Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

of Alexandria, given by Emperor Michael as a favor to Athanasius, confirmed by secure chrysobulls. This indeed greatly pained the patriarch Athanasius later on, and it also took away from him the [monastery] of the Great Field. And seeking his own commemoration in the Lavra, since the two names coincided and an Athanasius was commemorated, he forced the monks to guarantee that whenever the name was said and heard, they would bring to mind his own [name] and not that of the [patriarch] of Alexandria, wishing to contract the breadth of the unrestrained mind for the sake of his own ambition. And for these reasons, departing for Rhodes, he passed his life in peace. Then, therefore, when this man had returned, and had spent some time in the monastery of the Euergetes, the emperor, judging the man worthy of respect in the matters he might oversee, sends an embassy through him to the kings, and especially to the Armenian, so that he might bring a bride for the emperor from there. Since, then, the one who was sent consented and all things were magnificently prepared, at first the patriarch was sailing with a fair wind on a secure trireme, taking with him also the eunuch monk Neophytos; but when they were somewhere around Phocaea, they fell in with pirates, who, surrounding them, plundered that cargo and wished to hold them, so that they might sell them. But suddenly some merchant ship full of cargo appears on the sea, and when it appeared from afar, the pirates, lusting for the profit from there, leave the patriarch's party at the harbor along with their trireme, and they also leave that surplus cargo, and having hoped that they would wait for them (for the patriarch's habit persuaded them that he would not contemplate an ignoble escape) with wingless speed and eagerness they rushed toward the ship that had appeared. But when [the pirates] were out of sight, the patriarch's party, immediately having a bad premonition about themselves, should they return again, contemplated escape. And so, disembarking from the ship as they were, with only their robes and sandals, as fast as their feet could carry them, they flee at full speed, avoiding the path of men, through untrodden and difficult places, partly by choice and partly because they did not know the region at all; with difficulty, after much stumbling of their feet on bushes and rocks, they are saved by reaching a certain fortress. But later, when the pirates returned, they realized that they had been completely outwitted by themselves, or rather by Providence, as one might suppose; meanwhile, having taken both the ship and the cargo, they departed. But the emperor, having learned about these things, and being pained as was likely, prepared and sends out others; and they were John Glykys, the epi ton deeseon, and the logothete of the flocks, Theodore Metochites. They indeed first put in at Cyprus, and having met with the king, they found him immediately compliant in the things they sought, but he, having recognized one single obstacle to the matter, also wished to resolve it; and this was that the agreement be concluded under the counsel and will of the church of Rome. But these things required time and delay. But since it had also been commanded to them to go to the rulers of Armenia, as the latter had first been insistent about two sisters, so that they might choose as they wished (for they did not know which to prefer for the marriage suitable for the emperor, since if one were preferred, the other would also be included), having arrived there, then, those who were sent bring both, one who would marry the emperor, and the other who would find a worthy bridegroom. But as they were sailing, danger befell the first one when a severe illness struck, and they put in at Rhodes, and having performed for her whatever was the law according to the custom of the orthodox faith, in the end, when she had renounced their faith, they anoint her with myrrh and sanctify her. And from there, when the illness had abated, having departed from Rhodes, they put in at the city of Constantine. And when they had put in near the end of the Horn, by the Kosmidion, there was nothing for the sake of honor which the emperor did not do for the reception of the empress. And finally, when she had been brought in with a brilliant and magnificent procession, he splendidly and conspicuously also prepared the wedding for the first Maria.

Ἀλεξανδρείας δοθεῖσαι παρὰ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ εἰς χάριν Ἀθανασίῳ, ἀσφαλέσιν ἐμπεδώσεσι χρυσοβούλλοις. ὃ δὴ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ ὠδύνα ἐσύστερον τὸν πατριαρ χοῦντα Ἀθανάσιον, καὶ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀγροῦ προσαφῃρεῖτο. ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ τῆς Λαύρας ζητῶν τὸ μνημόσυνον ἑαυτοῦ, ἐπεὶ ἐς ταὐτὸν τὼ ὀνόματε συνετρεχέτην καὶ Ἀθανάσιος ἐμνημονεύετο, τοὺς μοναχοὺς κατηνάγκαζεν ἀσφαλίζεσθαι ἐφ' ᾧπερ, ὅτε λέ γοιτο καὶ ἀκούοιτο τοὔνομα, φέρειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ νοῦν τὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ τοῦ Ἀλεξανδρείας, πλάτος νοὸς ἀκαθέκτου συστέλλειν ἐθέλων διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ὄρεξιν. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἀπάρας εἰς Ῥόδον τὸ βιοῦν μετ' εἰρήνης διῆγε. τότε τοίνυν τοῦτον ἐπανελθόντα, καὶ καιρὸν ὅσον διαγαγόντα ἐν τῇ τοῦ Εὐεργέτου μονῇ, ὁ βασιλεὺς αἰδοῦς ἄξιον οἷς ἂν ἐπισταίη κρίνων τὸν ἄνδρα, πρεσβείαν στέλ 204 λεται δι' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ῥῆγας, τὸ δὲ πλέον πρὸς τὸν Ἀρμέ νιον, ὡς ἂν ἐκεῖθεν νύμφην ἀγάγῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ὁ ἀποστελλόμενος συγκατέθετο καὶ πάντα μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἡτοιμά σθησαν, τὰ πρῶτα μὲν ἐξ οὐρίας ἔπλει ὁ πατριάρχης ἐπὶ τριή ρεως ἀσφαλοῦς, συνεπαγόμενος καὶ τὸν μοναχὸν ἐκτομίαν Νεό φυτον· ὡς δὲ περί που τὴν Φώκαιαν ἦσαν, πειραταῖς περι πίπτουσιν, οἳ καὶ περισχόντες αὐτοὺς φόρτον ἐκεῖνον διεφόρουν καὶ τούτους παρακατέχειν, ὡς ἀποδοῖντο, ἠβούλοντο. ἀλλ' ἐξαίφνης φαίνεταί τις φορτὶς πλήρης ἀγωγίμων κατὰ τὸ πέλαγος, ἧς δὴ καὶ φανείσης μακρόθεν περὶ τὸ ἐκεῖθεν κέρδος οἱ πειραταὶ λιχνευσάμενοι ἀφιᾶσι μὲν πρὸς τῷ λιμένι ἅμα αὐτῇ τριήρει τοὺς περὶ τὸν πατριάρχην, ἀφιᾶσι δὲ καὶ τὸν περιττὸν φόρτον ἐκεῖ νον, καὶ ὡς προσμενούντων ἐλπίσαντες (τὸ γὰρ τοῦ πατριάρχου σχῆμα σφᾶς ἔπειθε μὴ τὸν ἀγεννῆ δρασμὸν ἐννοεῖν) ἀπτέρῳ τάχει καὶ προθυμίᾳ ἐπὶ τὴν φανεῖσαν ὥρμων. τῶν δ' ἀπ' ὀφθαλμῶν γεγονότων, εὐθὺς κακὸν ἐλπισμὸν περὶ ἑαυτῶν οἱ περὶ τὸν πα τριάρχην ἔχοντες, εἰ ἐπισταῖεν καὶ αὖθις, δρασμὸν ἐννοοῦσι. καὶ δὴ τῆς νηὸς ἀποβάντες ὡς εἶχον μόναις στολαῖς καὶ βλαύταις, ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχον, φεύγουσιν ἀνὰ κράτος, πάτον μὲν ἀνθρώπων ἀλεεί νοντες, ἀτρίπτοις δὲ δυσχωρίαις, τὸ μὲν καὶ θελήσει τὸ δὲ καὶ τῷ μὴ εἰδέναι ὅλως τῶν τόπων, μόλις μετὰ τὴν πολλὴν τῶν πο 205 δῶν ἐπὶ θάμνοις καὶ πέτραις πρόσκρουσιν ἐπί τι φρούριον δια σώζονται. ὕστερον δὲ καταλαβόντες οἱ πειραταὶ ἔγνωσαν ὅλως σεσοφισμένοι παρ' ἑαυτῶν, ἢ μᾶλλον τῆς προνοίας, ὡς ἄν τις εἰκάσειε· τέως δὲ λαβόντες καὶ ναῦν καὶ φορτία ἐχώρουν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὰ περὶ τούτων μαθών, καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς προσαλγή σας, ἄλλους εὐτρεπίσας ἐκπέμπει· οἱ δ' ἦσαν ὅ τε ἐπὶ τῶν δεήσεων Γλυκὺς Ἰωάννης καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀγελῶν λογοθέτης ὁ Με τοχίτης Θεόδωρος. οἳ δὴ προσσχόντες πρῶτον τῇ Κύπρῳ, καὶ τῷ ῥηγὶ προσμίξαντες, εἶχον μὲν ἐκεῖνον αὐτίκα ἐφ' οἷς ἐζήτουν πειθήνιον, ἓν δὲ καὶ μόνον ἐκεῖνος προσιστάμενον ἐγνωκὼς τῇ πράξει ἔθελε κἀκεῖνος ἐξημεροῦν· τὸ δ' ἦν τὸ ὑπὸ βουλῇ καὶ θελήσει τῆς κατὰ Ῥώμην ἐκκλησίας τὸ συνάλλαγμα διαπράτ τεσθαι. ταῦτα δ' ἦσαν χρόνου καὶ τριβῆς δεόμενα. ἀλλὰ προστεταγμένον αὐτοῖς καὶ παρὰ τοὺς τῆς Ἀρμενίας ἄρχοντας ἀπαντᾶν, ἐκείνων πρῶτον προσλιπαρούντων περὶ δυοῖν ἀδελ φαῖν, ἐφ' ᾧπερ ὡς βούλονται χρήσαιντο (μηδὲ γὰρ ἔχειν ποτέραν προτιμᾶν εἰς τὴν τῷ βασιλεῖ πρέπουσαν κήδευσιν, ὡς προτιμω μένης μιᾶς καὶ θατέραν ἕπεσθαι), ἐκεῖσε γοῦν γεγονότες οἱ πεμ φθέντες καὶ ἀμφοτέρας ἄγουσι, τὴν μὲν τῷ βασιλεῖ οἱ συνοική σουσαν, τὴν δ' ἄξιον εὑρήσουσαν τὸν νυμφίον. ὡς δὲ πλῷ χρωμένων κίνδυνος ἐφίσταται τῇ προτέρᾳ χαλεπῆς ἐνσκηψάσης 206 νόσου, προσίσχουσί τε τῇ Ῥόδῳ, καὶ ὅσα ἦν νόμος τελέσαντες ἐπ' αὐτῇ κατὰ συνήθειαν ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως, τέλος ἐξομοσαμέ νην τἀκείνων χρίουσι μύρῳ καὶ ἁγιάζουσι. κἀντεῦθεν τῆς νόσου ῥαϊσάσης ἀπάραντες Ῥόδου τῇ Κωνσταντίνου προσίσχουσι. καὶ παρὰ τὸ τοῦ Κέρατος τέλος πρὸς τῷ Κοσμιδίῳ προσσχόντων, οὐδὲν ἦν εἰς φιλοτιμίαν ὅπερ οὐκ ἔπραττεν ὁ κρατῶν εἰς τὴν τῆς δεσποίνης ὑπάντησιν. καὶ τέλος ὑπὸ λαμπρᾷ καὶ πολυτελεῖ τῇ πομπῇ εἰσαχθείσης, λαμπρῶς καὶ περιφανῶς ἐπὶ τῇ προτέρᾳ Μαρίᾳ καὶ τοὺς γάμους ηὐτρέπιζε.