27

when the facts teach him, he will undertake those things which he thinks will be profitable. For all these reasons, I think we should no longer delay, nor neglect 1.80 the manifest danger, as if driven out of our minds by the magnitude of the terrors, but we should save ourselves, as best we can. Furthermore, I wish to bring forth another opinion concerning the matters at hand, if indeed you also agree. What opinion is this? The emperor and my grandfather, as you yourselves also know, demanded that I make known to him those who are with me. At that time, then, I replied with words fitting to the occasion, saying that there were no people with me, and that if there were, I would not make them known; but now it seems profitable to me to use an embassy to him, both to confess that they exist and to demand that he guarantee by oaths that he will not bear a grudge against them nor take revenge for their goodwill toward me. If, then, he receives my words gently and kindly and guarantees by oaths the immunity of my friends, it would be a clear proof that he himself has been purely reconciled to me, and that his sending you to your offices is not meddlesome nor treacherous, but has been simply so conceived by him; but if he becomes indignant and rejects the embassy, we should seek no other clearer proof that everything is being contrived against us. And I shall use as an ambassador the Grand Logothete Metochites, since he also mediated the messages between me and the emperor at that time, and has freedom of speech with him, so that he may be bold to act as an ambassador concerning such matters. ιζʹ. When the young emperor had resolved on these things, and the Grand Domestic and the Protostrator had voted in agreement that it was good, each of them departed for home; 1.81 and the young emperor, summoning the Grand Logothete, sent the following embassy to his grandfather: «The benefit done to me the day before yesterday by your serenity, O emperor, persuades me to confess many and just thanks to your might. For though the words began with turmoil and anger, yet ending in a gentle and compassionate conclusion, they brought more joy than they had previously caused grief. Therefore I do not think it right even to recall the former things, as they were of a paternal and disciplinary and solicitous nature; but what was done later, as worthy of magnanimity and goodwill, both paternal and imperial, I have decided must be kept indelible in my soul. But since one of the things then said terribly disturbs me and provides no small cares, and has instilled no ordinary fear in others, I beg your serenity to heal this pain as well. What I say is this: when you, O emperor, ordered me through this Grand Logothete here to make known to you those who are with me and support me, at that time I did not deny that they existed at all, but I tried to demonstrate from plausible reasonings that they could not exist. These were: that I have neither a supply of money, with which I might perhaps persuade some to support me, nor do I enjoy authority and freedom of speech from you, befitting an emperor's son, on account of which I might be courted by those who would need my help. But now the matter itself 1.82 has forced those attached to me to become manifest, and I myself confess that they exist; except, as I also said then, they are not repaying a favor, but are rather initiating a favor. Therefore I implore your clemency, O emperor, to guarantee by oaths to me and to them that they will be kept safe from harm forever. For thus it will be possible for both me and them to take courage and to live without fear and to confess many thanks to your might.» Such things the young emperor related to the Grand Logothete, so that he might report them to his grandfather and emperor, asking him also to assist in this, and to suggest to the emperor the fulfillment of the oaths, as many good things would result from this. And he immediately said, «I for my part thought, O emperor, that my summons from you was leading to something good. For I supposed that you would convey through me some submissive and conciliatory words to the emperor, from which a gentler

27

διδασκόντων τῶν πραγμάτων, οἷς οἰήσεται λυσιτελήσειν ἐπιχειρήσει. τούτων ἕνεκα πάντων οὐκέτι διαμέλλειν οἴομαι δεῖν, οὐδὲ πρὸς 1.80 προὖπτον κίνδυνον αὐτοὺς ἀμελεῖν, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ μεγέθους τῶν δεινῶν ἐκστάντας τῶν λογισμῶν, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς διασώζειν, ὡς ἂν οἷοί τε ὦμεν. ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ γνώμην ἑτέραν περὶ τῶν προκειμένων, εἴγε καὶ ὑμῖν συνδοκεῖ, βούλομαι ἐξενεγκεῖν. ποίαν δὴ ταύτην; ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάππος ὁ ἐμὸς, καθάπερ ἴστε δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ, καταδήλους τοὺς ἐμοὶ συνόντας ἐζήτησεν αὑτῷ ποιῆσαι. τότε μὲν οὖν ἁρμόζοντας ἀπεκρινάμην τῷ καιρῷ λόγους, μήτ' εἶναι εἰπὼν τοὺς συνόντας ἐμοί τινας, μήτ' εἴπερ εἰσὶ, καταδήλους αὐτοὺς ποιήσειν· νῦν δέ μοι δοκεῖ λυσιτελεῖν πρεσβείᾳ χρησάμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτι τέ εἰσιν ὁμολογῆσαι καὶ ὅρκοις αὐτὸν ἀπαιτῆσαι πιστώσασθαι, μὴ μνησικακήσειν αὐτοῖς μηδ' ἀμυνεῖσθαι τῆς εὐνοίας τῆς εἰς ἐμέ. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἡμέρως καὶ προσηνῶς τοὺς παρ' ἐμοῦ δεξάμενος λόγους ὅρκοις πιστώσηται τὴν ἀπάθειαν τοῖς ἐμοῖς φίλοις, ἐναργὲς ἂν εἴη τεκμήριον, ὡς αὐτός τε καθαρῶς διήλλακται πρὸς ἐμὲ, καὶ τὸ ὑμᾶς εἰς ἀρχὰς ἐκπέμπειν οὐ περιέργως οὐδ' ἐπιβούλως, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς αὐτῷ οὕτως ἐπινενόηται· εἰ δ' ἀγανακτήσει καὶ ἀποσείσεται τὴν πρεσβείαν, μηδεμίαν ἄλλην ἀπόδειξιν ἐναργεστέραν ζητεῖν τοῦ πάντα συσκευάζεσθαι καθ' ἡμῶν. χρήσομαι δὲ πρεσβευτῇ τῷ μεγάλῳ λογοθέτῃ τῷ Μετοχίτῃ, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τότε μεσιτεύσαντι πρὸς τὰς ἀγγελίας ἐμοὶ καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ παῤῥησίαν ἔχοντι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὥστε θαῤῥῆσαι περὶ τοιούτων πρεσβεύειν. ιζʹ. Τοιαῦτα τοῦ νέου βασιλέως βουλευσαμένου, καὶ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου καὶ πρωτοστράτορος ὡς καλῶς ἔχει συνεπιψηφισαμένων, αὐτοὶ μὲν ἕκαστος οἴκαδε ἀπεχώρουν· βασι 1.81 λεὺς δ' ὁ νέος τὸν μέγαν μετακαλεσάμενος λογοθέτην, οὕτω διεπρεσβεύετο πρὸς τὸν πάππον· «Ἡ εἰς ἐμὲ πρὸ τῆς χθὲς γεγενημένη παρὰ τῆς σῆς γαληνότητος, ὦ βασιλεῦ, εὐεργεσία πολλὰς καὶ δικαίας ὁμολογεῖν χάριτας τῷ σῷ πείθει κράτει. κἂν γὰρ ἀπὸ ταραχῆς καὶ ὀργῆς ἦρξαν οἱ λόγοι, ἀλλ' εἰς τέλος ἥμερον καὶ συμπαθείας γέμον ἀποκαταστάντες, μᾶλλον εὔφραναν, ἢ καθ' ὅσον πρότερον ἐλύπουν. διὸ δὴ καὶ τῶν μὲν προτέρων, ὡς πατρικῆς ὄντων καὶ παιδείας καὶ κηδεμονίας, οὐδ' ἀναμιμνήσκεσθαι ἀξιῶ· ἃ δ' ἐν ὑστέρῳ πέπρακται, ὡς ἄξια καὶ μεγαλοψυχίας καὶ εὐμενείας καὶ πατρικῆς καὶ βασιλικῆς, ἀνεξάλειπτα δεῖν ἔγνων φυλάττειν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ. ἐπεὶ δ' ἕν τι τῶν τότε ῥηθέντων ἐμέ τε δεινῶς ἐκταράττει καὶ φροντίδας οὐ παρέχεται μικρὰς, καὶ ἑτέροις ἐνέσεισεν οὐ τὸν τυχόντα φόβον, δέομαι τῆς σῆς γαληνότητος ἰάσασθαι καὶ ταύτην τὴν ἀλγηδόνα. ἔστι δ' ὃ λέγω τοιοῦτον· σοῦ, βασιλεῦ, ἐμοὶ διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου λογοθέτου προστάξαντος τουτουὶ, καταδήλους σοι θέσθαι τοὺς συνόντας καὶ συναιρομένους ἐμοὶ, τότε μὲν παντάπασι μὴ εἶναι οὐκ ἠρνησάμην, πλὴν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν εἰκότων ἐπεχείρουν, ὡς οὐκ ἂν εἶεν, ἀποδεικνύναι. οἵδ' ἦσαν· τὸ μήτε πόρον ἔχειν ἐμὲ χρημάτων, οἷς ἂν ἴσως πείσαιμί τινας προσέχειν ἐμοὶ, μὴτ' ἐξουσίας ἀπολαύειν παρὰ σοὶ καὶ παῤῥησίας, βασιλέως παιδὶ πρεπούσης, δι' ἣν ἂν καὶ θεραπευθείην παρὰ τῶν τῆς ἐμῆς ὠφελείας δεησομένων. νυνὶ δὲ αὐτό τε τὸ πρᾶ 1.82 γμα φανεροὺς ἠνάγκασε γενέσθαι τοὺς προσκειμένους ἐμοὶ, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ εἶναι ὁμολογῶ· πλὴν, ὅπερ καὶ τότ' ἔφην, οὐκ ὀφείλοντες χάριν, ἀλλὰ προκατάρχοντες μᾶλλον χάριτός εἰσιν. διὸ δὴ καὶ ἀντιβολῶ τὴν σὴν ἡμερότητα, βασιλεῦ, ὅρκοις ἐμοί τε καὶ αὐτοῖς πιστώσασθαι τὸ ἀπαθεῖς κακῶν μέχρι παντὸς διατηρηθῆναι. οὕτω γὰρ ἐμοί τε καὶ αὐτοῖς θαῤῥήσασιν ἀφόβως τε βιοῦν καὶ τῷ σῷ κράτει χάριτας ὁμολογεῖν πολλὰς περιέσται.» Τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς πρὸς λογοθέτην διεξῆλθε τὸν μέγαν, ὡς ἀπαγγελοῦντα τῷ πάππῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ, συνάρασθαι καὶ αὐτὸν ἀξιώσας πρὸς τοῦτο, καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅρκων ἐκπλήρωσιν ὑποθέσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκ τούτου συμβησομένων. ὁ δ' εὐθὺς «ἔγωγε» εἶπεν «ᾠήθην, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τὴν ἐμὴν παρὰ σοῦ κλῆσιν πρός τι φέρειν τῶν ἀγαθῶν. ἐνόμιζον γὰρ, ὡς ὑποπεπτωκότας τινὰς καὶ θεραπευτικοὺς λόγους δι' ἐμοῦ μηνύσεις τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐξ ὧν ἡμερωτέραν