Compendium chronicum
Gold-bearing, glistening with robes studded with pearls. the fragrant violet shone, the rose shone back. every kind of violet's color smiled from ever
The fine-spun ones. the large-winged, large-hooked-beaked, hooked-clawed, boasting their claws like javelins, having a beak sharper than daggers, for
Having made him a composite of soul and body, and having bestowed the grace of a will moved by itself, and having formed him according to his likeness
Of yours, and you will be called gods, and you will know all things. the woman heard these things, she heeded the flattery, she was conquered by the
Land-born, winged, walking but god, opening the floodgates of heaven, brought down from there whole seas of rain, covered the peaks of the deep-cliff
They stole, they committed adultery, and finally they looked toward idolatry. seruch was the first to begin to use carved images and pillars, being th
Javelin-bowmen, armor-bearers, spearmen, men furious in battle, and having taken an allied force from the nation of the huns, and having made allies o
Chaldeans, and the plaything of fortune and the dice of affairs, having sufficiently mocked others, passed over to others. and when these things were
Mandane, and that the liquid poured forth was so great as to be able to cover the face of the land of asia. this was the first dream, and a second one
Not even among the most famous, like that of the medes and persians, or that of the assyrians. candaules was king of lydia and phrygia, tracing his li
To be contrived by such devices. he, having learned and discerned which mare the horse of darius loved more than all the others, after the two of them
Having heard that joseph, the one born of rachel, was governing the land of egypt for pharaoh, and also contriving to find a release from his sufferin
Was sung. and a light of gladness rose for the hebrews, but the darkness of calamities overshadowed the egyptians. the israelites who fled egypt then
He exposes him in a place called parion after paris himself. he was therefore cast aside carelessly. shepherds found him, pitied him, took him up. the
Because helen had been seized by someone, all fought on her behalf with their own bodies. so after much entreating and importuning, they persuade the
While strong-handed achilles was present, the counsels of the son of laertes were ineffective, and every plot devised and scheme stitched together aga
The swarm of trojans mingled with each other, daring to do nothing. and there was a temple before the walls of beautifully-towered troy, where achille
To proteus, he also finds his consort there in memphis, and having been hosted and honored he receives helen, and after considerable toils he reaches
Flapping its wings, a great-winged bird, fanned the fire into flame with its wings. but a certain cunning fox, vying with these and contending against
To be called, remaining faithful, keepers of the house and guardians of what is within. then taking a clod of earth in his hand from outside, he throw
The most unjust slaughter of his father, and perceiving as a man of sense that he would share the danger with his father and brother and would die wit
Caesar wished to take into the fellowship of marriage a woman who was in the sixth month of her pregnancy, and he urged nero to betroth his wife to hi
And his whole character was lecherous, and worse than others, lusting after women joined to men, and commanding their spouses to serve his abomination
You will cause me pain for those who are sated on my rotten limbs will vex me for a short time, but if others fall upon me, they will cling more viol
Bringing with them a chariot-driver mime, they came upon him to kill him. and nero, knowing this, killed himself, saying this at the end: what an art
Extinguishes it, and dogs, running up and eating the bonds, release the stargazer who was invoking the gods many times. and these things indeed were a
Ravaging and plundering, being in want of money, pressed by need and having no army from anywhere to arm against them, set forth in the marketplace th
Of great things, what terror was not present, what was not dared! slaughters and toils everywhere, and pools of blood. and the gloom of the prison hel
Their names were constans and constantine) manages the western parts and rome and the gauls. but these were extinguished rather quickly and before the
But when that woman again added that her husband was plotting against gratian himself, he replied again, what is that to you, woman? and they say th
Orestes, and after orestes the son of romulus was the last to take hold of the rule. and the great-named city, the city of the romans, having had romu
They set aside the young woman. athenais the maiden, exceedingly distressed at these things and wounded in her soul, goes to her maternal aunt, she sh
Learning of the emperor, she arrives in the city of jerusalem as quickly as possible, and there, having completed the remainder of her life, she pays
When a fierce battle had broken out and he was leading the romans against the arrogant persians, marcian, seized by a death-threatening illness, remai
A man, a treasure of wisdom, was slandered as a hellene, isocasius by name, a quaestor by rank and from there, stripped of both honor and money, he i
Having reigned over the romans for eighteen years. but this one, having tasted power for a short time, departed from the earth rather quickly, leaving
The poison with the trisagion hymn, and when he saw the whole crowd immediately run wild and drive the eparch from the temple with stones and burn dow
Justin, but being inflamed with zeal for the pious religion, kindled an implacable war against the manichaeans and a persecution more severe than thos
Manly minds for with this man he joined mighty battles, and so terrified chosroes that he wished to exchange peace for man-slaying wars. and rome the
With graces and bear torches for creation, and appear as bright stars to those on earth but the sun leaped up from a most beautiful lake, and the tor
Such power, and being filled with greater zeal, he held to what must be done. and it happened that not long after something like this occurred, worthy
Into the judgments of the judge shook the hearts of all. from there a calm of justice-doing was spread everywhere, instead of a winter and a gloomy te
And by the things that will be said and the khagan, having attacked the garrisons of the romans (the khagan was king of the northern scythians) and h
Of dregs. therefore, he is caught fleeing together with the empress and the purple-born branches sprung from him. but the most god-hated, man-slaying
With golden helmets, delicate, all quiver-bearing, on snorting, gold-phalerad horses. so when the emperor saw it was impossible to engage with the arm
Having embarked in boats, they came on, covering the back of the sea with their dense light boats, with their single-log vessels. thus there were many
But nevertheless he did not long enjoy his fortune, but it quickly grew cold, but appearing he was hidden, just as a rose might spring up and immediat
Him, only one thing troubled, lest the scepter reach justinian again, and he who was formerly deprived of it, and of his nose along with it, might aga
Infancy was subjected to murderous hands for slaughter but here, boys of fifteen, girls in their early bloom, young men, soft-skinned women, little g
You will see a dreadful thing, and he bespattered the ground, flowing away like water. thus it was said well and wisely by the ancients, nothing beyo
But the emperor theodosios, shrinking from the audacity and the beast-like heart of leo, yielded the throne and the crown to his enemy, willingly or u
From the kandys and the torc i will know, and the croaking raven from its blackness. near the precinct of the wisdom of god a splendid house had been
He plundered beauty, he cut out the sacred images from the churches, and in their place with the same colors and mosaics he engraved his beloved hunti
From there he is rolled towards lawless deeds, and he shaves the head of his most temperate consort, and introduces the union with another woman into
They drive him from the throne and the city as a fugitive. and he, having indicated these things in writing to the empress and having besought to rece
They were supplicating, even employing force. but he, not knowing the turn of the balancing scale of fortune, and fearing its wavering will, approache
And again the tail of the dragon was moved. the abomination, i mean, of iconoclasm, like a great dragon, crept, dreadful and gaping, it rushed to devo
And from there what was being built was overturned from its roots, and having stained his own war-loving hands with murders and having made every spea
The king, on account of the bruises and the numerous wounds, or rather cases of paralysis, was shaken in his soul at what had happened, and wishing to
Finding their catch, they write to the just man while he is fishing with nets a short writing in iambic meter, which, since i have deemed it not right
Having been persuaded and having received complete assurance that theophilos was delivered from the torments there, she became a fellow-diner with the
Of the ancient kings, both the golden trees, and the chattering sparrows, and lions made of hammered gold, and simply every royal thing gleaming in th
By his hand, but the contriver of evils paid the penalty, and the preparer of terrible things drank a cup of wrath. bardas, therefore, while digging a
Scarcely the temple-keeper he immediately makes basil a member of his household, and deems him worthy of fitting care. and basil was handsome, noble,
To earth-born men, and certain innate dooms accompany men. for this one, great in understanding among emperors, having been persuaded by certain serpe
By the transgression of tetragamy. but leo, the most philosophical among emperors, having fallen into the natural necessities of the body and being af
He arms himself on behalf of the one who had been out-generaled with an army drawn from many places, from the lycaonians, from the thracians, from the
Raising him from a lowly state to the summit, he makes him father and guardian of the empire. and drawing romanos further into his affection, he gives
Of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son romanos as sole ruler. but he, entrusting all strengt
He conveys everything, and says, alas, o general, for the fortune of the romans! until when will woman-souled eunuchs steer the ship of state, resour
Medimni of grain to be sold for a nomisma. thus phocas managed the matter meanly, and this though he was rich in thousand-bushel granaries, laden with
Near the ister cutting down the phalanxes, breaking the scytharchs, killing, pursuing, routing the champions, as if some lion falling upon broad-flank
Slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. the mighty ones of the bulgars recognized his st
And having been taught by certain people that after him the rule would pass to romanos, one of the senate, surnamed argyropoulos, he compels the man t
Having the care of those in the home for the aged, he managed all other matters of state up and down and was seen openly as the keeper of the ruler. t
Rushing into the inner sanctuary, from there they seize the wretched man, crying out with groans from the heart, with hot tears, and they gouge out hi
Bloody streams, but murderous outpourings. he seized the fortresses, he seized the cities. he went on, roaring in his anger, breathing fire more than
Of the power to comnenus. but those who were allotted to steer the ship of state, wishing not to save it but to sink it and swamp the most wretched th
But suddenly the tempests of the flesh, having grown wild, stirred up a hard-to-calm, wave-tossed wind, they brought on nausea, vomiting, dizziness, t
To sheep-guarded folds. but a winged dove, flying up from somewhere, alighted on his knees with a silent flutter, not like the one before that flew to
Promising down on his temples, using caesar his uncle as a rival and the most powerful men and those in high military command, he at once seats himsel
Shining with purple dye and gold, and using in turn overlapping garments, he sat upon high, silver-studded thrones, adorning with dignities all who ca
of unstained rule, and being about to be released from the bonds of nature, he appointed his son Romanos as sole ruler. But he, entrusting all strength, all power to evil and small-minded eunuchs, himself cared for hunts and the chase and gaped demonically at the dog races. Then, when hostile Arabs had seized Crete and made the island a mighty stronghold and were wreaking havoc on the sea and plundering everything, Nikephoros Phokas (for he was sharp in battles and fiery in impulse and effective with his hands) is appointed admiral, is entrusted with the battle, fills the sea with well-equipped, fair-prowed vessels, is sent against these amphibious beasts, joins a fierce battle, defeats the opponents, sinks the pirate skiffs of the Arabs, captures even that all-daring pirate chief, and seizes the giant-palmed one like a baby. Departing from there with brilliant trophies, he was paraded in costly and splendid triumphs. Then too the fair city, the noble city of Antioch, the comely, the bride-adorned, murderous Ishmaelites taking it by the spear shamed it as thrice-enslaved, as a common prostitute. And again the thrice-valiant Phokas draws his broadsword, again he moves against bloodthirsty, degenerate enemies. He shatters the foreigners, fights for his countrymen, and again he restores the graceful, most fair-complexioned maiden to her most beautifully-childed mother. And then, while Phokas was marshalling the battle, death snatches away the emperor Romanos, having left the rule to his wife Theophano and to their infant children, having ruled for fourteen years. Phokas hears these things too, runs from there and, hastening to the great city, arrives, and is again appointed commander of the east, having been bound by dreadful oaths by the empress that he would not plot against the children of Romanos, and again he is sent back to Syria. But indeed the fierce beast, envy, the heart-eating bear of mortals, was not at rest. And so a certain eunuch in the palace, who was then turning the whole government upside down, being pricked by the thorn of envy against the general and not bearing to see Nikephoros Phokas sailing with such a fair wind of fortune, inscribes swift letters to Tzimiskes (Tzimiskes's name from infancy was John) urging him to make Phokas a work of the sword, and inciting him to come to Byzantium, to become sole ruler and emperor of the Romans. John Tzimiskes receives that letter, goes over the imprints of what was written, and boasting a wickedness-hating and virtuous mind, he hands these things to Phokas, reports the plot, and loathes the murderous intent of that eunuch. And Tzimiskes was handsome, fair to see, of good complexion, with fine hair, hardy, manly of heart, courageous, of manly mind, and an unassailable fighter and a sharp-minded counselor, a magnanimous man, prudent, brave, gentle, and practiced in brandishing a long-shadowing spear and in drawing the bowstring upon the arrow-notches, a free-souled man, not nourishing wrath, not building a den of wickedness in his heart, nor emulating the extreme wrath of an ill-tempered camel. And if one must make known the many and the lengthy in few words, he was a living paradise, nurturing graces, a grove of myriad good things, thickly planted with rows of trees tended by God with growth-giving hands, gardened by the golden-flowing streams of the Spirit, in which the circle of virtues danced around, and the chorus of graces sang in response. Such and so great being Tzimiskes in virtue, and then having been allotted to accompany Phokas and fulfilling the duty of subordinate general to him (for he was also a kinsman to Phokas and of the same blood), at once he had the letter in his hands, having unfolded it, and by himself he ran through the meaning of its contents, and to the chief general
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κράτους ἀθολώτου, καὶ μέλλων ἀπολύεσθαι τῶν φυσικῶν συνδέσμων, αὐτάνακτα καθίστησι τὸν Ῥωμανὸν τὸν παῖδα. Ἀλλ' οὗτος ἅπασαν
ἰσχύν, ἅπασαν δυναστείαν κακοῖς καὶ μικρογνώμοσιν εὐνούχοις ἐπιτρέψας, θήρας αὐτὸς ἐφρόντιζε καὶ κυνηγετημάτων καὶ δαιμονίως
ἔχασκε πρὸς τὰς κυνοδρομίας. τότε τὴν Κρήτην δυσμενῶν Ἀρράβων κατασχόντων καὶ κραταιὸν κρησφύγετον θεμένων τὰ τῆς νήσου καὶ
κακουργούντων τὴν ὑγρὰν καὶ πάντα λῃστευόντων, ὁ Νικηφόρος ὁ Φωκᾶς (ἦν γὰρ ὀξὺς ἐν μάχαις καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐμπύριος καὶ δραστικὸς
τὰς χεῖρας) στολάρχης ἀναδείκνυται, πιστεύεται τὴν μάχην, πληροῖ τὴν θάλασσαν σκαφῶν εὐστόλων καλλιπρώρων, κατὰ θηρίων στέλλεται
τούτων τῶν ὑγροχέρσων, μάχην συνάπτει καρτεράν, ἡττᾷ τοὺς ἀντιμάχους, βυθίζει τὰς πειρατικὰς ἀκάτους τῶν Ἀρράβων, χειροῦται
καὶ τὸν λῄσταρχον τὸν πάντολμον ἐκεῖνον, καὶ τὸν γιγαντοπάλαμον ὡς βρέφος συλλαμβάνει. ἐκεῖθεν ἀναζεύξας δὲ μετὰ λαμπρῶν τροπαίων
πολυτελέσι καὶ φαιδροῖς θριάμβοις ἐπομπεύθη. Τότε καὶ πόλιν τὴν καλήν, τὴν πόλιν Ἀντιόχου τὴν εὐγενῆ, τὴν εὐπρεπῆ, τὴν νυμφοκοσμουμένην
Ἰσμαηλῖται φονικοὶ δορύκτητον λαβόντες ὡς τρίδουλον κατῄσχυναν, ὡς τριοδῖτιν πόρνην. καὶ πάλιν ὁ τρισαριστεὺς σπᾶται Φωκᾶς
ῥομφαίαν, πάλιν κινεῖται κατ' ἐχθρῶν αἱμοχαρῶν ἐκφύλων. τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ῥήγνυσι, ὑπερμαχεῖ συμφύλων, καὶ πάλιν τὴν εὐσχήμονα
τὴν εὐχρουστάτην κόρην ἐπανασώζει τῇ μητρὶ τῇ καλλιτεκνωτάτῃ. Ἔτι δὲ τότε τοῦ Φωκᾶ τὴν μάχην συγκροτοῦντος τὸν κράτορα τὸν
Ῥωμανὸν θάνατος ἀναρπάζει, τῇ γαμετῇ Θεοφανοῖ τὸ κράτος λελοιπότα καὶ τοῖς παισὶ τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς νεογενέσιν οὖσιν, κεκρατηκότα
ἔτεσι τέσσαρσι πρὸς τοῖς δέκα. ἀκούει ταῦτα καὶ Φωκᾶς, ἐκεῖθεν ἀποτρέχει καὶ πρὸς τὴν μεγαλόπολιν καταταχήσας φθάνει, καὶ
πάλιν ἀναδείκνυται τῆς ἕω ταγματάρχης, ὅρκοις φρικτοῖς καταδεθεὶς ὑπὸ τῆς βασιλίσσης ὡς οὐκ ἐπιβουλεύσειε τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ τοῖς
τέκνοις, καὶ πάλιν ἀναπόμπιμος γίνεται πρὸς Συρίαν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐκ ἠρέμησε τὸ χαλεπὸν θηρίον ὁ φθόνος, ἡ τῶν γηγενῶν καρδιοφάγος
ἄρκτος. καὶ τοίνυν τις ἀπόκοπος τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις, ὁ τότε πᾶσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄνω καὶ κάτω στρέφων, ἀκάνθῃ φθόνου κεντηθεὶς
κατὰ τοῦ στρατηλάτου καὶ τηλικαύτην εὔπνοιαν τύχης οὐ φέρων βλέπειν τὸν Νικηφόρον τὸν Φωκᾶν οὐρίως ναυστολοῦσαν, γραφὰς ἐπὶ
τὸν Τζιμισχῆν εὐπτέρους ἐγχαράσσει (τῷ Τζιμισχῇ δὲ κλῆσις ἦν βρεφόθεν Ἰωάννης) ἔργον μαχαίρας τὸν Φωκᾶν θέσθαι παρακινούσας,
αὐτὸν δ' εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἥκειν ἐρεθιζούσας, ἐσόμενον αὐτάνακτα καὶ κράτορα Ῥωμαίων. δέχεται τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐκείνην Ἰωάννης
ὁ Τζιμισχῆς, ἐπέρχεται τοὺς τῶν γραφέντων τύπους, καὶ γνώμην μισοπόνηρον αὐχῶν καὶ χρηστοήθη χειρίζει ταῦτα τῷ Φωκᾷ, τὸ δρᾶμα
καταγγέλλει, μυσάττεται τὸ φονικὸν ἐκείνου τοῦ θλαδίου. ἦν δὲ καλὸς ὁ Τζιμισχῆς, εὔοπτος, εὔχρους, εὖθριξ, καρτερικός, ἀνδρόσπλαγχνος,
εὐκάρδιος, ἀνδρόνους, καὶ μαχητὴς ἀπρόσμαχος καὶ βουλευτὴς ὀξύνους, ἄνθρωπος μεγαλόψυχος, σώφρων, ἀνδρεῖος, πρᾶος, καὶ δόρυ
δολιχόσκιον κραδαίνειν ἠσκημένος καὶ τόξου ἕλκειν τὴν νευρὰν ἐπὶ βελῶν γλυφίσιν, ἀνὴρ ἐλευθερόψυχος, οὐχ ὑποτρέφων κότον,
οὐ τῆς κακίας φωλεὸν τεκταίνων τὴν καρδίαν, οὐδὲ ζηλῶν τὸ ζάκοτον καμήλου βαρυχόλου. εἰ χρὴ δ' ὀλίγοις τὰ πολλὰ καὶ τὰ μακρὰ
γνωρίσαι, ἔμψυχος ἦν παράδεισος χαρίτων φυτοτρόφος, ἄλσος μυρίων ἀγαθῶν κατάφυτον ὀρχάτοις θεοῦ φυτηκομούμενον παλάμαις αὐξιφύτοις,
πνεύματος κηπευόμενον νάμασι χρυσορείθροις, ἐν ᾧ περιεχόρευε τῶν ἀρετῶν ὁ κύκλος, ἀντίφθογγα δ' ὑπέψαλλε χαρίτων ἡ χορεία.
Τοιοῦτος ὢν τὴν ἀρετὴν ὁ Τζιμισχῆς καὶ τόσος, καὶ τηνικαῦτα τῷ Φωκᾷ λαχὼν συνομαρτῆσαι καὶ χρείαν ὑποστράτηγον ἀποπληρῶν ἐκείνῳ
(ἦν δὲ Φωκᾷ καὶ προσγενὴς κἀκ τῶν αὐτῶν αἱμάτων), ἅμα τὸ γράμμα ταῖς χερσὶν εἶχεν ὑπαναπτύξας, καὶ καθ' αὑτὸν ἐπέδραμε τὸν
νοῦν τῶν ἐγκειμένων, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πρωτοστράτηγον
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