and overturned every day. And so finally, through imperial commission and cooperation, the fathers in exile and bitter prisons were recalled and restored, along with the multitudes of monks. And indeed, not a few of the pious laity 814, whose possessions the wretched and wicked one had tyrannically seized, some of whom he put to a painful death, and others he exiled after handing them over to manifold and various scourges and terrible punishments, because they were not at all persuaded either by the flatteries or the threats of the wicked Theophilos. 4. In the reign of Michael and Theodora his mother, Apodeinar the phylarch of the Saracens, who had been preparing for many years with a heavy force of four hundred fearsome and astounding dromons, came against the God-guarded Constantinople. But divine justice anticipated and destroyed him, with all his ships being wrecked with their crews at the cape of the Cibyrrhaeots called Chelidonia, with only seven of them escaping to Syria. 5. On the Sunday of the Holy Fasts, after Orthodoxy was established, she sent Theoktistos the logothete to Crete. Who, having gone with a great multitude and a large fleet, greatly terrified the Hagarenes, who were unable to contend against his 815 campaign, but he himself was even more terrified and took to flight, having learned that the Augusta had appointed another emperor, which a Saracen scheme and bribery of those with him, having astounded him, persuaded him to return to the empress and abandon the army to the work of the sword. And having appeared worthless to those in Crete, he appeared worse and more unfortunate upon his return from there. For when Amer at that time went forth against Romania, plundering and destroying everything in his path, Theodora and Michael sent the same Theoktistos again, as most faithful and intimate, with a great force against Amer; who, having arrived and joined battle with Amer at the so-called Mauro-potamos, was defeated and returned, with many being slain, and some even deserting to Amer because of the severity and oppressiveness of the logothete, one of whom was Theophanes of Ferghana, who surpassed many in courage and strength, who at a later time, having received a word of amnesty, took refuge with the Christians. But Theoktistos, having returned from there to the city, held the same intimacy. And having come to words with the Augusta's brother, Bardas, he attached and assigned the defeat to him, as it was by his advice and counsel that the Roman army was routed; and he drove him from the city by the counsel of Theodora Augusta. 6. The same Theoktistos, being influential with the 816 Augusta, built houses and baths and a park in the place now called Apsida, so that he would be near the palace. And for his own protection and safety he also constructed an iron gate in the Daphne, and appointed a papias to guard it there. And the emperor, having come of age, was occupied with hunting and horse races in the stadium of the hippodrome and with other impurities. Therefore, Theodora Augusta, having made a plan with the logothete Theoktistos to give a wife to her son Michael; for she knew that he was in love with Eudokia, the daughter of Inger, who was intensely hated by the logothete and the empress for her shamelessness. Therefore they join him in marriage to Eudokia, the daughter of the Dekapolites, with whom he is crowned in Saint Stephen's in the Daphne, the wedding banquet taking place in the Magnaura, and the senate reclining in the Nineteen Couches. 7. After a short time, the general of the Boukellarioi brought a spirited and noble horse to the emperor. And he, wishing to yoke it in the hippodrome, wanted to examine its teeth, from which the number of years is determined, and what its temperament was. But since the horse was behaving boldly and leaping, the emperor was vexed about this, as there was no one who was able or had the means with nobility and skill to tame the horse or even just to control it. As he was therefore vexed, the one present

μένη καὶ ἀνατρεπομένη καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν. καὶ δὴ λοιπὸν αὐ τίκα διὰ βασιλικῆς ἐπιτροπῆς καὶ συνεργίας ἀνεκλήθησάν τε καὶ ἀνέθησαν οἱ ἐν ἐξορίαις καὶ πικραῖς φυλακαῖς πατέρες, ἅμα καὶ τὰ πλήθη τῶν μοναζόντων. καὶ μέντοι καὶ τῶν εὐσεβῶν κοσμι 814 κῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ὧν ὁ τάλας καὶ ἀλιτήριος τυραννικῶς τὰς ὑπάρ ξεις ἀφελόμενος, καὶ τοὺς μὲν δυσθανατώσας, τοὺς δὲ μάστιξι πολυειδέσι καὶ πολυτρόποις καὶ δειναῖς τιμωρίαις παραδοὺς ἐξώ ρισεν, ὡς μὴ πειθομένους παντελῶς μήτε ταῖς θωπείαις μήτε ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς τοῦ ἀλιτηρίου Θεοφίλου. 4. Ἐν γοῦν τῇ αὐτοκρατορίᾳ Μιχαὴλ καὶ Θεοδώρας τῆς αὐτοῦ μητρὸς Ἀποδείναρ ὁ Σαρακηνῶν φύλαρχος ἐκ πολλῶν χρό νων ἑτοιμαζόμενος ἐν δυνάμει βαρείᾳ δρομώνων τετρακοσίων φο βερῶν καὶ καταπλήκτων ἤρχετο κατὰ τῆς θεοφρουρήτου Κωνσταν τινουπόλεως. ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἡ θεία δίκη προφθάσασα διώλεσε, πάντων τῶν πλοίων αὐτοῦ αὐτάνδρων συντριβέντων ἐν τῷ ἀκρω τηρίῳ τῶν Κιβυρραιωτῶν τῷ λεγομένῳ Χελιδονία, διασωθέντων εἰς Συρίαν ἑπτὰ καὶ μόνων ἐξ αὐτῶν. 5. Τῇ δὲ κυριακῇ τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν, μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὴν ὀρθοδοξίαν, ἀπέστειλε Θεόκτιστον τὸν λογοθέτην ἐν Κρήτῃ. ὃς ἀπελθὼν μετὰ πολλοῦ πλήθους καὶ στόλου μεγάλου σφόδρα μὲν ἐπτόησε τοὺς Ἀγαρηνούς, ἀδυνατοῦντας ἔτι πρὸς τὴν στρα 815 τείαν ἐκείνου ἀνταγωνίζεσθαι, σφοδρότερον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπτοήθη καὶ τὴν φυγαδείαν ἠσπάσατο, τὴν Αὐγοῦσταν μαθὼν ὡς ἄλλον βασιλέα προεχειρίσατο, ὅπερ μέθοδος Σαρακηνῶν καὶ δωροληψία τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐκπλῆξαν αὐτὸν πέπεικε πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα ἐπανελ θεῖν καὶ καταλιπεῖν τὸν στρατὸν μαχαίρας ἔργον. τοῖς τε ἐν Κρήτῃ φαῦλος φανεὶς χείρων ἐφάνη καὶ δυστυχέστερος ἐκεῖθεν ὑποστραφείς. ὡς γὰρ ἐξελθὼν τότε κατὰ Ῥωμανίας ὁ Ἄμερ ἐληΐζετο πᾶν τὸ ἐν ποσὶ καὶ κατέστρεφεν, τὸν αὐτὸν πάλιν Θεόκτι στον ὡς πιστότατον καὶ οἰκειότατον μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς κατὰ τοῦ Ἄμερ Θεοδώρα καὶ Μιχαὴλ ἀπεστάλκασιν· ὃς καὶ παραγε γονὼς καὶ πόλεμον συνάψας τῷ Ἄμερ εἰς τὸν λεγόμενον Μαυρο πόταμον ἡττήθη τε καὶ ὑπέστρεψε, πολλῶν μὲν ἀναιρεθέντων, τινῶν δὲ καὶ προσφυγόντων τῷ Ἄμερ διὰ τὴν τοῦ λογοθέτου βαρύ τητα καὶ ἐπάχθειαν, ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ Θεοφάνης ὁ ἐκ Φαργάνων, ἀνδρίᾳ τε καὶ ῥώμῃ διαφέρων πολλούς, ὃς ὕστερον χρόνοις τισὶ λόγον ἀπαθείας λαβὼν προσφεύγει τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς. Θεόκτιστος δὲ ἐκεῖθεν ὑποστραφεὶς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν εἴχετο τῆς αὐτῆς οἰκειό τητος. καὶ τῷ τῆς Αὐγούστης ἀδελφῷ Βάρδᾳ εἴς τινας λόγους ἐλθὼν τὴν ἧτταν τούτῳ προσῆπτε καὶ ἀνετίθετο, ὡς τῇ παραι νέσει τούτου καὶ τῇ βουλῇ τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν ἐτράπη στρατόπεδον· καὶ τοῦτον τῆς πόλεως ἐξῶσεν βουλῇ Θεοδώρας Αὐγούστης. 6. Ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Θεόκτιστος παραδυναστεύων ὢν τῇ Αὐ 816 γούστῃ οἰκήματα καὶ λουτρὰ καὶ παράδεισον ἐν τῇ νῦν καλουμένῃ Ἄψιδα πεποίηκεν πρὸς τὸ πλησίον αὐτὸν εἶναι τοῦ παλατίου. πρὸς δὲ φυλακὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν ἰδίαν καὶ πόρταν σιδηρᾶν ἐν τῇ ∆άφνῃ κατεσκεύασεν, καὶ παπίαν φυλάττειν ἐκεῖσε διωρίσατο. ἤδη δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀνδρωθεὶς ἐσχόλαζε τοῖς κυνηγίοις καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἵππων ἁμίλλαις ἐν τῷ διαύλῳ τοῦ ἱππικοῦ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀκαθαρσίαις. βουλὴν οὖν ποιήσασα Θεοδώρα Αὐγοῦστα μετὰ τοῦ λογοθέτου Θεοκτίστου δοῦναι γυναῖκα Μιχαὴλ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς· ἔγνω γὰρ ὡς συνεφιλιώθη Εὐδοκίᾳ τῇ τοῦ Ἴγγερος, μισουμένῃ τῷ λογοθέτῃ καὶ τῇ δεσποίνῃ σφοδρῶς δι' ἀναίδειαν. διὸ συζευγνύουσιν αὐτῷ Εὐδοκίαν τὴν τοῦ ∆εκαπολίτου, μεθ' ἧς στεφανοῦται ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ Στεφάνῳ τῷ εἰς τὴν ∆άφνην, γεγονότος τοῦ παστοῦ μὲν εἰς τὴν Μαγναύραν, τῆς δὲ συγκλήτου ἀνακλιθείσης ἐν τοῖς ιθʹ ἀκκου βίτοις. 7. Μετὰ δὲ μικρὸν ὁ τῶν βουκελλαρίων στρατηγὸς ἤγαγε ἵππον τῷ βασιλεῖ θυμοειδῆ καὶ γενναῖον. ὁ δὲ τοῦτον τῷ ἱππικῷ βουλόμενος ὑποζεῦξαι ἠβούλετο καταμαθεῖν τούς τε ὀδόντας, ἐξ ὧν ἡ τῶν ἐτῶν ποσότης διαγινώσκεται, τό τε ἦθος ποῖον ἐστί. τοῦ δὲ ἵππου θρασυνομένου καὶ σκιρτῶντος ἦν ἀχθόμενος ὁ βα σιλεὺς περὶ τούτου, ὡς μηδενὸς ὄντος μηδὲ εὐποροῦντος γενναιό τητι καὶ ἐπιστήμῃ τὸν ἵππον ἐξημερώσοντος ἢ μόνον κατακρατή σοντος. ὡς οὖν ἤχθετο, παρὼν ὁ