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of the Grand 2.51 Domestic, the said benefactions, he was acknowledging to him, and that he had been benefited more than all others and was in his debt, and to have courage about the future, suggesting that none of the difficulties, as far as it concerned him, would befall him, but that with much haste and eagerness, if any such thing should happen, he would act on his behalf and no less than if he himself were present, he would stand up for the rights that were his. And since the patriarch also eagerly promised such things, "Therefore," said the Grand Domestic, "nothing remains but for you to make these promises firm and indubitable to me, in whatever way you yourself might know, so that I may have no further doubt, but be precisely persuaded that, no less than if I myself were present, the slanderers will have no power for their accusations." And he, immediately rising from his chair, said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is for ever, that neither now, nor later will I deceive you, but on behalf of what is yours I will exert all justice and care and diligence and I will overlook nothing, as far as it concerns me, so as not to think and speak and do all things, so that no harm from false accusation and slander may be brought upon you." And at this, having also said the Trisagion hymn and having gone through one of the holy prayers over the head of the Grand Domestic and having prayed for much peace and good repute and a swarm of other good things for him, since the day was already around evening, the patriarch for his part departed for home, while the Grand 2.52 Domestic eagerly took up his duties, now having firm hopes about the future and suspecting nothing terrible. 7. On the following day he ordered Alexander's ambassadors to come to the palace and report on the matters for which they had come. And they came, and holding the oaths which the emperor had made with Alexander concerning the peace, they demanded that Sisman, who was an enemy to their king, be handed over to them, or to take back the oaths, as the peace would no longer exist. For it would be neither just nor tolerable for them, that they should be safe and steadfast friends and allies to the Romans, while the latter broke the treaty by receiving those most hostile to them. The ambassadors, therefore, said such things, filled with pomposity and arrogance and not thinking that the Romans would even speak against them, but would immediately hand over Sisman, fearing the war against them. But the empress ordered the Grand Domestic to negotiate with them and to respond concerning what they were asking. And he first blamed them, as having made their arrival for reasons which were not proper. For your king, being a friend and a father-in-law to the deceased emperor of the Romans, ought not to bring war upon his children and try to dissolve the treaties for unjust reasons. But if he had any pretext for disagreement with him before, he should resolve this now and keep 2.53 the agreements more steadfastly than before and ally with the emperor's children against enemies, if there are any, since now especially they are in need of assistance from friends. But he seems to have suffered the same as many, who court the powerful while they live, being friends not so much of them as of the opportune moment and of their power; but when they are gone, with the reasons for the friendship as if dissolved, they are most easily led into enmity with those who formerly seemed to be friends, scorning them on account of their weakness. Then also in response to their demand he made his defense thus, that it is not ancestral custom for the Roman emperors to betray to their enemies those who have fled to them for refuge. For from the time of Constantine the Great until now, to the Roman emperors, being greater and more illustrious than the kings or rulers among each nation, many of the rulers among them, having met with misfortune and having been cast out of their rule, have become suppliants, some asking them to restore their own rule, and others otherwise to receive some foresight and care. And they have sufficed for all in their misfortunes, like common saviors and protectors of those in difficult

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τοῦ μεγάλου δομε 2.51 στίκου, τάς τε εἰρημένας εὐεργεσίας, ἦν αὐτῷ ἐκεῖνος συνομολογῶν, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἄλλων μείζω καὶ εὐηργετῆσθαι καὶ ὀφείλειν, καὶ θαῤῥεῖν περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος, ὑποθέμενος, ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ τῶν δυσχερῶν, τόγε εἰς αὐτὸν ἧκον, ἀπαντήσει, ἀλλὰ σπουδῇ πολλῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ, εἴ τι συμβαίη τοιοῦτον, χρήσεται περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἢ ὑπὲρ αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ παρὼν, τῶν αὐτῷ γινομένων ἀνθέξεται δικαίων. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης προθύμως τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπηγγείλατο, οὐκοῦν, ἔφασκεν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος, οὐδὲν λοιπὸν, ἢ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ταύτας τρόπῳ, ᾧ ἂν ἐπίσταιτο αὐτὸς, βεβαίας αὐτῷ ποιεῖν καὶ ἀναμφιβόλους, ὥστε μηδὲν ἔτι ἐνδοιάζειν ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ πεπεῖσθαι ἀκριβῶς, ὡς οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἢ εἰ παρῆν αὐτὸς, οὐδεμία τοῖς συκοφάνταις ἔσται δύναμις πρὸς τὰς διαβολάς. ὁ δ' εὐθὺς τῆς καθέδρας ἐξαναστὰς, «εὐλογητὸς» εἶπεν «ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ ὢν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὔτε νῦν, οὔθ' ὕστερον ψεύσομαί σε, ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ τοῦ σοῦ πᾶσαν ποιήσομαι δικαίου καὶ φροντίδα καὶ σπουδὴν καὶ οὐδὲν, τόγε εἰς ἐμὲ ἧκον, περιόψομαι, μὴ πάντα καὶ διανοεῖσθαι καὶ φθέγγεσθαι καὶ πράττειν, ὥστε μηδεμίαν βλάβην ἐκ συκοφαντίας καὶ διαβολῆς σοι προσενεχθῆναι.» ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὸν τρισάγιον ὕμνον ἐπειπὼν καὶ πρὸς τῇ κεφαλῇ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου εὐχήν τινα τῶν ἱερῶν διεξελθὼν καὶ πολλὴν αὐτῷ εἰρήνην καὶ εὔκλειαν καὶ ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἐπευξάμενος ἐσμὸν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ ἡμέρα ἤδη περὶ δείλην ἦν, ὁ πατριάρχης μὲν ἐπ' οἴκου ἀνεχώρει, ὁ μέγας δὲ 2.52 δομέστικος ἥπτετο προθύμως τῶν πραγμάτων, βεβαίας ἤδη περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἔχων τὰς ἐλπίδας καὶ οὐδὲν δεινὸν ὑπονοῶν. ζʹ. Εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ἐκέλευε τοὺς Ἀλεξάνδρου πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ἐλθόντας, περὶ ὧν ἥκουσιν ἀπαγγέλλειν. οἱ δὲ ἧκον, καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἔχοντες, οὓς βασιλεὺς πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον ἐπὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ ἐποιεῖτο, ᾐτοῦντό τε αὐτοῖς τὸν Σίσμανον ἐγχειρίζειν πολέμιον ὄντα τῷ σφετέρῳ βασιλεῖ, ἢ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀπολαμβάνειν, ὡς οὐκέτι τῆς εἰρήνης ἐσομένης. μηδὲ γὰρ ἂν εἶναι δίκαιον, μηδὲ ἀνεκτὸν αὐτοῖς, αὐτοὺς μὲν ἀσφαλεῖς εἶναι καὶ βεβαίους φίλους καὶ συμμάχους Ῥωμαίοις, ἐκείνους δὲ παρασπονδεῖν, τοὺς αὐτοῖς πολεμιωτάτους ὑποδεχομένους. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις τοιαῦτα εἶπον, ὄγκου καὶ φρονήματος πεπληρωμένοι καὶ οὐδὲ ἀντειπεῖν οἰόμενοι Ῥωμαίους, ἀλλ' αὐτίκα ἐγχειρίσειν Σίσμανον, δείσαντας τὸν πόλεμον τὸν πρὸς αὐτούς. ἡ βασιλὶς δὲ ἐκέλευεν αὐτοῖς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον χρηματίζειν καὶ περὶ ὧν αἰτοῦσιν ἀποκρίνεσθαι. ὁ δὲ πρῶτα μὲν ἐμέμφετο αὐτοῖς, ὡς οὐκ ἐφ' οἷς προσῆκε τὴν ἄφιξιν πεποιημένοις. ἔδει γὰρ βασιλέα τὸν ὑμῶν, φίλον ὄντα καὶ πατέρα κηδεστοῦ τῷ τετελευτηκότι βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων, μὴ τοῖς ἐκείνου παισὶ πόλεμον ἐπάγειν καὶ διαλύειν πειρᾶσθαι τὰς σπονδὰς ἐπ' αἰτίαις οὐ δικαίαις. ἀλλ' εἴ τινα καὶ πρότερον εἶχε πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πρόφασιν διαφορᾶς, ταύτην καταλύειν νῦν καὶ βεβαιότερον ἢ πρότερον φυλάτ 2.53 τειν τὰς συνθήκας καὶ βασιλέως τοῖς παισὶ συμμαχεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους, ἄν τινες ὦσι, νυνὶ μάλιστα τῆς παρὰ τῶν φίλων ἐπικουρίας δεομένοις. ὁ δ' ἔοικε ταὐτὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς παθεῖν, οἳ ζῶντας μὲν θεραπεύουσι τοὺς δυνατοὺς, οὐ μᾶλλον ἐκείνων, ἢ τοῦ καιροῦ καὶ τῆς ἐκείνων δυνάμεως ὄντες φίλοι· ἐπειδὰν δὲ ἀποίχωνται, τῶν αἰτίων ὡσπερεὶ διαλυθέντων τῆς φιλίας, ῥᾷστα πρὸς ἔχθραν ἐξάγονται τῶν πρότερον δοκούντων εἶναι φίλων, διὰ τὴν ἀδυναμίαν αὐτοὺς περιορῶντες. ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν αὐτῶν οὕτω τὴν ἀπολογίαν ἐποιεῖτο, ὡς οὐ πάτριον τοῖς Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῦσι, τοὺς αὐτοῖς προσφυγόντας τοῖς πολεμίοις προδιδόναι. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου χρόνων ἄχρι νῦν τοῖς Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῦσι, μείζοσι καὶ περιφανεστέροις τῶν παρ' ἑκάστοις ἔθνεσι βασιλεῦσιν ἢ δυνάσταις οὖσι, πολλοὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἀρχόντων ἀτυχήσαντες καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκβεβλημένοι γεγόνασιν ἱκέται, οἱ μὲν τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτοῖς δεόμενοι ἀρχὴν ἐπανασώζειν, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως προνοίας καὶ κηδεμονίας τυχεῖν τινος. καὶ πᾶσιν ἤρκεσαν πρὸς τὰς συμφορὰς, ὥσπερ κοινοὶ σωτῆρες καὶ προστάται τῶν δυσκόλῳ