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to give and to receive the greater things; which indeed one must necessarily believe, if one believes in Christ, not only because one is baptized, but also because one holds Him to be true in what He promises; but for one who is baptized and has believed, not also to believe in His words, is not to have believed in the first place, no matter what one might say. And this law of Christ promises to repay a hundredfold; but apart from expecting these things, the enduring glory alone suffices, 289 so that one might say, even in human terms, to persuade the sensible man not only not to make money greedily, but also to give away his possessions to anyone at random; but I except from this statement those who hold on to some of their possessions for seemingly necessary needs, unless they can provide for themselves again. But these things the Despot John knew very well and, knowing them, he did what was advantageous for him. But since the followers of the monk Nilus, who had set out from Sicily, and appeared to the detriment of the Roman state, were teaching men to be stingy and cautious about giving, lest someone of moderate means, without being noticed, having received, should attach to the giver the blame for badly managing his possessions, and cause that grace to be not for a reward, but to come to nothing, so that from this no one who possessed anything should of necessity give at all, because according to their law one would be plausibly prevented from receiving a benefit, and thus the law of sharing would be weakened... Oh, how could one even report these things, which require their own occasion? The Despot, at any rate, possessing along with his other good qualities a love for monks, received those men who had somehow slipped into his house as friends of virtue, and from this, for a short time, a certain confusion followed concerning the giving of his own property, resulting from their teaching. And so it was with the Despot; for he was young in his enthusiasms and it was clear that he considered the constitution of the Roman state of the greatest importance. At that time, then, since affairs in the east were in a bad state, he proceeded with great speed to the regions along the Maeander. Moreover, the famous and great monasteries of that time were established under the watch and guard of the Despot. And indeed, what the Persians had previously seized and held—many there having conceded them to the emperors while he was absent—I mean the areas around Strobilus and Stadiotrachia, as being impossible to be reclaimed, he did not even 291 attempt to seize by an attack. But as for the region along the Maeander and Tralles and Cayster and the deepest parts of Asia, he both strengthened it by fighting in its defense and allowed them to share in their own security. As for the Magedonitai—for it distressed them that the Persians grew bold against those left behind, as many were carried off from there into slavery in the west—he strongly supported and secured them; for their population was reliant on bows and most skillful in fighting back; and he strengthened their zeal with gold and bestowed honors upon them. The Persians, however, learning of the swiftness of his arrival, were terrified and, turning back again, took refuge in the difficult terrain; and despairing of their courage, they immediately sent embassies, released the prisoners, and were content to be saved. And he was very confident and believed that they would keep the peace for the future, not from what they promised, but from what he himself knew he would inflict upon them and be victorious, if they should ever be incited to transgress; but he did not think it right at all that they should not suffer retribution for what they had done to the neighboring people. Nevertheless, he received them as suppliants and set boundaries for them, as to how far they might move when coming down for pasture, on the understanding that they would pay the greatest penalties if they should break the treaty. And so the Despot, by settling affairs in the east, relieved the people there of their former hardship and allowed them to farm their own lands without fear and reap the fruits.

22. How the affairs of the Maryandynoi, the Boukellarioi, and Paphlagonia were grievously sick and perishing. For the affairs of the Boukellarioi, Maryandynoi, and Paphlagonians were sick, and very wretchedly so. The reason was that the ruler's treasures

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διδόναι καὶ ἀντιλαμβάνειν τὰ μείζω· ὃ δὴ καὶ πιστευτέον ἐπάναγκες, εἰ πιστεύοι τις τῷ Χριστῷ, μὴ μόνον καθότι βαπτίζοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθότι ἀληθινὸν ἐκεῖνον ἔχοι, ἐφ' οἷς ἐπαγγέλλεται· βαπτισθέντα δὲ καὶ πιστεύσαντα, μὴ καὶ τοῖς λόγοις πιστεύειν ἐκείνου, μηδὲ τὸ πρώτως πιστεύειν ἔχειν, κἂν ὅ τι λέγοι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστοῦ νόμος οὗτος ἀνταμείβεσθαι κατὰ τὸ ἑκατονταπλάσιον ἐπαγγέλλεται· χωρὶς δὲ καὶ τοῦ προσδοκᾶν ταῦτα, ἀπόχρη καὶ μόνη ἡ παραμένουσα δόξα, 289 ἵν' εἴποι τις καὶ κατ' ἄνθρωπον, πείθειν τὸν συνετὸν οὐχ ὅπως πλεονεκτικῶς χρηματίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ προσόντα τοῖς τυχοῦσι προΐεσθαι· ἐξαίρω δέ γε τοῦ λόγου τοὺς ἐπ' ἀναγκαίαις δοκούσαις χρείαις τινὰ τῶν ὄντων παρακα τέχοντας, εἰ μή γε καὶ αὖθις ἔχοιεν ἐκπορίζεσθαι. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ δεσπότης Ἰωάννης καὶ λίαν ἔγνω καὶ γνοὺς τά οἱ συνοίσοντα ἔπραττεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν μοναχὸν Νεῖλον, ὃς ἐκ Σικελίας μὲν ὥρμητο, ἐπὶ κακῷ δὲ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας ἐπέστη, διδάσκων γλισχρεύεσθαι καὶ προμηθεῖς εἶναι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους περὶ τὴν δόσιν, μήπως λαθών τις, μετρίως τῶν πραγμάτων ἔχων, λαβὼν τῷ μὲν διδόντι τὴν τοῦ κακῶς οἰκονομεῖν τά οἱ προσόντα προστρίψοι μέμψιν, τὴν δὲ χάριν ἐκείνην οὐκ ἐπὶ μισθῷ, ἀλλ' ἐν κενοῖς γενέσθαι παρασκευάσοι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν μηδένα διδόναι τῶν πάντων ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἐχόντων τι, διότι καὶ τοῦ εὖ πάσχειν κατὰ τὸν ἐκείνων νόμον ἀπείργοιτ' ἂν εὐπρεπῶς καὶ οὕτως ὁ τῆς μεταδόσεως ἀσθενοίη νόμος ... Ὢ πῶς ταῦτά τις καὶ ἐξαγγείλοι, ἰδίου χρῄζοντα καιροῦ; Ὁ γοῦν δεσπότης, ἔχων πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις καλοῖς καὶ τὸ φιλομόναχον, ἐκείνους που παρεισφρήσαντας τῇ οἰκίᾳ ὡς ἀρετῆς φίλους δέχεται, κἀντεῦθεν σύγχυσίς τις ἐπὶ μικρὸν περὶ τὰς τῶν οἰκείων δόσεις ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνων διδασκαλίας ἐπηκολούθει. Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν δεσπότην οὕτως· ἐνέαζε γὰρ ταῖς προ θυμίαις καὶ δῆλος ἦν τὴν τῆς Ῥωμαΐδος σύστασιν περὶ πλείστου ποιούμενος. Τότε τοίνυν τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἕω πραγμάτων κακῶς ἐχόντων, σὺν πολλῷ τῷ τάχει τοῖς κατὰ τὸν Μαίανδρον τόποις ἐπεχωρίαζεν. Ἔτι δὲ καὶ αἱ περιφανεῖς κατ' ἐκεῖνο καὶ μεγάλαι μοναὶ ὑπὸ σκοπῷ καὶ φύλακι τῷ δεσπότῃ συνίσταντο. Καὶ δὴ ἃ μὲν οἱ Πέρσαι προκαταλαβόντες κατέσχον, συνεκχωρησάντων τῶν πολλῶν ἐκεῖθεν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κἀκείνου λείποντος, τὰ περὶ τὴν Στρόβιλον λέγω καὶ τὴν Σταδιοτραχίαν, ὡς ἀδύνατα ὄντα ἐπανακεκλῆσθαι, οὐδ' ἐπε 291 χείρει κατὰ πεῖραν κατασχεῖν. Ὅσον δ' ἦν τὸ κατὰ Μαίανδρον καὶ Τράλλεις καὶ Κάϋστρον καὶ τὰ τῆς Ἀσίας βαθύτατα, ἐκράτυνέ τε προπολεμῶν καὶ τῆς κατὰ σφᾶς ἀσφαλείας μετέχειν ἐδίδου. Τοὺς δέ γε Μαγεδωνίταςἐκάκου γὰρ αὐτοὺς τό, πολλῶν ἔνθεν εἰς τὰς κατὰ δύσιν δουλείας μεταγομένων, καταθαρρεῖν τῶν λελειμμένων τοὺς Πέρσαςκαὶ λίαν συνίστα καὶ ἠσφαλί ζετο· ἦν γὰρ τὸ ἐκείνων πλῆθος πίσυνον τόξοις καὶ περὶ τὸ ἀντιμαχεῖν δεξιώτατον· καί γε τὰς προθυμίας ἐρρώννυ χρυσίῳ καὶ σφᾶς ἐδωρεῖτο φιλοτιμίαις. Οἱ μέντοι γε Πέρσαι, τὸ τάχος τῆς ἐπιστασίας μαθόντες, κατωρρώδουν τε καὶ αὖθις παλινοστοῦντες ταῖς δυσχωρίαις ἐνεδύοντο· ἀπο γνόντες δὲ τοῦ θαρρεῖν, αὐτίκα διεπρεσβεύοντο, ἀπέλυόν τε τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ ἠγάπων σῳζόμενοι. Ὁ δὲ τὸ μὲν ἡσυχίαν σχήσειν ἐκείνους εἰσαῦθις καὶ μάλα θαρρῶν ἐπίστευεν, οὐκ ἐξ ὧν ἐκεῖνοι διωμολόγουν, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὧν αὐτὸς οἶδεν ἐπιθησόμενος καὶ νικήσων, εἴ που καὶ παρακινηθεῖεν· τὸ δὲ μὴ παθεῖν ἀντίποινα ὧν ἔδρασαν τοὺς προσχώρους οὐκ ἐδικαίου τὸ σύνολον. Πλὴν ἱκετεύοντας προσεδέχετο καὶ σφίσιν ὅρους ἐτίθει, ἐς ὁπόσον ἂν καὶ κινηθεῖεν προσκαταβαίνοντες ταῖς νομαῖς, ὡς τὰς μεγίστας δώσοντες δίκας, εἰ παρασπονδοῖεν. Καὶ οὕτω μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἕω ὁ δεσπότης καθιστῶν τῆς προτέρας δυσκληρίας ἀνελάμβανε τοὺς ἐκεῖ καὶ θαρρεῖν παρεῖχεν ἀνέδην τὰς αὐτῶν γεωργοῦντας καρπίζεσθαι.

κβʹ. Ὅπως ἐνόσει ἀπολλύμενα τὰ κατὰ Μαρυανδηνούς, τὰ Βουκελλάριά τε καὶ ἡ Παφλαγονία. Ἐνόσει δὲ τὰ τῶν Βουκελλαρίων, Μαρυανδηνῶν τε καὶ Παφλαγόνων καὶ λίαν οἰκτρῶς. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον ὅτι τοῦ κρατοῦντος τὰ τεθησαυρισμένα