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were written, with the parakoimomenos dictating, full of bitterness and insolence and irony, which the empress prevented from being sent, having with difficulty persuaded those who were bringing them. But when it was read out in the assembly, all the others, astonished at the absurdity of what was written, urged that they should now take up war and not waste the opportunity on corrupt men, in which it would be possible to save themselves. But the great domesticus, seeing that matters had now reached the height of danger and thinking that he himself should delay no longer, now turned to deliberating on what course they themselves should take in the circumstances. And when they had assembled for council, he himself was first to speak, and said the following. “Men, fellow-soldiers, to what a point of difficulty and confusion the present affairs have now come and are about to increase still more, it is equally possible for all of us to guess. But if I had either now come from a foreign land or, while living among you, were unknown, being in no better a position than the many, it would perhaps make some sense to describe before you what my manner and 2.146 character are. But since from my earliest youth until now not only have I been engaged in public life among you, but I also administered the Roman empire second to the emperor, ever since he was appointed to it, by which I was compelled to offer to all an experience of me for better or for worse, you yourselves would be no less conscious of my character than I am myself. Therefore I will not make a longer speech about my former life, proving myself to have conducted myself rightly and justly among you, since you know all our affairs clearly. So, as long as the emperor was alive, he both gave me great influence in affairs and entrusted me to manage everything, even the most important matters, no less than himself. And I offered equal goodwill and zeal, as much as was fitting for one who is loved to do, lacking in nothing. But when, as it seemed good to the one who directs all things here, he departed from mankind, I for my part considered nothing else was fitting for me, than to bring forth as the clearest proof of my goodwill towards him my foresight for his children and the empress, his wife. And indeed I have continued from after his death until now neglecting none of my duties, but sparing neither body nor money and doing and contriving all things for the purpose of preserving the empire for them. Nor, surely, while I have conducted myself rightly and justly up to now, was I later, 2.147 puffed up by events, about to acquire the Roman empire for myself, changing my present state into the guise of an emperor. For concerning the past, the facts themselves would bear witness with me, but concerning things to come, not only do I offer God as a witness of my intentions, but also from the past events themselves it is possible to make a clear demonstration of future ones. For if I desired such things as the slanderers claim, what would have prevented me, when, at the time the emperor was dying, having his children, I placed the palace under guard and after the third day and the arrival of the empress, all the money was in my power, so that I could do whatever I wished, such as to kill them, and to have the empire myself without toils and sweat, with no one left who would dare to oppose me? But not only was I seen to have intended no such thing, but also, having established them in all safety on the ninth day from the emperor's death, I both led the guard away from there and, stationing myself at home, I took charge of affairs, just as before, innovating nothing, nor managing affairs for my own advantage, from which someone might have justly thought that I was trying to transfer the empire to myself. For I used as governors of the provinces and the cities those who were also there before, when the emperor died, and as for the army, I managed everything not so that they would be well-disposed to me, but that they might be most useful to the com 2.148 monwealth. But furthermore, in making treaties with the neighboring barbarians, there is no one who could prove that before the common good I chose anything pertaining to my own private interests. but I made treaties with some advantageously for the commonwealth,

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ἐγράφοντο, τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου ὑπαγορεύοντος, πικρίας μεστὰ καὶ ὕβρεως καὶ εἰρωνείας, ἃ ἐκώλυσεν ἡ βασιλὶς πεμφθῆναι, μόλις πείσασα τοὺς ἄγοντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνεγινώσκετο ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες τὴν τῶν γεγραμμένων ἀτοπίαν ἐκπεπληγμένοι, ἅπτεσθαι ἤδη παρῄνουν τοῦ πολέμου καὶ μὴ διεφθορόσιν ἀνθρώποις τὸν καιρὸν προΐεσθαι, καθ' ὃν ἐξέσται διασώζειν ἑαυτούς. ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ὁρῶν ἤδη τὰ πράγματα εἰς ἀκμὴν ἥκοντα κινδύνου καὶ μηκέτι διαμέλλειν καὶ αὐτὸς οἰόμενος, ἐτράπετο ἤδη πρὸς τὸ βουλεύεσθαι καθ' ὅ,τι χρηστέον ἂν εἴη τοῖς πράγμασι καὶ αὐτούς. καὶ πρῶτος αὐτὸς εἰς τὴν βουλὴν καταστάντων, ἔλεξε τοιάδε. «ἄνδρες συστρατιῶται, τὰ μὲν παρόντα πράγματα εἰς ὅσον δυσκολίας καὶ ταραχῆς νῦν τε ἥκουσι καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον μέλλουσιν ἐπιδιδόναι, ὁμοίως ἔξεστι πᾶσι στοχάζεσθαι ἡμῖν. ἐγὼ δ' εἰ μὲν ἢ νῦν ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς ἐλθὼν ἢ διατρίβων παρ' ὑμῖν, τῶν πολλῶν οὐδὲν ἄμεινον διακείμενος ἠγνοούμην, εἶχεν ἄν τινα λόγον ἴσως, ὁποῖος τὸν τρόπον καὶ 2.146 τὸ ἦθος, ἐφ' ὑμῶν διεξιέναι. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡλικίας ἄχρι νῦν οὐ παρ' ὑμῖν ἐπολιτευόμην μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν διῴκουν μετὰ βασιλέα, ἐξ ὅτουπερ ἐκεῖνος κατέστη πρὸς αὐτὴν, ὑφ' ἧς ἐμοῦ πᾶσιν ἢ βελτίονος ἢ χείρονος πειρᾶσθαι παρέχεσθαι ἠναγκαζόμην, οὐχ ἧττον ἄν μοι συνειδείητε καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸν τρόπον, ἢ αὐτὸς ἐμαυτῷ. ὅθεν οὐδὲ τοῦ προτέρου βίου πλείονα ποιήσομαι τὸν λόγον, ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως πεπολιτευμένον παρ' ὑμῖν ἐμαυτὸν ἀποδεικνὺς, πάντα σαφῶς τὰ ἡμέτερα εἰδόσιν. ἕως μὲν οὖν περιῆν ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐκεῖνός τε ἐμοὶ πολλὴν ἐν τοῖς πράγμασι παρείχετο τὴν ῥοπὴν καὶ πάντα οὐχ ἧττον ἢ ἑαυτῷ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐπέτρεπε διοικεῖν. ἐγώ τε τὴν ἴσην εὔνοιαν παρειχόμην καὶ σπουδὴν, ὅσα προσῆκε τὸν φιλούμενον ποιεῖν, οὐδὲν ἐλλείπων. ἐπεὶ δ', οὕτω δόξαν τῷ τὰ τῇδε πάντα διοικοῦντι, ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο ἐκεῖνος, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἐλογιζόμην προσήκειν ἐμαυτῷ, ἢ τῆς εἰς ἐκεῖνον εὐνοίας δεῖγμα σαφέστατον τὴν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας πρόνοιαν καὶ βασιλίδα τὴν ἐκείνου γαμετὴν ἐξενεγκεῖν. καὶ διετέλεσά γε μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν ἄχρι νῦν οὐδὲν τῶν δεόντων παραλείπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ σώματος καὶ χρημάτων ἀφειδῶν καὶ πάντα πράττων καὶ μηχανώμενος ἐπὶ τῷ συνδιασώζειν ἐκείνοις τὴν ἀρχήν. οὐ μὴν οὐδ' ἄχρι νῦν μὲν ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως ἐπολιτευόμην, ὕστερον 2.147 δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων φυσηθεὶς, ἔμελλον τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἐμαυτῷ περιποιεῖν, εἰς βασιλέως σχῆμα τὸ παρὸν μεταβαλών. περὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος αὐτὰ τὰ πράγματα συμμαρτυρήσειεν ἂν ἐμοὶ, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐσομένων οὐ θεὸν μόνον τῶν βεβουλευμένων συνίστορα παρέχομαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρελθόντων τῶν μελλόντων ἔξεστιν ἀπόδειξιν ποιεῖσθαι ἐναργῆ. εἰ γὰρ τοιούτων, οἵων φασὶν οἱ συκοφάνται, ἐπεθύμουν, τί ἐκώλυεν, ἡνίκα, βασιλέως τελευτῶντος, τοὺς ἐκείνου παῖδας ἔχων, ἐποιούμην τὰ βασίλεια ὑπὸ φρουρᾷ καὶ μετὰ τρίτην ἡμέραν καὶ βασιλίδος ἀφιγμένης, πάντα χρήματα ἦσαν ἐπ' ἐμοὶ, ὥσθ' ὅ,τι χρῆσθαι ἠβουλόμην, ἐκείνους μὲν ἀποκτιννύναι, αὐτὸν δὲ τὴν βασιλείαν ἄνευ πόνων ἔχειν καὶ ἱδρώτων, οὐδενὸς ἔτι λειπομένου τοῦ τολμήσοντος ἀνθίστασθαι ἐμοί; ἐγὼ δὲ οὐ μόνον τοιοῦτον οὐδὲν ὤφθην διανοηθεὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἐνάτην ἡμέραν ἐκ τῆς βασιλέως τελευτῆς ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ πάσῃ καταστήσας, τήν τε φρουρὰν ἀπήγαγον ἐκεῖθεν καὶ αὐτὸς οἴκοι καταστὰς, τῶν πραγμάτων, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον, εἰχόμην, οὐδὲν καινοτομῶν, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελοῦν ἐμοὶ τὰ πράγματα οἰκονομῶν, ἐξ ὧν ἄν τις ᾠήθη δικαίως, εἰς ἐμαυτὸν μετάγειν πειρᾶσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν. ἐπιτρόποις τε γὰρ ἐχρησάμην τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν καὶ τῶν πόλεων, οἳ καὶ πρότερον ἦσαν βασιλέως τελευτῶντος, καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν, οὖχ ὅπως εὐνοήσουσιν ἐμοὶ, ἀλλ' ὅπως μάλιστα τῷ κοι 2.148 νῷ χρήσιμοι ἔσονται, πάντα ἐπραγματευόμην. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς περιοίκοις τῶν βαρβάρων σπονδὰς τιθέμενος, οὐκ ἔσθ' ὅστις ἂν ἐξελέγξειεν, ὡς πρὸ τοῦ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦντος τῶν ἰδίᾳ τι εἱλόμην ἐμοὶ διαφερόντων. ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἐσπενδόμην λυσιτελούντως τῷ κοινῷ,