that there were many for her in the chest, and she places these on our head and face after 629 the kisses. These things drove the emperor to madness; but being unable to do anything to her, he only cut off the visit of his daughters to their grandmother. 7. Things similar to these also happened to the empress Theodora. There was a certain deranged little man belonging to the emperor, in no way different from the Homeric Thersites (Denderis was his name), who uttered unintelligible things and provoked laughter and lived in the palace for the sake of amusement. This man, then, having once burst into the Augusta's little bedroom, caught her surrounded by holy icons and bringing them eagerly to her own eyes. Seeing these before her eyes, this madman asked what they were, and he came closer; and she said, "my beautiful little dolls, and I love them very much." At that time the emperor was dining at the table, and indeed he asked him, when he immediately came over, where he had been. And he said he had been with "mamma," thus speaking of Theodora, and had seen her taking beautiful dolls from under the pillow. The emperor therefore understood, and becoming full of wrath, as he rose from the table, he went to her, both pouring out many other insults upon her and with unbridled tongue calling her a worshipper of idols; and at the same time he inquired about the madman's words. But she, for a time concealing her anger in her breast, readily said, "It is not this, O emperor, not this, as you have supposed. But I was gazing at my mirror with my handmaidens, and seeing the forms 630 produced there, Denderis came and foolishly reported them to his master and emperor." Thus, then, for the time being she quenched his anger; but after not many days, having subjected Denderis to discipline, she persuaded him to be prudent, speaking thus and teaching him never to say anything to anyone about the beautiful little dolls. And once at a drinking party, Theophilos, boasting and mocking his mistress, asked him about her, whether "mamma" was again kissing the beautiful little dolls. But he, placing his right hand on his lips, and with his left grabbing his hind parts, replied, "Hush, hush about the dolls, O emperor," said the madman. 8. In his 3rd year, he made Alexios the Armenian, surnamed Mousele, who was exceedingly brave and strong, his son-in-law through his daughter Maria, and made him a patrician, and then also a magistros. But having some suspicions about him, that he was aspiring to the empire, he sends him as general and doux of Sicily. But as envy travails, certain Sicilians came up and slandered him to the emperor, that he was betraying the affairs of the Christians to the Hagarenes, and was plotting against your reign. In the meantime, the emperor's daughter Maria having died, the emperor decorated her sarcophagus with silver, and established a charter of freedom for those taking refuge in it; which silver Leo the emperor afterwards removed. 9. In his 4th year, the emperor gives his own safe-conduct to Theodore the archbishop, the so-called 631 Krithinos, who was in the city at the time of the slander of Alexios, and sends him to Sicily to give a word of immunity to Alexios and to bring him to him; and when he came, the emperor, having beaten him as a rebel, put him in prison, having confiscated all his property. Theodore, therefore, knowing this, was distressed and vexed; and a little later, when the emperor had gone to Blachernae, he went beforehand and stood before the altar, dressed in his priestly vestment, and when the emperor approached the solea, he cried out with a loud voice, "Draw thy sword and prosper and reign; for the sake of what, O emperor?" Therefore the emperor, respecting the senate, said, "For the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness." And he said, "And what righteousness is in you? For having given a signed word to Alexios through me, you did not keep it." But the emperor, moved by uncontrollable anger and wrath, forcibly dragged him from the altar and, having inflicted no moderate blows, exiled him, not only because he was refuted by him, but because he also learned
πολλὰ εἶναι αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸ κιβώτιον, καὶ ταῦτα τῇ κεφαλῇ τε καὶ τῷ προσώπῳ ἡμῶν ἐπιτίθησι μετὰ 629 τὰ φιλήματα. ταῦτα τὸν βασιλέα εἰς μανίαν ἦγεν· μηδὲν δὲ δρᾶσαι δυνάμενος αὐτῇ, μόνην ἀπέτεμεν τὴν πρὸς τὴν μάμμην τῶν τούτου θυγατέρων ἄφιξιν. 7. Τούτοις ἀδελφὰ καὶ τῇ βασιλίδι Θεοδώρᾳ συμβέβηκεν. ὑπῆρχέ τι τῷ βασιλεῖ παρακεκομμένον ἀνδράριον, τῷ Ὁμηρικῷ Θερσίτῃ διενηνοχὸς κατ' οὐδέν (∆ένδερις ὄνομα τούτῳ), ἄσημά τε φθεγγόμενον καὶ γέλωτας κινοῦν καὶ θυμηδίας ἕνεκεν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐνδιαιτώμενον. οὗτος γοῦν εἰσπηδήσας ποτὲ κατὰ τὸν τῆς Αὐγούστης κοιτωνίσκον κατέλαβεν αὐτὴν θείας εἰκόνας ἐμπεριειλημμένην καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῆς ὄμμασι μετὰ σπουδῆς προσαγούσης. ταύτας ὑπ' ὄψιν ἰδὼν οὗτος ὁ παραπαίων τί τε εἶεν ἐπυνθάνετο, καὶ πλησιέστερον διέβαινεν· ἡ δέ "τὰ καλά μου" ἔφησεν οὕτως "νινία, καὶ ἀγαπῶ ταῦτα πολλά." κατὰ τὴν τράπεζαν τηνικαῦτα εἱστιᾶτο ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ δὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐθὺς διαβάντα εἴρετο αὐτὸν ὅποι ποτὲ ἐτύγχανεν ὤν. ὁ δὲ παρὰ τὴν μάναν ἔφησεν εἶναι, τὴν Θεοδώραν οὕτω λέγων, καὶ θεάσασθαι ἐν αὐτῇ καλὰ νία τοῦ προσκεφαλαίου ἐξαίρουσαν. συνῆκεν οὖν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς γεγονώς, ὡς ἐξανέστη τῆς τραπέζης, πρὸς τὴν ἀπῄει, ἄλλαις τε πολλαῖς ὕβρεσιν αὐτὴν ἐπαντλῶν καὶ εἰδώλων λάτριν ἀκολάστῳ γλώττῃ ταύτην ἀποκαλῶν· καὶ ἅμα διεζήτει τοὺς λόγους τοῦ παραπαίοντος. ἡ δὲ τέως τὸν θυμὸν κατὰ στέρνων κύουσα "οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν" ἐξ ἑτοίμου ἔλεγεν, "ὦ βασιλεῦ, οὐ τοῦτο, ὡς ὑπείληφας σύ. τὸ δὲ κάτοπτρόν μου ἤμην ἀτενίζουσα μετὰ τῶν θεραπαινίδων, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖσε τικτομένας ἰδὼν ὁ 630 ∆ένδερις μορφὰς ἐλθὼν ἀπήγγειλεν ἀφρόνως τῷ δεσπότῃ καὶ βασιλεῖ." οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐκείνου τέως κατέσβεσε τὸν θυμόν· τὸν ∆ένδεριν δὲ μετ' οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας παιδείᾳ καθυποβαλοῦσα πέπεικε σωφρονεῖν, οὕτω πως ἐπιλέγουσα καὶ διδάσκουσα ὡς μήποτε λέγειν περὶ τῶν καλῶν νινίων τινί. καί ποτε παρὰ πότον ἐγκαυχώμενος καὶ τῆς δεσποίνης κατεπαιρόμενος ὁ Θεόφιλος ἠρώτα τοῦτον περὶ αὐτῆς, εἰ πάλιν ἄρα τὰ καλὰ νινία ἡ μάνα ἀσπάζεται. ὁ δὲ τοῖς χείλεσι τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα ἐπιθείς, καὶ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ τῶν ὄπισθεν μερῶν ἐπιλαβόμενος, "σίγα, σίγα περὶ τῶν νινίων, ὦ βασιλεῦ," ἀντέφησεν ὁ παραπαίων. 8. Τῷ γʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει, Ἀλέξιον τὸν Ἀρμένιον, ᾧ ἐπώνυμον Μουσελέ, λίαν ἀνδρεῖον ὄντα καὶ ῥωμαλέον εἰσεποιήσατο γαμβρὸν εἰς Μαρίαν τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πατρίκιον ἐποίησεν, εἶτε καὶ μάγιστρον. ὑπολήψεις δέ τινας ἐπ' αὐτῷ σχὼν ὡς ὀρεγομένῳ τῆς βασιλείας, στρατηγὸν καὶ δοῦκα Σικελίας πέμπει. οἷα δὲ ὁ φθόνος ὠδίνει, Σικελοί τινες ἀνελθόντες διέβαλον τοῦτον τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς τὰ μὲν τῶν Χριστιανῶν Ἀγαρηνοῖς προδίδωσι, κατὰ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας σου μελετᾷ. ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Μαρίας τεθνηκυίας, ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν λάρνακα ταύτης ἐξ ἀργύρου ἐκόσμησε, καὶ τόμον ἐλευθερίας τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ προσφεύγουσι τέθεικεν· ὅνπερ ἄργυρον Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνείλετο. 9. Τῷ δʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει Θεόδωρον τὸν ἀρχιεπίσκοπον τὸν λεγό 631 μενον Κρίθινον, ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς διαβολῆς Ἀλεξίου ἐν τῇ πόλει ὄντα, δίδωσιν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ ἴδιον φυλακτόν, καὶ ἀποστέλλει εἰς Σικελίαν δοῦναι λόγον ἀπαθείας Ἀλεξίῳ καὶ ἀγαγεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν· ὃν καὶ ἐλθόντα ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡς ἀντάρτην τύψας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν, τὰ αὐτοῦ πάντα δημεύσας. Θεόδωρος οὖν τοῦτο εἰδὼς ἤσχαλλε καὶ ἐδυσφόρει· καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν Βλαχέρναις ἀπελθόντος προλαβὼν ἔστη ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, τὴν ἱερατιὴν στολὴν ἐνδεδυμένος, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως τῇ σωλέᾳ πλησιάσαντος αὐτὸς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἐβόησεν "ἔντεινε καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε· ἕνεκεν τίνος, ὦ βασιλεῦ;" αἰδεσθεὶς οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν σύγκλητον ἔφη "ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καὶ πραότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης." ὁ δέ "καὶ ποία δικαιοσύνη ἐν σοί; ὅτι δοὺς ἐνυπόγραφον λόγον Ἀλεξίῳ δι' ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τοῦτον." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς θυμῷ καὶ ὀργῇ ἀκατασχέτῳ κινηθεὶς τοῦτον τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου βιαίως ἐξήγαγε καὶ πληγὰς οὐ μετρίας ἐπιθεὶς ἐξώρισεν, οὐ διὰ τὸ ἐλεγχθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μόνον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἔμαθεν