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running at it with a spear, he delivered a fatal blow to the beast through the chi. When this was shown to many for the sake of clarity, he who at that time had taken up the office of quaestor alone made the oracle clear, that a certain emperor named Leo was destined to be delivered over to a destructive death on the day of Christ's birth. 23 In addition, the vision of his mother also filled him with fear; which, though spoken of at the time, had been reckoned as nothing by him, but now it lay upon his soul, biting him fiercely. For as she was continually visiting the divine church in Blachernae, there appeared to her a certain maiden surrounded by many white-robed figures and the entire church was full. This maiden, then, told one of those standing by to fill a pot with blood and give it to the mother of Leo to drink. But when she put forward her many years of widowhood, during which she had tasted neither meat nor anything with blood in it, and for this reason had no need of this pot, "And how is it," the maiden replied with anger, "that your son does not cease from filling me with much blood, and by this provoking both my son 37 and my god?" And from then on she often beseeched her son to abandon the heresy of the iconoclasts, having recounted this vision in tragic terms. 24 And another nocturnal vision terrified him no less; for when Tarasios, the celebrated patriarch, had long since departed this life, he heard a certain Michael by name leap upon him, urging him to strike a fatal blow and to push him off a cliff that had a chasm. In addition to these, also that of the monk at Philomelion. But also the rather quick change of his garment. Bringing these things together, he trembled with fear and his soul was in turmoil, hating sleep during the night. Whence, in the dead of night, having deliberated things more wise and more kingly, he broke down the gates leading to the papias (for he was strong in his two hands) and made his way towards him. But as he entered the chamber, he saw a sight that led him to no small astonishment; for he saw the condemned man skillfully in the bed of the pappias, but he found the pappias sleeping on the floor. He moved his hands towards Michael and his head, wishing to learn if perhaps, as is the case for those in misfortune, he was sleeping a carefree and sweet sleep or a troubled and tormented one. But when he found him relaxed and free from all care (for not even by touching him did he wake him), he nourished a greater anger at these unexpected sights, 38 and he went away threatening terrible things not only to him but also to the pappias. At any rate, these things did not escape the notice of the entourage of the pappias, but one of Michael's chamberlains, having detected him from his purple shoes, reported everything clearly. Becoming distraught at this and seized by an irresistible fear, they devised a plan for their own salvation. 25 As dawn was just breaking, and a pretext came to Michael—who claimed to have certain stains upon his soul—through Theoktistos, whom he later honored with the rank of kanikleios, that he wished to confess these to one of the God-loving men. At any rate, this was permitted and granted by the emperor. And so he said to Theoktistos, "Threaten to tell the emperor everything on behalf of those of us who have shared in this deed, unless something brave is done by you, to save me from this death and imprisonment." And the conspirators, when they heard this, concocted such a plan. It was the custom for the holy clergy not, as now, to wait through the night inside the palace—a practice which took its beginning from that time—but in their own homes, and just as the third watch was beginning, to assemble at the Ivory Gate to give the morning doxology to the Lord God. The conspirators, carrying daggers under their arms, mingled with these men, and since they were concealed by the dusk and the priestly robes, they entered freely together, lying in ambush in some dark place, awaiting the signal. And as the hymn was being finished and the emperor was somewhere 39 near those who were singing, often leading that which was dear to him, that

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ἐπιθέων δόρατι καιρίαν ἐδίδου πληγὴν τῷ θηρίῳ διὰ τοῦ χῖ. πολλοῖς ουν πρὸς σαφήνειαν τούτου δειχθέντος, ὁ τηνικαῦτα τὴν τοῦ κοιαίστορος ἐπανῃρημένος ἀρχὴν μόνος διετράνου τὸ τοῦ χρησμοῦ, ὡς Λέον- τος ουτως καλουμένου βασιλέως τινὸς κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς Χρι- στοῦ γεννήσεως θανάτῳ ὀλεθρίῳ μέλλοντος παραδίδοσθαι. 23 Προσέτι δὲ καὶ ἡ τῆς μητρὸς οψις ἐπλήρου φόβου αὐτόν· η  τότε μὲν λεχθεῖσα εἰς οὐδὲν τούτῳ λελόγιστο, τὰ νῦν δὲ καὶ σφόδρα δάκνουσα ἐπέκειτο τὴν ψυχήν. ἐφάνη γὰρ αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸν ἐν Βλαχέρναις θεῖον ναὸν προσφοιτώσῃ ἀεὶ κόρη τις ὑπὸ πολ- λῶν λευχειμόνων περιστοιχιζομένη καὶ ὁ ναὸς απας πλή- ρης. ταύτην ουν τὴν κόρην εἰπεῖν τινὶ τῶν παρεστώτων, χύτραν ἐπιπληρώσαντα αιματος ἐπιδοῦναι τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Λέοντος πιεῖν. αὐτῆς δὲ πολυετῆ χηρείαν προβαλλομένης, δι' ης μήτε κρεῶν μήτε τινὸς ἐναίμων γεύσασθαι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲ ταύτης χρῄζειν τῆς χύτρας, "καὶ πῶς" ἀντέφησεν ἡ κόρη μετὰ θυμοῦ "ὁ σὸς υἱὸς οὐ παύεται ἐμὲ πολλῶν αἱμάτων πληρῶν, καὶ τούτῳ τὸν ἐμὸν υἱὸν 37 παροργίζων τε καὶ θεόν;" πολλά τε εκτοτε ἐλιτάνευε τὸν αὐτῆς υἱὸν τῆς τῶν εἰκονοκαυστῶν αἱρέσεως ἀποστῆναι, τὴν οψιν ταύτην ἐκτραγῳδήσασα. 24 Καί τις δὲ οψις αλλη νυκτερινὴ ἐδειμάτου τοῦτον οὐκ ελαττον· αὐτοῦ γὰρ Ταρασίου τοῦ ἀοιδίμου πατριάρχου πάλαι τὸν βίον μετηλλαχότος Μιχαήλ τινα ἐξ ὀνόματος διακοῦσαι ἐπιπη- δήσαντα προτρεπομένου ἐπιπλῆξαι καιρίαν καὶ κατὰ κρημνοῦ ὠθῆσαι αβυσσον εχοντος. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ τὸ τοῦ μοναχοῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ Φιλομήλιον. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐσθῆτος θᾶττον μεταμφίασις. α  συμφορήσας ἐπάλλετό τε τῷ δέει καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκυμαίνετο, τῷ υπνῳ κατὰ τὴν νύκτα ἀπεχθανόμενος. οθεν ἀκμαζούσης νυκτὸς σοφώτερα η  βασιλικώτερα βουλευσάμενος, τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν παπίαν φερούσας πυλίδας καταρράξας (καὶ γὰρ ην εὐσθενὴς τὼ χεῖρε) τὴν ἐπ' αὐτὸν διήνυε πρόοδον. ὡς δὲ κατὰ τὸ δωμάτιον εἰσῄει, θέαμα ὁρᾷ εἰς εκπληξιν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν αγον αὐτόν· ειδεν γὰρ τὸν μὲν κατάκριτον ἐν σκίμποδι τῷ τοῦ παππίου περιδεξίως, τὸν δὲ παππίαν ἐπ' ἐδάφους κοιμώμενον ευρισκεν. τὰς χεῖρας ἐπῆγε πρὸς τὸν Μιχαὴλ καὶ τὴν κεφαλήν, μαθεῖν βουλόμενος εἰ αρα, οπερ τοῖς ἐν συμφορᾷ ἐπακολουθεῖ, αφροντίν τινα καὶ ἡδὺν η  ἐμ- μέριμνον υπνον καὶ κεκολασμένον καθεύδει. ὡς δ' ευρεν ανετον καὶ πάσης ἀπηλλαγμένον μερίμνης (οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' ἐπαφώμενος αὐτὸν διύπνισεν), μείζονα τὸν θυμὸν εθρεψε τοῖς ἀπ' ἐλπίδος τού- 38 τοις θεάμασι, καὶ δεινὸν ἀπῄει οὐκ αὐτῷ μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ παππίᾳ ἐνσείων. οὐκ ελαθε γοῦν ταῦτα τοῖς περὶ τὸν παππίαν, ἀλλά τις τῶν προκοίτων τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐκ τῶν φοινικῶν φωρασάμε- νος ὑποδημάτων ἀπήγγειλε πάντα σαφῶς. οις ἐκπαθεῖς γενόμενοι καὶ ἀμάχῳ δέει περιληφθέντες βουλὴν ἐξήρτυον αὐτοῖς τὴν σω- τήριον. 25Εως αρτι ὑπέλαμπεν, καὶ σκῆψις γίνεται τῷ Μιχαήλ, ψυχικάς τινας κηλῖδας ἐπαγομένῳ, διὰ Θεοκτίστου, ον καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῷ τοῦ κανικλείου τετίμηκεν ἀξιώματι, ταύτας βούλεσθαί τινι προσαναθέσθαι τῶν θεοφιλῶν. ἐπετέτραπτο γοῦν καὶ συγκε- χώρητο ταῦτα παρὰ βασιλέως. καὶ ογε δή φησιν τῷ Θεοκτίστῳ "τοῖς ἡμῖν κεκοινωνηκόσι τῆς πράξεως πάντα ἀνειπεῖν διαπείλει τῷ βασιλεῖ, εἰ μή τι γένηται παρ' ὑμῶν γενναῖον, τούτου με διασῶ- ζον τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τῆς εἱρκτῆς." καὶ οἱ συνωμόται, ὡς ταῦτα διήκουσαν, βουλὴν τοιαύτην συρράπτουσιν. εθος ην τῷ κλήρῳ τῷ ἱερῷ οὐχ ὡς νῦν ενδον τοῖς βασιλείοις, εκτοτε λαβὸν τὴν ἀρ- χήν, προσμένειν διὰ νυκτός, ἀλλὰ τοῖς σφῶν οικοις, αρτι δὲ τρί- της ἀρχομένης φυλακῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐλεφαντίνην συναγείρεσθαι, δοξολογίαν ἀποδώσοντας κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ τὴν ἑωθινήν. τούτοις οἱ συνωμόται ὑπὸ μάλης φέροντες ἐγχειρίδια ἐγκαταμιχθέντες, ατε δὴ καὶ κνέφᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἱερατικαῖς λαθόντες στολαῖς, συνεισῄεσαν ἀφειδῶς, εν τινι σκοτεινῷ λοχήσαντες τόπῳ, τὸ σύνθημα προσδεχό- μενοι. ὡς δ' ὁ υμνος διεπεραίνετο καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτοῦ που 39 πλησίον ην τοῖς ᾳδουσιν, προεξάρχων πολλάκις τοῦτο δὴ τὸ φίλον αὐτῷ τὸ