3

tion. For when Bardanios performed valiantly against the Hagarenes and with just foresight made the distribution of the great plunder that had been taken, setting forth the rewards appropriately for those who fought in the war and not 9 according to personal favor, he seemed to them worthy to partake of the empire. Wherefore, being proclaimed emperor by public acclamation, and being deemed worthy of many other enjoyments and honors by the people, so that they even erected and built a temple in his name, he went on the road leading to Nicomedia. But the reigning emperor Nikephoros, having sent out a sufficient and comparable force, and having made him despair about the future by the multitude of those arrayed against him, persuaded him to be the first to request a pardon. For just now Leo and just now also Michael, having deserted to the emperor, carrying off as a prize—the one, the command of the foederati and the imperial house of Zeno and the Dagisthea, the other, the office of count of the court and the house of Karianos—had made him not think well of his own situation. Therefore, requesting pardon from the emperor for both himself and his people, he returned as far as Malagina; and there having received the words of amnesty and the small golden cross, which was worn by Nikephoros and had been sent to him for safety and as a pledge, he fled by night to the monastery of Herakleios, having only Thomas sharing the danger, being eager to remove the adornment of his head. And the superior of the monastery did not allow him to do this; but he himself with the sword with which he was girded, having cut off his lock of hair, and having put on poor clothing, he undertook the journey to the island of Prote, where indeed he had a well-cultivated estate, and the emperor permitted him to remain there 10 confined. Having crossed over there, then, and having received the customary prayers and the divine habit of the monks, he was renamed Sabbas, displaying many ascetic struggles. Not long after, some men from Lycaonia attacked him and deprived him of his eyes, with the knowledge and cognizance of the reigning emperor, and they take refuge in the divine and great temple of God; and the prophecy of the monk dwelling in Philomelion also had its fulfillment. But he, having prayed for them as benefactors, took up a harsher way of life, completely abstaining from wine, fish, and oil, and always keeping his head and his feet bare, even if a more severe winter occurred. Moreover, he continued to wear a single tunic, in the summer wearing a leather tunic, but in the winter putting on one of haircloth. He did not live on wheat-bread, but making ash-cake with barley flour. And thus he passed his life, lasting until Leo became master of the empire. And he had his wife Domnika tonsured, along with his daughter and his sons, in his own house, renaming her Athanasia, having distributed, that is, all his wealth to the poor. And so the affairs concerning Bardanios were thus and of such a kind. 4 But Leo held on to his glory and exulted, being seen as distinguished from a humble and obscure station in the command of the foederati. But neither did he abstain from ingratitude, appearing as such toward his benefactor. 11 Nevertheless, he held on, and joining battles to battles he acted valiantly against the Ishmaelites, since he brought to bear great power in this area both by nature and by practice. And once, having been entrusted with the distribution of military funds by Nikephoros who wielded the scepters, since he cared nothing for the imperial commands, nor did he accomplish anything, but in the town of Euchaita wasting his time in indolence and neglect, he put off providing the customary things to the army; and having no thought for security, neither indeed for the public funds, nor for his own body, nor for those under his command, when the Hagarenes sallied forth and plundered Roman territory, he, and no one else, filled up their booty for them without trouble, but not with himself, however (for by swift flight the sal-

3

τιον. ὡς γὰρ κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ὁ Βαρδάνιος ἠνδραγάθησεν καὶ τῆς γενομένης πολλῆς λαφυραγωγίας δικαίᾳ προνοίᾳ πεποίηκε τὴν διανομήν, κατάλληλα τοῖς ἀγωνιζομένοις ἐν πολέμῳ ἀλλ' οὐ 9 κατὰ πρόσωπον τὰ αθλα προθείς, εδοξε καὶ βασιλείας τούτοις αξιος μεταλαχεῖν. οθεν ἀναρρηθεὶς δημοσίᾳ φωνῇ βασιλεύς, καὶ πολλῶν αλλων ἀπολαύσεών τε καὶ γερῶν ἐκ τοῦ δήμου καταξιω- θείς, ὡς καὶ ναὸν ἐπ' ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἀνεγεῖραί τε καὶ κατασκευά- σαι, τὴν ἐπὶ Νικομήδειαν φέρουσαν ῃει ὁδόν. ἀλλ' ἀποχρῶσαν καὶ ἐφάμιλλον ὁ βασιλεύων Νικηφόρος δύναμιν ἐκστρατεύσας, καὶ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος δύσελπιν ποιήσας αὐτὸν τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἀντι- παραταττομένων, επεισεν αὐτὸν συγγνώμην φθάσαντα ἐξαιτήσα- σθαι. αρτι μὲν γὰρ Λέων αρτι δὲ καὶ Μιχαὴλ ἀπορρυέντες πρὸς βασιλέα, αθλον ὁ μὲν τὴν φοιδεράτων καὶ βασιλικὸν οικον τοῦ Ζήνωνος καὶ τὸν ∆αγισθέα, ὁ δὲ τὴν τῆς κόρτης κόμητος ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸν τοῦ Καριανοῦ οικον ἀπενεγκάμενοι, οὐκ ἀγαθὰ φρονεῖν αὐτὸν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ πεποιήκασιν. οθεν αὐτῷ τε καὶ τῷ λαῷ συγ- γνώμην αἰτούμενος ἐκ βασιλέως μέχρι τῶν Μαλαγίνων ὑπέστρεφεν· κἀκεῖ τοὺς τῆς ἀπαθείας λόγους δεξάμενος καὶ τὸ χρυσοῦν σταυ- ρίδιον, ο  παρὰ τοῦ Νικηφόρου φορούμενον αὐτῷ ἀπέσταλτο πρὸς ἀσφάλειάν τε καὶ πίστωσιν, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ̔Ηρακλείου μονὴν νύκτωρ, τὸν Θωμᾶν μόνον συγκινδυνεύοντα εχων, ἀπέφυγεν, τὸν τῆς κεφα- λῆς κόσμον ἀφαιρῆσαι σπουδάζων. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῆς μονῆς προεστὼς τοῦτο δρᾶσαι τοῦτον οὐ συνεχώρει· αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ ῃ  περιεζώννυτο σπάθῃ τὸν πλόκαμον αὐτοῦ ἀφελών, καὶ πενιχρὰν ἐσθῆτα ἀμφια- σάμενος, ειχετο τῆς πρὸς τὴν Πρώτην νῆσον πορείας, ενθα δὴ τούτῳ κτῆμα καλῶς πεπονημένον ἐνῆν, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖ μένειν 10 περιωρισμένον ἐπέτρεψεν. ἐκεῖσε γοῦν περαιωθείς, καὶ τὰς συνή- θεις εὐχὰς καὶ τὸ τῶν μοναχῶν θεῖον σχῆμα δεξάμενος, μετωνο- μάσθη Σάββας, ἀγῶνας ἀσκητικοὺς πολλοὺς ἐνδεικνύμενος. οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ, καί τινες τῶν ἐκ τῆς Λυκαονίας αὐτῷ ἐπιθέμε- νοι καὶ ποιήσαντες ερημον τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, γνώσει καὶ εἰδήσει τοῦ βασιλεύοντος, τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ προσφεύγουσι θείῳ καὶ μεγάλῳ ναῷ· καὶ τέλος ειχεν καὶ ἡ πρόρρησις τοῦ τὸ Φιλομήλιον ἐνδιαιτωμένου μονάζοντος. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ὡς εὐεργέταις αὐτοῖς ἐπευξάμενος τῆς σκληροτέρας ειχετο ἀγωγῆς, οινου τε καὶ ἰχθύων καὶ ἐλαίου ὁλοσχερῶς ἀπεχόμενος, γυμνήν τε ἀεὶ φέρων τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ πόδας, καν ει τις σφοδρότερος ἐγεγόνει χειμών. ετι δὲ μονοχίτων διετέλει, τῷ θέρει μὲν δερμάτινον χιτῶνα ἀμφιεννύ- μενος, τῷ χειμῶνι δὲ τρίχινον περιβαλλόμενος. εζη δὲ οὐ σιτίνῳ, κρίθης δὲ ἀλεύρῳ ἐγκρυφίαν ποιῶν. καὶ ουτω παρέπεμπεν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον, διαρκέσας εως ὁ Λέων τῆς βασιλείας ἐγένετο ἐγκρα- τής. ἀποκαρῆναι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σύμβιον ∆ομνίκαν αμα θυ- γατρὶ καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ οικῳ ἐποίησεν, μετονο- μάσας αὐτὴν ̓Αθανασίαν, απαντα δηλαδὴ τὸν πλοῦτον διανείμας πτωχοῖς. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Βαρδάνιον ουτω τε καὶ τοιαῦτα. 4 ̔Ο δὲ Λέων ειχετο τῆς δόξης καὶ ἐγαυρία ἐκ ταπεινοῦ καὶ ἀδόξου περίβλεπτος ὁραθεὶς κατὰ τὴν τῶν φοιδεράτων ἀρχήν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῆς ἀχαριστίας ἀπείχετο, τοιοῦτος περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην 11 φανείς. πλὴν ειχετο, καὶ μάχαις μάχας ἐπισυνάπτων κατὰ τῶν ̓Ισμαηλιτῶν ἠνδραγαθίζετο, ατε μεγάλην ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ μέρει καὶ φύσει καὶ τριβῇ προσφερόμενος δύναμιν. καί ποτε στρατιωτικῶν χρημάτων διανομὴν παρὰ τοῦ τὰ σκῆπτρα διέποντος Νικηφόρου ἐγχειρισθείς, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν εμελεν αὐτῷ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐντολῶν, οὐδ' ἐξεπέραινέ τι, ἀλλ' ἐν πολίχνῃ Εὐχαΐτων τὸν καιρὸν ῥαστώνῃ καὶ ἀμελείᾳ κατατρίβων ἀνεβάλλετο τὰ νενομισμένα τῷ στρατῷ παρα- σχεῖν· καὶ φυλακῆς οὐδεμίαν πρόνοιαν εχων, ουτε μὴν τῶν κοι- νῶν χρημάτων, οὐδὲ καὶ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ σώματος, οὐδ' αὐτῶν τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα, τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐκδραμόντων καὶ τὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ληϊζο-μένων τὴν λείαν αὐτοῖς ουτος, ἀλλ' οὐκ αλλος τις, ἀπεπλήρου ἀταλαιπώρως, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτοῦ μὲν ου (ὀξείᾳ γὰρ φυγῇ τὴν σω-