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about you, but also because it will be of no small advantage to the Romans in their affairs. The emperor, therefore, on these grounds, attempted to persuade the grand domestic to reign with him and to administer the empire together; but he himself said that he held the same and a similar opinion about the matter, and that he considered it great and wonderful both in itself and in the eyes of others, being like a crown of human good fortunes, but when compared to their friendship for one another, it was nothing wonderful, nor among the things that could reasonably cause astonishment. For one who places his life before his own and who with the greatest 1.366 pleasure would choose to die for him, what wonder is it if he should also share his reign, or something even more wonderful than this? And for this kindness, he confessed that he owed many thanks, and would pay the favor for it as much as possible with words, and return it with equal deeds, offering him from his heart the same friendship and affection. But what he now commands him both to accept and to consider as already accomplished. For as to what depended on him, nothing was lacking for it to have been done, but to carry it out in deed he was neither able, nor was it according to his judgment nor to his pleasure. Therefore, that he should both stop trying to persuade him about this and forgive him for refusing. But the emperor said that he ought not to refuse so without pretext, but first to state the reasons and to convince him that the request was unreasonable, and thus to be released from the charge; but before doing these things, it was not sensible, nor was it the act of a great friend to insist so strongly for no reason that he would never be persuaded. And yet if nothing else, at least his constant assurance that there was nothing, greater or lesser, which, if that one wished, he would not bring to completion, should compel him to obey him. But if this is not how you feel, it is right to explain, so that I may know that I was deceived all this previous time. The grand domestic said that he did feel this way, and that he always insisted he was willing to do everything, 1.367 whatever he himself might wish, and that he was now no less prepared for this. But concerning what you now try to persuade me, the argument does not maintain its consistency. For I would say that I am willing to do everything which would happen not on account of me, but on account of you; but since the matter now under discussion is on account of me, it is not just nor necessary to use this argument for persuasion, especially since you yourself, being similarly disposed towards me and using the same arguments yourself, it is not reasonable to consider the argument strong against me, but not to have the same force against you. But if it has similar force in both cases, it is also right for you to do what I wish more, especially since the matter in question is about me. When certain things like these and many others had been said to each other, with the emperor trying to persuade him to accept the empire, and the grand domestic neither willing nor being persuaded, for the time being they parted, with neither the emperor giving up completely, nor the grand domestic being able to persuade the emperor to desist from the matter. But the emperor, seeing him resisting so, decided it was necessary to bring in others to persuade him, if somehow through them he could persuade him to accept the empire, and bringing in Andronikos Asan, who was the grand domestic's father-in-law, and the protostrator Synadenos, and with the grand domestic himself present, after conversing with them about some other matters, and as he was already beginning to broach the subject at hand, the grand do 1.368 mestic, guessing what the discussion would be about, made the emperor rise from the council, as if he were about to speak about something urgent, and taking him aside alone, he implored him by God to say nothing to the aforementioned men about what he wanted, as no benefit would come from the discussion. For if it were possible for him to be persuaded by anyone, he would have been persuaded by him more than all others; but since he himself had accomplished nothing more from many and continuous conversations, it was astonishing if he hoped this could be achieved by any others. But the emperor was grieved for no short time, seeing now that the attempt would not be able to be accomplished. And he continued for days not

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τῆς περὶ σὲ, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ Ῥωμαίοις οὐ μικρὸν εἰς τὰ πράγματα λυσιτελήσει. Βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν ἐκ τούτων ἐπεχείρει τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον πείθειν αὐτῷ συμβασιλεύειν καὶ συνδιέπειν τὴν ἀρχήν· ὁ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἔλεγε τὴν ἴσην καὶ ὁμοίαν ἔχειν περὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα δόξαν, καὶ μέγα μὲν οἴεσθαι καὶ θαυμαστὸν καθ' ἑαυτό τε εἶναι καὶ δοκεῖν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὥσπερ τις κορωνὶς τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐτυχημάτων ὂν, τῇ φιλίᾳ δὲ αὐτῶν παραβαλλόμενον τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους, οὐδὲν τῶν θαυμασίων εἶναι, οὐδὲ τῶν εἰκότως ἂν ἐκπλῆξαι δυναμένων. ὁ γὰρ τὴν αὐτοῦ ζωὴν τῆς οἰκείας προτιθεὶς καὶ μεθ' ὅσης ἂν 1.366 ἡδονῆς τὸ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀνθελόμενος ἀποθανεῖν, τί θαυμαστὸν, εἰ καὶ βασιλείας μεταδοίη, ἢ εἴ τινος καὶ τούτου θαυμασιωτέρου; τῆς δὲ εὐεργεσίας ἕνεκα ταυτησὶ πολλὰς μὲν ὀφείλειν χάριτας ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ λόγοις τε καθόσον οἷόν τε τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς χάριν ἀφοσιοῦν, ἔργοις τε ἀμείβεσθαι τοῖς ἴσοις, τὴν ὁμοίαν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς καρδίας αὐτῷ προσάγοντα καὶ φιλίαν καὶ στοργήν. ὃ δὲ αὐτῷ προστάττει νῦν δέχεσθαί τε καὶ ὡς τετελεσμένον νομίζειν ἤδη. τὸ γὰρ εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον, οὐδὲν ἐλλείπειν τοῦ πεπρᾶχθαι, ἔργῳ δὲ τελεῖν μήτε δύνασθαι, μήτε κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ εἶναι μήτε καθ' ἡδονήν. διὸ αὐτόν τε παύεσθαι πείθειν ἐπιχειροῦντα περὶ τούτου καὶ αὐτῷ παραιτουμένῳ συγγινώσκειν. Βασιλεὺς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἔφασκεν ἀπροφασίστως παραιτεῖσθαι χρῆναι, ἀλλὰ τὰς αἰτίας διδάξαντα πρῶτον καὶ τὴν ἀξίωσιν πείσαντα ὡς παράλογον, οὕτως ἤδη ἀπολύεσθαι αἰτίας· πρὶν δὲ ταῦτα ποιεῖν οὐ συνετὸν, οὐδ' ἄγαν φιλοῦντος οὕτως ἐξ οὐδεμιᾶς αἰτίας ἰσχυρίζεσθαι τὸ μὴ πεισθῆναι ἄν ποτε. καίτοι γε εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, τὸ γοῦν ἀεὶ διαβεβαιοῦσθαι μηδὲν εἶναι μήτε μεῖζον μήτε ἔλαττον ὃ, θελήσαντος ἐκείνου, μὴ ἂν εἰς πέρας ἀγαγεῖν, αὐτὸν ἄξιον καταναγκάζειν πείθεσθαι αὐτῷ. εἰ δ' οὐχ οὕτως ἔχεις, δίκαιον διδάσκειν, ὡς ἂν εἰδείην τὸν πρότερον ἠπατημένος χρόνον. Οὕτως ἔφασκεν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἔχειν, καὶ ἀεί τε διϊσχυρίζεσθαι πάντα πράττειν ἐθέλειν, 1.367 ἅττα ἂν βούλοιτο αὐτὸς, καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἧττον πρὸς τοῦτο παρεσκευασμένος εἶναι. ἐφ' οὗ δὲ πείθειν νῦν ἐπιχειρεῖς, οὐ σώζειν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τὸν λόγον. πᾶν γὰρ ἐθέλειν ποιεῖν φαίην ἂν, ὃ οὐ δι' ἐμὲ ἂν γίγνοιτο, διὰ σὲ δέ· περὶ οὗ δὲ νῦν ὁ λόγος δι' ἐμὲ ὄντος, οὐ δίκαιον οὐδ' ἀναγκαῖον εἰς πειθὼ τῷ λόγῳ χρῆσθαι, ἄλλως τε καὶ αὐτὸν ὡσαύτως διακείμενον περὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις καὶ αὐτὸν χρώμενον λόγοις, οὐκ εὔλογον πρὸς ἐμὲ μὲν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν λόγον ἡγεῖσθαι, πρὸς σὲ δὲ μὴ δύνασθαι τὰ ἴσα. εἰ δ' ἐν ἀμφοτέροις ὁμοίαν ἔχει τὴν ἴσχυν, δίκαιον καὶ σὲ ὃ μᾶλλον ἐγὼ βούλομαι ποιῆσαι, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοῦ ζητουμένου ὄντος. Τοιούτων δή τινων καὶ πλειόνων ἑτέρων πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰρημένων, βασιλέως μὲν ἐπιχειροῦντος πείθειν δέχεσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν, τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου δὲ μήτε βουλομένου μήτε πειθομένου, τὸ νῦν μὲν ἔχον διελύθησαν, οὔτ' ἀπαγορεύσαντος εἰς τέλος βασιλέως, οὔτε τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἀποσχέσθαι τοῦ πράγματος πεῖσαι δυνηθέντος βασιλέα. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτὸν οὕτως ἀνθιστάμενον ὁρῶν, δεῖν ἔγνω καὶ ἑτέρους πρὸς πειθὼ παραλαβεῖν, εἴ πως δυνηθείη δι' αὐτῶν πεῖσαι δέξασθαι τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ παραλαβὼν Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν Ἀσάνην, ὄντα τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου πενθερὸν, καὶ τὸν πρωτοστράτορα Συναδηνὸν, καὶ αὐτοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου παρόντος, μετὰ τὸ διαλεχθῆναι περί τινων ἑτέρων πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ἤδη καὶ περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου προοιμιαζομένου, ὁ μέγας δο 1.368 μέστικος περὶ ὧν ἔσοιντο οἱ λόγοι συμβαλὼν, ἀνίστη τε τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ συνεδρίου, ὡς περί τινος ἀναγκαίου μέλλων διαλέξεσθαι, καὶ μόνον παραλαβὼν, ὥρκιζε τὸν θεὸν, μηδὲν πρὸς τοὺς εἰρημένους περὶ ὧν βούλοιτο εἰπεῖν, ὡς ὠφελείας οὐδεμιᾶς ἐκ τῶν λόγων ἐσομένης. εἰ γὰρ ἐνῆν ὑπό τινων πεισθῆναι, μᾶλλον ἂν τῶν ἄλλων πάντων ἐπείθετο αὐτῷ· αὐτοῦ δὲ ἐκ πολλῶν καὶ συνεχῶν ὁμιλιῶν πλέον ἠνυκότος οὐδὲν, θαυμάζειν εἰ ἑτέροις τισὶν ἤλπισε τοῦτο γενέσθαι δυνατόν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἤλγησε μὲν οὐκ ἐπ' ὀλίγον, ὁρῶν ἤδη τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν οὐκ ἐσομένην ἀνυσθῆναι δυνατήν. καὶ διετέλεσεν ἡμέρας οὐκ