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being, but not also remaining with his heresy, and furthermore possessing the energy for controversial arguments, he loved and especially honored him above all of his own people; for which reason indeed he sent him to the ruler of Syria, giving him both many other things for which the Roman empire is admired and the race of foreigners is terrified, and adding as well a quantity of gold exceeding four centenaria. But he sent some things to the amermoumnes as gifts, but the gold, as if it were for John for the purpose of lavish giving, both for the sake of display and for enhancement; for if the one sent has the gold to scatter like sand as he wishes, surely the one who sent him should be admired much more for his heaps of wealth. Wherefore, in addition to these, he gave him two vessels made of gold and precious stones, which the common and impure tongue calls chertniboxesta, elevating and adorning his ambassador from all sides. And when he had arrived and just reached Baghdad, he appeared great because of his inner reflection and prophetic word, and great because of the outward wealth and dignity flourishing about him, giving no small things to those sent and coming to him, but great things and suitable only for the emperor of the Romans. From this he was admired, 97 and his name became renowned. But first, having just approached the borders of the barbarians, he astonished everyone, and to those who met him to ask questions and to inquire only how the emperor was, he made them marvel at the lavishness of the gifts and the gold. Then indeed, having approached Ishmael and stood before him, and having delivered the words from the emperor to him, when he had delivered them, he departed to his lodging for rest. But wishing more and more to exalt the affairs of the Romans, to those coming to him for any reason whatsoever, great or small, he lavishly gave to each a silver vessel filled with gold. And once, while feasting with the barbarians, he ordered the servants to lose one of the two aforementioned hand-basins intentionally, which he possessed for service. And when no small clamor arose over its loss, and all the barbarians, their souls struck by its beauty and dignity, and furthermore by its magnificence, made much discussion and searching, and, as the saying goes, moved every rope, so that the stolen object might be brought to light, at that moment he, having ordered the other one to be thrown out, and having said, "Let this one be destroyed too," led the Saracens into amazement, having put a stop to such a search for it. From which the amermoumnes, being competitively munificent, and not wishing to appear second to him, 98 both courted him with other gifts, by which he himself was not captivated but cast them before him like dust, and he gave him one hundred captives, having just brought them out of the guardhouse and adorned them with decent clothing, having taken away the rags of their captivity. But he greatly praised and approved the generosity of the giver, but in no way did he accept, saying that for the time being they should remain in comfort and freedom among their own people, until he should work out the exchange and, giving other Saracen captives to them, would receive our men. This, at any rate, when it happened, astonished the Saracen; and no longer considering him as a stranger but as one of his own, he constantly summoned him, and showed him his treasures and the beauties of his dwellings and his own magnificence, and thus indeed he was seen to be honoring him, until he sent him away again magnificently to Constantinople. And he, having just come forth to Theophilos, and recounting to him the affairs of Syria, persuaded him that the palace of Bryas should be constructed in the likeness of those of the Saracens, in both forms and variety differing not at all from them,

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τυγχάνοντα, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ τῇ αἱρέσει τούτου συμπαραμένοντα, ετι γε μὴν καὶ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιρρητικοὺς λόγους κεκτημένον δραστήριον, ἠγάπα ουτος καὶ διαφερόντως τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἁπάντων ἐσέμνυνεν· ου  δὴ χάριν καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῆς Συρίας αρχοντα ἐξαπέστειλεν, αλλα τε δοὺς αὐτῷ πολλὰ οις θαυμάζεται βασιλεία ̔Ρωμαίων καὶ τῶν ἀλ- λοφύλων γένος ἐπτόηται, προσεπιδοὺς δὲ καὶ χρυσίον κεντηναρίων τεσσάρων ὑπερβαῖνον ποσότητα. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῷ ἀμεραμνουνῇ ὡς δῶρα ἀπέσταλκεν, τὸ χρυσίον δέ, ὡς ειη τῷ ̓Ιωάννῃ εἰς φιλο- τιμίας ἐπίδοσιν, ἐπιδείξεώς τε χάριν αμα καὶ αὐξήσεως· εἰ γὰρ αμμου δίκην ὁ ἀποσταλεὶς τὸ χρυσίον εχει σπείρειν ὡς βούλεται, πολλῷ δή που μᾶλλον τὸν ἀποστείλαντα ἐπὶ πλούτου θημῶνας θαυμάζεσθαι χρή. διὸ καὶ σκεύη πρὸς τούτοις δύο ἐκ χρυσοῦ τε καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν τὴν σύστασιν εχοντα, α  ἡ κοινὴ γλῶττα καὶ μὴ καθαρὰ καλεῖ χερνιβόξεστα, αὐτῷ ἐπιδέδωκεν, πάντοθεν ἐξαί- ρων τὸν ἀπόστολον αὐτοῦ καὶ κοσμῶν. ος δὴ ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὰ Βαγδὰ αρτι καταλαβὼν πολὺς μὲν ἐφαίνετο ἐκ τῆς ενδον περι- νοίας καὶ λόγου τοῦ προφητικοῦ, πολὺς δὲ ἐκ τοῦ εξωθεν ἐπαν- θοῦντος πλούτου αὐτῷ καὶ σεμνότητος, οὐ μικρά τινα τοῖς ἀπο- στελλομένοις καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν φοιτῶσι διδούς, μεγάλα δὲ καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων μόνον κατάλληλα. ἐκ τούτου ἐθαυμάζετό 97 τε, καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ διαπρύσιον ἐγίγνετο ονομα. ἀλλὰ πρῶτον μὲν αρτι τοῖς ὁρίοις τῶν βαρβάρων προσβὰς ἐξέπληξέ τε πάντας, καὶ τῆς ἐρωτήσεως χάριν αὐτῷ ὑπηντηκόσιν καὶ οπως εχοι πυθομένοις μόνον ὁ βασιλεύς, τῇ δαψιλείᾳ τῶν δώρων καὶ τοῦ χρυσίου θαυμάσαι τούτους ἐποίησεν. τότε δὴ πλησιάσας τῷ ̓Ισμαὴλ καὶ κατὰ πρόσω- πον στάς, καὶ ἀπαγγείλας τοὺς ἐκ βασιλέως λόγους αὐτῷ, ἐπεὶ ἀπηγγέλκει, απεισι πρὸς τὸ ἀναπαύσεως καταγώγιον. μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον βουλόμενος ἐξᾶραι τὰ ̔Ρωμαίων πράγματα, τοὺς ἐφ' οἱᾳδηποτοῦν αἰτίᾳ πρὸς αὐτὸν φοιτῶντας, μεγάλῃ τε καὶ μικρᾷ, σκεῦός τι ἀργύρεον χρυσίου πληρῶν ἑκάστῳ ἐπεδίδου φιλοτιμού- μενος. καί ποτε δὲ τοῖς βαρβάροις συνεστιώμενος τῶν εἰρημένων δύο χειρονίπτρων τοῖς ὑπηρετοῦσι παρήγγειλεν ἀπολέσαι τούτων ἑκουσίως τὸ ετερον, ο  εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ἐκέκτητο. ὡς δὲ θροῦς τις οὐκ ἀγεννὴς ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπωλείᾳ τούτου ἐγένετο, καὶ πάντες οἱ βάρβαροι τῷ κάλλει τούτου καὶ τῇ σεμνότητι, ετι γε καὶ τῇ μεγαλοπρεπείᾳ βε- βλημένοι τὴν ψυχὴν πολλὴν συζήτησιν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ ερευναν, καὶ πάντα κάλων, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον, εσειον, ὡς αν εἰς φῶς ἀχθῇ τὸ κλαπέν, τηνικαῦτα ουτος τὸ ετερον ἐκβαλεῖν κελεύσας, καὶ "τοῦτο εα φθείρεσθαι" ἐπειπών, εἰς θάμβος ηγε τοὺς Σαρακηνούς, τὴν τοιαύτην ζήτησιν αὐτοῦ καταπαύσαντος. οθεν καὶ ὁ ἀμεραμνουνῆς ἀντιφιλοτιμούμενος, καὶ τούτου δεύτερος ὀφθῆναι μὴ βουλόμενος, 98 αλλοις τε δώροις αὐτὸν ἐθεράπευεν, οισπερ αὐτὸς οὐχ ἡλίσκετο ἀλλ' ὡς χοῦν αὐτοῦ κατενώπιον ερριπτεν, καὶ ἐπεδίδου αἰχμαλώ- τους ἑκατὸν αρτι τῆς φρουρᾶς ἐξαγαγὼν καὶ ἀμφιάσεσι κοσμήσας εὐπρεπέσι, τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας περιελόμενος ῥάκια. ἀλλὰ καὶ ουτος ἐπῄνει μὲν πάνυ καὶ ἀπεδέχετο τοῦ διδόντος τὸ μεγαλόδω- ρον, ἐλάμβανε δὲ οὐδαμῶς, εἰπὼν τούτους ἐν ἀνέσει μὲν τέως καὶ ἐλευθερίᾳ μένειν παρ' ἑαυτοῖς, μέχρις αν τὴν ἀντισήκωσιν ἐξεργά- σεται καὶ αλλους αἰχμαλώτους Σαρακηνοὺς ἐπιδοὺς ἐκείνοις τοὺς ἡμετέρους ἐκλήψεται. τοῦτο γοῦν γενόμενον ἐξέπληξε τὸν Σαρα- κηνόν· καὶ οὐκέτι ὡς ξένον ὡς οἰκεῖον δὲ ἡγούμενος τοῦτον συνε- χῶς μετεκαλεῖτο, καὶ θησαυροὺς ἐδείκνυε τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὰ τῶν οἰκημάτων κάλλη καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ σεμνοπρέπειαν, καὶ ουτως δὴ τι- μῶν γε τοῦτον ἐφαίνετο, αχρις ου  μεγαλοπρεπῶς πάλιν πρὸς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐξαπέσταλκεν. ος καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόφιλον αρτι ἐξεληλυθώς, καὶ τὰ τῆς Συρίας πρὸς αὐτὸν διεξερχόμενος, επεισε τὰ τοῦ Βρύου ἀνάκτορα πρὸς τὴν τῶν Σαρακηνῶν κατα- σκευασθῆναι ὁμοίωσιν, εν τε σχήμασι καὶ ποικιλίᾳ μηδὲν ἐκείνων τὸ σύνολον παραλλάττοντα,