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Explaining the philosophy of such a school was that Leo, the great philosopher, who through kinship with his cousin was related to the patriarch John, and who held the throne of Thessalonica, since he was now at leisure due to his deposition, was advanced to this school, driving ignorance far away and turning it back. 27 It is worthwhile not to pass over how such a great man came to the knowledge of the one then in power. He was Theophilus, the progenitor and father of Michael. This man, therefore, since he had practiced the science of mathematics to perfection, having advanced so far through all of them, philosophy and its sisters, I mean arithmetic and geometry and astronomy, but also the much-celebrated music, and having driven to the height of them as no one else with much diligence and an untroubled life and greatness of nature, using a certain humble lodging and abode, he educated those who came to him, 186 teaching them whatever science they wished. As time passed and not a few of the students were making progress in the sciences, it happened that a certain young man of his students, who had just reached the end of the science of geometry, became a scribe for someone holding the rank of a general, and for the sake of advancement in life, he chose to follow him. When he was with him during the war, by the Hagarenes, I know not how, he is taken alive and is given into slavery to one of the notable men because of his youth. That man, called Mamoun, was then the amermoumnes of the Ishmaelites, devoting himself to other Greek studies and indeed not neglecting geometry for the most part. When conversation was once started by the master who had the young man about the zeal of the amermoumnes and his diligence in studies, as he was speaking also about geometry, the young man said that he desired to hear him and his teachers, since he himself also had some knowledge of geometry. So when the amermoumnes learned of it, he calls him in with much joy, and he asked the captive if he possessed knowledge of such a science. And when he gave his assent, the barbarian, still holding disbelief toward his words, said that there were no others under heaven besides his own teachers. And when the young man said he desired to hear them and 187 their teaching, immediately they came forward and began it, and they drew the triangular and quadrangular figures, and they brought forth the canons of Euclid, and while they taught manfully and scientifically, saying that this has such a name and the other such, but a cause and a reason, and why it is so and has its name, they did not provide a suitable one at all, having ignorance and lack of knowledge, but not some narrowness of tongue. So when the young man saw them exulting and being proud of their drawing of the figures, he says, "Why, O men, when in every word and deed the cause and the reason for it holds sway, do you, by stating only the existence, run past the reasons for these things as if they were not necessary? And do you bring the one being taught to the same point as the one who is not educated at all nor knows anything about these matters?" When they were at a loss and urged him to clarify and teach the causes of these things, since they heard him interpreting and clearly stating them, how this on the one hand for this reason and that on the other for that reason has its stated name and diagram, and at the same time their minds were opened and they understood what was being said, then, seized with amazement, they asked how many such learned men Byzantium nurtures. And when he said there were many and counted himself in the choir of the students but not of the teachers, they again asked him about the teacher, whether he was still counted among the living and was above the earth. And he said, "He is indeed 188 above the earth," and

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τοιαύτης σχολῆς τὴν μὲν φιλοσοφίαν ἐξηγούμενος Λέων ἐκεῖνος ὁ μέγας τε καὶ φιλόσοφος, ος κατὰ συγγένειαν μὲν τοῦ ἐξαδέλφου τῷ πατριάρχῃ ̓Ιαννῇ ᾠκείωτο, τὸν θρόνον δὲ τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης κατέχων, ἐπειδὴ νῦν ἐκ καθαιρέσεως ἐσχόλαζεν, εἰς ταύτην προεβιβάζετο τὴν σχολήν, τὴν ἀμαθίαν πόρρω ποι ἀπελαύνων καὶ ἀποτρεπόμενος. 27 Αξιον δὲ μηδ' οπως εἰς γνῶσιν ηλθεν ὁ τηλικοῦτος ἀνὴρ τῷ τότε κρατοῦντι παραδραμεῖν. Θεόφιλος δὲ ην, ὁ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ σπορεὺς καὶ πατήρ. ουτος ουν ἐπεὶ τὴν τῶν μαθημά- των εἰς ακρον ἐπιστήμην ἐξήσκησεν, τοσοῦτον χωρήσας διὰ πα- σῶν, τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς ἀδελφῶν, ἀριθμητικῆς τέ φημι καὶ γεωμετρίας καὶ ἀστρονομίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς πολυθρυλή- του μουσικῆς, καὶ εἰς ακρον αὐτῶν ἐλάσας ὡς οὐδεμιᾶς ετερος σπουδῇ τε πολλῇ καὶ βίῳ ἀπράγμονι καὶ μεγέθει φύσεως, εὐτελεῖ τινὶ καταλύματι χρώμενος καὶ καταγωγίῳ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν φοιτῶν- 186 τας ἐπαίδευεν, ἐκδιδάσκων ηντινα ἐπιστήμην καὶ βούλοιντο. ὡς δ' ηδη χρόνος παρίππασεν καὶ τῶν μαθητῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοι κατὰ τὰς ἐπιστήμας προέκοπτον, συνέβη τινὰ νεανίαν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φοιτητῶν, τῆς γεωμετρικῆς ἐπιστήμης αρτι τὸ πέρας κατειληφότα, ὑπογρα- φέα γενέσθαι τινὸς στρατηγίδα τάξιν διέποντος, καὶ προκοπῆς ενεκεν τοῦ βίου ἀγαπῆσαι τούτῳ ἀκολουθεῖν. ὡς δὲ κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον αμα τούτῳ ἐγένετο, ὑπὸ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν, οὐκ οιδ' οπως, ζωγρεῖται καὶ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν τινὶ εἰς δουλείαν διὰ τὸ νέον τῆς ἡλικίας δίδοται. Μαμοῦν ἐκεῖνος ουτω καλούμενος τηνικαῦτα μὲν τῶν ̓Ισμαηλιτῶν ἐτέλει ἀμεραμνουνῆς, αλλοις τε μαθήμασι σχολάζων ̔Ελληνικοῖς καὶ δὴ καὶ γεωμετρίας ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον οὐκ ἀμελῶν. λόγου δέ ποτε παρὰ τοῦ τὸν νεανίαν εχοντος δε- σπότου κινηθέντος περὶ τῆς σπουδῆς ἀμεραμνουνῆ καὶ τῆς τῶν μαθημάτων ἐπιμελείας, ὡς δὴ καὶ περὶ τῆς γεωμετρίας ελεγεν, ἀκοῦσαι τούτου ειπεν ὁ νεανίας ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ διδασκά- λων, ὡς καὶ αὐτοῦ τινὰ εχοντος ἐπιστήμην γεωμετρικήν. ὡς ουν ἀνέμαθεν ὁ ἀμεραμνουνῆς, μετὰ περιχαρείας εἰσκαλεῖται πολλῆς, καὶ τὸν αἰχμάλωτον ἐπυνθάνετο εἰ γνῶσιν τῆς τοιαύτης κέκτηται ἐπιστήμης. καὶ ἐπεὶ τὴν συγκατάθεσιν ἐποιήσατο, ετι μὲν ἀπιστίαν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκείνου λόγους ὁ βάρβαρος κεκτημένος οὐκ ελεγεν ἑτέρους ειναι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν τῶν ἐκείνου διδασκάλων ἐκτός. ὡς δ' ὁ νεανίας ελεγεν τούτων διακοῦσαι ἐπιθυμεῖν καὶ 187 τῆς αὐτῶν διδασκαλίας, εὐθὺς ουτοι παραστάντες ἀπήρχοντο ταύτης, καὶ διεχάραττον τὰ τρίγωνά τε καὶ τετράγωνα σχήματα, καὶ τοὺς Εὐκλείδου κανόνας προσέφερον, καὶ τὸ μὲν οτι ἐδίδασκον ἀνδρικῶς καὶ ἐπιστημονικῶς, τοῦτο λέγοντες τοιαύτην εχοι τὴν κλῆσιν καὶ τοιαύτην τὸ ετερον, αἰτίαν δὲ καὶ λόγον, καὶ διότι ουτως τε εστιν καὶ κλῆσιν εχοι, κατάλληλον ἀπεδίδοσαν οὐδαμῶς, ἀμάθειαν καὶ αγνοιαν, ἀλλ' οὐ στενότητα γλώττης πως εχοντες. ὡς ουν τούτους γαυρουμένους ἑώρα καὶ μέγα φρονοῦντας ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν σχημάτων ὁ νεανίας καταγραφῇ, "τί" φησίν "ω ουτοι, ἐπὶ παντὸς λόγου καὶ πράγματος τῆς αἰτίας τὸ κράτος ἐχούσης καὶ τοῦ διότι, ὑμεῖς τὴν υπαρξιν μόνον λέγοντες τοὺς τούτων παρα- τρέχετε λόγους ὡς οὐκ ἀναγκαίους; καὶ εἰς ταὐτὸν τὸν διδασκό- μενον αγετε οπου καὶ τὸν μηδὲν παιδευόμενον μηδέ τι περὶ τού- των διαγινώσκοντα;" τῶν δὲ διαπορησάντων καὶ τὰς αἰτίας τού- των διευκρινεῖν καὶ διδάσκειν παρακελευομένων, ἐπεὶ διερμη- νεύοντα καὶ σαφῶς λέγοντα ταύτας διήκουον, ὡς τοῦτο μὲν διὰ τόδε καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τόδε τὴν εἰρημένην εχει κλῆσίν τε καὶ γραφήν, καὶ αμα αὐτῶν ὁ νοῦς διηνοίγετο καὶ τῶν λεγομένων συνίεσαν, θάμβει λοιπὸν συσχεθέντες ἠρώτων ὁπόσους τὸ Βυζάντιον τοιού- τους τρέφει ανδρας ἐπιστήμονας. ὡς δὲ πολλοὺς ουτος ελεγεν καὶ ἑαυτὸν τῷ τῶν μαθητιώντων χορῷ ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν διδασκόντων κατέλεγεν, περὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου τοῦτον αυθις ἐπανηρώτων, οὐ ζῶσιν ετι ἠρίθμηται καὶ ὑπεράνω πέφυκε γῆς. ὁ δὲ "εστι τε" 188 εφησεν "ὑπὲρ γῆς," καὶ