25

of our providence and serenity toward you; in return for which, grant me your goodwill toward them after my death, just as you thought and acted with a grateful and right disposition toward me. For I will no longer see you hereafter, I will not exhort you with such words, I will not entreat you with so many admonitions, I will not supplicate with tears. When the emperor had spoken such things, much wailing, groaning, and lamentation was sent up from all. 3.19 But Theophilos, stirring up the unwavering sea of piety, terribly tossed about those sailing calmly upon it; among whom he also shut up in prison the syncellus Michael of the Jerusalem community, together with many ascetics, with whom he also inscribed Theophanes and Theodore, the champions of orthodoxy, with Scythian-like brandings upon their faces. Such and so many were the tempests he unleashed against piety. And indeed many storms in the air, poor harvests, and droughts and famines from intemperate weather, and tremors and quakings of the earth occurred daily during his reign, and there was a general flight of the pious in the winter of his impiety, according to the saying, and there was no sabbath rest for anyone, since his inhumanity stormed against the serene state of the Christians. For in his such evil doings he appointed John as patriarch, an initiate and minister of the most wicked heresy. 3.20 This Theophilos, along with many shortcomings, was arrogant, even if in some good things, whether willingly or unwillingly, he was generously endowed by nature with advantages. For since the walls of the city of Byzantium were low and thus offered an easy approach to the enemy, he raised and renewed them, placing an inscription of his own name upon them. And let this honorable act also be set down for praise, which may perhaps also be acceptable to emperors who shake off avarice, or rather sordid gain, even if it is more fitting to speak of it as arising from arrogance. For once, as a ship was passing through the sea by the Boukoleon, the emperor inquired about it, whose it might be. Those standing by answered: the empress's. But he, being displeased at this, summoned her, and having learned the truth from her: "Woe is me," he said, "I have been revealed as a shipowner, since this belongs to my wife," and at the same time he commanded the ship to be burned with its many valuable commercial goods, sparing none of them at all, for the praise of imperial honor which is established by care for the people rather than by plundering them. 3.21 Theophilos was exceedingly inquisitive about abstruse questions; for which reason he also released the holy Methodios from prison, since he was wise and capable in resolving them, choosing to have him live with him at the palace, even if he somehow loathed him on account of the orthodox dogma. 3.22 Who, having governed the rule of the empire for 12 years and three months, paid the common debt through the aforementioned disease on the 24th of the month of January, having most foolishly boasted against the orthodox faith. 4.t <BOOK IV> CONCERNING MICHAEL, SON OF THEOPHILOS 4.1 And Michael was left to direct the paternal scepters in the year 6350, indiction 5, with his mother Theodora the God-minded, and the patrician Theoktistos and Manuel the protomagistros were deemed worthy of his regency, for whom it was a matter of concern to be loyal to his master and to be so disposed toward this in words and deeds. Therefore, he went out to the hippodrome, and having gathered all the shield-bearing people and the soldiers of whom he had full confidence to maintain their obedience to him, he thus set forth the prelude of his speech: "You all know, O men, what are the tokens of my love for you, in both cares and friendly protections, together with these and benefactions, with us never ceasing at all. And because of this, it is necessary for you to repay us the favors, both in persuasion of words and of deeds; and whatever has been judged desirable by us, this you should be eager to choose, and whatever

25

ἡμετέρας πρὸς ὑμᾶς προμηθείας καὶ γαληνότητος· ὧν ἀντίδοτέ μοι τὴν μετὰ θάνατον εὔνοιαν πρὸς αὐτούς, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπ' ἐμοὶ τὰ τῆς εὐγνώμονος καὶ ὀρθῆς διαθέσεως διανοούμενοι καὶ καταπραττόμενοι. οὐκέτι γὰρ ὑμᾶς θεάσομαι τοῦ λοιποῦ, οὐ τοιούτοις παρακαλέσομαι ῥήμασιν, οὐ τοσαύταις δυσωπήσομαι παραινέσεσιν, οὐχ ἱκετεύσω σὺν δάκρυσιν. τοιαῦτα προσειπόντος τοῦ βασιλέως πολὺς ὀδυρμὸς στεναγμός τε καὶ κωκυτὸς παρὰ πάντων ἀνεπέμπετο. 3.19 Συγκυκῶν δὲ Θεόφιλος τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἄκλυστον πέλαγος τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ πλέοντας ἀκυμάντως δεινῶς ἐκλυδώνιζεν· ἐν οἷς καὶ τὸν σύγκελλον Μιχαὴλ τῆς Ἱεροσολυμίτιδος ὁμηγύρεως συνάμα πολλοῖς ἀσκηταῖς φυλακαῖς ἐναπέκλεισεν, μεθ' ὧν Θεοφάνην τε καὶ Θεόδωρον τοὺς τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας συνασπιστὰς Σκυθικῶς ἐπιπροσωπείοις διεγράψατο κεντήμασιν. τοιαῦται δὴ καὶ τοσαῦται αἱ κατὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας αὐτοῦ θύελλαι διενέσκηπτον. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ χειμῶνες πολλοὶ κατ' ἀέρος, δυσφορίαι τε καὶ αὐχμηρίαι καὶ σιτοδεῖαι ἐκ δυσκρασίας, παλμοί τε καὶ ἀναβρασμοὶ γῆς καθ' ἡμέραν τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας γεγόνασιν, καὶ φυγὴ καθόλου παρῆν εὐσεβῶν ἐν χειμῶνι τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀσεβείας, κατὰ τὸ λόγιον, καὶ οὐδενὶ παντὸς σαββάτου ἀνάπαυσις ἐξ ἀπανθρωπίας αὐτοῦ θυελλιζούσης Χριστιανῶν γαληναῖον κατάστημα. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις αὐτοῦ κακοτεχνήμασι τὸν Ἰαννῆν πατριάρχην καθίστησι, συμμύστην καὶ λειτουργὸν τῆς κακίστης αἱρέσεως. 3.20 Ὅστις Θεόφιλος μετὰ πλειόνων ἐλαττωμάτων ὑπέροφρυς ἦν, κἂν ἔν τισι τῶν καλῶν εἴτε ἑκών, εἴτε ἄκων πεφιλοτίμητο πλεονεκτήμασι φύσεως. καὶ γὰρ τῶν τειχῶν Βυζαντίδος τῆς πόλεως χθαμαλῶν ὄντων καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐντεῦθεν ἐμπαρεχόντων τὸ εὐεπίβατον, οὗτος ὑψώσας ἀνενεώσατο, τούτοις καθεὶς γραφὴν τοῦ ἰδίου ὀνόματος. πρὸς ἔπαινον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ φιλότιμον ἐντεθείσθω, ὃ καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἴσως ἔστω ἀποδεκτὸν τὸ φιλοκερδὲς ἀποσειομένοις ἢ μᾶλλον κακοκερδές, κἂν ἐξ ὑπεροψίας εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον. ποτὲ γὰρ πλοίου διερχομένου κατὰ τὴν ἅλα τοῦ Βουκολέοντος, περί γε τούτου ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπυνθάνετο, τίνος ἂν εἴη. οἱ παρεστῶτες ἀπολελόγηντο· τῆς δεσποίνης. ὁ δὲ δυσφόρως διατεθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτῳ προσκαλεῖται ταύτην, καὶ παρ' αὐτῆς τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐγνωκώς· οἴμοι, ἔφη, φανερωθέν<τι> ναυκλήρῳ, ἐπείπερ τοῦτο τῆς ἐμῆς συμβίου καθέστηκεν, καὶ ἅμα τῷ λόγῳ παρεκελεύετο πυρποληθῆναι τὴν ναῦν σὺν τοῖς ἀγωγίμοις πολλοῖς καὶ τιμίοις κατὰ πραγματείαν ὑπάρχουσι, μὴ τούτων ὅλως φεισάμενος εἰς ἔπαινον βασιλικῆς τιμιότητος δημοκηδίᾳ μᾶλλον ἢ δημοβορίᾳ συνιστώσης ἐπίκτησιν. 3.21 Πολυπράγμων δὲ περὶ ζητημάτων τῶν ἀποκρύφων ἐτύγχανε λίαν Θεόφιλος· ὧν χάριν καὶ Μεθόδιον τὸν ὅσιον, ἅτε σοφὸν ὄντα καὶ περὶ τὰς λύσεις αὐτῶν ἱκανῶς ἔχοντα, τῆς φυλακῆς ἀνερρύσατο, συνδιάγειν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ παλάτιον αἱρησάμενος, κἂν διὰ τὸ ὀρθὸν δόγμα πως αὐτὸν ἐμυσάττετο. 3.22 Ὃς τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἀρχὴν διαιτήσας ἐπὶ ιβʹ ἔτεσιν μησί τε τρισὶν κατὰ τὴν προρρηθεῖσαν νόσον τὸ κοινὸν ἀνέπλησεν ὄφλημα μηνὶ Ἰαννουαρίῳ κδʹ, ἀφρόνως τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πλεῖστα καταλαζονευσάμενος πίστεως. 4.t <ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ ∆> ΠΕΡΙ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΥΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ 4.1 Τὰ δὲ πατρῷα σκῆπτρα ἐν ἔτει ϛτνʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος εʹ, διϊθύνειν καταλιμπάνεται Μιχαὴλ σὺν μητρὶ Θεοδώρᾳ θεόφρονι, αὐτοῦ τε τὰ τῆς ἐπιτροπείας ὅ τε πατρίκιος Θεόκτιστος καὶ Μανουὴλ ὁ πρωτομάγιστρος ἠξίωται, ᾧ καὶ διὰ μερίμνης ἐνῆν τὸ φιλοδεσποτεῖν καὶ λόγοις πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ πράξεσι διατίθεσθαι. οὐκοῦν ἔξεισι κατὰ τὸν ἱππόδρομον, καὶ πάντα τὸν ὑπασπιστὴν λαὸν συναγείρας καὶ οἷς πληροφορίαν ἐκέκτητο στρατιώταις τὰ πρὸς εὐπείθειαν αὐτῷ συντηρῆσαι, προοίμιον οὕτως τοῦ λόγου προδιατίθησιν· οἴδατε πάντες, ὦ ἄνδρες, ὁποῖα τὰ πρὸς ὑμᾶς τῆς ἀγάπης γνωρίσματα, ἔν τε κηδεμονίαις ἔν τε προστασίαις φιλόφροσι, συνάμα ταύταις καὶ εὐεργεσίαις μηδ' ὅλως ἐξισταμένων ἡμῶν. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο χρεὼν ὑμᾶς ἡμῖν ἀποδοῦναι τὰς ἀντιχάριτας, ἔν τε λόγων πειθοῖ καὶ τῶν ἔργων· καὶ ὅπερ ἂν ἡμῖν αἱρετὸν διακέκριται, τοῦτο ἑλέσθαι σπουδάζοιτε, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν