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that he knew nothing of the nonsense uttered by the pythoness; but going to the appointed place as had been foretold, he saw, and taking the man with him he went into the church of Paul the apostle, where the provisions for the orphans were kept in store. And there having bound each other by agreements, Theodotus dared to say such things to Leo, that by a divine vision the greatest things that will come to pass have been revealed to me concerning you, through which you will certainly lay claim to the rule of the Romans. 1.10 When a war had broken out between the Romans and the Bulgarians, and their leader Krum was demanding that the Bulgarian refugees be handed over, and likewise the Romans, on these terms the emperor was agreeing, even if such an opinion was strongly opposed by many of the magnates, and not least by Theoktistos the magistros; from whom, when a disagreement had arisen, both proceeded to hostility. Therefore the Romans and the Bulgarians march out against each other, and when a battle had been joined, the Roman army was utterly defeated, as it seems that Providence above intended to manage our affairs otherwise, for the reason of a better outcome. 1.11 But let us now return to the point from which we digressed. When Leo was proclaimed emperor publicly, he appointed Thomas, a tourmarch of his own age, over the foederati, and Michael, whose son he had adopted from the spiritual font, he dignified with the honor of patrician and excubitor. 1.12 The hostile Bulgarians, therefore, being elated by their previous victory, no ordinary devastation followed them in many lands and settlements by both burning and taking captives, so that it was reasonable for someone to be sent by the emperor to the leader of the Bulgarians, leaning towards peace, to work out a truce. But when the Bulgarian ruler did not agree to this, being barbarian in character and boastful, Leo the emperor hastened to march out against them. And when a mighty battle was joined, by a royal command our people were put to flight, so that the emperor himself was also put to flight. While the Bulgarians were pressing on in pursuit, the emperor turned back with the remaining people and stood against them, and engaging them he proved to be a champion completely against them. Indeed, he even prevailed over the leader of the Bulgarians, and dashed some of their children against the rocks, and harshly punished others on the threshing floor, so that from this, deeds of retribution were accomplished among them, according to the poem. 1.13 Then the emperor came to think about the monk in Philomelion, and sent him votive offerings for his needs according to his vow, as he had appeared to be a true oracle of what came to pass. But in the meantime the same monk had died, and it happened that another monk, Sabbatios, had slipped into his little tent in his place, who secretly opposed the veneration of the holy icons. And seeing the one sent from the emperor, he sent him away, judging the sender unworthy of the purple, as one who adhered to idols, namely the icons venerated by the august Eirene and Tarasios the renowned patriarch, the wretch foolishly insulting her as Pardos and Thias, and Tarasios the high priest of God; for which reason he foretold in a letter that the Lord would overthrow his reign, if he did not overthrow them. Struck by these things, the frenzied emperor summoned Theodotus and showed him what had been sent in a letter from the monk. Then indeed Theodotus, seizing upon such a purpose and taking courage, said to the emperor, adding evil to evil, that paradoxes were being worked by a certain monk, who had his dwelling in the properties of Maurianos, which he explained were near Dagistea, proclaiming this one to be another great Antony; and whatever he should choose to say to your majesty, be eager to do this as well. Having suggested these things so clumsily to the emperor, he went away to the monk

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ἐγνωκέναι μηδὲν τῶν παρὰ τῆς πυθωνίας φληναφουμένων· ἀπιὼν δὲ πρὸς τὸν διωρισμένον χῶρον ὡς προδιήγγελτο ἐθεάσατο, καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα προσλαβόμενος ἅμα αὐτῷ ἄπεισιν ἐν τῷ ναῷ Παύλου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, ἐν ᾧπερ ὀρφανῶν τὰ πρὸς ἀποτροφὴν τεταμίευται. καὶ ἐκεῖσε συνθήκαις ἀλλήλους κατεγγυησάμενοι, θαρρεῖ πρὸς τὸν Λέοντα ὁ Θεόδοτος τοιαῦτα ἐρεῖν, ὡς ἐκ θείας ὁράσεως περὶ σοῦ μοι διέγνωσται μέγιστά τε καὶ ἀποβησόμενα, δι' ὧν τῆς Ῥωμαίων πάντως ἡγεμονίας μεταποιήσειας. 1.10 Συμβεβηκότος δὲ πολέμου μεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Βουλγάρων, καὶ τοῦ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀρχηγοῦ Κρούμμου φάσκοντος ἀναδίδοσθαι τοὺς προσφυγόντας Βουλγάρων, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαίων, ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς συμβαίνων ἦν, κἂν τοῖς πολλοῖς τῶν μεγιστάνων ἡ τοιαύτη γνῶσις λίαν ἐστασιάζετο, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ Θεοκτίστῳ μαγίστρῳ· παρ' ὧν ἀσυμφωνίας συντελεσθείσης πρὸς ἐναντιότητα χωροῦσιν ἀμφότεροι. ἐκστρατεύουσι τοιγαροῦν Ῥωμαῖοί τε καὶ Βούλγαροι κατ' ἀλλήλων, καὶ πολεμικῆς συμβολῆς καθεστώσης ἀνὰ κράτος ἡττᾶται τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν στράτευμα, ὡς ἔοικεν ἑτέρως τῆς ἄνω προνοίας μελλούσης τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς διεξάγειν, καταλήψεως λόγῳ ἐν κρείττονι. 1.11 Ἀλλ' ὅθεν διέστημεν, αὖθις νῦν ἐπανίωμεν. ἀναρρηθεὶς δὲ δημοσίᾳ Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς Θωμᾶν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἡλικιώτην τουρμάρχην εἰς φοιβεράτους ἐπέστησεν, καὶ Μιχαήλ, οὗ τὸν παῖδα πνευματικῆς ἐκ κολυμβήθρας υἱοποιήσατο, τῇ πατρικίου καὶ ἐξκουβίτου τιμῇ διεσέμνυνεν. 1.12 Τῶν οὖν δυσμενῶν Βουλγάρων τῇ προτέρᾳ νίκῃ κατεπαρθέντων, οὐχ ἡ τυχοῦσα παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐν πολλαῖς χώραις καὶ κατοικίαις διά τε πυρπολήσεως καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύσεως παρηκολούθει ἐρήμωσις, ὥστε πρὸς τὸν τῶν Βουλγάρων <ἀρχηγὸν> πεμφθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εὔλογον ἦν, πρὸς τὸ εἰρηνικὸν ἀπονεύοντος, σπονδὰς ἐπεργάσασθαι. τοῦ δὲ κρατοῦντος Βουλγάρου μὴ πρὸς τοῦτο καταθεμένου, ἅτε βαρβαρικοῦ τὸν τρόπον καὶ καταλαζονευομένου, Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκστρατεύειν ἐπείγεται. καὶ μάχης κραταιᾶς κροτηθείσης, βασιλικῷ διατάγματι ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς λαὸς τροπῇ ὑποβάλλεται, ὥστε καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως συντρέπεσθαι. ἀμέλει τῶν Βουλγάρων τῇ διώξει ἐπικειμένων, ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς μετὰ τοῦ περιόντος λαοῦ ἀντικαθίσταται ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τούτοις παρεμβαλὼν ἀριστεὺς κατ' αὐτῶν ὁλοτελῶς ἀναδείκνυται. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ κατισχῦσαι Βουλγάρων τοῦ ἀρχηγοῦ, καὶ τούτων τὰ ἔκγονα τὰ μὲν προσαράξαι ταῖς πέτραις, τὰ δὲ ἐν ἅλωνι χαλεπῶς τιμωρήσασθαι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἐν τούτοις πεπερατῶσθαι παλίντιτα ἔργα κατὰ τὴν ποίησιν. 1.13 Εἶτα εἰς λογισμὸν ἧκεν ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τοῦ ἐν τῷ Φιλομηλίῳ μονάζοντος, καὶ στέλλει αὐτῷ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν κατ' εὐχὴν ἀναθήματα, ἅτε χρησμῳδῷ ἀληθεῖ τῶν ἀποβαινόντων ἀναφανέντι. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ ἐτετελευτήκει ὁ αὐτὸς μοναστής, καὶ συνέβη ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἕτερον Σαββάτιον μοναχὸν τῷ σκηνιδίῳ αὐτοῦ ὑπεισδῦναι, ὅστις τῇ προσκυνήσει τῶν σεβασμίων εἰκόνων κρυφίως ἀντικαθίστατο. θεασάμενος δὲ τὸν παρὰ βασιλέως ἀπεσταλμένον ἀπόπεμπτον ἐποιεῖτο, τὸν πέμψαντα κρίνας ἀπεοικότα τῇ ἁλουργίδι, ὡς εἰδώλοις προσανέχοντα, ταῖς παρὰ τῆς σεβαστῆς Εἰρήνης σεβομέναις εἰκόσι καὶ Ταρασίου τοῦ ἀοιδίμου πατριάρχου, Παρδὼ ταύτην καὶ Θυάδα, καὶ Ταράξιον τὸν ἀρχιερέα τοῦ θεοῦ ἀφρόνως ἐξυβρίζων ὁ ἄθλιος· ἀνθ' ὧν καταστρέψαι κύριον τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν καὶ ἐπιστέλλων προήγγειλεν, εἴπερ ταύτας οὐ καταστρέψειεν. τούτοις καταβροντηθεὶς ὁ παραπλὴξ βασιλεὺς μετακαλεῖται Θεόδοτον καὶ παραδείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐπεσταλμένα παρὰ τοῦ μονάζοντος. τότε δὴ τότε ὁ Θεόδοτος δραξάμενος τοῦ τοιούτου σκοποῦ καὶ ἀναθαρρήσας λέγει τῷ βασιλεῖ, τῷ κακῷ κακὸν ἐπιπλεονάζων, παρά τινος μοναστοῦ διενεργεῖσθαι παράδοξα, τὴν οἴκησιν κεκτημένου ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Μαυριανοῦ, οἷς γειτνιάζειν τὸν ∆αγιστέα διεσαφήνιζεν, ἕτερον τοῦτον ἐπιφημίζων μέγαν Ἀντώνιον· καὶ ὅπερ ἐρεῖν τῇ σῇ βασιλείᾳ προέλοιτο, τοῦτο καὶ διαπράξασθαι προθυμήθητι. ταῦτα σκαιῶς οὕτως τῷ βασιλεῖ ὑποθέμενος ἄπεισι πρὸς τὸν μοναστὴν