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and they applied a poultice to the scratches and did other things, as many as their art taught. But the emperor lay motionless for this entire night and the following day and again the next night; for the illness was apoplexy, and so severe that it lasted for so long with immobility and speechlessness. With difficulty, therefore, he began to breathe and came to himself, but his color was changed. He hastened, at any rate, to reach Nymphaion and to arrive before Palm Sunday, on which the emperor was accustomed to celebrate a triumph. Therefore, having forced the journey, he arrived at Nymphaion, and there he carried out the triumph for Palm Sunday and celebrated the day of the Resurrection. And from this time on he stayed in such regions, being worn down and oppressed at intervals of days by the illness that had seized him. For sometimes, while staying in the palace, he would suddenly fall speechless upon a couch, and at other times, while riding a horse and traveling on the road, he would be overcome by the illness, and those present would hold him and watch over him for a time, so that it would not be known to the many; and when he returned to his senses, he would slowly return to the palace; and sometimes he was even carried on a litter upon a throne in the palace by his attendants. But as the illness increased, the emperor's body was failing; for it began to happen to him very much more frequently. Indeed, there was a wasting away of his flesh, and what was more terrible, atrophy afflicted him. Therefore, since the hands of the physicians grew weary with the illness, wishing to find a little comfort, he wanted to go to Smyrna, so that he might worship the Christ there and make supplication and render him propitious. Having arrived, therefore, he accomplished these things, but he found no relief from his suffering, but while encamped in the Periklystrois Topois—this is a place somewhere near Smyrna, so named because it is washed all around by much water—he felt his suffering greater or rather worse. Departing from there, therefore, being in a very bad state of body, he reached Nymphaion. And he did not go to the royal chambers, but in the royal gardens somewhere near the place he set up the imperial tents. There he also paid his debt to fate on the third calends of November, having lived sixty-two years, as those who knew the facts about him more accurately said, of which he had reigned for thirty-three well and goodly. For he was mild and always inclined toward what was more philanthropic; he was less inclined to use gifts toward his own people, but toward foreigners and especially those who came as ambassadors he extended a more lavish hand, so that he might be praised by them. But he was overcome by the loves of women, from the time his spouse and empress Irene passed from among men; and he engaged in open intercourse with many other women, but he was especially overcome by love for the one who came from Italy as a handmaid of the empress Anna, his wife from Germany, but who became her rival and was named Marchesina. And he was so dependent on her love, that he gave her scarlet-dyed shoes to wear and such riding-cloaks and bridles, and more attendants followed her than the true mistress, and he did many other things, serving her desires. But this emperor was steadfast in battles. And he did not rejoice in hand-to-hand wars, fearing the fickle nature of Ares and taking into account the uncertainty in these matters; but by employing endurance and making inroads into the enemy's land in spring and spending the summer season, and further, passing through the waning autumn, and sometimes even wintering there, he would win the victory, as the enemies grew weary of the emperor's persistence and patience. The emperor John had died, therefore, having left the empire to his son Theodore, who was completing his thirty-third year. For his age was as great as that of his father's reign; for his birth nearly coincided with his father's accession. There was hope, therefore, for all the Romans and especially for those serving in the army

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καὶ ἐφόλβιον ταῖς ἀμυχαῖς ἐνέβαλλον καὶ ἀλλ' ἄττα ἔπραττον, ὁπόσα ἡ τέχνη ἐδίδασκεν. ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ὅλην τε ταύτην τὴν νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἡμέραν καὶ αὖθις τὴν ἑτέραν νύκτα ἀκίνητος ἔκειτο· ἀποπληξία γὰρ ἦν ἡ νόσος καὶ οὕτω βα ρεῖα, ὥστε διαρκέσαι τοσοῦτον εἰς ἀκινησίαν καὶ ἀφωνίαν. μόγις οὖν ἀνέπνευσε καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ἦλθεν, ἦν δὲ ἠλλοιω μένος τὸ χρῶμα. ἔσπευσε γοῦν καταλαβεῖν τὸ Νύμφαιον φθάσαι τε πρὸ τῆς βαϊοφόρου κυριακῆς, καθ' ἣν εἴωθε θριαμβεύειν ὁ βασιλεύς. ἐπιτείνας οὖν τὴν ὁδὸν ἀφίκετο εἰς τὸ Νύμφαιον, κἀκεῖσε τὸν κατὰ τὴν βαϊοφόρον θρίαμ βον ἐξετέλεσε καὶ τὴν ἀναστάσιμον ἑωρτάκει ἡμέραν. καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπεχωρίαζε μέρεσι, τῇ κατα σχούσῃ τοῦτον νόσῳ κατὰ διαστήματα ἡμερῶν τρυχόμενός τε καὶ πιεζόμενος. ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ διάγων εὐθὺς ἐπὶ κλίνης ἔπιπτεν ἄφωνος, ποτὲ δὲ ἐφ' ἵππου βαί νων καὶ ὁδὸν βαδίζων ὑπὸ τῆς νόσου ἐγίνετο κάτοχος, καὶ οἱ συμπαρόντες κατεῖχόν τε καὶ πρὸς ὥραν παρεφύλατ τον, ὥστε μὴ γνωρίζεσθαι τοῖς πολλοῖς· ἐπὰν δὲ εἰς λο γισμὸν ἐπανῆκε, σχολῇ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια ἐπανέστρεφεν· ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ φοράδην ἐπὶ θρόνου ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ἤγετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ νόσος ἐπηύξανε, τὸ σῶμα τοῦ βασιλέως κατέπιπτε· συνεχέστερον γὰρ ἤρξατο πάνυ τούτῳ ἐγγίνεσθαι. σύντηξις γοῦν ἦν αὐτῷ τῶν σαρκῶν, καὶ τὸ δεινότερον, ἡ ἀτροφία τοῦτον ἐπίεζεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν χεῖρες ἰατρῶν εἰς τὴν νόσον ἀπέκαμον, παραμυ θίαν βουλόμενος μικρὰν ἐφευρεῖν ἠθέλησεν εἰς τὴν Σμύρνην ἀπελθεῖν, ὅπως τῷ ἐκεῖσε προσκυνήσῃ Χριστῷ παράκλησίν τε ποιήσῃ καὶ ἵλεων αὐτὸν ἀπεργάσοιτο. ἀφικόμενος οὖν ταῦτα μὲν διεπράξατο, ἀνακωχὴν δὲ τοῦ πάθους οὐχ εὗρεν, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς Περικλύστροις Τόποις σκηνούμενος-τόπος δέ ἐστιν οὗτος ἐγγύς που τῆς Σμύρνης, διὰ τὸ πολλοῖς τοῖς ὕδασι περικλύζεσθαι οὕτω πως κατονομαζόμενος- μείζονος ἢ μᾶλλον χείρονος τοῦ πάθους ἐπῄσθετο. ἐκεῖθεν οὖν ἀπάρας πονήρως λίαν ἔχων τοῦ σώματος καταλαμβάνει τὸ Νύμφαιον. καὶ ἐν μὲν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς οὐκ ἀπῆλθεν οἰκήμασιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐγγύς που τῆς χώρας βασιλείοις κή ποις τὰς ἀνακτορικὰς σκηνὰς ἐνιδρύσατο. ἔνθα καὶ τῷ χρεὼν ἐλειτούργησε τρίτῃ καλανδῶν Νοεμβρίου, ἑξήκοντα καὶ δύο, ὡς οἱ τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀκριβέστερον εἰδότες ἔφασαν, ἔτη βιώσας, ἐξ ὧν τριάκοντα καὶ τρία βεβασίλευκε καλῶς τε καὶ ἀγαθῶς. πρᾶος γὰρ ἦν καὶ πρὸς τὸ φιλανθρωπότερον ἀεὶ ἀπονεύων· δωρεαῖς μὲν πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἧττον ἐχρᾶτο, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ξένους καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ὡς πρέσβεις ἀφικο μένους δαψιλεστέραν τὴν χεῖρα προύτεινεν, ἵν' ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐπαινοῖτο. ἐρώτων δὲ θηλέων ἡττᾶτο, ἐξ ὅτου ἡ σύζυγος αὐτοῦ καὶ βασιλὶς Εἰρήνη ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο· καὶ πολ λαῖς μὲν καὶ ἄλλαις εἰς φανερὰν ἐχρήσατο μῖξιν, μάλιστα δὲ τῆς ἐξ Ἰταλίας ἐλθούσης ὡς θεραπαινίδος μὲν τῆς ἐξ Ἀλαμανῶν συζύγου βασιλίδος Ἄννης, ἀντιζήλου δὲ αὐτῆς γεγενημένης Μαρκεσίνης τε ὀνομαζομένης τοῦ ἔρωτος ἥτ τητο. καὶ ἐς τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτῆς ἐξεκρέματο, ὡς καὶ πέδιλα ὑποδεδέσθαι δοῦναι ταύτην κοκκοβαφῆ καὶ ἐφεστρίδας τοιαύτας καὶ χαλινά, ἕπεσθαί τε αὐτῇ πλείους ἢ τῇ κυρίως δεσποίνῃ, ἄλλα τε πολλὰ ἐποίει ταῖς ἐκείνης δουλεύων ὀρέξεσι. καρτερικὸς δὲ ἦν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις οὗτος ὁ βασιλεύς. καὶ τοῖς μὲν κατὰ συστάδην πολέμοις οὐκ ἔχαιρε, τὸ ἀλλοπρόσαλλον τοῦ Ἄρεως δειλιῶν καὶ τὸ περὶ ταῦτα ἄδηλον ὑπολογιζόμενος· τῇ καρτερίᾳ δὲ χρώμενος καὶ ἐνεαρίζων μὲν εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων γῆν καὶ τὴν θέρους ὥραν διαβιβάζων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν φθίνουσαν ὀπώ ραν διανύων, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ παραχειμάζων, τὴν νικῶσαν ἐλάμβανεν, ἀποκαμνόντων τῶν ἐναντίων τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐνστάσει τε καὶ ὑπομονῇ. Ἐτεθνήκει μὲν οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης, τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Θεοδώρῳ τὴν βασιλείαν καταλελοιπώς, τριάκοντα καὶ τρία ἔτη διανύοντι. τοσοῦτος γὰρ ὁ χρόνος αὐτῷ ὁπόσος τῆς πατρικῆς βασιλείας ἐτύγχανε· σχεδὸν γὰρ τῇ πατρικῇ ἀναρρήσει καὶ ἡ γέννησις ἐκείνου συνέδραμεν. ἐλπὶς μὲν οὖν πᾶσιν ἦν Ῥωμαίοις καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς ἐν στρατείᾳ τε λοῦσι