11
it was formerly established in Armenia. When, therefore, the stonemasons were digging where I just mentioned, they found a box indicating by its inscription that it held the relics of these men. God intentionally brought this to light, though it had been hidden until then, at once assuring all that He had most gladly received the Emperor's gifts, and at the same time being eager to reward the man's good work with a greater grace. For the Emperor Justinian happened to be in a very bad physical condition, since a terrible sort of rheum which had settled in his knee was causing the man to be crushed by the pains; of which he himself was the principal cause. For during all the days which precede the Paschal festival and are called fasts, he followed a harsh sort of life, which was strange not only for an emperor but even for any man whatsoever who was engaged in public affairs. For he would always go for two days without food, and this while constantly rising from his bed at early dawn and keeping watch for the State, and always managing its affairs by deed and by word, at dawn and at midday, and no less at night. For going to bed late in the night he would rise very soon indeed, as if he were ill at ease on his mattress. And whenever he took food, he remained without wine and bread and the other edibles, but ate only herbs, and these wild ones that had been preserved for a long time in salt and vinegar, and his only drink was water. However, not even of these did he ever have his fill, but even when he took a meal, after tasting these very edibles of his, he then would stop, not yet having eaten his sufficiency. From this cause, therefore, the affliction, having reached its height, had overcome the assistance of the physicians, and a long time was spent by the Emperor in these very pains. But in the meantime, hearing about the aforementioned relics, he abandoned human art and brought the matter to them, drawing health to himself by his faith in them, and he enjoyed true glory in his direst needs. For the priests placed the paten on the Emperor's knee, and the affliction immediately vanished, overcome by bodies enslaved to God. Which God, not allowing it to be a matter of dispute, displayed as a great sign of what was being done. For oil, suddenly flowing from these holy relics and overflowing the box, inundated both the feet and the entire garment of the Emperor, which was of purple. Wherefore the tunic, thus drenched, is preserved in the palace, as a testimony of the things which then came to pass, and as a salvation for any in the future who fall into some incurable afflictions. Thus, then, has the gulf, the Horn, been described for the Emperor Justinian. And on the other two straits, which I just mentioned, the shores have been worked into a great beauty by buildings in the following manner. Two sanctuaries dedicated to the Archangel Michael happened to be standing opposite one another on either side of the strait, the one in a place called Anaplus on the left as one sails into the Euxine Sea, and the other on the opposite shore; The men of old used to call the shore Proochthoi (Projections), because, I suppose, it projects a great deal from the coastline there, but now it is called Brochoi (Nets), as the ignorance of the local people has corrupted the names over the length of time. And as for these two sacred enclosures, their priests, seeing that they were dilapidated by time and becoming very fearful lest they should fall upon them at any moment, begged the Emperor to rebuild them both in the same form as of old. For it was not possible during his reign for any church either to be built for the first time or, having fallen into ruin, to be restored, except from imperial funds, not only in Byzantium, but also throughout the entire Roman dominion. But the Emperor, immediately seizing this pretext, demolished each one to its foundation, so that nothing of their former unsightliness might be left. And he rebuilt the one at Anaplus in the following manner. by a mole of stones he enclosed the shore there within to make a shelter
11
Ἀρμενίας τὸ παλαιὸν ἵδρυτο. ἡνίκα τοίνυν οἱ λιθοδόμοι διώρυσσον οὗπερ ἐπεμνήσθην ἀρτίως, κιβώτιον εὗρον γράμμασι σημαῖνον ὡς λείψανα ἔχοι τού1.7.5 των δὴ τῶν ἀνδρῶν. ὅπερ ἐξήνεγκε λεληθὸς τέως ἐξεπίτηδες ὁ θεός, ἅμα μὲν πιστούμενος ἅπαντας ὡς τὰ βασιλέως ἀσμενέστατα ἐνδέδεκται δῶρα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν ἀγαθοεργίαν ἀμείψασθαι διατεινόμενος χάριτι 1.7.6 μείζονι. ἐτύγχανε γὰρ Ἰουστινιανὸς βασιλεὺς χαλεπῶς ἄγαν τοῦ σώματος ἔχων, ἐπεὶ ῥεύματος δεινόν τι χρῆμα κατὰ τὸ γόνυ ἐπιπεσὸν συντριβῆναι ταῖς ὀδύναις τὸν 1.7.7 ἄνδρα ἐποίει· οὗπέρ οἱ αὐτὸς αἰτιώτατος ἦν. ἐν γὰρ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἁπάσαις, αἵπερ τὴν Πασχαλίαν ἑορτὴν προτερεύουσαι νηστεῖαι καλοῦνται, σκληράν τινα βιοτὴν ἔσχε μὴ ὅτι βασιλεῖ ἀλλόκοτον οὖσαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ ἀμηγέπη 1.7.8 τῶν πολιτικῶν ἁπτομένῳ. δυοῖν γὰρ ἡμέραιν διεγεγόνει ἐς ἀεὶ ἀπόσιτος ὤν, καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὄρθρου βαθέος διηνεκὲς ἐκ τῶν στρωμάτων ἐξανιστάμενος καὶ προεγρηγορὼς τῆς πολιτείας, ἀεί τε αὐτῆς ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ διαχειρίζων τὰ πράγματα, ὄρθριός τε καὶ μεσημβρινός, καὶ οὐδέν τι ἧσσον 1.7.9 ἐπινυκτίδιος. πόρρω γὰρ τῶν νυκτῶν ἐς κοίτην ἰὼν ἐξανίστατο αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα, ὥσπερ χαλεπῶς τοῖς στρώμασιν 1.7.10 ἔχων. καὶ ἡνίκα δέ που τροφὴν αἴροιτο, οἴνου μὲν καὶ ἄρτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐδωδίμων ἐκτὸς ἔμενε, βοτάνας δὲ ἤσθιε μόνον, καὶ ταύτας ἀγρίας ἐπὶ χρόνου μῆκος τεταριχευμένας ἁλσί τε καὶ ὄξει, ὅ τε πότος αὐτῷ τὸ ὕδωρ 1.7.11 ἐγίνετο μόνον. οὐ μέντοι οὐδὲ τούτοις κατακορὴς γέγονε πώποτε, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡνίκα δαῖτα αἴροιτο, ἀπογευσάμενος τούτων δὴ τῶν αὐτῷ ἐδωδίμων, εἶτα μεθίει, οὔπω 1.7.12 ἐδηδοκὼς τὰ αὐτάρκη. ἐντεῦθεν τοίνυν τὸ πάθος ἀκμάσαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἐπικουρίαν ἐνενικήκει, καὶ χρόνος τῷ βασιλεῖ πολὺς ἐν ταύταις δὴ ταῖς ὀδύναις ἐτρίβη. 1.7.13 μεταξὺ δὲ τὰ περὶ τῶν δεδηλωμένων λειψάνων ἀκούσας, τῆς ἀνθρωπείας ἀφέμενος τέχνης, ἐπὶ ταῦτα τὸ πρᾶγμα ἦγε, τὴν ὑγείαν ἐπισπώμενος τῇ ἐς αὐτὰ πίστει, καὶ δό1.7.14 ξης τῆς ἀληθοῦς ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἀπώνατο. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἱερεῖς τὸν δίσκον ἐπὶ τὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐτίθεντο γόνυ, ἀφανίζεται δὲ τὸ πάθος εὐθύς, σώμασι δεδουλωμένοις θεῷ βιασθέν. ὅπερ ἀμφίλεκτον ὁ θεὸς οὐ ξυγχωρῶν εἶναι, σημεῖον τῶν πραττομένων ἐνδέδεικται 1.7.15 μέγα. ἔλαιον γὰρ ἐξαπιναίως ἐπιρρεῦσαν μὲν ἐκ τούτων δὴ τῶν ἁγίων λειψάνων, ὑπερβλύσαν δὲ τὸ κιβώτιον, τώ τε πόδε καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τοῦ βασιλέως κατέκλυσεν ὅλην 1.7.16 ἁλουργὸν οὖσαν. διὸ δὴ ὁ χιτὼν οὕτω καταβεβρεγμένος διασώζεται ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, μαρτύριον μὲν τῶν τηνικάδε γεγενημένων, σωτήριον δὲ τοῖς ἐς τὸ ἔπειτα πάθεσι περιπεσουμένοις τισὶν ἀνηκέστοις. 1.8.1 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὑπογέγραπται Ἰουστινιανῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ Κέρας ὁ κόλπος. καὶ πορθμοῖν δὲ τοῖν ἄλλοιν δυοῖν, ὧνπερ ἐπεμνήσθην ἀρτίως, οἰκοδομίαις τὰς ἠϊόνας ἐς μέγα 1.8.2 τι κάλλος ἐξείργασται τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ἱερὰ δύο τῷ ἀρχαγγέλῳ Μιχαὴλ ἀνειμένα καταντικρὺ ἀλλήλοιν ἑστῶτα τοῦ πορθμοῦ ἑκατέρωθι ξυνέβαινεν εἶναι, θάτερον μὲν ἐν χώρῳ καλουμένῳ Ἀνάπλῳ ἐν ἀριστερᾷ εἰσπλέοντι τὸν Εὔξεινον Πόντον, τὸ δὲ δὴ ἕτερον ἐν τῇ ἀντιπέρας ἀκτῇ· 1.8.3 Προόχθους μὲν ἐκάλουν οἱ παλαιοὶ ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἀκτήν, ὅτι δὴ προβέβληται, οἶμαι, κατὰ πολὺ τῆς ταύτῃ ἠϊόνος, νῦν δὲ Βρόχοι ἐπικαλεῖται, διαφθειρούσης τὰ ὀνόματα τῆς 1.8.4 τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἀγνοίας τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου. ταῦτα δὲ τὰ δύο τεμένη οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἱερεῖς κατερρακωμένα ὑπὸ τοῦ χρόνου θεώμενοι καὶ περίφοβοι γεγενημένοι ὡς μὴ αὐτίκα δὴ μάλα σφίσιν ἐμπέσοιεν, βασιλέως ἐδέοντο ἀνοικοδομήσασθαι ἄμφω ἐφ' οὗπερ σχήματος τὸ πα1.8.5 λαιὸν ἦν. οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἦν ἐπὶ τούτου βασιλεύοντος ἐκκλησίαν τινὰ ἢ γίνεσθαι πρῶτον, ἢ καταπεπονηκυῖαν ἐπανορθοῦσθαι, ὅτι μὴ ἐκ χρημάτων βασιλικῶν, οὐκ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πανταχόθι τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρ1.8.6 χῆς. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτίκα τῆς προφάσεως τυχὼν τῆσδε καθεῖλε μὲν ἑκάτερον ἐς τὸ ἔδαφος, ὡς μή τι αὐτοῖς τῆς προτέρας ἀκοσμίας ἀπολειφθῆναι. ἀνῳκοδομήσατο δὲ τὸν 1.8.7 μὲν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀνάπλου τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. πετρῶν ἐμβολῇ τὴν ἐκείνῃ ἀκτὴν εἴσω περιελίξας ἐς σκέπας