a guard had been entrusted, was going about in Odrysae towards the city formerly called Orestias, but now Adrianople, who, having stopped at a certain inn, since he had filled himself sufficiently with wine, blurted out the inner secrets that he had been sent by the logothete to pursue with treachery and kill Bryennius. When these things were reported to Bryennius, the barbarian was immediately arrested and was brought for examination and whether willingly or unwillingly, he agreed that these things were so. John Bryennius, therefore, having ordered his nose to be cut off, immediately sent letters to his brother inciting him to revolt. So when the letters were delivered to him at Dyrrachium, the man was full of anxiety, not knowing what he should do; for he thought it terrible and the cause of the greatest evils to proceed to revolt, and to give himself over to manifest danger, scorning everything, he judged was not the mark of a good, prudent, and noble man; wrestling with these thoughts he remained for a long time, although he was frequently being incited by letters from his brother. 3.6 But the matters concerning him stood thus. But the caesar, seeing his son being carried toward death and his children very young, was eager, as it seems, to bring a helper into that one's house, both with that one urging him to this and with his wife, the most beautiful of all women, whose inner beauty shone forth with her outer beauty and with the distinction of her family, the splendors of her virtues and the modesty of her character flashed together. For on her father's side her family traced back to Samuel, king of the Bulgarians, being the daughter of Troianus, that one's son, and on her mother's side to the Contostephani and the Aballantes and the Phocades who were of old most illustrious and prided themselves on great wealth. This woman, at any rate, who surpassed all women in intelligence, did not cease urging her husband to bring in some helper for that one's children and indeed she brought forward an opinion as most wise as it was most profitable; and this was to join Alexius Comnenus to their first-born daughter. For having become the parents of three daughters, the younger, Theodora, they had dedicated to God from infancy and betrothed to the pure bridegroom through passionlessness; but they were concerned for both the others, and more so for the already mentioned Irene, for the maiden was full of graces, shining with beauty of body and the splendors of character. So when her mother brought forward this opinion, both the caesar praised it and the protovestiarius, the famous Andronicus I mean, was pleased and all but forgot his illness, and when Alexius Comnenus once came to him, taking him aside in private he asked if he wished to be joined to a wife, for she had already died, the daughter of that Argyrus, a noble man, who had previously been joined to him, who prided himself on his wealth and was master of the greatest property; and when he found him agreeing, he immediately announced the marriage connection. And he, being as intelligent as any other of the young men, was pleased at the news, but nevertheless made the matter depend on the will of his mother. The entire house of the caesar was therefore immediately in a state of struggle, since the most beautiful of all women roused all the servants and household. For neither was the emperor eager for Comnenus to be joined by marriage to this family, nor was his mother eager, holding an ancient enmity toward the caesar and the house of the caesar; and indeed the emperor's own brother, the porphyrogenitus Constantius, being very fond of the noble Alexius, did not permit him to accept the marriage with that one's niece; for he had an older sister, Zoe by name, whom he wished to join to him. Since, therefore, there were so many obstacles, the most intelligent of all women did not give up, nor did she give sleep to her eyes nor slumber to her eyelids, nor did she spare money, until she had betrothed the most beautiful maiden to the most beautiful of young men. The father, then, having survived for a short time after the betrothal

πεπίστευτο φυλακή, ἐν Ὀδρυσοῖς ἐφοίτα πρὸς τὴν πάλαι μὲν Ὀρεστιάδα καλουμένην, νυνὶ δὲ Ἀδριανούπολιν, ὃς καταλύσας ἔν τινι πανδοχείῳ, ἐπειδὴ ἱκανῶς οἴνου ἐνεφορεῖτο, ἀπεφοίβαζε τὰ ἐντὸς ὡς πεμφθείη πρὸς τοῦ λογοθέτου δόλῳ μετελθεῖν καὶ ἀνελεῖν τὸν Βρυέννιον. Μηνυθέντων δὲ τούτων τῷ Βρυεννίῳ, ὁ βάρβαρος εὐθὺς ξυλλαμβάνεται καὶ πρὸς ἐξέτασιν ἤγετο καὶ εἴθ' ἑκὼν εἴτε ἄκων ξυνετίθετο ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν. Τὴν ῥῖνα οὖν αὐτοῦ προστάξας τμηθῆναι ὁ Βρυέννιος Ἰωάννης πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν εὐθὺς ἐξέπεμψε γράμματα πρὸς ἀποστασίαν αὐτὸν ἐρεθίζοντα. ∆ιακομισθέντων οὖν πρὸς αὐτὸν τῶν γραμμάτων κατὰ τὸ ∆υρράχιον, πλήρης ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ φροντίδος, οὐκ ἔχων ὅ τι καὶ δράσειε· τό τε γὰρ πρὸς ἀποστασίαν χωρῆσαι δεινὸν ᾤετο καὶ μεγίστων κακῶν αἴτιον, τό τε ἑαυτὸν εἰς προῦπτον κίνδυνον παραδοῦναι πάντων καταφρονήσαντα οὐκ ἀνδρὸς ἔκρινεν ἀγαθοῦ εἶναι καὶ συνετοῦ καὶ γενναίου· τούτοις παλαίων τοῖς λογισμοῖς διέμεινε μέχρι πολλοῦ, καίτοι συχνῶς ὑπὸ ἐπιστολῶν ἐρεθιζόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ. 3.6 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τοῦτον ἐν τούτοις ἦν. Ὁ δὲ καῖσαρ τὴν πρὸς θάνατον φερόμενον ὁρῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ κομιδῇ νέους, ἔσπευδεν ὡς ἔοικεν ἐπίκουρον τῇ οἰκίᾳ ἐκείνου εἰσαγαγεῖν, ἐκείνου τε πρὸς τοῦτο αὐτὸν παραθήγοντος καὶ τῆς καλλίστης πασῶν γυναικῶν αὐτοῦ ὁμευνέτιδος, ἧς τῷ ἔξωθεν κάλλει τὸ ἐντὸς ξυνεξέλαμπε κάλλος καὶ τῇ περιφανείᾳ τοῦ γένους αἱ τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀγλαΐαι καὶ ἡ τῶν ἠθῶν κοσμιότης συνήστραπτε. Πατρόθεν γὰρ εἰς τὸν βασιλέα Βουλγάρων τὸν Σαμουὴλ ἀνεῖλκε τὸ γένος, Τρωϊάννου θυγάτηρ οὖσα τοῦ ἐκείνου υἱέος, μητρόθεν δὲ ἐς τοὺς Κοντοστεφάνους καὶ τοὺς Ἀβαλλάντας καὶ τοὺς Φωκάδας τοὺς πάλαι περιφανεστάτους καὶ πλούτῳ πολλῷ κομῶντας. Αὕτη γοῦν ἡ συνέσει πασῶν γυναικῶν διαφέρουσα οὐκ ἀνῆκε τὸν ἄνδρα παραθήγουσα ἀρωγὸν τῶν ἐκείνου παίδων εἰσαγαγεῖν τινα καὶ μέντοι καὶ γνώμην εἰσήνεγκεν ὡς μὲν συνετωτάτην, ὡς δὲ λυσιτελεστάτην· ἡ δὲ ἦν τὸ τὸν Κομνηνὸν Ἀλέξιον συνάψαι τῇ πρωτοτόκῳ τῶν θυγατέρων. Τριῶν γὰρ θυγατέρων ἀποδειχθέντες γεννήτορες, τὴν μὲν νεωτέραν Θεοδώραν ἐκ βρέφους αὐτὴν τῷ Θεῷ προσανέθεντο καὶ τῷ καθαρῷ δι' ἀπαθείας νυμφίῳ προσήρμοσαν· ἀμφοῖν δὲ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐφρόντιζον, καὶ μᾶλλον τῆς ἤδη ῥηθείσης Εἰρήνης, καὶ γὰρ ἦν χαρίτων ἡ νεᾶνις ἀνάπλεως, ὥρᾳ τε σώματος διαλάμπουσα καὶ ἠθῶν ἀγλαΐαις. Ὡς γοῦν ἡ ταύτης μήτηρ τὴν γνώμην εἰσήνεγκεν, ὅ τε καῖσαρ ἐπῄνει καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος, ὁ κλεινός φημι Ἀνδρόνικος, ἥσθη καὶ μονονοὺ καὶ τῆς νόσου ἐπελανθάνετο, καὶ φοιτήσαντά ποτε πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Κομνηνὸν Ἀλέξιον ἰδίᾳ παραλαβὼν ἐπυνθάνετο εἰ βούλοιτο γυναικὶ συναφθῆναι, καὶ γὰρ ἔφθη ἀποβιοῦσα ἡ πρώην τούτῳ συναρμοσθεῖσα θυγάτηρ τοῦ Ἀργυροῦ ἐκείνου ἀνδρὸς εὐγενοῦς καὶ πλούτῳ κομῶντος καὶ κτήσεως ὅτι πλείστης ὄντος δεσπότου· ὡς δὲ συντιθέμενον τοῦτον εὗρεν, εὐθὺς περὶ τοῦ κήδους ἀπήγγελλεν. Ὁ δὲ ξυνετώτατος ὢν εἴπερ τις ἄλλος τῶν νέων ἥσθη μὲν τῷ ἀκούσματι, ἀνήρτα δ' ὅμως τὰ περὶ τούτου τῷ θελήματι τῆς μητρός. Ἐν ἀγῶσιν οὖν εὐθὺς ἅπας ὁ οἶκος τοῦ καίσαρος, τῆς καλλίστης πασῶν γυναικῶν διεγειράσης ἅπαν τὸ θεραπευτικὸν καὶ οἰκίδιον. Οὔτε γὰρ τῷ βασιλεῖ πρόθυμον ἦν τὸ διὰ κήδους συναφθῆναι τῷ τούτου γένει τὸν Κομνηνόν, οὔθ' ἡ μήτηρ τούτου πρόθυμος ἦν, ἀρχαίαν ἔχουσα τὴν δυσμένειαν πρὸς καίσαρά τε καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ καίσαρος· ὅ τε μὴν τοῦ κρατοῦντος αὐτάδελφος, ὁ πορφυρογέννητος Κωνστάντιος, σφόδρα φιλῶν τὸν γενναῖον Ἀλέξιον, οὐ συνεχώρει τούτῳ τὸν γάμον ἀσπάσασθαι τὸν τῆς ἐκείνου ἀνεψιᾶς· ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἀδελφὴ πρεσβυτέρα, Ζωὴ τὸ ὄνομα, ἣν ἐβούλετο τούτῳ συζεῦξαι. Τοσούτων τοίνυν ὄντων τῶν ἐμποδίων, οὐκ ἀνῆκεν ἡ συνετωτάτη πασῶν γυναικῶν, οὐδ' ἔδωκεν ὕπνον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς οὐδὲ νυσταγμὸν τοῖς βλεφάροις, οὐδὲ χρημάτων ἐφείσατο, ἔστ' ἂν τῷ καλλίστῳ τῶν νεανιῶν τὴν καλλίστην ἐμνηστεύσατο. Ὁ μὲν οὖν πατὴρ μετὰ τὴν μνηστείαν βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἐπιβιοὺς