and he was considered burdensome to the more prominent members of the senate, who were stung by the things he pointed out to everyone. But since, as the account has already shown, the logothete ran to Rousselios and was staying with him and having been seized by him, was being held, he kills Rousselios with poison, and having been brought before Botaneiates by the associates of Rousselios, he is guarded on the island of Prote. But since those around him knew precisely that, if he only saw him, he would both win his sympathy and be taken on to administer public affairs as a man of great experience, with the emperor being rather indifferent to these matters, which those around the emperor reckoned not to be to their advantage—for they supposed he would be a thorn in their side—they sent the great hetaireiarch Straboromanos and killed him, although it had been commanded by the emperor only to ask him about the money belonging to the empire and not to trouble him further. But as soon as he arrived, he both bound him and interrogated him severely; who indeed gave up his spirit while being interrogated. And yet he promised that, if he were not interrogated, he would confess these things and hand them over; but, as I said, they were not so concerned with the imperial treasures as with getting him out of the way before he came into the sight and conversation of the emperor. And so the matter of the killing of the logothete had such an end.
καὶ φορτικὸς τοῖς ἐξοχωτέροις τῆς συγκλήτου ἐνομίζετο, δακνομένοις ἐφ' οἷς εἰς πάντας ἐπεδείκνυντο. Ἐπεὶ δέ, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσεν, ὁ λογοθέτης τῷ Ῥουσελίῳ προσέδραμε καὶ παρὰ τούτῳ διῆγε κατασχεθείς τε πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐτηρεῖτο, τὸν μὲν Ῥουσέλιον φαρμάκῳ ἀναιρεῖ, παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τοῦ Ῥουσελίου τῷ Βοτανειάτῃ προσαχθεὶς φρουρεῖται ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Πρώτῃ. Τῶν δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν εἰδότων ἀκριβῶς ὡς, εἰ μόνον ἴδοι αὐτόν, συμπαθείας τε τεύξεται καὶ εἰς τὸ τὰ κοινὰ διοικεῖν προσληφθήσεται ὡς πολύπειρος, ἀμβλύτερον πρὸς ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως ἔχοντος, ὅπερ μὴ συμφέρον αὑτοῖς οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα λογιζόμενοι-ἔσεσθαι γὰρ αὐτὸν σκόλοπα ἑαυτοῖς ὑπελάμβανον ἀποστείλαντες τὸν μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην τὸν Στραβορωμανὸν ἀναιροῦσιν αὐτόν, παρὰ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως προστεταγμένον ὂν περὶ τῶν τῇ βασιλείᾳ διαφερόντων χρημάτων πυθέσθαι μόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ περαιτέρω ἐνοχλῆσαι αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ ἅμα τῷ ἀφικέσθαι δεσμεῖ τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἐτάζει σφοδρῶς· ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐτάζεσθαι ἀφῆκε τὴν ψυχήν. Καίτοι γε ὑπισχνεῖτο, εἰ μὴ ἐτασθείη, ὁμολογῆσαι ταῦτα καὶ ἀναδοῦναι· ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, οὐ τοσοῦτον ἔμελεν αὐτοῖς τῶν βασιλικῶν θησαυρῶν, ὅσον ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν ἐκποδὼν πρὸ τοῦ εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν καὶ ὁμιλίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν τοῦ λογοθέτου τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τέλος.