I said to this pious and discerning monk that we too, when serving the liturgy with him, never heard him speak a prayer, but rather whisper the words of secular poets; and what was worse, that he even vomited a most foul vomit under the divine and holy table. (34) And John the hesychast, a truly God-bearing and prescient man, related to us that once, while I was sitting intently in my cave, two abbots, Euthymios and Joseph, who were being fiercely persecuted by Photios, came to me; and as God granted, I strengthened them, and finally, saying, "He who endures to the end, this one will be saved," I dismissed them. But on the following night, before I awoke, there stood by me a great and abominable Ethiopian, terrible to behold, who stretched out to seize my neck to choke me. And I immediately, making the sign of the cross and taking courage, seized him by the hand, and said, "Who are you, and what is your name, and who sent you here, and for what reason." And he, answering, said, "I am a mighty one of Beliar, but a servant of Photios; my name 673 is Lebouphas. A collaborator of sorcerers and poisoners, a guide of adulterers and robbers, and a friend of the Hellenes and of my servant in secret, Photios. He who has authority over me sent me for his vengeance, on account of yesterday's insults against him, to trouble you, so that you might change your mind and accept him and be estranged from God, just as he has done this to many others. But you, with the weapon of the cross, have shown me to be powerless." Then I rendered him powerless with the precious cross, and he vanished. 35. On one night it happened that there were great earthquakes; and Photios himself, having ascended the ambo to deliver an address, said that earthquakes happen not from a multitude of sins but from an abundance of water, and that each person has two souls, and the one sins, but the other does not sin. Having heard these things, the protoasecretis went away and said to the emperor that "Our slaves are pressuring us, saying that we expected to have one soul, and we were receiving two modioi each per month; but now, as the patriarch openly teaches, each has two souls, and you must add another two modioi for us." And the emperor, laughing, said, "Is this what the Khazar-face dogmatizes?" He therefore immediately summoned the patriarch, and asked him, as if feigning anger, "Do you dogmatize thus, O marzouka, that a person has two souls?" But he, with plausible arguments, deceitfully beguiled him 674 and persuaded him that he had spoken about other subjects, and not thus. At this, Gregory of Syracuse asked, "What does marzoukas mean?" And he said, "Mar is dog, zou is drag, kas is leather; that is, a dog dragging a hide." 36. And a certain artisan, as those who saw and heard affirmed, who had his dwelling in the Sophiae quarter, for many days was in his death agony, eating his tongue and lips and hands, and was unable to die. But recovering a little, he said, "Know, brothers, that the patriarch Photios taught me not to receive communion fasting. Therefore I am suffering what you see, and I am not able to die." And having said these things, he expired. And these things, then, concerning Photios. 37. In his ninth year, the emperor Michael campaigned against the Hagarenes, having left Oryphas as eparch in the city; who also informed the emperor, who had already reached the Mauropotamos, of the arrival of the Rus, with two hundred ships. And the emperor immediately returned, having accomplished nothing at all. 38. In his tenth year, the Rus, having reached the area within the Hieron, wrought a great slaughter. They therefore surrounded the city; and the emperor, having been able with difficulty to cross over, immediately with the patriarch Photios, they went to the church of the Theotokos in Blachernae, and with hymns they brought out the holy maphorion of the Theotokos and dipped its edge in the sea; and although there was a dead calm, 675 immediately gusts of wind and, though the sea was tranquil, successive surges of waves arose, and the ships of the godless Rus were wrecked, with few escaping the danger. 39. But when Bardas the Caesar in the
πρὸς τὸν εὐλαβῆ καὶ διορατικὸν τοῦτον μοναχὸν εἶπον ὅτι καὶ ἡμεῖς λειτουργοῦντες μετ' αὐτοῦ οὐδέποτε ἠκούσαμεν αὐτοῦ εὐχὴν λαλοῦντος ἀλλὰ τῶν θύραθεν ποιητῶν ὑποψιθυρίζοντος ῥήματα· τὸ δὲ χαλεπώτερον, ὅτι καὶ ὑποκάτω τῆς θείας καὶ ἁγίας τραπέζης ἐμεῖ δυσωδέστατον ἐμετόν. (34) καὶ διηγήσατο ἡμῖν Ἰωάννης ὁ ἡσυχαστής, ἀνὴρ θεοφόρος καὶ προορατικὸς ἀληθές, ὅτι ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ ποτὲ σφοδρῶς καθεζομένου μου δύο τινὲς ἡγούμενοι Εὐθύμιος καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ὑπὸ Φωτίου σφοδρῶς διωκόμενοι παρέβαλον πρός με· καὶ καθὼς ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός, ἐστήριξα αὐτούς, καὶ τελευταῖον εἰπὼν "ὁ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται" ἀπέλυσα αὐτούς. τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἀφυπνῶσαί με παρέστη μοι Αἰθίοψ μέγας καὶ ἀπευκτὸς καὶ ἰδεῖν φρικτός, ὃς ἥπλωσε κρατῆσαι τοῦ λαιμοῦ μου πρὸς τὸ ἀποπνῖξαί με. εὐθὺς δὲ ἐγὼ τὸν τύπον τοῦ σταυροῦ ποιήσας καὶ θαρρήσας ἐκράτησα αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς χειρός, καὶ "τίς εἶ σὺ" λέγων, "καὶ τί τὸ ὄνομά σου, καὶ τίς ὁ ἀποστείλας σε ἐνταῦθα, καὶ δι' ἣν αἰτίαν." αὐτὸν δὲ ἀποκριθέντα εἰπεῖν "ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ δυνατὸς μὲν τοῦ Βελίαρ, ὑπουργὸς δὲ Φωτίου· ὄνομα δέ 673 μοι Λεβούφας. συνεργὸς γοήτων καὶ φαρμακῶν, ὁδηγὸς μοιχῶν καὶ λῃστῶν, φίλος δὲ Ἑλλήνων καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἐν κρυπτῷ θεράποντος Φωτίου. ἀπέστειλε δέ με ὁ ἐξουσιάζων με εἰς ἐκδίκησιν αὐτοῦ διὰ τὰς χθὲς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀτιμίας, τοῦ περιεργάσεσθαί σε, ὅπως μεταμεληθεὶς ἀποδέξῃ αὐτὸν καὶ ἀλλοτριωθῇς τοῦ θεοῦ, καθὼς καὶ ἄλλοις τοῦτο πεποίηκεν πολλοῖς. ἀλλὰ σύ με τῷ ὅπλῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ ἀνίσχυρον ἔδειξας." τότε ἐγὼ κατήργησα αὐτὸν τῷ τιμίῳ σταυρῷ, καὶ ἄφαντος ἐγένετο. 35. Ἐν μιᾷ νυκτὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι σεισμοὶ μεγάλοι· καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Φώτιος ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ ἄμβωνος δημηγορῆσαι εἶπεν ὅτι οἱ σεισμοὶ οὐκ ἐκ πλήθους ἁμαρτιῶν ἀλλ' ἐκ πλησμονῆς ὕδατος γίνονται, καὶ ἕκαστος ἄνθρωπος δύο ψυχὰς ἔχει, καὶ ἡ μὲν μία ἁμαρτάνει, ἡ δὲ ἑτέρα οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει. τούτων ἀκούσας ὁ πρωτοασηκρῆτις καὶ ἀπελθὼν εἶπεν τῷ βασιλεῖ ὅτι οἱ δοῦλοι ἡμῶν ἀναγκάζουσιν ἡμᾶς, λέγοντες ὡς ἡμεῖς ἠλπίζομεν μίαν ψυχὴν ἔχειν, καὶ ἐλαμβάνομεν ἑκάστῳ μηνὶ ἀνὰ μοδίους δύο· νῦν δέ, ὡς διδάσκει ἀναφανδὸν ὁ πατριάρχης, δύο ψυχὰς ἔχει ἕκαστος, καὶ δεῖ ἄλλους δύο μοδίους προσθεῖναι ἡμῖν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς γελάσας εἶπεν "οὕτως δογματίζει ὁ Χαζαροπρόσωπος;" προσκαλεῖται οὖν εὐθὺς τὸν πατριάρχην, καὶ πυνθάνεται ὡς δῆθεν θυμούμενος "οὕτως δογματίζεις, ὦ μαρζούκα, δύο τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔχειν ψυχάς;" ὁ δὲ ταῖς πιθανολογίαις δολερῶς τοῦτον ὑπεισελθὼν 674 ἔπεισεν ὡς περὶ ἄλλων ὑποθέσεων εἰπεῖν, οὐχὶ δὲ οὕτως. τούτῳ Γρηγόριος ὁ Συρακούσης ἠρώτησε "τί τὸ μαρζούκας σημαίνει;" ὁ δὲ εἶπεν "τὸ μάρ κύων, τὸ ζού σῦρε, τὸ κάς κάσσυμα· τουτέστι κύων ἕλκων δέρμα." 36. Ἐργαστηριακὸς δέ τις, ὡς οἱ ἰδόντες καὶ ἀκούσαντες ἐβεβαίωσαν, εἰς τὰς Σοφίας τὴν οἴκησιν ἔχων, ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις ψυχορραγῶν καὶ τὴν γλῶτταν καὶ τὰ χείλη καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐσθίων ἀποψῦξαι οὐκ ἠδύνατο. μικρὸν δὲ ἀνασφήλας εἶπεν "γινώσκετε, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι ὁ πατριάρχης Φώτιος ἐδίδαξέ με μὴ κοινωνεῖν νῆστις. διὸ καὶ ἃ βλέπετε πανθάνω, καὶ ἀποθανεῖν οὐ δύναμαι." καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐξέψυξεν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ Φωτίου. 37. Τῷ θʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει ἐκστρατεύει ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν, τὸν Ὀρύφαν ὕπαρχον ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλιπών· ὃς καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἤδη τὸ Μαυροπόταμον καταλαβόντα δηλοῖ τὴν τῶν Ῥῶς ἄφιξιν, πλοίων οὖσαν διακοσίων. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εὐθὺς ὑποστρέφει, μηδὲν ὅλως ἐργασάμενος. 38. Τῷ ιʹ αὐτοῦ ἔτει οἱ Ῥῶς ἔνδοθεν τοῦ Ἱεροῦ φθάσαντες πολὺν εἰργάσαντο φόνον. περικυκλοῦσιν οὖν τὴν πόλιν· καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως μόλις διαπερᾶσαι ἰσχύσαντος, εὐθὺς σὺν τῷ πατριάρχῃ Φωτίῳ τὸν ἐν Βλαχέρναις τῆς θεοτόκου ναὸν καταλαμβάνουσι, καὶ μεθ' ὑμνῳδιῶν τὸ ἅγιον τῆς θεοτόκου ἐξαγαγόντες μαφόριον τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἄκρως προσέβαψαν· καὶ νηνεμίας οὔσης 675 εὐθὺς ἀνέμων ἐπιφοραὶ καὶ τῆς θαλάσσης ἠρεμούσης κυμάτων ἐπαναστάσεις ἀλλεπάλληλοι ἐγεγόνεισαν, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀθέων Ῥῶς πλοῖα κατεάγησαν, ὀλίγων ἐκπεφευγότων τὸν κίνδυνον. 39. Βάρδα δὲ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐν τῇ