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to him who petitioned, nothing yet, neither before, nor now, was said that was reasonable. That then, from the very beginning, I chose what was just and did what was profitable for the common good, and that these men, having fabricated many slanders and calumnies, have stirred up the war, and have done many evils to the Romans, or rather have become the cause of all things, some things having done themselves with their own hands, and others by forcing me, though I was unwilling, one might see this most clearly from what has been said. And that even now, not having chosen peace nor having taken any pity on those who fall each day, but wanting to take me into their power in addition to the others and to have the entire Roman empire themselves—for this is their most earnest concern and nothing else—they have made this embassy, is clear from what they themselves propose as ambassadors. For if they had intended anything reasonable and profitable for the common good, they would not in this way, being so easily persuaded by that slanderer who is always lying, have attempted to bring under their control and enslave me; who, if for no other reason, at least because I have governed the Roman state for so long, would manage affairs better and more profitably than they. Therefore, to the patriarch and 2.467 the others, nothing else was a concern than what they proposed from the very beginning, to destroy me and remove me from their midst, so that they themselves might rule without fear. But I, for the sake of the common good, as always, both wish for and hold peace of the greatest importance, if they themselves would also wish, having desisted from their fabrications and falsehoods, to make settlements of the dormant conflict. But if they should stir up the war again, let the evils that will come from the war not be charged to me, but to themselves, evils that will be, as I see, much more terrible than those that have already occurred. For they, by abandoning cities and lands to the Mysians and Triballians, have made them allies, whom they intend to use against me. whom I would not be able to resist with the Romans who are present; it remains, then, for me also to procure an alliance for myself, which will resist and destroy the enemy. For I will not willingly betray my own salvation and that of my companions. And this will come from nowhere else than from Persian Asia; who, being barbarians and disposed contrary to us in matters of religion, will have no mercy on those who fall into their hands, but some they will kill, and others they will sell into slavery. If, then, taking some pity on those who are about to be destroyed, they wish to proceed to peace, I too would very much wish it, and within fifteen days let them send those who will say that they agreed 2.468 to a settlement, so that I too, having sent word, may prevent the barbarians from crossing over to Thrace; for they are prepared. And later, on what terms the peace will be, we shall make agreements with one another. But if, having decided again to make war, they make no further reply, I for my part, after the deadline, will refrain from none of the things which I have judged profitable for myself, and I call God and men to witness that I proceed to war unwillingly and of none of the evils to come am I the cause, at least as far as it pertains to me. But let them, if for no other reason, at least take some thought for the cities belonging to them, so that they may not be utterly destroyed by the barbarians; for I regard their misfortune with as much concern as that of those under my rule.” The emperor, having made such a defense to the ambassadors concerning the accusations the patriarch had made, then having written the same things as well to both the patriarch and the others, also sent out John Chrysoberges with them as an envoy to the capital. 95. While the ambassadors were still staying in Didymoteichon, ambassadors came from Pherae to the emperor, first apologizing for the ways they had acted thoughtlessly toward him, not only by not obeying him when he advised what was better, but also by having killed the ambassador who came from him, and then they also related dramatically the misfortunes into which they had fallen through their ill-advisedness, and they begged him to help them, saying that if they did not obtain some assistance from him, they would be utterly destroyed. For after the emperor's departure from there, having encamped around

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δεηθέντι, οὐδὲν οὐδέπω, οὔτε πρότερον, οὔτε νῦν ἐπιεικὲς ἐλέχθη. ὡς μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς ἐγώ τε τὰ δίκαια εἱλόμην καὶ τὰ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦντα ἔπραττον, καὶ οὗτοι πολλὰς συκοφαντίας καὶ διαβολὰς πλασάμενοι τὸν πόλεμον κεκινήκασι, καὶ πολλὰ Ῥωμαίους εἰργάσαντο κακὰ, μᾶλλον δὲ συμπάντων αἴτιοι κατέστησαν, τὰ μὲν αὐτοχειρίᾳ πεποιηκότες αὐτοὶ, τὰ δ' ἐμὲ ἀναγκάζοντες οὐκ ἐθέλοντα, μάλιστ' ἄν τις ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων σαφέστατα κατίδοι. ὅτι δὲ καὶ νῦν οὐ τὴν εἰρήνην ᾑρημένοι οὐδ' ἔλεόν τινα λαβόντες τῶν πιπτόντων καθ' ἡμέραν, ἀλλ' ἐμὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑποχείριον λαβεῖν βουλόμενοι καὶ τὴν σύμπασαν αὐτοὶ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ἔχειν, τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς σπουδάζεται περὶ πλείστου, ἕτερον δὲ οὐδὲν, τὴν πρεσβείαν ταυτηνὶ πεποίηνται, ἐκ τῶν πρεσβευομένων αὐτῶν δῆλον. εἰ γάρ τι ἐπιεικὲς καὶ λυσιτελὲς ἐνενόουν τῷ κοινῷ, οὐκ ἂν οὕτως ἐκείνῳ τῷ συκοφάντῃ καὶ ἀεὶ καταψευδομένῳ ῥᾷστα πειθόμενοι ὑπάγειν ἐπεχείρουν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ καταδουλοῦν ἐμέ· ὃς εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, διὰ τὸ γοῦν ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον τὰ Ῥωμαίων διοικεῖν, βέλτιον ἂν τοῖς πράγμασι χρησαίμην καὶ λυσιτελέστερον αὐτῶν. πατριάρχῃ μὲν οὖν καὶ 2.467 τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐδενὸς ἐμέλησεν ἑτέρου, ἢ ὃ προὔθεντο ἐξαρχῆς εὐθὺς, τὸ διαφθείρειν ἐμὲ καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκ μέσου, ἵν' ἄρχειν ἀδεῶς ἔχοιεν αὐτοί. ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦντος ἕνεκα, ὥσπερ καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ βούλομαί τε καὶ περὶ πλείστου ἄγω τὴν εἰρήνην, εἴ γε βούλοιντο καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν πλασμάτων καὶ ψευδολογιῶν ἀποστάντες παρακοιμωμένου διαλύσεις τίθεσθαι. εἰ δ' αὖθις αὐτοὶ τὸν πόλεμον κινοῖεν, μὴ ἐμοὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα κακὰ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου προσλογίζεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς, πολλῷ τῶν προϋπηργμένων δεινότερα, ὡς ὁρῶ, ἐσόμενα. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν γὰρ Μυσοῖς καὶ Τριβαλοῖς πόλεις καὶ χώρας καταπροϊέμενοι συμμάχους ἐποιήσαντο, οἷς ἐπ' ἐμὲ διανοοῦνται χρῆσθαι. οἷς ἀνθίστασθαι οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην μετὰ Ῥωμαίων τῶν παρόντων· λείπεται δὴ κἀμὲ συμμαχίαν ἑαυτῷ πορίζειν, ἣ τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν ἀντιστήσεται καὶ διαφθερεῖ. οὐ γὰρ ἑκὼν εἶναι προήσομαι τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν συνόντων σωτηρίαν. αὕτη δὲ οὐδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν παρέσται, ἢ ἐξ Ἀσίας Περσική· οἳ βάρβαροί τε ὄντες καὶ ἀπ' ἐναντίας ἡμῖν περὶ τὸ σέβας διακείμενοι οὐδεμίαν φειδὼ ποιήσονται τῶν ἐμπιπτόντων ταῖς χερσὶν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἀποκτενοῦσι, τοὺς δὲ ἐπὶ δουλείᾳ ἀποδώσονται. εἰ μὲν οὖν τινα τῶν μελλόντων διαφθείρεσθαι ἔλεον λαβόντες πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην ἐθέλωσι χωρεῖν, κἀγὼ μάλιστα βουλοίμην ἂν, καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις πεντεκαίδεκα πεμπέτωσαν τοὺς ἐροῦντας, ὅτι διαλύεσθαι συν 2.468 έθεντο, ὡς ἂν πέμψας κἀγὼ κωλύσω τοὺς βαρβάρους μὴ περαιοῦσθαι πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην· παρεσκευασμένοι γάρ εἰσιν. ὕστερον δὲ ἐφ' οἷστισιν ἡ εἰρήνη ἔσται θησόμεθα συμβάσεις πρὸς ἀλλήλους. εἰ δ' αὖθις ψηφισάμενοι πολεμεῖν μηδὲν ἀποκρινοῦνται πλέον, ἐγὼ μὲν μετὰ τὴν προθεσμίαν οὐδενὸς ὧν ἔγνωκα λυσιτελεῖν ἐμαυτῷ ἀφέξομαι, καὶ θεὸν μαρτυρόμενος καὶ ἀνθρώπους, ὡς ἄκων εἰς τὸν πόλεμον χωρῶ καὶ τῶν ἐσομένων κακῶν οὐδενὸς τό γε εἰς ἐμὲ ἧκον αἴτιός εἰμι. αὐτοὶ δ' εἰ μή τι ἄλλο, τῶν γοῦν πόλεων πρόνοιάν τινα ποιείσθωσαν τῶν αὐτοῖς προσεχουσῶν, ἵνα μὴ παντάπασι διαφθαρῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων· τὴν γὰρ ἐκείνων συμφορὰν ἐν τοσαύτῃ φροντίδι τίθεμαι, ὅσην καὶ τῶν ὑπ' ἐμέ.» τοιαύτην ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ πατριάρχης κατηγόρει τὴν ἀπολογίαν θέμενος, ἔπειτα γράψας καὶ τὰ ἴσα πρός τε πατριάρχην καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ Χρυσοβέργην τὸν Ἰωάννην συνεξέπεμπεν αὐτοῖς εἰς βασιλίδα πρεσβευτήν. οεʹ. Ἔτι δ' ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ τῶν πρέσβεων διατριβόντων, ἧκον ἐκ Φερῶν πρὸς βασιλέα πρεσβευταὶ, πρῶτα μὲν παραιτούμενοι ἐφ' οἷς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἠγνωμονήκασι, μὴ μόνον οὐ πειθόμενοι τὰ βελτίω συμβουλεύοντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἥκοντα παρ' αὐτοῦ πρεσβευτὴν ἀπεκτονότες, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ τὰς συμφορὰς ἐξετραγῴδουν, αἷς περιπεπτώκασιν ἐξ ἀβουλίας, καὶ ἐδέοντο σφίσι βοηθεῖν, ὡς, εἰ μὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ τινος ἐπικουρίας τύχοιεν, ἄρδην ἀπολούμενοι. μετὰ γὰρ τὴν βασιλέως ἐκεῖθεν ἀναχώρησιν περιστρατοπεδευσάμενος