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the neighboring areas he was terribly plundering. The emperor, having learned this, sent out George Decanus against him with a sufficient force. Who, after besieging this city for three months, captured it, and quickly sent that rebel to the emperor. But the emperor entrusted the garrison of the castle to another, and knitting his brows at him, threatening many things and seemingly condemning him to death, plunged the man into great fear, but he quickly dispelled the soldier's terror. For the sun had not yet set below the horizon, and the prisoner stood free and the one condemned to death had obtained countless gifts. 14.3.6 Such my father the emperor appeared in all things, even if he later experienced great ingratitude from everyone, just as once the benefactor of all, the Lord, raining manna in the desert, feeding people on the mountains and leading them dry-shod through the sea, and was later rejected and insulted and beaten and finally was condemned to the cross by the lawless. But as my account comes to this point, a tear leaps forth, and I throb to speak about these things and to make a list of the ungrateful, but I hold my tongue and my convulsing heart and I continually repeat to myself this line from the poet: 'Endure, my heart; for you have endured something even more shameful before'. 14.3.7 But such were the events concerning that ungrateful soldier; but of those sent from Khorasan by the sultan Saïsan, some were coming down through the regions of Sinaos, while others were going through what is properly called Asia. Constantine Gabras, having learned this while at that time garrisoning Philadelphia, took up the forces under his command and, catching them at Kelbianon, he himself, first of all, gave rein against them and urging the others to do the same, defeated the barbarians. But the sultan who had sent them, having learned of the defeat of so many men, sent to the emperor and negotiated for peace, acknowledging at the same time that for a long time he had longed to see peace between the Muslims and the Romans. For, having for a long time learned of the emperor's deeds of valor against all, and having made a sort of test of him, and having recognized the fabric from its fringe and the lion by its claws, and not wishing, he had inclined towards peaceful treaties. 14.3.8 So when the ambassadors from Persia arrived, the emperor presided, looking fearsome, and the officials, having arranged in order the soldiers gathered from every tongue and the axe-bearing barbarians, presented the ambassadors before the imperial tribunal. And he, having asked them the appropriate questions about the sultan and having heard the messages they brought, acknowledged that he both welcomed and wanted peace with all; but having inquired about the sultan's proposals, since he judged that not all of their requests would be advantageous to the Roman empire, enveloping his words in great persuasion and replying to them most aptly, with many words he persuaded them to agree to his wishes. Then he dismissed them to the tent prepared for them, instructing them to consider what had been said, and if they should agree to these things with their whole soul, the agreement between them would be concluded on the morrow. And since they appeared to accept the emperor's terms eagerly, on the next day the agreement was concluded. 14.3.9 But he was not looking out for himself alone, but for the Roman empire itself. For caring for public affairs more than his own, he managed in every way that everything that was arranged should incline towards and be referred to the Roman scepters, so that both after him and for the time to come the agreements might continue, even if he failed in his purpose. For after him things turned out differently and affairs looked towards confusion. For for the time being things had been settled

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τὰ παρακείμενα ταύτῃ δεινῶς ἐλῄζετο. Τοῦτο μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ μετὰ ἀποχρώσης δυνά μεως κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸν τοῦ ∆εκανοῦ ἐξέπεμψε Γεώργιον. Ὃς καὶ πολιορκήσας ἐπὶ τρισὶ μησὶ ταυτηνὶ μὲν τὴν πόλιν κατέσχε, τὸν δὲ ἀποστάτην ἐκεῖνον πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ταχέως ἐξέπεμψεν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τὴν μὲν τοῦ κάστρου φρουρὰν ἑτέρῳ ἀνέθετο, αὐτῷ δὲ τὰς ὀφρῦς ἐπιτοξεύσας, πολλὰ ἀπειλήσας καὶ θάνατον αὐτοῦ τῷ φαινομένῳ κατα ψηφισάμενος, εἰς φόβον μέγαν ἐνῆκε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ταχὺ δὲ τὸ δέος ἔλυσε τοῦ στρατιώτου. Οὔπω γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος τοῦ ὁρί ζοντος κατέδυ, καὶ ὁ δεσμώτης ἐλεύθερος ἵστατο καὶ ὁ θανά του καταψηφισθεὶς μυρίων ἐτετυχήκει δωρεῶν. 14.3.6 Τοιοῦ τος ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ βασιλεὺς ἐν πᾶσιν ἐφαίνετο, κἂν πολλῆς ἐς ὕστερον τῆς ἐξ ἁπάντων ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀπήλαυσε, καθάπερ ποτὲ καὶ ὁ πάντων εὐεργέτης ὁ Κύριος μάννα βρέ χων ἐν ἐρήμῳ, σιτίζων ἐν ὄρεσι καὶ ἐν θαλάττῃ ἀβρόχους διαβιβάζων καὶ ὕστερον ἀθετούμενος καὶ ὑβριζόμενος καὶ τυπτόμενος καὶ τέλος σταυρὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀνόμων κατακρινό μενος. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα γενομένης προεκπηδᾷ μου τοῦ λόγου τὸ δάκρυον, καὶ σφύζω περὶ τούτων ἐρεῖν καὶ ποιήσασθαι τῶν ἀγνωμόνων κατάλογον, ἀλλὰ τὴν γλῶτταν ἐπέχω καὶ τὴν καρδίαν σφαδάζουσαν καὶ τοῦτο δὴ πρὸς ἐμαυτὴν ἐπιλέγω συνεχῶς τὸ τοῦ ποιητοῦ· «Τέτλαθι δὴ κραδίη· καὶ κύντερον ἄλλο ποτ' ἔτλης». 14.3.7 Ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀγνώμονα στρατιώτην ἐκεῖνον· τῶν δέ γε ἀπὸ τοῦ Χοροσὰν παρὰ τοῦ Σαϊσὰν σουλτάνου πεμφθέντων οἱ μὲν διὰ τῶν μερῶν τοῦ Σινάου κατήρχοντο, οἱ δὲ διὰ τῆς ἰδίως καλουμένης Ἀσίας ᾔεσαν. Ὅπερ μεμαθηκὼς ὁ Γαβρᾶς Κωνσταντῖνος τηνικαῦτα τὴν Φιλαδέλφειαν φρου ρῶν, ἀναλαβόμενος τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεις καὶ κατα λαβὼν τούτους εἰς τὸ Κελβιανόν, αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἁπάντων κατ' αὐτῶν λύσας τὸν χαλινὸν καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτὸ τοῦτο παρακελευσάμενος ἡττᾷ τοὺς βαρβάρους. Ὁ δὲ τούτους ἐκπέμψας σουλτάνος τὴν ἧτταν τῶν τοσούτων μεμαθηκώς, ἀποστείλας πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τὰ περὶ εἰρήνης διαπρεσβεύεται, ὁμολογῶν ἅμα ἐκ πολλοῦ τὴν ἀναμεταξὺ τῶν Μουσουλμάνων καὶ Ῥωμαίων εἰρήνην ἐπιποθεῖν θεά σασθαι. Ἐκ μακροῦ γὰρ τὰς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κατὰ πάντων ἀριστείας μανθάνων καὶ ἀπόπειραν αὐτοῦ οἷον ποιησάμενος, κἀκ τοῦ κρασπέδου τὸ ὕφασμα καὶ ἐξ ὀνύχων τὸν λέοντα ἐπεγνωκώς, καὶ μὴ βουλόμενος πρὸς εἰρηνικὰς ἀπενενεύκει σπονδάς. 14.3.8 Τῶν ἐκ Περσίδος τοίνυν κατα λαβόντων πρέσβεων, ὁ βασιλεὺς φοβερὸς προὐκάθητο, καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς τάξεως τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκ πάσης γλώττης συνειλεγμένους καὶ τοὺς πελεκυφόρους βαρβάρους ἐν τάξει καταστησάμενοι, τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ παρεστήσαντο βήματος. Ὁ δὲ περὶ τοῦ σουλτάνου τούτους τὰ εἰκότα ἐπερωτήσας καὶ ἀκούσας τὰ δι' αὐτῶν μηνύματα ὡμολόγει μὲν τὴν μετὰ πάντων εἰρήνην ἀσπάζεσθαί τε καὶ θέλειν, πυθόμενος δὲ περὶ τῶν τῷ σουλτάνῳ δοκούντων, ἐπεὶ μὴ πάντα τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν αἰτούμενα συνοίσοντα τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ διέγνω, πολλὴν τοῖς αὐτοῦ λόγοις πειθὼ περιστείλας, εὐστοχώτατά τε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπολο γησάμενος, διὰ πολλῶν ῥημάτων πείθει τοῖς αὐτοῦ συγκα τανεῦσαι θελήμασιν. Εἶτα πρὸς τὴν παρασκευασθεῖσαν αὐτοῖς σκηνὴν ἀπέλυσεν ἐντειλάμενος σκοπῆσαι τὰ ῥηθέντα, καὶ εἰ μὲν ὅλῃ ψυχῇ πρὸς ταῦτα κατανεύσαιεν, ἐς νέωτα τὴν μεταξὺ συμφωνίαν πέρας λαβεῖν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ προθύμως τὰ παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐφαίνοντο δεχόμενοι, τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν πέρας ἡ συμφωνία λαμβάνει. 14.3.9 Οὐ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἀπένευε μόνον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν βασιλείαν Ῥω μαίων. Κηδόμενος γὰρ τῶν κοσμικῶν μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πᾶν τὸ οἰκονομούμενον πρὸς τὰ σκῆπτρα Ῥωμαίων ἀπο νεύειν καὶ ἀναφέρεσθαι παντοίως διῳκονόμει, ἵνα καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ ἐς τὸν ἐφεξῆς χρόνον τὰ συμπεφωνημένα διήκῃ, κἂν ἀπετύγχανε τοῦ σκοποῦ. Τὰ γὰρ μετ' αὐτὸν ἄλλως ἔσχε καὶ εἰς σύγχυσιν ἀφώρα τὰ πράγματα. Κατε στόρεστο μὲν γὰρ τῷ τέως τὰ