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practice, they foretold the empire of the Romans. But as he looked to his own fortune, which stood very far from such a rule, and distrusted their oracles, they strongly insisted that the prophecy would come to pass and demanded that he assure them by an oath that, when he should obtain the empire, he would give them whatever they might ask. And 259 he swore that indeed, upon obtaining the empire, he would fulfill their request. So in the manner which has been described, he gained control of the Roman dominion. And those who had prophesied this to him, when he was already completing the ninth year of his absolute rule, came to him and asked that he pay them the reward for the prophecy. And Leo was ready for this and asked them to say what it was they requested. And that profane pair of Jews said, "We ask neither that wealth be given to us, nor to be raised to a high position of glory, nor any other of the splendors of the empire, but only that the images of the Nazarene and of her who bore him be removed from everywhere." And he, being unsure in his faith, agreed to do this as if it were something trivial and very easy; and having just begun the tenth year of his tyranny, he also began to fight against God and with a horrid roar he proceeded against the holy icons and stirred up a most severe persecution, and he punished many who resisted his most accursed opinion and made them martyrs. And in addition to the other things he did against the pious, he has also done this. There was an im260 perial building in the so-called Basilica very near the Chalkoprateia, in which were stored many books of both profane wisdom and of the nob260 ler and more divine. And this was from of old the residence of the preeminent man of letters, whom they called the ecumenical teacher; who also had twelve others living with him, and they too partook of logical education to the highest degree. Public stipends were assigned to these men, and those who cared for logical education and knowledge frequented them, whom the emperor had also made counselors in practical matters. Therefore, if he could win these men over and make them of his own opinion, he judged that he would accomplish the whole matter. And having summoned the men, he shared with them his wicked opinion concerning the venerable icons. But not only did they not agree with him, but they also tried to change him from this opinion completely, on the one hand stroking the beast named for a lion and charming him for his salvation, and on the other hand more nobly resisting and refuting his impiety. But he, like an asp, stopped his ears and did not hear the voice of the charmers, nor was he treated by the wise. Therefore, having often conversed with them and despairing of their conversion, he 261 let them go to their own place of study, that is, that imperial building, but he himself ordered much flammable material to be gathered and placed around the building and set on fire at night, and thus he burned down both the building with the books and those wise and venerable men. For these reasons, Gregory, who then governed the church of the elder Rome, withdrew from communion with the one presiding over new Rome and those who shared his views, and subjected them, along with the emperor, to a synodical anathema, and he held back the taxes which until then had been brought from there to the empire, having made a treaty with the Franks; for the Franks are not of the Roman race, but Procopius of Caesarea, who compiled the variegated history, says that they are a Germanic people, having long dwelt around the Rhine and Rhone rivers and the lakes there. And when Belisarius was general of the Romans under the first Justinian and was contending with the Goths for Italy and the cities in it and Rome itself 262 (for they were held by the Goths), at that time he records that these people also invaded Italy. However, the Goths, not being able to stand against both the Romans and the Franks, made a truce with the Franks and brought the war against them to an end,

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ἐπιτήδευμα, τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων προμαντεύονται βασιλείαν. τοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀφορῶντος τύχην, ἀφεστηκυῖαν πάνυ που πόρρω τοιαύτης ἀρχῆς, καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνων διαπιστοῦντος χρησμοῖς, ἐκεῖνοι συμβήσεσθαι τὴν πρόρρησιν ἀπισχυρίζοντο κραταιῶς καὶ ἀπῄτουν αὐτὸν δι' ὅρκου πληροφορῆσαι αὐτούς, ὅτε τύχοι τῆς βασιλείας, δοῦναι σφίσιν ὃ ἂν αἰτήσωνται. καὶ 259 ὃς ὄμνυσιν ἦ μὴν τῆς βασιλείας τυχὼν ἐντελῆ αὐτῶν ποιῆσαι τὴν αἴτησιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν ὃν εἴρηται τρόπον τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἐκράτησεν. οἱ δὲ τούτῳ ταύτην προμαντευσάμενοι ἔννατον ἤδη ἔτος τῆς αὐταρχίας ἀνύοντι προσῆλθον αὐτῷ καὶ ᾔτουν ἀποδοῦναι αὐτοῖς τῆς προρρήσεως τὸν μισθόν. καὶ ὁ Λέων ἕτοιμος ἦν πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ λέγειν ἠξίου τί τὸ αἰτούμενον. καὶ ἡ βέβηλος ἐκείνη τῶν Ἰουδαίων δυὰς "οὔτε πλοῦτον" εἶπε "δοθῆναι ἡμῖν ἐξαιτούμεθα οὔτε πρὸς δόξης ἀναχθῆναι περιωπὴν οὔθ' ἕτερόν τι τῶν τῆς βασιλείας λαμπρῶν, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον τὸ τὰ τοῦ Ναζωραίου καὶ τῆς αὐτὸν τεκούσης περιαιρεθῆναι πάντοθεν ἐκτυπώματα." καὶ ὃς ἀβέβαιος ὢν περὶ τὴν πίστιν, ὥσπερ τι τῶν εἰκαίων καὶ ῥᾴστων τοῦτο ποιῆσαι συνέθετο· καὶ τοῦ δεκάτου ἄρτι ἐνιαυτοῦ τῆς αὐτοῦ τυραννίδος ἀρξάμενος καὶ τοῦ θεομαχεῖν ἤρξατο καὶ μετὰ φρικώδους βρυχήματος κατὰ τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων ἐχώρησε καὶ διωγμὸν βαρύτατον ἤγειρε πολλούς τε ἀνθεστηκότας τῇ ἐξαγίστῳ γνώμῃ αὐτοῦ ἐκόλασε καὶ μάρτυρας ἀπειργάσατο. πρὸς δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις οἷς κατὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων εἰργάσατο καὶ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. οἶκος ἦν ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ Βασιλικῇ ἔγγιστα τῶν Χαλκοπρατίων βα260 σίλειος, ἐν ᾧ καὶ βίβλοι τῆς τε θύραθεν σοφίας καὶ τῆς εὐγενεστέ260 ρας καὶ θειοτέρας πολλαὶ ἐναπέκειντο. ἦν δ' οὗτος ἀνέκαθεν τοῦ προύχοντος ἐν λόγοις κατοικητήριον, ὃν οἰκουμενικὸν ἐκάλουν διδάσκαλον· ὃς καὶ δώδεκα εἶχεν ἑτέρους συνοικοῦντας αὐτῷ, κἀκείνους τῆς λογικῆς παιδείας μετέχοντας κατὰ τὸ ἀκρότατον. τούτοις καὶ σιτήσεις ἀνεῖντο δημόσιαι, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐφοίτων οἷς ἔμελε λογικῆς παιδείας καὶ γνώσεως, οὓς καὶ ὁ βασιλεύων συμβούλους ἐν τοῖς πρακτέοις πεποίητο. τούτους οὖν εἰ ἕλοι καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ ποιήσαιτο γνώμης, ἔκρινε τὸ πᾶν κατεργάσασθαι. καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας μεταστειλάμενος τὴν περὶ τῶν σεβαστῶν εἰκόνων γνώμην αὐτοῦ τὴν πονηρὰν αὐτοῖς ἐκοινώσατο. οἱ δὲ οὐχ ὅσον οὐχ ὡμοδόξουν αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν μεταστῆσαι τῆς γνώμης ταύτης ἐπεχείρουν ὁλοσχερῶς, πῇ μὲν καταψῶντες τὸν θῆρα τὸν λεοντώνυμον καὶ κατεπᾴδοντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σωτήρια, πῇ δὲ γενναιότερον ἀντιβαίνοντες καὶ διελέγχοντες τὴν ἀσέβειαν. ὁ δὲ ὡσεὶ ἀσπὶς ἔβυε τὰ ὦτα καὶ φωνῆς ἐπᾳδόντων οὐκ ἤκουεν οὐδ' ἐφαρμακεύετο παρὰ τῶν σοφῶν. πολλάκις οὖν αὐτοῖς προσῳμιληκὼς καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν μετάθεσιν ἀπογνούς, τοὺς 261 μὲν ἀφῆκεν εἰς τὴν σφετέραν πορευθῆναι διατριβήν, τὸν οἶκον ἐκεῖνον δηλαδὴ τὸν βασίλειον, αὐτὸς δὲ κελεύσας εὔπρηστον ὕλην συναχθῆναι πολλὴν καὶ πέριξ τοῦ οἴκου τεθεῖσαν ἀναφθῆναι νυκτός, οὕτω τόν τε οἶκον σὺν ταῖς βίβλοις καὶ τοὺς σοφοὺς ἐκείνους ἄνδρας καὶ σεβασμίους κατέκαυσε. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα ὁ τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης τότε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἰθύνων Γρηγόριος τῆς πρὸς τὸν τῆς νέας Ῥώμης προεδρεύοντα καὶ τοὺς ἐκείνῳ ὁμόφρονας ἀποστὰς κοινωνίας, ἐκείνους μὲν σὺν τῷ βασιλεῖ συνοδικῷ καθυπέβαλεν ἀναθέματι, τοὺς δὲ μέχρι τότε τῇ βασιλείᾳ κομιζομένους ἐκεῖθεν φόρους ἐπέσχε, τοῖς Φράγγοις σπεισάμενος· οὐ γὰρ τοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων γένους οἱ Φράγγοι, ἀλλὰ Γερμανικὸν ἔθνος τούτους εἶναί φησι τὴν ποικίλην ἱστορίαν ὁ Καισαρεὺς Προκόπιος συνταξάμενος, περὶ τὸν Ῥῆνον ποταμὸν καὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖσε λίμνας πάλαι κατῳκημένον. τοῦ δὲ Βελισαρίου στρατηγοῦντος Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ τοῦ προτέρου Ἰουστινιανοῦ καὶ Γότθοις ἀντιπαλαμωμένου περὶ Ἰταλίας καὶ τῶν ἐν ταύτῃ πόλεων καὶ τῆς Ῥώμης αὐτῆς 262 (παρὰ γὰρ τῶν Γότθων κατείχοντο), τότε καὶ τούτους ἱστορεῖ τῇ Ἰταλίᾳ ἐπεμβαλεῖν. τοὺς μέντοι Γότθους μὴ οἵους τε ὄντας καὶ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Φράγγοις ἀντικαθίστασθαι πρὸς τοὺς Φράγγους θέσθαι σπονδὰς καὶ τὸν πρὸς ἐκείνους διαλύσασθαι πόλεμον,