Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since i have deemed it not right
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
Of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
not even among the most famous, like that of the Medes and Persians, or that of the Assyrians. Candaules was king of Lydia and Phrygia, tracing his line of descent, as they say, from Heracles. This man lived with a wife of extraordinary beauty, with a bright face, delicate, and with rosy cheeks. He was so inflamed with desire for his wife that he once clearly made public his longing and love to his attendant (and Gyges was the attendant) and wished to have him as a spectator of his consort, godlessly, as it seems, and sharpening the sword of Fate against himself and hastening it to the cut. Candaules hid Gyges by the door, and she undressed, and Gyges reveled in the naked beauty of the flesh of his own mistress. The wife saw Gyges; she was woman-like in her anger. She was terribly outraged, she summons Gyges, she gives him a choice of two things: either to kill his master and gain both the kingdom and her as his wife, or to be subjected himself to the penalties of death; for to the women of the Lydians it was shameful to be seen without a chiton and naked by other men. Gyges chose life, he kills his master, and straightway he ascends to the height of kingship. He who a short while before was lowly suddenly appeared as a king from a private citizen, a master from a slave. This Gyges, they say, made women eunuchs, so that he might always use them in intercourse while they were youthful. From the line of this Gyges was also king Croesus, whom Cyrus subdued, persuaded by the counsels of the prophet Daniel. For he feared Croesus as having many talents, and he intended to flee, being terrified of the flow of Croesus's good fortune; but Daniel encouraged him by telling the prophecy, which many generations before the loud-voiced prophet Isaiah spoke concerning Cyrus. This great Cyrus granted freedom to the Hebrews in captivity, and allowed them to build their metropolis, which Nebuchadnezzar had dug up from its foundations. When Cyrus died, Cambyses, son of Cyrus, received the rule and the scepters of power. And after him Darius, son of Hystaspes, ruled. But it is worthwhile to say how this happened. King Cyrus had a son by the name of Smerdis, who was high-spirited and strong, valiant and noble. Cambyses was angry at him for being strong of hand, because he had been able to bend for a little the bow which the ambassadors brought from Ethiopia, and besides he was jealous on account of certain dreams (for he seemed to see in dream-fashioned phantoms a magnificent royal throne, immense in height, and on this throne a splendid man seated and touching the celestial stars with his head; and when he inquired of someone whose throne it was, he heard that it was the throne of Smerdis which he saw, and that the one sitting on the throne was Smerdis), being ill-disposed toward Smerdis for these reasons, therefore, he contrived the abomination of murder for the wretched man. But the murder of Smerdis was hidden from the many. When, therefore, Cambyses drank the cup of death, the Magi, guardians of the royal palace, one of whom was called Smerdis and the other Aspathines, drew the power and authority to themselves. And a rumor and report spread among the Persians that Smerdis held the reins of the Persian rule, but they themselves were not to be seen, fearing the multitude; for a great, unbreakable law prevailed among the Persians, not permitting them to be ruled by another race nor to have another ruler, until the entire royal family should be rooted out by death. But when the evil scheme became known to the many and the treachery of the Magi little by little became apparent, seven of the foremost Persians, coming together for discussions and having deliberated much and prepared themselves (and one of the seven was Darius son of Hystaspes), attack the Magi and stab them with swords. And after deliberating much also about the kingship, they finally decided that whosever's horse among them was detected neighing before all the others, just as the light-bearing sun was kindling the earth, this one would begin to rule the Persians, this one would be their leader. These were the agreements, and Darius had a capable groom
11
οὐδὲ τῶν περιδόξων, ὥσπερ ἡ Μήδων καὶ Περσῶν, ὡς ἡ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Κανδαύλης ἐβασίλευε Λυδίας καὶ Φρυγίας, σειρὰν τοῦ γένους,
ὥς φασιν, ἕλκων ἐξ Ἡρακλέος. οὗτος συνῴκει γυναικὶ τὸ κάλλος ἐξαισίᾳ, φαιδροπροσώπῳ τρυφερᾷ καὶ φοινικοπαρῄῳ. τοσοῦτον οὖν
ἐκαίετο τῷ πόθῳ τοῦ γυναίου ὡς τῷ θεράποντι ποτὲ (Γύγης δ' ἦν ὁ θεράπων) τὸν πόθον καὶ τὸν ἔρωτα τρανῶς δημοσιεῦσαι καὶ σχεῖν
θελῆσαι θεατὴν τοῦτον τῆς συνοικούσης, θεοβλαβῶς, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ τὸ τῆς Μοίρας ξίφος ἐξακονῶν καθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ πρὸς τομὴν ἐπείγων.
ὁ μὲν Κανδαύλης ἔκρυπτε τὸν Γύγην πρὸς τὴν θύραν, ἐκείνη δ' ἀπεδύετο, καὶ Γύγης ἐνετρύφα γυμνῷ τῷ κάλλει τῆς σαρκὸς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ
δεσποίνης. εἶδε τὸν Γύγην ἡ γυνή, γυναικοθύμως εἶχε. ὑβριοπάθησε δεινῶς, μετακαλεῖ τὸν Γύγην, δίδωσιν αἵρεσιν δυοῖν, ἢ τὸν
δεσπότην κτεῖναι κερδᾶναί τε καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ γαμετὴν ἐκείνην, ἢ τοῦ θανάτου ταῖς ποιναῖς αὐτὸν καθυπαχθῆναι· τῶν γὰρ Λυδῶν
ταῖς γυναιξὶν αἰσχρὸν ἦν τὸ φανῆναι ἀχίτωσί τε καὶ γυμναῖς ἀνδράσιν ἀλλοτρίοις. εἵλετο Γύγης τὴν ζωήν, κτιννύει τὸν δεσπότην,
εὐθὺς ἐπαναβαίνει δὲ πρὸς ὕψος βασιλείας. ὁ πρὸ μικροῦ δὲ ταπεινὸς ἐξαίφνης ἀνεφάνη ἐξ ἰδιώτου βασιλεύς, δεσπότης ἀπὸ δούλου.
Οὗτος ὁ Γύγης, ὥς φασιν, εὐνούχισε γυναῖκας, ὡς νεαζούσαις εἰς ἀεὶ χρῷτο περὶ τὴν μῖξιν. Τούτου τοῦ Γύγου τῆς σειρᾶς καὶ βασιλεὺς
ἦν Κροῖσος, ὃν Κῦρος ἐχειρώσατο πεισθεὶς ταῖς ὑποθήκαις ταῖς τοῦ προφήτου ∆ανιήλ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐδεδίει Κροῖσον ὡς πολυτάλαντον,
καὶ φεύγειν ἐνενόει πτοούμενος τὴν εὔροιαν τῆς εὐποτμίας Κροίσου· ὁ ∆ανιὴλ δ' ἐθάρρυνεν εἰπὼν τὴν προφητείαν, ἣν πρὸ πολλῶν
τῶν γενεῶν ἔλεξε περὶ Κύρου ὁ μεγαλοφωνότατος προφήτης Ἠσαΐας. Οὗτος ὁ Κῦρος ὁ πολὺς τοῖς ἐν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ Ἑβραίοις ἐχαρίσατο
τὰ τῆς ἐλευθερίας, καὶ τὴν μητρόπολιν αὐτῶν ἐπέτρεπεν οἰκίζειν, ἣν ἀπὸ βάθρων ἔσκαψεν ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ. Τοῦ Κύρου τεθνηκότος
δὲ Καμβύσης παῖς ὁ Κύρου τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐδέξατο καὶ τὰ τοῦ κράτους σκῆπτρα. καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν ἐκράτησε ∆αρεῖος παῖς Ὑστάσπου. ἀλλὰ
γὰρ ἄξιον εἰπεῖν ὅπως συνέβη τοῦτο. Ὑπῆρχε παῖς τῷ βασιλεῖ Κύρῳ τὴν κλῆσιν Σμέρδις, θυμοειδὴς καὶ σθεναρός, ἄλκιμος καὶ γενναῖος.
τούτῳ Καμβύσης ἐγκοτῶν ὡς βριαρῷ τὰς χεῖρας, ὅτι τὸ τόξον ἴσχυσεν ἐπὶ μικρὸν ἐντεῖναι ὅπερ οἱ πρέσβεις ἤγαγον ἐκ τῆς Αἰθιοπίας,
ἄλλως τε καὶ ζηλοτυπῶν ἔκ τινων ὀνειράτων (ἐδόκει γὰρ ἐν φάσμασιν ὁρᾶν ὀνειροπλάστοις θρόνον ἁβρὸν βασίλειον, ἄπλετον τὰ πρὸς
ὕψος, ἐν τούτῳ δ' ἐφεζόμενον τῷ θρόνῳ λαμπρὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ψαύοντα τῇ κεφαλῇ τῶν οὐρανίων ἄστρων· ὡς δέ τινος ἐπύθετο τίνος ὁ
θρόνος εἴη, ἤκουσεν εἶναι Σμέρδιος ὃν καθορῴη θρόνον, καὶ τὸν ἐγκαθιζάνοντα τῷ θρόνῳ Σμέρδιν εἶναι), ἐκ τούτων τοίνυν οὐ καλῶς
διατεθεὶς πρὸς Σμέρδιν δολοφονίας ἤρτυσε μύσος τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ. τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς ἐλάνθανεν τοῦ Σμέρδιος ὁ φόνος. ὡς οὖν Καμβύσης
ἔπιε τὸν τοῦ θανάτου σκύφον, οἱ τῶν δωμάτων φύλακες τῶν βασιλείων Μάγοι, ὧν ὁ μὲν εἷς ἐλέγετο Σμέρδις ὁ δ' Ἀσπαθίνης, εἰς
σφᾶς αὐτοὺς μεθείλκυσαν τὸ κράτος καὶ τὸ κῦρος. καὶ φήμη μὲν ἐφέρετο καὶ λόγος παρὰ Πέρσαις ὡς τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς Περσικῆς ἡνίας
ἔχει Σμέρδις, αὐτοὶ δ' οὐκ ἦσαν θεατοί, τὸ πλῆθος δεδιότες· νόμος γὰρ μέγας ἄρρηκτος ἐκράτει παρὰ Πέρσαις, οὐκ ἐπιτρέπων ἄρχεσθαι
τούτους ὑπ' ἄλλου γένους οὐδ' ἔχειν ἄλλον κράτορα, πρὶν ἂν ὑπὸ θανάτου τὸ γένος τὸ βασίλειον ἅπαν ἐκριζωθείη. ὡς δ' ἐπεγνώσθη
τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ κακομηχανία καὶ τὸ τῶν Μάγων δολερὸν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐφάνη, ἑπτὰ Περσῶν οἱ πρώτιστοι πρὸς λόγους συνελθόντες καὶ
συσκεψάμενοι πολλὰ καὶ παρασκευασθέντες (ὑπῆρχε δ' εἷς ἐκ τῶν ἑπτὰ ∆αρεῖος παῖς Ὑστάσπου) τοῖς Μάγοις ἐπιτίθενται καὶ ξίφεσι
κεντοῦσι. πολλὰ δὲ βουλευσάμενοι καὶ περὶ βασιλείας τὸ τελευταῖον ἔκριναν, οὗ τινὸς τούτων ἵππος χρεμετισμῷ χρησάμενος πρὸ
πάντων φωραθείη ἄρτι πυρσεύοντος τὴν γῆν τοῦ φεραυγοῦς ἡλίου, οὗτος κατάρξειε Περσῶν, οὗτος ἀρχηγετήσαι. ἦν ταῦτα τὰ συνθήματα,
∆αρείῳ δ' ἱπποκόμος ἦν ἱκανὸς
11
