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evildoing. He was suspected of having been struck by a Roman, because the Persians had already withdrawn when he was found struck on the head with a sword, while still on horseback, and he was overcome by speechlessness, as the wound reached his brain, and he died a short while later. However, the Roman army scattered throughout the other cities, on that same day, as if by a prearranged signal, gathered at 1.363 Philokrene, and from there, not far from Orchanes' camp, they passed by, came to Skoutarion and crossed over to Byzantium without fear, and from there each departed for his own home. But the emperor brought charges against and greatly accused those who had spread the rumor in the camp that he was dead, but he did not punish them as their evildoing deserved, for fear of seeming to take revenge on them out of his enmity towards his grandfather and emperor. 9. After spending a few days in Byzantium, since his thigh was well from the wound, he went out and came to Didymoteichon and the region of Adrianople. While staying there, he was always pleased to be with the Grand Domestic and to converse with him, so much so that they often spent the whole day and stayed up all night in conversation. And then, speaking with him, he reminded him of their ancient friendship for each other and their utmost intimacy, not in passing, but with some care and earnestness, and of what he had said to him a little while before, when he was begging for Syrgiannes to be released from prison, that there would be nothing at all which, being done according to his will, he himself would ever wish to prevent, but that he would cooperate with all zeal, nor if in some way it should seem good to him to leave his house and dearest ones and wife and all his possessions, so to speak, to live in a foreign land, would he ever be able to leave him, but he would explain 1.364 how inopportune and strange the matter was. And if he were not able to dissuade him from his impulse, he himself, bidding farewell to all, would choose wandering in a foreign land; and further, if the choice were given him, surely by God who has power over such things, for one of them to join the majority, with all his votes he would choose a sojourn in Hades, so that the other might enjoy a long life; and in addition to this, if for any reason it happened that he drew his sword and came against him with the intent of killing him, then was prevented unwillingly from carrying out his attempt to the end, he would blame the deed as not good, but would never be able to hate the man himself. But in the midst of such words, interrupting his flow, the Grand Domestic said that he remembered all these things, and more than any others; and he thought that if souls have any perception and memory of things in life after their departure from here, he would sooner forget all other things than these words, indelibly engraved in his mind. But what such things could mean to him, he did not now know. "Naturally," said the emperor; "for I still keep the meaning of such things hidden to myself, but now I will make it plain. For the sincere and pure friendship he felt for him from within had long been clear to him from many signs; but now he wished to make it evident and plain to all others, not only to the Romans, but also to the barbarians at the ends of the earth. 1.365 And this could happen, if he himself, donning the purple and adorned with the royal insignia, would rule as co-emperor of the Romans and appear sitting with him in council and conducting business imperially. And although this might seem extraordinary to outsiders, as indeed it is, yet if someone compares it to my inward disposition towards you, he will find it falls very far short. For one might find that others before us have chosen a partner in rule and shared their glory; but with the friendship and harmony which we have acquired with each other, I think we have surpassed not by a little those celebrated for their friendships by poets and prose writers. Wherefore, even if it seems to all others to be something wonderful, to me it appears moderate and small, not only because I especially wish it and think it a small token of my inward affection

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κακουργίαν. ὑπωπτεύθη δὲ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίου πληγῆναι, ὅτι ἀνακεχωρηκότες ἤδη οἱ Πέρσαι ἦσαν, ὅτε ἐκεῖνος τὴν κεφαλὴν εὑρέθη πεπληγμένος ξίφει, ἔφιππος ἔτι ὢν, ἀφωνίᾳ δὲ κατεσχέθη, τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου ἁψαμένης τῆς πληγῆς, καὶ ἐτελεύτησε μετὰ μικρόν. ἡ μέντοι κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις διεσκεδασμένη στρατιὰ Ῥωμαίων τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ὥσπερ ἐκ συνθήματος εἰς 1.363 Φιλοκρήνην συνελθόντες, ἐκεῖθέν τε οὐ πολὺ ἄπωθεν τοῦ στρατοπέδου Ὀρχάνη παριόντες, ἦλθον εἰς Σκουτάριον καὶ ἐπεραιώθησαν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀδεῶς ἐκεῖθέν τε ἀνεχώρησαν ἕκαστος ἐπ' οἴκου. βασιλεὺς δὲ τοὺς εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον διαθρυλλήσαντας ὡς ἐτεθνήκει, ἐν αἰτίαις μὲν ἐποιήσατο καὶ κατηγόρησε πολλὰ, οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ ἐτιμωρήσατο ἀξίως τῆς κακουργίας ἑαυτῶν, δέει τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν τῷ πρὸς τὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα ἔχθει ἀμύνεσθαι αὐτούς. θʹ. Ὀλίγας δὲ ἐνδιατρίψας ἡμέρας Βυζαντίῳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ μηρὸς αὐτῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ τραύματος εἶχεν ὑγιῶς, ἐξελθὼν ἦλθεν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ. διατρίβων δὲ ἐκεῖ, καὶ πάντοτε μὲν ἡδέως εἶχε τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ συνεῖναι καὶ ὁμιλεῖν, ὡς καὶ διημερεύειν αὐτοὺς πολλάκις καὶ διανυκτερεύειν ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις· καὶ τότε δὲ ὁμιλῶν αὐτῷ, τῆς ἀρχαίας τε ἀνεμίμνησκεν αὐτὸν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλίας καὶ τῆς κατάκρας συναφείας οὐκ ἐν παρέργῳ, ἀλλὰ μετά τινος φροντίδος καὶ σπουδῆς, καὶ ὧν μικρῷ πρόσθεν εἰρήκει πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὅτε περὶ Συργιάννη ἐδεῖτο τῆς εἱρκτῆς ἀπολυθῆναι, ὡς, οὔτ' ἂν εἴη τι τῶν πάντων ὃ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ πραχθῆναι ὂν αὐτὸν ἐθελῆσαι ἄν ποτε κωλῦσαι, ἀλλὰ συγκατεργάσεσθαι πάσῃ σπουδῇ, οὔτε εἰ κατὰ δή τινα τρόπον δόξειεν αὐτῷ τῆς οἰκίας ἀποστάντα καὶ φιλτάτων καὶ γυναικὸς καὶ συμπάντων εἰπεῖν χρημάτων, ἐπ' ἀλλοτρίας διατρίβειν, δυνήσεσθαι ἄν ποτε ἀποστήσεσθαι αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν 1.364 ἀκαιρίαν τοῦ πράγματος καὶ τὴν ἀτοπίαν ὅση ἐκδιδάξειν. ἐὰν δὲ μὴ δύναιτο τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀφιστᾷν, καὶ αὐτὸν εἰπόντα πᾶσι χαίρειν, αἱρήσεσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ ξένης πλάνην· ἔτι τε εἰ αἵρεσις αὐτῷ δοθείη, πάντως δὲ παρὰ τοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα δυναμένου θεοῦ τὸν ἕτερον αὐτῶν παρὰ τοῖς πλείοσι γενέσθαι, ἁπάσαις ψήφοις αὐτὸν ἂν ἑλέσθαι τὴν ἐν ᾅδου διατριβὴν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ αὐτὸν μακροῦ βίου ἀπολαύειν· καὶ πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτοις, εἰ καθ' ἡντιναοῦν αἰτίαν ξίφος αὐτὸν γυμνώσαντα συνέβη κατ' αὐτοῦ χωρῆσαι ὡς ἀποκτενοῦντα πάντως, ἔπειτα ἄκοντα εἰς τέλος ἀγαγεῖν τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν κωλυθῆναι, μέμψασθαι μὲν ἂν τὴν πρᾶξιν, ὡς οὐκ ἀγαθὴν, αὐτὸν δὲ δυνήσεσθαι μηδέποτε μισῆσαι. Μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν τοιούτων λόγων ἐπικόπτων τὴν ὁρμὴν, πάντων μὲν ἔλεγε τούτων ὁ μέγας δομέστικος μεμνῆσθαι, καὶ μᾶλλον ἤ τινων ἄλλων· οἴεσθαι δὲ καὶ ψυχαῖς εἴ τις αἴσθησις καὶ μνήμη τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀπαλλαγὴν, πάντων μᾶλλον αὐτὸν ἐπιλήσεσθαι τῶν ἄλλων ἢ τῶν λόγων τουτωνὶ ἀνεξάλειπτα τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐγκεκολαμμένων. ὅ,τι δὲ αὐτῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα δύνασθαι νοεῖν, νῦν ἀγνοεῖν. Εἰκότως, εἴρηκεν ὁ βασιλεύς· ἔτι γὰρ ἑαυτῷ τῶν τοιούτων τὴν δύναμιν ἄδηλον παρακατέχειν, νυνὶ δὲ ποιήσειν φανεράν. τὴν γὰρ ἔνδοθεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ καθαρὰν φιλίαν αὐτῷ μὲν εἶναι καὶ πάλαι δήλην ἐκ πολλῶν· βούλεσθαι δὲ νῦν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν οὐ Ῥωμαίοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐν ἐσχατιαῖς γῆς βαρβάροις ἔνδηλον καὶ φανερὰν ποιῆσαι. 1.365 τοῦτο δὲ γένοιτ' ἂν, εἴγε καὶ αὐτὸς πορφύραν ἐνδὺς καὶ παρασήμοις κοσμηθεὶς βασιλικοῖς, συμβασιλεύσει Ῥωμαίων καὶ συνεδριάζων αὐτῷ φανεῖται καὶ χρηματίζων βασιλικῶς. καίτοι τοῦτο δόξαι μὲν ἂν τοῖς ἔξωθεν ὑπερφυὲς, ὥσπερ δῆτα καί ἐστι, τῇ δὲ ἔνδοθεν πρός σέ μου διαθέσει παραβάλλων τις, ἡττώμενον εὑρήσει παραπολύ. τὸ μὲν γὰρ κοινωνὸν ἑλέσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς εὐδοξίας μεταδοῦναι, καὶ ἄλλοις ἄν τισιν εὕροι τις εἰργασμένον πρὸ ἡμῶν· τῇ δὲ φιλίᾳ καὶ τῇ συμπνοίᾳ, ἣν ἐν ἀλλήλοις ἐκτησάμεθα ἡμεῖς, καὶ τοὺς παρὰ ποιηταῖς καὶ συγγραφεῦσιν ἐπὶ φιλίαις ὑμνουμένους οὐκ ἐπ' ὀλίγον νομίζω παρηκοντικέναι. ὅθεν εἴ τι καὶ τῶν θαυμασίων δοκεῖ εἶναι τοῖς ἄλλοις πᾶσι, τῶν μετρίων ἔμοιγε φαίνεται καὶ ὀλίγων, οὐ διὰ τὸ μάλιστα βούλεσθαι μόνον καὶ ὥσπερ τι δεῖγμα οἴεσθαι μικρὸν τῆς ἔνδοθεν στοργῆς