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the megas doux had established as their rulers after the emperor's 2.395 exile to the Triballi, since they had gone over out of fear. And the emperor praised them both for having done what was fitting for the occasion at the time, not contentiously attempting what was beyond their power, and for having, upon his return, gone over to him, having taken thought for nothing else, and appointing a ruler over them, he sent them homeward; and as for Goudeles, having ordered his own property to be returned and having given him more from his own house, he then also sent out Iakovos Vroulas, who was one of his household, and Salatinos, one of the Persians, along with him to Byzantium as ambassadors to the empress. The embassy was concerning peace. And first he called God to witness that not only had he not plotted against her or the emperor her son in deed, but he was not even conscious in his thoughts of having offended her in any way. He said that she, led astray by slanderous men who had practiced neither doing nor saying anything sound, had started this civil war, which until now has been the cause of many great misfortunes for the Romans and will be of even greater ones, if it is not ended. And that he himself had experienced great misfortunes because of the war, and had been surrounded by terrible dangers threatening death; but nevertheless, having found God merciful, he had been delivered from those dangers, and now had returned with the help of the stronger one. And seeing that both the future evils from the war would exceed all measure, and the good things from peace 2.396 would likewise be great and able to restore the dominion of the Romans which was in danger, he had made this embassy concerning peace and was begging her, not to overlook the dominion of the Romans being destroyed because of the wickedness and folly of certain men. For from the beginning until now many terrible and harsh things had happened, and the entire country and the cities had been ruined by being besieged by one another and destroyed by raids and plundering; yet they were moderate, such as when Romans attack Romans and sometimes take some pity on the unfortunate. But the expected things were so much more terrible and fearful that the past events, when compared to them, would hold the place of good fortune compared to the utmost disaster. For the barbarians were now Persians, who had been entrusted with the war against the Romans and were about to ally with him, for whom killing is a luxury and enslaving and selling into servitude is more pleasant than any profit, and there is no pity at all, nor mercy for the unfortunate, as they are enemies by nature on account of the extreme opposition in their religion. And he said that he was not the first to have begun this evil, but Apokaukos the parakoimomenos, who, having marched against him at Berrhoia and leading a large and good army of Romans, did not think it acceptable unless he also brought in Persians, who did much harm to that land, killing and enslaving those they met and making all 2.397 the villages a work of fire. Having used him as a teacher, he had turned to such an attempt, and for this reason he was worthy of no blame, if, being unable to stand against both barbarians and Romans at the same time, he himself also used similar allies. That she, seeing these things as terrible and destructive to the empire, and that they would bring a great condemnation at the future judgment there if through contentiousness and false slanders and accusations she were seen to permit the blood of Christians to be shed by the barbarians, should be persuaded to peace, before anything was destroyed by the barbarians. For they will wait, harming none of the Romans, until the ambassadors also return. As for the terms on which it must take place, it was not the time to declare them now, but if only she would be persuaded, she should send ambassadors to him, who would discuss whatever seemed best and most advantageous to themselves, with her and the patriarch and the remaining rulers of state. And he was confident that, with God granting it, they would return rejoicing and having achieved what would be beneficial to all Romans in common. Such then was

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ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν κατέστησεν ὁ μέγας δοὺξ μετὰ τὴν βασιλέ 2.395 ως εἰς Τριβαλοὺς ὑπερορίαν προσκεχωρηκότων δέει. ἐπαινέσας δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τοῦ τότε τῷ καιρῷ προσήκοντα πεποιηκέναι μὴ φιλονεικήσαντας ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, καὶ τοῦ αὖθις ἐπανήκοντι προσκεχωρηκέναι μελήσαντας μηδὲν, ἐκείνοις μὲν ἄρχοντα ἐπιστήσας, οἴκαδε ἀπέπεμπε· Γουδέλῃ δὲ τά τε ἴδια κελεύσας ἀποδοθῆναι καὶ οἴκοθεν πλείω παρασχὼν, ἔπειτα καὶ Ἰάκωβον τὸν Βρουλᾶν ὄντα ἐκ τῶν οἰκετῶν καὶ Σαλατίνην ἐκ τῶν Περσῶν ἕνα ἅμα ἐκείνῳ ἐξέπεμπεν εἰς Βυζάντιον πρὸς βασιλίδα πρέσβεις. ἡ πρεσβεία δὲ ἦν περὶ εἰρήνης. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἐμαρτύρετο τὸν θεὸν, ὡς οὐ μόνον αὐτῇ οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύσειεν ἔργῳ ἢ βασιλεῖ τῷ υἱῷ, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ μέχρι λογισμῶν αὐτῷ τι περὶ αὐτὴν προσκεκρουκότι συνειδείη. αὐτὴν δὲ ὑπὸ συκοφαντῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς, οὔτε ποιεῖν, οὔτε λέγειν μεμελετηκότων παραχθεῖσαν ἔφασκε τὸν ἐμφύλιον τουτονὶ πόλεμον κεκινηκέναι, ὃς ἄχρι νῦν πολλῶν τε καὶ μεγάλων αἴτιος Ῥωμαίοις κατέστη συμφορῶν καὶ ἔτι μειζόνων ἔσεται, ἂν μὴ καταλυθῇ. καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ μεγάλαις μὲν χρήσασθαι συμφοραῖς διὰ τὸν πόλεμον, καὶ κινδύνοις φοβεροῖς περισχεθῆναι θάνατον ἀπειλοῦσι· τοῦ θεοῦ δὲ ὅμως ἵλεω τυχόντα, τῶν κινδύνων τε ἐκείνων ἀπηλλάχθαι, καὶ νῦν ἐπανήκειν τοῦ κρείττονος συναιρομένου. συνορῶντα δὲ ὡς τά τε μέλλοντα κακὰ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου πᾶσαν ὑπερβήσεται ὑπερβολὴν, καὶ τὰ ἐκ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθὰ 2.396 ὁμοίως μεγάλα τε καὶ δυνάμενα τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν κινδυνεύουσαν ἀνακτᾶσθαι, τὴν πρεσβείαν πεποιῆσθαι τὴν περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης ταύτην καὶ δεῖσθαι αὐτῆς, μὴ περιορᾷν διὰ τήν τινων μοχθηρίαν καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνην τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν διαφθειρομένην. καὶ ἐξαρχῆς γὰρ ἄχρι νῦν πολλὰ συμβεβηκέναι τὰ δεινὰ καὶ χαλεπὰ, καὶ τὴν χώραν ἅπασαν καὶ τὰς πόλεις διεφθάρθαι ὑπ' ἀλλήλων πολιορκουμένας καὶ διαφθειρομένας ἐπιδρομαῖς καὶ λεηλασίαις· μέτρια δὲ ὅμως εἶναι, οἷα δὴ Ῥωμαίων Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιόντων καὶ οἶκτόν τινά ποτε καὶ τῶν ἀτυχούντων λαμβανόντων. τὰ προσδοκώμενα δὲ τοσούτῳ καὶ δεινότερα καὶ φοβερώτερα, ὡς τὰ παρελθόντα, πρὸς αὐτὰ παραβαλλόμενα, εὐτυχίας τόπον ἐπέχειν πρὸς ἀκροτάτην κακοπραγίαν. βάρβαροι γὰρ ἤδη εἶναι Πέρσαι οἱ τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιτετραμμένοι πόλεμον κἀκείνῳ συμμαχήσοντες, οἷς τὸ φονεύειν τρυφὴ καὶ τὸ ἐξανδραποδίζεσθαι καὶ ἀποδίδοσθαι ἐπὶ δουλείᾳ κέρδους ἥδιον παντὸς, καὶ οἶκτος οὐδὲ εἷς, οὐδὲ ἔλεος τῶν ἀτυχούντων, οἷα δὴ φύσει πολεμίων ὄντων διὰ τὴν περὶ τὸ σέβας ἀκροτάτην ἐναντιότητα. καὶ τούτου ἔλεγε τοῦ κακοῦ οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ἦρχθαι πρῶτον, ἀλλ' Ἀπόκαυκον τὸν παρακοιμώμενον, ὃς αὐτῷ εἰς Βέῤῥοιαν ἐπιστρατεύσας καὶ πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν ἄγων στρατιὰν Ῥωμαίων, οὐκ ἀγαπητὸν ᾠήθη, εἰ μὴ καὶ Πέρσας ἐπαγάγοι, οἳ πολλὰ ἐκάκωσαν τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην, κτείνοντες καὶ ἐξανδραποδιζόμενοι τοὺς προστυχόντας καὶ πυρὸς ἔργον πά 2.397 σας κώμας πεποιημένοι. ᾧ διδασκάλῳ κεχρημένος ἐπὶ τὴν τοιαύτην τετράφθαι πεῖραν, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς διὰ ταύτην εἶναι ἄξιος αἰτίας, εἰ μὴ δυνάμενος πρός τε βαρβάρους ὁμοῦ καὶ Ῥωμαίους ἀντιτάττεσθαι, τοῖς ὁμοίοις καὶ αὐτὸς ἐχρήσατο συμμάχοις. ἃ συνορῶσαν καὶ αὐτὴν ὡς δεινὰ καὶ τήν τε ἀρχὴν διαφθεροῦντα καὶ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐκεῖ κριτήριον μεγάλην οἴσοντα τὴν καταδίκην, εἰ διὰ φιλονεικίαν καὶ ψευδεῖς συκοφαντίας καὶ διαβολὰς τὸ Χριστιανῶν αἷμα προϊεμένη φαίνοιτο χεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων, πεισθῆναι πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην, πρὶν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων τι διεφθάρθαι. περιμενοῦσι γὰρ Ῥωμαίων οὐδένα ἀδικοῦντες, ἄχρις ἐπανήξουσιν καὶ οἱ πρέσβεις. τὸ δὲ ἐφ' ὁποίοις δεῖ γενέσθαι, οὐ τοῦ παρόντος εἶναι καιροῦ δηλοῦν, ἀλλ' εἰ μόνον πείθοιτο, πρέσβεις πέμπειν πρὸς αὐτὸν, οἳ διαλέξονται, ὅσα ἂν αὐτῇ καὶ πατριάρχῃ καὶ τοῖς ὑπολειφθεῖσιν ἔτι τῶν πραγμάτων ἄρχουσι βέλτιστά τε εἶναι δοκῇ καὶ λυσιτελέστατα ἑαυτοῖς. πεποιθέναι δὲ αὐτὸν, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ διδόντος χαίροντες ἐπανήξουσι καὶ τὰ πᾶσι κοινῇ Ῥωμαίοις συνοίσοντα κατωρθωκότες. τοιαύτη μὲν ἦν