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The emperor Basil was exceedingly skillful at ball-playing, weight-lifting, and in leaping with excellence, so that in hunting he surpassed the Centaurs, and in ball-playing to excel beyond the ball-players of king Alcinous, in wrestling stronger than Aristaeus and Aeacus and a rival of Heracles himself, and in his leaps to have surpassed Achilles, and to have far surpassed Hector in <the> easily carrying of burdens with his hands, so that to him, and without Zeus of crooked counsel lightening the burden in the lifting, the poetic verse will be applied: "which not two of the best men of the people could easily lift from the ground onto a wagon, such as mortals are now; but he easily brandished it even alone;" and in discus-throwing superior to Halimedes and Odysseus, more skillful in horsemanship than Erechtheus and Celmis, sturdier in boxing than Eurymedon and Alcmon, and in running swifter than Aristomedon, Dictaeus, and Priasus, and in archery much more accurate than Hymenaios and Asterios. Of these things I will describe a very few. 4.40 Once when the emperor was engaged in a hunt, a certain enormous stag came out of a forest into the open, at whose hind legs the emperor let fly a club and, scoring a direct hit, broke them. He had accomplished this very same thing to a wolf as well. And when they were playing ball in the courtyard near the palace or in the hippodrome, he never missed the ball, although many were competing and joining in the game; and the ball-game <went forward> so successfully and nobly for him, that often when he struck it from the edge of the field, it was sent out by far beyond the end-line, so that it was not seen at all. And a wrestler was boasted of to the leader of the Bulgarians, one who was undefeated in the wrestling school; this man he boldly sent forth to the queen of cities to be tested against the ruler. At this the emperor was vexed, but he transformed his vexation into a favorable opportunity by entering himself into the wrestling match, but with a suitable disguise; for having changed out of his imperial robes, he approached the wrestler. And the Scythian failed to lift up the Macedonian, who had not yielded to his lift; but he, having readily lifted him with his noble hands and spun him around violently, grappled with him and threw him to the ground in a tremendous fall, so that, being showered with much water, and copious wines, and in addition also with drops of rose-water, he was with difficulty somehow delivered from deathly unconsciousness, as blood gushed from his ears and nostrils; so that from this those present greatly wondered at what had happened, which even to the present day is talked about. 4.41 And he was rich in pity for the poor, lavishly supplying mercy by the founding of many kinds of hospitals, homes for the aged, and poor-houses. Nor indeed did he confine himself to these alone, but he also transformed divine churches that had decayed with age to youthful strength, adding beauty. So that he not only took care of things concerning the body, but also hastened to things concerning the soul. For he did not think it beneficial that, in the market, which is called the Forum of Constantine, as the people passed through, they should be wholly occupied with the rubbish of material things and forget about God; wherefore also he established a church in it, in which the Mother of God is publicly honored, illuminated with moderate size and immeasurable beauty. 4.42 Such was the magnificent emperor Basil, and so many were his magnificent deeds. But having been seized by a wasting disease from a flux of the stomach, resulting from a certain accident during a hunt, then with a burning fever having inflamed him, drying up all the vital moisture of his natural constitution, he passed away, having reigned as co-emperor with Michael for one year, and having lived as sole emperor for 19 years.

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σφαιρισμὸν ἀχθοφορίαν τε καὶ πρὸς ἅλματα γενναιότησι πάνυ περιδέξιος ἦν ὁ ἄναξ Βασίλειος, ὥστε κατὰ κυνηγεσίαν μὲν καθυπερτερεῖν τῶν Κενταύρων, κατὰ δὲ σφαιρισμὸν Ἀλκινόου τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπερβάλλειν τοὺς σφαιριστάς, κατὰ πάλην Ἀρισταίου καὶ Αἰακοῦ ἀλκιμώτερος καὶ αὐτοῦ Ἡρακλέους ἐφάμιλλος, ὑπεραναβεβηκέναι δὲ τοῖς πηδήμασιν Ἀχιλλέως, κατά τε <τὸ> φέρειν ἄχθη ῥᾳδίως χερσὶ πολλῷ διενηνοχέναι τοῦ Ἕκτορος, ὡς καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ δίχα τοῦ ἀγκυλομήτου ∆ιὸς ἐν τῇ ἄρσει τὸ ἄχθος κουφίζοντος, τὸ ποιητικὸν ἔπος προσαρμοσθήσεται· τὸ δ' οὔ κε δύ' ἀνέρε δήμου ἀρίστω ῥηϊδίως ἐπ' ἄμαξαν ἀπ' οὔδεος ὀχλίσσειαν, οἷοι νῦν βροτοί εἰσ'· ὁ δέ μιν ῥέα πάλλε καὶ οἷος· ἐν δὲ τῷ δισκεύειν Ἁλιμήδου καὶ Ὀδυσσέως ὑπέρτερος, Ἐρεχθέως δὲ καὶ Κέλμητος καθ' ἱππασίαν τεχνημονέστερος, Εὐρυμέδοντός τε καὶ Ἄλκμονος κατὰ πυγμαχίαν στερρότερος, περί τε δρόμον Ἀριστομέδοντος ∆ικταίου τε καὶ Πριάσου ὠκύτερος, καὶ ἐν τῷ τοξάζεσθαι Ὑμεναίου καὶ Ἀστερίου πολλῷ εὐστοχώτερος. ἐξ ὧν ὀλίγιστα διαγράψομαι. 4.40 Τῷ βασιλεῖ ποτε περὶ θήραν ἐνδιατρίβοντι ἐξ ὕλης τις παμμεγέθης ἔλαφος εἰς μέσον πεφοίτηκεν, οὗ τῶν ὀπισθίων ποδῶν ἐπαφεὶς κορύνην ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ κατευτυχήσας τούτους διέθλασεν. τὸ αὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ λύκῳ κατεπεπράχει. σφαιριζόντων δὲ κατὰ τὸ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια μέσαυλον ἢ κατὰ χῶρον ἵππων ἁμιλλητήριον, οὐδέποτε τῆς σφαίρας ἀποτετύχει, καίτοι πολλῶν διαμιλλωμένων καὶ ἐπεμβαινόντων τῇ παιδιᾷ· καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπιτυχῶς καὶ γενναίως τὰ τῆς σφαίρας αὐτῷ <προὐχώρει>, ὥστε πολλάκις τυπτήσαντι ταύτην ἀπ' ἄκρας αὐλῶνος διαβιβασθῆναι ἔξω κατὰ πολύ γε τοῦ τέρματος, ὡς μὴ ταύτην ὁρᾶσθαι τὸ σύνολον. ἐμεγαληγορεῖτο δὲ καὶ τῷ ἀρχηγῷ Βουλγάρων παλαιστρικός, ὃς κατὰ παλαίστραν ἐκέκτητο τὸ ἀήττητον· τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα θαρρούντως ἐκπέπομφε πειρασθῆναι δυναστεύοντος. ἐπὶ τούτῳ δυσφόρως εἶχεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀλλὰ τὴν δυσφορίαν εἰς τὸ εὔφορον μετερρύθμησεν, ἑαυτὸν καθεὶς τῇ παλαίστρᾳ, πλὴν μετὰ προσηκούσης τῆς ἐπικρύψεως· μετασχηματισθεὶς γὰρ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐσθήτων τῷ παλαίοντι πρόσεισι. καὶ ὁ μὲν Σκύθης τὸν Μακεδόνα μετεωρίσαι μὴ ἐνδεδωκότα τῇ ἄρσει διήμαρτεν· ὁ δὲ τοῦτον χερσὶ γενναίαις ἑτοίμως διάρας σφοδρῶς τε περιδινήσας ἐπαγκυλίζεται καὶ κατὰ γῆν πτῶμα ῥίπτει παμμέγεθες, ὥστε πλείστοις μὲν ὕδασι, δαψιλέσι δὲ οἴνοις, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ταῖς ἐκ ῥόδων σταγόσιν ἐγκατομβρούμενον μόλις που τῆς νεκρώσεως ἀπηλλάχθαι, ὤτων τε καὶ ῥινῶν ἐκβλύσαντος αἵματος· ὡς ἐνθένδε κατὰ πολὺ θαυμάσαι τοὺς παρόντας τὸ γεγονός, ὃ καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἐκτεθρύλληται. 4.41 Ἐν οἰκτιρμοῖς δὲ πενήτων πλούσιος ἦν ἐπιχορηγῶν πλουσίως τὸν ἔλεον, νοσοκομείων, γηροκομείων τε καὶ πτωχοτροφείων πολυειδῶν ἐγκαινίσμασιν. οὐ μὴν δὲ τούτοις μόνοις ἐνέμενεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θείους ναοὺς σαθρωθέντας τῇ παλαιότητι πρὸς νεότητος μετηλλοιώκει στερρότητα, ἐπιθεὶς κοσμιότητα. ὥστε οὐ μόνον τῶν κατὰ σῶμα τῆς ἐπιμελείας διὰ φροντίδος ἔχειν αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ ψυχὴν ἐπισπεύδειν. καὶ γὰρ οὐχ ἡγεῖτο συμφέρον κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν, ἣ φόρος προσαγορεύεται Κωνσταντίνου, περιϊόντος λαοῦ, σύρμασιν ὕλης τοῦτον ὅλως ἐνίσχεσθαι καὶ τῶν περὶ θεοῦ ἐκλελῆσθαι· διὸ καὶ ναὸν ἐν ταύτῃ προσπήγνυσιν, ἐφ' ᾧπερ ἡ θεομήτωρ δημοσίᾳ τετίμηται, μετρίῳ μεγέθει καὶ ἀμέτρῳ κάλλει διηυγασμένον. 4.42 Τοιοῦτος ὁ μεγαλουργὸς ἄναξ Βασίλειος, καὶ τοσαῦτα τὰ ἐκείνου μεγαλουργήματα. ἀλλὰ προκατασχεθεὶς τηκεδόνι τῇ ἐκ διαρροίας γαστρός, κατ' ἄγραν ἔκ τινος περιπτώσεως, ἔπειτα πυρετοῦ καυσώδους ἀναφλεγέντος αὐτῷ ἀνικμοῦντος ζωτικὴν πᾶσαν ὑγρότητα τῶν πρὸς φύσιν ἐνόντων, διαπεφώνηκεν, συμβασιλεύσας μὲν τῷ Μιχαὴλ ἔτος ἕν, αὐτοκράτωρ δὲ βιοὺς ιθʹ ἔτεσιν.