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of the lordly and holy body, standing up. When the elevation is completed, if the emperor is not prepared for communion of the holy gifts, he sits upon the throne until the completion of the divine liturgy; but if he is prepared for this, the deacons come again and summon him. And with them he immediately enters the sanctuary, and when a censer is given to him, he first censes the holy table towards the east, then towards the north and after this towards the west and fourthly facing the south; and having censed again towards the east, he also censes the patriarch; and the patriarch, having greeted him and having taken the 1.202 censer from his hand, censes him in return. After this, the emperor, having removed the crown from his head, hands it to the deacons. The patriarch then places in his hands a particle of the lordly body; and having partaken of it, he also communicates of the life-giving blood, not with a spoon, as do the many, but from the chalice itself in the manner of the ordained. And, putting on the crown again, he exits the sanctuary. When the liturgy is completed, having partaken again of the blessed bread distributed to the multitude, and having been blessed by the patriarch and the attending hierarchs, and having kissed their hands, he goes up to the so-called catechumena, so that he might be seen from a high place by all and acclaimed. When this is also completed, having come down from there, he and the empress alone, with all the others following on foot, proceed on horseback to the palace; and a table having been prepared there, wearing their crowns they sit and feast; and the megas domestikos serves them their needs, but if there is no megas domestikos, the despotes does. For the next ten days, more or less, for no number of days has been established for the feast, but as it seems best to the emperor, they deposit the diadem and the crown and the purple in the imperial treasuries, and having put on other splendid and imperial garments, they celebrate splendidly; and when sumptuous breakfasts are prepared, all the senators sit and have breakfast, with the emperors watching and feasting themselves at their own table. And he who is appointed over the imperial 1.203 table serves them; but the megas domestikos reclines in the appropriate place with the other senators. It is worthwhile to mention also what we omitted of this ceremony. For on the day on which the emperor, having been anointed, exits the church, by one of the senators, whom the emperor wishes, what they call *epikombia* are thrown to the people. These can be certain bundles tied in pieces of linen cloth, having inside three imperial gold coins and as many or more of silver, and as many obols of bronze. And such bundles, ten thousand less or more, are thrown especially in the forecourts of the church. And on the same day in the palace, when all the people have gathered, by the same senator again as many or more bundles than before are thrown. But on the next day none of the common people are present; but with all the military and those assigned to the imperial service being present, in the courtyards of the palace the emperor comes out, with the imperial treasurer standing by, of money and carrying the edge of his garment full of gold coins from the imperial treasury, the emperor, taking handfuls, scatters them all around. When it is emptied, the treasurer again refills the garment; and this happens not only three or four times, but even more often. The reason for such a distribution of gold is that the emperor wishes everyone, spending from his own funds, to rejoice with him and celebrate together. Such is the 1.204 ceremony that takes place for crowning emperors; a similar one indeed took place also for Andronikos the new emperor, at the beginning of February of the eighth indiction. 42. And in the following year in the month of February of the ninth indiction, from Savoy to Byzantium came Anna the

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δεσποτικοῦ καὶ ἁγίου σώματος, ἀνιστάμενος. τῆς ὑψώσεως δὲ τελεσθείσης, εἰ μὲν ἀνεπιτηδείως πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἁγιασμάτων κοινωνίαν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔχει, μέχρι συμπληρώσεως τῆς θείας μυσταγωγίας κάθηται ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου· εἰ δὲ παρεσκεύασται πρὸς τοῦτο, πάλιν αὐτὸν οἱ διάκονοι ἐρχόμενοι προσκαλοῦνται. καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν εὐθὺς εἴσεισιν εἰς τὰ ἄδυτα, καὶ θυμιατοῦ αὐτῷ διδομένου, τὴν ἱερὰν τράπεζαν πρῶτα μὲν κατὰ ἀνατολὰς θυμιᾷ, εἶτα πρὸς ἄρκτον καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ τέταρτον πρὸς μεσημβρίαν βλέπων· πάλιν δὲ πρὸς ἀνατολὰς θυμιάσας, θυμιᾷ καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην· προσαγορεύσας δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ πατριάρχης καὶ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τὸν 1.202 θυμιατὸν, ἀντιθυμιᾷ καὶ αὐτὸν αὐτός. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο τὸ στέμμα τῆς κεφαλῆς περιελόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, ἐγχειρίζει τοῖς διακόνοις. ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῷ τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ σώματος ἐπιδίδωσι μερίδα· μετασχὼν δὲ αὐτῆς, καὶ τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ αἵματος κοινωνεῖ, οὐ λαβίδι, καθάπερ οἱ πολλοὶ, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ κρατῆρι τὸν τῶν ἱερωμένων τρόπον. τό, τε στέμμα περιθέμενος αὖθις, ἔξεισι τῶν ἀδύτων. τελεσθείσης δὲ τῆς μυσταγωγίας, τοῦ διαδιδομένου τοῖς πλήθεσιν ἁγιάσματος αὖθις μετασχὼν, καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τῶν παρόντων ἀρχιερέων εὐλογηθεὶς, καὶ περιπτυξάμενος αὐτῶν τὰς χεῖρας, ἄνεισιν εἰς τὰ λεγόμενα κατηχούμενα, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ἀπόπτου παρὰ πάντων ὁρώμενος εὐφημηθείη. τελεσθέντος δὲ καὶ τούτου, κατελθὼν ἐκεῖθεν αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ βασιλὶς μόνοι, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἑπομένων πεζῇ, ἔφιπποι χωροῦσι πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια· τραπέζης δὲ ἡτοιμασμένης ἐκεῖ στεφηφοροῦντες καθήμενοι εὐωχοῦνται· διακονεῖται δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ μέγας δομέστικος τὰ πρὸς χρείαν, ἂν δὲ μὴ ᾖ μέγας δομέστικος, ὁ δεσπότης. τὰς δ' ἐφεξῆς ἡμέρας δέκα πλείους ἢ ἐλάττους, οὐ γὰρ ἀριθμὸς νενόμισται τῶν τῆς ἑορτῆς ἡμερῶν, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν βασιλεῖ δοκῇ, τὸ μὲν διάδημα καὶ τὸ στέμμα καὶ τὴν πορφύραν ἐν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἀποτίθενται ταμιείοις, ἐσθῆτας δὲ ἑτέρας περιβεβλημένοι λαμπρὰς καὶ βασιλικὰς, ἑορτάζουσι λαμπρῶς· ἀρίστων τε παρασκευαζομένων πολυτελῶν, οἱ συγκλητικοὶ πάντες καθήμενοι ἀριστῶσιν, ὁρώντων τῶν βασιλέων καὶ εὐωχουμένων καὶ αὐτῶν ἐν ἰδίᾳ τραπέζῃ. διακονεῖται δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς 1.203 τεταγμένος τραπέζης· ὁ μέγας δὲ δομέστικος ἐν τῷ προσήκοντι τόπῳ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνανακέκλιται συγκλητικοῖς. ἄξιον δὲ καὶ ὃ παρελίπομεν τῆς τελετῆς ταύτης ἐπιμνησθῆναι. τῇ γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ, καθ' ἣν ὁ βασιλεὺς χρισθεὶς ἔξεισι τοῦ ναοῦ, παρά τινος τῶν συγκλητικῶν, ὃν ἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐθέλῃ, εἰς τὸν δῆμον ῥίπτονται ἃ λέγουσιν ἐπικόμβια. δύναται δὲ τοῦτο ἀποδέσμους τινὰς εἶναι ἐν ὀθονίων τμήμασι δεδεμένους, ἔνδον ἔχοντας νομίσματα χρυσᾶ τῶν βασιλικῶν τρία καὶ ἐξ ἀργύρου τοσαῦτα ἢ καὶ πλείω, καὶ ὀβολοὺς ἀπὸ χαλκοῦ τοσούτους. ῥίπτονται δὲ ἀπόδεσμοι τοιοῦτοι χιλιάδων ἔλαττον ἢ πλεῖον δέκα ἐν τοῖς προαυλίοις μάλιστα τοῦ ναοῦ. ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις τοῦ δήμου συνηθροισμένου παντὸς, παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πάλιν συγκλητικοῦ τῶν προτέρων ἴσοι ἢ καὶ πλείους ῥίπτονται ἀπόδεσμοι. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ τῶν δημοτικῶν μὲν πάρεισιν οὐδένες· τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ δὲ καὶ τοῦ περὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ὑπηρεσίαν τεταγμένου παρόντος παντὸς, ἐν ταῖς τῶν βασιλείων αὐλαῖς ἐξερχόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοῦ τῶν βασιλικῶν ταμίου παρεστῶτος, χρημάτων καὶ τὴν ἄκραν τῆς ἐσθῆτος πλήρη φέροντος νομισμάτων χρυσῶν ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν, δραττόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς κύκλῳ διασκεδάζει. κενωθέντων δὲ, ὁ ταμίας αὖθις τὴν ἐσθῆτα ἀναπληροῖ· καὶ τοῦτο γίνεται οὐ τρὶς καὶ τετράκις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλεονάκις. αἴτιον δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης διαδόσεως τοῦ χρυσοῦ τὸ πάντας βούλεσθαι τὸν βασιλέα ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ δαπανῶντας αὐτῷ συνευφραίνεσθαι καὶ συμπανηγυρίζειν. τοιαύτη μὲν ἡ 1.204 ἐπὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι στεφομένοις γινομένη τελετή· ἡ δὴ γέγονεν ὁμοία καὶ ἐπ' Ἀνδρονίκῳ τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ, Φεβρουαρίου ἱσταμένου τῆς ὀγδόης ἰνδικτιῶνος. μβʹ. Τοῦ δὲ ἐπιόντος ἔτους κατὰ μῆνα Φεβρουάριον ἐννάτης ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἐκ τῆς Σαβωΐας εἰς Βυζάντιον ἧκεν Ἄννα ἡ