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brought the sword. But the spatharius of the magister, paying attention to this, received it on his arm, and the tip of the sword cut off the right ear of Illus. 128 Zeno kills this man, persuading the magister Illus that he had not been complicit in the event, but in truth, because he had not succeeded in his aim. Having been healed of the wound, he wore a kamelaukion. And he asked the emperor to go to the East for a change of air, because he was weak from the wound. The emperor, wishing to reassure him, made him strategos of the entire East, giving him all authority, so as even to appoint dukes. And he, taking with him the patrician Leontius, a Syrian by race, excellent in education and experience of wars and commander of the army in Thrace, and with him Marsus and Pamprepius the senator, who was accused of sorcery; and having simply surrounded himself with the greatest power, coming to Antioch of Syria, he clearly showed his usurpation. King of the Persians, Kavadh, for 11 years. Bishop of Antioch, Stephen, another, who was thrown into the Orontes river, for 1 year. ζʹ. αʹ. ιβʹ. ιʹ. εʹ. δʹ. αʹ. In this year, upon the death of Stephen the bishop of Antioch, they consecrated another Stephen in his place by order of the emperor Zeno, whom the enemies of the faith, in their goodwill toward Knapheus, slaughtered with sharpened reeds in the font of the holy martyr Barlaam and threw into the Orontes river, having armed their folly with rage. But Zeno, on account of the outrages against Stephen, ordered Acacius of Constantinople to consecrate a bishop of Antioch; and he consecrated Calandion. The Antiochenes had also consecrated in ignorance a John, called Codonatus, whom Calandion transferred to the throne of Tyre, a metropolitan see of Antioch. In the same year in Alexandria Timothy Salophaciolus died, and John Tabennesiotes was consecrated, a holy man and a champion of the orthodox doctrines, being a presbyter and oikonomos of the church in Alexandria. But the patrician Illus with Leontius and the rest arrives at the fortress of Papyrius and bringing the Augusta Verina out to Tarsus of 129 Cilicia he had her crown the patrician Leontius as emperor outside the city at the church of Saint Peter. And the lady Verina wrote a sacra to the Syrian Antiochenes to receive Leontius as emperor, and she issued sacrae to all the rulers of the East and of Egypt and Libya, so that they would receive Leontius as emperor and not resist. Bishop of Alexandria, John Tabennesiotes, for 3 years. Bishop of Antioch, Calandion, for 4 years. ηʹ. βʹ. ιγʹ. ιαʹ. ϛʹ. αʹ. αʹ. In this year, when the sacrae of the lady Verina arrived and were read out, the content of which was thus: "Verina Augusta to our rulers and Christ-loving peoples, greetings. Know that the empire is ours, and that after the death of my husband Leo we appointed as emperor Trascalissaeus, who was renamed Zeno, so that the subject people might be improved. But seeing now the state being brought low by his greed, we considered it necessary to crown for you a Christian emperor adorned with piety and justice, so that he might save the affairs of state and conduct warfare peacefully. We have crowned Leontius the most pious emperor of the Romans, who will deem you all worthy of his providence." And they, accepting this, acclaimed Leontius as emperor. θʹ. γʹ. ιδʹ. ιβʹ. ζʹ. βʹ. βʹ. In this year Illus and Leontius released Longinus, the brother of Zeno, and his mother from the fortress. But Verina fell ill there and died, and after a time she was brought back to Byzantium by Ariadne. Bishop of Rome, Felix, for 9 years. ιʹ. δʹ. αʹ. ιγʹ. ηʹ. γʹ. γʹ. In this year Leontius entered Antioch as emperor on the 27th of the month of June, in the 7th indiction, and he appointed Lilianus as praetorian prefect, and having gone out

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ἤγαγε τὸ ξίφος. προσεσχηκὼς δὲ τούτῳ ὁ σπαθάριος τοῦ μαγίστρου ἐδέξατο αὐτὸ εἰς τὸν βραχίονα αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἄκρον τοῦ ξίφους ἀπέτεμε τὸ ὠτίον τοῦ Ἴλλου τὸ δεξιόν. τοῦτον 128 δὲ Ζήνων ἀναιρεῖ πείθων τὸν μάγιστρον Ἴλλον μὴ συνεγνωκέναι τὸ γεγονός, τῇ δὲ ἀληθείᾳ, ὅτι μὴ περιγέγονε τοῦ σκοποῦ. ἰαθεὶς δὲ τὴν πληγὴν ἐφόρει καμελαύκιον. καὶ ᾐτήσατο τὸν βασιλέα ἐπὶ τὴν ἀνατολὴν ἀπελθεῖν διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀέρας ἀλλάξαι, ὅτι ἠσθένει ἐκ τῆς πληγῆς. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς θέλων αὐτὸν πληροφορῆσαι ἐποίησεν αὐτὸν στρατηγὸν τῆς ἑῴας ἁπάσης, δοὺς αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν πᾶσαν, ὥστε καὶ δοῦκας ποιεῖν. ὁ δὲ παραλαβὼν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸν πατρίκιον Λεόντιον, Σύρον τῷ γένει, ἄριστον δὲ κατὰ παιδείαν καὶ πολέμων ἐμπειρίαν ἡγούμενόν τε τῆς ἐν Θρᾴκῃ στρατιᾶς, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Μάρσον καὶ Παμπρέπιον τὸν συγκλητικόν, τὸν ἐπὶ μαγγανείᾳ διαβαλλόμενον· καὶ πλείστην ἁπλῶς περιβαλλόμενος δύναμιν, ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἐλθὼν τῆς Συρίας σαφῶς ἔδειξε τὴν τυραννίδα. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Καβάδης ἔτη ιαʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Στέφανος ἕτερος ὁ ῥιφεὶς εἰς τὸν Ὀρέντην ποταμὸν ἔτος αʹ. ζʹ. αʹ. ιβʹ. ιʹ. εʹ. δʹ. αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Στεφάνου τοῦ ἐπισκόπου Ἀντιοχείας κοιμηθέντος, Στέφανον ἕτερον ἀντ' αὐτοῦ ἐχειροτόνησαν κελεύσει τοῦ βασιλέως Ζήνωνος, ὃν οἱ ἐχθροὶ τῆς πίστεως τῇ πρὸς τὸν Κναφέα εὐνοίᾳ ἐν τῇ κολυμβήθρᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος Βαρλαὰμ καλάμοις ὀξυνθεῖσιν ἀποσφάξαντες εἰς τὸν Ὀρέντην ποταμὸν ἔρριψαν τῷ θυμῷ τὴν ἄνοιαν καθοπλίσαντες. Ζήνων δὲ διὰ τὰ τολμηθέντα εἰς Στέφανον ἐκέλευσεν Ἀκάκιον τὸν Κωνσταντινουπόλεως χειροτονῆσαι ἐπίσκοπον Ἀντιοχείας· καὶ ἐχειροτόνησε Καλανδίωνα. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ Ἀντιοχεῖς χειροτονήσαντες κατὰ ἄγνοιαν Ἰωάννην, τὸν λεγόμενον Κωδωνάτον, ὃν Καλανδίων εἰς Τύρον πρωτόθρονον Ἀντιοχείας μετενεθρονίασεν. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει καὶ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Τιμόθεος ὁ Σαλοφακίαλος ἐτελεύτησεν, καὶ ἐχειροτονήθη Ἰωάννης ὁ Ταβεννησιώτης, ὅσιος ἀνὴρ καὶ τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων ὑπέρμαχος, πρεσβύτερος ὢν καὶ οἰκονόμος τῆς κατὰ Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἐκκλησίας. ὁ δὲ πατρίκιος Ἴλλος σὺν Λεοντίῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς παραγίνεται εἰς τὸ Παπυρίου καστέλλιν καὶ ἐξαγαγὼν Βερίναν τὴν αὐγούσταν εἰς Ταρσὸν τῆς 129 Κιλικίας ἐποίησεν αὐτὴν στέψαι ἔξω τῆς πόλεως εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Πέτρον βασιλέα Λεόντιον τὸν πατρίκιον. καὶ ἔγραψεν ἡ δέσποινα Βερίνα σάκραν τοῖς Ἀντιοχεῦσι Σύροις εἰς τὸ δέξασθαι τὸν Λεόντιον βασιλέα, καὶ πρὸς πάντας δὲ τοὺς τῆς ἀνατολῆς ἄρχοντας καὶ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ Λιβύης ἐποίησε σάκρας, ὥστε δέξασθαι Λεόντιον βασιλέα καὶ μὴ ἀντιστῆναι. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ὁ Ταβεννησιώτης ἔτη γʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Καλανδίων ἔτη δʹ. ηʹ. βʹ. ιγʹ. ιαʹ. ϛʹ. αʹ. αʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει καταλαβουσῶν τῶν σακρῶν τῆς δεσποίνης Βερίνης καὶ ἀναγνωσθεισῶν, ὧν ἡ περιοχὴ οὕτως "Βερίνα αὐγούστα τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἄρχουσι καὶ φιλοχρίστοις λαοῖς χαίρειν. ἴστε ὅτι τὸ βασίλειον ἡμέτερόν ἐστιν, καὶ ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἀποβίωσιν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀνδρὸς Λέοντος προεχειρισάμεθα βασιλέα Τρασκαλισσαῖον, τὸν μετακληθέντα Ζήνωνα, ὥστε τὸ ὑπήκοον ἐπιβελτιωθῆναι. ὁρῶντες δὲ νῦν τὴν πολιτείαν κατόπιν φερομένην ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀπληστίας, ἀναγκαῖον ἐλογισάμεθα βασιλέα ὑμῖν στέψαι χριστιανὸν εὐσεβείᾳ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ κεκοσμημένον, ἵνα τά τε τῆς πολιτείας περισώσῃ πράγματα καὶ τὸ πολεμικὸν ἡσύχως ἄξῃ. ἐστέψαμεν δὲ Λεόντιον τὸν εὐσεβέστατον βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων, ὃς πάντας ὑμᾶς προνοίας ἀξιώσει." οἱ δὲ ἀποδεξάμενοι εὐφήμησαν τὸν Λεόντιον βασιλέα. θʹ. γʹ. ιδʹ. ιβʹ. ζʹ. βʹ. βʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Ἴλλος καὶ Λεόντιος Λογγῖνον, τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ζήνωνος, καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ καστελλίου ἀπέλυσαν. Βερίνα δὲ ἐκεῖ νοσήσασα ἐτελεύτησε καὶ μετὰ χρόνον ἀνεκομίσθη εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ὑπὸ Ἀρεάδνης. Ῥώμης ἐπίσκοπος Φίλιξ ἔτη θʹ. ιʹ. δʹ. αʹ. ιγʹ. ηʹ. γʹ. γʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει εἰσῆλθε Λεόντιος ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ὡς βασιλεὺς μηνὶ Ἰουνίῳ κζʹ ἰνδικτιῶνι ζʹ, καὶ προεβάλετο ἔπαρχον πραιτωρίων Λιλιανόν, καὶ ἐξελθὼν