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God, who does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live. For that you have counseled badly for yourself and likewise for others by having started the civil war, having set aside the oaths to the emperor and that wonderful friendship, by which you enjoyed many and great benefits throughout his entire life, and having plotted against his children for the throne, you have become the cause of many and great misfortunes for the Romans, of which, because of their magnitude, not even those who dwell in the furthest parts of the earth are ignorant, nor are you yourself unaware. But since you have come to a realization of your audacious deeds and wicked undertakings, having condemned yourself, you have repented and are returning well, from whence you went out badly, asking to lay aside the imperial office and to change into the station of a private citizen, just as it was possible to learn precisely from the most beloved and most genuine to my most mighty and holy emperor, the megas doux, I myself was filled with as much pleasure as is fitting in such matters, and the church of God, opening its arms, receives you with all spiritual love and joy, and we expect that you too will come to us very soon, so that at the same time the lifting of the penance, to which you were subjected, may take place, and we may rejoice together, conversing in our ancient custom.” Such things the patriarch also wrote. But when the ambassadors came as far as Pamphylos, they sent word to the emperor that they had come on an embassy, but had been instructed by those who sent them not to address him as emperor in their 2.447 discussions. If, therefore, such a thing was tolerable to him, he should make it clear, so that they might come and report the message of the embassy. But if he intended to drive them away in anger on account of the disrespect, they should not come to him at all, but should turn back from Pamphylos. But the emperor, considering it of the greatest importance to meet with some worthy men from Byzantium and to discuss all the matters concerning him, that he had been slandered by sycophants and that he himself had provided no pretext for the war, but from the first day until now he has of necessity defended himself for his own safety and that of his companions, and at the same time hoping that they had come for the sake of peace, ordered them to come to him, as he would take no account of the form of address. For the sake of the common good, he was ready to endure not only such things, but also insults and anything else that seemed more harsh. For if any benefit for the Romans should come from such things, he would even feel much gratitude to them for this. But if the second option should prevail and they should depart without an agreement, even so no dishonor would be left to him from the form of address. The ambassadors therefore came on these terms and delivered the message of the embassy; at the same time they also presented the letters, and were careful not to address him as emperor in their discussions. 74. But when the emperor heard their words and read the letters, he became emotional at the nonsense written in them, 2.448 for the time being he dismissed the ambassadors to get some rest in the house where they were being lodged. On the next day, having convened an assembly of those present, he also summoned the ambassadors, and before they could make any defense concerning their embassy, he set forth the matters concerning himself for investigation. And everything was examined that had happened after the emperor's death, on which points he demonstrated before the ambassadors that he had conducted himself rightly and justly and most advantageously for both the emperor's children and all the other Romans. And he ordered the ambassadors to speak without fear, if they had any accusation to make, as he would render an account for everything. And when they contradicted and accused him on some points, which they considered to be injustices, he gave an account for everything. This, then, continued for six consecutive days, and through many proofs the emperor was shown to have been wronged in the extreme, while the megas doux and the others who had started the war were not only sycophants and terribly ungrateful towards him, having left no excess of wickedness undone, but also to have been most especially responsible for the murders and the enslavements and the great misfortunes that befell the Romans during the time of the war. After the sixth, toward the

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ὁ θεὸς ὁ μὴ θέλων τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὥστε ἐπιστρέψαι καὶ ζῇν αὐτόν. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ κακῶς σεαυτῷ ὁμοίως καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐβουλεύσω τὸν ἐμφύλιον πόλεμον κεκινηκὼς, ἀθετήσας μὲν ὅρκους τοὺς πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ τὴν φιλίαν ἐκείνην τὴν θαυμαστὴν, ὑφ' ἧς παρ' ὅλον τὸν ἐκείνου βίον πολλῶν ἀπέλαυσας καὶ μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν, καὶ τοῖς παισὶν ἐπιβουλεύσας περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις δὲ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων αἴτιος κατέστης συμφορῶν, ὧν διὰ μέγεθος οὐδ' οἱ ἐν ἐσχατιαῖς οἰκοῦντες γῆς ἀνήκοοί εἰσιν, οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἀγνοεῖς. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τῶν τετολμημένων εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθὼν καὶ τῶν ἀτόπων ἐπιχειρήσεων, σεαυτοῦ κατεγνωκὼς μετεμελήθης καὶ ὑποστρέφεις καλῶς, ὅθεν ἐξῆλθες κακῶς, τὴν βασιλείαν αἰτῶν ἀποσκευάσασθαι καὶ εἰς ἰδιώτου σχῆμα μεταβαλεῖν, ὥσπερ ἀκριβῶς ἐξεγένετο μαθεῖν παρὰ τοῦ περιποθήτου καὶ γνησιωτάτου τῷ κρατίστῳ καὶ ἁγίῳ μου αὐτοκράτορι τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς, αὐτός τε ἡδονῆς ἐπλήσθην, ὅσης ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις εἰκὸς, καὶ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία τὰς ἀγκάλας αὐτῆς διανοίξασα, δέχεταί σε μετὰ πάσης πνευματικῆς ἀγάπης καὶ ἡδονῆς, καὶ ὅσον οὔπω ἥξειν καὶ σὲ προσδοκῶμεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ἵν' ὁμοῦ τε ἡ τοῦ ἐπιτιμίου λύσις γένηται, ᾧ καθυπεβλήθης, καὶ ἀλλήλοις συνησθῶμεν κατὰ τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἔθος ὁμιλήσαντες.» τοιαῦτα μὲν ἔγραφε καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης. οἱ πρέσβεις δὲ ἐπεὶ Παμφίλου ἄχρι ἦλθον, πέμψαντες ἐδήλουν βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἥκοιεν μὲν ἐπὶ πρεσβείᾳ, προσταχθεῖεν δὲ παρὰ τῶν πεπομφότων, μὴ βασιλέα προσαγορεύειν ἐν ταῖς 2.447 διαλέξεσιν αὐτῶν. εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἀνεκτὸν αὐτῷ, δῆλον ποιεῖν, ἵν' ἐλθόντες ἀπαγγέλλωσι τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας. εἰ δὲ μέλλοι διὰ τὴν ὑπεροψίαν ἀπελαύνειν πρὸς ὀργὴν, μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφικνεῖσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἀναστρέφειν ἐκ Παμφίλου. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ ποιούμενος περὶ πλείστου τὸ ἐκ Βυζαντίου τισὶν ἀξιολόγοις συντυχεῖν καὶ διαλεχθῆναι περὶ τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἁπάντων, ὅτι τε ὑπὸ συκοφαντῶν διαβληθείη καὶ οὐδεμίαν πρόφασιν αὐτὸς παράσχοι τῷ πολέμῳ, ἀλλ' ἐκ πρώτης ἡμέρας ἄχρι νῦν ἀναγκαίως ὑπὲρ σωτηρίας αὐτοῦ τε ἀμύνεται καὶ τῶν συνόντων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἐλπίσας εἰρήνης ἕνεκα ἥκειν, ἐκέλευεν ἀφικέσθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς οὐδένα λόγον τῆς προσηγορίας ποιησόμενος. τοῦ γὰρ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦντος ἕνεκα οὐ τοιαῦτα μόνον ἕτοιμος εἶναι ὑπομένειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λοιδορίας καὶ εἴτι χαλεπώτερον ἕτερον δοκεῖ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων ὄφελός τι γένοιτο Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ πολλὴν αὐτοῖς εἰδήσειν χάριν ὑπὲρ τούτων. εἰ δ' ἄρα καὶ τὰ δεύτερα νικῴη καὶ ἀσύμβατοι ἀναχωρῶσιν, οὐδ' οὕτως αὐτῷ τινα ἀδοξίαν ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας ἀπολείψειν. ἧκον μὲν οὖν οἱ πρέσβεις ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ ἀπήγγελλον τὰ κατὰ τὴν πρεσβείαν· ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ γράμματα παρεῖχον, παρετήρουν τε τὸ μὴ βασιλέα ἐν ταῖς διαλέξεσι προσαγορεύειν. οδʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ τῶν τε λόγων ἤκουε καὶ τὰ γράμματα ἀνέγνω, πρὸς τοὺς ἐγγεγραμμένους λήρους διαχυθεὶς, 2.448 νῦν μὲν ἀπέλυε τοὺς πρέσβεις ἀναπαύλης τινὸς τυχεῖν ἐφ' ἧς ἐξενίζοντο οἰκίας. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ἐκκλησίαν ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ποιησάμενος, μετεκαλεῖτο καὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις, καὶ πρὶν ἀπολογίαν τινὰ περὶ ὧν ἐπρέσβευον ποιήσασθαι, τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν εἰς μέσον προὐτίθει ἐρευνᾷν. καὶ πάντα ἐξητάζετο μετὰ τὴν βασιλέως τελευτὴν, ἐφ' οἷς ἀπεδείκνυεν αὑτὸν ἐπὶ τῶν πρέσβεων ὀρθῶς καὶ δικαίως καὶ τοῖς τε βασιλέως παισὶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι Ῥωμαίοις μάλιστα λυσιτελῶς πεπολιτευμένον. ἐκέλευέ τε καὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις ἀδεῶς λέγειν, εἴ τι ἔχοιεν κατηγορεῖν, ὡς λόγον ὑπὲρ πάντων ποιησόμενος. καὶ ἐπ' ἐνίοις ἀντιλεγόντων καὶ ἐγκαλούντων, ἃ ἐνόμιζον ἀδικεῖν, ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐποιεῖτο λόγον. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν εἰς ἕκτην ἐφεξῆς ἡμέραν ἐτελεῖτο, καὶ διὰ πολλῶν τῶν ἀποδείξεων τὰ ἔσχατα ἠδικημένος ἀπεδείκνυτο ὁ βασιλεὺς, δοὺξ δὲ ὁ μέγας καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι οἱ τὸν πόλεμον κεκινηκότες οὐ συκοφάνται μόνον καὶ ἀγνώμονες δεινῶς περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ μοχθηρίας ὑπερβολὴν ἐλλελοιπότες οὐδεμίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν φόνων καὶ τῶν ἀνδραποδισμῶν καὶ τῶν μεγάλων συμφορῶν, αἳ Ῥωμαίους κατέσχον ἐπὶ τῶν χρόνων τοῦ πολέμου, μάλιστα αἰτιώτατοι γεγενημένοι. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἕκτην πρὸς τὴν