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they say is the offspring of his soul. 17 And since by nature he had somewhat little adornment on his head and was thin of hair, he decreed that everywhere it should be cut close to the skin and not to permit any Roman to wear it beyond the neck; if anyone were caught, he was to be brought back by being tormented with many lashes to the virtue of the Roman ancestors; for they too prided themselves on this hairstyle. Whence he also set forth a law that no one at all should dare to let it grow beyond the neck. 18 It was necessary, then, for him both to provide for and to arrange the affairs concerning himself and his family according to what seemed best to him; and for this reason, since at that time he happened to be the father of five daughters but was seen to be bereft of male offspring, he thought it necessary to join to a husband the last of all, Maria, who was exceedingly beloved more than the others. And the man was descended from the family of the Krenitai, from the country of the Armenians, Alexios by name, Mousele by surname, handsome in appearance, in the prime of his life, living in the part of the acropolis, in the so-called houses of Krenitissa 108; whom he first honored with the dignity of patrician and proconsul because of his tender love for his daughter, and then he proclaimed him magistros and finally Caesar, and having given him sufficient armies he sent him out to Longobardia, as some need was pressing at that time. And he departed, accomplishing his tasks well, and as seemed good to the emperor; and for this reason the emperor's affection for him flourished, but along with it the envy of men flourished against him, and some were reviling him and spoke certain slanders against him, that he desires the empire and that it is necessary someday for the Alpha to overpower the Theta. Therefore, since the Caesar Alexios had heard the slanders concocted against him, as if taking precautions against the envy, he begged the emperor much to pity him and to permit him to transfer to the monastic life. But at that time he did not permit it, putting forward the widowhood of his daughter, and the said Caesar remained in great quiet, being occupied with public affairs. But when Theophilos begat Michael, and his daughter but the Caesar's wife departed this life, he honored her so much as to place her dust in a silver-plated sarcophagus and to give the privilege, through iambic verses carved on it, of asylum to people caught in whatever crimes who take refuge there; but Alexios, having secretly transferred himself and put on the monastic habit, since he was not able to persuade him to cast it off again, he barely 109 consented, having heaped many reproaches on him because he judged him not to be with him but in some obscure place and corner. Therefore he gave to him as a gift the imperial monastery at Chrysopolis, and in addition also that of Byrses and that at Elaia. But he, living in the one at Chrysopolis, since once he needed a walk and came to the place of Anthemios, which at that time happened to be imperial workshops, and he said that each of the holy places bears the immortal name of its builders, he chose to purchase this by imperial command and to make it his own. And this also came to be through the empress Theodora, his mother-in-law. Therefore having built upon it well and having brought it into a monastic order, departing his life there he was placed, having his tomb and his image inscribed above as a witness of the things being said. Moreover his brother Theodosios has also been placed near him, being enrolled with the honor of the patricians, having left behind in the monastery many tokens of his most excellent life. 19 And with the Hagarenes pressing on and Ibrahim campaigning against the Romans with many myriads, Theophilos also, with a love of honor and nobility, will go forth to war, thinking nothing unmanly or soft; for if there was also some fear, yet the of the men with him in wars

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ἐκείνου φασὶν ειναι τόκον ψυχῆς. 17 ̓Επεὶ δὲ καὶ τὸν τῆς κεφαλῆς κόσμον ὀλίγον πως ἐκ φύσεως εφερε καὶ ψιλὸς τὰς τρίχας ὑπῆν, ἐθέσπισεν ἁπανταχῇ ἐν χρῷ ταύτας ἀποκείρειν καὶ μή τινα ̔Ρωμαῖον οντα τοῦ τραχήλου περαιτέρω φέρειν συγχωρεῖν· εἰ δέ τις φωραθῇ, πολλαῖς αἰκιζό- μενον μάστιξι πρὸς τὴν τῶν προγόνων ̔Ρωμαίων ἐπανάγεσθαι ἀρε- τήν· τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ ουτοι τριχώματι ἐσεμνύνοντο. οθεν καὶ νόμον ἐξέθετο τοῦ μή τινα διόλου κατατολμᾶν περαιτέρω τοῦ αὐχένος προβαίνειν ἐᾶν. 18Εδει δὲ αρα καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ συγγέ- νειαν προνοήσασθαί τε καὶ διοικῆσαι κατὰ τὸ τούτῳ δοκοῦν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ πέντε μὲν ετυχε τηνικαῦτα θυγατέρων ὑπάρχειν πατήρ, ερημος δὲ ἀρρενικῆς ὡρᾶτο γονῆς, τὴν πασῶν ἐσχάτην Μαρίαν ὑπερβαλλόντως ἠγαπημένην ουσαν τῶν αλλων ᾠήθη δεῖν συζεῦξαι ἀνδρί. ὁ δ' ἀνὴρ τῆς τῶν Κρηνιτῶν κατήγετο γενεᾶς, χώρας τῆς τῶν ̓Αρμενίων, ̓Αλέξιος τουνομα, Μουσελὲ τὴν ἐπωνυ-μίαν, τῷ ειδει ὡραῖος, ἀκμάζων τὴν ἡλικίαν, οἰκῶν κατὰ τὸ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως μέρος, κατὰ τὰς ουτω καλουμένας τῆς Κρηνιτίσσης 108 οἰκίας· ον πρῶτον μὲν τῇ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ τῶν ἀνθυπάτων τι- μήσας ἀξίᾳ διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὴν θυγατέρα τούτου φιλόστοργον, επειτα δὲ καὶ μάγιστρον καὶ Καίσαρα τὸ εσχατον ἀνηγόρευσεν, στρατεύματά τε δοὺς ἱκανὰ πρὸς τὴν Λογγοβαρδίαν ἐξέπεμψεν, χρείας τηνικαῦτα κατεπειγούσης τινός. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπῄει καλῶς τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἀνύων, καὶ ὡς ἐδόκει τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ηκμαζε μὲν ὁ πρὸς αὐτὸν πόθος τοῦ βασιλέως, συνήκμαζε δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων φθόνος αὐτῷ, καί τινες ἐλοιδόρουν καὶ βλάσφημά τινα εφασκον κατ' αὐ- τοῦ, ὡς τῆς τε βασιλείας ἐπιθυμεῖ καὶ δεῖ ποτὲ τὸ αλφα τοῦ θῆτα κατακυριεῦσαι. οθεν ἐπεὶ τὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ συρραφείσας διαβολὰς ὁ Καῖσαρ ̓Αλέξιος διακήκοεν, τὸν φθόνον ωσπερ κατευλαβούμενος πολλὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδέετο οἰκτεῖραι τοῦτον καὶ συγχωρῆσαι πρὸς τὸν μονήρη βίον μετατάξασθαι. ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ουτ' ἐκεῖνος συνε- χώρησεν, τὴν χηρείαν τῆς θυγατρὸς προβαλλόμενος, καὶ ὁ ῥηθεὶς Καῖσαρ εμενεν ἐφ' ἡσυχίας πολλῆς τοῖς δημοσίοις ἐνασχολούμενος πράγμασιν. ὡς δὲ τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐγέννησεν ὁ Θεόφιλος, καὶ ἡ τούτου μὲν θυγάτηρ τοῦ Καίσαρος δὲ γαμετὴ τὸν βίον μετήλλα- ξεν, ταύτην μὲν τοσοῦτον τετίμηκεν ὡς καὶ τὸν χοῦν αὐτῆς ἐν λάρνακι θεῖναι περιηργυρωμένῃ καὶ προνόμιον δοῦναι διὰ λελα- ξευμένων ἐν αὐτῇ ἰάμβων ἀσυλίας τοῖς ἐφ' οιοις δήποτε ἐγκλήμα- σιν ἀνθρώποις ἁλοῦσιν καὶ προσφυγοῦσιν ἐκεῖ· τὸν ̓Αλέξιον δὲ λάθρα μεταταξάμενον καὶ τὸ μοναχικὸν μεταμφιασάμενον εσθη- μα, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἠδύνατο πεῖσαι τοῦ πάλιν αὐτὸ ἀποβαλεῖν, μόλις 109 συγχωρῆσαι, πολλοῖς ὀνείδεσι περιβαλὼν οις οὐ μετ' αὐτοῦ εκρι- νεν ειναι ἀλλ' ἐν παραβύστῳ που καὶ γωνίᾳ. οθεν ἐδίδου τούτῳ δωρεὰν τό τε κατὰ Χρυσόπολιν βασιλικὸν μοναστήριον, προσέτι μὴν καὶ τὸ τοῦ Βυρσέως καὶ τὸ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ̓Ελαίαν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖ- νος τῷ κατὰ τὴν Χρυσόπολιν οντι ἐνδιαιτώμενος, ἐπεί ποτε περι- πάτου ἐδεήθη καὶ κατὰ τὸν ̓Ανθεμίου τόπον ἐγένετο, βασιλικῶν τηνικαῦτα τυγχάνοντα τῶν μαγγάνων, ελεγεν δὲ ὡς εκαστον τῶν σεμνείων τῶν οἰκοδομούντων φέρει τὴν κλῆσιν ἀθάνατον, ειλετο τοῦτον διὰ βασιλικῆς προστάξεως ἐξωνήσασθαι καὶ ιδιον κατα- σκευάσαι. ο  καὶ διὰ τῆς βασιλίδος Θεοδώρας ἐγένετο, τῆς αὐτοῦ πενθερᾶς. οθεν καλῶς ἐποικοδομήσας καὶ εἰς μοναχικὴν τάξιν ἀγαγὼν ἐκεῖσε τὸν βίον ἐκλιμπάνων ἐτέθη, τὸν τάφον καὶ τὴν αὐ- τοῦ ανωθεν ἐπιγεγραμμένην εἰκόνα μάρτυρα εχων τῶν λεγομένων. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τούτου ἀδελφὸς Θεοδόσιος πλησίον τέθειται αὐτοῦ, πατρικίων τιμῇ ἐγκαταλεγείς, πολλὰ γνωρίσματα τῆς αὐ- τοῦ ἀρίστης βιώσεως ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ καταλιπών. 19 ̓Εγκειμένων δὲ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν μυ-ριάδων τοῦ ̓Ιβραὴμ κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐκστρατεύοντος, καὶ ὁ Θεόφι-λος ερωτι φιλοτιμίας καὶ γενναιότητος ἐπὶ πόλεμον εξεισιν, αναν- δρον οὐδὲν οὐδὲ μαλακὸν ἐννοῶν· εἰ γάρ τι καὶ δέος προσῆν, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἀνδρῶν κατὰ πολέμους