only a face, but the son-in-law Constantine said he saw eyes and ears. To them the celebrated Sergios said, "You both saw well." And they replied, "And what does the difference in each of these signify?" He answered, "Not I but David the prophet says, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them 751 from the earth." Then when they heard this, they were filled with anger and plotted against him. Wherefore they also bring down their father from the palace and exile him to the island. But there again Romanos the emperor had him as a comfort in his misfortunes and a soothing remedy for his afflictions. With him was also Polyeuktos, the most devout monk, offering fitting consolation, who, when Patriarch Theophylaktos died, was himself appointed Patriarch of Constantinople by the Emperor Constantine. And this man was introduced by the aforesaid most devout monk Sergios to the Emperor Romanos in the following manner. Since his son, the Patriarch Theophylaktos, was frequently ill, Romanos called upon Sergios to become patriarch. But he, refusing this with all his soul, was pressed for many days. And one day he says, "I have, my lord, if you wish, a patriarch, a pious and useful man, and moreover wise for such a dignity." And he said, "Let me see him." Polyeuktos comes with Sergios; and when they both entered before the emperor, the emperor himself sits on the couch, and Sergios sits with him; but they sat Polyeuktos on a stool. The emperor asks Polyeuktos something useful from scripture, intending to hear his manner of speaking somewhat, as is the custom with men. But he, being quick-tempered, answered somewhat austerely and authoritatively in a harsh voice, "Let him who is sitting with your majesty on your couch interpret 752 it himself." And the emperor immediately received the word like an arrow of envy in his heart; but the blessed Sergios, wishing to blunt the word with his natural prudence, throws himself at the feet of Polyeuktos, and says, "Pray for me, holy father, for so many days I have been disorderly and did not perceive it." And when the emperor asked, "Why did you do so?" he said, "Because a presiding officer, and especially of a church, ought to act this way, and not to do anything with partiality." From then on, therefore, he was not persuaded to sit on the emperor's couch at all. 53. Stephen, then, the son of Romanos, having risen up against his father, and using as advisors Marianos, formerly a monk, and Basil, called Peteinos, and Manuel Kourtikes, with the knowledge of the other emperors, when he saw him worn out by long old age and sickness, and having settled the affairs of the empire by testament (and he had appointed the Porphyrogennetos Constantine as first emperor and in order, as second and third, his own sons) and having expressly secured from them that if they should offend in any way against the first emperor, they would be immediately deposed from the empire, he wickedly brought this man down from the palace and, exiling him to the island of Prote, tonsured him as a monk. 753 Constantine, his son-in-law, was therefore left as sole emperor, on the 20th of the month of December, in the 3rd indiction, in the year 6454. He immediately appointed Bardas Phokas as *magistros* and domestic of the schools, and Constantine as commander of the fleet, and certain useful generals. And he made Peteinos a patrician and count of the stable, and Kourtikes a patrician and drungary of the watch, whom God swiftly punished for having behaved insolently toward the Lord's anointed; for being caught in a conspiracy, both of them ended their lives by a most wretched death. 2. But after 40 days, Constantine Porphyrogennetos, suspecting the brothers Stephen and Constantine, lest they might perhaps do the same things against him, which was likely, because if they did not spare their own father, how would they spare him? for it is said that they corrupt good morals
πρόσωπον μόνον, ὁ δὲ γαμβρὸς Κωνσταντῖνος ἔλεγεν βλέπειν ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ὦτα. πρὸς οὓς καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀοίδιμος Σέργιος "καλῶς ἀμφότεροι εἴδετε." οἱ δὲ ἀντέφησαν "καὶ τί σημαίνει ἑκάστου τούτου ἡ διαφορά;" ἀπεκρίθη "οὐκ ἐγὼ ἀλλὰ ∆αβὶδ ὁ προφήτης λέγει, ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους, καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν, πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακὰ τοῦ ἐξολοθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐ 751 τῶν." τότε ἀκούσαντες ἐκεῖνοι θυμοῦ ἐπλήσθησαν καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐβουλεύοντο. ὅθεν δὴ καὶ τοῦ παλατίου κατάγουσι τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἐξορίζουσιν. ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν εἶχεν ἐκεῖ Ῥωμανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν συμφορῶν παραμύθιον καὶ τῶν θλίψεων ἀκεσώδυνον φάρμακον. συνῆν τούτῳ καὶ Πολύευκτος ὁ εὐλαβέστατος μοναχός, τὰ εἰκότα παραμυθούμενος, ὃς τοῦ πατριάρχου Θεοφυλάκτου τελευτήσαντος αὐτὸς πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ὑπὸ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως προχειρίζεται. εἰσοικίζεται δὲ καὶ οὗτος παρὰ Σεργίου τοῦ εἰρημένου εὐλαβεστάτου μοναχοῦ Ῥωμανῷ τῷ βασιλεῖ τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. τοῦ πατριάρχου Θεοφυλάκτου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ συχνοτέρως νοσοῦντος, παρεκάλει Ῥωμανὸς τὸν Σέργιον γενέσθαι πατριάρχην. ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ ψυχῆς τοῦτο ἀπαρνούμενος ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἠναγκάζετο. καί ποτέ φησιν "ἔχω, δέσποτα, εἰ θέλεις, πατριάρχην, ἄνδρα εὐλαβῆ καὶ χρησιμεύοντα, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ σοφὸν εἰς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀξίαν." ὁ δὲ "ἂς ἴδω αὐτόν." ἔρχεται μετὰ τοῦ Σεργίου καὶ ὁ Πολύευκτος· καὶ ὡς εἰσῆλθον ἀμφότεροι εἰς τὸν βασιλέα, αὐτὸς μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς καθέζεται ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης, συγκαθέζεται δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ Σέργιος· τὸν δὲ Πολύευκτον εἰς σκάμνον ἐκάθισαν. ἐρωτᾷ ὁ βασιλεὺς χρήσιμόν τι γραφικὸν τῷ Πολυεύκτῳ, σκοπῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ποσῶς τὴν λαλιὰν αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἔθος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. ὁ δὲ ὀξύθυμος ὢν αὐστηρῶς πως καὶ ἀποφαντικῶς ἀπεκρίθη τραχείᾳ τῇ φωνῇ "ὁ καθεζόμενος μετὰ τῆς βασιλείας σου ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ σου ἑρμηνευσάτω 752 αὐτός." καὶ ὁ μὲν βασιλεὺς εὐθὺς τὸν λόγον ὡς φθόνου βέλος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ δεξάμενος· ὁ δὲ μακαρίτης Σέργιος τῷ φυσικῷ φρονήματι τὸν λόγον ὑπαμβλῦναι θέλων ῥίπτει ἑαυτὸν εἰς τοὺς πόδας Πολυεύκτου, καὶ "εὖξαι ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ, πάτερ ἅγιε" λέγει, "ὅτι τοσαύτας ἡμέρας ἀτακτῶν οὐκ ᾐσθανόμην." τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως πυθομένου "διὰ τί οὕτως ἐποίησας;" ἔφη "ὅτι οὕτως ὀφείλει ποιεῖν ὁ προϊστάμενος, καὶ μάλιστα ἐκκλησίας, καὶ μὴ κατὰ προσωποληψίαν τι ποιεῖν." ἔκτοτε οὖν οὐκ ἐπείσθη ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ σύνολον καθεσθῆναι. 53. Στέφανος τοίνυν ὁ υἱὸς Ῥωμανοῦ ἐπαναστὰς τῷ πατρί, συμβούλοις τε χρησάμενος τῷ τε ἀπὸ μοναχῶν Μαριανῷ καὶ Βασιλείῳ τῷ λεγομένῳ Πετεινῷ καὶ Μανουὴλ τῷ Κουρτίκῃ, συνειδότων αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν βασιλέων, ἐπεὶ μακρῷ γήρει καὶ νόσῳ τρυχόμενον εἶδεν, καὶ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας κατὰ διαθήκας ἀπακριβωσάμενον (καὶ ἄνακτα πρῶτον τὸν πορφυρογέννητον Κωνσταντῖνον προσδιωρίσατο καὶ καθεξῆς ἐν δευτέρῳ καὶ τρίτῳ τοὺς τούτου υἱοὺς) καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ῥητῶς ἐξασφαλισάμενον ὡς εἴπερ τῷ πρώτῳ βασιλεῖ κατά τι πταίσειαν, καθαιρεῖσθαι παραυτίκα τῆς βασιλείας, τοῦτον τοῦ παλατίου κακῶς κατήγαγεν καὶ ἐν τῇ Πρώτῃ νήσῳ ἐξορίσας ἀπέκειρεν μοναχόν. 753 Ὑπελείφθη οὖν αὐτοκράτωρ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τούτου γαμβρός, μηνὶ ∆εκεμβρίῳ κʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος γʹ, ἐν ἔτει υνδʹ. ὃς παραυτίκα Βάρδαν τὸν Φωκᾶν μάγιστρον καὶ δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν προχειρίζεται, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον ναυμαχίας ἡγήτορα, καὶ στρατιάρχας τινὰς τῶν εὐχρήστων. τὸν δὲ Πετεινὸν πατρίκιον καὶ κόμητα τοῦ στάβλου πεποίηκε, τὸν δὲ Κουρτίκην πατρίκιον καὶ δρουγγάριον τῆς βίγλας, οὕστινας ὁ θεὸς συντόμως ἐπεξῆλθεν ὡς εἰς χριστὸν κυρίου παροινήσαντας· ἐπὶ καθοσιώσει γὰρ καταληφθέντες, ὡς ἑκάτερος αὐτῶν οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ τὸν βίον ἀπέρρηξαν. 2. Μετὰ δὲ μʹ ἡμέρας Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ πορφυρογέννητος ὑποπτεύσας Στέφανον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τοὺς αὐταδέλφους, μή ποτε καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ τὰ ὅμοια διαπράξωνται, ὅπερ ἦν εἰκός, ὅτι εἰ τοῦ ἰδίου πατρὸς οὐκ ἐφείσαντο, πῶς αὐτοῦ φείσονται; λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ