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a charge was brought against Phrangopoulos, a kinsman of the emperor, and against those with him, numbering twelve, who had plotted against the emperor to kill him if they should immediately succeed. A certain Karoulos, by whom the story indeed showed the slaughter of the protovestiarios Mouzalon to have been carried out long ago, he too having been summoned to share in both the plan and the deed; but he, not waiting to become harmful to the ruler by the deed, by his report appeared harmful to those who had summoned him and he reported it at once, and they were caught. When they were examined under torture, in order to name their accomplices, and especially whether the patriarch was aware of what they were about to do, they had no others to confess, but said that the patriarch—whether truly or by force of the tortures—was involved in the knowledge of it, since they had informed him beforehand. And for them the sentences were heavy, imposing various penalties according to the account of their crimes. But not even the patriarch was released from the accusation brought against him, but the emperor, pressing on and rather trampling upon him as he lay prostrate, brought the accusation before the synod and made a terrible scene, unable to bear it if he were not avenged; for they had brought judgment against him for ecclesiastical crimes, but as for himself, if the one who was openly accused did not also undergo another fitting judgment for the crime against the emperor, he would find it altogether intolerable, whatever he had suffered before; for it was neither good nor just that one who ought to be very concerned for the emperor should betray the emperor to his enemies. So, as they were considering the matter, it seemed good to send and ask, and if he should confess or, not confessing, be convicted, to impose the sentence, but if not, to consider it again. The emperor demanded on the spot that the 373 synod's excommunication be drafted, and that those whom they would appoint should go and ask, and, if he confessed, the just penalty should be imposed on behalf of the emperor on one who collaborated with those who were about to attack the emperor; but if not, and he did not confess, the ban should remain and be held over him for whatever he was conscious of in these matters, so that he would be liable if in the meantime he were convicted of wrongdoing, but if not, he would be free of the burden, as one unjustly slandered. When the emperor demanded these things in addition, the multitude of the bishops also consented.
10. How the author was sent to him along with the bishops, and concerning what happened to them. And so the document of the judgment is drafted, and very quickly two are chosen from among themselves, Monokonstantinos of Neocaesarea, who was a friend and even more so to him, and the bishop of Mokessos, who was then presiding over the church of Proikonnesos by reason of preferment, and from the clergy, Galenos, who at that time was in charge of the secreta, and with them I as the fourth, compelled by force and by imperial command, yet because I was to go to him, also accepting the part. It was then the twenty-fifth of Anthesterion; and we, having boarded the ship, put in at the island two days later, presented ourselves to the patriarch, and discussions took place with him about the matters at hand. But he at once grew wild, not even bearing the introduction, and said: "What evil have I done to the emperor," he said with the greatest pain and distress, "if I placed him, a private citizen, on the throne, while he, finding me patriarch, has dishonored me for no good reason? And now I sit here on this mountain ridge like some dishonored exile, awaiting each day the mercy of the Christians. Nevertheless, what has 375 happened is good, these things are good, and let his patriarch, along with Eulogia, bless the things being done to him." The remark referred to the emperor's own sister, with whom he was on bad terms, as having advised the emperor on the matters concerning the boy John. But as the document was also unrolled to be read aloud, he, having learned from somewhere what was stated in it, strongly objected and resisted hearing it at all and quickly withdrew as it was being read, so that he might not hear. And as they were overtaking
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περὶ τὸν Φραγγό πουλον, οἰκεῖον βασιλεῖ γε ὄντα, κἀκείνοις ἀριθμουμένοις εἰς δώδεκα, προσετρίβετο, ὧν δὴ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως μελετησάντων ὡς κτενούντων εἰ εὐοδοῖεν αὐτίκα, Κάρουλός τις, ᾧ δὴ καὶ τὴν πρωτοβεστιαρίου Μουζάλωνος σφαγὴν ὁ λόγος ἐξεργασθεῖσαν ἐδείκνυ τὸ πάλαι, εἷς κἀκεῖνος εἰς κοινωνίαν τῆς τε βουλῆς καὶ τῆς πράξεως προσκληθείς· ὁ δέ, μὴ ἀναμείνας γενέσθαι τῷ κρατοῦντι κακὸς ἐκ πράξεως, ἐκ προσαγγελίας ἐφάνη κακὸς τοῖς καλέσασι καὶ εὐθὺς προσήγγελλε, καὶ ἡλίσκοντο. Οἳ δὴ καὶ ἐταζόμενοι ταῖς βασάνοις, ἐφ' ᾧπερ τοὺς συνειδότας εἰπεῖν, καὶ μᾶλλον εἰ καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης συνῄδει πραξείουσιν, οἱ δὲ ἄλλους μὲν οὐκ εἶχον ὁμολογεῖν, τὸν δέ γε πατριάρχην, κἂν ἀληθῶς κἂν ἐκ βίας τῆς ἐκ βασάνων, τῇ εἰδήσει ἔλεγον συνεσχῆσθαι αὐτὸν προσαναγγειλάντων. Κἀκείνοις μὲν ἀπήντων αἱ δίκαι βαρεῖαι, ποινὰς διαφόρους κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων λόγον ἐπάγουσαι. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὁ πατριάρ χης ἀνεῖτο τοῦ προστριβέντος ἐγκλήματος, ἀλλ' ἐπέχων καὶ μᾶλλον ἐπεμβαίνων κειμένῳ οἱ, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπενεκάλει τὸ ἔγκλημα πρὸς τὴν σύνοδον καὶ δεινὰ ἐποίει, εἰ μὴ ἐκδικοῖτο μὴ ἀνεχόμενος· αὐτοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἐπ' ἐγκλήμασιν ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς τὴν δίκην ἐπαγαγεῖν, αὐτὸν δέ, εἰ μὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πρὸς βασιλέα ἐγκλήματι ὑπόσχοι ἑτέραν δίκην τὴν πρέπουσαν ὁ προδήλως κατηγορούμενος, μὴ ἀνεκτῶς τὸ σύνολον ἔχειν, κἂν ὅ τι πεπόνθει πρότερον· μηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι καλὸν μηδὲ δίκαιον τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως πολυωρεῖν ὀφείλοντα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς βασιλέα καταπροΐεσθαι. Ὡς γοῦν, σκεπτομένων τὰ περὶ τούτου, ἐδόκει καλὸν ἀποστέλλειν καὶ ἐρωτᾶν, κἂν εἰ ὁμολογοίη ἢ καὶ μὴ ὁμολογῶν ἁλίσκοιτο, ἐπιφέρειν τὴν δίκην, εἰ δ' οὖν, καὶ ἐσαῦθις σκέπτεσθαι, ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτόθεν ἠξίου σχεδιασθῆναι τὸν 373 τῆς συνόδου ἀφορισμὸν καὶ οὕτως ἀπελθόντας οὓς ἂν καὶ τάξειαν ἔρεσθαι καί, εἰ ὁμολογοίη, ἐπενηνέχθαι τὸ πρόστιμον δίκαιον ὂν ὑπὲρ βασιλέως τῷ κατὰ βασιλέως τοῖς ἐπιθησομένοις συμπράττοντι, εἰ δ' οὖν, καὶ μὴ ὁμολο γοῦντος, τὸν δεσμὸν κεῖσθαι καὶ ἐπαναρτᾶσθαί οἱ πρὸς ὅ τι καὶ σύνοιδε περὶ τούτων, ὥστε ἐνέχεσθαι μέν, εἰ τέως ἁλίσκοιτο κακουργῶν, εἰ δ' οὖν, ἐλεύθερον εἶναι τοῦ βάρους, ὡς ἀδίκως διαβαλλόμενον. Ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως προσαπαιτήσαντος, καὶ ἡ τῶν ἀρχιερέων πληθὺς συγκατένευον.
ιʹ. Ὅπως ὁ συγγραφεὺς συνάμ' ἀρχιερεῦσιν εἰς ἐκεῖνον πέμπεται καὶ περὶ ὧν αὐτοῖς συνέβη. Καὶ δὴ σχεδιάζεται μὲν τὸ τῆς δίκης γράμμα, ἐκλέγονται δὲ τὴν ταχίστην ἐκ μὲν σφῶν αὐτῶν δύο, ὅ τε Νεοκαισαρείας Μονοκωνστάντινος, φίλος ὢν καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκείνῳ, καὶ ὁ Μωκησσοῦ, προεδρεύων τότε τῆς ἐκκλησίας Προικονήσου κατὰ λόγον ἐπιδόσεως, ἐκ δέ γε τῶν κληρικῶν ὁ τὸ τηνικάδε ἐπὶ τῶν σεκρέτων Γαληνὸς καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐγὼ τέταρτος, βίᾳ μὲν συνυπαχθεὶς καὶ κελεύσει βασιλικῇ, τέως δ' ὅτι παρ' ἐκεῖνον ἱκοίμην, καὶ τὸ μέρος προσα ποδεχόμενος. Πέμπτην μὲν τότε καὶ εἰκοστὴν ἦγεν ὁ ἀνθεστηριών· καὶ ἡμεῖς, τῆς νηὸς ἐπιβάντες, δυσὶν ἡμέραις ὕστερον προσσχόντες τῇ νήσῳ, τῷ πατριάρχῃ ἐμφανιζόμεθα, καὶ περὶ τῶν προκειμένων πρὸς ἐκεῖνον γίνονται λόγοι. Ὁ δὲ ἠγρίαινέ τε παραυτίκα, μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐνεγκών, καί· «Τί μοι κακὸν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πέπρακται, μετ' ὀδύνης πλείστης καὶ συνοχῆς ἔλεγεν, εἰ αὐτὸν μὲν ἐγώ, ἰδιώτην ὄντα, τῆς βασιλείας ἐπέβησα, ἐμὲ δ' ἐκεῖνος, πατριάρχην εὑρών, οὐ καλαῖς αἰτίαις ἠτίμωσε; Καὶ νῦν γε κάθημαι ἐπ' ἀκρωρείας ταυτησὶ ὡσεί τις ἀτίμητος μετανάστης, τὸν παρὰ τῶν χριστιανῶν καθ' ἑκάστην ἀπεκδεχόμενος ἔλεον. Ὅμως καλὰ τὰ συμ 375 βάντα, καλὰ ταῦτα, καὶ ὁ φατριάρχης αὐτοῦ εὐλογείτω σὺν τῇ Εὐλογίᾳ τἀκείνῳ πραττόμενα.» Ἐδήλου δ' ὁ λόγος τὴν αὐταδέλφην τοῦ βασιλέως, ᾖ δὴ καὶ κακῶς εἶχεν ἐκεῖνος, ὡς τὰ κατὰ τοῦ παιδὸς Ἰωάννου συμβου λευσάσῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὡς δ' ἀνεπτύσσετο καὶ τὸ γράμμα ὑπαναγνωσθησόμενον, ἐκεῖνος, γνοὺς ἔκποθεν τὸ ἐκεῖ ἐκφερόμενον, πολὺς ἦν ἀντιβαίνων καὶ ἀντισπῶν μὴ ἀκούειν ὅλως καὶ προσαπεχώρει ταχέως ὑπαναγινωσκομένου, ὡς μὴ ἀκούσειε. Κἀκείνων ἐπικαταλαμβανόντων