For the crane fell, dancing its death-dance, and now showing its front, now its back. 7.73 The emperor, then, delighting in both kinds of hunting, so that he might not punish the enclosed animals while hunting, went forth—it seemed good to him—to the free ones that use their running and their wings unhindered, and a royal lodging somewhere before the City received him, encircled by the sea and sufficient on either side for a hunter, but not for this emperor; for rising with the hunt at dawn, he was brought back in the deep evening. But often using the cast of his spear against bears and boars and constantly raising his right arm, he was struck in his side by a cold wind, and at the time the blow was not very apparent, but on the next day a fever followed a chill. 7.74t Concerning the emperor's illness. But I, knowing none of these things, went out to him to see him and to pay my customary respects; and he, lying in bed, greeted me; a small guard stood by him, and the best of the physicians was also present. When he had greeted me and looked at me with a cheerful glance: "You have come at a good time," he said; and straightway he gave me his hand, for me to judge the movements of his pulse; for he knew that I had practiced the art concerning this. And I, having understood what the disease was, did not speak immediately, but turning to that physician, "And to you," I said, "what sort of fever did this seem to be?" But he, using a louder voice so that the emperor might also hear, said: "An ephemeral one, but if it has not been resolved on the same day, one must not be surprised; for there is also such a kind, and the name is a lie." - "But I," I said, "do not quite agree with your opinion; for the movement of the artery prophesies to me a tertian cycle; but let your Dodonian bronze speak the truth, and let my tripod lie, and perhaps it will lie because my preparation for delivering oracles is not sufficient." 7.75 The third of the days therefore came, and the time, having overrun the cycle by a little, showed him to be the expert, and me to have missed the mark; for this reason some not very heavy food was prepared for the emperor, but no sooner had he taken it than a fever was kindled at once from deep within. They say, then, that Cato, when he had a fever or was seized by some other illness, would remain completely still and unmoved until the cycle ended and his condition changed; but he, contrary to that man, was agitated in his body and tossed about, and panted more rapidly and nature gave him no respite at all; but when he ever got relief, he would mention his return to the palace. 7.76 And at once boarding the imperial trireme, he landed at Blachernae, and having come inside the palace, he became more comfortable, and he enjoyed the occasion, speaking more eloquently and joking more than was his custom, and he kept us until evening, recounting ancient things and whatever that emperor Basil, the son of Romanus, had said appositely. 7.77 But when the sun had set, he dismissed us, and he himself turned to sleep; and I had departed feeling confident and nourished by sweet hopes for the emperor; but when I arrived there again rather early in the morning someone before the doors alarmed me at once, saying that the emperor's side was being stabbed with pain, and that he was short of breath and was not bearing the asthma very bravely at all; I was frozen on hearing this, and entering silently the little room where he lay, having immediately put on a sad face, I stood quietly; but he, as if learning from my eyes that he was not completely badly off and dying, at once extended his hand; but before I [could place] my fingers

ἔπιπτε γὰρ ἡ γέρανος ἐπορχουμένη τὸν θάνατον, καὶ νῦν μὲν τὰ πρανῆ, νῦν δὲ δεικνῦσα τὰ ὕπτια. 7.73 Ἀμφοτέρᾳ γοῦν τῇ θήρᾳ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τερ πόμενος, ἵνα μὴ κολάζῃ τὰ συγκεκλεισμένα θηρώμενος, ἐπὶ τὰ ἐλεύθερα καὶ τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ τῷ πτερῷ ἀνέτως χρώμενος, δόξαν αὐτῷ, ἐξελήλυθεν, καὶ βασίλειος τοῦτον καταγωγὴ αὐτοῦ που πρὸ τοῦ Ἄστεως ὑποδέχεται, περίκυκλος τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ ἑκατέρου μέρους ἀνδρὶ αὐτάρκης θηρατικῷ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τούτῳ· ἑῷος γὰρ ἐπανατέλλων τῇ θήρᾳ εἰς ἑσπέραν βαθεῖαν κατήγετο. Πολλάκις δὲ τῇ βολῇ τῆς λόγχης ἐπὶ τὰς ἄρκτους καὶ τὰς ὗς χρώμενος καὶ συνεχῶς ἐπανατείνων τὴν δεξιὰν, ψυχρῷ πνεύματι βάλλε ται τὴν πλευρὰν, καὶ τότε μὲν οὐ πάνυ κατάδηλος ἡ πληγὴ ἐγεγόνει, τῇ δὲ ἐφεξῆς ῥιγώσαντα πυρετὸς διαδέχεται. 7.74τ Περὶ τῆς νόσου τοῦ βασιλέως. Ἐγὼ δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν εἰδὼς, ἔξειμι πρὸς αὐτὸν ὀψόμενός τε καὶ χαριούμενος τούτῳ τὰ εἰωθότα· ὁ δέ με κλινοπετὴς κατασπάζεται· ὀλίγη τε αὐτῷ παρειστή κει δορυφορία, παρῆν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀσκληπιαδῶν ὁ κάλλιστος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠσπάσατο καὶ ἱλαρῷ ἐθεάσατο βλέμματι· «Ἀλλ' εἰς καιρὸν, φησὶν, ἥκεις·» καὶ εὐθὺς τὴν χεῖρα ἐδίδου, τὰς κινήσεις τοῦ σφυγμοῦ γνωματεύσαντι· ᾔδει γάρ με καὶ τὴν περὶ τοῦτο τέχνην ἀσκήσαντα. Κἀγὼ ξυμμαθὼν ὅ τί ποτε τὸ νόσημα εἴη, οὐκ εὐθὺς ἐφθεγξάμην, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀσκληπιάδην ἐκεῖνον στραφείς· «Σοὶ δὲ, ἔφην, ποδαπὸς οὗτος ὁ πυρετὸς ἔδοξεν;» ὁ δὲ γεγονωτέρᾳ χρησάμενος τῇ φωνῇ, ἵνα καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούοι· «Ἐφήμερος μὲν, φησὶν, εἰ δὲ μὴ αὐθημερὸν λέλυται, θαυμάζειν οὐ χρή· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τοιοῦτον γένος, καὶ ψεύδεται τοὔνομα. -Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ, ἔφην, οὐ πάνυ σου τῇ γνώμῃ ξυντίθεμαι· ἡ γὰρ τῆς ἀρτηρίας κίνησις τριταϊκὴν περίοδόν μοι μαντεύεται· ἀλλ' ἀληθεύειν μὲν τὸ σὸν ∆ωδωναῖον χαλκεῖον, ὁ δ' ἐμὸς τρίπους ψευ δέσθω, ψεύσεται δὲ ἴσως ὅτι μοι πρὸς τὸ χρᾶν ἡ παρασκευὴ οὐκ αὐτάρκης.» 7.75 Ἧκεν οὖν ἡ τρίτη τῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ βραχύ τι παραδραμὼν τὴν περίοδον ὁ καιρὸς τὸν μὲν ἀπεδείκνυ τεχνίτην, ἐμὲ δὲ διημαρτηκότα τοῦ ἀκριβοῦς· ἔνθεν τοι καὶ τροφή τις τῶν οὐ πάνυ ἁδρῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐσκευάζετο, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔφθη προσιέμενος ταύτην, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ βάθους αὐτίκα ἐκκαίεται πυρετός. Τὸν μὲν οὖν Κάτωνά φασι πυρέττοντα ἤ τινι ἄλλῳ κατεσχημένον νοσήματι, ἄστροφόν τε μέχρι παντὸς διαμένειν καὶ ἄτρεπτον ἔστ' ἂν ἡ περίοδος λήξῃ καὶ ὁ καιρὸς αὐτῷ μεταβάλῃ· ὁ δὲ ἐξ ἐναντίας ἐκείνῳ διεποικίλλετο τῷ σώματι καὶ ἐστρέφετο, ἤσθμαινέ τε πυκνότερον καὶ οὐδ' ὁπωσοῦν αὐτῷ ἀνακωχὴν ἡ φύσις ἐδίδου· ἐπεὶ δέ ποτε ἀνεθείη, τῆς ἐς τὰ βασίλεια ἐπανόδου ἐμέμνητο. 7.76 Καὶ αὐτίκα τῆς βασιλείου ἐπιβὰς τριήρους ἐν Βλαχέρναις καταίρει, καὶ τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἐντὸς γεγονὼς ῥᾴων τε γίγνεται, καὶ ἐπιτρυφᾷ τῷ καιρῷ, γλωττηματικώ τερον ὁμιλήσας καὶ τοῦ συνήθους πλέον χαριεντισάμενος, κατεῖχέ τε ἡμᾶς ἄχρις ἑσπέρας, ἀρχαῖά τε διηγούμενος καὶ ὁπόσα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖνος Βασίλειος ὁ τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ παῖς ἐπικαίρως ἐφθέγξατο. 7.77 Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδυ ὁ ἥλιος, ἡμᾶς μὲν ἀφίησιν, αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς ὕπνον ἐτράπετο· κἀγὼ ἀπεληλύθειν τεθαρ ρηκὼς καὶ γλυκείαις ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐλπίσι τρεφόμενος· πρωϊαίτερον δὲ αὖθις ἐκεῖσε παραγενόμενον ἐπτόησέ τις αὐτίκα πρὸ θυρῶν, νύττεσθαι μὲν φήσας τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν πλευρὰν, αὐτὸν δὲ πνευστιᾶν καὶ οὐ πάνυ τι γενναίως ἀναφέρειν τὸ ἆσθμα· ἐπάγην ἀκούσας, καὶ τὸ δωμάτιον οὗ ἔκειτο ἀψοφητὶ εἰσιὼν, ἐπιστυγνάσας αὐτίκα ἠρέμα εἱστήκειν· ὁ δέ μου τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὥσπερ πυθόμενος, εἰ μὴ παντάπασιν ἔχοι πονήρως καὶ ἀποβιώσκοι, τὴν χεῖρα αὐτίκα ὑπέτεινε· πρὶν ἢ δέ με τοὺς δακτύλους