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therefore, becoming all things to all men and adapting himself as was possible in the circumstances, he addressed the urgent matter just as some skilled physician using the rule of his art. 14.4.5 So then, at daybreak and as soon as the sun leapt up over the eastern horizon, he would sit on the imperial throne, ordering all the Celts to enter without hindrance each day, on the one hand wishing them to present their own requests, and on the other hand contriving through all sorts of arguments to bring them under his own will. And the Celtic counts, having by nature shamelessness and audacity, and by nature a love of money, and possessing an unrestrained desire for everything they wanted and a talkativeness beyond any other race of men, did not make their entrance to the emperor with good order, but each of the counts would bring along with him however many men he wished and enter; and after this one, another, and in succession to that one, another. And upon entering, they did not make their speech to a water-clock, as was once permitted to orators, but for however much time each one, even a random person, wished to converse with the emperor, so much did he obtain. And being such in character and immoderate of tongue, and neither respecting the emperor nor regarding the passing time nor suspecting the indignation of the onlookers, each one did not give a turn to speak to those who came after him, but made their speeches and requests without restraint. And their talkativeness and hunt for and quibbling over words all those who care to observe human characters know; but experience taught those present at that time more precisely. 14.4.6 For when evening came, having remained without food for the whole day, he would rise from the throne, retiring to the imperial bedchamber; but not even so was he freed from the annoyance of the Celts. For as one got ahead of another, not only those left over from the day's audience, but also those same ones returning again and putting forward other and still other reasons for talk, he stood unwavering, enduring so much verbiage, surrounded by the Celts. And one could see the same one man readily making his counter-objections in response to the objections of all. And there was no end to their untimely verbiage. And whenever one of the chamberlains attempted to check them, he was checked by the emperor. For knowing the naturally wrathful nature of the Franks, he feared lest from a small pretext a great fire of scandal be kindled and from this great harm would befall the Roman empire. 14.4.7 And it was truly a most extraordinary spectacle. For like a statue wrought by the hammer, made perhaps of some bronze or cold-wrought iron, so he stood all night, from evening often until midnight, and often until the third cock-crow, and sometimes almost until the clearest rays of the sun. And all the others, having grown weary, often stepping aside, rested themselves and would enter again, annoyed. And for this reason none of those with him could endure such an unwavering stance, but all squatted down, one after another; and one would sit down, another would lie on his side, propping up his head, and another would lean himself against a wall. Only the emperor remained relentless in the face of so great a labor. For what account could do justice to his endurance of toil? For since the conversation involved a vast number of men, each one indeed spoke at length and, in Homer's phrase, chattered without measure; one, stepping aside, would hand over the talk to another, and that one would pass it on to another; then again this one to yet another. And while for them the standing was in intervals, he maintained his standing without end until the first or even the second cock-crow. And resting for a short while, as the sun rose again, he would sit on the throne, and again other toils and double struggles succeeding those of the night. 14.4.8 From this cause, therefore, the pain in his feet

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οὖν πρὸς πάντας γινόμενος καὶ συμμετασχηματιζόμενος ὡς ἐνὸν τοῖς πράγμασι, πρὸς τὸ κατεπεῖγον ἐνίστατο καθάπερ τις δόκιμος ἰατρῶν τῷ τῆς τέχνης κανόνι χρώμενος. 14.4.5 Ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ τοίνυν ἅμα ἡμέρᾳ καὶ εὐθὺς ἡλίου τὸν ἀνατο λικὸν ἀναθορόντος ὁρίζοντα καθῆστο θρόνου, κελεύων τοῦς Κελτοὺς ἅπαντας ἀκωλύτως εἰσιέναι καθ' ἡμέραν ἑκάστην, ἅμα μὲν τὰς ἑαυτῶν αἰτήσεις ἀπαγγέλλειν τούτους ἐθέλων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ θελήμασιν ὑπάγεσθαι διὰ παντοίων λόγων αὐτοὺς μηχανώμενος. Οἱ δὲ Κελτοὶ κόμητες φύσει μὲν τὸ ἀναίσχυντον καὶ ἰταμὸν ἔχοντες, φύσει δὲ τὸ ἐρασιχρήματον καὶ πρὸς πᾶν τὸ αὐτοῖς βουλητὸν ἀκρατὲς καὶ πολυρρῆμον ὑπὲρ πᾶν γένος ἀνθρώπων κεκτημένοι, οὐ σὺν εὐταξίᾳ τὴν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα εἴσοδον ἐποιοῦντο, ἀλλ' ὁπόσους ἂν ἕκαστος τῶν κομήτων ἐβούλετο συμπαρα λαμβάνων εἰσῄει· καὶ τούτου ἐχομένως ἕτερος, ἐφεξῆς δ' ἐκείνου ἄλλος. Εἰσερχόμενοι δὲ οὐ πρὸς ὕδωρ, καθάπερ ποτὲ τοῖς ῥήτορσιν ἐφεῖτο, τὴν ὁμιλίαν ἐποιοῦντο, ἀλλ' ὁπόσον ἕκαστος καὶ ὁ τυχὼν ἠβούλετο προσομιλεῖν τῷ αὐτοκράτορι χρόνον, τοσούτου καὶ ἐτύγχανεν. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι ὄντες τὸν τρόπον καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν ἀσύμμετροι καὶ μήτε τὸν αὐτοκράτορα αἰδούμενοι μήτε τὸν καιρὸν παραρρέοντα εὐλαβούμενοι μήτε τὴν τῶν ὁρώντων νέμεσιν ὑφορώμενοι, οὐ τοῖς ὄπισθεν ἐρχομένοις ἕκαστος τόπον ὁμιλίας παρεῖχεν, ἀλλ' ἀνέτως τὰς ὁμιλίας καὶ τὰς αἰτή σεις ἐποιοῦντο. Τὸ λάλον δὲ τούτων καὶ θηρευτικὸν καὶ σμικρολόγον τῶν λέξεων ἅπαντες μὲν ἴσασιν ὁπόσοις ἠθῶν ἀνθρώπων μέλει καταστοχάζεσθαι· τοὺς δὲ τότε παρόντας ἀκριβέστερον ἡ πεῖρα δεδίδαχε. 14.4.6 Καὶ γὰρ ἐπὰν ἑσπέρα καταλάβοι, ἄσιτος δι' ὅλης διαμεμενηκὼς ἡμέρας, ἐξανίστατο τοῦ θρόνου πρὸς τὸν βασιλικὸν κοι τωνίσκον ἀπονεύων· ἀλλ' οὐδ' οὕτως τῆς τῶν Κελτῶν ἠλευθεροῦτο ὀχλήσεως. Ἄλλου γὰρ ἄλλον προφθάνοντος οὐ τῶν ἀπολειφθέντων μόνον τῆς ἡμερινῆς ὁμιλίας, ἀλλὰ κἀκείνων αὖθις ἐπανιόντων καὶ ἄλλας καὶ ἄλλας αἰτίας λόγων προβαλλομένων, ἐκεῖνος ἵστατο ἀκλινὴς τῆς τοσαύ της γλωσσαλγίας ἀνεχόμενος περιστοιχούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν Κελτῶν. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἁπάντων ὑποφορὰς ἑτοίμως τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἕνα τὰς ἀνθυποφορὰς ποιούμενον. Πέρας δὲ τῆς ἀκαίρου τούτων γλωσσαλγίας οὐκ ἦν. Ὁπηνίκα δέ τις ἀνακόψαι τῶν μεσαζόντων τούτους ἐπεχείρει, παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀνεκόπτετο. Τὸ γὰρ τῶν Φράγγων φύσει ὀργίλον γινώσκων ἐδεδίει μὴ ἐκ μικρᾶς προφάσεως μέγας πυρσὸς σκανδάλου ἀναφθῇ κἀκ τούτου μεγάλη ἐσεῖ ται βλάβη τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ. 14.4.7 Καὶ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς παραδοξότατον τὸ φαινόμενον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ σφυρήλατος ἀνδριὰς ἢ ἀπό τινος χαλκοῦ τυχὸν ἢ ψυχρηλάτου σιδήρου κατεσκευασμένος, οὕτω παννύχιος ἵστατο ἐξ ἑσπέρας πολλάκις μὲν μέχρι μέσης νυκτός, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τρίτης ἀλεκτοροφωνίας, ἔστι δ' ὅτε σχεδὸν καὶ περὶ τὰς σαφεστάτας ἡλίου αὐγάς. Πάντες δὲ κεκμηκότες πολλάκις μεθιστάμενοι ἀνέπαυον ἑαυτοὺς καὶ αὖθις εἰσῄεσαν δυσχεραίνοντες. Κἀντεῦθεν οὐδεὶς ἠδύνατο τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν τοσαύτην ἀμετακλινῆ στάσιν, ἀλλὰ μετώκλαζον ἅπαντες ἄλλοτε ἄλλος· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐφηδράζετο, ὁ δ' ἐπλαγίαζε τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐρεισάμενος, ὁ δ' εἰς τοῖχον ὑπήρειδεν ἑαυτόν. Μόνος πρὸς τὸν τοσοῦτον πόνον ἀμει λίκτως εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεύς. Καὶ τίς γὰρ τῆς ἐκείνου φερε πονίας λόγος ἐφίκοιτο; Μυριάνδρου γὰρ οὔσης τῆς διαλέξεως πολλὰ μὲν ἕκαστος ἐλάλει καὶ ἀμετροεπῶς ἐκολῴα καθ' Ὅμηρον· ἄλλος μεταστὰς παρεδίδου ἑτέρῳ τὴν λαλιὰν κἀκεῖνος εἰς ἄλλον μετέπεμπεν· εἶτ' αὖθις οὗτος εἰς ἕτερον. Καὶ ἦν μὲν ἐν διαλείμμασι τούτοις ἡ στάσις, ὁ δὲ τὴν στάσιν εἶχεν ἀπέραντον μέχρι πρώτης ἢ καὶ δευτέρας ἀλεκτοροφωνίας. Μικρὸν δὲ διαναπαυό μενος ἡλίου πάλιν ἀνίσχοντος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου καθῆστο, καὶ πάλιν ἕτεροι πόνοι καὶ ἀγῶνες διπλοῖ τοὺς νυκτερινοὺς ἐκείνους διαδεχόμενοι. 14.4.8 Ἐκ ταύτης τοιγαροῦν τῆς αἰτίας ἡ ὀδύνη τῶν ποδῶν