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8.8.1 Having heard these things, Isaac the sebastokrator, who was staying in Constantinople, departed with haste and in two days and nights reached Philippopolis. While the emperor was sleeping inside the imperial tent, he entered without a sound, lay down on the other couch of his brother and emperor, and he himself slept, having ordered the emperor's attendants with a motion of his hand to be quiet. When, therefore, the emperor started up from his sleep and saw his brother unexpectedly, he was quiet for a while and he himself ordered those present to do the same. And when the sebastokrator, having woken up, saw his brother and emperor awake, and the latter, having seen him, they both approached and embraced each other. Then the emperor asked, what on earth he wanted and what was the reason for his arrival. And he said, "For your sake." And he: "You have exhausted yourself so much for nothing, straining yourself." 8.8.2 But the sebastokrator for the time being did not answer, but was anxiously awaiting the messages from Dyrrachium to be brought by the one sent ahead by him. For as soon as he heard the rumors about his son, having scribbled a short note to him, he urged him to go to the emperor more quickly, as he himself for this very reason had come out of Byzantium and was hastening to Philippopolis in order to quell the things reported against him to the emperor by speaking what was fitting to his brother and emperor, and at the same time to await his arrival there. And withdrawing from the emperor, he went away to the tent assigned to him. And immediately the letter-carrier sent to John entered at a run, having returned from there, announcing the arrival of John. 8.8.3 Then, therefore, the sebastokrator, having been relieved of his suspicion and having restored himself with better thoughts, filled with anger against those who had first reported the things against his son, went into the emperor, agitated. And the emperor, seeing him, immediately knew the reason, but nevertheless asked how he was. And he said, "Badly, on account of you." For he did not know how to restrain his anger at all when it barked around him, but was carried away even by a mere word, as it happened. And to these things he added something else, saying: "I am not so much grieved at your majesty, as at this one here"—pointing out Adrian with his finger—"who lies against me." To these things that meek and pleasant emperor said not a thing. For he knew how to calm his brother's boiling anger. So both sat down together with Nikephoros Melissenos the caesar and some of their relatives by blood and marriage, and spoke alone with each other about the things said against John. But when he saw Melissenos and his own brother Adrian artfully denouncing his own son, again unable to restrain his bubbling anger, he stared fiercely at Adrian and threatened to pluck out his beard and to teach him not to lie so openly and attempt to deprive the emperor of such kinsmen. 8.8.4 At this point John arrived and immediately was brought inside the imperial tent and heard all the things spoken against him. He was not, however, brought to any examination at all, but the accused stood free, the emperor having said to him: "Looking to your father and my brother, I cannot bear even to hear the things spoken against you. Therefore, live without a care as before." All these things, therefore, were said inside the imperial tent with only the kinsmen, and no outsider, being present. Thus, with the things spoken or perhaps even plotted having been quieted, his own brother, I mean the sebastokrator Isaac, having summoned him with

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8.8.1 Ταῦτα ἐνωτισθεὶς Ἰσαάκιος ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει διατρίβων σπουδαίως ἐξῄει καὶ ἐπὶ δυσὶ νυχθημέροις καταλαμβάνει τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν. Ὑπνώττοντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως εἴσω τῆς βασιλικῆς σκηνῆς ἀψοφητὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἑτέραν κλίνην τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ βασιλέως κατακλιθεὶς καὶ αὐτὸς ὕπνωττε τοὺς κατευνά ζοντας τὸν αὐτοκράτορα διὰ τῆς χειρὸς ἡσυχάζειν ἐπιτά ξας. Ὡς γοῦν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ὕπνου ἀνέθορε καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐθεάσατο, ἡσυχάζων τέως ἦν καὶ τοὺς παρατυχόντας αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκέλευεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ ἔξυπνος γενόμενος τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ βασιλέα γρηγοροῦντα ἐθεάσατο κἀκεῖνος ἐνι δὼν αὐτόν, προσελθόντες ἀμφότεροι ἀλλήλους κατησπά ζοντο. Εἶτα ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς ἐπυνθάνετο, τί ποτε ἄρα καὶ βούλοιτο καὶ τίς ἡ αἰτία τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐλεύσεως. Ἐκεῖνος δέ, «Σοῦ ἕνεκα» ἔφη. Καὶ ὅς· «Μάτην ἑαυτὸν συντείνας τοσοῦ τον κεκοπίακας». 8.8.2 Ὁ δὲ σεβαστοκράτωρ τέως οὐκ ἀντεφθέγξατο, ἀλλ' ὀνειρώττων ἦν τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου μετὰ τοῦ προπεμφθέντος παρ' αὐτοῦ κομισθησόμενα μηνύ ματα. Καὶ γὰρ ἅμα τῷ ἐνωτισθῆναι τὰ θρυλλούμενα περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ δισύλλαβον ἐγχαράξας πρὸς αὐτὸν γράμμα παρεκελεύσατο θᾶττον πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα φοιτῆσαι, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τούτῳ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἐξεληλυθότα πρὸς Φιλιππούπολιν ἐπείγεσθαι ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα εἰσηγηθέντα κατασεῖσαι τὰ εἰκότα πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ βασιλέα ὁμιλήσαντα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐγκαρτερῆσαι ἄφιξιν. Ὑποχωρήσας δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὴν ἀποτεταγμένην αὐτῷ σκηνὴν ἄπεισιν. Παραχρῆμα δὲ καὶ ὁ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἀποσταλεὶς γραμματοκομιστὴς δρομαῖος εἴσεισιν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανελθὼν τὴν τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀπαγγέλλων ἔλευσιν. 8.8.3 Τῆς ὑποψίας οὖν τηνι καῦτα ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ ἀπαλλαγεὶς καὶ κρείττοσιν ἀναρρώ σας ἑαυτὸν λογισμοῖς θυμοῦ πλησθεὶς κατὰ τῶν πρώτως εἰση γησαμένων τὰ κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ τεταραγμένος πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εἰσῄει. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτον θεασάμενος ἐγνώκει μὲν παρευθὺ τὴν αἰτίαν, ἠρώτα δ' ὅμως ὅπως ἔχοι. Ὁ δέ, «Κακῶς» ἔφη «ἐξ αἰτίας σῆς». Οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅλως τὸν θυμὸν περιυλακτοῦντα χαλιναγωγεῖν ἠπίστατο, παρεφέρετο δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ ψιλοῦ, εἰ ἔτυχε, ῥήματος. Ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ ἄλλο τι προσέθετο λέγων· «Οὐ τοσοῦτον κατὰ τῆς σῆς λελύπη μαι βασιλείας, ὅσον κατὰ τουτουί» τὸν Ἀδριανὸν τῷ δακτύλῳ ὑποδείξας «καταψευδομένου». Πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ πραῢς ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἡδὺς βασιλεὺς οὐδ' ὁτιοῦν ἐφθέγξατο. Ἐγίνωσκε γὰρ ὅπως ζέοντα τὸν θυμὸν τἀδελφοῦ κατα παύσει. Συγκαθεσθέντες οὖν ἄμφω μετὰ τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ Νικηφόρου τοῦ καίσαρος καί τινων τῶν ἐξ αἵματος καὶ ἀγχιστείας προσηκόντων αὐτοῖς μόνοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὡμί λουν περὶ τῶν κατὰ τοῦ Ἰωάννου ῥηθέντων. Ὡς δὲ τὸν Μελισσηνὸν καὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφὸν Ἀδριανὸν κατατρέχοντας ἐσχηματισμένως τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ ἑώρα, αὖθις τὸν θυμὸν παφλάζοντα μὴ δυνηθεὶς κατασχεῖν δριμὺ πρὸς τὸν Ἀδρια νὸν ἀτενίσας ψιλῶσαι τὸν αὐτοῦ πώγωνα ἠπειλήσατο καὶ διδάξαι μὴ προφανῶς ψευδόμενον τοιούτων συγγενῶν ἀποστερῆσαι τὸν βασιλέα ἐπιχειρεῖν. 8.8.4 Ἐν τούτοις ὁ Ἰωάννης κατέλαβε καὶ παραχρῆμα εἴσω τῆς βασιλικῆς σκηνῆς εἰσάγεται καὶ πάντων τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ λαληθέντων ἀκούει. Οὐ μέντοι γε εἰς ἐξέτασιν ὅλως ἄγεται, ἀλλ' ὁ κατάκριτος ἐλεύθερος ἵσταται τοῦ βασιλέως πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰπόντος· «Πρὸς τὸν σὸν πατέρα καὶ ἀδελφὸν ἐμὸν ἀφορῶν οὐδ' ἀκοῦσαι τῶν κατὰ σοῦ λαληθέντων ἀνέχομαι. Ἔσο τοίνυν ἀμερίμνως διάγων ὡς τὸ πρότερον.» Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἅπαντα ἐντὸς τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐρρήθη σκηνῆς μόνων τῶν συγγενῶν, ὀθνείου δὲ οὐδενὸς παρόντος. Οὕτω γοῦν τῶν λαληθέντων ἢ καὶ μελετηθέντων ἴσως κατευνασθέντων τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφόν, τὸν σεβαστοκράτορά φημι Ἰσαάκιον, μετα καλεσάμενος σὺν