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they once plotted against their own children. But if there were some among them who were not like that, do you think me so wicked and ungrateful towards friends, as to offer betrayal as a reward for their friendship towards me? Not at all. For I would more easily give up my own safety not just for all of them together, but even for one of them, than, in preserving it, be willing for them to associate with even some small evils. In addition to this you have also ordered me to secure myself with oaths not to resort to flight; I swear to you by the Lord and King of all, God, that if I detect any threatening danger being plotted against me, I will use all my strength and my whole foot for flight.” 16. As the young emperor was relating these things, the elder, standing by the doors of the small chamber, was listening to everything, and he bore the rest in silence, but upon hearing about the flight, he said, “And you, will you flee? But in a moment you will be seized and led away as a prisoner and reduced to the fortune of one taken by the spear. And I 1.75 will not be willing to ransom you from slavery for even three obols. Then, stepping forward a little, he said to those present, “Do you see how this man confirms my words, being harsh and insolent and arrogant beyond what is necessary? Now it is possible for you also to understand clearly from the facts.” But the young Andronikos said, “In truth, O emperor, I am neither harsh nor insolent, but the heap of my sins makes me appear so to you; but I say, with God who knows all things as my witness, that I am not conscious of having done anything of such a kind as to be worthy of so great an anger. For this reason indeed I beg your majesty to obtain pardon, whether I have sinned or not. For I long to die at your feet,” hinting that he would not wish to depart from him without necessity. And with these words he also bent down to the ground to kiss the emperor's foot. But the other held him up, taking him by the shoulder, at the same time forbidding the act with words; but when he saw him insisting, letting go of his shoulder, he took hold of his hair; but when even so he insisted, unsparing of himself, the grandfather, fearing that the hair might be torn from his head by the force, yielded to the prostration; and having bent down he kissed the emperor's foot. Then, when he stood up, the emperor took his head and kissed his face. When the patriarch and the members of the senate who were present saw this and considered it proof of a now firm reconciliation of the emperors, they uttered many 1.76 cries, giving thanks to God, the bestower of peace. And the young emperor himself and those with him, thinking that the emperor had been reconciled to his grandson, both rejoiced themselves and considered that day one of supreme good fortune. The young emperor, having departed from the palace for home, related to his friends the speeches during the trial, and they celebrated and rejoiced with one another. They also reported what had happened to Syrgiannes, so that he too might rejoice with his rejoicing friends and have no care wasting away his soul, since the previous plots had now been dissolved and a firm peace had been made for the emperors and matters had turned out for them according to their prayer. For they prayed for this, that the emperor would change his hostility towards his grandson, and that they themselves, being established outside of dangers, might live in quiet. Thus, then, it seemed to them that matters stood; but things were otherwise, as it seemed to the many from what happened afterwards. For it was judged to have happened with such a thought. A custom prevailed among the emperors of the Romans that whenever one of their blood relatives or otherwise of the magistrates, having done obeisance, kisses the emperor's foot, he too kisses them in return on the face. And so then, when the young emperor kissed his grandfather's foot, so that he might not seem to have gone to the extreme of hostility, not even deeming his grandson and emperor worthy of the things befitting private citizens, he too kissed him in return on the face. But the conversation of the emperors 1.77 with each other at the trial ended here; but two days after this, the elder of the emperors indicated through a certain person to the Grand Domestic to depart for the Peloponnese, to govern it. This immediately seemed to be one of the

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τέκνοις ἐπεβούλευσάν ποτε τοῖς ἰδίοις. εἰ δέ τινες ἐν αὐτοῖς εἶεν καὶ μὴ τοιοῦτοι, οὕτω δοκεῖς ἐμὲ κακὸν καὶ ἀγνώμονα εἶναι περὶ τοὺς φίλους, ὥστε τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ φιλίας προδοσίαν παρασχεῖν ἀντιμισθίαν; οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδαμῶς. ῥᾷον γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸς οὐχ ὑπὲρ πάντων ὁμοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑνὸς αὐτῶν τὴν ἐμὴν προήσομαι σωτηρίαν, ἢ ταύτην περιποιούμενος ἐκείνους ἐθελήσω καὶ μικροῖς τισι προσομιλῆσαι κακοῖς. ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ὅρκοις ἐπέταξας τὸ μὴ δρασμῷ χρήσασθαι ἀσφαλίσασθαι· ὄμνυμι δή σοι τὸν ἁπάντων κύριον καὶ βασιλέα θεὸν, ὡς ἄν τι φωράσω περὶ ἐμὲ βουλευόμενον κίνδυνον ἀπειλοῦν, πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ ὅλῳ ποδὶ χρήσομαι πρὸς φυγήν.» ιϛʹ. Ταῦτα τοῦ νέου βασιλέως διεξιόντος, ὁ πρεσβύτερος ὑπὸ τὰς θύρας ἱστάμενος τοῦ οἰκίσκου, πάντων ἐπηκροᾶτο, καὶ τἄλλα μὲν ἤνεγκε σιωπῶν, τὴν φυγὴν δὲ ἀκούσας· «σὺ δ', ἔφη «φεύξῃ γε σύ; ἀλλ' ὅσον οὔπω σὺ μὲν συλληφθεὶς ἀπαχθήσῃ δεσμώτης καὶ πρὸς δοριαλώτου καταστὰς τύχην. ἐγὼ δ' 1.75 οὐδὲ τριῶν ὀβολῶν ἐθελήσω λύσασθαι τῆς δουλίας· εἶτα μικρὸν προβὰς, «ὁρᾶτε» ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας «ὅπως τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις οὗτος συμμαρτυρεῖ, σκληρὸς ὢν καὶ αὐθάδης καὶ πέρα τοῦ δέοντος ἀλαζών; ἤδη καὶ ὑμῖν ἐστι σαφῶς ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων καταμαθεῖν.» ὁ νέος δ' Ἀνδρόνικος, «ἐπ' ἀληθείας» εἶπεν «ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὔτε σκληρός εἰμί τις, οὔτε αὐθάδης, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐμῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ὁ σωρὸς τοιοῦτον εἶναι φαίνεσθαί σοι ποιεῖ· ἐγὼ δ' ἐπὶ μάρτυρι λέγω τῷ εἰδότι πάντα θεῷ, ὡς οὐδὲν τοιοῦτον ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα εἰργασμένῳ ὡς ἄξιον εἶναι τῆς τοσαύτης ὀργῆς. διὸ δὴ καὶ δέομαι τοῦ σοῦ κράτους συγγνώμης κἄν τε ἥμαρτον τυχεῖν, κἄν τε μή. πρὸς τοὺς πόδας γὰρ ἐφίεμαι τοὺς σοὺς ἀποθανεῖν,» αἰνιττόμενος, ὡς οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῦ βουλήσοιτο ἀποστῆναι χωρὶς ἀνάγκης. ἅμα δὲ τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις καὶ πρὸς γῆν κατεκλίνετο ἀσπασόμενος τὸν πόδα τοῦ βασιλέως. ὁ δ' ἀνεῖχε λαβόμενος τοῦ ὤμου, ἅμα καὶ λόγοις τὸ ἔργον ἀπαγορεύων· ὡς δ' ἑώρα βιαζόμενον, ἀφεὶς τὸν ὦμον, ἐλάβετο τῶν τριχῶν· ὡς δὲ καὶ οὕτως ἐβιάζετο, ἀφειδῶν ἑαυτοῦ, δείσας ὁ πάππος, μὴ τῇ βίᾳ τῆς κεφαλῆς διαστῶσιν αἱ τρίχες, ἐνέδωκε τὴν κατάκλισιν· ὁ δὲ κατακλιθεὶς ἠσπάσατο τὸν πόδα τοῦ βασιλέως. εἶτ' ἀναστάντος τῆς κεφαλῆς λαβόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, κατεφίλει τὰς ὄψεις. τοῦτο δὴ ὁ πατριάρχης καὶ οἱ τῆς συγκλήτου παρόντες ἰδόντες καὶ διαλλαγῆς ἀπόδειξιν νομίσαντες ἤδη βεβαίας τῶν βασιλέων, πολλὰς ἀφῆκαν 1.76 φωνὰς εὐχαριστοῦντες θεῷ τῷ χορηγῷ τῆς εἰρήνης. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος καὶ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν διηλλάχθαι νομίσαντες τῷ ἐγγόνῳ τὸν βασιλέα, ἔχαιρόν τε αὐτοὶ, καὶ εὐτυχίας ἄκρας ἡγοῦντο τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην. ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων οἴκαδε ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς ἀπελθὼν, διηγεῖτό τε τοῖς φίλοις τοὺς κατὰ τὴν δίκην λόγους, συνεόρταζόν τε καὶ συνέχαιρον ἀλλήλοις. μηνύουσι δὴ καὶ Συργιάννῃ τὰ γεγονότα, ὡς ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς συγχαίρῃ τοῖς φίλοις χαίρουσι καὶ μηδεμίαν ἔχῃ φροντίδα τήκουσαν τὴν ψυχὴν, ὡς τῶν προτέρων ἤδη βουλευμάτων διαλυθέντων καὶ βεβαίας εἰρήνης γεγενημένης τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ κατ' εὐχὴν αὐτοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων κεχωρηκότων. τοῦτο γὰρ ηὔχοντο, τὸν μὲν βασιλέα τῆς εἰς τὸν ἔγγονον ἀπεχθείας μεταβαλεῖν, αὐτοὺς δὲ κινδύνων ἔξω καταστάντας ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἔχειν ἐδόκει τὰ γεγενημένα· τὰ δ' ἦσαν ἕτερον τρόπον, ὡς ἔδοξε τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα. ἐκρίθη γὰρ διανοίᾳ γεγενῆσθαι τοιαύτῃ. ἔθος ἐπεκράτησε παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι Ῥωμαίων, ἐπειδάν τις τῶν καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων ἢ καὶ ἄλλως τῶν ἐν τέλει, προσκυνήσας ἀσπάσηται τὸν πόδα τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀντασπάζεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν [αὐτὸν] εἰς τὴν ὄψιν. καὶ τότε δὴ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἀσπασαμένου πρὸς τὸν πόδα τὸν πάππον, ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἄκρον ἀπεχθείας ἐληλακέναι δοκῇ, οὐδὲ τῶν ἰδιώταις προσηκόντων ἀξιῶν τὸν ἔγγονον καὶ βασιλέα, ἀντεφίλησεν εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ αὐτός. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλέξεως τῶν βασι 1.77 λέων ἐπὶ τῆς δίκης ἐνταῦθα ἐτελεύτησε· δυσὶ δὲ ὕστερον ἡμέραις μετὰ τοῦτο ὁ πρεσβύτερος τῶν βασιλέων τῷ μεγάλῳ διά τινος δηλοῖ δομεστίκῳ πρὸς Πελοπόννησον ἀπελθεῖν, ἐκείνης ἐπιτροπεύσοντα. τὸ δ' εὐθὺς ἐδόκει μὲν εἶναι τῶν