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

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 his father Zeno as successor to the empire. This Zeno was not well disposed concerning reverence, and indeed he brought many harsh evils upon the entire flock of the pious fold. At that time many similar calamities befell many of the kings in different places. Kavadh in Persia, Nepos in the west, and Zeno among the Romans had fallen from power. But Zeno was strong enough to seize the high-stepping rule again, and so was Kavadh; but the plotter Fortune's reversal did not look upon Nepos with gentle eyes. Indeed that most avaricious Basiliscus both poured out the poison of wickedness against Zeno and became more bitter in his deeds than a basilisk, and having taken on allies and champions, he attacked Zeno, seething with the fire of anger. But Zeno, seized with fear and shaken in his mind, fled with his wife Ariadne to Isauria; for he was running for his life, not for his wealth. Thus nothing is more precious to men than life, not royal power, not seas of wealth. And so, entering without effort (for there was no one to stop him), he puts on the crown and is proclaimed ruler. But affairs often do not endure to remain for long with those who wish to seize them, but they quickly depart and flee from them, as if recognizing in time their masters. For after the terrible Basiliscus had ruled alone for only two years, when Zeno attacked and enticed everyone with ambitious hopes, and with them the general (this was Harmatius, whose son he swore to crown with the diadem of a Caesar), being at a loss on all sides, not having anything to do, he runs with his wife Zenonis to a holy temple. Having removed them from there, the emperor Zeno, after first binding himself with the most frightful oaths that he would not bring a murderous sword to their necks, sends them into exile in a strong fortress, where, having shut them in a certain solid tower and having blocked the entrance with large stones, he miserably destroys the wicked by hunger and thirst. And securely strengthening the kingdom for himself, he sends Harmatius to a pitiable death, revealed to be a treacherous traitor to his master, but he fulfills his promise, and adorns his son with the most blessed crown of a Caesar. Not long after, he also cut his hair and forcibly appointed him archbishop for the Cyzicenes. Once an astrologer foretold to this emperor that "you will die shortly, and a man from the senate will take your kingdom and your wife." Learning this, the emperor destroyed most of the senators, the brilliant and the most fortunate. But no earth-born man will have the strength to prove the invincible power of God's providence to be ineffectual. For Zeno ruled for ten years of his reign plus another six, then was snatched away by death. For when Zeno left his life and his crown, the rule of the Romans passed to Anastasius, who was called "Dikoros" (two-pupiled); for he happened to have one pupil black, and the other greyish-blue. He, being joined in marriage to Ariadne the former empress, and having seemed most lawful concerning reverence, shortly after broke forth with the offspring of wickedness and brought all malevolence into the open; for from the beginning he had in his heart the seeds of the heresy of the thrice-accursed Eutyches. From this a dark whirlwind and a savage storm and deep-roaring billows and squalls and tempests shook the vessel of orthodoxy. From this the pious archpriests were driven from their own thrones like malevolent robbers. From this there were continuous wailings and lamentations, everywhere cries and groans, everywhere beatings of the breast. And the multitude of the pious, seeing so much wickedness, insulted the ruler and reviled him. Thus a pious man does not know to respect emperors when danger runs against piety, nor does he show partiality, nor tremble at potentates. Therefore Anastasius, being eager to add to the impiety

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ἔτεσι δέκα πρὸς ὀκτὼ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεύσας. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὗτος πρὸς μικρὸν γευσάμενος τοῦ κράτους γῆθεν ἀπῆλθε τάχιον, Ζήνωνα τὸν πατέρα καταλιπὼν διάδοχον τῆς αὐτοκρατορίας. Οὗτος ὁ Ζήνων οὐ καλῶς εἶχε περὶ τὸ σέβας, καὶ γοῦν πολλὰς καὶ χαλεπὰς ἐπήγαγε κακώσεις ἅπαντι τῷ πληρώματι τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἀγέλης. Τότε πολλὰ ταυτοπαθῆ τόποις ἐν διαφόροις συνέπεσε παθήματα πολλοῖς τῶν βασιλέων. Καβάδης μὲν ἐν Περσικῇ, Νέπως δ' ἐν ἑσπερίοις, ὁ Ζήνων ἐν Ῥωμαίοις τε πεπτώκασι τοῦ κράτους. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ζήνων ἴσχυσε πάλιν ἐπιλαβέσθαι τῆς ὑψιβάμονος ἀρχῆς, ἀλλά γε καὶ Καβάδης· τὸν Νέπωτα δ' οὐκ ἔβλεψεν ἡμέροις ἐν βλεφάροις τῆς τύχης τὸ παλίντροπον τῆς ἐπιβουλευσάσης. ὁ γοῦν φιλοχρυσότατος ἐκεῖνος Βασιλίσκος καὶ κατὰ Ζήνωνος ἰὸν ἐξέχεε κακίας, καὶ βασιλίσκου γέγονε πικρότερος ἐν ἔργοις, καὶ προσεταιρισάμενος συμμάχους καὶ προμάχους ἐπήρχετο τῷ Ζήνωνι πυρὶ θυμοῦ καχλάζων. Ζήνων δὲ φόβῳ συσχεθεὶς καὶ σαλευθεὶς τὰς φρένας σὺν Ἀριάδνῃ γαμετῇ φεύγει πρὸς Ἰσαυρίαν· περὶ ψυχῆς γὰρ ἔτρεχεν, ἀλλ' οὐ περὶ χρημάτων. ὡς ἄρα τιμιώτερον ψυχῆς οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις, οὐ κράτος τὸ βασίλειον, οὐ θάλασσαι χρημάτων. ἀπονητὶ γοῦν εἰσελθὼν (οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἦν κωλύων) τὸ στέφος περιτίθεται καὶ κράτωρ χρηματίζει. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ ἀνέχονται τὰ πράγματα πολλάκις συμπαραμένειν. εἰς πολὺ τοῖς θέλουσιν ἁρπάζειν, ἀλλὰ μεθίστανται ταχὺ καὶ φεύγουσιν ἐκ τούτων, ὥσπερ ἀναγνωρίζοντα σὺν χρόνῳ τοὺς δεσπότας. ἐπὶ δυσὶ γὰρ ἔτεσι καὶ μόνοις αὐταρχήσας ὁ Βασιλίσκος ὁ δεινός, Ζήνωνος ἐπελθόντος καὶ πάντας δελεάσαντος ἐλπίσι φιλοτίμοις, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς τὸν στρατηγὸν (Ἁρμάτιος ἦν οὗτος, οὗ τὸν υἱὸν ἐπώμοσε Καίσαρος στέφει στέψαι), πάντοθεν ἀπορούμενος, οὐκ ἔχων ὅτι δράσει, σὺν Ζηνωνίδι γυναικὶ θείῳ ναῷ προστρέχει. οὕσπερ ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ Ζήνων, προκαταδήσας ἑαυτὸν ὅρκοις φρικωδεστάτοις ὡς οὐκ ἐπάξει φόνιον ξίφος τοῖς σφῶν τραχήλοις, ὑπερορίους τίθησιν ἐν ὀχυρῷ φρουρίῳ, ἔνθα συγκλείσας ἔν τινι πυργίσκῳ στερεμνίῳ, καὶ λίθοις εὐμεγέθεσι τὴν εἴσοδον προσχώσας, λιμῷ καὶ δίψει τοὺς κακοὺς κακῶς ἐξαφανίζει. καλῶς δὲ κρατυνόμενος αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τὸν μὲν Ἁρμάτιον οἰκτρῷ θανάτῳ παραπέμπει, προδότην δολομήχανον φανέντα τῷ δεσπότῃ, πληροῖ δὲ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, καὶ τὸν ἐκείνου παῖδα κατακοσμεῖ τῷ Καίσαρος ὀλβιωτάτῳ στέφει. μετ' οὐ πολὺ κἀκείνου δὲ τὰς τρίχας ἀποκείρας ἐφίστησι Κυζικηνοῖς ἀρχιερέα βίᾳ. Τούτῳ ποτὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ προεῖπεν ἀστρολέσχης ὡς τελευτᾷς μετὰ βραχύ, καί σου τὴν βασιλείαν λήψεται καὶ τὴν σύνοικον ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπώλεσε τοὺς πλείους τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου, τοὺς λαμπροὺς καὶ τοὺς εὐτυχεστέρους. ἀλλὰ τὴν ἄμαχον ἰσχὺν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας οὐδεὶς ἰσχύσει γηγενὴς ἄπρακτον ἀπελέγξαι. Ζήνων μὲν γὰρ ἐν ἔτεσι δέκα τῆς βασιλείας πρὸς ἄλλοις ἓξ ἐκράτησεν, εἶθ' ἡρπάγη θανάτῳ. ὡς γὰρ ὁ Ζήνων ἔλιπε τὸν βίον καὶ τὸ στέφος, εἰς Ἀναστάσιον φοιτᾷ τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων κράτος, ὃς δίκορος ἐλέγετο· τὴν γὰρ ἑτέραν κόρην ἔτυχεν ἔχων μέλαιναν, γλαυκόχρουν δὲ τὴν ἄλλην. ὃς Ἀριάδνῃ συζυγεὶς τῇ πρώην βασιλίδι, καὶ δόξας ἐννομώτατος εἶναι περὶ τὸ σέβας, μετὰ μικρὸν ἀνέρρηξε τὸν τῆς κακίας τόκον καὶ πᾶσαν κακοήθειαν ἐξήνεγκεν εἰς μέσον· ἦν γὰρ ἀρχῆθεν σπέρματα κατὰ καρδίας ἔχων τῆς Εὐτύχους αἱρέσεως τοῦ τρισαλιτηρίου. ἐντεῦθεν λαῖλαψ ζοφερὰ καὶ καταιγὶς ἀγρία καὶ κλύδωνες βαρύθροοι καὶ ζάλαι καὶ χειμῶνες τὸ σκάφος συνεδόνησαν τὸ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας. ἐντεῦθεν οἱ φιλευσεβεῖς ἀρχιερεῖς ἐκ θρόνων ἰδίων ἀπηλαύνοντο δίκην λῃστῶν κακούργων. ἐντεῦθεν ἦσαν συνεχεῖς ὀλολυγμοὶ καὶ θρῆνοι, πάντῃ βοαὶ καὶ στεναγμοί, πάντῃ στερνοκτυπίαι. τὸ πλῆθος δὲ τῶν εὐσεβῶν τόσην κακίαν βλέπον ἐνύβριζον τῷ κράτορι καὶ διελοιδοροῦντο. οὕτως οὐκ οἶδεν εὐσεβὴς αἰδεῖσθαι βασιλέας, ὅτε πρὸς τὴν εὐσέβειαν κίνδυνος ἀνατρέχει, οὐδὲ λαμβάνει πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ δυνάστας τρέμει. ὁ τοίνυν Ἀναστάσιος προθυμηθεὶς προσθεῖναι τῆς δυσσεβείας

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