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tarrying, and especially one so great, shears the enemy's land unsparingly; and being fed from the allied and friendly land, brings a sudden famine upon it. 1.520 But you commit the ultimate injustice, by bringing upon them the rule of the barbarian Tarentines instead of the Roman empire, which has been almost their birthright since the time of Caesar. For Nikephoros, on whose behalf you think you are especially choosing war, is able to suffice neither you nor himself for freedom; but having fled to the Tarentines, he thinks he will drive out the king of Acarnania with the power from there. But it is not likely that he thinks he will be able to do this, nor, if he is able, [will it be] without great toils and dangers. Do you not think, then, that those who have undertaken such a war on your behalf against the king, if they should be able to become stronger, will hold you as the prize for their valor and their many struggles? Then you will not seem to be thinking correctly. But I would have shown that you were doing the greatest injustice to the king, even if you were able by yourselves to secure the rule of Acarnania for Nikephoros. For it came to pass that the Angeli acquired the rule not by liberating Acarnania from barbarians, but, being subject to the Roman emperors and having been entrusted by them with the annual governance of the land, they usurped the rule because of the war then brought upon the Romans by the Latins; and when these, by the consent of the stronger power, had taken possession of Byzantium and all of Thrace and many of the cities in Macedonia, the Roman empire 1.521 retreated to the east; the Angeli claimed the rule of Acarnania for themselves, and others other western provinces which each happened to be administering, because there was no passage for the Roman emperors to them through Thrace and Macedonia, which were under the Latins. But many years later, when the Roman empire was being governed by the Palaiologoi, they once again, with God's help, drove the Latins out of the Roman dominion and united Asia and Europe, as much as they ruled, into one; but when they demanded Acarnania from the Angeli, they were not able to get it back, but the latter, acting unjustly and violently, withheld it and many times took up arms against the army sent against them and brought in the neighboring barbarians as allies. But one would say that the present reigning king, who is campaigning against you and has subjugated you with help from above, is not doing wrong by taking away the rule of others, but is rather doing what is most just by taking back his ancestral possession. For if it is just for Nikephoros to derive his rule from ancestors who were not many, it is much more so for the king, who is a descendant of the Romans who have ruled from the beginning according to the logic of succession. But if the length of time seems to you sufficient for justification, know that you are reasoning contrary to the facts; for you are more deserving of punishment for this reason, that you have been doing wrong for so long a time. If, therefore, you cannot by any means escape being captured, and even if you had the power 1.522 to drive out the king of Acarnania, you could not have escaped doing wrong, why must you, by toiling in vain, intensify your misfortune for yourselves, and not, by being persuaded by me who advises what is better, become for yourselves the cause of great blessings, and relieve us of the little trouble we will endure in subduing you. And that my advice is beneficial to you, you may use as counselors your kinsmen and companions, the people of Rogoi, who, having entrusted all their affairs to me, will themselves bear witness to how much goodwill and forethought they have enjoyed from the king. If, therefore, you also entrust your affairs to me, you will know well that you have trusted a man who is true and just and able to do good. Now then, it is not right to demand a defense for what has been said, since most are absent and you are unpracticed in speeches; but having gathered an assembly and deliberated on what is necessary, give your answer tomorrow, if you please.” So he, having said such things to the people of Arta, withdrew to the camp, leaving behind Kabasilas and the other men of Rogoi to converse with them, so that they might be especially induced by them to submit to the king. The people of Arta

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διατρίβουσα καὶ μάλιστα τοσαύτη τὴν μὲν πολεμίαν κείρει ἀφειδῶς· ἐκ δὲ τῆς συμμαχίδος καὶ οἰκείας τρεφομένη, λιμὸν αὐτῇ αἰφνίδιον ἐ 1.520 πάγει. ἀδικεῖτε δὲ τὰ ἔσχατα, ἀντὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας, ἣ σχεδὸν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν Καίσαρος χρόνων πάτριός ἐστι, τὴν Ταραντίνων αὐτοῖς ἀνθρώπων βαρβάρων ἐπάγοντες ἀρχήν. Νικηφόρος γὰρ, ὑπὲρ οὗ μάλιστα αὐτοὶ οἴεσθε τὸν πόλεμον αἱρεῖσθαι, οὔθ' ὑμῖν οὔθ' ἑαυτῷ οἷός τέ ἐστιν ἐξαρκεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν· ἀλλὰ Ταραντίνοις προσφυγὼν, τῇ ἐκεῖθεν οἴεται δυνάμει Ἀκαρνανίας βασιλέα ἐξελάσειν. τοῦτο δὲ οὔτε δυνήσεσθαι οἴεσθαι αὐτὸν εἰκὸς, οὔτ' εἰ δυνήσεται, ἄνευ πόνων μεγάλων καὶ κινδύνων. τοὺς οὖν πόλεμον τοιοῦτον ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν πρὸς βασιλέα ἀναδεξαμένους, εἰ κρείττους δυνήσονται γενέσθαι, οὐκ οἴεσθε ὑμᾶς τῆς ἀρετῆς ἆθλον καὶ τῶν ἀγώνων σχήσειν τῶν πολλῶν; οὐκ ἄρα δόξετε ὀρθῶς φρονεῖν. ἐγὼ δὲ, εἰ καὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ὑμεῖς Ἀκαρνανίας τὴν ἀρχὴν Νικηφόρῳ ἠδύνασθε περιποιεῖν, ἀδικοῦντας ἂν τὰ μέγιστα βασιλέα ἀπέφηνα ὑμᾶς. Ἀγγέλους γὰρ οὐκ ἀπὸ βαρβάρων Ἀκαρνανίαν ἐλευθερώσαντας κτήσασθαι συνέβη τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλ' ὑποχειρίους ὄντας Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῦσι καὶ παρ' ἐκείνων ἐτήσιον ἀρχὴν τῆς χώρας ἐπιτετραμμένους, σφετερίσασθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τὸν ἐπενεχθέντα τότε παρὰ Λατίνων Ῥωμαίοις πόλεμον· ὧν δὴ τοῦ κρείττονος συγχωρήσει Βυζαντίου κρατησάντων καὶ Θρᾴκης ἁπάσης καὶ τῶν κατὰ Μακεδονίαν πόλεων πολλῶν, βασιλεία μὲν ἡ Ῥωμαίων 1.521 ὑπεχώρησε πρὸς ἕω· Ἀκαρνανίας δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἄγγελοι προσεποιήσαντο ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλας τῶν ἑσπερίων ἐπαρχιῶν, ὧν ἕκαστοι ἔτυχον ἐπιτροπεύοντες, διὰ τὸ βασιλεῦσι Ῥωμαίων δίοδον οὐκ εἶναι πρὸς αὐτοὺς διὰ Θρᾴκης καὶ Μακεδονίας οὐσῶν ὑπὸ Λατίνοις. ὕστερον δὲ ἔτεσι πολλοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν Παλαιολόγων ἰθυνομένης τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας, Λατίνους μὲν αὖθις, τοῦ θεοῦ συναιρομένου, τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἐξήλασαν ἡγεμονίας καὶ Ἀσίαν καὶ Εὐρώπην, ὅσης ἦρχον, εἰς ἓν συνῆψαν· Ἀκαρνανίαν δὲ Ἀγγέλους ἀπαιτοῦντες, οὐκ ἠδύναντο ἀπολαβεῖν, ἀλλ' ἄδικα καὶ βίαια ποιοῦντες, ἀπεστέρουν καὶ στρατιὰν πολλάκις ἐπ' ἐκείνους πέμψασιν ὅπλα ἀντῄροντο καὶ τοὺς περιοίκους συμμάχους ἐπήγοντο βαρβάρους. τὸν βασιλεύοντα δὲ νυνὶ ἐπιστρατεύοντα ὑμῖν καὶ τῇ ἄνωθεν ἐπικουρίᾳ δουλωσάμενον οὐκ ἀδικεῖν ἄν τις φαίη τὴν ἑτέρων παραιρούμενον ἀρχὴν, ἀλλὰ μάλιστα τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν ἀπολαμβάνοντα τὴν πατρῴαν. εἰ γὰρ Νικηφόρῳ δίκαιον τὸ ἐκ προγόνων οὐ πολλῶν ὄντων τὴν ἀρχὴν κατάγεσθαι, πολλῷ μᾶλλον βασιλεῖ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς βασιλευσάντων Ῥωμαίων ὄντι ἀπογόνῳ κατὰ τὸν λόγον τῆς διαδοχῆς. εἰ δὲ τὸ τοῦ χρόνου μῆκος ἀξιόχρεων δοκεῖ πρὸς δικαίωσιν ὑμῖν, ἴστε τἀναντία λογιζόμενοι τῶν ὄντων· μᾶλλον γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο δίκης ἄξιοι, ὅτι τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἠδικεῖτε. εἰ οὖν μηχανῇ τε οὐδεμιᾷ τὸ ἁλῶναι οὐ δύνασθε διαφυγεῖν, εἴ τε καὶ δύναμις ὑμῖν παρῆν 1.522 Ἀκαρνανίας βασιλέα ἐξελαύνειν, τὸ ἀδικεῖν οὐκ ἂν ἦν διαφυγεῖν, τί δεῖ ἀνήνυτα πονοῦντας τὴν κακοπραγίαν ἐπιτείνειν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ μὴ πειθομένους ἐμοὶ τὰ βελτίω συμβουλεύοντι, σφίσι μὲν αὐτοῖς αἰτίους γενέσθαι μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν, ἡμᾶς δὲ ὀλίγου πόνου ἀπαλλάξαι, ὃν ὑπομενοῦμεν ὑμᾶς καταστρεφόμενοι. ὅτι δὲ ἡ ἐμὴ παραίνεσις συμφέρουσα ὑμῖν, ἔξεστι χρήσασθαι συμβούλοις τοῖς συγγενέσι καὶ ἑταίροις ὑμῶν Ῥωγίοις, οἳ ἐμοὶ πάντα ἀναθέμενοι τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς, ὅσης ἀπήλαυσαν εὐνοίας καὶ προνοίας τῆς πρὸς βασιλέως, μαρτυρήσουσιν αὐτοί. εἰ οὖν καὶ ὑμεῖς τὰ ὑμέτερα ἀνάθησθε ἐμοὶ, εἴσεσθε καλῶς ὡς ἀληθεῖ καὶ δικαίῳ καὶ δυναμένῳ εὖ ποιεῖν ἐπιστεύσατε ἀνδρί. ἀπολογίαν μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀπαιτεῖν οὐ δίκαιον νυνὶ, τῶν πλειόνων τε ἀπόντων καὶ ὑμῶν ἀμελετήτων πρὸς τοὺς λόγους ὄντων· ἐκκλησίαν δὲ ἀθροίσαντες καὶ βουλευσάμενοι περὶ τῶν δεόντων, ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν, εἰ δοκεῖ, ἀπόδοτε τὸν λόγον.» Ὁ μὲν οὖν εἰπὼν τοιαῦτα πρὸς Ἀρταίους, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, Καβασίλαν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ῥωγίους διαλέγεσθαι αὐτοῖς καταλιπὼν, ὡς ἂν ὑπ' ἐκείνων μάλιστα ἐνάγοιντο προσχωρεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἀρταῖοι