360

they remembered peace, seeing to what evils the war would lead, and although they themselves had been most responsible for this, they sit inactive in their houses, as it was so ordered by the *parakoimomenos*. just as 2.472 I hear the *protostrator* Synadenos has now also suffered. And the army, the part that seemed to be loyal to me has been corrupted, while the part under suspicion is neglected, and what remains is small. From where then do you think the empire will be held together for you, when you have none of the things that can save it? You must consider all these things, and having reported them to the empress and the patriarch and the others, vote for peace together, and not through ill counsel destroy these small remnants that are left of the Roman dominion.” And when the ambassadors objected to nothing else of what had been said, except that the empress, not as it was reported to him, is compelled to follow the counsels of the nobles, but being mistress of affairs herself, she does as she pleases, with everyone serving her precisely, “Nothing,” he said, “would have been uttered by me rashly and in vain, if I had not known most clearly that I would speak as things are. But if you yourselves are ignorant, I will make a test of the matter, from which it will be manifest to you too that what was said is as things are. For I will entrust certain words to my ambassador Chrysoberges, so that he alone may report them to the empress alone, as I have been accustomed to do before. If, then, he is permitted by the nobles to do this, it is clear that she is able to do whatever she wishes. But if they command him to report the words in their presence, seek no other proof that the truth has been spoken about her.” Having said such things, he sent out with them also Chry 2.473 soberges, giving a deadline of fifteen days for deliberation. And he appointed a governor for the people of Pherai, and sent an embassy to the Kralj, and reminded him of the oaths and the treaties with him. Abiding by these himself, he asked that he too not break them, but withdraw, since the people of Pherai had come over to him, and not to make war, but also to help as much as possible those who had suffered much from the war. And to the people of Pherai themselves he suggested better hopes, that he would come to them as quickly as possible and would deem them worthy of the necessary providence. Having promised such things, he sent them away too. But the men of Momitzilos, meeting them as they were leaving, captured some of them, whom they later released naked, while others who were barely able to escape, returned again to the emperor, having lost all their baggage. At this the emperor was greatly distressed, seeing the city in danger, and sought how he might take revenge on Momitzilos, who was causing the greatest harm. And the ambassadors from Byzantium, when they returned to the empress, reported to the nobles about the embassy, and delivered the letters for the patriarch. And they were distressed at having failed in what they thought they had accomplished. And having also summoned Chrysoberges, they asked if he had anything to report. But he said that concerning the common embassy he had nothing more to report than what was written in the letters, but that he had certain words privately for the empress, which he was ordered to speak to her alone, with no one else present. But they ordered him to speak to them 2.474 and not to talk nonsense, demanding impossible things. But when he insisted that he would not speak to anyone else, they threatened to scourge him and to compel him to make the secrets public. But since he yielded not at all to the threats, they also inflicted the blows. But he said he would conceal them no less, even if they dared more terrible things; for knowing what had previously been dared against Vroulas when he came for the sake of peace, he had thus come prepared to bear every mistreatment and outrage. He then thus was seen to be undaunted and prepared for the endurance of terrible things. But they, since they saw they were attempting the impossible, having insulted him and the one who sent him greatly, then drove him from the city that same day, having taken no account of the embassy. But he, having gone to the emperor, reported what had happened; and he, now despairing of peace, marched against Garella. And Kontostephanos, its governor, willingly came over to the emperor and handed over the city; in which also

360

ἐμνήσθησαν εἰρήνης, ὁρῶντες οἷ κακῶν ὁ πόλεμος χωρήσει, καίτοι γε κἀκεῖνοι τούτου αἰτιώτατοι γεγενημένοι, ἄπρακτοι κάθηνται ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις, οὕτω προστεταγμένον ὑπὸ παρακοιμωμένου. ὥσπερ 2.472 ἀκούω καὶ πρωτοστράτορα τὸν Συναδηνὸν πεπονθέναι νῦν. καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ δὲ ἡ μὲν διέφθαρτο δοκοῦσα εὐνοεῖν ἐμοὶ, ἡ δὲ ὑποπτευομένη ἀμελεῖται, τὸ λειπόμενον δὲ ὀλίγον. πόθεν οὖν οἴεσθε τὴν ἀρχὴν συστήσεσθαι ὑμῖν μηδὲν ἔχοντες τῶν σώζειν δυναμένων; ἃ πάντα χρὴ καὶ ὑμᾶς σκεψαμένους, καὶ βασιλίδι καὶ πατριάρχῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπαγγείλαντας, τὴν εἰρήνην ψηφίσασθαι κοινῇ, καὶ μὴ διὰ κακοβουλίαν καὶ τὰ μικρὰ λείψανα ταῦτα, ἃ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ὑπολέλειπται ἡγεμονίας, διαφθεῖραι.» τῶν πρέσβεων δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἀντειπόντων τῶν εἰρημένων, ἢ ὅτι ἡ βασιλὶς οὐχ ὥσπερ ἤγγελτο αὐτῷ, τοῖς βουλεύμασι τῶν ἀρχόντων ἕπεσθαι ἀνάγκην ἔχει, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ τῶν πραγμάτων οὖσα κυρία, τὰ δοκοῦντα πράττει, πάντων δουλευόντων ἀκριβῶς, «οὐδὲν ἂν» εἶπεν «εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην ἐξενήνεκτο παρ' ἐμοῦ, εἰ μὴ σαφέστατα ᾔδειν ὥσπερ ἔχει εἰρησόμενον. εἰ δ' αὐτοὶ ἀγνοεῖτε, πεῖραν ἐγὼ ποιήσομαι τοῦ πράγματος, ἐξ ἧς ἔσται καὶ ὑμῖν καταφανὲς εἰρημένον, ὥσπερ ἔχει. Χρυσοβέργῃ γὰρ τῷ παρ' ἐμοῦ πρεσβεύοντι λόγους ἀναθήσω τινὰς, ὥστ' αὐτοὺς μόνος μόνῃ βασιλίδι ἀπαγγέλλειν, ὥσπερ εἴωθα καὶ πρότερον ποιεῖν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦτο πράττειν συγχωρηθῇ, εὔδηλον, ὡς ἔξεστιν αὐτῇ πράττειν ἅττα ἂν ἐθέλῃ. ἂν δ' ἐπ' αὐτῶν κελεύωσι τοὺς λόγους ἀπαγγέλλειν, μηδεμίαν ἑτέραν ἀπόδειξιν ζητεῖν τοῦ τἀληθῆ περὶ αὐτῆς εἰρῆσθαι.» τοιαῦτα εἰπὼν συνεξέπεμπεν αὐτοῖς ἅμα καὶ τὸν Χρυ 2.473 σοβέργην, πεντεκαίδεκα προθεσμίαν ἡμερῶν πρὸς διάσκεψιν διδούς. ἐκεῖνος δὲ Φεραίοις τε ἄρχοντα ἐφίστη, καὶ πρεσβείαν ἔπεμπε πρὸς Κράλην, καὶ ὑπεμίμνησκε τῶν ὅρκων καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν τῶν πρὸς αὐτόν. οἷς αὐτὸς ἐμμένων, ἠξίου κἀκεῖνον μὴ διαλύειν, ἀλλ' ἀφίστασθαι, Φεραίων αὐτῷ προσχωρησάντων, καὶ μήτε πολεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα δυνατὰ συναίρεσθαι πολλὰ κεκακωμένοις ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου. αὐτοῖς τε Φεραίοις ἐλπίδας ὑπετίθει χρηστοτέρας, ὡς τάχιστα ἀφιξόμενος παρ' αὐτοὺς καὶ προνοίας τῆς δεούσης ἀξιώσων. τοιαῦτα μὲν ἐπαγγειλάμενος ἐξέπεμπε κἀκείνους. οἱ ἐκ τοῦ Μομιτζίλου δὲ ἀπιοῦσι συντυχόντες τοὺς μὲν καὶ συνέλαβον αὐτῶν, οὓς ὕστερον ἀπέλυσαν γυμνοὺς, οἱ δὲ μόλις διαδρᾶναι δυνηθέντες, αὖθις πρὸς βασιλέα ἐπανῆκον, πᾶσαν ἀπολέσαντες ἀποσκευήν. ἐφ' οἷς ἄγαν ἤχθετο ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁρῶν τὴν πόλιν κινδυνεύουσαν, καὶ ἐζήτει ὅπως ἀμύνοιτο Μομιτζίλον βλάπτοντα τὰ μέγιστα. οἱ ἐκ Βυζαντίου δὲ πρεσβευταὶ ἐπεὶ πρὸς βασιλίδα ἐπανῆκον, ἀπήγγελλόν τε τοῖς ἄρχουσι τὰ περὶ τῆς πρεσβείας, καὶ τὰ πρὸς πατριάρχην γράμματα παρείχοντο. οἱ δὲ ἤχθοντο ἀποτυχόντες ὧν ἐνόμιζον κατωρθωκέναι. μεταπεμψάμενοι δὲ καὶ Χρυσοβέργην ἠρώτων, εἴ τι ἀπαγγέλλειν ἔχει. ὁ δὲ περὶ μὲν τῆς κοινῆς ἔφη πρεσβείας οὐδὲν ἔχειν πλέον τῶν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐγγεγραμμένων ἀπαγγέλλειν, ἰδίᾳ μέντοι πρὸς βασιλίδα λόγους τινὰς ἔχειν, οὓς ἐκελεύσθη μηδενὸς ἑτέρου παρόντος, πρὸς μόνην ἐκείνην λέγειν. οἱ δ' ἐκέλευον λέγειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς 2.474 καὶ μὴ ληρεῖν ἀδύνατα ἀξιοῦντα. τοῦ δὲ μηδενί τῳ ἑτέρῳ ἐξειπεῖν ἂν διισχυριζομένου, ἠπείλουν μαστιγοῦν καὶ ἔκφορα τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ποιεῖν προσαναγκάσειν. ὡς δὲ οὐδὲν ἐνεδίδου πρὸς τὰς ἀπειλὰς, καὶ τὰς πληγὰς ἐπῆγον. ὁ δ' οὐδὲν ἧττον ἔφασκεν ἀποκρύψειν, ἂν καὶ δεινότερα τολμῶσιν· εἰδότα γὰρ οἷα πρὸς Βρουλᾶν τῆς εἰρήνης ἕνεκα πρότερον τετόλμηται ἐλθόντα, οὕτως ἥκειν παρεσκευασμένον, ὡς πᾶσαν οἴσοντα κάκωσιν καὶ παροινίαν. ὁ μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἀπτόητος ὡρᾶτο καὶ πρὸς καρτερίαν παρεσκευασμένος τῶν δεινῶν. οἱ δ' ἐπεὶ ἑώρων ἀδυνάτοις ἐπιχειροῦντες, πολλὰ εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν πέμψαντα ὑβρίσαντες, ἔπειτα ἐξήλαυνον τῆς πόλεως αὐθημερὸν μηδένα περὶ τῆς πρεσβείας λόγον ποιησάμενοι. ὁ δὲ πρὸς βασιλέα τὰ γεγενημένα ἀπήγγελλεν ἐλθών· κἀκεῖνος ἤδη τὴν εἰρήνην ἀπογνοὺς, ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ Γαρέλλαν. Κοντοστέφανος δὲ ὁ ταύτης ἄρχων προσεχώρησεν ἑκὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ παρέδωκε τὴν πόλιν· ἐν ᾗ καὶ