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But if so, he for his part said that he was a servant and was again responsible to the oaths to the empire, and that he had with him a thousand 514 obedient men, and that he would fight the others if he wished, since their purpose was either to remain quiet if they received it, or if they did not receive it, to overrun the country, and he himself would attack along with the imperial forces.

(19) The Catalans also, sending three ambassadors to the emperor, with a deadline of fifteen days, negotiated with seemingly graceful manner and appearance; to whom the emperor himself, wishing to bring before their eyes what had been done by them, and to show how they had received much both with his will and against it, but had done nothing that could draw wages, on the ninth of Kronios, having assembled his own people, with the useful men of the state also present in public, he himself went through the matters concerning them from the very beginning, it seems to me, openly composing a response to the speech there. For he went through it, speaking to the ambassadors from the beginning about the request from Sicily of the one who led them, and his own assent and summons on these matters, and that he had not summoned as many as that man had brought, and having brought them he asked that they be received for a time, and that while wintering near Cyzicus and into the spring, they not only did not act against the enemy, but even did many disagreeable things to the country. Then he added 515 the events in the east, and how they had done many terrible things not to the enemy but to the Romans. And now, having crossed over, he said, they had committed many reckless acts in the west, none of which, as was likely, were unknown to him. From which, if one were to calculate, they had enough of their wages. Which, though it was right to pursue them terribly, he did not pursue, but rather he honors them with other things, and sends them to the east, to a land sufficient to support them. But they, acting insolently, disobey, and moreover make threats, not knowing precisely how strong the empire of the Romans is and how easily it can build triremes and equip them with fighting men, having no need of them as allies, but having forces sufficient to such a degree that it is easily able to strike fear even into those far away, even if for the time being the errors of many causes stand in the way. So, let them be content taking what is given. But if not, he too was able to defend himself against them appearing as villains instead of allies, if they should try to interfere with the established order 516. For he was not at all unaware by how many of the Romans they were almost overcome in a short time, and this though they were exhausted for a considerable time by the successive wars of Theudericus, and having profited nothing from all that they show they have in abundance. And a sign of this was that when departing from there they carried nothing for the next year, but as if living in deserted places, so from there they appeared naked and unarmed and not even having provisions for their daily food. But now they sit idle and demand their pay arrogantly, what good have they done, what deed of noble warriors, seeing the enemy so close, they who were raised in wars and battles, as they say. For which they ought to be ashamed, but instead they threaten to overrun the country, as if it lay deserted by its guardian, and as if they did not know that the emperor and the forces around him are at their backs, whose not only assault, but not even the rumor of their approach could they bear.

20. Having discussed these things and more, he left it to them to deliberate on what was advantageous for them, but as for himself, 517 deeming the son of his own brother, the porphyrogenitus Constantine, worthy of a reception greater than befits a nephew, at the same time making it clear that perhaps he would have treated his father well in all respects and honored him to the end, if that man had not been found disloyal towards him, he honors him, though not yet fully having reached his seventeenth year, with the dignity of panhypersebastos, yet not according to the original form of this dignity, but also with those from the yellow

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εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἔλεγε δοῦλος εἶναι καὶ πάλιν καὶ τοῖς εἰς τὴν βα σιλείαν ὅρκοις ὑπεύθυνος, ἔχειν δὲ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ χιλίους τοὺς 514 εὐπειθεῖς, τοῖς δ' ἄλλοις ἂν αὐτῷ ᾖ βουλομένῳ μάχεσθαι, ἐπεὶ κἀκείνοις σκοπὸς ἢ λαβοῦσιν ἠρεμεῖν ἢ μὴ λαβοῦσι τὴν χώραν καταδραμεῖν, καὶ αὐτὸς συνάμα ταῖς βασιλικαῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπιτί θεσθαι.

(19) τὰ δ' αὐτὰ ταῦτα καὶ Κατελάνοι πρέσβεις πρὸς βασιλέα τρεῖς πέμψαντες, ἐπὶ διωρίᾳ πεντεκαίδεκα ἡμερῶν, μετ' εὐσχήμονος καὶ τρόπου τῷ δοκεῖν καὶ προσώπου διεπρεσβεύοντο· οἷς δὴ θέλων καὶ αὐτὸς βασιλεὺς ὑπ' ὄψιν θεῖναι τὰ σφίσι πρα χθέντα, καὶ δεῖξαι ὡς πολλὰ μὲν ἔσχον καὶ θέλοντος αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ θέλοντος, οὐδὲν δ' ἔπραξαν ὅσα μισθοὺς ἐφέλκεσθαι δύναν ται, ἐνάτῃ Κρονίου τοὺς ἰδίους συνεκκλησιάσας, παρόντων καὶ τῶν τῆς πολιτείας χρησίμων ἐν κοινῷ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀρχῆς ἀπ' ἄκρης τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς διεξῄει, ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἀντίτομα τῆς ἐκεῖ δημηγο ρίας συνεργαζόμενος ἄντικρυς. διεξῄει γὰρ καὶ οὗτος πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις λέγων ἀρχῆθεν τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Σικελίας τοῦ ἄγοντος σφᾶς ἀξίωσιν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τούτοις νεῦσιν καὶ πρόσκλησιν, καὶ ὅτι οὐ τόσους μετεκαλεῖτο ὅσους ἦν ἀγαγὼν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἀγαγὼν ἠξίου πρὸς καιρὸν δέχεσθαι, ὅτι τε διαχειμερίζοντες κατὰ Κύζι κον καὶ ἐς ἔαρ οὐχ ὅπως ἐνήργουν κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πόλλ' ἄττα τὴν χώραν εἰργάσαντο δυσχερῆ. εἶτ' ἐπισυνῆπτε 515 καὶ τὰ κατ' ἀνατολήν, καὶ ὡς πόλλ' ἄττα καὶ δεινὰ οὐ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀλλὰ τοὺς Ῥωμαίους διατεθείκασι. καὶ νῦν δὲ διαπε ραιωθέντες, ἔλεγε, πόλλ' ἄττα καὶ ἀτάσθαλα κατὰ δύσιν πρά ξειαν, ὧν οὐδὲν ἐκ τοῦ εἰκότος αὐτῷ οἱ ἄπυστον εἶναι. ἐξ ὧν ἱκανῶς ἔχειν τῶν μισθωμάτων, ἤν τις λογίζοιτο, σφᾶς. ἅπερ ἄξιον ὂν δεινῶς μετελθεῖν οὐ μετῆλθεν ὅμως, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλα προσφιλοτιμεῖται, καὶ πρὸς ἀνατολὴν πέμπει, χώραν ἱκανῶς ἔχουσαν σφᾶς τρέφειν. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀλλὰ σοβαρευόμενοι ἀπειθοῦσι, καὶ προσέτι προσαπειλοῦσι, μηδὲν ἀκριβῶς εἰδότες τὴν βασιλείαν Ῥωμαίων ὁπόσον ἰσχύει καὶ ὡς εὐπετῶς ἔχει καὶ τριήρεις ναυπη γήσασθαι καὶ μαχηταῖς ἐξαρτύσασθαι, μηδὲν δεομένη συμμάχων ἐκείνων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὰς δυνάμεις ἀποχρώσας ἔχουσα ὥστ' εὐμαρῶς ἔχειν φόβον καὶ τοῖς μακρὰν ἐμβαλεῖν, κἂν τῷ τέως αἰ τιῶν πολλῶν προσίστανται ἁμαρτίαι. εἰ τοίνυν ἀγαπῷεν λαμ βάνοντες τὰ διδόμενα. εἰ δ' οὖν, καὶ αὐτὸν ἔχειν ἀμυνεῖσθαι ἀλιτηριώδεις φαινομένους ἀντὶ συμμάχων, εἴ που τοῖς καθεστῶσι 516 παρεγχειροῖεν. μηδὲ γὰρ ἀγνοεῖν ὅλως ὁπόσοις ἐκ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὀλίγου ἐνικανώθησαν χρόνου, καὶ ταῦτ' ἐφ' ἱκανὸν ἐς Θευδερί χου πολέμοις συνεχέσι ταλαιπωρούμενοι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀπονάμενοι τῶν ὅσα δεικνῦσιν εὔπορον. σημεῖον δ' εἶναι τὸ ἐκεῖθεν ἀπαλ λάττοντας μηδὲν ἐς νέωτα ἐπιφέρεσθαι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν ἐρήμοις διάγοντας, οὕτως ἐκεῖθεν φανῆναι γυμνούς τινας καὶ ἀνόπλους καὶ μηδὲ τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ἐς τροφὴν εὐποροῦντας. νῦν δ' ἀλλ' ἀργοὶ κάθηνται καὶ ὑπερηφάνους τὰς μισθοφορίας ἀπαιτοῦσι, τί καὶ πράξαντες ἀγαθὸν καὶ μαχητῶν ἔργον γενναίων, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ ταῦτα ἐγγὺς ὁρῶντες, πολέμοις συντραφέντες καὶ μάχαις, ὡς λέγουσιν. ὧν χάριν ἐγκαλύπτεσθαι δέον, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἀπειλοῦσι κατατρέχειν τὴν χώραν, ὥσπερ ἂν ἔρημος προύκειτο τοῦ πολυω ροῦντος, καὶ ὡς οὐκ οἴδασιν ὡς κατὰ νώτου τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ αἱ περὶ αὐτὸν δυνάμεις, ὧν μὴ ὅτι γε τὴν προσβολήν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν φήμην προσπελαζόντων ἐνέγκαιεν.

20. Ταῦτα καὶ πλείονα τούτων διαλαλήσας ἐκείνοις μὲν τὸ σφίσι συνοῖσον ἀφῆκε βουλεύεσθαι, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν τοῦ οἰκείου 517 αὐταδέλφου τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου Κωνσταντίνου υἱὸν ἀναδοχῆς ἀξιώσας μείζονος ἢ κατ' ἀδελφόπαιδα, ἅμα δηλῶν ὡς τάχα ἂν καὶ τῷ πατρὶ τούτου καλῶς ἐς ἅπαν ἐχρᾶτο καὶ διὰ τέλους ἤγαλ λεν, εἰ μή γ' ἐκεῖνος τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐφωράθη δύσνους, τιμᾷ οὔπω τελέως τοῦ ἑπτακαιδεκάτου ἐπιβάντα ἔτους τῷ τοῦ πανυ περσεβάστου ἀξιώματι, πλὴν οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἀρχῆθεν τῆς ἀξίας ταυ τησὶ σχῆμα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν κιρρῶν