119

and approaching the emperor, he recounted the labor of the previous time regarding the administration of affairs and how, now that the civil evils had ceased and there was no suspicion, it was necessary to make some provision so that affairs might be administered well and properly as before, and he himself might obtain some rest. This would happen, if he were to assign to someone else, whom he himself would choose, the oversight of the imperial letters and of the imperial treasury, and furthermore of those who collect the public taxes. The emperor said that he himself was not unaware of how much labor he had undergone in the previous time, overseeing everything himself, but that he knew well, and was not a little amazed, if he, being one man, was sufficient for such a great administration of affairs, and moreover he grieved for him, considering the toil which he endured. “What you yourself said, I myself was also considering, that because of the civil wars and the plots it was necessary for you to be present for everything 1.339 and for all things to be done through you, and unwillingly I passed the time in silence. But now that God has settled matters as he wished, choose whomever you yourself would prefer for the administration of the affairs you mentioned; however, it is not right to entrust matters to him completely, but you yourself must again oversee what is necessary, and let all things be done according to your judgment. For thus affairs would be administered well, and you yourself would obtain no small rest.” The Grand Domestic obeyed what was said by the emperor, and chose Apokauchos the parakoimomenos for the administration of the aforementioned affairs; and the emperor himself concurred. And the parakoimomenos having been appointed administrator of public affairs, whatever was necessary and required the judgment of the Grand Domestic, these things he would bring to him, and they would be done as he directed, examining some things alone or even with the emperor; but whatever was not of this nature, the parakoimomenos was permitted to do. Around the same time, the emperor crossed over to Cyzicus, both to venerate the icon of the Mother of God not made by hands, which was at the temple in Hyrtakion, and at the same time to inspect the region, which he had not seen before. But a still greater reason for this was that he might persuade Tamerkhanes son of Giaxes, the ruler of Phrygia, who was menacing the eastern cities along the Hellespont which were subject to the emperor, to come to an agreement; and this was accomplished according to the emperor's will. For coming from Cyzicus to Pegae, a city on the Hellespont, he summoned Tamerkhanes, 1.340 who arrived quickly and met with the emperor with great modesty and, so to speak, servility. For when he came near enough to see the emperor and be seen by him, he and the other Persians dismounted from their horses and, advancing a short way, all the others prostrated themselves to the emperor from afar, resting their heads on the ground. But he himself, having come up to the emperor on foot, both prostrated himself and kissed the emperor's foot, then mounting his horse, he met with the emperor alone. After the emperor had spoken much with him about peace and promised to treat him well, he returned to his own camp, and the emperor returned to the city of Pegae. And on the next day Tamerkhanes came again and, after prostrating himself before the emperor and promising to keep peace for the future and never again to campaign against the Romans in the east, and after the emperor had rewarded him with gifts worthy of himself, he departed to his own land, proving true in deeds what he had promised; for he no longer harmed the Romans in any way; and the emperor returned to Byzantium. While he was staying there, Michael, the king of the Mysians, sent a message, asking if it would be agreeable to him, to meet with him and renew the treaties and the peace. For the previous meeting that had taken place in Adrianople, since time and circumstances did not permit it on account of the war that had then occurred, was for a short time and

119

καὶ βασιλεῖ προσελθὼν, τόν τε ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου χρόνου πρὸς τὴν διοίκησιν τῶν πραγμάτων διηγεῖτο πόνον καὶ ὡς, τῶν ἐμφυλίων κακῶν ἤδη πεπαυμένων καὶ ὑποψίας οὔσης οὐδεμιᾶς, δέον πρόνοιάν τινα ποιήσασθαι ὥστε τά τε πράγματα ὥσπερ πρότερον καλῶς καὶ ὡς δέον διοικεῖσθαι, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναπαύλης τινὸς τυγχάνειν. τοῦτο δὲ γένοιτ' ἂν, εἰ τήν τε τῶν βασιλικῶν γραμμάτων ἐπιστασίαν καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ τῶν βασιλικῶν χρημάτων ταμιείου, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν εἰσπραττόντων τοὺς δημοσίους φόρους ἀναθείη ἑτέρῳ τινὶ, ὃν ἂν ἐκλέξηται αὐτός. βασιλεὺς δὲ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἔφασκεν ἀγνοεῖν, ὅσον ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου χρόνου ὑφίστατο τὸν πόνον, πᾶσιν αὐτὸς ἐφεστηκὼς, ἀλλὰ εἰδέναι τε καλῶς, καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα θαυμάζειν, εἰ πρὸς τοσαύτην διοίκησιν πραγμάτων εἷς ὢν αὐτὸς ἐξαρκεῖ, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀλγεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, τὸν κάματον ὃν ὑπέμενεν ἐννοῶν. ὅπερ δὲ αὐτὸς ἔφης λογιζόμενος καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς τῶν ἐμφυλίων ἕνεκα πολέμων καὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλῶν ἀναγκαῖον ἐφ' ἅπασί σε παρεῖ 1.339 ναι καὶ πάντα πράττεσθαι διὰ σοῦ, καὶ ἄκων παρῄειν σιγῇ τὸν χρόνον. νυνὶ δὲ ᾗ ἐβούλετο τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ πράγματα καταστήσαντος, ὃν ἂν αὐτὸς ἐθέλῃς μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν διοίκησιν ὧν ἔφης πραγμάτων ἑλοῦ· οὐ μὴν ἐκείνῳ παντάπασιν ἐπιτρέψαι τὰ πράγματα χρὴ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὖθις αὐτὸν ἐφίστασθαι τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις, καὶ πάντα πράττεσθαί σοι κατὰ γνώμην. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τά τε πράγματα διοικηθήσεσθαι καλῶς, καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναπαύλης τυγχάνειν οὐ μικρᾶς τινος. Ὁ δὲ μέγας δομέστικος τοῖς τε λεγομένοις ἐπείθετο πρὸς βασιλέως, καὶ παρακοιμώμενον τὸν Ἀπόκαυχον ἐπὶ τῇ διοικήσει τῶν εἰρημένων ᾑρεῖτο πραγμάτων· καὶ βασιλεὺς συνεπεψηφίζετο αὐτός· ἀποδειχθεὶς δὲ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων ὁ παρακοιμώμενος διοικητὴς, ὅσα μὲν ἦν ἀναγκαῖα καὶ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου κρίσεως ἐδεῖτο, ταῦτα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνάγων, ᾗ αὐτὸς ἐπέτρεπεν ἐπράττετο, ἢ μόνος ἢ καὶ μετὰ βασιλέως ἔνια ἐξετάζων· ἃ δὲ οὐ τοιαῦτα, παρακοιμωμένῳ ἐφεῖτο πράττειν. Ὑπὸ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Κύζικον ἐπεραιώθη, ἅμα μὲν τὴν τῆς θεομήτορος ἀχειροποίητον εἰκόνα, ἣ πρὸς τὸν ἐν Ὑρτακίῳ ναὸν ἦν, προσκυνήσων, ἅμα δὲ κατοψόμενος καὶ τὴν χώραν, οὔπω πρότερον ἰδών. τὸ δ' ἔτι τούτων αἰτιώτερον, ἵνα τὸν Φρυγίας ἄρχοντα Ταμηρχάνην τὸν τοῦ Γιαξῆ ταῖς κατὰ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἑῴαις πόλεσιν ἐπικείμενον οὔσαις ὑπηκόοις βασιλεῖ, πρὸς συμβάσεις πείσῃ χωρῆσαι· ὃ καὶ κατὰ γνώμην ἐτελεῖτο βασιλεῖ· ἀπὸ γὰρ Κυζίκου εἰς Πηγὰς πόλιν τὴν κατὰ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐλθὼν, μετεκαλεῖτο τὸν Ταμηρ 1.340 χάνην, καὶ ὃς ἀφῖκτό τε κατὰ τάχος καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς μετριότητος καὶ, οἷον εἰπεῖν, δουλείας συνεγένετο τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὡς γὰρ ἐγγὺς ἐγένετο ὅσον ὁρᾷν τε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ὁρᾶσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ, αὐτός τε καὶ ἄλλοι Πέρσαι τῶν ἵππων καταβάντες καὶ προελθόντες ἐπὶ μικρὸν, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες ἄπωθεν τὸν βασιλέα προσεκύνουν, τὰς κεφαλὰς ἐρείσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· αὐτὸς δ' ἄχρι βασιλέως ἐλθὼν πεζῇ, προσεκύνει τε καὶ ἠσπάζετο τὸν βασιλέως πόδα, ἔπειτα ἔφιππος γενόμενος, μόνος μόνῳ συνεγένετο τῷ βασιλεῖ. πολλὰ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ εἰρήνης διαλεχθέντος βασιλέως καὶ εὖ ποιήσειν ἐπαγγειλαμένου, αὐτὸς μὲν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον στρατόπεδον, βασιλεὺς δ' εἰς Πηγὰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπανῆλθε. καὶ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν πάλιν ἐλθὼν ὁ Ταμηρχάνης καὶ προσκυνήσας βασιλέα καὶ ἐπαγγειλάμενος εἰρήνην ἄξειν τοῦ λοιποῦ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἕω Ῥωμαίοις μηδέποτε ἐπιστρατεύσειν, δώροις τε ἀμειψαμένου βασιλέως ἀξίως ἑαυτοῦ, ὁ μὲν ἐπανέζευξεν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, ἅπερ ἐπηγγείλατο ἀληθῆ ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων ἀποδεικνύς· οὐκέτι γὰρ οὐδὲν ἠδίκησε Ῥωμαίους· βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανῆκεν. ἔνθα διατρίβοντι ὁ τῶν Μυσῶν βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ μεμήνυκεν, εἰ ἀρεστὸν αὐτῷ εἴη, συνελθεῖν τε αὐτῷ καὶ τὰς σπονδὰς ἀνανεώσασθαι καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην. τὴν γὰρ πρότερον ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει γενομένην συντυχίαν, τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οὐκ ἐώντων διὰ τὸν συμβεβηκότα τότε πόλεμον, ἐπ' ὀλίγον τε