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
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 held many captive, and especially those who had their calling from Christ; for blowing more violently than heavy-roaring winds, they strove to tear up from the very roots the plant of piety, being newly-planted, like a newly-grafted branch, like a tender sapling. From this came tortures and bonds, the slaughter of men, and flesh dismembered as in a butcher's shop. But having fought in their rage irrationally against this, and having barked in vain like rabid dogs, being unable to extinguish the name of Christ, the thrice-wretched ones, in a mad fit, cast off the crown, and bring themselves down to a more humble fortune, and become keepers of gardens and planters of trees and diggers around plants, and cultivate vegetables. But wishing to take up power again, they missed both their goal and their desire, and they gave up their souls in most grievous deaths, having ruled the empire for twenty-two years. These men take sons-in-law for their daughters, having proclaimed. them Caesars as if they were their children, the first took Galerius for Valeria, and Maximian took Constans, the son of Claudius who a little before had been girded with the power of the rule. And Constans had for a wife the blessed Helen, from whom came forth the great victor Constantine; but being constrained by the marriage-tie of the tyrant, he puts her away and is united with Theodora, the daughter of Maximian, and begets children, among whom was also Constantius, the father of Gallus and of the lawless and impious Julian, the abominable and most accursed. Constantine, therefore, having received the lot of Constans as his patrimony, and seeing the affairs of the Romans badly tossed about by successive squalls as the rule was divided into several authorities (for Maxentius also ruled, and with him Severus, and Maximinus with him along with Galerius), he stirs up battles against them, puts them all to flight, and is established as king and sole ruler, and becomes a nursling of Christ's revered chief shepherd, the first of rulers to cleave genuinely to Christ. This one tore down the altars, closed the sanctuaries in which the Greeks offered sacrifices to demons, and condemned to disuse the shameful offerings and filthy rites and all abomination. And he became a very clear trumpet, a silver trumpet, echoing and shouting from the ends of the earth to the ends of the earth, and everywhere trumpeting the faith in the creator. And wishing to be named the founder of a city, he took possession of the city of the blind Chalcedonians. And having begun to build, he beheld a strange thing; for large-winged birds, flying down, snatched the stones and carried them from there to the most beautiful city of Byzas. The God-guarded emperor Constantine, therefore, knowing that what had happened concerning the stones had not occurred by chance, nor by accident, changing his position from there, turns his whole mind to the all-blessed city of the Byzantines, and builds up for it a blessed city, the great city, the city of New Rome, the unwrinkled Rome, the one that never grows old, the ever-youthful Rome, ever-renewed, Rome from which streams of graces pour forth, which the continent embraces, the sea welcomes, the palms of Europe gently enfold, and from the other side the mouth of Asia returns the affection. But to enumerate and write the boasts of this queen of cities is for another discourse and time; but we must return again to the narrative. For the most serene and great Constantine ruled for twelve years over the elder Rome and twenty over that of Byzantium; but when, as a man born from the earth, he was about to lay off the dust and give to the clay the pottery of the tabernacle borrowed from it, he proclaims his second son Constantius ruler of all the East, and to his other children (for there were
29
μεγάλων, ποῖον δεινὸν οὐχὶ παρῆν, ποῖον δ' οὐκ ἐτολμᾶτο! σφαγαὶ καὶ πόνοι πανταχοῦ, καὶ λιμνασμὸς αἱμάτων. καὶ τὸ ζοφῶδες
τῆς εἱρκτῆς εἶχε πολλοὺς ἐμφρούρους, καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀπὸ Χριστοῦ τὴν κλῆσιν ἐσχηκότας· πνεύσαντες γὰρ σφοδρότερον ἀνέμων βαρυθρόων
τῆς εὐσεβείας τὸ φυτὸν ἀρτίφυτον ὑπάρχον ἐφιλονείκουν ἐκ ῥιζῶν πρεμνόθεν ἀνασπάσαι ὡς κλάδον νεομόσχευτον, ὡς ἁπαλὸν δενδρίον.
ἐντεῦθεν στρέβλαι καὶ δεσμά, κατάθυσις ἀνθρώπων, καὶ σάρκες μελιζόμεναι καθάπερ ἐν μακέλλῳ. ἀλλὰ θυμομαχήσαντες ἀλόγιστα πρὸς
τοῦτο, καὶ μάτην ὑλακτήσαντες ὡς κύνες λυσσητῆρες, ὄνομα δὲ τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σβέσαι μὴ δυνηθέντες, μανέντες οἱ τρισάθλιοι ῥιπτοῦσι
μὲν τὸ στέφος, εἰς τύχην δὲ κατάγουσιν αὑτοὺς ταπεινοτέραν, καὶ κήπων ἐπιμεληταὶ καὶ φυτευταὶ δενδρέων καὶ φυτοσκάφοι γίνονται,
καὶ λαχανοκομοῦσιν. ἀναλαβέσθαι πάλιν δὲ θελήσαντες τὸ κράτος καὶ τοῦ σκοποῦ διήμαρτον καὶ τοῦ καταθυμίου, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀπέρρηξαν
θανάτοις βαρυτάτοις, τῆς βασιλείας ἄρξαντες εἴκοσι δύο ἔτη. Οὗτοι λαμβάνουσι γαμβροὺς αὑτῶν ταῖς θυγατράσιν, ἀναγορεύσαντες.
αὐτοὺς Καίσαρας οἷα τέκνα, ὁ πρῶτος μὲν Γαλλέριον ἐπὶ τῇ Βαλερίᾳ, Μαξιμιανὸς δὲ Κώνσταντα τὸν τοῦ Κλαυδίου παῖδα τοῦ πρὸ μικροῦ
τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀνεζωσμένου κράτος. εἶχε δ' ὁ Κώνστας γαμετὴν Ἑλένην τὴν ὀλβίαν, ἐξ ἧς ὁ μέγας νικητὴς προῆλθε Κωνσταντῖνος·
ἀλλὰ γὰρ δυσωπούμενος τὸ κῆδος τοῦ τυράννου αὐτὴν ἀποβαλλόμενος μίγνυται Θεοδώρᾳ, Μαξιμιανοῦ τῇ θυγατρί, καὶ παῖδας ἀποτίκτει,
μεθ' ὧν καὶ τὸν Κωνστάντιον τοῦ Γάλλου τὸν πατέρα καὶ τοῦ παρανομήσαντος καὶ δεδυσσεβηκότος Ἰουλιανοῦ τοῦ μυσαροῦ καὶ καταρατοτάτου.
Ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος τοιγαροῦν τοῦ Κώνσταντος τὸ λάχος ὡς πατρικὸν παραλαβών, καὶ βλέπων τὰ Ῥωμαίων κακῶς περιστροβούμενα ζάλαις
ἀλλεπαλλήλοις ὡς τῆς ἀρχῆς εἰς πλείονας ἀρχὰς διῃρημένης (ἦρχε καὶ γὰρ Μαξέντιος, καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ Σεβῆρος, καὶ Μαξιμῖνος σὺν
αὐτῷ μετὰ τοῦ Γαλλερίου), ἐγείρει μάχας κατ' αὐτῶν, κατατροποῦται πάντας, καὶ βασιλεὺς καθίσταται καὶ κράτωρ μονοκράτωρ, καὶ
θρέμμα γίνεται Χριστοῦ σεπτῆς ἀγελαρχίας, πρῶτος ἀνάκτων τῷ Χριστῷ προσκολληθεὶς γνησίως. οὗτος καθεῖλε τοὺς βωμούς, ἔκλεισε
τὰ τεμένη ἐν οἷς προσῆγον Ἕλληνες δαίμοσι τὰς θυσίας, καὶ τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἐναγισμῶν καὶ ῥυπαρῶν ὀργίων σχολὴν κατεψηφίσατο καὶ
πάσης βδελυρίας. καὶ γέγονε περίτρανος σάλπιγξ ἀργυροσάλπιγξ, ἀπ' ἄκρων γῆς εἰς ἄκρα γῆς ἠχοῦσα καὶ βοῶσα, καὶ πανταχῇ σαλπίζουσα
τὴν εἰς τὸν κτίστην πίστιν. πόλεως δὲ βουλόμενος δομήτωρ χρηματίσαι τὴν τῶν τυφλῶν κατέλαβε Χαλκηδονίων πόλιν. καὶ κτίζειν
ἀπαρξάμενος πρᾶγμα κατεῖδε ξένον· καὶ γὰρ μεγαλοπτέρυγες ὄρνιθες ἐπιπτάντες τοὺς λίθους ἀφαρπάσαντες μετήνεγκαν ἐκεῖθε ἐπὶ
τὴν πόλιν Βύζαντος τὴν περικαλλεστάτην. ὁ τοίνυν θεοφρούρητος αὐτάναξ Κωνσταντῖνος οὐκ ἀπὸ τύχης ἐγνωκώς, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐκ ταυτομάτου
συμβῆναι τὸ γενόμενον τοῦτο περὶ τοὺς λίθους, ἐκεῖθεν μεταθέμενος στρέφει τὴν γνώμην ὅλην ἐπὶ τὴν πανευδαίμονα πόλιν τῶν Βυζαντίων,
καὶ πόλιν ὀλβιόπολιν αὐτῇ προσανεγείρει, πόλιν τὴν μεγαλόπολιν, πόλιν τὴν νέαν Ῥώμην, Ῥώμην τὴν ἀρρυτίδωτον, τὴν μήποτε γηρῶσαν,
Ῥώμην ἀεὶ νεάζουσαν, ἀεὶ καινιζομένην, Ῥώμην ἀφ' ἧς προχέονται χαρίτων αἱ συρμάδες, ἣν ἤπειρος προσπτύσσεται, θάλασσα δεξιοῦται,
ἠπίως ἀγκαλίζονται παλάμαι τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἀντιφιλεῖ δ' ἑτέρωθεν τὸ τῆς Ἀσίας στόμα. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν αὐχήματα ταύτης τῆς βασιλίδος
ἑτέρου λόγου καὶ καιροῦ καταριθμεῖν καὶ γράφειν· ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν διήγησιν πάλιν ἐπανιτέον. ὁ γάρ τοι γαληνότατος καὶ μέγας Κωνσταντῖνος
ἔτεσι μὲν ἐκράτησε δέκα σὺν ἄλλοις δύο τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης καὶ δὶς δέκα Βυζαντίδος· ὡς δ' ἔμελλεν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐκ γῆς γεγεννημένος
τὸν χοῦν ἀποφορτίζεσθαι καὶ τῇ πηλῷ διδόναι τὴν δανεισθεῖσαν παρ' αὐτῆς τοῦ σκήνους κεραμείαν, Κωνστάντιον τὸν δεύτερον υἱὸν
ἀναγορεύει πάσης ἑῴας κράτορα, τοῖς δὲ παισὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις (ἦσαν δ'
29