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and he says these things deceitfully, that on the coming night, at a designated hour, I will bring the emperor to you in humble attire to discourse about both faith and certain noteworthy matters; whom I advise you to declare that he should be cursed and pass from this life more quickly, if he does not yet conform to the dogma of Leo who came from Isauria, and that if he should observe this, he would reign powerfully for two and seventy years of his reign, so as to hunt this man for his own will, supposedly through love of life and love of glory; for he was eagerly controlled by these, and especially being made light-minded by youth. These things were craftily prepared for the emperor by both Theodotus and the obscure monk in Maurianois, as is typical for heresiarchs. So the emperor, entering with Cassiteras to the monk and having begun with some words to him, is slapped by him, as one who had foreknown his pretense, speaking thus, that it is not right for you, being emperor, to dissemble in this way in private guise and to think you are somehow unknown. And by this the emperor, astonished at the contrived foreknowledge, becomes obedient to him. For this, being desirable to Theodotus, had been pre-arranged by his foresight, as these things were also denounced by the blessed Theophanes the Confessor through metrical composition. 1.14 Therefore the removal of the venerable icons by the emperor is proclaimed. To which he also compelled the archbishop Nikephoros to subscribe, and when he would in no way obey, he irrationally punishes him with exile (to whom, as he was placing the diadem upon the head of Leo, it seemed as if he felt pain from the rubbing of thorns and thistles). And as he was being led away, the confessor Theophanes of Agros joined him at one of the shores, offering reverence with both candles and incense, and receiving blessings in return from him, he instructed his disciples, who afterwards heard these things, to do the very same as he was departing for the Propontis. Whom the patriarch, seeing, and bowing his own neck and raising his hands, called for with a final act of veneration the well-received intercessions of the all-pious Theophanes; about whom those present inquired; When you raised your hands high, O master, to whom did you intend so intently to offer a final, long farewell? And he says: To the holy father and confessor Theophanes of the monastery of Agros, who welcomed us with lamps and incense. And what had been prophesied came to pass; for not long after he himself, with many others excommunicated from the church, with countless hardships was crowned with the wreath of confession, no longer seeing the patriarch as had been foretold. Theodotus, therefore, having unworthily seized the patriarchal throne on the day of the life-giving resurrection of Christ our God, took advantage of the heresy and communicated it to many as a plague. 1.15 So then the emperor Leo, having acted valiantly against both Bulgars and Hagarenes and having been seized by a conceit of invincibility, appeared more arrogant to all, so that from this he also inclined toward greater cruelty. For he was fearsome in both his bearing and his deeds, in no way diminishing the harshness, malice, and insolence that was in him, and to such an extent, that of the many who were convicted even of minor crimes, the hands of some, the feet of others, and certain of their vital members were continually hung up in the public ways of the city, so that from these things he became hateful to all his subjects. But as time went on, he did not remain harsh only to this extent, but he also raved against the pious faith. For he found a certain collaborator in the wickedness that dwelled within him, a cunning man, who happened to be in charge of the sacred order in the palace and had an outward appearance of piety. At any rate, having surmised an opportunity, when the proclamation of Isaiah was within hearing, which says "To whom have you likened the Lord, and with what likeness have you likened him? Has a carpenter made an image, or a goldsmith, having melted gold, gilded it, or has he fashioned a likeness"

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καὶ πεπλαστουργημένως τάδε φησίν, ὡς τῇ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτί, ὥρᾳ διωρισμένῃ, τὸν βασιλέα ἐν εὐτελεῖ καταστήματι προσοίσω σοι διηγησόμενον περί τε πίστεως καί τινων πραγμάτων ἀξιολόγων· ὃν ἐπαρᾶσθαι καὶ τάχιον τοῦ βίου παρελθεῖν ἐξειπεῖν σοι βουλεύομαι, εἰ μήπω Λέοντος τοῦ Ἰσαυρίαθεν ὡρμημένου στοιχειοῖτο τῷ δόγματι, καὶ ὡς εἴ γε τοῦτο παραφυλάξοιτο, ἐν δυσὶν ἔτεσι καὶ οʹ τῆς βασιλείας ἐνδυναστεύων ἐλάσειεν, ὡς δῆθεν τῇ φιλοζωΐᾳ καὶ φιλοδοξίᾳ τοῦτον πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον θηράσασθαι θέλημα· ταύταις γὰρ ἐφετικῶς ἐκεκράτητο, καὶ μάλιστά γε νεότητι κουφιζόμενος. ταῦτα παρά τε Θεοδότου καὶ τοῦ ἐν Μαυριανοῖς ἠμαυρωμένου μονάζοντος διεσκεμμένως τῷ βασιλεῖ κατεσκεύαστο, οἷά περ αἱρεσιάρχαις ὑπάρχουσιν. εἰσιὼν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τοῦ Κασσιτηρᾶ πρὸς τὸν μοναχὸν καί τινας λόγους εἰς αὐτὸν προοιμιασάμενος ἀπορραπίζεται παρ' αὐτοῦ, ὡς προεγνωκότος τὸ αὐτοῦ πρόσχημα, οὕτως λέγοντος, μὴ δεῖν ἐν ἰδιωτικῇ καταστάσει βασιλέα σε ὄντα οὑτωσὶ ὑποκρίνεσθαι καὶ ἀγνοεῖσθαί πως οἴεσθαι. δι' ὧνπερ καταπλαγεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς μηχανοραφηθείσης προγνώσεως εὐπειθὴς τούτῳ καθίσταται. τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκ προνοίας τῷ Θεοδότῳ ἐφετὸν ὑπάρχον προετέχναστο, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τοῦ μακαρίτου Θεοφάνους καὶ ὁμολογητοῦ ταῦτα δι' ἐμμέτρου ποιήσεως ἐστηλίτευτο. 1.14 ∆ιὸ τῶν σεβασμίων εἰκόνων ἐκ βασιλέως καθαίρεσις θριαμβεύεται. πρὸς ἣν καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα Νικηφόρον ὑποσημήνασθαι κατηνάγκαζεν, καὶ μηδαμῶς πειθαρχήσαντα ἀλογίστως εὐθύνει ἐξόριστον (ᾧτινι τὸ διάδημα περιτιθέντι κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Λέοντος κεφαλὴν ἐδόκει ὡς ἀκανθῶν καὶ τριβόλων προστρίψεσιν ὀδύνης ἐπαισθέσθαι). ἀπαγομένῳ δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ ὁμολογητὴς Θεοφάνης <ὁ> Ἀγρόθεν κατά τινα τῶν αἰγιαλῶν ἥνωτο ἀπονέμων σεβασμιότητας κηροῖς τε ἅμα καὶ θυμιάμασι, κἀκεῖθεν εὐλογίας ἀντιλαμβάνων ταὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο τοῖς αὐτοῦ φοιτηταῖς, ἔπει<τα> τάδ' ἀκηκοόσι, ποιεῖν προσετίθετο τῆς Προποντίδος ἀπαίροντι. οὓς ὁ πατριάρχης ἰδὼν καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ αὐχένα συγκύψας τάς τε χεῖρας μετεωρίσας ἀνεκαλεῖτο ἐσχάτῃ τῇ προσκυνήσει τὰς εὐπροσδέκτους ἐντεύξεις τοῦ πανευσεβοῦς Θεοφάνους· περὶ οὗ οἱ συμπαρόντες ἠρεύνουν· ὅτε περ τὰς χεῖρας <ᾖρες> μεταρσίους, ὦ δέσποτα, πρὸς τίνα ἐπιτρεπτικῶς ἑαυτοῦ διενενόησο ἐπὶ μακρῷ ἀσπασμὸν ἐπαφεῖναι τὸν ὕστατον; ὁ δέ φησι· τῷ ὁσίῳ πατρὶ καὶ ὁμολογητῇ Θεοφάνει μονῆς τοῦ Ἀγροῦ, τῷ λαμπάσι καὶ λιβανωτοῖς ἡμᾶς δεξιωσαμένῳ. καὶ τὸ προφητευθὲν εἰς πρᾶξιν ἐξῄει· οὐ μετὰ πολὺ γὰρ αὐτὸς μετὰ πολλῶν ἄλλων ἀφορισθέντων τῆς ἐκκλησίας σὺν ἀπείροις κακώσεσι τὸν τῆς ὁμολογίας ἐταινιώσατο στέφανον, τὸν πατριάρχην μηκέτι κατὰ τὸ προρρηθὲν θεασάμενος. ὁ οὖν Θεόδοτος, τὸν πατριαρχικὸν θρόνον παρ' ἀξίαν ἀπειληφὼς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ζωοποιοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως, ἐπ' ἀδείας τῆς αἱρέσεως εἴχετο καὶ πολλοῖς ταύτης οἷα λήμης ἐπεκοινώνει. 1.15 Τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς Λέων, κατά τε Βουλγάρων καὶ Ἀγαρηνῶν νεανιευσάμενος καὶ ἀηττήτῳ οἰήσει κατασχεθείς, ἀλαζονικώτερος ἅπασι κατεφαίνετο, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἀποκλίνειν πρὸς τὸ ὠμότερον. καὶ γὰρ ἦν φοβερὸς τῷ τε καταστήματι καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι, μηδὲν παραθραύων τῆς ἐνούσης αὐτῷ αὐστηρίας βασκανίας τε καὶ ἰταμότητος, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὥστε πολλῶν καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μικροῖς ἑαλωκότων ἐγκλήμασιν ὧν μὲν χεῖρας, ὧν δὲ πόδας καί τινα τῶν καιρίων μελῶν ἐν ταῖς λεωφόροις τῆς πόλεως συνεχῶς ἐγκρεμάννυσθαι, ὡς ἐκ τούτων μισητὸν καθεστάναι πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρα. χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος οὐ μέχρι τούτων ἐνέμενε χαλεπὸς ὤν, ἀλλ' ἐκορυβαντία καὶ κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς πίστεως. εὗρε γὰρ καί τινα συνεργὸν τῆς ἐνδομυχούσης αὐτῷ μοχθηρίας, ἄνδρα πανοῦργον, ὃς ἐπιστατῶν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τάγματος ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις ἐτύγχανεν καὶ τὴν ἔξω φαινομένην εἶχεν εὐσέβειαν. ὑποτοπάσας γοῦν καιρόν, καθ' ὃν εἰς ἐπήκοον ἦν τὸ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου φάσκον διάγγελμα τίνι ὡμοιώσατε κύριον, καὶ τίνι ὁμοιώματι ὡμοιώσατε αὐτόν; μὴ εἰκόνα ἐποίησε τέκτων, ἢ χρυσοχόος χωνεύσας χρυσίον περιεχρύσωσεν αὐτόν, ἢ ὁμοίωμα κατεσκεύασεν