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to proclaim, except for his sons. After these things he passed away, having reigned for seven and a half years, and having lived for sixty or even somewhat beyond that. However, he had honored his brother the Caesar and had him as an advisor and a confidant in his secrets. Though not conversant with letters, he loved them and revered learned men, and he used to say that he wished to be known more from letters than from his reign. And he used to say that he would not harm those who plotted against him in any other way than by treating them merely as purchased slaves, since their own laws had deprived them of their freedom. At any rate, according to the testaments of the deceased emperor, both the empress Eudocia and his children were the successors to the empire, and the empress had taken over the providence of common affairs, presiding over her sons, and she sat forth on the tribunal with them, she herself being in the middle, and seating them on either side, thus in elections, thus in investigations of politi683 cal cases, thus they gave audience to ambassadors, thus they went forth in the customary processions. But the barbarians plundering the east did not cease overrunning the lands under the Romans and ravaging them daily. For the soldiers, as has already been said by me, on account of the emperor's avarice, were diminished in number and demoralized. And if any were still engaged in military service, even they were unwilling to go out against the enemy, being deprived of their usual pay. Whence the barbarians sometimes lay in wait for Mesopotamia, sometimes they sacked the region around Melitene, sometimes they ravaged Cilicia, and at other times they attacked the Cappadocians and occasionally those in Coele-Syria. These things being reported to the empress caused a disturbance, and since many were saying that affairs required an emperor, she, fearing that the commonwealth might appoint some emperor for itself, and thus she and her children might be cast out of the empire, decided to bring someone herself to the throne, so that she might both preserve the power for herself and for her children and it might remain theirs undisputed. For they say that it was not through licentiousness nor overcome by pleasure that she attached Diogenes to herself, but that she might set him over the empire as a man who was ener684 getic and experienced in warfare and of incomparable strength, so that the barbarian onslaught might be checked somehow, with him setting his arms against them. And this man was both from an illustrious family and among those renowned for their deeds of valor. His father, having become a relative by marriage to the nephew of Romanos of the house of the Argyroi who formerly reigned, and having been convicted of treason, threw himself from a height. He had been honored with the rank of vestarches. For having been made doux of Sardica by Doukas, and having chanced upon the Patzinaks somewhere there and engaged them in battle, he both destroyed many and took no fewer prisoner, and having sent to the emperor the captives alive, but the heads of the slain, he was honored as vestarches, with the ruler writing to him thus: "The rank is not a gift, O Diogenes, but a reward for your valor." Therefore, while staying there he prepared to usurp the throne, since he learned that the 685 emperor had died. But when the man's plan was reported to the empress, she sent and had him arrested, and he was brought as a prisoner to Byzantium and, being convicted as a conspirator, he was condemned and for a time was confined within prescribed boundaries. Then again as a condemned man he was brought before the imperial tribunal, so that the sentence against him might be confirmed. Pity for the man therefore entered those present and everyone's soul was moved; for he was not only incomparable in strength, but also handsome to behold. Therefore the empress, along with the others, felt sympathy for him and pity for the man seized her too, but whether it was also love, I cannot say, and instead of the sentence that prescribed punishment for him, a decree was brought forth to free him from the punishment. And he, having been acquitted of the charge, went off toward the land of the Cappadocians (for this was his homeland), but the empress, having sent for him, appointed him magistros and stratelates, having already decided within herself to proclaim this man emperor as the noblest of men. She was hindered, however, by the oaths and the written document, which from the

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ἀνειπεῖν, εἰ μὴ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ. ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ μὲν ἐξέλιπε, βασιλεύσας ἑπτὰ πρὸς τῷ ἡμίσει ἐνιαυτούς, ζήσας δ' ἑξήκοντα ἢ καί τι τούτων ἐπέκεινα. τὸν μέντοι ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ Καίσαρα βασιλεύσας ἐτίμησε καὶ σύμβουλον εἶχε καὶ τῶν μυστηρίων συνίστορα. λόγοις δὲ οὐχ ὡμιληκὼς ἠγάπα τούτους καὶ τοὺς λογίους ἐσέβετο, καὶ ἔλεγε βούλεσθαι μᾶλλον ἐκ λόγων ἢ τῆς βασιλείας γνωρίζεσθαι. τοὺς δ' ἐπιβούλους αὐτοῦ μὴ ἄλλως κακῶς διαθήσειν ἔφασκεν ἢ μόνον ὡς ὠνητοῖς κεχρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς, ὡς τῶν νόμων αὐτῶν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀφελομένων. Κατὰ γοῦν τὰς τοῦ τελευτήσαντος βασιλέως διαταγὰς ἥ τε βασιλὶς Εὐδοκία καὶ οἱ παῖδες ἐκείνου τῆς βασιλείας ἦσαν διάδοχοι καὶ ἡ βασίλισσα τὴν τῶν κοινῶν μετακεχείριστο πρόνοιαν τῶν υἱέων κατάρχουσα καὶ ἐπὶ βήματος σὺν ἐκείνοις προὐκάθητο, μεσεύουσα μὲν αὐτή, ἐκείνους δὲ παρακαθίζουσα ἑκατέρωθεν, οὕτως ἐν ἀρχαιρεσίαις, οὕτως ἐν ζητήσεσι πολιτι683 κῶν ὑποθέσεων, οὕτως ἐχρημάτιζον πρέσβεσιν, οὕτως ἐν συνήθεσι προόδοις προῄεσαν. Οἱ δὲ τὴν ἑῴαν ληιζόμενοι βάρβαροι οὐκ ἐπαύοντο τὰς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους κατατρέχοντες χώρας καὶ ταύτας ὁσημέραι σινόμενοι. οἱ γὰρ στρατιῶται, ὡς ἤδη μοι εἴρηται, διὰ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως γλισχρότητα ὠλιγώθησάν τε καὶ ἐκακώθησαν. καὶ εἴ τινες δ' ἦσαν ἔτι στρατείας ἐχόμενοι, κἀκεῖνοι ἀντεπεξιέναι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἦσαν ἀπρόθυμοι, τῶν συνήθων ὀψωνίων στερούμενοι. ὅθεν οἱ βάρβαροι ποτὲ μὲν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ ἐφήδρευον, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν Μελιτηνὴν ἐπόρθουν, ποτὲ δὲ τὴν Κιλικίαν ἐσίνοντο, καὶ ἄλλοτε τοῖς Καππαδόκαις ἐπῄεσαν καὶ τοῖς κατὰ Κοίλην Συρίαν ἐνίοτε. ταῦτα τῇ βασιλίσσῃ καταγγελλόμενα θόρυβον ἐνεποίει, καὶ βασιλέως πολλῶν λεγόντων δεῖσθαι τὰ πράγματα, δείσασα ἐκείνη μὴ τὸ κοινὸν βασιλέα τινὰ προστήσηται ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ οὕτως αὐτὴ καὶ οἱ παῖδες τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπέσωσιν, ἔκρινεν αὐτή τινα ἐπαγαγεῖν τῇ ἀρχῇ, ἵνα καὶ ἑαυτῇ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις διατηρήσῃ τὸ κράτος καὶ μείνῃ αὐτοῖς ἀναφαίτερον. οὐ γὰρ δι' ἀκολασίαν αὐτήν φασιν οὐδ' ἡττηθεῖσαν ἡδονῆς ἑαυτῇ προσαρμόσαι τὸν ∆ιογένη, ἀλλ' ὡς ἄνδρα δρα684 στήριον καὶ τὰ πολέμια δόκιμον καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀπαράμιλλον ἐπιστῆσαι αὐτὸν τῇ ἀρχῇ, ἵν' ἡ βαρβαρικὴ φορὰ ἐπισχεθείη ποσῶς, αὐτοῦ τούτοις ἀντερείσαντος τοὺς βραχίονας. Ἦν δ' ὁ ἀνὴρ οὗτος καὶ τῶν ἐκ γένους λαμπροῦ καὶ τῶν διαβοήτων ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀνδραγαθήμασιν. οὗ ὁ πατὴρ ἐπ' ἀδελφόπαιδι τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος πάλαι τοῦ κατὰ τοὺς Ἀργυροὺς Ῥωμανοῦ κηδεστὴς γεγονὼς καὶ ἐπὶ τυραννίδι ἁλοὺς ἑαυτὸν κατεκρήμνισε. τετίμητο δὲ τῷ τῶν βεσταρχῶν ἀξιώματι. δοὺξ γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ ∆ούκα τῆς Σαρδικῆς γεγονὼς καὶ Πατζινάκοις ἐκεῖ που περιτυχὼν καὶ τούτοις συμβαλών, πολλούς τε διώλεσε καὶ οὐ μείους ἐζώγρησεν, ὧν τοὺς μὲν ἑαλωκότας ζωούς, τῶν δ' ἐσφαγμένων τὰς κεφαλὰς στείλας τῷ βασιλεῖ βεστάρχης τετίμητο, γράψαντος τοῦ κρατοῦντος αὐτῷ ὡς "οὐ δῶρον, ὦ ∆ιόγενες, τὸ ἀξίωμα, τοῦ δ' ἀνδραγαθήματος ἀμοιβή." διατρίβων οὖν ἐκεῖ τυραννῆσαι παρεσκευάζετο, ἐπεὶ ἔγνω τεθνάναι 685 τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. ὡς δ' ἐμηνύθη τῇ βασιλίσσῃ τὸ βούλευμα τοῦ ἀνδρός, στείλασα συνέσχεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἤχθη δεσμώτης εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον καὶ ἐλεγχθεὶς ὡς ἐπίβουλος κατεκρίθη καὶ τέως ὁρίοις κατεκλείσθη περιγραπτοῖς. εἶτ' αὖθις ὡς κατάκριτος εἰσῆκτο πρὸς βῆμα δὴ τὸ βασίλειον, ἵν' ἡ ψῆφος κυρωθείη ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἔλεος οὖν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς εἰσῄει τοὺς παρεστῶτας καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπαθαίνετο ἡ ψυχή· ἦν γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀπαράμιλλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰδέσθαι καλός. συνέπαθεν οὖν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων καὶ ἡ βασιλὶς ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ οἶκτος ἔλαβε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ αὐτήν, εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔρως, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς ψήφου τῆς ὁριζούσης ἐκείνῳ τὴν κόλασιν τῆς κολάσεως ἐλευθεροῦν αὐτὸν ἐξήνεκτο ψήφισμα. καὶ ὁ μὲν λυθεὶς τοῦ ἐγκλήματος ἐξῄει πρὸς τὴν Καππαδοκῶν (αὕτη γὰρ ἐκείνῳ πατρίς), ἡ δὲ βασιλὶς μεταπεμψαμένη αὐτὸν μάγιστρον καὶ στρατηλάτην προεχειρίσατο, ἤδη καὶ βασιλέα τοῦτον ἀνειπεῖν ὡς ἄνδρα κρίνασα παρ' ἑαυτῇ γενναιότατον. ἀνεκόπτετο μέντοι διὰ τὰ ὅρκια καὶ τὸ ἔγγραφον, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ