he wished to take, but he received two pounds for him, the general having also been ordered to test him, and if he was brave, to make him a guardsman. But when he went off to war, in the battle, being found as a coward among those fleeing, he was slaughtered by the enemy. 22. When the emperor came to a military review at Bryas, a message came to him from the general of the eastern themes that the protosymboulos, having set out with a multitude, was going to sack Amorion. But he, having quickly performed the customary rites for the army and 805 the commanders, set out as far as Cappadocia. But the amermoumnes, having separated fifty thousand people, and Soudaes, who was most renowned among the Hagarenes for both his courage and his prudence, having given them as a leader, sent them against the emperor. Having joined in battle, the defeated emperor fled and with shame returned, having barely escaped with his life. But the amermoumnes, having gone with a great force, laid siege to Amorion, and having made many assaults, he was not strong enough to sack it, as those within fought bravely and steadfastly. But a certain disciple of Leo the philosopher was in the fortress, and when this man wanted to defect to the amermoumnes, the astrologer informed him through someone that if you persist against the fortress for two days, you will sack us. And this is what happened; for it was betrayed by both the so-called Boiditzes and Manikophagos. Renowned men of no mean birth were captured, having gone into captivity in Syria, Theophilos the patrician and general, both Melissenos and Aetios, and Theodore Krateros the protospatharios eunuch, and Kallistos the tourmarches and Konstantinos the droungarios and Basoes the dromeus and many others and commanders of the tagmata; who, being compelled by the protosymboulos to deny their faith, and not being persuaded to do this, were beheaded by the sword, exchanging the present life for the eternal one. 806 23. But he who had exchanged the fairest for shameful safety, the disciple of Leo the philosopher, having defected to the amermoumnes, was asked by him concerning his knowledge. And he said that he was a disciple of Leo the philosopher. And this man, having learned who Leo was and of what sort, desired to see him. And so, having given letters to one of the captives, he sent him to Leo the philosopher in Constantinople, promising him that if Leo himself came out, he would be held in honor by him. But Leo, having received the letters, and fearing lest he be discovered, brought them to the emperor Theophilos. And he, having learned of his knowledge, and that he had such a wise man in his state, taking him to himself, kept him in the palace of the Magnaura, handing him over to teach also disciples, providing him with all things for his service; who also became metropolitan in Thessaloniki. 24. He also built the Trikonchon in the palace and the so-called Sigma, and the tiers where the demes stand, erecting also a phiale in which the so-called saximodeximon takes place, with the horses of both factions passing through with golden saddles. And beneath the Trikonchon below, he made the Mysterion by means of a device, in which if someone should speak in one corner, it is heard in the other. 25. But Theophilos himself, having learned that Theophanes and Theodore his brother, living by themselves, were mocking and refuting his impiety, 807 he sent and with anger brought them to himself, saying this: "Where are you from?" And they said, "From Palestine." But the sinner said, "And why, having left your own land and come into ours, do you not obey our rule?" And when they answered nothing, he ordered their faces to be struck violently. Then after this, having scourged them with ox-hide whips almost to death, with anger and a harsh voice he said to the prefect, "Take them to the praetorium, and write on their faces, carving these verses: When all desire to run to the city where the all-holy feet of the Word of God stood for the establishment of the inhabited world, these men were seen in the revered place as wicked vessels of superstitious error. There

ἠβουλήθη λαβεῖν, ἔλαβε δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λίτρας δύο, ὁρισθέντος καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ δοκι μάσαι αὐτόν, καὶ εἰ ἀνδρεῖός ἐστι, ποιῆσαι αὐτὸν σχολάριον. τοῦ δὲ εἰς πόλεμον ἀπελθόντος, ἐν τῇ συμβολῇ ὡς δειλὸς ἐν τοῖς φεύγουσιν εὑρεθεὶς κατεσφάγη ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων. 22. Γεγονότος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς πρόκενσον ἐν τῷ Βρύαντι, ἦλθεν αὐτῷ μήνυμα παρὰ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῶν ἀνατο λικῶν ὡς ὅτι ὁ πρωτοσύμβουλος ἐξελθὼν μετὰ πλήθους ἐκπορθή σων ἀπέρχεται τὸ Ἀμόριον. ὁ δὲ τὰ νενομισμένα τῷ στρατῷ καὶ 805 τοῖς ἄρχουσι ποιῆσαι συντόμως μέχρι Καππαδοκίας ἐξῆλθεν. ὁ δὲ ἀμερουμνῆς ἀποχωρίσας πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας λαοῦ, καὶ τὸν Σουδαῆ, ὀνομαστότατον ἐν τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς ὄντα ἐπί τε ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει, δοὺς αὐτοῖς κεφαλήν, ἀπέστειλε κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως. συμβαλόντες δὲ πόλεμον, ἡττηθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔφυγεν καὶ μετ' αἰ σχύνης ὑπέστρεψεν μόλις διασωθείς. ὁ δὲ ἀμερουμνῆς ἀπελθὼν μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς περιεχαράκωσε τὸ Ἀμόριον, καὶ πολέμους πολλοὺς ποιήσας οὐκ ἴσχυσεν αὐτὸ ἐκπορθῆσαι, γενναίως καὶ σταθερῶς ἀγωνιζομένων τῶν ἔνδοθεν. μαθητὴς δέ τις Λέοντος τοῦ φιλοσόφου ἦν ἐν τῷ κάστρῳ, καὶ βουληθέντος οὗ προσχωρῆ σαι τῷ ἀμερουμνῇ, διά τινος ἐμήνυσεν αὐτῷ ὁ ἀστρονόμος ὅτι εἰ προσκαρτερήσῃς δύο ἡμέρας τῷ κάστρῳ, ἐκπορθεῖς ἡμᾶς. ὃ καὶ γέγονεν· προεδόθη γὰρ ὑπό τε τοῦ λεγομένου Βοϊδίτζη καὶ τοῦ Μανικοφάγου. κατεσχέθησαν τῶν ὀνομαστῶν ἄνδρες οὐκ ἀγενεῖς ἀπελθόντες ἐν Συρίᾳ αἰχμάλωτοι, Θεόφιλος ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ στρα τηγός, ὅ τε Μελισσηνὸς καὶ Ἀέτιος, καὶ Θεόδωρος πρωτοσπαθά ριος εὐνοῦχος ὁ Κρατερός, καὶ Κάλλιστος τουρμάρχης καὶ Κων σταντῖνος δρουγγάριος καὶ Βασόης ὁ δρομεὺς καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ καὶ ἄρχοντες τῶν ταγμάτων· οἳ παρὰ τοῦ πρωτοσυμβούλου ἀναγκα σθέντες ἀρνήσασθαι τὴν αὐτῶν πίστιν, καὶ τοῦτο μὴ πεισθέντες, ξίφει τὰς κεφαλὰς ἀπετμήθησαν, ἀντὶ τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς τὴν αἰώνιον ἀνταλλαξάμενοι. 806 23. Ὁ δὲ τὴν αἰσχρὰν σωτηρίαν τῆς καλλίστης ἀνταλλα ξάμενος, ὁ τοῦ φιλοσόφου Λέοντος μαθητὴς προσρυεὶς τῷ ἀμε ρουμνῇ ἠρωτήθη παρ' αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς ἐπιστήμης αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ εἶπε μαθητὴς εἶναι τοῦ φιλοσόφου Λέοντος. οὗτός τε, ὅστις ὁ Λέων ἐστὶ καὶ οἷος μαθών, αὐτὸν ἐπεθύμει ἐκεῖνον ἰδεῖν. καὶ δή τινι τῶν αἰχμαλώτων δοὺς γράμματα πρὸς Λέοντα τὸν φιλό σοφον ἀπέστειλεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, ὑποσχόμενος αὐτῷ, εἰ ἐξέλθῃ ὁ αὐτὸς Λέων, ἀπ' ἐκείνου αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐν τιμῇ. ὁ Λέων δὲ τὰ γράμματα ἀπολαβών, καὶ φοβηθεὶς μήπω διαγνωσθῇ, ἀνή γαγε ταῦτα Θεοφίλῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὁ δὲ γνοὺς τὰ τῆς ἐπιστήμης αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι τοιοῦτον σοφὸν ἄνδρα ἐν τῇ πολιτείᾳ αὐτοῦ ἔχει, προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν εἶχεν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ τῷ Μαγναύρας, παρα δοὺς αὐτῷ διδάσκειν καὶ μαθητάς, παρέχων αὐτῷ τὰ πρὸς ὑπηρε σίαν ἅπαντα· ὃς καὶ μητροπολίτης ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ γέγονεν. 24. Ὁ δ' αὐτὸς κτίζει τὸ Τρίκογχον ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ καὶ τὸ λεγόμενον Σίγμα, καὶ τὰς ἀναβάθρας ἔνθα οἱ δῆμοι ἵστανται, στήσας καὶ φιάλην ἐν ᾗ γίνεται τὸ σαξιμοδέξιμον λεγόμενον, τῶν ἵππων ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν διερχομένων μετὰ χρυσῶν σαγισμά των. ὑπὸ δὲ τὸ Τρίκογχον κάτωθεν διὰ μηχανῆς ἐποίησε τὸ Μυστήριον, ἐν ᾧ τῇ μιᾷ γωνίᾳ ἐὰν εἴποι τις, ἐξακούεται ἐν τῇ ἑτέρᾳ. 25. Μαθὼν δὲ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεόφιλος ὅτι Θεοφάνης τε καὶ Θεόδωρος ὁ αὐτάδελφος αὐτοῦ, καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ζῶντες, τὴν ἀσέ 807 βειαν αὐτοῦ κωμῳδοῦσι καὶ διελέγχουσιν, ἀποστείλας μετ' ὀργῆς ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἑαυτόν, εἰπὼν τάδε "πόθεν ἔστε;" οἱ δὲ εἶπον "ἐκ Παλαιστίνης." ὁ δὲ ἀλιτήριος "καὶ διὰ τί τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν ἀφέντες καὶ εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐλθόντες οὐ πειθαρχεῖτε τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἡμῶν;" τῶν δὲ μηδὲν ἀποκριναμένων ἐπέτρεψε παίεσθαι τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν σφοδρῶς. εἶτα μετὰ τοῦτο βουνευρήσας αὐτοὺς μέχρι θανάτου, μετὰ θυμοῦ καὶ τραχείας φωνῆς πρὸς τὸν ὕπαρχον ἔφη "ἆρον αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον, καὶ γράψον τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν, ἐγκολάψας τούσδε τοὺς στίχους· πάντων ποθούντων προστρέχειν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ὅπου πάναγνοι τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου πόδες ἔστησαν εἰς σύστασιν τῆς οἰκουμένης, ὤφθησαν οὗτοι τῷ σεβασμίῳ τόπῳ σκεύη πονηρὰ τῆς δεισιδαίμονος πλάνης. ἐκεῖσε