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and make his soul gentle. But it has the opposite effect, more than I expected. Therefore I will not want to be a messenger of such things myself, nor to further inflame the emperor's anger through these things. For we have not even heard up to now of masters swearing oaths to their slaves, but rather the opposite; or if this were to happen, the master will also be indebted to his subjects for what they owe to their masters, which would not be far from absurdity. And I am seized with a terrible perplexity, if the emperor should ask for what reason I have come to you, what plausible explanation I could give. To him, 1.83 therefore, I will invent some reason for my arrival, but I advise you and furthermore I beseech you, never again to raise a discussion about such matters. For I myself foresee that it will end in irreparable harm, if it should come to the emperor's hearing.» «But it comes to me to think and to say quite the opposite,» the young emperor said, «for I consider these words to be the cause not of evils, but of countless good things, if indeed it happens as I desire. And that such things have also happened in the time of former emperors, I can provide the proof from close at hand. For my ancestor, the emperor Michael, while still loving his private fortune and being under the hand of emperor John Vatatzes, suspecting that some danger would come to him from the emperor, deserted to the ruler of the Persians, the Sultan; then, sending an embassy from there to the emperor, he demanded oaths from the emperor, that he would be pardoned for his desertion and that in the future nothing difficult would be plotted against him. And the emperor gladly received the embassy and gave the oaths, though he was the master, just as the one under his hand requested. And not he alone, but also before him many had sworn to their subjects for the sake of some advantage. In truth, if even now these men themselves, concerning whom I demand the oaths, fearing the danger should go over to one of the neighboring barbarians, and then sending from there should demand oaths from the emperor, so that they might not suffer harm upon returning again, would you not think he would be willing to grant them? It seems so to me. 1.84 What, therefore, will happen at another time, you might say, out of necessity, let it happen also in the present for the sake of the many good things that will result from it.» At this, the great logothete, taking up his former arguments and stringing together many others, and proving the request from every angle to be unprofitable and impossible, and completely refusing to be a messenger of such things, departed. But in later times, when peace had been made, the elder emperor used to say that if he had been told about the oaths, he would have sworn and none of the things that had been dared would have been dared; for which reason he also attributed the entire cause of the war to the great logothete. And to his friends who were immediately present with him, the young emperor related both what he had said and the responses he had received, and finally uttering this, «But who has known the counsel and the mind of God?» he ordered them still for a time to persevere in their high-mindedness; «for today will teach something of the unknown. For being the deadline for the great domestic's defense before the emperor, through this defense itself it will guide us as to what must be planned and done.» They, therefore, having deliberated on such matters, were dismissed. And to the great domestic, yesterday's messenger arrives from the emperor, demanding the defense. And he made it as follows: «For me, most mighty emperor, having many proofs of your benevolence, as I said, even this present occasion persuades me to acknowledge more and greater favors; in addition to all these, I ask to receive this 1.85 benefit, which is considered by me in no way less than the others, that I not depart for the Peloponnese; not yielding to hesitation, or considering the office less than my worth, but since my father died there, I would not be able to bear dwelling in those places. For you yourself know better than I, O emperor, that my father, being twenty-one years of age when he was sent out by you to the governorship of the Peloponnese, for eight successive years after these

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ἀπεργάσῃ καὶ πραεῖαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχήν. τὸ δ' ἐναντίως ἔχει μᾶλλον ἢ αὐτὸς προσεδόκων. ὅθεν οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἄγγελος εἶναι βουλήσομαι τοιούτων, οὐδ' εἰς ὀργὴν ἐξάψαι μᾶλλον διὰ τούτων τοὺς τῶν βασιλέως θυμούς. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' ἀκοῇ παρειλήφαμεν ἄχρι καὶ νῦν τοὺς δεσπότας ὀμνύναι τοῖς δουλοῖς, τοὐναντίον δὲ μᾶλλον· ἢ εἰ τοῦτο γένοιτο, καὶ ὁ δεσπότης ὀφλήσει τοῖς ὑπηκόοις, ὅπερ ὄφλουσιν αὐτοὶ τοῖς δεσπόταις, ὅπερ ἀτοπίας οὐκ ἂν εἴη μακράν. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἀπορίᾳ δεινῇ συνέχομαι, ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔρηται, ὅτου χάριν πρός σε ἀφῖγμαι, τίνα ἂν ἀπολογίαν εὐπρόσωπον ἀποδοίην. πρὸς ἐκεῖ 1.83 νον μὲν οὖν αἰτίαν τινὰ πλάσομαι τῆς ἀφίξεως, σοὶ δὲ παραινῶ καὶ προσέτι καὶ ἱκετεύω, μηκέτι μηδαμῶς περὶ τοιούτων λόγον κινεῖν. συνορῶ γὰρ αὐτὸς, ὡς εἰς κακὸν ἀνήκεστον τελευτήσει, ἂν εἰς ἀκοὴν ἔλθῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ.» «ἐμοὶ δὲ τοὐναντίον ἅπαν ἔπεισι καὶ νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν» ὁ νέος εἴρηκε βασιλεὺς «οὐ γὰρ κακῶν αἰτίους τουτουσὶ τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλὰ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν, ἄν περ ὡς αὐτὸς ἀξιῶ γένηται, νομίζω. ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων βασιλέων γεγένηται τοιαῦτά τινα, ἐγγύθεν παράσχομαι τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. ὁ γὰρ ἐμὸς πρόγονος, ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ, ἔτι τὴν ἰδιωτικὴν στέργων τύχην καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα τελῶν Ἰωάννῃ Βατάτζῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ, κίνδυνόν τινα ὑπονοήσας ἐς αὐτὸν ἥξειν ἐκ βασιλέως, ηὐτομόλησε πρὸς τὸν τῶν Περσῶν ἡγεμόνα Σουλτάν· εἶτ' ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πέμψας πρεσβείαν, ὅρκους ἀπῄτει τὸν βασιλέα, ὡς τοῦ τε δρασμοῦ συγγνώσεται καὶ εἰς τοὐπιὸν οὐδὲν κατ' αὐτοῦ βουλεύσεται δυσχερές. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ ἄσμενός τε προσεδέξατο τὴν πρεσβείαν καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἐδίδου, δεσπότης ὢν, ὥσπερ ὁ ὑπὸ χεῖρα τελῶν ἠξίου. οὐκ αὐτὸς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τούτου πολλοὶ ὠφελείας ἕνεκά τινος ὀμωμόκεισαν τοῖς ὑπηκόοις. πρὸς αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας, εἴγε καὶ νῦν αὐτοὶ οὗτοι, περὶ ὦν ἐγὼ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀπαιτῶ, δείσαντες τὸν κίνδυνόν τινι προσχωρήσωσι τῶν παρακειμένων ἡμᾶς βαρβάρων, εἶτ' ἐκεῖθεν πέμψαντες ὅρκους ἀπαιτῶσι τὸν βασιλέα, ὥστε μὴ κακῶς παθεῖν αὖθις ἐπανελθόντες, οὐκ ἂν οἴει βουλήσεσθαι παρασχεῖν; ἐμοὶ μὲν δοκεῖ. 1.84 ὃ τοίνυν ἐν ἑτέρῳ χρόνῳ γενήσεται, φαίης ἂν, δι' ἀνάγκην, γενέσθω κἀν τῷ παρόντι διὰ τὰ συμβησόμενα ἐκ τούτου πολλὰ ἀγαθά.» ἐπὶ τούτοις λογοθέτης ὁ μέγας τούς τε προτέρους λόγους ἀναλαβὼν καὶ πλείονας ἑτέρους συνείρας, καὶ πανταχόθεν ἀλυσιτελῆ καὶ ἀδύνατον τὴν αἴτησιν ἀποδείξας, καὶ πρὸς τὸ γενέσθαι τοιούτων ἄγγελος παντελῶς ἀνανεύσας, ἀπῆλθεν. ἔφασκε δ' ἐν ὑστέροις χρόνοις, εἰρήνης γενομένης, ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς, ὡς, εἰ περὶ τῶν ὅρκων αὐτῷ ἀπηγγέλθη, ὀμωμόκει τε ἂν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐτολμήθη τῶν τετολμημένων· διὸ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἅπασαν τοῦ πολέμου εἰς λογοθέτην ἀνετίθει τὸν μέγαν. τοῖς φίλοις δ' εὐθὺς αὐτῷ παραγενομένοις ἅ τε εἴρηκε καὶ ὧν ἔτυχεν ἀποκρίσεων διηγησάμενος ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς καὶ τέλος τοῦτο ἐπιφθεγξάμενος, «θεοῦ δὲ τίς ἔγνω βουλήν τε νόον τε;» ἔτι μέχρι τινὸς ἐκέλευε τῇ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ προσκαρτερεῖν· «ἡ σήμερον γὰρ ἐκδιδάξει τι τῶν ἀγνοουμένων. προθεσμία γὰρ οὖσα τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἀπολογίας, δι' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀπολογίας πρὸς τὸ τί χρὴ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ δρᾷν ὁδηγήσει.» Οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα βουλευσάμενοι διελέλυντο. πρὸς δὲ τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον ὁ χθὲς ἄγγελος ἀφικνεῖται πρὸς βασιλέως, ἀπαιτῶν τὴν ἀπολογίαν. ἐποιήσατο δὲ τοιαύτην· «ἐμοὶ, κράτιστε βασιλεῦ, τῆς εὐμενείας τῆς σῆς πολλὰς ἔχοντι τὰς ἀποδείξεις, ὥσπερ ἔφην, ἔτι καὶ τὸ νῦν τοῦτο πλείους καὶ μείζους πείθει τὰς χάριτας ὁμολογεῖν· ἐπὶ πάσαις δὴ ταύταις καὶ ταύτης αἰτῶ τυχεῖν τῆς 1.85 εὐεργεσίας, ἐλάττονος οὐδαμῶς ἐμοὶ τῶν ἄλλων νομιζομένης, τὸ μὴ πρὸς Πελοπόννησον ἀπελθεῖν· οὐκ ὄκνῳ εἴκων, ἢ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἥττω τῆς ἐμῆς ἀξίας νομίζων, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐκεῖ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πατρὸς τετελευτηκότος, οὐκ ἂν οἴσων τοῖς χωρίοις ἐκείνοις ἐνδιατρίβειν. οἶσθα γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐμοῦ βέλτιον, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὡς ἔτος ἓν ἐπὶ τοῖς εἴκοσι γεγενημένος τῆς ἡλικίας οὑμὸς πατὴρ, ὅτε παρὰ σοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐξεπέμφθη Πελοποννήσου, ὀκτὼ τοὺς ἐφεξῆς ἐπὶ τούτοις