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they gave to partake, thus making a mockery of the immaculate mysteries. So this Gryllos would ride on a donkey when making public processions, and he delighted in having such a company following along. And once it happened that he met the blessed patriarch Ignatius during a procession, who was following the ecclesiastical litany with the sacred clergy. So when Gryllos saw him, he eagerly seized the opportunity and began the music, and lifting up his phelonion, with his fellow initiates he struck the lyres more vigorously and assailed those venerable men with insults and the most shameful words. (39) And he once summoned his own mother Theodora, who was still alive and living in the palace, to be blessed by him, pretending that he was the blessed Ignatius. So as the most sacred woman came forth with reverence and respect, she threw herself to the ground asking for a prayer (for he was for the time unrecognized, hiding his beard as was convenient), 202 he immediately let out a noise full of stench and with improper words called down upon themselves the curses of her and of the more pious, who, divining the future, also made clear to Michael that he would fall outside of the providence and hand of God. But it was not possible for a man who had indeed turned from the straight path and departed from virtue to be recalled and to take up the blessed way. Therefore the evils were indeed not far off, but the authors and inventors of such things caused them to draw near to those very men. And first Bardas brought these things upon himself, or rather Theoktistos the *kanikleios* before him, whether because everyone with one accord gratified him completely and did not, as regents, attempt to check his wicked teachings, or because while one checked him, the other, not thinking the same out of contentiousness, did not join in checking him, but rather permitted him, just as we also in our own times have seen such men. Nevertheless they brought the evils upon themselves, and Theoktistos, now being slaughtered as has been said, was now not succeeding in the servile offices he was undertaking. For having often been chosen as leader of many armies, and having set out against many enemies both now and before this, he nowhere returned victorious or having completely overcome the enemies, but being defeated and having handed over his armies to utter destruction, I know not whether because he was lacking in sense and reason and was inexperienced in the deeds of valor in war, 203 since he had indeed never practiced these things, or for some other greater cause beyond our ken, or even for the one just mentioned. For when two solar eclipses had once occurred, he, having been chosen as general against the Abasgians, unfortunately experienced divine wrath; for some, having suffered shipwreck, met a miserable end concerning their own lives, and others, having set foot on dry land, shared in their misfortunes. And so in this way that army perished; and not long after, having again taken up the war more rashly, he lost over forty thousand of the army. And again, having campaigned against the Arabs in Crete, he returned with nothing accomplished, having left not a few of his men there because he had resorted to flight and departed from there all at once. But these things he did before; (40) but now certain manifest signs and appearances of comets and visions in dreams were laying bare the terrible things that were to come for Bardas, not by chance at all nor otherwise by an irrational impulse, but by some providence of the one who does not seek the death but the repentance of the sinner. For in his sleep he thought that he went to the precinct of God, which is named Sophia, with Michael in a public festival and procession. So when they arrived and were in the middle of the temple, some men in white appeared, two in number, angelic in form; but as they proceeded further, they saw nothing else, but on the throne an old man was seated 204 (this was Peter, the chief of the apostles

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μεταλαμβάνειν ἐδίδοσαν, τῶν ἀχράντων ουτω καταπαίζοντες μυστηρίων. ουτος ουν ὁ Γρῦλος καὶ ονῳ ἐπωχεῖτο τὰς δημοσίας προόδους τελῶν, καὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον θίασον συνεπόμενον εχων ἠγάλλετο. καί ποτε συνέβη συντυχεῖν ̓Ιγνατίῳ τῷ μακαρίτῃ πατριάρχῃ κατὰ πρόοδον τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ λιτῇ μετὰ τοῦ ἱερατικοῦ κλήρου ἐφεπομένῳ. ὡς ουν ειδεν αὐτὸν ὁ Γρῦλος, ασμενος τοῦ πράγματος ἑλόμενος ἐξῆρχέ τε τῶν κρουμάτων, καὶ τὸν φελόνην ἀναστείλας μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ συμμυστῶν εὐτονωτέρας τε εκρουε τὰς κιθάρας καὶ τοὺς εὐαγεῖς ἐκείνους λοιδορίαις καὶ αἰ- σχίστοις εβαλλε ῥήμασι. (39) καὶ Θεοδώραν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μη- τέρα ετι ζῶσαν καὶ τοῖς ἀνακτόροις διαιτωμένην μετεκαλέσατό ποτε εὐλογηθησομένην παρ' αὐτοῦ, πλασάμενος τοῦτον ειναι τὸν μακα- ρίτην ̓Ιγνάτιον. ὡς ουν ἐξῄει μετ' εὐλαβείας καὶ αἰδοῦς ἡ ἱερωτάτη γυνή, ερριψεν εἰς τουδαφος ἑαυτὴν ἐξαιτουμένη εὐχήν (καὶ γὰρ ἐλάνθανε τέως, τὴν γενειάδα κρύπτων κατὰ τὸ πρόχειρον), 202 ψόφον αὐθωρὸν ἐπαφεὶς δυσωδίας πλήρη καὶ ῥήματα ἀπρεπῆ τὰς ἐκείνης καὶ τῶν εὐσεβεστέρων εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἐξεκαλεῖτο ἀράς, η καὶ τὸ μέλλον ἀποφοιβάσασα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ προνοίας τε καὶ χειρὸς εξω γενέσθαι διεσάφει τῷ Μιχαήλ. ̓Αλλ' οὐκ ην ανδρα παρατραπέντα δὴ τῆς εὐθείας καὶ ἀπο- στάντα τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀνακληθῆναι καὶ τῆς μακαρίας λαβέσθαι ὁδοῦ. οθεν οὐδὲ πορρωτέρω δὴ τὰ κακά, ἀλλ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐκείνοις πλησιά- ζειν ἐποίουν οἱ τῶν τοιούτων αιτιοι καὶ ἐφευρεταί. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Βάρδας ταῦτα ἐπέφερεν, μᾶλλον δὲ ὁ Θεόκτιστος ὁ κανίκλειος πρὸ αὐτοῦ, ειτε δὴ τῷ παντελῶς τούτῳ χαρίζεσθαι πάντας δὴ ὁμοθυμαδὸν καὶ μὴ τῶν πονηροτέρων ἀνακόπτειν διδα- γμάτων ὡς ἐπιτρόπων ἐπιχειρούντων, ειτε δὴ τοῦ μὲν ἑνὸς ἀνα- στέλλοντος, τοῦ δ' ἑτέρου μὴ τὰ ισα φρονοῦντος ἐξ ἐριθείας καὶ συναναστέλλοντος, ἀλλ' ἐπιτρέποντος μᾶλλον, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐν τοῖς καθ' ἡμᾶς χρόνοις τοιούτους ἐθεασάμεθα. πλὴν ἐπήγαγον εἰς ἑαυτοὺς τὰ κακά, καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεόκτιστος νῦν μέν, ὡς ειρηται, σφαττόμενος, νῦν δὲ ταῖς αις ἐπεχείρει δουλείαις μὴ κατευοδούμε- νος. καὶ γὰρ πολλῶν στρατιῶν πολλάκις προκριθεὶς ἡγεμών, καὶ κατὰ πολλῶν ὁρμήσας πολεμίων νῦν τε καὶ πρὸ τούτου οὐδαμοῦ νικήσας ὑπέστρεψεν η τὸ σύνολον τῶν ἐχθρῶν καθυπερτερῶν, ἡτ- τώμενος δὲ καὶ πανωλεθρίᾳ τὰ στρατεύματα παραδούς, οὐκ οιδα ειτε φρονήσεως ἀμοιρῶν καὶ λόγου καὶ τῶν ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδραγα- 203 θημάτων ἀπείρως εχων ατε δὴ μήτε μελετήσας ταῦτα ποτέ, η τινι αλλῃ μείζονι αἰτίᾳ τῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, η καὶ τῇ εἰρημένῃ νυνί. καὶ γὰρ ἡλιακῶν ποτὲ ἐκλείψεων δύο γεγενημένων, κατὰ τῶν ̓Αβασγῶν ουτος προκριθεὶς στρατηγὸς θεομηνίας ἀπήλαυσε δυστυχῶς· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ναυαγίῳ περιπεσόντες περὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ζωὴν ἐδυστύχησαν, οἱ δὲ καὶ τῆς ξηρᾶς ἐπιβάντες ταῖς ἐκείνων δυστυχίαις συνεκοινώνησαν. καὶ ουτος μὲν ουτως ἀπώλετο ὁ στρατός· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ πάλιν θρασύτερον ἁψάμενος τοῦ πολέμου ὑπὲρ τὰς τέσσαρας μυριάδας ἀπέβαλε τοῦ στρατοῦ. καὶ αυθις κατὰ τῶν ἐν Κρήτῃ ̓Αράβων στρατεύσας απρακτος ὑπέστρεψεν, οὐκ ὀλίγους τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖσε καταλιπὼν διὰ τὸ φυγῇ χρησάμενον ἀθρόως ἀπαλλα- γῆναι αὐτῆς. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐκεῖνος πρότερον· (40) νῦν δὲ σύμβολά τινα προφανῆ καὶ κομητῶν ἐπιτολαὶ καὶ οψεις ὀνειράτων γινόμεναι τὰ μέλλοντα τῷ Βάρδᾳ δεινὰ παρεγύμνουν, οὐκ ἐξ αὐ- τομάτου πάντως η καὶ αλλως ἀλόγῳ φορᾷ, προνοίᾳ δέ τινι τοῦ μὴ τὸν θάνατον ζητοῦντος ὡς τὴν ἐπιστροφὴν τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ. κατὰ τὸν υπνον γοῦν εδοξεν ουτος πρὸς τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τέμενος, ῳ ἐπώνυμον Σοφία, μετὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐν πανδήμῳ πανηγύρει καὶ προελεύσει φοιτᾶν. ὡς ουν ἀφίκοντο καὶ κατὰ μέσον ἐγένοντο τοῦ ναοῦ, λευκοφόροι τινὲς ἀνεφαίνοντο δύο τὸν ἀριθμόν, τὸ σχῆμα ἀγγελοειδεῖς· ὡς δὲ προσωτέρω μᾶλλον ἐχώρησαν, αλλο μὲν ὁρῶσιν οὐδέν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ θρόνῳ τινὰ γηραιὸν ἐγκαθήμενον 204 (Πέτρον ειναι τοῦτον τὸν κορυφαῖον τῶν ἀποστόλων