216

what the judge is in civil matters, this the equalizer could be in public ones. For the former prepares good order for the cities, by judging justly and compelling obedience to the laws, and the latter, if he is willing to do what is just and what is beneficial to the commonwealth, will take away from some, if they reap more than is just, and by adding to those who have less, will prepare everyone to be eager for military campaigns and to keep order and obey the generals excellently. Therefore, as one entrusted with great things and things that contribute most greatly to the administration of the whole, so must he be convinced and show fitting diligence and eagerness in his tasks.” Such things he went through with him, making a defense for what he was demanding. Then he inquired about the amount of money, how much it was. And when he answered that there were ten myriads of gold, and furniture and vessels, made of gold and silver, worth forty thousand gold pieces, and said that he was ready to hand all this over right now, he called one of his servants, 2.63 “Well then,” he said, “go and hand these things over to this man.” And as he, without any delay, was proceeding to carry out what had been ordered, before he reached home the Grand Domestic ordered him to turn back. And he praised him for his eagerness, but ordered him to keep the money, as he did not need it for now. But if, when his own resources were spent, he should need these too, then he should take them, as these also belonged to him, and spend them wherever it seemed they would be most profitable to the commonwealth when spent. But he declined the custody of the money, saying that it was not to his pleasure to hold on to it any longer; nevertheless, being ordered of necessity, he obeyed. After this, the Grand Domestic, summoning the senators one by one and those otherwise distinguished by nobility, and then also the soldiers, inquired about the amount of the pronoia assigned to each by the emperor and whether he now possessed so much or less than what was assigned. And when each answered how his affairs stood, he ordered the Patrikios to restore to those who had been deprived of what was due and, in addition, to add as much as seemed good to him, assigning the benefaction to each proportionally; and to those who had revenues from the emperor and were not in need, he likewise ordered other revenues to be added to what they had. And when the redistribution had been made in about sixty days, to those having less was added the deficit with an addition, and to those lacking nothing the addition was also made. And all, 2.64 considering their revenues sufficient, both expressed great thanks to the Grand Domestic, and were eager to fight the enemies of the Romans wherever on earth they might be. And they repaired their weapons by polishing them, and they procured more and better horses than before; and in general they seemed even to be indignant that they were not being led out more quickly to defend against the enemy. 9. When these things had been well arranged by him, he advised the empress to anoint her son, the emperor John, with the holy myrrh and to adorn his head with a crown. And he persuaded her, as he seemed to be giving good counsel. But when some of the emperor's blood relatives advised that it was not right for the son to celebrate, since his father the emperor had died a short while before—and the parakoimomenos Apokaukos suggested they say this, as became clear from later events, plotting the sedition that occurred and not wanting the empress to possess faithful pledges of the Grand Domestic's goodwill towards her and her son—the empress postponed the matter to the next day, blaming the censure of some, because they, having heard, would allegedly accuse them of not having handled the matter at the proper time, but of celebrating and holding a most imperial festival at a time when they ought to be mourning and lamenting. But he said that those who had said this were being altogether foolish and not even 2.65 considering this, that upon the death of many emperors the proclamation of their sons took place, with no one blaming them for the untimeliness, but with everyone, as was right,

216

πολιτικοῖς πράγμασιν ὁ κριτὴς, τοῦτο τοῖς δημοσίοις δύναιτ' ἂν ὁ ἐξισωτής. ἐκεῖνος τε γὰρ εὐνομίαν ταῖς πόλεσι παρασκευάζει, δικαίως διαιτῶν καὶ τοῖς νόμοις πείθεσθαι καταναγκάζων, καὶ οὗτος, ἂν ἐθέλῃ τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν καὶ τὰ λυσιτελοῦντα τῷ κοινῷ, τῶν μὲν ἀφαιρήσεται, ἂν πλέον καρπῶνται τοῦ δικαίου, τοῖς δὲ ἔλαττον ἔχουσι προσθεὶς, προθύμους πρὸς τὰς στρατείας παρασκευάσει πάντας καὶ φυλάττοντας τὴν τάξιν καὶ πειθομένους ἄριστα τοῖς στρατηγοῖς. ὡς οὖν μεγάλα πεπιστευμένος καὶ τὰ μέγιστα συμβαλλόμενα πρὸς τὴν διοίκησιν τῶν ὅλων, οὕτω χρὴ καὶ πεπεῖσθαι καὶ προσήκουσαν σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν ἐπιδείκνυσθαι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις.» τοιαῦτα μὲν διῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀπολογίαν ποιούμενος ἐφ' οἷς ἠξίου. ἔπειτα τῶν χρημάτων ἐπυνθάνετο τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὁπόσος εἴη. τοῦ δὲ ἀποκριναμένου, χρυσίου μὲν εἶναι μυριάδας δέκα, ἔπιπλά τε καὶ σκεύη, ἐκ χρυσοῦ πεποιημένα καὶ ἀργύρου, χρυσίων τετρακισμυρίων ἄξια, καὶ ταῦτα φαμένου πάντα τὸ νῦν ἔχον ἑτοίμως ἐπιδοῦναι ἔχειν, τῶν οἰκετῶν μετακαλεσάμενός τινα, 2.63 «οὐκοῦν» ἔφη «ταῦτα τούτῳ παράδος ἀπελθών.» ὡς δὲ μηδὲν μελλήσας ἐπορεύετο τὰ προστεταγμένα ἐκπληρώσων, πρὶν οἴκαδε ἐλθεῖν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ἐκέλευεν ἀναστρέφειν. καὶ τῆς μὲν προθυμίας ἕνεκα ἐπῄνει, τὰ χρήματα δὲ ἐκέλευεν αὐτὸν φυλάττειν, ὡς νῦν μὲν αὐτῶν οὐ δεομένῳ. ἐὰν δὲ τῶν ἰδίων ἀναλωθέντων, καὶ τούτων δεηθῇ, τότ' ἤδη λαμβάνειν, ὡς αὐτῷ καὶ ταῦτα διαφέροντα, καὶ ἀναλίσκειν, ὅποι ἂν δοκῇ τῷ κοινῷ ἀναλωθέντα μάλιστα λυσιτελήσειν. ὁ δ' ἀπηγόρευε μὲν τῶν χρημάτων τὴν φυλακὴν, οὐ καθ' ἡδονὴν εἶναι, φάσκων, αὐτῷ παρακατέχειν ἔτι· ὅμως ἀναγκαίως προσταττόμενος ἐπείθετο. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος τῶν τε συγκλητικῶν καθ' ἕνα καὶ τῶν ἄλλως εὐγενείᾳ διαφερόντων, ἔπειτα καὶ στρατιώτας μετακαλούμενος, τῆς τε παρὰ βασιλέως ἀποτεταγμένης ἑκάστῳ προνοίας ἐπυνθάνετο τὸν ἀριθμὸν καὶ εἰ τοσοῦτον κέκτηται νῦν ἢ τοῦ τεταγμένου ἧττον. τῶν δὲ ἀποκριναμένων ἑκάστου, ὅπως εἶχε τὰ αὐτοῦ, τοῖς μὲν ἀπεστερημένοις τῶν δεόντων τὸν Πατρικιώτην ἐκέλευεν ἀναπληροῦν καὶ προσέτι προστιθέναι, ὅσον αὐτῷ καλῶς ἔχειν ἐδόκει, ἀναλόγως ἑκάστῳ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν προστιθείς· τοῖς δὲ ἀνενδεεῖς τὰς ἐκ βασιλέως ἔχουσι προσόδους καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐκέλευεν ὁμοίως πρὸς οἷς ἔχουσι καὶ ἑτέρας προστιθέναι. καὶ ἐν ἑξήκοντα ἡμέραις μάλιστα γεγενημένου τοῦ ἀναδασμοῦ, τοῖς τε ἔλαττον ἔχουσι προσετίθετο τὸ ἐλλεῖπον μετὰ προσθήκης, καὶ τοῖς λειπομένοις μηδενὸς ἡ προσθήκη προσεγίνετο. καὶ πάν 2.64 τες ἐξαρκούσας τὰς προσόδους ἡγησάμενοι, χάριτάς τε ὡμολόγουν τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ πολλὰς, καὶ πρόθυμοι ἦσαν τοῖς ὁπουδήποτε γῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολεμίοις μάχεσθαι. καὶ ὅπλα ἐπεσκεύαζον διασμήχοντες, καὶ ἵππους προσεπορίζοντο καὶ πλείους καὶ βελτίους τῶν προτέρων· καὶ ὅλως ἐδόκουν καὶ ἀγανακτεῖν, ὅτι μὴ τάχιον πρὸς ἄμυναν ἐξάγονται τῶν πολεμίων. θʹ. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα αὐτῷ διῴκητο καλῶς, συνεβούλευε τῇ βασιλίδι, τὸν υἱὸν βασιλέα τὸν Ἰωάννην χρίειν τε μύρῳ τῷ ἁγίῳ καὶ στέφει τὴν κεφαλὴν κατακοσμεῖν. καὶ ἔπεισέ γε δόξας βουλεύεσθαι καλῶς. τῶν δὲ καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων βασιλεῖ τινων μὴ δίκαιον εἶναι παραινούντων, τοῦ πατρὸς ὀλίγῳ πρότερον τετελευτηκότος βασιλέως, τὸν υἱὸν πανηγυρίζειν, τοῦτο δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ παρακοιμώμενος Ἀπόκαυκος ὑπετίθει λέγειν, ὡς ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον γέγονε καταφανὲς, τὴν γεγενημένην στάσιν μελετῶν καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος βασιλίδα τῆς εἰς αὐτὴν καὶ τὸν υἱὸν εὐνοίας ἐνέχυρα πιστὰ κεκτῆσθαι παρὰ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν τὸ ἔργον ἀνεβάλλετο ἡ βασιλὶς, τὴν μέμψιν τινῶν αἰτιωμένη, ὅτι δὴ πυθόμενοι κατηγοροῖεν, ὡς οὐ κεχρημένων τῷ πράγματι κατὰ καιρὸν, ἀλλ' ἐν οἷς ἔδει κόπτεσθαι καὶ θρηνεῖν, πανηγυριζόντων αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν βασιλικωτάτην τελούντων ἑορτήν. ὁ δ' ἀνοηταίνειν ἔφασκε παντάπασι τοὺς εἰρηκότας καὶ μηδὲ 2.65 τοῦτο ἐννοεῖν, ὡς πολλοῖς τῶν βασιλέων τελευτῶσιν ἡ ἀνάῤῥησις ἐγίνετο τῶν παίδων, οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀκαιρίαν μεμφομένου, ἀλλὰ πάντων, ὥσπερ δίκαιον ἦν,