it was sealed, the fool with the fools raising his voice in laughter, laughing at the renowned Ignatius as not being accommodating in matters and as one, as he himself thought, carried about by every wind like the Euripus. But also, having engaged in a contest with the wretched emperor Michael over who could drink more, he surpassed him by ten cups; for while Michael had finished with 50, this Photius, having drunk 60, boasted as if he were not drunk. 20. And once when Michael's mother was living in the palace, while Gryllus was committing lawless acts with him, he disguised this man to be the blessed Ignatius and summoned her to be blessed by him. So when she came out with piety and reverence, she threw herself to the ground, asking for a prayer; for he was for the moment unnoticed, hiding his beard. and at 664 readily leaping up and letting out a noise, and having added indecent words and the phrase "What we have, lady, we give to you," he filled everything with a foul smell. But she, prophesying the future, that he would fall outside the path of God's providence and hand. 21. While Theodora still held the empire, Bogaris, the ruler of Bulgaria, having heard that a woman ruled the empire of the Romans, declared to her that he was breaking the treaties and would march against the Romans. So it was declared back to him that "you will find me marching against you, and we hope to conquer you. But if not, even so I will get the better of you, having a very clear victory; for it is a woman, and not a man, that you will have defeated you." For this reason, therefore, he both remained quiet and renewed the treaties of friendship. (22) So she made an inquiry about the monk Theodore Koupharas, who had been taken captive long before. And he, taking the opportunity from this, made an inquiry about his own sister who had been captured and was being held in the emperor's court; who, having learned letters and the order of the Christians and reverence and glory for the divine, when she obtained her return to her brother, did not cease extolling and exhorting him to convert to the true faith, although he, being held fast by unbelief, for the time being did not wish to see the truth. But when a famine 665 spread over the land, he was forced to cross the Roman borders. 23. In his 3rd year, the emperor Michael appointed Antigonus, the son of Bardas, Domestic of the Schools; and his other son, after giving him a wife, on whose account he was also reviled, he appointed monostrategos of the western themes. But when he died shortly after, on the 4th day of Renewal Week, Michael appointed Bardas his [uncle] as Caesar. 24. In this year Amer came out as far as Sinope, and after plundering all the Roman territories, returned unharmed. 25. In his 4th year, Michael campaigned along with the Caesar by both land and sea against Goboris, the ruler of the Bulgars. The Bulgars, learning this, and at the same time being wasted by famine, yielded as if to the sound of thunder, and before the contests and the battle they despaired of victory, and requested to become Christians and to be subject to the emperor of the Romans. And the emperor, bringing them into the city, baptized them all and named their ruler Michael. Who, having returned to his own land, had the judgment and retribution painted in his house by a painter named Methodius; for which reason he especially endured the rebellion from his whole clan, whom he subdued with a few men, carrying the image of the divine cross on his breast, and at 666 made everyone openly Christians. He also made a request to the emperor concerning land, because his people were constrained in their own territory, in order that they might also be of one mind in the faith forever and keep their friendship indissoluble for ages. And he heard him favorably, and gave what was then the deserted land from Sidera, which at that time happened to be the border of both the Romans and them, as far as Develton, which is called Zagoria by them. 26. In his 5th year, when Amer again came out against Roman territory, the generals Petronas and Nasar met him at the Lalakaon. And when an engagement occurred, Amer was routed,
ἐπεσφραγίζετο, ἐν γέλωτι ὁ μετὰ ἀφρόνων ὁ ἄφρων τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ἀνυψῶν, ἐπιγελῶν τοῦ ἀοιδίμου Ἰγνατίου ὡς μὴ ὄντος τοῖς πράγμασι συγκαταβατικοῦ καὶ οἷον, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐνόμιζε, παντὶ ἀνέμῳ εὐριπίστως φερομένου. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅμιλλαν μετὰ τοῦ ἀθλίου βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ ὑπὲρ τοῦ τίς ἂν πλέον πίῃ ἐνστησάμενος δέκα κώθωσιν αὐτὸν ὑπερέβαλλεν· τοῦ Μιχαὴλ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς νʹ πεπληρωμένου, οὗτος ὁ Φώτιος τοὺς ξʹ ἐκπεπωκὼς ἐνεκαυχᾶτο ὡς μὴ μεμεθυκώς. 20. Καί ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μητέρα ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις διαιτουμένην, τοῦ Γρύλλου δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ τὰ ἄθεσμα πράττοντος, πλασάμενος τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν μακαρίτην Ἰγνάτιον μετακαλεῖται εὐλογηθησομένην παρ' αὐτοῦ. ὡς οὖν ἐκείνη ἐξῄει μετ' εὐλαβείας καὶ αἰδοῦς, ῥίπτει ἑαυτὴν εἰς τοὔδαφος ἐξαιτουμένη εὐχήν· καὶ γὰρ ἐλάνθανεν τέως τὴν γενειάδα κρύπτων. καὶ ἐκ 664 προχείρου ψόφον ἀναθορὼν ἐπαφεὶς καὶ λόγους ἀπρεπεῖς προστεθεικὼς καὶ τὸ "ἡμεῖς ὅπερ ἔχομεν, κυρά, παρέχομέν σοι," τὰ πάντα δυσωδίας ἐπλήρου. ἡ δὲ τὸ μέλλον ἀποφοιβάσασα, τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας καὶ χειρὸς ἔξω γενέσθαι ὁδοῦ. 21. Ἔτι τῆς Θεοδώρας τὴν βασιλείαν κατεχούσης, Βόγαρις ὁ ἄρχων Βουλγαρίας, γυναῖκα τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας ἀκούσας κρατεῖν, δηλοῖ αὐτῇ καταλύειν τὰς συνθήκας καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐκστρατεύειν. ἀντιδηλοῦται οὖν αὐτῷ ὅτι καὶ ἐμὲ κατὰ σοῦ εὑρήσεις ἀντιστρατεύουσαν, καὶ ἐλπίζομεν κυριεῦσαί σου. εἰ δὲ μή, καὶ οὕτως σοῦ περιέσομαι, τὴν νίκην ἀρίδηλον ἔχουσα· γυναῖκα γάρ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄνδρα ἔχεις τὸν ἡττηθέντα σοι." διὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐφ' ἡσυχίας ἔμεινε καὶ τὰς τῆς ἀγάπης ἀνενέωσεν σπονδάς. (22) ζήτησιν οὖν αὐτὴ ποιεῖται περὶ τοῦ μοναχοῦ Θεοδώρου τοῦ Κουφαρᾶ, πρὸ πολλοῦ αἰχμαλωτισθέντος. καὶ οὗτος δὲ ἀφορμὴν ἐκ τούτου λαβὼν περὶ τῆς οἰκείας ἀδελφῆς αἰχμαλωτισθείσης καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐλῇ κατεχομένης δηλοῖ· ἥτις καὶ γράμματα μαθοῦσα καὶ τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν τάξιν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὸ θεῖον αἰδῶ καὶ δόξαν, ἐπεὶ τῆς ἐπανόδου τῆς πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν τετύχηκεν, οὐ διέλιπεν ἐκθειάζουσα καὶ παρακαλοῦσα μεταθέσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἀληθῆ πίστιν, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς τῇ ἀπιστίᾳ κατισχημένος πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἰδεῖν τέως οὐκ ἠθέλησεν. λιμοῦ 665 δὲ τὴν χώραν ἐπινεμομένου ἠναγκάσθη τὰ Ῥωμαίων ὅρια ὑπερβαίνειν. 23. Τῷ γʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει προβάλλεται Μιχαὴλ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀντίγονον τὸν υἱὸν Βάρδα δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν· τὸν δὲ ἕτερον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, δοὺς γυναῖκα, εἰς ἣν καὶ ἐλοιδορεῖτο, προβάλλεται μονοστράτηγον τῶν δυτικῶν. συντόμως δὲ αὐτοῦ τελευτήσαντος, τῇ δʹ τῶν διακαινισίμων, προβάλλεται Μιχαὴλ Βάρδαν τὸν αὐτοῦ [θεῖον] Καίσαρα. 24. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐξῆλθεν Ἄμερ μέχρις Σινώπης, καὶ ληϊσάμενος πάντα τὰ Ῥωμαίων ὑπέστρεψεν ἀβλαβής. 25. Τῷ δʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει ἐκστρατεύει Μιχαὴλ ἅμα Καίσαρι διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης κατὰ Γόβορι ἄρχοντι Βουλγάρων. τοῦτο μαθόντες οἱ Βούλγαροι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ λιμῷ τηκόμενοι, ὡς ἤχῳ βροντῆς ὑπεκλίθησαν καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἀγώνων καὶ τῆς μάχης περὶ τὴν νίκην κατέγνωσαν, Χριστιανοί τε γενέσθαι καὶ ὑποτάσσεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων ᾐτήσαντο. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τούτους ἐν τῇ πόλει ἀγαγὼν ἐβάπτισεν πάντας καὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν Μιχαὴλ ἐπωνόμασεν. ὃς εἰς τὸ ἴδιον ὑποστρέψας διὰ ζωγράφου Μεθοδίου λεγομένου τὴν κρίσιν καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ γραφῆναι πεποίηκεν· διὸ καὶ μᾶλλον τὴν ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ καθυφίσταται ἐπανάστασιν, οὓς μετά τινων ὀλίγων καταπολεμήσας, τὸν τοῦ θείου σταυροῦ τύπον ἐγκόλπιον περιάγων, πάντας ἀνα 666 φανδὸν ἐποίησε Χριστιανούς. δηλοῖ καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ γῆς διὰ τὸ στενοῦσθαι ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις τὸ πλῆθος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ, πρὸς τῷ καὶ ἐν τῇ πίστει ὁμονοεῖν ἀϊδίως καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἄλυτον εἰς αἰῶνας φυλάττειν. ὁ δὲ εὐμενῶς ἤκουσε, καὶ δέδωκεν ἐρήμην οὖσαν τηνικαῦτα τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Σιδηρᾶς, ταύτης δὴ τότε ὅριον τυγχανούσης Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ αὐτῶν, ἄχρι τῆς ∆εβελτόν, ἥτις οὕτω καλεῖται Ζαγόρια παρ' αὐτοῖς. 26. Τῷ εʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει τοῦ Ἄμερ πάλιν ἐπὶ Ῥωμανίαν ἐξελθόντος συναντῶσι Πετρωνᾶς καὶ Νάσαρ οἱ στρατηγοὶ εἰς τὸν Λαλακαῶνα. καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης τρέπεται ὁ Ἄμερ,