220

having. For the sake of the counsel which he had given him about building a fortress for himself, that it might be a refuge against the vicissitudes of fortune, he said that he was grateful for his zeal and eagerness concerning him; but that for himself, safety from such things was not to be sought after. But he would gladly spend that day conversing with those in Hades, 2.74 on which, after the hope of a hand from above, having neglected the safety that comes from friends and from holding their hearts as citadels, as with the most secure garrison, through friendship, he would entrust his salvation to wood and stones and reasonings that have nothing sound in them. For he himself knew that the first happiness and supreme good for men is to converse with God and to be with him always in the ascent to him through purity. And second after that, to have safe and faithful friends, first the few who differ from the many in intelligence, and then after those to reap also the goodwill of the many, all of them paying attention to those men because of their good character. and to think this not only more costly than all towers, but also more precious than money and glory and all honor and higher than kingship itself in the accounting of good fortune. Wherefore he would not be persuaded by him advising such things, but would maintain for himself until the end the safety which he had chosen from the beginning, "just as you, indeed, do the one from fortresses and strongholds." Apokaukos the parakoimomenos, therefore, was thus guarded, shut up in Epibatai. 11. While the great domestic was staying in Didymoteicho and was occupied with the preparation of the army, ambassadors came to him from the Peloponnese, the bishop of Korone and Sideros Ntzouan, sent from the rulers of the 2.75 cities that were subject to the Latins. The embassy was this: that they should all come under the emperor on the condition that they themselves would rule again the cities which they held, but would give all the public taxes which they provide to the prince, to the emperor, and show every other service and servitude, and have a general from the emperor, under whom they would all willingly serve. Such, then, was the embassy of the Latins from the Peloponnese. And they had sent letters to the great domestic, which declared the following: that they all by agreement, while the emperor was still alive, had resolved to defect from the prince and join him, and were already in the process of doing what they had resolved. But when they learned that the emperor had died, giving up the attempt, they remained quiet again. But when Pagano de Pistoia, a very close acquaintance and friend of theirs, had arrived a little earlier from Byzantium, and reported that the whole rule and leadership of affairs rested with you, we all came together again and voted for what had been decided before, not only because of the nobility of your character and your ability to defend them if any should attack, but also because for a long time now, although we have not yet met, we are well-disposed and friendly to you. For ever since, while campaigning with the emperor in Acarnania, you yourself entered into discussions with those from us who had come to Thomokastron as allies of the son of the despot Nikephoros, and persuaded them to become friends instead of 2.76 enemies, they both always maintain their goodwill toward you and persuaded us, by recounting many and wonderful things about you, to have the same and equal goodwill for you, by which we have now been persuaded to make this present embassy. Therefore, the ambassadors who have come will report our request. And if the empress and you yourself approve of these things, nothing will any longer prevent us from being under the rule of the Romans, as we have promised, only if you yourself come to us, to take possession of the cities and to administer the affairs here in whatever way seems best to you." Such, then, were the letters to each individually and to all together. Receiving these, the great domestic was exceedingly pleased and treated the ambassadors with extreme generosity and magnificence, and to those who had sent them

220

ἐσχηκότα. τῆς γε μὴν ἕνεκα βουλῆς, ἧς αὐτῷ συνεβούλευε περὶ τοῦ φρούριόν τι ἑαυτῷ κατασκευάσαι, ἵν' εἴη καταφυγὴ πρὸς τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων μεταβολὰς, χάριτας μὲν ἔλεγεν εἰδέναι τῆς περὶ ἐκεῖνον προθυμίας καὶ σπουδῆς· αὐτῷ δὲ μὴ τὴν ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ἀσφάλειαν εἶναι περισπούδαστον. ἀλλ' ἡδέως ἂν ἔχειν, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην μετὰ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου προσομιλεῖν, 2.74 ἐν ᾗ μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν ἐλπίδα δεξιᾶς τῆς ἐκ τῶν φίλων ἀσφαλείας ἀμελήσας καὶ τοῦ τούτων τὰς καρδίας, ὥσπερ ἀκροπόλεις, οἷα δὴ ἀσφαλεστάτῃ φρουρᾷ κατέχειν, τῇ φιλίᾳ, ξύλοις καὶ λίθοις καὶ λογισμοῖς ὑγιὲς οὐδὲν ἔχουσι πιστεύσειε τὴν σωτηρίαν. πρώτην μὲν γὰρ εὐδαιμονίαν καὶ ἄκρως ἀγαθὸν ἀνθρώποις τὸ θεῷ προσομιλεῖν καὶ διὰ παντὸς αὐτῷ συνεῖναι τῇ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον διὰ καθαρότητος ἀναβάσει, αὐτὸς εἰδέναι. δευτέραν δὲ μετ' ἐκείνην, τὸ φίλοις χρῆσθαι ἀσφαλέσι καὶ πιστοῖς, πρῶτον μὲν τοῖς ὀλίγοις καὶ συνέσει διαφέρουσι τῶν πολλῶν, ἔπειτα δὲ μετ' ἐκείνους καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν πολλῶν εὔνοιαν καρποῦσθαι, πάντων ἐκείνοις διὰ χρηστότητα τρόπων προσεχόντων. καὶ τοῦτο οἴεσθαι οὐ πύργων μόνον ἁπάντων ἀναλωτότερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ χρημάτων καὶ δόξης καὶ τιμῆς ἁπάσης τιμιώτερον καὶ βασιλείας αὐτῆς ὑψηλότερον εἰς εὐτυχίας λόγον. ὅθεν οὐδὲ πείσεσθαι αὐτῷ τοιαῦτα συμβουλεύοντι, ἀλλ' ἣν ἐξαρχῆς προείλετο, μέχρι τέλους ἑαυτῷ ἀσφάλειαν τηρήσειν, ὥσπερ δῆτα καὶ σὺ τὴν ἐκ τῶν φρουρίων καὶ ὀχυρωμάτων.» Ἀπόκαυκος μὲν οὖν ὁ παρακοιμώμενος οὕτως ἐν Ἐπιβάταις ἐγκεκλεισμένος ἐφρουρεῖτο. ιαʹ. Τοῦ μεγάλου δὲ δομεστίκου ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ ἐνδιατρίβοντος καὶ περὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν τῆς στρατιᾶς ἠσχολημένου, ἧκον ἐκ Πελοποννήσου πρέσβεις πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐπίσκοπός τε ὁ Κορώνης καὶ ὁ Σιδηρὸς Ντζιουὰν, ἐκ τῶν ἡγεμόνων τῶν 2.75 πόλεων, αἳ ὑπήκοοι Λατίνοις ἦσαν, ἀπεσταλμένοι. ἡ πρεσβεία δὲ ἦν· ὑπὸ βασιλέα γενέσθαι πάντας ἐπὶ τῷ τῶν μὲν πόλεων, ἃς κατέχουσιν, αὖθις αὐτοὺς ἡγεμονεύειν, φόρους δὲ τοὺς δημοσίους πάντας, οὓς πρίγγιπι παρέχουσι, διδόναι βασιλεῖ καὶ πᾶσαν ἄλλην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι καὶ θεραπείαν καὶ δουλείαν, καὶ στρατηγὸν ἐκ βασιλέως ἔχειν, ὑφ' ᾧ τελέσουσιν ἑκόντες πάντες. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐκ Πελοποννήσου Λατίνων πρεσβεία τοιαύτη ἦν. γράμματα δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον πεπόμφασιν, ἃ ἐδήλου τοιάδε· ὡς πάντες αὐτοὶ ἀπὸ συνθήματος, ἔτι περιόντος βασιλέως, βουλεύσαιντο ἀποστάντες πρίγγιπος ἐκείνῳ προσχωρεῖν καὶ ἤδη ἐν ἐπιχειρήσει ἦσαν τοῦ πράττειν τὰ βεβουλευμένα. ἐπεὶ δὲ βασιλέα τετελευτηκότα πύθοιντο, ἀπογνόντας τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν, αὖθις ἠρεμεῖν. Παγάνου δὲ Ντεπιστόγια, συνήθους αὐτοῖς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα καὶ φίλου, ὀλίγῳ πρότερον ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἀφιγμένου, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ὑπὸ σὲ ἀπαγγείλαντος τελεῖν, αὖθις συνελθόντας πάντας ἡμᾶς, τὰ δεδογμένα πρότερον ἐπιψηφίσασθαι, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν εὐγένειαν τῶν τρόπων καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι αὐτοῖς, ἄν τινες ἐπίωσιν, ἀμύνειν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ πολὺν ἤδη χρόνον, καίτοι μήπω συντυχόντες, εὐνοϊκῶς σοι διακείμεθα καὶ φιλίως. ἐξ ὅτου γὰρ ἐν Ἀκαρνανίᾳ βασιλεῖ συστρατευόμενος, τοῖς ἐν Θωμοκάστρῳ παρ' ἡμῶν κατὰ συμμαχίαν ἀφιγμένοις Νικηφόρου τοῦ δεσπότου παιδὸς πρὸς λόγους ἐλθὼν αὐτὸς, φίλους ἀντὶ πολε 2.76 μίων ἔπεισας γενέσθαι, ἐκεῖνοί τε ἀεί σοι τὴν εὔνοιαν διατηροῦσι καὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνέπεισαν, πολλὰ καὶ θαυμάσιά τινα περὶ σοῦ διεξιόντες, τὴν ἴσην καὶ ὁμοίαν εὔνοιαν κεκτῆσθαι περὶ σὲ, ὑφ' ἧς καὶ νῦν πεπείσμεθα, τὴν πρεσβείαν ταύτην ποιήσασθαι νυνί. τὴν μὲν οὖν ἀξίωσιν ἡμῶν οἱ παραγενόμενοι ἀπαγγελοῦσι πρέσβεις. ἂν δὲ τούτοις βασιλίς τε καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιψηφίσησθε, οὐδὲν ἔτι τὸ κωλῦσον ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τὴν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν, ὥσπερ ἐπηγγειλάμεθα, τελεῖν, μόνον εἰ αὐτὸς ἀφίξῃ πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τάς τε πόλεις παραληψόμενος καὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα πράγματα, ὅπῃ ἄν σοι δοκῇ, ἄριστα διοικήσων.» τὰ μὲν οὖν γράμματα ἰδίᾳ τε ἑκάστῳ καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ τοιάδε ἦν. ἃ δεξάμενος ὁ μέγας δομέστικος, ἥσθη τε ὑπερφυῶς καὶ τοῖς τε πρέσβεσι προσεφέρετο φιλοτίμως ἄγαν καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς. καὶ τοῖς πεπομφόσιν