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yielding in daring, or serving their superiors safely. "So then, not only for the sake of good repute, but also for your future security and your own freedom, both desire and do whatever seems profitable to you." 2. Such things the emperor discussed in common with all, saying nothing openly about the need to contribute money. For he wished, as has been said, not to seem to be exacting it by force, but that they themselves should choose to make the contribution 3.39 of their own accord for the common advantage. But those of the citizens who were most esteemed and pre-eminent over the others said that they were not unaware of the destruction of both private and public property that had occurred during the war, and that they understood the present lack of funds. And they themselves thought it necessary to do those things by which it would be possible for the Romans to return again to their ancient prosperity. And this would be in no other way possible, than for each one to make himself useful to the common good in the ways that are fitting, so that the emperor might deliberate correctly and lead his forces against the enemy and attempt in every way to hinder their growth, or even destroy them, if he could, and recover the cities that have been seized; and that the soldiers should show themselves eager in campaigning and yield nothing of their former glory and daring, but respect one another in battles and be brave men, since they would be the first to reap the rewards of their valor and would share them with the others for whom they fight; and that those who trade and those who pursue another craft should support the soldiers, contributing money, since it is not possible for them to be supported from the public funds, which have been lost. For both the farmer alike and the merchant and the artisan, if he enjoys security, will be useful to himself as well as to the soldier fighting for him, but if he is not willing to support him, he will destroy himself along with the soldier, the soldier by famine, and himself and 3.40 his children by famine as well, and by siege and by the swords of the enemy. Or if not this, but being enslaved by necessity, to pay more and more violent tributes to their enslavers than what he could have contributed eagerly to enjoy the rest of his possessions freely. When the citizens of Byzantium had said such things, the emperor both praised them and supported their words, saying that money was needed of necessity in order to prepare against those waging war. If, therefore, his possessions had not been spent beforehand by those who had wickedly waged war to the common ruin, he would have had no need to solicit contributions from them, just as never before, when great wars had been stirred up, while Emperor Andronicus was still alive, for which, if the public funds did not suffice, he himself supplied what was lacking from his own resources, being the administrator of all common affairs. But now, since those resources have been lost for no useful purpose, and the public revenues have failed because the country has been laid waste, he must of necessity look to this common contribution, so that, if he should have a supply of even moderate funds, he would easily raise up again the fallen Roman dominion. After adding such things and certain other similar remarks, he dismissed the assembly, thinking that something advantageous and useful for the common good had been accomplished for him. But some of those who from the beginning had chosen to wage war against him, and they were not a few, even from among the money-changers who traded in the workshops, and after the supposed reconciliation were still ill-disposed and bore a grudge and in every 3.41 way attempted to hinder him and to allow him to do nothing advantageous for the common good, so that their own wickedness might best be obscured, and it might not seem that the Roman dominion had been ruined by the war against the emperor, as even after the peace and the submission of all to the emperor no benefit, nor any respite from evils, had occurred, they themselves both raised a clamor, that they would not provide money, and they persuaded the others likewise, saying that they would suffer terrible things, if what the emperor was not able to accomplish before when he was an enemy, they would now endure under the pretense of goodwill and concern. For while at war he deprived them of everything outside the walls, but of things inside and in their hands

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εὐτολμίας ὑφιέντας, ἢ δουλεύειν ἀσφαλῶς τοῖς κρείττοσιν. ὡς οὖν οὐχ ὑπὲρ εὐδοξίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἀσφαλείας καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν ἐλευθερίας, καὶ βούλεσθε καὶ πράττετε, ἅττα ἂν ὑμῖν δοκῇ λυσιτελεῖν.» ʹ. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς κοινῇ πρὸς ἅπαντας διειλέχθη, φανερῶς οὐδὲν εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ δεῖν εἰσφέρειν χρήματα. ἐβούλετο γὰρ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, μὴ δοκεῖν εἰσπράττειν βίᾳ, ἀλλ' αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ κοινῇ λυσιτελοῦν οἴκοθεν τὴν συν 3.39 τέλειαν ἑλέσθαι. τῶν πολιτῶν δὲ οἱ μάλιστα ἐν λόγῳ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προὔχοντες τὴν μὲν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν καὶ τῶν κοινῶν φθορὰν γεγενημένην ἔφασαν οὐκ ἀγνοεῖν καὶ τὴν νῦν κατέχουσαν ἐπίστασθαι τῶν χρημάτων ἀπορίαν. δεῖν δὲ οἴεσθαι καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκεῖνα πράττειν, ὑφ' ὧν ἐξέσται πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν πάλιν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εὐδαιμονίαν ἐπανήκειν. τοῦτο δὲ ἑτέρως οὐδαμῶς ἐξέσται, ἢ ἕκαστον εἰς ἃ προσήκει χρήσιμον τῷ κοινῷ παρεσχημένον ἑαυτὸν, ὥστε βασιλέα μὲν ὀρθῶς βουλεύεσθαι καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν δύναμιν ἀντεπεξάγειν καὶ πάντα τρόπον ἐκείνων κωλύειν τὴν αὔξην ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἢ καὶ καταστρέφειν, εἰ δύναιτο, ἐκείνους καὶ τὰς ἡρπασμένας πόλεις ἀνασώζειν· τοὺς στρατιώτας δὲ προθύμους ἑαυτοὺς παρέχεσθαι ἐν τῷ στρατεύεσθαι καὶ μηδὲν ὑφιέναι τῆς προτέρας δόξης καὶ τῆς εὐτολμίας, ἀλλ' ἀλλήλους αἰδεῖσθαι κατὰ τὰς μάχας καὶ ἄνδρας εἶναι ἀγαθοὺς, ὡς τῆς ἀνδραγαθίας αὐτούς τε πρώτους ἀπολαύσοντας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις μεταδώσοντας, ὧν προπολεμοῦσι· τοὺς ἐμπορευομένους δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλην τέχνην μετιόντας τρέφειν τοὺς στρατιώτας, χρήματα εἰσφέροντας, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔξεστιν ἀπὸ τῶν δημοσίων τρέφεσθαι ἀπολωλότων. γεωργός τε γὰρ ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ἔμπορος καὶ ὁ χειροτέχνης, ἂν μὲν ἀδείας ἀπολαύῃ, ἑαυτῷ ὁμοίως χρήσιμος ἔσται καὶ τῷ προπολεμοῦντι στρατιώτῃ, ἂν δὲ μὴ βούλοιτο ἐκεῖνον τρέφειν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῷ στρατιώτῃ συνδιαφθερεῖ, ἐκεῖνον μὲν λιμῷ, ἑαυτὸν δὲ καὶ 3.40 παῖδας λιμῷ τε ὁμοίως καὶ πολιορκίᾳ καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ξίφεσιν. ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἀνάγκῃ καταδουλωθέντα, πλείους τοῖς δεδουλωμένοις καὶ βιαιοτέρους παρέχειν φόρους, ἢ ὅσα ἐξῆν εἰσφέροντα προθύμως τῶν ἄλλων ἀπολαύειν ἐλευθέρως. τοιαῦτα καὶ τῶν Βυζαντίων πολιτῶν εἰπόντων, ἐπῄνει τε ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ συνηγόρει πρὸς τοὺς λόγους, ἀναγκαίως δεῖσθαι χρημάτων εἰπὼν πρὸς τὸ παρασκευάσασθαι κατὰ τῶν πολεμούντων. εἰ μὲν οὖν μὴ προανάλωτο αὐτῷ τὰ ὄντα ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶς ἐπὶ λύμῃ πεπολεμηκότων τῇ κοινῇ, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐδεήθη ἐρανίζειν παρ' αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ πρότερόν ποτε μεγάλων πολέμων κεκινημένων, βασιλέως ἔτι περιόντος Ἀνδρονίκου, ἐφ' οὓς, εἰ μὴ τὰ δημόσια ἐξήρκει, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων τὰ ἐνδέοντα ἐπεχορήγει αὐτὸς, ὢν ἁπάντων τῶν κοινῶν διοικητής. νυνὶ δὲ ἐκείνων τε εἰς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον ἀπολωλότων, καὶ τῶν δημοσίων ἐκλελοιπότων φόρων ὑπὸ τοῦ τὴν χώραν διεφθάρθαι, ἀναγκαίως ἀποβλέπειν εἰς τὴν συντέλειαν ταύτην τὴν κοινὴν, ὡς, εἰ χρημάτων καὶ μετρίων εὐπορήσοι, ῥᾳδίως αὖθις τὴν Ῥωμαίων καταπεσοῦσαν ἡγεμονίαν ἀνορθώσων. τοιαῦτα καὶ ἕτερά τινα παρόμοια προσεπειπὼν, διέλυε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, οἰόμενος αὐτῷ τι τῷ κοινῷ λυσιτελὲς καὶ χρήσιμον ἠνύσθαι. τινὲς δὲ τῶν ἐξαρχῆς ἐκείνῳ ᾑρημένων πολεμεῖν, ἦσαν δὲ οὐκ ὀλίγοι, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐν ἐργαστηρίοις ἐμπορευομένων ἀργυραμοιβῶν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν δοκοῦσαν διάλυσιν ἔτι δυσμεναίνοντες καὶ μνησικακοῦντες καὶ πάν 3.41 τα τρόπον ἐπιχειροῦντες αὐτὸν κωλύειν καὶ μηδὲν ἐᾷν τῷ κοινῷ λυσιτελὲς ποιεῖν, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα ἐκείνων ἡ κακία συσκιάζοιτο, καὶ μὴ δοκοίη διὰ τὸν πρὸς βασιλέα πόλεμον ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονία διεφθάρθαι, ὡς καὶ μετὰ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὸ πάντας ὑπαγαγέσθαι βασιλέα ὠφελείας οὐδεμιᾶς, οὐδὲ ἀνακωχῆς τῶν κακῶν γεγενημένης, αὐτοί τε ἐθορύβουν, ὡς οὐ χρήματα παρέξοντες, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἔπειθον ὁμοίως, δεινὰ πείσεσθαι φάσκοντες, εἰ ἃ μὴ πρότερον πολέμιος ὢν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠδυνήθη κατεργάσασθαι, ταῦτα νῦν ἐν εὐνοίας καὶ κηδεμονίας προσχήματι ὑπομενοῦσι. πολεμῶν γὰρ τῶν μὲν ἔξω τειχῶν ἀπεστέρησεν ἁπάντων, τῶν ἔνδον δὲ καὶ ἐν χερσὶ