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the words provided no small diversion, and he said jokingly to the Grand Domestic that now at least he might be persuaded that he was of a sharper mind than him and better able from his words to conjecture the minds of men. But he 1.537 said that he had long been persuaded that the difference was not so slight as to be unnoticeable, and now especially he confessed that he surpassed him by all votes in respect to wisdom. So they indeed said such things to one another in jest. But Apokauchos, not many days later, approaching the Grand Domestic again, said, "To withdraw entirely from the world, although it is very much my intention, was not possible. But a second voyage, as they say, has come upon me: having divided my substance among my children, to spend the share of my wealth belonging to me on the war against the Persians. For you know that they, already using whole fleets, have already almost enslaved the islands, and crossing over to Thrace and the rest of Macedonia, and indeed they also do harm to Greece and the Peloponnese. If, then, it should seem advantageous first to you, and then also to the emperor when he learns of it, and you should grant the command of Byzantium and of the islands and as much money from the common funds as you wish, I myself will equip a fleet, spending in addition from my own resources, and I will make war on the barbarians with all zeal and eagerness. And I think that this naval force, ruling the sea and preventing the barbarians from doing harm to the islands and the mainland, will bring no ordinary benefit to the Romans; and that it will contribute greatly to the salvation of my soul, as I offer the money as a kind of ransom for those 1.538 who are about to be killed and enslaved by the barbarians. Since, therefore, the benefit from this will accrue to the common good of the Romans, and privately for me will not be small for the salvation of my soul, I ask both the emperor and you to grant this favor." But the Grand Domestic, thinking that the Parakoimomenos was asking for things advantageous both for himself and for the common good, was both persuaded himself and promised to do it, and going to the emperor he reported it, at the same time urging that it was necessary to grant his request, as it was advantageous to the common good. But the emperor asked if he said these things in earnest and not ironically; and when he heard that he spoke not casually, but with earnestness, he said he wondered much at him, if he thought Apokauchos would be capable of such an undertaking. For if, thinking him to be a friend to you, you have decided to bestow this favor on him, know that you are deceiving yourself; for I am no less an enemy to you, than he is a friend; but if, on the grounds that it will be advantageous to the common good, you advise entrusting the war against the Persians to him, I wonder even more from what starting point you yourself were persuaded and have chosen to give me the same advice. For not even throughout his whole life has he accomplished anything befitting a soldier, nor has he intended to, but the collection of public taxes and the administration of finances and revenues are his friends, in which he has grown old, and naturally in these 1.539 matters he has acquired much experience. But such actions and naval battles require a man especially nurtured in arms and who has on many occasions provided clear proofs of both his courage and his experience in battles. But he said that he himself knew the same things about the Parakoimomenos. For neither has he trained himself during his life in the deeds proper to a soldier, nor has he provided any proof whatsoever of either courage or experience; whence I do not advise entrusting the war against the Persians to him as one capable of generalship. But knowing that the Persians are most experienced in infantry and cavalry battles and require a formidable general to stand against them, but in naval battles are most timid through inexperience and easily defeated by anyone who comes along, especially since on our triremes there will be many men most experienced in both naval and land battles, whom the Parakoimomenos will use as teachers for the war, I myself thought that it was not necessary to blunt his enthusiasm

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διατριβήν τε οὐ μετρίαν παρέσχοντο οἱ λόγοι καὶ τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ παίζων ἔλεγεν, ὡς νῦν γοῦν ἂν πεισθείη, ὀξύτερόν τε νοεῖν ὄντα αὐτοῦ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκ τῶν λόγων εἰδότα καταστοχάζεσθαι γνώμας ἀνδρῶν. ὁ δ' 1.537 ἔφασκε, πάλαι τε πεπεῖσθαι οὐδὲ τοσοῦτον ὅσον λανθάνειν διαφέροντα, καὶ νῦν μάλιστα ὁμολογεῖν ὡς ἁπάσαις ψήφοις αὐτοῦ κρατεῖ πρὸς τὸ φρονεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους διειλέχθησαν ἐν παιδιᾷ. Ἀπόκαυχος δὲ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ἡμέρας αὖθις τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ προσελθὼν, «τὸ μὲν ἀποστῆναι» ἔφασκε «παντάπασι τοῦ κόσμου, καίτοι μάλιστα κατὰ γνώμην ὂν, οὐκ ἐξεγένετο. δεύτερον δὲ, ὅ φασιν, ἐπῆλθέ μοι πλοῦν, τὴν οὐσίαν τοῖς παισὶ διελομένῳ, τὴν διαφέρουσαν ἐμοὶ τοῦ πλούτου μοῖραν εἰς τὸν κατὰ τῶν Περσῶν πόλεμον ἐξαναλῶσαι. οἶσθα γὰρ ὡς ἤδη καὶ αὐτοὶ στόλοις ὅλοις χρώμενοι, νήσους τε ἤδη ἐξηνδραποδίσαντο σχεδὸν, καὶ πρὸς Θρᾴκην περαιούμενοι καὶ τὴν ἄλλην Μακεδονίαν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἑλλάδα καὶ Πελοπόννησον κακῶς ποιοῦσιν. εἰ οὖν σοὶ πρῶτον, ἔπειτα καὶ βασιλεῖ πυθομένῳ δόξειε λυσιτελεῖν καὶ παράσχοισθε Βυζαντίου τε καὶ τῶν νήσων τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ χρήματα ἐκ τῶν κοινῶν ὅσα ἂν ὑμῖν βουλομένοις ᾖ, στόλον ἐξαρτύσομαι αὐτὸς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων προσαναλώσας, καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ πολεμήσω τοῖς βαρβάροις. οἴομαι δὲ Ῥωμαίοις τε ὠφέλειαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν τὴν ναυτικὴν ταύτην προξενήσειν δύναμιν θαλασσοκρατοῦσαν καὶ ἀπείργουσαν τοὺς βαρβάρους τοῦ μὴ τὰς νήσους καὶ τὴν ἤπειρον κακουργεῖν· καὶ πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς ἐμῆς ψυχῆς τὰ μέγιστα συμβαλέσθαι, ἂν οἱονεὶ λύτρα τὰ χρήματα παρεχομένῳ ὑπὲρ τῶν 1.538 μελλόντων ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀποκτίννυσθαι καὶ ἐξανδραποδίζεσθαι. ὡς οὖν εἴς τε τὸ κοινὸν Ῥωμαίων τῆς ἐκεῖθεν ὠφελείας διαβαινούσης καὶ ἰδίᾳ ἐμοὶ οὐκ ὀλίγης ἐσομένης εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, δέομαι βασιλέως τε καὶ σοῦ, τὴν χάριν ταύτην παρασχεῖν.» Ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τῷ κοινῷ λυσιτελοῦντα οἰόμενος παρακοιμώμενον αἰτεῖν, αὐτός τε ἐπείθετο καὶ ἐπηγγείλατο ποιήσειν, καὶ βασιλεῖ ἀπήγγελλε προσελθὼν, ἅμα καὶ ἐνάγων πρὸς τὸ δεῖν τὴν ἀξίωσιν αὐτοῦ λυσιτελοῦσαν πράττειν τῷ κοινῷ. βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰ σπουδάζων ταῦτα καὶ μὴ εἰρωνευόμενος λέγει ἐπυνθάνετο· ὡς δ' ἤκουεν, οὐκ ἐν παρέργῳ, ἀλλὰ μετὰ σπουδῆς λέγειν, θαυμάζειν ἔφασκεν αὐτοῦ πολλὰ, εἰ πρὸς τοιαύτην ἐπιχείρησιν ἀξιόχρεων ᾠήθη ἔσεσθαι Ἀπόκαυχον. εἰ μὲν γὰρ οἰόμενος σοὶ φίλον εἶναι ταύτην ἐβουλεύσω αὐτῷ τὴν χάριν καταθεῖναι, ἴσθι σεαυτὸν ἐξαπατῶν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἧττον ἐγώ σοι πολέμιος, ἢ ἐκεῖνος φίλος· εἰ δὲ ὡς τῷ κοινῷ λυσιτελήσοντα τὸν κατὰ Περσῶν πόλεμον ἐγχειρίζειν παραινεῖς, ἔτι μᾶλλον θαυμάζειν, ὅθεν ὁρμώμενος αὐτός τε ἐπείσθης καὶ ἐμοὶ προείλου τὰ ἴσα συμβουλεύειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον οὔτε κατεπράξατό τι στρατιώτῃ πρέπον, οὔτε ἐμέλλησεν, ἀλλὰ φόρων τε εἰσπράξεις δημοσίων καὶ χρημάτων καὶ προσόδων διοικήσεις φίλαι, αἷς ἐγγεγηρακὼς, εἰκότως ἐν τοῖς τοι 1.539 ούτοις ἐμπειρίαν ἐκτήσατο πολλήν. τὰς δὲ τοιαύτας πράξεις καὶ τὰς ναυμαχίας ἀνδρὸς δεῖσθαι μάλιστα τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐντραφέντος καὶ σαφεῖς τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐν πολλοῖς παρεσχημένου τῆς τε τόλμης καὶ τῆς ἐμπειρίας τῆς κατὰ τὰς μάχας. Ὁ δ' ἔφασκε τὰ ἴσα μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς εἰδέναι περὶ παρακοιμωμένου. οὔτε γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἤσκει παρὰ τὸν βίον ἐν τοῖς προσήκουσιν ἔργοις στρατιώτῃ, οὔτε ἀπόδειξίν τινα παρέσχετο οὐδεμίαν οὔτε τόλμης οὔτε ἐμπειρίας· ὅθεν οὐδὲ οἷα ἀξιόχρεων πρὸς στρατηγίας τὸν κατὰ Περσῶν πόλεμον αὐτῷ ἐγχειρίζειν παραινεῖν. ἀλλ' εἰδὼς μάλιστα τοὺς Πέρσας πεζομαχίας μὲν καὶ ἱππομαχίας ἐμπειροτάτους καὶ δεινοῦ δεομένους τοῦ ἀντιστησομένου στρατηγοῦ, ἐν ναυμαχίαις δὲ ἀτολμοτάτους δι' ἀπειρίαν καὶ ῥᾳδίους τῷ προστυχόντι παντὶ ἡττᾶσθαι, ἄλλως τε καὶ τριήρεσι ταῖς ἡμετέραις πολλοὺς παρεσομένους ἐμπειροτάτους καὶ ναυμαχιῶν καὶ πεζομαχιῶν, οἷς χρήσεται παρακοιμώμενος διδασκάλοις πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, αὐτός τε ᾠήθην μὴ δεῖν ἀμβλύνειν τὴν προθυμίαν