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was being prepared. And he looked to the governors in other places, and considered how he might overcome them. And he was neglectful of the others, as if he would bring them over immediately either by force or by words; but concerning the protovestiarios Libadarios, inasmuch as he held the governorship near him in the regions around Neokastra and all 221 of Lydia and Sardis itself, he was all the more concerned to capture him, even if he was otherwise arrogant, thinking nothing of that man's forces, and expecting to subdue him like a hare. But he showed that he had these things under consideration, for where God opposes, even the one who seems slow overtakes the swiftest, and all strength is useless when deprived of wisdom. For his supporters wished to see him in the imperial dignities, so that from that point, having undertaken the risk, they would be wholly confirmed to act with all zeal and to be willing to die for the undertaking. But the bold venture was subject to delays, so that it seemed he was being cautious and wavering. And content with the present, but looking to the future, he courted them in every way and seemed to be grateful for their zeal for him, but he excused himself from the greatest titles, not being firmly hopeful about the outcome, but rather very despairing. And so he himself, weighing the opportunity in two ways, balanced it; and he cultivated the present situation as it was, but he was suspicious of the future, and he took care that an excuse be left for him, should anything go wrong. But to the Cretans, and especially to their leader Chortatzes, 222 this did not seem safe for the time being; for it was possible for him, even if he changed his mind later, to make excuses to the emperor, and with his own security, and sometimes even with the greatest favors, to hand himself over to those who supported the emperor; but for them the danger was altogether inescapable, as they had no place of refuge to which they might flee and find support. And seeing the leader's delays, their mind improvised these thoughts, not beyond what was likely, and caused them to be in the greatest suspicion; (10) On the other hand, the protovestiarios, having learned of the event against all expectation, being devoted to the emperor as one honored by him, was anxious and feared for the whole situation. For where could he, with so great a danger having arisen, stand against such a multitude of an army? But if indeed he with difficulty even considered engagements, the danger from them dissolved the very thought of these things before it was formed. For apart from the forces from Romanía, he thought that the Persian and foreign contingent with the other man was alone sufficient for a contest against his own men, so that these would not even withstand them when they appeared. And besides, it was likely that those men, having embarked on such dreadful things, would be brave even beyond what was 223 necessary, since defeat also held danger. And the opponents should also be such that their heads would be equal in battle; but it happened that they were not such by necessity, especially since they did not know at all how to engage in civil wars. He resolved, therefore, to pursue the matter differently, and against their audacity and multitude and irrational spirit to set up the one greatest thing, wisdom, so that perhaps in this way he might accomplish if not the whole, at least something partial. And immediately he sends messengers to report the event to the emperor, and he also sends secretly to some of the Cretans, whom he knew to be of repute, among whom Chortatzes was preeminent, swearing that an amnesty for their misdeeds would be granted to them by the ruler 224 and that they would be honored with the greatest gifts, if they should somehow turn and change their minds and hand over the apostate in a sham engagement with a pretense of war; for from this they would seem both good and loyal to the emperor, and that in whatever had been done they had been unwillingly compelled and carried away by the momentum of the moment, being unable to resist and to hold back so great a multitude stirred up for revolution, but that now, since the moment had come, and men had appeared who would oppose what had happened, they themselves were ready, having been summoned back, to show their original loyalty by cooperating completely with those who were resisting. But that he would stand surety for them not only

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ἐξητοιμάζετο. ἀφεώρα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀλλαχόθι ἡγεμονεύον τας, καὶ ἐσκόπει πῶς ἂν αὐτῶν περιγένοιτο. καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἀμελῶς εἶχεν, ὡς αὐτίκα ἢ χειρὶ ἢ λόγοις προσαξόμενος· περὶ δέ γε τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίτου Λιβαδαρίου, ὅσον συνέγγυς εἶχε τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἡγεμονίαν ἐν τοῖς περὶ τὰ Νεόκαστρα καὶ Λυδίαν πᾶ 221 σαν καὶ Σάρδεις αὐτάς, τοσοῦτον καὶ διὰ φροντίδος πλείονος εἶχεν ἑλεῖν, εἰ καὶ ἄλλως ὑπερηφάνει, οὐδὲν τἀκείνου οἰόμενος, δίκην δὲ πτωκὸς ἐλπίζων ἐκεῖνον χειρώσασθαι. ἀλλ' ἔδειξε ταῦτα διὰ βουλῆς ἔχων, ὡς ὅπου θεὸς ἀντιπράττει, καὶ ὁ δοκῶν βρα δὺς φθάνει καὶ τὸν ὠκύτατον, πᾶσα δ' ἰσχὺς μάταιον συνέσεως ἀμοιροῦσα. ἐκεῖνον γὰρ καὶ βλέπειν ἤθελον ἐν βασιλικαῖς ἀξίαις οἱ συλλαμβάνοντες, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἀναρρίψαντας κίνδυνον ὅλως ἐμπεδωθέντας ὅλαις ἐνεργεῖν προθυμίαις καὶ ἐπαποθνήσκειν τῇ ἐγχειρήσει βούλεσθαι. τὸ δ' ἦν ἐν ἀναβολαῖς τὸ τόλμημα, ὡς δοκεῖν διευλαβεῖσθαι καὶ ἀμφιγνωμονεῖν. καὶ τὸ μὲν παρὸν στέργων, πρὸς δὲ τὸ μέλλον ἀποσκοπῶν, ἐκείνους μὲν ἐθερά πευε παντοίως καὶ χάριν ἐδόκει εἰδέναι μὲν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν σπου δῆς, ἑαυτὸν δὲ παρεξῆγε τῶν μεγίστων ὀνομάτων, οὐκ εὔελ πις ἀραρότως ὢν ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν δυσελπιστῶν. καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν οὕτω διττὰ στρέφων τὸν καιρὸν ἐζυγοστάτει, καὶ τὸν μὲν παρόντα ὡς εἶχεν ἐξεθεράπευε, τὸν δὲ μέλλοντα ὑφωρᾶτο, καί γε ἀπολογίαν ὑπολελεῖφθαι, ἄν τι προσκρούσοι, προυνόει. τοῖς δέ γε Κρητικοῖς, καὶ μᾶλλον τῷ σφῶν ἐξηγουμένῳ Χορτάτζῃ, 222 τοῦτ' ἀσφαλὲς οὐκ ἐδόκει τέως· αὐτῷ γὰρ εἶναι καὶ ἐσαῦθις με ταγνόντι παραιτεῖσθαι πρὸς βασιλέα, καὶ ὑπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ τῇ ἐοι κυίᾳ, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ ὑπὸ μεγίσταις χάρισιν, εἰς χεῖρας ἑαυτὸν ἐγχειρίζειν τοῖς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀξιοῦσι, σφίσι δ' εἶναι τὸν κίνδυνον ἄφυκτον πάντως, οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὅπῃ ἂν τῶν τῆς ἀποφυ γῆς τόπων ἐκσταῖεν καὶ ἀπερείσαιντο. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁρώντων τὰς τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ἀναβολὰς ὁ νοῦς οὐκ ἔξω τῶν εἰκότων ἀπεσχεδίαζε, καὶ ἐν ὑπονοίαις μεγίσταις ἐποίει εἶναι· (10) ἑτέρωθεν καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιαρίτης τὸ ξυμ πεσὸν παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα μαθών, τῷ βασιλεῖ καθοσιούμενος ὡς παρ' αὐτοῦ τιμηθείς, ἐν φροντίσιν ἦν καὶ περὶ τοῖς ὅλοις ἐδε δίει. ποῦ γὰρ εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος ἀναρριφθέντος τοσούτου κινδύνου πρὸς τόσον στρατιᾶς ἀντιστῆναι πλῆθος; εἰ δ' οὖν ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ συμπλοκὰς ἐνενόει μόλις, ὁ γοῦν ἐντεῦθεν κίνδυνος οὔπω συστᾶ σαν τὴν περὶ τούτων ἔννοιαν ἔλυε. χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ῥω μαΐδος δυνάμεων, τὸ περὶ ἐκεῖνον Περσικὸν μόνον καὶ ξενικὸν ἀποχρῶν εἶναι πρὸς τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν εἰς ἀνταγώνισιν ᾤετο, ὥστε μηδ' ὑποστῆναι τούτους φανέντων ἐκείνων. ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ φοβερῶν τοιούτων ἁψαμένους ἐκείνους εἰκὸς εἶναι καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ 223 δέον ἀνδρίζεσθαι, ὡς τῆς ἥττης ἐχούσης καὶ κίνδυνον. δεῖν δ' εἶναι καὶ τοὺς ἀντιπάλους τοιούτους, ὡς ἴσας ὑσμίνῃ τὰς κε φαλὰς γίνεσθαι· ἀλλὰ ξυμβαίνειν μὴ εἶναι τοιούτους ἐξ ἀναγ καίων, καὶ μάλισθ' ὅτι πολέμοις ἐμφυλίοις ὁμόσε χωρεῖν οὐδ' οἴδασι τὸ παράπαν. ἔγνω γοῦν ἄλλως τὰ πράγματα μετελθεῖν, καὶ θράσει καὶ πλήθει καὶ παραλόγῳ φρονήματι ἓν ἀντιστῆσαι τὸ μέγιστον σύνεσιν, ὡς ἴσως οὕτω καὶ ἐξανύσων κἂν οὐ τὸ σύμπαν ἀλλά τι καὶ μερικόν. καὶ αὐτίκα στέλλει μὲν τοὺς ἀγγελοῦντας τὸ συμβὰν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, στέλλει δ' ἐν ἀπορρήτοις καὶ πρός τινας τῶν Κρητικῶν, οὓς ᾔδει δοκοῦντας, ὧν ὁ Χορτάτζης προέφερεν, ἀμνηστίαν τε κακῶν παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος σφίσι γε 224 νέσθαι διομνύμενος καί γε προσφιλοτιμηθῆναι τὰ μέγιστα, ἤν που καὶ στραφέντες μεταβουλεύσαιντο καὶ εἰς συμπλοκὴν δῆθεν παραστάσει πολέμου παραδοῖεν τὸν ἀποστατήσαντα· δόξειν γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα πιστούς, καὶ ἐς ὅ τι μὲν καὶ πέπρακτο ἀκουσίως ἀναγκασθέντας καθυπαχθῆναι τῇ τοῦ καιροῦ ῥύμῃ, μὴ ἔχοντας ἀντιτείνειν καὶ τοσοῦτον πλῆθος εἰς μεταβολὰς παρακεκινημένον ἐπισχεῖν, τὸ δὲ παρὸν τέως ἐνστάν τος καιροῦ, καὶ ἀνδρῶν φανέντων ἀντιστησομένων τοῖς γεγονόσι, καὶ αὐτοὺς ἑτοίμους μετακληθέντας τὴν ἀρχῆθεν πίστιν ἐμφαί νειν τῷ συνεργεῖν τοῖς ἀνθισταμένοις εἰς ἅπαν. αὐτὸν δ' ἐκεί νους ἀναδέχεσθαι μὴ ὅπως