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king, from that time and until my father, no one at all dared so much as to touch the land of Asia with the tips of their feet.

15.11.1 But why speak of these things? For I feel myself, as it were, turning aside from the highway, as the proposed subject dictates to me a twofold contest for my narrative: to recount at once and to lament the things that befell the emperor, to record his struggles, and to bring into a monody all that gnawed at his heart. Among which I would rank also his death and the ruin of his entire earthly end. But indeed I am reminded of certain words of my father, which dissuaded me from history and urged me to dirges and lamentations. For I often heard him, I heard him checking my mother and empress when she commanded the learned to transmit through history to posterity his labours and those many contests and struggles, but to compose monodies for him and to weep for the terrible things that befell him. 15.11.2 For not yet a year and a half had passed since the emperor had returned from the campaign, and another terrible disease fell upon him and brought a fatal noose for him, or if I must speak the truth, the destruction and ruin of everything. But since the magnitude of the subject compels me, being both a lover of my father and a lover of my mother from my very swaddling clothes, I am coming to transgress the laws of history by relating, what I do not at all wish to, the emperor's death. For when the hippodrome games were held, because of a strong wind that blew at that time, the rheum, as it were, surged up and retreating from the extremities, had seized one of his shoulders. Now, most of the doctors did not at all understand the threat that was coming upon us from this. But Nicholas Callicles, for so he was named, was a prophet to us of the dreaded evils and said to be afraid, lest it retreat from the extremities and, passing to another place, should render the danger for the patient irremediable; and we could not believe it, because we did not even wish to. 15.11.3 At that time, then, no one except Callicles had proposed an evacuation by means of some purgatives. For this body was not accustomed to taking a purgative, but was completely unpracticed in the drinking of medicines. The majority, and especially Michael Pantechnes, agreeing with this, utterly forbade the purge. But Callicles, guessing what was to come, said to them emphatically: “Now the matter, having left the extremities, has fallen upon the shoulder and the neck; but hereafter, if not evacuated by purgatives, it will flow into one of the principal parts or even the heart itself and will cause incurable harm.” For I myself was also present by command of my lady mistress to arbitrate the doctors' arguments, and I heard what was said and I too agreed with the words of Callicles. Nevertheless, the vote of the majority prevailed. But then, indeed, then the rheum of the royal body, having prevailed for the usual number of days, faded away, and the patient returned to health. 15.11.4 Not yet six months had passed, and a fatal illness occurred, perhaps from his great despondency over the things that befell him daily and from the convergence of public cares. And I often heard him describing to the empress and, as it were, complaining to her about the illness: “What then is this suffering that is happening to me concerning my breathing? For I wish to take a deep and full breath and to be relieved, as it were, of the grief that lies in my heart; but though I try this many times, not even once can I send up a tiny fraction of the oppressing weight. But the remainder lies like some very heavy stone upon my heart, the sigh being checked in the middle, and I cannot discern the cause, nor whence such a suffering comes upon me. And I announce something else as well, dearest soul, sharer of my sufferings and

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βασιλέα, ἔκτοτε καὶ μέχρι τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς οὐδεὶς ἄκροις ποσὶ τῆς Ἀσιάτιδος ἐφάψασθαι τὸ παράπαν τετόλμηκεν.

15.11.1 Ἵνα τί δὲ περὶ τούτων; Αἰσθάνομαι γὰρ ἐμαυτῆς οἷον τῆς λεωφόρου ἐκτρεπομένης, διττόν μοι τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦ λόγου τῆς προκειμένης ὑπαγορευούσης ὑποθέσεως ἱστορεῖν ἅμα καὶ τραγῳδεῖν τὰ ξυμπεσόντα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, ἱστορεῖν μὲν τοὺς ἀγῶνας, εἰς μονῳδίαν δὲ ἄγειν ὁπόσα τὴν καρδίαν διεμασσήσατο. Μεθ' ὧν τάττοιμι ἂν καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου θάνατον καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐπιγείου λήξεως ὄλεθρον. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἀναμέμνημαι καὶ λόγων τινῶν πατρικῶν τῆς μὲν ἱστορίας ἀπαγόντων, εἰς δὲ τοὺς θρήνους καὶ τὰς ὀλοφύρ σεις παρακαλούντων. Ἤκουον γὰρ καὶ τούτου πολλάκις, ἤκουον τὴν μητέρα καὶ βασιλίδα ἀνακόπτοντος ἐπιτάττου σαν τοῖς σοφοῖς διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας τοῖς ἐς ὕστερον παρα πέμψαι τοὺς ἐκείνου πόνους καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ἆθλα ἐκεῖνα καὶ τὰ σκάμματα, μονῳδεῖν δὲ ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ κλαίειν τὰ συμπε σόντα οἱ δεινά. 15.11.2 Οὔπω γὰρ ἔτος ἓν πρὸς τῷ ἡμίσει διελήλυθεν ἐξ οὗπερ τῆς ἐκστρατείας ἐπανελήλυθεν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, καὶ νόσος ἄλλη δεινή τις ἐπισκήψασα βρόχον ἐπήνεγκε τούτῳ θανάσιμον, εἰ δὲ δεῖ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, τὴν τοῦ παντὸς καταστροφὴν καὶ φθοράν. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ τὸ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκβιάζει μέγεθος, φιλοπάτωρ τε ἅμα καὶ φιλο μήτωρ ἐξ αὐτῶν σπαργάνων γεγενημένη θεσμοὺς ἱστορίας ὑπερεκπίπτειν ἔρχομαι διηγησομένη, ὅπερ οὐ πάνυ τι βού λομαι, τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος τελευτήν. Ἱπποδρομίας γὰρ γενομένης, ἐξ αἰτίας ἀνέμου τηνικαῦτα πνεύσαντος σφο δροῦ, ἀναρροιβδῆσαν οἷον τὸ ῥεῦμα καὶ τῶν ἄκρων ὑποχω ρῆσαν θάτερον τῶν ὤμων κατειλήφει. Οἱ μὲν οὖν πολλοὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν οὐδὲ συνίεσαν ὅλως τὴν ἐπερχομένην ἡμῖν ἀπειλὴν ἐντεῦθεν. Ὁ δέ γε Καλλικλῆς Νικόλαος, οὑτωσὶ γὰρ προσηγορεύετο, μάντις ἦν ἡμῖν τῶν ἀπευκταίων κακῶν καὶ πτοεῖσθαι ἔλεγε, μὴ τῶν ἄκρων ὑποχωρῆσαν καὶ ἄλλην διαπορευόμενον ἀβοήθητον τὸν κίνδυνον τῷ κάμνοντι ἀπερ γάσοιτο· κἂν πιστεύειν οὐκ εἴχομεν, ὅτι μηδ' ἠβουλόμεθα. 15.11.3 Οὐδεὶς μὲν οὖν τηνικαῦτα πλὴν τοῦ Καλλικλέους διά τινων καθαρσίων κένωσιν προετεθύμητο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εἴωθε τὸ σῶμα τοῦτο λαμβάνειν καθάρσιον, ἀλλὰ παντάπασιν ἀγύμναστος ἦν πρὸς τὰς φαρμακοποσίας. Ὧιπερ οἱ πλείους καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ Παντεχνὴς Μιχαὴλ συγχρώμενος παντελῶς ἀπεῖργε τὴν κάθαρσιν. Ὁ δέ γε Καλλικλῆς τοῦ μέλλοντος στοχασάμενος ἐπιφωνηματικῶς αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν ὡς· «Νῦν μὲν τῶν ἄκρων ἡ ὕλη ἀφεμένη πρὸς τὸν ὦμον ἐνέσκηψε καὶ τὸν τράχηλον· εἰσαῦθις δὲ μὴ διὰ καθαρσίων κενωθεῖσα εἴς τι τῶν πρωτουργῶν μορίων ἢ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν καρδίαν ἐπιρρεύσασα ἀνίατον τὴν βλάβην ἀπεργάσεται». Παρῆν γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ ἐξ ἐπιταγῆς τῆς ἐμῆς δεσποίνης ἐφ' ᾧ τοῖς τῶν ἰατρῶν λόγοις διαιτῆσαι, καὶ ἤκουον τῶν λεγομένων καὶ τοῖς τοῦ Καλλικλῆ κἀγὼ συνετιθέμην λόγοις. Τῶν πλειόνων δ' ὅμως ἡ ψῆφος ἐκράτει. Ἀλλὰ τότε δὴ τότε τὸ μὲν ῥεῦμα τοῦ βασιλικοῦ σώματος τὰς συνήθεις ἐπικρατῆσαν ἡμέρας ἀπεμαραίνετο καὶ πρὸς ὑγείαν ὁ κάμνων ἐπανῄει. 15.11.4 Οὔπω μῆνες παρῆλθον ἓξ καὶ ὀλέθριον νόσημα, ἐκ τῆς πολλῆς τάχα ἀθυμίας τῶν καθ' ἑκάστην προσπιπτόντων αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς συνόδου τῶν κοινῶν φροντίδων ξυμβέβηκε. Καὶ ἤκουον αὐτοῦ θαμὰ πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα διηγουμένου καὶ οἷον ἐπεγκαλοῦντος αὐτῇ τὸ νόσημα· «Τί ποτ' ἄρα τὸ συμβαῖνόν μοι περὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν πάθος; Βούλομαι γὰρ ἀναπνεῦσαι βαθὺ καὶ ἀθρόον καὶ οἷον κουφισθῆναι τῆς ἐγκειμένης ἀνίας ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ· τοῦτο δὲ πολλάκις ἐπιχει ρῶν οὐδὲ ἅπαξ δύναμαι πολλοστημόριον ἀναπέμψαι τοῦ ἐπιθλίβοντος βάρους. Τὸ δ' ἐπίλοιπον καθάπερ τις λίθος ἐπίκειταί μου τῇ καρδίᾳ βαρύτατος, ἀνακοπῆς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ γενομένης τοῦ στεναγμοῦ, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν συνιδεῖν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιμι οὐδ' ὁπόθεν τὸ τοιοῦτον πάθος ἐγγίνεταί μοι. Καὶ ἄλλο δέ τι προσαναγγέλλω, φιλτάτη ψυχή, κοι νωνὲ τῶν ἐμῶν παθῶν καὶ