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devising from this. But the emperor, seizing the opportunity, deemed most of them worthy of a common sympathy, as those responsible for the plot had already been condemned to exile. At this, a great clamor arose, such as none of those then present had ever yet, as they say, received into their ears, even to this day, some praising the emperor and marveling at his forbearance and gentleness, others denouncing the exiles and insisting they were worthy of death, such is the way of men. For the one whom today they deem worthy of blessings, and send off, and hold in honor, should they see the die of his life turned against him, they are not ashamed to show the complete opposite toward him. 9.9.6 But the emperor, silencing them with a nod, spoke again: “You must not make a disturbance or confuse the matter at hand. For I, as I said, having deemed all worthy of sympathy, will be to you again as I was before.” But while the emperor was deeming them worthy of sympathy, those who had contrived that plot sent men, without his knowledge, and deprived Diogenes of his eyes. The same to this man. They also condemned Katakalon Kekaumenos as having shared in the same plot with Diogenes. And it was the day on which the memorial of the chief apostles was celebrated. But these things have been rumored ever since and until today. But whether the emperor, having been advised by them on this, gave in, or whether the whole thing was his idea, God would know; for my part, for now I cannot know for certain.

9.10.1 Such, then, were the things that befell the emperor from Diogenes, with the unconquerable hand of the Most High having marvelously delivered him from imminent danger; but he was not softened by any of these events, but even so marched straight for Dalmatia. But Voulkan, having learned of the emperor's arrival at Lipenion and seeing that he had caught up with him, and being unable even to face the Roman battle-lines and that shield-wall and their general's full armor, immediately sent men to ask for terms of peace, promising at the same time both to send the hostages he had previously promised and to do no harm in the future. The emperor, therefore, gladly received the barbarian, being weary of, as it were, and turning away from civil war; for even if they were Dalmatians, they were nevertheless Christians. And he, at once taking courage, came forward, bringing with him his relatives and the chief of the zhupans, and readily handed over his nephews as hostages to the emperor, both the one called Ouresis and Stephen Voulkan, and others making up the number of twenty. For it was not possible for him to be otherwise disposed in the future. And the emperor, having peacefully resolved as many matters as are naturally accomplished by battle and steel, returned to the queen of cities. 9.10.2 He cared greatly for Diogenes, however, and was seen weeping and was heard groaning deeply on his account, and he showed great kindness toward him and hastened to restore him, and reinstated him in most of the possessions which had been taken from him. But he, being possessed by grief and shunning his stay in the great city, was devoted to his own estates, giving his whole attention to the books of the ancients, while others read them aloud to him. For, being deprived of light, he used the eyes of others for reading. And this man was so great by nature that even without seeing he easily comprehended things that were hard for those who can see to discern. Indeed, having gone through all learning from that time, and even the renowned geometry—most remarkably—he, having met with a certain philosopher, ordered him to present the figures to him in solid form. And by the touch of his hands he gained comprehension of all the theorems and figures of geometry

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ἐντεῦθεν μηχανωμένων. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προαρπάσας τὸν καιρὸν συμ παθείας κοινῆς τοὺς πλείονας ἠξίου ὡς τῶν αἰτίων τῆς βουλῆς ὑπερορίαν πρότερον κατακριθέντων. Ἐπὶ τούτοις θροῦς ἦρτο πολύς, οἷον οὐδείς πω τῶν τότε παρόντων εἰς ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῶν ὤτων ὡς λέγουσιν ἐντὸς εἰσεδέξατο, τῶν μὲν ἐπαινούντων τὸν βασιλέα καὶ θαυμαζόντων τῆς ἀνεξι κακίας καὶ πρᾳότητος, τῶν δὲ τοὺς ὑπερορίους διασυρόν των καὶ θανάτου ἀξίους εἶναι διενισταμένων, ὁποῖα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὃν γὰρ τὴν σήμερον μακαρισμῶν ἀξιοῦσι προ πέμπουσί τε καὶ διὰ τιμῆς ἄγουσιν, ἐπὰν περιτραπέντα τούτῳ τοῦ βίου τὸν κύβον θεάσοιντο, πᾶν τοὐναντίον εἰς αὐτὸν ἐνδεικνύμενοι οὐκ αἰσχύνονται. 9.9.6 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς νεύματι τούτους κατασιγάσας αὖθις ἔφη· «Οὐ χρὴ θορυ βεῖσθαι οὐδὲ συγχεῖν τὴν προκειμένην ὑπόθεσιν. Ἔγωγε γάρ, καθὼς ἔφην, ἅπαντας συμπαθείας ἀξιώσας πάλιν ὁποῖος τὸ πρότερον πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἔσομαι.» Ἐν ᾧ δὲ τούτους συμπαθείας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠξίου, ἄτερ τῆς αὐτοῦ γνώμης ἀποστείλαντες οἱ τὴν βουλὴν ἐκείνην βουλευσάμενοι τῶν ὀμμάτων τὸν ∆ιογένην ἐστέρησαν. Ταὐτὰ τούτῳ. καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Κεκαυμένου Κατακαλὼν ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς βουλῆς κεκοι νωνηκότος τῷ ∆ιογένει κατεψηφίσαντο. Ἡμέρα δὲ ἦν ἐν ᾗ ἡ τῶν κορυφαίων ἀποστόλων μνήμη ἐτελεῖτο. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἔκτοτε καὶ μέχρι σήμερον λογοποιεῖται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τούτου παρ' αὐτῶν εἰσηγηθεὶς ἐνδέδωκεν ἢ καὶ τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἐκείνου γνώμης ἦν, Θεὸς ἂν εἰδείη· ἔγωγε τέως οὐ πάνυ τι γινώσκειν ἔχω βεβαίως.

9.10.1 Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐκ τοῦ ∆ιογένους συμπεσόντα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, παραδόξως τῆς ἀμάχου τοῦ Ὑψίστου χειρὸς ῥυσαμένης τοῦτον ἐξ ὑπογύου κινδύνου· αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν τῶν συμπιπτόντων ἐμαλακίζετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς κατευθὺ ∆αλματίας ἤλαυνε. Μεμαθηκὼς δὲ ὁ Βολκάνος τὴν εἰς τὸ Λιπένιον τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἔλευσιν καὶ ἐπικα ταλαβόντα τοῦτον θεασάμενος καὶ πρὸς τὰς ῥωμαϊκὰς παρατάξεις καὶ τὸν συνασπισμὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὴν στρατηγικὴν πανοπλίαν μηδ' ἀντωπῆσαι δυνάμενος ἀποστείλας παραχρῆμα τὰ περὶ εἰρήνης ἠρώτα ὑπισχνούμενος ἅμα καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς προϋποσχεθέντας ὁμήρους ἀποστεῖλαι καὶ μηδέν τι δεινὸν τοῦ λοιποῦ διαπράξασθαι. ∆έχεται τοίνυν τὸν βάρβαρον ἀσμένως ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀκηδιῶν οἷον καὶ ἀποστρεφόμενος τὴν ἐμφύλιον μάχην· κἂν γὰρ ∆αλμάται ἦσαν, ἀλλ' ὅμως Χριστιανοί. Ἐκεῖνος δ' εὐθὺς τεθαρρηκὼς προσεληλύθει συνεπαγόμενος τούς τε συγγενεῖς καὶ ἐκκρί τους τῶν ζουπάνων καὶ προθύμως ὁμήρους τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἀνεψιαδεῖς τῷ αὐτοκράτορι παραδέδωκε, τόν τε Οὔρεσιν καλούμενον καὶ Στέφανον τὸν Βολκάνον καὶ ἑτέρους τὸν εἴκοσιν ἀριθμὸν ἀποπληροῦντας. Οὐ γὰρ ἐνὸν ἦν αὐτῷ ἄλλως πως τοῦ λοιποῦ διατεθήσεσθαι. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ὁπόσα διὰ μάχης καὶ σιδήρου ἀνύεσθαι πέφυκεν εἰρηνικῶς διαλύσας, πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπανέστρεψε. 9.10.2 Τοῦ μέντοι ∆ιογένους ἐκήδετο πάνυ, καὶ δακρύων ὡρᾶτο καὶ βύθιον στένων δι' αὐτὸν ἐξηκούετο πολλήν τε τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν φιλοφροσύνην ἐπεδείκνυτο καὶ ἀνακτᾶσθαι τοῦτον ἔσπευδε κἀν τοῖς πλείοσι τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀφαιρεθέντων αὖθις τοῦτον ἀποκατέστησεν. Αὐτὸς δὲ κατακώχιμος ὑπὸ τῆς λύπης ὢν καὶ τὴν ἐν τῇ μεγαλοπόλει διατριβὴν ἀποστρεφόμενος τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀγροῖς ἐμφιλοχωρῶν ἦν ταῖς τῶν παλαιῶν προσανέχων διόλου βίβλοις ἄλλων ὑπαναγι νωσκόντων αὐτῷ. Στερούμενος γὰρ φωτὸς ἑτέρων ἐχρᾶτο πρὸς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν ὄμμασιν. Ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος τοσοῦτος τὴν φύσιν ὡς καὶ μὴ ὁρῶν τὰ τοῖς ὁρῶσι δυστέκμαρτα ῥᾳδίως καταλαμβάνειν. Πᾶσαν μὲν δὴ ἔκτοτε παιδείαν διελθὼν καὶ αὐτὴν δὴ τὴν περίκλυτον γεωμετρίαν, τὸ καινότατον, φιλοσό φων τινὶ ἐντυχὼν διὰ στερεῶν τούτῳ τὰ σχήματα παρέχειν ἐπέταττεν. Ὁ δὲ τῇ τῶν χειρῶν ψηλαφήσει ἁπάντων τῶν τῆς γεωμετρίας θεωρημάτων τε καὶ σχημάτων ἔσχε κατά ληψιν