77
he ordered not to permit the sacred rites of his grandson either in the temple of the Wisdom of God, or in the other holy places; for he had driven the remembrance of him even from the sacred rites in the palace. 1.218 But the patriarch asked the reason for which the remembrance of the emperor would be cast out of the sacred rites; for if he had drifted into some doctrine foreign to the church, not even so should he be cast out from the sacred rites before every exhortation and attempt, but that he himself, having been appointed by God as a guardian of the sacred doctrines of the church and a caretaker of souls, ought and should be eager to go not only as far as Rhegium, where the young emperor was staying, but even to the ends of the earth for a soul in danger. For this reason, it was necessary to go to him first; and if, with God's help, having been taught and admonished much, he should put away his false belief, embracing the truth and recognizing the soundness of the doctrines, it would be well from every standpoint, both for the church, in a spiritual sense, and for you, in a physical sense, and for the Romans, with the emperor having been saved. But if he should appear to be willfully wicked and voluntarily closing his eyes to the light of truth, and offering not even some small hope that he might ever be healed, I will not only cast his remembrance from the sacred rites in Byzantium, but I will also make him an outcast to Christians of any land whatsoever.” But when the emperor answered that he did not accuse his grandson of a perversion of the faith, but of the violation of his oaths and treaties towards him, and further of arrogance and disobedience, and for this reason, for the sake of admonition and discipline, he had devised such a thing, and that when he had again shown a correction worthy of his errors, he himself would do what was necessary; "Therefore," said the patriarch, "I beg you, most mighty emperor, to grant me this one greatest favor, 1.219 to permit me to go to him;" for he hoped to persuade the young emperor, if anything had been done amiss before, to correct it and to do what was necessary securely for the future, and that he would remove the intervening obstacles and the causes of the war. But the emperor, being displeased by what had been said, spoke: "You ought to have obeyed my words without question, and to have done what was ordered without any contradiction; but since I do not know by what reasoning you have chosen to say and do the opposite, when you ought to cooperate with me, you yourself may know what must be done." Thus, then, the emperor and the patriarch were in disagreement in their opinions. Therefore, in the palace it was forbidden to make remembrance of the young emperor; but in the other sacred places throughout Byzantium and in the sacred precinct of the Wisdom of God itself, as was the custom, the remembrance of the emperors was performed. 45. The young emperor, staying in the place near Rhegium called Ennakosia from approximately the beginning of the month of October until December, was begging the elder emperor not to throw the affairs of the Romans into ruin and confusion again, but, having pity on his subjects, not to prolong the war further. And so that he might persuade him to choose peace rather, he also used the following words to him through envoys: "Of my zeal, O emperor, 1.220 and enthusiasm for the common interests of the Roman dominion, it is not possible to provide any other credible witness than you. For you know how, when the people of Prousa were being besieged by the Persians and were expected to be captured at any moment because their grain had completely failed, having learned of it I came myself, unbidden, to Byzantium, both begging and advising to bring all possible foresight to the besieged. This was for me, together with the army, to cross by ship to Trigleia, since it is not far from Prousa, both to attack the barbarians, if I could, and to bring in supplies to the people of Prousa; and if this were done, there was hope that they would hold out against the siege for a long time; for in all other respects the city has been strongly fortified. I, then, was so enthusiastic to help the people of Prousa, risking danger myself, but as you would not permit it, I was restrained against my will; which also seemed to be the main reason
77
ἱεροτελεστίαις τοῦ ἐγγόνου μήτ' ἐν τῷ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ Σοφίας νεῷ, μήτ' ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἱεροῖς ἐκέλευε συγχωρεῖν· καὶ αὐτῶν γὰρ τῶν ἐν βασιλείοις ἱερῶν ἀπεληλακέναι τὴν 1.218 τούτου μνήμην. ὁ πατριάρχης δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν ἠρώτα, δι' ἣν ἂν ἐκβάλλοιτο τῶν ἱερῶν ἡ μνήμη τοῦ βασιλέως· εἰ μὲν γὰρ εἴς τι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐξώκειλε δόγμα, οὐδ' οὕτω πρὸ πάσης παραινέσεως καὶ πείρας τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκβάλλειν χρὴ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ἱερῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας προστάτην ἀποδειχθέντα δογμάτων καὶ κηδεμόνα ψυχῶν, οὐκ ἄχρι Ῥηγίου μόνον, ὅπου βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος διατρίβει, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἐσχατιὰς γῆς ὑπὲρ ψυχῆς κινδυνευούσης ὀφείλειν τε καὶ προθυμεῖσθαι βαδίζειν. διὰ τοῦτο δέον εἶναι πρῶτον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν· κἂν μὲν, θεοῦ συναιρομένου, πολλὰ διδαχθεὶς καὶ νουθετηθεὶς τὴν κακοδοξίαν ἀπόθηται, τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀσπασάμενος καὶ τὸ ὑγιαῖνον τῶν δογμάτων ἐπεγνωκὼς, πανταχόθεν ἂν ἔχοι καλῶς, τῇ τε ἐκκλησίᾳ, τοῦ κατὰ πνεῦμα, καὶ σοὶ, τοῦ σωματικοῦ παιδὸς, τοῖς τε Ῥωμαίοις, τοῦ βασιλέως σεσωσμένου. ἂν δ' ἐθελοκακῶν φανῇ καὶ πρὸς τὰς αὐγὰς τῆς ἀληθείας καμμύων ἑκοντὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ οὐδὲ μικράν τινα παρέχων ἐλπίδα τοῦ ἰατρευθῆναι ἄν ποτε, οὐ τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἱερῶν μόνον αὐτοῦ τὴν μνήμην ἐκβαλῶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ὁποιδήποτε γῆς Χριστιανοῖς ἐκκήρυκτον αὐτὸν ποιήσω.» ἀποκριναμένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως, οὐ διαστροφὴν τῆς πίστεως τῷ ἐγγόνῳ ἐγκαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ὅρκων ἀθέτησιν καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν, ἔτι τε αὐθάδειαν καὶ ἀπείθειαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο νουθεσίας καὶ παιδείας χάριν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐπινενοηκέναι, πάλιν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν διόρθωσιν ἀξίαν ἐπιδειξαμένου τῶν ἡμαρτημένων, αὐτὸν τὰ δέοντα ποιήσειν· «οὐκοῦν» εἶπεν ὁ πατριάρχης «δέομαί σου, κράτιστε βασιλεῦ, μίαν ἐμοὶ χάριν ταύτην καταθεῖναι μεγί 1.219 στην, τὸ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιτρέψαι ἀπελθεῖν·» ἐλπίζειν γὰρ βασιλέα τὸν νέον πείσειν, εἴ τί τε ἡμάρτηται πρότερον, ἐπανορθώσασθαι καὶ ἀσφαλῶς εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν, τά τε μεταξὺ προσκόμματα καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ πολέμου ποιήσειν ἐκποδών. ἀηδῶς δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις διατεθεὶς, «ἐχρῆν» εἶπε «τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀπολυπραγμόνως πείθεσθαι λόγοις, καὶ τὸ κελευόμενον ἀντιλέγοντα μηδὲν ποιεῖν· ἐπεὶ δ' οὐκ οἶδ' ᾧτινι χρώμενος λογισμῷ τἀναντία καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν προῄρησαι, ἐμοὶ δέον συνεργεῖν, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείης ἃ δέον ποιεῖν.» οὕτω μὲν οὖν βασιλεύς τε καὶ πατριάρχης ἀσύμφωνοι ταῖς γνώμαις ἦσαν. διὸ καὶ ἐν μὲν βασιλείοις τὴν τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἀπείρητο ποιεῖσθαι μνήμην· ἐν δὲ τοῖς κατὰ Βυζάντιον λοιποῖς ἱεροῖς καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τῆς Σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ τεμένει τῷ ἱερῷ, ὡς ἔθος ἦν, ἡ μνήμη τῶν βασιλέων ἐτελεῖτο. μεʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος ἐν τῷ περὶ τὸ Ῥήγιον Ἐννακόσια προσαγορευομένῳ χωρίῳ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς μάλιστα Ὀκτωβρίου ἄχρι καὶ ∆εκεμβρίου διατρίβων μηνὸς, ἐδεῖτο τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου βασιλέως, μὴ αὖθις τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα εἰς φθορὰν καὶ ταραχὴν ἐμβαλεῖν, ἀλλ' ἔλεον τῶν ὑπηκόων σχόντα, μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον τὸν πόλεμον ἐξάγειν. ὡς ἂν δὲ αὐτὸν τὴν εἰρήνην πείσῃ μᾶλλον ἑλέσθαι, καὶ τοιοῖσδε πρὸς αὐτὸν διὰ πρέσβεων ἐχρῆτο λόγοις· «τῆς ἐμῆς, ὦ βασιλεῦ, σπουδῆς τε 1.220 καὶ προθυμίας ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίᾳ συμφερόντων οὐχ ἕτερόν τινα ἀξιόχρεων ἢ σὲ μάρτυρα ἔξεστι παρασχεῖν. οἶσθα γὰρ, ὅπως, Προυσηνῶν ὑπὸ Περσῶν πολιορκουμένων καὶ ὅσον οὔπω ἁλώσεσθαι προσδοκωμένων διὰ τὸ τὸν σῖτον παντάπασιν ἐπιλελοιπέναι, πυθόμενος αὐτὸς αὐτόκλητος εἰς Βυζάντιον ἧκον, δεόμενός τε ἅμα καὶ συμβουλεύων, τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις τὴν δυνατὴν πρόνοιαν εἰσενεγκεῖν. αὕτη δ' ἦν τὸ ἐμὲ ἅμα τῇ στρατιᾷ ναυσὶ πρὸς τὴν Τρίγλειαν περαιωθέντα, ἐπεὶ οὐ πολὺ Προύσης διέχει, τοῖς τε βαρβάροις, ἢν δύνωμαι, ἐπιθέσθαι καὶ Προυσηνοῖς τὰ ἐπιτήδεια ἐσκομίσαι· τούτου δὲ γενομένου, ἐλπὶς αὐτοὺς χρόνον πολὺν πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀντισχήσειν· τἄλλα γὰρ ἡ πόλις ἅπαντα κατεσκεύασται καρτερῶς. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν οὕτω προθυμίας εἶχον πρὸς τὸ Προυσηνοῖς βοηθεῖν αὐτὸς διακινδυνεύων, σοῦ δὲ μὴ ἐφιέντος, ἄκων κατεσχέθην· ὃ καὶ μάλιστα αἴτιον ἔδοξε