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failure, you have both stirred up this war and brought the barbarians against the Romans, and you do not deign to hear of peace, but because they did not immediately submit and become enslaved from the very beginning, you decided to overturn and destroy everything, 2.509 and you take no account of murders and enslavements. Thus I myself was made so hostile and was driven to such enmity, that if anyone had been able to slay you, I would have gladly kissed his hand and would have considered him the savior and benefactor of many, not only because of the destruction wrought by the war in so much time and the great misfortune of the Romans, of which I supposed you to be the primary cause, but also because I myself, being from Savoy, the ancestral domain of the empress, cherish a certain affection for her children on account of our kinship, and I myself am distressed at their misfortune. And yet, not only from your friends, but even from those most hostile to you, I heard many and wonderful praises related. And how they extolled your nature as wonderful and your discipline in noble things, how you surpassed other Romans by a wide margin, to which I thought I should not pay heed, since both sides were lying, the one out of friendship, the other out of enmity. For it is sometimes the case that even the enemy themselves augment their foes with praise, so that, whether defeated by great men, or victorious, they might seem to have achieved the greatest of successes. But now everything has turned out the opposite for me. For I find no small fault with those who praised you, for concealing the greater part of your virtues, and with myself for my lack of judgment. And indeed, having changed from an enemy and an accuser, I have become one of your greatest friends, 2.510 and judging you worthy of many and wonderful praises, not only while I am among the Romans, but also when I go to Italy, as I expect to shortly, I shall proclaim openly to all your inherent genius, integrity, and aptitude for noble things. Concerning, therefore, all the matters of the war, I am precisely convinced that from the very beginning until now you yourself have offered no pretext, but were driven to these things unwillingly by your enemies, and I myself would speak with others on your behalf. But since you yourself commanded that we ask you without fear about all things we might wish, what are you now thinking concerning peace? Are you ready for it, if you should receive some reasonable justification, or on account of their unreasonableness have you yourself utterly despaired of a settlement?” And the emperor, having praised him both for his frankness and for his guileless and just conduct in affairs, and saying that he himself also held him in affection because of his inherent intelligence and his aptitude for noble things, then answered also concerning peace, that the choice of both war and peace rested with the enemy. For he himself would most readily agree to a settlement, if they were willing, and he would wage war to the best of his ability, if they were not willing to do what is just. For they were the first to begin the war, with slander and false accusations, and they nearly killed my mother with their own hands, in 2.511 prison deeming her worthy of no care while she was sick, and my son, not yet twelve years old and having done them no wrong, they placed in bonds for so long a time on account of their hatred for me, and they destroyed all my friends and relatives, and left nothing undone of drunken violence or insolence. For I omit to mention the plunder of so much wealth from me and my relatives. They, conscious of such great wickedness in themselves and how they have become the primary cause of the untold destruction of the Romans, ought to have taken pity on those who are killed daily because of their own evil and depravity, and been the first to run to peace and to strive to end the war. But since they care for nothing else but to rule over affairs, should any remain, and take no thought for their subjects, just as from the beginning I myself have managed everything for the common salvation, so also now, I will say all that will be of common benefit to all. And it will be in their power either to choose the better course, if they take any thought for the common good, or the war

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ἀποτυχίαν, τόν τε πόλεμον κεκίνηκας τουτονὶ καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπήγαγες Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην οὐδ' ἄκροις καταδέχῃ τοῖς ὠσὶν, ἀλλ' ὅτι μὴ εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς ὑπεῖξαν δουλωθέντες, πάντα 2.509 ἀνατρέπειν καὶ διαφθείρειν ἔγνως, καὶ τῶν φόνων καὶ τῶν ἀνδραποδισμῶν οὐδένα ποιῇ λόγον, οὕτως ἐκπεπολέμωμαι καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ πρὸς τοσοῦτον ἔχθος ἐξηγόμην, ὥσθ' ἡδέως ἂν εἴ τις ἀποσφάττειν ἠδυνήθη, τὴν χεῖρα κατεφίλουν καὶ πολλῶν σωτῆρα καὶ εὐεργέτην ἂν ἐνόμιζον, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὴν γεγενημένην ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου φθορὰν ἐν τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ καὶ τὴν μεγάλην κακοπραγίαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ἧς αἰτιώτατον εἶναι ὑπελάμβανον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ Σαβωΐας ὢν τῆς πατρῴας ἀρχῆς τῇ βασιλίδι, φίλτρον τι τρέφω πρὸς τοὺς ἐκείνης παῖδας διὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ γένους κοινωνίαν, καὶ πρὸς τὴν κακοπραγίαν καὶ αὐτὸς συνάχθομαι. καίτοι γε οὐ παρὰ τῶν φίλων μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν μάλιστά σοι πολεμούντων πολλοὺς καὶ θαυμασίους ἐπαίνους ἤκουον διεξιόντων. καὶ τήν τε φύσιν ὡς θαυμασίαν καὶ τὴν ἄσκησιν ἐξαιρόντων τὴν πρὸς τὰ καλὰ, ὡς πολλῷ τῷ μέσῳ τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπερβέβληκε Ῥωμαίους, οἷς οὐκ ἐνόμιζον προσέχειν δεῖν, τοῖς μὲν διὰ φιλίαν, τοῖς δὲ δι' ἔχθραν ἀμφοτέροις ψευδομένοις. ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ πολεμοῦντες αὔξουσι τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις τοὺς ἐχθροὺς, ἵν' ἢ ἡττηθέντες ὑπὸ μεγάλων, ἢ νικήσαντες, μέγιστα δόξωσι κατωρθωκέναι. νυνὶ δέ μοι τοὐναντίον ἅπαν περιέστη. τοῖς τε γὰρ ἐγκωμιάζουσιν ἐκείνοις οὐκ ὀλίγα μέμφομαι, ὡς τὸ πολὺ συγκρύπτουσι τῶν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ ἐμαυτῷ τῆς ἀκρισίας. καὶ δὴ μεταβαλὼν ἀντὶ ἐχθροῦ καὶ κατηγόρου τῶν τε μάλιστα γεγένημαι φιλούντων, 2.510 καὶ πολλῶν καὶ θαυμασίων τῶν ἐπαίνων κρίνων ἄξιον, οὐ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις διατρίβων, ἀλλὰ καὶ γενόμενος εἰς Ἰταλίαν, ὥσπερ μετ' ὀλίγον οἴομαι, τὴν προσοῦσαν μεγαλοφυΐαν καὶ τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην καὶ τὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα πρὸς τὰ καλὰ κηρύξω πᾶσι φανερῶς. περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἁπάντων ὡς εὐθὺς ἐξαρχῆς ἄχρι νῦν οὐδεμίαν πρόφασιν αὐτὸς παρέσχες, ἀλλ' ἄκων ἐπὶ ταῦτα πρὸς τῶν πολεμούντων συνωθῇ, πέπεισμαί τε ἀκριβῶς, καὶ πρὸς ἄλλους ὑπὲρ σοῦ διαλεχθείην ἂν αὐτός. ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτὸς ἐκέλευσας περὶ πάντων, ὧν ἂν θέλοιμεν, πυνθάνεσθαί σου ἀδεῶς, τί περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης νῦν διανοῇ; ἆρ' ἑτοίμως ἔχεις πρὸς αὐτὴν, εἴ τινος ἐπιεικοῦς ἀπολογίας τύχοις, ἢ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀγνωμοσύνην παντάπασιν ἀπέγνως πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις καὶ αὐτός;» βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτὸν τῆς τε παῤῥησίας ἐπαινέσας καὶ τῆς περὶ τὰ πράγματα ἀδόλου διαίτης καὶ δικαίας, καὶ ἀντιφιλεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ αὐτὸς εἰπὼν διὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν σύνεσιν καὶ τὴν εὐφυΐαν τὴν πρὸς τὰ καλὰ, εἶτα ἀπεκρίνατο καὶ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, ὡς ἐπ' ἐκείνοις εἴη τοῖς πολεμοῦσι καὶ ἡ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ ἡ τῆς εἰρήνης αἵρεσις. αὐτόν τε γὰρ συνθήσεσθαι ῥᾷστα πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις, ἂν ἐθέλωσιν ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ πολεμήσειν κατὰ δύναμιν, ἂν ἐκεῖνοι τὰ δίκαια μὴ θέλωσι ποιεῖν. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ πρότεροι πολέμου ἦρξαν διαβαλόντες καὶ συκοφαντήσαντες, καὶ τήν τε μητέρα ὀλίγου δεῖν ἀπέκτειναν αὐτοχειρίᾳ, ἐν δε 2.511 σμωτηρίῳ νοσοῦσαν προνοίας ἀξιώσαντες μηδεμιᾶς, καὶ τὸν υἱὸν οὔπω δώδεκα ἔτη γεγονότα καὶ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ἠδικηκότα, διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἀπέχθειαν ὑπὸ δεσμοῖς κατέστησαν τοσοῦτον χρόνον, καὶ τοὺς φίλους ἅπαντας διέφθειραν καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπέλιπον παροινίας, οὐδὲ ὕβρεως. ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν τὴν τοσούτου πλούτου διαρπαγὴν ἐμοῦ τε καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν, οὓς ἔδει, τοσαύτην κακίαν συνειδότας ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ὡς τῆς ἀμυθήτου φθορᾶς Ῥωμαίων αἰτιώτατοι γεγένηνται, ἔλεον τῶν ὁσημέραι διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν κακίαν καὶ μοχθηρίαν λαβόντας κτεινομένων, πρώτους τῇ εἰρήνῃ προσδραμεῖν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον σπουδάζειν καταλύειν. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκείνοις οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου μέλει, ἢ τοῦ τῶν πραγμάτων μόνον ἄρχειν, ἄν τινα περιλειφθῶσι, τῶν δ' ἀρχομένων οὐδεμίαν πρόνοιαν ποιοῦνται, ὥσπερ ἐξαρχῆς αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας πάντα ἐπραγματευόμην, οὕτω καὶ νῦν, ἃ πᾶσι μέλλει κοινῇ συνοίσειν, πάντα ἐρῶ. ἐξέσται δὲ αὐτοῖς, ἢ αἱρεῖσθαι τὰ βελτίω, ἂν πρόνοιάν τινα ποιῶνται τοῦ κοινοῦ, ἢ τὸν πόλεμον