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which I myself will do, I shall make clear to you. For having cast off all modesty and womanly weakness and having been driven, as it were, from the reasonings of prudence by the magnitude of my woes, having come to the middle of the city and having placed myself on some high place, so that my voice might be able to reach through all, I will cry out loud and with a very great voice: Men of Rome, or rather both Greeks and all barbarians, know well, that all is lost and has been 2.37 ruined, and that no grace of friendship lies among men, nor does anyone care for truth and justice; and the firmness of reasoning has departed from men, and in short, all good things, if indeed the Grand Domestic, as if from some contrary wind, appearing most opposed to himself and having forgotten the friendship of the emperor, and having also neglected the truth and justice and love of honor appropriate to him, has himself considered living the rest of his life in inactivity, but me and my children, who now are in need of much care, he has cast off and abandoned like some useless burden, as if unaware if he ever even knew our form or had heard of our affairs. And so having denounced the unfriendliness of your mind and its instability and unsteadiness, if it should indeed happen, I will also die gladly, having received from you sufficient justice for myself. But in addition to all this I beg you again, to trouble me no further, but to abstain from these words and to do what is necessary, just as you were occupied with affairs from the beginning. 5. Such things the empress answered from a soul greatly grieving and in pain. But the Grand Domestic, as if being convicted by himself, that she had spoken what was both just and fitting, and having nothing to say against such a clear demonstration of the truth, spoke nothing to the patriarch, but taking him with him, goes in to the empress. She, 2.38 therefore, as soon as she saw him, being possessed by grief, was bathed in tears and lamented for a considerable time, her tears providing clear proof of her inward pain. But when she ceased, the Grand Domestic began a speech to her of this kind. «It is the custom of good men, whenever some use them as mediators either toward friends and relatives, if they have some dispute with them, or even toward utter enemies, to conceal the harsh parts of the replies and whatever is most able both to destroy the peace and to provoke the hearer to anger, and to pass these things over in silence; but whatever is gentle and mild and sufficient for reconciliation, to report such things, adding from himself no less than what he heard. Just as, on the other hand, those who are wicked in their ways and have chosen to set men against each other, report things that provoke anger with additions, but what is suitable for reconciliation and agreement, they keep silent. And now, having myself used the patriarch as a messenger of my words and having learned again through him the reply that came from you, I feared that, wishing to refresh and calm my soul, which was swelling and burning with grief, he spoke such mild and gentle things. But to you he neither preserved my words intact, nor again did he report to me what sort of reply he received. But saying 2.39 one thing instead of another, for now he will reconcile us for a time, but a little later he will cause the difference to become greater and more severe. For which reason I myself, if such things were truly said by you, thought it necessary to learn precisely, so that I might know how I must also make my speeches about the remaining matters.» And having gone through everything that the patriarch had said to him, he asked her if it had also been said by her in this manner. And when she agreed on all points that they had been stated correctly and truthfully, «Therefore,» he said, «if I seem to behave harshly and inconsiderately in what remains, I ask that you condemn in me neither lack of taste, nor arrogance and boldness of manner, but if there should be any disorder in my words, to attribute that to the necessity of the circumstances, and to grant me pardon as one forced by them. I think every single person, whoever is about to

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ὃ καὶ αὐτὴ ποιήσω, σοὶ θήσω φανερόν. πᾶσαν γὰρ αἰδῶ καὶ γυναικείαν ἀσθένειαν ἀποθεμένη καὶ τῶν τοῦ σωφρονεῖν ὥσπερ λογισμῶν ὑπὸ μεγέθους ἐκτραπεῖσα τῶν κακῶν, κατὰ μέσην τὴν πόλιν γενομένη καὶ ἀναθεῖσα ἑαυτὴν ἐπί τινος μετεώρου, ἵν' ἑξῇ διὰ πάντων ἐξικνεῖσθαι τὴν φωνὴν, ὄρθιον βοήσομαι καὶ μεγαλοφωνότατον· ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ Ἕλληνες καὶ βάρβαροι πάντες, εὖ ἴστε, ὡς πάντα ἀπόλωλε καὶ διέ 2.37 φθαρται, καὶ οὔτε φιλίας χάρις οὐδεμία κεῖται παρ' ἀνθρώποις, οὔτ' ἀληθείας μέλει καὶ δικαιοσύνης οὐδενί· λογισμῶν τε στεῤῥότης οἴχεται ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ συλλήβδην πάντα ἀγαθὰ, εἰ δὴ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ὥσπερ ἔκ τινος ἀντιπνοίας ἐναντιώτατος ἑαυτῷ φανεὶς καὶ τῆς μὲν φιλίας ἐπιλελησμένος βασιλέως, ἀμελήσας δὲ καὶ τῆς αὐτῷ προσηκούσης ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ φιλοτιμίας τῶν καλῶν, αὐτὸς μὲν ἐσκέψατο ἀπραγμοσύνῃ τὸν ἐπίλοιπον βίον ζῇν, ἐμὲ δὲ καὶ παῖδας τοὺς ἐμοὺς πολλῆς νυνὶ τῆς κηδεμονίας δεομένους ὥσπερ τι βάρος ἀνόνητον ἀπεῤῥίψατο καὶ κατέλιπεν, ὥσπερ ἀγνοήσας, εἰ δήποτε καὶ μορφὴν ἡμῶν ἔγνω ἢ ἀκοῇ παρειλήφει τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς. οὕτω δὲ τὸ ἄφιλον τῆς σῆς γνώμης καὶ ἄστατον καὶ ἀβέβαιον στηλιτεύσασα, εἴ γε συμβαίη, καὶ τεθνήξομαι ἡδέως, παρὰ σοῦ δίκας ἀρκούσας ἐμοὶ λαβοῦσα. ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ πᾶσιν αὖθις σοῦ δέομαι, μηδὲν παρενοχλεῖν, ἀλλὰ τῶν τε λόγων ἀποσχέσθαι τουτωνὶ καὶ τὰ δέοντα ποιεῖν, ὥσπερ ἐξαρχῆς ἐχόμενον τῶν πραγμάτων. εʹ. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ἀπεκρίνατο ἡ βασιλὶς ἐξ ἄγαν ἀλγούσης καὶ ὀδυνωμένης ψυχῆς. ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ὥσπερ ἐλεγχόμενος αὐτὸς ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς δίκαιά τε ὁμοῦ καὶ προσήκοντα ἐφθέγξατο, καὶ μηδὲν ἀντιλέγειν ἔχων πρὸς οὕτως ἀπόδειξιν ἐναργῆ τῆς ἀληθείας, πρὸς πατριάρχην μὲν ἐφθέγξατο οὐδὲν, παραλαβὼν δὲ αὐτὸν, εἴσεισιν εἰς βασιλίδα. ἡ 2.38 μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ὡς εἶδε, λύπῃ κάτοχος γεγενημένη, δάκρυσι περιεῤῥεῖτο καὶ ἐθρήνησεν ἐφ' ἱκανὸν, τῆς ἔνδον ἀλγηδόνος ἐναργῆ τεκμήρια τὰ δάκρυα παρεχομένη. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπαύσατο, λόγου πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἤρχετο τοιοῦδε. «ἔθος ἐστὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ἐπειδὰν αὐτοῖς τινες χρήσωνται διαλλακταῖς ἢ πρὸς φίλους καὶ οἰκείους, ἐάν τι πρὸς αὐτοὺς διενεχθῶσιν, ἢ καὶ πρὸς ἄγαν πολεμίους, τὰ μὲν σκληρὰ τῶν ἀποκρίσεων καὶ ὅσα μάλιστα δυνατὰ, τήν τε εἰρήνην διαλύειν καὶ διερεθίζειν τὸν ἀκούοντα πρὸς ὀργὴν, ταῦτα μὲν συγκαλύπτειν καὶ παριέναι σιγῇ· ὅσα δὲ προσηνῆ καὶ ἥμερα καὶ ἱκανὰ πρὸς διαλύσεις, τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀπαγγέλλειν, οὐκ ἐλάττω ἢ ὅσα ἤκουσε προστιθέντα καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ. ὥσπερ αὖ πάλιν οἱ τοὺς τρόπους μοχθηροὶ καὶ συγκρούειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς ἀλλήλους ᾑρημένοι, τὰ πρὸς ὀργὴν μὲν ἀπαγγέλλουσι μετὰ προσθήκης, ὅσα δὲ πρὸς διαλλαγὰς ἐπιτήδεια καὶ συμβάσεις, σιωπῶσι. νυνὶ δὲ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ πατριάρχῃ μηνυτῇ χρησάμενος τῶν λόγων τῶν ἐμῶν καὶ πάλιν δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν γεγενημένην ἀπολογίαν παρὰ σοῦ μεμαθηκὼς, ἔδεισα μὴ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν, οἰδαίνουσαν καὶ φλεγομένην ὑπὸ λύπης, ἀναψύχειν βουλόμενος καὶ καταστέλλειν, τοιαῦτα ἐφθέγξατο ἥμερα καὶ προσηνῆ. πρὸς σὲ δὲ οὔτε τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀκεραίους διεσώσατο λόγους, μήτ' αὖ πάλιν οἵας ἔτυχεν ἀπολογίας ἀπήγγειλε καὶ πρὸς ἐμέ. ἀλλ' ἀνθ' ἑτέρων 2.39 ἕτερα εἰπὼν, νῦν μὲν διαλλάξει πρὸς καιρὸν, ὕστερον δὲ ὀλίγῳ μείζω καὶ βαρυτέραν κατασκευάσει γενέσθαι τὴν διαφοράν. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ αὐτὸς, εἰ τοιαῦτα ὄντως εἴρηται παρὰ σοῦ, δεῖν ἔγνων ἀκριβῶς μαθεῖν, ὡς ἂν εἰδείην, ᾗ χρὴ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐπιλοίπων ποιήσασθαι τοὺς λόγους.» καὶ πάντα διεξελθὼν, ὅσα πατριάρχης πρὸς αὐτὸν διαλεχθείη, ἐπυνθάνετο αὐτῆς, εἰ καὶ αὐτῇ τοῦτον εἴρηται τὸν τρόπον. ἐφ' ἅπασι δὲ συντιθεμένης ὡς ὀρθῶς καὶ ἀληθῶς γεγενημένοις, «οὐκοῦν,» εἶπεν «εἰ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐπίλοιπα τραχέως δόξω προσφέρεσθαι καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως, μηδεμίαν ἐμοῦ καταγινώσκειν μήτ' ἀπειροκαλίαν, μήτ' αὐθάδειαν καὶ θρασύτητα τῶν τρόπων ἀξιῶ, ἀλλ' εἴ τις προσείη καὶ τοῖς λόγοις ἀταξία, ἐκείνην μὲν προσλογίζεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων τῇ ἀνάγκῃ, ἐμοὶ δὲ παρέχεσθαι συγγνώμην ὡς ὑπ' αὐτῶν βιαζομένῳ. ἐγὼ νομίζω πάντα ὁντινοῦν, ὅστις μέλλει