365

under yokes; and the city was again under Branos and those who were acting for the empress. And sending for Apokaukos, their own commander, they brought him from Boukelou. But when the emperor learned what had happened, he was not moderately distressed, not only having failed to take the city, but also because his friends were being lost through their thoughtlessness. But Manuel Apokaukos, the son of the megas doux, secretly sending to the emperor, first said that he himself, hearing from both the others and his father, who accused him of many terrible things, was also persuaded and believed them to be telling the truth; but having a long time before carefully examined the causes of what was happening, he found that this one was being unjustly warred against, and that they were committing the worst injustices not only against him, but also against all the Romans, who were being thus enslaved and utterly ruined because of their love of power and ingratitude. Therefore he was unbearably vexed at the absurdity of what was being done. But hoping that some swift resolution to the evils would come about, he endured his association with them. But now, seeing their despair, and how, not even with evils now besetting them, have they decided to delib 2.487 erate on what is necessary for themselves and for others, but they reject peace, especially when urged by him who has been wronged so much both before and up to now, and who offers amnesty for the so many and so great evils that have been done to him, having detested their ingratitude and admired his magnanimity and endurance, and how he was so ready to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of the common good, he was no longer able to be with them, but had chosen his side instead, and from that moment to act for his interests, and wished especially to risk danger for him and for what is right. Such things Apokaukos, the son of the megas doux, secretly communicated to the emperor. And the emperor likewise praised his choice of the good, and acknowledged thanks for his goodwill towards him, and provided him with opportunities to do whatever he could on his behalf with zeal. And not many days later, when he defected to him, since he was not able to bring the city over as well, having no one to help him in the task, for a little while before all the emperor's friends had been destroyed through foolishness, the emperor received him gladly, and deemed him worthy of honor and the greatest benevolence. After this, since Adrianople seemed impregnable, the emperor marched on Bizye and was ravaging the countryside; and he sent an embassy to the city, advising them to surrender to him and not to endure such great loss for the sake of a vain hope, as their fields were being destroyed; for after suffering the onslaught of evils they would surrender, pressed by necessity. But the Bizyans neither 2.488 promised to surrender themselves and the city, nor did they turn to their customary shamelessness and insults, but they refused the embassy with good words and moderation. But the emperor, thinking that their graciousness was the beginning of their surrender, for he perceived that they were giving way in the face of the continuous attacks and hardship, decided that he should lead the army away as quickly as possible, so that neither would the country be destroyed, since it was about to be under his rule in a short while, and so that they themselves, having obtained security, might deliberate on what was necessary for them, and he returned to Apros. οθʹ. While he was staying there, a certain man named Amzas approached, and reported that a short time before they had come from Byzantium as fugitives along with another man named Skaranos. He himself, then, had come guilelessly and without villainy, but Skaranos had not done likewise, but had been persuaded by many promises and gifts from the megas doux to assassinate him. And Skaranos, thinking that he would have his help because of his race's readiness for slaughter and murder, (for Amzas was of Persian race), had revealed the secret. But he, considering it a terrible thing to conceal the plot against the emperor, reported both the man and his intention. Skaranos, therefore, was immediately arrested at the emperor's command; and as he was being led away, those around the emperor rushed to kill him, but the emperor threatened that he would judge the one who killed him for trea 2.489 son against himself;

365

ὑπὸ κλοιοῖς· καὶ ἡ πόλις αὖθις ὑπὸ Βράνῳ ἦν καὶ τοῖς πράττουσι τὰ βασιλίδος. καὶ Ἀπόκαυκον τὸν σφῶν ἄρχοντα πέμψαντες ἤγαγον ἐκ Βουκέλου. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐπύθετο τὰ γεγενημένα, οὐ μετρίως ἤχθετο, οὐ μόνον τῆς πόλεως ἀποτυχὼν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν φίλων ἀπολλυμένων ἐκ τῆς ἀβουλίας. Ἀπόκαυκος δὲ Μανουὴλ ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς υἱὸς πρὸς βασιλέα κρύφα πέμψας, πρῶτον μὲν ἔφασκε καὶ αὐτὸν ἀκούοντα παρά τε τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς, αὐτοῦ πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ κατηγορούντων, πείθεσθαι καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ νομίζειν ἐκείνους ἀληθεύειν· χρόνῳ δὲ πρότερον πολλῷ ἀκριβῶς τῶν γινομένων τὰς αἰτίας ἐξετάζοντα, τοῦτον μὲν ἀδίκως πολεμούμενον εὑρίσκειν, ἐκείνους δὲ τὰ ἔσχατα ἀδικοῦντας οὐκ αὐτὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σύμπαντας Ῥωμαίους οὕτως ἐξανδραποδιζομένους καὶ ἀπολλυμένους ἄρδην διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων φιλαρχίαν καὶ ἀγνωμοσύνην. ὅθεν καὶ ἀγανακτεῖν οὐκ ἀνεκτῶς πρὸς τῶν πραττομένων τὴν ἀτοπίαν. ἐλπίζοντα δέ τινα ταχέως λύσιν τῶν κακῶν γενήσεσθαι, φέρειν τὴν μετ' ἐκείνων διατριβήν. νυνὶ δὲ ἐκείνων μὲν ὁρῶντα τὴν ἀπόνοιαν, καὶ ὡς οὐδὲ τῶν κακῶν ἤδη περιστάντων τὰ δέοντα περί τε σφῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἔγνωσαν βουλεύ 2.487 εσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπωθοῦνται τὴν εἰρήνην, μάλιστα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ παρακαλούμενοι τοῦ τοσαῦτα καὶ πρότερον καὶ μέχρι νῦν ἀδικουμένου, καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν τοσούτων καὶ τηλικούτων δεινῶν γεγενημένων παρεχομένου ἀμνηστίαν, τήν τε ἐκείνων βδελυξάμενον ἀγνωμοσύνην καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ θαυμάσαντα μεγαλοψυχίαν καὶ καρτερίαν καὶ τὸ οὕτω τῆς κοινῆς ὠφελείας ἕνεκα τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν προΐεσθαι ἑτοίμως, μὴ ἐκείνοις ἐπιπλέον δύνασθαι συνεῖναι, ἀλλὰ τὰ αὐτοῦ ᾑρῆσθαι μᾶλλον, καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τὰ αὐτοῦ πράττειν, καὶ προκινδυνεύειν αὐτοῦ μάλιστα βούλεσθαι καὶ τοῦ δικαίου. τοιαῦτα μὲν Ἀπόκαυκος ὁ τοῦ μεγάλου δουκὸς υἱὸς πρὸς βασιλέα κρύφα διελέγετο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁμοίως ἐπῄνει τε τῆς αἱρέσεως τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ χάριτας τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας ὡμολόγει, καὶ ἀφορμὰς παρείχετο τοῦ πράττειν ὅ,τι δύναιτο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ προθύμως. μετ' οὐ πολλὰς δὲ ἡμέρας ἀποστάντα πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐπεὶ μὴ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἠδύνατο προσάγειν, τοὺς συναιρομένους οὐκ ἔχων πρὸς τὸ ἔργον, πρότερον γὰρ ὀλίγῳ ἅπαντες οἱ βασιλέως φίλοι ὑπ' ἀνοίας διεφθάρησαν, ἀσμένως τε ἐδέξατο ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ τιμῆς ἠξίωσε καὶ εὐμενείας πλείστης. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐπεὶ ἡ Ἀδριανοῦ ἀνεπιχείρητος ἐδόκει, Βιζύῃ ἐπεστράτευσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐπόρθει τὴν χώραν· πρεσβείαν δὲ ἔπεμπε πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, παραινῶν αὐτῷ παραδιδόναι καὶ μὴ κενῆς ἐλπίδος ἕνεκα τοσαύτην ζημίαν ὑπομένειν, διαφθειρομένων τῶν ἀγρῶν· μετὰ γὰρ τῶν κακῶν τὴν ἐπιφορὰν παραδώσουσιν ἀνάγκῃ πιεσθέντες. Βιζύϊοι δὲ οὔτε 2.488 ἐπηγγέλλοντο σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι, οὔτε πρὸς τὴν εἰωθυῖαν ἀναισχυντίαν ἐτράποντο καὶ τὰς ὕβρεις, ἀλλ' εὐφήμως καὶ σωφρόνως ἀπείπαντο τὴν πρεσβείαν. νομίσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀρχὴν προσχωρήσεως εἶναι τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην, συνεώρα γὰρ ὑπενδιδόντας πρὸς τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐφόδους καὶ τὴν κάκωσιν, ἔγνω δεῖν τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπάγειν τὴν ταχίστην, ἵνα μήτε ἡ χώρα διαφθείροιτο μέλλουσα γίνεσθαι μετ' ὀλίγον ὑπ' αὐτὸν, αὐτοί τε τυχόντες ἀδείας τὰ δέοντα βουλεύσαιντο περὶ σφῶν, καὶ ἀνέστρεφεν εἰς Ἄπρων. οθʹ. Ἔνθα διατρίβοντι Ἀμζᾶς τις ὄνομα προσελθὼν, ἐμήνυεν, ὡς ἅμα τινὶ ἑτέρῳ Σκαράνῳ προσαγορευομένῳ ὀλίγῳ πρότερον ἐκ Βυζαντίου προσέλθοιεν φυγάδες. αὐτὸν μὲν οὖν ἀδόλως προσελθεῖν καὶ ἀπανούργως, Σκαράνον δὲ οὐχ ὁμοίως, ἀλλὰ πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσι καὶ δωρεαῖς παρὰ μεγάλου δουκὸς πεισθέντα, εἰ αὐτὸν ἀνέλοι. νομίσαντα δὲ Σκαράνον ξυλλήψεσθαι αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ γένους τὴν πρὸς τὰς σφαγὰς καὶ τοὺς φόνους ἑτοιμότητα, ἐκ Περσῶν γὰρ Ἀμζᾶς τὸ γένος ἦν, ἐκκαλύψαι τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον. τὸν δὲ ἡγησάμενον δεινὸν τὴν κατὰ βασιλέως συγκρύπτειν ἐπιβουλὴν, τόν τε ἄνθρωπον μηνύειν καὶ τὴν γνώμην. Σκαράνος μὲν οὖν αὐτίκα συνελαμβάνετο, κελεύσαντος βασιλέως· ἀγόμενον δὲ οἱ περὶ βασιλέα ὥρμηντο ἀνελεῖν, βασιλεὺς δὲ ἠπείλησεν, ἀπι 2.489 στίας εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν φονεύσοντα κρινεῖν·