499

Thus it was dissolved, with the emperor having postponed the defense against the demand of the senators. 3.259 30. And he himself, immediately mounting a horse and going to the shrine of the Theotokos Hodegetria and offering his veneration, then returning from there, met with the patriarch Kallistos, he himself having gone to his house, and related how much the officials had discussed with him concerning both the emperor his son-in-law and his son; and he asked him to suggest what sort of arguments he should use towards them, if they should demand the defense, as he had promised. But the patriarch for the present said that he too was at a loss for a defense; but on the third day, after considering, what he thought to be both just and fitting for those making such demands, he would come to the palace and speak. The emperor, therefore, returned thence to the palace, satisfied with the patriarch's words and willingly granting the deadline. But the patriarch on the third day, as he had promised, neither came to the palace, nor did he offer any counsel concerning the matters at hand. And on the seventh day, leaving the patriarchal residence, and going to the monastery of Mamas the martyr, which was his own special possession, he sent a message to the emperor, that he would be neither in the palace, nor in the patriarchal residence, unless he should provide him with oaths, that he would never proclaim his son Matthew emperor. The emperor, therefore, was vexed at these words and condemned his great inactivity, and he himself sent a message back, that what had been said would be considered by sensible 3.260 judges to have no consistency at all. For if he were calling him to collaborate on the proclamation for his son, it would have made sense to demand oaths, not to compel him to do such things, if it did not seem expedient, nor was it in accordance with his own judgment; but if nothing of the sort had yet been decreed, but while the matter was still being examined, whether it was considered just and expedient or not, and he himself was being called to cast the deciding vote, what need is there to demand oaths about a matter that has not yet reached a conclusion? For it is equally possible, if all should come together in the same place, for it to be both decreed and forbidden. And again he begged and advised him to come to him, so they could deliberate on whatever should be done. But he refused completely and, though called many times by the emperor, did not obey. However, those who demanded that his son be proclaimed emperor, coming again to the palace, demanded an account from the emperor concerning what they had asked. And he postponed again, on the grounds that he would deliberate. And a few days later, having come together with the senators and the more noble men and as many as were on the military roll, they begged the emperor with one voice to proclaim his son Matthew emperor. But the emperor, since he could no longer put off the deliberation, for the time of postponement was sufficient, and he saw the faction growing and always gaining additions, standing in their midst, spoke as follows: "To continually go through the same matters and weary the listeners, being completely contrary to speaking of new things, is equally blameworthy, espe- 3.261 cially when the listeners have not only been taught about the same things many times by words, but have also followed the events themselves, from which they have had clear and manifest proof of what is being said. Therefore, how I have been unjustly warred against after the death of the emperor and have endured many and various difficulties and plots and dangers, and how after so great an infliction of terrible things and, with the help of the Almighty, having conquered all my opponents, I did not repay them in kind, but strove to add every excess to my magnanimity, and how I not only readily gave up everything else, but even the very imperial power, for which I seemed to have endured terrible things, for you all surely know, how I both joined my daughter in marriage to the new emperor and immediately shared the rule with him, and I deprived the empress mother of none of her former glory and of being and being named despotess of the Romans, I think I will pass over, since all of you know this most clearly and are in need of no proof concerning these things.

499

οὕτω διελέλυτο, βασιλέως ὑπερθεμένου τὴν πρὸς τὴν τῶν συγκλητικῶν ἀξίωσιν ἀπολογίαν. 3.259 λʹ. Αὐτὸς δ' αὐτίκα ἵππου ἐπιβὰς καὶ πρὸς τῷ τεμένει τῆς θεομήτορος γενόμενος τῆς Ὁδηγητρίας καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν ἀποδοὺς, ἔπειτα ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστρέφων, πατριάρχῃ τε τῷ Καλλίστῳ συνεγένετο, ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἐκείνου αὐτὸς ἐλθὼν, καὶ διηγεῖτο, ὅσα οἱ ἐν τέλει περὶ βασιλέως τε τοῦ γαμβροῦ καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ διεξῆλθον πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐδεῖτό τε ὑποθέσθαι, ὁποίοις τισὶ λόγοις χρήσαιτο πρὸς ἐκείνους, ἂν ἀπαιτῶσι τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ὥσπερ ἐπηγγείλατο. πατριάρχης δὲ τὸ μὲν νῦν ἔχον· ἔφασκε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπολογίας ἀπορεῖν· εἰς τρίτην μέντοι σκεψάμενος ἡμέραν, ἃ ἂν οἴηται δίκαιά τε εἶναι καὶ προσήκοντα τοῖς τοιαῦτα ἀξιοῦσιν, ἐν βασιλείοις γενόμενος ἐρεῖν. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανῆκεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, τοῖς πατριάρχου λόγοις ἀρκεσθεὶς καὶ προθύμως παρασχόμενος τὴν προθεσμίαν. ὁ πατριάρχης δὲ εἰς τρίτην ἡμέραν, ὥσπερ ἐπηγγείλατο, οὔτ' ἐγένετο ἐν βασιλείοις, οὔτε συνεβούλευεν οὐδὲν περὶ τῶν προκειμένων. ἑβδόμῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τὰ πατριαρχεῖα καταλιπὼν, εἰς τὴν Μάμαντος τοῦ μάρτυρος ἐλθὼν, μονὴν οὖσαν κατεξαίρετον αὐτῷ ἰδίαν, ἐμήνυε πέμψας βασιλεῖ, ὡς οὔτ' ἐν βασιλείοις γένοιτ' ἂν, οὔτ' ἐν πατριαρχείοις, εἰ μὴ ὅρκους αὐτῷ παράσχοιτο, ὡς οὐκ ἄν ποτε Ματθαῖον τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδείξοι βασιλέα. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἤχθετο ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ πολλὴν ἐκείνου κατεγίνωσκεν ἀπραγμοσύνην, ἀντεμήνυέ τε πέμψας καὶ αὐτὸς, ὡς οὐδεμίαν τὰ εἰρημένα τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἔχειν παρ' εὐφρονοῦσιν ἂν νομί 3.260 ζοιτο κριταῖς. εἰ μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἀνάῤῥησιν τῷ υἱῷ συγκατεργασόμενον ἐκάλει, λόγον ἂν εἶχεν ὅρκους ἀπαιτεῖν, μὴ τοιαῦτα καταναγκάζειν πράττειν, εἰ μὴ λυσιτελεῖν ἐδόκει, μηδὲ κατὰ γνώμην ἦν αὐτῷ· εἰ δὲ τοιοῦτον μὲν οὐδὲν οὐδέπω ἐπεψηφίσθη, ἔτι δὲ τοῦ πράγματος ἐξεταζομένου, εἰ δίκαιον εἶναι καὶ λυσιτελοῦν νομίζοιτο ἢ μὴ, καλοῖτο καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν δοκοῦσαν εἰσοίσων ψῆφον, τί δεῖ περὶ τοῦ πράγματος ὅρκους ἀπαιτεῖν μήπω πέρας εἰληφότος; ὁμοίως γὰρ ἐνδέχεται, εἰ πάντες ἐν ταὐτῷ συνέλθοιεν, καὶ ἐπιψηφισθῆναι καὶ κωλυθῆναι. αὖθίς τε ἐδεῖτο καὶ παρῄνει ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς ὅ,τι ἂν δέοι πράττειν διασκεψομένους. ὁ δ' ἀπηγόρευε παντάπασι καὶ πολλάκις παρὰ βασιλέως οὐχ ὑπήκουε κληθείς· οἱ μέντοι τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύειν ἀξιοῦντες βασιλέα, καὶ αὖθις γενόμενοι ἐν βασιλείοις, λόγον ᾔτουν περὶ ὧν ἠξίουν βασιλέα. ὁ δ' ὑπερετίθετο καὶ αὖθις, ὡς διασκεψόμενος. ὀλίγαις δὲ ἡμέραις ὕστερον μετὰ τῶν συγκλητικῶν καὶ τῶν εὐγενεστέρων καὶ ὅσοι τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ καταλόγου ἦσαν συνελθόντες, ἐδέοντο βασιλέως γλώσσῃ μιᾷ Ματθαῖον τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύειν βασιλέα. βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπεὶ μὴ τὴν διάσκεψιν εἶχεν ἔτι ἀναβάλλεσθαι, ἐξήρκει γὰρ ὁ χρόνος τῆς ἀναβολῆς, καὶ τὴν στάσιν αὐξανομένην καὶ προσθήκην ἀεὶ λαμβάνουσαν ἑώρα, καταστὰς εἰς μέσους, ἔλεξε τοιάδε· «τὸ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἀεὶ διεξιέναι καὶ ἀποκναίειν τοὺς ἀκούοντας, τῷ καινολογεῖν παντάπασιν ἐναντίον ὂν, ὁμοίως ἔχει μέμψιν, ἄλ 3.261 λως θ' ὅταν οἱ ἀκούοντες οὐ λόγοις ὦσι μόνον πολλάκις περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν δεδιδαγμένοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πράγμασιν αὐτοῖς παρηκολουθηκότες, ἐξ ὧν ἐσχήκασι σαφῆ καὶ φανερὰν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τῶν λεγομένων. ὡς μὲν οὖν ἀδίκως πεπολέμημαι μετὰ τὴν βασιλέως τελευτὴν καὶ πολλὰς καὶ παντοδαπὰς ὑπέμεινα τὰς δυσχερείας καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς καὶ τοὺς κινδύνους, καὶ ὡς μετὰ τὴν τοσαύτην τῶν δεινῶν ἐπιφορὰν καὶ, τοῦ κρείττονος συναιρομένου, τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους σύμπαντας κεκρατηκὼς, οὐ τοῖς ἴσοις ἠμειψάμην, ἀλλ' ἐφιλονείκησα πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν προσθεῖναι τῇ μεγαλοψυχίᾳ, καὶ ὡς οὐ πάντα τἄλλα προεῖμαι μόνον εὐχερῶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴν, ὑπὲρ ἧς ἐδόκουν τὰ δεινὰ ὑπομενενηκέναι, βασιλείαν, ἴστε γὰρ δήπου σύμπαντες, ὡς τήν τε παῖδα τὴν ἐμὴν συνῴκισα τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς μετέδωκα εὐθὺς, καὶ βασιλίδα τὴν μητέρα τῆς προτέρας δόξης καὶ τοῦ εἶναι καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι Ῥωμαίων δεσπότιν ἀπεστέρησα οὐδὲν, παρήσειν μοι δοκῶ, πάντων ὑμῶν σαφέστατα εἰδότων καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς δεομένων περὶ ταῦτα ἀποδείξεως.