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4.28 To such an extent had the full assurance spread throughout, and from this, abundant envy was poured out from many, who also contrived things toward the dissolution of their harmonious love, by every means devising things against one another, to close the peaceful house of the lord with strife, at one time with deceitful words, at another with writings, the evil-minded ones deceiving their minds. For by these means they forcibly persuaded Michael that he would suffer destruction from Basil, and that he would suffer this very same thing from Michael out of an unstable mind, calling it drunkenness and vanity. And as some say, Michael had a plan to necessarily kill Basil; and especially during a hunt, he ordered someone to launch a spear at him as he went out with him. But as others say, it was not so, but that he was favorably disposed toward him, even if he had been shaken by some. Wherefore those who thought of what was advantageous for Basil incited him to the murder of the emperor; but when they did not persuade him, as he had not been turned away from his goodwill towards him at all, or even felt dizzy at bloodshed, they became the perpetrators of the slaughter with their own hands, so that they might not perish along with him. 4.29 Holding onto his own usefulness after the bloody deed, and the kingship, as he knew it was given to him by God, and not as before, giving thanks to God he inaugurated <the> temple of the arch-commanders of the immaterial orders, having renewed it, very beautiful and admirable in size and beauty and the costliness of its composition; When this had been completed with the longing and faith of the emperor, and the works sacredly dedicated within it, and spiritual gladness had been gathered, in this he receives the imperial crown from the hands of the high priest, establishing for himself another beginning of his reign, which he had obtained by the alliance of the archangels, and to his three sons, Constantine, Leo, and Alexander, he places upon them the same glorious crown along with the imperial one, and Stephen, having consecrated him, he appointed for the future to the patriarchal throne. And concerning the first, who after some time had departed this life, he was unfortunate beyond expectation; for he was more attached to this one than the others, being confident regarding the succession of the empire, even if he did not succeed in his desire. For to Leo, the renowned and all-glorious emperor, the stability of the empire was preserved, and <to> his brother Alexander who would become his successor after him according to paternal ordinance. But in this too the wicked men corrupted natural affections, with the paternal affection for Leo being somewhat shattered for a short while. and the sinews of wickedness being cut, since none of the strong stand by it, and the slanderers have been badly driven away, and Leo becomes possessor of the empire and he fulfills the things ordained by his father, strengthened by virtue and sagacity. But these things happened later, after the death of his father. 4.30 But when for a certain period of time the works of war were being neglected, since scandals had befallen the state, which we have mentioned before, through which the Ishmaelite pride was puffed up and they had made a very great attack, so as to drive an army as far as the Malagina and from there to draw up the emperor's cavalry force, resulting in an ever-memorable feat of generalship for themselves, but for us a defeat worthy of silence. But when these things were known to the God-crowned king, it was not possible for him to hesitate over so great an outrage, but rather to eagerly undertake a true vengeance for what had been done. For having considered a certain Andrew, a man of great prudence and one who pursued much experience, and not less of courage, even if it had been hidden, as the truth of the matters showed (this man had come from the western Scythians), he appointed this man hypostrategos of the Opsikion theme. Who, having strategically arranged the army under him and having engaged the enemy, won a very great victory and for the time being had cast down their arrogance, and because of this and his frequent acts of valor, after his patricianship he was fortunate to receive the command of the Scholae. and much better against the

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4.28 Τοσοῦτον τὰ τῆς πληροφορίας ὁλικῶς διεξήπλωτο, καὶ φθόνος ἐκ τούτου δαψιλὴς παρὰ πολλῶν ἐξεκέχυτο, οἳ καὶ τὰ πρὸς διάλυσιν τῆς αὐτῶν ὁμονοούσης ἀγάπης ἐντεχνιτεύουσι, τρόπῳ παντὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτῶν ἀλλήλων ἐκμηχανώμενοι, εἰρηναῖον οἶκον κυρίου κλεῖσαι τῇ ἔριδι, ποτὲ μὲν λογίοις δολίοις, ποτὲ δὲ γραφαῖς δολοῦντες τὰς αὐτῶν φρένας κακόφρονες. συμπείθουσι γὰρ ἐκ τούτων βιαίως τὸν Μιχαὴλ παρὰ Βασιλείου ἀναίρεσιν πείσεσθαι, ταὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο αὐτὸν ὑποστήσεσθαι παρὰ Μιχαὴλ ἐξ ἀστάτου φρονήματος, οἰνοφλυγίαν καλοῦντες καὶ ματαιόφρονα. καὶ καθώς φασί τινες, βουλὴν ἔσχεν ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἀναγκαίως ἀναιρήσειν Βασίλειον· μάλιστα δὲ κατὰ κυνηγέσιον σὺν αὐτῷ ἐξελθόντι ἐπαφεῖναι λόγχην τινὶ διετάξατο. ὡς δ' ἕτεροι, οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ τὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοϊκῶς διακεῖσθαι, κἂν παρά τινων ἐσεσάλευτο. ὅθεν οἱ τὰ συνοίσοντα φρονοῦντες τῷ Βασιλείῳ πρὸς φόνον ἐκίνουν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος· ὡς δ' οὐκ ἔπειθον τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας μηδ' ὅλως ἐκτετραμμένον ἢ καὶ πρὸς μιαιφονίαν ἰλιγγιῶντα, αὐτόχειρες γίνονται τῆς σφαγῆς, ἵνα μὴ σὺν αὐτῷ διαπόλοιντο. 4.29 Τοῦ δὲ μιαιφονήματος τῆς οἰκείας εὐχρηστίας ἀντεχόμενος, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ὡς ᾔδει θεόθεν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρότερον, τὰς πρὸς θεὸν εὐχαριστίας ἀποδιδοὺς προσεγκαινίζει <τὸν> τῶν ἀρχιστρατήγων τῶν ἀΰλων ταγμάτων ναὸν καινουργήσας, μεγέθει τε καὶ κάλλει καὶ πολυτελείᾳ τῶν συντεθέντων λίαν ὡραῖον καὶ ἀξιάγαστον· οὗ τελεσιουργηθέντος σὺν πόθῳ καὶ πίστει τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ ἱερῶς ἀφορισθέντων συντελεσμάτων, πνευματικῆς τε θυμηδίας συναθροισθείσης, ἐν ταύτῃ τὸ αὐτοκρατορικὸν στέμμα χειρῶν ἀρχιερέως ἐκδέχεται, ἄλλην ἀρχὴν καθιστῶν ἑαυτῷ βασιλείας, ἣν συμμαχίᾳ τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων κεκλήρωτο, υἱέσι τε τρισὶν ἑαυτοῦ, Κωνσταντίνῳ Λέοντι καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ, τὴν ὁμοίαν στεφοδοξίαν μετὰ καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐντίθησι, τὸν δὲ Στέφανον ἱερώσας τῷ πατριαρχικῷ θρόνῳ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἀφώρισεν. καὶ περὶ μὲν τὸν πρῶτον μετά τινα χρόνον διηλλαχότα τὸν βίον δυστυχεῖ παρ' ἐλπίδα· τούτῳ γὰρ μᾶλλον προσε τετήκει τῶν ἄλλων θαρρῶν κατὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διαδοχήν, κἂν τοῦ ἐφετοῦ οὐκ εὐστόχησεν. Λέοντι γὰρ τῷ περιωνύμῳ καὶ πανευκλεεῖ βασιλεῖ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας συνετετήρητο μόνιμον τῷ <τε> μετ' αὐτὸν ὁμαίμονι Ἀλεξάνδρῳ διαδόχῳ γενησομένῳ κατὰ πατρικὴν θεσμοθέτησιν. φθείρουσι δὲ κἀν τούτῳ τὰ φυσικὰ σπλάγχνα οἱ πονηροί, τῆς πατρῴου φιλοστοργίας κατά τι παραθραυσθείσης ἐπὶ τῷ Λέοντι μικρὸν ὅσον. καὶ τὰ τῆς πονηρίας νεῦρα διακοπέντα, ἐπείπερ αὐτῇ οὐδὲν τῶν ἰσχυρῶν παρυφίσταται, καὶ οἱ συκοφάνται κακῶς ἀπελήλανται, καὶ Λέων τῆς βασιλείας ἐγκάτοχος γίνεται καὶ τὰ πατρόθεν διωρισμένα ἀποπληροῖ καλοκἀγαθίᾳ καὶ ἀγχινοίᾳ νευρούμενος. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ γεννήτορος. 4.30 Ἐπεὶ δὲ διὰ μέσου χρόνου τινὸς τὰ τῶν πολέμων ἔργα κατωλιγώρουν, οἷά περ σκανδάλων παρεμπεσόντων τῷ πολιτεύματι, ὧν προμεμνήμεθα, δι' ὧν ἡ Ἰσμαηλῖτις ὀφρὺς ἐκορύσσετο καὶ μεγίστην ἐπεποίητο τὴν ἐπίθεσιν, ὥστε μέχρι τῶν Μαλαγηνῶν ἐλάσαι στρατὸν κἀκεῖθεν τὴν βασιλέως ἱππότιν συναγωγὴν ἀνιμήσασθαι, εἰς ἑαυτῶν μὲν στρατηγίαν ἀείμνηστον, ἡμῶν δὲ καταστρατηγίαν σιωπῆς ἄξιον. ὡς δὲ περὶ τούτων τῷ θεοστεφεῖ ἄνακτι διέγνωστο, διοκλάζειν αὐτῷ οὐ παρῆν ἐπὶ τηλικούτῳ τῷ ἀτοπήματι, ἀλλὰ σπουδαίως ἐπαναιρεῖσθαι ὄντως ἐκδίκησιν τῶν οὕτως ἐνηνεγμένων. Ἀνδρέαν γάρ τινα στοχασάμενος, ἄνδρα πολύφρονα καὶ πολυπειρίας μεταδιώκοντα, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ἀνδρείας, κἂν ἐπεκέκρυπτο, καθὼς ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀλήθεια παρεδήλωσεν, (οὗτος Σκυθῶν ἑσπερίων ἐξώρμητο) ὑποστράτηγον τοῦτον τοῦ κατὰ τὸ Ὀψίκιον προτίθησι θέματος. ὃς τὸν ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατὸν στρατηγικῶς διαθεὶς καὶ τοῖς πολεμίοις παρεμβαλὼν μεγίστην ἀπηνέγκατο νίκην καὶ καταβεβλήκει τέως τὴν τούτων ἀλαζονείαν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ταῖς συχναῖς αὐτοῦ εὐανδρίαις μετά γε πατρικιότητα τῆς τῶν σχολῶν εὐμοιρεῖ κυριότητος. καὶ πολλῷ κρεῖττον κατὰ τῶν