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both to bring charges and to seek a defense for them. Therefore, six were sent from the high priests, and as many senators, and from both the rulers of the church and from the men called archimandrites, reverent men, an equal number from each group. With these were also those previously sent from the emperor, both Niphon the bishop of Moglaina and Kleidas the Dikaiophylax, to whom indeed the elder emperor entrusted the charges against the young emperor. In addition to all these was also Gregory the archbishop of Bulgaria, a man wise in speech and marvelous in understanding and supremely possessed of true wisdom, and with him Theodore Xanthopoulos, he too adorned with virtue and understanding and learning. All these men, therefore, came to Rhegion to examine the differences between the two emperors. But when the young emperor saw them, he was immediately filled with pleasure and gladness, inasmuch as he was about to give an account for the things of which he was accused; and having greeted them, he ordered them to enjoy some rest, as the council would take place early the next day. They accordingly did so; but the emperor at dawn called to the council both the most distinguished of his own men and those who had arrived from the emperor. And when all were present, silence held the assembly for a short time, and all held their ears in suspense as if for some new developments. And the archbishop began, speaking thus: ‘Most excellent emperor, 1.227 concerning the differences that have now arisen between you emperors, you yourself requested to come to Byzantium to render an account before the emperor, or if not that, for the patriarch to come here, so that the charges might be settled by a trial. Now, neither of these was easy to bring about as you yourself requested; but at the command of the emperor and the patriarch, we have come to hear the defenses for the things of which you are accused. And you would be right to go through whatever you have to say about them.’ Then the emperor said: 47. ‘Your arrival to me is very much what I wanted, and I consider it a matter of prayer to find at last some opportunity for a defense concerning the things of which I am accused. But I do not consider it just, nor indeed does it make any sense, that I should often provide clear proofs of my respect and obedience towards the emperor by my very deeds, but not be deemed worthy of the same goodwill from him, not even in mere words. And yet he ought, comparing the words of the slanderers with my actions, either to punish them in a manner worthy of their own villainy, so that they might both cease their slandering and be an example of discretion to others, or, at the very least, to rebuke and censure them severely for daring such things; and to maintain a firm and settled goodwill toward me, having, as I said, clear proofs from my deeds that I am most loyal to him and preserve the respect, obedience, and service befitting a good son toward a father. But since 1.228 this has taken the opposite course to what was proper, and our deeds have flowed completely from the emperor's memory, while he has been utterly captivated by the words of those whose diligent work it is, by slandering us to each other, to ruin the common happiness of the Romans, what is left but either to feel extreme pain for the misfortunes I suffer undeservedly, and to ask forgiveness from a father even for the slanders, or, as a second choice, for a trial and judgment for the things of which I am unjustly accused? Which indeed I have continued to do, for this sixtieth day or even more, suffering in the open with all these whom I lead, especially in the season of winter, as you yourselves also know. It would have been best, therefore, to make my defense before the emperor himself, in the presence of the patriarch and of the entire community of the Romans, so that either, having escaped the charges, I might make it clear to all how I am suffering most violent and unjust things from the slanderers, or, being convicted of wrongdoing by the votes of all, I might no longer be able to resort to delays nor seek an appeal, as though I had been condemned by the judges either out of favor or contentiousness, but might receive a worthy penalty. But since he has judged that it should be thus, the

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τε ἐγκλήματα κομίζειν καὶ ἀπολογίαν ζητεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν. πέμπονται τοίνυν ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἓξ, καὶ τοσοῦτοι συγκλητικοὶ, ἔκ τε τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀρχόντων καὶ τῶν ἀρχι μανδριτῶν λεγομένων ἀνδρῶν εὐλαβῶν ἴσοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἐξ ἑκατέρων. σὺν τούτοις καὶ οἱ παρὰ βασιλέως πρότερον ἀποσταλέντες, ὅ, τε τῶν Μογλαίνων ἐπίσκοπος Νίφων καὶ Κλειδᾶς ὁ δικαιοφύλαξ, οἷς δὴ καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἐγκλήματα ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐνεχείρισε βασιλεύς. ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι καὶ ὁ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Βουλγαρίας Γρηγόριος, ἀνὴρ σοφός τε εἰς λόγους καὶ θαυμάσιος ἐν συνέσει καὶ τῆς ὄντως σοφίας ἄκρως ἐπειλημμένος, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Θεόδωρος ὁ Ξανθόπουλος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀρετῇ τε καὶ συνέσει καὶ παιδείᾳ κεκοσμημένος. οὗτοι μὲν οὖν εἰς Ῥήγιον πάντες ἦλθον τὰς τοῖν βασιλέοιν ἐξετάσοντες διαφοράς. ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος, εὐθὺς μὲν ἡδονῆς ἀνάπλεως καὶ θυμηδίας ἦν, ἅτε δὴ μέλλων ὑπὲρ ὧν κατηγορεῖτο διδόναι λόγον· προσαγορεύσας δὲ αὐτοὺς, ἐκέλευεν ἀναπαύλης ἀπολαύειν, ὡς ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἅμα πρωῒ τοῦ συλλόγου γενησομένου. οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἐποίουν· βασιλεὺς δὲ ἅμα ἕῳ τῶν τε ἰδίων τοὺς ἐπιφανεστέρους καὶ τοὺς ἐκ βασιλέως ἀφιγμένους εἰς τὸν σύλλογον ἐκάλει. ὡς δὲ πάντες παρῆσαν, σιωπὴ μὲν τὸ θέατρον κατέσχεν ἐπὶ μικρὸν, καὶ πάντες ὡς ἐπὶ καινοῖς τισι παρεῖχον μετεώρους τὰς ἀκοάς. ἤρξατο δ' ἀρχιεπίσκοπος οὕτως εἰπών· «κράτιστε βασιλεῦ, 1.227 τῶν μεταξὺ τῶν βασιλέων ὑμῶν κεκινημένων νῦν ἕνεκα διαφορῶν αὐτὸς μὲν ᾔτησας, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐλθὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰς εὐθύνας παρέχειν, ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, τοῦ πατριάρχου ἐνταυθοῖ γενομένου, δίκῃ διαλύεσθαι τὰ ἐγκλήματα. τούτων μὲν οὖν ἑκάτερον οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἦν ᾗ αὐτὸς ἠξίωκας γενέσθαι· προστάξαντος δὲ βασιλέως καὶ πατριάρχου, ἥκομεν ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐγκαλῇ τὰς ἀπολογίας ἀκουσόμενοι. σύ τε δίκαιος ἂν εἴης, εἴ τι περὶ αὐτῶν ἔχεις λέγειν, διεξιέναι.» εἶπεν οὖν ὁ βασιλεύς· μζʹ. «Καὶ βουλομένῳ μοι πάνυ ἡ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἄφιξις γεγένηται ὑμῶν, καὶ εὐχῆς ἔργον ἡγοῦμαι τὸ καὶ ὁπωσοῦν ὑπὲρ ὧν κατηγοροῦμαι καιρόν τινα εὑρήσειν ἀπολογίας. οὐ δίκαιον δὲ ἡγοῦμαι, οὔτε μήν τινα λόγον σῶζον, ἐμὲ μὲν πολλάκις τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐπειθείας αὐτοῖς ἔργοις ἐναργεῖς παρέχεσθαι τὰς ἀποδείξεις, τῆς ἴσης δὲ εὐνοίας οὐδὲ λόγοις γοῦν ψιλοῖς ἀξιοῦσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ. καίτοι γε ἐχρῆν πρὸς τὰς πράξεις τὰς ἐμὰς τοὺς τῶν συκοφαντῶν παραβάλλοντα λόγους, ἢ κολάζειν αὐτοὺς ἀξίως τῆς κακουργίας ἑαυτῶν, ὡς ἂν αὐτοί τε παύοιντο συκοφαντοῦντες καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἶεν παράδειγμα σωφροσύνης, ἢ, τό γε δεύτερον, αὐτοῖς μὲν σφοδρῶς ἐπιπλήττειν καὶ ἐπιτιμᾷν τοῦ τοιαῦτα ἕνεκα τολμᾷν· βεβαίαν δὲ καὶ ἡδρασμένην τὴν εἰς ἐμὲ εὔνοιαν τηρεῖν, ὅπερ ἔφην, ἐκ τῶν ἔργων σαφεῖς ἔχοντα τὰς ἀποδείξεις, ὡς εὐνούστατος ἐγὼ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν παιδὶ πρέπουσαν ἀγαθῷ πρὸς πατέρα αἰδῶ τε καὶ εὐπείθειαν καὶ δουλείαν ἀποσώζων. ἐπεὶ δὲ 1.228 τοῦτο μὲν τὴν ἐναντίαν ᾗ προσῆκεν εἴληχε τάξιν, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα ἔργα τῆς βασιλέως ἐξεῤῥύηκε μνήμης παντελῶς· οἷς δὲ ἔργον ἐπιμελὲς, ἡμᾶς ἀλλήλοις διαβάλλοντας, τῇ κοινῇ λυμαίνεσθαι Ῥωμαίων εὐδαιμονίᾳ, τοῖς λόγοις κατάκρας ἑάλω, τί λοιπὸν ἢ σφόδρα μὲν ἀλγῆσαι ἐφ' οἷς παρ' ἀξίαν ἀτυχῶ, συγγνώμην δὲ πρὸς πατρὸς καὶ τῶν διαβολῶν ἕνεκα αἰτεῖν, ἢ, τό γε δεύτερον, βάσανον καὶ δίκην ἐφ' οἷς ἀδίκως ἐγκαλοῦμαι; ὃ δὴ καὶ διετέλεσα ποιῶν, εἰς ἑξηκοστὴν τήνδε ἡμέραν ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑπαίθριος ταλαιπωρῶν μετὰ τουτωνὶ πάντων ὧν ἄγω, ἐν ὥρᾳ μάλιστα χειμῶνος, καθάπερ δὴ ἴστε καὶ αὐτοί. ἦν μὲν οὖν κράτιστον, ἐπὶ βασιλέως αὐτοῦ, παρόντος καὶ πατριάρχου καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων παντὸς, ποιεῖσθαι τὰς ἀπολογίας, ἵν' ἢ διαφυγὼν τὰς αἰτίας, πᾶσι καταστήσω ἐμφανὲς, ὡς βιαιότατα καὶ ἄδικα ὑπὸ τῶν συκοφαντούντων ὑπομένω, ἢ ἁλοὺς ταῖς ἁπάντων ψήφοις ἀδικῶν, μηκέτι δύνωμαι πρὸς ἀναβολὰς χωρεῖν μηδ' ἔφεσιν ζητεῖν, ὡς ἢ πρὸς χάριν ἢ πρὸς φιλονεικίαν ὑπὸ τῶν δικασάντων καταψηφισθεὶς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀξίαν δίκην δῶ. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὕτω δεῖν εἶναι κέκρικεν ὁ