῖς καιροῖς καὶ βασιλεὺς εἰς ἑαυτὸν συννενευκὼς καὶ περί τινος δοκῶν φροντίζειν, πρὸς μηδένα δὲ διαλεγόμενος, αὐτὸς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν πολλάκις εἰπεῖν ὥσπερ ἐπερωτῶν· «καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἐπικρατεστέρα φανεῖται ἡ ἔχθρα ἆρα;» εἴτε δὲ πρός τι τῶν μελετωμένων ἄλλο ὁ λόγος ἀπετείνετο, εἴτε περὶ τῆς εἰς ἔγγονον ἔχθρας ἦν, οὐδεὶς σαφῶς ἠδυνήθη μαθεῖν· πάντες μέντοι πρὸς τοῦτο τὸν λόγον ἐξέλαβον, καὶ τεκμήριον ἐποιοῦντο τῶν μελλόντων κακῶν. ἐν τούτοις μὲν οὖν ὁ χειμὼν ἐτελεύτα. ιβʹ. Ἄρτι δ' ἔαρος ἀρχομένου, Ἀπριλλίου μηνὸς πέμπτῃ ἱσταμένου, τῇ πρὸ τῶν βαΐων κυριακῇ, ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἐγγόνῳ μηνύει ἑτέρωθι μηδαμοῦ πορευθῆναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ ἀφικέσθαι καὶ τὸ νῦν εἶναι· ὁ δὲ τί ποτ' ἂν εἴη τὸ λεχθὲν ἐν νῷ στρέφων καὶ περιεργαζόμενος, καὶ μηδαμοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν συμβαλεῖν ἔχων, ἤρετο τὸν μηνύσαντα, καὶ ἀξίωσιν προσθεὶς, εἴ τι σύνοιδεν, ἀπαγγέλλειν· ὁ δ' ἔλεγε, βέβαιον μὲν οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν ἔχειν, στοχάζεσθαι δὲ, τὸν πάππον βούλεσθαι καὶ βασιλέα τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ ἀρχιερέων παρόντων λόγους τινὰς πρός ἑ διελθεῖν· οἵτινες δὲ οἱ λόγοι καὶ πρὸς τί φέρουσι, σαφῶς εἰδέναι μηδαμῶς. εἶτα μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν, «ὥσπερ μὲν ἔφην, ἀκριβῶς οὐκ οἶδα» εἶπε «περὶ ὧν οἱ λόγοι, εἰκάζειν μέντοι μὴ προσηνεῖς τινας ἔσεσθαι καὶ ἡμέρους, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπὶ δίκῃ καλεῖσθαι· ἐδεῖτό τε μικρὸν ἀναμείναντα καὶ μελέτῃ μι 1.57 κρᾷ προσασχοληθέντα, ὡς εὐθύνας ὑφέξοντα, πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἕτοιμον ἥκειν.» ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ χάριν αὐτῷ τῆς καλοκαγαθίας ὁμολογήσας καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἀμοιβὴν προσεπευξάμενος παρὰ θεοῦ, εἶτα καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ὡς κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ γένοιτ' ἂν τὸ πολλῶν παρόντων δικαζόμενον ἀπολύσασθαι τὰ ἐγκλήματα, ἀπαγγέλλειν ἐκέλευε τῷ πάππῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἀφίξεται ὅσον οὔπω. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν τὴν παρὰ θεοῦ βοήθειαν ἐπευξάμενος ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ προσκυνήσας ἀπῆλθε. βασιλεὺς δ' εὐθὺς τοὺς ἑταίρους μετεκαλεῖτο· ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν μέγας δομέστικος, θείου αὐτῷ τοῦ Ταρχανειώτου, ἀδελφῆς τοῦ πρώτου βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ υἱοῦ τεθνηκότος, παρῆν ἐκεῖ πενθήσων ἐπὶ κειμένῳ τῷ συγγενεῖ. ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ δὲ διατρίβων οἴκοι, ἀφίκετό τε πρὸς βασιλέα εὐθὺς καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κλήσεως ἠρώτα μαθεῖν. βασιλεὺς δὲ τά τε παρὰ βασιλέως μηνυθέντα, καὶ ὅτι δίκης ἕνεκα καλοῖτο γνωρίζει, καὶ ὡς ἥξειν ἐπηγγείλατο κατὰ τάχος, προσθεὶς καὶ τοῦτο, ὡς κατὰ γνώμην ἂν αὐτῷ γένοιτο δικασθῆναι, δυνησομένῳ ῥᾳδίως αὑτὸν μὲν οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων ἐνεχόμενον