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but by giving orders he accomplished nothing more than to seem to be speaking to a deaf man and motioning to a blind one, and the reason for the refusal was not unknown; immediately, he who was previously in control of his anger, was then overcome; and having given the order to this man's brother, whom 627 he also had in charge of introductions, with that man mediating the service, he inflicted many and heavy blows, so that not even the staff in his hands, striking continuously, sufficed for the imperial anger against him, but also, when this one failed by breaking, another was taken up to complete its work. But for that man, the punishments did not stop there, but he also removed him from his presence and did not hesitate to remove him from his mediation of common affairs. And he remained overlooked until with his own handwritten guarantees he not only accepted the peace, but was also ready to do more, if he should command it. But he, being content with the present circumstances, and condemning the other for anything more, pretending that his zeal had cooled, while representing himself as not at all tolerating any transgression beyond what was agreed, having received him again, promised to abide only by what had been done.

27. How the Porphyrogennetos returned from the west and the events concerning Kotanitzes. In the same year, emperor Andronikos returned from the east, leaving the despoina there, but before this the Porphyrogennetos also set out from the west, bringing no trophy except for having brought Kotanitzes under his hand with sworn agreements that he would suffer nothing incurable from the emperor. And the one, abiding by his oaths, wished to keep them to the end, but the emperor, not only considering for himself the servitude resulting from that man and the future unfeigned goodwill, but also considering the lateness of the hour, wished to blind him; for he himself had not sworn, so as to be convicted of perjury, but his son had on his behalf, without his consent at all. He foresaw the evil man as evil, not by the rule of prophecy, but foreseeing the future with natural insight; for he who had come to the experience of banditry would love nothing of serving the impulses of another. As the emperor was indeed unchangeable on this matter, he completely absolved his son, who was proffering the oaths, from perjury with words: for he himself was keeping the oaths, by not betraying or consenting at all, but for the other, being free of the oaths, it was possible to act without risk. Having renounced the arguments and seeing that his supplication on behalf of the suppliant was weak, the one who had received him introduced a plan to the one in danger: to take refuge in the black habit and to don the 629 monastic garments, if somehow he might be saved thereby; for it would not be possible for anyone to be suspicious of one who has once for all put away the things of the world with awesome vows, that he would turn back to his former ways; and the habit would be revered by the emperor, so that he would refrain from punishing the one who had put it on. Saying these things to him, the Porphyrogennetos, and introducing the plan that seemed expedient, was clearly absolving himself in part from blame, should the other come to harm by not doing it; for as much as was possible for him to help had been done. To Kotanitzes, therefore, who was also Tornikios, seeing the danger hanging over him, the plan seemed good, and he used the one who had advised him as a mediator to the emperor, on the condition that he put on the monastic habit, having bid farewell to the world and the things of the world. When he was required to take even the perfect habit and he immediately consented, being released he was initiated into the monastic life, and he who yesterday was a bandit was seen to be sober and harmless, except not by the intention of his soul, but only in appearance; for the well-considered purpose was altogether absent in this, and when necessity is at work, the result is weak. But to what extent the affairs concerning him progressed, we will speak hereafter. The Porphyrogennetos, at any rate, upon these events, came to be in the eastern parts and, as the emperor had departed from there, he himself was managing the affairs there in his stead.

28. The death of the despoina Anna and the events that happened then. But a short time passed, and the despoina Anna ended her life there, and after a little while it was announced to the emperor; and he, with the forethought that his son and emperor should not learn of it, as if on account of

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δὲ προστάσσων οὐδὲν ἤνυτε πλέον τοῦ δοκεῖν κωφῷ διαλέγεσθαι καί γε τυφλῷ διανεύειν καὶ ἡ αἰτία τῆς παραιτήσεως οὐκ ἠγνόητο, αὐτίκα, θυμοῦ πρὶν ἐγκρατὴς ὤν, ἡττᾶτο τότε· καὶ τῷ ἀδελφῷ τῷ τούτου προστάξας, ὃν 627 καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν εἰσαγωγῶν εἶχεν, ἐκείνου μεσιτεύσαντος τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν, πολλὰς καὶ βαρείας ἐντείνει, ὡς μηδὲ τὴν ἐν χερσὶ βακτηρίαν, συνεχῶς πλήττουσαν, τῷ κατ' ἐκείνου βασιλείῳ θυμῷ ἀρκέσαι, ἀλλὰ καί, ταύτης ἀπειπούσης τῇ θραύσει, ἄλλην παραληφθῆναι, τὸ ἐκείνης ἔργον ἀναπληρώσουσαν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ἐκείνῳ τὰ τῆς τιμωρίας ἐς τόδε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐποίει καὶ τῆς τῶν κοινῶν μεσιτείας παρακινεῖν οὐκ ἀπώκνει. Καὶ παρεωραμένος διετέλει μέχρις οὗ οἰκειοχείροις ἀσφαλείαις μὴ μόνον προσήκατο τὴν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλέον ἦν ἕτοιμος, εἰ κελεύοι, πράττειν. Ὁ δέ, τοῖς μὲν παροῦσιν ἀρκούμενος, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ πλέον ἐκείνου μὲν καταγνοὺς δῆθεν ὡς καταψυχθέντος τὸν ζῆλον, ἑαυτὸν δὲ μηδ' ἀνεχόμενον παριστῶν ὅλως παραβαίνειν πλέον τῶν συγκειμένων, δεξάμενος αὖθις, τοῖς πραχθεῖσι μόνοις ἐμμένειν ἐπήγγειλε.

κζʹ. Ὅπως ἐκ δύσεως ὑπέστρεφεν ὁ πορφυρογέννητος καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Κοτανίτζην. Τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ ἔτους ὑποστρέφει μὲν ἐξ ἀνατολῆς βασιλεὺς Ἀνδρόνικος, τὴν δέσποιναν ἐκεῖσε καταλιπών, ἀνήγετο δὲ πρὸ τούτου καὶ ἐκ δύσεως ὁ πορφυρογέννητος, οὐδὲν εἰς τρόπαιον φέρων ἢ τὸν Κοτανίτζην ὁμολογίαις ἐνόρκοις ὑπὸ χεῖρα ποιησάμενος τοῦ μηδέν τι παθεῖν ἐκ βασιλέως ἀνήκεστον. Καὶ ὁ μέν, ἐμμένων τοῖς ὅρκοις, εἰς τέλος εὐορκεῖν ἤθελε, βασιλεὺς δέ, οὐ τὸ ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ μόνον προορώμενος εἴς τε τὴν ἀπ' ἐκείνου δουλείαν καὶ τὸ ἑξῆς πρὸς εὔνοιαν ἀδολίευτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὀψὲ τῶν καιρῶν σκοπούμενος, ἐκτυφλοῦν ἠβούλετο· μηδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸν ὀμνύειν, ὡς ἐπιορκίας ἁλῶναι, ἀλλὰ τὸν υἱὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, μηδὲ συναινοῦντος ὅλως. Τὸν δὲ κακὸν προεώρα κακόν, οὐ θεσμῷ μαντείας, ἀλλὰ φυσικῇ γνώσει προορῶν τὸ μέλλον· τὸν γὰρ τοῦ λῃστεύειν εἰς πεῖραν ἥκοντα μηδὲν ὁρμαῖς ἑτέρου δουλεύοντα ἀγαπῆσαι. Ὡς γοῦν ἀμεταθέτως εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ τὸν υἱόν, τοὺς ὅρκους προτείνοντα, ὅλως ἐπιορκίας ἀπήλλαττε λόγοιςαὐτὸν καὶ γὰρ φυλάττειν τοὺς ὅρκους, ὡς μὴ προδιδόντα ἢ συναινοῦντα τὸ σύμπαν, ἐκείνῳ δ' ὄντι τῶν ὅρκων ἐλευθέρῳ, ἀκινδύνως ἐξεῖναι καὶ πράττειν, ἀπειπὼν πρὸς τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἱκέτου ἱκετείαν ἀσθενοῦσαν ὁρῶν, ὁ δεξάμενος βουλὴν εἰσάγει τῷ κινδυνεύοντι καταφυγεῖν πρὸς τὸ μέλαν καὶ τὰ τῶν 629 μοναχῶν ἀμφιέσασθαι, εἴ πως ἐντεῦθεν σωθείη· τῷ γὰρ ἅπαξ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ὁμολογίαις ἀποθεμένῳ φρικταῖς μὴ ἄν τινα δυνατὸν εἶναι ὑπόπτως ἔχειν ὡς στραφήσεται πρὸς τὰ πρότερα· σεβασθῆναι δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὸ σχῆμα, ὥστ' ἀποσχέσθαι τὸν ἐνδεδυκότα μὴ τιμωρεῖν. Ταῦτα λέγων πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὁ πορφυρογέννητος καὶ βουλὴν εἰσάγων τὴν δοκοῦσαν συνοίσειν, δῆλος ἦν ἀπολύων ἐγκλήματος ἑαυτὸν τὸ μέρος, εἰ μὴ ποιῶν κινδυνεύοι· τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ ὅσον ἦν δυνατὸν βοηθεῖν πεπρᾶχθαι. Κοτανίτζῃ μὲν οὖν τῷ καὶ Τορνικίῳ, ἐπηρτημένον τὸν κίνδυνον βλέποντι, ἀγαθὸν ἐδόκει τὸ βούλευμα, καὶ τῷ βουλεύσαντι χρᾶται μεσίτῃ πρὸς βασιλέα, ἐφ' ᾧ τὸν μοναχὸν ὑπενδῦναι, κόσμον καὶ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου χαίρειν ἐάσας. Ὡς δ' ἀπῄτητο καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ τέλειον σχῆμα λαμβάνειν καὶ κατένευε παραυ τίκα, ἀπολυθεὶς τελεῖται τὰ μοναχῶν καὶ ὁ χθὲς λῃστεύων σώφρων ὡρᾶτο καὶ ἄκακος, πλὴν οὐ τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς προθέσει, ἀλλὰ μόνῳ τῷ φαινομένῳ· ὁ γὰρ μεμεριμνημένος σκοπὸς ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ λίαν ἀπῆν, ἀνάγκης δὲ ἄρ' ὑπούσης, τὸ γινόμενον ἀσθενές. Ἐς ὁπόσον δὲ τὰ κατὰ τοῦτον προέβη, ἐσαῦθις ἐροῦμεν. Ὁ γοῦν πορφυρογέννητος ἐπὶ τούτοις κατ' ἀνατολὰς γίνεται καί, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκεῖθεν ἀπάραντος, αὐτὸς ἦν ἀντ' ἐκείνου μεταχειρίζων τἀκεῖ.

κηʹ. Θάνατος τῆς δεσποίνης Ἄννης καὶ τὰ τότε συμβάντα. Ἀλλ' ὀλίγον τὸ μεταξύ, καὶ ἡ δέσποινα μὲν Ἄννα ἐκεῖ τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον, ἀγγέλλεται δὲ μετ' ὀλίγον τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ ὅς, προνοίᾳ τοῦ μὴ μαθεῖν τὸν υἱόν τε καὶ βασιλέα, ὡς ἐπ'