Samonas said, "Against whom is the affliction?" The metropolitan said to him, "Against you; and if you get past the 13th of June, from then on you will suffer no evil." And he said that the moon held affliction for the emperor in the second [house]; but the emperor supposed this to be about Alexander his brother. After this, Tzerithon privately told the emperor, "Samonas made the tablet." And immediately he brings Samonas down to his own house and tonsures him a monk and leads him away to the monastery of Euthymius the patriarch. And after this, when he was reviled again, he led him away to the monastery of Martinakes. And he made Constantine *parakoimomenos*, and built a monastery for him in Nosiai, and went with Euthymius the patriarch and consecrated it. 43. And in the month of October there was a naval battle of Himerios the logothete with Damian and Leo the Agarene, when Romanos, who ruled after these things, was *strategos* in Samos. Himerios was defeated, and was saved with difficulty, with almost everyone there having been in peril. 44. And Leo the emperor began to be ill with a disease of the bowels, so that he was unable to go out to the Magnaura to deliver the public address at the beginning of the fasts. And there was also a fire in the candle-store of the great church, with all 871 of the registers and the sacristy being burned. And in the month of May, Leo died, having appointed Alexander his brother as emperor; whom, seeing him coming towards him, as they say, he said, "Behold, the evil one and his time after the thirteen months," having begged him much and beseeched him to protect his son Constantine. And the word of the emperor came to pass; for truly after thirteen months he died.

{THE REIGN OF ALEXANDER, SON OF BASIL.}

In the 6412th year of the world, and the 912th of the divine incarnation, Alexander the son of Basil reigned, for one year and 29 days, with Constantine the son of Leo. And having sent, he brought Nicholas from Galakrenoi, having deposed Euthymius the patriarch, and he enthroned the same Nicholas as patriarch for a second time. And Alexander held a silentium and a synod in the Magnaura, having brought Euthymius from the Stenos from the monastery of Agathos; and having sat together with Nicholas the patriarch, they effected his deposition, dishonorably plucking the venerable beard of the holy and admirable man, and inflicting certain other insults and punishments upon him, which the honorable and holy man bore quietly and meekly. 872 And he was exiled again to Agathos, where he also died and is buried in the same monastery in the city in the Psamathia quarter. 2. This Alexander, because of the suspicions which his brother Leo, while still living, had against him, was always occupied with hunting and things outside the palace, performing no imperial task, but living in luxury and debauchery and drunkenness, and always being disposed to these things. Therefore, when he began to rule, he did nothing noble, but immediately made John the *papas*, surnamed Lazares, *raiktor*, who also ended his life badly after the death of Alexander, playing ball at the Hebdomon. Likewise he also exceedingly enriched Gabrielopoulos and Basilitzes from the nation of the Sklavenoi from the palace's funds. And, as they say, he wanted to make the same Basil emperor, since he was childless, and to castrate Constantine the son of Leo; and having often wished this, he was diverted by those who had been favored by Leo, sometimes by suggesting that he was an infant, and at other times that he was ill. 3. In his reign a comet appeared from the west for fifteen days, which they said was called a sword-comet and would cause bloodshed in the city. 4. This man gave himself over to deceivers and sorcerers, who also made a statue of a wild boar for him, dedicated to you and to your life, 873 implying the foolish man had the life of a pig. And he, deceived by these things, added genitals and teeth to the boar, as if they were lacking in him. And trusting in the same delusion, having held games in the Hippodrome, and having taken the vestments and many-candled chandeliers of the churches, the hippodrome

Σαμωνᾶς "εἰς τίνα ἐστὶν ἡ κάκωσις;" ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ μητροπολίτης "εἰς σέ· καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃς Ἰουνίου τὰς ιγʹ, ἔκτοτε οὐδὲν πείσῃ κακόν." τὸν δὲ βασιλέα εἶπεν εἰς τὸν δεύτερον ἔχειν κάκωσιν τὴν σελήνην· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὑπέλαβε τοῦτο εἰς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. μετὰ τοῦτο ἰδίως Τζηρίθων τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξεῖπεν "ὁ Σαμωνᾶς τὸ πιττά κιον ἐποίησε." καὶ παρευθὺ καταβιβάζει Σαμωνᾶν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποκείρει μοναχὸν καὶ ἀπάγει εἰς τὴν μονὴν Εὐθυμίου πατριάρχου. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάλιν λοιδορηθέντος, ἀπήγαγεν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Μαρτινάκη μονήν. ἐποίησε δὲ Κωνσταντῖνον παρα κοιμώμενον, καὶ ἔκτισεν αὐτῷ μονὴν ἐν Νωσιαῖς, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἅμα Εὐθυμίῳ πατριάρχῃ καὶ ἐγκαινίασε ταύτην. 43. Ὀκτωβρίῳ δὲ μηνὶ γέγονε πόλεμος ναυμαχικὸς Ἱμερίου λογοθέτου μετὰ ∆αμιανοῦ καὶ Λέοντος τοῦ Ἀγαρηνοῦ, στρατη γοῦ ὄντος ἐν Σάμῳ Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα βασιλεύσαντος. ἡτ τήθη δὲ Ἱμέριος, καὶ μόλις διεσώθη, σχεδὸν πάντων ἐκεῖ κινδυ νευσάντων. 44. Ἤρξατο δὲ νοσηλεύεσθαι Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς κοιλιακῷ νοσήματι, ὥστε μὴ δυνηθῆναι ἐξελθεῖν ἐν τῇ Μαγναύρᾳ τὴν δη μηγορίαν λαλῆσαι ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ τῶν νηστειῶν. γέγονε δὲ καὶ ἐμ πρησμὸς εἰς τὰ κηρουλάρια τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας, καέντων τῶν 871 χαρτησίων πάντων καὶ τῆς σακέλλης. Μαΐῳ δὲ μηνὶ τελευτᾷ Λέων, προχειρισάμενος Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ βασιλέα· ὃν ἰδών, ὡς φασίν, ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη "ἴδε ὁ κακὸς καὶ χρόνος μετὰ τοὺς δεκατρεῖς μῆνας," πολλὰ ἐκλιπαρήσας καὶ δεη θεὶς αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον. καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένετο· ἀληθῶς γὰρ μετὰ δεκατρεῖς μῆνας ἐτε λεύτησε.

{ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑ ΑΛΕΞΑΝ∆ΡΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΥ.}

Τῷ υιβʹ ἔτει τοῦ κόσμου, τῆς δὲ θείας σαρκώσεως λιβʹ, ἐβα σίλευσεν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ υἱὸς Βασιλείου, ἔτος ἓν ἡμέρας κθʹ, σὺν Κωνσταντίνῳ υἱῷ Λέοντος. ἀποστείλας δὲ ἤγαγεν Νικόλαον ἐκ Γαλακρηνῶν, καταγαγὼν Εὐθύμιον πατριάρχην, καὶ ἐνεθρόνισε τὸ δεύτερον τὸν αὐτὸν Νικόλαον πατριάρχην. ἐποίησε δὲ σελέν τιον καὶ σύνοδον Ἀλέξανδρος ἐν τῇ Μαγναύρᾳ, ἀγαγὼν Εὐθύ μιον ἐκ τοῦ Στενοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀγαθοῦ· καὶ συγκαθίσας ἅμα Νι κολάῳ πατριάρχῃ ἐποιήσαντο τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ καθαίρεσιν, ἀτίμως ἀποτίλλοντες τοῦ ἱεροπρεποῦς καὶ ἀξιαγάστου ἀνδρὸς τὴν τιμίαν αὐτοῦ γενειάδα, καὶ ἄλλας τινὰς ὕβρεις καὶ ποινὰς αὐτῷ ἐπιφέ ροντες, ἃς ἡσύχως καὶ πράως ὑπέμεινεν ὁ τίμιος καὶ ἱερὸς ἀνήρ. 872 καὶ ὑπερωρίσθη πάλιν εἰς τὰ Ἀγαθοῦ, ἔνθα καὶ τελευτήσας κατα τίθεται ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ μονῇ ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰς τὰ Ψαμαθίου. 2. Οὗτος Ἀλέξανδρος διὰ τὰς ὑπονοίας ἃς ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐ τοῦ Λέων ἔτι ζῶν εἶχε κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἀεὶ τοῖς κυνηγεσίοις καὶ τοῖς ἔξω παλατίου ἐσχόλαζεν, μηδὲν βασιλέως ἔργον πραττόμενος, ἀλλὰ διάγων ἐν τρυφαῖς καὶ ἀσελγείαις καὶ μέθαις, καὶ περὶ ταῦτα ἀεὶ διακείμενος. ὅθεν ἄρξας αὐτὸς οὐδὲν γενναῖον εἰργάσατο, ἀλλὰ παρευθὺ Ἰαννὴν τὸν παπᾶν, τὸν ἐπίκλην Λαζάρην, ῥαίκτωρα πε ποίηκεν, ὃς καὶ κακῶς τὸ ζῆν ἀπέρρηξεν μετὰ θάνατον Ἀλεξάν δρου, ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ σφαιρίζων. ὡσαύτως καὶ Γαβριηλόπουλον καὶ Βασιλίτζην ἀπὸ Σκλαβηνῶν ἔθνους σφοδρῶς κατεπλούτισεν ἐκ τῶν τοῦ παλατίου χρημάτων. ὡς φασὶν δέ, τὸν αὐτὸν Βασίλειον καὶ βασιλέα ἠβούλετο ποιῆσαι ὡς ἄπαις ὤν, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον υἱὸν Λέοντος εὐνουχίσαι· καὶ ὁ πολλάκις βουληθείς, διεσκεδάσθη παρὰ τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ Λέοντος εὐεργετηθέντων, ποτὲ μὲν ὡς νηπίου ὑποβάλλοντα ποτὲ δὲ ὡς ἀσθενοῦντος. 3. Ἐπὶ τούτου ἐφάνη ἀστὴρ κομήτης ἐκ δύσεως ἐπὶ ἡμέ ρας δεκαπέντε, ὃν ἔλεγον ξιφίαν καλεῖσθαι καὶ αἱματοχυσίαν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐργάσεσθαι. 4. Οὗτος πλάνοις καὶ γόησιν ἑαυτὸν ἐξέδοτο, οἳ καὶ πε ποιήκασιν αὐτοῦ συάγρου στοιχεῖον, σοὶ καὶ τῇ σῇ ζωῇ προσανά 873 κειται, χοιρόβιον τὸν ἀνόητον ὑποφαίνοντες. ὁ δὲ τούτοις ἀπα τηθεὶς αἰδοῖα καὶ ὀδόντας τῷ χοίρῳ προσανενέωσεν ὡς λειπομέ νους αὐτῷ. καὶ τῇ αὐτῇ πλάνῃ πεποιθὼς ἱππικὸν ποιήσας, τὰς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν ἐνδυτὰς καὶ πολυκάνδηλα ἄρας, τὸ ἱππικὸν