241

having prepared his speech, "My own," he said, "sincerity towards the great domesticus and fatherly affection, which I have for him who is married to my dearest 2.134 daughter, surely no one is unaware of. Whence I have not thought it proper for me to deny what is clear to all. It is therefore evident that, if he succeeds in what he intends, he will be emperor, married to my daughter as empress, and I will be the father of emperors, sharing the rule with them, and having come to a great height of glory, wealth, and distinction. But these brilliant and august things, which would have been sufficient for anyone else for good repute, seem to me to fall far short of my present state. For having been brought up from my earliest years in goodwill and pure faith towards the emperors, I would rather suffer ill with them, than join the conspirators and enjoy the first honors and gifts from them. Therefore, concerning the great domesticus, all that has been said to the patriarch and my brothers and the others, I know it all to be true, and it is not proper for you to doubt any of those things, but to trust me who knows everything precisely. But if these things seem weak to you for proof of what has been said, let that at least persuade you that the man is not thinking moderate things about you and the children. For when you were compelling him, before he departed from here, to join his daughter in marriage fellowship with your son and emperor, he was not willing, but put off the action until his return from the west. For he was ashamed, after so many proofs of goodwill toward him 2.135 from you, to be seen as most hostile, depriving not only of the empire but also of life the very man to whom a short while ago he was joining his daughter in marriage fellowship. For no one in their right mind would say that he thought he would ever bring a more distinguished or more wonderful bridegroom for his daughter than that one. Wherefore it is not right for you to neglect your safety, but to do everything with haste, by which you might overcome his plotting. And I and as many of the most distinguished men who are now present in Byzantium will eagerly give not only money and bodies and servants, but even our very souls, if need be, for the benefit of you and your children. 22. At this, the empress, as if her soul were submerged in grief, and being able neither to disbelieve what had been said by so many and such trustworthy men, nor to believe men who were lacking in no excess of wickedness, after shedding many tears from her eyes for a considerable time, then, as if recovering from her despair, she said, "I still hold to my former thoughts, and I cannot accept as true the things said against the great domesticus. For I call to witness God, who knows all things even before they happen, that I never thought he would be more neglectful of me than of his own mother or his own truest sister, and that he would care for the emperor's children no less than the emperor himself, 2.136 if he were still alive, considering not only his and the emperor's almost unbelievable friendship for one another, but also ours toward him. But since he himself, from nowhere else than God's permitting the Romans to be destroyed by civil wars, was led to such an absurdity of thought and conceived such unjust and violent things, may God, who oversees all things from above, judge his plot and give him the just requitals for his actions. And I entrust myself and my children to you, after God, so that with Him as witness, you may both think and do all things on our behalf, knowing that He will be disposed toward you in the same way that you are toward me and my children." So she, in tears, said such things, unaware into what evils she had been brought down by slander and calumny. But they, out of pleasure, no longer able to restrain themselves, got up with all speed and, reporting everything to the others who shared in the secrets, decided they should delay no longer, but proceed to open war, lest something should happen to prevent what was being planned. And immediately the mother of the great domesticus and

241

λόγους παρεσκευασμένος ὢν, «τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν» ἔφη «πρὸς τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον γνησιότητα καὶ πατρικὴν στοργὴν, ἣν ἔχω πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, τῇ φιλτάτῃ συν 2.134 οικοῦντα θυγατρὶ, οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ δήπου. ὅθεν οὐδ' ἐξαρνεῖσθαι τὰ πᾶσι φανερὰ προσῆκον ἥγημαι ἐμοί. εὔδηλον οὖν, ὡς, ἐκείνου κατωρθωκότος, ἃ διανοεῖται, βασιλεὺς μὲν ἐκεῖνος ἔσται καὶ βασιλίδι τῇ ἐμῇ θυγατρὶ συνοικῶν, ἐγὼ δὲ πατὴρ βασιλέων καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν συμμεριζόμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ μέγα ἥκων καὶ δόξης καὶ πλούτου καὶ περιφανείας. ἀλλὰ τὰ λαμπρὰ ταῦτα καὶ σεμνὰ, ἅπερ ἑτέρῳ παντί τῳ ἤρκεσαν ἂν εἰς εὐδοξίαν, ἐμοὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀποδέοντα φαίνεται πολλῷ. τῇ γὰρ εἰς βασιλέας εὐνοίᾳ καὶ πίστει καθαρᾷ ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας συντραφεὶς, μᾶλλον ἂν βουλοίμην ἐκείνοις συνὼν κακοπραγεῖν, ἢ τοῖς ἐπιβουλεύουσι προσθέμενος, τῶν πρώτων τιμῶν καὶ δωρεῶν παρ' ἐκείνοις ἀπολαύειν. περὶ μὲν οὖν τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ὅσα τε πατριάρχῃ καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις εἴρηται, πάντα σύνοιδα ὡς ἀληθῆ, καὶ περὶ οὐδενὸς ἐκείνων σὲ προσῆκον ἀμφιβάλλειν, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ πείθεσθαι πάντα ἀκριβῶς ἐπισταμένῳ. εἰ δέ σοι ταῦτα πρὸς ἀπόδειξιν τῶν εἰρημένων ἀσθενῆ δοκεῖ, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνό σε πειθέτω πάντως τὸ μὴ μέτριά τινα περὶ σοῦ καὶ τῶν παίδων τὸν ἄνθρωπον διανοεῖσθαι. σοῦ γὰρ πρὶν ἐνθένδε ἀπελθεῖν τὴν θυγατέρα τῷ σῷ υἱῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ πρὸς γάμου κοινωνίαν συνάπτειν καταναγκαζούσης, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐπάνοδον ἀνεβάλλετο τὴν πρᾶξιν. ἠσχύνετο γὰρ μετὰ τοσαύτας ἀποδείξεις τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον εὐμενείας 2.135 παρὰ σοῦ πολεμιώτατος ὀφθῆναι, καὶ ὃν πρὸ μικροῦ τῇ θυγατρὶ πρὸς γάμου συνῆπτε κοινωνίαν, οὐ μόνον βασιλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωῆς ἀποστερῶν. οὐ γὰρ δὴ ἐκεῖνο φαίη τις ἂν νοῦν ἔχων, ὡς περιφανέστερον ἢ θαυμασιώτερον ἐκείνου νυμφίον ἀγαγέσθαι ποτὲ ᾠήθη τῇ θυγατρί. ὅθεν οὐδὲ σὲ τῆς σωτηρίας χρὴ καταμελεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντα πράττειν σὺν σπουδῇ, ὅθεν ἂν γένοιτο ἐπιβουλεύοντος ἐκείνου περιγενέσθαι. ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ὅσοι τῶν ἐπιφανεστέρων νῦν ἐπιδημοῦσι Βυζαντίῳ, οὐ χρήματα μόνον καὶ σώματα καὶ οἰκέτας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὰς αὐτὰς, εἰ δέοι, ὑπὲρ τῶν σοὶ καὶ τέκνοις συμφερόντων προησόμεθα προθύμως. κβʹ. Ἐπὶ τούτοις ὥσπερ ὑπὸ λύπης ἡ βασιλὶς καταβαπτισθεῖσα τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶ μήθ' ὡς ἀπιστεῖν τοῖς ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ οὕτως ἀξιόχρεων πρὸς πίστιν εἰρημένοις ἔχουσα, μήθ' ὥστε πιστεύειν μηδεμίαν ἐλλείπουσι κακίας ὑπερβολὴν, ἐφ' ἱκανὸν πολλὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καταγαγοῦσα δάκρυα, ἔπειθ' ὥσπερ ἐκ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἀνενεγκοῦσα, «ἔτι μὲν» ἔφη «τῶν προτέρων ἔχομαι λογισμῶν, καὶ οὐ δύναμαι παραδέξασθαι ὡς ἀληθῆ τὰ κατὰ μεγάλου δομεστίκου εἰρημένα. μαρτύρομαι γὰρ τὸν πάντα γινώσκοντα καὶ πρὶν γενέσθαι θεὸν, ὡς οὐδέποτε ᾠήθην ἀμελέστερον ἐκεῖνον διακείσεσθαι περὶ ἐμὲ, ἢ περὶ μητέρα τὴν ἰδίαν ἢ γνησιωτάτην ἀδελφὴν, καὶ τῶν βασιλέως παίδων οὐχ ἧττον προνοήσεσθαι, ἢ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς, 2.136 εἰ περιῆν, οὐ μόνον τὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ βασιλέως πρὸς ἀλλήλους μικροῦ καὶ ἀπιστουμένην φιλίαν ἐννοοῦσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἡμετέραν πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτὸς οὐκ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν, ἢ θεοῦ παραχωροῦντος ἐπὶ τῷ Ῥωμαίους ὑπὸ πολέμων ἐμφυλίων διαφθείρεσθαι, πρὸς τοιαύτην ἀτοπίαν ἐξήχθη λογισμῶν καὶ οὕτως ἄδικα καὶ βίαια διενοήθη, ἐκείνῳ μὲν θεὸς, ὁ πάντα ἄνωθεν ἐφορῶν, τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς δικάσαι καὶ τῶν πραττομένων ἀξίας παράσχοιτο τὰς ἀντιδόσεις. ἐγὼ δ' ὑμῖν ἐμαυτὴν καὶ τέκνα ἐπιτρέπω μετὰ θεὸν, ἵν' ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ μάρτυρι πάντα καὶ διανοῆσθε καὶ πράττητε ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ὡς τὸν ἴσον τρόπον, ὃν αὐτοὶ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ τέκνα, διακεισομένῳ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.» ἐκείνη μὲν οὖν περίδακρυς τοιαῦτα εἶπεν, ἀγνοήσασα, οἷ κακῶν ὑπὸ συκοφαντίας κατηνέχθη καὶ διαβολῆς. οἱ δ' ὑφ' ἡδονῆς οὐδὲ κατέχειν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιπλέον δυνηθέντες, ᾗ τάχους εἶχον, ἀναστάντες καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις, οἳ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἐκοινώνουν, πάντα ἀπαγγείλαντες, ἔγνωσαν δεῖν μηκέτι διαμέλλειν, ἀλλ' ὁμόσε πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον χωρεῖν, ἵνα μή τι συμβὰν τὰ μελετώμενα κωλύσῃ. αὐτίκα δὲ τὴν μὲν μητέρα τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου καὶ