Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

statement, they willingly let it go; for they could not hope for the advantage, even with matters having proceeded for them with the greatest good fortune, but they thought they would lose what was in their hands, if some were stirred up and attacked them in turn. It was possible to see there terrible disturbances and Panic fears, with everything being held in check. And so the protovestiarios, fearing for the whole affair, that the prey might somehow be snatched from their hands (for a terrible goodwill armed the masses, and abandoning their own affairs they lamented him; and the Persian contingent especially seemed to have been incited, so that they might do something noble) decided to pull out the foundation and remove what held it together and thus to resolve the fears he was dreaming of while awake. And so, having collected immense wealth, 229 and having found the gifts of virtue to be a plaything of fortune, in the end he hands him over to the Jews to be blinded. And he was blinded, though he begged many things even for one of his eyes, but he did not persuade them at all. And they, released from the fears from that quarter, set their hands to the rest, and with the monks they did similar things to others as well, cruelly gouging out their eyes, and from others they took their very lives, and under the guise of vengeance against the rulers they gave the money to themselves.

12. These things, then, were done in the month of Skirophorion around the days of Christmas, and on the first of Hekatombaion those who had been sent to bring the news arrived, who, as if knowing nothing more, announced not the end of the rebellion but rather its beginning and consolidation. And immediately there was a clamor, and anger and despondency divided the news between them. For they were angry that, being still young and having been elevated by them, he had brought himself to dare such things, holding his pledges to the emperors as nothing; but on the other hand they were despondent, suspecting his rashness and youth, and that it would be a very great task, not only to put them down completely by fighting, but even for the time being to tame them by pursuing them with overtures. Therefore, while the rebellion still seemed to be gaining strength, they were in a terrible state, and 230 they thought that all their power was being destroyed, and as if deprived of the greater part of their rule they were concerned for what was left, and a terrible dejection had seized the palace. And indeed, when his brother the protosebastos appeared, they poured out all their anger more lavishly upon him, and they assailed him with threats and insults, so that the effects of their rage and wrath might fall upon a subject and not be given empty to the air. In the end, despairing of the struggle against him, they planned to win over the rebel to their side with good promises and handshakes, and it seemed best to them to send an embassy to him with speed. And for the embassy were chosen the blind Raoul Isaakios and the protovestiarissa Theodora. And their instructions were, having made the voyage and arrived, to promise pardon from the emperor and to offer the dignity of Caesar and revenues befitting the dignity, if only he might be persuaded to return to the emperor's goodwill and submit to his original servitude. 13. But the sixth day had not yet passed since then, when good news arrived, that the affair of the rebels had been settled days before. And questioning in detail they learned that the terrible news was being announced to them at the very time when the 231 grievous things had ceased, and that when they themselves were worrying about them, the latter were delighting in the accomplished closing of their troubles. The emperor, however, judging that he ought to attribute everything to the Mother of God, and believing that because she had appeared as a helper the arrogance of the rebels was thus overthrown in an instant, decided that he ought to offer thank-offerings to her alone, and as soon as he had received and believed the news, having immediately gone forth from the palace on foot with his retinue, he reaches the monastery of the Hodegon, and standing before the venerable icon he offers his veneration according to custom, making earnest supplication, and he offers

ρησιν λογιζόμενοι ἑκόντες ἠφίεσαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχον ἐλπίζειν ἐπὶ τῷ προτερήματι, καὶ οὕτω προχωρησάντων σφίσι τῶν πραγμά των κατ' εὐτυχίαν μεγίστην, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐν χερσὶν ἀπολλύειν, εἴ τινες παρακινηθεῖεν καὶ ἐξ ἀντιστροφῆς ἐπιπέσοιεν, ᾤοντο. τα ραχὰς ἦν βλέπειν ἐκεῖ φοβερὰς καὶ Πανικὰ δείματα, συσχεθέντων τῶν ὅλων. ταῦτά τοι καὶ περὶ τοῖς ὅλοις δεδιὼς ὁ πρωτοβεστια ρίτης μή πως καὶ ἐκ χειρῶν αὐτῶν διαρπασθείη τὸ θήραμα (δει νὴ γὰρ τοὺς πολλοὺς ὥπλιζεν εὔνοια, καὶ τὰ καθ' αὑτοὺς ἀφέν τες ἐκεῖνον ἀπωλοφύροντο· τὸ Περσικὸν δὲ μάλιστα καὶ παρα κεκινῆσθαι ἐδόκει, ὥς τι πραξεῖεν γενναῖον) ἔγνω τὸν θέμεθλον ὑποσπᾶν καὶ τὸ συνέχον ἐκποδὼν ποιεῖσθαι καὶ οὕτω τοὺς φόβους λύειν οὓς ὕπαρ ὠνειροπόλει. τὸν γοῦν μυρίον πλοῦτον συλλέξας, 229 καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς δῶρα τύχης παίγνιον εὑρηκώς, τέλος Ἰουδαίοις ἐκτυφλοῦν παραδίδωσι. καὶ ὁ μὲν τετύφλωτο, πόλλ' ἄττα δυ σωπήσας καὶ περὶ θατέρου τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, ἀλλ' οὐ πείσας τὸ παράπαν. οἱ δὲ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν φόβων ἀπολυθέντες τοῖς λοιποῖς ἐπεχείρουν, καὶ ἔδρων μὲν σὺν τοῖς μοναχοῖς καὶ ἄλλους τὰ ὅμοια, ἀπηνῶς φλοιδοῦντες τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, τοὺς δὲ καὶ βίους ὅλους ἀφῃροῦντο, καὶ σχήματι ἐκδικήσεως τῆς πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας ἑαυτοῖς ἐξεδίδουν τὰ χρήματα.

12. Ἐπράττετο μὲν οὖν ταῦτα μηνὸς Σκιρροφοριῶνος περί που τὰς χριστουγεννίους ἡμέρας, Ἑκατομβαιῶνος δὲ πρώτῃ ἔφθασαν οἱ πρὸς τὸ ἀγγέλλειν πεμφθέντες, οἳ καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν πλέον εἰδότες οὐ κατάλυσιν ἀποστασίας ἀλλ' ἀρχὴν μᾶλλον καὶ σύστα σιν ἤγγελλον. καὶ θόρυβος ἦν αὐτίκα, καὶ θυμὸς καὶ ἀθυμία τὴν ἀγγελίαν ἐμεριζέτην. ἐθυμοῦντο μὲν γὰρ ὅτι νέος ὢν ἔτι καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν ἀναχθεὶς τοιούτοις ἐπιτολμῆσαι ἠνέσχετο, τὰς πρὸς τοὺς βασιλέας πίστεις παρ' οὐδὲν τιθέμενος· ἠθύμουν δ' αὖθις τὸ θερμουργὸν ἐκείνου καὶ νέον ὑποτοπάζοντες, καὶ ὡς ἔργον ἔσται τὸ μέγιστον, μὴ ὅτι γε καταλύειν εἰς τέλος μαχο μένους, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξημεροῦν τέως μετιόντας ὑποποιήσεσιν. ὅθεν καὶ δοκούσης ἔτι τῆς ἀποστασίας συνίστασθαι δεινὰ ἐποίουν, καὶ 230 τὸ πᾶν ἐν ἐκείνοις κράτος καταλύεσθαι ᾤοντο, καὶ ὡς ἀφαιρε θέντες τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς πλέον καὶ περὶ τοῦ λειπομένου ἐφρόντιζον, καὶ δεινή τις κατειλήφει κατήφεια τὰ ἀνάκτορα. καὶ δὴ φανέν τος καὶ τἀδελφοῦ πρωτοσεβαστοῦ, τὸ πᾶν τοῦ θυμοῦ ἐπ' ἐκεί νῳ δαψιλέστερον ἐξεκένουν, καὶ ἀπειλαῖς καὶ ὕβρεσιν ἔβαλλον, ὥστε καὶ καθ' ὑποκειμένου τὰ τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ τῆς ὀργῆς γίνεσθαι καὶ μὴ κενὰ τῷ ἀέρι δίδοσθαι. τέλος τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἀπογνόν τες μάχην, χρησταῖς ὁμολογίαις καὶ δεξιώσεσιν ὑποκατακλίνειν ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ἀποστατήσαντα ἐβουλεύοντο, καὶ σφίσιν ἐδόκει δια πρεσβεύεσθαι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τὸ τάχος. καὶ πρὸς τὴν πρεσβείαν ἐξελέγοντο ὁ τυφλὸς Ῥαοὺλ Ἰσαάκιος καὶ ἡ πρωτοβεστιάρισσα Θεοδώρα. ἦν δὲ σφίσι τὸ ἀνακείμενον, πλῷ χρησαμένους καὶ ἐπιστάντας συγγνώμην τὴν παρὰ βασιλέως ὑπισχνεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἀξίωμα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι καὶ πρεπούσας οἰκονομίας τῷ ἀξιώματι, εἰ μόνον μεταπεισθείη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως εὔ νοιαν καὶ τῇ ἐξ ἀρχῆς καθυπαχθείη δουλείᾳ. 13. Ἀλλ' ἐξ ἐκείνου οὔπω παρῆλθεν ἡ ἕκτη, καὶ ἀγα θαὶ ἀγγελίαι καταλαμβάνουσιν, ὡς τὰ τῶν ἀποστατούντων καὶ πρὸ ἡμερῶν διαπέπρακται. καὶ κατὰ λεπτὸν ἐρωτῶντες ἐμάν θανον τότε τὰ δεινὰ σφίσιν ἀγγέλλεσθαι ὅτε παῦλαν εἶχον τὰ 231 λυπηρά, καὶ ὅτ' αὐτοὶ περὶ ἐκείνων ἐφρόντιζον τότ' ἐκείνους ἐπιτετελεσμένῃ τῇ καταμύσει τῶν χαλεπῶν ἐνηδύνεσθαι. ὁ μέν τοι γε βασιλεὺς τὸ πᾶν προσνέμειν δεῖν κρίνων τῇ θεομήτορι, καὶ ὡς αὐτῆς βοηθοῦ πιστεύων φανείσης τὸ τῶν ἀποστατῶν οὕτως ἐν ἀκαρεῖ κατελύθη φρύαγμα, δεῖν ἔγνω καὶ μόνῃ ταύτῃ ἀπονέ μειν τὰ χαριστήρια, καὶ ἅμα τῷ τὰς ἀγγελίας δέξασθαι καὶ πι στεῦσαι, αὐτόθεν ἐξ ἀνακτόρων πεζῇ τὴν ὁδὸν διεξεληλυθὼς ἅμα τῇ περὶ αὐτὸν τάξει τὴν τῶν Ὁδηγῶν καταλαμβάνει μονήν, καὶ κατέναντι τῆς σεβασμίας εἰκόνος σταθεὶς ἀπονέμει μὲν κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς τὴν προσκύνησιν, λιπαρὰν τὴν ἱκεσίαν ποιούμενος, ἀπο νέμει δέ γε