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they were not at all able to remain by themselves, but even rose up and thought to have the army in their hands. So when night came on, Leo came down from the ambush upon them, being unsuspecting of evils, and joining battle with men naked of arms and undone by sleep and by confidence in the emperor's flight, he wrought so much destruction and slaughter, the Romans having poured out from all sides at the signal, as to take the entire camp and not even a torch-bearer, as the saying goes, was saved. Not only that, but having made every age group plunder from the raid and foray, and dashing their children against the rocks and the ground, he quickly reached his own territory. Whence from that time that hill was named Leo's; and the Bulgarians who always pass by there, shaking their heads, point with their fingers, and in no way forget the evils of that time. 14 This success, at any rate, made him somehow bolder and more reckless, and dashed him into his inborn cruelty. For to him there was no difference between a small and a great offense, 26 but against all who were caught in any transgression, there was one sentence: to be mutilated of any necessary limb and to be put on display, hung up in the sight of all. these things which he had done to all men, engendered in them a hatred for him and a terrible enmity; for to those on whom he practiced his unmixed native savagery, not one that was chastened and tending toward the gentler, pitilessly debasing their kindred nature, he procured hatred as his wage, not friendship. 15 So he was doing these things, and he calls to mind the monk at Philomelion, and he decides to reward him for his prophecy, sending him certain thank-offerings, ostensibly asking for victories for the empire. But that one had already departed from among men; but a certain wicked and malicious demon (for I would not call this one a man, who confounded and disturbed everything and, like the ancient serpent, poured venom into the ears of the wretched Leo, whose whole mind was possessed by ignorance) took up residence in the old man's little dwelling under a pretense of piety. This man was called Symbatios, who, reproaching the imperial messenger much, and speaking ill-omened things against the emperor to his face and not under his breath, indeed beseeched him to speak out without holding anything back, saying that "your reign will not be for long if you hold to idols (O , that accursed tongue!) and dare to revere those things worshipped by the pard, 27 and the maenad, and the troubler," thus with unbridled tongue calling the empress Irene and Tarasios, who is among the saints, in connection with the divine icons. But Leo, the true idol of demons, the slave of ignorance, more silent than a shadow, when he should have made light of these things, or if not that, at least to have made a public show and spectacle of them to the one who directs the reins of the church, and to convene a synod to investigate great matters in a great way, but not to men thinking nothing sound, nor looking out for his interests (alas for friendship with deceit!) but their own, and managing them beforehand, communicates to his beloved Kassiteras, and brings what was sent to light for him. But he, not healing evil with evil and madness with madness but stirring it up, recognizes another certain man, held by the same opinion concerning the divine icons, who was dwelling in the quarter of Maurianus, and chattering about certain endless and lofty things and affirming that this one was more than a messenger: "Therefore, O emperor, use this man as your mystagogue concerning such matters; and whatever he should tell you, in doing it you will not err from what is necessary." (16) So when he had finished the matters of the counsel, he decided to run to the monk, and having drenched him with nonsense, he added that "during the coming night, having taken on the guise of a private citizen, I myself will bring the emperor here to you, to consult concerning faith and other not-to-be-despised matters." Therefore promise that this one will direct the empire for seventy-two 28 years,

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μένειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν οὐδ' ολως ἐδύναντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεξανίσταντο καὶ ἐπὶ χεῖρας ῳοντο τὸ στράτευμα εχειν. νυκτὸς ουν ἐπιγενομένης κάτεισιν ἐκ τοῦ λόχου ὁ Λέων ἀπροσδοκήτοις ουσι κακῶν, καὶ συμμίξας αὐτοῖς ἀνδρά- σιν οπλων γυμνοῖς καὶ διαλελυμένοις υπνῳ τε καὶ θάρρει τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως φυγῆς τοσοῦτον ἐνειργάσατο φθόρον καὶ φόνον πάντοθεν ἐκχυθέντων τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων κατὰ τὸ σύνθημα, ὡς πανδημεὶ αἱρῆ- σαι τὸ στρατόπεδον καὶ μηδὲ πυρφόρον, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, δια- σωθῆναι. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν ἐκ καταδρομῆς τε καὶ προνομῆς ἀνάρπαστον θείς, καὶ τὰ τέκνα τούτων ταῖς πέτραις καὶ τῇ γῇ προσκροτῶν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κατέλαβεν ἐν τάχει. οθεν εκτοτε ἐκεῖνος ὁ βουνὸς Λέοντος ἐπωνομάσθη· καὶ οἱ ἀεὶ ἐκεῖσε διαβιβα- ζόμενοι τῶν Βουλγάρων τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐπισείοντες δακτυλοδεικτοῦσι, καὶ λήθην λαμβάνουσι τῶν τότε κακῶν οὐδαμῶς. 14 Τοῦτο γοῦν θρασύτερόν πως αὐτὸν καὶ ἰταμώτερον ἐνειργάσατο τὸ προτέρημα, καὶ εἰς τὴν σύντροφον ὠμότητα ἐναπ- έρραξε. μικροῦ γὰρ καὶ μείζονος οὐκ ην αὐτῷ διαφορὰ ἁμαρ- 26 τήματος, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πάντων ἐφ' ῳ  τινὶ καταλαμβανομένων μία ψῆφος, τὸ ἀκρωτηριάζεσθαι τῶν ἀναγκαίων μέλος ὁποιονοῦν καὶ πάντων ἐπ' οψεσι τίθεσθαι ἐκκρεμές. α  καὶ πᾶσι πεποιηκότων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐνέτικτον μῖσος δὴ τούτου καὶ δεινὴν ἀπέχθειαν· οις γὰρ ακρατον τὴν ἐγχώριον θηριωδίαν ἐνήσκησεν, ἀλλ' οὐ κε- κολασμένην τινὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸ πραότερον ἀπονεύουσαν, τὴν συγγε- νίδα φύσιν ἐκφαυλίζων ἀνηλεῶς, μισθὸν τὸ εχθος ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν φιλίαν ἠμπόλησεν. 15 Ταῦτ' ουν επραττεν, καὶ κατὰ νοῦν λαμβάνει τὸν ἐπὶ τῷ Φιλομηλίῳ μονάζοντα, καὶ ἀμείβεσθαί οἱ δοκεῖ τῆς προρ- ρήσεως, εὐχαριστήριά τινα προπέμπων αὐτῷ, τὰς τοῦ κράτους νίκας δῆθεν αἰτῶν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν ηδη φθάσας ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο, πονηρὸς δέ τις δαίμων καὶ βάσκανος (οὐ γὰρ ανθρωπον τοῦτον καλέσαιμι τὸν πάντα συγχέαντα καὶ ταράξαντα καὶ κατὰ τὸν παλαιὸν οφιν τὸν ἰὸν τοῖς τοῦ ταλαιπώρου Λέοντος ὠσὶν ἐγχέαντα, ἀνεπίστατον κεκτημένου ολον τὸν νοῦν) τῷ τοῦ γέροντος οἰκίσκῳ ἐν εὐλαβείας προσχήματι ἐγκατέλαβεν. Συμβάτιος ουτος ἐλέγετο, ος τὸν βασιλικὸν αγγελον πολλὰ προσονειδίζων, καὶ δύσφημα κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς πρόσωπον ἀλλ' οὐχ ὑπὸ κόλπον λαλῶν, η μὴν ἐξελιπάρει μηδὲν καθυποστελλόμενον ἐξειπεῖν ὡς οὐκ εσται σοι τὸ βασιλεύειν ἐπὶ πολὺ εἰδώλοις (ω  τῆς καταράτου γλώσσης ἐκείνης) προσανέχοντι καὶ τολμῶντι τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς παρ- 27 δοῦς καὶ θυάδος καὶ ταραξίου σεβομένοις, τὴν βασιλεύσασαν Εἰ- ρήνην καὶ τὸν ἐν ἁγίοις Ταράσιον ἀφέτῳ γλώττῃ περὶ τῶν θείων εἰκόνων ουτως ἀποκαλῶν. ὁ δὲ Λέων, τὸ οντως δαιμόνων ειδω- λον, τὸ τῆς ἀμαθίας ἀνδράποδον, τὸ τῆς σκιᾶς ἀφωνότερον, δέον τούτων κατολιγωρῆσαι, η  εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἐκπομπεύειν γοῦν καὶ θεατρίζειν ταῦτα τῷ τὰς τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡνίας ἰθύνοντι, καὶ σύνο- δον συγκροτῆσαι περὶ μεγάλων μεγάλως ἀνερευνῶν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνδράσι μηδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦσι, μηδὲ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ (φεῦ τῆς μετὰ δόλου φιλίας) ἀλλὰ τὰ οἰκεῖα προμηθουμένων καὶ προδιοικουμέ- νων, τῷ φιλουμένῳ ἀνακοινοῦται Κασσιτερᾷ, καὶ τὰ ἀπεσταλμένα αγει τούτῳ εἰς φῶς. ὁ δὲ κακῷ τὸ κακὸν καὶ λύσσῃ λύσσαν οὐ θεραπεύων ἀλλ' ἐπεγείρων, ετερόν τινα τῇ ὁμοίᾳ δόξῃ περὶ τῶν θείων εἰκόνων ἐνισχημένον κατὰ τοῦ Μαυριανοῦ εμβολον ἐνσκη- νοῦντα ἀναγνωρίζει, ἀπέραντά τινα καὶ μετέωρα λεσχηνεύων καὶ ὑπεράγγελον τοῦτον ειναι διαβεβαιούμενος· "τούτῳ ουν, ω βασι- λεῦ, χρῶ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων μυσταγωγῷ· καὶ ο  αν ειποι σοι ποιῶν οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεις τοῦ δέοντος." (16) ὡς ουν ἐπεράνατο τὰ τῆς συμβουλῆς, μεταθέειν εγνω πρὸς τὸν μονάζοντα, καὶ τοῦτον καταντλήσας ταῖς φλυαρίαις προσέθηκεν ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα, ἰδιώτου σχῆμα ἀναλαβόμενον, αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα βασιλέα ἀγάγω σοι, περί τε πίστεως καὶ αλλων οὐκ εὐκαταφρονήτων πρα- γμάτων συμβουλευόμενον. τοῦτον ουν ετη δύο καὶ ἑβδομήκοντα 28 τὴν βασιλείαν κατευθυνεῖν καθυπισχνοῦ,