147

However, he also removes him from the management of common affairs, having instructed him to remain at home and not go out, then after a short time he also puts him in exile and, examining each of the things done by him, he condemned the greater part for inactivity; and he took away the greater part of the monastery built by him, and he did not touch only fields or estates and houses, but also votive offerings and slabs and costly columns. 555 Wherefore he, on account of these things, being enveloped by a cloud of despondency, his limbs were paralyzed and he was seen as a living corpse and, after a short while, he pitifully departed this life. And he then for the first time became truly autocrat and, having learned what great cares the administration of the empire requires, he despised imperial luxury and abstained from splendid vestments and shook off all good cheer, although formerly he had not lived so, but was even overcome by passions and gave himself over to revels and luxuries and delighted in imperial excesses. And having assigned the authority to himself alone, he shared only the name of emperor and the official color with his brother and assigned to him a certain bodyguard, a small one, however, and not excessive. But he bore it and did not dispute with his brother, having, I think, a relaxed character, and rejoicing in a more indulgent life and a delicate lifestyle and in hunts and the company of peers with whom he was brought up. So the two brothers were both in this state. But Scleros, having been released from prison upon the death of Phocas, 556 took up his former enterprise again and did not delay in playing the tyrant once more. But the emperor, in letters written to him, advised the man to cease his desperation at last and not always wish to be the cause of wars for his countrymen and to stain the land with blood, and Christian blood at that. But he, already worn out by old age and growing dizzy at the future, makes a treaty and approaches the ruler. And the latter was seated in a royal tent, and Scleros went on foot toward the tent, supported on both sides, partly on account of his age, and partly on account of the bulk of his body; for he was of a great size; when the emperor Basil is said to have uttered the famous saying, "He whom I feared is brought to me led by the hand." But some say that Scleros was struck with blindness on his way and for this reason was led by the hand. And when the man approached the tent, the emperor, noticing that his feet were still shod in purple sandals (for Scleros had taken off the other insignia of royalty, but he had not taken off the sandals, "for either it escaped him or he did not think of it"), immediately turned away his eyes, not enduring to meet him otherwise than in the dress of a private citizen. But he, having cast off the offensive sandals before the tent, thus entered it, and the emperor rose 557 and welcomed the man, and they conversed with each other and shared a table and drank from the same cup. In this way, then, the tyranny of Scleros was also brought to an end, with he himself being honored as curopalates, and those who had joined him being granted to keep whatever each had received from him when he was tyrant, whether in dignities or in offices or indeed in possessions. And the emperor, having laid aside the cares of the rebellions, went out to Thrace and visited Thessalonica, giving thanks to the renowned martyr. And having left there a commander of distinction with a heavy force, in order to prevent the raids of Samuel, he returned to the city of Byzantium and went away to Iberia, having been left as heir by the curopalates David upon his death to the rule that belonged to him. And having arrived there and taken possession of the country left to him, and having prepared George, the brother of David, who ruled inner Iberia, to keep the peace and be content with his own, and having taken his son as a hostage, he proceeded to Phoenicia. And the ruler of Tripoli and the ruler of 558 Damascus and the ruler of Tyre and Beirut, who, according to agreements, were attacking Antioch near Daphne and doing harm to its territories, he checked and persuaded to maintain submission to the Romans and hostages from

147

μέντοι καὶ μεθίστησι τῆς τῶν κοινῶν οἰκονομίας αὐτόν, οἴκοι μένειν ἀπρόιτον ἐπιστείλας αὐτῷ, εἶτα μετὰ μικρὸν καὶ ὑπερόριον τίθησι καὶ τῶν ἐκείνῳ πεπραγμένων ἕκαστον ἀνακρίνων ἀπραξίαν τῶν πλειόνων κατεψηφίζετο· καὶ τοῦ παρ' ἐκείνου δομηθέντος σεμνείου τὰ πλείω ὑφείλετο, καὶ οὐκ ἀγρῶν ἥψατο μόνον ἢ χωρίων καὶ οἰκιῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναθημάτων τε καὶ πλακῶν καὶ κιόνων πολυτελῶν. 555 ὅθεν ἐκεῖνος διὰ ταῦτα νέφει περισχεθεὶς ἀθυμίας παρεῖτο τὰ μέλη καὶ ἔμπνους ὦπτο νεκρὸς καὶ βραχύ τι διαλιπὼν οἰκτρῶς τὸν βίον ἐξέλιπεν. ὁ δὲ τότε πρῶτον γέγονεν αὐτοκράτωρ ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ γνοὺς πηλίκων δεῖται φροντίδων ἡ τῆς βασιλείας διοίκησις, τῆς τε βασιλικῆς ἁβρότητος κατεφρόνησε καὶ τῶν λαμπρῶν ἐπιβλημάτων ἀπέσχετο καὶ γλυκυθυμίαν ἅπασαν ἀπεσείσατο, καίτοι πρῴην μὴ οὕτω βιούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐρώτων ἡττώμενος καὶ κώμοις καὶ τρυφαῖς ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδοὺς καὶ βασιλείοις περιττότησιν ἐνηδόμενος. ἑαυτῷ δὲ μόνῳ προσκληρώσας τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ ὀνόματος μόνου τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τοῦ ἐπισήμου χρώματος μετεδίδου τῷ ἀδελφῷ καί τινα δορυφορίαν ἐκείνῳ ἀπέταξε, βραχεῖαν μέντοι καὶ οὐκ ὑπέρογκον. ὁ δὲ ἔφερε καὶ οὐκ ἠμφισβήτει τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἤθους ἀνειμένου τυχών, οἶμαι, καὶ χαίρων ὑγροτέρᾳ ζωῇ καὶ διαγωγῇ τρυφερᾷ καὶ θήραις καὶ ἡλικιωτῶν συνουσίαις οἷς συνετρέφετο. τὼ μὲν οὖν ἀδελφὼ καὶ ἄμφω εἰχέτην οὕτως. Ὁ δέ γε Σκληρὸς τοῦ Φωκᾶ θανόντος λυθεὶς τῆς εἱρκτῆς 556 εἴχετο καὶ αὖθις τοῦ πρὶν ἐγχειρήματος καὶ τυραννεῖν καὶ πάλιν οὐκ ἀνεβάλλετο. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς γράμμασι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐγχαραχθεῖσι παρῄνει τὸν ἄνδρα παύσασθαι τῆς ἀπονοίας ποτὲ καὶ μὴ ἀεὶ βούλεσθαι αἴτιον εἶναι πολέμων ὁμογενέσι καὶ τὴν γῆν αἵμασι χραίνειν, καὶ τούτοις χριστιανῶν. ὁ δὲ τῷ τε γήρᾳ τρυχόμενος ἤδη καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἰλιγγιάσας σπένδεται καὶ πρόσεισι τῷ κρατοῦντι. κἀκεῖνος ὑπὸ σκηνὴν καθῆστο βασίλειον, καὶ ὁ Σκληρὸς βάδην ᾔει πρὸς τὴν σκηνήν, ὑπερειδόμενος ἑκατέρωθεν, τὸ μέν τι διὰ τὸ γῆρας, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ σώματος· ἦν γὰρ εὐμεγέθης· ὅτε καὶ τὸ ᾀδόμενον εἰπεῖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος λέγεται "ὃν ἐδεδοίκειν προσάγεταί μοι χειραγωγούμενος." οἱ δὲ ἀορασίᾳ πληγῆναί φασι τὸν Σκληρὸν ἐν τῷ ἀπιέναι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χειραγωγεῖσθαι. ἐγγίσαντος δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῇ σκηνῇ, κατανοήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔτι τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ ὑποδουμένους ὑποδήμασι φοινικοῖς (τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἄλλα τῆς βασιλείας γνωρίσματα ὁ Σκληρὸς ἀπεδύσατο, τὰ δέ γε πέδιλα οὐκ ἀπέθετο «ἢ γὰρ λάθετ' ἢ οὐκ ἐνόησεν») ἀπέστρεψε τὰς ὄψεις εὐθύς, μὴ ἄλλως αὐτῷ ἐντυχεῖν ἀνεχόμενος εἰ μὴ ἐν ἰδιώτου στολῇ. ὁ δὲ πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς ἀπορρίψας τὰ ἐπίφθονα πέδιλα οὕτως ὑπέδυ αὐτήν, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξανέστη 557 καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐδεξιώσατο, καὶ ὡμιλησάτην ἀλλήλοιν καὶ ἐκοινωνησάτην τραπέζης καὶ ἐπιέτην ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς κύλικος. τοῦτον μὲν οὖν τὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ τοῦ Σκληροῦ τυραννὶς καταλέλυτο, αὐτοῦ μὲν κουροπαλάτου τιμηθέντος, τῶν δὲ συναραμένων αὐτῷ παραχωρηθέντων ἔχειν ὃ ἂν ἕκαστος ἐξ ἐκείνου τυραννοῦντος εἰλήφει, εἴτ' ἐν ἀξίαις ἦν εἴτ' ἐν ἀρχαῖς εἴτε μέντοι ἐν κτήσεσιν ήσεσιν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὰς τῶν ἀποστασιῶν φροντίδας ἀποφορτισάμενος ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐξῄει καὶ εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην ἐφοίτησε, τῷ περιωνύμῳ μάρτυρι ἀνθομολογούμενος. καταλείψας δ' ἐκεῖ στρατάρχην τῶν ἐπισήμων μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως, ἵνα κωλύῃ τὰς τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἐκδρομάς, ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὴν Βύζαντος καὶ εἰς Ἰβηρίαν ἀπῄει, κληρονόμος καταλειφθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ κουροπαλάτου ∆αβὶδ θανόντος τῆς ἐκείνῳ διαφερούσης ἀρχῆς. ἔνθαπερ γεγονὼς καὶ τῆς καταλειφθείσης αὐτῷ χώρας ἐπιλαβόμενος καὶ τὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἀδελφὸν τὸν Γεώργιον τῆς ἐνδοτέρας Ἰβηρίας ἡγεμονεύοντα παρασκευάσας ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀρκεῖσθαι καὶ ὅμηρον τὸ ἐκείνου παῖδα λαβών, ἐπὶ Φοινίκην ἐχώρησε. καὶ τόν τε τῆς Τριπόλεως ἄρχοντα καὶ τὸν τῆς 558 ∆αμασκοῦ καὶ τὸν τῆς Τύρου καὶ Βηρυτοῦ, κατὰ συνθήκας τῇ πρὸς τῇ ∆άφνῃ Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἐπιόντας καὶ κακοῦντας τὰ ὑπ' αὐτήν, ἀνέστειλε καὶ δούλωσιν Ῥωμαίοις τηρεῖν ἀνέπεισε καὶ ὁμήρους κἀκ