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because the empress had long distributed the sour wine there to the noble ladies at the time of the Brumalia; and two others towards the direction of the Lausiacus, from which she also has a view of it, she did indeed build, paving their floors with Proconnesian stone, and adorning the walls with colors but not marbles, but nevertheless they were given over to destruction by fire. And Thecla, his first daughter, the chamber near Blachernae, where also 148 the oratory of the protomartyr Thecla is founded, brought out of non-existence most beautifully; and there she also, being bedridden, departed this life.

{1CONCERNING THE REIGN OF MICHAEL, THE SON OF THEOPHILUS. DISCOURSE 4.}

1 Theophilus met with such an end to his life, and the empire was inherited by his son Michael, who was in his third year since he was brought into the world by his mother Theodora. The guardians and trustees of affairs were those whom Theophilus had left behind, both Theoctistus the eunuch, who was then *kanikleios* and logothete of the drome, and the patrician Bardas, the brother of the Augusta, and Manuel the *magistros*, of Armenian descent, who was also the paternal uncle of the empress. Political affairs, then, were stable, and for a time matters were well directed, but the veneration of the holy icons was about to be renewed and to return again to its ancient honor. And indeed, Manuel was afflicted by a terrible and severe illness; so monks of the Stoudios monastery came in to him (for he had no small faith in them) 149 and promised a restoration of his health, that it would be easy and swift, if only he himself would wish for the veneration of the holy icons and persuade the rulers to decree it everywhere. But not only that, but also many of the God-bearing fathers from the other mountains who happened to be dear to him, having made a start with him from there when he was general of the Armeniacs, visited him and, exhorting him on the same matters, persuaded him to at last think rightly and promise them what they desired, if only he would get better; which also happened through their prayer and zeal towards God. (2) So when he was freed from the illness and the monks did not neglect their zeal for the matter, but using exhortations they deemed it right for him to remember his promises to God, they made him full of divine zeal. And indeed, after communicating the plan to his fellow trustees, and persuading them that it is good to give affairs an auspicious start, and having reformed them and brought them to his own will, he went in to Theodora to discuss the matters concerning this affair. And she, being God-loving and truly an empress, when she heard about orthodoxy, said, "This I have always desired and have never ceased to meditate on; but the multitude of many senators and those in high office who are devoted to such a heresy has prevented it until today, and no less also the metropolitans who champion the church, and especially the patriarch, who, when my husband had a small 150 root of such heresy from his parents, increased it further and made it more solid by his suggestions and frequent exhortations, causing him to turn to harsh outrages and tortures, which he invented daily against the saints, the wretched man having become both an anointer and teacher of such evils." "And so, empress, what is it that prevents you, who thinks this way and plans the best things," they replied, "from these things also being put into action and from ordering this public festival to come to its conclusion?" So she immediately summoned the drungarius of the Vigla (this was Constantine, the son of the patrician Thomas and afterwards

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διὰ τὸ τὴν δέσποιναν ἐκεῖσε εκπαλαι διανέμειν τὸ ὀξὺ ταῖς ἀρχοντίσσαις κατὰ τὸν τῶν βρουμαλίων καιρόν· ετερα δὲ δύο πρὸς τὸ μέρος τοῦ Λαυσιακοῦ, ἐξ ων καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εχει κατασκοπήν, εἰργάσατο μέν, ἐκ λίθου Προικοννησίου τὰ ἐδάφη καταστρώσας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκ χρωμάτων ἀλλ' οὐ μαρμάρων τοὺς τοίχους ὡραΐσας, ὑπὸ ἐμ- πρησμοῦ δὲ ομως ἀφανείᾳ παρεδόθησαν. καὶ Θέκλα δὲ ἡ τούτου πρώτη θυγάτηρ τὸ κατὰ τὰς Βλαχέρνας κουβούκλειον, ενθα καὶ 148 τὸ τῆς πρωτομάρτυρος Θέκλης εὐκτήριον ιδρυται, ἐκ τοῦ μὴ οντος ηγαγεν εὐμορφότατον· ἐκεῖσε δὲ καὶ τὸν βίον ουσα κλινοπετὴς ἐξέλιπεν.

{1ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ ΤΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ. ΛΟΓΟΣ ∆.}

1 Τοιούτῳ μὲν τέλει βίου ὁ Θεόφιλος ἐχρήσατο, τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν Μιχαὴλ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς διεδέξατο, τρίτον ετος διανύων ἀφ' ου  εἰς τὸν βίον προήχθη τῇ μητρὶ αὐτοῦ Θεοδώρᾳ. τῶν δὲ πραγμάτων ὑπῆρχον φροντισταὶ καὶ ἐπίτροποι ους ὁ Θεόφιλος κατέλιπεν, ο τε Θεόκτιστος ὁ εὐνοῦχος, τηνικαῦτα κανίκλειος καὶ λογοθέτης τοῦ δρόμου τυγχάνων, καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Βάρδας ὁ τῆς Αὐγούστης ἀδελφός, καὶ Μανουὴλ ὁ μάγιστρος ἐκ τῶν ̓Αρμενίων καταγόμε- νος, ος καὶ θεῖος ἀπὸ πατρὸς τῆς δεσποίνης ὑπῆρχεν. ἐπεπήγει μὲν ουν τὰ πολιτικά, καὶ καλῶς τέως τὰ πράγματα διηυθύνετο, εμελλε δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν θείων εἰκόνων προσκύνησις ἀνακαινίζεσθαί τε καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν παλινδρομεῖν αυθις τιμήν. καὶ δὴ Μα- νουὴλ νόσῳ πιέζεται δεινῇ καὶ χαλεπῇ· πρὸς ον εἰσρέοντες μοναχοὶ τοῦ Στουδίου (καὶ γὰρ ην αὐτῷ πίστις οὐκ ἀγεννὴς πρὸς αὐτούς) 149 ἀνάκλησιν τῆς ὑγιείας ὑπισχνοῦντο ῥᾳδίαν τε καὶ ταχεῖαν γενέσθαι, ην μόνον τὴν τῶν ἁγίων προσκύνησιν εἰκόνων αὐτός τε θελήσῃ καὶ τοὺς κρατοῦντας πείσοι θεσπίσαι ἁπανταχοῦ. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν αλλων ὀρῶν πολλοὶ τῶν θεοφόρων πατέρων προσφιλεῖς τούτῳ τυγχάνοντες, ἐκεῖθεν τὰς ἀρχὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν λαβόντες οτε τῶν ̓Αρμενιακῶν ἐστρατήγει, προσφοιτῶντες καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁμοίοις παρακαλοῦντες επεισαν ὀρθὰ φρονῆσαί ποτε καὶ τὸ ποθούμενον ὑποσχέσθαι αὐτοῖς, εἰ μόνον ῥᾴων γένοιτο· ο  καὶ γέγονε τῇ αὐ- τῶν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εὐχῇ καὶ σπουδῇ. (2) ἐπεὶ γοῦν ουτος τῆς νόσου ἀπήλλακτο καὶ οἱ μοναχοὶ τῆς πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα σπουδῆς οὐκ ἠμέλουν, ἀλλὰ παρακλήσεσι χρώμενοι τῶν πρὸς θεὸν ὑποσχέσεων ἠξίουν μεμνῆσθαι, πλήρη τοῦτον τοῦ θείου ζήλου εἰργάσαντο· καὶ δὴ τοῖς συνεπιτρόποις ἀνακοινώσας τὰ τῆς βουλῆς, καὶ πεί- σας ὡς εστι καλὸν ἀρχὴν δεξιὰν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπιθεῖναι, καὶ μεταρρυθμίσας αὐτοὺς καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ βούλημα ἀγαγών, πρὸς τὴν Θεοδώραν εἰσῄει τὰ περὶ τῆς ὑποθέσεως κοινολογησόμε- νος. καὶ ἐκείνη μὲν θεοφιλὴς καὶ οντως βασίλεια, ἐπεὶ περὶ τῆς ὀρθοδοξίας ηκουσε, "τοῦτο" εφη "καὶ δι' ἐπιθυμίας ηγον ἀεὶ καὶ μελετῶσα διέλειπον οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν πολλῶν συγκλητικῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει τῇ τοιαύτῃ προσανακειμένων αἱρέσει πληθὺς ἐκώ- λυεν αχρι τῆς σήμερον, οὐχ ηττον δὲ καὶ οἱ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπερ- μαχοῦντες μητροπολῖται, καὶ μάλιστα ὁ πατριάρχης, ος μικρὰν 150 εχοντα τῆς τοιαύτης αἱρέσεως τὸν ἐμὸν ανδρα τὴν ῥίζαν ἐκ τῶν γονέων ἐπὶ πλεῖον ηυξησέ τε καὶ στερεωτέραν εἰργάσατο ταῖς αὐ- τοῦ εἰσηγήσεσί τε καὶ πυκναῖς παραινέσεσιν, εἰς χαλεπὰς αἰκίας καὶ βασάνους ἐκτραπῆναι τοῦτον ποιήσας, ας ἐκεῖνος ὁσημέραι κατὰ τῶν ἁγίων ευρηκεν, ἀλείπτης τε καὶ διδάσκαλος τῶν τοιού- των κακῶν ὁ αθλιος γεγονώς." "καὶ τί γοῦν ουτω, δέσποινα, φρονοῦσάν σε καὶ βουλευομένην τὰ κάλλιστα τὸ κωλῦον ἐστίν" ἀντέφησαν "μὴ καὶ εἰς εργον ταῦτα ἀχθῆναι καὶ τὴν πάνδημον ταύτην κελεῦσαι εἰς πέρας ἐλθεῖν ἑορτήν;" εὐθὺς γοῦν μετακαλε- σαμένη τὸν τῆς βίγλης δρουγγάριον (Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ ουτος ην, ὁ τοῦ πατρικίου Θωμᾶ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα