223

and the coronation of the new emperor be performed. For so it had been decided by us. And at the beginning of spring, with the triremes prepared for the voyage and the entire army ready, we shall attack the Peloponnese from land and sea at the same time. For it will be no small addition to the Romans, if we bring them under our rule. And as a side-task of our journey, having investigated the naval stations and rivers of Ionia, in which the Persians moor their own ships, and having burned them with fire, for so it has been agreed between Aleseres, the satrap of Cotyaeum, and me, who will assist from the mainland with an army of both infantry and cavalry, and having been freed from the harm and care from them, we shall proceed to the contest set before us, having set all things at home in good order.” When the grand domestic had deliberated on such things, since the others also agreed and praised his counsel, they immediately chose ambassadors for the ruler of the Triballi. Who, upon arriving and discussing peace, persuaded him to come to terms and made a truce according to the previous ones. And the grand domestic, having ordered the army to be assembled, went himself to Byzantium. And when he came near, those of the senators who were in Byzantium 2.83 went out to meet him, and greeted him, having dismounted from their horses. But he rebuked them for doing things that were not fitting; then, coming into the palace, he both greeted the empress and consoled her with words, as she was not only grieving because of her misfortunes, but was also physically ill. And having recounted all that he had done when he went to Didymoteichon, and all that he had promised to the ambassadors from the Peloponnese, and what he intended to do concerning both them and other matters, he advised her to have great hopes and to trust in him, as one who, for the benefit of herself and her children and the common good of the Romans, would spare neither his body nor his wealth, but would show all zeal and eagerness. For now it was not easy, he said, to demonstrate with words the increase of the army and of the public revenues; but when spring came, if he were among the living, there would be no need of words for the proof, since the benefit would be made manifest from the deeds themselves. Then, having also communicated about the matters for which he had come, since they seemed advantageous to her too and she approved the plan, he set to work and managed everything as had been decided. 13. A little later from that day, as he was in the palace conversing with the empress about common affairs and they were deliberating together about what needed to be done, a noise was heard from outside and a mingled shout around the palace. And when the empress asked him what this might be, he said he knew nothing for certain; but he thought that this disturbance was happening because some people 2.84 were arguing with each other in court. And he insisted later that he had thought nothing else at first; for not even he himself knew anything of what was happening. Then as the uproar grew louder and was prolonged for a long time, thinking himself that it was some kind of novelty, he stood up and went out, wishing to learn the cause of what was happening. And he sees the courtyard of the palace full of men, who were not only from the military roll, but also of the youths who were distinguished for their noble birth, and the patriarch standing in their midst and arguing with them as they were quarreling. The cause of the quarrel was that they claimed it was right for the grand domestic to receive greater honor and not to enter the palace courtyard on foot like the multitude; he who not only now has command of all affairs, but also, when the emperor was alive, was influential and had often been summoned by him to a share in the imperial power. And for these reasons they were blaming the patriarch, because he was overlooking this and not advising the empress on what was proper. These things were said by them, though not all had the same opinions. But by those who had goodwill toward him, it was both truly promoted and similarly spoken, while others were courting the occasion and the power of the grand domestic; and there were some who were displeased at these words and would gladly have stopped them, if it were possible, yet because of fear they seemed to agree with the majority, thinking, that he was aware of it and

223

καὶ βασιλέως ἡ νέου στεφηφορία τελεσθῇ. οὕτω γὰρ ἐδέδοκτο ἡμῖν. ἅμα δὲ ἦρι ἀρχομένῳ τῶν τε τριήρεων πρὸς τὸν πλοῦν οὐσῶν παρεσκευασμένων καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς ἁπάσης, ἐξ ἠπείρου τε ἅμα καὶ θαλάσσης προσβαλοῦμεν τῇ Πελοποννήσῳ. οὐ γὰρ μικρὰ προσθήκη γενήσεται Ῥωμαίοις, ἂν ὑπαγαγώμεθα ἐκείνους. ὁδοῦ δὲ πάρεργον καὶ τοὺς τῆς Ἰωνίας διερευνησάμενοι ναυστάθμους καὶ ποταμοὺς, ἐν οἷς οἱ Πέρσαι τὰς σφετέρας αὐτῶν προσορμίζουσι ναῦς, καὶ καταφλέξαντες πυρὶ, οὕτω γὰρ Ἀλησέρῃ τῷ Κοτυαείου σατράπῃ καὶ ἐμοὶ συντέθειται, ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου παραβοηθοῦντι ἅμα στρατιᾷ πεζῇ τε καὶ ἱππικῇ, καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἐκείνων ἀπαλλαγέντες λύμης καὶ φροντίδος, πρὸς τὸν προκείμενον βαδιούμεθα ἀγῶνα, πάντα τὰ οἴκοι καταστήσαντες καλῶς.» τοιαῦτα τοῦ μεγάλου βουλευσαμένου δομεστίκου, ἐπεὶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνεδόκει καὶ ἐπῄνουν τὴν βουλὴν, πρὸς μὲν τὸν τῶν Τριβαλῶν ἄρχοντα πρέσβεις ᾑροῦντο αὐτίκα. οἳ καὶ παραγενόμενοι καὶ διαλεχθέντες περὶ εἰρήνης, ἔπεισάν τε διαλύσασθαι καὶ ἔθεντο σπονδὰς κατὰ τὰς οὔσας πρίν. ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ἀθροίζεσθαι κελεύσας τὴν στρατιὰν, αὐτὸς ᾔει εἰς Βυζάντιον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο ἐγγὺς, οἱ Βυζαντίῳ παρόντες τῶν συγκλητικῶν εἰς ὑπάντησιν 2.83 ἐξελθόντες, ἠσπάζοντο τῶν ἵππων ἀποβάντες. ὁ δὲ ἐπέπληττεν αὐτοῖς ὡς οὐ προσήκοντα ποιοῦσιν· ἔπειτα εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ἐλθὼν, ἠσπάζετό τε βασιλίδα καὶ παρεμυθεῖτο λόγοις, οὐκ ἀλγοῦσαν μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν συμφορῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ σῶμα νοσηλευομένην. καὶ διηγησάμενος, ὅσα τε πράξειε πρὸς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἐλθὼν, καὶ ὅσα τοῖς ἐκ Πελοποννήσου πρέσβεσιν ἐπαγγείλαιτο, οἷά τε διανοοῖτο περί τε ἐκείνων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων πράττειν, μεγάλα τε ἐλπίζειν παρῄνει καὶ αὐτῷ θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς ὑπὲρ ὠφελείας αὐτῆς τε καὶ παίδων καὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ Ῥωμαίων, οὔτε σώματος, οὔτε χρημάτων φεισομένῳ, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ἐπιδειξομένῳ καὶ σπουδὴν καὶ προθυμίαν. νῦν μὲν γὰρ οὐ ῥᾴδιον εἶναι, λόγοις τήν τε στρατιᾶς ἐπίδοσιν καὶ τῶν προσόδων τῶν κοινῶν ἀποδεικνύειν· ἔαρος δὲ γενομένου, εἰ ἐν ζῶσιν εἴη, οὐ λόγων δεήσεσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων φανερᾶς τῆς ὠφελείας γινομένης. ἔπειτα καὶ περὶ ὧν ἥκει κοινωσάμενος, ὡς καὶ αὐτῇ συμφέροντα ἐδόκει καὶ ἐπεψήφιζε τὴν βουλὴν, ἔργου εἴχετο καὶ διῴκει πάντα, ᾗ βεβούλευτο. ιγʹ. Ὀλίγῳ δὲ ὕστερον ἐξ ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐν βασιλείοις αὐτοῦ τῇ βασιλίδι διαλεγομένου περὶ τῶν κοινῶν καὶ κοινῇ βουλευομένων περὶ ὧν ἂν δέοι πράττειν, θροῦς ἔξωθεν ἠκούετο καὶ βοὴ περὶ τὰ βασίλεια συμμιγής. ἐρομένης δὲ τῆς βασιλίδος πρὸς αὐτὸν, τί ἂν εἴη ταῦτα, σαφὲς μὲν οὐδὲν εἰδέναι ἔφασκεν· οἴεσθαι δὲ, πρὸς τὴν δίκην τινῶν ἀλλήλοις 2.84 ἀντιλεγόντων, τὸν θόρυβον γίνεσθαι τουτονί. διϊσχυρίζετο δὲ καὶ ὕστερον, οὐδὲν ἄλλο οἰηθῆναι τὴν ἀρχήν· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' αὐτός τι ᾔδει τῶν γιγνομένων. ἔπειτα ὡς μείζων ἦν ὁ θόρυβος καὶ παρετείνετο ἐπιπολὺ, νομίσας καὶ αὐτὸς νεώτερόν τι εἶναι, ἀναστὰς ἐξῄει μαθεῖν ἐθέλων τῶν γινομένων τὴν αἰτίαν. ὁρᾷ δὲ τῶν βασιλείων τὴν αὐλὴν πλήθουσαν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ ἦσαν οὐ τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ καταλόγου μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐπ' εὐγενείᾳ λαμπρυνομένων νέων, καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην ἐν μέσοις αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα καὶ λογομαχοῦντα πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαφερομένους. αἰτία δὲ τῆς διαφορᾶς ἦν, ὅτι δὴ ἠξίουν μείζονος τιμῆς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον δίκαιον τυγχάνειν εἶναι καὶ μὴ τοῖς πολλοῖς ὁμοίως πεζῇ τῶν βασιλείων εἰσιέναι τὴν αὐλήν· ὃς οὐ μόνον νῦν τῶν ὅλων πραγμάτων ἔχει τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ, βασιλέως περιόντος, παραδυναστεύων ἦν καὶ πολλάκις ὑπ' ἐκείνου προσκεκλημένος πρὸς τὴν βασιλείας κοινωνίαν. ἐν αἰτίαις τε τὸν πατριάρχην διὰ ταῦτα ἐποιοῦντο, ὅτι δὴ περιορῴη καὶ μὴ βασιλίδι παραινοίη τὰ προσήκοντα. ταῦτα δὴ αὐτοῖς ἐλέγετο, οὐ πᾶσιν ὁμοίας ἔχουσι τὰς γνώμας. ἀλλ' οἷς μὲν εὔνοια πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἦν, ἐσπουδάζετό τε ἀληθῶς ὁμοίως καὶ ἐλέγετο, οἱ δ' ἐθεράπευον τὸν καιρὸν καὶ τὴν μεγάλου δομεστίκου δύναμιν· ἦσαν δὲ οἳ καὶ δυσχεραίνοντες πρὸς τοὺς λόγους καὶ ἡδέως ἂν κωλύσοντες, εἰ ἐξῆν, ὅμως ὑπὸ δέους συμφωνεῖν ἐδόκουν τοῖς πολλοῖς, οἰόμενοι, ἐκείνου συνειδότος καὶ