Michael VII did not think his brothers Andronikos and Konstantios should be kept in subjection or reined in, but he shared with them his imperial duties and and gave them freedom and independent power. But he did not have so much confidence in them, or men of noble birth, or priests and holy men, as he had in Michael Psellos. He gave Psellos many benefits, constantly augmenting them, chose him as his teacher and gave him much credit. When he heard that Psellos planned to write about him, he told him not to do so before he himself had set out the main points of his character. When his secretary read to Psellos the resultant autobiographical text, he expected to hear something rather grand; but he so abased himself, ranked himself so humbly, so denounced his soul as to make it impossible not to admire his deep humility