foretold what would happen. But perhaps it is not inopportune to mention this in passing, as it happened thus; but we shall proceed to the next parts of the narrative. 56 On the fifteenth of the month of August, as the emperors were customarily celebrating the feast of the Dormition of the ever-virgin and Theotokos in her all-holy church at Blachernae, towards late evening the attendants of these precious things arrived there and the chest containing the icon and the letter was deposited in the upper oratory of that divine church. And approaching, the emperors venerably kissed it from the outside after prostrating themselves, then, having conveyed it with honor and an escort and numerous torches to the imperial trireme, they arrived with it at the palace and in the divine church there, which is named Pharos, perhaps because it was adorned as if with a bright garment, they deposited it there with extraordinary care. 57 On the following day, which was the sixteenth of the month, having again performed the kiss and the prostration with reverence and piety, and having taken it from there, both the priests and the young emperors; for the elder emperor was left behind at home due to illness, with psalms and hymns and abundant light, placing it again in the imperial trireme by way of the descent to the sea, rowing very close to the city, so that in a way it might gird the city by its journey on the sea, they moored outside the western wall of the city. 58 There, disembarking from the ship and proceeding on foot, both the emperors and all the members of the senatorial council and the leader of the sacred rites with the entire body of the church, with a fitting escort, escorted the vessel that was the guardian of the most holy and precious things, as another ark, or rather, even beyond that, and passed through the area outside the wall as far as the Golden Gate. 59 Then, having entered the city from there, with loud psalmodies and hymns and spiritual songs and the light of countless torches, they completed the journey through the middle of the city, forming a public procession, believing that for this reason the city would partake of sanctification and greater strength and would be preserved unharmed and unravaged for ever. 60 As the idle crowd ran together to the sight, and as long waves of people moved and streamed together from all directions, a certain man, paralyzed in his feet and weak for a long time, leaning on his own servants, rose up to see the divine icon passing by, and at the same time as the sight was miraculously healed and perceived that the ankles of his feet were strengthened, he ran up, walking on his own feet, and kissed the reliquary of the icon and glorified God, relating the miracle that had happened to him. All those present, seeing him and hearing his words, sent up glory to the God over all who always works wonders and marvels. 61 Such an outpouring of tears from joy, and intercession and supplication to God and thanksgiving from the whole city occurred as the divine icon and the venerable letter passed through the middle of the city, as it is not possible to show in words, since words are overcome by the sight. For it is better to see than to hear of matters that are extraordinary, since words are accustomed to come after the deeds. 62 Therefore, having reached the forum before the Augusteion, the leaders of the festival, and turning a little to the left from the straight road, they arrive at the sacred precinct of the temple named after the Divine Wisdom of God and deposit the precious icon and the letter inside the innermost part of the sanctuary. 63 There, after the entire body of the church had prostrated and paid due honors, those conducting the procession went out again from there with the sacred burden and arriving at the imperial palaces in the hall named the Golden Triclinium, upon the imperial throne, on which they were accustomed to deliberate concerning the greatest matters, they temporarily placed the divine icon that it might in every way be sanctified and the

ἐκβησόμενα προεδήλωσεν. ἀλλὰ τούτου μὲν οὕτως συμβάντος μεταξὺ μνησθῆναι ἴσως οὐκ ἄκαιρον· ἐπὶ δὲ τὰ ἐχόμενα τῆς διηγήσεως βαδιούμεθα. 56 τῇ πέμπτῃ ἐπὶ δεκάτῃ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνὸς συνήθως τῶν βασιλέων τὴν ἑορτὴν ἀγόντων τῆς μεταστάσεως τῆς ἀειπαρθένου καὶ θεομήτορος ἐν τῷ πανσέπτῳ ταύτης κατὰ Βλαχέρνας ναῷ, περὶ δείλης ὀψίας κατέλαβον ἐκεῖσε οἱ τῶν τιμίων τούτων διάκονοι καὶ ἀπετέθη ἐν τῷ ὑπερώῳ εὐκτηρίῳ τοῦ τοιούτου θείου ναοῦ ἡ ἔνδον ἔχουσα τὴν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν κιβωτός. καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ βασιλεῖς ἔξωθεν ταύτην σεβασμίως ἠσπάσαντο προσκυνήσαντες, εἶτα μετὰ τιμῆς καὶ δορυφορίας καὶ λαμπάδων συχνῶν πρὸς τὴν βασίλειον τριήρην ταύτην διακομίσαντες σὺν αὐτῇ κατέλαβον τὰ βασίλεια καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐκεῖσε θείῳ ναῷ, ὃς Φάρος ὠνόμασται ἴσως διὰ τὸ οἷον ἱμάτιον λαμπρὸν κεκαλλωπίσθαι, αὐτὸν περιττῶς ταύτην ἀπέθεντο. 57 τῇ δὲ ἱκνουμένῃ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἥτις ἑξκαιδεκάτη τοῦ μηνὸς ἦν, μετ' αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας πάλιν τὸν ἀσπασμὸν καὶ τὴν προσκύνησιν ποιησάμενοι καὶ λαβόντες αὐτὴν ἐκεῖθεν οἵ τε ἱερεῖς καὶ οἱ νεάζοντες βασιλεῖς· ὁ γὰρ γέρων οἰκουρὸς δι' ἀσθένειαν κατελείπετο, μετὰ ψαλμῶν καὶ ὕμνων καὶ δαψιλοῦς τοῦ φωτὸς διὰ τῆς πρὸς θάλασσαν καθόδου εἰς τὴν βασίλειον τριήρην αὖθις ἐνθέμενοι, τῆς πόλεως ἐν χρῷ σχεδὸν τὴν εἰρεσίαν ποιούμενοι, ἵνα τρόπον τινὰ διαζώσῃ τὸ ἄστυ διὰ τῆς ἐν θαλάσσῃ πορείας αὐτῆς, ἐκτὸς τοῦ πρὸς δύσιν τείχους τῆς πόλεως προσωρμίσθησαν. 58 ἔνθα τῆς νεὼς ἐκβάντες πεζοποροῦντες οἵ τε βασιλεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ τῆς γερουσίας βουλῆς καὶ ὁ τῶν ἱερῶν κατάρχων μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πληρώματος τῇ προσηκούσῃ δορυφορίᾳ ὡς ἄλλην κιβωτόν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ταύτην, τὸ τῶν ἁγιωτάτων καὶ τιμίων φρουρὸν σκεῦος παρέπεμπον καὶ τὰ ἐκτὸς τοῦ τείχους μέχρι τῆς Χρυσῆς διελθόντες Πύλης. 59 εἶτα ἐκεῖθεν ἐντὸς γεγονότες τοῦ ἄστεος μετὰ μετεώρων ψαλμῳδιῶν καὶ ὕμνων καὶ ᾠδῶν πνευματικῶν καὶ ἀπείρου λαμπάδων φωτὸς τὴν πάνδημον συγκροτοῦντες παραπομπὴν διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως τῆν πορείαν διήνυον, ἁγιασμοῦ μεταλαβεῖν καὶ κρείττονος σθένους τὴν πόλιν διὰ τοῦτο πιστεύοντες καὶ ἀβλαβῆ καὶ ἀπόρθητον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα συντηρηθήσεσθαι. 60 τοῦ δὲ σχολάζοντος ὄχλου πρὸς τὴν θέαν συντρέχοντος καὶ ὥσπερ κύματα μακρὰ τοῦ δήμου πολλαχόθεν κινουμένου τε καὶ συρρέοντος ἄνθρωπός τις τὰς βάσεις παρειμένος καὶ ἀσθενὴς ἀπὸ χρόνου μακροῦ τοῖς οἰκείοις διακόνοις ἐπερειδόμενος διανέστη πρὸς τὸ τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα διερχομένην ἰδεῖν καὶ ἅμα τῇ θέᾳ παραδόξως ὑγιωθεὶς καὶ γνοὺς ἰσχυροποιηθέντα τῶν βάσεων αὐτοῦ τὰ σφυρὰ προσέδραμεν αὐτοποδὶ βαδίζων καὶ κατησπάζετο τὴν τῆς εἰκόνος σορὸν καὶ ἐμεγάλυνε τὸν θεὸν τὸ θαῦμα τὸ ἐπ' αὐτῷ διηγούμενος. ὃν οἱ συμπαρόντες ἅπαντες θεασάμενοι καὶ τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτοῦ ἐπακούσαντες δόξαν ἀνέπεμψαν τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ τῷ ποιοῦντι ἀεὶ θαυμάσια καὶ ἐξαίσια. 61 τοσαύτη δὲ χύσις δακρύων ὑφ' ἡδονῆς καὶ πρεσβεία καὶ δέησις πρὸς θεὸν καὶ εὐχαριστία παρὰ πάσης τῆς πόλεως γέγονεν τῆς θείας εἰκόνος καὶ τῆς σεβασμίας ἐπιστολῆς διὰ μέσου διερχομένων τοῦ ἄστεος, ὅσην οὐκ ἔνι λόγῳ ἐνδείξασθαι, ὡς ἡττωμένου τοῦ λόγου τῆς ὄψεως. τὰ γὰρ ὑπερβολὴν ἔχοντα τῶν πραγμάτων ὁρᾶν ἐστι μᾶλλον ἢ ἀκούειν καλόν, ἐπεὶ κατόπιν ὁ λόγος τῶν πραγμάτων εἴωθεν ἔρχεσθαι. 62 τὴν πρὸ τοῦ Αὐγουστείου τοίνυν φθάσαντες ἀγορὰν οἱ τῆς πανηγύρεως ἔξαρχοι καὶ τῆς εὐθείας ὁδοῦ μικρὸν πρὸς τὰ λαιὰ παρεκνεύσαντες τὸ τῆς θείας Σοφίας θεοῦ ἐπώνυμον ἱερὸν καταλαμβάνουσι τέμενος καὶ τῶν ἀδύτων τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου ἐντὸς τὴν τιμίαν εἰκόνα καὶ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἀποτίθενται. 63 ἐνταῦθα δὲ παντὸς τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πληρώματος προσκυνήσαντος καὶ τὰ εἰκότα τιμήσαντος ἐξῆλθον πάλιν ἐκεῖθεν μετὰ τοῦ φόρτου τοῦ ἱεροῦ οἱ τελοῦντες τὴν πρόοδον καὶ τὰ τῶν βασιλείων καταλαβόντες ἀνάκτορα ἐν τῷ κατ' ἐπωνυμίαν Τρικλίνῳ Χρυσῷ ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλείου θρόνου, ἐν ᾧ περὶ τῶν μεγίστων χρηματίζειν εἰώθασι, τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα τέως ἱδρύουσιν ἁγιασθῆναι πάντως καὶ τὴν