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having spoken many things before to John himself and his son, he said to the sebastokrator: "You, indeed, depart rejoicing to the ruling city to communicate our affairs to my mother. But this man," he says, pointing to John, "I am sending again, as you see, to Dyrrachium, in order that he may diligently attend to the affairs of his own province." Thus, then, having separated from one another, the one set out for Byzantium the next day, while the other was sent to Dyrrachium.

8.9.1 But the affairs concerning the emperor did not stop at this point. But since Theodore Gabras was residing in the ruling city, knowing his formidable nature and sharpness in action, wanting to drive him out of the city, he appointed him doux of Trebizond, which he had long ago taken from the Turks. For this man had come from Chaldia and the upper regions, and having become a distinguished soldier, excelling all in both prudence and courage, he had hardly ever undertaken a task and failed, but always prevailed over all his enemies. And indeed, having captured Trebizond itself and having claimed it as his own portion, he was invincible. 8.9.2 The sebastokrator Isaac Komnenos betrothed his son Gregory to one of his daughters. But since both children were minors, only a marriage agreement was made between them. Then, having entrusted his son Gregory into the hands of the sebastokrator, so that when the children should reach the legal age the betrothal might be consummated, he himself, taking leave of the emperor, returned to his own country. But not long after, his wife having paid the common debt, he again took another very noble wife from among the Alans. It so happened that both the wife of the sebastokrator and the one whom Gabras took were daughters of two brothers. When this became known, since the union of the children was forbidden both by the laws and by the canons, such an arrangement was dissolved. But the emperor, knowing what kind of a soldier Gabras was and how much trouble he could stir up, did not want his son Gregory, after the dissolution of such an arrangement, to return to him, but to keep him in the ruling city for two reasons: so that he might both hold him as a hostage and at the same time secure the goodwill of Gabras, and thereby, if he should intend any mischief, he would refrain from it. At any rate, he wished to unite Gregory in marriage with one of my sisters. For these reasons, therefore, he postponed the sending away of the boy. 8.9.3 But Gabras, having come again to the queen of cities and understanding nothing of what was being planned by the emperor, schemed to take back his own son secretly. For the time being, he kept his plan to himself, even though the emperor hinted and indicated something to him about what was being intended. But he, whether not understanding or being despondent because of the recent dissolution of such a marriage alliance, I know not how, asked that his son be given to him as he was returning. But the emperor refused this. 8.9.4 But Gabras, pretending to be leaving him willingly and to entrust the matter concerning the child to the emperor's judgment, when, after taking leave of him, he was about to depart from Byzantium just now, was received by the sebastokrator because of the erstwhile marriage alliance and the familiarity he had with him from this cause, where the sanctuary of the great martyr Phocas is situated; a very beautiful suburb this, lying along the Propontis. So, after they had feasted sumptuously somewhere there, the sebastokrator returned to Byzantium, but the other asked that his son be permitted him and be with him on the next day. And he immediately consented. And the often-mentioned Gabras, since he was about to be separated from the child on the next day, requested the tutors to accompany him as far as Sosthenion; for he was going to encamp there. And they, having consented, went along with him. And so also

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αὐτῷ τῷ Ἰωάννῃ καὶ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ πολλὰ πρότερον ὁμιλήσας ἔφη πρὸς τὸν σεβαστοκράτορα· «Σὺ μὲν χαίρων ἄπιθι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς τῇ μητρὶ ἀνακοινωσόμενος. Ἐγὼ δὲ τουτονί», τὸν Ἰωάννην φησὶν ὑποδείξας, «αὖθις, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἐκπέμπω πρὸς τὸ ∆υρράχιον ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀρχῆς ἐπιμελῶς ἐνεργεῖν.» Οὕτως οὖν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διακριθέντες ὁ μὲν τῆς πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν εἴχετο, ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ∆υρράχιον στέλλεται.

8.9.1 Οὐ μέχρι δὲ τούτου τὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἔστη. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ Γαβρᾶς ἐνδημήσας ἦν ἐν τῇ βασιλευ ούσῃ, γινώσκων τὸ τούτου ὀμβριμοεργὸν καὶ περὶ τὰς πρά ξεις ὀξύ, βουλόμενος τοῦτον ἀπελάσαι τῆς πόλεως, δοῦκα Τραπεζοῦντος προὐβάλλετο πάλαι ταύτην ἀπὸ τῶν Τούρ κων ἀφελόμενον. Ὥρμητο μὲν γὰρ οὗτος ἐκ Χαλδαίας καὶ τῶν ἀνωτέρω μερῶν, στρατιώτης δὲ περιφανὴς γενόμενος ἐπί τε φρονήσει καὶ ἀνδρείᾳ ὑπερέχων ἁπάντων, μικροῦ καὶ μηδέποτε ἔργου ἁψάμενος καὶ ἀτυχήσας, ἀλλὰ πάντων ἀεὶ τῶν πολεμίων κρατῶν. Καὶ αὐτὴν δὴ τὴν Τραπεζοῦντα ἑλὼν καὶ ὡς ἴδιον λάχος ἑαυτῷ ἀποκληρωσάμενος ἄμαχος ἦν. 8.9.2 Τούτου τὸν υἱὸν Γρηγόριον ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ Ἰσαάκιος ὁ Κομνηνὸς εἰς μίαν τῶν θυγατέρων αὐτοῦ εἰσῳ κίσατο. Ἀνήβων δὲ ἄμφω τῶν παίδων ὄντων γαμήλια μόνα σύμφωνα ἀναμεταξὺ προέβησαν. Εἶτα τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Γρηγόριον εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος παραθέμενος, ἵν', ὁπηνίκα νομίμου ἅψωνται οἱ παῖδες ἡλικίας, καὶ ἡ μνηστεία τελεσθῇ, αὐτὸς συνταξάμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπανῄει χώραν. Τῆς δὲ ὁμευνέτιδος αὐτοῦ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὸ κοινὸν ἀποδεδωκυίας χρέος, ἄλλην αὖθις ἐξ Ἀλα νῶν ἠγάγετο εὐγενεστάτην. Ἔτυχε δὲ τήν τε τοῦ σεβαστο κράτορος ὁμευνέτιν καὶ ἣν ὁ Γαβρᾶς ἔλαβε δυεῖν ἀδελφοῖν θυγατέρας εἶναι. Τούτου δήλου γεγονότος, ἐπεὶ ἀπό τε τῶν νόμων ἀπό τε τῶν κανόνων ἡ τῶν παίδων ἐκωλύετο συνά φεια, διεσπάσθη τὸ τοιοῦτον συνάλλαγμα. Γινώσκων δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁποῖος ὁ Γαβρᾶς στρατιώτης ἐστὶ καὶ ὁπόσα πράγματα συνταράττειν δύναται, οὐκ ἤθελε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Γρηγόριον διασπασθέντος τοῦ τοιούτου συναλλάγματος παλινδρομῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ κατέχειν τοῦτον εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν δυεῖν ἕνεκα, ἵν' ἅμα μὲν ὡς ὅμηρον αὐτὸν παρακατέχοι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ Γαβρᾶ εὔνοιαν ἐπισπά σαιτο, κἀντεῦθεν, ἐὰν πονηρόν τι βούληται, ἀπόσχηται τοῦ τοιούτου. Μιᾷ γοῦν τῶν ἐμῶν ἀδελφῶν τὸν Γρηγόριον συνάψαι ἐβούλετο. ∆ιά τοι ταῦτα ὑπερετίθετο τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀποστολήν. 8.9.3 Καταλαβὼν δὲ αὖθις ὁ Γαβρᾶς τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν πόλεων καὶ μηδὲν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτο ρος μελετωμένων συνεὶς ἐσκόπει τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν λεληθότως ἀναλαβέσθαι. Εἶχε δὲ τέως τὸ βεβουλευμένον ἀνέκφορον, κἂν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ παρῃνίσσετό τι καὶ παρενέφαινε αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ σκοπουμένου. Ὁ δὲ εἴτε μὴ γνοὺς εἴτε καὶ ἀκη διάσας διὰ τὴν πρὸ μικροῦ γεγονυῖαν τοῦ τοιούτου κήδους διάζευξιν, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως, ᾐτεῖτο τὸν υἱὸν δοθῆναί οἱ ἐπα ναστρέφοντι. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνένευε πρὸς τοῦτο. 8.9.4 Σχηματιζόμενος δὲ ὁ Γαβρᾶς ἑκοντὶ τοῦτον καταλιμπάνειν καὶ τῇ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος τὰ κατὰ τὸ παιδίον ἀναθέσθαι γνώμῃ, ἐπεὶ συνταξάμενος αὐτῷ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἀπάρτι ἐξιέναι ἔμελλεν, ὑπεδέχθη παρὰ τοῦ σεβαστοκράτορος διὰ τὸ παρακολουθῆσαν κῆδος καὶ ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ ταυτησὶ τῆς αἰτίας ἔσχε συνήθειαν, ἔνθα τὸ τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος Φωκᾶ τέμενος ἵδρυται· προάστειόν τι τοῦτο περὶ τὴν Προ ποντίδα διακείμενον περικαλλές. ∆αψιλῶς οὖν αὐτοῦ που εὐωχηθέντες ὁ μὲν σεβαστοκράτωρ πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐπανῄει, ὁ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ᾐτεῖτο παραχωρηθῆναί οἱ καὶ τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν συνεῖναι αὐτῷ. Ὁ δ' εὐθὺς κατένευεν. Ὁ δὲ πολλάκις ῥηθεὶς Γαβρᾶς, ἐπεὶ τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν χωρίζεσθαι ἤδη τοῦ παιδὸς ἔμελλε, τοὺς παιδαγωγοὺς ἠξίου συνέψεσ θαί οἱ μέχρι Σωσθενίου· κεῖθι γὰρ ἔμελλε κατασκηνοῦν. Οἱ δὲ κατανεύσαντες συναπῄεσαν μετ' αὐτοῦ. Κᾆθ' οὕτως καὶ