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Andronicus the elder, the young emperor interrupting, said that he himself thought these things were correct, and for these reasons he was unwilling to entrust the rule to his grandfather for any reason; but first, so that those who are altogether fickle and base and corrupt might not be able to spread stories and persuade the many that I myself had seized power out of premeditation and treacherous design, when the emperor had furnished no pretext for the war; and second, because I especially wish and am eager to accomplish those things that would be most to the pleasure and honor of the emperor. And I think that not even the emperor, before he ruled affairs, either wished or considered anything else. 20. And again the great domestic took up the discourse and said, "My goodwill and zeal for the emperor, 1.420 and how I made it of the greatest importance not only to see no irremediable harm come to him, but also that he should hold power and be admired and praised by all, I think no one is more aware of than you. For when, as the war between you was especially breaking out, we were deliberating on how the war should be conducted, while others advised to imprison, or even to kill him, and in a short time to be rid of many troubles, you know how many humane things you yourself decided concerning him, and how I eagerly spoke in agreement and did my part to bring it about. And when, having entered the war, we prevailed over him both once and twice, you know how much goodwill and respect we showed for him, snatching him from the midst of dangers; and not only placing him in safety, but also preserving for him his former prosperity, as much as was possible, when all the others were advising the opposite and begging to be persuaded by them. Therefore no one should think that I make these arguments out of hatred toward him, but from attending to the common good; and besides, it will not be possible even for the most slanderous of character to concoct accusations that I, by securing the empire for myself, am preventing the rule of affairs from being entrusted to him. For it was possible before, if I had wished, and even now it still lies in my power, since you would have eagerly granted it if I had wished; so that I am not advising such things for any 1.421 private advantage to myself. Since, therefore, it is proven from the facts themselves that I speak neither for my own favor nor out of hatred for him, it is necessary to be persuaded if I seem to be advising anything needful. You said, therefore, that you are especially moved to this for two reasons: not to be ill-spoken of by base and corrupt men, and especially wishing to do whatever is possible for the respect and honor and pleasure of the emperor; Now, to attend to the emperor, I myself would say is both just and fitting for you. And it is possible to demonstrate this attention in many ways. For it is necessary both to honor him as a father and to make such provision for him as is possible, so that both he and his household may live in abundance. If, then, the funds assigned to him seem to be less than his need, there is no objection to adding as much again or even twice as much; and other things which would be to his pleasure, but would not cause harm to others. But to appoint him ruler of affairs, I would neither be persuaded myself that it is for the common good, nor would I advise another to do so. And I think no account should be made of evil men. Or it would be dreadful if we take no account of the good, but gratify the evil to such an extent that we would willingly surrender to them even what we believe to be advantageous and just. For come now, by God, if all those who are good in character, gathering an assembly, should summon us to justice, 1.422 saying, you are doing unjust and violent things, stirring up civil wars among us. For right from the beginning, as soon as the emperor had initiated the war against you, seeing how you were suffering injustices, we especially sympathized with you and eagerly fought alongside you. And since, with God's help, we have most easily conquered the enemies, it is necessary to drive out and treat badly those who were the first to begin the

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πρεσβύτερον Ἀνδρόνικον, ὁ νέος ἐπικόπτων βασιλεὺς, ταῦτα μὲν ἔφη καὶ αὐτὸς οἴεσθαι ὀρθῶς ἔχειν, καὶ τούτων ἕνεκα οὐδενὸς τῷ πάππῳ ἐθέλειν ἐγχειρίζειν τὴν ἀρχήν· ἀλλὰ πρώτου μὲν, τοῦ μὴ τοὺς πάντα εὐχερεῖς καὶ φαύλους καὶ διεφθορότας ὡς ἐκ προνοίας αὐτὸς καὶ σκέψεως ἐπιβούλου τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειλόμην, βασιλέως μηδεμίαν πρόφασιν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παρεσχημένου, δύνασθαι λογοποιεῖν καὶ πείθειν τοὺς πολλούς· δευτέρου δὲ, τοῦ μάλιστα βούλεσθαι καὶ διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχειν, ἅττα ἂν ᾖ μάλιστα πρὸς ἡδονὴν καὶ τιμὴν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ταῦτα καταπράξασθαι ἐμέ. οἴομαι δὲ μηδὲ βασιλέα πρὸ τοῦ ἄρχειν τῶν πραγμάτων ἕτερόν τι μήτε βούλεσθαι μήτε ἄγειν. κʹ. Αὖθις δὲ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος τὸν λόγον ἀναλαβὼν «Τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν» εἶπεν «εὔνοιαν πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ σπουδὴν, 1.420 καὶ ὡς ἐποιούμην περὶ πλείστου μὴ μόνον ἀνήκεστον οὐδὲν εἰς αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν ἐλθὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κρατεῖν καὶ παρὰ πᾶσι καὶ θαυμάζεσθαι καὶ ἐπαινεῖσθαι, οὐδένα μοι μᾶλλον ἢ σὲ οἴομαι συνειδέναι. καὶ ὅτε γὰρ τοῦ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὑμῶν μάλιστα φυομένου πολέμου ἐβουλευόμεθα περὶ τοῦ ᾗ χρὴ τὸν πόλεμον διαθέσθαι, τῶν ἄλλων παραινούντων εἵργειν, ἢ καὶ ἀποκτιννύναι, καὶ ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ πολλῶν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι πραγμάτων, οἶσθα ὁπόσα φιλάνθρωπα αὐτός τε ἐβουλεύσω περὶ αὐτοῦ, κἀγὼ συνεῖπον προθύμως καὶ τὸ μέρος συγκατειργασάμην. καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον καταστάντες περιεγενόμεθα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς, οἶσθα ὅσην ἐπεδειξάμεθα περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ τὴν αἰδῶ ἐκ μέσων ἐξαρπάσαντες τῶν κινδύνων· καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ καταστήσαντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πρὶν εὐδαιμονίαν, ὅσα γε ἐξῆν, φυλάξαντες αὐτῷ, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων βουλευομένων τἀναντία καὶ δεομένων πείθεσθαι αὐτοῖς. διό με οὐδὲ οἴεσθαι χρή τινα ἀπεχθείᾳ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς λόγους ποιεῖσθαι τουτουσὶ, ἀλλὰ τῷ κοινῷ προσέχοντα λυσιτελεῖ· ἄλλως τ' οὐδὲ τῷ μάλιστα τοὺς τρόπους συκοφαντικῷ διαβολὰς ἐξέσται ῥάπτειν, ὡς ἐμαυτῷ περιποιούμενος τὴν βασιλείαν κωλύω τοῦ μὴ ἐγχειρίζειν ἐκείνῳ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν ἀρχήν. πρότερόν τε γὰρ ἐξῆν, εἴπερ ἐβουλόμην, καὶ νῦν ἔτι κεῖται ἐπ' ἐμοὶ, σοῦ παρασχόντος ἂν προθύμως εἰ βουληθείην· ὥστ' οὐδὲ τοῦ 1.421 ξυνοίσοντος ἰδίᾳ τι ἐμοὶ τοιαῦτα συμβουλεύω. ὅτε τοίνυν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποδείκνυται τῶν πραγμάτων, μήτε πρὸς χάριν ἐμαυτῷ μήτε πρὸς ἀπέχθειαν ἐκείνῳ λέγειν, δέον ἤν τι τῶν δεόντων πείθεσθαι φαίνομαι συμβουλεύων. ἔφης τοιγαροῦν δυοῖν ἕνεκα μάλιστα ἐνάγεσθαι πρὸς τοῦτο· τοῦ τε μὴ κακῶς ἀκούειν παρὰ φαύλων ἀνθρώπων καὶ διεφθορότων, καὶ τοῦ μάλιστα βούλεσθαι τῶν πρὸς αἰδῶ καὶ τιμὴν καὶ ἡδονὴν ἐσομένων βασιλεῖ, ὅ,τι ἂν ἐξῇ ποιεῖν· τὸ μὲν οὖν θεραπεύειν βασιλέα, δίκαιόν τε φαίην ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ σοὶ προσῆκον. ἔξεστι δὲ πολλοῖς τρόποις ἐπιδείκνυσθαι τὴν θεραπείαν. τό, τε γὰρ τιμᾷν ὡς πατέρα ἀναγκαῖον καὶ τὸ πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ τὴν δυνατὴν ποιεῖσθαι ὥστ' αὐτόν τε καὶ οἰκετικὸν διάγειν ἐν ἀφθόνοις. εἰ δὴ τὰ ἀποτεταγμένα χρήματα αὐτῷ τῆς χρείας δοκεῖ ἐλάσσω εἶναι, φθόνος οὐδεὶς καὶ ἕτερα τοσαῦτα ἢ καὶ διπλασίω προστιθέναι· καὶ ἕτερ' ἄττα ἃ αὐτῷ μὲν ἂν εἴη καθ' ἡδονὴν, βλάβην δὲ ἑτέροις μὴ παρέχῃ. ἄρχοντα δὲ ἀποδεικνύναι τῶν πραγμάτων, οὔτ' ἂν αὐτὸς πεισθείην τῶν κοινῇ λυσιτελούντων εἶναι, οὔθ' ἑτέρῳ συμβουλεύσαιμι. τῶν κακῶν δὲ οὐδένα λόγον οἴομαι ποιεῖσθαι δεῖν. ἢ σχέτλιον ἂν εἴη, εἰ τῶν μὲν ἀγαθῶν οὐδένα ποιησόμεθα λόγον, τοῖς δὲ κακοῖς τοσοῦτον χαριούμεθα, ὥστε καὶ ἃ λυσιτελῆ καὶ δίκαια δοκοῦμεν εἶναι, ταῦθ' ἑκόντες ὄντες προησόμεθα αὐτοῖς. φέρε γὰρ πρὸς θεοῦ, εἴ γε πάντες οἱ τοὺς τρόπους ἀγαθοὶ ἐκκλησίαν συναθροίσαντες, ἡμᾶς ἐπὶ δίκῃ προκαλοῖντο, 1.422 λέγοντες, ὡς, ἄδικα καὶ βίαια ποιεῖτε, πολέμους ἡμῖν ὁμοφύλοις ἐπεγείροντες. εὐθύς τε γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ καθ' ὑμῶν τὸν πόλεμον κεκινηκέναι, ὁρῶντες ὡς ἄδικα πάσχετε ὑμεῖς, συνηλγήσαμέν τε μάλιστα ὑμῖν καὶ συνηγωνισάμεθα προθύμως. καὶ ἐπειδὴ θεοῦ συναιρομένου, ῥᾷστα κεκρατήκαμεν τῶν πολεμίων, δέον ἀπελαύνειν καὶ κακῶς ποιεῖν τοὺς προτέρους ἄρξαντας τῆς