49

he was again filling them with pollutions and defilements." And Theodore, not delaying, nor putting it off for any time, said, "For this reason, I will not shrink from shedding my blood, so that it may be revealed to me as a ransom and a laver for my sins and grant me His kingdom, to which if one of your servants, having run away and again returned, were to perform the service dear to you, he would go to the place of pardon, but not of ingratitude." And at once he entered the stadium of the contest like some Olympic victor, and says to the patrikios Constantine, warding off his own creeping cowardice and fear, as it were, "Come now, O soldier of Christ, you who have been chosen to be the first among all of us before the earthly king, be the first also to take up the crown of martyrdom." But the holy Constantine said, "Such a rank is more fitting for you as a noble and strong man, wherefore you will have me as a follower, when you first give yourself over to death." Therefore, having strengthened each other with words of encouragement, each one went to death by martyrdom according to their worldly ranks, with everyone marveling at their contest, which was with confidence and nobility of soul. But these things later. 135 37 Then the emperor Theophilos, not bearing the defeat and disgrace from the Hagarenes, sends the patrikios Theodosios, who was called Babutzikos, to the king of Francia, asking for noble and numerous troops there. For he judged that his own men were never defeated by weakness of hand or softness of soul, but that they always suffered this through flight from battle and, so to speak, treachery. But if he had also experienced and perceived the power and strength of the nations he had summoned (for the king had accepted the request for aid to the emperor with gladness), the unfortunate Theophilos would have again marched against the Hagarenes (he earned this name from always being somehow defeated in war), if the envoy Theodosios had not departed from life first. For his death caused that army not to come to the imperial city, and the disease of dysentery, which had overcome the emperor, caused him to die and not to go to arms. 38 But it is time also to bring the story of Theophobos into the open and make it clear to all. For both from the aforementioned cause that the war against the Hagarenes was to be joined at night, and also from the secret conversation with the Saracens that took place during the night, as we said, and from some other source, slanders of treachery sprang up against him and grew, making the man hateful and feared. And since he was not able to resist, knowing Theophilos to be 136 easily deceived, he took to flight and went to Amastris (a city of Pontus) together with his children and wives and some chosen men. Therefore a fleet was immediately put to sea against him, and a fierce war was prepared as against a manifest enemy of the emperor, and the commander of such a fleet was the droungarios of the Vigla, so-called Oryphas. But Theophobos, conceiving the fear of God in himself, said that it was not just for a Christian to rejoice in the blood of faithful men; wherefore he yielded to the emperor, enticed by oaths, and returned to him trusting in the oaths. But Theophilos, holding these for naught, now places him in a certain prison and guard at the Boukoleon, having ordered him to be guarded; but on a certain day, when he knew that he himself was now dying and breathing his last, he commands that he be beheaded by his own authority during the night, as some bitter and grievous funeral offering for himself, and that his head be brought to him. So when it was brought according to the command, taking the other's nose with his own hand he said, "Now indeed you are neither Theophobos nor I Theophilos." But there are some who attribute the death of Theophobos to Oryphas and not to the emperor, saying that as soon as he trusted him, he secretly inflicted the capital punishment upon him during the night. Therefore from that it has been rumored until this day

49

ἐπλήρους πάλιν αὐτὰς τῶν μολυσμά- των τε καὶ μιασμάτων." καὶ ὁ Θεόδωρος οὐκ ἐμβραδύνας, μηδέ τινα χρόνον ἀναβαλλόμενος, "διὰ τοῦτο" εφη "καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν ἐκχέαι αιμα οὐ κατοκνήσω, ινα μοι λύτρον τε καὶ λουτρὸν τῶν πεπλημ- μελημένων ἀναφανὲν τὴν βασιλείαν δώῃ αὐτοῦ, ῃ  ἀποδράσας τίς σου τῶν οἰκετῶν καὶ αυθις ἐπανακάμψας τήν σοι φίλην λειτουρ- γίαν ἐκτελοίη, εἰς τὴν συγγνώμης χώραν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀγνωμοσύνης χωροίη." καὶ αμα εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀθλήσεως εἰσῄει ωσπερ τις ̓Ολυμ- πιονίκης στάδιον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πατρίκιον Κωνσταντῖνόν φησι, τὴν ὑφέρπουσαν ωσπερ αὐτοῦ δειλίαν καὶ φόβον ἀποσοβῶν, "αγε δή, ω στρατιῶτα Χριστοῦ, τὸ πρόκριτος ειναι πάντων ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ γῆς βασιλέα λαχών, πρῶτος καὶ τὸν τοῦ μαρτυρίου ἀνα- λάμβανε στέφανον." ὁ δ' ἱερὸς Κωνσταντῖνος "σοὶ μᾶλλον ὡς γενναίῳ καὶ κρατερῷ" εφη "τὸ τοιοῦτον προσῆκεν ἀξίωμα, οθεν ἀκόλουθον εξεις με, σαυτὸν πρῶτον εἰς θάνατον παραδιδούς." ἐπιρρώσαντες ουν ἀλλήλους τοῖς παρακλητικοῖς, κατὰ τὰς κοσμι- κὰς ἀξίας πρὸς τὸν διὰ μαρτυρίου εκαστος ἐχώρει δὴ θάνατον, πάντων θαυμαζόντων τὴν μετὰ πεποιθήσεως καὶ γενναίας τούτων ψυχῆς αθλησιν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν υστερον. 135 37 Τότε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεόφιλος οὐ φέρων τὴν ἐκ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ητταν καὶ ἀδοξίαν, πατρίκιον Θεοδόσιον, ος ουτως ἐλέ- γετο ὁ Βαβούτζικος, πρὸς τὸν ῥῆγα Φραγγίας ἐξαποστέλλει, στρα- τεύματα ἐκεῖ αἰτῶν γενναῖά τε καὶ πολυάνθρωπα. οὐδὲ γὰρ χει- ρῶν ἀσθενείᾳ η  ψυχῆς μαλακότητι τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ κέκρικεν ἡττᾶσθαι ποτέ, φυγομαχίᾳ δὲ καὶ ταὐτὸν εἰπεῖν προδοσίᾳ τοῦτο πάσχειν ἀεί. ἀλλὰ καὶ αν ελαβεν πεῖραν καὶ τῶν ων προσεκαλεῖτο ἐθνῶν δύνα- μιν καὶ ἰσχὺν [ῃσθετο] (μετ' εὐφροσύνης γὰρ τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα ἐπικουρίαν ὁ ῥὴξ ἀπεδέδεκτο) καὶ αυθις κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐστράτευσεν ὁ δυστυχὴς Θεόφιλος (ταύτην δὲ τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἀεί πως ἡττᾶσθαι κατὰ πόλεμον ἐκληρώσατο), εἰ μὴ ὁ ἀποστα- λεὶς Θεοδόσιος ἐκ τοῦ βίου γενέσθαι προέφθασεν. ἐκείνου τε γὰρ ἡ ἀποβίωσις τὸν στρατὸν ἐκεῖνον πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐλθεῖν οὐ πεποίηκε, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπικρατήσασα ἡ τῆς δυσεντερίας νόσος θανατεῖν ἐποίει ἀλλ' οὐ πρὸς οπλα χωρεῖν. 38Ωρα δὲ καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοφόβου εἰς μέσον θεῖναι καὶ πᾶσι καταστῆσαι σαφῆ. εκ τε γὰρ τῆς εἰρημένης ηδη κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐν νυκτὶ τὸν πόλεμον συστήσεσθαι αἰτίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν νύκτα γενομένης λαθραίας ὁμιλίας πρὸς τοὺς Σαρα- κηνούς, ὡς εφαμεν, καὶ αλλοθεν δέ ποθεν κατ' αὐτοῦ λοιδορίαι καθοσιώσεως ἐπιφυεῖσαι καὶ αὐξηθεῖσαι μισητὸν εἰργάζοντο τὸν ανδρα καὶ φοβερόν. καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ οιός τε ην ἀντισχεῖν, εὐεξαπά- 136 τητον οντα εἰδὼς τὸν Θεόφιλον, φυγαδείᾳ χρησάμενος πρὸς τὴνΑμαστριν (πόλις δὲ αὐτὴ Ποντικὴ) μετὰ τέκνων ὁμοῦ χωρεῖ τε καὶ γυναικῶν καί τινων ἐκκρίτων ἀνδρῶν. ἀνήγετο ουν στόλος εὐθὺς κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ πόλεμος σφοδρὸς ἐξηρτύετο ὡς πρὸς ἐχθρὸν τοῦ βασιλέως κατάδηλον, καὶ τοῦ τοιούτου στόλου ἀρχηγὸς ὁ τῆς βίγλης δρουγγάριος ουτως ̓Ωορύφας λεγόμενος. ἀλλ' ὁ Θεόφο- βος τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φόβον ἐν ἑαυτῷ συλλαβὼν οὐκ εφησε δίκαιον ειναι Χριστιανὸν οντα αιμασιν ἀνθρώπων χαίρειν πιστῶν· οθεν ὑπείκει τῷ βασιλεῖ ορκοις δελεασθείς, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπανάγεται τοῖς ορκοις θαρρῶν. ἀλλ' ὁ Θεόφιλος τούτους θέμενος εἰς οὐδὲν νῦν μὲν εἱρκτῇ τινὶ καὶ φρουρᾷ τῇ κατὰ τὸν Βουκολέοντα τοῦτον τίθησι, φρουρεῖσθαι προστάξας· μιᾷ δέ τινι τῶν ἡμερῶν, ἐπεὶ εγνω ἑαυτὸν ηδη ἀποβιοῦντα καὶ τὰ εσχατα πνέοντα, κελεύει ἐν νυκτὶ ἐξ αὐθεντίας ἀποτμηθῆναι οιόν τι πικρὸν αὐτοῦ ἐντάφιον καὶ λυπηρόν, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τὴν ἐκείνου ἀχθῆναι κεφαλήν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ηχθη κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα, τῇ ἑαυτοῦ χειρὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ῥῖνα λαβὼν "νῦν γε" εφησεν "οὐδὲ σὺ Θεόφοβος οὐδ' ἐγὼ Θεόφιλος." εἰσὶ δὲ οι  τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Θεοφόβου τῷ ̓Ωορύφᾳ ἀλλ' οὐ τῷ βα- σιλεῖ διδόασιν, φάσκοντες ὡς αμα τῷ πιστεῦσαι τούτῳ αὐτόν, τὴν κεφαλικὴν ἐπαγαγεῖν τιμωρίαν αὐτῷ λάθρα διὰ νυκτός. ἐκεῖθεν ουν διαβεβόηται μέχρι τοῦδε