to sheep-guarded folds. But a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to the roof of the ark, announcing a release from the deluge of waters, and bearing a leaf from a tree, and comforting Noah, hidden in the ark, the second patriarch, but an ill-omened bird, a signifier of evils, a messenger of bad tidings, a prophetess of evil. So the emperor sends the bird to the empress, having suspected it to be a harbinger of good tidings. For what one longs to obtain, that he also believes; and all things are according to the mind, as they are according to the will. But indeed there is nothing more ill-fated than a man having his own household under the same roof as enemies. If you have enemies within, if you nourish them at your hearth, the walls of Babylon will not rescue you from dangers, nor the towers of Semiramis, nor the thickness of the pyramids. If you have the misfortune to live with a treacherous soul, if you dwell with it in an impregnable fortress, the fortress is easy to capture, the city is unguarded. But I must recount the story of Diogenes. A heavy war broke out on both sides between the Romans and the Persians, a savage clamor arose. Great fury armed both commands, and everywhere man-chasing Ares ran about, steeped in blood, washing his hands in slaughter, longing to drink up whole seas of blood. But the emperor flew upon them, striking their flanks, pursuing and with spear-thrusts pouring out the enemies' bile, a sparrow-killer, one might say, a swift-flying hawk, whirring its wings against tender-winged sparrows. He seemed to the enemy a fiery whirlwind, a fiery descender, hurled from on high, bursting forth from a cloud. His palms became drenched in gore, his right hand dripped slaughter, his sword was stained with slaughter. He wore a crimson garment from the slaughter, as if some lion, encountering a faint-hearted beast, should tear its flank with its claws and lap up its entrails and show its lips steeped in blood. He showed himself greater than hundred-handed Briareus, greater than Enceladus, greater than the boldness of Typhon, murderous, mighty in deed, tireless as adamant. These things were so, and victory looked upon the Romans, and smiled brightly, having come to know them over time. But that thrice-barbarous malice and the hideousness of wickedness and the cloud of envy obscured such a brilliantly adorned day. For when the Caesar began the flight and the escape, they all went away, leaving the emperor. And the emperor was like a plucked jackdaw, and he looked around here and gazed about there, and saw himself alone in inescapable snares. Thence the chief leaders of the barbarians leapt upon him, running together, running ahead, vying with one another as to who might capture Romanos alive. And at last, alas, the emperor is taken alive by barbarian hands, the lion becomes the prey of raging panthers, the golden-winged eagle is overcome by bats. After this, what and how and to what point did it proceed? That barbarian chieftain who captured him unexpectedly tames his barbarian-minded soul, he looks more humanely upon the emperor; for even a barbarian pities a king in misfortune. The thrice-barbarian rebukes the Romans who were traitors to their kinsman the emperor, the foreigner rebukes the countrymen; he becomes more provident for him even than his own people, and more solicitous than his own kinsmen. He makes a truce, is reconciled, extends an allied hand, sends him to recover his empire. So Romanos escaped like a wild beast from a trap, like an eagle from snares, like a fish from a hook, and again he was destined to be raised to power. But envy confounded his hopes; for winged letters were going about everywhere, walling off all the cities to Romanos. Thence the wretched man went about desolate, friendless, helpless, another Bellerophon, thrown from his power as if from Pegasus, having enjoyed his power for only three years. But not even then was the pyre of envy extinguished; For Michael Doukas, the son of Constantine, having now reached the prime of youth and growing a beard

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προβατοφρούροις μάνδραις. πτηνὴ δὲ πέλειά ποθεν ἐπιπτερυξαμένη ἐφίζησε τοῖς γόνασιν ἐν πετασμοῖς ἀψόφοις, οὐχ οἷα πρὶν τῆς κιβωτοῦ προσπτᾶσα τῷ στεγάστρῳ καὶ λύσιν ἀπαγγέλλουσα καταφορᾶς ὑδάτων, καὶ δένδρου φύλλον φέρουσα, καὶ παραμυθουμένη Νῶε τὸν κιβωτόκρυπτον, τὸν δεύτερον γενάρχην, ἀλλ' οἰωνὸς ἀπαίσιος, ἀλλὰ κακῶν σημάντωρ, δυσάγγελος φοιβάστρια, κακόμαντις προφῆτις. ὁ μὲν οὖν κράτωρ τὸ πτηνὸν πέμπει τῇ βασιλίδι, εὐάγγελον προσήμαντρον ὑποτοπήσας τοῦτο. ὧν γάρ τις γλίχεται τυχεῖν, ἐκεῖνα καὶ δοξάζει· καὶ ταῦτα πᾶσι κατὰ νοῦν, ὅσα καὶ κατὰ γνώμην. ἀλλ' ἄρα δυσποτμότερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου ἔχοντος τοὺς ἐχθραίνοντας οἰκείους ταυτοστέγους. ἂν ἔνδον ἔχῃς τοὺς ἐχθρούς, ἂν ἐφεστίους τρέφῃς, οὐ ῥύσονται κινδύνων σε τὰ Βαβυλῶνος τείχη, οὐ πύργοι Σεμιράμιδος, οὐ πυραμίδων πάχος. ἂν τὴν προδότριαν ψυχὴν σύνοικον δυστυχήσῃς, ἂν συνοικοίης μετ' αὐτῆς ἐν ἀρραγεῖ φρουρίῳ, ἁλώσιμον τὸ φρούριον, ἀφύλακτος ἡ πόλις. Ἀλλὰ διηγητέον μοι τὰ περὶ ∆ιογένους. βαρὺς μὲν ἑκατέρωθεν πόλεμος ἀνερράγη μέσον Ῥωμαίων καὶ Περσῶν, ἄγριος θροῦς ἀνέβη. μέγας ἐφώπλιζε θυμὸς ἄμφω τὰς στραταρχίας, καὶ πάντῃ περιέτρεχεν ἀνδροδιώκτης Ἄρης, τοῖς αἵμασι κατάβαπτος, φονολουτῶν τὰς χεῖρας, ὅλας θαλάσσας ἐκροφεῖν γλιχόμενος αἱμάτων. ὁ βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπέτετο πλευροκοπῶν, διώκων καὶ δορατείοις νύγμασι χέων ἐχθρῶν χολάδας, στρουθιοφόντης, εἴποι τις, ἱέραξ ὠκυπέτης, στρουθοῖς ἁπαλοπτέρυξιν ἐπιρροιζῶν τὰ πτίλα. πρηστὴρ ἐδόκει τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ἔμπυρος καταβάτης, ὑψόθεν ἀποδισκευθείς, ἀπορραγεὶς ἐκ νέφους. ἐγένοντο κατάλουτοι λύθροις αὐτῷ παλάμαι, φονοσταγὴς ἡ δεξιά, φονόφυρτος ἡ σπάθη. ἐξέρυθρον ἱμάτιον ἐφόρεσεν ἐκ φόνων, ὡς εἴ τις λέων ἐντυχὼν δειλοκαρδίῳ ζῴῳ ῥήξει πλευρὰν τοῖς ὄνυξι καὶ λάψει τῶν ἐγκάτων καὶ δείξει ἐγκατάβαπτα τοῖς αἵμασι τὰ χείλη. ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν Βριάρεων ἔδειξεν ἑκατόγχειρ, ὑπὲρ αὐτὸν Ἐγκέλαδον, ὑπὲρ Τυφῶνος θράσος, φόνιος, ὀμβριμόεργος, ἀκάμας ὡς ἀδάμας. Ἦν ταῦτα, καὶ προσέβλεψεν ἡ νίκη τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, καὶ χαροπὸν ἐγέλασε, σὺν χρόνῳ τούτους γνοῦσα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἡ τριβάρβαρος ἐκείνη βασκανία καὶ τῆς κακίας τὸ στυγνὸν καὶ τὸ τοῦ φθόνου νέφος τοιαύτην λαμπροστόλιστον ἠμαύρωσεν ἡμέραν. ὡς γὰρ ὁ Καῖσαρ τοῦ δρασμοῦ καὶ τῆς φυγῆς κατῆρξεν, ᾤχοντο πάντες ἐκποδών, τὸν κράτορα λιπόντες. καὶ βασιλεὺς ὡς κολοιὸς ἦν ἀπεψιλωμένος, καὶ τῇδε περιέβλεπε κἀκεῖ περιεσκόπει, καὶ μόνον ἔβλεπεν αὑτὸν ἐν βρόχοις δυσεκβάτοις. ἐντεῦθεν ἐπεπήδησαν πρωτόαρχοι βαρβάρων, συντρέχοντες προτρέχοντες, ἐρίζοντες ἀλλήλοις τίς ἂν συλλάβοι Ῥωμανὸν ζῶντα. καὶ τελευταῖον ζωγρεῖται φεῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς βαρβαρικαῖς παλάμαις, ὁ λέων θήρα γίνεται πανθήρων λυσσητήρων, ταῖς νυκτερίσιν ἀετὸς κρατεῖται χρυσοπτέρυξ. τὸ μετὰ ταῦτα τί καὶ πῶς καὶ μέχρι τοῦ προῆλθεν; ὁ βάρβαρος ὁ φύλαρχος ἐκεῖνος ὁ ζωγρήσας τὴν βαρβαρόθυμον ψυχὴν ἀέλπτως ἡμεροῦται, βλέπει φιλανθρωπότερον περὶ τὸν βασιλέα· οἰκτείρει γὰρ καὶ βάρβαρος ἄνακτα δυσπραγοῦντα. ἐλέγχει τοὺς ταυτογενεῖς τῷ βασιλεῖ προδότας Ῥωμαίους ὁ τριβάρβαρος, ἀλλόφυλος συμφύλους· γίνεται προμηθέστερος αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν οἰκείων, καὶ κηδεμονικώτερος αὐτῶν τῶν ὁμογνίων. σπένδεται, καταλλάττεται, σύμμαχον νέμει χεῖρα, ἀνακτησόμενον αὐτῷ πέμπει τὴν κρατορίαν. ἤλυξεν οὖν ὁ Ῥωμανὸς ὡς θὴρ ἐκ γαλεάγρας, ὡς ἐκ βροχίδων ἀετός, ὡς ἔλλοψ ἀπ' ἀγκίστρου, καὶ πάλιν ἦν ἐπίσιμος ἀρθῆναι πρὸς τὸ κράτος. ἀλλὰ συνέχεεν αὐτῷ καὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας φθόνος· γράμματα γὰρ κατάπτερα πάντῃ περιεφοίτων πάσας ἀποτειχίζοντα τῷ Ῥωμανῷ τὰς πόλεις. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ ταλαίπωρος ἔρημος περιῄει, ἄφιλος, ἀβοήθητος, ἄλλος Βελλεροφόντης, τοῦ κράτους ἀποσφαιρισθεὶς ὥσπερ ἀπὸ Πηγάσου, ἔτεσι μόνοις ἐν τρισὶ τοῦ κράτους ἀπολαύσας. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πάλιν ἡ πυρὰ τοῦ φθόνου κατεσβέσθη· ὁ γάρ τοι ∆οῦκας Μιχαὴλ ὁ παῖς τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου πρὸς τὴν ἀκμὴν ἐπαναβὰς ἤδη τῶν νεανίσκων καὶ χνοῦν

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