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being warred against in common by the Romans because of envy, and who previously had already spent a long time beyond the border among the Triballians, but who has now returned to the land of the Romans with the help of the great God, and has subjected many cities and no small country to himself, as we hear. And it happens, as we see, that he has enjoyed none of our power, and that we have made such a great voyage and expenditure rashly and in vain. Therefore, as for facing danger on his behalf, that it is more pleasant than any ease and will bring us great renown and admiration from all, you yourselves bear witness with me by your very deeds. For you campaigned with me most eagerly and not being compelled by me, but, if I must say something even greater, 2.387 you yourselves urging me to this. But as for what pertains to me, I have chosen to toil and face danger on his behalf not for the sake of renown, nor from a desire for any gain, but I have a necessity more compelling than any, as if to defend myself against attackers and to cling to my dear life as far as is possible. For not like the many have I chosen only to be called a friend of the emperor, but I am so fused with him, that if it should happen that he suffer some incurable fate, I myself would consider life unlivable. And because of this friendship I warred alongside the emperor Andronikos in the war against Lesbos and Phocaea for no short time, and a year earlier I crossed over to Thrace with three hundred and eighty ships, with the intention of fighting against all men and myself enduring every hardship, until I should lead him back to his own, as you yourselves also know, having campaigned with me. But now our affairs have come to this point, that we, being held here by the winds, are inactive, while he, as we hear, is being besieged by the Romans. And I fear lest something incurable happen to him. For it is likely that he lacks both money and an army worthy of fighting against the enemy, having just returned from his wandering, and the time not being sufficient to acquire a stable force. But the enemy could prevail both by force of arms, being 2.388 many, and by corrupting his companions with money, since the common funds of the Romans lie under the authority of Apokaukos the Grand Duke, who will spend everything unsparingly, in order only to overcome the emperor. For he knows most clearly that as long as that man survives, his leadership of the Romans is untrustworthy and doubtful, since all the best men prefer to be ruled by that man. But if that man should in some way depart from among men, his rule will be secure for him for all future time; for which reasons he will spare no money at all. Considering all these things, it is fitting to render aid quickly. For if the emperor perishes, overcome by the enemy, no excess of despondency and grief will be lacking for us, in addition to also hearing ill from all, that because of unmanliness and softness in the face of toils our friend has been utterly betrayed by us to the enemy. And if he prevails without us, we will have been deprived of the greater part of the honor. Therefore, to fight against contrary winds and a sea swelling and raging, is clearly the act of madmen and those who court death for no honor. For which reason I do not command you to strip for so great a danger. But I myself will suggest another way, one having little toil, but the highest renown and glory. For it will be possible for us to produce proofs of the three greatest things: of courage and justice and prudence. For to find another road when hindered by the winds and the sea, by which our 2.389 proposed goal might be accomplished, one might rightly set down as an act of prudence; and of justice, to consider all possessions of secondary importance to the salvation of a friend; and of courage, that neither the hardship of the long journey, nor that we are about to pass through many nations who will fight against us, has made us, struck with terror, desist from what is necessary. What then is it that I am saying? That since we are unable to go to Macedonia with the ships, we should burn them here with fire as being useless,

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ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων κοινῇ πολεμουμένῳ διὰ φθόνον, καὶ πρότερον μὲν χρόνον ἤδη πολὺν ἐπὶ Τριβαλοὺς ὑπερορίῳ διατρίψαντι, νυνὶ δὲ ἤδη θεοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐπανήκοντι συναιρομένου, καὶ πόλεις πολλὰς καὶ χώραν οὐκ ὀλίγην, ὡς ἀκούομεν, ὑφ' ἑαυτῷ πεποιημένῳ. συμβαίνει δὲ, ὥσπερ ὁρῶμεν, ἐκεῖνόν τε οὐδὲν ἡμῶν ἀπολελαυκέναι τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην τὸν τοσοῦτον πλοῦν καὶ τὴν δαπάνην πεποιῆσθαι. τὸ μὲν οὖν ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου κινδυνεύειν, ὡς ῥᾳστώνης πάσης ἥδιον καὶ πολλὴν ἡμῖν οἴσει τὴν εὐδοξίαν καὶ τὸ θαυμάζεσθαι παρὰ πάντων, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῖς ἐμοὶ συμμαρτυρεῖτε. προθυμότατα γὰρ συνεστρατεύσατε καὶ οὐκ ἀναγκαζόμενοι ὑπ' ἐμοῦ, ἀλλ' εἰ δεῖ τι καὶ μεῖζον εἰπεῖν, 2.387 ἐπὶ τοῦτό με αὐτοὶ παρακαλοῦντες. ἐγὼ δὲ τόγε εἰς ἐμὲ ἧκον, οὔτε εὐδοξίας χάριν, οὔτε κέρδους τινὸς ἐπιθυμίᾳ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου πονεῖν καὶ κινδυνεύειν ᾕρημαι, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκην ἔχω πάσης βιαιοτέραν, ὥσπερ ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἐπιόντας καὶ τῆς φίλης ἀντέχεσθαι ζωῆς μέχρι καὶ τοῦ δυνατοῦ. οὐ γὰρ ὥσπερ οἱ πολλοὶ τὸ βασιλέως φίλος προσαγορεύεσθαι εἱλόμην μόνον, ἀλλ' οὕτως αὐτῷ συντέτηκα, ὥστ' εἰ συμβαίη τῶν ἀνηκέστων ἐκεῖνόν τι παθεῖν, ἀβίωτον ἡγησόμενος τὸν βίον καὶ αὐτός. καὶ διὰ ταύτην τὴν φιλίαν βασιλεῖ τε τῷ Ἀνδρονίκῳ πρὸς τὸν κατὰ Λέσβου καὶ Φωκαίας πόλεμον συνεπολέμησα χρόνον οὐκ ὀλίγον, καὶ πρότερον ἑνὸς ἔτους ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ τριακοσίαις ναυσὶ διέβην ἐπὶ Θρᾴκην, γνώμην ἔχων, ὡς πᾶσι μαχούμενος ἀνθρώποις καὶ πᾶσαν κάκωσιν οἴσων καὶ αὐτὸς, ἄχρις ἂν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπαναγάγω, ὥσπερ ἴστε καὶ αὐτοὶ συστρατευόμενοι. νυνὶ δὲ ἐν τούτῳ καθέστηκε τὰ πράγματα ἡμῖν, ὥσθ' ἡμᾶς μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνέμων ἐνταῦθα κατεχομένους, ἀπράκτους εἶναι, ἐκεῖνον δὲ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ὡς ἀκούομεν, πολιορκεῖσθαι. δέδοικα δὲ, μὴ καί τι τῶν ἀνηκέστων συμβῇ περὶ αὐτόν. εἰκὸς γὰρ καὶ χρημάτων ἀπορεῖν καὶ στρατιᾶς ἀξιομάχου πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἄρτι ἐκ τῆς πλάνης ἐπανήκοντα, καὶ οὐκ ἐξαρκοῦντος τοῦ καιροῦ πρὸς τὸ δύναμιν κτήσασθαι βεβαίαν. οἱ πολέμιοι δὲ καὶ ὅπλοις βιάζεσθαι δύναιντ' ἂν, ὄν 2.388 τες πολλοὶ, καὶ χρήμασι τοὺς συνόντας διαφθείρειν, τῶν κοινῶν Ῥωμαίοις χρημάτων ὑπ' ἐξουσίαν Ἀποκαύκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ δουκὶ κειμένων, καὶ πάντα ἀναλώσοντι ἀφειδῶς, ἵνα μόνον βασιλέως περιγένοιτο. οἶδε γὰρ σαφέστατα, ὡς, ἕως μὲν ἂν ἐκεῖνος περιῇ, ἄπιστος αὐτῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡ ἡγεμονία καὶ ἀμφίβολος, πάντων τῶν ἀρίστων ὑπ' ἐκείνου μᾶλλον αἱρουμένων ἄρχεσθαι. ἂν δ' ἐκεῖνος τρόπῳ δή τινι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων οἴχοιτο, βεβαίαν εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα αὐτῷ ἐσομένην χρόνον τὴν ἀρχήν· δι' ἃ συμπάντων χρημάτων ἀφειδήσει. ἃ πάντα ἐννοοῦντας, ταχεῖαν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν βοήθειαν προσῆκον. ἄν τε γὰρ ἀπόληται βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων περισχόντων, οὐδεμίαν ἡμῖν ἀθυμίας καὶ λύπης ὑπερβολὴν ἐλλείψει πρὸς τῷ καὶ κακῶς ἀκούειν ὑπὸ πάντων, ὅτι ἀνανδρίᾳ καὶ μαλακίᾳ τῇ περὶ τοὺς πόνους καταπροδέδοται τοῖς πολεμίοις ἡμῖν ὁ φίλος. ἄν τε περιγένηται ἡμῶν χωρὶς, τὸ μεῖζον τῆς φιλοτιμίας παρῃρήμεθα. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρὸς ἀνέμους ἀντιπνέοντας καὶ θάλασσαν ἐξοιδοῦσαν καὶ μαινομένην ἀπομάχεσθαι, μελαγχολώντων σαφῶς καὶ θανατώντων ἐπ' οὐδεμιᾷ φιλοτιμίᾳ. ὅθεν οὐδὲ πρὸς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον ἀποδύεσθαι ὑμᾶς κελεύω. ἑτέραν δὲ ὑφηγήσομαι αὐτὸς, πόνον μὲν ὀλίγον ἔχουσαν, εὔκλειαν δὲ καὶ εὐδοξίαν ἀκροτάτην. τριῶν γὰρ τῶν μεγίστων δείγματα ἡμῖν ἐξενεγκεῖν ἐξέσται, ἀνδρίας καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ φρονήσεως. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνέμων καὶ θαλάσσης κωλυομένους ἑτέραν ἐξευρεῖν ὁδὸν, δι' ἧς ἡμῖν ἀνυσθείη τὸ 2.389 προκείμενον, φρονήσεως δικαίως ἄν τις τιθείη· δικαιοσύνης δὲ, τὸ πάντα χρήματα ἡγήσασθαι δεύτερα τῆς τοῦ φίλου σωτηρίας· ἀνδρίας δ', ὅτι οὔθ' ἡ περὶ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν οὖσαν μακρὰν ταλαιπωρία, οὔθ' ὅτι διὰ πολλῶν ἐθνῶν, οἳ μέλλουσιν ἡμῖν μαχεῖσθαι, διιέναι μέλλοντες, ἀπέστημεν τοῦ δέοντος καταπλαγέντες. τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγω; ὡς ἐπεὶ ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀδυνατοῦμεν εἰς Μακεδονίαν ἔρχεσθαι, ταύτας μὲν ὡς ἀχρήστους ἐνταυθοῖ πυρὶ καταπιμπρᾷν,