Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since i have deemed it not right
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
Of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a Hellene, Isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank; and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he is handed over to the prefect of the city for judgment. So when he was brought in naked, like a slave to be whipped, like a robber with his hands bound behind his back, the judge cried out, mocking his suffering, "Do you know, Isocasius, from whence you have fallen, and where the die of fortune has now brought you?" But he, with the bearing of a free heart, made ready responses to him. "I know the much-wandering nature of unstable fortune, and I am conscious that I am enduring nothing new; for being clothed in a mortal and earthly substance, I have also fallen victim to the passions of human nature. But you, recognizing the cylinder and wheel of life, pass such a sentence on me as I am being judged, as you would have pronounced the verdict judging with me." So the crowd standing by, marveling at the man, and being astounded by his wise response, as being at once freedom-loving and full of boldness, seizing him from there, with his very manacles, to the holy temple with a shout of praise they lead him away and perfect him with the divine font. How, then, everyone is put to shame by the matter of virtue, foreigner, native, Greek, barbarian, Scythian; for it alone can adorn and save its lovers. Isocasius, then, was thus delivered from evils; but Aspar, touching the royal robe, said with great shamelessness, "O emperor, it is not right for one who wears the purple cloak to lie and to invent empty-sounding words. Fulfill for me the promise which you long ago made, agreeing to raise one of my sons for me to the height of Caesar and the glory therefrom." To whom the emperor wisely retorted, "It is not right for one who wears the purple cloak to be ruled by someone and be called a slave." This ruler, having found treasures of many talents, whole seas, one might say, and rivers of money, a self-proclaimed war and a terrible battle, and a fleet of ten thousand ships and a sea-faring host and a swarm traveling the watery ways and a seafaring multitude, he organizes against the Libyans and against Gizerich, and he appoints as general and commander of the war Basiliscus, the brother of his wife Verina. The fleet command, therefore, terrified even those far off, it covered the sea with the sails of the ships, it crowded the sea with sea-faring vessels. There were archers, peltasts, marines, infantry, in multitude beyond the sand, in boldness beyond a beast. But most tyrannical is the strength of gold, but more powerful than ten thousand armies. This digs up a well-towered city from its foundations, this destroys homes, this also in wars has the power to innovate the annihilation of whole nations, and it can stir, and turn, and throw everything into confusion. It is an inescapable dart, it strikes against the heart, and a bond hard to loose, an unbreakable fetter for the feet. It can make a speechless tongue most talkative and turn a most articulate mouth to speechlessness. Using this as an ally, Gizerich the Libyan was strong enough to sink so great a fleet. For Basiliscus, having been bewitched by much gold, was the first to look to flight, according to the promises, and from there the affairs of the Romans were overturned, and the fleet that frightened the Indians and those in Britain and every nation and every land, the dreadful fleet, the gleam of gold alone had the strength to destroy without hands, without darts, without the bearing of arms. And these things indeed happened to the Romans in Libya; but the emperor of the Romans, this Leo himself, not being fortunate enough to become the father of a male offspring, joins his daughter to Zeno, a patrician, who drew the roots of his lineage from Isauria. And the name of the child of Leo was Ariadne. From her a male child was born to Zeno, named Leo, namesake of his grandfather; whom the emperor and grandfather took to himself, and overlooking Zeno and his affection for his little daughter, he entrusts the scepters of the kingdom to his grandson. For having been seized by dysentery, he passed away with the disease,
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ἀνὴρ σοφίας θησαυρὸς ὡς Ἕλλην διεβλήθη, τὴν κλῆσιν Ἰσοκάσιος, κοιαίστωρ τὴν ἀξίαν· κἀντεῦθεν ἀπογυμνωθεὶς τιμῆς τε καὶ χρημάτων
ἐπάρχῳ τῷ τῆς πόλεως ἐκδίδοται πρὸς κρίσιν. ὡς οὖν εἰσήγετο γυμνὸς ὡς δοῦλος μαστιγίας, ὡς χειροδέσμητος λῃστὴς περιηγκωνισμένος,
ὁ δικαστὴς ἀνέκραγεν, ἐπεγγελῶν τῷ πάθει, "γινώσκεις, Ἰσοκάσιε, πόθεν ἐξεκυλίσθης, καὶ ποῦ σε νῦν κατήγαγεν ὁ κύβος ὁ τῆς
τύχης;" ὁ δὲ σὺν παραστήματι καρδίας ἐλευθέρῳ εὐθήκτους ἐποιήσατο τούτῳ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις. "οἶδα τὸ πολυπλάνητον τῆς τύχης τῆς
ἀστάτου, καὶ σύνοιδα μηδέν τί με καινὸν καθυποστῆναι· θνητὴν γὰρ περικείμενος καὶ γεηρὰν οὐσίαν ὑπέπεσον καὶ πάθεσι φύσεως
ἀνθρωπίνης. σὺ δ' ἐπιγνοὺς τὸν κύλινδρον καὶ τὸν τροχὸν τοῦ βίου ἐξένεγκε τὴν δίκην μοι τοιαύτην κρινομένῳ, ὁποίαν κρίνων
σὺν ἐμοὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἀπεφαίνου." ὄχλος οὐκοῦν ὁ παρεστὼς θαυμάσαντες τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ τὴν σοφὴν ἀπόκρισιν αὐτοῦ καταπλαγέντες
ὡς φιλελεύθερον ὁμοῦ καὶ πλήρη παρρησίας, ἐκεῖθεν ἀφαρπάσαντες αὐταῖς σὺν χειροπέδαις εἰς τὸν ναὸν τὸν ἱερὸν μετὰ κραυγῆς
εὐφήμου ἀπάγουσιν καὶ τῷ λουτρῷ τῷ θείῳ τελειοῦσιν. ὡς ἄρα πᾶς τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ χρῆμα δυσωπεῖται, ἀλλογενής, ἰθαγενής, Ἕλλην,
ἀλλόθρους, Σκύθης· μόνη γὰρ δύναται κοσμεῖν τοὺς ἐραστὰς καὶ σώζειν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἰσοκάσιος οὕτω κακῶν ἐρρύσθη ὁ δ' Ἄσπαρ ἐφαπτόμενος
χλαμύδος βασιλείου "ὦ βασιλεῦ" ἐπέλεγε μεθ' ὅσης ἀναιδείας, "οὐ χρὴ τὸν περικείμενον τὴν πορφυρᾶν χλαμύδα ψευδηγορεῖν καὶ
πλάττεσθαι ματαιοκρότους λόγους. πλήρου μοι τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν ἣν πάλαι καθυπέσχου, συνθέμενος ἀναγαγεῖν τὸν ἕνα μοι τῶν παίδων
εἰς ὕψος τὸ τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν δόξαν." πρὸς ὃν ἀνθυπεκρούετο σοφῶς ὁ βασιλεύων "οὐ χρὴ τὸν περικείμενον τὴν πορφυρᾶν
χλαμύδα παρά τινος κατάρχεσθαι καὶ δοῦλον χρηματίζειν." Οὗτος ὁ κράτωρ θησαυροὺς εὑρὼν πολυταλάντους, ὅλας θαλάσσας εἴπῃ τις
καὶ ποταμοὺς χρημάτων, πόλεμον αὐτεπάγγελτον καὶ μάχην φρικαλέαν καὶ στόλον μυριόστολον καὶ ποντοπόρον ὄχλον καὶ σμῆνος ὑγροκέλευθον
καὶ πλῆθος θαλασσόπλουν κατὰ Λιβύων συγκροτεῖ καὶ κατὰ Γιζερίχου, καὶ στρατηγὸν ἐφίστησι κράτορα τοῦ πολέμου τὸν ἀδελφὸν τῆς
γαμετῆς Βερίνης Βασιλίσκον. ἡ στολαρχία τοιγαροῦν ἐφόβει καὶ τοὺς πόρρω, ἐκάλυπτε τὴν θάλασσαν τοῖς λαίφεσι τῶν πλοίων, ἐστενοχώρει
τὴν ὑγρὰν σκάφεσιν ἁλιπλόοις. ἦσαν τοξόται, πελτασταί, ναυμάχοι, πεζομάχοι, ὑπὲρ τὴν ἄμμον εἰς πληθύν, τὸ θράσος ὑπὲρ θῆρα.
ἀλλὰ τυραννικώτατον τὸ σθένος τοῦ χρυσίου, ἀλλὰ δυναμικώτερον μυρίων στρατευμάτων. τοῦτο καὶ πόλιν εὔπυργον ἐκ βάθρων ἀνασκάπτει,
τοῦτο καὶ δόμους ὄλλυσι, τοῦτο κἀν τοῖς πολέμοις ὅλων ἐθνῶν ἀφανισμὸν καινοτομεῖν ἰσχύει, καὶ πάντα δύναται κυκᾶν καὶ στρέφειν
καὶ συγχέειν. ἄφυκτόν ἐστι βέλεμνον, βάλλει κατὰ καρδίας, καὶ χειροδέσμη δύσλυτος, ἄρρηκτος ποδακάκη. δύναται γλῶσσαν ἄφωνον
τιθέναι λαλιστάτην καὶ στόμα τὸ περίτρανον εἰς ἀφωνίαν τρέπειν. τούτῳ συμμάχῳ χρώμενος Γιζέριχος ὁ Λίβυς τὸν τηλικοῦτον ἴσχυσε
καταποντῶσαι στόλον. ὁ Βασιλίσκος γὰρ πολλῷ φαρμακευθεὶς χρυσίῳ ἔβλεψε πρῶτος εἰς φυγὴν κατὰ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, κἀντεῦθεν ἀνετράπησαν
τὰ πράγματα Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τὸν Ἰνδοὺς φοβήσαντα καὶ τοὺς ἐν Βρεττανίᾳ καὶ πᾶν ἔθνος καὶ πᾶσαν γῆν στόλον τὸν φρικαλέον μόνη
χρυσίου στιλβηδὼν ἴσχυσεν ἀφανίσαι ἄνευ χειρῶν, ἄνευ βελῶν, ἄτερ ὁπλοφορίας. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν συνέβησαν Ῥωμαίοις ἐν Λιβύῃ· ὁ
δὲ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεύς, οὗτος αὐτὸς ὁ Λέων, οὐκ εὐτυχήσας ἄρρενος γόνου πατὴρ γενέσθαι, τὴν θυγατέρα ζεύγνυσι Ζήνωνι πατρικίῳ,
ἐξ Ἰσαυρίας ἕλκοντι τὰς ῥίζας τὰς τοῦ γένους. τῇ δὲ παιδὶ τοῦ Λέοντος κλῆσις ἦν Ἀριάδνη. ἐκ ταύτης δὲ τῷ Ζήνωνι παῖς ἄρρην
ἐκυήθη Λέων ὀνομαζόμενος, ὁμώνυμος τῷ πάππῳ· ὅνπερ καὶ προσλαβόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάππος, καὶ παριδὼν τὸν Ζήνωνα καὶ φίλτρον
θυγατρίου, χειρίζει τῷ θυγατριδῷ τῆς βασιλείας σκῆπτρα. δυσεντερίᾳ γὰρ ληφθεὶς οἴχεται σὺν τῇ νόσῳ,
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