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having accepted, speaking to us at his leisure about both, he hinted at the former's plea to lay aside his office, but he admired the latter's judgment, showing in his speech how much more this man knew than that one concerning what is properly owed to emperors by those in power. At first, at any rate, he thus decided to manage things so as to ward off such thoughts. But since the drop was incessant so as 214 to be able to hollow out even the rock, as the saying goes, and those around him were eager for revolution, flattering him more than was fitting for a general, and finally some of his men were inventing an aversion on the part of the emperor, as it were, and a future injury, saying that he considered the pile of so much money a terrible thing, as if, while he ought to be satisfying the forces with salaries, the other wanted to appropriate for himself the plunder gained from those enemies, they began from this point to bend his youthful spirit, full of courage from his valor, toward what they wanted, and they made him seem disreputable, as if he were no master. Monks were also with him: Tarchas from the west as a friend, at that time abbot of the monastery of the Sanidoi, and as a relative Acropolites Melchisedek, his wife's uncle, being on his side, who indeed were urging on the undertaking with all their might; for they said much about anticipating treacherous fortune, lest he might not himself preemptively cut short the wrath from the emperor. The entire soldiery, moreover, was both stirred up and eager 215 for a disturbance, holding those around the emperor in hatred, and they openly desired a change of government, being indignant that while they themselves went through toils and constant dangers to grant authority to others, those others, living luxuriously in ease, seemed not even to be grateful for the good they had received and were receiving from them, but rather they were even being cut short of their appointed pay. And approaching in ranks, they paid him more court than was proper, and they deemed him more worthy to rule than the others and compelled him, caring little for the emperor and the emperor's men. For they said that their plan was accomplishable for many reasons, and especially for three of the strongest: that all the people, burdened by penalties and contributions, were ready for revolt; that all who campaigned under him were well-disposed toward him; and third, that he had at his disposal a great multitude of Persians, men who knew no other than the one who had received them when they deserted and had treated them as was fitting; and that they numbered in the thousands, all of them fighting men, hanging on the single gaze of him 216 who led them. Saying these things, they softened his resolve, which was already being lifted toward the pomp of power, and they openly persuaded him to revolt. Then, therefore, seeing them so full of no small audacity and spurred on by the hopes of living well, he was both very hesitant and reasonably terrified at the magnitude of the undertaking, but by their irrational boldness he was in the greatest hopes and took courage for the daring act. But nevertheless, wishing to learn by trial the opinion of the rest as well, and if all were inclined to the same things, having gathered them all together and standing in their midst, he spoke at great length, from which he presented his love for them and his popular manner in all things, and his zeal with them on behalf of the Romans, and from those who lived in ease and luxury (meaning those around the emperor) not only a lack of approval but no less an aversion and countless irrelevant accusations, as if he himself were living luxuriously in affairs of state and at the same time being indolent, while they were toiling and growing old in their helmets and risking themselves in battles against enemies 217. For they seemed not to rejoice at their successes, but rather to be distressed and vexed as if suffering evils. And from them what good could be expected for those who toiled daily, when indeed the unfavorable reports coming from them to them happened to instill the utmost fear, as if they were doing the worst things? And these things were not

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ἀποδεξάμενος, ἐπὶ σχολῆς περὶ ἀμφοτέρων πρὸς ἡμᾶς λέγων, ἐκείνου μὲν τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἱκεσίαν ὑπεδήλου, τούτου δὲ τὴν κρίσιν ἐθαύμαζε, λόγῳ δεικνὺς ὁπόσον οἶδεν οὗτος ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖ νον τὸ πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς παρὰ τῶν ἐν τέλει κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ὀφει λόμενον. τὰ πρῶτα γοῦν οὕτως ἐκεῖνος οἰκονομεῖν ἔγνω τοιού τους λογισμοὺς ἀποκρούσασθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ ῥανὶς ἠνδελέχει ὥστε 214 καὶ τὴν πέτραν, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, κοιλαίνειν ἔχειν, καὶ οἱ ἀμφ' ἐκεῖνον μετέωροι πρὸς καινοτομίαν ἦσαν, μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ στρατη γὸν θωπεύοντες, καὶ τέλος τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τινὲς τῶν ἐκεί νου ἀποστροφὴν οἷον καὶ εἰς τὸ μετέπειτα ἐπλάττοντο κάκωσιν, ἐν δεινῷ τιθεμένου λέγοντες τὸν τοσούτων χρημάτων σωρόν, ὡς αὐτοῦ μὲν δέον ὂν τὰς δυνάμεις ἱκανοῦντος ῥόγαις, ἐκείνου δὲ νοσφίζεσθαι βουλομένου τὴν δι' ἐκείνων τῶν ἐχθρῶν προνομήν, φρόνημα ἐντεῦθεν νεανικὸν καὶ πλέων ἐξ ἀνδραγαθίας φρονήμα τος ὑποκατακλίνειν πρὸς ὅπερ ἤθελον ἤρξαντο, καὶ ἀδοξεῖν ἐποίουν ὡς οὐδὲν τὸν δεσπότην ὄντα. συνῆσαν αὐτῷ καὶ μονά ζοντες, ὁ μὲν φιλίως ὁ Τάρχας ἐκ δύσεως, τότε δὲ τῆς τῶν Σανίδων μονῆς καθηγούμενος, ὁ δὲ προσγενῶς ὁ Ἀκροπολίτης Μελχισεδέκ, θεῖος ὢν τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικός, πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔχον τες, οἳ δὴ καὶ ὡς εἶχον κατήπειγον τὴν ἐγχείρησιν· πολλὰ γὰρ ἔλεγον φθάσαι πανουργήσασαν τὴν τύχην, εἴ που μὴ αὐτὸς προ λαβὼν τὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ὀργὰς ὑποτέμοιτο. τὸ δέ γε στρα τιωτικὸν ἅπαν καὶ παρακεκινημένον ἦν καὶ πρὸς ταραχὴν μετέω 215 ρον, διὰ μίσους τοὺς περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ποιούμενοι, καὶ φανερῶς τὰ τῆς μεταβολῆς ἠβούλοντο, διαγανακτοῦντες εἰ αὐτοὶ μὲν διὰ πόνων χωροῦντες καὶ τῶν ἐσαεὶ κινδύνων ἑτέροις τὴν ἐξουσίαν χα ρίζονται, ἐκεῖνοι δ' ἐν ἀνέσει τρυφῶντες μηδὲ χάριν εἰσομένοις ἐῴκεσαν ὧν εὖ πεπόνθασί τε καὶ πάσχουσι παρ' αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον καὶ τῶν ἀποτεταγμένων κολούονται. καὶ προσερχό μενοι κατὰ στίχας πλέον ἐθεράπευον τοῦ εἰκότος, καὶ ἀξιώτερον ἄρχειν αὐτὸν παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐδικαίουν καὶ προσηνάγκαζον, ὀλίγα βασιλέως καὶ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως φροντίζοντες. εἶναι γὰρ σφίσιν ἐκ πολλῶν τὸ βουλευόμενον ἀνυστόν, καὶ μᾶλλον τριῶν τῶν ἰσχυροτάτων, τοῦ τε τὸν λαὸν πάντα ζημίαις βαρούμενον καὶ συνδόσεσιν εἰς ἀποστασίαν ἕτοιμον εἶναι, τοῦ τε πάντας εὐ μενῶς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔχειν, ὅσοι δὴ καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῷ στρατεύονται, καὶ τρίτου τοῦ καὶ παμπληθοῦς εὐπορεῖν Περσικοῦ, ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἄλλον εἰδότων ἢ τὸν αὐτοὺς αὐτομολήσαντας καὶ ὑποδεξάμενον καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς θεραπεύσαντα· εἶναι δὲ καὶ εἰς χιλιάδας ποσουμέ νους, μαχίμους ξύμπαντας, ἑνὸς ἐξημμένους βλέμματος τοῦ 216 σφᾶς ἄγοντος. ταῦτα λέγοντες κατεμάλασσον τὴν ἐκείνου γνώ μην μετεωριζομένην ἤδη πρὸς ἀρχῆς ὄγκον, καὶ φανερῶς ἀπο στατεῖν ἔπειθον. τότε τοίνυν τόσους ὁρῶν ἐκείνους τολμήματος γέμοντας οὐ μετρίου καὶ ταῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ζῆν εὐμαρῶς ἐλπίσι σπερ χομένους, πρὸς μὲν τὸ τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως μέγεθος καὶ λίαν ἄτολ μος ἦν καὶ ἐπιεικῶς κατωρρώδει, τῷ δὲ κατὰ σφᾶς ἀλογίστῳ θράσει ἐν ἐλπίσιν ἦν ταῖς μεγίσταις καὶ ἀπεθάρρει τὸ τόλμημα. ἀλλ' ὅμως πείρᾳ θέλων μαθεῖν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τὴν γνώμην, καὶ εἰ πάντες πρόσκεινται τοῖς αὐτοῖς, συναγαγὼν εἰς ταὐτὸ συνό λους καὶ σταθεὶς ἐπὶ μέσων πλεῖστά τε κατετείνετο, ἐξ ὧν παρί στα τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀγάπην καὶ τὸ δημοτικὸν ἐφ' ἅπασι, τήν τε ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων μετὰ σφῶν αὐτοῦ σπουδήν, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν ἀνέσει καὶ τρυφῇ διαγόντων (τοὺς περὶ τὸν βασιλέα λέγων) οὐχ ὅπως ἀποδοχὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἧττον ἀποστροφὴν καὶ ἐπαιτιάσεις μυρίας μηδὲν προσηκούσας, ὥσπερ ἂν αὐτὸς μὲν ἐτρύφα τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ συνάμα κατεβλακεύετο, ἐκεῖνοι δ' ἐπό νουν καὶ κατεγήρων τοῖς κράνεσι καὶ μάχαις ταῖς κατ' ἐχθρῶν 217 παρεβάλλοντο. δοκεῖν γὰρ ἐκείνους μὴ χαίρειν ἐπὶ τοῖς σφῶν κατορθώμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον ἀδημονεῖν καὶ ἀλύειν ὡς κακὰ πάσχοντας. παρ' ὧν καὶ τί προσδοκᾶν εἶναι τῶν ἀγαθῶν τοῖς ὁσημέραι ταλαιπωρουμένοις, ὅπου γε καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθὰς τὰς ἀπ' ἐκείνων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀφιγμένας φήμας φόβον τὸν ἔσχατον ἐμ ποιεῖν συμβαίνει ὡς διαπραττομένοις τὰ χείριστα; ταῦτα δ' εἶναι μὴ