to venerate and honor the holy icons and to denounce his impiety. And not long after, when the patriarch arrived at the great church and reproached him, he brought the archbishop with entreaty. But as he judged himself unworthy of the priesthood because of what he had suffered, the emperor made him steward of the great church. And releasing Alexios from prison, he restored all his 632 property and held him in honor. But he, having been tonsured, built the monastery of Anthemios, and having died in it, was buried piously. 10. In his fifth year, Manuel, the most renowned general of the entire east, was greatly honored by the emperor, and once, having had some words with Myron the logothete of the drome and father-in-law of Petronas, he was slandered to the emperor as desiring the empire, and terrible things were plotted against him. But Leo the protovestiarios, caring for and presiding over Manuel, assured the emperor that the things said against him were false. When Manuel learned these things, and to avoid the emperor's wrath and the slanders, he secretly left the city and went as far as Pylai, and mounting the public wagons, he went as a fugitive as far as the kleisourai of Syria, cutting the hamstrings of his horses. And he declared to the Hagarenes, "I am fleeing the emperor's wrath; and if you do not compel me to abandon my faith, I take refuge with you. If you receive me on these terms, send me a pledge of immunity." They sent a pledge with joy and received him as emperor of the Romans. Hearing this, the emperor fell into great grief and despondency, and he took counsel and made a plan with John the synkellos concerning this. And he said, "If you earnestly wish for Manuel to come to you, O emperor, I myself am ready to do this. Having taken money and been sent to the amermoumnes, ostensibly to visit those in prisons and chains, and holding a signed pledge from 633 your majesty, by which I will persuade Manuel to come into your sight, I think I can accomplish this both by the signed pledge and by my persuasion and by his piety and by the likelihood of his loving his fatherland." So the emperor gave him a great deal of money and gifts and sent him away. And he, having entered and distributed salaries to those in chains and having won over the protosymboulos, was able also to meet secretly with Manuel and to give him the signed pledge and the emperor's amulet. So, having done these things, he returned, reporting everything to the emperor. And Manuel, having requested from the amermoumnes the Roman captives confined in the prisons, giving him his word for them that they would not flee, if they should go out, but would fight strongly, obtained his request, and taking the son of the amermoumnes and a great multitude of people, he went out against the Persians, and winning a great victory, but also freeing the Hagarenes from the ravages of untamed beasts, he was then held in greater honor than before, and he was all-powerful with the amermoumnes. Therefore, having a great desire to go out to Romania, after some time he said to the dynasts of Syria that "If you provide me with the son of the amermoumnes and people and I go out, I can subdue Romania." And they, telling the amermoumnes this, sent him away. And Manuel, coming near the themes of the east, and having summoned those under 634 his command, and also the son of the amermoumnes as if to exercise and hunt, when he was far from the enemy, embraced the son of the amermoumnes and kissed him and said, "I for my part am departing to the emperor and my own people, having preferred nothing in life to faith and kinsmen; but you, with your own people, suspecting that you will suffer nothing terrible from us, go away to your people." And this one returned with tears and shame, but Manuel proceeded to the emperor, having sent ahead to them one who would announce him. And the emperor, having rewarded the messenger sufficiently, and having received Manuel as was fitting, immediately magistros and domestikos of the
αὐτὸν σέβειν καὶ τιμᾶν τὰς ἁγίας εἰκόνας καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ δυσσέβειαν διαβάλλειν. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ παραγενομένου καὶ τοῦ πατριάρχου αὐτὸν ὀνειδίσαντος, ἤγαγε τὸν ἀρχιεπίσκοπον μετὰ παρακλήσεως. τοῦ δὲ ἀνάξιον ἑαυτὸν δι' ἃ πέπονθε τῆς ἱερωσύνης κρίναντος, ὁ βασιλεὺς οἰκονόμον αὐτὸν τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας πεποίηκεν. καὶ Ἀλέξιον τοῦ δεσμωτηρίου ἐκβαλὼν ἀπέδωκεν πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν 632 ὕπαρξιν καὶ ἐν τιμῇ εἶχεν. ὁ δὲ ἀποκαρεὶς τὴν Ἀνθεμίου μονὴν ᾠκοδόμησεν, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ τελειωθεὶς ἐτάφη ὁσίως. 10. Τῷ εʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει ὁ ὀνομαστότατος πάσης ἀνατολῆς στρατηγὸς Μανουὴλ μεγάλως ἦν τιμώμενος παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ, καί ποτε μετὰ Μύρωνος τοῦ λογοθέτου τοῦ δρόμου καὶ πενθεροῦ τοῦ Πετρωνᾶ συμβαλὼν λόγους τινὰς διεβλήθη τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς τῆς βασιλείας ὀρέγεται, καὶ ἐμελετᾶτο δεινὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ. Λέων δὲ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος τοῦ Μανουὴλ φροντίζων καὶ προϊστάμενος διεβεβαιοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς ψευδῆ εἰσὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. ἃ μαθὼν Μανουὴλ καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκκλίνων καὶ τὰς διαβολάς, λάθρα τῆς πόλεως ἐξελθὼν μέχρι Πυλῶν καὶ τοῖς δημίοις ὀχήμασιν ἐπιβὰς ἀπῆλθε φυγὰς μέχρι τῶν κλεισουρῶν Συρίας, τὰς τῶν ἵππων ἰγνύας ἐκκόπτων. ἐδήλωσε δὲ τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς ὡς βασιλέως ὀργὴν φεύγω· καὶ εἴ γε μὴ καταναγκάσητέ με τὴν πίστιν μου καταλιπεῖν, προσφεύγω ὑμῖν. εἰ οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις προσδέχεσθέ με, λόγον ἀπαθείας μοι ἀποστείλατε. οἱ δὲ μετὰ χαρᾶς λόγον ἀποστείλαντες προσεδέξαντο ὡς βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων. τοῦτο ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν πολλῇ θλίψει καὶ ἀθυμίᾳ γέγονε, καὶ βουλὴν βουλεύεται καὶ ποιεῖται μετὰ Ἰωάννου συγκέλλου περὶ τούτου. ὁ δὲ εἶπεν "εἰ προθύμως βούλει τὸν Μανουὴλ πρὸς σὲ ἐλθεῖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, αὐτὸς ἐγὼ ἕτοιμος τοῦτο ποιεῖν. χρήματα λαβὼν καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀμερμουμνὴν σταλείς, τοὺς ἐν εἱρκταῖς δῆθεν ἐπισκεψόμενος καὶ δεσμοῖς, ἔχων ἐνυπόγραφον λόγον παρὰ 633 τῆς σῆς βασιλείας, δι' ὧν πείσω τὸν Μανουὴλ εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν, δοκῶ τοῦτο πρᾶξαι τῷ τε ἐνυπογράφῳ λόγῳ καὶ τῇ ἐμῇ πειθοῖ καὶ τῇ εὐσεβείᾳ ἐκείνου καὶ τῷ εἰκὸς εἶναι τὴν πατρίδα αὐτοῦ ἐρᾶν." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πάμπολλα χρήματα καὶ δῶρα δοὺς αὐτῷ ἀπέστειλεν. ὁ δὲ εἰσελθὼν καὶ τοὺς ἐν δεσμοῖς ῥογεύσας καὶ τὸν πρωτοσύμβουλον θηρασάμενος ἠδυνήθη καὶ λάθρα τῷ Μανουὴλ συντυχεῖν καὶ δοῦναι αὐτῷ τὸν ἐνυπόγραφον λόγον καὶ τὸ φυλακτὸν τοῦ βασιλέως. ὁ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα πράξας ὑπέστρεψεν, ἀναγγείλας τῷ βασιλεῖ πάντα. ὁ δὲ Μανουὴλ ἐξαιτησάμενος τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν μετὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων Ῥωμαίων τῶν καθειργμένων ἐν φυλακαῖς, πίστιν αὐτῷ δοὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων ὡς οὐ φεύξονται, εἴπερ ἐξέλθωσιν, ἀλλὰ πολεμήσουσιν ἰσχυρῶς, ἔτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως, καὶ λαβὼν τὸν τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ υἱὸν καὶ λαὸν πλεῖστον ἐξῆλθε κατὰ Περσῶν, καὶ νίκην μεγάλην ποιήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ θηρῶν ἀτιθάσσων τοὺς Ἀγαρηνοὺς λυμαινομένων τούτους ἐλευθερώσας, ἐν μείζονι μᾶλλον τότε τιμῇ ἢ τὸ πρότερον καθίσταται, καὶ πάντα ἦν αὐτὸς παρὰ τῷ ἀμερμουμνῇ δυνάμενος. ὅθεν φροντίδα πολλὴν ἔχων τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν εἰς Ῥωμανίαν, μετὰ καιρόν τινα εἶπεν πρὸς τοὺς δυνάστας Συρίας ὅτι ἐάν μοι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ παρέξητε καὶ λαὸν καὶ ἐξέλθω, ὑποτάξαι ἔχω τὴν Ῥωμανίαν. οἱ δὲ τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν εἰπόντες τοῦτον ἀπέστειλαν. ὁ δὲ Μανουὴλ ἐλθὼν πλησίον τῶν θεμάτων τῆς ἀνατολῆς, καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ὑπο 634 χειρίους αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ ὡς δῆθεν διακινήσων καὶ κυνηγήσων, πόρρωθεν τῶν πολεμίων γενόμενος καὶ περιπλακεὶς τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ καὶ καταφιλήσας εἶπεν "ἐγὼ μὲν ἀπέρχομαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὰ ἴδια, μηδὲν ἐν τῷ βίῳ προτιμήσας πίστεως καὶ συμφυλετῶν· σὺ δὲ μετὰ τῶν σῶν, ὡς μηδὲν δεινὸν πείσεσθαι ὑποπτεύων παρ' ἡμῶν, ἄπιθι πρὸς τοὺς σούς." καὶ οὗτος μὲν μετὰ δακρύων καὶ αἰσχύνης ὑπέστρεψεν, ὁ δὲ Μανουὴλ ἐχώρει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, προαποστείλας αὐτοῖς τὸν μηνύσοντα. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν μηνυτὴν φιλοτιμησάμενος αὐτάρκως, καὶ τὸν Μανουὴλ ὡς ἄξιον ἦν ὑποδεξάμενος, μάγιστρον εὐθὺς καὶ δομέστικον τῶν