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more courageous for men, but safer for affairs, he wished to rebuild the Kontoskelion near the Vlanka, so as to encircle the surrounding area with very large stones, to deepen the sea within, casting in molten silver, and to build up and provide sufficient shelter for the ships, 471 and to place from without iron gates, fitted to the entrance between the rocks, so that the fleet would be at once secure, and also our ships could fall upon the enemy's ships as they put out to sea—for because of the current of the sea it was not possible for them to stand still—from behind. And he was securing the Genoese in Pera, so that they would not join in an attack, cherishing the treaties, but also that they might otherwise guard against alliance with the invaders, even if they abstained from war against them on account of their race, and otherwise he was also winning them over and making them his own—one might say their liegemen—by his acts of good will. And while doing these things and making these preparations, he did not shrink from again sending frequent embassies by sea to the pope, all the more because the popes were also continuously departing by death. And the main point of the embassies was the union of the churches and the removal of the old scandal. For comparing what had been done synodically in the time of the Duke John, which was the reason they abstained from sending from there and allying with those in the city, on the grounds that our people were ready to celebrate the liturgy there and to commemorate the pope, promising these things—and Andronikos of Sardis and George of Cyzicus were sent, and it would perhaps have happened, if they had accepted—therefore, comparing that to this and finding the present more compelling than the former, inasmuch as then they were hastening to gain what they did not have, but now they are in danger of losing what is in their hands, he also proposed the same things as of old; for it was not possible otherwise to persuade the pope to champion the Greeks, unless he said and did these things; for the scandal stood in the way, and the saying that the Greeks were "white Saracens" was magnified among them. Thus 473 he was arranging that through such peaceful treaties the scandal might be resolved, and through the resolution of the scandal the fleet might be held back from Charles, and through this in turn the Romans might be secure and not, having with difficulty seen their fatherland yesterday and the day before and having been saved with hardship, again abandon it and return, besides the fact that otherwise a danger was kindled for most. Considering these things, he was very engaged in persuading both the patriarch and the synod. But they, listening so indevoutly and superficially, were like men scratching their ears with a feather, as the saying goes. For it was not for them at first to resist and refuse completely, but believing that the church would remain again sovereign, as it had from the beginning, and not be in danger of being judged by hucksters and artisans, first, they did not have in mind that what was being set in motion by the emperor would be accomplished so in an instant, but that just as often, when other emperors had moved matters concerning these things, it was prevented by arising reasons, so it would happen then also, and second, that even if it did not happen, the great scandal against us would not be so removed. In these things, then, were their thoughts, and they behaved lovingly toward the friars and other Italians and did not stand apart as far as being Christians was concerned, but on the greater matter they did not even contend, being certain fools—or what should I say?—being insensitive to what was being done; for it was necessary from the beginning to hold back and pull against it, not accepting, no matter what might happen, if they considered what was being accomplished to be among the forbidden things. But they, thinking the church to be in a safe position, as has been said before, in whatever way he might act that was thought to be expedient, remained quiet and, when such things were being set in motion by the emperor—for the matter being moved was dragged out for a long time—they were neglectful and considered it as nothing.

11. How, when Gregory was established as pope, the emperor arranged for peace with him. At last Gregory of Syria, a man renowned for virtue and a zealot for the ancient peace and concord of the churches, to the

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θαρραλεώτερον μὲν ἀνδράσιν, ἀσφαλέστερον δὲ πράγμασι, τὸ πρὸς τῷ Βλάγκᾳ Κοντοσκέλιον ἀνοικοδομεῖν ἤθελεν, ὥστε γυρῶσαι μὲν μεγί σταις πέτραις τὸν κύκλῳ τόπον, ἐμβαθῦναι δὲ τὴν ἐντὸς θάλασσαν, ἄργυρον χυτὸν ἐμβαλόντα, ἐποικοδομῆσαί τε καὶ στέγη ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀποχρῶντα, 471 πύλας δ' ἐπιθεῖναι ἀραρυίας ἐκ σιδήρου τῇ ἐν ταῖς πέτραις εἰσίθμῃ ἔξωθεν, ὥσθ' ἅμα μὲν ἀσφαλῶς ἔχειν τὸν στόλον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀναγομέναιςμὴ γὰρ εἶναι διὰ τὸ ῥοῶδες τῆς θαλάσσης ἵστασθαικατόπιν ἐμπίπτειν τὰς ἡμετέρας. Ἠσφαλίζετο δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς Περαίας Γεννουίτας, ὡς μὴ συνεπιτιθῶνται, στέργοντες τὰς σπονδάς, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλως φυλάττοιντο τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπελευσομένους κοινωνίαν, κἂν ἀπόσχοιντο τοῦ πρὸς ἐκείνους πολέμου διὰ τὸ γένος, ἄλλως δὲ καὶ παρέσπα καὶ ἰδίους ἐποίειλιζίους εἶπεν ἄν τις ἐκείνωνταῖς εὐμενείαις. Καὶ ταῦτα πράττων καὶ κατασκευαζόμενος, πρεσβείας αὖθις συχνὰς ἀποστέλλειν οὐκ ἀπώκνει παρὰ τὸν πάπαν διὰ θαλάσσης, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ συνεχῶς οἱ πάπαι ἀπηλλάττοντο τῷ θανάτῳ. Καὶ τὸ τῶν πρεσβειῶν κεφάλαιον ἡ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἕνωσις καὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ σκανδάλου ἀναίρεσις. Συγκρίνων γὰρ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ ∆ούκα Ἰωάννου συνοδικῶς γεγονὸς παρ' αἰτίαν τοῦ ἀποστέλλειν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ συμμαχεῖν τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀποσχέσθαι, ὡς ἑτοίμων τῶν ἡμετέρων ὄντων λειτουργεῖν ἐκεῖσε καὶ μνημονεύειν τοῦ πάπα, ταῦθ' ὑπισχνουμένουκαὶ ἀπεστέλλοντο ὅ τε Σάρδεων Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ ὁ Κυζίκου Γεώργιος, καὶ τάχ' ἂν ἐγεγόνει, εἰ ἐκεῖνοι κατεδέχοντο, συγκρίνων οὖν ἐκεῖνο πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ ἀναγκαστικώτερον εὑρίσκων τὸ νῦν ἢ τὸ πρότερον, ὅσῳ τότε μὲν προσλαβεῖν ἠπείγοντο τὸ μὴ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὄν, νῦν δ' ἀποβαλεῖν τὰ ἐν χερσὶ κινδυνεύουσι, τὰ αὐτὰ προὔτεινε καὶ οὗτος τοῖς πάλαι· μηδὲ γὰρ ἄλλως ἔχειν πείθειν τὸν πάπαν ὑπερμαχεῖν τῶν Γραικῶν, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα λέγοι καὶ πράττοι· προσίστατο γὰρ τὸ σκάνδαλον, καὶ τὸ λευκοὺς Ἀγαρηνοὺς εἶναι Γραικοὺς παρ' ἐκείνοις μεῖζον ᾔρετο. Ταῦτ' ἄρα 473 καὶ ᾠκονόμει διὰ μὲν τῶν τοιούτων εἰρηνικῶν σπονδῶν τὸ σκάνδαλον λύεσθαι, διὰ δὲ τῆς τοῦ σκανδάλου λύσεως ἐπισχεθῆναι τῷ Καρούλῳ τὸν στόλον, διὰ δὲ τούτου πάλιν ἀσφαλῶς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἔχειν καὶ μή, χθὲς καὶ πρὸ τρίτης μόγις ἰδόντας τὴν πατρίδα καὶ δυσχερῶς ἐπανασωθέντας, πάλιν ἀφέντας, ἐπανακάμπτειν, πρὸς τῷ καὶ ἄλλως ἐξῆφθαι τοῖς πλείστοις κίνδυνον. Ταῦτα διανοούμενος, πολὺς ἦν καὶ πατριάρχην πείθων καὶ σύνοδον. Οἱ δ' ἀφωσιωμένως οὕτω καὶ ἐπιπολαίως ἀκούοντες, πτερῷ, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, τὰ ὦτα κνωμένοις ἐῴκεσαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἀντιστῆναι τὸ πρῶτον καὶ ἀπολέγειν τέλεον, ἀλλὰ μένειν καὶ αὖθις ἐν τῇ κυρίᾳ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἡγούμενοι, καθὼς καὶ ἀρχῆθεν εἶχε, καὶ μὴ παρὰ καπήλων κινδυνεύειν κρίνεσθαι καὶ βαναύσων, πρῶτον μὲν οὐκ εἶχον εἰς νοῦν οὕτως ἐν ἀκαρεῖ τελεσθῆναι τὸ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως κινούμενον, ἀλλ' ὡς καὶ πολλάκις, κινησάντων βασιλέων ἄλλων, τὰ περὶ τούτων, ἀνακυπτουσῶν αἰτιῶν, ἐκωλύετο, οὕτω γενέσθαι καὶ τότε, δεύτερον δὲ ὡς, εἰ καὶ μὴ γένοιτο, μὴ ἂν οὕτως ἀρθῆναι μέγα τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς σκάνδαλον. Ἐν τούτοις μὲν οὖν τὰ ἐκείνων ἦσαν, καὶ φρερίοις μὲν καὶ λοιποῖς Ἰταλοῖς ἀγαπητικῶς προσεφέροντο καὶ ὅσον ἦν τὸ κατὰ χριστιανοὺς οὐ διίσταντο, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ πλέονι οὐδ' ἐγνωσιμάχουν, μαμάκουθοί τινες ὄντες ἤτί ἂν εἴποιμι; ἀναισθήτως τῶν πραττομένων ἔχοντες· ἔδει γὰρ ἀρχῆθεν ἐπέχειν καὶ ἀντισπᾶν, μὴ καταδεχομένους, κἂν ὅ τι γένοιτο, εἴπερ τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων ἐνόμιζον τὸ τελούμενον. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι, ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἔχειν οἰόμενοι, ὡς προείρηται, καθ' ὅ τι καὶ πράξοι νομισθὲν συμφέρον, ἡσύχαζον καί, κινουμένων παρὰ βασιλέως τῶν τοιούτωνἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ ἐτρίβετο τὸ κινούμενον, κατημέλουν καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν ἐνόμιζον.

ιαʹ. Ὅπως, σταθέντος πάπα τοῦ Γρηγορίου, ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὴν μετ' ἐκείνου εἰρήνην ᾠκονομεῖτο. Τέλος τοῦ κατὰ Συρίαν Γρηγορίου, ἀνδρὸς διαβεβοημένου εἰς ἀρετὴν καὶ ζηλωτοῦ τῆς ἀρχαίας τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν εἰρήνης καὶ ὁμονοίας, εἰς τὸ