Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

the breath being condensed by the compression of the outer part growing thick, then it is more painful in the wounded part, with all the harshness being driven together there. Thus enduring the terrible things, the all-blessed one, although he was manifoldly weakened by his castration and old age, did not utter an evil thing against the Lord concerning what he had suffered, not yielding to them, not doubtful, nor did he judge according to the companions of the man from Ithaca: better than to perish at one time or to live, or for a long time to be tormented in dire hostility, that is, against the caesar. For his struggle against flesh and blood was no less than that against the principalities and the powers of the darkness of this world, or rather, to speak more truly, the contest was equally great on both sides. Therefore, the Lord raises up one of those with the blessed one on guard, not for injury, but for comfort, as to one in danger for His sake. It was Constantine the Armenian, whom I have often mentioned. This man, very secretly carrying a little glass vessel full of wine, and in addition to this also bread, and sometimes apples, would contrive the brief withdrawal of the evil men, and would go in to the holy man and lower him from the chest, and would offer him the charity, alleviating his suffering even for a little while, until their return. To whom he returned many thanks after the deliverance from his evils; for though he was one of the caesar's men, even of his household, he did not yield to his evils, knowing how to render to God the things that are God's and to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, so as not to provoke the Most High. 4.19 But the things concerning the hippodrome were of great concern to the emperor Michael in the splendid palaces by the Propontis, where the church of the great martyr Mamas is established; there he held continuous contests, himself driving a chariot, with all the usual things concerning the competition being arranged as in the imperial city; during which the precious icon of the Theotokos stood upon the royal seat, from which the emperor received the prizes for the victors. And he had cultivated so much the arts of the hippodrome's strife, that once, while co-charioteering with the aforesaid Constantine, this man was thrown off by an involuntary turn and almost perished in the fall of the chariot. From which arose accusations of cheapness against him, and much more of contempt from the false-appearing patriarch and the most shameful clergy he brought with him, who were competing in an evil contest against the true patriarch and were being wickedly enthroned in ill-omened metropolises and were profaning the holy things with accursed sacrifices, so that from this he was both profaned by the whole Christian populace and they prayed for the destruction of the empire, which came to pass not long after, preceded by the murder of the caesar, which, they say, emperor Michael consented to from a wavering disposition; for which he himself received the ultimate penalty, as will be told here. 4.20 They both arranged the preparation of a naval expedition against Crete and mobilized the whole army on land and sea and they themselves chose to go there. But when they had arrived at the place called Kepoi, immediately the things concerning Bardas the caesar took place. For there these things had been contrived beforehand by both God and the emperor's consent, so that it became known even to Bardas himself, against whom the attack was. For on one of the days before the departure, Bardas went to his own house and, summoning his acquaintances, offered them a final reception, and having feasted with the closest of his friends, he gave them legacies, having inferred his own destruction. He then went to a neighboring monastery, which is named Hodegoi. And as he stood before the gates of the sanctuary holding a candle and uttering valedictory prayers, at that moment his cloak, slipping from his shoulders, conspicuously came undone. Becoming aware of this, he lamented with tears, sending up a piercing cry in prayer to the Theotokos for deliverance from what was expected. 4.21 And not only in these things

πνεύματος πυκνουμένου τῇ συμπιλήσει τοῦ ἔξω παχυνομένου, εἶτα τῷ τραυματιῶντι μέρει πλέον δριμύσσεται, συνελαυνομένης ἐκεῖσε πάσης τῆς χαλεπότητος. οὕτως ἐγκαρτερῶν τοῖς δεινοῖς ὁ πανόλβιος, εἰ καὶ εὐνουχίᾳ καὶ γήρει πολυειδῶς μεμαλάκιστο, οὐκ ἐφθέγξατο πρὸς τὸν κύριον πονηρὸν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐπεπόνθει, οὐκ ἐκείνοις ἐνδόσιμον, οὐκ ἀμφίβολον, οὐ κατὰ τοὺς ἑταίρους τοῦ ἐξ Ἰθάκης συνέκρινεν· βέλτερον <ἢ> ἀπολέσθαι ἕνα χρόνον ἠὲ βιῶναι, ἢ δηθὰ στρεύγεσθαι ἐν αἰνῇ δηϊοτῆτι, ἤτοι τῇ πρὸς τὸν καίσαρα. οὐκ ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐπ' ἔλαττον ἡ πάλη πρὸς σάρκα καὶ αἷμα τῆς πρὸς τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἢ μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν κατὰ τὸ μέγιστον ἴσος ὁ ἀγὼν ἐπ' ἀμφότερα. τοιγαροῦν τινα διανίστησι <κύριος> τῶν συνόντων τῷ μακαρίῳ κατὰ φρουράν, οὐ πρὸς πήμανσιν, ἀλλὰ παρηγορίαν, ὡς δι' αὐτὸν κινδυνεύοντι. Κωνσταντῖνος ἦν ὁ Ἀρμένιος, οὗ πολλάκις κατὰ μνείαν κατέστην. οὗτος πάνυ κρύφα βαστάζων τι ἀγγείδιον ἐξ ὑέλου ἔμπλεον οἴνου, πρὸς ἐπὶ τούτῳ καὶ ἄρτον, ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ μῆλα, τῶν κακοποιῶν ἀνδρῶν τὴν ὑποχώρησιν πρὸς μικρὸν ἐμεθόδευεν, καὶ τῷ ὁσίῳ εἰσῄει καὶ τοῦ λάρνακος αὐτὸν κατεβίβαζεν, καὶ παρεῖχεν τὸν ἔλεον, ἀποκουφίζων κἂν ἐπ' ὀλίγον τῆς συμφορᾶς, μέχρι τῆς ἐκείνων ἐλεύσεως. ᾧ πολλὴν τὴν εὐχαριστίαν ἠμείβετο μετὰ τὴν τῶν κακῶν λύτρωσιν· οὐ γὰρ ὡς καίσαρος ὤν, εἰ καὶ τῶν οἰκείων, τοῖς αὐτοῦ κακοῖς ἐνεδίδου, εἰδὼς ἀπονέμειν θεῷ τὰ θεοῦ καὶ τὰ καίσαρος καίσαρι, ὥστε μὴ παροξῦναι τὸν ὕψιστον. 4.19 Τὰ δὲ πρὸς ἱπποδρομίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ διεσπούδαστο ἐν τοῖς κατὰ Προποντίδα παλατίοις περιφανέσιν, ἔνθα ναὸς τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος Μάμαντος ἥδρασται· ἐκεῖσε τὰς ἁμίλλας συνεχεῖς ἐποιεῖτο, αὐτὸς ἱππάζων ἐφ' ἅρματος, τῶν εἰωθότων πάντων κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν περὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα συντιθεμένων· καθ' ὃν τῆς θεομήτορος τιμία εἰκὼν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἱδρύσεως ἵστατο, ἐξ ἧς τοὺς νικητικοὺς ἐπάθλους ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνεδέχετο. καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἱπποδρομι κῆς ἔριδος ἐπεφιλοτέχναστο, ὥστε ποτὲ συνηνιοχοῦντα Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ δηλωθέντι ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἀκουσίου τοῦτον ἀνασκευάσθαι καὶ παρὰ μικρὸν διολέσθαι τῇ περιπτώσει τοῦ ἅρματος. ὅθεν προσεπετίθεντο τὰ τῆς εὐτελείας αὐτῷ, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον τὰ τῆς ἐξουδενώσεως ἐκ τοῦ ψευδοφανοῦς πατριάρχου καὶ συνεπαγομένου αὐτῷ αἰσχίστου κλήρου, καὶ τῷ ἀληθεῖ πατριάρχῃ κακὴν ἅμιλλαν διαμιλλωμένων καὶ δυσωνύμοις ἐνθρονιζομένων κακῶς μητροπόλεσι καὶ μεταποιούντων ἐναγέσι θυσίαις τὰ ἅγια, <ὡς> ἐντεῦθεν καὶ βεβηλοῦσθαι αὐτὸν παρὰ παντός γε Χριστιανικοῦ [γε] πληρώματος καὶ κατεύχεσθαι τῆς βασιλείας διάρρηξιν, ἥτις οὐκ ἐπὶ χρόνον μακρὸν ἀποβέβηκεν, προηγησαμένης τῆς καίσαρος ἀναιρέσεως, ὥς φασι, συνεγνωκότος αὐτὴν Μιχαὴλ βασιλέως ἐξ ἀστατούσης τῆς διαθέσεως· καθ' ἣν καὶ τὴν ἐσχάτην δίκην αὐτὸς ἐκληρώσατο, ὡς ὧδε λεχθήσεται. 4.20 Εὐτρεπισμὸν ναυστολίας κατὰ Κρήτης ἄμφω συντίθενται καὶ πάντα στρατὸν συγκινοῦσι κατ' ἤπειρόν τε καὶ θάλασσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐφικέσθαι προῄρηντο. ὡς δὲ τοῖς πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα Κήποις προσκεχωρήκεσαν, εὐθέως τὰ κατὰ Βάρδα τοῦ καίσαρος χώραν λαμβάνει. ἐνταῦθα γὰρ προμεμηχανούργητο ταῦτα ἔκ τε θεοῦ καὶ βασιλικῆς ἐπινεύσεως, ὡς καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ Βάρδᾳ γνωσθῆναι, περὶ οὗ ἡ ἐπίθεσις. μιᾷ γὰρ τῶν ἡμερῶν πρὸ τῆς ἐξελεύσεως Βάρδας προσφοιτήσας κατὰ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον καὶ τοὺς γνωστοὺς μετακαλεσάμενος τὴν ἐσχάτην αὐτοῖς ἀνετίθει δεξίωσιν, καὶ συμποσιάσας τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις τῶν φίλων λεγᾶτα παρέσχετο, τὴν ἰδίαν καταστροφὴν τεκμηράμενος. ἄπεισι πρὸς μονὴν λοιπὸν γείτονα, ἥπερ Ὁδηγοὶ κατωνόμασται. ὡς δὲ παρεστήκει τοῖς τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου προθύροις λαμπαδουχῶν ἀφιερῶν τε προπεμπτηρίους φωνάς, τηνικαῦτα ἡ τούτου χλαμὺς τῶν ὤμων ἀποσπασθεῖσα ἐμφανῶς συγκεχάλακεν· ἧς ἐν ἐπαισθήσει γενόμενος ἀπωλοφύρετο δάκρυσι πρὸς τὴν θεοτόκον διαπρύσιον βοὴν εὐκτικῶς ἀναπέμπων τῆς τῶν ἐλπιζομένων λυτρώσεως. 4.21 Οὐ μόνον δὲ ἐν τούτοις