188

to be enslaved. For surely they are not so foolish that, if what they often desired will be at hand after great labors and dangers, they would surrender it to you when no necessity is present. But of what sort the slavery of the Tarentines and the other Latins is, you yourselves know by experience better than we do. So whether the Tarentines will be your allies or not, whether they will conquer us or be defeated themselves, nothing is lacking for you to reach the ultimate danger. But not even to think that we, having made light of it because of the time, will withdraw from the siege, is the part of sensible men. For indeed we ourselves will not sit besieging you forever. For now the emperor, thinking that you, having been taught by the events themselves that you have planned things that are not advantageous for yourselves, will change your minds and come over to him, both still waits himself and has not even given your possessions in the other cities to others; but if he should despair of your re 1.532 pentance, not only your properties, but also those of your other kinsmen he will hand over to the most powerful of the Acarnanians; who for the sake of their own gain and beyond their power will wage war against you as most hostile, even having a small army from the emperor, and they will not cease besieging you until, having subdued you yourselves and your wives and children, they will make you exiles. But the emperor and we will withdraw home. Consider then to what evils the war against the emperor will lead for you; but if you obey me as I advise better things and surrender yourselves and the city to the emperor, first, that which you yourselves are eager to do, to find some advantage for Nikephoros your lord, will be possible. For I will betroth my daughter to him; which indeed you yourselves surely are not ignorant is second to none in the matter of good fortune. For I will raise him as a son, and the emperor, on account of his goodwill toward me, will make him distinguished among the Romans with honors and many benefactions. Then you will also become the cause of no few goods for yourselves. For here the emperor will treat you well, adding other things to what you had before; and you will enjoy a share of the things that will be bestowed upon Nikephoros your lord. Therefore I think it is no longer necessary to string together more words; for among the right-minded even what has been said is sufficient to understand both how many evils the war will be the cause of for you and how many goods coming over to the emperor will be; and it will be for you, after deliberating, to choose which of the two 1.533 alternatives mentioned.” When the great domestic had spoken such things, Ritzardos himself also acknowledged that he stood out from the others who were present with Nikephoros; but he said it was necessary for them too, having learned about what had been said, to cast the vote together on what was to be done. And with the great domestic also praising this, he withdrew into the city, promising to come on the next day to give an answer. And having gathered an assembly from those with him, he deliberated with them whether they should hand over themselves and the city to the emperor. And it seemed that what the great domestic advised them was to be chosen. And when it had been decided, on the next day Ritzardos, approaching the great domestic again, called God to witness that, "neither being hostilely disposed toward the emperor, nor thinking we would procure any advantage for ourselves from the rebellion, did we choose to revolt from the emperor; but thinking that if we were the first to revolt, the other Acarnanians would also join us and would restore the paternal rule to Nikephoros, we willingly entered into the dangers, thinking to procure good repute for ourselves and an advantage for our lord. But with things having turned out contrariwise, the opposite happened from what we ourselves had expected. Now therefore, after we too deliberated much about the present situation, nothing more advantageous at present was found either for us or for Nikephoros than what you yourself advised. For which reason we hand over both ourselves and the city to the emperor through you; and you yourself would know in what way you will prepare 1.534 our affairs to be in the best state." He then said such things; but the great domestic, having praised them for their change of mind and having promised to do for them what they needed

188

δουλεύειν. οὐ γὰρ δήπου γε ἀνοηταίνουσι τοσοῦτον, ὥστε οὗ πολλάκις ἐπεθύμησαν, μετὰ τοὺς μεγάλους πόνους καὶ κινδύνους εἰ παρέσται, ἀνάγκης οὐδεμιᾶς παρούσης ὑμῖν προέσθαι. ὁποία δὲ ἡ Ταραντίνων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Λατίνων δουλεία, αὐτοὶ ἴστε πείρᾳ βέλτιον ἡμῶν. ὥστε εἴτε συμμαχήσουσιν ὑμῖν οἱ Ταραντῖνοι, εἴτε μὴ, εἴτε νικήσουσιν ἡμᾶς, εἴτε ἡττηθήσονται αὐτοὶ, οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἐλλείπει τοῦ μὴ εἰς ἔσχατον κινδύνου ἀφικέσθαι. οὐ μὴ ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡμᾶς ὀλιγωρήσαντας διὰ τὸν χρόνον ἀποστήσεσθαι τῆς πολιορκίας οἴεσθαι, νοῦν ἐχόντων ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπων. οὐ γὰρ δὴ αὐτοὶ καθεδούμεθα μέχρι παντὸς ὑμᾶς πολιορκοῦντες. νῦν μὲν γὰρ βασιλεὺς οἰόμενος ἐξ αὐτῶν διδαχθέντας τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς οὐ λυσιτελοῦντα ἐβουλεύσασθε ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς, μεταγνόντες προσχωρήσετε αὐτῷ, αὐτός τε ἔτι περιμένει καὶ οὐδὲ τὰς κτήσεις ὑμῶν τὰς ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι παρέσχετο ἑτέροις· ἂν δὲ ἀπογνῶ τὴν με 1.532 ταμέλειαν ὑμῶν, οὐ μόνον τὰ ὑμέτερα κτήματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συγγενῶν ὑμῶν τοῖς δυνατωτάτοις Ἀκαρνάνων παραδώσει· οἳ κέρδους ἕνεκα ἰδίου καὶ ὑπὲρ δύναμιν πολεμήσουσιν ὑμῖν ὡς πολεμιωτάτοις καὶ ὀλίγην ἔχοντες ἐκ βασιλέως στρατιὰν, καὶ οὐκ ἀνήσουσι πολιορκοῦντες ἄχρις οὗ παραστησάμενοι αὐτούς τε καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα, θήσουσιν ὑπερορίους. βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς οἴκαδε ἀναχωρήσομεν. σκέψασθε οὖν οἷ κακῶν ὁ πρὸς βασιλέα πόλεμος ὑμῖν χωρήσει· ἐὰν δ' ἐμοὶ τὰ βελτίω παραινοῦντι πείθησθε καὶ ἑαυτοὺς βασιλεῖ καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδῶτε, πρῶτον μὲν, ὅπερ αὐτοὶ διὰ σπουδῆς ποιεῖσθε, τὸ Νικηφόρῳ τῷ ὑμῶν δεσπότῃ ὠφέλειάν τινα ἐξευρεῖν, ἐξέσται. ἐγὼ γὰρ αὐτῷ τὴν ἐμὴν κατεγγυήσω θυγατέρα· ὅπερ ὅτι γε οὐδενὸς δεύτερον εἰς εὐτυχίας λόγον οὐδ' αὐτοὶ ἀγνοεῖτε δήπου. ἐγώ τε γὰρ ὡς υἱὸν ἐκθρέψω, καὶ βασιλεὺς τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ εὐνοίας ἕνεκα τιμαῖς τε καὶ πολλαῖς εὐεργεσίαις περιφανῆ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις θήσει. ἔπειτα καὶ ἑαυτοῖς οὐκ ὀλίγων τινῶν ἀγαθῶν αἴτιοι γενήσεσθε. ἐνταῦθά τε γὰρ ὑμᾶς εὖ ποιήσει βασιλεὺς, οἷς εἴχετε πρότερον καὶ ἕτερα προσθείς· καὶ τῶν Νικηφόρῳ τῷ ὑμῶν δεσπότῃ ἀπονεμηθησομένων ἀπολαύσετε τὸ μέρος. πλείω μὲν οὖν οὐκέτι δεῖν οἴομαι συνείρειν· ἱκανὰ γὰρ παρ' εὖ φρονοῦσι καὶ τὰ εἰρημένα, ὅσων τε κακῶν ὑμῖν ὁ πόλεμος αἴτιος ἔσται καταμαθεῖν καὶ ὅσων ἀγαθῶν τὸ προσχωρῆσαι βασιλεῖ· ὑμῖν δὲ ἐξέσται διασκεψαμένοις, τῶν εἰ 1.533 ρημένων προσθέσθαι ὁποτέροις.» Τοιαῦτα διειλεγμένου τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, ὁ Ῥιτζάρδος τῶν μὲν Νικηφόρῳ συμπαρόντων ἄλλων ὡμολόγει καὶ αὐτὸς προέχειν· δεῖν δὲ ἔφασκε καὶ ἐκείνους περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων πυθομένους, κοινῇ τῶν πρακτέων τὴν ψῆφον ἐξαγαγεῖν. ἐπαινοῦντος δὲ καὶ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπαγγειλάμενος εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἥξειν ὡς λόγον ἀποδώσων. ἐκκλησίαν δὲ συναθροίσας ἐκ τῶν συνόντων, ἐβουλεύετο ἅμα αὐτοῖς εἰ δέοι βασιλεῖ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐγχειρίζειν. καὶ ἐδόκει αἱρετέα εἶναι ἃ αὐτοῖς ὁ μέγας δομέστικος παρῄνει. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐδέδοκτο, εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ὁ Ῥιτζάρδος αὖθις τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ προσελθὼν, ἐμαρτύρετο θεὸν, ὡς οὔτ' ἀπεχθῶς διακείμενοι πρὸς βασιλέα, οὔθ' ἑαυτοῖς τινα οἰόμενοι ὠφέλειαν ἐκ τῆς ἀποστασίας προξενήσειν, εἱλόμεθα ἀποστῆναι βασιλέως· οἰόμενοι δὲ, ἂν αὐτοὶ πρῶτοι ἀποστῶμεν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Ἀκαρνᾶνας συνέψεσθαι ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχὴν Νικηφόρῳ ἀποδώσειν, ἑκόντες ὄντες εἰσήχθημεν εἰς τοὺς κινδύνους, εὔκλειάν τε ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ὠφέλειαν τῷ ἡμετέρῳ δεσπότῃ οἰόμενοι προξενήσειν. τῶν πραγμάτων δὲ ἀντεστραμμένων, ἀπέβη τἀναντία ἢ αὐτοὶ προσεδοκῶμεν. νῦν οὖν καὶ ἡμῖν πολλὰ περὶ τῶν παρόντων διασκεψαμένοις λυσιτελέστερον οὐδὲν ἐν τῷ παρόντι οὔθ' ἡμῖν οὔτε Νικηφόρῳ ἢ ὧν συνεβούλευσας αὐτὸς, εὑρέθη. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν διὰ σοῦ παραδιδοῦμεν βασιλεῖ· αὐτὸς δ' ἂν εἰδείης ὅτῳ τρόπῳ βέλτιστα ἡμῖν τὰ πράγματα παρασκευά 1.534 σεις ἔχειν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα εἶπεν· ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ἐπαινέσας τῆς μεταβολῆς αὐτοὺς καὶ ὧν ἐδέοντο ἐπαγγειλάμενος πράξειν αὐτοῖς