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But having decided to use magnanimity, as in previous wars, and not to rise up beforehand, but to await the test of events, at the same time hoping to overcome the war, with God also defending them, as they were the victims of a broken treaty; for they themselves had given no cause in word for the treaties to be broken. But it seemed best to go to Byzantium for the sake of a test, as the war would either become manifest as soon as they arrived or would be resolved, with those who were stirring it up being struck with terror. Thus all this seemed best to the young emperor and his friends. 44. And not many days later, at the beginning of October of the eleventh indiction, they came from Didymoteichon to Selymbria, not bringing an army so as not to seem to be marching to war on purpose, but with servants and not a few of their friends. But when the elder emperor learned of this, he sent both the Dikaiophylax Gregory Kleidas and Niphon the bishop of Moglaina to his grandson in Selymbria, ordering him not to come to Byzantium; for he would not grant him entrance, because he had broken the treaties with him and the oaths; and if anything 1.216 untoward should happen to him, he should assign the blame not to him, but to himself for having broken the treaty. Having heard these things, the young emperor was not a little pained by the messages; but pausing for a little while, he said, “I wished that my lord and emperor had not now been seen to be so unmindful of the obedience and servitude I showed him in my very deeds; but since the multitude of my sins has persuaded him both to think and to say that I am a perjurer and a violator of the agreements with him, when he ought to have considered all my actions as well-intentioned, dutiful, and submissive to him, first, I think that your arrival to me has happened at an opportune time, as you are intelligent men and most able to comprehend the truth and what is necessary from what is said. Then I ask if you have also been entrusted by my lord and emperor both to accuse me of the wrongs I have done and to receive the defense for them as I go through them. For I hope to absolve myself of the accusations with much to spare.” But when they said that nothing more had been entrusted to them than to deliver the message that he not come to Byzantium, and to return again, “Report then,” he said, “to my lord and emperor, that I call to witness God, the overseer of truth, who is himself called and is truth, that neither before, nor in the present war unjustly stirred up against me, am I conscious of having done anything against you, either in deeds or indeed in words. Wherefore I also become your suppliant, by God himself, that you put aside your anger, use sympathy and gentleness, and do nothing outside of what is just and expedient. But if indeed 1.217 the malevolence of the demon, because of which I have often toiled in misfortunes, has prepared you to forget the servitude and obedience which I showed in my very deeds on every occasion that offered, and has persuaded you to heed those who slander and accuse falsely and to stir up war against me, I ask again that you not condemn me thus unheard, but that you both declare the charges and provide an opportunity for a defense. If, therefore, I should escape the trial, having absolved myself of the charges, it would be well; but if I am caught perjuring and breaking the treaty, I ask to receive no pardon, but I myself propose to suffer anything whatsoever.” The young emperor, therefore, ordered the ambassadors to report such things to his grandfather; and they asked again if he was conscious of having transgressed in any way the oaths made to the emperor his grandfather, thinking that they could easily persuade the emperor to be reconciled with his grandson, if he should learn that he had not perjured himself in anything. And when he insisted that he had in no way broken the treaty up to that point, they returned rejoicing to Byzantium, hoping to end the war between the emperors; but the outcome was the opposite of what they expected. For when they reported all the protestations of the young emperor that he had not broken the treaty, the elder one did not relent his anger at all, but answered them nothing; but to the patriarch Isaiah to mention in the

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βουλευσαμένοις δὲ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προτέρων πολέμων ἐδόκει χρῆσθαι καὶ μὴ προεξανίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἔλεγχον περιμένειν, ἅμα καὶ ἐλπίζοντες περιγενήσεσθαι τοῦ πολέμου, ἀμύνοντος αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ παρασπονδουμένοις· αὐτοὶ γὰρ οὔτε λόγῳ αἰτίαν παρασχεῖν τοῦ λελύσθαι τὰς σπονδάς. πείρας δὲ χάριν ἐδόκει πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἀπελθεῖν ὡς ἢ φανεροῦ γενησομένου ἅμα τῷ αὐτοὺς ἀφικέσθαι τοῦ πολέμου ἢ διαλυθησομένου, τῶν κινούντων καταπληξάντων. βασιλεῖ πᾶν οὖν τῷ νέῳ καὶ τοῖς φίλοις οὕτως ἐδόκει. μδʹ. Καὶ ὕστερον οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις κατὰ τὰς ἀρχὰς Ὀκτωβρίου τῆς ἑνδεκάτης ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐκ ∆ιδυμοτείχου ἦλθον εἰς Σηλυβρίαν, στρατιὰν μὲν οὐκ ἐπαγόμενοι τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν ἐξεπίτηδες πρὸς πόλεμον χωρεῖν, ἅμα δὲ οἰκέταις καὶ τῶν φίλων οὐκ ὀλίγοις. ὡς δὲ ἐπύθετο ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς, τόν τε δικαιοφύλακα Γρηγόριον τὸν Κλειδᾶν καὶ Νίφωνα τὸν ἐπίσκοπον Μογλαίνων πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον ἀπέστειλεν εἰς Σηλυβρίαν, εἰς Βυζάντιον κελεύων μὴ ἐλθεῖν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν αὐτῷ τὴν εἴσοδον παραχωρήσειν, ὅτι τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν σπονδὰς παραλύσειε καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους· κἄν τι περὶ αὐτὸν συμβῇ 1.216 τῶν ἀβουλήτων, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν λογίζεσθαι παρεσπονδηκότι. τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς, ἤλγησε μὲν οὐχ ἥκιστα ἐπὶ ταῖς ἀγγελίαις· μικρὸν δὲ ἐπισχὼν, «ἐβουλόμην» εἶπε «μὴ τοσοῦτον ἀμνήμονα τὸν ἐμὸν κύριον καὶ βασιλέα ἧς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς εὐπειθείας καὶ δουλείας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνεδειξάμην ὀφθῆναι νῦν· ἐπεὶ δ' ἡ τῶν ἐμῶν ἁμαρτημάτων πληθὺς ἐπίορκον καὶ τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν συμβάσεων ἀθετητὴν καὶ οἴεσθαι ἀνέπεισε καὶ λέγειν, δέον εὐγνώμονα καὶ φιλοπάτορα καὶ αὐτῷ ὑπείκοντα λογίζεσθαι πάντα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν καιρίῳ οἴομαι τὴν πρὸς ἐμὲ ὑμῶν ἄφιξιν γεγενῆσθαι, συνετῶν ὄντων καὶ δυναμένων μάλιστα ἀπὸ τῶν λεγομένων τὰ ἀληθῆ καὶ τὰ δέοντα συνεῖναι. ἔπειτα ἐρωτῶ, εἰ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ἐμοῦ κυρίου καὶ βασιλέως ἐπιτέτραπται ὑμῖν, ἅ τε ἠδίκηκα ἐγκαλεῖν καὶ τούτων τὴν ἀπολογίαν δέχεσθαι διεξιόντος. ἐλπίζω γὰρ ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος ἀπολύσασθαι τὰ ἐγκλήματα.» τῶν δὲ εἰπόντων μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιτετράφθαι ἢ ὅσον μὴ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀπαγγείλαντας ἥκειν, αὖθις ἀναστρέφειν, «ἀπαγγείλατε τοίνυν» ἔφη «τῷ ἐμῷ κυρίῳ καὶ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι τὸν ἔφορον τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπιμαρτύρομαι θεὸν καὶ αὐτὸν ἀλήθειαν καλούμενον καὶ ὄντα, ὡς οὔτε πρότερον, οὔτ' ἐν τῷ νῦν ἀδίκως κατ' ἐμοῦ κινουμένῳ πολέμῳ, οὔτ' ἔργοις οὔτε μὴν ἐν ῥήμασιν ἐμαυτῷ τι σύνοιδα πεπραγμένον κατὰ σοῦ. διὸ καὶ ἱκέτης γίνομαί σου πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ ὀργίζεσθαι ἀποθέμενον, συμπαθείᾳ χρήσασθαι καὶ πρᾳότητι, καὶ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ λυσιτελοῦντος ἔξω ποιεῖν μηδέν. εἰ δ' ἄρα 1.217 τοῦ δαίμονος ἡ δυσμένεια, δι' ἣν πολλάκις ἐν κακοῖς τεταλαιπώρηκα, τῆς μὲν δουλείας καὶ εὐπειθείας, ἣν ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ἐπεδειξάμην ἐν παντὶ τῷ παρασχόντι, παρεσκεύασεν ἐπιλελῆσθαι, τοῖς διαβάλλουσι δὲ καὶ συκοφαντοῦσιν ἀνέπεισε προσέχειν καὶ τὸν κατ' ἐμοῦ πόλεμον κινεῖν, δέομαι αὖθις μὴ ἐρήμην οὕτω καταψηφίσασθαι, ἀλλὰ τά τε ἐγκλήματα δηλῶσαι καὶ τόπον ἀπολογίας παρασχεῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν διαφύγω τὴν δίκην, τὰ ἐγκλήματα ἀπολυσάμενος, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι· ἂν δ' ἐπιορκῶν ἁλῶ καὶ παρασπονδῶν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἀξιῶ τυχεῖν συγγνώμης, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν πάσχειν αὐτὸς τιμῶμαι.» βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν ὁ νέος τοῖς πρέσβεσι τῷ πάππῳ τοιαῦτα ἐκέλευεν ἀπαγγέλλειν· οἱ δ' ἐπυνθάνοντο αὖθις, εἰ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ σύνοιδε τοὺς πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πάππον γεγενημένους ὅρκους παραβεβηκὼς, οἰόμενοι πεῖσαι ἂν βασιλέα ῥᾳδίως διαλύσασθαι πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον, εἰ μηδὲν ἐπιορκοῦντα πύθοιτο αὐτόν. τοῦ δὲ ἰσχυρισαμένου ἄχρι τότε παρεσπονδηκέναι μηδαμῶς, χαίροντες εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανῆκον, ἐλπίζοντες τὸν πόλεμον τῶν βασιλέων καταλύσειν· τὸ δ' ἐναντίως ἢ ἀπέβη προσεδόκων. ἀπαγγειλάντων γὰρ ὅσα βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος πρὸς τὸ μὴ παρεσπονδηκέναι παραιτεῖται, οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ὁ πρεσβύτερος ὑφῆκε τῆς ὀργῆς, ἀλλ' ἐκείνοις μὲν ἀπεκρίνατο οὐδέν· τῷ πατριάρχῃ δὲ Ἠσαΐᾳ τὸ μνημονεύειν ἐν ταῖς