Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since I have deemed it not right to corrupt it in any way, I give the iambics themselves in their writing. "To the living dead man and the life-bearing dead man, dwelling on the earth and treading the heavens, the branded ones write, prisoners to the prisoner." To whom he himself, having inscribed a reply in return, writes: "Those who with their books inscribe the keys of the heavens and are chastely branded upon their foreheads, the living-entombed one addressed as fellow prisoners." And these are the golden verses of the fair-tongued, dripping streams of outright divine nectar; but the noble athlete, the great Methodios, having endured in the bitter and foul-guarded prison, and having had his teeth knocked out and his jaws shattered, and having borne every other form of punishment, with which the impious struck him inhumanly like blacksmiths hammer-striking an iron anvil, at last, just like a day-shining sun, like a lamp, he emerged as from some horizon from there, by the will, as it seems, of Him who sees the abysses and sits above the Cherubim and Seraphim, to set him upon a mountain like a city with strong towers, so that such great virtue should not be hidden like a lamp under a bushel in the hateful and gloomy cave. For the emperor Theophilos, always occupying himself with books and from them fashioning honeycombs of knowledge like an industrious bee from meadow flowers, encounters certain labyrinthine things and riddles, whose hard shell to peel away and whose obscurity to illuminate no one had been able correctly, although there were countless men having a great reputation for knowledge. Therefore, as the emperor was then greatly disheartened, one of the chamberlains and attendants approaches, and praises Methodios, and recounts everything: his great learning, his resourcefulness, his knowledge and his heaven-treading intelligence and wisdom, whether moved by God, or nurturing a fondness for the man who was ethereal in mind and God-bearing. The emperor hears these things, he has the holy Methodios summoned, he brings him out of the cave like a pearl from a shell, like a star from a cloud flashing bright, fire-sparkling rays and driving away the gloom and darkness of ignorance. Theophilos, therefore, having tasted his speech, settles the noble man nobly in the palace like a most precious object in inviolable treasuries, like a great, gleaming, flame-colored, light-gushing stone. And there, sitting beside the gold-flowing Nile, he drew an abundant drink from the sweet-savored streams. But when he was about to cross the river of fluid substance, which it is impossible for anyone clothed in the thickness of mortal flesh not to pass through (for nature, the swift-working ferrywoman, presses on, demanding her due), being then in the twelfth year of his reign, he adorns his son Michael with the crown, though he was still a tender boy in age; but being apprehensive, as is right, of the boy's youth, he commanded his mother also to share with him, to be his guardian of the empire. She who until then had her discipleship at night and venerated the holy forms in secret, a Nicodemus, one might say, faint-hearted and timid of mind, then cried out clearly and with boldness, and became a clear-sounding golden trumpet, or rather a sweet-singing, chick-rearing bird, gathering together from all sides the featherless sparrows, hidden away until the hunter should pass by, and having thrice-noble seeds in her heart, like some fruitful field, a furrow with rich clods, which while winter pressed, did not send forth a shoot, but when the bitterness of the winter season passed, and spring smiled and the gloom was dispelled, then, yes then, she brought forth a bounteous shoot and a crop of many ears, and full of fruitfulness, as if waving in the fair-breathing zephyr breezes, by the graces of the Spirit who brings all things to perfection. Therefore, having gathered together men who were near to God, diggers, one might say, industrious and proven, she tore out the thorn of iconoclasm. And having fervently implored the divine men to beseech the divinity on behalf of her spouse, and

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ἄγραν εὑρόντες δικτυεύοντα γράφουσι τῷ δικαίῳ ὀλιγοσύλλαβον γραφὴν ἐν ἰαμβείῳ μέτρῳ, ἣν οὐ καλὸν νενομικὼς κατά τι παραφθεῖραι αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους τῇ γραφῇ δίδωμι τοὺς ἰάμβους. "τῷ ζῶντι νεκρῷ καὶ νεκρῷ ζωηφόρῳ, ναίοντι τὴν γῆν καὶ πατοῦντι τὸν πόλον, γραπτοὶ γράφουσι δέσμιοι τῷ δεσμίῳ." πρὸς οὓς αὐτὸς ἀντιγραφὴν ἀντιχαράξας γράφει "τοὺς ταῖς βίβλοισιν οὐρανῶν κλησιγράφους καὶ πρὸς μέτωπα σωφρόνως ἐστιγμένους προσεῖπεν ὁ ζώθαπτος ὡς συνδεσμίους." καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ χρύσεα τῶν καλλιγλώττων ἔπη, ἄντικρυς θείου νέκταρος σταλάττοντα συρμάδας· ὁ δὲ καλὸς ἀγωνιστὴς Μεθόδιος ὁ πάνυ ἐγκαρτερήσας τῇ πικρᾷ καὶ κακοφρούρῳ στέγῃ, καὶ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐκκρουσθεὶς καὶ συνθλασθεὶς τὰς γνάθους, καὶ πᾶσαν ἄλλην ἐνεγκὼν κολάσεων ἰδέαν, δι' ὧν αὐτὸν οἱ δυσσεβεῖς ἔπληττον ἀπανθρώπως ὡς ἄκμονα σιδήρεον χαλκεῖς σφυροκτυποῦντες, τέλος καθάπερ ἥλιος ἡμεραυγής, ὡς λύχνος, ἐξέκυψεν ὡς ἔκ τινος ὁρίζοντος ἐκεῖθεν, θελήσαντος, ὡς ἔοικε, τοῦ βλέποντος ἀβύσσους καὶ Χερουβὶμ καὶ Σεραφὶμ ὕπερθεν καθημένου ὡς πόλιν ὀχυρόπυργον τοῦτον ἐφ' ὅρους στῆσαι, ὡς μὴ τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν ὡς ἐν μοδίῳ λύχνον τῷ στυγερῷ καὶ ζοφερῷ καλύπτεσθαι σπηλαίῳ. ὁ κράτωρ γὰρ Θεόφιλος βίβλοις ἀεὶ σχολάζων καὶ σίμβλα τὰ τῆς γνώσεως κηροπλαστῶν ἐντεῦθεν ὡς μέλισσα φιλόπονος ἀνθῶν ἐκ λειμωνίων, λυβυρινθώδεσί τισι καὶ γρίφοις ἐντυγχάνει. ὧν ἐκλεπίσαι τὸ σκληρὸν καὶ τὸ στυγνὸν φωτίσαι οὐδεὶς ὀρθῶς δεδύνητο, καίτοι μυρίων ὄντων τῶν φήμην μεγαλώνυμον ἐχόντων ἐπὶ γνώσει. μεγάλως οὖν τῷ βασιλεῖ τότε βαρυθυμοῦντι εἷς τῶν προκοίτων πρόσεισι καὶ θαλαμηπολούντων, καὶ τὸν Μεθόδιον ὑμνεῖ, καὶ πάντα καταλέγει, τὴν πολυμάθειαν αὐτοῦ, τὸ πόριμον, τὴν γνῶσιν καὶ τὴν οὐρανοβάμονα σύνεσιν καὶ σοφίαν, εἴτε θεόθεν κινηθείς, εἴτε καὶ φίλτρον τρέφων πρὸς τὸν αἰθέριον τῷ νῷ καὶ θεοφόρον ἄνδρα. ἀκούει ταῦθ' ὁ βασιλεύς, μετάπεμπτον ποιεῖται τὸν ἱερὸν Μεθόδιον, ἐξάγει τοῦ σπηλαίου ὡς ἀπὸ κόχλου μάργαρον, ὡς ἀπὸ νέφους ἄστρον ἀκτῖνας ἀποστίλβοντα φαιδρὰς πυριμαργάρους καὶ ζόφον ἀπελαύνοντα καὶ σκοτασμὸν ἀγνοίας. τῆς γλώσσης οὖν Θεόφιλος γευσάμενος τῆς τούτου ἐγκατοικίζει τὸν καλὸν καλῶς ἐν βασιλείοις ὡς χρῆμα πολυτίμητον ἐν θησαυροῖς ἀσύλοις, ὡς λίθον μέγαν στίλβοντα πυρράκην φωτοβρύτην. κἀκεῖ παρακαθήμενος τῷ χρυσορρόῳ Νείλῳ ἤντλει τὴν πόσιν δαψιλῆ τῶν γλυκυχύμων ῥείθρων. Περᾶν δὲ μέλλων ποταμὸν τὸν τῆς ῥευστῆς οὐσίας, ὃν πάντα περικείμενον πάχος θνητοῦ σαρκίου ἀμήχανον μὴ διελθεῖν (ἐπείγει γὰρ ἡ φύσις, ἡ ταχουργὸς πορθμεύτρια, τὸ χρέος ἀπαιτοῦσα), ἔτος ἤδη δωδέκατον τῆς βασιλείας ἄγων, τῷ στέφει μὲν τὸν Μιχαὴλ κατακοσμεῖ τὸν παῖδα, ἔτι παιδίσκον ἁπαλὸν ὄντα τὴν ἡλικίαν, τὸ νεαρὸν δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς ὡς θέμις ὑποπτεύων συγκοινωνεῖν ἐκέλευσεν τούτῳ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, τοῦ κράτους ὡς φροντίστριαν αὐτῷ γενησομένην. ἣ μέχρι τότε νύκτερον ἔχουσα μαθητείαν καὶ σέβουσα τὰς ἱερὰς μορφὰς ἐν παραβύστῳ, Νικόδημος, ἂν εἴποι τις, ἀκάρδιος δειλόνους, τότε τορὸν ἐβόησε καὶ μετὰ παρρησίας, καὶ σάλπιγξ ἐχρημάτισεν εὔσημος χρυσοσάλπιγξ, ἢ μᾶλλον καλλικέλαδος νεοττοτρόφος ὄρνις, στρουθοὺς ἐπισυνάγουσα πάντοθεν τοὺς ἀπτέρους, περικρυβέντας μέχρις ἂν ὁ θηρευτὴς παρέλθῃ, καὶ σπέρματα τρισευγενῆ σχοῦσα κατὰ καρδίας, ὡς ἄρουρά τις εὔκαρπος, αὖλαξ λιπαροβώλαξ, χειμῶνος μὲν πιέζοντος οὐκ ἀνεδίδου βλάστην, ὡς δὲ παρῆλθε τὸ πικρὸν τῆς χειμερίας ὥρας τὸ δ' ἔαρ ὑπεγέλασε καὶ τὸ στυγνὸν ἐλύθη, τότε δὴ τότε καὶ βλαστὸν ἐξήνεγκε πολύχουν καὶ λήϊον πολύσταχυ, καὶ πλῆρες εὐκαρπίας, ὡς αὔραις κυμαινόμενον εὐπνόοις ζεφυρίαις, τοῦ πνεύματος ταῖς χάρισι τοῦ πάντα τελειοῦντος. ἀγχιθεάζοντας οὐκοῦν ἄνδρας συναγαγοῦσα, δικελλευτάς, ἂν εἴποι τις, φιλοεργοὺς δοκίμους, τὴν ἄκανθαν ἀνέσπασε τῆς εἰκονομαχίας. ἐνθέρμως δ' ἱκετεύσασα τοὺς θεσπεσίους ἄνδρας ὑπὲρ τοῦ συζυγήσαντος λιτάσασθαι τὸ θεῖον, καὶ

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