When Pantaleon the metropolitan was coming in to the emperor, Samonas asked him "Against whom is the misfortune?" And he said, "Against you; and if the 13th of June passes, from then on you will suffer no evil." But to the emperor he said that the misfortune of the moon was for the second person. And the emperor supposed this referred to Alexander his brother. After this, Tziriton privately told the emperor that Samonas had forged the note. And immediately he brings Samonas down to his own house and makes him a monk, then he leads him away to the monastery of Euthymios the patriarch. And having been reviled again, they lead him away to the monastery of Martinakios. He therefore brings Samonas down, making Constantine parakoimomenos; and he builds for him a monastery in Nosiai, and having gone with Euthymios the patriarch, he consecrates it. It is worthwhile to say a few things about the way the monastery of Nosiai was built. 25. This Constantine had a father, an old man, devout and fearing God, who possessed in that very place of Nosiai a very small suburban property by the sea, in which, by pouring water into a cistern, he provided refreshment for travelers. It happened that a soldier was passing by this water, and refreshing himself, he took out the coins he had from a just source, and counted them; and they were counted at three pounds. Then getting up, as happens, he mounted his horse and went on his way, leaving the gold 714 in that place. As was the old man's custom, he went out to the cistern, and finding the gold, he was grieved by the despondency of the one who had lost it; but keeping it himself, he did not cease from night to night praying to God for that man to come and receive what was his own. The soldier, however, having passed the gates and remembered, but being able to do nothing, went on his way grieving. And after the third year he comes to the place of Nosiai, and getting off his horse, he watered it, and having drunk himself, he sat down pensively, and sighing, he said that in this place I lost my livelihood. Hearing this, the honorable old man asked him, "What then happened, my lord?" He said that he lost coins here. And immediately he pointed out the place, and described the features of the purse and the amount. And the man of God immediately pulls it from his bosom, and says "Do you recognize this?" And he, seized by speechlessness for a long time, nevertheless said "Yes; it is what I lost." And he says, "Take it, being assured that I did not open it, nor did I see what is inside." Taking this, the man begged him to take from it as much as he wished. But he did not wish to at all. So the soldier goes on his way, rejoicing and thanking God. That night, therefore, he sees in a dream Christ coming and saying to him, "In return for what you have done for the sol 715 dier, behold tomorrow you will hear that your son has become parakoimomenos, and that this suburban property of yours will become a great monastery for my glorification. And you yourself will receive the reward for these things." When morning came, the message arrived, and after a few days by the will of the emperor and by the expense, as has been said, the monastery was built and consecrated. 26. In the same year, when the naval war of the Saracens with Himerios the logothete had been going on for eight months, while Romanos who afterwards reigned was strategos in Samos, Himerios was defeated and was saved with difficulty, with almost everyone there being endangered. After this, Leo the emperor falls ill with a stomach ailment. There was also a fire in the candle-store of the great church, and all the chartothesia and the sakelle were burned. On the 11th of the month of May, Leo the emperor dies, having appointed Alexander his brother as emperor; whom seeing, as they say, coming in to him, he said, "Behold also the evil time after 13 months," begging him earnestly to guard his son Constantine. Year of the world 407, of the divine incarnation 7, emperor of the Romans Alexander with Constantine Porphyrogennetos son of Leo, for 1 year 29 days. Alexander therefore
εἰσερχόμενος δὲ ὁ Πανταλέων μητροπολίτης πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἠρώτησεν αὐτὸν Σαμωνᾶς "εἰς τίνα ἐστὶν ἡ κάκωσις;" ὁ δὲ ἔφη "εἰς σέ· καὶ ἐὰν διέλθῃ Ἰουνίου ιγʹ, ἔκτοτε οὐδὲν πείσῃ κακόν." τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ εἶπεν εἰς τὸν δεύτερον ἔχειν τὴν κάκωσιν τῆς σελήνης. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὑπέλαβε τοῦτο εἰς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφόν. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἰδίως ὁ Τζιρίθων τῷ βασιλεῖ εἶπεν ὅτι ὁ Σαμωνᾶς ἐποίησε τὸ πιττάκιον. καὶ εὐθὺς καταβιβάζει τὸν Σαμωνᾶν εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ποιεῖ μοναχόν, εἶτα ἀπάγει εἰς τὴν μονὴν Εὐθυμίου τοῦ πατριάρχου. καὶ πάλιν λοιδορηθέντα ἀπάγουσιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Μαρτινακίου μονήν. καταβιβάζει οὖν τὸν Σαμωνᾶν, ποιῶν Κωνσταντῖνον παρακοιμώμενον· καὶ κτίζει αὐτῷ μονὴν ἐν Νοσιαῖς, καὶ ἀπελθὼν μετὰ Εὐθυμίου πατριάρχου ἐγκαινίζει αὐτήν. ἄξιον δὲ ὀλίγα εἰπεῖν, ποίῳ τρόπῳ ἡ μονὴ τῶν Νοσιῶν ἔκτισται. 25. Οὗτος ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος εἶχε πατέρα γέροντα εὐλαβῆ καὶ φοβούμενον τὸν θεόν, ὃς καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ τῶν Νοσιῶν προαστίτζην ἐκέκτητο πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ πάνυ μικρόν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὕδωρ ἐπὶ δεξαμενὴν ἐκβαλὼν τοῖς ὁδίταις ἐποίει παραψυχήν. ἐν τούτῳ τῷ ὕδατι συνέβη στρατιώτην διέρχεσθαι, καὶ ἀναψύξαντα ἐκβαλεῖν ἅπερ ἐκ δικαίου πόρου εἶχεν νομισμάτων, καὶ ἀριθμῆσαι αὐτά· καὶ ἦσαν εἰς λίτρας τρεῖς ἀριθμούμενα. εἶτα ἀναστάς, οἷα συμβαίνει, τῷ ἵππῳ ἐπιβὰς ᾤχετο τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, τὸ χρυ 714 σίον κατὰ τὸν τόπον ἀφείς. ὡς οὖν ἔθος εἶχεν ὁ γέρων, ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς τὴν δεξαμενήν, καὶ εὑρὼν τὸ χρυσίον ἐλυπήθη τὴν τοῦ ἀπολέσαντος ἀθυμίαν· ὅμως ἐν ἑαυτῷ φυλάττων, οὐ διέλιπεν ἀπὸ νυκτὸς εἰς νύκτα εὐχόμενος τῷ θεῷ τοῦτον ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἀπολαβεῖν τὸ ἴδιον. ὁ μέντοι στρατιώτης τὰς πύλας περάσας καὶ ἐπιμνησθείς, ὅμως τι ποιῆσαι μὴ δυνάμενος, τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπῄει λυπούμενος. καὶ μετὰ τρίτον ἐνιαυτὸν ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν τόπον τῶν Νοσιῶν, καὶ τοῦ ἵππου ἀποβὰς αὐτὸν μὲν ἐπότισεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς πιὼν ἐκάθητο σύννους, καὶ στενάξας εἶπεν ὅτι ἐν τούτῳ τῷ τόπῳ ἀπώλεσά μου τὴν ζωήν. τοῦτο ἀκούσας ὁ τίμιος γέρων ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτῷ "τί ἄρα τὸ συμβάν, κύριέ μου;" ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ἀπώλεσα νομίσματα. καὶ παρευθὺ καὶ τὸν τόπον ὑπεδείκνυεν, καὶ τὰ σημεῖα τοῦ βαλαντίου καὶ τὸ πόσον ἔλεγεν. καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τοῦ θεοῦ εὐθὺς ἐξέλκει τοῦτο τοῦ κόλπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ φησὶ "γνωρίζεις τοῦτο;" ὁ δὲ ἀφασίᾳ ἐπὶ πολὺ κατασχεθεὶς ὅμως "ναὶ" εἶπεν· "ὅπερ ἀπώλεσα, αὐτό ἐστιν." καὶ φησὶν "ἀπόλαβε αὐτό, πληροφορούμενος ὡς οὐκ ᾔνοιξα αὐτό, οὐδὲ εἶδον τί ἐστιν ἔσωθεν." τοῦτο λαβὼν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, παρακαλῶν λαβεῖν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὅσα καὶ βούλεται. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἠθέλησεν τὸ σύνολον. ὅθεν ὁ στρατιώτης ἀπέρχεται τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, χαίρων καὶ εὐχαριστῶν τῷ θεῷ. τῆς οὖν νυκτὸς ἐκείνης ὁρᾷ κατ' ὄναρ τὸν Χριστὸν ἐλθόντα καὶ εἰπόντα αὐτῷ "ἀνθ' ὧν οὕτως ἐποίησας εἰς τὸν στρα 715 τιώτην, ἰδοὺ αὔριον ἀκούσεις γενόμενον παρακοιμώμενον τὸν υἱόν σου, καὶ τὸ προάστειόν σου τοῦτο εἰς μονὴν μεγάλην γενησόμενον πρὸς δοξολογίαν ἐμήν. καὶ σὺ δὲ αὐτὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τούτων μισθὸν κομιεῖς." πρωΐας δὲ γενομένης τὸ μήνυμα ἦλθεν, καὶ μετ' ὀλίγας ἡμέρας τῇ θελήσει τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῇ ἐξόδῳ, ὡς εἴρηται, τὸ μοναστήριον ᾠκοδομήθη καὶ ἐνεθρονίσθη. 26. Τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει, ἐπὶ ὀκτὼ μῆνας τοῦ ναυμαχικοῦ πολέμου τῶν Σαρακηνῶν γενομένου μετὰ Ἱμερίου τοῦ λογοθέτου, στρατηγοῦ ὄντος ἐν Σάμῳ Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα βασιλεύσαντος, ἡττήθη Ἱμέριος καὶ μόλις διεσώθη, πάντων ἐκεῖ σχεδὸν κινδυνευσάντων. μετὰ τοῦτο Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς νοσεῖ κοιλιακῷ νοσήματι. γέγονε δὲ καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς εἰς τὰ κηρουλαρία τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐκάησαν τὰ χαρτοθέσια πάντα καὶ ἡ σακέλλη. τῇ δὲ ιαʹ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς τελευτᾷ Λέων ὁ βασιλεύς, προχειρισάμενος Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸν βασιλέα· ὃν ἰδών, ὡς φασίν, εἰσερχόμενον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη "ἴδε καὶ ὁ κακὸς καιρὸς μετὰ ιγʹ μηνῶν," πολλὰ δεηθεὶς αὐτοῦ φυλάττειν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον. Κόσμου ἔτος υζʹ, τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ζʹ, Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξανδρος σὺν Κωνσταντίνῳ πορφυρογεννήτῳ υἱῷ Λέοντος, ἐνιαυτὸν αʹ ἡμέρας κθʹ. ὁ οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος