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asking "what had been given to them as a gift by their grandmother and what worthy favor she had worked. For the others, being prudent, skillfully evaded his questions like certain holds; but Pulcheria, being childish in age and mind, spoke of the kindnesses and the abundance of fruits, and she also recounted the veneration of the holy icons, thinking and speaking so artlessly that she had many dolls in her 91 chest and that she places these on her head and face after kissing them. These things, when repeated, drove the emperor into a rage. But respect for his wife and her piety, and no less her frankness besides, prevented him from doing anything too harsh or bitter to her (for she would mock him openly and rebuke him for the daily persecutions of the confessors and for the aforementioned heresy, and she alone almost made manifest the hostility of all towards him), but he only cut off his daughters' visits to her, and prevented them from being frequent. 6 Similar things also happened to the empress Theodora. The emperor had a certain half-witted little man, in no way different from the Homeric Thersites; Denderis was his name, and he lived in the palace for the sake of uttering unintelligible things and provoking laughter and amusement. This man, once bursting into the empress's little bedchamber, found her holding divine icons and eagerly bringing them to her eyes. Seeing these, this fool asked what they were, and he came closer. And she said in a rustic manner, "my beautiful dolls; and I love them very much." At that moment the emperor was feasting at table, and when Denderis went straight to him, he asked him where he had been. He said he had been with "mamma," as he called Theodora, and had seen her taking out beautiful dolls from under her pillow. The emperor 92 therefore understood, and becoming full of wrath, as he rose from the table, he went to her, showering many other insults upon her and with unbridled tongue calling her a worshipper of idols, and at the same time he repeated the words of the fool. But she, calming his anger for the time being, readily said, "It is not so, O emperor, not as you have supposed; but I was gazing into my mirror with my maids, and Denderis, seeing the forms produced there, came and reported them foolishly to his lord and emperor." Thus, then, she quenched his anger for the time being; but not many days later, she subjected Denderis to discipline and persuaded him to be discreet, saying in a certain way that he should never speak to anyone about the beautiful dolls. And once during a drinking party, Theophilos, boasting and mocking the empress, asked him about her, if mamma was again kissing the beautiful dolls. But he, placing his right hand on his lips and taking hold of his backside with his left, replied, "Hush, hush about the dolls, emperor." So much for these things.7 And as a certain man was acting bravely in war, having both a youthful hand and a skillful horse, it happened that his general, under whom the soldier served, was seized with a desire for the horse, by which the man had been saved and often rescued from death. When, therefore, after having frequently asked for it with all kinds of ways and favors (for he even promised to give the man many things), he failed in his request, the general even used force and still did not find him 93 obedient, he removed him from the command he held, after saying many things against the man to Theophilos. So the soldier was on his own, and having his horse was his delight. And a considerable time passed, which called the man to war out of contentiousness, but also wore him down, as is wont to happen terribly to the unfortunate. There arose therefore a search for a good horse by Theophilos at the time of the man's misfortune; wherefore also through

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πυνθανόμενον "ο τι τε αὐταῖς παρὰ τῆς μάμ- μης δεδώρηται καὶ ο τι χάριτος ἐξείργασται αξιον. αἱ μὲν γὰρ αλλαι τούτου τὰς πεύσεις ἀγαθὰ φρονοῦσαι ωσπερ τινὰς λαβὰς ἐρρωμένως παρέτρεχον· ἡ δὲ Πουλχερία ατε ἡλικίᾳ καὶ νῷ νηπιά- ζουσα τάς τε φιλοφροσύνας ελεγε καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ὀπωρῶν, συνηρίθμει δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων προσκύνησιν, ουτω δὴ ἁπαλὰ φρονοῦσα καὶ λέγουσα ὡς νινία πολλὰ ειη αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸ 91 κιβώτιον καὶ ταῦτα τῇ κεφαλῇ τε καὶ τοῖς προσώποις ἐπιτίθησι μετὰ τὰ φιλήματα. ταῦτα γοῦν τὸν βασιλέα εἰς μανίαν ηγεν ὑπο- λαλούμενα. ἀλλὰ πρᾶξαι μέν τι τῶν δριμυτέρων η  πικροτέρων εἰς αὐτὴν ἐκώλυε τοῦτον τό τε τῆς γυναικὸς αἰδέσιμον καὶ ἡ εὐλά- βεια, καὶ ἡ παρρησία δὲ πρὸς τούτοις οὐκ ελαττον (καὶ γὰρ ην τοῦτον ἀριδήλως σκώπτουσα καὶ διελέγχουσα ἐπί τε τοῖς καθ' ἡμέραν τῶν ὁμολογητῶν διωγμοῖς καὶ τῇ δηλωθείσῃ αἱρέσει, καὶ μόνη μικροῦ φανερὰν ποιοῦσα τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν τῶν πάντων ἀπέ- χθειαν), ἀπέτεμνεν δὲ μόνον τὴν πρὸς αὐτὴν τῶν τούτου θυγατέ- ρων αφιξιν, καὶ διεκώλυε γίνεσθαι συνεχῆ. 6 Τούτοις ἀδελφὰ καὶ τῇ βασιλίδι Θεοδώρᾳ συμβέβη- κεν. ὑπῆρχέ τι τῷ βασιλεῖ παρακεκομμένον ἀνδράριον, τοῦ ̔Ομη- ρικοῦ Θερσίτου διενηνοχὸς κατ' οὐδέν· ∆ένδερις ονομα τούτῳ, ασημά τε φθεγγόμενος καὶ γέλωτας κινῶν καὶ θυμηδίας ενεκεν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐνδιαιτώμενος. ουτος γοῦν εἰσπηδήσας ποτὲ κατὰ τὸν τῆς βασιλίσσης κοιτωνίσκον κατέλαβεν αὐτὴν θείας εἰκόνας περιειλημμένην καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῆς ομμασιν μετὰ σπουδῆς προσάγου- σαν. ταύτας ὑπ' οψιν ἰδὼν ουτος ὁ παραπαίων τί τε εἰσὶν ἐπυν- θάνετο, καὶ πλησιέστερον διέβαινεν. ἡ δὲ "τὰ καλά μου" εφησεν ουτως ἀγροικικῶς "νινία· καὶ ἀγαπῶ ταῦτα πολλά." κατὰ τὴν τράπεζαν τηνικαῦτα εἱστιᾶτο ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ δὴ πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐ- θὺς διαβάντος ηρετο αὐτὸν οποι ποτὲ ἐτύγχανεν ων. ὁ δὲ παρὰ τὴν μάναν εφησεν ειναι, τὴν Θεοδώραν ουτω λέγων, καὶ θεάσα- σθαι ἐν αὐτῇ καλὰ νινία τοῦ προσκεφαλαίου ἐξαίρουσαν. συνῆκεν 92 ουν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ πλήρης ὀργῆς γεγονώς, ὡς ἐξανέστη τῆς τρα- πέζης, πρὸς αὐτὴν ἀπῄει, αλλαις τε πολλαῖς ὑβρισίαις αὐτὴν ἐπαντλῶν καὶ εἰδώλων λάτριν ἀκολάστῳ γλώττῃ αὐτὴν ἀποκαλῶν, καὶ αμα διεξῄει τοὺς λόγους τοῦ παραπαίοντος. ἡ δὲ τέως μὲν τὸν θυμὸν καταστορεννύουσα "οὐ τοῦτό ἐστιν" ἐξ ἑτοίμου ελεγεν, ω βασιλεῦ, οὐ τοῦτο, ὡς ὑπείληφας σύ· τῷ δὲ κατόπτρῳ μου ημην ἀτενίζουσα μετὰ τῶν θεραπαινίδων, καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖσε τικτομέ- νας ἰδὼν ὁ ∆ένδερις μορφὰς ἐλθὼν ἀπήγγειλεν ἀφρόνως τῷ δε- σπότῃ καὶ βασιλεῖ." ουτω μὲν ουν ἐκείνου τέως κατέσβεσε τὸν θυμόν· τὸν ∆ένδεριν δὲ μετ' οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας παιδείᾳ καθυπο- βάλλουσα πέπεικε σωφρονεῖν, ουτω πως λέγουσα ὡς μήποτε λέγειν περὶ τῶν καλῶν νινίων τινί. καί ποτε παρὰ πότον ἐγκαυχώμενος καὶ τῆς δεσποίνης κατεπαιρόμενος ὁ Θεόφιλος ἠρώτα τοῦτον περὶ αὐτῆς, εἰ πάλιν αρα τὰ καλὰ νινία ἡ μάνα ἀσπάζεται. ὁ δὲ τοῖς χείλεσι τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα ἐπιθεὶς καὶ τῇ ἀριστερᾷ τῶν οπισθεν με- ρῶν λαβόμενος "σίγα, σίγα περὶ τῶν νινίων" ἀντέφησεν, "βασι- λεῦ." ταῦτα μὲν ουτω7 Καί τινος δὲ κατὰ πόλεμον ἀνδραγαθιζομένου, χεῖρά τε νεανικὴν καὶ ιππον εχοντος δεξιόν, συνέβη τούτου δὴ τὸν στρα- τηγόν, ὑφ' ον ἐτέλει ὁ στρατιώτης, ερωτι κατασχεθῆναι τοῦ ιπ- που, ὑφ' ου  ὁ ανθρωπος σέσωστο καὶ πολλάκις ἐκ θανάτου ἐρύετο. ἐπεὶ γοῦν τοῦτον πολλάκις ἐξαιτησάμενος πᾶσί τε τρόποις καὶ χάρισι (καὶ γὰρ ὑπισχνεῖτο πολλὰ διδόναι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ) ἀπέτυχε τῆς αἰτήσεως, ηγε δὲ καὶ βίαν ὁ στρατηγὸς καὶ οὐδ' ουτως ειχε 93 τὸν ὑπακούοντα, διεδέξατο τοῦτον τῆς ης ειχεν ἀρχῆς, πολλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόφιλον κατειπὼν τοῦ ἀνδρός. ην ουν ὁ στρατιώτης ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ τὸν ιππον εχων ἐντρύφημα. παρῴχετο δὲ καὶ χρό- νος ἱκανός, ὁ τὸν ανδρα πρὸς πόλεμον ἐκ φιλονεικίας καλῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταδαπανῶν αὐτόν, οια φιλεῖ τοῖς δυστυχοῦσι δεινῶς. ἐγέ- νετο ουν ιππου ἀγαθοῦ ζήτησις παρὰ Θεοφίλου κατὰ τὸν τῆς δυστυχίας καιρὸν τοῦ ἀνδρός· διὸ καὶ διὰ