A monody was written by Psellos on the death of Eirene the kaisarissa, wife of Ioannes kaisar, a family he knew well. It had been delayed because he wished to avoid exaggeration due to raw emotion. He closed the monody with a long recapitulation of her virtues and a formal passage of consolation for her husband. The latter, against his will, had a place in the encomium of Eirene, because some of her qualities only became visible through praise of him. He was the best of men (except the emperor), as she was the best of women