Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

they have been allotted, among whom they were scattered. 3.7 Such an end, indeed, have the affairs of the Persians altogether met with after the seditious malice, having been thus distributed and having almost proceeded to annihilation. When the emperor, therefore, fell into a fatal illness, a certain suspicion smouldered, from the empty slander of malevolent men, that after his death an attack by Theophobos together with the Persians would be fanned into flame against his heirs and those in the regency. For this reason, and standing now at the very gates of death, he confines Theophobos, having sent him away to the dungeons of the Boukoleon, and at night he imposes upon him a departure by means of capital punishment, the wretched man having prepared for himself a funeral prize of inhumanity. Therefore, because his death occurred in secret, it has been rumored among the Persians until the present times that Theophobos did not taste death. 3.8 Although some have conceived otherwise, that when Theophilos had met with misfortune in a certain reversal in war, Theophobos had told him only to arrange a night battle with the Persians and with the alliance of God to overpower the enemies. When the emperor, therefore, had learned of this, his mind was shaken and his spirit was troubled, dreaming lest he might wish to start a revolution; for so certain envious men stirred him up and rolled him toward irrational suspicion, saying that he should not be persuaded by Theophobos in what he had advantageously counselled, sowing this, as it were, with devotion. Who, being inflamed with divine zeal like Elijah the Tishbite, rebukes the emperor in a God-loving way and shows himself another zealous Phinehas, cutting his unjust suspicion with his word as with a scourge, and says this openly, that he would be held responsible for the Christian defeat, which may God not permit. At this the emperor, growing angry with immoderate wrath (for he was moved by an angry fervor, as his mind was affected by his bodily ailments), and with the slanderers unnaturally building up nonsense into truth, no small terror surrounded Theophobos. And having gathered with him some chosen men, he flees to the city of Amastris and there he spends time. Therefore a naval fleet is sent against him by the emperor, so that they might seize the city and him; but he, being a lover of God, in a God-fearing manner piously feared to proceed to the shedding of Christian blood, whence he yields to the God-hated emperor who sent a guarantee on the Cross, and unfortunately he is recalled, the agreements having been altered. For the deed of beheading, as some say, is immediately carried out by Ooryphas, at that time in command of the imperial guard; but as others say, at the very hour the emperor had died, it had been ordered for one of the household eunuchs, who had led him away by night to the place of Pelagios, that he be beheaded. 3.9 And when at another time the armies clashed with each other and the men of Ishmael had gained the upper hand, and the emperor had been surrounded by them, capture was threatened, and indeed he was within a little of being captured by the spear and becoming a cause of rejoicing for all, if Manuel had not emboldened those with him by saying something like this: Be men, my friends, and take up a valiant heart, respecting the bees, who endure until the death of their king. With these men, cutting through the phalanx of the Hagarenes, spattered with much gore and blood, he dragged him out. For having done this three times, having approached him, he rescued him from the encirclement; for dizziness beset him for Manuel to rescue, even if he found a wide passage. This is why this happened up to a third time, although perhaps with a strap having been tied to the bridle of the imperial horse and fastened to some part of Manuel's, which he wore on his horse; but he would not go out thus, until for the fourth time he approached him and declared he would die by the sword if he would not follow him and would not thus push away utter destruction, until he led him out. A great savior of this man he appears, and he is restored again to his imperial state, and he rewards this man with honors and fitting gifts, accepting his loyal servant. But that of envy before

κεκλήρωνται, ἐφ' οἷς διεσπάρησαν. 3.7 Τοιούτου δὴ πέρατος τὰ τῶν Περσῶν ὅλως τετύχηκε μετὰ τὴν στασιῶτιν κακόνοιαν οὕτω διανεμηθέντων καὶ σχεδὸν εἰς ἀφανισμὸν χωρησάντων. τοῦ οὖν βασιλέως θανατηφόρῳ νόσῳ περιπεσόντος ὑπεσμύχετό τις σκοπός, ἐκ ματαίας διαβολῆς χαιρεκάκων, μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπιθέσεως παρὰ Θεοφόβου συνάμα Πέρσαις κατὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ κληρονόμων καὶ τῶν κατ' ἐπιτροπείαν ἐκριπισθῆναι. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ πρὸς ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἤδη πύλαις τοῦ θανάτου παρεστηκὼς καθειργνύει κευθμῶσιν ἐκπέμψας τοῦ Βουκολέοντος τὸν Θεόφοβον, καὶ νυκτὶ τὴν διὰ κεφαλικῆς τιμωρίας περιτίθησιν αὐτῷ ὑπεξέλευσιν, ἆθλον ἀπανθρωπίας ἐντάφιον ὁ δείλαιος ἐνστησάμενος. διὰ τὸ οὖν λαθραίαν γεγονέναι τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν διαβεβόηται παρὰ Πέρσαις ἄχρι τῶν ὧδε χρόνων θανάτου μὴ γεύσασθαι τὸν Θεόφοβον. 3.8 Εἰ καὶ ἄλλως τινὲς διειλήφασιν, ὅτι τοῦ Θεοφίλου κατά τινα περιπέτειαν δυστυχήσαντος ἐν πολέμῳ, εἰρήκει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεόφοβος συνθέσθαι μόνον μετὰ Περσῶν νυκτοπόλεμον καὶ συμμαχίᾳ θεοῦ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καταδυναστεῦσαι. ὡς οὖν ἐπέπυστο περὶ τούτου ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐσείσθη τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ἐτετάρακτο, ὀνειροπολῶν, μή τι νεωτερίσασθαι βούλοιτο· οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὸν φιλοβάσκανοί τινες ἀνεχαίτισαν καὶ πρὸς ὑπόνοιαν ἄλογον ἐξεκύλισαν, φάσκοντες μὴ πεισθῆναι τῷ Θεοφόβῳ ἐφ' ὧν λυσιτελῶς ἐβεβούλητο, καθοσιώσει δῆθεν ἐνείροντες. ὃς ζήλῳ θείῳ πυρποληθεὶς καθὼς Ἡλιοὺ ὁ Θεσβίτης, θεοφιλῶς τοῦ βασιλέως κατεμβριθεύεται καὶ ἄλλος Φινεὲς ζηλωτὴς ἀναδείκνυται, τέμνων ὡς σειρομάστῃ τῷ λόγῳ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἄδικον ὑπόληψιν, καὶ τοῦτό φησιν ἐμφανῶς, ὡς τὴν ὀφειλὴν ὑφέξειν τοῦ Χριστιανικοῦ τροπαίου, ἣν μὴ θεὸς συγχωρήσειεν. ἐπὶ τούτοις τοῦ βασιλέως ἀμετρίᾳ θυμοῦ χαλεπήναντος (ἦν γὰρ ὑποκεκινημένος ὀργίλῃ τῇ ζέσει, οἷα τὸν νοῦν ταῖς σωματικαῖς καχεξίαις ἐμπαθαινόμενος) καὶ τῶν συκοφαντῶν ἐς τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐποικοδομούντων παρὰ φύσιν ληρήματα καὶ πτόησις οὐκ ὀλίγη περιεστοίχησε τὸν Θεόφοβον. καὶ συλλέξας μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τινας ἐκκρίτους ἀποδιδράσκει πρὸς Ἄμαστριν πόλιν κἀκεῖσε χρονοτριβεῖ. διὸ στέλλεται πρὸς αὐτὸν ναύμαχος στόλος πρὸς βασιλέως, ὡς ἄν γε τὴν πόλιν κἀκεῖνον κατάσχωσιν· αὐτὸς δὲ φιλόθεος ὢν κατὰ θεόφοβον τρόπον φιλευσεβῶς ἐδεδίει πρὸς Χριστιανῶν αἱματεκχυσίας χωρεῖν, ὅθεν ὑπείκει τῷ θεομισεῖ βασιλεῖ ἐγγύησιν σταυρικὴν ἐπιπέμποντι, καὶ δυστυχῶς ἀνακέκληται τῶν συμπεφωνημένων ἀλλοιωθέντων. τομῆς γὰρ ἔργον κεφαλικῆς, ὡς μέν τινες, παραυτίκα ὑπὸ Ὠορυφᾶ τηνικαῦτα τῆς βασιλικῆς βίγλης ἐπικρατοῦντος καθίσταται· ὡς δὲ ἄλλοι, καθ' ἣν ὥραν ἀποβεβιώκει ὁ ἄναξ, τινὶ τῶν οἰκείων εὐνούχων διὰ νυκτὸς τῷ ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Πελαγίου τόπῳ ἀπαγαγόντι τοῦτον ἀποτυμπανισθῆναι προήγγελτο. 3.9 Προσπεσόντων δὲ ἀλλήλοις τῶν στρατοπέδων ἄλλοτε καὶ τῶν ἐξ Ἰσμαὴλ ὑπερσχόντων, τοῦ βασιλέως τε παρ' αὐτῶν κυκλωθέντος, τὰ πρὸς κατάληψιν διηπείλητο, καὶ δὴ παρὰ μικρὸν ἦν δορυάλωτος καὶ πᾶσιν ἐπίχαρτος γενησόμενος, εἰ μὴ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ Μανουὴλ ὡσεὶ τοιοῦτον φήσας ἐθαρσαλέωσεν· ἀνέρες ἐστὲ φίλοι, καὶ ἄλκιμον ἦτορ ἕλεσθε, τὰς μελίσσας αἰδούμενοι, αἳ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν θανάτου ἕως ἀνέχονται. μεθ' ὧν τὴν φάλαγγα διατεμὼν τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν, πεπαλαγμένος λύθρῳ πολλῷ τε καὶ αἵματι, τοῦτον ἐξείλκυσεν. τρὶς γὰρ τοῦτο διαπραξάμενος τῆς ἐμπερισχέσεως αὐτῷ προσελθὼν ἐξελύτρου· ἐσκοτοδινία γὰρ ἐφεστηκότι τῷ Μανουὴλ εἰς ἀνάρρυσιν, κἂν παρόδου εὐρείας ἐτύγχανεν. διὸ τοῦτο μέχρι τρίτου συμβέβηκεν, κἂν τάχα τῷ χαλινῷ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἵππου ἐπιδεθέντος ἱμάντος καὶ προσαναρτηθέντος τινί γε τοῦ Μανουήλ, ὃν καθ' ἵππον ἀμπίσχετο· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὕτως ἐξῄει, ἕως τὸ τέταρτον αὐτῷ προσιέναι καὶ ξίφει θανεῖν ἀποφήνασθαι, εἰ οὐ τούτῳ συνέψοιτο καὶ μὴ πανωλεθρίαν ἐκ τούτου διωθοῖτο, ἕως ἐξήγαγεν. τούτου σωτὴρ μέγας ἐπεμφανίζεται, καὶ τῇ βασιλίδι παλιμ πετὲς μετατίθεται, καὶ τοῦτον τιμαῖς καὶ προσηκούσαις δωρεαῖς ἐπαμείβεται, τὸν εὔνουν ἀποδεχόμενος. ἡ δὲ τοῦ φθόνου πρὸ