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threatened to strike Michael the Stammerer a fatal blow, if he did not gladly accept the proclamation; for he himself would take care of all the supposed difficulties, and even of this very arrival at the palace. And so indeed it happened. 8 But when a certain man (this was John called Hexaboulios), who had the care and providence of the walls, perceived that this Leo had been left behind for guard duty at the same time as the emperor's entry, (for he was skilled, it seems, at discerning a man's nature from afar) he said that his command of the troops was not a good thing; wherefore he becomes an advisor to the emperor to devise something and to remove the man properly. But it was necessary for the beast hitherto hidden in the fleece to be revealed at some point and for the chosen ones of God to be tested like gold in a crucible; and this is often permitted to happen according to a certain cyclical period of time, at the request, I think, of a demon, just as in the case of Job, for the knowledge and discernment of the pious, but the alienation and rejection of the evil. (9) For the words were not yet finished, when a rumor running ahead announced the proclamation of the tyrant. And when this news arrived, the city, nearly driven out of its mind at such a message, could barely contain itself, dreading the civil wars, from which cities with all their men have often been submerged; but the emperor was startled in his soul, yet not disturbed in his mind, 18 but having only condemned his ingratitude, whispering quietly that it is good to follow the divine will, he removed the city's astonishment and confusion, urging everyone to go out to meet him, so that he might save his own city, keeping it undefiled and pure from civil blood. And while some were urging him to stand against the terrible things and to proceed to the contest of battle, and promising to remain firm on behalf of a gentle and faithful emperor, and also his wife Procopia accepting this, and a certain Manuel of the Amalekites, who was then protostrator, he said that he did not want the empire to be drenched in fraternal blood. Wherefore, giving some of the imperial insignia to one of his loyal attendants, he compelled him to go there. At which his wife, being terribly distressed and as if driven into a frenzy, is said to have cried out terribly, if Barka, for so she called Leo's little wife, should place the modiolus on her head. But he, striking her with stern words, and having committed his whole self to God, awaited what was to come. Just then, indeed, it was announced that the tyrant was entering through the golden-wrought gate, and the whole senate, at the divine temple of the Forerunner, which Stoudios had raised from its foundations, went to meet him and received him with upturned hands, escorting and deifying him. And as he approached the palace and was in front of the divine icon of the 19 Word of God who for our sake became man, at the so-called 19 place Chalke, he was about to stand to offer his prayers, since, according to some military custom, he had put on a purple-dyed cloak, ungirded (the experts in these matters call this an aetos or a thalassa); he immediately takes this off, and Michael, who bore the mark on his tongue, being at that time keeper of Leo's horses, taking it into his hands, immediately puts it on. This therefore seemed to many an omen that he would receive the empire second after him. And when they were at Skyla, a place so-called at the palace entrances, uncontrollably rushing and running on his heels, he stepped with the tips of his feet on the part of his cloak that ended at the ground, so that Leo himself felt it and expected some reckless move from him. This, then, happened later. 10 But then, when Leo appeared, Michael, together with his children and wife, having put aside their hair, to the sanctuary of God, which is named Pharos, from lighting a light for all and at night guiding them by hand to certain lodgings

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Μιχαὴλ τὸν Τραυλὸν καιρίαν οἱ καθικέσθαι διηπείλει, εἰ μὴ τὴν ἀνάρρησιν ἀσμένως προσδέξοιτο· ὡς αὐτῷ γε πάντων μελήσειν τῶν νομιζομένων δυσ- χερῶν, καὶ αὐτῆς γε ταύτης τῆς πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια ἀφίξεως. ο  δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. 8 ̔Ως δέ τις ἀνὴρ ( ̓Ιωάννης ουτος ὁ κατὰ τὸν ̔Εξαβούλιον) τὴν τῶν τειχῶν ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος ῃσθετο τὸν Λέοντα τοῦτον καταλελειμμένον πρὸς φυλακὴν αμα τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσόδῳ, (δεινὸς δὲ αρα ἀνδρὸς φύσιν στοχάσασθαι πόρ- ρωθεν) οὐκ ἐν καλῷ τὴν ἐκείνου εφησε γενέσθαι προστασίαν τῶν στρατευμάτων· οθεν σύμβουλος γίνεται τῷ βασιλεῖ διανοήσασθαί τι καὶ τὸν ανδρα μεταστῆσαι καλῶς. πλὴν εδει τὸν τέως τῷ κω- δίῳ θῆρα κρυπτόμενον ἀνακαλυφθῆναί ποτε καὶ δοκιμασθῆναι ὡς ἐν χοάνῳ χρυσὸν τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκλεκτούς· συγχωρεῖται δὲ τοῦτο πολλάκις κατά τινα τοῦ χρόνου κυκλικὴν περίοδον γίνεσθαι, ἐξ αἰτήσεως οιμαι δαιμονικῆς, καθάπερ ἐπὶ ̓Ιώβ, εἰς γνῶσιν μὲν καὶ διάκρισιν τῶν εὐσεβῶν, ἀλλοτρίωσιν δὲ καὶ ἀποποίησιν τῶν κα- κῶν. (9) ουπω γὰρ πέρας εσχον οἱ λόγοι, καὶ φήμη προθέουσα τὴν τοῦ τυράννου ἐμήνυεν ἀναγόρευσιν. προσπεσούσης δὲ ταύ- της, ἡ μὲν πόλις πρὸς τοιοῦτον αγγελμα μικροῦ δεῖν εκφρων γενο- μένη μόλις ἑαυτὴν συνεῖχεν, τοὺς ἐμφυλίους κατορρωδοῦσα πολέ- μους, ἐξ ου  πολλάκις αυτανδροι πόλεις κατεβαπτίσθησαν· ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ ἐξεπλήγη μὲν τὴν ψυχήν, οὐκ ἐταράχθη δὲ τὴν γνώ- 18 μην, ἀλλ' ἀχαριστίαν αὐτοῦ μόνον κατεγνωκώς, ἠρέμα πως ὑπο- ψιθυρίσας ὡς καλὸν τῷ θείῳ θελήματι επεσθαι, ἀφῄρει τῆς πό- λεως τὸ περιθαμβὲς καὶ ταραχῶδες, απαντας προτρεψάμενος χω- ρῆσαι τούτου πρὸς ἀπαντήν, ινα μένουσαν σώζῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν ἐμφυλίου αιματος αχραντόν τε καὶ καθαράν. ιστασθαι δέ τινων πρὸς τὰ δεινὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν διὰ μάχης ἀγῶνα παρακελευομένων χωρεῖν, καὶ μένειν αὐτῶν ὑπισχνουμένων βεβαιῶν ὑπὲρ βασιλέως πράου τε καὶ πιστοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς ἀποδεχομένης τοῦτο τῆς γαμετῆς Προκοπίας καὶ Μανουήλ τινος τῶν ἐξ ̓Αμαληκιτῶν πρω- τοστράτορος τηνικαῦτα τυγχάνοντος, οὐκ εφη χρῄζειν τὴν βασι- λείαν αιμασι καταρρεομένην ἀδελφικοῖς. οθεν καί τινι τῶν πρὸς θεραπείαν αὐτοῦ γνησίων παράσημά τινα δοὺς τῆς βασιλείας φοι- τᾶν ἐκεῖσε ἐξεβιάσατο. ἐφ' οις καὶ δεινοπαθήσασα καὶ οιον ἐκ- βακχευθεῖσα ἡ τούτου δὴ γαμετὴ δεινὸν λέγεται ἀνακραγεῖν, εἰ Βάρκα, ουτω δὴ τὸ τοῦ Λέοντος καλέσασα γύναιον, τῇ κεφαλῇ ἐπίθοιτο τὸ μοδίολον. ὁ δὲ στερροῖς λόγοις ταύτην ἐπιρραπίσας, καὶ ολον δὴ ἀναθεὶς ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ, ἐκαραδόκει τὰ μέλλοντα. αρτι γοῦν κατηγγέλλετο τὸν τύραννον εἰσιέναι διὰ πύλης τῆς χρυση- λάτου, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ σύγκλητος κατὰ τὸν θεῖον τοῦ προδρόμου νεών, ον ὁ Στούδιος ἐκ βάθρων ἀνήγειρεν, ἀπήντα καὶ ὑπτίαις ἐδέχετο ταῖς χερσί, προπέμπουσά τε καὶ ἐκθειάζουσα. ὡς δὲ τοῖς βασιλείοις ηγγιζε καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον δὴ τῆς θείας εἰκόνος τοῦ 19 δι' ἡμᾶς ἐνανθρωπήσαντος θεοῦ λόγου, κατὰ τὸν ουτω κατονο- 19 μαζόμενον τόπον Χαλκῆν, εμελλε στῆναι τὰς εὐχὰς ἀποδώσων, ἐπεί τι φοινικοβαφὲς θοιμάτιον κατά τι στρατιωτικὸν εθος αζω- στον ἐπημφίετο (ἀετὸν τοῦτο καλοῦσιν η  θάλασσαν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα κομψοί), τοῦτο μὲν αὐτίκα ἀπαμφιέννυται, καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ τὴν γλῶτταν φέρων παράσημον, ἐπιμελητὴς τῶν τοῦ Λέοντος ιππων τηνικαῦτα τυγχάνων, ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβὼν αὐθωρὸν ἐπαμπίσχεται. εδοξεν ουν τοῦτο τοῖς πολλοῖς οἰωνὸς ἐξ ἐκείνου δεύτερον τῆς βα- σιλείας τυχεῖν. ὡς δὲ κατὰ τὰ Σκῦλα ἐγένοντο, ουτω δή τινα τόπον κατὰ τὰς βασιλείους εἰσόδους λεγόμενον, ἀκρατῶς πως ἐπιρρέων καὶ κατ' ιχνος θέων αὐτοῦ τὸ πρὸς τῇ πέζῃ λῆγον τοῦ ἱματίου ακροις ἐπέβη ποσίν, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸν αἰσθάνεσθαι τὸν Λέοντα καί τινα παράβολον κίνησιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προσδοκᾶν. τοῦτο μὲν ουν υστερον ἐγένετο. 10 Τότε δὲ τοῦ Λέοντος ἐπιφανέντος, Μιχαὴλ αμα παισί τε καὶ γυναικὶ τὴν κόμην ἀποθέμενοι πρὸς τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τεμένισμα, ο  Φάρος κατονομάζεται ἀπὸ τοῦ φῶς ἀνάπτειν πᾶσι καὶ κατὰ τὰς νύκτας χειραγωγεῖν ἐπὶ καταγωγάς τινας