Chronicon OF GEORGE THE MONK LIVES OF THE NEW EMPERORS.

 he summons to the palace Nikephoros the renowned patriarch and with him the leading bishops and priests in the presence of the senate, and says, Know

 a man-slaying fruit of a seed bitterly kept and sprouted in our generation, I know not whence this terrible condemnation was allotted to the Romans. w

 and the fool will speak foolish things. For being exceedingly ignorant and nonsensical, he did not know at all those Cherubim wrought of gold, which t

 we have recorded as being preserved. 21 And sight is a witness, a truthful teacher. Both the length of time and the building of the venerable churches

 This apostolic preaching they continue to uphold and never in another jurisdiction, where there are Christians, is that wicked and lawless and God-ha

 {THE REIGN OF MICHAEL THE STAMMERER.}

 Therefore, having plundered it moderately, but not as he had hoped, but as divine providence allowed on account of our sins, he accomplished nothing m

 {THE REIGN OF THEOPHILOS.}

 of impiety and insolence, and of tyranny and madness, the deluded and vain-minded one. Since therefore he was possessed by the same deceit and derange

 this? But the emperor, as if rebuked, forcefully dragged him from the sanctuary, and having inflicted no small number of blows upon him, exiled him,

 as was fitting, he received him, immediately making him magister and domestic of the scholae, and receiving his children from holy baptism. 14. Elated

 most lawless ones, or Pharaoh the Egyptian, or Nebuchadnezzar the Assyrian? Or should we bring all these together and name you one and the same, since

 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.

 Then, having impiously committed many shameful, terrible, and absurd acts, they were driven from there as apostates. But having fled to the imperial c

 having secretly brought out Theophobos through Boukoleon, they saved him near Narsou, in what is now called 'of Theophobias', and they placed this the

 and overturned every day. And so finally, through imperial commission and cooperation, the fathers in exile and bitter prisons were recalled and resto

 Theophilitzes said, My lord, 817 I have a young man, most experienced and most brave with horses, just as your majesty desires, by the name of Basil.

 church, having a warden named Nicholas. And on that night a divine voice called the warden, saying Arise, bring the emperor into the oratory. And ha

 to Bardas, Do not strike the logothete. But they slaughtered him and cut him limb from limb in the Scythian manner, showing the rawness and savagery

 having constructed it very beautifully with flowing water. And when this was completed, there was someone in the city named Peter, a man of letters an

 plotting against him. But he heard these things as nonsense. But Basil, hurrying to convince the emperor, befriends Symbatios, a patrician and logothe

 standing on a high rock, cried out loudly to the emperor, A fine journey you have made, O emperor, having slain your own kinsman and your paternal bl

 Peganes to cense him with an earthenware censer with sulfur. And they blind Symbatios in one eye, and they also cut off his right hand, and they set h

 the emperor. And John the Chaldos immediately with his sword striking the emperor cut off his hands. And Iakobitzes the apelates, the Persian, woundin

 and having been eaten by worms, he died. 3. And the emperor, having come forth on the day of Christ's nativity during the procession to the great chur

 before the fleet arrived, with the emperor lamenting and mourning greatly. 12. And when Niketas Xylinites, the epi tes trapezes, was accused of being

 he made Leo fashion and wear in his boot, saying to him that Often when your father is looking for a small knife for some need, why do you not give i

 of the drome and having gone up to the ambo of the church, having read the charges against the patriarch Photius, they brought him down from the thro

 to make war against Hagion. And when an engagement occurred, those with Constantine were defeated and slaughtered, with him barely escaping. 9. And th

 He having died, Symeon sought pretexts to break the peace for seeking other captives as well, he advanced against the Romans. And the emperor Leo app

 he having given his word to Basileios, he confided everything to him. But Samonas, entering in to the emperor, said to him that, my lord, I wish to te

 Of Nicholas the Patriarch, the monks were pardoned from death, Karamalos to the Pikridiou monastery, and Eustathios to the Stoudiou monastery. And the

 He was persuading, he fled to Siricha to the precious cross, pretending that he had come on account of faith in the cross. So Constantine, the son of

 Andronikos, learning this, despairing, along with his relatives and his children and his men, went away and seized the fortress of Kabala, having come

 Samonas said, Against whom is the affliction? The metropolitan said to him, Against you and if you get past the 13th of June, from then on you wil

 he dressed it and made an illumination for the animals. For this reason the hand of God was lifted from him, as one who attached the honor of God to i

 of the detachments fell, and so many that the place was flooded with blood pouring down like a river. And Gregoras the son of the Doux was also killed

 879 of Domenikos the Hetaeriarch. Zoe deposes Patriarch Nicholas along with those with him in anger, telling him to look after and care for the affair

 others in the engagement of the war, 882 both Constantine Lips and John Grapson and a sufficient number of other commanders. 17. And at some point Rom

 These things came to pass. 23 But the emperor took Nicholas the patriarch and Stephen the magister to be with him in the palace, drawing the authority

 the basileopator, having made signed golden bulls as if from the person of the emperor Constantine, containing the overthrow of such a plot, and that

 they came forth in a procession. 2. In the month of June, of the 8th indiction, on a Sunday, the union of the church took place under Romanos, with al

 and many others. Therefore, having barely been saved, he entered into the dromon. And Alexios Mouseles the droungarios also came fleeing, armed, with

 is deprived. They tonsured Bardas Boilas as a monk, since the emperor pitied him as he was a friend. 15. When the patrician nicknamed Moroleon, who wa

 of silver-shielded and silver-speared men, and of those adorned with every color of arms, all of them fenced in with 900 iron, who, having taken Symeo

 Stephen the metropolitan of Amaseia being a eunuch. 903 26. In the month of October, the mystikos John, the paradynasteuon, was accused of aspiring to

 and with Maria the daughter of Christopher and with the whole senate to the church of the most holy Theotokos of the Spring, and they blessed both Pet

 son of the emperor Romanos, whom they were about to ordain patriarch of Constantinople. 38. On the twenty-fifth of the same month an unbearable winter

 he having already reached old age and his sons being still infants. and his remains were placed in the aforementioned monastery of his father. 43. And

 Consequently, the rest of the dromons and the triremes, having sallied forth, worked a complete rout, and they sank many ships with their crews, and w

 a military force being besieged and coming into the greatest necessity, its inhabitants sent an embassy to the emperor Romanos to have the siege lifte

 a monk. 1 Constantine, his son-in-law, was therefore left as sole emperor who, having immediately honored Bardas, the son of Phokas, with the dignity

church, having a warden named Nicholas. And on that night a divine voice called the warden, saying "Arise, bring the emperor into the oratory." And having arisen, he found no one except Basil himself lying like a pauper, and having turned back 820 he fell into his own bed. Then a second time such a voice came to him. And having gone out and looked about and finding no one, he turned back, closed the gate, and lay down again. And immediately someone with a sword struck him in the side, saying "Go out and bring in the one you see lying outside the gate. This is the emperor." So, trembling, he went out in haste, and finding Basil with his pouch and staff, he brought him inside the church; and on the second day, having gone with him to the bath, he washed him and changed his clothes, and coming into the church he performed the rite of adelphopoiesis, and they rejoiced with one another. 10 This same Nicholas had a brother who was a physician, who served Theophilitzes. And when the physician happened to come to his brother, seeing Basil and marvelling at his size and manliness, he said to his brother "Where is this man from?" And he told him everything, and ordered him to keep the secret. And as the physician was sitting at table with Theophilitzes, and the latter was reflecting to himself and saying that he wanted to find a man suitable for his horses, the physician stood up and told him about Basil's manliness and that he was such a man as he desired and sought. Therefore, sending with haste, he brought him. So, seeing him to be a sturdy youth and having a large head, he nicknamed him Kephalas, and gave him the task of serving his horses. Therefore, as has been said before, for such a reason Theophilitzes gave him to the emperor Michael. 821 11 And the emperor, bringing in this same Basil, said to his mother, as if rejoicing, "Come see, mother, what a youth I have now taken." But she, coming out and seeing him, turned away, saying to her son, "This is the one, my child, who is going to destroy our family." But he was in no way persuaded by his mother nor did he listen to her. And Methodius, the patriarch among the saints, died, and Ignatius, the son of Michael the curopalates, was ordained in his place. And when the Bulgarians were making raids in Thrace and Macedonia and plundering these themes, Theodora formed a company of taxatiotai, who, attacking the Bulgarians from the castles, raiding sporadically and in small groups, killed and took them captive, so that the Bulgarians were confined to their own country. 12. And Bardas the Caesar became friends with Damianus, the patrikios and parakoimomenos. And he, having gained influence over the emperor, persuaded him to bring Bardas into the city; who, having won over the emperor's household with gifts, was appointed, along with the parakoimomenos, to come and go in the palace. And having befriended Theophanes the protovestiarios, a courageous man, who was called Pharganos, they made a plan with Damianus to kill Theoktistos, the one commonly so-called epi tou kanikleiou. And the emperor, being persuaded by Damianus in this matter, also consented for this to happen; for Bardas said 822 to Damianus that as long as Theoktistos is with the Augusta, the emperor will never rule or have authority. And Theoktistos, having gone to the bath of Areobindus, as was his custom, then came to the offices of the asekretai, and holding the reports, entered the Lausiac Hall. And looking around he saw Bardas sitting there officially; and being greatly disturbed, he said "When I go in to the Augusta, I will drive him out again." But as he entered the Horologion, Michael together with Damianus met him and did not allow him to go in to Theodora, but he was ordered angrily to open the reports and read them before him. And when he did this unwillingly, he turned him back to go out. And he, weeping bitterly and lamenting, went out. And Bardas met him in the Lausiac Hall, and began to strike him on the temple and pull his hair. And seeing this, Maniakes, the droungarios of the Vigla, stood up and spoke against the

ἐκκλησία, ἔχουσα προσμονάριον ὀνόματι Νικόλαον. τῇ δὲ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἐκάλεσεν ἡ θεία φωνὴ τὸν προσμονάριον, λέγουσα "ἐγερθεὶς εἰσάγαγε εἰς τὸ εὐκτήριον τὸν βασιλέα." ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς οὐδένα εὗρε πλὴν αὐτὸν τὸν Βασίλειον κείμενον ὡς πένητα, καὶ ἐπιστρα 820 φεὶς ἔπεσεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κοίτην. πάλιν οὖν ἐκ δευτέρου ἦλθεν αὐτῷ ἡ τοιαύτη φωνή. ὁ δὲ ἐξελθὼν καὶ κατασκοπήσας καὶ μη δένα εὑρὼν ἐπιστραφεὶς ἔκλεισε τὸν πυλῶνα καὶ ἀνέπεσε. καὶ εὐθέως μετὰ ῥομφαίας τις δέδωκεν αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν πλευράν, λέγων "ἐξελθὼν εἰσάγαγε ὃν βλέπεις ἔξωθεν τοῦ πυλῶνος κείμενον. οὗ τός ἐστιν ὁ βασιλεύς." ἐξελθὼν οὖν μετὰ σπουδῆς σύντρομος, καὶ εὑρὼν Βασίλειον μετὰ τῆς πήρας καὶ ῥάβδου, εἰσήγαγεν ἔσω θεν τῆς ἐκκλησίας· καὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἡμέρᾳ ἀπελθὼν μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ λουτρὸν ἔλουσεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἤλλαξε, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐποίησεν ἀδελφοποίησιν, καὶ συνευφραίνοντο ἀλλήλους. 10 ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Νικόλαος εἶχεν ἀδελφὸν ἰατρόν, ὃς ἐδούλευε τῷ Θεοφι λίτζῃ. ἐλθὼν δὲ καὶ κατὰ τύχην ὁ ἰατρὸς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐ τοῦ, ἰδὼν τὸν Βασίλειον καὶ θαυμάσας τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὴν ἀν δρίαν αὐτοῦ, εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ "πόθεν ἐστὶν οὗτος;" ὁ δὲ ἀναγγέλλει αὐτῷ πάντα, καὶ παρήγγειλε φυλάξαι τὸ μυστή ριον. καθεζομένου δὲ τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἐπὶ τραπέζης μετὰ τοῦ Θεοφι λίτζη, καὶ τούτου καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀναλογισαμένου καὶ εἰπόντος ὅτι ἤθελον εὑρεῖν ἄνθρωπον ἐπιτήδειον εἰς τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἵππους, ἀνα στὰς ὁ ἰατρὸς εἶπεν αὐτῷ περὶ τῆς ἀνδρίας τοῦ Βασιλείου καὶ ὅτι τοιοῦτός ἐστιν οἷον ἐπιποθεῖς καὶ ζητεῖς. ἀποστείλας οὖν μετὰ σπουδῆς ἤγαγεν αὐτόν. θεασάμενος οὖν αὐτὸν ἐπιάγουρον καὶ μεγάλην κεφαλὴν ἔχοντα ἐπέθηκεν αὐτὸν Κεφαλάν, καὶ δέδωκεν τοῦτον τοῦ δουλεύειν τοὺς ἵππους αὐτοῦ. ὡς οὖν προείρηται, διὰ τοιαύτην αἰτίαν δέδωκεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεοφιλίτζης Μιχαὴλ τῷ βασιλεῖ. 821 11 ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν αὐτὸν Βασίλειον εἰσαγαγὼν εἶπε τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς χαιρόμενος "δεῦρο ἴδε, μῆτερ, οἷον ἄγουρον νῦν ἐπε λαβόμην." ἡ δὲ ἐξελθοῦσα καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν ἀπεστράφη, εἰποῦσα τῷ υἱῷ αὐτῆς "οὗτός ἐστι, τέκνον μου, ὁ μέλλων ἀφανίσαι τὸ γένος ἡμῶν." ὁ δὲ οὐδαμῶς ἐπείσθη τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ ἢ ἤκουσεν αὐτῇ. Ἐτελεύτησε δὲ ὁ ἐν ἁγίοις πατριάρχης Μεθόδιος, καὶ χει ροτονεῖται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Ἰγνάτιος ὁ υἱὸς Μιχαὴλ κουροπαλάτου. τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων ἐπιδρομὰς ποιούντων ἐν Θρᾴκῃ καὶ Μακεδονίᾳ καὶ ληϊζομένων τὰ τοιαῦτα θέματα, ἡ Θεοδώρα ταξατιῶνα ἐποίη σεν, οἳ ἐκ τῶν κάστρων ἐπιτιθέμενοι Βουλγάροις, σποράδην καὶ κατ' ὀλίγους κουρσεύοντες, ἐφόνευον τούτους καὶ ᾐχμαλώτιζον, ὥστε ὑποσταλῆναι τοὺς Βουλγάρους ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ χώρᾳ. 12. Βάρδας δὲ ὁ Καῖσαρ ἐφιλιώθη ∆αμιανῷ πατρικίῳ καὶ παρακοιμωμένῳ. ὁ δὲ τὸν βασιλέα κρατήσας ἔπεισε τοῦ εἰσα γαγεῖν τὸν Βάρδαν ἐν τῇ πόλει· ὃς διὰ δώρων τοὺς βασιλέως οἰ κείους διαδεξάμενος ἅμα τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ ὡρίσθη προέρχεσθαι εἰς τὸ παλάτιον. οἰκειωσάμενος δὲ καὶ τὸν Θεοφάνην πρωτοβε στιάριον ὡς ἠνδρειωμένον, τὸν ἐπιλεγόμενον Φάργανον, βουλὴν ποιοῦσι μετὰ ∆αμιανοῦ τοῦ ἀνελεῖν Θεόκτιστον τὸν οὕτω συνήθως ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου λεγόμενον. πεισθεὶς δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆αμιανοῦ ἐπὶ τούτῳ συνῄνεσε καὶ αὐτὸς γενέσθαι τοῦτο· ἔλεγε 822 γὰρ ὁ Βάρδας ∆αμιανῷ ὅτι ἕως ἐστὶ Θεόκτιστος μετὰ τῆς Αὐγούστης, οὐκ ἄρξει οὐδὲ ἐξουσιάσει ποτὲ ὁ βασιλεύς. ὁ δὲ Θεό κτιστος ἀπελθὼν ἐν τῷ λούσματι τῶν Ἀρεοβίνδου, ὡς ἔθος ἦν αὐτῷ, εἶτα ἐλθὼν εἰς τὰ ἀσηκρητεῖα, κρατῶν τὰς ἀναφορὰς εἰσῆλ θεν εἰς τὸ Λαυσιακόν. καὶ περιβλεψάμενος εἶδε Βάρδαν καθε ζόμενον ἔμπρακτον· καὶ ταραχθεὶς σφοδρῶς ἔφη ὅτι ἐγὼ εἰσελ θὼν εἰς τὴν Αὐγοῦσταν πάλιν ἐκδιώκω αὐτόν. εἰσελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ὡρολόγιον, προϋπήντησεν αὐτῷ Μιχαὴλ ἅμα ∆α μιανῷ καὶ οὐκ εἴασαν εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς Θεοδώραν, ἀλλ' ἐκελεύσθη μετ' ὀργῆς ἀνοῖξαι τὰς ἀναφορὰς καὶ ἀναγνῶναι ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. ἄκοντα δὲ τοῦτο ποιήσαντα ἀντέστρεψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὐπίσω ἐξελ θεῖν. ὁ δὲ πικρῶς δακρύων καὶ ὀλοφυρόμενος ἐξῆλθε. συνήν τησε δὲ αὐτῷ Βάρδας εἰς τὸ Λαυσιακόν, καὶ ἤρξατο κατὰ κόρρης παίειν αὐτὸν καὶ τίλλειν τὰς τρίχας αὐτοῦ. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ δρουγγά ριος τῆς βίγλης ὁ Μανιάκης ἀναστὰς ἀντέλεγε τῷ