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to keep silence, since he was necessarily excessively wary of the things against the emperor. But these things had no effect on his improvement, as he was carried away intemperately by his lack of education; and when these things were reported to the emperor once, twice, and many times, but he was found difficult to cure or incurable, he made Exaboulios guarantee in writing that he would henceforth keep absolutely none of his nonsense secret, but would lay everything bare to him. But when the braggart did not cease his chatter, he immediately reported him to the emperor as being guilty of the same shamelessness. And indeed, on an appointed day before the birth in the flesh of Christ our God, the proofs of the charges brought against him were introduced openly, with the emperor examining the case against him with much scrutiny in the hall of the asekreteis. Michael was therefore convicted of tyranny; he confessed openly, stung by the clarity of the accusers, and the emperor commanded some of the guards to seize him by the hands and lead him away to the palace bath, to bind him †like an ape† and tie him to a pole, and to place him beside the furnace fire to be consumed. 1.18 When the royal decree had thus been issued, the emperor was eager to watch what was to be done. But the Augusta Theodosia, the daughter of the patrician and quaestor Arsaber, met him unsummoned, to accuse the emperor of blood-guiltiness and barbarity, and of not having the fear of God in his heart at all, and of not blushing at all on the feast day, on which he had chosen to receive the divine communion with stained hands, and to advise that Michael be kept imprisoned, and that then his case and that of those who shared his password should receive further examination, and only then be subjected to punishment. Therefore, having heard such words, the emperor ordered the accused to be freed from immediate execution, and addressed his wife as follows: "O woman, today you have freed my soul from the judgment of the next world, and you will perhaps soon deprive me of my life; but you and our children will see the outcome." And in this he feared what was to come. For the time of his death had been revealed to him from a certain symbolic book, which enigmatically stated that between the letters chi and phi the end of the beast Leo was pierced by a sword, that is, <between> the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany, the beast-like Leo himself would be killed. But also the name of his killer from a divinely-sent dream (for a short while before he had seen the patriarch Tarasios openly denouncing the rewards of his wickedness, and sternly commanding a certain Michael to destroy him, who, obeying the one who ordered him, struck him and, casting him down half-dead, left him. Having woken up and being seized with great fear, he revealed what he had seen to his own wife), and likewise also from what was said to him by the patrician Bardanios from the monk in Philomelion, and from the change of clothing and the putting on of garments. Nevertheless, having summoned the papias, he handed him over to be guarded securely in a certain room of those who sweep the palace, having secured him with iron fetters, the key of which he kept hidden in his undergarment, entrusting it to no one else. 1.19 At about the third hour of the night, the emperor, rising from his bedchamber, powerfully broke down all the doors leading to the chamber of the papias; for he was very strong and bold-hearted. And entering, he found Michael sleeping in the bed of the papias, and the papias sleeping beside him on the ground. And leaning over Michael, he carefully felt his chest with his hand, what sort of impulse it gave off, whether troubled or untroubled. And when he realized that he had not noticed his touch, he was greatly amazed at his carefree deep sleep, shaking his own head and inferring dire things, and as he left, with a great gesture of his hand he signified his anger against the papias on account of both of them, the

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σιωπὴν ἄγειν, ἐξ ἀναγκαίου τῶν κατὰ βασιλέως ἄγαν εὐλαβουμένῳ. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὐδὲν αὐτῷ πρὸς καταρτισμὸν διενήργητο, ἐξ ἀπαιδευσίας ἀκρατῶς φερομένῳ· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις περὶ αὐτῶν ἐδηλοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ, αὐτὸς δὲ δυσίατος ἢ ἀνίατος εὕρητο, διὰ χειρογράφου κατεγγυᾶται τὸν Ἐξαβούλιον ὡς μηδὲν αὐτοῦ τὸ παράπαν τοῦ λοιποῦ διαπαρασιωπῆσαι τῶν ληρημάτων, ἀλλὰ πάντα προὖπτα θέσθαι ἑαυτῷ. ὡς δ' οὐκ ἐνεδίδου γλωσσηματίζων ὁ ἀλαζών, αὐτίκα τοῦτον κατάδηλον τίθησι βασιλεῖ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀναιδείας μεταποιούμενον. καὶ δὴ ῥητῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν πρὸ τῆς Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν κατὰ σάρκα γεννήσεως, εἰς τοὐμφανὲς τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ κινουμένων οἱ ἔλεγχοι παρεισέθεον, περὶ τὸν τῶν ἀσηκρητείων χῶρον τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ἐπὶ τούτῳ κατὰ δοκιμασίαν πολλὴν ἀνετάζοντος. οὐκοῦν ἐλέγχεται Μιχαὴλ τυραννίδα, κατατίθεται φανερῶς ἐναργείᾳ τῶν κατηγόρων νυττόμενος, καί τισι τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐγκελεύεται αὐτὸν ταῖν χεροῖν λαβέσθαι καὶ ἀπαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ τοῦ παλατίου λουτρόν, †πιθήκιόν† τε δεσμῆσαι ἐνεῖραί τε πρὸς κοντὸν καὶ τῷ καμινιαίῳ πυρὶ παρατιθέναι ἀνάλωμα. 1.18 Τοῦ δὲ βασιλικοῦ διατάγματος οὕτω προβιβασθέντος, θεάσασθαι τὸ τελεσθησόμενον προτεθύμητο βασιλεύς. συνηντήκει δὲ αὐτῷ ἡ αὐγούστα Θεοδοσία ἀσύμβουλος, τὸ τοῦ Ἀρσαβὴρ πατρικίου καὶ κοιαίστωρος θυγάτριον, τοῦ βασιλέως κατηγορῆσον μιαιφονίαν καὶ βαρβαρότητα, καὶ μηδ' ὅλως τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δέος τοῦτον ἔχειν ἐγκάρδιον, καὶ κατὰ μηδὲν ἠρυθριακότα ἡμέραν τὴν ἑορτάσιμον, καθ' ἣν κεχραμμένον τὰς χεῖρας ᾑρῆσθαι τὴν θείαν κοινωνίαν εἰσδέξασθαι, συμβουλευσόμενόν τε τὸν Μιχαὴλ τηρηθῆναι κατάκλειστον, εἶθ' οὕτως τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν πλείονος τυχεῖν ἀνετάσεως καὶ τοὺς κεκοινωνηκότας αὐτῷ τοῦ συνθήματος, καὶ τηνικαῦτα τιμωρίαις ὑπάγεσθαι. τῶν οὖν τοιούτων λόγων ἐπῃσθημένος ὁ βασιλεὺς προσέταξε τὸν ὑπεύθυνον ἐλευθεριάσαι τῆς αὐθώρου ὑπεξελεύσεως, καὶ τοιαῦτα τῇ γαμετῇ προσφωνεῖ· ὦ γύναι, τὴν μὲν ἐμὴν ψυχὴν τῆς ἐκεῖθεν σήμερον δίκης ἀπήλλαξας, καὶ τῆς ζωῆς με συντόμως ἴσως στερήσεις· σὺ δὲ καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἠμῶν θεάσεσθε τὸ ἀποβησόμενον. καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸ μέλλον ἀπεφοίβασεν. ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἔκ τινος συμβολικῆς βίβλου ὁ ἀναιρέσιμος χρόνος μεμυημένος, αἰνιγματιζούσης μεταξὺ τοῦ τε χ καὶ φ τῶν στοιχείων τὴν κατακλεῖδα λέοντος θηρὸς ξίφει διαπερονηθεῖσαν, ἤτοι <μεταξὺ> Χριστοῦ τῆς γεννήσεως καὶ τῶν Φώτων αὐτὸν ἀναι ρεθῆναι τὸν θηριότροπον Λέοντα· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ κλῆσις τοῦ ἀναιρήσοντος ἐκ θεοπέμπτου ὀνείρατος (ἑωράκει γοῦν πρὸ μικροῦ τὸν πατριάρχην Ταράσιον δυσφημοῦντα μετὰ παρρησίας τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐπίχειρα, πρός τινά τε Μιχαὴλ αὐστηρῶς παρακελευόμενον ἀναλῶσαι αὐτόν, ὃς τῷ προστάττοντι εὐπειθήσας γε ἔπληξεν ἡμιθανῆ τε κρημνίσας κατέλιπεν. ἔξυπνος δὴ γεγονὼς καὶ πολλῷ συσχεθεὶς δείματι τὸ ὁραθὲν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γαμετῇ παρεδήλωσεν), ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ῥηθέντος αὐτῷ διὰ τοῦ πατρικίου Βαρδανίου παρὰ τοῦ ἐν τῷ Φιλομηλίῳ μονάζοντος, ἔκ τε τῆς μεταμφιάσεως καὶ ἐπιβάσεως τῶν ἐσθήτων. ὅμως μετακαλεσάμενος τὸν παπίαν, τοῦτον ἀσφαλῶς τηρεῖν πρός τι οἴκημα τῶν τὸ παλάτιον σαρούντων ἐκδέδωκεν, σιδηροπέδαις ἀσφαλισάμενος, ὧν τὴν κλεῖδα ἐν τῷ ὑπενδύτῃ αὐτοῦ ἀπόθετον διεφρούρει, τῶν ἄλλων μηδενὶ ταύτην πεπιστευκώς. 1.19 Περὶ γοῦν νυκτερινὴν γʹ ὥραν ἀπαναστὰς τοῦ κοιτῶνος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς ἀπαγούσας πρὸς τὴν τοῦ παπίου σκηνὴν πάσας θύρας εὐσθενῶς κατηδάφισεν· ἦν γὰρ εὐσθενὴς πάνυ καὶ θρασυκάρδιος. καὶ εἰσιών γε καταλαμβάνει τὸν Μιχαὴλ εἰς τὴν τοῦ παπίου κλίνην καθεύδοντα, χαμαὶ δὲ τὸν παπίαν παρευναζόμενον. καὶ περὶ τὸν Μιχαὴλ κύψας παλάμῃ τὰ στήθη αὐτοῦ διηκρίβαζεν, ὁποίαν ἀφίησι ῥοπήν, μεριμνητικὴν ἢ ἀμέριμνον. ὡς δὲ τοῦτον τῆς ἁφῆς μὴ ἐπῃσθημένον συνέγνω, πάνυ ἐτεθαυμάκει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀφρόντιδι αὐτοῦ ἀφυπνώσει, διανεύων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλὴν καὶ χαλεπὰ τεκμαιρόμενος, καὶ διεξιὼν μεγάλως τῇ χειρὶ κατὰ τοῦ παπίου τὸν θυμὸν συμβολαιωσάμενος ἀμφοτέροις τὴν