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and of the sea from east to west, such and so many things were achieved. 72 But the account must now run back to those deeds of which the emperor was the author, and relate how, always occupied with public affairs and having his mind continually intent on worldly governance, at one time he directed matters toward what was needful with prudent handling, and at another he lent his ear and listened attentively to historical narratives and political precepts and ethical teachings and both patristic and spiritual admonitions and instructions, and at yet another time he trained and guided his hand to the writer's pen, and now he investigated the characters and lives and handling of affairs and military contests of generals and emperors, and reviewing them, selecting the best and most praiseworthy of these, he strove to set down the imitation in his own actions, and now diligently studying the lives of men who had excelled in the best life according to God, he also cut off the irrational impulses of his soul, wishing to show himself emperor over himself before being so over others, and from this he reaped much benefit. For this reason also, those blessed men who were still living, who lived the immaterial life in this material existence and had transferred their citizenship to heaven, he considered it of great importance and took great care to know and 315 meet and converse with them. But out of his exceeding piety, he did not summon them to himself, but, setting no store by his imperial rank, he would go to them, and would partake of their prayers, and was in a way crowned by their blessings and was strengthened in the fear of God and was guided toward the ordinances of God. And from this, one could continually see the tetractys of virtues dwelling with him, and his wisdom along with his courage was admired, and his justice along with his temperance, and all things had an increase toward the better. And it seemed that life had returned to its ancient good order and stability, as he possessed constant forethought for the stability of his subjects and that no one should be wronged by anyone, and as those who were promoted to offices at each occasion strove to imitate the master's piety toward the divine, and reverence for priests and monks, and mercy for the poor, and justice and equity for all. For it was his command and precept that neither the lesser should be oppressed by the greater, nor the superior be reviled or slandered by the needy, but that the former should embrace and care for the poor man as a brother, and the latter should bless his superior as a common father and savior and guilelessly 316 pray for good things for him from the Lord. Thus, ordering his life and depending his own upon divine providence, he was clearly taught many necessary things in his sleep; and when he went to his bed full of care and was agitated with concern about some public matter, he often saw in a dream what would come to pass and became full of good hope and calmed the turmoil of his soul. And it is no wonder that those who perform their authority on earth as a kind of liturgy and who truly carry out the divine ministry among us here below, and are conformed to the better example in a powerful way, are encouraged by providence and are directed toward what is expedient and are taught beforehand the things to come. 73 But what the rush of the narrative carried past and did not allow to be said in its proper time, it is good to write down here, now that the account has had a respite from military contests and warlike narratives. I speak of the remembrance and reward of those who had served the emperor when he was still in a lesser fortune, and of his not forgetting them

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καὶ ὑγρᾶς κατὰ ἀνατολὴν καὶ δύσιν, τοιαῦτα καὶ τοσαῦτα ἐτύγχανεν. 72 Χρὴ δὲ αυθις τὸν λόγον ἀναδραμεῖν ἐπὶ τὰς πράξεις ἐκείνας ων αὐτουργὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐχρημάτιζεν, καὶ διηγήσασθαι οπως ἀεὶ τοῖς κοινοῖς ἐνασχολούμενος πράγμασι καὶ πρὸς τὴν κοσμικὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τεταμένην εχων διηνεκῶς τὴν διάνοιαν αλλοτε μὲν τὰ πρὸς τὸ δέον τῇ εμφρονι μεταχειρίσει κατηύθυνεν, αλλοτε δὲ τὴν ἀκοὴν ὑπετίθει καὶ ἐπιμελῶς ἠκροᾶτο ἱστορικῶν τε διηγη- μάτων καὶ πολιτικῶν παραγγελμάτων καὶ ἠθικῶν παιδευμάτων καὶ πατρικῶν τε καὶ πνευματικῶν νουθετημάτων καὶ εἰσηγήσεων, αλλοτε δὲ καὶ τὴν χεῖρα πρὸς τὸν γραφικὸν ἐξεπαίδευε καὶ κατηύ- θυνε κάλαμον, καὶ νῦν μὲν στρατηγῶν τε καὶ αὐτοκρατόρων ἀν- δρῶν ηθη καὶ βίους καὶ μεταχειρίσεις πραγμάτων καὶ πολεμικοὺς ἀγῶνας διηρευνᾶτο, καὶ ἀνασκοπῶν, τὰ κράτιστα τούτων καὶ ἐπαινούμενα ἐκλεγόμενος, εἰς οἰκείας πράξεις ἐσπούδαζε τὴν μί- μησιν κατατίθεσθαι, νῦν δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ κατὰ θεὸν ἀρίστῃ πολιτείᾳ διαπρεψάντων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς βίους ἐπιμελῶς καταμανθάνων καὶ τὰς ἀλόγους ὁρμὰς τῆς ψυχῆς περιέκοπτεν, αὐτὸν ἑαυτοῦ δεικνύειν ἐθέλων πρὸ τῶν ἐκτὸς αὐτοκράτορα, καὶ πολλὴν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκαρ- ποῦτο ὠφέλειαν. διὸ καὶ τοὺς ετι τῷ βίῳ περιόντας τῶν μακα- ρίων ἀνδρῶν, τῶν τὴν αϋλον πολιτείαν διαζώντων ἐν τῇ ὑλώδει ταύτῃ ζωῇ καὶ πολίτευμα μεταθεμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, γνωρίζειν καὶ 315 ἐντυγχάνειν καὶ ὁμιλεῖν ἐποιεῖτο περὶ πολλοῦ καὶ ἐν μεγάλῃ φρον- τίδι ἐτίθετο. ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς αγαν εὐλαβείας οὐ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν αὐτοὺς μετεστέλλετο, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τὸν βασιλικὸν ογκον τιθέμενος ἐβάδιζε πρὸς αὐτούς, καὶ τῶν εὐχῶν αὐτῶν μετελάγχανε, καί πως ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν εὐλογίαις ἐστεφανοῦτο καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἐστηρίζετο φόβον καὶ πρὸς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δικαιώματα κατηυθύνετο. καὶ ἀπὸ τούτου διηνεκῶς ἐνδιαιτωμένην παρ' αὐτῷ τὴν τῶν ἀρετῶν ὑπῆρ- χεν ὁρᾶν τετρακτύν, καὶ ἐθαυμάζετο αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῆς ἀνδρίας τὸ φρόνημα καὶ μετὰ τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸ δίκαιον, καὶ πάντα ειχε τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἐπίδοσιν. καὶ ἐδόκει αυθις ὁ βίος ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας γενέσθαι εὐταξίας καὶ καταστάσεως, αὐτοῦ τε διηνεκῆ κεκτημένου πρόνοιαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ εὐσταθεῖν τὸ ὑπήκοον καὶ ὑπὸ μη- δενὸς μηδένα ἐπηρεάζεσθαι, καὶ τῶν εἰς τὰς ἀρχὰς προβαλλομέ- νων ἑκάστοτε μιμεῖσθαι σπουδαζόντων τὴν δεσποτικὴν καὶ περὶ τὸ θεῖον εὐλάβειαν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ μονάζοντας αἰδῶ καὶ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς πένητας ελεον καὶ τὴν πρὸς πάντας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἰσό- τητα. ἐκείνου γὰρ ην ἐντολὴ καὶ παράγγελμα τὸ μήτε τὸν ηττονα ὑπὸ τοῦ μείζονος καταδυναστεύεσθαι μήτε τὸν ὑπερέχοντα ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐνδεοῦς λοιδορεῖσθαι η διαβάλλεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνόν τε ὡς ἀδελφὸν ἀγκαλίζεσθαι καὶ περιέπειν τὸν πένητα, καὶ τοῦτον ὡς κοινὸν πατέρα καὶ σωτῆρα τὸν ὑπερέχοντα εὐλογεῖν καὶ ἀδόλως 316 αὐτῷ τὰ ἀγαθὰ παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἐπεύχεσθαι. ουτω δὲ τὸν βίον αὐτοῦ ῥυθμίζων καὶ τῆς θείας προνοίας τὴν οἰκείαν ἐξαρτῶν πολλὰ τῶν δεόντων κατὰ τοὺς υπνους ἐναργῶς ἐδιδάσκετο· καὶ οταν εμφροντις ἐπὶ τὴν κοίτην ῃει καὶ περί τινος τῶν κοινῶν ἐσφάδαζε μεριμνῶν, πολλάκις οναρ ἑώρα τὸ ἐκβησόμενον καὶ ἐπ' ἐλπίδος ἐγίνετο ἀγαθῆς καὶ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς κατέστελλε θόρυβον. καὶ οὐ- δὲν θαυμαστὸν τοὺς λειτουργίαν ωσπερ τινὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐξου- σίαν ἀνύοντας καὶ τὴν θείαν τῷ οντι διακονίαν ἐκτελοῦντας ἐν τοῖς κάτω περὶ ἡμᾶς, καὶ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἀφωμοιωμένους παρά- δειγμα τὸν δυνατὸν τρόπον, ὑπὸ τῆς προνοίας παραθαρρύνεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἰθύνεσθαι καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα προδιδάσκε- σθαι. 73 ̓Αλλ' οπερ ἡ ῥύμη τοῦ λόγου παρήνεγκε φέρουσα καὶ κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον ῥηθῆναι καιρὸν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν, ἐνταῦθα ηδη μετὰ τὸ σχολάσαι τῶν πολεμικῶν ἀγώνων τὸν λόγον καὶ τῶν πολεμικῶν ἀφηγήσεων καλὸν ἀναγράψασθαι. λέγω δὲ τὸ περὶ τὴν μνήμην καὶ ἀμοιβὴν τῶν ἐν τῇ ἐλάττονι ετι τύχῃ οντα θεραπευ- σάντων τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ τὸ μὴ ἐπιλαθέσθαι αὐτῶν