of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in the palaces, which Theophilus had once lavishly made to be a most brilliant topic of conversation for the Romans, were given over to the furnace, wickedly emptied into foul and abominable pipes full of holes. But the swineherd dared not only these things, but advancing daily to a worse life, the most wicked one raged against the holy mysteries and the all-venerable Seraphim themselves, and pouring pungent mustard juice into a mixing bowl, he supposedly celebrated the awesome consecration, playing, they say, with things not to be played with, laughing at things not to be laughed at. Seeing Michael living thus and the emperor of the Romans becoming a laughing-stock, his mother's bowels were twisted, her soul was shaken, and with words she tried to make him prudent, to discipline him, to advise him, she attempted to lead him away from abominable and shameful deeds. But it was, as they say, she who was speaking to a dead man, chanting her admonitions to a deaf ear. And he had a maternal uncle named Bardas, an evil-scheming man, who led and twisted everything, who, having crept into Michael like a worm into sweet wood, and having devoured and rotted his heart, persuades him to drive out the empress Theodora and to cast his own mother out of the palace, and to adorn him with the diadem of Caesar. Therefore, having taken that wretched one when he was alone, and who had, as it were, cut off his own right hand with his left, like madmen do, or rather, to speak more truly, had become helpless and handless, or, according to the fable of the Aesopian lyre, a sheep having appeared utterly foolish and having driven away the dogs on the advice of the wolf, he drew the power from the emperor to himself and did everything he wanted openly, as if he were sole ruler. Moreover, he had also rolled into such a transgression as no Scythian has committed, no Persian, no Sarmatian, with his own legitimate son's wife—alas, what a licentious mind!—uniting with her openly as if with his own consort. The great Ignatius heard of this terrible thing, he who was then governing the queen of cities; for it was talked about everywhere in the streets, in the houses, and the abomination ran through the ears of all. And so he admonished the Caesar Bardas with words, with terrors, with threats of future torments, he rebuked, he corrected, he reproved, he admonished, he set every device in motion for the cutting off of the passion. But in all things the lyre of Solomon was true, which dissuades one from reproving evil-minded men; for reproofs are like bruises to the impious, and they strike the hearts of evildoers like darts. For the Caesar, embittered by the reproachful words with which he was rebuked by the God-bearer, not only did not heed the counsels, but even nourished wrath against the one counseling him, acting like those who, being full of discharges, are cared for by someone, yet they are annoyed and become even more savage towards their benefactor. Hence, Bardas, once approaching the mysteries and not receiving that divine gift (for a rotten vessel is not entrusted with fragrant myrrh) and inflamed with anger like a loud-roaring lion, like a panther he leaps violently upon the just man, and he breaks and tears him from the helm, and he sets up Photius in his place—alas, what a man in place of what a man! From this, the brine of temptations, striving contentiously, dashed over the holy Ignatius on the sea. For the Caesar blew like a heavy-roaring north wind, like a savage Euroclydon, like a tempestuous north-easter, and heavy-thundering storms and squalls were stirred up. But who will be able to recount in tragic style the sufferings to which both Photius and Bardas subjected him, so that he might sign his own handwritten documents as if wishing to cast off the sacred wool. They tear out the roots of his teeth, they crush his jaws, alas, they smash his cheekbones. And like a pig-fouled, wicked bandit chief, a naked prisoner—O sun and earth!—they stretch him out on cold marble, on a stinking, dung-defiled sarcophagus, which held the despised corpse of Copronymus. But the all-daring woman did not remain hidden to the end

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τῶν πάλαι βασιλέων καὶ δένδρα τὰ κατάχρυσα, στρουθία τε τὰ λάλα, καὶ λέοντες σφυρήλατοι χρυσοῦ πεποιημένοι, καὶ πᾶν ἁπλῶς βασίλειον λάμπον ἐν ἀνακτόροις, ἅπερ τὸ πρὶν Θεόφιλος εἴργαστο φιλοτίμως εἰς λάλημα περίλαμπρον ἐσόμενα Ῥωμαίοις, χωνείᾳ παρεδίδοντο, κακῶς ἐξεκενοῦντο εἰς μυσαροὺς καὶ βδελυροὺς σωλῆνας πολυτρήτους. οὐ ταῦτα δ' ὁ χοιρόβιος τετόλμηκε καὶ μόνα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ χείρονα ζωὴν προκόπτων ὁσημέραι ἐλύττησεν ὁ κάκιστος κατὰ τῶν μυστηρίων τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ Σεραφὶμ αὐτοῖς ἀξιοσέπτων, καὶ σίνηπι δριμύχυμον ἐγχέων εἰς κρατῆρα τὴν ἁγιστείαν τὴν φρικτὴν δῆθεν ἐτελετάρχει, παίζων, φασίν, ἐν οὐ παικτοῖς, γελῶν ἐν ἀγελάστοις. Οὕτω βιοῦντα Μιχαὴλ ἡ μήτηρ καθορῶσα καὶ παίγνιον γινόμενον τὸν κράτορα Ῥωμαίων τὰ σπλάγχνα συνεστρέφετο, ψυχὴν συνεδονεῖτο, καὶ λόγοις ἐσωφρόνιζεν ἐρύθμιζε παρῄνει, βδελυροτήτων αἰσχρουργῶν ἀπάγειν ἐπειρᾶτο. ἀλλ' ἦν τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον νεκρῷ προσομιλοῦσα, παρὰ κωφῷ ψαλάττουσα τοὺς παραινετηρίους. ἦν δὲ μητράδελφος αὐτῷ Βάρδας ὠνομασμένος, ἄνθρωπος κακομήχανος, ἄγων καὶ στρέφων πάντα, ὃς ὑπελθὼν τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὡς σκώληξ γλυκὺ ξύλον, καταφαγών τε τὴν αὐτοῦ καρδίαν καὶ συσσήψας, πείθει τὴν μὲν βασίλισσαν ἐλάσαι Θεοδώραν καὶ τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἔκπτωτον θέσθαι τῶν βασιλείων, στεφάνῳ δὲ τοῦ Καίσαρος αὐτὸν καταγλαΐσαι. ἔρημον οὖν παραλαβὼν τὸν ἄθλιον ἐκεῖνον καὶ τὸ περιφερόμενον ἐκκόψαντα τὴν χεῖρα τὴν δεξιὰν ἀριστερᾷ κατὰ τοὺς μαινομένους, μᾶλλον δ' εἰπεῖν ἀπάλαμνον ἄχειρα γεγονότα, ἢ κατὰ τὸ μυθούργημα τῆς Αἰσωπείας λύρας προβάτιον εἰς ἄνοιαν αὐτόχρημα φανέντα καὶ κύνας ἀπελάσαντα τῇ συμβουλῇ τοῦ λύκου, τὸ κράτος ἐκ τοῦ κράτορος εἰς ἑαυτὸν μεθεῖλκε καὶ πᾶν ἐποίει βουλητὸν ἄντικρυς ὡς αὐτάναξ. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' ἐκκεκύλιστο καὶ πρὸς παρανομίαν οἵαν οὐ Σκύθης δέδρακεν, οὐ Πέρσης, οὐ Σαρμάτης, υἱοῦ γνησίου γαμετῇ, φεῦ ἀκολάστου γνώμης! μιγνύμενος ἀναφανδὸν ὡς ἑαυτοῦ συλλέκτρῳ. ἤκουσε τοῦτο τὸ δεινὸν Ἰγνάτιος ὁ μέγας, ὁ τηνικαῦτα κυβερνῶν τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν· ἦν γὰρ περιλαλούμενον ἐν ἀγυιαῖς, ἐν οἴκοις, καὶ πάντων περιέτρεχε τὰς ἀκοὰς τὸ μύσος. καὶ τοίνυν ἐσωφρόνιζε τὸν Καίσαρα τὸν Βάρδαν λόγοις, φοβήτροις, ἀπειλαῖς τῶν μελλουσῶν βασάνων, ἐπέπληττε, κατήρτιζεν, ἤλεγχεν, ἐνουθέτει, πᾶσαν ἐκίνει μηχανὴν εἰς ἐκκοπὴν τοῦ πάθους. ἀλλ' ἦν ἐν πᾶσιν ἀληθὴς ἡ Σολομῶντος λύρα, ἐλέγχειν ἀποτρέπουσα τοὺς κακογνωμονοῦντας· ἔλεγχοι γὰρ ὡς μώλωπες εἰσὶ τοῖς ἀσεβέσι, καὶ πλήττουσιν ὡς βέλεμνα τὰς φαυλουργοὺς καρδίας. ὁ Καῖσαρ γὰρ ἐκπικρανθεὶς τοῖς ὀνειδιστηρίοις Ῥήμασιν οἷς ἐπέπληκτο παρὰ τοῦ θεοφόρου, οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐφρόντιζε τῶν παραινετηρίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κότον ἔτρεφε κατὰ τοῦ παραινοῦντος, ὅμοιον δρῶν ὡς εἴ τινες ἰχώρων πεπλησμένοι νοσοκομοῖντο πρός τινος, οἱ δ' ἀποδυσπετοῖεν καὶ μᾶλλον ἀγριαίνοιντο πρὸς τὸν εὐεργετοῦντα. ἔνθεν τοι Βάρδας προσελθών ποτε τοῖς μυστηρίοις καὶ μὴ τυχὼν τῆς δωρεᾶς ἐκείνης τῆς ἐνθέου (οὐ γὰρ πιστεύεται σαπρὸν ἄγγος εὔοσμα μύρα) καὶ πρὸς θυμὸν ἐκπυρωθεὶς ὡς λέων ἐριβρύχης, ὡς πάρδαλις ἐφάλλεται ῥαγδαῖα τῷ δικαίῳ, καὶ ῥήγνυσι καὶ κατασπᾷ τῆς πηδαλιουχίας, ἀντεφιστᾷ δὲ Φώτιον, φεῦ ἀντὶ τίνος ποῖον! ἐντεῦθεν ἐπεπάφλασεν ἅλμη πειρατηρίων τὸν ἱερὸν Ἰγνάτιον ποντοῦν φιλονεικοῦσα. ὁ Καῖσαρ γὰρ ἐφύσησε βορρᾶς ὡς βαρυβόας, ὡς εὐροκλύδων ἄγριος, ὡς δύσπνους ἀπαρκτίας, καὶ λαίλαπες ἠγέρθησαν βαρύθροοι καὶ ζάλαι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ τίς δυνήσεται τὰ πάθη τραγῳδῆσαι ὅσοις αὐτὸν ὑπέβαλον Φώτιός τε καὶ Βάρδας, ὡς ἂν ὑποσημήνηται γραφὰς ἰδιογράφους ὡς θέλων ἀποδύσασθαι τὴν ἱερὰν ἐρέαν. ἀπορριζοῦσι μὲν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὀδοντοφυΐαν, τὰς γνάθους φεῦ συντρίβουσι, τὰς σιαγόνας θλῶσι. καθάπερ δὲ χαιρομυσῆ λῄσταρχον κακεργάτην γυμνὸν δεσμώτην, ἥλιε καὶ γῆ! προσεφαπλοῦσι ψυχρῷ μαρμάρῳ, λάρνακι δυσώδει κοπροφύρτῳ, φερούσῃ τὸν κατάπτυστον νεκρὸν τοῦ Κοπρωνύμου. ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος ἔλαθεν ἡ πάντολμος

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