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of Byzantium, stand opposite this and above it) not only from the external accidental likenesses, but indeed also from his very essential qualities and intelligence and the disposition and state of his soul, which harmoniously showed forth the royal and seemly nature of his noble birth, and his conversation with his neighbors bearing witness to the truth, when the reports about him immediately reached even the master's ears, they were pleased on account of such a pretext that the Persian nation should necessarily send an embassy to the Romans, and that it should be subordinated to them, coming to treaties of perfect peace. When these things were heard by those in Persia, both by those who were concerned with the mission and by those who, on account of Theophobos, were supposedly considered worthy of the king, they considered it welcome to emigrate from their own country and to go over to the Roman territory, so that they might find the leader of their race, and especially because the Persian leader Babek had reached the height of his rebellion against the Ameramnoune for five years, during which the greatest wars occurred and, being defeated, Babek entered Roman territory with seven thousand men, searching in the city of Sinope for the father of Theophobos, who was highly honored among the Persians, being on the Roman rolls. When Babek found him and received guarantees from the emperor, he placed the people under him and himself in submission to the emperor. But the emperor Theophilos honored the noble youth Theophobos with the rank of patrician and gave him his own sister in marriage, and having enrolled the Persians in the Roman state with ranks of dignity and military service, he joined them to the Romans through marriage alliance, even if he later treacherously killed Theophobos. 3.4 But as some say, the story of Theophobos has also been told differently, which stories end up similar to what has been said, but are by no means identical, according to the difference of those relating these things, either from autopsy or from transmission in narrative to others. The father of Theophobos, then, having emigrated from the Persians, being of royal blood, entered Byzantium in poverty, and served for hire a certain woman, whose trade was to keep a tavern. And after he had served her for a long time, she was seized with love for him and they came together for pleasure; from which she conceived and bore a male child. Now of those from Persia who were scattered in various countries, some practiced astronomy; for this is honored by them above other arts and sciences, having been worked out with precision, and perhaps other mantic and prognostic methods; by which perhaps they had discerned that Theophobos survived in the city of Constantine. Therefore, approaching Theophilos, who at that time was administering the imperial power, they continuously besought to have a search made for one who was not living openly in it, and that he would be revealed to them as king. When the emperor therefore gladly heard this, a thorough investigation was made throughout the whole city. And as the rumor about this spread everywhere over a span of many days, and they were at a loss about the one being sought, one of the neighbors who was with the said woman, who had made it known that she had conceived by the Persian, and had in conversation often met with him as he was performing his duties, had learned and clearly ascertained that he was from the Persians and was of royal blood; and he pointed out these things to the searchers. And when they seized the woman with whom the Persian had lived, and had more diligently and surely investigated the life of the one being sought, she testified that the one who had come together with her had died before, but she showed them the male child born from this union, who was twelve years of age. whom the Persians who had come with them apprehended as he came into sight, since they recognized him both from the royal likeness and from his hooked nose like Cyrus, and from certain other things that accompanied him, they prostrated themselves at his feet and

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Βύζαντος, ἀντικρὺ τούτου καὶ ἄνωθεν καθεστήκασιν) οὐκ ἐκ τῶν ἐκτὸς μόνον κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς εἰκασμάτων, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐπουσιωδῶν ἰνδαλμάτων καὶ φρενῶν καὶ ψυχῆς ἕξεώς τε καὶ καταστάσεως, τὸ κατ' εὐγένειαν βασιλικόν τε καὶ εὐπρεπὲς συνῳδὰ παριστώντων, καὶ τῆς κατὰ γειτονίαν ἐπιμαρτυρούσης τὸ ἀληθὲς ὁμιλίας, ἐπειδὴ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν εὐθέως καὶ μέχρι τῶν δεσποτικῶν ἀκοῶν ἐληλύθει, εὐδόκησάν τε χάριν τῆς τοιαύτης γε σκήψεως τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπικηρυκεύεσθαι ἔθνος τὸ Περσικὸν ἀναγκαίως, καὶ ὑποτετάχθαι αὐτοῖς εἰς σπονδὰς ἧκον εἰρηνικῆς τελειότητος. ὧνπερ ἠκουτισμένων τοῖς ἐν Περσίδι ἔκ τε τῶν εἰς ἀποστολὴν προσηκόντων καὶ τῶν διὰ τὸν Θεόφοβον δῆθεν βασιλεῖ γε συναξιούντων, ἀσπαστὸν ἐλογίσαντο τῆς οἰκείας χώρας ἀπαναστεῦσαι καὶ προσχωρήσειν τῇ Ῥωμαΐδι, ὅπως τοῦ κατὰ γένος ἀρχηγοῦ ἐπιτεύξοιντο, καὶ μάλιστα, ὅτι καὶ ὁ Περσῶν ἀρχηγὸς Βάβεκ ἀποστάσει τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἀμεραμνουνῆ ἐπὶ εʹ ἔτεσι κεκορύφωτο, ὧν ἀναμεταξὺ μέγιστοι πόλεμοι συμβεβηκότες καὶ ἡττηθεὶς ὁ Βάβεκ εἰσῄει ἐν χιλιάσιν ἑπτὰ πρὸς τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἐπικράτειαν, κατὰ πόλιν Σινώπην ἀνερευνῶν τὸν Θεοφόβου πατέρα, παρὰ Πέρσαις πάνυ τιμώμενον, Ῥωμαίων ὄντα τοῖς καταλόγοις· ὃν ὁ Βάβεκ κατειληφὼς ἐγγύας τε παρὰ βασιλέως δεξάμενος τὸν ὑπ' αὐτόν γε λαὸν καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῷ βασιλεῖ ὑπήκοον τέθεικεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Θεόφιλος τὸν μὲν εὐγενῆ νεανίαν Θεόφοβον καταγεραίρει πατρικιότητι καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὴν τούτῳ πρὸς γάμον ἐκδίδωσιν, τῷ τε Ῥωμαϊκῷ πολιτεύματι τοὺς Πέρσας συναριθμήσας ἀξιωμάτων τε βαθμοῖς καὶ στρατείας πρὸς ἀγχιστείαν τε Ῥωμαίων ἐν γάμοις ἁρμόζεται, εἰ καὶ τὸν Θεόφοβον ἀναιρεῖ μετὰ ταῦτα δολιωσάμενος. 3.4 Ὡς δέ τινες, καὶ ἄλλως τὰ κατὰ Θεόφοβον διϊστόρηται, ἃ τῶν λεχθέντων τελοῦσι παρόμοια, ἀπαράλλακτα δὲ οὐδαμῶς, κατὰ τὸ διάφορον τῶν ταῦτα διεξιόντων τῆς τε αὐτοψίας καὶ τῆς πρὸς ἑτέρους ἐν διηγήσει μετοχετεύσεως. ἐκ Περσῶν τοίνυν ἀπαναστὰς ὁ πατὴρ Θεοφόβου βασιλικοῦ αἵματος προηγμένος εἰσῄει τῷ Βυζαντίῳ πενόμενος, καὶ κατὰ μισθαρνίαν ἐξυπηρέτει τινὶ γυναικῶν, ᾗ τὸ καπηλεύειν εἰς ἐργασίαν παρῆν. ἐπὶ μακρὸν δὲ καθυπουργήσας αὐτῇ, ἔρωτι τούτου περικατάληπτος γίνεται καὶ πρὸς ἡδονὴν συμβιβάζονται· ἐξ οὗ συνειληφυῖα ἐγγάστριον ἄρρεν ἐκτέτοκεν. τῶν οὖν ἐκ Περσίδος κατὰ διαφόρους χώρας μεμερισμένων, τούτων τινὲς ἀστρονομίαν μετῄεσαν· αὕτη γὰρ τούτοις τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν καὶ ἐπιστημῶν προτετίμηται εἰς τὸ ἀκριβὲς ἐκπεπονημένη, καὶ ἄλλαι τυχὸν μαντικαί τε καὶ προγνωστικαὶ μέθοδοι· δι' ὧν ἴσως διεγνώκεσαν περιεῖναι Κωνσταντίνου τῇ πόλει Θεόφοβον. ἐνθένδε προσιόντες τῷ τηνικαῦτα διέποντι Θεοφίλῳ τὸ βασίλειον κράτος, συνεχῶς ἐδεδέηντο τοῦ ἐρεύνης τυχεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ φανερῶς μὴ διάγοντα, καὶ τούτοις εἰς βασιλέα φανερωθήσεσθαι. ὡς οὖν ἀσμένως τοῦτο διηκηκόει ὁ βασιλεύς, διὰ πάσης ἠκριβολογεῖτο τῆς πόλεως. τῆς δὲ περὶ τούτου φήμης πανταχόσε διαδεδραμηκυίας ἐπὶ παρεκτάσει πολλῶν ἡμερῶν, καὶ εἰς ἀμηχανίαν τοῦ ἐρευνωμένου συνεστηκότων, τῶν κατὰ γειτονίαν τις τῷ ῥηθέντι γυναίῳ συνών, ὅτῳ συνειληφέναι παρὰ τοῦ Πέρσου διετετράνωτο, καθ' ὁμιλίαν τε πολλαχῶς αὐτῷ συνελθεῖν τὰ πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν διενεργοῦντι, πυθέσθαι τε καὶ σαφῶς διαγνῶναι, ὅτι περ ἐκ Περσῶν εἴη, βασιλικοῦ δὲ πέφυκεν αἵματος· καὶ τοῖς ἐρευνῶσι τὰ περὶ τούτου κατασημήνασθαι. τῶν δὲ τὸ μὲν γύναιον κατασχόντων, μεθ' οὗ ὁ Πέρσης τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ἐπεποίητο, καὶ ἐνδελεχέστερον ἀσφαλῶς διεξετασάντων τὴν τοῦ ἐρευνωμένου διαγωγήν, τὸν μὲν τῇ γυναικὶ συνελθόντα προτετελευτηκέναι διεμαρτύρατο, τὸν δὲ ἐκ τούτου προενηνεγμένον κατὰ συζυγίαν ἄρρενα παῖδα τούτοις ἐδείκνυεν ἐπὶ δυσὶ καὶ ιʹ καθ' ἡλικίαν χρονίζοντα ἔτεσιν. ὅνπερ κατ' ὄψιν ἰόντα μετὰ καὶ τῶν συνόντων αὐτοῖς κατειληφότες Περσῶν, ἐπείπερ αὐτὸν ἔκ τε τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ὁμοιώματος ἔκ τε τῆς κατὰ Κῦρον γρυπότητος συμβολαιωσάμενοι καὶ ἐξ ἄλλων τινῶν τῶν ἐφωμαρτηκότων αὐτῷ, τοῖς τούτου ποσὶ προσεκύνησαν καὶ