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he fell short of them. But Syrgiannes, having been appointed strategos of the west by the grand domestic, when the emperor fell ill with that severe illness, at first seemed to be loyal and expressed his thanks; then, when he learned that, after the emperor recovered from his illness, the grand domestic had been set on removing him from his command, but the emperor had restrained him—this being falsely said—he was mindful of none of the former good things which he had received from him. And being carried away by anger against him because of what was said, he began to gather a company and secure it for himself, thinking that if he established for himself a sufficient force from many friends and retainers, the grand domestic would not be able to harm him whenever he wished. He therefore pursued this as much as he could, and in secret, with the knowledge of his most intimate associates. And he remained unnoticed for a time; then he was reported to the grand domestic by one of those 1.437 who were in on the secret. And he condemned his great ingratitude and forgetfulness of good deeds, but nevertheless, striving to be equal and similar to himself in remaining steadfast in good things, he neither plotted anything difficult against him, nor did he carry it out. But in other respects he was not at all offended with him, and he allowed him to hold the command of the west for a considerable time. But he, wishing his friends to be even more steadfast to him, both bound them by oaths and he himself gave the same in return. And the oaths were made on these terms: that Syrgiannes and a certain man be firm friends and that neither betray the other under any necessity; and if the emperor should die in any way, each man should not do what he thinks is just and advantageous, but after deliberating together, do whatever seems best to Syrgiannes and that no one should speak against it, but obey him as one who would deliberate for the common good. But these things were earlier, and not a little time later, when the emperor was staying in Chalcidice in Thrace, many of the officials were with him; and Syrgiannes was also present. And Arsenios Tzamplakon, the grand papias, coming before the emperor, accused Syrgiannes of disloyalty, asserting that he would convict him at the trial. But Syrgiannes, immediately before the emperor could say anything, said that Tzamplakon was lying about him and that he would provide 1.438 strong proofs of the falsehood. But he said that they should not engage in a war of words with each other at random, bringing up the accusation of lying, but standing at the trial each should provide the proofs of what he claims. The emperor at first was silent for a little while at what was said; for he had not previously heard anything about Syrgiannes; then he said he was very much vexed by such words. For he did not want his subjects, some to be accused of disloyalty, and others to prosecute, but for all to be loyal to him and for no one to be accused by anyone; but since such things had been said, it was not so that one must either fully believe, or disbelieve, but by putting the matter to the test, to investigate the truth. And I pray that Tzamplakon was rather induced to say things that are not true than that you are involved in such evils as he says. And Syrgiannes begged the emperor only to receive justice and not to be convicted in absentia through slander; and that he considered these false and fabricated words to be nothing and that with no trouble he would easily prove what they are. The emperor himself also said that it was more to his liking that he be acquitted of the charges and not be convicted on any one of them as true; and that he would never bring an unjust verdict against him, not only as now when he was fighting for his life, but not even if he were being tried for some of the most trivial matters. And he ordered Tzamplakon to bring forward the charges he was making against Syrgiannes; for he did not yet know anything about them. And Tzamplakon, beginning from the start, made the 1.439 accusation thus: "This Syrgiannes," he said, "O emperor, having been entrusted with the command of the west, first made it his business and it was his most earnest task of all to establish a company around himself and all, if he could,

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ὑστέρησεν αὐτῶν. Συργιάννης δὲ ἑσπέρας στρατηγὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἐπιτραπεὶς, ἡνίκα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐνόσησε τὴν νόσον ἐκείνην τὴν σφοδρὰν, πρῶτα μὲν ἐδόκει εὔνους εἶναι καὶ χάριτας ὡμολόγει· ἔπειτα ὡς ἐπύθετο ὡς, ῥαΐσαντος ἀπὸ τῆς νόσου βασιλέως, ὥρμητο μὲν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος αὐτὸν παραλύειν τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐπέσχε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς, ψευδῶς οὕτως εἰρημένου, τῶν μὲν προτέρων ἀγαθῶν, ὧν ἦν παρ' αὐτοῦ τετυχηκὼς, οὐδενὸς μεμνημένος ἦν. ὀργῇ δὲ φερόμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν διὰ τὰ εἰρημένα, ἑταιρείαν ἤρξατο συναθροίζειν καὶ ἑαυτῷ περιποιεῖν, οἰόμενος, ὡς ἐὰν δύναμιν ἑαυτῷ ἐκ φίλων μάλιστα πολλῶν καὶ οἰκετῶν συστήσηται ἀρκοῦσαν, οὐ δυνησομένου τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου κακῶς αὐτὸν ὅταν βούληται ποιεῖν. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν ἐσπουδάζετο αὐτῷ, ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ δὲ καὶ τῶν μάλιστα οἰκειοτάτων συνειδότων. καὶ διέλαθέ γε ἀγνοούμενος ἐπὶ καιρόν· ἔπειτα ὑπ' αὐτῶν τινος τῶν 1.437 συνειδότων τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ ἐμηνύθη. καὶ κατέγνω μὲν πολλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀχαριστίαν καὶ ἀμνημοσύνην τῶν καλῶν, ὅμως δὲ σπουδάζων ἴσος εἶναι ἑαυτῷ καὶ ὅμοιος ἐπὶ τῷ ἄτρεπτος μένειν ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, οὔτε ἐβουλεύσατο αὐτῷ τι δυσχερὲς, οὔτε εἴργαστο. ἀλλὰ τά τε ἄλλα ἦν προσκεκρουκὼς αὐτῷ οὐδὲν, καὶ τῆς ἑσπέρας τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐφ' ἱκανὸν παρεῖχε χρόνον ἄρχειν. ὁ δ' ἔτι μᾶλλον βουλόμενος βεβαίους αὐτῷ τοὺς φίλους εἶναι, καὶ ὅρκοις κατελάμβανε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ ὁμοίου παρεῖχεν. ἐγίνοντο δὲ οἱ ὅρκοι ἐπὶ τούτοις· Συργιάννην καὶ αὐτόν τινα φίλους εἶναι βεβαίους καὶ μηδένα ὑπ' οὐδεμιᾶς ἀνάγκης τὸν ἕτερον προδιδόναι· ἂν δ' ἑνί γέ τῳ τελευτήσῃ τρόπῳ ὁ βασιλεὺς, μὴ ἕκαστον ὅ,τι ἂν οἴηται δίκαιον καὶ λυσιτελὲς ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ βουλευσαμένους ὅ,τι ἂν δοκῇ Συργιάννῃ πράττειν καὶ μηδένα ἀντιλέγειν, ἀλλὰ πείθεσθαι αὐτῷ ὡς τὰ κοινῇ συμφέροντα βουλευσομένῳ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν πρότερον, ὕστερον δὲ οὐκ ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ διατρίβοντι βασιλεῖ κατὰ τὴν Χαλκιδικὴν τὴν ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ, συνῆσαν μὲν τῶν ἐν τέλει πολλοί· παρῆν δὲ καὶ Συργιάννης. Ἀρσένιος δὲ Τζαμπλάκων ὁ μέγας παπίας παρελθὼν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐδίωκε τὸν Συργιάννην ἀπιστίας, διϊσχυριζόμενος ὡς ἀπελέγξειν ἐπὶ τῆς δίκης. Συργιάννης δὲ εὐθὺς πρὶν βασιλέα φθέγξασθαί τι, καταψεύδεσθαί τε ἔφασκεν αὐτοῦ Τζαμπλάκωνα καὶ ἀποδείξεις παρέξειν τοῦ ψεύδους 1.438 ἰσχυράς. ὁ δ' οὐ δεῖν ἔφασκεν εἰκῇ λογομαχεῖν ἀλλήλοις ἀντεπάγοντας τὸ ψεύδεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς δίκης καταστάντας ἑκάτερον ὧν ἀξιοῖ παρέχεσθαι τὰς ἀποδείξεις. βασιλεὺς δὲ πρότερον μὲν ἡσύχασεν ἐπὶ μικρὸν πρὸς τὰ εἰρημένα· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν πω πρότερον οὐδὲν ἀκηκοὼς περὶ Συργιάννη· ἔπειτα ἄχθεσθαι μὲν εἶπε καὶ πάνυ πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους. οὐ γὰρ βούλεσθαι αὐτῷ τοὺς ὑπηκόους, τοὺς μὲν ἀπιστίας φεύγειν, τοὺς δὲ διώκειν, ἀλλὰ πάντας τε αὐτῷ εὔνους εἶναι καὶ μηδένα μηδ' ὑφ' ἑνὸς κατηγορεῖσθαι· ἐπεὶ δὲ εἴρηται τοιαῦτα, οὔθ' οὕτως ἔχειν ὥστε πάνυ πιστεύειν δεῖ, οὔθ' ὥστε ἀπιστεῖν, ἀλλὰ βασάνῳ τὸ πρᾶγμα δόντας, τἀληθὲς ἀνερευνᾷν. εὔχομαι δὲ Τζαμπλάκωνα παραχθέντα μᾶλλον τὰ μὴ ὄντα λέγειν ἢ σὲ τοιούτοις οἵοις αὐτός φησιν ἐνέχεσθαι κακοῖς. Συργιάννης δὲ ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως μόνον τῶν δικαίων τυχεῖν καὶ μὴ διὰ συκοφαντίαν ἐρήμην ἁλῶναι· τοὺς δὲ ψευδεῖς τουτουσὶ καὶ πεπλασμένους λόγους ἡγεῖσθαί τε μηδὲν καὶ σὺν οὐδενὶ πόνῳ ὅπερ εἰσι ῥᾳδίως ἀποδείξειν. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔφασκε κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ εἶναι μᾶλλον ἀπολύσασθαι τὰς κατηγορίας καὶ μηδ' ἐπὶ μιᾷ αὐτῶν ἁλῶναι ἀληθῶς· ἄδικον δὲ ψῆφον οὐκ ἄν ποτε αὐτῷ ἐπενεγκεῖν, οὐ μόνον ὥσπερ νῦν περὶ ψυχῆς ἀγωνιζομένῳ, ἀλλ' οὐδ' εἰ περὶ τῶν φαυλοτάτων τινὸς ἐλάγχανε τὴν δίκην. Τζαμπλάκωνι δὲ ἐκέλευσεν ἃ Συργιάννῃ ἐγκαλοίη εἰς μέσον ἄγειν· οὐδὲ γάρ πω ᾔδει περὶ αὐτῶν οὐδέν. Τζαμπλάκων δὲ ἄνωθεν ἀρξάμενος, οὕτως ἐποιεῖτο τὴν 1.439 κατηγορίαν· «Συργιάννης οὑτοσὶ» λέγων «ὦ βασιλεῦ, τὴν τῆς ἑσπέρας ἀρχὴν ἐπιτετραμμένος, πρῶτα μὲν ἐποιεῖτο διὰ σπουδῆς καὶ ἔργον ἦν αὐτῷ τῶν πάντων περισπουδαστότατον ἑταιρείαν συστήσασθαι περὶ αὑτὸν καὶ πάντας, εἰ δύναιτο,