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coming to the elder emperor, they reported the defeat. At the same time the Persians also asked for ships for the crossing. But the emperor tried to persuade them to remain in Byzantium; but as they were not persuaded, saying that they themselves would be worn down in vain, and that it would not be profitable for the emperor at all for them to be besieged along with the other Byzantines; for not even outside the walls, let alone themselves, not even their own archsatrap with all the force under him would be able to stand against the new emperor. And when the Romans who were present also agreed that they were speaking the truth, having taken ships, they were ferried over to the east. 32. But when the elder emperor’s hope from the Persian alliance was taken away, and matters in the islands were in a bad state, with Lemnos having already openly revolted, and the others being shaken and all but threatening their own revolt, and of the cities on the mainland which were previously subject to the elder emperor, most had already revolted to the new one; being surrounded on all sides by difficulties, he decided it was necessary to send an embassy again to the emperor his grandson. He sends Isaac, the protos of the holy mountain of Athos, who was otherwise intelligent, and not least laid claim to virtue; acting as an ambassador through him to the emperor his grandson with such words: “If either men were created by God at the beginning immovable toward evil, or as was 1.153 right, having become endowed with free will they remained in the good, none of the transgressions that followed would have been dared. But since because of the transgression human nature has become prone to slip toward the worse, from that time until now everything has been turned upside down, with the cooperation of the one who was opposed from the beginning, just as has now happened to us. For whereas I ought to have learned of your goodwill toward me and the reverence and honor fitting for a son to a father from your very deeds, and to have pushed away as enemies those attempting to slander you as plotting intrigues against me, I, being deceived, did not pay attention to the proofs of your deeds, but being persuaded by the fabricated words of slanderers, I stirred up war, when there was peace. But now, having learned of my folly from the deeds themselves, I blame myself, as is just; but for you, who are good in character and who maintain an equal reverence and goodwill toward me, it will be a concern how our affairs may come back to peace from war.” He then said such things. But the new emperor said, “I confess many thanks to God, the King of kings, because using His goodness also toward me, He has permitted me neither to plot nor to do anything against my lord and emperor, nor for the slanderers to continue unrefuted to the end, but has provided the emperor himself as a witness that I am not committing an injustice, nor did the slanderers omit any excess of injustice. But if the emperor himself, deceived by 1.154 corrupt men, has done what he ought not, yet we, knowing to honor our parents and to endure if we are wronged in any way, as much as God may grant, having deliberated, will act concerning the present matters.” The ambassador, then, having received such a response from the emperor, went away to the camp, intending to wait there until the emperor, after deliberating, should reply concerning the peace. But the emperor, together with the Grand Domestic, deliberated on what it was necessary to do concerning the present matters, considering how the peace might become such that the slanderers would have no pretext for slandering the emperors to one another and for stirring up war to the ruin of public affairs. It seemed then advantageous for them, having entrusted both the army and all the cities and the administration of public affairs to the emperor, to be led by him themselves, and to be counted as subjects, carrying out his commands; for thus the slanderers would have no room, since all affairs would be administered together by the elder emperor. On the next day, the new emperor, having gathered all those in authority and the leaders and the elite of the army into an assembly, said the following: “The things from the war

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πρεσβύτερον βασιλέα ἐλθόντες, ἀπήγγελλον τὴν ἧτταν. ἅμα δὲ καὶ ναῦς οἱ Πέρσαι πρὸς τὴν διάβασιν ᾐτοῦντο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεχείρει πείθειν αὐτοὺς μένειν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ· ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, αὐτοί τε φάσκοντες κατατριβήσεσθαι μάτην, καὶ βασιλεῖ μηδὲν λυσιτελήσειν ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις πολιορκούμενοι Βυζαντίοις· μηδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἔξω τειχῶν μὴ ὅτι γε αὐτοὺς ἀλλ' οὐδ' αὐτὸν ἂν τὸν ἀρχισατράπην αὐτῶν ἅμα τῇ ὑπ' αὐτὸν πάσῃ δυνάμει πρὸς τὸν νέον ἀντιτάξασθαι δυνήσεσθαι βασιλέα. καὶ τῶν παρατυχόντων ὡς ἀληθῆ λέγουσιν ἅμα συνειπόντων Ῥωμαίων, ναῦς λαβόντες, ἐπεραιώθησαν πρὸς τὴν ἕω. λβʹ. Ὡς δ' ἥ τε ἐκ τῆς Περσικῆς συμμαχίας τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου βασιλέως περιῃρέθη ἐλπὶς, τά τε κατὰ τὰς νήσους πονήρως εἶχε, τῆς μὲν Λήμνου ἤδη καὶ φανερῶς ἀφεστηκυίας, τῶν ἄλλων δὲ κλονουμένων καὶ ὅσον οὔπω τὴν ἀποστασίαν καὶ αὐτῶν ἀπειλουσῶν, καὶ αἱ κατὰ τὴν ἤπειρον πρὶν ὑπήκοοι τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ βασιλεῖ, πλείους τῶν πόλεων ἤδη συναπέστησαν πρὸς τὸν νέον· ἀπορίᾳ πάντοθεν περισχεθεὶς, πρεσβείαν δεῖν ἔγνω πρὸς βασιλέα αὖθις τὸν ἔγγονον πέμπειν. πέμπει δὲ τὸν κατὰ τὸν Ἄθω τοῦ ἱεροῦ ὄρους πρῶτον τὸν Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ ἄλλως μὲν ὄντα συνετὸν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ ἀντιποιούμενον καὶ ἀρετῆς· τοιαῦτα πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν ἔγγονον πρεσβευόμενος δι' αὐτοῦ· «εἰ μὲν ἢ κατ' ἀρχὰς ἀκίνητοι πρὸς τὸ κακὸν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐδημιουργοῦντο παρὰ θεοῦ, ἢ ὥσπερ ἦν 1.153 δέον, αὐτεξούσιοι γεγονότες ἔμειναν ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ, οὐδὲν ἂν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα παραβαθέντων ἐτολμήθη. ἐπεὶ δὲ διὰ τὴν παράβασιν εὐόλισθος πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γεγένηται φύσις, ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι καὶ νῦν πάντ' ἄνω καὶ κάτω καὶ τοῦ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀντικειμένου γίνεται συνεργοῦντος, ὁποῖον δή τι νῦν συμβέβηκε καὶ ἡμῖν. δέον γὰρ ἐμὲ τὴν πρὸς ἐμέ σου εὔνοιαν καὶ πρὸς πατέρα παιδὶ πρέπουσαν αἰδῶ τε καὶ τιμὴν αὐτοῖς ἔργοις καταμαθόντα, τούς σε διαβάλλειν ἐπιχειροῦντας ὡς κατ' ἐμοῦ συσκευαζόμενον δόλους, ὡς ἐχθραίνοντας ἀπωθεῖσθαι, ἐγὼ δὲ ἀπατηθεὶς, ταῖς μὲν διὰ τῶν σῶν ἔργων ἀποδείξεσιν οὐ προσέσχον, λόγοις δὲ πεπλασμένοις παρὰ τῶν συκοφαντῶν πεισθεὶς, ἤγειρα πόλεμον, οὔσης εἰρήνης. νυνὶ δὲ αὐτοῖς ἔργοις τὴν ἀβουλίαν καταμαθὼν, ἐμαυτὸν μὲν, ὥσπερ δίκαιον, καταμέμφομαι· σοὶ δὲ τούς τε τρόπους ἀγαθῷ ὄντι, καὶ τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ αἰδῶ καὶ εὔνοιαν ἴσην διατηροῦντι, ὅπως εἰς εἰρήνην ἐκ πολέμου πάλιν τὰ πράγματα ἡμῖν ἥξει, μελήσει.» Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα εἶπε. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος «χάριτας» εἶπεν «ὁμολογῷ πολλὰς τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν βασιλευόντων θεῷ, ὅτι τῇ αὐτοῦ χρηστότητι χρησάμενος καὶ περὶ ἐμὲ, οὔτ' αὐτόν τι κατὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ κυρίου καὶ βασιλέως ἢ βουλεύσασθαι συνεχώρησεν ἢ πρᾶξαι, οὔτε τοὺς συκοφάντας ἀνελέγκτους ἄχρι τέλους διατελεῖν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν βασιλέα μάρτυρα ἔχειν παρέσχεν, ὡς οὔτ' αὐτὸς ἀδικῶ, οὔθ' οἱ συκοφαντοῦντες ἀδικίας ἐνέλιπον οὐδεμίαν ὑπερβολήν. εἰ δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς ὑπὸ διε 1.154 φθαρμένων ἀνθρώπων ἀπατηθεὶς, εἴργασται ἃ μὴ δέον, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γε γονέας τε εἰδότες τιμᾷν καὶ ἄν τι καὶ ἀδικώμεθα ἀνέχεσθαι, ὅσον ἂν παράσχοι θεὸς, βουλευσάμενοι δράσομεν περὶ τῶν προκειμένων.» ὁ μὲν οὖν πρέσβις τοιαύτης ἀποκρίσεως παρὰ βασιλέως τυχὼν, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ὡς ἐκεῖ περιμενῶν, ἄχρις ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς βουλευσάμενος ἀποκρίνηται περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης. ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ, ὅ, τι χρὴ ἐβουλεύοντο πράττειν περὶ τῶν προκειμένων, ὅπως ἡ εἰρήνη γένοιτο τοιαύτη σκοποῦντες, ὡς μηδεμίαν πρόφασιν ἔχειν τοὺς συκοφάντας πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαβάλλειν τοὺς βασιλέας καὶ πόλεμον ἐπὶ λύμῃ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων κινεῖν. ἐδόκει δὴ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτοῖς τε ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ πόλεις πάσας καὶ τὴν διοίκησιν τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐπιτρέψαντας, αὐτοὺς ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον ἄγεσθαι, καὶ εἰς ὑπηκόους τελεῖν τὰ προσταττόμενα ἐκπληροῦντας· οὕτω γὰρ τοὺς διαβάλλοντας χώραν οὐδεμίαν ἂν σχεῖν, πάντων ὁμοῦ χρημάτων ὑπὸ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου βασιλέως διοικουμένων. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἐν τέλει πάντας καὶ ἡγεμόνας καὶ τοὺς λογάδας τῆς στρατιᾶς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν συναγαγὼν, εἶπε τοιάδε· «τὰ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου