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many of the rulers desired and took great pains to have as a friend this man, whom we, having him ourselves and being able more than others to enjoy the friendship from him, have willingly cast aside through boorishness. But if it should ever happen that he should also rule the Romans, remembering that he obtained no assistance from 2.268 us, but, as far as we were concerned, was even betrayed to his enemies, for to send him away now amounts to no less than this, he will justly avenge himself and will do harm to our affairs, having found many other pretexts and also citing the present betrayal. For which reasons I do not think it profitable to send him away without achieving anything. It remains, then, to help, either by his ceding the cities which we ask, or freely and out of ambition. Therefore, for him to cede the cities would be most pleasing to me and I would most wish for it; but he, as we see, is so far from being cowed by his present misfortune and from thinking base and servile thoughts, that he would gladly, as he said, exchange the safety of himself and his children and all his companions for a single and most insignificant city. Since, therefore, this is the case and he has declared things befitting a free man and suitable for a king, it seemed better to me and I advise you all to act as he deems worthy and, casting aside all pettiness and servility, to help with all our power and to acquire for him the rule of the Romans, considering it no small benefit for us to have the good repute from all and to acquire such a friend and ally, whom many desire but not even a few obtain, and whom those having him themselves, being ignorant and having planned the worst and most unprofitable things for themselves, willingly cast off. And to ask only this of him, 2.269 to be confirmed by oaths, that he be both an ally and a friend to us for life, and, as for the cities which we and our fathers now hold, having taken them from the Roman dominion, to demand none of them back when he is established in power, nor to stir up war concerning them, attempting to take them away. To which I think he himself will also readily agree, it being at once just and bringing no accusation upon him, as if he were betraying the interests of the Romans.” So then, Helen, the Kralis's wife, gave such counsel in the assembly. And when her husband, after she had stopped speaking, proposed the counsel to those in authority and bade anyone who had anything better to add it to what had been said, Liberos, who had first met the emperor, being the most powerful of the other men in authority and being exceedingly friendly towards the emperor, said: “But if your wife the Kraina had uttered anything incomplete or contributing little to the good repute of the Triballian rule, one could have added what was lacking. But as it is, she has reached such a point of wisdom and good counsel, that neither the one who seems exceedingly wise, nor the one most well-disposed to us, will ever be able to advise better and more profitable things. Whence I myself am persuaded and advise you to meddle no further, but, considering the emperor's arrival here to be for us an occasion for glory, to help eagerly.” Such things Liberos also said, as it were, in brief. And all the others added nothing to what had been said, but voted in favor of them as being 2.270 excellent. And Kralis himself also expressed great thanks to his wife, because she had both advised and persuaded things befitting him, who was invested with a great rule, and things that would bring much good repute, and he himself also ratified the counsel. And while Kralis and his wife and those in authority were deliberating such things about the emperor, as many of the Romans as were present accompanying the emperor, fearing lest, because of his objection, some harm might be done to them by the Triballians, approached and begged the emperor to do what was appropriate to the occasion and not to object too strongly over matters that were not very suitable for objection, but to yield to the demand of the barbarians, lest, provoked to anger by these things, they should inflict irreparable evils upon them. But he, looking upon them sharply and grimly, ordered them to depart and not to advise such things, which would bring great dishonor to him both while living and after death. For he would not betray the rule of the Romans, nor

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ἐπεθύμουν πολλοὶ τῶν δυναστῶν καὶ πολλὰ ἐπραγματεύοντο φίλον ἔχειν, τοῦτον ἔχοντες αὐτοὶ καὶ δυνάμενοι τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλίαν καρποῦσθαι, ἑκόντες ὄντες προηκάμεθα δι' ἀγροικίαν. ἀλλ' εἴ ποτε συμβαίη καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἄρξαι, μεμνημένος, ὡς οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπικουρίας τύχοι παρ' 2.268 ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ τόγε εἰς ἡμᾶς ἧκον, καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις καταπροδοθείη, οὐδὲ γὰρ ἧττον τούτου νυνὶ τὸ ἀποπέμψαι δύναται, ἀμυνεῖται δικαίως καὶ κακῶς ποιήσει τὰ ἡμέτερα, ἄλλων τε πολλῶν προφάσεων εὐπορήσας ἂν καὶ τὴν νῦν προδοσίαν ἐπικαλῶν. δι' ἃ οὐδὲ ἀποπέμπειν ἄπρακτον οἴομαι λυσιτελεῖν. λείπεται δὴ βοηθεῖν, ἢ παραχωρήσαντι τῶν πόλεων, ὧν αἰτοῦμεν, ἢ προῖκα καὶ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν. τὸ μὲν οὖν τῶν πόλεων παραχωρεῖν αὐτὸν ἐμοὶ μὲν ἥδιστον καὶ μάλιστα βουλοίμην ἄν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ, ὡς ὁρῶμεν, τοσοῦτον ἀπέχει τοῦ διὰ τὴν παροῦσαν δυσπραγίαν κατεπτηχέναι καὶ ταπεινὰ καὶ ἀνελεύθερα φρονεῖν, ὥσθ' ἡδέως ἂν, ὥσπερ ἔφη, τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ παίδων καὶ πάντων τῶν συνόντων σωτηρίας τῆς μιᾶς καὶ φαυλοτάτης πόλεως ἀλλάξαιτο. ὅτε τοίνυν οὕτως ἔχει καὶ ἐλευθέρῳ πρέποντα ἀνδρὶ καὶ βασιλεῖ προσήκοντα ἀπεφήνατο, βέλτιον ἐμοί τε ἔδοξε καὶ ὑμῖν πᾶσι παραινῶ, ᾗ ἐκεῖνος ἀξιοῖ ποιεῖν καὶ, πᾶσαν μικρολογίαν καὶ ἀνελευθερίαν ἀποῤῥίψαντας, πάσῃ δυνάμει βοηθεῖν, καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων αὐτῷ ἡγεμονίαν κατακτᾶσθαι, οὐ μικρὰν ὠφέλειαν ἡγουμένους τὴν παρὰ πάντων ἡμῖν εὔκλειαν ἐσομένην καὶ τὸ φίλον κτήσασθαι καὶ σύμμαχον τοιοῦτον, ὃν πολλοὶ μὲν ἐπιθυμοῦσι, τυγχάνουσι δὲ οὐδὲ ὀλίγοι, καὶ ὃν οἱ ἔχοντες αὐτοὶ, ἀγνοήσαντες καὶ τὰ χείριστα καὶ ἀλυσιτελέστατα βουλευσάμενοι ἑαυτοῖς, ἀπεώσαντο ἑκόντες. τοῦτο δὲ μόνον παρ' αὐτοῦ 2.269 αἰτεῖν ὅρκοις βεβαιοῦσθαι, ὥστε σύμμαχόν τε καὶ φίλον διὰ βίου ἡμῖν εἶναι καὶ, ἃς ἔχομεν νυνὶ πόλεις αὐτοί τε καὶ πατέρες οἱ ἡμέτεροι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀφελόμενοι ἡγεμονίας, μηδεμίαν ἀπαιτεῖν, ὅταν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς καταστῇ, μηδὲ πόλεμον κινεῖν περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπιχειροῦντα ἀφελέσθαι. ᾧ καὶ αὐτὸν οἴομαι συνθήσεσθαι ῥᾳδίως, δίκαιόν τε ὂν ὁμοῦ καὶ μηδ' αὐτῷ τινα αἰτίαν ἐπιφέρον, ὡς καταπροδιδοίη τὰ Ῥωμαίων.» Ἑλένη μὲν οὖν ἡ Κράλη γαμετὴ τοιαῦτα συνεβούλευεν ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας. τοῦ δὲ ἀνδρὸς μετὰ τὸ παύσασθαι ἐκείνην λέγουσαν τοῖς ἐν τέλει τὴν βουλὴν προτιθεμένου, καὶ εἴ τίς τι βέλτιον ἔχει κελεύοντος τοῖς εἰρημένοις προστιθέναι, Λίβερος ὁ πρώτως βασιλεῖ συντυχὼν, τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐν τέλει μάλιστα ὢν ὁ δυνατώτατος καὶ φιλίως ἄγαν διακείμενος πρὸς βασιλέα, «ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν ἀτελῆ τινα» εἶπεν «ἢ πρὸς εὐδοξίαν ὀλίγα συντείνοντα τῇ Τριβαλῶν ἀρχῇ ἡ σὴ γαμετὴ Κράλαινα ἐφθέγξατο, εἶχεν ἄν τις προστιθέναι τὰ ἐνδέοντα. νῦν δ' εἰς τοσοῦτον ἥκει καὶ φρονήσεως καὶ εὐβουλίας, ὡς μήτε τὸν ἄγαν συνετώτατον δοκοῦντα εἶναι, μήτε τὸν εὐνούστατον ἡμῖν βελτίω καὶ λυσιτελέστερα δυνήσεσθαί ποτε βουλεύσεσθαι. ὅθεν αὐτός τε πέπεισμαι καὶ σοὶ παραινῶ, μηδὲν περαιτέρω πολυπραγμονεῖν, ἀλλ' εὐδοξίας πρόφασιν λογισάμενον ἡμῖν εἶναι τὴν βασιλέως ἐνθάδε ἄφιξιν, προθύμως βοηθεῖν.» τοιαῦτα μὲν καὶ Λίβερος εἶπεν ὡς ἐν βραχεῖ. οἱ δ' ἄλλοι πάντες οὐδὲν προσέθεντο τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ἀλλ' ὡς καλῶς 2.270 ἔχουσιν ἐπεψηφίζοντο. Κράλης δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς πολλὰς ὡμολόγει χάριτας τῇ γυναικὶ, ὅτι προσήκοντά τε αὐτῷ, ἀρχὴν μεγάλην περιβεβλημένῳ, καὶ πολλὴν οἴσοντα τὴν εὔκλειαν καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καὶ ἔπεισε, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἐκύρου καὶ αὐτός. ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ τοιαῦτα Κράλης τε καὶ ἡ γυνὴ καὶ οἱ ἐν τέλει περὶ βασιλέως ἐβουλεύοντο, ὅσοι Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῖ παρῆσαν συνεπόμενοι, δείσαντες, μὴ διὰ τὴν ἐκείνου ἔνστασιν ὑπὸ Τριβαλῶν τι περὶ αὐτοὺς κακουργηθῇ, προσελθόντες ἐδέοντο βασιλέως, προσήκοντα τῷ καιρῷ ποιεῖν καὶ μὴ σφόδρα ὑπὲρ τῶν μὴ λίαν ἐνίστασθαι προσηκόντων, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐνδοῦναι τοῖς βαρβάροις, μὴ διὰ ταῦτα ἐξαχθέντες πρὸς ὀργὴν ἀνήκεστα διάθωνται αὐτοὺς κακά. ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς δριμὺ καὶ βλοσσυρὸν ἐνιδὼν ἀφίστασθαι ἐκέλευε καὶ μὴ τοιαῦτα συμβουλεύειν, ἃ πολλὴν ζῶντί τε οἴσει τὴν ἀδοξίαν καὶ μετὰ τελευτήν. οὐ γὰρ ἂν καταπροδοίη τὴν ἀρχὴν Ῥωμαίων, οὐδὲ