Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since i have deemed it not right
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
Of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
with graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth; but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the torches of all the stars were hidden. For another giant sun shines out brightly among the holy precincts, as if among little stars, the God-built temple, the beauty of all the earth. With this emperor was his wife Theodora, of the same zeal, of the same character, most magnificent. She raised a temple from its deepest foundations to the disciples of the Lord, after the very first one, a blue-shining moon, one might say, among the temples, second in beauty to the brightly shining sun. But to the emperor, rich in such graces, there was no daughter, no son, no succession of the line. Therefore, when he was about to die and pass from the earth, he looks to his nephew Justin, and appoints him sole ruler and emperor, after having steered the fair-prowed ship of the empire for thirty-nine years. And the new Justin was good and just, hating both injustice and evil ways, a lover of beauty, a lover of order, brilliant of soul, urbane, a despiser of money, hating pettiness. A sign of his brilliance and magnificence is the golden and delightful house in the palaces, which still preserves the name of its builder, gleaming with the beauties of the Graces and shining like fire everywhere. The emperor was indeed thus orderly and gentle, and boasting a mind that hated evil and was just; but his great suffering from gout and his being often struck by successive illnesses cut short his intention of doing justice. For he did not continually go forth from the palace, so that those who wished could converse with him and denounce rapacious men who love injustice, but his couch and room held him sick, like some noble tree heavy with ripe fruits and offering a rich harvest to all, but being frozen by winter and the cold air and being hindered from ripening it. From this, those who, from an unjust mind, are eager to revel in what belongs to others and to increase their fortunes, in the great absence of one willing to stop them, staring greedily with their eyes at what was foreign, robbed, plundered, and pillaged the things of their neighbors, and there was confusion everywhere and the groaning of lamentations, wailings and moans, dirges, beatings of the breast. And the city was at once full of frequent incense offerings, and at the same time overfilled with paeans and tears. When the ruler heard these things, he was struck in his soul, but not having anything he could do (for his illnesses constrained him), he terrified the mischievous with threats alone, just as if a very old, past-its-prime, and ancient beast sees its own cubs being bitterly snatched away, and having no strength from any source to defend them, sends forth dreadful roars from the midst of its heart. But the emperor accomplished nothing by these things; for indeed a money-loving and sordid heart is not put to shame by the laws of mutual love, does not shudder at the eye of God, does not respect rulers, does not pity distress, nor a contrite heart. So as treacherous behavior grew stronger still and stretched out its hateful snares everywhere, and the mouth of wickedness fed upon everyone, the ruler cried out, was distressed, was vexed, one of those in authority, coming forward into their midst with courage, cried out, "O emperor, if it is your will to rescue your own people from the hands of the wicked, entrust the sword of vengeance to me. And if I should cut off the heads of greed and of the rapacious character as Heracles did of the Hydra, thanks will be laid up for me from you and from your subjects; but if not, do not spare me, emperor, but as one who has shamed you, with an axe justly cut off my neck." The emperor heard these things, he nodded at once, he praised the man for his humane sentiment, he gives the absolute authority to the noble man (custom calls the one who holds it 'prefect',) and in every way advises him to care for justice. He, therefore, girded himself
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ταῖς χάρισι καὶ κτίσιν δᾳδουχοῦσι, καὶ χρηματίζουσι φαιδροὶ τοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀστέρες· ἠέλιος δ' ἀνόρουσε λίμνης περικαλλέος, καὶ
πάντων ἀπεκρύβησαν ἀστέρων αἱ λαμπάδες. ὑπερεκλάμπει γὰρ φαιδρῶς, ὡς ἐν μικροῖς ἀστρίοις, τοῖς ἱεροῖς τεμένεσιν ἄλλος ἥλιος
γίγας, ὁ θεοδόμητος ναός, τὸ κάλλος γῆς ἁπάσης. Τούτῳ συνῆν τῷ βασιλεῖ σύζυγος Θεοδώρα, ταυτόζηλος, ταυτότροπος, μεγαλοπρεπεστάτη.
αὕτη ναὸν ἀνήγειρεν ἀπὸ ῥιζῶν ἐσχάτων τοῖς τοῦ κυρίου μαθηταῖς, μετὰ τὸν πρῶτον πρῶτον, γλαυκόφωτον ἂν εἴποι τις ἐν τοῖς ναοῖς
σελήνην, εἰς κάλλος δευτερεύοντα τοῦ λαμπραυγοῦς ἡλίου. Ἀλλὰ τοιαύτας χάριτας τῷ βασιλεῖ πλουτοῦντι οὐκ ἦν θυγάτηρ, οὐχ υἱός,
οὐ διαδοχὴ γένους. ἔνθεν τοι μέλλων τελευτᾶν καὶ γῆθεν μεταβαίνειν ἐπὶ τὸν ἀδελφόπαιδα βλέπει τὸν Ἰουστῖνον, καὶ τοῦτον αὐσονάνακτα
καὶ κράτορα δεικνύει, ἰθύνας τὸ καλλίπρωρον τῆς βασιλείας σκάφος ἐν ἔτεσι τριάκοντα πρὸς ἐννεάδι μιᾷ. Ἦν δὲ χρηστὸς καὶ δίκαιος
ὁ νέος Ἰουστῖνος, καὶ τὸ φιλάδικον μισῶν καὶ τὴν κακοτροπίαν, φιλόκαλος, φιλόκοσμος, λαμπρόψυχος, ἀστεῖος, χρημάτων καταφρονητής,
στυγῶν σμικρολογίαν. δεῖγμα λαμπρότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπείας ὁ χρύσεός τε καὶ τερπνὸς ἐν ἀνακτόροις οἶκος, ὃς ἔτι τοῦ
δομήτορος τὴν κλῆσιν περισώζει, χαρίτων στίλβων καλλοναῖς καὶ πυραυγίζων πάντῃ. Ἦν μὲν οὖν οὕτω κόσμιος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πρᾶος
καὶ μισοπόνηρον αὐχῶν τὴν γνώμην καὶ δικαίαν· ἀλλὰ γὰρ τὸ πολύπονον αὐτοῦ τῆς διαρτίας καὶ τὸ συχνάκις βάλλεσθαι νόσοις ἀλλεπαλλήλοις
τὴν πρόθεσιν ἐξέκοπτε τῆς δικαιοπραγίας. οὐ γὰρ προῄει συνεχῶς ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλείων, ὡς εἶναι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν αὐτῷ προσομιλῆσαι
καὶ φιλαδίκων κατειπεῖν ἀνθρώπων ἁρπακτήρων, ἀλλ' εἶχε τοῦτον νοσερὸν ἡ κλίνη καὶ τὸ δῶμα ὥσπερ τι δένδρον εὐγενὲς βρῖθον
καρποῖς ὡραίοις καὶ πᾶσι προϊσχόμενον πλουσίαν τὴν ὀπώραν, χειμῶνι δὲ καὶ κρυερῷ πηγνύμενον ἀέρι καὶ παρεμποδιζόμενον εἰς
τὸ πεπᾶναι ταύτην. ἐντεῦθεν οἱ σπουδάζοντες ἐκ φιλαδίκου γνώμης τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐντρυφᾶν καὶ τὰς οὐσίας αὔξειν, κατὰ πολὺν
τοῦ θέλοντος κωλύειν ἐρημίαν λίχνοις ἐπεντρανίζοντες ταῖς κόραις τοῖς ὀθνείοις ἐλῄστευον διήρπαζον ἐσύλουν τὰ τῶν πέλας, καὶ
φύρσις ἦν ἁπανταχοῦ καὶ στόνος οἰμωγμάτων, ὀλοφυρμοὶ καὶ στεναγμοί, θρῆνοι, στερνοκτυπίαι. πόλις δ' ὁμοῦ μὲν ἔγεμε συχνῶν
θυμιαμάτων, ὁμοῦ δ' ὑπερπεπλήρωτο παιάνων καὶ δακρύων. ταῦθ' ὁ κρατῶν ὡς ἤκουσε, τὴν μὲν ψυχὴν ἐπλήγη, οὐκ ἔχων δ' ὅτι δράσειεν
(ἔσφιγγον γὰρ αἱ νόσοι) ἐν ἀπειλαῖς ἐπτόησε μόναις τοὺς κακοσχόλους, ὥσπερ εἰ θὴρ ὑπέρακμος ἔξωρος καὶ τριγέρων βλέπει τοὺς
σκύμνους τοὺς αὐτοῦ πικρῶς ἁρπαζομένους, καὶ μηδαμόθεν ἄλλοθεν σθένων αὐτοῖς ἀμῦναι φρικώδεις πέμπει βρυχηθμοὺς ἀπὸ καρδίας
μέσης. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπέρανεν οὐδὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τούτοις· ἡ γάρ τοι φιλοχρήματος καὶ ῥυπαρὰ καρδία οὐ δυσωπεῖται τοὺς θεσμοὺς
τοὺς τῆς φιλαλληλίας, οὐ φρίσσει βλέφαρον θεοῦ, κράτορας οὐκ αἰδεῖται, οὐ κατοικτείρει συνοχήν, οὐ συντριβὴν καρδίας. Ὡς οὖν
τὸ μὲν κακεντρεχὲς κατίσχυεν εἰς πλέον καὶ πανταχοῦ τὰς στυγητὰς ἐξέτεινε πλεκτάνας, καὶ πάντας ἐπεβόσκετο τὸ τῆς κακίας στόμα,
ὁ δὲ κρατῶν ἀνῴμωζεν ἤσχαλλεν ἐδυσφόρει, τὶς τῶν ἐν τέλει παρελθὼν εἰς μέσους μετὰ θάρρους "ὦ βασιλεῦ" ἀνέκραγεν, "εἰ θελητόν
ἐστί σοι ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν πονηρῶν ῥύεσθαι τοὺς ἰδίους, ἐμοὶ τῆς ἐκδικήσεως ἐγχείρισαι τὸ ξίφος. κἂν μὲν ἐκτέμω κεφαλὰς τὰς
τῆς πλεονεξίας καὶ τρόπου τοῦ φιλάρπαγος ὡς Ἡρακλῆς τῆς ὕδρας, χάρις μοι κείσεται πρὸς σοῦ καὶ πρὸς τῶν ὑπηκόων· εἰ δ' οὔ,
μὴ φείσῃ, βασιλεῦ, ἀλλ' ὡς αἰσχύναντί σε πελέκει μοι τὸν τράχηλον ἀπόκοψον ἐνδίκως." ἤκουσε ταῦθ' ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐπένευσεν αὐτίκα,
ἐπῄνεσε τὸν ἄνθρωπον τῆς φιλανθρώπου γνώμης, ἀρχὴν τὴν ἀνυπεύθυνον δίδωσι τῷ γενναίῳ (ἔπαρχον ἡ συνήθεια λέγει τὸν ταύτην
σχόντα,) καὶ πᾶσι τρόποις παραινεῖ φροντίζειν τοῦ δικαίου. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀνεζώσατο
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