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keeping watch. And indeed, falling upon the enemy with a crash and a shout, he found the Romans not yielding at all, but stronger and manfully striking back at him and resisting even more vigorously; wherefore, drawing back a little and coming to himself again, he pressed on again with his force, securing for himself some way of egress and retreat. But again they did not yield to this, but meeting and turning him back 183 by their close formation, they forced him to do this up to this point. But when he saw others appearing from all sides and leaping out from here and there, those inhabiting the northern and southern parts, then at last, despairing of his safety and struck in his mind as if by some thunderbolt, he charged against the swords, not unmindful of his former deeds; there, struck by a mortal blow, he himself became a grievous casualty, and of his own men, no one anywhere was saved. And as they heard that his son had escaped somewhere with a certain phalanx, the kleisourarch of Charsianon, having overtaken him not far off, captured him with his troops and brought him to the general Petronas. Thus, thus then, Petronas, having set up trophies against Amer, from that time held the monk in great reverence and honor, calling him another prophet. And indeed, entrusting to him the affairs of his soul, he rode into the capital, bringing him along, extolling to the emperor and to Bardas the man's divine virtue. And [but] Petronas no longer played the part of the domesticus, but received the honor itself from the emperor; and the monk, having been taught by him of his departure to God, in turn taught Petronas that he was about to depart soon. "And where indeed," Petronas "taking away your lamb, my shepherd and beloved, do you wish to leave me?" he asked with weeping. "In this life? But I fear lest I slide back again to my former lapse and my last state become no better than the first." 184 "And do you wish," says the monk, "to follow me?" And he said, "Yes, father, with pleasure." And indeed, he too, being struck by a disease upon his return home, made known what was happening to the abba, and it was reported back that he had said, "You will be with me after a short while, as you asked." And indeed, after some days had passed, the monk was called to God and he, on the spot, as if by a signal, followed splendidly; and so simultaneous was the departure of both from hence that the one did not hear of the death of the other, although the interval was small. With such an end to his life, it is said, Petronas met his fate; and before him Manuel had also died, overcome by some disease. 26 And Bardas also advanced and continually changed the honors from the emperor, like some proud and ambitious youth changing the various robes for his pleasure. He advanced, then, and ascended to the glory and honor of Caesar, since Michael was not so much excited by any other political matter as by theaters and horse races. And the difficult thing was, he did not love only to be a spectator, if indeed he had that much leisure, but also to be a charioteer himself, he of the Roman empire, becoming a spectacle and a plaything and a laughing-stock to all. Thus Bardas was regent for his nephew, and did not even wish to live, as it seems, unless he could persuade this wretch. Nevertheless, he himself for the time being administered political affairs, and aimed at the imperial power, 185 intending to seize it at an opportune moment. But these things were being stored up for the future; then, however, taking care for secular learning (for it had in so long a time flowed away and come to nothing at all through the boorishness and ignorance of those in power), and having established schools of learning at Magnaura, he strove and made it his ambition that it should flourish and be rejuvenated again. And this, being the most beautiful and most renowned of his works, was not able in any way to wash away the other stains inherent in him. And he was also ruler of the

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φυλάττοντα. καὶ δὴ κρότῳ καὶ βοῇ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἐφαλλόμενος οὐδ' ολως εικοντας τοὺς ̔Ρω- μαίους ἐφεύρισκεν, ἀλλ' ἰσχυροτέρους καὶ αὐτὸν ἀνδρικῶς ἀντι- κρούοντας καὶ μᾶλλον ἀνθισταμένους νεανικῶς· διὸ καὶ μικρὸν συσταλεὶς καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν αυθις γενόμενος ἐπεβάρει πάλιν μετὰ δυνάμεως, ἐκπόρευσίν τινα καὶ κάθοδον ἑαυτῷ ποριζόμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ αυθις τούτῳ οὐκ ἐνδόντες ἀλλ' ὑπαντήσαντες καὶ ἀνα- 183 στρέψαντες τῷ συμπεφράχθαι, καὶ μέχρις τούτων τοῦτο ποιεῖν κατηνάγκασαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντοθεν ἀναφανέντας καὶ αλλους αλλο- θεν ἐκπηδῶντας τοὺς τὰ ἀρκτῷα καὶ μεσημβρινὰ μέρη κατοικοῦν- τας καθεώρακε, τότ' ηδη τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπογνοὺς καὶ τὰς φρένας ωσπερ τινὶ κεραυνῷ βληθεὶς ἐχώρει κατὰ ξιφῶν, οὐδὲ προτέρων ἀμελῶν· ενθα καιρίαν πληγεὶς αὐτός τε πτῶμα γίνεται χαλεπόν, καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ διασώζεται οὐδεὶς οὐδαμοῦ. ὡς δὲ τὸν τούτου υἱὸν μετά τινος φάλαγγος ἀποδρᾶναί που διήκουον, καὶ τοῦτον ὁ τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ κλεισουράρχης καταλαβὼν οὐκ αποθεν χειροῦταί τε μετὰ τοῦ στρατεύματος καὶ τῷ στρατηγῷ φέρων δίδωσι Πετρωνᾷ. ουτως ουτως μὲν ουν ὁ Πετρωνᾶς τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Αμερ στήσας τρόπαια διὰ πολλῆς ειχεν εκτοτε τὸν μοναχὸν αἰδοῦς καὶ τιμῆς, προφήτην αλ- λον ἀποκαλῶν. καὶ δὴ καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τούτῳ ἀναθεὶς πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εἰσελαύνει τοῦτον ἐπιφερόμενος, πρὸς τὸν βα- σιλέα καὶ τὸν Βάρδαν τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς θειάζων καλῶς ἀρετήν. καὶ [ἀλλ'] ὁ μὲν Πετρωνᾶς τὸ τοῦ δομεστίκου οὐκέτι προσωπεῖον καθυπεκρίνετο, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ἐλάμβανεν ἐκ βασιλέως τιμήν· καὶ ὁ μοναχὸς τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ἐκδημίαν παρ' αὐτοῦ διδαχθεὶς τὸν Πε- τρωνᾶν ἀνεδίδασκεν ὡς διὰ ταχέων μέλλων ἀποδημεῖν. "καὶ ποῖ με δὴ" ὁ Πετρωνᾶς "ἀπαίρων τὸ σὸν ἀρνίον, ὁ ποιμήν μου καὶ ἐραστά, βούλει καταλιπεῖν;" μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο. "αρα τούτῳ τῷ βίῳ; ἀλλὰ δέδοικα μὴ πρὸς τὸν πρότερον ολισθον αυ- θις παραρρυῶ καὶ γένωνταί μοι τὰ εσχατα τῶν προτέρων οὐ κρείτ- 184 τονα." "καὶ βούλει" φησὶν ὁ μοναχός "ἐμοὶ συνεπακολουθῆ- σαι;" καὶ ουτος "ναί, πάτερ" εφη, "μεθ' ἡδονῆς." καὶ δὴ νόσῳ καὶ ουτος βληθεὶς αμα τῇ οικαδε ὑποστροφῇ ἐδήλου τὰ συμ- πίπτοντα τῷ ἀββᾷ, καὶ ἀντεδηλοῦτο φάναι ὡς μετ' ἐμοῦ γενήσῃ μετὰ μικρόν, ὡς ᾐτήσω. καὶ δή τινων ἡμερῶν παρελθουσῶν ὁ μοναχός τε μετεκαλεῖτο πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ ουτος αὐθωρὸν ὡς ἐκ συνθήματος ἐπηκολούθει λαμπρῶς· καὶ τοσοῦτον ην κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν ἀμφοτέρων ἡ ἐκεῖθεν ἀποδημία ὡς ατερος ἑτέρου, καίτοι γε μικροῦ τοῦ διαστήματος οντος, μὴ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν θάνα- τον. τοιούτῳ μὲν δὴ τέλει τοῦ βίου ὁ Πετρωνᾶς χρησάμενος λέ- γεται, ἐτελεύτα δὲ καὶ πρὸ τούτου ὁ Μανουὴλ νόσῳ δή τινι κρα- τηθείς. 26 Μετέβαινε δὲ καὶ ὁ Βάρδας καὶ τὰς ἐκ βασιλέως ημειβε συνεχῶς τιμάς, ωσπερ τις νέος γαῦρός τε καὶ φιλότιμος τὰς ποικίλας τῶν πρὸς τέρψιν στολάς. μετέβαινε γοῦν καὶ πρὸς τὴν Καίσαρος ἀνῄει δόξαν τε καὶ τιμήν, τοῦ Μιχαὴλ οὐ πρὸς ετε- ρόν τι τῶν πολιτικῶν τοσοῦτον ἐπτοημένου η θέατρα καὶ ιππων ἁμιλλητήρια. καὶ τὸ δὴ χαλεπόν, οὐκ ἠγάπα μόνον θεατὴς ειναι, ειγε καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐσχόλαζεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἡνιοχεῖν ὁ τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων βασιλείας, θέαμα τυγχάνων καὶ παίγνιον πᾶσι δὴ καὶ κατάγελως. ουτως ὁ Βάρδας τοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦ ἐπετρόπευεν, καὶ οὐδὲ ζῆν, ὡς εοικεν, ἠθέλησεν, εἰ μὴ τοῦτον μεταπείσει τὸ ἀν- δράποδον. πλὴν διῴκει τέως αὐτὸς τὰ πολιτικά, καὶ τῆς βασι- 185 λείας κατεστοχάζετο ὡς αὐτὴν εὐκαίρως περιληψόμενος. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐταμιεύετο· τότε δὲ τῆς εξω σοφίας ἐπι- μεληθεὶς (καὶ γὰρ ην τῷ τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ παραρρυεῖσα καὶ πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν ολως κεχωρηκυῖα τῇ τῶν κρατησάντων ἀγροικίᾳ καὶ ἀμαθίᾳ) καὶ διατριβὰς τῶν μαθηματικῶν κατὰ Μαγναύραν ποιήσας αυθις ἀκμάζειν καὶ ἀνηβᾶν ταύτην ἐσπούδαζέ τε καὶ πε- φιλοτίμητο. καὶ τοῦτο τῶν εργων αὐτοῦ κάλλιστόν τε καὶ περι- βόητον ον οὐκ ισχυσέ πως τὰς ἐνούσας αλλως κῆρας αὐτῷ ἀπονί- ψασθαι. ηρχε δὲ καὶ τῆς