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to him, but lesser ones (for Basil had acquired much the greater share in these things), and in these he boasted, strutting about. This man was called Theophiliskos; against whom a rivalry was set in motion by the emperor on account of handsome and brave young men. And from the caesar, Antigonus, his dearest friend, is sent to greet him, and with him also the oft-mentioned Constantine. And as he was sated with the feasting, his playful spirits were stirred up for merriment, and having summoned those of his household skilled in wrestling, a contest was immediately arranged. And indeed all the wrestlers of the emperor and caesar defeat the others, except for Basil, who was not present at the wrestling-ground. Therefore he himself is also summoned and is led to a single combat with the stronger man; at which point Constantine, being well disposed to him through friendship by affinity, orders the ground to be sprinkled with chaff, so that Basil might not somehow slip. So they came together, both came together in the wrestling-ground; of whom the one tries to lift Basil, but the other, not withstanding Basil's counter-move, is at once lifted most nobly and spun around with the swiftest motion, and with a leg-trip, as the local saying goes, is brought down to the ground, suffering an unforgettable fall, so that all considered him to be lifeless, even though after a long time, having been sprinkled with much water, he barely recovered. So when Antigonus with those accompanying him returned to the caesar, he tells him about what had been done; through whom the emperor Michael also heard of these things, and he summons him along with two other peers. And when he saw them, he admired their appearance, praised their youth, and was much more amazed at Basil than the other two, and he enrolls them in various ranks and pledges them to greater benefactions. For those whom God has discerned for kingship, he has predestined, and he surely pre-arranges the signs for it. When the empress Theodora saw them, she took no notice of the two, but became wholly concerned about the one, crying out from the depths of her soul, "If only, my child, I had not seen him today, such a man who will overcome our empire, just as my husband of blessed memory foretold when he was alive." So he appoints Basil as the head of his grooms, and gives him a hard-mouthed horse to manage, which he was especially fond of. Leaping upon it, like another Alexander on Bucephalus, as Bellerophon nobly rides Pegasus, leaving astonishing amazement in all eyes. From this point, the undertakings on his behalf through the master's love increased even more, so that he soon approached the glory of the patricians, and was joined to a most modest wife of the noble family of Inger, and in addition to all this was named adopted son of the emperor, then *magistros*, and was preferred by some over the guards who slept before the bedchamber, and after a short time inherited the imperial glory. 4.27 So when, after some time, the emperor was at the palace of the victorious martyr Mamas, a purpose, even a ridiculous one, arose in him, which he did not make known to all of those with him. He gives orders to two of his household members, in whom he confided his inmost thoughts concerning the drama at hand, at least, and proceeds to the imperial city, and toward dawn on the said day of the festival of Pentecost, having shut Basil in one of the bedchambers, he orders those with him by a nod to strip him and to stretch out his two hands. And when this was done as ordered, Basil is astonished, but nevertheless, being youthful, he recovers from his astonishment, and places himself at the disposal of both himself and the emperor, and is whipped by him with double scourges 30 times, for him to have an indelible memory of his affectionate intention toward him. And going to the greatest church that very morning, he proclaims him a crowned emperor to the people, on the 26th of the month of May, in the 14th indiction, and gives him the suitable things for his secondary emperorship. To whom also, bestowing much affection, he provides equal things, and in addition even superior things.

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αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ἐλάττονας (πολὺ γὰρ τὸ μεῖζον ἐν τούτοις Βασίλειος ἐπεκέκτητο), καὶ τούτοις ἐμεγαλαύχει σοβαρευόμενος. Θεοφιλίσκος οὗτος ἐξήκουστο· πρὸς ὃν παρὰ βασιλέως ἀνθαμίλλησις ἐκεκίνητο εὐθεάτων καὶ ἀνδρείων νεανιῶν ἕνεκα. καὶ παρὰ μὲν καίσαρος Ἀντίγονος ὁ τούτου φίλτατος ἐκπέμπεται πρὸς αὐτὸν δεξιωθησόμενος, σὺν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ συχνῷ ῥηθεὶς Κωνσταντῖνος. ἐμπεφορημένῳ δὲ τῆς εὐωχίας αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ πρὸς χαρμοσύνην διεγείρεται φιλοπαίγμονα, προσκαλεσαμένῳ τῶν οἴκοι διατριβόντων τοὺς εἰς πάλην ἐπιτηδείους, καὶ δὴ κατ' αὐτὴν ἀγὼν διανίσταται. καὶ δὴ πάντες παλαιστρικοὶ βασιλέως καὶ καίσαρος ἡττῶσι τοὺς ἄλλους, ἄνευθε Βασιλείου μὴ τῇ παλαίστρᾳ παρόντος. προσκέκληται διὸ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ πρὸς μονομαχίαν τοῦ κρείττονος ἄγεται· καθ' ὃν τὰ πρὸς φιλίαν ἐξ ἀγχιστείας ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος καλῶς διακείμενος προστάττει τὸ ἔδαφος ἀχύρῳ περιρραντίζεσθαι, ἵνα μή πως διολισθαίνοι Βασίλειος. συνῆλθον οὖν, συνῆλθον κατὰ παλαίστραν ἀμφότεροι· ὧν ὁ μὲν μετεωρίζειν πειρᾶται Βασίλειον, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἐνεγκὼν τὴν Βασιλείου ἀντίβασιν μετεωρίζεται παραυτὰ γενναιότατα καὶ περιστρέφεται ταχίστῳ κινήματι, καὶ τῇ κατὰ πόδρεζαν προσπλοκῇ, ὡς ὁ ἐγχώριος λόγος, πρὸς γῆν καταφέρεται, ὑποστὰς πτῶσιν ἀλάθητον, ὡς καὶ παραψυχὴν τοῖς πᾶσιν εἶναι λογίζεσθαι, εἰ καὶ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ὕδασι πολλοῖς καταρραντισθεὶς μόλις ἀνέσφηλεν. ὡς οὖν ὁ Ἀντίγονος μετὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἐπανῆκεν πρὸς καίσαρα, φησὶ περὶ τῶν δεδραμένων αὐτῷ· δι' οὗ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ τούτων ἐγεγόνει κατήκοος, καὶ ἀνακαλεῖται τοῦτον σὺν ἑτέροις ἥλιξι δύο. ὡς δὲ τούτους τεθέατο, ἠγάσθη τῆς ὄψεως, ἐπῄνεσε τὴν ἡλικιῶτιν, καὶ τῶν δύο πολλῷ πλέον ἐτεθαμβήκει Βασίλειον, καὶ διαφόροις βαθμοῖς καταλέγει καὶ πρὸς μείζονας εὐποιΐας ἀρραβωνίζεται. οὓς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς εἰς βασιλέας διέγνωκεν, τούτους προώρισεν καὶ τὰ πρὸς αὐτὴν πάντως προδιατίθησι σύμβολα. οὓς ἡ βασίλισσα Θεοδώρα θεασαμένη τῶν μὲν δύο ἐμεμελήκει κατὰ μηδέν, τοῦ δὲ ἑνὸς ἐν φροντίδι ὅλως καθίστατο, ἀπὸ βάθους ψυχῆς κεκραγυῖα, ὡς εἴθε, ὦ τέκνον, τοῦτον σήμερον μὴ ἑωράκειν, ἄνδρα τοιοῦτον τῆς ἡμετέρας βασιλείας ὑπερτερήσοντα, καθὼς ὁ ἐμὸς ἐν λήξει μακάρων ἀνὴρ περιὼν ἀπεφοίβασεν. πρωτοστάτην οὖν αὐτοῦ τῶν ἱπποκόμων καθίστησι τὸν Βασίλειον, καὶ ἵππον αὐτῷ δυσήνιον ἐπιδίδωσι διοχήσασθαι, ὃν ἐπεφιλήκει τὰ μάλιστα. οὗτος αὐτοῦ ἐφαλλόμενος, ὡς εἴ τις ἄλλος Βουκεφάλου Ἀλέξανδρος, ὡς Βελλεροφόντης Πηγάσῳ γενναίως ἱππάζεται, θάμβος λιπὼν ἁπάσαις ἐν ὄψεσιν ἐγκατάπληκτον. ἐντεῦθεν καὶ κρεῖττον αὐτῷ τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἀγάπης τὰ πρακτέα διηύξητο, ὡς καὶ τῇ τῶν πατρικίων εὐκλείᾳ συντόμως προσεμπελάσαι, γαμετῇ τε συναρμοσθῆναι κοσμιωτάτῃ τῶν εὐγενίδων ἐξ Ἴγγερος, υἱόν τε θετὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι βασιλέως ὀνομασθῆναι, εἶτα μάγιστρον, καὶ παρὰ τῷ κοιτῶνι τῶν προσυπνούντων φυλάκων προτιμηθῆναι κατά τινας, καὶ μετὰ βραχὺ τὴν βασίλειον εὐδοξίαν κληρώσασθαι. 4.27 Ὡς οὖν περί τινα χρόνον παρῆν ὁ ἄναξ τοῖς περὶ τὸν καλλίνικον Μάμαντα μάρτυρα βασιλείοις, ἐπεφύη τούτῳ σκοπὸς κἂν γελοῖος, ὃν τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν οὐ πᾶσιν ἐγνώρισεν. ἐγκελεύεται δυσὶ τῶν οἰκείων, οἷς τὰ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἐπεθάρρει περὶ τοῦ προκειμένου γε δράματος, καὶ κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν προχωρεῖ, πρὸς ἕω τε τὴν ῥητὴν ἑορτῆς διαγελῶσαν Πεντηκοστὴν ἡμέραν τινὶ κοιτώνων ἐγκλείσας Βασίλειον τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ προστάττει ἐν νεύματι ἀπογυμνοῦν τοῦτον τὼ χεῖρέ τε διατεῖναι. τούτου δὲ γινομένου κατὰ τὸ προσταχθέν, ὁ Βασίλειος καταπλήττεται, ἀλλ' ὅμως νεανικὸς ὢν τῆς ἐκπλήξεως ἀνακτᾶται, ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καθίσταται, καὶ μαστίζεται παρ' αὐτοῦ διπλοῖς ἐν φραγελλίοις λʹ, μνήμην ἔχειν τοῦτον ἀνάγραπτον τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλοστόργου προθέσεως. καὶ τῷ μεγίστῳ ναῷ ἐπελθὼν πρωΐας αὐτῆς στεφηφόρον ἄνακτα λαοῖς ἀναδείκνυσι, μηνὶ Μαΐῳ κ ϛʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιδʹ, καὶ τῆς κατὰ δευτερείαν αὐτῷ βασιλείας τὰ πρόσφορα δίδωσιν. ᾧ καὶ πολὺ φίλτρον ἐπιδιδούς, καὶ τὰ ἴσα, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὰ καθ' ὑπεροχὴν ἐμπαρέχεται.