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having gone out, he came 2.560 with the other soldiers to the camp. And his friends at once made clear to the emperor the matters concerning Hierax, that during this night he had been inside Byzantium and had conversed with the rulers, and they advised him to be on guard against the man. But the emperor thought that they had been deceived, and he said to those he trusted such things as that the report about Hierax had been spread by the rulers for deception, having introduced someone else, so that either "I, upon hearing it, might treat him badly," or "he, fearing for himself, might desert to them." But when his friends insisted that what had been said was true, the emperor, having summoned Hierax, reminded him of his previous words and of the agreements and oaths which he had provided, that he would never act ungratefully; and again he set before him the same choice and advised, if he wanted to go over to the empress, not to depart secretly but openly after taking his leave; for he would not hinder him in any way. And he at once swore terrible oaths, that he was conscious of none of the things he was accused of, but that he was holding fast precisely to his former oaths and agreements, and that he valued being with him above all else; and for the sake of greater security at present he also offered an icon of the great martyr of Christ, George, as a pledge of his fidelity and his guileless disposition toward him. The emperor, therefore, immediately ceased being suspicious. But Hierax, after a short time, having watched for an opportunity again, went to Byzantium, in order to converse again with the rulers. And on the same 2.561 night, a certain Paraspondylus, another from the ruler of Adrianople, had come to Byzantium for a similar reason, to converse with the rulers; for he had also previously conversed in secret about killing the emperor. And since Hierax had also arrived by chance and the gates were still closed, Hierax, with many others also present, did not recognize Paraspondylus; but that one, envying Hierax for undertaking similar things and intending to betray him, secretly approached and cut hairs from his horse's tail, so that he could clearly convict him before the emperor by providing the hairs as a manifest proof of his villainy. For he thought that the other's betrayal would be profitable for him in both respects; for Hierax, having been destroyed by the emperor, he would no longer have as a rival in so great a matter, and he himself, on account of his seeming goodwill, would more likely encounter the emperor when he was less on his guard, and would more easily accomplish the murder. For he intended, as it was said, to attack the emperor while he was sleeping and kill him. And at daybreak, the friends informed the emperor that Hierax had again entered Byzantium during the night and conversed with the rulers. And Paraspondylus likewise reported both the desertion of Hierax and the plot, and he showed the hairs of the horse, and said that although he had suspected him even before, fearing lest he bear false witness against him by not suspecting the truth, he had come to the gate of Byzantium and was with the others, unrecognized; and when Hiera 2.562 x arrived, he had imperceptibly taken the hairs from the horse, so that it might be a clear proof. And that he, when the gates were opened, went inside, and then came out again. But the emperor, when he heard such things, considered what to do about Hierax. And while he was considering, it was announced to him that an army, having come out of Byzantium, had clashed with some of the emperor's men. For some few Latins from the Germans staying in Byzantium, having come out, encountered some of the emperor's men, among whom was Hierax; and when battle was joined, neither any of the Romans nor of the Latins fell, nor indeed was wounded; but Hierax alone was wounded twice, and lost his horse, and he himself came close to being captured; but the emperor's men, attacking again, both rescued him and brought him wounded to the camp. But the emperor, coming to the tent in which he was staying, ordered them to investigate whether George the martyr of Christ, chastening him for the outrage against him—because having offered him as a guarantor, he was again giving himself over to base and wicked deeds—had allowed him to be wounded. But he again insisted on the same things as before, that he was being suspected unjustly. But when night came on, since he perceived that he was not unrecognized, he went away to

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ἐξελθὼν, μετὰ 2.560 τῶν ἄλλων ἧκε στρατιωτῶν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον. βασιλεῖ δὲ οἱ φίλοι τὰ περὶ Ἱέρακος αὐτίκα ἐποίουν δῆλα, ὡς ταύτης τῆς νυκτὸς ἐντὸς γένοιτο Βυζαντίου καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι διαλεχθείη, παρῄνουν τε φυλάττεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα. βασιλεὺς δὲ ᾤετο αὐτοὺς ἐξηπατῆσθαι, ἔφασκέ τε πρὸς οὓς ἐθάῤῥει τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὡς τοῖς ἄρχουσι πρὸς ἀπάτην ὁ περὶ Ἱέρακος διαδοθείη λόγος, ἕτερόν τινα εἰσαγαγοῦσιν, ἵν' ἢ αὐτὸν ἐγὼ διάθωμαι κακῶς πυθόμενος, ἢ ἐκεῖνος δείσας περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἀποσταίη πρὸς ἐκείνους. ὡς δὲ οἱ φίλοι ἰσχυρίζοντο εἶναι ἀληθῆ τὰ εἰρημένα, τῶν προτέρων λόγων ἀνεμίμνησκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς μεταπεμψάμενος Ἱέρακα καὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν καὶ τῶν ὅρκων, οὓς παρείχετο, μηδέποτε ἀγνωμονήσειν· αὖθίς τε τὴν ἴσην αἵρεσιν προὐτίθει καὶ παρῄνει, εἴγε βούλοιτο βασιλίδι προσχωρεῖν, μὴ λάθρα, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς συνταξάμενον ἀναχωρεῖν· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸν κωλύσειν πρὸς οὐδέν. αὐτίκα δὲ ἐκεῖνος ὤμνυε φρικώδεις ὅρκους, μηδὲν αὑτῷ τῶν κατηγορουμένων συνειδέναι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς τε προτέροις ὅρκοις ἐμμένειν ἀκριβῶς καὶ ταῖς συνθήκαις, καὶ τὸ αὐτῷ συνεῖναι τοῦ παντὸς τιμᾶσθαι· πλείονος δὲ ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκα ἐν τῷ παρόντι καὶ τοῦ μεγάλου τοῦ Χριστοῦ μάρτυρος εἰκόνα παρείχετο Γεωργίου πίστεως ἐνέχυρον καὶ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ἀδόλου γνώμης. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν ἐπαύσατο αὐτίκα ὑποπτεύων. Ἱέραξ δὲ μετὰ μικρὸν αὖθις καιρὸν ἐπιτηρήσας, ἦλθε πρὸς Βυζάντιον, ὡς αὖθις τοῖς ἄρχουσι διαλεξόμενος. τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ 2.561 νυκτὸς, Παρασπόνδυλός τις ἕτερος παρὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ τῆς ὁμοίας ἕνεκα αἰτίας πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἀφῖκτο τοῖς ἄρχουσι διαλεξόμενος· ἦν γὰρ καὶ πρότερον διειλεγμένος κρύφα περὶ τοῦ βασιλέα ἀποκτείνειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ Ἱέραξ ἀφῖκτο κατὰ τύχην καὶ ἔτι αἱ πύλαι ἦσαν κεκλεισμέναι, Ἱέραξ μὲν καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν παρόντων οὐ διέγνω Παρασπόνδυλον· ἐκεῖνος δὲ φθονήσας Ἱέρακι τοῦ τοῖς ὁμοίοις ἐγχειρεῖν καὶ προδιδόναι διανοηθεὶς, λάθρα προσελθὼν τῆς οὐρᾶς ἀπέτεμε τοῦ ἵππου τρίχας, ἵν' εἴη σαφῶς ἐλέγχειν ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως δεῖγμα φανερὸν τῆς κακουργίας τὰς τρίχας παρεχόμενος. ᾤετο γὰρ πρὸς ἀμφότερα αὐτῷ λυσιτελήσειν τὴν ἐκείνου προδοσίαν· Ἱέρακά τε γὰρ οὐκέτι ἕξειν ἀνταγωνιστὴν περὶ πράγματος οὕτω μεγάλου, διεφθαρμένον ὑπὸ βασιλέως, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφυλακτοτέρῳ μᾶλλον ἐντυχεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ τὴν δοκοῦσαν εὔνοιαν, καὶ ῥᾷον κατεργάσεσθαι τὸν φόνον. διενοεῖτο γὰρ, ὡς ἐλέγετο, ὑπνοῦντι ἐπιτίθεσθαι βασιλεῖ καὶ ἀποκτείνειν. ἅμα δὲ ἡμέρᾳ οἵ τε φίλοι βασιλεῖ ἐμήνυον, ὡς αὖθις Ἱέραξ εἰσέλθοι Βυζάντιον τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ τοῖς ἄρχουσι διαλεχθείη. καὶ Παρασπόνδυλος ὁμοίως τήν τε ἀποστασίαν ἐμήνυεν Ἱέρακος καὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν, καὶ τὰς τρίχας ἐπεδείκνυε τοῦ ἵππου, ἔφασκε δὲ ὡς ὑποπτεύσοι μὲν καὶ πρότερον αὐτὸν, δείσας δὲ μὴ καταψεύδοιτο αὐτοῦ, μὴ ὑποπτεύων ἀληθῆ, παρὰ τὴν Βυζαντίου πύλην ἀφικέσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνεῖναι ἀγνοούμενον· ἀφικομένου δὲ Ἱέρα 2.562 κος, αὐτὸν μὲν ἀνεπαισθήτως τοῦ ἵππου τὰς τρίχας ἀφελέσθαι, ἵν' εἴη τεκμήριον ἐναργές. ἐκεῖνον δὲ τῶν πυλῶν ἀνοιχθεισῶν, ἐντὸς γενόμενον, αὖθις ἐξελθεῖν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ τοιαῦτα ἤκουεν, ἐσκέπτετο περὶ Ἱέρακος ὅ,τι χρήσαιτο. σκεπτομένῳ δὲ αὐτῷ ἠγγέλλετο, ὡς Βυζαντίου ἐξελθοῦσα στρατιὰ συμπλακείη τισὶ τῶν βασιλέως. Λατῖνοι γὰρ ὀλίγοι τινὲς ἐκ Γερμανῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ διατρίβοντες, ἐξελθόντες τισὶ τῶν βασιλέως περιέτυχον, ἐν οἷς καὶ Ἱέραξ ἦν· καὶ μάχης συναφθείσης, οὔτε τῶν Ῥωμαίων, οὔτε τῶν Λατίνων πέπτωκεν οὐδεὶς, οὔτε μὴν ἐτραυματίσθη· Ἱέραξ δὲ μόνον δὶς τραυματισθεὶς, ἀπέβαλέ τε τὸν ἵππον, καὶ αὐτὸς ἦλθεν ἐγγὺς ἁλῶναι· αὖθις δὲ ἐπελθόντες οἱ βασιλικοὶ, ἀνεσώσαντό τε καὶ πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἦγον τραυματίαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ πρὸς τὴν σκηνὴν ἐλθὼν, ἐν ᾗ διῆγε, σκοπεῖν ἐκέλευε, μὴ Γεώργιος ὁ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μάρτυς τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν παροινίας σωφρονίζων, ὅτιπερ ἐγγυητὴν παρεσχημένος, αὖθις τοῖς φαύλοις καὶ πονηροῖς ἔργοις ἐκδιδοίη ἑαυτὸν, εἴασε τραυματισθῆναι. ὁ δ' αὖθις τὰ ἴσα τοῖς προτέροις ἰσχυρίζετο, ὡς ἀδίκως ὑποπτεύοιτο. νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπελθούσης, ἐπεὶ ᾐσθάνετο οὐκ ἀγνοούμενος, ᾤχετο εἰς