90

country. The emperor very quickly fulfilled the request; and he himself held his course toward Byzantium, a most renowned victor.

6.2.1 Here for a little while I will interrupt the narrative of my account to relate how he also conquered the Paulicians. He could not bear not to overcome these apostates before reaching the imperial palace, but as if winning one victory after another, he made the multitude of the Manichaeans complete the circle of his successes. For it was not fitting that the brilliant trophy over the western enemies should have, as it were, a stain upon it from those Paulicians. But he did not wish to do it by war and battle, so that many from both sides would not be killed in the clash of war, knowing of old that these were most spirited men, breathing fury against their enemies. Therefore, for this reason, he hastened to punish the ringleaders, but to enroll the rest in the body of the army. 6.2.2 Hence, indeed, he went after them by means of a stratagem. Knowing the love of danger of those men and their unrestrainable nature in wars and battles, he feared that out of desperation they might plan something worse. For they were for the time being living quietly in their own fatherland and had not yet turned to other plunderings and foragings; therefore he summoned them by letters with frequent promises while he was returning to Byzantium. But they, having learned of his victory over the Celts, were afraid whether perchance the letters were enticing them with false hopes; nevertheless, even though unwilling, they held to their course toward him. 6.2.3 But he, having reached Mosynopolis, waited for them there, pretending to be tarrying for some other reasons, but in fact awaiting their arrival. When they arrived, he pretended that he wished to review them and to write down the name of each one. Hence, indeed, he sat there looking formidable and ordered the picked men of the Manichaeans to proceed not in a mass, but in groups of ten, promising a review of the troops for the next year and that they should thus enter inside the gates to be registered. But those who were assigned to bind them were prepared, and taking their horses and arms, they shut them up in the appointed fortresses. And those who came after them, having complete ignorance of what was being done, entered, not knowing what would befall each. 6.2.4 Thus, then, he seized them, and having subjected their property to confiscation, he distributed it to those brave soldiers who had toiled with him in the battles that occurred and in those dangers. And the one who had undertaken this arrangement went away, and having driven their wives from their houses, held them under guard in the acropolis. But a little later, the emperor deemed the captured Manichaeans worthy of compassion; and as many as chose to receive holy baptism did not fail to obtain this. And having dealt with them by every kind of method and having identified the ones responsible for such madness, he confined and imprisoned them on islands; but to the rest he gave leave to go wherever they wished and released them. And they, preferring their native land to all others, immediately ran back to it, intending to manage their affairs there as far as possible. 6.3.1 And he returned to the queen of cities. But the things that were being whispered against him at crossroads and in corners did not escape his notice, but hearing them he was wounded in his soul that, having accomplished so much, he had the mouths of slanderers many times over exulting against him. For he, because of urgent need and the worldly turmoil resulting from the lack of funds in the imperial treasuries, looked to this and considered it as a loan, but not as plunder or the design of a tyrannical hand, as his detractors would say. But he was also of the opinion that after succeeding

90

χώραν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ μάλα ταχέως ἐπλήρου τὸ αἰτηθέν· αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς πρὸς τὸ Βυζάν τιον εἴχετο νικητὴς ἐπιφανέστατος.

6.2.1 Μικρὸν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν τοῦ λόγου διήγησιν διακό 6.2.1 ψασα, ὅπως καὶ τοὺς Παυλικιανοὺς κατηγωνίσατο, διη γήσομαι. Οὐκ ἔφερε μηδὲ τούτους τοὺς ἀποστάτας καταγωνίσασθαι πρὸ τοῦ τὰ βασίλεια καταλαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος νίκης ἑτέραν νίκην πρυτανευόμενος καὶ τὴν πληθὺν τῶν Μανιχαίων τὸν κύκλον συμπληροῦσαν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κατορθωμάτων ἐποίει. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνῆν τῷ λαμπρῷ τροπαίῳ τῶν ἑσπερίων πολεμίων οἷον σπῖλον ἐνεῖναι τοὺς ἐκ Παυλικιανῶν ὁρμωμένους ἐκείνους. ∆ιὰ πολέμου δὲ καὶ μάχης οὐκ ἤθελεν, ἵνα μὴ ἐν συμβολῇ τοῦ πολέμου πολλοὶ ἐξ ἑκατέρων ἀναιρεθήσονται, πάλαι τούτους γινώσκων ἐκθυμοτάτους ἄνδρας καὶ δριμὺ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν πνέοντας. Ἔσπευδεν οὖν διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς πρωταιτίους μὲν τιμω ρήσασθαι, τοὺς δέ γε λοιποὺς τῷ τοῦ στρατοπέδου συγκα ταλέξαι σώματι. 6.2.2 Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ διὰ τρόπου τούτους μετῄει. Γινώσκων δὲ τὸ φιλοκίνδυνον τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων καὶ περὶ τοὺς πολέμους καὶ τὰς μάχας ἀκάθεκτον ἐδεδίει μὴ ἀπογνόντες χεῖρόν τι μελετήσαιεν. Ἠρέμουν γὰρ τέως τὴν σφῶν οἰκοῦντες πατρίδα καὶ οὔπω πρὸς λεηλασίας ἄλλας καὶ προνομὰς ἐξετράποντο· μετεπέμπετο οὖν διὰ γραμμάτων τούτους ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐπανέρ χεσθαι συχναῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν. Οἱ δὲ τὴν κατὰ τῶν Κελτῶν νίκην αὐτοῦ μεμαθηκότες ἐδεδίεσαν εἰ τάχα καὶ τὰ γράμ ματα χρησταῖς αὐτοὺς ἐλπίσιν ὑπέσαινον· ὅμως καὶ μὴ βου λόμενοι τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εἴχοντο. 6.2.3 Ἐκεῖνος δὲ τὴν Μοσυ νούπολιν καταλαβὼν αὐτοῦ που προσέμενεν ὑποκρινόμενος δι' ἄλλα τινὰ ἐγκαρτερεῖν, τὸ δέ γε ὅλον τὴν αὐτῶν ἀνα μένων ἄφιξιν. Καταλαβόντων δὲ ἐσχηματίζετο ἀναθεωρῆ σαι τούτους βούλεσθαι καὶ ἑκάστου τὴν ὀνομασίαν ἐγγρά ψασθαι. Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ φοβερὸς προὐκάθητο καὶ οὐ φύρδην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δεκάδας τοὺς λογάδας τῶν Μανιχαίων πορεύεσθαι ἐκέλευσε, τὴν τῶν κοινῶν θέαν ἐς νέωτα ὑποσχόμενος κᾆθ' οὕτως εἴσω τῶν πυλῶν ἀπογραφομένους εἰσέρχεσθαι. Ἡτοιμασμένοι δὲ ὄντες οἱ τούτους δεσμεῖν ὀφείλοντες τοὺς ἵππους καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἀναλαμβανόμενοι τούτους ἐν τοῖς ἀποτεταγμένοις φρουρίοις ἐνέκλειον. Οἱ δέ γε ἐφεξῆς ἐρχόμενοι παντελῆ τῶν πραττομένων ἄγνοιαν ἔχοντες εἰσῄεσαν ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ ἀποβησόμενον ἑκάστῳ. 6.2.4 Τού τους μὲν οὖν οὕτω κατέσχε καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν περιουσίας δημεύσει καθυποβαλὼν διενείματο τοῖς συγκεκοπιακόσι τούτῳ ἐν ταῖς συμπεσούσαις μάχαις καὶ τοῖς κινδύνοις ἐκείνοις γενναίοις στρατιώταις. Ἀπελθὼν δὲ ὁ τὴν οἰκο νομίαν ταύτην ἀναδεξάμενος καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν γυναῖκας τῶν οἰκιῶν ἀπελάσας κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἐμφρούρους εἶχε. Τοὺς δέ γε κατασχεθέντας τῶν Μανιχαίων συμπαθείας μετὰ μικρὸν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἠξίωσεν· ὁπόσοι δὲ καὶ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τυχεῖν προείλοντο, οὐδὲ τούτου ἀπε τύγχανον. ∆ιὰ παντοίας δὲ περιελθὼν αὐτοὺς μεθόδου καὶ διαγνοὺς τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπονοίας ἐν νήσοις περιορίσας καθεῖρξε· τοῖς δέ γε λοιποῖς ἄδειαν δεδωκώς, ὅπη βουλητὸν αὐτοῖς ἀπιέναι, ἀπέλυσεν. Οἱ δὲ τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην τῶν ἄλλων προτιμησάμενοι αὐτίκα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπανέτρεχον ὡς ἐνὸν τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς οἰκονομήσοντες. 6.3.1 Ἐκεῖνος δὲ πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων ἐπά νεισιν. Οὐκ ἔλαθε δὲ τοῦτον τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τριόδοις τε καὶ γωνίαις ὑποψιθυριζόμενα, ἀλλ' ἀκούων ἐτιτρώσκετο τὴν ψυχὴν ὅτι μὴ τοσοῦτον εἰργασμένος πολλαπλασίω τὰ στόματα τῶν συκοφαντούντων εἶχεν ἑαυτῷ περιχαί νοντα. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ χρείας κατεπειγούσης καὶ κοσμικοῦ κλύδωνος ἐξ ἀπορίας τῶν βασιλικῶν ταμιείων πρὸς τοῦτο ἀπέβλεψε καὶ ὡς δάνειον ἐλογίζετο, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἅρπαγμα ἢ τυραννικῆς χειρὸς ἐπιβουλήν, ὡς οἱ διαλοιδορούμενοι λέξειαν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ γνώμης οὕτως εἶχεν ὡς μετὰ τὸ κατορθῶσαι