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reproach, it is fitting for the emperor to demand an account from the grand domestic, not from me; for he was sent by him.” And having confirmed the oaths and handed them over to the ambassadors, he sent them away rejoicing. 24. And he himself after Pentecost, at the beginning of the month of June, set out for Adrianople; and sending to Constantinople, he also brought his wife Irene to him; and after her arrival to the emperor, she gave birth to a male child, but after eight months the child died. The emperor, going around the cities under his control, and having rewarded the most distinguished of his companions with honors and gifts and governorships of provinces and cities, and the others with money and annual revenues, passed the summer. And as the summer was already ending, around the beginning of the month of August, the friends of the emperor in Constantinople informed him by letter that “Syrgiannes, having made agreements with your grandfather, will come to him very soon.” And to the emperor and the grand domestic, upon reading the letter, it seemed advantageous for the present to keep the information secret; and to send to inquire from their friends if the information about Syrgiannes was true at all. For he thought it a cruel and grave thing to do or say anything improper before learning the truth accurately. 1.120 Therefore, sending immediately, he inquired. And they said that they had investigated thoroughly and had learned with accuracy that the emperor and Syrgiannes, having promised great things to each other, had made the agreements; for which reason, being greatly distressed, they had sent the information; “and it will be your concern to plan and do for yourself what is advantageous.” The emperor, having learned such things about Syrgiannes, taking him aside alone, said to him, “I have heard about you, that having made agreements with my grandfather and emperor, you are about to go over to him. Whether you initiated the talks yourself, hoping to find something more, or you were persuaded from there, deceived by many promises, I cannot know for sure. If, then, what has been said is not true, the ones who said it deserve to be accused, and I deserve no praise for believing slanderers. But if, as I said, you were led to this either hoping to gain something yourself, or persuaded from there, if you are willing to desist from such thoughts, being persuaded by my counsel, and to keep your faith and friendship toward me guileless and pure as before, you will enjoy the same friendship and goodwill from me as before, as I will take no account of such things, just as if they had never happened in the first place, since such things have come to the ears of no one else except me and the grand domestic alone. But if you turn away from me as someone ungrateful and wicked, and consider it unbearable to be with me and to spend time 1.121 with me, but, thinking you will find something extraordinary and great from my grandfather and emperor, you have chosen with all your heart to go over to him, I am grieved at your departure, being deprived of a friend and companion; but I will not use force, nor will I wish to detain you against your will, since from the beginning I did not bring you into my service either by the law of war, or by any other force, but you yourself came over willingly, choosing to be with me and share my dangers, and promising to endure and do anything whatsoever for me. And this you did well, and proved it true by your deeds. Nor, indeed, have I myself appeared ungrateful or unmindful of your good services, but with God providing the power along with my zeal for my friends, I have rewarded both the others and you, as was fitting, with honors and gifts worthy of your labors and your zeal for me. Since, therefore, you came willingly, it is not good to depart secretly, but to take your leave openly and go. I think, therefore, that my grandfather and emperor does not wish to take you on while preparing for war, to the detriment of my affairs, but to keep the peace and the treaties with me intact; and that he simply desires that you too be under his authority. And yet it occurs to me to wonder greatly at this, how, of the affairs themselves the

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μέμψιν, παρὰ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου τὰς εὐθύνας ἀπαιτεῖν, οὐ παρ' ἐμοῦ, προσήκει τὸν βασιλέα· παρ' αὐτοῦ γὰρ ἀπέσταλτο.» τοὺς ὅρκους δὲ βεβαιώσας καὶ τοῖς πρέσβεσιν ἐγχειρίσας, χαίροντας ἐξαπέστειλεν. κδʹ. Αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τὴν πεντηκοστὴν, Ἰουνίου μηνὸς ἱσταμένου, ἀνέζευξεν εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν· πέμψας δὲ εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ Εἰρήνην ἤγαγε πρὸς ἑαυτόν· ἧς καὶ μετὰ τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα ἄφιξιν παιδίον ἄῤῥεν τεκούσης, μετὰ μῆνας ὀκτὼ τὸ παιδίον ἐτεθνήκει. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν πόλεις περιϊὼν, καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ συνόντων τοὺς ἐπιφανεστέρους τιμαῖς τε καὶ δωρεαῖς καὶ ἐπαρχιῶν καὶ πόλεων ἐπιτροπαῖς, τοὺς δ' ἄλλους χρήμασι καὶ ἐτησίοις θεραπεύσας προσόδοις, διέτριψε τὸ θέρος. ἤδη δὲ τοῦ θέρους τελευτῶντος, κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς μάλιστα τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνὸς, οἱ πρὸς τῇ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως φίλοι δηλοῦσι διὰ γραμμάτων αὐτῷ, ὡς «ὁ Συργιάννης συμβάσεις πρὸς τὸν σὸν πάππον θέμενος, ἀφίξεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅσον οὔπω.» βασιλεῖ δ' ἅμα καὶ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ τὰ γράμματα ἀναγνοῦσιν ἐδόκει λυσιτελεῖν πρὸς μὲν τὸ παρὸν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ τὰ μηνυθέντα τηρεῖν· πέμψαντας δὲ πυνθάνεσθαι παρὰ τῶν φίλων, εἰ ὅλως ἀληθῆ τὰ περὶ Συργιάννη μηνυθέντα. σχέτλιον γὰρ ᾤετο καὶ βαρὺ πρὶν ἀκριβῶς τἀληθὲς ἐκμαθεῖν πρᾶξαί τι τῶν οὐ δεόν 1.120 των ἢ φθέγξασθαι. πέμψας οὖν εὐθὺς ἐπυνθάνετο. οἱ δ' ἔφασαν πάνυ τε ἐξητακέναι καὶ σὺν ἀκριβείᾳ μαθεῖν, ὡς μεγάλα βασιλεύς τε καὶ Συργιάννης ἀλλήλοις ἐπαγγειλάμενοι ἐποιήσαντο τὰς συνθήκας· διὸ καὶ σφόδρα περιαλγήσαντες μεμηνυκέναι· «σοὶ δὲ μελήσει τὰ λυσιτελοῦντα καὶ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ πράττειν σαυτῷ.» τοιαῦτα περὶ Συργιάννη πυθόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, κατ' ἰδίαν μόνον παραλαβὼν «ἠκηκόειν» ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν «περὶ σοῦ, ὡς συμβάσεις θέμενος πρὸς τὸν ἐμὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα, μέλλεις μεθίστασθαι πρὸς αὐτόν. εἴτε δὲ αὐτὸς τοὺς λόγους ἐποιήσω πρῶτος, ἐλπίσας τι πλεῖον εὑρήσειν, εἴτ' ἐκεῖθεν πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν ἀπατηθεὶς ἐπείσθης, εἰδέναι σαφῶς οὐκ ἔχω. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἀληθῆ τὰ εἰρημένα, αὐτοί τε οἱ εἰπόντες δίκαιοι κατηγορεῖσθαι, ἐγώ τε ἄξιος οὐκ ἐπαίνου τοῖς συκοφάνταις πιστεύσας. εἰ δ', ὅπερ ἔφην, ἢ αὐτός τι πλεονεκτήσειν ἐλπίσας, ἢ ἐκεῖθεν πεισθεὶς ὑπήχθης πρὸς τοῦτο, εἰ μὲν ἐθελήσεις τῶν τοιούτων ἀποστῆναι λογισμῶν, ἐμοὶ βουλευομένῳ πεισθεὶς, καὶ τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ πίστιν καὶ φιλίαν ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἄδολον καὶ καθαρὰν τηρεῖν, τῆς αὐτῆς ἧσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἀπολαύσεις παρ' ἐμοὶ καὶ φιλίας καὶ εὐμενείας, οὐδὲν τῶν τοιούτων ὑπολογιζομένῳ ὥσπερ οὐδ' ἂν εἰ μὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐγεγόνει, ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἑτέρῳ τινὶ πλὴν ἐμοὶ καὶ τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ μόνῳ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἦλθεν εἰς ἀκοάς. εἰ δ' ὡς ἀγνώμονά τινα καὶ πονηρὸν ἐμὲ ἀποτρέπῃ, καὶ τὸ συνεῖναι καὶ 1.121 συνδιατρίβειν οὐκ ἀνεκτὸν ἡγῇ, ἀλλ' ὑπερφυῆ τινα καὶ μεγάλα παρὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πάππου καὶ βασιλέως οἰόμενος εὑρήσειν, ὅλῃ προθέσει προσχωρῆσαι αὐτῷ προείλου, ἀνιῶμαι μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ διαστάσει τῇ σῇ, φίλου καὶ συνήθους ἀποστερούμενος· βίαν δὲ οὐκ ἐπάξω, οὐδ' ἄκοντα κατασχεῖν ἐθελήσω, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὔτε πολέμου νόμῳ, οὔτ' ἄλλῃ τινὶ βίᾳ πρὸς τὸ ἐμοὶ δουλεύειν ὑπηγαγόμην, ἀλλ' ἑκοντὶ προσεχώρησας αὐτὸς, ἑλόμενος ἐμοὶ συνεῖναι καὶ συγκινδυνεύειν, καὶ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ καὶ ὑφίστασθαι καὶ πράττειν ἐπαγγειλάμενος. ὃ δὴ καὶ καλῶς ποιῶν, ἀληθὲς ἀπέφηνας ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων. οὐ μὴν οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἀχάριστος οὐδ' ἀμνήμων ἐφάνην τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλὰ θεοῦ τῇ περὶ τοὺς φίλους προθυμίᾳ καὶ δύναμιν παρασχομένου, τούς τε ἄλλους καὶ σὲ, ὥσπερ ἔδει, τιμαῖς τε καὶ δωρεαῖς ἀξίαις τῶν πόνων ἠμειψάμην καὶ τῆς προθυμίας τῆς εἰς ἐμέ. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἑκοντὶ προσῆλθες, οὐκ ἀγαθὸν λαθραίως ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰς φανερὸν συνταξάμενον ἀπιέναι. οἴομαι μὲν οὖν οὐδὲ τὸν ἐμὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα πρὸς πόλεμον ἑτοιμαζόμενον, ἐπὶ κακώσει τῶν ἐμῶν πραγμάτων σε προσλαμβάνεσθαι βούλεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν εἰς ἐμὲ εἰρήνην καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς ὑγιαινούσας τηρεῖν· ἐφίεσθαι δ' ἁπλῶς οὕτω καὶ σὲ τελεῖν ὑπ' αὐτόν. καίτοι μοι καὶ τοῦτο λίαν ἔπεισι θαυμάζειν, ὅπως, αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς