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lest by night some plot be contrived against your majesty. Therefore, by using certain words to him, I shall make him move from there.” But he, such as he was, having for the most part an unshakable resolve, in no way yielded from his purpose to Philokales. And when this man urged him strongly, “Leave it be,” he says, “it is not right for him to have a pretext from us. Let him himself be the cause of the plot against us, both before God and men.” And Philokales, being vexed and striking his hands, calling the emperor a frustrated man, withdrew. 9.5.3 Not much time passed, and while the emperor was sleeping unconcernedly with the empress herself, around the middle watch of the night, Diogenes came up, carrying a sword under his armpit, and stepping on the threshold, he stood still. For as this emperor slept, neither were the doors barred nor did a guard keep watch outside. But these things were the emperor's concern; as for Nikephoros, however, some divine power at that time restrained him from the attempt. For when he saw the servant-girl fanning the air and driving the mosquitoes somewhere far from the skin of the emperor and empress, immediately both trembling seized his limbs and a pallor took his cheeks, to speak in the words of the poet, having postponed the murder to the next year. 9.5.4 And while this one was constantly plotting the unprovoked slaughter of the emperor, none of the things plotted against him escaped that one's notice. For the servant-girl quickly came to him and reported the event. Therefore, departing from there on the next day, he kept to the intended route, pretending to be ignorant, but managing his affairs in such a way as both to be on his guard and at the same time to give no reasonable handle whatsoever to Nikephoros. Therefore, having come to the region of Serres, since the Porphyrogennetos Constantine Doukas, who was accompanying the emperor, requested to lodge in his own estate, which was delightful and irrigated with cold, drinkable waters and had sufficient buildings for the emperor's reception (its name was Pentegostis), the emperor, yielding to his wish, lodged there. But on the next day, the Porphyrogennetos did not permit him to depart, though he wished to; but rather he asked him to stay on, both to recover himself from the journey and to cleanse his body of the dust by bathing. For lavish preparations for a feast had already been made for him; and he again yielded to the wish of the Porphyrogennetos. 9.5.5 When Nikephoros Diogenes, who had long been aspiring to tyranny, learned that he had bathed and come out of the bath, and was watching if he might somewhere be able to become his slayer with his own hand, he girt on his short sword and entered, as if, forsooth, returning from a hunt as was his custom. Tatikios, therefore, seeing him and having known for a long time what was being plotted by him, pushed him away, saying: “Why do you enter in such a disorderly fashion and armed with a sword? It is a time for bathing, and not for a journey nor for hunting nor for battle.” And he, having missed his aim, withdrew. But supposing that he had already been found out (for conscience is a terrible accuser), he planned to secure his own safety by flight and to go over to the estates of the empress Maria in Christoupolis, or to Pernikos or Petritzos, and from there again to arrange his affairs well in accordance with circumstances. For the empress Maria had already adopted him, since he was the maternal brother of her former husband, Michael Doukas, even though they differed as to their fathers. 9.5.6 And the emperor departed from there on the third day; but he had left Constantine there for the sake of rest, fearing for the delicacy and inexperience of the youth who had then for the first time gone forth from his motherland for a military campaign. For he was an only son to his mother. And the emperor, caring greatly for the young man, allowed him to enjoy every relaxation with the empress his mother, and at the same time loving him exceedingly as his own child from that time.

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τι νυκτὸς κατὰ τῆς σῆς νεωτερισθῇ βασιλείας. Ῥήμασι γοῦν τισι πρὸς αὐτὸν χρησάμενος ἐκεῖθεν μετα βῆναι τοῦτον παρασκευάσω.» Ὁ δέ, ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀκα τάσειστον ὡς ἐπίπαν ἔχων τὸ φρόνημα, οὐδαμοῦ παρεχώρει τοῦ ἔργου τῷ Φιλοκάλῃ. Πολλὰ δὲ τούτου βιαζομένου, «Ἔα», φησίν, «οὐ χρὴ πρόφασιν τοῦτον ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐσχη κέναι. Ἔστω τῆς καθ' ἡμῶν μελέτης αὐτὸς ὁ αἴτιος πρός τε Θεὸν καὶ ἀνθρώπους.» Ἀχθόμενος δὲ ὁ Φιλοκάλης καὶ τύπτων τὰς χεῖρας μεματαιωμένον τε τὸν βασιλέα ἀποκα λῶν μεθίστατο. 9.5.3 Οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ, καὶ τοῦ βασι λέως σὺν αὐτῇ τῇ βασιλίδι ἀπεριμερίμνως ὑπνώττοντος περὶ μέσην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ἄνεισιν ὁ ∆ιογένης ξίφος ὑπὸ τὴν μάλην φέρων καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς τῶν οὐδῶν ἔστη. Κοιμωμένῳ γὰρ τούτῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ οὔτε θύραι ἐπεζυγοῦντο οὔτ' ἐκτὸς ἐπηγρύπνει φρουρά. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα· τὸν δέ γε Νικηφόρον θεία τις τῷ τότε δύνα μις ἀπεῖρξε τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος. Τὴν παιδίσκην γὰρ θεασά μενον τὴν τὸν ἀέρα ἀναρριπίζουσαν καὶ πόρρω ποι τοὺς κώνωπας ἀπωθουμένην τοῦ τῶν βασιλέων χρωτὸς παρα χρῆμα ὑπό τε τρόμος ἔλαβε γυῖα ὦχρός τέ μιν εἷλε παρειάς, κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν φάναι, ἐς νέωτα τὸν φόνον ἀναρτή σαντα. 9.5.4 Καὶ οὗτος μὲν τὴν ἀπροφάσιστον τοῦ αὐτο κράτορος σφαγὴν ἐμελέτα διὰ παντός, ἐκεῖνον δὲ οὐδὲν τῶν μελετηθέντων κατ' αὐτοῦ διελάνθανε. Ταχὺ γὰρ ἡ παι δίσκη τούτῳ προσελθοῦσα τὸ δρᾶμα ἀπήγγειλε. Τοιγαροῦν ἐκεῖθεν τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν ἀπάρας τῆς προκειμένης ὁδοῦ εἴχετο τὸν ἀγνοοῦντα μὲν ὑποκρινόμενος, οἰκονομῶν δὲ καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τοσοῦτον ὡς ἅμα μὲν καὶ φυλάττεσθαι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ μηδ' ἡντιναοῦν εὔλογον λαβὴν διδόναι τῷ Νικηφόρῳ. Ἐν τοῖς μέρεσιν οὖν γενόμενος τῶν Σερρῶν, ἐπεὶ ὁ Πορ φυρογέννητος Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ ∆οῦκας συνεπόμενος τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ᾐτεῖτο εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀγρὸν καταλῦσαι ἐπιτερπῆ ὄντα καὶ ὕδασι ψυχροῖς καὶ ποτίμοις κατάρρυτον καὶ ἀπο χρῶντα οἰκήματα ἔχοντα πρὸς τὴν βασιλέως ὑποδοχήν (Πεντήγοστις τούτῳ τὸ ὄνομα), ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπείξας τῷ τούτου θελήματι αὐτοῦ που κατέλυσεν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν βουλομένῳ ἐξελθεῖν ὁ Πορφυρογέννητος συνεχώρει· ἠξίου δὲ μᾶλλον ἐγκαρτερῆσαι καὶ ἔτι ἐφ' ᾧ ἀνακτήσασθαί τε ἑαυτὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας καὶ τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κονιορτοῦ καθᾶραι λουσάμενον. Εὐτρέπιστο γὰρ αὐτῷ ἤδη καὶ τὰ πρὸς εὐωχίαν δαψιλῆ· ὁ δὲ καὶ αὖθις τῷ τοῦ Πορφυρογεν νήτου ὑπεῖξε θελήματι. 9.5.5 Ὡς δὲ λουσάμενον καὶ τοῦ βαλανείου ἐξεληλυθότα τοῦτον μεμαθήκοι Νικηφόρος ὁ ∆ιογένης πάλαι τυραννιῶν, ἐπιτηρῶν δὲ εἴ που καὶ αὐτό χειρ δυνηθῇ τούτου γενέσθαι, περιζωσάμενος τὸν ἀκινάκην εἰσῄει ὡς δῆθεν ἐκ θήρας ἐπανιὼν κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες. Τοῦ τον οὖν ὁ Τατίκιος θεασάμενος καὶ πάλαι γινώσκων τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ μελετώμενον ἀπώσατο ἐπειπών· «Ἵνα τί ἀσυν τάκτως οὕτως καὶ ξιφήρης εἰσέρχῃ; Καιρὸς βαλανείου καὶ οὐχὶ ὁδοιπορίας οὐδὲ θήρας ἢ μάχης ἐστίν». Ὁ δὲ τοῦ σκοποῦ διημαρτηκὼς ὑπεχώρησεν. Ὑπολαβὼν δὲ ὡς ἤδη ἐπέγνωσται (δεινὸς γὰρ ἔλεγχος ἡ συνείδησις) δρασμῷ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν πραγματεύσασθαι ἐβουλεύετο καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἐν Χριστουπόλει ἀγροὺς τῆς βασιλίδος Μαρίας ἢ εἰς τὸν Πέρνικον ἢ τὸν Πετριτζὸν προσχωρῆσαι κἀκεῖθεν αὖθις πρὸς τὰ συμπίπτοντα τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν εὖ διαθέσθαι. Προεφ θάκει γὰρ ἡ βασιλὶς Μαρία τοῦτον προσλαβέσθαι ἀδελφὸν ὄντα μητρόθεν τοῦ προβεβασιλευκότος ἀνδρὸς αὐτὴς Μιχαὴλ τοῦ ∆ούκα, κἂν τὰ ἐς πατέρας διήλλαττον. 9.5.6 Καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς τριταῖος ἐκεῖθεν ἔξεισι· τὸν δὲ Κων σταντῖνον αὐτοῦ που καταλελοίπει ῥᾳστώνης χάριν δεδιὼς τὸ ἁπαλὸν καὶ ἀσύνηθες τοῦ νεανίου τότε πρώτως τῆς ἐνεγκαμένης πρὸς ἐκστρατείαν ἐξεληλυθότος. Ἦν γὰρ μονογενὴς τῇ μητρί. Καὶ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ σφόδρα τοῦ νεα νίσκου κηδόμενος πάσης ἀνέσεως συνεχώρει ἐπαπολαύειν αὐτὸν σὺν τῇ βασιλίδι μητρί, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὡς ἴδιον ἀπαρτὶ τέκνον ἐξόχως φιλῶν τοῦτον.