54

praetors and quaestors, according to the custom that once prevailed among the Romans, as we have related before. But as they punished the sins of the people more severely, the mob rose up and, gathering in a wretched unanimity, set fire to nearly the entire city; and the Cappadocian indeed disappeared, but the fire, starting from the entrances of the court, then from there to the First Temple, from which to the Julian Senate, which they call the Senate-house at the Festival of Augustus, from which to the forum they call Zeuxippus, after king Zeuxippus, under whom in the thirty-eighth Olympiad the Megarians who colonized Byzantium named the forum thus in his honor, just as the Megarians who founded Cyzicus named the Stoas of Charidemus; and he is remembered as having been a king of the Greeks, as Castor set down in his *Epitome of Chronicles*. For the public bath, the Severianum, is named after Severus, a leader of the Romans, 246 who, being troubled by the disease of arthritis, built the bath while staying in Thrace because of his dispute with Niger. And when such great buildings were turned to fire, the stoas that ran straight through the city as far as the Forum of Constantine were seized by the flames, which with the beauty and size of their columns elegantly framed the wide street; Campanians are said to have built these in honor of Constantine, having come from Parthenope, which is our Neapolis, and from what was once Dicaearchia, but is now Puteoli, to Byzantium for the favor, as has been said, of the emperor. Therefore—for how could they not?—the buildings attached to the central ones toward the north and south winds were burned to ashes with them, and the city was a mountain and broken black hills, as on Lipara or Vesuvius, uninhabitable with the dust and smoke and stench of the incinerated materials, striking a pitiful fear into those who looked on. And the populace, or rather the barbarous and merciless mob, was checked by well-deserved punishments from the victory itself, nearly fifty thousand being indiscriminately destroyed by the sword, while the city lay prostrate, astounding in its fire and rubble and the formlessness of its remains. But God—for it was His alone to console such a great... end of f 95v ......... 71 ... line 8 of f 98v ... yet after God, the emperor’s Fortune conquered the entire ruin in every way and in a short time; and the city appeared stronger and more beautiful, at once powerful and secure, as if from formless matter the Creator again, just as then, were calling the universe into light by the power of His will alone. 248 72 This, then, was the end of the first reign of terror of the wicked Cappadocian. But God bestowed upon the calamities a benevolence to counterbalance the wickedness. There was Phocas, a man of noble birth, grandson of the most just Salvius, and son of Craterus, the most pious of all, who, having first distinguished himself among the so-called *silentiarii* of the court, surpassing with immense gifts those ever admired for the greatness of their soul, deservedly rose to the rank of the fathers of the empire. Boasting in wealth and assisting those in need, he reserved frugality for himself alone; for his diet and abstinence from food was so great as was counted among those whose lives were excessively measured out in humble circumstances. And while he distributed the fare of his hearth to his friends in a manner worthy of his abundant fortune, he himself was nourished only by the good cheer of his dinner guests, being dignified and a lover of beauty but not a dandy. From him and him alone end of f 98ṿ ... 73 ... and to weave deceit, he blushed to ask when in need of necessities, but he would groan and lament and, with his eyes laden with tears, it was clear even to those who hardly knew him that he was grieving. Phocas, seeing this man by chance, and as a good man able to perceive the anguish of a soul recognized from the mere neglect of the face, delayed saying anything to him; but sending for me—for he deigned to love me above others, 250 being deceived rather into thinking that I was supposedly not unmindful of certain little speeches and wanting to receive a favor from me, he asked me to think of someone for teaching him the Italian tongue, seeking a Libyan; for him

54

πραίτωράς τε καὶ κυαισίτωρας, κατὰ τήν ποτε κρατήσασαν παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις συνήθειαν, ὡς προαφηγησάμεθα. τῶν δὲ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι τοῦ δήμου ἐπεξιόντων σφοδρότερον, ἀναστὰν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ εἰς κακοδαίμονα συναχθὲν ὁμόνοιαν πᾶσαν ἐγγὺς τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπρησεν· καὶ ὁ μὲν Καππαδόκης ἄφαντος ἐγένετο, ἀρχῆς δὲ λαβόμενον τὸ πῦρ ἐκ τῶν τῆς αὐλῆς εἰσόδων, εἶτα ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ Πρῶτον Ἱερόν, ἐξ οὗ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἰουλιανοῦ Γερουσίαν, ἣν καλοῦσι Σενᾶτον κατὰ τὴν Αὐγούστου Πανήγυριν, ἀφ' ἧς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀγοράν, ἣν καλοῦσι Ζεύξιππον ἀπὸ Ζευξίππου βασιλέως, ὑφ' ᾧ ἐπὶ τῆς τριακοστῆς ὀγδόης Ὀλυμπιάδος Μεγαρεῖς εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀποικήσαντες πρὸς τιμὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀγορὰν οὕτως ἐπωνόμασαν, καθάπερ τὰς Χαριδήμου Στοὰς οἱ Κύζικον οἰκίσαντες Μεγαρεῖς· καὶ οὗτος βασιλεῦσαι Ἑλλήνων μνημονεύεται, ὡς ὁ Κάστωρ ἐν Ἐπιτομῇ Χρονικῶν ἀπέθετο. τὸ γὰρ δημόσιον βαλανεῖον Σεβήρειον ἀπὸ Σεβήρου, Ῥωμαίων ἡγησαμένου, παρω 246 νόμασται, ὃς ἀρθρίτιδι νόσῳ ἐνοχλούμενος ἐδείματο τὸ βαλανεῖον, προσκαρτερῶν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ διὰ τὴν πρὸς Νίγρον διαφοράν. τῶν δὲ τηλικούτων σωμάτων εἰς πῦρ μεταβαλόντων, ἡρπάγησαν μὴν αἱ μέχρι τῆς Κωνσταντίνου Ἀγορᾶς τὴν πόλιν διευθύνουσαι στοαί, κάλλει καὶ μεγέθει κιόνων εὐγράμμως διασκηνοῦσαι τὴν πλατεῖαν· Καμπανοὶ ταύτας εἰς χάριν Κωνσταντίνου λέγονται κατασκευάσαι, ἀπὸ Παρθενόπης τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς Νεαπόλεως καὶ τῆς ποτε ∆ικαιαρχίας, νῦν δὲ Πουτεόλων, εἰς Βυζάντιον πρὸς χάριν, ὡς εἴρηται, τοῦ βασιλέως παραγενόμενοι. συναπετεφρώθη οὖν πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἤμελλον; τὰ συνημμένα τοῖς μέσοις πρὸς τὸ βορραῖον καὶ νότον ἄνεμον οἰκοδομήματα καὶ ὄρος ἦν ἡ πόλις καὶ βουνοὶ μέλανες ἀπερρωγότες, καθάπερ ἐν Λιπάρῃ ἢ Βεσβίῳ, κόνει καὶ καπνῷ καὶ δυσωδίᾳ τῶν ἀποτεφρουμένων ὑλῶν ἀοίκητος, φόβον ἐλεεινὸν τοῖς θεωμένοις ἐνσείουσα. καὶ ὁ μὲν δῆμος, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ βάρβαρον καὶ ἀνελεὲς πλῆθος, ποιναῖς ταῖς ἀξίαις πρὸς αὐτῆς ὑπεστάλη τῆς νίκης, εἰς πέντε σύνεγγυς μυριάδας σιδήρῳ χύδην διαφθαρέν, ἡ δὲ πόλις ἔρριπτο πυρὶ καὶ χώμασι καὶ λειψάνων ἀμορφίᾳ κατάπληκτος. ἀλλὰ θεὸς μόνου γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῦ τὴν τοσαύτην παραμυθήσας ̣end of f 95v ......... 71 ... ̣line 8 of f 98v ἐνίκησε δὲ ὅμως μετὰ θεὸν ἡ βασιλέως Τύχη κατὰ πάντα τὸν ἐρειπιῶνα καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ χρόνῳ· κρείττων δὲ ἡ πόλις καὶ καλλίων ὤφθη ἰσχυρά τε ὁμοῦ καὶ ἀσφαλής, καθάπερ ἐξ ἀμόρφου ὕλης αὖθις τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ, καθάπερ τότε, τὸ πᾶν εἰς φῶς μόνῃ τῇ δυνάμει τῆς βουλῆς ἀνακαλοῦντος. 248 72 Πέρας οὖν τοῦτο τῆς πρώτης λῃσταρχίας τοῦ πονηροῦ Καππαδόκου. ἀντίρροπον δὲ θεὸς τῇ κακίᾳ εὐμένειαν ταῖς συμφοραῖς ἐπιδέδωκεν. Φωκᾶς γέγονεν ἀνὴρ εὐπατρίδης, Σαλβίου μὲν τοῦ δικαιοτάτου ἔγγονος, Κρατέρου δὲ τοῦ πάντων εὐσεβεστάτου παῖς, ὃς τὰ πρῶτα τοῖς λεγομένοις σιλεντιαρίοις τῆς αὐλῆς διαπρέψας, τοὺς πώποτε ἐπὶ τῇ μεγαλειότητι ψυχῆς θαυμασθέντας μετὰ δόσεων ἀμετρίας ὑπερβαλλόμενος, ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας τῆς βασιλείας κατ' ἀξίαν ἀνῆλθεν. πλούτῳ κομῶν καὶ τοῖς δεομένοις ἐπαρκῶν, αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ μόνῳ τὴν φειδωλίαν διέσῳζεν· δίαιτα γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ καὶ τροφῆς ἀσιτία τοσαύτη ὅση τοῖς ἄγαν μεμετρημένοις τὸν βίον ἐν εὐτελέσιν ἠριθμεῖτο. καὶ τῆς μὲν περιουσίας τύχης αὐτοῦ ἀξίως τὰ τῆς ἑστίας διένεμε τοῖς φίλοις, αὐτὸς δὲ μόναις ταῖς τῶν δαιτυμόνων εὐθυμίαις ἐτρέφετο, σεμνὸς μὲν καὶ φιλόκαλος ὢν ἀλλ' οὐ καλλωπιστής. ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ μόνου ̣end of f 98ṿ ... 73 ... καὶ δόλον ῥάπτειν, αἰτεῖν μὲν ἠρυθρία τῶν ἀναγκαίων δεόμενος, ἔστενε δὲ καὶ οἴμωζε καὶ δάκρυσι πεφορτωμένος τὰς ὄψεις δῆλος ἦν καὶ τοῖς ἄγαν ἀγνοοῦσιν αὐτὸν ὡς εἴη λυπούμενος. τοῦτον ὁ Φωκᾶς ἐκ τύχης ἰδών, καὶ ὡς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὸς καὶ λαβεῖν ἱκανὸς ψυχῆς ὀδύνην ἐκ μόνης ὀλιγωρίας τοῦ προσώπου γνωριζομένην, εἰπεῖν τι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνεβάλλετο· ἐμὲ δὲ μεταστειλάμενος καὶ γὰρ ἀγαπᾶν παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἠξίου, 250 ἀπατώμενος μᾶλλον ὡς εἴη περὶ λογυδρίων τινῶν δῆθεν οὐκ ἄφροντις καὶ χάριν ἐθέλων παρ' ἐμοῦ λαβεῖν, ἠξίου περινοῆσαί τινα πρὸς διδασκαλίαν αὐτῷ τῆς Ἰταλίδος φωνῆς, Λίβυν ἐπιζητῶν· αὐτὸν γὰρ