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of the domesticus and as many of the senators who were staying in Byzantium. When the followers of Gregory had spoken many things against each other, since Akindynos appeared to be saying and thinking the same things as Barlaam, a common vote was brought forth by both the bishops and the senators against Akindynos and those who thought similarly to him, as people who thought and said heretical things. They are also excommunicated from the communion of the orthodox, if they should not turn back, but 1.557 remain in their wickedness; not only they, but also if anyone else later should attempt the same things and bring an accusation against Palamas and the rest as not thinking rightly, he is to be under the same penalty, unless he too should change his mind. And in addition to this, having composed a tomos according to the ancient custom of the synods and having signed it, both the patriarch John and as many of the high priests who were then present—for later many others also signed along with the first ones, having become supporters—they hand it over to Palamas and those with him for their justification. But these things came later. But at that time, when the synod had been dissolved and all the others had dispersed, the emperor ordered him to get some rest in the monastery of the Hodegetria; and having gone there, on the next day he began to have a steady fever, and it seemed to the physicians that the disturbance and fasting at the synod had been the cause of the fever. On the second day, the illness having attacked his head offered grim hopes. For it appeared to be one of the most acute. And on the third day after that. In the morning it seemed to be subsiding and offered the physicians good hopes; but when it was already about midday, it changed suddenly and indicated that the emperor would die before long, and for the physicians no hope of recovery remained. When these things were rumored about, Apokaukos the parakoimomenos, approaching the grand domesticus, advised him to take hold of affairs and to be adorned with the imperial insignia after the emperor's death; for he was not to expect the emperor to be among the living any longer. In any case, he would be doing nothing new, but what the emperor himself 1.558 had often compelled him to do and not a few of the Romans know, rendering him a dignity in no way less than the emperor's. Indeed, it would not require much trouble and struggle, but it would be enough merely to speak, and he would have everyone readily obeying. And that he himself, both formerly throughout his entire life and now no less, was ready to do what seemed to be to his advantage, not only sparing no expense or labor, but also readily giving up his life for matters of particular importance to him, being in his debt more than anyone else. For he had enjoyed many of his benefactions, not only having introduced him and made him familiar to the emperor in the beginning, but also later having interceded for him when the emperor was angry and freeing him from prison, and up to now having been brought through him to the position he now held. So he said such things. But the grand domesticus, pausing for a moment, said, "I do not think such things would ever occur to me concerning you, nor do I think that I have reached such a level of depravity of character, that, while the emperor is still alive or even after his death, I would be persuaded by you or anyone else, being forgetful of the emperor's friendship for me, or rather to say, our concord, to seek something of particular advantage for myself, having neglected what is beneficial in common for the emperor's children and the empress. Therefore I have condemned you especially, if by advising such things you hoped to persuade me." But when he tried again, as if 1.559 advising better things to persuade him, he said, "Stop saying such things. For he who, when his friend has died, does not keep the laws of friendship, was not a true friend even when he was alive." Therefore he said nothing more to the grand domesticus, who had answered so gravely; but approaching his mother, he attempted to persuade her of the same things, thinking that if he could persuade her, he would have accomplished his purpose, since the son would not speak against whatever seemed to his mother to be both advantageous and just. But when he received the same reply from her, or even a harsher one, as she ordered him not to advise such things which it was not beneficial for her son to do, he desisted completely

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δομεστίκου καὶ ὅσοι ἐπεδήμουν Βυζαντίῳ τῶν συγκλητικῶν. πολλὰ δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους τῶν Γρηγορίων ἀντειπόντων, ἐπεὶ ὁ Ἀκίνδυνος ἐφαίνετο τὰ ἴσα Βαρλαὰμ καὶ λέγων καὶ φρονῶν, ψῆφος μὲν ἐξενήνεκται κοινὴ ἐπισκόπων τε καὶ τῶν συγκλητικῶν κατὰ Ἀκινδύνου καὶ τῶν αὐτῷ φρονούντων ἴσως, ὡς τὰ αἱρετικῶν φρονούντων καὶ λεγόντων. ἀφορίζονται δὲ καὶ τῆς κοινωνίας τῶν ὀρθοδόξων, εἰ μὴ ἐπιστρέφοιεν, ἀλλ' ἐπι 1.557 μένοιεν τῇ κακίᾳ· οὐ μὴν ἐκεῖνοι μόνοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ὕστερον τοῖς ἴσοις ἐπιχειρήσοι καὶ Παλαμᾷ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ὡς οὐκ ὀρθῶς φρονοῦσιν αἰτίαν ἐπαγάγοι, ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπιτιμίαν εἶναι, εἰ μὴ μεταβάλλοι καὶ αὐτός. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ τόμον συνθέντες κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον τῶν συνόδων ἔθος καὶ ὑπογράψαντες αὐτὸν ὅ,τε πατριάρχης Ἰωάννης καὶ ἀρχιερέων ὅσοι τότε παρῆσαν, ὕστερον γὰρ καὶ ἕτεροι πολλοὶ τοῖς προτέροις ὑπογεγράφασι σύμψηφοι γεγενημένοι, Παλαμᾷ καὶ τοῖς αὐτῷ συνοῦσιν ἐγχειρίζουσιν εἰς δικαίωσιν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον. τότε δὲ ἡ σύνοδος ἐπεὶ διελέλυτο, τῶν ἄλλων ἑκάστων διεσκεδασμένων, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκέλευσεν ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῶν Ὁδηγῶν ἀναπαύλης τινὸς τυχεῖν· καὶ γενόμενος ἐκεῖ, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἤρξατο πυρέττειν ὁμαλῶς καὶ ἐδόκει τοῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν παισὶ τὴν κατὰ τὴν σύνοδον ταραχὴν καὶ ἀσιτίαν τοῦ πυρετοῦ αἰτίαν γεγενῆσθαι. δευτέρᾳ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ πρὸς τῇ κεφαλῇ ἐνσκῆψαν τὸ κακὸν πονηρὰς παρεῖχε τὰς ἐλπίδας. ἐφαίνετο γὰρ τῶν ὀξυτάτων εἶναι. τρίτῃ δὲ τῇ μετ' αὐτήν. ἕωθεν μὲν ἐδόκει ἐνδιδόναι καὶ τοῖς ἰατροῖς ὑπέφαινε χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤδη περὶ μεσημβρίαν ἦν, μεταβαλὸν ἐξαίφνης οὐ μετὰ πολὺ ἀποτεθνήξεσθαι ἐδήλου βασιλέα, καὶ ἰατροῖς οὐδεμία σωτηρίας ὑπελείπετο ἐλπίς. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοιαῦτα διεθρυλλήθη, τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ Ἀπόκαυχος ὁ παρακοιμώμενος προσελθὼν, συνεβούλευεν ἔχεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων καὶ παρασήμοις κοσμεῖσθαι βασιλικοῖς μετὰ τὴν βασιλέως τελευτήν· βασιλέα γὰρ ἐν ζῶσιν ἔτι μὴ εἶναι προσδοκᾷν. πάντως δὲ οὐδὲν καινὸν ποιήσειν, ἀλλ' ὅπερ αὐτός τε πολλάκις 1.558 ἠνάγκασεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Ῥωμαίων οὐκ ὀλίγοι ἴσασιν οὐδαμῶς ἐλάττω τιμὴν ἀποδιδόντες βασιλέως. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ πολλοῦ δεήσεσθαι πόνου καὶ ἀγώνων, ἀλλ' ἀρκεῖ μόνον εἰπεῖν, καὶ πάντας ἔχειν ὑπακούοντας ἑτοίμως. αὐτόν τε πρότερόν τε παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον καὶ νῦν οὐχ ἧττον ἕτοιμον εἶναι τὰ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτῷ ποιεῖν δοκοῦντα, οὐ μόνον χρημάτων καὶ καμάτων ἀφειδοῦντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὴν προθύμως ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίᾳ τι αὐτῷ διαφερόντων προϊέμενον, πάντων αὐτῷ μάλιστα ὄντα ὀφειλέτην. πολλῶν γὰρ ἀπολελαυκέναι τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ, οὐ βασιλεῖ μόνον τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ προσαγαγόντα καὶ οἰκειώσαντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὕστερον βασιλέως ὠργισμένου παραιτησάμενον αὐτὸν καὶ τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου ἀπαλλάξαντα, καὶ μέχρι νῦν εἰς ὅπερ ἐστὶ σχῆμα δι' αὐτοῦ ἠγμένον. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα εἶπε. μικρὸν δὲ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἐπισχὼν, Οὐκ ἄν μοι δοκῶ τοιαῦτα, εἶπε, παραστῆναι περὶ σοῦ ποτε, μηδ' εἰς τοσοῦτον ἥκειν ἐμὲ φαυλότητος ἡγεῖσθαι τρόπων, ὥστε, βασιλέως ἔτι ζῶντος ἢ καὶ μετὰ τελευτὴν, ἢ σοὶ πεισθήσεσθαι ἢ ἑτέρῳ ὁτῳοῦν, τῆς μὲν εἰς ἐμὲ βασιλέως φιλίας ἢ μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν συμπνοίας ἀμνημονῆσαι, τῶν ἰδίᾳ δέ τι ἐμοὶ ζητεῖν διαφερόντων, ἀμελήσαντα τῶν κοινῇ τοῖς βασιλέως παισὶ καὶ βασιλίδι συμφερόντων. διὸ καὶ μάλιστά σου κατεγνωκέναι, εἰ τοιαῦτα παραινῶν ἤλπισας πείσειν. Τοῦ δ' αὖθις ἐπιχειροῦντος ὡς 1.559 τὰ βελτίω πείθειν συμβουλεύει, «παῦσον» εἶπε «τοιαῦτα λέγειν. ὃς γὰρ, τοῦ φίλου τεθνεῶτος, μὴ τοὺς φιλίας τηρεῖ θεσμοὺς, οὗτος οὐδὲ ζῶντος ἦν φίλος ἀληθής.» πρὸς μὲν οὖν τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον οὐδὲν ἔτι εἶπεν, οὕτως ἐμβριθῶς ἀποκρινάμενον· τῇ μητρὶ δὲ αὐτοῦ προσελθὼν, τὰ ἴσα ἐπεχείρει πείθειν, οἰόμενος, ἂν ταύτην πεῖσαι δυνηθῇ, τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ἠνυκέναι, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἀντειπόντος τοῦ υἱοῦ ὅ,τι ἂν τῇ μητρὶ δοκοίη καὶ λυσιτελὲς ὁμοῦ καὶ δίκαιον. ὡς δὲ καὶ παρ' ἐκείνης τῆς ἴσης ἔτυχεν ἀπολογίας ἢ καὶ αὐστηροτέρας, μὴ τοιαῦτα κελευούσης συμβουλεύειν, ἃ μὴ συμφέρει πράττειν τὸν υἱὸν, παντελῶς ἀπέσχετο