Sultan’s bastard brother
On the morrow the Emperor again interviewed the Sultan called Saisan and after completing the treaty with him in the usual manner, made him a present of a very laTge sum of money and after giving his satraps gifts too he sent them away well satisfied. In the interval the Emperor had heard that the Sultan’s bastard brother, Masut, was aiming at the sovereignty and had plotted Saisan’s assassination . . . since some satraps had got round him, as nearly always happens. So the Emperor advised him to wait a little until he found out more details of the plot, and then through knowing what had happened, he would go away forewarned. But the Sultan disregarded the Emperor’s advice and with full confidence in himself adhered to his decision.
Now the Emperor did not wish to appear to have forcibly detained the Sultan who had come to him of his own will, and thus incur censure, so he yielded to the barbarian’s decision, saying, “It would be wiser to wait a little while; but as your mind is set on going, you must do ‘the next best thing’ as they say, take a sufficient number of mail-clad Roman soldiers from us who will conduct you safely as far as Iconium.” But the barbarian would not even consent to this, for these barbarians are ever arrogant in mind and imagine that they even overtop the clouds. Accordingly he took leave of the Emperor and after receiving a liberal gift of money, started on his homeward way.
Bat a dream came to him at night, not a deceptive one, nor sent by Zeus, nor did it incite the barbarian to battle, as the sweet pmm says, ‘in appearance like the son of Neleus,’ but it predicted the truth to the barbarian. For he dreamt that while he was breakfasting swarms of mice encompassed him, and while he was eating they snatched the bread out of his hands; and, as he was disdainful of them and tried to drive them away, they suddenly changed into lions and overpowered him. On waking he told his dream to the Emperor’s soldier who was accompanying him and enquired what it meant. The man interpreted the mice and lions of the dream as enemies, and yet the Sultan would not believe but pushed on his journey hurriedly and without taking precautions.
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