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to consider the only thought worthy of themselves. I then am now proceeding to the trial; 1.66 but if it should happen again, God granting, that we come together and see each other's desired countenance, thanks be to him; but if something else has been decided concerning us, I bid you these final farewells; but may you prove worthy both of your noble birth and your courage.” At this, when both were eager to respond, the protostrator restrained them, and the Grand Domestic said: “Since rational men are superior to irrational ones in this, that by using reason they choose what is right, I believe nothing is more necessary or more beneficial than to choose friendship. Therefore, O Emperor, having myself chosen your friendship from childhood, and having preserved it growing until this moment, I hope to keep it pure and unblemished until the limits of life. Be of good courage, therefore, O Emperor, for no undesirable thing will befall you before I fall, drenched in my own blood. You, then, keep to the path that lies ahead, fortified by the help from our savior Christ and from her who bore him, and also by the prayers of the one sent by the emperor a short while ago. But we shall remain in the outer part of the house in which the trial will take place, ready to give up our lives for your benefit, should violence be brought to bear.” When the protostrator also said that he was content with these same things, after taking leave of one another, and embracing as if for the last time, and arming themselves with the cross, they proceeded to the trial with an unswerving and firm bearing and spirit. 1.67 14. So the companions of the emperor remained outside; but he himself, entering the house of judgment, while his grandfather and emperor was sitting on the throne, he himself sat on the aforementioned couch. And those who were summoned as hearers of the trial each sat where it was proper. And these were they: Gerasimos the patriarch, filled with divine graces and having attained the summit of the monastic life, but altogether inexperienced in political and public affairs; and Theoleptos, who adorned the throne of Philadelphia, he himself also having reached the summit of virtue, and not only having achieved the exactness of the monastic life, but also being able to teach others sufficiently; and moreover, being sound of judgment, and having partaken no little of secular education. And from the senate were present the grand logothete Metochites, whom the account has already mentioned, and Nikephoros Choumnos, in charge of the Kanikleion, a wise man and wonderful in judgment, enjoying much goodwill and honor from the emperor; for which reason the emperor also brought his daughter Eirene to his son the despot John in the fellowship of marriage. He, who formerly was himself a mediator for the emperor in his affairs, at that time because of a disease, which was gout, had ceased from his service, but enjoyed much honor from the emperor. And in addition to these there was also 1.68 Constantine Akropolites, he too being a grand logothete. And after a short silence, the elder of the Andronikoi, the emperor, began a speech as follows: “Lord Patriarch and you who are present, this man (indicating his grandson) is harsh and insolent in his ways; moreover, he is disobedient, and in no way submissive to me, but does whatever he wishes, taking no account at all of our will. For this reason”—up to this point the young emperor sat silent; but thinking “for this reason” to be the beginning of a sentence, he said, “I beg you, my most divine lord and emperor, to pause for a moment and grant me a little time for a speech; and when I have briefly related what I wish, you yourself will conclude the rest of the speech.” When he permitted him to say what he wished, the young Andronikos said, “I call God as a witness of my present words, that I am conscious of having done nothing of which I am accused. I declared this same thing previously to your majesty, using the admirable Joseph as an envoy. This indeed I now assert again, and I confirm my words with oaths, that neither now nor then of the things I am accused of

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μόνην ἡγήσασθαι διάνοιαν ἀξίαν ἑαυτῶν. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ἤδη πρὸς τὴν δίκην 1.66 χωρῶ· ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν καὶ αὖθις γένοιτο, θεοῦ διδόντος, ἀλλήλοις τε συγγενέσθαι καὶ τὴν ποθεινὴν ἀλλήλων ὄψιν ἰδεῖν, αὐτῷ χάρις· εἰ δ' ἕτερόν τι δέδοκται περὶ ἡμῶν, ἐγὼ μὲν ἀσπάζομαι ὑμᾶς τὰ τελευταῖα δὴ ταῦτα· ὑμεῖς δ' ἄξιοι φάνητε καὶ τῆς εὐγενείας καὶ τῆς ἀνδρίας.» Ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀμφοτέρων ἀποκρίνασθαι ὡρμημένων, τοῦ πρωτοστράτορος ἐπισχόντος, ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἔφη· «τῶν λογικῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τοῦτο τῶν ἀλόγων ὑπερεχόντων, ὅτι λόγῳ χρώμενοι τὰ δέοντα αἱροῦνται, οὐδὲν ἀναγκαιότερον οὐδὲ ὠφελιμώτερον τοῦ φιλίαν αἱρεῖσθαι ἡγοῦμαι. τοίνυν καὶ αὐτὸς, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τὴν σὴν φιλίαν ἐκ παιδὸς ᾑρημένος, καὶ εἰς τόδε χρόνου διατηρήσας αὐξανομένην, καὶ μέχρι ζωῆς ὅρων ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ καθαρὰν ἐλπίζω φυλάξειν. θάρσει τοιγαροῦν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὡς οὐ πρότερόν σοι τῶν ἀβουλήτων τι συναντήσει, πρὶν ἐμὲ πεσεῖν τῶν ἰδίων αἱμάτων ἐμπεπλησμένον. σὺ μὲν οὖν ἔχου τῆς προκειμένης ὁδοῦ τῇ παρὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτὸν τεκούσης βοηθείᾳ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ταῖς εὐχαῖς τοῦ πρὸ μικροῦ παρὰ βασιλέως ἀπεσταλμένου τετειχισμένος. ἡμεῖς δ' ἐν τῷ ἐξωτέρῳ τοῦ, ἐν ᾧ ἡ δίκη γεννήσεται, μενοῦμεν οἴκῳ, τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὲρ τῆς σῆς ὠφελείας ὄντες ἕτοιμοι προέσθαι, βίας ἐπαγομένης.» τοῖς αὐτοῖς δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ εἰπὼν ἀρκεῖσθαι, ἀλλήλοις συνταξάμενοι, καὶ ὥσπερ περιπτυξάμενοι τελευταῖον, τῷ σταυρῷ τε καθοπλίσαντες ἑαυτοὺς, ἐχώρουν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην ἀτρέπτῳ καὶ βεβηκότι καὶ σχήματι καὶ φρονήματι. 1.67 ιδʹ. Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἑταῖροι τοῦ βασιλέως ἔμειναν ἔξω· αὐτὸς δ' εἰσελθὼν τὸν οἶκον τῆς δίκης, τοῦ πάππου καὶ βασιλέως ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθημένου, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τοῦ προειρημένου σκίμποδος ἐκαθέσθη. καὶ οἱ προσκληθέντες δὲ τῆς δίκης ἀκροαταὶ, ἐφ' ᾧ προσῆκεν ἕκαστος ἐκαθέσθησαν. ἦσαν δ' οὗτοι· Γεράσιμός τε ὁ πατριάρχης, χαρίτων μὲν θείων πεπληρωμένος καὶ τῆς μοναδικῆς πολιτείας εἰς ἄκρον ἐληλακὼς, πολιτικῶν δὲ πραγμάτων καὶ δημοσίων παντάπασιν ἀπείρως ἔχων· καὶ ὁ τὸν τῆς Φιλαδελφείας θρόνον κοσμῶν Θεόληπτος, καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν εἰς ἄκρον ἀρετῆς ἥκων, καὶ πολιτείας ἀκρίβειαν μοναδικῆς οὐ μόνον κατωρθωκὼς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρους ἱκανῶς ἔχων διδάξαι· ἔτι δὲ καὶ φρονήσεως εὖ ἔχων, καὶ παιδείας τῆς ἔξωθεν οὐκ ὀλίγον μεταλαβών. ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου παρῆσαν ὅ, τε μέγας λογοθέτης ὁ Μετοχίτης, ὃν ἐδήλωσε φθάσας ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ Κανικλείου Νικηφόρος ὁ Χοῦμνος, σοφὸς ἀνὴρ καὶ θαυμάσιος ἐν φρονήσει, πολλῆς τε ἀπολαύων πρὸς βασιλέως εὐνοίας τε καὶ τιμῆς· δι' ἣν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα Εἰρήνην τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ δεσπότῃ Ἰωάννῃ πρὸς γάμου κοινωνίαν ἤγαγεν ὁ βασιλεύς. ὃς δὴ πρότερον μὲν ἦν μεσάζων καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὰ πράγματα βασιλεῖ, τότε δὲ ὑπὸ νόσου, ποδαλγία δὲ ἦν, τῆς μὲν ὑπηρεσίας ἐπέπαυτο, τιμῆς δ' ἀπέλαυε τῆς παρὰ βασιλέως πολλῆς. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ 1.68 ὁ Ἀκροπολίτης ἦν Κωνσταντῖνος, μέγας λογοθέτης ὢν καὶ αὐτός. ἐπ' ὀλίγον δὲ σιγῆς γενομένης, ὁ τῶν Ἀνδρονίκων πρεσβύτερος λόγου ἥπτετο βασιλεὺς τοιούτου· «δέσποτα πατριάρχα καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ παρόντες, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος περὶ τοῦ ἐγγόνου δηλῶν, ἔστι μὲν σκληρὸς καὶ τοὺς τρόπους αὐθάδης· ἔτι δὲ καὶ παρήκοος, καὶ οὐδαμῶς ὑπείκων ἐμοὶ, ἀλλ' ἃ βούλοιτο πράττων, τοῦ ἡμετέρου λόγον θελήματος ποιούμενος οὐδ' ὀλίγον. διὰ τοῦτο»-μέχρι μὲν οὖν τούτου σιωπῶν βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος καθῆστο· τὸ «διὰ τοῦτο» δὲ ἀρχὴν ἀποφάσεως εἶναι νομίσας, «δέομαί σου, θειότατέ μοι καὶ κύριε βασιλεῦ» εἶπε «μικρὸν ἐπισχόντα, λόγου χρόνον ὀλίγον ἐμοὶ χαρίσασθαι· ἃ δὲ βούλομαι διεξελθόντι ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ, τοῦ λόγου τὸ λοιπὸν αὐτὸς περανεῖς.» τοῦ δ' ἐπιτρέψαντος ἃ βούλοιτο λέγειν, «τὸν θεὸν,» ὁ νέος Ἀνδρόνικος ἔφη, «τῶν παρόντων λόγων μάρτυρα προκαλοῦμαι, ὡς οὐδὲν ὧν ἐγκαλοῦμαι ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα εἰργασμένῳ. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ καὶ πρότερον ἐδήλωσα τῷ σῷ κράτει, τῷ θαυμασίῳ Ἰωσὴφ χρησάμενος πρεσβευτῇ. τοῦτο δὴ καὶ νῦν αὖθις διϊσχυρίζομαι, καὶ ὅρκοις πιστούμενος τοὺς λόγους, ὡς οὔτε νῦν οὔτε τότε τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων ἐμαυτῷ