And when once a banquet was being held for the emperor, and the first of the senate were dining with him, and the bird often uttered the aforesaid saying, the banqueters, becoming gloomy, and ceasing from their feasting, sat in contemplation. The emperor, paying attention to them, asked the reason. And they, filled with tears, said, "What food shall we eat, being thus reproached by the voice of this irrational creature, we who are considered rational and loyal, because it calls for its own master, while we, feasting, have forgotten our master who did no wrong. For if he is convicted of wrongdoing and of having raised his right hand against his father's head, let us all become his executioners, and let us not be sated with his blood. Until when will the slanderous tongue be strengthened against him?" The emperor, therefore, softened by such words, then ordered them to sit down and promised to look into the matter. Not long after, returning to his natural disposition, he brings him out 699 from the guard and leads him into his sight, and changes his mourning clothes, and orders the excess of his hair grown in grief to be cut off, and restores to him the former rank and honor of the empire. And when the procession of Saint Elias took place, the people, seeing him, cried out, "Glory to you, O God." And the emperor said, "Glorify God for my son. You are to endure many afflictions and pass through painful days because of him." 22. In his 19th year a rebellion was plotted by John Kourkouas, who was domestic of the Hikanatoi, having received an oracle from the recluse in Blachernae. And there were with him up to 60 nobles, among whom were Michael the hetaireiarch, and Katoudes and Myxiares and Baboutzikos. Having seized all of these, he flogged them in the Hippodrome, and tonsured them, and burned their remaining hair, and having paraded them in public, exiled them. 23. And when the emperor went out on a hunt, an enormous stag appeared and lifted the emperor by his belt from his horse with its antler. And a certain man, having reached him, and having cut the belt with his sword, rescued him. whom he also beheaded after his return, saying, "Do not draw a sword against an emperor." And from the goring of the stag, having been nursed, the emperor Basil dies, saying to his son and successor Leo and to Stylianos 700 the guardian of the emperor's sons, that "Photios the unholy and his 700 fellow-initiate Santabarenos, having distanced me from God and having made me a stranger to righteous knowledge, have drawn me into the same punishment as themselves." And having said these things, he expired, leaving behind Leo and Stephen and Alexander. Year of the world 6388, year of the divine incarnation 888, Leo, emperor of the Romans, for 25 years, 9 months. And Stephen his brother, being a cleric and synkellos, was with Patriarch Photios, being brought up by him and educated. But Leo, after becoming emperor, sent Andrew the stratelates with many candles and both clergy and senators to Chrysopolis, and brought with great haste and honor and hymns the remains of the emperor Michael, and laid them in a sarcophagus in the church of the Holy Apostles. And Photios the patriarch, discovered to be a conspirator against the church, he expels, and confines him in the monastery of the Armeniacs called of Gordon; where he also dies. And he ordains Stephen the synkellos, his own brother, through Theophanes the protothronos and other bishops; who lived for 6 years and 5 months, and is buried in the monastery of the Sykeai. And a fire occurred near the Sophiai and the Sidere, with the church of Saint Thomas also being burnt, which Leo himself splendidly restored. And he brings Theodore Santabarenos from Euchaita 701 to the city. And Andrew the domestic and Stephen the magistros bring a charge against him and Photios, on the grounds that emperor Leo had been slandered by them to the emperor Basil his father. And when the senate condemned them, they left Photios at Gordon's, but the other
δέ ποτε τελουμένης τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τῶν πρώτων τῆς βουλῆς συνεστιωμένων αὐτῷ, καὶ τοῦ ὄρνιθος πολλάκις φθεγγομένου τὸ προρρηθέν, ἐπιστυγνάσαντες οἱ δαιτυμόνες καὶ τῆς εὐωχίας παυσάμενοι ἐπὶ συννοίας ἐκάθηντο. οἷς προσέχων ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπυνθάνετο. οἱ δὲ δακρύων ὑποπλησθέντες "τίνα βρῶσιν" εἶπον "φαγούμεθα, οὕτως ὑπὸ τῇ φωνῇ τοῦ ἀλόγου τούτου ὀνειδιζόμενοι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἡμεῖς λογικοὶ καὶ φιλοδέσποτοι, ὅτι αὐτὸ μὲν τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀνακαλεῖται δεσπότην, ἡμεῖς δὲ τρυφῶντες λήθην τοῦ μὴ ἀδικήσαντος δεσπότου ἐλάβομεν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγχεται ἀδικῶν καὶ κατὰ τῆς πατρικῆς κεφαλῆς εὐτρεπίσας τὴν δεξιάν, αὐτόχειρες αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες γενώμεθα, καὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ μὴ λαβώμεθα κόρον. μέχρι τίνος ἡ συκοφάντις γλῶσσα κατ' αὐτοῦ δυναμωθήσεται;" μαλαχθεὶς οὖν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ὁ βασιλεὺς τότε μὲν καθεσθῆναι τούτους προσέταξεν καὶ σκοπῆσαι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπηγγείλατο. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ πρὸς τὴν φύσιν ἐπανελθὼν ἐξάγει 699 τε τῆς φρουρᾶς καὶ εἰς ὄψιν ἄγει αὐτόν, καὶ τὴν πένθιμον ἀμείβει στολήν, καὶ τὸ περιττὸν τῆς ἐν τῇ λύπῃ τραφείσης κόμης περιαιρεθῆναι κελεύει, καὶ τὴν προτέραν τῆς βασιλείας τάξιν καὶ τιμὴν ἀποδίδωσι. καὶ τῆς προελεύσεως τοῦ ἁγίου Ἠλιοὺ γενομένης ἰδόντες αὐτὸν οἱ λαοὶ ἐπεφωνοῦντο "δόξα σοι ὁ θεός." καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἶπεν "δοξάζετε τὸν θεὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου. πολλὰς θλίψεις ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἔχετε ὑπομεῖναι καὶ ἐπωδύνους ἡμέρας διελθεῖν." 22. Τῷ ιθʹ ἔτει αὐτοῦ μελετᾶται ἀνταρσία παρὰ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Κουρκούα δομεστίκου ὄντος τῶν ἱκανάτων, χρηματισθέντα παρὰ τοῦ ἐν Βλαχέρναις ἐγκλείστου. ἦσαν δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἄρχοντες μέχρι τῶν ξʹ, μεθ' ὧν ὁ Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἑταιρειάρχης καὶ ὁ Κατούδης καὶ ὁ Μυξιάρης καὶ ὁ Βαβούτζικος. τούτους κρατήσας πάντας ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρομίῳ ἔτυψε καὶ ἐκούρευσε καὶ τὰς ὑπολειφθείσας τρίχας ἔκαυσε καὶ πομπεύσας ἐξώρισε. 23. Τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἐν κυνηγίῳ ἐξελθόντος, ἔλαφος παμμεγέθης ἀναφανεὶς ἦρε τὸν βασιλέα ἐκ τῆς ζώνης ἀπὸ τοῦ ἵππου μετὰ τοῦ κέρατος. φθάσας δέ τις καὶ τὴν ζώνην μετὰ τῆς σπάθης κόψας τοῦτον ἐρρύσατο. ὃν καὶ μετὰ τὴν ὑποστροφὴν ἀπεκεφάλισεν, εἰπὼν "μὴ γύμνου κατὰ βασιλέως ξίφος." ἐκ δὲ τοῦ σπαραγμοῦ τοῦ ἐλάφου νοσηλευθεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος τελευτᾷ, φάμενος τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ καὶ διαδόχῳ Λέοντι καὶ Στυλιανῷ 700 τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ τῶν βασιλέως υἱῶν, ὅτι Φώτιος ὁ ἀνίερος καὶ ὁ συμ700 μύστης αὐτοῦ Σανταβαρηνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ με μακρύναντες, καὶ ἀλλότριον τῆς δικαίας γνώσεως ποιήσαντες, εἰς τὴν ἴσην μετ' αὐτῶν κόλασιν ἐπεσπάσαντο. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐξέψυξεν, καταλιπὼν Λέοντα καὶ Στέφανον καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον. Κόσμου ἔτος τπηʹ, τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη ωπηʹ, Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Λέων ἔτη κεʹ μῆνας θʹ. Στέφανος δὲ ὁ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸς κληρικὸς ὢν καὶ σύγκελλος ἦν μετὰ Φωτίου πατριάρχου, ἀνατρεφόμενος παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ παιδευόμενος. ὁ δὲ Λέων μετὰ τὸ αὐτοκρατορῆσαι ἀπέστειλεν Ἀνδρέαν τὸν στρατηλάτην μετὰ κηρῶν πολλῶν κληρικῶν τε καὶ συγκλητικῶν ἐν Χρυσοπόλει, καὶ ἤγαγεν μετὰ σπουδῆς πολλῆς καὶ τιμῆς καὶ ὕμνων τὸ λείψανον Μιχαὴλ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ ἀπέθετο ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν ἁγίων Ἀποστόλων ἐν λάρνακι. Φώτιον δὲ τὸν πατριάρχην ἐπίβουλον φωραθέντα τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλει, καὶ ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν τῇ λεγομένῃ τοῦ Γόρδονος περιορίζει· ἔνθα καὶ τελευτᾷ. χειροτονεῖ δὲ Στέφανον σύγκελλον, τὸν ἴδιον αὐτοῦ ἀδελφόν, διά τε Θεοφάνους τοῦ πρωτοθρόνου καὶ λοιπῶν ἀρχιερέων· ὃς καὶ ἔζησεν ἔτη ʹ καὶ μῆνας εʹ, καὶ θάπτεται ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῶν Σικεῶν. γέγονε δὲ ἐμπρησμὸς πλησίον τῶν Σοφιῶν καὶ τῆς Σιδηρᾶς, ἐμπρησθέντος καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου Θωμᾶ, ὃν αὐτὸς ὁ Λέων λαμπρῶς ἀνεκαίνισεν. ἄγει δὲ Θεόδωρον τὸν Σανταβαρηνὸν ἀπὸ Εὐχαΐτων ἐν 701 τῇ πόλει. Ἀνδρέας δὲ ὁ δομέστικος καὶ Στέφανος ὁ μάγιστρος κινοῦσι κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ Φωτίου, ὡς λοιδορηθέντος τοῦ βασιλέως Λέοντος ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰς Βασίλειον τὸν βασιλέα τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ. καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου καταψηφισαμένης αὐτῶν, τὸν μὲν Φώτιον εἴασαν εἰς τοῦ Γόρδονος, τὸν δὲ