Psellos had felt sad and ignored in the long absence of Romanos IV. But having written of him before his accession, after a nervous silence he now approached him as a credible panegyrist who was no flatterer, hoping for commissions. He congratulated Romanos that the enemy blaze was extinguished, though the usual spot-fires remained. He also claimed friendship with the empress Eudokia, but he needed sunlight as well as Eudokia's moonlight