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of the grandson and emperor, and when she had also reported the peace and the terms on which it was made, at first, astonishment seized the emperor, and he almost disbelieved what was said. But when he was persuaded that it was true, he both gladly accepted the peace, and professed many thanks to his grandson; and having immediately gathered in the palace the hierarchs found in Constantinople, he both performed the oaths, and dissolved the previously pronounced excommunication against the new emperor and his associates, commanding that his grandson again be and be named emperor. And when he was about to send his same niece again to the new emperor to receive the oaths from him, being vexed that not some well-born man, but Apokaukos had been sent to receive the oaths, he said to her: “For the respect 1.117 and forethought and honor toward me, I pray for many good rewards from God for the emperor and my grandson, not only in this life, but also in that unending one. Moreover it comes to me to marvel at both the moderation of his character and the uprightness of his manner and his firmness toward what is noble, because, though he is young and an emperor and has greatly prevailed over his adversaries, from which it was likely for him to be lifted up and puffed up with ambition and either to act ungratefully toward us, or, at the very least, after making public what we ourselves had requested, then to grant what he himself wished, so that he might be admired by all; but he did nothing of the sort, but kept my words unknown, with no one else knowing except the grand domestic alone; and he himself, having managed the matter very wisely and properly, bestowed on us a double favor, not only that, although the whole dominion of the Romans was already leaning toward him, he retained a certain part, and yielded all the rest to us, but also in his not wishing to make a public show of having in no way driven our affairs completely into a tight spot. From which things it happens that I am clearly persuaded that not even a trace of contempt came into his mind to show toward me, but he preserves his former respect and reverence. But this grieves me not least, that for the receiving of the oaths, though many good men and his own kinsmen by blood are with him, he has sent none of these, but Apokaukos, who is obscure and from obscure origins, and until yesterday was a subordinate clerk to the collectors of public 1.118 taxes. And yet I omitted what is more terrible, as if telling some wondrous tale. For this same man, having deceived me with many promises, was appointed supervisor of the public salt-works. Then, he fulfilled none of the promises; but at the same time having devoured all the revenue from the salt-works, and on this account, when I sought to receive a little out of much, seizing the opportunity, he went off and fled to my grandson. Who then, seeing this man so honored by him, so as to use him even for tasks befitting the most noble, would not think that this has been deliberately contrived by the emperor, my grandson, to vex me? For even if in reality it was not done by him with such an intention, yet the many will think so.” And when she herself answered, that it did not seem to her either that Apokaukos had been sent by the new emperor contemptuously; “[since he has given] many proofs of his respect and reverence toward you, O emperor,” the emperor sends both the protasekretis Bardales and Kallikrenites along with her to his grandson. And when they had arrived before him, in response to the words from the emperor about Apokaukos which he heard, the new emperor said, “May I not be so mad as to do anything small or great to the grief or contempt of my lord and emperor. For to sin against him willingly at all, is worthy of the same charge in my judgment, whether the sin be greater or lesser. But Apokaukos was not sent as an ambassador, nor as a ratifier of the peace—for these things befitted my aunt—but he was sent only as a 1.119 letter-carrier. For we know that, when sending letters to someone for great and most necessary reasons, we use even the meanest of our servants for their delivery. nevertheless if he has any

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ἐγγόνου καὶ βασιλέως, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ ἐφ' οἷς ἐγένετο ἀπαγγειλάσης, πρῶτα μὲν ἔκπληξις εἶχε τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ σχεδὸν ἠπίστει τοῖς λεγομένοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπείθετο ἀληθῆ εἶναι, ἡδέως τε ἐδέξατο τὴν εἰρήνην, καὶ τῷ ἐγγόνῳ χάριτας ὡμολόγει πολλάς· συναγαγὼν δ' ἐν βασιλείοις εὐθὺς τοὺς ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου εὑρεθέντας ἀρχιερέας, τούς τε ὅρκους ἐπετέλει, καὶ τὸν πρότερον ἐκφωνηθέντα κατὰ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως καὶ τῶν συνόντων διέλυεν ἀφορισμὸν, βασιλέα πάλιν τὸν ἔγγονον κελεύσας καὶ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι. μέλλων δ' αὖθις τὴν αὐτὴν ἀνεψιὰν αὐτοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν νέον πέμπειν ὡς τοὺς παρ' ἐκείνου ληψομένην ὅρκους, ἀνιώμενος ὅτι μὴ τῶν εὖ γεγονότων τις, ἀλλ' Ἀπόκαυχος ἐπὶ τὸ τοὺς ὅρκους παραλαβεῖν ἀπέσταλτο, ἔφη πρὸς αὐτήν· «Τῆς μὲν εἰς ἐμὲ αἰδοῦς 1.117 καὶ προμηθείας τε καὶ τιμῆς, πολλῶν ἀμοιβὰς ἀγαθῶν εὔχομαι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἐμῷ ἐγγόνῳ παρὰ θεοῦ, οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸν τῇδε βίον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἀτελεύτητον. ἔτι δέ μοι καὶ θαυμάζειν ἔπεισι τό, τε μέτριον αὐτῷ τοῦ ἤθους καὶ τὴν εὐθύτητα τοῦ τρόπου καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὰ καλὰ βεβηκὸς, ὅτι νέος ὢν καὶ βασιλεὺς καὶ παρὰ πολὺ τῶν ἀντιπάλων κεκρατηκὼς, ἐξ ὧν εἰκὸς ἦν πρὸς φιλοτιμίαν ἐπαρθῆναι καὶ φυσηθῆναι καὶ ἢ ἀγνωμονῆσαι περὶ ἡμᾶς, ἢ, τό γε δεύτερον, ἅπερ ᾐτούμεθα αὐτοὶ ποιήσαντα φανερὰ, εἶτα ἅπερ ἤθελεν αὐτὸς χαρίσασθαι, ἵνα θαυμάζοιτο παρὰ πάντων· ὁ δ' ἐποίησε τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἐμοὺς λόγους διετήρησεν ἐν ἀδήλῳ, οὐδενὸς ἐγνωκότος ἑτέρου πλὴν τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου μόνου· αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς λόγους συνετῶς ἄγαν καὶ κοσμίως οἰκονομήσας, διπλὴν ἡμῖν κατέθετο τὴν χάριν, οὐ μόνον τὸ, τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας πάσης ἤδη πρὸς αὐτὸν κλινούσης, μέρος μέν τι παρακατασχεῖν, τῆς λοιπῆς δ' ἁπάσης ἡμῖν παραχωρῆσαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ μηδ' οὕτως εἰς στενὸν κομιδῇ τὰ ἡμέτερα ἐληλακότα ἐκπομπεῦσαι θελῆσαι. ἐξ ὧν ἐμὲ πεπεῖσθαι σαφῶς συμβαίνει, ὡς οὐδ' ἴχνος καταφρονήσεως ἐπὶ νοῦν ἦλθεν αὐτῷ ἐνδείξασθαι εἰς ἐμὲ, ἀλλὰ τὴν προτέραν αἰδῶ καὶ εὐλάβειαν ἀποσώζει. ἐκεῖνο δὲ οὐχ ἥκιστα λυπεῖ, ὅτι μὴ πρὸς τὴν παράληψιν τῶν ὅρκων, πολλῶν τε καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων αὐτῷ συνόντων, τούτων μὲν ἀπέσταλκεν οὐδένα, τὸν δὲ Ἀπόκαυχον, ἄσημον μὲν ὄντα καὶ ἐξ ἀσήμων, καὶ οὔπω χθὲς καὶ πρώην τοῖς τῶν δημοσίων 1.118 φόρων πράκταις ὑπογραμματεύοντα. καίτοι τὸ δεινότερον ἀφεῖλον, ὡς δή τι θαυμαστὸν λέγων. ὁ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐμὲ πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν ἐξαπατήσας, τῶν δημοσίων ἁλῶν ἔφορος ἀπεδείχθη. εἶτα τῶν μὲν ὑποσχέσεων ἐκπεπλήρωκεν οὐδέν· ὁμοῦ δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἁλῶν πρόσοδον καταφαγὼν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτ' ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα ζητοῦντος ἐμοῦ λαβεῖν, τῷ καιρῷ χρησάμενος, πρὸς τὸν ἐμὸν ἔγγονον ᾤχετο ἀποδράς. τίς οὖν τοῦτον ἰδὼν οὕτω τιμώμενον παρ' αὐτῷ, ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῖς εὐγενεστάτοις προσήκουσιν ἔργοις αὐτῷ χρῆσθαι, οὐκ ἂν ἐξεπίτηδες νομίσαι εἰς ἀνίαν ἐμοὶ παρὰ βασιλέως τοῦ ἐγγόνου συνεσκευάσθαι; εἰ γὰρ καὶ τῷ ὄντι μὴ παρ' ἐκείνου τοιαύτῃ πέπρακται γνώμῃ, ἀλλ' οἱ πολλοὶ οὕτω γε νομιοῦσιν.» Ἀποκριναμένης δὲ καὶ αὐτῆς, οὐδ' ἂν αὐτῇ δοκεῖν καταφρονητικῶς παρὰ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου τὸν Ἀπόκαυχον ἀπεστάλθαι· «πολλὰς τῆς εἰς σὲ, βασιλεῦ, αἰδοῦς τε καὶ εὐλαβείας δεδωκότος τὰς ἀποδείξεις,» ὁ βασιλεὺς τόν τε πρωτασηκρῆτις Βαρδαλὴν καὶ τὸν Καλλικρηνίτην ἅμα σὺν αὐτῇ πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον ἀποστέλλει. ἀφικομένων δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς περὶ τοῦ Ἀποκαύχου λόγους ὡς ἐπύθετο τοῦ βασιλέως, «μὴ οὕτω μανείην» ὁ νέος εἴρηκε βασιλεὺς «ὡς ἢ μικρὸν ἢ μέγα ἐπὶ λύπῃ ἢ καταφρονήσει τοῦ ἐμοῦ ποιῆσαι κυρίου καὶ βασιλέως. τὸ γὰρ ὅλως πρὸς αὐτὸν ἁμαρτεῖν ἑκόντα, τῆς ἴσης ἄξιόν ἐστιν αἰτίας παρ' ἐμοὶ κριτῇ, ἄν τε μεῖζον ἄν τ' ἔλαττον ἁμάρτημα ᾖ. Ἀπόκαυχος δὲ οὐχ ὡς πρέσβις, οὐδὲ τῆς εἰρήνης βεβαιωτὴς, ταῦτα γὰρ τῇ ἐμῇ θείᾳ προσῆκεν, ἀλλ' ὡς γραμ 1.119 ματοκομιστὴς ἀπεστάλη μόνον. ἴσμεν δ', ὅτι καὶ μεγάλων ἕνεκα καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτων πέμποντές τινι γράμματα, καὶ τοῖς φαυλοτάτοις τῶν οἰκετῶν χρώμεθα πρὸς μετακομιδήν. ὅμως εἰ καί τινα ἔχει