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doing. The empress, therefore, being impelled by her own anger to take measures against the Grand Domestic, if she could, and being further inflamed by them, went to the emperor her son as quickly as she could and accused the Grand Domestic of acting like an emperor, and advised him to be on his guard against the man as one who feigned loyalty but would act ungratefully if he got the opportunity. But the emperor made a long speech to the empress his mother in defense of the Grand Domestic, declaring those who had made such accusations to be slanderers and liars. And as if wishing to make it clear by his actions as well that he considered such things to be fabrications, 2.94 he was seen to be more well-disposed to the Grand Domestic than before, giving him greater influence and paying him closer attention, which caused the empress his mother to be even more distressed. So in this way the emperor had dismissed the slanderers, and having told him everything about which the empress had come, he again advised him to put on the imperial robes, if for no other reason, then at least for the sake of public opinion, so that he might both show them that their suspicions were true and free himself from many troubles. But he expressed many thanks to the emperor for his favor toward him and his nobility; but as for changing to an emperor's attire, he would be unwilling, not so much for other reasons as for the sake of the slanderers, so that by this very fact he might exact punishment from them for their villainy, by proving them to be slanderers by his very actions. And he himself said he knew, even before the empress arrived, what she would come about. For indeed, some of those who were privy to her secrets had come beforehand and made clear to the Grand Domestic both the reason for her present arrival and who had contrived the plot. And they advised him to preempt her attack and set her against the emperor her son, and to disturb the emperor's soul with fabricated stories, so that she would be unable to accomplish any of her plans. But he sent them away in anger, as men disposed no better toward him than enemies, and this, while wearing the mask of friends. 2.95 For such things were not fitting for him, but quite the contrary, if any difference should arise for the emperor with his mother, it was for him to do and contrive everything by which they could be reconciled. For this is the mark of true friendship, but what they were advising is the mark of a most bitter enemy, corrupt in character and worthless. But he himself was not one to court the emperor's power, feigning to be a friend, but from his earliest years until now, and, trusting in God, even forever, he had chosen to be a true and steadfast friend to the emperor. So the plot against the Grand Domestic was dissolved in this manner. 15. But the conspirators, seeing now that no harm had come to him from the plot, but that their own wickedness was known, and fearing that they might suffer some harm because of this, the others tried by some other means to reconcile the Grand Domestic to themselves, although he was in no way inclined to retaliation; and the *parakoimomenos*, considering both his former obscurity and the present glory to which he had attained through him, and how he himself had intended nothing grateful or decent, but had now been clearly exposed as one of the most hostile, and fearing lest he be reduced to his former state by him in his anger, decided not to use mediators and reconcilers with him, as they would be able to accomplish little or nothing, but to entreat him himself, on his own behalf, demonstrating a change of heart to counterbalance his villainy. and in writing, setting out the 2.96 kindnesses of the Grand Domestic toward him from the very beginning, then also the things that were then contrived against him, and becoming his own accuser and confessing he owed the ultimate penalties, he then begged to obtain pardon, promising, if not before, then at least now to show himself worthy of the kindness, and for all time to keep himself not only grateful and mindful of the kindnesses done to him, but also doing what was ordered by him with all eagerness and haste, and demonstrating clear and pure obedience in

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ποιοῦντα. ἡ μὲν οὖν βασιλὶς οἴκοθέν τε ὑπ' ὀργῆς πρὸς τὸ ἀμύνασθαι τὸν μέγαν, εἰ δύναιτο, δομέστικον ὡρμημένη καὶ ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἐπιπλέον ἐξαφθεῖσα, ὡς εἶχε τάχους, πρὸς βασιλέα γενομένη τὸν υἱὸν, κατηγόρει τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, ὡς βασιλειῶντος, καὶ συνεβούλευε φυλάττεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα, ὡς τὴν εὔνοιαν ὑποκρινόμενον, ἀγνωμονήσοντα δὲ, ἢν λάβηται καιροῦ. βασιλεὺς δὲ πρὸς μὲν βασιλίδα τὴν μητέρα πολὺν ὑπὲρ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἐποιήσατο τὸν λόγον, συκοφάντας καὶ ψευδομένους ἀποφαίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα κατηγορηκότας. ὥσπερ δὲ καὶ ἔργοις ἐθέλων κατάδηλον ποιεῖν, ὅτι πλάσματα ἡγοῖτο τὰ τοιαῦτα, μᾶλλον 2.94 ἢ πρότερον εὐμενὴς καὶ πλείονα παρέχων τὴν ῥοπὴν καὶ ἀκριβέστερον προσέχων ἑωρᾶτο τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ, ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον βασιλίδα τὴν μητέρα παρεσκεύαζεν ἀνιᾶσθαι. τοὺς μὲν οὖν συκοφάντας οὕτως ἀπεσκεύαστο ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐκείνῳ δ' ἅπαντα, περὶ ὧν ἡ βασιλὶς ἥκει, ἐξειπὼν, αὖθις βασιλικὴν ἐσθῆτα, εἰ μή του ἄλλου, τῆς γοῦν τῶν πολλῶν δόξης ἕνεκα, συνεβούλευεν ἀναλαβεῖν, ἵν' ἐκείνους τε ἀποδείξῃ ὑποπτεύοντας ἀληθῆ καὶ αὐτὸν πολλῶν πραγμάτων ἀπαλλάξῃ. ἐκεῖνος δὲ βασιλεῖ μὲν πολλὰς τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐμενείας χάριτας ὡμολόγει καὶ τῆς καλοκἀγαθίας· τὸ δ' εἰς βασιλέως σχῆμα μεταμείβειν οὐ μᾶλλον ἑτέρων αἰτιῶν, ἢ τῶν συκοφαντῶν ἕνεκα οὐκ ἐθελήσειν, ἵν' αὐτῷ τούτῳ τῆς κακουργίας λαμβάνῃ δίκας παρ' αὐτῶν, ἔργοις αὐτοῖς συκυφάντας ἀποφαίνων. αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ πρὶν βασιλίδα ἥκειν, περὶ ὧν ἀφίξεται, ἔφασκεν εἰδέναι. καὶ γὰρ τῶν τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα συνειδότων αὐτῇ τινες πρότεροι ἐλθόντες τήν τε ἄφιξιν αὐτῆς περὶ ὧν γένοιτο νυνὶ, ἔνδηλον ἐποίουν τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ καὶ τοὺς συνεσκευακότας τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. συνεβούλευόν τε πρὸς βασιλέα συγκρούειν ἐκείνην τὸν υἱὸν φθάσαντα τὴν ἔφοδον καὶ λόγοις πεπλασμένοις τὴν βασιλέως ἐκταράττειν ψυχὴν, ἵν' ἐκείνη μηδὲν ἀνύειν ᾖ τῶν βεβουλευμένων δυνατή. ὁ δ' ἀπεπέμψατο πρὸς ὀργὴν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄμεινον πολεμίων πρὸς αὐτὸν διακειμένους, καὶ ταῦτα φίλων περικειμένους προσωπεῖον. 2.95 οὐ γὰρ αὐτῷ προσήκειν τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον πᾶν, εἴ τις πρὸς μητέρα βασιλεῖ συνέβαινε διαφορὰ, πάντα ποιεῖν καὶ πραγματεύεσθαι, ἐξ ὧν ἂν διαλλάττειν ἦν. τοῦτο γὰρ γνώρισμα φιλίας ἀληθοῦς, ἃ δὲ ἐκεῖνοι συμβουλεύουσιν, ἐχθροτάτου καὶ τοὺς τρόπους διεφθαρμένου καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξίου. αὐτὸς δὲ οὐ τὴν βασιλέως θεραπεύων δύναμιν, τὸν φιλοῦντα ὑποκρίνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἄχρι νῦν, θεῷ δὲ θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς καὶ μέχρι παντὸς, ἀληθὴς καὶ βέβαιος εἶναι φίλος βασιλεῖ προῃρημένος. ἡ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἐνέδρα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον διελύθη. ιεʹ. Οἱ συνεσκευακότες δὲ ὁρῶντες ἤδη ἐκείνῳ μὲν οὐδὲν δεινὸν ἐκ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς γεγενημένον, αὐτῶν δὲ τὴν μοχθηρίαν ἐγνωσμένην, καὶ δείσαντες, μή τι διὰ ταῦτα πείσωνται δεινὸν, οἵ τε ἄλλοι τρόποις δή τισιν ἑτέροις ἐπειρῶντο τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον καταλλάττειν ἑαυτοῖς, καίτοι πρὸς ἄμυναν ὡρμημένον οὐδαμῶς· καὶ ὁ παρακοιμώμενος τήν τε πρὶν ἀδοξίαν ἐννοῶν καὶ τὴν νῦν εἰς ἣν ἐληλάκει εὐδοξίαν δι' ἐκείνου, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς οὐδὲν εὔγνωμον, οὐδ' ἐπιεικὲς διενοήθη, ἀλλ' ἤδη καθαρῶς τῶν δυσμενεστάτων ἐξελήλεγκται ὢν καὶ δείσας, μὴ εἰς τὴν προτέραν τύχην ὑπ' ἐκείνου ὠργισμένου καταστῇ, ἐσκέψατο, μὴ μεσίταις χρήσασθαι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον καὶ διαλλακταῖς, ὡς ὁλίγα ἢ οὐδὲν δυνησομένοις, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς δι' ἑαυτοῦ παραιτεῖσθαι, ἀντίῤῥοπον τῆς πανουργίας ἐπιδειξάμενος τὴν μεταβολήν. καὶ γράμμασι τὰς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐξ 2.96 αρχῆς εὐθὺς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, εἶτα καὶ τὰ τότε ἐκθέμενος συνεσκευασμένα κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατήγορος γινόμενος ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐσχάτας ὁμολογῶν ὀφείλειν δίκας, ἔπειτα ἐδεῖτο τυχεῖν συγγνώμης, εἰ μὴ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ νῦν γοῦν ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἄξιος φανεῖσθαι τῆς εὐεργεσίας, καὶ τὸν πάντα χρόνον διατηρήσειν ἑαυτὸν οὐκ εὐγνώμονα μόνον καὶ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τῶν εἰς ἐκεῖνον μεμνημένον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ καὶ σπουδῇ τὰ προστεταγμένα ποιοῦντα ὑπ' ἐκείνου, καὶ σαφῆ καὶ καθαρὰν ἐπιδεικνύμενον τὴν εὐπείθειαν ἐν