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he considered being bound equal to being nothing. Therefore, having neither an opportunity for defense nor a plan for putting aside the penalty, out of helplessness he turned to mediators who were spiritually alive and familiar with the patriarch, and he earnestly beseeched them to release the suppliant from his bond and to apply the cure to him who had repented, which that man wished; for he was ready to do whatever he might command, but that it was not at all possible to make what had been done undone. And they, coming before the patriarch, reported the emperor's words, and added a great deal of their own, to curry favor with the emperor. But he ignored the supplication and paid no attention at all; for he said that he had put a dove in his bosom, and that it, having transformed into a serpent, had bitten him to death. And by both of these most opposite animals he indicated one and the same emperor, who resembled them not in nature, but in disposition. And these things the patriarch said, and more than these, and that he would not, even if something should happen, lift the excommunication, even if he threatened evils, even death itself. And they, returning and reporting the patriarch's words, cast the ruler into the greatest helplessness. And since they say that a personal appearance is a counter-remedy—for this is said to be so even for suspicions and the Gorgon—he himself decided to approach and seek absolution through confession. He therefore presented himself many times; and the one sought the cure for the wound, but the other ordered him to do the things for the cure, yet not in specific terms, but indefinitely and obscurely. And the one sought to learn explicitly, in order to do eagerly whatever he might say, but the other, speaking indefinitely again, said: "Perform the cure, and I will accept it." And as he often sought the remedies, but the other did not say them plainly, the emperor said: "And who knows if, when I am doing more, you will not add more before you accept it?" And he replied that for great sins, the retributive cure must also be great. And the emperor, dipping to a deeper level: "What then," he said, "283 you do not command me to abdicate the empire?" And as he said this, he began to unbuckle his sword and offer it, testing that man's intention. But when that man eagerly extended his hand, so as to take what was supposedly offered, before it was completely unfastened from his hip, the emperor sang a different tune and reproached him as one plotting against his own life, if he so wished. Nevertheless, taking off the covering from his head, he threw himself at that man's feet and, with many watching, was not ashamed. But he sent him away sternly and ignored him as he clung tightly to his knees. So fearful is sin, so honorable is virtue. And as he often followed, entreating and compelling him, that man, immediately slipping into his cell, bolted the doors in his face and left him idle. Having approached many times and having done and suffered these things and accomplishing nothing, he was at once exasperated and accused the patriarch of harshness before many, and reviled him for ordering public affairs to be neglected, and by commanding him neither to collect tribute nor exact taxes nor handle matters nor indeed to administer the empire at all, thus does the healer of our affairs choose to heal. And he often added at the end that, since he even despises the canons which prescribe repentance, it was time to fall before the pope of Rome and to beseech him to be saved. Being in this state, resentful and burdened from this, he turned again to the administration of public affairs, having given up on falling before him again—for he knew he would not succeed—and he thought it opportune to arrange for the defense of necessary matters.

20. How the despots John and Michael of the West came together in the same place by agreement. Then, therefore, he again made an attempt on the western regions; for it was not possible, it was not, for them to remain in the same state, and for this reason it was not possible for the despot John to be at rest, not even for a little while, using Thessalonica at once as a seat and as a base of operations. Whence, therefore, again, although those in the east were in distress, he sends out the despot with very large forces. And indeed, he, having embarked with all speed

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συνδεδέσθαι ἶσα καὶ τὸ μηδὲν εἶναι ἐτίθει. Τῷ τοι καὶ μήτε τόπον ἀπολογίας ἔχων, μήτ' ἐπίνοιαν τοῦ τὴν δίκην ἀποθέσθαι, ὑπ' ἀμηχανίας ἐπὶ μεσίτας πνεύματι ζῶντας καὶ συνήθεις τῷ πατριάρχῃ ἐτρέπετο καὶ κατηντι βόλει θερμῶς τοῦ δεσμοῦ τὸν ἱκέτην ἀνεῖναι καὶ μετεγνωκότι τὴν θεραπείαν ἐπάγειν, ἣν ἐκεῖνος βούλεται· εἶναι γὰρ ἕτοιμον πράττειν ὅ τι προστάσσοι, τὸ μέντοι γε γεγονὸς ἀποίητον θεῖναι μὴ δυνατὸν ὅλως εἶναι. Οἱ δέ, παρὰ τὸν πατριάρχην ἐρχόμενοι, ἀπήγγελλον μὲν καὶ τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀφ' αὑτῶν δὲ πλεῖστα προσετίθουν, τῷ βασιλεῖ χαριζόμενοι. Ὁ δ' ὑπερεώρα τὴν δέησιν καὶ οὐδ' ὅλως προσεῖχε· περιστερὰν γὰρ βαλεῖν εἰς τὸν κόλπον ἔφη κἀκείνην, μετασχηματισθεῖσαν εἰς ὄφιν, δῆξαι πρὸς θάνατον. Ὑπεδήλου δὲ δι' ἀμφοῖν τῶν ἐναντιωτάτων ζῴων τὸν αὐτὸν βασιλέα καὶ ἕνα, οὐ φύσιν, ἀλλὰ γνώμην σφίσι παρεικαζόμενον. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ πατριάρχης καὶ πλείω τούτων, καὶ ὡς οὐδ' ἄν, εἴ τι καὶ γένοιτο, τὸν ἀφορισμὸν λύσειε, κἂν προσα πειλῇ τὰ κακά, κἂν αὐτὸν θάνατον. Οἱ δ' ὑπονοστοῦντες καὶ τὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου δηλοῦντες εἰς ἀμηχανίαν πλείστην ἐνέβαλλον τὸν κρατοῦντα. Καὶ ὃς ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὸ αὐτοπρόσωπον ἀντιφάρμακον λέγουσιτοῦτο γὰρ εἶναι ταῖς ὑπονοίαις καὶ τὴν Γοργώ, αὐτὸς ἔγνω προσερχόμενος ἐντυγχά νειν καὶ τὴν λύσιν ἐξομολογούμενος ἐκζητεῖν. Ἐφίστατο τοίνυν πολλάκις· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐζήτει τὴν θεραπείαν τοῦ τραύματος, ὁ δὲ τὰ τῆς θεραπείας πράττειν προσέταττε, πλὴν οὐκ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς, ἀλλ' ἀορίστως καὶ ἀφανῶς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ῥητῶς ἐζήτει μαθεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ποιεῖν προθύμως ὅ τι καὶ λέγοι, ὁ δὲ καὶ πάλιν ἀορισταίνων ἔλεγε· «Ποίει τὴν θεραπείαν καὶ δέξομαι.» Ὡς δὲ πολλάκις ἐκεῖνος μὲν ἐζήτει τὰ φάρμακα, ὁ δ' οὐ φανερῶς ἔλεγεν, εἰπεῖν τὸν βασιλέα· «Καὶ τίς οἶδεν εἰ καὶ πλείω ποιοῦντα οὐ προσθήσῃ τοῦ δέξασθαι;» Καὶ τὸν ἀποκρίνασθαι ὡς μεγάλων ἁμαρτημάτων μεγάλην εἶναι δεῖ καὶ τὴν ἀντίποινον θεραπείαν. Καὶ τὸν βασιλέα, πρὸς τὸ βαθύτερον βάψαντα· «Τί δαί, εἰπεῖν, 283 μὴ τῆς βασιλείας ἐκστῆναι κελεύεις;» Καὶ οὕτω λέγοντα, τὴν σπάθην ἀπο ζώννυσθαι καὶ διδόναι, τῆς ἐκείνου διανοίας ἀποπειρώμενον. Ἐκείνου δὲ τὴν χεῖρα κατὰ σπουδὴν προτείναντος, ἐφ' ᾧ λαμβάνειν τὸ δῆθεν διδόμενον, μήπω τελέως καὶ τῆς ὀσφύος ἀπολυθέν, παλινῳδίαν τε ᾄδειν τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ὡς ἐπιβούλῳ οἱ τῆς σφετέρας ζωῆς ὀνειδίζειν, εἰ οὕτω βούλεται. Πλὴν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς καλύπτραν ἀποτιθέμενος, ἐς πόδας ἐκείνῳ ἑαυτὸν ἐρρίπτει καί, πολλῶν βλεπόντων, οὐ κατῃδεῖτο. Ὁ δ' ἀπέπεμπεν ἐμβριθῶς καὶ ὑπερεώρα ἀπρὶξ τῶν γονάτων ἐχόμενον. Οὕτως ἡ ἁμαρτία περιδεές, οὕτως ἡ ἀρετὴ τίμιον. Ὡς δὲ πολλάκις παρακαλῶν ἠκολούθει καὶ κατηνάγκαζεν, ἐκεῖνος, εὐθὺς τὴν κέλλαν ὑποδυόμενος, ἀπεζύγου τε τὰς θύρας αὐτῷ κατὰ πρόσωπον καὶ ἀργὸν ἠφίει. Ταῦτα πολλάκις προσιὼν καὶ δράσας τε καὶ παθὼν καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύων, ἐξηγρίαινέ τε αὐτίκα καὶ σκληρότητα τοῦ πατριάρχου ἐπὶ πολλῶν κατηγόρει, καὶ ὡς τὰ κοινὰ κελεύει καταπροεῖσθαι διελοιδόρει, καὶ μήτε φόρους ἐκλέγειν μήτε τέλη πράττειν μήτε μεταχειρίζειν πράγματα μήτε μὴν διοικεῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν ὅλως προστάττων, οὕτω θεραπεύειν αἱρεῖται ὁ τῶν ἡμετέρων θερα πευτής. Καὶ τέλος ἐπετίθει πολλάκις ὡς, ἐπεὶ καὶ κανόνων ὑπερφρονεῖ ὁρι ζόντων μετάνοιαν, προσπίπτειν τῷ τῆς Ῥώμης πάπᾳ καιρὸς καὶ ἀντιβολεῖν σῴζεσθαι. Οὕτως ἔχων, ἐγκοτῶν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ βαρυνόμενος, ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν κοινῶν διοίκησιν πάλιν ἐτράπετο, ἀπειπάμενος μὲν προσπίπτειν καὶ αὖθις ᾔδει γὰρ οὐκ ἀνύσων, ἐγκαίρως δὲ τὴν ἄμυναν διαθέσθαι τῶν δεόντων ἡγεῖτο.

κʹ. Ὅπως συνῆλθον ἐν ταὐτῷ κατὰ συνθεσίας οἱ δεσπόται Ἰωάννης τε καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ τῆς δύσεως. Τότε τοίνυν καὶ πάλιν ἀπεπειρᾶτο τῶν δυτικῶν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν, οὐκ ἦν, ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ μένειν ἐκείνους, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἦν ἠρεμεῖν καὶ τὸν δεσπότην Ἰωάννην οὐδὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον, ἅμα μὲν καθέδρᾳ, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὁρμητηρίῳ Θεσσα λονίκῃ χρώμενον. Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ αὖθις, καίτοι τῶν κατ' ἀνατολὴν πονούντων, ἅμα δυνάμεσι πλείσταις τὸν δεσπότην ἐκπέμπει. Καὶ δὴ τὴν ταχίστην ἐπιβὰς ἐκεῖνος