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a mother's longing ran ahead of her being on the senatorial list, and a son's pure faith was preserved. One soul was discerned in divided bodies and by the grace of Christ was well preserved until now. "Mine" or "yours," this cold saying, was not spoken, and what is greater, her prayers, multiplying all the time, entered the ears of the Lord and raised us to this height of imperial power. 3.6.5 But since, even after taking up the scepters of the empire, she could not bear not to labor equally with my majesty, clinging to what was expedient for it and for the common good, and since my majesty is already preparing with God for the expedition against the enemies of Romania, it is with great care undertaking both the assembly and organization of the military, and not the least has been considered by it to be the care for the administration of the secretarial and civil affairs. So it found, as it were, an unassailable fortress for its rule, that the administration of all things should be entrusted to her hallowed and most-honorable mother. 3.6.6 Therefore my majesty decrees clearly through the present chrysobull that, because of the great experience she has in worldly affairs, even if she has completely scorned them, whatever she may decree in writing, whether they are referred by the head of the secretariats or by the secretaries under him or by all others, whose memoranda or petitions or judgments shall be prepared concerning imperial remissions of debts, they will have permanent validity, as if administered by the serene power of my majesty and the written words dictated from her own mouth. For whatever decisions shall be declared by her or also orders, written or unwritten, whether reasonable or unreasonable, bearing her seal of the Transfiguration and the Dormition, they shall be considered as of my majesty itself, by the signature of the one administering the secretariats for the day. 3.6.7 But also in the matter of promotions and successions of the secretariats and of the themes, and in the matter of dignities and offices and gifts of immovable property, her holy mother will have imperial permission to do what seems good to her. but also if any are promoted to the secretariats or also to the themes and succeed to them, and are honored also with the greatest, middle, and least dignities, they will be hereafter irremovable and unchangeable. But also increases of salaries and additions to allowances and remissions of the so-called customary dues and divisions and subdivisions she will order without hesitation and, to speak comprehensively, nothing which she will command, both in writing and unwritten, will be considered unaccomplished. For her words and commands will be considered as of my majesty and none of them will be set aside, but they will also be valid and permanent for future times. 3.6.8 And she will not be subject to an accounting or any inquiry whatsoever, now or in the future, from anyone at all; nor will any of those serving her, or the logothete of the secretariats for the day himself, even if the things done should seem reasonable or contrary to reason. For they will have complete freedom from accountability forever, whatever they might be, being supported by the present chrysobull declaration.”

3.7.1 But such were the contents of the chrysobull; and one might marvel in these things at my father and emperor for his honor toward his mother and how he had yielded all things to her, himself withdrawing, as it were, from the imperial reins and in a way running beside her as she rode the imperial chariot and partaking only of the bare name of emperor. And yet in age he had already passed boyhood, at which very time the love of power grows upon such characters. For he himself girded himself for the wars against the barbarians and whatever there was of toils and struggles, but all the administration of affairs and

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συγκλητικῷ καταλόγῳ αὐτῆς συνούσης μητρὸς πόθος προέδραμε καὶ υἱοῦ πίστις ἀκεραία συνετη ρήθη. Μία ψυχὴ ἐν διῃρημένοις σώμασι διεγνώσθη καὶ χάριτι Χριστοῦ καλῶς διετηρήθη μέχρι τοῦ νῦν. Οὐ τὸ ἐμὸν ἢ τὸ σόν, τὸ ψυχρὸν τοῦτο ῥῆμα, ἐρρήθη, καὶ τὸ δὴ μεῖζον, ὅτι αἱ αὐτῆς εὐχαὶ τὸν πάντα χρόνον πληθυνό μεναι εἰς τὰ ὦτα κυρίου εἰσέδυσαν καὶ εἰς τόδε τὸ ὕψος τῆς βασιλείας ἡμᾶς ἀνήγαγον. 3.6.5 Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ καὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῶν τῆς βασιλείας σκήπτρων οὐκ ἔφερε μὴ συμπονουμένη ἐπίσης τῇ βασιλείᾳ μου καὶ τοῦ συμφέ ροντος αὐτῇ ἀντεχομένη καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ, ἑτοιμαζομένη δὲ ἤδη ἡ βασιλεία μου σὺν Θεῷ πρὸς τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τῆς Ῥωμανίας ἐξέλευσιν διὰ φροντίδος μὲν πολλῆς ποιεῖται καὶ τὴν τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ συλλογήν τε καὶ διευ θέτησιν, οὐκ ἐλάχιστον δὲ ταύτῃ νενόμισται καὶ ἡ περὶ τῆς τῶν σεκρετικῶν τε καὶ πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων διοική σεως φροντίς. Εὗρε γοῦν ἀριστοκρατίας οἷον ἀνεπιβού λευτον ὀχύρωμα, ὡς ἂν τῇ ἡγιασμένῃ καὶ πανεντιμοτάτῃ μητρὶ αὐτῆς ἀνατεθῇ ἡ τῶν ἁπάντων διοίκησις. 3.6.6 ∆ιο ρίζεται οὖν ἡ βασιλεία μου καθαρῶς διὰ τοῦ παρόντος χρυ σοβούλλου, ἵνα δι' ἣν ἔχει πολυπειρίαν περὶ τὰ βιωτικὰ πράγματα, εἰ καὶ τέλεον τούτων καταπεφρόνηκεν, ἅπερ ἐγγράφως διορίσηται, κἂν παρὰ τοῦ προεστῶτος τῶν σεκρέτων ἀναφέρωνται ἢ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν σεκρετικῶν ἢ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων, ὧν αἱ ὑπομνήσεις ἢ αἰτήσεις ἢ κρίσεις ἑτοιμασθήσονται ἐπὶ συμπαθείαις δημοσιακαῖς ὀφλημάτων, τὸ κῦρος ἕξουσι μόνιμον ὡς παρὰ τοῦ γαληνίου κράτους τῆς βασιλείας μου οἰκονομούμενα καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῆς τὰ γραφέντα ἀποστοματιζόμενα. Οἷαι γὰρ ἂν λύσεις παρ' αὐτῆς ἀποφανθήσονται ἢ καὶ προσ τάξεις ἔγγραφοι ἢ ἄγραφοι, κἂν εὔλογοι κἂν ἀνεύ λογοι, σφραγῖδα φέρουσαι αὐτῆς τὴν μεταμόρφωσιν καὶ τὴν κοίμησιν, ὡς αὐτῆς τῆς βασιλείας μου λογισθή σονται, τῷ δὲ μηνὶ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν διοικοῦντος τὰ σέκρετα. 3.6.7 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ προβολῶν καὶ διαδοχῶν τῶν σεκρέτων καὶ τῶν θεμάτων καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀξιώμασι καὶ ὀφφικίοις καὶ δωρεαῖς ἀκινήτων βασιλικῶς ἡ ἁγία μήτηρ αὐτῆς ἕξει ἄδειαν ὃ δόξει ταύτῃ ποιεῖν. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τινες προβληθήσονται εἰς τὰ σέκρετα ἢ καὶ εἰς θέματα καὶ διαδεχθήσονται, τιμηθήσονται δὲ καὶ ἐν μεγίστοις ἀξιώμασι καὶ μέσοις καὶ ἐλαχίστοις, ἔσονται εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἀμετακίνητοι καὶ ἀμετάπτωτοι. Ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐξή σεις ῥογῶν καὶ προσθήκας δόσεων καὶ συμπαθείας τῶν λεγομένων συνηθειῶν καὶ σχιδευμοὺς καὶ ἀποσχιδευμοὺς προστάξει αὕτη ἀνενδοιάστως καί, περιεκτικῶς εἰπεῖν, οὐδὲν ἀσυντελὲς λογισθήσεται, ὅπερ αὐτὴ κελεύσει ἐγγρά φως τε καὶ ἀγράφως. Τὰ γὰρ ῥήματα ταύτης καὶ τὰ προστάγματα ὡς τῆς βασιλείας μου λογισθήσονται καὶ οὐδὲν τούτων ἀθετηθήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ κύρια καὶ μόνιμα ἔσονται εἰς τοὺς ἑξῆς χρόνους. 3.6.8 Καὶ οὔτε εὐθύνην οὔτε ἡντιναοῦν ἀνάκρισιν ὑποπτεύσει νῦν ἢ εἰς τὸ μετέ πειτα παρ' οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν ἁπάντων οὔτε τις τῶν ἐξυ πηρετουμένων αὐτῇ ἢ αὐτὸς ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν λογο θέτης τῶν σεκρέτων, κἂν εὔλογα κἂν παράλογα τὰ πραχθησόμενα δόξῃ. Τὸ γὰρ παντελῶς ἀλογοπράγητον ἔξουσιν ἐς ἀεί, ὁποῖα ἂν καὶ εἴη τῷ παρόντι χρυσοβούλλῳ λόγῳ στηριζόμενα.»

3.7.1 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ τοῦ χρυσοβούλλου· θαυμάσειε δ' ἄν τις ἐν τούτοις τὸν ἐμὸν πατέρα καὶ αὐτοκράτορα τῆς εἰς τὴν μητέρα τιμῆς καὶ ὅπως αὐτῇ παρακεχωρήκει τῶν ἁπάντων, αὐτὸς τῆς βασιλικῆς ἡνίας οἷον ὑπεξιστάμενος καὶ τρόπον τινὰ ἐποχουμένῃ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἅρματος αὐτῇ παραθέων καὶ ψιλοῦ μόνου τοῦ τῆς βασιλείας μετέχων ὀνόματος. Καίτοι κατὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν τὸν μείρακα ἤδη παρήλλαττε, καθ' ὃν μάλιστα καιρὸν ἐπιφύεται τοῖς τοιούτοις ἤθεσιν ὁ τῆς φιλαρχίας ἔρως. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους πολέμους καὶ ὅσα τῶν ἄθλων καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων ὑπῆν αὐτὸς ἀνεζώσατο, πᾶσαν δὲ τῶν πραγ μάτων διοίκησιν καὶ