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said it was necessary to save Sisman, who had become a suppliant of the Roman empire, and not to betray him, even if it were necessary to endure some difficulties on his account. But others argued for saving the country and their own property and not, for the sake of a barbarian 2.22 fugitive, to cast themselves into manifest danger. And they argued such other things against one another and filled the palace with shouting, as all wished to propose opinions and decrees for the common good. But as the contention was prolonged further and they were discordant in their opinions, the patriarch, as if he had devised something great and wonderful, said, 'It seems to me that Sisman should take refuge in the church of the Wisdom of God. Since its right of asylum has been honored by all who have ruled the Romans, it will be possible for us also to offer a plausible defense to the ambassadors of Alexander, that it is not permitted to drag away the suppliant of God and hand him over for slaughter, especially as this is considered the most accursed of all pollutions both by the Romans of old and of today.' So then, many of those present extolled the counsel as most excellent and most prudent and most able to send away Alexander's ambassadors empty-handed, since they themselves would now see the necessity of the matter. But when the grand domesticus said nothing, the empress first blamed the untimeliness of his illness, which had occurred at so crucial a moment requiring counsel; then she said to him that if the patriarch's counsel seemed good to him also, just as it had seemed to the others and to herself, he should assent that what was said was good, and put this as an end to the deliberation. But if something else seemed better and 2.23 more advantageous to him, they should for the present, on account of his illness, dissolve the assembly, and when he had recovered, they would deliberate again on the same matters. But he, pausing for a little, said, 'It seems to me that you are not making a response concerning the things about which you are deliberating. For your deliberation now is not about plausible words, but whether it is necessary to do what is commanded by Alexander, or to make war on him. But you, having left aside the matters you proposed to deliberate, are discussing the laws and rights of the Romans, as if there were someone who could compel Alexander to obey Roman laws. He will perhaps say that these laws are established not for me, but for the Romans; but for me there is one law: to seek by every means what is advantageous to me. And even if it is possible for you to hide Sisman in inviolable sanctuaries, you will surely not hide cities and villages in such places, nor herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and the other property in the fields, from which it will be possible for me to exact penalties for the injustice. Therefore, one must deliberate with a view to such things, not to plausible defenses. And I for my part almost blame myself now, that I was led in any way into such words. For it was said from the beginning and was voted upon by all, since no one said anything against it: if something is revealed to the last, the first is to be silent. If then not to the one ranked 2.24 last, but to the first and especially to the leader of the council such things seemed good and were voted upon by all of you as advantageous, it was fitting for him also to be content and to meddle no further.' And as the empress especially urged and drew him towards these words, 'Not even such things as these, few though they are, did I utter willingly.' To these things, then, the patriarch immediately, absolving himself of blame, said, 'But I myself am the first to confess that the counsel is nothing to the matters being sought. For Alexander will not be concerned about reasonable or unreasonable answers, but how he might bring to completion what he proposed from the beginning, if he could. For which reason I myself say that one must deliberate not with a view to words, but with a view to that.' And when all the rest had immediately voted for the same things, when the grand domesticus stood up, the others also stood up with him and the assembly was dissolved. And the grand domesticus, seeing that the patriarch was previously aspiring to the rule of affairs, and wishing neither to check the attempt by force, for he did not wish to rule the unwilling, but much rather

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ἔλεγον δεῖν Σίσμανον διασώζειν, ἱκέτην τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας γεγενημένον, καὶ μὴ καταπροδιδόναι, εἰ δεῖ τι καὶ τῶν δυσχερῶν ὑπομένειν δι' αὐτόν. οἱ δὲ τὴν χώραν μᾶλλον καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα διασώζειν καὶ μὴ βαρ 2.22 βάρου ἕνεκα φυγάδος εἰς προὖπτον κίνδυνον ἐμβάλλειν σφᾶς αὐτούς. καὶ τοιαῦτα ἕτερα ἀντέλεγον πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ βοῆς τὰ βασίλεια ἐπλήρουν, πάντων ἐθελόντων γνώμας καὶ ψηφίσματα προτείνειν ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῇ λυσιτελούντων. ὡς δὲ ἐπιπλέον ἡ φιλονεικία παρετείνετο καὶ ἀσύμφωνοι ταῖς γνώμαις ἦσαν, ὁ πατριάρχης ὡς δή τι μέγα καὶ θαυμάσιον βεβουλευμένος «ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν» ἔφη «Σίσμανον πρὸς τὸν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ Σοφίας νεὼν καταφυγεῖν. ἀσυλίᾳ δὲ αὐτοῦ τετιμημένου ὑπὸ πάντων, ὅσοι Ῥωμαίων ἐβασίλευσαν, ἐξεῖναι καὶ ἡμῖν εὐπρόσωπον ἀπολογίαν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀλεξάνδρου θέσθαι πρεσβευτὰς, ὡς οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀποσπάσαντας τὸν ἱκέτην τοῦ θεοῦ παραδιδόναι πρὸς σφαγὴν, μάλιστα πάντων τοῦτο ἄγος ἐναγέστατον καὶ παρὰ τῶν πάλαι καὶ τῶν νῦν Ῥωμαίων νομιζόμενον.» οἱ μὲν οὖν πολλοὶ τῶν παρόντων ἐξεθείασαν τὴν βουλὴν, ὡς ἀρίστην καὶ συνετωτάτην καὶ δυναμένην μάλιστα ἀπράκτους ἀποπέμψαι τοὺς Ἀλεξάνδρου πρεσβευτὰς, συνορῶντας ἤδη καὶ αὐτοὺς τὴν τοῦ πράγματος ἀνάγκην. τοῦ μεγάλου δὲ δομεστίκου φθεγγομένου μηδὲν, ἡ βασιλὶς πρῶτα μὲν κατεμέμφετο τὴν ἀκαιρίαν τῆς νόσου, ἐφ' οὕτως ἀναγκαίου καιροῦ καὶ δεομένου βουλῆς γεγενημένην· ἔπειτα δὲ ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς, εἰ μὲν καὶ αὐτῷ εὖ ἔχειν ἡ τοῦ πατριάρχου δοκεῖ βουλὴ, ὥσπερ δὴ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνέδοξε καὶ αὐτῇ, ἐπινεῦσαι ὡς καλῶς ἔχουσι τοῖς λεγομένοις, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιθέσθαι πέρας τῇ βουλῇ. εἰ δέ τι βέλτιον αὐτῷ καὶ 2.23 λυσιτελέστερον ἕτερον δοκεῖ, τὸ νῦν μὲν εἶναι διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ νόσον τὸν σύλλογον διαλύειν, αὖθις δὲ ῥαΐσαντος, βουλεύσεσθαι περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν. ὁ δὲ μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν, «δοκεῖτέ μοι» ἔφη «μὴ περὶ ὧν βουλεύεσθε, τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ποιεῖσθαι. οὐ γὰρ νῦν ὑμῖν ἡ σκέψις περὶ λόγων εὐπροσώπων, ἀλλὰ εἴτε χρὴ τὰ κελευόμενα ὑπ' Ἀλεξάνδρου πράττειν, εἴτε πολεμεῖν αὐτῷ. ὑμεῖς δὲ περὶ ὧν προὔθεσθε βουλεύεσθαι ἀφέντες, περὶ νομίμων καὶ δικαίων τῶν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις διαλέγεσθε, ὥσπερ ἂν εἴ τις καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον ὁ καταναγκάσων ἦν τοῖς Ῥωμαίων νόμοις πείθεσθαι. ὁ δ' ἴσως ἐρεῖ, ὡς οὐκ ἐμοὶ, ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαίοις οἱ νόμοι οὗτοι κεῖνται· ἐμοὶ δὲ εἷς νόμος ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου τὰ συνοίσοντα ἐμοὶ ζητεῖν. ὑμῖν δὲ εἰ καὶ Σίσμανον ἔξεστι τοῖς ἀσύλοις κατακρύπτειν ἱεροῖς, ἀλλ' οὐ δήπου καὶ πόλεις καὶ κώμας κατακρύψετε ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις, οὐδὲ βοῶν ἀγέλας καὶ ποίμνια προβάτων καὶ τὴν ἄλλην περιουσίαν τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, ἐξ ὧν ἐμοὶ τῆς ἀδικίας ἐξέσται κομίζεσθαι ποινάς. πρὸς οὖν τὰ τοιαῦτα χρὴ βουλεύεσθαι, οὐ πρὸς ἀπολογίας εὐπροσώπους. ἐγὼ δὲ ὀλίγου δεῖν νυνὶ μέμφομαι καὶ ἐμαυτῷ, ὅτι καὶ ὁπωσοῦν εἰς τοιουτουσὶ προήχθην λόγους. εἴρηται γὰρ ἐξαρχῆς καὶ ἐπεψηφίσθη γε ὑπὸ πάντων, ἐπεὶ μηδεὶς ἀντεῖπε μηδέν· ἐὰν τῷ ἐσχάτῳ τι ἀποκαλυφθῇ, σιγᾷν τὸν πρῶτον. εἰ δὴ μὴ τῷ ἐν ἐσχάτοις τετα 2.24 γμένῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ πρώτῳ καὶ μάλιστα ἐξάρχοντι τοῦ βουλευτηρίου τοιαῦτα ἔδοξε καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπεψηφίσθη γε τοῖς πᾶσιν ὡς λυσιτελῆ, προσῆκε στέργειν καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ περαιτέρω πολυπραγμονεῖν μηδέν.» τῆς βασιλίδος δὲ ἐναγούσης μάλιστα καὶ ἐπισπωμένης πρὸς τοὺς λόγους, «οὐδὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα καίτοι γε ὀλίγα ὄντα ἑκὼν εἶναι ἐφθεγξάμην.» πρὸς δὴ τὰ τοιαῦτα εὐθὺς ὁ πατριάρχης αἰτίας ἀπολύων ἑαυτὸν, «ἀλλ' ἐγὼ» εἶπε «πρῶτος καὶ αὐτὸς μηδὲν εἶναι πρὸς τὰ ζητούμενα τὴν βουλὴν ὁμολογῶ. οὐ γὰρ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ περὶ εὐλόγων καὶ μὴ τοιούτων ἀποκρίσεων μελήσειν, ἀλλ' ὅπως ὃ προὔθετο ἐξαρχῆς, εἰς πέρας, εἰ δύναιτο, ἀγάγῃ. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ πρὸς λόγους, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο φημὶ βουλευτέον εἶναι.» τὰ ἴσα δὲ εὐθὺς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπιψηφισαμένων πάντων, ἐπεὶ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἀνέστη, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συνανέστησαν καὶ ὁ σύλλογος διελύθη. ὁρῶν δὲ καὶ πρότερον ἐφιέμενον ὁ μέγας δομέστικος τὸν πατριάρχην τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ μήτε βίᾳ βουλόμενος τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν ἐπέχειν, οὐ γὰρ ἠβούλετο ἀκουσίων ἄρχειν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μάλιστα