Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since i have deemed it not right
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
Of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged Nero to betroth his wife to him and to give her away in marriage as a father would. Nero is persuaded; not willingly does he give away his wife. And she, when the time came, gives birth to a male child. And from this a popular proverb was brought forth: "For the fortunate and the splendid, even three-month children." Now then, of the things recorded about this Caesar, it must be related by me from where he was called Caesar. Some say that as his mother was pregnant and did not manage to give birth, but died beforehand, her relatives cut open her womb, and taking out from there a living and breathing embryo, they named him Caesar, as one having been cut out. But others again say that the Romans call the hair of the head *caesaries*; Gaius was therefore surnamed Caesar as being well-tressed or rather as thick-haired. And others who wrote Roman histories say that a relative of this Gaius Caesar appeared as a most excellent warrior, when the Romans were engaged with the Carthaginians, and striking his opponent at the opportune moment with a spear and wounding him, he brought him down to the ground along with the broad-chested elephant he was riding, and from this the splendid surname of Caesar had its origin; for elephants are called *caesares* by the Phoenicians. From that ancestor, therefore, who had been the first to excel, his relatives were called Caesars, procuring for themselves from this the greatest honor. Enough about these things; but we must return to the thread of the narrative. For when the gloriously victorious and bold-hearted Caesar was about to die, his wife seemed to see in her sleep the house falling upon his head, and her husband, covered in blood, falling most piteously into her lap. He was indeed miserably slaughtered in the middle of the forum, deceitfully attacked by both Cassius and Brutus. Gaius Caesar thus having perished, his nephew and adopted son, Caesar surnamed Augustus, took hold of the scepters, boasting Octavius as his proper name from infancy, but afterwards called Augustus as one who was augmented. This man was monarch, with both his life extending for a long time and his rule reaching to the ends of the earth. When his mother was pregnant with him, she saw in her dreams that her womb was snatched up and flew up to heaven. And as he was just emerging from the moist maternal chambers, his father seemed to see in his sleep that from the womb of his wife shone forth the sun, the delighter of mortals, the great ruler of the day. And when he went out of the house a short while later, he met an astrologer and asked him the reason. And when that man mentioned the birth of the infant and explained to him the great significance of the dreams, that great astrologer, deeply grieving, cried out from his depths: "Man, what have you done? You have begotten a master and king for us." And as the boy was advancing to the growth of age, and was spending time in the fields with his parents, and was delighting in the reapers and the sheaf-binders, and was carrying bread in his two hands and eating, suddenly a rushing eagle snatched the bread, and having been winged on high was lifted to the air, and swooping down again gave back the bread. And when he had ascended to the height of kingship, he was passionate, quick to anger, irascible, impetuous, and again he would become adaptable and gentle. So as he was sitting once, laying down the law and judging and had declared doom against many men, a certain wise man, Maecenas, not being able to approach and admonish Caesar (for the crowd was keeping him away), entrusts letters to a sheet of paper, and marks it with a seal. And the letters said: "Executioner, stop judging." He takes good aim, he throws the sheet like a javelin. And Caesar, having seen this, unrolls the tablet, and having read what was written, he rises from the throne, and makes null and void all that had been decreed. With him was a teacher, an Alexandrian by race, Athenodorus by name, full of all wisdom, and most capable of regulating and instructing character. This man, knowing Caesar to be ruled by passion
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ἐγκυμονήσεως ἄγουσαν ἕκτον μῆνα ὁ Καῖσαρ ἤθελε λαβεῖν εἰς γάμου κοινωνίαν, καὶ Νέρωνα κατήπειγεν αὐτῷ κατεγγυῆσαι τὴν γαμετὴν
καὶ πατρικῶς ταύτην νυμφοστολῆσαι. πείθεται Νέρων, οὐχ ἑκὼν δίδωσι τὴν γυναῖκα. ἡ δ' ἐπιστάντος τοῦ καιροῦ τίκτει παιδίον
ἄρρεν. κἀντεῦθεν ἐξενήνεκτο δημώδης παροιμία "τοῖς εὐτυχοῦσι καὶ λαμπροῖς καὶ τρίμηνα παιδία." Τῶν γοῦν κατὰ τὸν Καίσαρα τοῦτον
ἱστορηθέντων λοιπὸν διηγητέον μοι πόθεν ἐκλήθη Καῖσαρ. οἱ μέν φασιν ὡς τῆς μητρὸς κατὰ γαστρὸς ἐχούσης καὶ μὴ φθασάσης ἐκτεκεῖν,
ἀλλὰ προαπελθούσης, ἀνέτεμον οἱ προσγενεῖς ἐκείνης τὴν γαστέρα, καὶ ζῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἔμβρυον καὶ πνέον ἐξελόντες Καίσαρα κατωνόμασαν
ὡς ἀνατετμημένον. ἄλλοι δὲ πάλιν λέγουσι τῆς κεφαλῆς τὴν κόμην Ῥωμαίους λέγειν καίσαριν· Καῖσαρ γοῦν ἐπεκλήθη Γάϊος ὡς εὐπλόκαμος
ἢ μᾶλλον ὡς δασύθριξ. ἕτεροι δὲ Ῥωμαϊκὰς γράψαντες ἱστορίας φασὶν ὡς τούτου προσγενὴς τοῦ Καίσαρος Γαΐου τρισαριστεὺς ἀναφανείς,
ὅτε Καρχηδονίοις Ῥωμαῖοι συνεπλέκοντο, καὶ δόρατι καιρίως βαλὼν τὸν ἀνταγωνιστὴν καὶ κατατραυματίσας ἐλέφαντος ὀχούμενον ἄνωθεν
εὐρυστέρνου αὐτῷ πρὸς γῆν κατήνεγκεν ἐλέφαντι, κἀντεῦθεν ἔσχεν ἀρχὴν τὴν Καίσαρος λαμπρὰν προσωνυμίαν· καίσαρες γὰρ ἐλέφαντες
τοῖς Φοίνιξι καλοῦνται. ἐκ τοῦ προγόνου τοιγαροῦν τοῦ προηριστευκότος Καίσαρες ἐπεκλήθησαν οἱ προσγενεῖς ἐκείνῳ, τιμὴν μεγίστην
ἑαυτοῖς ἐντεῦθεν προξενοῦντες. Περὶ μὲν τούτων ἱκανῶς· ἡμῖν δ' ἐπανιτέον ἐπὶ τοῦ λόγου τὸν εἱρμόν. μέλλοντος γὰρ ἐκθνήσκειν
τοῦ καλλινίκου Καίσαρος τοῦ τολμηροκαρδίου, ἔδοξε βλέπειν ἡ γυνὴ τούτου κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους κατὰ τῆς τούτου κεφαλῆς πεσοῦσαν
τὴν οἰκίαν, τὸν ἄνδρα δὲ κατάρρυτον αἵμασι γεγονότα οἰκτρότατα καταπεσεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς ταύτης κόλπους. ἐσφάγη γοῦν ἐλεεινῶς τῆς
ἀγορᾶς ἐν μέσῳ, ἐπιθεμένων δολερῶς Κασίου τε καὶ Βρούτου. Γαΐου τοίνυν Καίσαρος οὕτως ἀπολωλότος ἀδελφιδοῦς εἰσποίητος υἱὸς
ἐκείνου, Καῖσαρ ὁ σεβαστὸς ἐπικληθείς, ἐλάβετο τῶν σκήπτρων, τὸ μὲν Ὀκτάβιος αὐχῶν ὡς κύριον ἐκ βρέφους, Αὔγουστος μετὰ ταῦτα
δὲ κληθεὶς ὡς ηὐξημένος. οὗτος ὑπῆρξε μόναρχος εἰς πλέον ἐκταθείσης καὶ τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς ἄκρα γῆς φθασάσης. τοῦτον
ἡ μήτηρ κύουσα κατεῖδεν ἐν ὀνείροις σπλάγχνον αὐτῆς εἰς οὐρανὸν ὡς ἁρπαγὲν ἀνέπτη. ἄρτι δ' ἐκκύπτοντος ὑγρῶν ἐκ μητρικῶν θαλάμων,
ἔδοξε βλέπειν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τοὺς ὕπνους ὡς ἐκ τῶν κόλπων ἔφαυσε τῆς τούτῳ συνοικούσης ἥλιος ὁ τερψίμβροτος ὁ μέγας ἡμεράρχης.
ὡς δὲ προῆλθε βράδιον ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας τότε, ἀστεροσκόπῳ ἐντυχὼν ἤρετο τὴν αἰτίαν. ἐκείνου δὲ τὴν γέννησιν τοῦ βρέφους ἐπειπόντος
καὶ τὰ μεγάλα φράσσοντος αὐτῷ τῶν ὀνειράτων, βαρυπενθήσας ὁ πολὺς ἐκεῖνος ἀστρολόγος "ἄνθρωπε, τί πεποίηκας;" ἀνέκραγεν ἐκ
βάθους· "δεσπότην ἀπεκύησας ἡμῖν καὶ βασιλέα." τοῦ δὲ παιδὸς ἐλαύνοντος εἰς αὔξην ἡλικίας, κἀν τοῖς ἀγροῖς διάγοντος σὺν τοῖς
αὐτοῦ τοκεῦσιν, καὶ τερπομένου θερισταῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀμαλλοδέταις, καὶ ταῖν χεροῖν ἐμφέροντος ἄρτον καὶ σιτουμένου, ἄφνω ῥοιζήσας
ἀετὸς ἀφήρπασε τὸν ἄρτον, καὶ πτερυχθεὶς μετάρσιος ἐπῆρτο πρὸς ἀέρα, καὶ πάλιν ἐπικαταπτὰς ἀπέδωκε τὸν ἄρτον. ἐπεὶ δὲ πρὸς
βασίλειον ὕψος ἀναβεβήκει, θυμώδης ἦν, ἀκρόχολος, ὀργίλος, ὁρμητίας, καὶ πάλιν εὐμετάφορος ἐγίνετο καὶ πρᾶος. ὡς οὖν ἐκάθητό
ποτε δικοθετῶν καὶ κρίνων καὶ πότμον ἀπεφήνατο κατὰ πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀνὴρ Μηκίνης τις σοφὸς μὴ σθένων πλησιάσαι καὶ νουθετῆσαι
Καίσαρα (τὸ πλῆθος γὰρ ἀπεῖργε) χάρτῃ πιστεύει γράμματα, σφραγῖδι σημειοῦται. ἔλεγε δὲ τὰ γράμματα "δήμιε, παῦσαι κρίνων."
καταστοχάζεται καλῶς, τὸν χάρτην ἀκοντίζει. καὶ Καῖσαρ τοῦτον κατιδὼν τὴν δέλτον ἀναπτύσσει, καὶ τοῖς γραφεῖσιν ἐντυχὼν ἀνίσταται
τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ τίθησιν ἀκύρωτα πάντα τὰ ψηφισθέντα. Τούτῳ συνῆν διδάσκαλος Ἀλεξανδρεὺς τὸ γένος, τὴν κλῆσιν Ἀθηνόδωρος, πάσης
σοφίας πλήρης, καὶ τρόπους ἱκανώτατος ῥυθμίζειν καὶ παιδεύειν. οὗτος ἐρωτοκράτητον τὸν Καίσαρα γινώσκων
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