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
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 artist, O Zeus, the world is losing!" having reigned for almost fourteen years. Galba began to rule after him, and after him Otho, the one having tasted power for only seven months, the other holding the scepter for not even more than three months. And after them Vitellius, who issued proclamations to the astrologers to flee from Italy; but they posted in response, "Flee from life, Caesar," and wrote the day on which he would be killed; for having ruled for eight months, he was seen to be the work of a sword. When these had left their rule and with it their life, the army voted the power to Vespasian, who was then shearing the beauty of Judaea. And he departed, having sailed for Rome, but he left his noble-hearted son Titus with a force to besiege Jerusalem, having proclaimed him Caesar, successor to the rule; who after sufficient toils and the slaughters and the seas of frequent blood and the murders, by which the plains of Zion were reddened and spears became stained with gore and swords, blood-spattered shields, murder-dripping palms, finally overcoming the blessed city, he made its strong buildings and well-towered towers burn with fire and destroyed the temple, having often groaned and wept much over it, and the most beautiful city, teeming with ten thousands of men; he rendered it turned to soot, defiled with smoke, so that that great populousness turned into a trackless and Scythian, as they say, wilderness. And when the emperor had become old and ended his life and his rule through disease, having reigned for not more than nine years, Titus succeeded to it, a divine and gentle man, a most generous man, lavish with money, and worthy of the rule and the command, and if there were other, more numerous, rules and kingdoms, he would have been worthy to manage and hold these as well. His is that famous and wonderful saying: "I have not been emperor today, nor ruler; for I have poured on no one the streams of beneficence." His is that much-praised and noble saying: "It is not right for one who has looked upon the face of an emperor to return exceedingly sad with a gloomy countenance." But an avenging sickness was quick to snatch away before his time the most skillful man, who had ruled for two years. But the unsteady turning of the wheel and the dice-game of fortune evilly entrusted the power to Domitian, who was born, to be sure, from the same seed as Titus, but bearing nothing in common or brotherly toward Titus, so that that famous saying is entirely true: "a chamber pot and a drinking cup from the same glass, a foot-basin and a goblet from the same clay." For he was a lover of money, a huckster of affairs, thirsting for blood and slaughters, a butcher of men, unfeelingly carving up flesh, roaring like a lion. To this man a certain wise man, an astrologer, foretold when and how he would die, and who would rule after him; but he, having brought the astrologer near, said, "And for you, man, how long is your time of life? And how and when do you die, and what kind of end is yours?" And when that one had spoken clearly and truthfully what the course of the stars had taught him, the emperor, wishing to prove him a charlatan, ordered a pyre to be lit from rich wood, and the stargazer, strongly shackled, to be thrown onto it with his arms bound behind him. The furnace was lit, the flame rose high, it threatened terribly, and terrified even from afar; the fire roared dreadfully, it echoed through the air; but the astrologer lay shackled, cowering not at all. What happened after this? A cloud arose from somewhere, it darkened the sky, it made the air misty. It was gloomy, very black, very wet, rain-bearing; one would have thought it was pregnant with rivers of water. From there thunder broke forth and a roaring sounded, and all got out of the way, they fled with all their might, the emperor, the spectators, the common people, the bodyguards, the executioners feeding the furnace. and finally a great rain breaking forth upon the fire
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φέροντες ἡνιοστρόφῳ μίμῳ, ἐπῆλθον ἀναιρήσοντες. τοῦτο δὲ γνοὺς ὁ Νέρων αὑτὸν διεχειρίσατο, τοῦτ' ἐπειπὼν ἐν τέλει "οἷον, ὦ
ζεῦ, κιθαρῳδὸν ὁ βίος ζημιοῦται!" ἔτη κρατήσας τέσσαρα πρὸς πληρεστάτοις δέκα. Γάλβας κατῆρξε μετ' αὐτόν, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον
Ὄθων, ὁ μὲν ἑπτὰ γευσάμενος μῆνας τοῦ κράτους μόνον, ὁ δ' οὐδὲ πλέον τῶν τριῶν μηνῶν σκηπτροκρατήσας. καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν Βιτέλλιος,
ὃς τοῖς ἀστερολέσχαις κηρύγματα προστέθεικε φεύγειν ἐξ Ἰταλίας· οἱ δ' ἀντιπροτεθείκασι "φεῦγε τοῦ βίου, Καῖσαρ," καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν
γράψαντες καθ' ἣν ἀποκτανθείη· μῆνας ὀκτὼ κρατήσας γὰρ ἔργον μαχαίρας ὤφθη. Τούτων λιπόντων τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ σὺν αὐτῇ τὸν βίον
στρατὸς Οὐεσπασιανῷ ψηφίζεται τὸ κράτος, τὸ κάλλος περικείροντι τῆς Ἰουδαίας τότε. κἀκεῖνος μὲν ἀπῴχετο ναυστοληθεὶς πρὸς
Ῥώμην, τὸν δὲ γενναιοκάρδιον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Τῖτον Ἱερουσαλὴμ πολιορκεῖν ἀφῆκε σὺν δυνάμει, ἀναγορεύσας Καίσαρα διάδοχον τοῦ
κράτους· ὃς μετὰ μόχθους ἱκανοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀνδροκτασίας καὶ τὰς θαλάσσας τῶν συχνῶν αἱμάτων καὶ τοὺς φόνους, ὑφ' ὧν κατηρυθρώθησαν
Σιὼν αἱ πεδιάδες καὶ δόρατα γεγόνασι λυθρόφυρτα καὶ ξίφη, ἀσπίδες αἱμοφόρυκτοι, φονοσταγεῖς παλάμαι, τέλος περιγενόμενος πόλεως
τῆς ὀλβίας τὰς ὀχυρὰς οἰκοδομὰς καὶ πύργους τοὺς εὐπύργους πυριφλεγεῖς πεποίηκε καὶ τὸν ναὸν καθεῖλε, πολλὰ πολλάκις ἐπ' αὐτῷ
στενάξας καὶ δακρύσας, καὶ πόλιν τὴν περικαλλῆ τὴν μυριανδρουμένην· ἠσβολωμένην τέθεικε, καπνῷ μεμορυγμένην, ὡς περιστῆναι
τὴν πολλὴν ἐκείνην εὐανδρίαν εἰς ἄπορον καὶ Σκυθικήν, ὅ φασιν, ἐρημίαν. παρέτου γενομένου δὲ τοῦ κράτορος ἐκ γήρους καὶ νόσῳ
καταλύσαντος τὸν βίον καὶ τὸ κράτος, ἔτεσι βασιλεύσαντος οὐ πλείω τῶν ἐννέα, Τῖτος παρῆλθεν εἰς αὐτό, θεῖος ἀνὴρ καὶ πρᾶος,
ἀνὴρ φιλοδωρότατος, προετικὸς χρημάτων, καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κατάξιος καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, κἂν ἦσαν ἄλλαι πλείονες ἀρχαὶ καὶ βασιλεῖαι,
καὶ ταύτας ὢν ἐπάξιος διέπειν καὶ συνέχειν. τούτου τὸ περιλάλητον καὶ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο "οὐκ ἐγενόμην βασιλεὺς τήμερον οὐδὲ
κράτωρ· οὐδένα γὰρ κατήντλησα ῥείθροις εὐεργεσίας." τούτου τὸ πολυύμνητον ἐκεῖνο καὶ γενναῖον "οὐ χρὴ τὸν θεασάμενον πρόσωπον
βασιλέως παλιννοστεῖν περίλυπον ἐν σκυθρωποῖς προσώποις." ἀλλ' ἔφθη προαρπάσασα νόσος ἡ παλαμναία πρὸ χρόνου τὸν πανδέξιον,
κρατήσαντ' ἔτη δύο. τροχοῦ δ' ἡ ἄστατος φορὰ καὶ ὁ πεττὸς τῆς τύχης κακῶς τῷ ∆ομετιανῷ τὸ κράτος ἐγχειρίζει, φυέντι μὲν ἐκ
τῶν αὐτῶν σπερμάτων ἐξ ὧν Τῖτος, οὐδὲν δὲ φέροντι κοινὸν οὐδ' ἀδελφὸν πρὸς Τῖτον, ὡς εἶναι τὸ θρυλούμενον πανάληθες ἐκεῖνο
"ἀμὶς καὶ ποτιστήριον ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑέλου, ποδονιπτὴρ καὶ κύπελλον ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν χωμάτων." ἦν γὰρ ἐρασιχρήματος, κάπηλος τῶν
πραγμάτων, διψῶν αἱμάτων καὶ σφαγῶν, μάγειρος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κρεανομῶν ἀσυμπαθῶς, βρυχώμενος ὡς λέων. τούτῳ προεῖπέ τις σοφὸς
ἀνὴρ ἀστερολέσχης πότε καὶ πῶς τεθνήξεται, τίς μετ' αὐτὸν κατάρξει· ὁ δὲ παραστησάμενος ἐγγὺς τὸν ἀστρολόγον "σοὶ δ'" ἔφη
"πόσος, ἄνθρωπε, ζωῆς ἐστὶν ὁ χῥόνος; καὶ πῶς καὶ πότε τελευτᾷς, καὶ ποῖόν σοι τὸ τέλος;" ἐκείνου δὲ λαλήσαντος τρανῶς καὶ
φιλαλήθως ἅπερ αὐτὸν ἐδίδασκεν ὁ τῶν ἀστέρων δρόμος, ὁ βασιλεὺς φενακιστὴν θέλων αὐτὸν ἐλέγξαι πυρὰν κελεύει λιπαρᾶς ἐξ ὕλης
ἀναφθῆναι, καὶ πεδηθέντα κρατιῶς τὸν μετεωρολέσχην ἀκοντισθῆναι κατ' αὐτῆς περιηγκωνισμένον. ἀνῆπτο μὲν ἡ κάμινος, ᾔρετο μεταρσία
ἡ φλόξ, ἠπείλει φοβερόν, ἐφόβει καὶ μακρόθεν· φρικῶδες ἔβρεμε τὸ πῦρ, ἀέρα περιήχει· ὁ δ' ἀστρολόγος πεδηθεὶς ἔκειτο μηδὲν
πτήξας. τί μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ συμβάν; ἐπήρθη ποθὲν νέφος, τὸν οὐρανὸν ἠμαύρωσεν, ἠχλύωσεν ἀέρα. ζοφῶδες ἦν, μελάντερον, κάθυγρον,
ὀμβροφόρον· εἴκασεν ἄν τις ποταμοὺς ἐγκυμονεῖν ὑδάτων. ἐντεῦθεν ῥήγνυται βροντὴ καὶ μυκηθμὸς ἠχεῖται, καὶ πάντες ἦσαν ἐκποδών,
ἔφευγον ἀνὰ κράτος, ὁ βασιλεύς, οἱ θεαταί, δημόται, δορυφόροι, τὴν κάμινον οἱ τρέφοντες οἱ δήμιοι. καὶ τέλος ὄμβρος πολὺς
καταρραγεὶς τὸ πῦρ
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