Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
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
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
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 th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
Scarcely the temple-keeper; he immediately makes Basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. And Basil was handsome, noble, with giant hands, deft-handed, a broad-chested hero, with sturdy arms. Therefore, having gradually made his strength known to all, he was on the lips of the magnates. And why say more, which is superfluous? He became known to Michael, and at first indeed he was honored as keeper of the horses, then also as chamberlain, a great thing for the Romans, and finally as emperor, and he ruled with him. But having condemned the ruler as a drunkard and a sot who delighted in revels and was mad for the theater, he drove his sword through his entrails, and seized the power before its time, before its hour. This man immediately pushes Photius from the church, and again gives the throne back to Ignatius. But wishing also to distribute money to the public and having searched the gold-guarding houses, which before held tight the pools of money, and seeing them all squalid and not even having bilge-water, he was grieved, he bore it heavily, he was distressed, he was in despair, he did not know what to do, he was at a loss on all sides; for a king lacking wealth of many talents is truly an ancient, thrice-old eagle, deprived of its wings, its claws, its beak. Therefore Basil was vexed, he was in despair. For indeed the emperor Michael, having emptied everything and bestowed it on mimes, playmates and drinking-companions, not only gave golden griffins to be melted down, but also the golden plane-tree with the beautiful trunk, on which sat golden sparrows of every kind, and chirped a melody as from a living tongue, and instilled astonishment in their hearers, who were amazed at the novelty of that device. But that which is worthy of grief and lamentations and tears, the account is about to tell and deeply groan. Leo, the most learned among philosophers, for the beauty-loving emperor Michael his father, had fashioned an extraordinary time-keeping instrument, through which he allowed the king to see, hour by hour, while staying in the middle of the imperial houses, if anything new was being attempted among the Arabs, among the Syrians. Once, then, while Michael was conducting a chariot race, it was announced that an army of Syrians had set out against someone with a heavy and vehement and mighty rush. Having heard this, Michael, and fearing that the crowd, disturbed by what they heard, might leave the theater, immediately orders the device to be smashed. Alas for his stupidity! Alas for his madness! Alas, alas, what a treasure of the Romans a man of filthy life, a bestial drunkard, made to disappear. And these things have been lamented enough by me in my account; but the emperor Basil, having already perceived that the fortune of the Romans had, alas, sunk to its knees and was in danger of falling wretchedly on its face, or rather to say, was failing and breathing its last, knew that he must take up the imperial wisdom and save her who was almost dead and ready for the tomb. From this came frequent toils and cares and labors, and breastplate and wearing of iron, and blood-loving wars and continuous concerns, and a life under the shield and helmets and lances, and an eyelid raw from lack of sleep, not drawing sleep to satiety. From this he saved the affairs of the Romans, and the fortune that had grown old and wrinkled he made into a beautiful, tender-cheeked maiden. Then the barbarians knew the beast that was previously sleeping had nobly awoken against the wrongdoers, and all, shrinking in fear, hid in the thickets, and again the rod of the Romans prevailed. But when Ignatius, having fled the surges of life, had put in at the calm harbors of heaven, the deep-minded Photius, always thirsting for the throne and hastening to obtain the church again, contrives something of this deep and crooked sort. He takes only the first letters of the names of the emperor, of his sons, and also of the Augusta, and composes the acrostic "beklas," and having explained this, which caused trouble for the sophists of that time, he seemed to the emperor to be great in wisdom, and again he inherits the much-coveted throne. But then a mind prone to error for all the
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μόλις ὁ νεωκόρος· ποιεῖται τὸν Βασίλειον ἐφέστιον αὐτίκα, καὶ θεραπείας ἀξιοῖ τοῦτον τῆς προσηκούσης. ἦν δ' ὁ Βασίλειος καλός,
γενναῖος, γιγαντόχειρ, εὐπάλαμνος, εὐρύστερνος ἥρως, στερροβραχίων. ἐντεῦθεν οὖν κατὰ βραχὺ τὸ σθεναρὸν γνωρίσας ἅπασιν ἐπὶ
στόματος ἔκειτο μεγιστᾶσι. καί τι μακρὰ καὶ περιττά; τῷ Μιχαὴλ ἐγνώσθη, καὶ πρῶτα μέντοι φροντιστὴς τετίμητο τῶν ἵππων, ἔπειτα
καὶ παράκοιτος, πρᾶγμα Ῥωμαίοις μέγα, καὶ τελευταῖον βασιλεὺς καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ διεῖπε. τοῦ δὲ κρατοῦντος καταγνοὺς ὡς πότου καὶ
μεθύσου καὶ κώμοις ἐπιχαίροντος καὶ θεατρομανοῦντος, κατὰ τῶν σπλάγχνων τῶν αὐτοῦ διήλασε τὸ ξίφος, καὶ τὰ τοῦ κράτους ἥρπασε
πρὸ χρόνου, πρὸ τῆς ὥρας. Οὗτος εὐθὺς τὸν Φώτιον ὠθεῖ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ πάλιν ἀποδίδωσι τὸν θρόνον Ἰγνατίῳ. θελήσας δὲ καὶ
τῷ κοινῷ χρήματα διαδοῦναι καὶ διερευνησάμενος οἴκους χρυσιοφρούρους, οἵ τινες πρὶν συνέσφιγγον τὰς τῶν χρημάτων λίμνας, καὶ
βλέψας πάντας αὐχμηροὺς μηδ' ἄντλον εὐτυχοῦντας, ἤλγει, βαρέως ἔφερεν, ἤλυεν, ἠδημόνει, οὐκ εἶχεν ὅ τι γένοιτο, πάντοθεν ἠπορεῖτο·
ὁ βασιλεὺς γὰρ ἀπορῶν ὄλβου πολυταλάντου ἄντικρύς ἐστιν ἀετὸς παλαιγενὴς τριγέρων, ἀφῃρημένος τὰ πτερά, τοὺς ὄνυχας, τὸ ῥάμφος.
ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Βασίλειος ἤσχαλλεν, ἠδημόνει. ὁ κράτωρ γάρ τοι Μιχαὴλ πάντα κατακενώσας καὶ μίμοις χαρισάμενος συμπαίκταις καὶ
συμπόταις, οὐ μόνον γρῦπας δέδωκε χωνείᾳ καταχρύσους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν καλλίπρεμνον πλάτανον τὴν χρυσέαν, ἐφ' ἧς καθῆστο χρύσεα
παντοδαπὰ στρουθία, καὶ μέλος ἐτιτύβιζεν ὡς ἀπὸ ζώσης γλώσσης, καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν αὐτῶν ἔκπληξιν ἐνεποίει, ἐκθαμβουμένοις
τὸ καινὸν τῆς μηχανῆς ἐκείνης. ὃ δὲ καὶ πένθους ἄξιον καὶ θρήνων καὶ δακρύων, λέξων ὁ λόγος ἔρχεται καὶ βαρυστοναχήσων. ὁ
μυριομαθέστατος ἐν φιλοσόφοις Λέων τῷ φιλοκάλῳ βασιλεῖ τῷ Μιχαὴλ γενέτῃ ἐξαίσιον εἰργάσατο σκεῦος ὡρονομίου, δι' οὗ παρεῖχε
καθορᾶν τῷ βασιλεῖ καθ' ὧρον, ἐν μέσοις διατρίβοντι τοῖς βασιλείοις οἴκοις, εἴ που τολμᾶταί τι καινὸν ἐν Ἄραψιν, ἐν Σύροις.
τελοῦντι γοῦν τῷ Μιχαὴλ ποτὲ διφρηλασίας Σύρων στρατὸς ἐξορμηθεὶς πρός τινος ἐμηνύθη μετὰ βαρείας καὶ σφοδρᾶς καὶ βριαρᾶς
τῆς ῥύμης. ὅπερ ἀκούσας Μιχαήλ, καὶ δείσας μὴ τὸ πλῆθος τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσι ταραχθὲν τὸ θέατρον ἐκλείπῃ, αὐτίκα τὸ μηχάνημα κελεύει
συντριβῆναι. φεῦ τῆς σκαιότητος αὐτοῦ! φεῦ τῆς φρενοβλαβείας! φεῦ φεῦ, ὁποῖον θησαυρὸν ἠφάνισε Ῥωμαίων ἄνθρωπος ῥυπαρόβιος,
πότης βοσκηματώδης. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἀρκούντως μοι τεθρήνηται τῷ λόγω· ὁ κράτωρ δὲ Βασίλειος ἤδη κατανοήσας εἰς γόνυ φεῦ ὀκλάσασαν
τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων τύχην καὶ κινδυνεύουσαν πεσεῖν ἀθλίως ἐπὶ στόμα, μᾶλλον δ' εἰπεῖν ἐκλείπουσαν καὶ πνέουσαν τὰ λοῖσθα, δεῖν
ἔγνω τὴν βασίλειον ἀναλαβεῖν σοφίαν καὶ σῶσαι τὴν παρὰ μικρὸν νεκράν τε καὶ τυμβήρη. ἐντεῦθεν κάματοι πυκνοὶ καὶ μέριμναι
καὶ μόχθοι, καὶ θώραξ περιστέρνιος καὶ σιδηροφορία, καὶ πόλεμοι φιλαίματοι καὶ συνεχεῖς φροντίδες, καὶ βίος ὑπασπίδιος καὶ
κόρυθες καὶ λόγχαι, καὶ βλέφαρον ὠμόϋπνον σπῶν οὐκ εἰς κόρον ὕπνον. ἐντεῦθεν ἀνεσώσατο τὰ πράγματα Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τύχην τὴν
γηράσασαν τὴν ἐκρυτιδωθεῖσαν καλὴν τρυφεροπάρειον εἰργάσατο κορίσκην. ἔγνωσαν τότε βάρβαροι θῆρα τὸν πρὶν ὑπνοῦντα γενναίως
ἀνεγρόμενον κατὰ τῶν ἀδικούντων, καὶ πάντες ὑποτρέσαντες ἔδυσαν εἰς τὰς λόχμας, καὶ πάλιν ὑπερίσχυσεν ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ῥάβδος.
Ἐπεὶ δὲ κλύδωνας φυγὼν Ἰγνάτιος τοῦ βίου τοῖς εὐγαλήνοις οὐρανοῦ προσώκειλε λιμέσιν, ὁ βαθυγνώμων Φώτιος, ἀεὶ διψῶν τοῦ θρόνου
καὶ σπεύδων ἐπιτεύξασθαι πάλιν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, τοῖόνδε τι βαθύτροπον καὶ σκολιὸν τεχνᾶται. τῶν ὀνομάτων τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀπολαμβάνει
μόνας τοῦ βασιλέως, τῶν υἱῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης, καὶ τὸ βεκλὰς συντίθησι, καὶ τοῦτο σαφηνίσας, τοῖς τότε σοφιστεύουσι
πράγματα προξενῆσαν, ἔδοξεν εἶναι βασιλεῖ μέγας ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, καὶ πάλιν τὸν πολύζηλον κατακληροῦται θρόνον. Ἀλλ' ἄρα νοῦς ἀκροσφαλὴς
πᾶσι τοῖς
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