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the fallen Romans, whom it behooved to die fighting barbarians for one another, not against one another, it is right to grieve, but because there is fear, lest some of our closest relatives or friends were among those who died; and third, that they have been destroyed not by barbarians, our natural enemies, but by us who love them dearly. And I think we are like those who in madness feast upon their own flesh, who deserve not to be praised, but to be pitied for their unnatural food. And, what is more important, that we deserve to be hated not only by the Greeks and barbarians who hear of it 1.287 for our transgression against one another, but it is also uncertain whether anything that is happening is pleasing to God, and whether both the defenders and the attackers are not equally worthy of punishment from Him as judge. I wished, therefore, that the trophy had been set up by our men not over Romans, but over barbarians, so that I might have had the pure pleasure of victory. But since our affairs have been so contrived by some envious demon, that even the victory appears to us a cause of pain, I give many thanks to the Almighty, not only because he aided my men toward victory, but also because I myself not only gave no cause for the present war, but also, at its very beginning, did and said many notable things, begging those who were stirring it up to lay down the war, even if, as the proverb goes, I seemed to be writing on water.” So those who heard marveled at the emperor not only for his astuteness, but also because he was not puffed up or exalted in his good fortunes, but in the changing of circumstances presented himself as steady and unchanged. And the emperor repaid the protostrator with letters of thanks, and the senators with him with honors and other benefactions, and as for the soldiers, he further strengthened some with an increase of pay, and the rest with annual revenues, and made them more eager to fight for him; and he himself, having appointed secretaries in Thessalonica, administered and set in order the West through them, and he drew up 1.288 other muster-rolls in addition to the existing ones, so that the army might become larger. And while he was occupied with these things, letters came again from the protostrator announcing that the elder emperor, who had previously been at odds with Michael, the king of the Mysians, was now making peace treaties and an alliance with him; however, he was ignorant of the terms on which they were made between them, and for this reason he had decided it was necessary to report to him what was being done. And when the emperor learned this, he understood that the alliance with the Mysians had been made by his grandfather for the sake of the war against him, but he decided not to depart from the West at the first report, but to remain still and to take care of his affairs and the army, until he should learn something more certain. And a few days later, letters again arrived from the protostrator for the emperor, announcing that the emperor's treaties and alliance with the Mysians had already come to an end, and that the Romans who had deserted to the Mysians and had arranged the alliance are still in Byzantium. And after consulting with his officials, it seemed best to the emperor no longer to delay in Thessalonica, but to go to Byzantium as quickly as possible, before any new trouble should arise. And having appointed as general of the West Sirgiannes de Lusignan the Cypriot, who later had become king 1.289 of Armenia, and was his cousin on his mother's side, he himself departed from Thessalonica with the army and came to Didymoteichon. And having stayed there for a few days, he left that place and came to Byzantium. And having come to the gate of the so-called Gyrolimne, and finding a certain Pepanos, one of those presiding over the palaces in Blachernae, who had been entrusted with the guard of the walls there, since because of his approach the elder emperor held the walls of Byzantium under guard, he ordered him to go to the emperor his grandfather and announce that he had come near the walls and that he begged to receive pardon from him. He should not, on account of the events that had taken place in the West, consider the troubles to be incurable. For it is possible, if even now you are willing, to both lay aside the war and whatever

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Ῥωμαῖοι οἱ πεσόντες, οὓς ἐχρῆν οὐ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων βαρβάροις μαχομένους ἀποθνήσκειν, δίκαιον ἀλγεῖν, ἀλλ' ὅτι δέος, μὴ καὶ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων τινὲς ἢ τῶν φίλων ἦσαν οἱ ἀποθανόντες· καὶ τρίτον, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὸ βαρβάρων τῶν φύσει πολεμίων, ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἡμῶν ἀνάλωνται τῶν πάνυ φιλούντων. καὶ ἐοικέναι ἡμᾶς νομίζω τοῖς ὑπὸ μανίας τῶν ἰδίων σαρκῶν ἐμφορουμένοις, οἳ οὐκ ἐπαινεῖσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐλεεῖσθαι δίκαιοι τῆς ἀτόπου τροφῆς. καὶ, τὸ δὴ μεῖζον, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὸ Ἑλλήνων μόνον καὶ βαρβάρων τῶν ἀκουόντων δί 1.287 καιοι μισεῖσθαι τῆς εἰς ἀλλήλους παρανομίας, ἀλλ' ἄδηλον, εἴ τι καὶ τῶν γινομένων ἀρέσκει θεῷ, καὶ μὴ ἐπίσης οἵ τε ἀμυνόμενοι καὶ οἱ ἐπιόντες ἄξιοι τιμωριῶν παρ' αὐτῷ κριτῇ. ἐβουλόμην μὲν οὖν μὴ ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ βαρβάρων ἑστηκέναι τὸ τρόπαιον τοῖς ἡμετέροις, ἵνα εἶχον τῆς νίκης καθαρὰν τὴν ἡδονήν. ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὕτω τὰ ἡμέτερα ὑπὸ φθονεροῦ τινος δαίμονος συνεσκευάσθη, ὡς καὶ τὴν νίκην ἀλγηδόνος αἰτίαν φαίνεσθαι ἡμῖν, χάριτας ὁμολογῶ τῷ κρείττονι πολλὰς, οὐ μόνον ὅτι τοῖς ἐμοῖς συνήρατο πρὸς τὴν νίκην, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν αὐτὸς ἐν τῷ νυνὶ πολέμῳ οὐ μόνον παρεσχόμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ κινουμένου τὴν ἀρχὴν, πολλὰ καὶ ἔπραξα ἄξια καὶ εἶπον λόγου, δεόμενος τὸν πόλεμον καταθέσθαι τοὺς κινοῦντας, εἰ καὶ καθ' ὑδάτων, τὸ τῆς παροιμίας, ἐδόκουν γράφειν.» Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀκούσαντες, οὐ μόνον τῆς ἀγχινοίας ἐθαύμασαν τὸν βασιλέα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ μὴ φυσᾶσθαι μηδ' ἐπαίρεσθαι ἐν ταῖς εὐτυχίαις, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολαῖς ἴσον καὶ ὅμοιον παρέχειν ἑαυτόν. βασιλεὺς δὲ τόν τε πρωτοστράτορα γράμμασιν ἠμείβετο εὐχαριστηρίοις, καὶ τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ τῶν συγκλητικῶν τιμαῖς τε καὶ ἄλλαις εὐεργεσίαις, καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας τοὺς μὲν ἐπιδόσει τῆς μισθοφορᾶς, τῶν ἐτησίων δὲ προσόδων τοὺς λοιποὺς μᾶλλον ἐπέῤῥωσε καὶ προθυμοτέρους πρὸς τὸ πολεμεῖν εἰργάσατο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς δὲ ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ὑπογραφέας καταστήσας, δι' αὐτῶν διῴκει καὶ ἐξίσαζε τὴν ἑσπέραν, καὶ καταλόγους ἔτασ 1.288 σεν ἑτέρους πρὸς τοῖς οὖσιν, ὅπως πλείων γίγνοιτο ἡ στρατιά. ἐν τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀσχολουμένου, πάλιν ἧκε γράμματα ἐκ πρωτοστράτορος μηνύοντα, ὡς ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς τῷ τῶν Μυσῶν βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ διάφορος πρότερον ὢν, νῦν πρὸς αὐτὸν τίθεται εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς καὶ συμμαχίαν· ἀγνοεῖν μέντοι τὰς ξυμβάσεις ἐφ' οἷς γίνονται αὐτοῖς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δέον ἐγνωκέναι τὴν μήνυσιν αὐτῷ ποιήσασθαι τῶν πραττομένων. βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο, συνῆκε μὲν τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἕνεκα πολέμου τὴν συμμαχίαν τῷ πάππῳ γεγενῆσθαι πρὸς Μυσοὺς, ἔγνω δὲ μὴ ἐκ πρώτης ἀκοῆς ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἀπανίστασθαι, ἀλλὰ μένειν τε ἔτι καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς πρόνοιαν ποιεῖσθαι, ἄχρις ἄν τι βεβαιότερον διδαχθῇ. ἡμέραις δὲ ὕστερον ὀλίγαις πάλιν ἐκ πρωτοστράτορος ἀφικνεῖται γράμματα πρὸς βασιλέα μηνύοντα, ὡς αἱ πρὸς Μυσοὺς βασιλέως σπονδαὶ καὶ ἡ συμμαχία πέρας ἤδη ἔσχον, καὶ οἱ πράξαντες τὴν συμμαχίαν ἐκ τῶν πρὸς Μυσοὺς αὐτομόλων Ῥωμαῖοι ἐν Βυζαντίῳ εἰσὶν ἔτι. βουλευσαμένῳ δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἐν τέλει τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐκέτι διαμέλλειν ἐδόκει ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ, ἀλλὰ τάχιστα εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀπιέναι, πρίν τι νεωτερισθῇ. καὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας στρατηγὸν Συργὴν ντὲ Λεζιάνο τὸν Κύπριον, ὃς ὕστερον ῥὴξ 1.289 Ἀρμενίας ἐγεγόνει, ἐξάδελφον αὐτῷ ὄντα μητρόθεν, καταστησάμενος, ἄρας ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης αὐτὸς ἅμα τῇ στρατιᾷ, ἦλθεν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον. ὀλίγας δὲ αὐτῷ ἐνδιατρίψας ἡμέρας, ἐξελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν, ἧκεν εἰς Βυζάντιον. γενόμενος δὲ πρὸς τὰς πύλας τῆς προσαγορευομένης Γυρολίμνης, καὶ Πεπανόν τινα τῶν ἐν Βλαχέρναις προκαθήμενον βασιλείων, τῶν τῇδε τειχῶν τὴν φυλακὴν πεπιστευμένον εὑρὼν, ἐπεὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ἔφοδον ἐν φυλακῇ εἶχεν ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς τὰ Βυζαντίου τείχη, ἐκέλευεν ὡς βασιλέα τὸν πάππον ἐλθόντα ἀπαγγέλλειν, ὅτι τε γένοιτο ἐγγὺς τειχῶν καὶ δέοιτο συγγνώμης τυχεῖν τῆς παρ' αὐτῷ. μὴ δὴ διὰ τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν συμβάντα ἀθεράπευτα λογίζεσθαι εἶναι τὰ κακά. ἔξεστι γὰρ, εἴπερ καὶ νῦν ἐθελήσεις, τόν τε πόλεμον καταθέσθαι καὶ ὅ, τι