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being exceedingly indignant that God was being despised through the violation of the oaths, he finally considered what must be done, so that 269 falsehood might not boast against truth and the wrongdoer might not seem to profit, with Justice standing by. «At least for our part,» he said, «should she be idle, it is right that justice be done, so that by being indignant about these things we might seem to be haters of evil.» As the patriarch was saying these things, those around him were exceedingly vexed and abhorred what had been done, but they confessed that the whole matter rested with him, as they themselves would follow, should anything seem best to him. And he, groaning over those oaths and remembering how they were to be kept firm and that others were not able to do what was sworn, he himself alone undertook to do what fell to him. However, he did not choose to slay physically—for it was not worthy; but as much as it fell to him to do concerning the soul, he was not idle. And this was altogether that which is done through the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, so as to separate the worthy and the unworthy, and to bless the one, but to send the other out from the whole body of Christ. Having established these things in his own mind, while the others were abashed by what was just, but constrained by what was fearful, lest they should act too shamelessly, he sent and at the same time both convicted him of impiety and also imposed the cut of the Spirit, excommunication. At this point one might both blame what happened, as having not happened in a proper way, and again defend those who acted, as having no other way to act. And the blame, that, having imposed the bond, he permitted the clergy to chant for his sake, so that they also communed with them through the sacred rites, and he himself performed the sacred mysteries, in which it was quite clear that he who was held by spiritual bonds was being commemorated. The defense for these things, that the measures of the penance were sufficient for such a person, as, if more were added, all things would risk being confused like the Empedoclean sphere and something irrational might result, should the emperor become defiant. For if it is difficult for a great house to receive a small misfortune, just as for a small one a great one, but at any rate for a great misfortune that has befallen the greatest house not to be appeased as is fitting by relaxing the harshness would cause no little harm. The stories of Oedipus and the feasts of Thyestes and the 271 wanderings of Odysseus will bear witness to these things. Thus then, when the patriarch had prosecuted the emperor's audacity, the ruler accepts the penance willingly unwillingly and, giving way to just anger, kept quiet, neither blaming—for it was not worthy of him, and he defended the circumstances of the action as they were. Nevertheless, not unaware that he was held in inescapable bonds, he bore the wrath quietly and sought a time for repentance, at which to receive forgiveness; for he hoped that, if he kept quiet for a little while, then, seeming to have repented, he should seek absolution, forgiveness would immediately follow for him.

15. How the people of the Roman fleet performed brave deeds with the triremes. So then, having paused for a little while, he was attending to his own affairs. But the moth of conscience was feeding on his heart like a bone, and he seemed humble, even if he was careful to be exalted in the majesty of his rule, so that, not being despised, he might not also fail in necessary things. At any rate, the navy was sailing, and the triremes, putting in at the islands, were capturing not a few of them, and immediately the captured islands were secured with garrisons, and those that had been subject to the Latins were being acquired for the Romans; from which Naxos was known to be captured, and Paros was heard to be taken, and Keos and Karystos along with Oreos were taken at their own proper times, and with others the strongholds of the Peloponnese around Monemvasia with Sparta and Lacedaemon came under the Romans.

10. How the emperor's brothers were entrusted with the administrations of the western parts. At that time, therefore, having entrusted the western parts to his brothers, to the despot John, he handed over the eastern forces together with the Scythian, he ordered him to proceed by land and to pursue the affairs of the Illyrians and Triballians and the regions beyond the Peneus, what is properly called Hellas, to overrun, waging war against the despot Michael; for not

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καταφρονοῖντο Θεοῦ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὅρκων παραβασίας ὑπεραγανακτήσας, τέλος τί δεῖ ποιεῖν κατεσκέπτετο, ὡς 269 μὴ ψεῦδος ἀληθείας κατακαυχήσαιτο καὶ ὁ ἀδικήσας κερδαίνειν δόξοι, ἀνεχο μένης τῆς ∆ίκης. «Τὸ γοῦν ἐξ ἡμῶν, ἔφη, ἂν ἐκείνη περιαργοίη, δίκαιον γίνεσθαι, ὡς ἂν τῷ περὶ τούτων ἀγανακτεῖν μισοπόνηροι δόξωμεν.» Ταῦτα τοῦ πατριάρχου λέγοντος, ἀπήχθοντο μὲν οἱ περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἐκτόπως καὶ ἀπεστύγουν τὰ πεπραγμένα, τὸ δὲ πᾶν ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ κεῖσθαι διωμολόγουν, ὡς καὶ αὐτῶν ἑψομένων, εἴ τι ἂν ἐκείνῳ καὶ δόξοι. Ὁ δέ, ὅρκων ἐκείνων καταστενάξας καὶ μνησθεὶς ὅπως ἐμπεδοῖντο καὶ ἄλλοι μὴ οἷοί τε πράττειν τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα, αὐτὸς τὸ εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἧκον ποιεῖν ἀνεδέχετο μόνος. Πλὴν οὐ σωματικῶς σφάττειν ᾑρεῖτοοὐδὲ γὰρ ἄξιον· ὅσον δ' ἧκε κατὰ ψυχὴν πράττειν, οὐκ ἐρρᾳθύμει. Τὸ δ' ἦν πάντως ὅπερ διὰ τῆς μαχαίρας τοῦ Πνεύματος γίνεται, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, ὡς διαιρεῖν τὸν ἄξιον καὶ τὸν ἀνάξιον, καὶ τὸν μὲν εὐλογεῖν, τὸν δ' ἐκπέμπειν τῆς ὁλομελείας τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ταῦτα στήσας καθ' ἑαυτόν, τῶν ἄλλων τῷ μὲν δικαίῳ δυσωπουμένων, τῷ δὲ φοβερῷ συστελλομένων, μὴ καὶ ἀναιδέστερον ἀπεργάσαιντο, πέμψας ἐκεῖνος ἅμα τε ἐλέγχει ἀσεβήσαντα καὶ ἅμ' ἐπιφέρει τὴν τοῦ Πνεύματος τομήν, τὸν ἀφορισμόν. Ἐνταῦθά τις καὶ μέμψαιτο τοῖς γεγονόσι, ὡς οὐ κατὰ τρόπον γεγονόσι, καὶ ὑπεραπολογήσαιτο τῶν πραξάντων πάλιν, ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως ποιεῖν ἐχόντων. Καὶ ἡ μὲν μέμψις, ὅτι, θεὶς τὸν δεσμόν, ὑφῆκε τοῖς τοῦ κλήρου ψάλλειν ἐκείνου χάριν, ὥστε οἱ καὶ κοινωνεῖν ἐκείνους διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν τελετῶν, αὐτός τε τὰς ἱερὰς ἐτέλει μυσταγωγίας, ἐφ' αἷς ἦν ἀριδήλως τὸν δεσμοῖς πνευματικοῖς κατεχόμενον μνημονεύεσθαι. Ἡ δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπολογία, ὅτι αὐτάρκως εἶχε τοιούτῳ προσώπῳ τὰ τῆς ἐπιτιμήσεως, ὡς, εἰ καὶ προσετίθετο πλέον, κινδυνεύειν συγκεχύσθαι τὰ πάντα κατὰ τὸν Ἐμπεδόκλειον σφαῖρον καί τι καὶ παράλογον προβῆναι, τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπαυθαδίσαντος. Εἰ γὰρ δυσχερὲς μέγαν οἶκον μικρὰν δυστυχίαν δέχεσθαι, ὥσπερ καὶ μικρὸν μεγάλην, ἀλλ' οὖν τὸ τὴν μεγάλην δυστυχίαν τῷ μεγίστῳ οἴκῳ ἐπεισπεσοῦσαν μὴ κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐκμειλιχθεῖσαν καθυφιέναι τῆς ἀπηνείας οὐκ ὀλίγα βλάψειεν ἄν. Οἰδίποδες ταῦτα καὶ θοῖναι Θυέστου καὶ 271 πλάναι Ὀδύσσειοι μαρτυρήσουσιν. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τοῦ πατριάρχου μετελθόντος τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως τόλμημα, ἑκὼν μὴ θέλων δέχεται τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν ὁ κρατῶν καί, τόπον διδοὺς τῷ δικαίῳ θυμῷ, ἡσύχαζεν, οὔτε μεμφόμενοςοὐ γάρ οἱ ἄξιον, καὶ τὰ τῆς πράξεως ὡς εἶχεν ἀπελογεῖτο. Ὅμως ἐν ἀφύκτοις οὐκ ἀγνοῶν κατεχόμενος, ἠρέμα διέφερε τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ καιρὸν μετανοίας ἐζήτει, ἐφ' ᾧ τὴν συγχώρησιν δέξασθαι· ἤλπιζε γὰρ ὡς, εἰ μικρὸν ἡσυχάσας, εἶτα, μεταγνῶναι δόξας, τὴν λύσιν ζητοίη, ἕψεταί οἱ παραυτίκα καὶ ἡ συγχώρησις.

ιεʹ. Ὅπως διὰ τῶν τριήρεων ἠνδραγάθουν ὁ τοῦ στόλου τῆς Ῥωμαΐδος λαός. Ἀμέλει τοι καὶ μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν τὰ αὑτοῦ ἔπραττεν. Ὁ δ' οὖν σὴς τοῦ συνειδότος ὡς ὀστέον τὴν καρδίαν ἐβόσκετο, καὶ ταπεινὸς ἐδόκει, κἂν τῷ σοβαρῷ τῆς βασιλείας αἴρεσθαι προὐνοεῖτο, ἐφ' ᾧ μὴ καταφρονούμενος καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀποτυγχάνοι. Τὸ γοῦν ναυτικὸν ἔπλει, καὶ αἱ τριήρεις, ταῖς νήσοις προσίσχουσαι, οὐκ ὀλίγας ἐκείνων ᾕρουν, καὶ παραυτίκα αἱ ἁλοῦσαι φρουροῖς ἠσφαλίζοντο, καὶ Ῥωμαίοις προσεκτῶντο αἱ Λατίνοις δουλεύουσαι· ἐξ ὧν ἁλισκομένη μὲν ἔγνωστο Νάξος, αἱρουμένη δὲ Πάρος ἠκούετο, καὶ Κέως καὶ Κάρυστος Ὠρεῷ κατὰ καιροὺς ἰδίους συνελαμβάνοντο, καὶ σὺν ἄλλοις ἄκρα Πελοπονήσου ἀμφὶ Μονεμβασίαν σὺν Σπάρτῃ καὶ Λακεδαίμονι ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένοντο.

ιʹ. Ὅπως οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰς τῶν δυτικῶν ἐνεχειρίσθησαν διοικήσεις. Τότε τοίνυν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐγχειρίσας τὰ δυσικά, τῷ μὲν δεσπότῃ Ἰωάννῃ τὰς ἀνατολικὰς παραδοὺς δυνάμεις συνάμα τῷ Σκυθικῷ, τὰ κατὰ γῆν προσέ ταττε μετιέναι καὶ τὰ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν μεθέπειν καὶ Τριβαλλῶν καὶ τὰ Πηνειοῦ πέραν, τὴν ἰδίως Ἑλλάδα λεγομένην, κατατρέχειν, τῷ δεσπότῃ Μιχαὴλ πολε μοῦντα· οὐδὲ γὰρ