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he extolled his virtue, saying that he led a life without possessions and unknown to the many, shining forth in wisdom. At once, therefore, Mamoun wrote a letter to him, containing this thought, "As we know the tree from its fruit, so we know the teacher from the student. Since, therefore, being so great in the knowledge of things that exist, through virtue and depth of knowledge you are unknown to your fellow citizens and have not yet received the fruits of your wisdom and knowledge, because you have not been deemed worthy of honor by them, do not refuse to come to us and to impart to us some of your teaching. For if this should happen thus, the whole race of the Saracens will bow their necks to you, and you will be deemed worthy of wealth and gifts, of which no man has ever been deemed worthy." Having therefore given the letter to the young man, and having honored him with gifts, he ordered him to find the teacher, and he immediately promised honors and gifts and, again, if he should wish it, a return home, only if he might persuade this man to leave the land of the Romans. When he reached the imperial city and stood face to face with his teacher, the sight of him, having both inflamed and as it were warmed him, compelled him to lament, and with his tears to make not only his cheeks but also his neck and chest wet. And at first, speechlessness at what was happening seized the teacher, not knowing who he was, and for what reason these things were being done; for his form, having been changed 189 by time and the hardship of his captivity, taught that the young man was different and not the one who was known. But when he gradually made himself known, stating his name and his studies, and added the details of his captivity and the reason for his release and arrival, and at the same time gave the letter into his hands, then indeed they filled the air together with tragedy and lamentation. However, considering that the letter from the enemy was not without danger, if ever it should be discovered, he went to the Logothete (this was Theoktistos, who became a victim to Bardas) and related all the things concerning the captive and student, and at the same time gave him the letter of the Ameramnoune. This was the cause of this man's acquaintance and intimacy with the emperor. This student and this letter caused the wisdom of Leo, which had until then been in a corner, to come out into the open, and brought him out of that humility and poverty. For the Logothete showed the letter to Theophilos, and he himself summoned him, and he was enriched and urged by the emperor to teach publicly in the church of the Forty Saints. Not much time passed, then, and when Mamoun learned that the philosopher did not wish to exchange his own land for a foreign one, he set forth in a letter perplexities of geometrical and astrological problems and of certain other difficult chapters, and he asked to receive their solution. When, therefore, Leo had interpreted each one appropriately and set forth their solutions, and had applied to these some prognostication for the sake of amazement, 190 then indeed the Ameramnoune, upon receiving them into his hands, was greatly wounded with longing for him, and cried out loudly, greatly admiring the man for his philosophy and learning. Whence he immediately sent a letter not to him but to Theophilos, containing this thought: 'I myself wished to come to you, fulfilling the duty of a friend and a student; but since both the rule entrusted to me by God and the great people under my hand and authority do not permit this, I ask that you send for a short time the man you have who is renowned for philosophy and the other sciences, and persuade him to be with me, imparting by way of teaching some of his knowledge and virtue to me, who am so lovingly disposed toward those things. And surely there will be no delay because I am not of the same tongue and because of the faith

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τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀρετὴν ἐξεθείασεν, ἀκτήμονα βίον διάγειν λέγων αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς πολλοῖς αγνωστον, ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ διαλάμποντα. γράμματα γοῦν εὐθὺς ὁ Μαμοῦν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δια- χαράττει, τόνδε τὸν νοῦν περιέχοντα, "ὡς ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ τὸ δέν- δρον ἐπέγνωμεν, ἐκ τοῦ μαθητοῦ τὸν διδάσκαλον. ἐπεὶ γοῦν τόσος ων περὶ τὴν ἐπιστήμην τῶν οντων δι' ἀρετὴν καὶ γνώσεως βάθος αγνωστος ει τοῖς σοῖς συμπολίταις καὶ τῆς σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως ουπω τοὺς καρποὺς ἀπείληφας, οτι μηδὲ τιμῆς ἠξίωσαι παρ' αὐ- τῶν, μὴ ἀπαξιώσῃς ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ τῆς σῆς διδασκαλίας μεταδοῦναι ἡμῖν. εἰ γὰρ ουτω τοῦτο γένηται, τοὺς αὐχένας σοι κλινεῖ γένος απαν τὸ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν, καὶ πλούτου καὶ δωρεῶν ἀξιωθήσῃ, ων οὐδεὶς πώποτε ἀνθρώπων ἠξίωται." ἐπιδοὺς ουν τὰ γράμματα τῷ νεανίᾳ, καὶ δώροις αὐτὸν φιλοφρονησάμενος, τὸν διδάσκαλον καταλαμβάνειν ἐκέλευσεν, καὶ τιμὰς εὐθὺς ὑπ- ισχνεῖτο καὶ δωρεὰς καὶ αυθις, εἰ βούλοιτο, τὴν εἰς οικον ἐπάνο- δον, μόνον εἰ τοῦτον πείσειε τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων καταλιπεῖν γῆν. ὡς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εφθασε καὶ τοῦ διδασκάλου πρὸς πρόσωπον εστηκεν, ἡ τούτου θέα ἀναφλέξασά τε καὶ οιον θερμαίνουσα ὀλο- φύρεσθαι κατηνάγκαζε, καὶ δάκρυσιν οὐ παρειὰς μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τράχηλον καὶ στέρνα διάβροχα ἐμποιεῖν. καὶ τὸ πρῶτον ἀφασία τῶν δρωμένων τὸν διδάσκαλον κατελάμβανεν, τίς τε ειη οὐκ εἰδώς, καὶ οτου ταῦτα ενεκεν διαπράττοιτο· η τε γὰρ τούτου μορφὴ ἀλ- 189 λοιωθεῖσα τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας κακουχίᾳ ἀλλοῖον τὸν νεανίαν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκεῖνον ειναι τὸν γνωριζόμενον ἀνεδίδασκεν. ὡς δὲ τὴν τούτου γνῶσιν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐδίδου, ονομα καὶ μαθή- ματα ἐπειπών, καὶ προσετίθει τὰ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεώς τε καὶ ἀφίξεως, καὶ αμα εἰς χεῖρας ἐδίδου δὴ τὴν γραφήν, τότε δὴ κοινῇ τὴν τραγῳδίαν ἐπλήρουν καὶ θρηνῳ- δίαν. πλὴν οὐκ ἀκίνδυνον ειναι λογισάμενος τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐχθρῶν γραφήν, ει γέ ποτε κατάφωρος γένοιτο, τῷ λογοθέτῃ πρόσεισι (Θεόκτιστος ουτος ην ὁ παρανάλωμα τῷ Βάρδᾳ γενόμενος) καὶ διηγεῖτο τὰ τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου πάντα καὶ μαθητοῦ, καὶ αμα δίδω- σιν τὴν τοῦ ἀμεραμνουνῆ γραφήν. αυτη ἡ αἰτία τῆς τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα γνώσεώς τε καὶ οἰκείωσις. ουτος ὁ μα- θητὴς καὶ τοῦτο τὸ γράμμα τήν τε τοῦ Λέοντος σοφίαν ἐν ὑπαί- θρῳ γενέσθαι ἐν γωνίᾳ τέως ουσαν ἐποίησεν καὶ τῆς εὐτελείας ἐκεί- νης καὶ πενίας εξω παρήγαγεν. τό τε γὰρ γράμμα ἐμφανίζει τῷ Θεοφίλῳ ὁ λογοθέτης, καὶ προσκαλεῖται τοῦτον αὐτός, καὶ πλου- τίζεται καὶ ἐν τῷ τῶν ἁγίων μ' ναῷ διδάσκειν δημοσίᾳ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπείγεται. οὐ πολὺς γοῦν χρόνος, καὶ ἐπεὶ διέγνω ὁ Μαμοῦν μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν φιλόσοφον τῆς οἰκείας τὴν ἀλλοτρίαν ἀλλάξασθαι, διὰ γραφῆς ἐκτίθησιν ἀπορίας γεωμετρικῶν τε καὶ ἀστρολογικῶν ζητημάτων καί τινων ἑτέρων δυσδιαγνώστων κεφα- λαίων, καὶ τὴν λύσιν τούτων κομίσασθαι ἀξιοῖ. ὡς δ' ουν εκα- στον προσηκόντως ἡρμήνευσεν ὁ Λέων καὶ τὰς τούτων λύσεις ἐξέ- θετο, προσεφήρμοσέ τε τούτοις καί τινα προγνώσεως ἐκπλήξεως 190 ενεκα, τότε δὴ μεγάλως ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβόντα αὐτὰ τὸν ἀμεραμνουνῆ τρωθῆναι δὴ τῷ τούτου πόθῳ, καὶ μέγα ἀνακραγεῖν, τὸν ανδρα τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ τῶν μαθημάτων ὑπεραγάμενος. οθεν εὐθὺς οὐ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πρὸς δὲ τὸν Θεόφιλον ἐπιστολὴν πέμπει, τὸν νοῦν τοῦτον ἐμπεριέχουσαν, ὡς ἐβουλόμην μὲν αὐτὸς ἀφικέσθαι σοι, εργον φίλου τε καὶ μαθητοῦ ἐκπληρῶν· ἐπεὶ δὲ η τε προσανα- κειμένη μοι ἀρχὴ ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ ὁ πολὺς ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρά μου τελῶν καὶ ἐξουσίαν λαὸς τοῦτο οὐ συγχωρεῖ, ἀξιῶ τὸν ον εχεις ἐπὶ φιλο- σοφίᾳ καὶ ταῖς αλλαις ἐπιστήμαις περιβόητον ανδρα βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἐπαποστεῖλαι, καὶ συγγενέσθαι μοι τοῦτον πεῖσαι, τρόπῳ διδασκαλίας τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπιστήμης μεταδιδόντα καὶ ἀρετῆς τῷ ου- τως εχοντι ἐμοὶ πρὸς ἐκείνας ἐρωτικῶς. πάντως δὲ οὐκ ἀναβολή τις γενήσεται οτι τε τῶν οὐχ ὁμογλώσσων ἐγὼ καὶ οτι τῆς πίστεως