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leaving behind for him both friends and all property, his most honored and dearest things, to choose to live in a foreign land, he would try to persuade him to abstain from the matter, teaching him how great the absurdity was; but if he could not prevent him, he would not easily endure the separation 1.330, but would himself likewise bid farewell to all, and choose rather to wander with him. Furthermore, if a choice were proposed to him by one who has power over all such things, that one of them must depart from life, he would with every vote have chosen to die before him. But surely, even if he saw him with his own eyes coming against him with a sword as if to kill him, and then it happened that he was prevented for some other reason and quite against his will, not even so would he ever be able to feel hostile towards him. And in short, there was nothing that, being pleasant for him to have done, he would not provide with all eagerness, as things that pleased him appeared pleasant to him as well. Since these things are so, just as he thought he himself was clearly persuaded, he was amazed that, it being his wish for Syrgiannes to be released from prison, he did not say so freely and straightforwardly from the beginning, but as if setting up certain steps, first to say that he be released from his collar, then that he be moved from the prison to another more suitable one, so that his children and wife could be with him, and now that he be released from prison altogether. "For you should have made your wish clear at once from the beginning with the boldness that befits you, and not, by dividing it into many parts, make your requests piecemeal; but you have made your speech as if you had either condemned in me great pettiness and lack of generosity concerning friends, or were conscious of a weakness in your 1.331 self. For this reason, I said I was displeased. But now, since it is your wish for Syrgiannes to be released, there is nothing to prevent it. For whatever seems best and pleasantest to you yourself, it is not possible that they should not equally seem the same to me." And the Grand Domestic said, "You have spoken truly, O Emperor, for there is not, there is not anything which, if I wished it to be done, you yourself would cast an opposing vote. And this is manifest not from the words now spoken to me, but long before from the deeds themselves, first to me and to all others. And that I myself am disposed in the same way towards you, I do not think will need proof; for you yourself, anticipating me, have already borne witness to it well. But I, comparing our friendship for one another, think it falls short, and by much, in the weight and magnitude of office; but in all other respects it is in no way inferior. For not only what you yourself have said before, but if there is anything even greater than these, I am ready to do and to suffer for the sake of friendship with you. And yet often by myself, examining those celebrated for friendship through all time by poets and writers, and comparing their deeds with ours, though they seem to have been exaggerated by the ambition of the poets beyond what is true and fitting, nevertheless I find ours in no way wanting, if not even greater. And if it should ever happen that I fall into such reasonings as to doubt if 1.332 there is any form or other manner of friendship which we have not shown to one another, or if we have not reached its very summit, I must either be choked and gasp for breath from the struggle and not even wish to live, if in so noble a matter I should appear second to anyone, or else I must leap away from such reasonings and persuade my soul with stronger, or, as they say, with geometric necessities, that there neither is nor has been any form of friendship which we ourselves have not shown to each other, and that with excess. And having understood this, I perceive that John the Evangelist also enjoins men to show the same love towards God as they do towards their friends. For if, just as I myself depend on your will and have considered all things secondary to your service, I were so disposed also towards God, to what height of virtue would I not have advanced, or what zeal and eagerness would I not have brought to fulfilling His commandments with all enthusiasm? But if you, on the one hand,

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αὐτῷ καὶ φίλους καὶ περιουσίαν πᾶσαν, αὐτά τε τὰ τιμιώτατα καὶ τὰ φίλτατα καταλιπόντα, ἐπὶ ξένης οἰκεῖν ἑλέσθαι, αὐτὸν μὲν πείθειν ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιχειρεῖν, τὴν ἀτοπίαν ὅση ἐκδιδάσκοντα· εἰ δὲ μὴ δύναιτο κωλύειν, μὴ ῥᾷστα τὴν διάζευ 1.330 ξιν ἂν ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου πᾶσιν εἰπόντα χαίρειν, τὸ σὺν αὐτῷ πλανᾶσθαι μᾶλλον ἑλέσθαι. ἔτι δὲ εἰ αἵρεσις αὐτῷ προὐτέθη παρὰ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα δυναμένου ὥστε τὸν ἕτερον αὐτῶν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι τοῦ ζῇν, ἁπάσαις ἂν εἵλετο τὸ πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἀποθανεῖν. ἀλλὰ μὴν εἴγε καὶ οἰκείοις ὄμμασιν ἑώρα ξίφος ἔχοντα αὐτῷ ὡς ἀποκτενοῦντα ἐπιέναι, εἶθ' ὑπ' ἄλλης τινὸς αἰτίας καὶ πάνυ μὴ βουλόμενον συμβέβηκε κεκωλύσθαι, μηδ' οὕτω δυνηθῆναι ἄν ποτε ἀπεχθῶς διακείσεσθαι αὐτῷ. καὶ ὅλως μηδὲν εἶναι ὃ καθ' ἡδονὴν ὂν αὐτῷ πραχθῆναι, μὴ αὐτὸν σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ παρασχεῖν, ὡς ἅττα ἂν αὐτῷ ἀρέσκῃ, καὶ αὐτῷ ἡδέων φαινομένων. τούτων οὖν οὕτως ἐχόντων, ὥσπερ καὶ αὐτὸν σαφῶς οἴεσθαι πεπεῖσθαι, θαυμάζειν ὅτι μὴ, κατὰ γνώμην ὂν αὐτῷ Συργιάννην ἀπολυθῆναι τῆς εἱρκτῆς, ἐλευθέρως καὶ ἀπεριέργως εἶπεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τινὰς τιθέμενον ἀναβασμοὺς, πρῶτα μὲν εἰπεῖν, τῶν κλοιῶν αὐτὸν ἀνεθῆναι, εἶτ' ἐκ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου πρὸς ἕτερον ἐπιεικέστερον μετενεχθῆναι, ὥστε δύνασθαι αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ τέκνα συνεῖναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα, νυνὶ δὲ παντάπασιν ἀπολυθῆναι τῆς εἱρκτῆς. «δέον γὰρ μετὰ τῆς σοι προσηκούσης παῤῥησίας εὐθὺς ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὸ βούλημα ποιῆσαι φανερὸν, καὶ μὴ διατεμόντα εἰς πολλὰ κατὰ μέρος ποιεῖσθαι τὰς αἰτήσεις· σὺ δ' ὥσπερ ἢ ἐμοῦ πολλὴν μικρολογίαν καὶ ἀφιλοτιμίαν κατεγνωκὼς περὶ τοὺς φίλους, ἢ σαυ 1.331 τῷ ἀδυναμίαν συνειδὼς, οὕτως ἐποιήσω τοὺς λόγους. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ ἀχθεσθῆναι εἶπον. νυνὶ δ' ἐπεί σοι φίλον ἀπολυθῆναι Συργιάννην, τὸ κωλύον οὐδέν. ἅττα γὰρ ἂν αὐτῷ σοι καὶ βέλτιστα δοκῇ καὶ ἡδέα, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅπως μὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἴσου ὅμοια κἀμοὶ δοκεῖν.» Ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος «ἀληθῆ γε εἴρηκας» εἶπεν «ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν, ὃ θελήσαντος ἐμοῦ πραχθῆναι, ἐναντίαν οἴσεις ψῆφον αὐτός. καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν πρὸς ἐμὲ εἰρημένων νυνὶ λόγων, ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρότερον ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων ἐμοί τε πρῶτον καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασίν ἐστι καταφανές. ὅτι δὲ τὸν ἴσον τρόπον ἔχω καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς σὲ, οὐδ' ἀποδείξεως δεήσεσθαι δοκῶ· αὐτὸς γάρ μοι φθάσας πρότερον συνεμαρτύρησας καλῶς. ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἡμῶν φιλίαν παραβάλλων, τῷ μὲν ὄγκῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῷ μεγέθει ἐλασσοῦσθαι νομίζω καὶ παρὰ πολύ· τοῖς λοιποῖς δὲ ἅπασι λείπεσθαι οὐδ' ὁπωσοῦν. οὐ μόνον γὰρ ἃ προείρηκας αὐτὸς, ἀλλ' εἴ τι καὶ τούτων μεῖζον, καὶ ποιεῖν καὶ ὑπομένειν ὑπὲρ τῆς πρὸς σὲ φιλίας ἕτοιμος εἶναι. καίτοι γε κατ' ἐμαυτὸν πολλάκις τοὺς παρὰ ποιηταῖς καὶ συγγραφεῦσι παρὰ πάντα τὸν χρόνον ἐπὶ φιλίᾳ ὑμνουμένους ἐξετάζων, καὶ παραβάλλων τοῖς ἡμετέροις τὰ ἐκείνων, καίτοι γε δοκούντων τῇ φιλοτιμίᾳ τῶν ποιητῶν καὶ πέρα τοῦ ἀληθοῦς καὶ προσήκοντος ηὐξῆσθαι, ὅμως κατ' οὐδὲν ἀποδέοντα, εἰ μὴ καὶ μείζω τὰ ἡμέτερα εὑρίσκω. εἰ δέ ποτε συμβαίη τοιούτοις λογισμοῖς περιπεσεῖν, ὥστε ἀμφιβάλλειν εἴ 1.332 τις ἔστιν ἰδέα φιλίας ἢ τρόπος ἕτερος, ὃν ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἐπεδειξάμεθα ἀλλήλοις, ἢ εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸ ἀκρότατον ἀφίγμεθα αὐτῆς, ἢ ἀποπνίγεσθαι ἀνάγκη καὶ πνευστιᾷν ὑπὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας καὶ μηδὲ ζῇν ἐθέλειν, εἰ περὶ τὸ οὕτω καλὸν δεύτερός τινος φαινοίμην, ἢ ἀποπηδᾷν τῶν τοιούτων λογισμῶν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν πείθειν ἰσχυροτέραις ἢ, ὅ φασιν, ἀνάγκαις γεωμετρικαῖς, ὡς οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε γεγένηταί τις ἰδέα φιλίας, ἣν οὐ πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτοὶ ἐπεδειξάμεθα καὶ μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς. καὶ τοῦτο συνιδόντα καὶ τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν Ἰωάννην ἐννοῶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις παραγγέλλειν, τὴν ἴσην ὥσπερ πρὸς τοὺς φίλους, οὕτω δὴ καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἐνδείκνυσθαι ἀγάπην. εἰ γὰρ ὥσπερ αὐτὸς ἐξήρτημαι τῆς σῆς γνώμης καὶ πάντα δεύτερα ἥγημαι τῆς θεραπείας τῆς σῆς, οὕτω διεκείμην καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν, ποῦ οὐκ ἂν προῆλθον ἀρετῆς, ἢ ποίαν οὐκ ἂν εἰσήνεγκα σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ σὺν πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ ἐκπληροῦν; εἰ δὲ σὺ μὲν,