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but also salutary. For all their hopes of being saved were brought into a narrow strait. On the next day, having equipped all their own triremes, crowned as for a victory and splendidly adorned, they sailed past opposite the palaces, dishonorably dragging the royal standards, the conquered ones, as was the custom. They thought that the emperor, defeated by the misfortune and in spirit, would immediately lay down the war and proceed to peace, ceding the territory. But when nothing turned out for them according to their hopes, but they learned that the emperor was again preparing to build triremes, they sent an embassy and negotiated for peace. And at first they tested the emperor, whether he would cede the territory to them; but when they saw he was in no way dismayed, nor defeated in spirit, but considered that misfortune a penalty for certain other sins, and held firmly to his former resolve, and would not willingly cede the territory even if ten thousand such things were to happen, but was rather carried away with anger at the defeat and more eager for preparation, as if just then beginning the war for the first time, fearing that their great contentiousness might end in disaster for them, 3.79 they agreed to leave the territory. And peace was made on these terms, that they would surrender it to the emperor and withdraw to their former enclosure. And when the truce was made, they handed over the new fortress to the Despot, the emperor's son, who had come with an army. But the emperor, sending for their chief men, conversed gently and graciously, and of his own free will granted them the territory. For he said to them that he was not contending over so much land, which was of no value, but for the rights befitting the Roman empire. For it was absurd that they, being foreigners and having received many benefits from the Roman emperors and being justly in the lot of servants, should then be shameless and wish to tear away some part of the dominion against their will. For these reasons, he said, he preferred war, not for the possession of the territory, and that he had the intention of waging war continuously until he destroyed them, if they were not willing to do what was just. But since they themselves had desisted from their ingratitude and abandoned what they had seized, he himself would not be so petty as to deprive them of that which they so greatly desired and held in the highest regard. And immediately he ordered his son to lead out the army, having handed the territory over to the Galatians. And they confessed many thanks to the emperor with very many acclamations, and coming to the emperor's son, when the territory was handed over according to his father's command, they again acclaimed the emperor, and sprinkled the royal 3.80 standard with much gold, which the soldiers, at the command of the Despot, seized for sport and pleasure. Such a beginning did the war have, and to this it came to an end. 12. But the emperor, hearing that during the time of the war a violent collection of money had been made by Tarchaneiotes, and that the city was full of tumult and lamentations on account of it, and that insolent men and sycophants had seized the pretext and were spreading incredible reports, saying that the collection of gold had amounted to twenty myriads, and many said even thirty, he considered silencing the sycophants by his actions. And having again convened a public assembly, he demanded an accounting of the money from Tarchaneiotes. And it was demonstrated, with those who had provided the money also agreeing, that no more than five myriads had been collected, which was spent on the preparation of the fleet, and another sum not a little greater than this from public and imperial funds. But seeing that many necessities were being neglected due to a lack of money, and that the Romans were not then eager to contribute from their own funds, and that the public revenues had failed completely, he imposed taxes not previously established, so that every merchant ship carrying grain purchased from a foreign land, for half a medimnus

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ἀλλὰ καὶ σωτήρια. πᾶσαι γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐν στενῷ αἱ περὶ τοῦ σώζεσθαι κατέστησαν ἐλπίδες. ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ πάσας ἐφοπλίσαντες τὰς ἑαυτῶν τριήρεις ἐστεφανωμένας ὡς ἐπὶ νίκῃ καὶ κεκοσμημένας ἐκπρεπῶς, ἀντικρὺ παρέπλεον βασιλείων, σύροντες ἀτίμως καὶ τὰς βασιλικὰς σημαίας, ὥσπερ ἔθος, τὰς νενικημένας. ᾤοντο δὲ βασιλέα πρὸς τὴν δυσπραγίαν καὶ τὴν γνώμην ἡττημένον, αὐτίκα καταθήσεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ χωρήσειν πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην, παραχωροῦντα τοῦ χωρίου. ὡς δὲ ἀπήντα κατ' ἐλπίδας αὐτοῖς οὐδὲν, ἀλλ' ἐπυνθάνοντο, βασιλέα αὖθις παρασκευαζόμενον τριήρεις ναυπηγεῖσθαι, πέμψαντες πρεσβείαν ἐκεῖνοι διελέγοντο περὶ εἰρήνης. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἐπειρῶντο βασιλέως, εἰ αὐτοῖς παραχωροίη τοῦ χωρίου· ὡς δ' ἑώρων οὐδαμῶς ἐκπεπληγμένον, οὐδὲ τὴν γνώμην ἡττημένον, ἀλλὰ τὴν μὲν δυσπραγίαν ἐκείνην νομίζοντα ἑτέρων τινῶν ἁμαρτημάτων εἴσπραξιν, αὐτὸν δὲ τῆς προτέρας γνώμης ἀκριβῶς ἐχόμενον, καὶ οὐδ' ἂν, εἰ μυρία τοιαῦτα γένοιτο, ἑκόντα εἶναι τοῦ χωρίου παραχωρήσοντα, ἀλλ' ὀργῇ φερόμενον μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν ἧτταν καὶ προθυμότερον πρὸς τὴν παρασκευὴν, ὥσπερ ἄρτι τότε πρῶτον ἡμμένον τοῦ πολέμου, δείσαντες, μὴ εἰς κακὸν αὐτοῖς ἡ πολλὴ φιλονεικία τελευτήσῃ, 3.79 συνέθεντο τὸ χωρίον καταλείπειν. καὶ ἐγένετο ἡ εἰρήνη ἐπὶ τούτοις, ὥστε παραδόντας βασιλεῖ αὐτοὺς, ἐπὶ τὸν πρότερον περίβολον χωρεῖν. καὶ γεγενημένων τῶν σπονδῶν, παρεδίδοσαν τὸ νέον φρούριον πρὸς δεσπότην τὸν βασιλέως υἱὸν, ἐλθόντα μετὰ στρατιᾶς. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτῶν μεταπεμψάμενος τοὺς ἀρίστους, ἡμέρως τε διειλέχθη καὶ προσηνῶς, καὶ τὸ χωρίον αὐτὸς ἑκὼν εἶναι ἐχαρίζετο. ἔφη γὰρ πρὸς αὐτοὺς, οὐ περὶ γῆς τοσαύτης φιλονεικεῖν, οὐδενὸς ἀξίας οὔσης, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν προσηκόντων δικαίων τῇ Ῥωμαίων βασιλείᾳ. ἄτοπον γὰρ, ἐπήλυδας ὄντας αὐτοὺς καὶ πολλὰ ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλέων εὐηργετημένους καὶ δικαίους ὄντας ἐν δουλευόντων εἶναι μοίρᾳ, ἔπειτα ἀναισχυντεῖν καὶ παρασπᾷν τι τῆς ἡγεμονίας βούλεσθαι ἀκόντων. διὰ ταῦτα ἔλεγε τὸν πόλεμον αἱρεῖσθαι μᾶλλον, οὐ διὰ τὴν κτῆσιν τοῦ χωρίου, καὶ γνώμην ἔχειν, ὡς πολεμήσων διηνεκῶς ἄχρι τοῦ διαφθερεῖν, εἰ μὴ βουληθεῖεν τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ αὐτοὶ τῆς ἀγνωμοσύνης ἀποσταῖεν καὶ καταλείποιεν τὰ ἡρπασμένα, μηδ' αὐτὸν μικρολογήσειν οὕτως, ὥστ' ἀποστερεῖν, οὗ τοσοῦτον ἐξέχονται καὶ ποιοῦνται περὶ πλείστου. καὶ αὐτίκα ἐκέλευε τὸν υἱὸν ἐξάγειν τὴν στρατιὰν, τὸ χωρίον τοῖς Γαλατίοις παραδόντα. οἱ δὲ βασιλεῖ πολλὰς ὡμολόγουν χάριτας μετὰ πλείστων τῶν εὐφημιῶν, καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέως υἱὸν ἐλθόντες, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐπίταγμα τὸ χωρίον παρεδίδοτο, αὖθίς τε εὐφήμουν βασιλέα, καὶ χρυσίῳ πολλῷ τὴν βασιλι 3.80 κὴν περιέῤῥαινον σημαίαν, ἃ διήρπασαν οἱ στρατιῶται, κελεύσαντος τοῦ δεσπότου, παιδιᾶς ἕνεκα καὶ ἡδονῆς. τοιαύτην μὲν ὁ πόλεμος ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ εἰς τοῦτο ἐτελεύτησε. ιβʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ κατά τε τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον βιαίαν τῶν χρημάτων τὴν εἴσπραξιν ἀκούων παρὰ Ταρχανειώτου γεγενημένην, καὶ θορύβων μεστὴν καὶ ὀδυρμῶν τὴν πόλιν δι' ἐκείνην γινομένην, καὶ τοὺς ὑβριστὰς καὶ συκοφάντας προφάσεως λαβομένους καὶ λογοποιοῦντας ἄπιστα, εἴκοσι μυριάδων τὴν εἴσπραξιν χρυσίου γεγενῆσθαι λέγοντας, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα, ἐσκέψατο αὐτοῖς ἔργοις τοὺς συκοφάντας ἐπιστομίζειν. καὶ ἐκκλησίαν αὖθις πάνδημον συναγαγὼν, εὐθύνας ᾔτει περὶ τῶν χρημάτων Ταρχανειώτην. καὶ ἀπεδείκνυτο, καὶ τῶν τὰ χρήματα παρασχομένων συνομολογούν των, μὴ πλέον εἰσπεπρᾶχθαι πέντε μυριάδων, ἃ ἀνάλωτο πρὸς τοῦ στόλου τὴν παρασκευὴν, καὶ ἕτερα οὐκ ὀλίγῳ πλείω τούτων ἐκ τῶν δημοσίων καὶ βασιλικῶν. ὁρῶν δὲ τῶν δεόντων πολλὰ διὰ τῶν χρημάτων τὴν ἔνδειαν παραλειπόμενα, καὶ τότε ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων εἰσφέρειν Ῥωμαίους οὐ προθυμουμένους, καὶ τὰς δημοσίας προσόδους παντάπασιν ἐκλελοιπυίας, φόρους ἔταττε μὴ πρότερον νενομισμένους, ὥστε πᾶσαν ὁλκάδα σῖτον ἄγουσαν ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῆς ἐωνημένον, ὑπὲρ μεδίμνου ἥμισυ