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anything I am conscious of having done. However, I am quite convinced that I have erred in such matters as, for example, if it did not please you for me to go hunting, but I went; if I used a horse for a longer time, while it perhaps seemed to you not to be right; or if indeed any other such thing; and 1.69 this I did not do after being commanded by you and then setting your command at naught; but rather I acted knowing nothing; but to you, perhaps, it would have seemed that I was erring. And indeed for this reason, persuading myself that I was doing no wrong, intentionally, I would say to those with whom I was speaking that I should be allowed to receive justice before the lord and emperor; for if this were to happen, I myself would appear convicted of none of the charges; and the emperor, having put aside the suspicion that I was erring, would relent from his anger. For you yourself know, O emperor, that after the death of my emperor and father until now you have been seen to employ such great wrath against me, that for so long you have not deemed me worthy even of a single word; which, as I reckon it, is heavier than death, it came to me to say such things, thinking to get some opportunity for a defense according to the prevailing law in trials. And yet those with whom I spoke said that I was completely mistaken about the right understanding of the matter, if I thought that, since the judge and the accuser are one and the same, I would not be condemned by default, but that refutations and proofs would be needed for my conviction. But I was not persuaded. But now, seeing it happening in reality, just as they said—for before even coming to a hearing, I have been convicted on all counts by you as judge, with the seat to which I have been condemned as undeniable proof—I scarcely came to my senses to judge them wiser than myself. But it would have been better if, just as I was persuading myself, the outcome of the 1.70 matters had been seen to turn out that way; for I forbear to say justly. But since misfortunes have blown so heavily against me that even a father's compassion has been so turned to war against me that I do not even have the freedom due to anyone to refute the charges, I beg your majesty, O emperor, not to cast your vote before the charges which you have brought against me have been tested by examination. And if I am shown to have committed any of these things, let me pay the ultimate penalty by dying; but if I am proven free from all these things, which I think you also desire and make your prayer, then it will be possible again for you, being my father and lord, to act according to your judgment.” By these words the elder emperor, being further kindled to anger, using a harsher voice than was necessary, said that he did not consider him one of those called by Christ. But the young Andronikos, immediately responding to such a statement, said, “Most excellent emperor, though the charges now brought against me are many and harsh, I would have borne in silence even more and harsher ones put forward by you. But as for what you have now said, that you do not consider me a Christian, I am so far from bearing it in silence or considering it spoken against me, that I consider this utterance to be that of a gnat or some other insignificant thing. But even if you yourself, I say, do not think me a Christian, yet Christ, who lovingly shed his venerable blood for me—for whom I myself, when the time calls, am ready to give my own, I say with confidence—both considers me and names me His own. And 1.71 what need is there of such words? If you are judging, judge according to the laws, but if you are condemning before judging, there is nothing left but to receive punishment. Do, therefore, what pleases you; and I confess the greatest thanks to you for both saying and doing in these present circumstances the very things you say and do. For if anything unexpected should befall me from now on, it will not grieve me greatly, since I have many witnesses of the injustice. 15. Such things, then, were said indoors by both the emperors. But the grand domestic and the protostrator, staying in the outer room, as we said before, and having heard the elder emperor speak more harshly, and thinking the harshness of his voice was to the detriment of the young emperor, moved from where they were sitting, and

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τι σύνοιδα εἰργασμένῳ. ἐξαμαρτάνειν μέντοι γε καὶ πάνυ πείθομαι τοιαῦτα, οἷον, εἴγε σοὶ μὲν οὐκ ἤρεσκε πρὸς κυνηγεσίαν ἀπελθεῖν, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπῆλθον· εἰ ἐπὶ πλείονα χρόνον ἐχρησάμην ἵππῳ, σοὶ τούτου ἴσως οὐ καλῶς ἔχειν δοκοῦντος· ἢ εἰ δή τι τοιοῦτον ἕτερον· καὶ τοῦ 1.69 το δὲ οὐ προσταττόμενος παρὰ σοῦ, ἔπειτ' εἰς οὐδὲν τὸ ἐπίταγμα τιθέμενος ἐποίουν· ἀλλ' ἐγὼ μὲν ἐποίουν μηδὲν εἰδώς· σοὶ δ' ἴσως ἂν ἐμὲ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐδόκει. ᾧ δὴ καὶ πείθων ἐμαυτὸν ἀδικεῖν μηδὲν, κατὰ γνώμην, ἔλεγον, ἐμοὶ γένοιτ' ἂν ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου καὶ βασιλέως δίκης τυχεῖν, πρὸς οὓς ἐποιούμην τοὺς λόγους· εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο γένοιτο, πρὸς οὐδὲν μὲν τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων ἐλεγχόμενος αὐτὸς φανεῖσθαι· τὸν βασιλέα δὲ τὴν περὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐμὲ ὑπόνοιαν ἀποθέμενον, τῆς ὀργῆς ἂν ὑφεῖναι. οἶσθα γὰρ αὐτὸς, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν τοῦ ἐμοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πατρὸς τελευτὴν ἄχρι καὶ νῦν τοσαύτῃ χρώμενος ἐφαίνου τῇ μήνιδι κατ' ἐμοῦ, ὡς ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον οὐδὲ λόγου γοῦν ἀξιῶσαί τινος· ὃ καὶ θανάτου βαρύτερον ἐμοὶ λογιζομένῳ, τοιαῦτ' ἐπῄει λέγειν, οἰομένῳ καιροῦ τινος πρὸς ἀπολογίαν τυχεῖν κατὰ τὸν ἐπικρατοῦντα νόμον ταῖς δίκαις. καίτοι γ' ἔφασκον ἐμὲ, πρὸς οὓς διελεγόμην, παντάπασιν ἁμαρτάνειν περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων γνώμης ὀρθῆς, εἰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ δικάζοντος ὄντος καὶ ἐγκαλοῦντος, ἐρήμην οὐκ οἴομαι ἁλώσεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐλέγχων δεήσεσθαι καὶ ἀποδείξεων πρὸς τὴν καταδίκην. ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ ἐπειθόμην. νυνὶ δ' ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὥσπερ ἔλεγον, συμβαῖνον ὁρῶν, πρὶν γὰρ εἰς λόγους ἥκειν, παρὰ σοὶ κριτῇ ταῖς ἁπάσαις ἑάλων, καὶ τεκμήριον ἀψευδὲς, εἰς ἣν κατεδικάσθην καθέδραν, νοῦν μὲν ἔσχον μόλις συνετωτέρους ἐκείνους ἐμαυτοῦ κρίνειν· βέλτιον δ' ἦν, ὥσπερ ἔπειθον ἐμαυτὸν ἐγὼ, οὕτω καὶ τὴν ἀπόβασιν ὀφθῆναι γενομένην τῶν πρα 1.70 γμάτων· ἐῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν δίκαιον. ἐπεὶ δ' αἱ δυσπραγίαι τοσοῦτον ἔπνευσαν βαρὺ κατ' ἐμοῦ, ὥστε μοι καὶ τὰ πατρὸς σπλάγχνα τοσοῦτον ἐκπεπολεμῶσθαι, ὡς μηδὲ τῆς ὁτῳοῦν προσηκούσης ἐλευθερίας τυγχάνειν ἐπὶ τὸ τὰ ἐγκλήματα ἀπολύσασθαι, δέομαι τοῦ σοῦ κράτους, ὦ βασιλεῦ, μὴ πρότερον ψῆφον ἐξενεγκεῖν, πρὶν ἂν τὰ ἐγκλήματα, ἅπερ ἐμοῦ κατηγόρηκας, βασάνῳ δοκιμασθῇ. κἂν μέν τι φαίνωμαι τούτων ἐξειργασμένος, τὴν ἐσχάτην δοῦναι δίκην ἀποθανόντα· ἂν δ' ἐλεύθερος ἐκ πάντων τούτων ἀποδειχθῶ, ὅπερ οἶμαι καὶ σὲ βούλεσθαι καὶ δι' εὐχῆς ποιεῖσθαι, τότ' ἐξέσται πάλιν πατρί γε ὄντι σοὶ καὶ κυρίῳ πράττειν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην.» Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις εἰς ὀργὴν ἐξαφθεὶς ἐπιπλέον ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς, τραχυτέρᾳ τοῦ δέοντος χρησάμενος τῇ φωνῇ, μὴ οἴεσθαι αὐτὸν ἔλεγε τῶν καλουμένων ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ. ὁ νέος δὲ Ἀνδρόνικος εὐθὺς πρὸς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀπαντῶν λόγον, «κράτιστε βασιλεῦ» ἔφη «τῶν ἐμοὶ νῦν ἐπενεχθέντων ἐγκλημάτων πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ χαλεπῶν, ἔτι καὶ πλείω καὶ χαλεπώτερα σοῦ προτάξαντος ἤνεγκα ἂν σιγῇ. ὃ δὲ νῦν ἔφης, μὴ οἴεσθαί με Χριστιανὸν, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχω τοῦ σιγῇ φέρειν ἢ πρὸς ἐμὲ εἰρῆσθαι νομίζειν, ὥστ' ἐμπίδος ἤ τινος τῶν φαυλοτέρων τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην νομίζω. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ αὐτός, φημι, οὐχ ἡγῇ με Χριστιανὸν, ἀλλ' ὅγε τὸ σεβάσμιον αὐτοῦ αἷμα ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ φιλανθρώπως ἐκχέας Χριστὸς, ὑπὲρ οὗ καὶ αὐτὸς ἕτοιμος εἶναι τὸ ἴδιον ἀποδοῦναι, καιροῦ καλοῦντος, θαῤῥούντως φημὶ, ἑαυτοῦ καὶ οἴεταί με καὶ ὀνομάζει. καί 1.71 τις χρεία τοιούτων λόγων; εἰ μὲν δικάζεις, δίκαζε κατὰ νόμους, εἰ δὲ πρὶν δικάσαι καταψηφίζῃ, οὐδὲν ἢ δίκας λοιπὸν λαμβάνειν. πράττε τοιγαροῦν ἅ σοι κεχαρισμένα· χάριτας δέ σοι τὰς μεγίστας ὁμολογῶ τῷ καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν ἐπὶ τῶν παρόντων τουτωνὶ, ἃ δὴ καὶ λέγεις καὶ πράττεις. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἄν τι καὶ τῶν ἀδοκήτων ἀπό γε τοῦ νῦν ἐπίῃ, οὐ σφόδρα λυπήσει, πολλοὺς ἔχοντι μάρτυρας τῆς ἀδικίας. ιεʹ. Ἔνδον μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα παρ' ἀμφοῖν τοῖν βασιλέοιν ἐλέχθη. ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος καὶ ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ ἐν τῷ ἐξωτέρῳ, καθάπερ ἔφθημεν εἰπόντες, διατρίβοντες οἴκῳ, καὶ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου βασιλέως τραχύτερον ἀκούσαντες φθεγξαμένου, ἐπὶ κακῷ τε τοῦ νέου βασιλέως τὴν τραχύτητα τῆς φωνῆς οἰηθέντες εἶναι, ἐκινήθησαν μὲν ὅθεν ἐκάθηντο, καὶ