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of things not infrequent. For those who happened upon them deprived the collectors of public taxes of their property, unless perhaps they themselves, anticipating it, had hidden it in a safe place; and they themselves also acquired much for themselves by defrauding the emperor, on the pretext that they had been robbed by those who happened upon them; and if anyone, having a dispute with one of the adherents of the elder emperor 1.94 on account of private grievances, took revenge, with the opportunity assisting, by turning the damage into a seizure of crops and cattle and sheep. But the elder emperor, as events were proceeding contrary to how he had expected, gathered the prelates who were then residing in the city of Constantine—for Patriarch Gerasimos had died on the very night that the young emperor had departed from Byzantium—and having discussed with them what seemed to be just, he persuades them to pronounce a separation from God against every person who was both now with his grandson and who would be in the future. But when not even this was able to check the impulses of those who were defecting, the elder emperor, fearing that matters, proceeding so contrary to how he had expected, might come to a bad end, sent Theoleptos of Philadelphia and the head of the bedchamber, Kallikrenites, as envoys to his grandson, and proceeded to negotiations, promising that whatever his grandson should wish to declare in writing, he himself would bring to fulfillment. So the envoys came to the city of Adrianople, and since the young emperor happened to be reviewing the army before the city, they approached to do obeisance and to report the matters of their embassy. But the crowd, surrounding them with drawn swords, when they learned that they had come for peace, urged one another to kill them. Kallikrenites, then, his soul shaken with fear, leaped from his horse, and grasping 1.95 the emperor’s foot with both hands, stood terrified, believing he was about to die at any moment; but the one from Philadelphia, as if passing through lifeless things and hearing empty noises, was undaunted by anything whatsoever. And seeing Kallikrenites as if dead with fear, he said, “It is not necessary, my good man, to be so utterly terrified of death, since we are destined to die, if not now, then at least sometime later. If therefore this is absolutely necessary, it is better when there is also a pretext of some gain, than when there is not. And this being so, what pretext is more honorable than to die while serving as an envoy for peace?” Then, turning to the grand domestic and Syrgiannes and the protostrator—for these had surrounded him, so that nothing rash might be done to him—he said, “If it is possible for you to restrain these senseless and insolent men, do what is proper; but if not, let them do what they desire. In any case, nothing would be against the will of God.” For this the man was admired on account of his magnanimity, and his endurance in the face of dreadful things. For some time, then, a tumultuous cry resounded through the crowd; then, when it had been suppressed, the emperor took the envoys aside privately, and having learned about the matters for which they had come, he sent back the following message through them to the emperor and his grandfather: “Since I myself judge 1.96 it to be the mark of base and small-minded men to break down in dreadful circumstances and to do and say ignoble things, and to be puffed up in good fortune and to think more highly than is proper, the mark of ignorant and rash men, but to be the same both in dreadful circumstances and in the opposite, the mark of brave and intelligent men, neither when I was being judged by you as judge, O emperor, did I, seized by any cowardice, say the things I said, feigning the truth, nor now, when I seem to be established in safety, shall I say things different from before, but I declare again with God as my witness, that I am conscious of none of the things of which I am accused, nor of having erred in any such way as to provoke your serenity to such an excess of anger. Therefore, to proceed to a reconciliation and to recall your paternal goodwill again, is a matter of prayer for me. But now, since it appears impossible to say or accomplish anything opportune on account of the great disorder that has arisen in the army, as you will learn from the envoys, according to

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πραγμάτων οὐχὶ συχναί. τούς τε γὰρ πράττοντας τοὺς δημοσίους φόρους ἀπεστέρησαν τῶν ὄντων οἱ προστυχόντες, εἰ μή που καὶ αὐτοὶ προαισθόμενοι κατέκρυψαν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ· καὶ αὐτοὶ δὲ πολλὰ ἑαυτοῖς περιεποιήσαντο ἀποστερήσαντες βασιλέα, ὡς δῆθεν ἀφῃρημένοι παρὰ τῶν προστυχόντων· καὶ εἴ τις πρός τινα τῶν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ βασιλεῖ 1.94 προσκειμένων διαφορὰν ἔχων ἰδίων ἕνεκα ἐγκλημάτων, ἠμύνατο, τοῦ καιροῦ συμμαχοῦντος, εἰς ἁρπαγὴν καρπῶν καὶ βοῶν καὶ προβάτων περιστήσαντες τὴν ζημίαν. ὁ δὲ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς, ὡς ἐναντίως ἢ αὐτὸς προσεδόκα τὰ πράγματα ἐχώρει, συναγαγὼν τοὺς ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου τότε διατρίβοντας ἀρχιερέας, ὁ πατριάρχης γὰρ Γεράσιμος ἔφθασε τελευτήσας ἐν ᾗ νυκτὶ καὶ ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς ἐξῆλθε τοῦ Βυζαντίου, καὶ διαλεχθεὶς αὐτοῖς ἃ ἐδόκει δίκαια εἶναι, πείθει χωρισμὸν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἐκφωνῆσαι κατὰ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου τοῦ τε νῦν τῷ ἐγγόνῳ συνόντος τοῦ τ' ἐσομένου. ὡς δὲ μηδὲ τοῦτ' ἐπισχεῖν ἠδυνήθη τὰς τῶν ἀφισταμένων ὁρμὰς, δείσας ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς, μὴ καὶ εἰς πέρας ἀφίκηται τὰ πράγματα κακὸν, οὕτως ἐναντίως ἢ αὐτὸς προσεδόκησε χωροῦντα, τὸν Φιλαδελφείας Θεόληπτον καὶ τὸν τοῦ κοιτῶνος προκαθήμενον, Καλλικρηνίτην, πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον ἀποστείλας, πρὸς ξυμβάσεις ἐχώρει, ἐπαγγειλάμενος, ὡς ὅπερ ἂν ὁ ἔγγονος ἐθέλοι γράμμασι δηλώσας, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰς πέρας ἀγάγοι. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πόλιν ἐλθόντες, ἐπεὶ καὶ βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος ἔτυχε πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ἐπισκεπτόμενος τὴν στρατιὰν, προσῄεσαν ὡς προσκυνήσοντες καὶ τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας ἀπαγγελοῦντες. τὸ δὲ πλῆθος περιστάντες αὐτοὺς γυμνοῖς τοῖς ξίφεσιν, ὡς ἐπύθοντο ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης ἀφιγμένους, ἐκέλευον ἀλλήλοις ἀποκτιννύναι. ὁ μὲν οὖν Καλλικρηνίτης τῷ δέει κατασεισθεὶς τὴν ψυχὴν, τοῦ ἵππου τε ἀπεπήδησε, καὶ ἀμφοτέραις περι 1.95 σχὼν τὸν βασιλέως πόδα, ἵστατο περιδεὴς, ὅσον οὔπω νομίζων ἀποθανεῖσθαι· ὁ Φιλαδελφείας δὲ, ὥσπερ δι' ἀψύχων τινῶν παριὼν καὶ ψόφων κενῶν ἀκούων, ἀκατάπληκτος ἦν πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν. ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν Καλλικρηνίτην ὥσπερ ἀποτεθνηκότα τῷ δέει, «οὐ δέον» εἶπεν «ὦ θαυμάσιε σὺ, οὕτω κατάκρας πρὸς τὸν θάνατον κατεπτηχέναι, μέλλοντας, εἰ μὴ νῦν, ἀλλ' οὖν ὕστερόν ποτε ἀποθανεῖσθαι. εἰ οὖν τοῦτο πᾶσα ἀνάγκη, βέλτιον, ὅτε καὶ πρόφασίς τινος κέρδους, ἢ ὅτε μή. τούτου δ' οὕτως ἔχοντος, ποία πρόφασις εὐλογωτέρα, ἢ ὑπὲρ εἰρήνης πρεσβεύοντας τελευτῆσαι;» εἶτ' ἐπιστραφεὶς πρὸς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον καὶ Συργιάννην καὶ πρωτοστράτορα, οὗτοι γὰρ αὐτὸν περιέστησαν, ὅπως μή τι περὶ αὐτὸν τολμηθῇ, «εἰ μὲν ἔξεστιν ὑμῖν» ἔφη «τοὺς ἀνοήτους τουτουσὶ καὶ θρασεῖς καταστέλλειν, πράττετε ἃ προσήκει· εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' οὗτοί γε δρώντων ἃ προθυμοῦνται. πάντως οὐδὲν ἂν εἴη τῶν ἀβουλήτων θεῷ.» ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐθαυμάζετο τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας ἕνεκα, καὶ καρτερίας πρὸς τὰ δεινά. μέχρι μὲν οὖν τινος βοή τις θορυβώδης ἐξηχεῖτο διὰ τοῦ πλήθους· εἶτα κατεσταλμένης, ὁ βασιλεὺς τοὺς πρέσβεις ἰδίᾳ παραλαβὼν, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἥκουσιν ἐκμαθὼν, ἀντεμήνυσε δι' αὐτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πάππῳ τοιάδε· «τὸ καταπίπτειν ἐν τοῖς δεινοῖς καὶ ἀγεννῆ τινα καὶ πράττειν καὶ φθέγγεσθαι, φαύλων τινῶν καὶ μικροψύχων καὶ αὐτὸς 1.96 εἶναι κρίνων, τὸ δ' ἐν ταῖς εὐτυχίαις φυσᾶσθαι καὶ μεῖζον ἢ προσήκει φρονεῖν, ἀμαθῶν καὶ θρασέων, ὁμοίους δὲ ἔν τε τοῖς δεινοῖς εἶναι καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις, ἀνδρείων καὶ νοῦν ἐχόντων, οὔθ' ὅτ' ἐδικαζόμην παρὰ σοὶ κριτῇ, βασιλεῦ, δειλίᾳ τινὶ ληφθεὶς ἔλεγον ἅπερ εἶπον, ὑποκρινόμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὔτε νῦν, ὅτ' ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ δοκῶ καθεστάναι, ἕτερα φθέγξομαι τῶν προτέρων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μάρτυρι πάλιν φθέγγομαι τῷ θεῷ, ὡς οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ σύνοιδα τῶν ἐγκαλουμένων, οὐδέ τι τοιοῦτον ἡμαρτηκότι, ὥστ' εἰς τοσαύτην ὑπερβολὴν ὀργῆς τὴν σὴν γαληνότητα ἐρεθίσαι. τὸ μὲν οὖν εἰς διαλλαγὰς χωρῆσαι καὶ τὴν πατρικὴν εὐμένειαν αὖθις ἀνακαλέσασθαι, εὐχῆς ἔργον ἐμοί. νῦν δὲ ἀδυνάτου φαινομένου τοῦ εἰπεῖν τι καίριον ἢ καταπράξασθαι διὰ τὴν ἀταξίαν τῆς στρατιᾶς πολλήν τινα γεγενημένην, ὡς ἀπὸ τῶν πρέσβεων μαθήσῃ, κατ'