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to lead, while I have decided it is necessary to do nothing trusting my own judgment in the present situation, but using you as my counselors, whatever you might vote for, I shall present myself readily obedient, or rather, I will first say myself what I think is advantageous in the present circumstances. It will be your concern either to vote for what has been said if it seems profitable, or for each to introduce an opinion, which will solve the greater present and expected difficulties, preserving both us and the entire dominion of the Romans. And I believe that nothing is more profitable and salutary for all than for me to voluntarily present myself and hand myself over to the empress, so that she may have the authority to decree whatever she wishes concerning me. And if she, having chosen to do what is just, should convene a court and provide an opportunity for a defense, to trust in God who is the champion of truth and delights in such a title, I will most easily refute all the falsehoods and slanders for what they are. And if this should happen, having rejected all authority and removed every pretext for slander and envy, to live at home, having no part in public affairs, not even if all men should attempt to compel or persuade me. But if, indeed, taking no account of what is just or fitting, but being utterly captivated by the slanders, she should condemn me in my absence to the most terrible fates, to bear everything cheerfully, considering by far more preferable both a collar and a prison 2.152 and the confiscation of my property and anything more unpleasant than these, than to furnish a pretext for civil war. For who of all, like me, knows most clearly the evils from this war? Of which not only would I not wish to be the cause, but I would rather not be aware of them being done by others while among the living, than being with those in Hades, to be insensitive to what is being done. Therefore, the things that seemed to me to be commonly beneficial to all Romans are of this sort. But if anything more beneficial than these can be found by you, as I said, I will present myself in obedience. For it is better, if I should err at all, to suffer this while obeying the majority, than, trusting in one's own intelligence, to achieve great things. 25. So the Grand Domestic spoke such things. And as many of the senators and the most eminent of the army who were present, as if using one tongue and mind, "and previously," they said, "since these new things were dared and the kindred war had its beginning, not only did each of us deliberate on his own, but also all of us together many times about the same things, with each taking much care as if for necessary matters and almost for his very soul. Whence not even now will it be necessary to seek out what must be done, as we think we have long since discovered it from our much occupation with these things. And not least by what you yourself have 2.153 now related to us, you have prepared us both to understand what is necessary and will be equally useful to all, and to advise others. For indeed the evils of civil war, which you yourself said you shuddered at as most terrible, we also shudder at them likewise and we think we must use all zeal and eagerness, so as not to fall into such evils. And likewise we consider the one who kindles this most terrible war a common enemy plotting against all, and the one who is able to end it, if he gives up willingly, a traitor to the common good and malicious and envious and one who mars the common safety of our affairs. Let us consider, therefore, if by doing these things which you have said, the war is ended and does not rather take its beginning from these things. For if you yourself, as you insist, going to trial, either overcome the slanderers and withdraw from affairs, loathing the great ignorance and ingratitude concerning noble things, or being condemned in your absence, suffer some irreparable fate, do you think that we have reached such a point of madness or will think such base and servile things, unworthy of the glory of our former life, as to serve in the lot of slaves to Apokaukos, doing everything ordered by a man disposed no better than the common run? Indeed, each of us would sooner think it fitting rather the darkness

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ἡγεῖσθαι, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν ἐμαυτῷ πειθόμενος πρὸς τὰ παρόντα πράττειν ἔγνων δεῖν, ὑμῖν δὲ χρώμενος συμβούλοις, πρὸς ὅ,τι ἂν ἐπιψηφίζησθε ὑμεῖς ἐμαυτὸν παρέξομαι πειθόμενον προθύμως, μᾶλλον δ' αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἅ μοι δοκῶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι συμφέροντα ἐρῶ. μελήσει δὲ ὑμῖν ἢ ἐπιψηφίζεσθαι τὰ εἰρημένα ἂν δοκῇ λυσιτελεῖν, ἢ γνώμην ἕκαστον εἰσάγειν, ἣ τά τε παρόντα καὶ τὰ προσδοκώμενα μείζω λύσει δυσχερῆ, ἡμᾶς τε καὶ σύμπασαν ἡγεμονίαν διασώζουσα Ῥωμαίων. νομίζω δὲ μηδὲν εἶναι μᾶλλον λυσιτελέστερον καὶ σωτήριον τοῖς πᾶσιν, ἢ ἐμαυτὸν ἑκοντὶ παραγενόμενον ἐγχειρίζειν βασιλίδι, ὥστε κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν αὐτὴν, ὅ,τι βούλοιτο ψηφίζεσθαι περὶ ἐμοῦ. κἂν μὲν τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν προῃρημένη, δικαστήριον καθίζοι καὶ καιρὸν παρέχοιτο ἀπολογίας, θεῷ θαῤῥεῖν τῷ προστάτῃ τε ἀληθείας ὄντι καὶ τοιαύτῃ χαίροντι προσηγορίᾳ, πάντα ὥσπερ εἰσὶ ψεύδη καὶ συκοφαντίας ῥᾷστα ἀπελέγξειν. τοῦτο δὲ εἰ γένοιτο, πᾶσαν ἀπωσάμενον ἀρχὴν καὶ συκοφαντίας καὶ φθόνου πᾶσαν πρόφασιν περιελόντα, οἴκοι διατρίβειν, τῶν κοινῶν προσαπτόμενον μηδενὸς, μηδ' εἰ πάντες ἄνθρωποι βιάζεσθαι ἢ πείθειν ἐπιχειροῖεν. εἰ δ' ἄρα μήτε τοῦ δικαίου, μήτε τοῦ προσήκοντος μηδένα ποιουμένη λόγον, ἀλλὰ κατάκρας ἁλοῦσα ταῖς συκοφαντίαις, ἐρήμην καὶ τὰ δεινότατα καταψηφίζοιτο, πάντα φέρειν ἱλαρῶς, αἱρετώτερα ἡγούμενον πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ καὶ κλοιὰ καὶ δεσμωτήριον 2.152 καὶ δήμευσιν τῶν ὄντων καὶ εἴ τι τούτων ἀηδέστερον, ἢ πρόφασιν πολέμου ἐμφυλίου παρασχέσθαι. τίς γὰρ τῶν πάντων, ὥσπερ ἐγὼ, τὰ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ πολέμου οἶδε σαφέστατα κακά; ὧν οὐχ ὅτι αἴτιος καταστῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὑφ' ἑτέρων πραττομένων μᾶλλον ἂν εἱλόμην αἰσθάνεσθαι ἐν ζῶσιν ὢν, ἢ τοῖς ἐν ᾅδου συνὼν, πρὸς τὰ πραττόμενα ἀναισθητεῖν. ἃ μὲν οὖν ἔμοιγε πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις ἔδοξε κοινῇ λυσιτελεῖν, τοιαῦτά ἐστιν. ὑμῖν δὲ εἴ τι τούτων λυσιτελέστερον ἐξευρεθῆναι δυνατὸν, ὥσπερ ἔφην, ἐμαυτὸν πειθόμενον παρέξομαι. βέλτιον γὰρ, ἂν ἄρα καί τι σφάλωμαι, τοῖς πλείοσι πειθόμενον τοῦτο πάσχειν, ἢ τῇ σφετέρᾳ θαῤῥήσαντα συνέσει, τὰ μεγάλα κατορθοῦν. κεʹ. Ὁ μέγας μὲν οὖν δομέστικος τοιαῦτα εἶπεν. ὅσοι δὲ παρῆσαν τῶν συγκλητικῶν καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς οἱ μάλιστα προέχοντες, ὥσπερ μιᾷ καὶ γλώττῃ χρώμενοι καὶ γνώμῃ, «καὶ πρότερον μὲν» ἔφασαν «ἐξ ὅτου τὰ καινὰ ταῦτα ἐτολμήθη καὶ ὁ συγγενικὸς πόλεμος ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν, οὐκ ἰδίᾳ μόνον ἕκαστος ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κοινῇ πάντες πολλὰ πολλάκις περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐβουλευσάμεθα, ὡς περὶ πραγμάτων ἀναγκαίων καὶ σχεδὸν περὶ ψυχῆς αὐτῆς ἕκαστος πολλὴν ποιούμενοι φροντίδα. ὅθεν οὐδὲ νυνὶ δεήσει τὰ δέοντα ἐξερευνᾷν, ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς περὶ αὐτὰ διατριβῆς ἐξευρηκέναι πάλαι οἰομένους. οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ὑφ' ὧν αὐτὸς πρὸς ἡμᾶς 2.153 διεξῆλθες νῦν, τά,τε δέοντα καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοίως χρήσιμα ἐσόμενα καὶ συνιέναι παρεσκεύακας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συμβουλεύειν. καὶ γὰρ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου κακὰ τοῦ ἐμφυλίου, ἃ πεφρικέναι καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς δεινότατα εἰρήκεις, καὶ αὐτοὶ πεφρίκαμεν ὁμοίως καὶ πάσῃ χρηστέον εἶναι οἰόμεθα καὶ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ, ὥστε μὴ τοῖς τοιούτοις κακοῖς περιπεσεῖν. καὶ ὁμοίως τόν τε τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον τὸν δεινότατον ἀνάπτοντα ἡγούμεθα πολέμιον κοινὸν καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπιβουλεύοντα, καὶ τὸν δυνάμενον καταλύειν, εἰ μεθίησιν ἑκὼν, προδότην τῶν κοινῶν καὶ βάσκανον καὶ φθονερὸν καὶ τῇ κοινῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν πραγμάτων λυμαινόμενον. σκεψώμεθα τοιγαροῦν, εἰ ταῦτα πράττοντος, ἅπερ εἴρηκας, καταλύεται ὁ πόλεμος καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον ἐκ τούτων λήψεται ἀρχήν. εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς, ὥσπερ ἰσχυρίζῃ, πρὸς τὴν δίκην ἀπελθὼν, ἢ τῶν συκοφαντῶν περιγενόμενος ἀπόσχῃ τῶν πραγμάτων, τὴν πολλὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ τὴν περὶ τὰ καλὰ ἀχαριστίαν βδελυξάμενος, ἢ κατακριθεὶς ἐρήμην, τῶν ἀνηκέστων πάθῃς τι, ἆρ' εἰς τοσοῦτον οἴει παρανοίας ἡμᾶς ἥκειν ἢ οὕτω ταπεινὰ καὶ ἀνελεύθερα φρονήσειν καὶ τῆς εὐκλείας ἀνάξια τοῦ προτέρου βίου, ὥστ' ἐν ἀνδραπόδων μοίρᾳ δουλεύειν Ἀποκαύκῳ, πᾶν τὸ προσταττόμενον ποιοῦντας ἀνθρώπῳ μηδὲν ἄμεινον διακειμένῳ τῶν πολλῶν; θᾶττον μεντἂν ἡμῶν ἕκαστος οἰήσεται προσήκειν ζόφον μᾶλλον