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safe, an imitation of the one who was and is called in Alexandria, he proceeds, invoking his goodwill. But he, not considering it a good thing to rob from God and make a soul destitute, allowed that one, whom he had placed in exile on the island of Plate, to live in peace, supplying some gold each year, 20 whence they say that having taken the monastic habit and been renamed Athanasius, he survived for thirty-two years. And with him was also Eustratios his son, who was also tonsured and castrated at the age of twenty by order of Leo, and Niketas, who previously, while a boy, administered the office of the *hikanatoi*, since he was indeed friendly to the soldiers and wished to be with those living in the open, and was experienced in many matters, but then he too, having cut his hair, was called Ignatios and happened to be with his father, devoted to the solitary life. And he separated and took away his wife and transferred her to the so-called monastery of Procopia, although Michael had pleaded much that this not happen. And Michael, having departed from this life on the eleventh of the month of January, in the year `6322`, having laid his dust to rest on that same island, was buried on the right side of the church; and Eustratios, having survived five [and ten] years after the death of his father, himself also fell asleep on the fifteenth of the month of January, of the year `6327`, falling on the left side of the church. And Ignatios, previously called Niketas, having been chosen to be patriarch of Constantinople, many years later laid his holy body to rest in the monastery called of Satyros, which he had just built from its foundations. This monastery is also called 'of the Rising Sun' for the following reason. But Satyros, because a short distance from this 21 monastery the old place is named Satyros, where there was a sanctuary built by the Hellenes to the said Satyros, by which homonymy, because the said monastery is nearby, it is called by such a name; from which indeed the emperor Theophilos, who built the Bryas palace, took the material and built it. And 'Rising Sun' for the following reason. When the emperor Nikephoros was once hunting in the parts where the monastery now is, because it was wooded and impassable and suitable for hunting animals, a very large deer appeared and was pursued and captured in that very place where the altar of the monastery is now founded, an old table was found, supported by a column, with this writing on it: 'This is the altar of the Archistrategos Michael of the rising sun, which the Apostle Andrew enthroned.' But this was not then, but much later, after much time had passed. 11 But we must return to the story, and seek the reason which, as if by common consent, persuaded both men, Michael not to resist at all for the empire (for, as the proverb says, there is bile even in an ant), and Leo to mount and boldly dare to seize it. For I would say that this alone is the truest instruction and exercise for political affairs: the clearest cause and the hidden tendency not this way but that, of which every historical book, being deprived and stripped bare, 22 I do not know if it would provide any benefit to its readers. Now Michael had a certain young serving-maid living nearby, who at certain periods, being frenzied and possessed, would become inspired and prophesy, and going to the shore of the Boukoleon, she would shout in a loud voice, 'Come down from there, come down, O Michael, and step away from what belongs to others,' casting her words at this very man. At any rate, this happening many times did not escape the notice even of those who wished to be willfully deaf and to pass their life cheerfully, but it reached at last the royal ears, causing a rumor and a certain kind of inauspicious talk. And he (for everyone is accustomed to unburden what is grievous to their loved ones) to a certain Theodotos of the Melissenos family, who seemed genuine, whose surname was Kassiteras, the substance of the words
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ἀσφαλεῖς, ἀντίμιμον τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ̓Αλεξάνδρειαν οντα τε καὶ λεγόμενον, τὴν αὐτοῦ εὐμένειαν χωρεῖ ἐκκαλούμενος. ὁ δὲ συλῆσαι μὲν ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ ερημον θεῖναι ψυχῆς οὐκ ἐν καλῷ θέμενος, ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἐν τῇ Πλάτῃ νήσῳ ὑπερ- όριον θεὶς ἡσυχάζειν ἐπέτρεψεν, χρυσόν τινα κατ' ετος ἐπιχορη- 20 γῶν, ενθεν καὶ τὸ μοναχικὸν σχῆμα λαβόντα καὶ ̓Αθανάσιον μετο- νομασθέντα ἐπιβιῶναί φασιν ετη δύο καὶ τριάκοντα. συνῆν δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ Εὐστράτιος ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ καὶ ἀποκαρεὶς καὶ εὐνουχι- σθεὶς ων ἐτῶν εικοσι προστάξει τοῦ Λέοντος, καὶ Νικήτας, ος πρότερον μὲν παῖς ων τὴν τῶν ἱκανάτων διεῖπεν ἀρχήν, ατε δὴ φίλιος τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ διάγουσιν ειναί τε θέλων καὶ τῶν πολλῶν πραγμάτων εμπειρος, τότε δὲ τὴν κόμην καὶ αὐ- τὸς ἀποθέμενος ̓Ιγνάτιος ἐκαλεῖτο καὶ τῷ πατρὶ συνεῖναι ἐτύγχανεν τῷ μονήρη βίῳ προσκείμενος. τὴν δ' αὐτοῦ σύνευνον ἀπεσχοίνισε καὶ ἀπέσπασε καὶ πρὸς τὴν μονὴν τὴν ουτω λεγομένην Προκοπίας μετέθηκεν, καίτοι γε τοῦτο μὴ γενέσθαι πολλὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἱκε- τεύσαντος. καὶ ὁ μὲν Μιχαὴλ τοῦ βίου εξω γενόμενος μηνὶ ̓Ια- νουαρίῳ ιαʹ, ετει ϛτβʹ, τὸν χοῦν ἀποθέμενος ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ νήσῳ, ἐν τῷ δεξιῷ μέρει τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐτέθαπτο· ὁ Εὐστράτιος δὲ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς τελευτὴν ετη ἐπιβιοὺς πέντε [καὶ δέκα] καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκοιμήθη κατὰ τὴν ιεʹ τοῦ ̓Ιανουαρίου μηνός, ετους ϛτζʹ, ἐν τῷ εὐωνύμῳ μέρει τῆς ἐκκλησίας πεσών. ὁ δὲ ̓Ιγνάτιος ὁ καὶ πρότε- ρον Νικήτας καλούμενος, τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως πρόεδρος ειναι λαχών, πολλοῖς υστερον χρόνοις ἐν τῇ μονῇ καλουμένῃ Σατύρου, ην αρτι ἐκ βάθρων δειμάμενος ετυχεν, τὸ ἱερὸν αὐτοῦ σῶμα κατέ- θηκεν. αυτη δὲ ἡ μονὴ καὶ τοῦ ̓Ανατέλλοντος κέκληται τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ἀλλὰ Σάτυρος μέν, οτι ἐκ μικροῦ διαστήματος τῆς τοι- 21 αύτης μονῆς ὁ παλαιὸς ὀνομάζεται Σάτυρος, ἐν ῳ ην ἱερὸν παρὰ τῶν ̔Ελλήνων οἰκοδομηθὲν τῷ αὐτῷ Σατύρῳ, ου καθ' ὁμωνυμίαν, διὰ τὸ πλησίον ειναι τὴν εἰρημένην μονήν, τῷ τοιούτῳ καλεῖται ὀνόματι· ἐξ ουπερ καὶ ὁ τοῦ Βρύου παλάτια κτίσας Θεόφιλος βα- σιλεὺς τὴν υλην ἀφελόμενος ταῦτα ἐδείματο. ̓Ανατέλλων δὲ δι' αἰτίαν τοιαύτην. κυνηγετοῦντί ποτε Νικηφόρῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν οις ἀρτίως ἐστὶν ἡ μονὴ μέρεσι, διὰ τὸ ἀλσώδη καὶ δύσβατον ειναι καὶ πρὸς θήραν ζῴων ἐπιτηδείαν, ἐλάφου μεγίστης φανείσης καὶ καταδιωκομένης καὶ χειρωθείσης ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ ἐν ῳ νῦν τὸ τῆς μονῆς θυσιαστήριον ιδρυται, εὑρέθη τράπεζα παλαιὰ ὑπὸ κίονος βασταζομένη, γράφουσα ουτως "τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ θυσιαστή- ριον τοῦ ἀρχιστρατήγου Μιχαὴλ τοῦ ἀνατέλλοντος, οπερ ἐνεθρό- νισεν ὁ ἀπόστολος ̓Ανδρέας." ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οὐ τότε, χρόνου δὲ παρεληλυθότος πολλοῦ υστερον. 11 ̓Επανακτέον δὲ τὸν λόγον, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ζητητέον τὴν ουτως ὡς ἐξ ὁμολόγου πείσασαν ἀμφοτέρους, τὸν μὲν Μιχαὴλ μηδ' ολως ὑπὲρ τῆς βασιλείας ἀντισχεῖν (ενεστι γάρ, ὡς ἡ παροι- μία, κἀν μύρμηκι χολή), τὸν Λέοντα δὲ θαρρούντως ἐπιβῆναι καὶ κατατολμῆσαι αὐτῆς. καὶ γὰρ ταύτην μόνην ειποιμι αν ἐγὼ ειναι ἀληθινωτάτην παιδείαν τε καὶ γυμνασίαν πρὸς τὰς πολιτικὰς πράξεις, τὴν ἐναργεστάτην αἰτίαν καὶ τὸ μὴ τήνδε ἀλλὰ τήνδε ἐπικεκαλυμμένην καταφοράν, ης πᾶσα δὴ βίβλος ἱστορικὴ στερου- 22 μένη καὶ ἀπογυμνουμένη οὐκ οιδ' ει τινα ονησιν παράσχοι τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν. ὑπῆρχε δὲ Μιχαὴλ θεραπαινίδιόν τι πρόσοικον, ο κατά τινας ἐκβακχευόμενόν τε καὶ ἐνεργούμενον περιόδους ἀπε- φοίβαζέ τε καὶ ἐμαντεύετο, καὶ πρὸς τῷ τοῦ Βουκολέοντος αἰγια- λῷ προσφοιτῶν "κατάβηθι ἐκεῖθεν, κατάβηθι," γεγωνότερον, "ω Μιχαήλ," ἐπεβόα, "καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἀφίστασο," πρὸς αὐτὸν δὴ τοῦτον ἀπορριπτοῦσα φωνάς. οὐκ ελαθε γοῦν τοῦτο πολλάκις γενόμενον οὐδὲ τοὺς ἐθελοκωφεῖν ἐθέλοντας καὶ τὸν βίον παρα- πέμπειν εὐφρόσυνον, ἀλλ' εφθασεν ὀψὲ γοῦν εἰς τὰς βασιλικὰς ἀκοάς, θροῦν καὶ λαλιάν τινα οὐκ ευελπιν ἐμποιοῦν. καὶ ος (φιλεῖ γὰρ εκαστος τὸ λυποῦν ἐκπομπεύειν τοῖς φιλουμένοις) Θεο- δότῳ τινὶ τῷ κατὰ τὸν Μελισσηνὸν γνησίῳ δοκοῦντι, ῳ ἐπώνυμον ὁ Κασσιτερᾶς, τὰ τῶν λόγων