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so that everyone who has been convicted of a crime and has managed to get inside it should at that time be freed from the penalty of the laws. For the emperors and caesars of old deemed their subjects worthy of much forethought. But the one waiting in such a precinct did not quickly unbar the doors for them, but inquired who they were and from where. And one of those with them says, "Women from the east. Having spent everything necessary, they are hastening their pilgrimage, wishing to return home." And he, immediately unbarring the doors, grants them entry. 2.5.5 But on the next day, the emperor, having convened the senate, when he had learned the situation regarding the men, delivered a suitable address to them, making an accusation against the domesticus. At that time, he sends forth to the women the one called Straboromanos and a certain Euphemianus by name, summoning them to the palace. But the Dalassene woman says to them, "Tell the emperor: my sons are faithful servants of your majesty and, zealously serving it in all things, have spared neither their lives nor their bodies, always eagerly endangering themselves for your power. But envy against them, not bearing the goodwill and care of your majesty towards them, contrived a great danger against them at that very hour; and when they planned even to gouge out their eyes, perceiving this and not bearing such an unjust danger, they did not leave the city as apostates, but as faithful servants, at once fleeing the imminent danger and also to inform your power of the things being plotted against them and to ask for help from your majesty." 2.5.6 But they pressed her strongly, summoning her. But the woman, becoming indignant, says to them, "Allow me to enter the church of God to worship. For it is absurd to have reached its gates and not to enter and to use the all-pure lady and mother of God as a mediatrix both to God and to the soul of the emperor." So the envoys, respecting the reasonable request of the woman, grant her entry. And she, walking with a slow step as if weary from old age and grief, or rather even feigning weariness, approached somewhere about the entrance of the holy bema, and having made two genuflections, upon the third sat down on the ground and held fast to the holy doors, crying out, "Unless my hands are cut off, I will not leave the holy precinct unless I receive the emperor's cross as a pledge of safety." 2.5.7 But Straboromanos, taking out the pectoral cross which he was carrying, gave it to her. But she said, "I do not ask for assurance from you, but I seek the aforementioned help from the emperor himself. And I would not accept the given cross if it were simply of a small size, but one having a considerable size," and she sought this, so that the oath might be manifest to her; for with the promise being made on a small cross, the ratified terms would perhaps escape the notice of many; "Therefore I appeal to his judgment and mercy. Go, report it to him." 2.5.8 But her daughter-in-law (for she had already entered the church when the gates were opened for the morning hymn), removing the veil covering her face, says to them, "This one, if she wishes, may depart; but we shall not leave the sanctuary without assurance, even if it is fated for us to die." Seeing, therefore, the persistence of the women and how they approached them more shamelessly than before, and fearing that a disturbance might arise, they departed and reported everything to the emperor. And he, being good by nature, and being moved by the woman's words, sends the sought-after cross to her, giving her complete freedom from care. And so of the

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ἵνα πᾶς ὁ ἐπ' ἐγκλήματι ἁλοὺς καὶ φθάσας εἴσω τούτου γενέσθαι τῆς ἐκ τῶν νόμων τηνικαῦτα ἐλευθερῶται ποινῆς. Οἱ γὰρ πάλαι βασιλεῖς τε καὶ καίσαρες πολλῆς προμηθείας ἠξίουν τὸ ὑπήκοον. Ὁ δέ γε ἐν τῷ τοιούτῳ τεμένει προσμένων ταχέως αὐταῖς οὐκ ἀπεζύγου τὰς θύρας, ἀλλ' ἐπυνθάνετο, τίνες καὶ ὅθεν εἶεν. Εἷς δέ τις τῶν σὺν αὐταῖς «γυναῖκές» φησιν «ἐξ ἀνατολῶν. Τὰ δὲ πρὸς χρείαν ἅπαντα δαπανήσασαι ἐπισπεύδουσι τὴν προσκύνησιν οἴκαδε ἐθέλουσαι ἐπανελθεῖν». Ὁ δ' εὐθὺς ἀποζυγώσας τὰς θύρας παραχωρεῖ αὐταῖς τῆς εἰσόδου. 2.5.5 Τῇ δ' ἐπαύριον ἐκκλησιάσας ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τὴν σύγκλη τον, ἐπειδὴ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐμεμαθήκει, τὰ εἰκότα πρὸς τούτους ἐδημηγόρησε καταδρομὴν τοῦ δομεστίκου ποιούμενος. Ἐκπέμπει δὲ τηνικαῦτα πρὸς τὰς γυναῖκας τόν τε καλούμενον Στραβορωμανὸν καί τινα Εὐφημιανὸν τὴν κλῆσιν μετακαλούμενος αὐτὰς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. Ἡ δὲ ∆αλασσηνὴ πρὸς αὐτοὺς «εἴπατέ» φησι «πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα· οἱ παῖδες οἱ ἐμοὶ δοῦλοί εἰσι πιστοὶ τῆς σῆς βασιλείας καὶ προθύμως ἐξυπηρετοῦντες αὐτῇ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οὐκ ἐφείσαντο οὔτε ψυχῶν οὔτε σωμάτων ἀεὶ προκινδυ νεύοντες ἐκθύμως ὑπὲρ τοῦ σοῦ κράτους. Ὁ δὲ κατ' αὐτῶν φθόνος μὴ φέρων τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς εὔνοιάν τε καὶ κηδε μονίαν τῆς σῆς βασιλείας μέγαν τὸν κίνδυνον κατ' αὐτῶν κατ' ὥραν ἐξήρτυεν· ὡς δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐξορύττειν ἐμελέτησαν, τοῦτο αἰσθόμενοι καὶ μὴ φέρον τες τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄδικον κίνδυνον τῆς πόλεως οὐχ ὡς ἀποστάται ἐξῆλθον, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι πιστοὶ ἅμα μὲν τὸν ὑπόγυον ἀποδιδράσκοντες κίνδυνον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτῶν μελετώμενα τὸ κράτος σου ἀναδιδάξοντες καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς σῆς βασιλείας ἐξαιτησόμενοι βοήθειαν.» 2.5.6 Οἱ δὲ ἐπέκειντο σφόδρα μετακαλούμενοι ταύτην. Ἀγανακτή σασα δὲ ἡ γυνή φησι πρὸς αὐτοὺς «παραχωρήσατέ μοι εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκκλησίαν εἰσελθούσῃ προσκυνῆσαι. Ἄτοπον γάρ ἐστιν εἰς τοὺς πυλεῶνας αὐτῆς φθάσασαν μὴ εἰσελθεῖν καὶ μεσίτιδι τῇ παναχράντῳ δεσποίνῃ καὶ θεομήτορι χρήσασθαι εἴς τε τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ψυχήν.» Τὴν εὔλογον οὖν αἴτησιν τῆς γυναικὸς αἰδεσθέντες οἱ πρέσβεις παραχωροῦσιν αὐτῇ τῆς εἰσόδου. Ἡ δὲ βραδεῖ ποδὶ στείχουσα ὡς οἷον ὑπὸ τοῦ γήρως καὶ τῆς λύπης κεκμηκυῖα, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τὸν κεκμηκότα ὑπο κρινομένη περί τε αὐτά που τὰ εἰσόδια τοῦ ἱεροῦ βήματος πελάσασα καὶ γονυκλισίας δύο ποιησαμένη περὶ τὴν τρίτην καθεσθεῖσα χαμαὶ ἀπρὶξ τῶν ἁγίων εἴχετο θυρῶν ἐπιβοωμένη ὡς «εἰ μὴ τὰς χεῖρας ἀποτμηθείην, οὐκ ἂν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τεμένους ἐξέλθοιμι, εἰ μὴ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως ὥσπερ ἐχέγγυον τῆς σωτηρίας δεξαίμην σταυρόν». 2.5.7 Ἐκβα λὼν δὲ ὁ Στραβορωμανὸς ὅνπερ ἐπεφέρετο σταυρὸν ἐγκόλπιον ἐδίδου. Ἡ δέ «οὐκ ἄφ' ὑμῶν τὴν πληροφορίαν αἰτῶ, ἀλλ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιζητῶ τὴν εἰρημένην βοήθειαν. Καὶ οὐδ' ἁπλῶς ἐν μικρῷ μεγέθει τὸν διδόμενον ἂν σταυρὸν δεξαίμην, ἀλλ' ἀξιόλογον τὸ μέγεθος ἔχοντα», τοῦτο δὲ ἐπεζήτει, ἵνα καταφανὲς πρὸς ἐκείνην τὸ ὅρκιον γίνοιτο· ἐν μικρῷ γὰρ σταυρίῳ τῆς ὑποσχέσεως γινο μένης τάχα ἂν τοὺς πολλοὺς τὰ ἐμπεδούμενα διελάνθανον· «ἐκείνου τοίνυν τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὸν ἔλεον ἀνακαλοῦμαι. Ἄπιτε, ἀπαγγείλατε αὐτῷ». 2.5.8 Ἡ δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ Ἰσαακίῳ νύμφη αὐτῆς (προέφθασε γὰρ εἰς τὸν ναὸν εἰσελθεῖν ἅμα τῷ τὰς πύλας ἀνεῳχθῆναι διὰ τὸν ὄρθριον ὕμνον) τὴν ἐπικαλύπτουσαν ὀθόνην τὸ πρόσωπον περιελοῦσά φησι πρὸς αὐτούς «αὕτη μέν, εἰ βούλεται, ἀπερχέσθω· ἡμεῖς δὲ πληροφορίας ἄτερ τοῦ ἱεροῦ οὐκ ἐξερχόμεθα, κἂν θανεῖν ἡμᾶς πρόκειται». Ἰδόντες οὖν τὸ ἐνστατικὸν τῶν γυναικῶν καὶ ὅπως ἀναισχυντότερον αὐτοῖς ἢ πρό τερον προσεφέροντο, καὶ πτοηθέντες μὴ θόρυβος γένηται, ἀπελθόντες ἀπήγγειλαν πάντα τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ φύσει ἀγαθὸς ὤν, ἐπικαμφθεὶς καὶ τοῖς τῆς γυναικὸς λόγοις, ἀποστέλλει τὸν ἐπιζητούμενον σταυρὸν πρὸς αὐτὴν πᾶσαν ἀφροντισίαν αὐτῇ διδούς. Καὶ οὕτω τῆς