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of Solon nor of foreign and strange up-bringing, but by his begetter alone was he most beautifully trained in noble things, and toward the divine, holiness and piety, and toward his parents, respect and obedience, toward elders, deference, and toward peers and tribesmen, guileless goodwill, toward rulers, submission, and toward the poor, mercy, in all virtues he conspicuously shone forth, appearing temperate from his youth and courageous, loving and especially honoring equality with prudence, and in no way lording it over the more humble, from which things came goodwill toward him from all, and his being beloved and desired by all. 7 But when he had already passed his childish years and driven on to the age of youths and had occasion to advance to more manly pursuits, his father who begot him departed this life and went away to the state of things there, and grief and lamentation, as was likely, reveled throughout the house; widowhood for his mother and orphanhood for this most excellent one, and from these things sorrows and afflictions arose, and a swarm of cares flowed in on account of the management of their life; for all the care of the household and the providence for his mother and siblings immediately fell 221 upon him. But since the assistance from agriculture seemed to him small and ignoble, he resolved to enter the reigning city and display his own virtue and from there to provide for himself and his family the things that were needed and to demonstrate a greatly beneficial protection and forethought; for he knew that in the great and especially in the reigning cities, skillful natures are well-esteemed and those who excel others in some respect are known for a more brilliant fortune, but in the more obscure and humble cities, just as in village life, virtues are obscured and decay, and they themselves, by not being displayed nor admired, proceed toward extinction and wither away. For these reasons, indeed, the entry to the reigning city seemed to him profitable and advantageous, but his longing for his mother and his wish to lighten her difficulties pulled him back and held him, she herself especially putting forward her hopes for support in her old age and demanding nearby help and service in her duties. 8 But since it was necessary for the divine will to become more authoritative and for this man to ascend, walking little by little on the path for which he was destined, visions of dreams persuade the mother to give in to him and yield to his impulse toward the city, or rather, for she herself to urge him on and exhort him to reach the reigning city 222 and to display the meadow of his soul and the advantages of his noble spirit. For once in a dream the mother seemed to see a very great plant sprout forth from her, as the mother of Cyrus saw the vine, and that this stood upon her house, luxuriant with blossoms and laden with fruit, and that its great trunk from the earth was golden, and the branch and the leaves were like gold. And having related this to one of her acquaintances who seemed to be skillful concerning such things, she heard that it signified that her son would have a brilliant and great fortune. And again after a little time, she sees in her sleep a certain old man, from whose mouth fire was coming out, saying to her distinctly that "Your son Basil, who is beloved by you, will be entrusted with the scepters of the empire of the Romans by God, and you must exhort him to enter Constantinople." And she, overjoyed at this gladsome message and filled with joy, both venerated that old man and said to him, "Who are you, O my lord, who did not deem it unworthy to appear to your handmaiden, but have thus brought me such joyful good tidings?" And he says, "I am Elijah the Tishbite," and he flew away from her eyes. She therefore, having awakened, and by these favorable visions, or rather divine revelations, as it were

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Σόλωνος ουτε ὑπερορίου καὶ ξενικῆς ἀγω- γῆς, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῷ φύσαντι μόνῳ τὰ τῶν καλῶν ἐξασκούμενος κάλ- λιστα, πρός τε τὸ θεῖον ὁσιότητα καὶ εὐσέβειαν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τεκόντας αἰδῶ καὶ εὐπείθειαν, πρὸς γεραιτέρους υπειξιν καὶ πρὸς ηλικας καὶ φυλέτας αδολον ευνοιαν, πρὸς δυνάστας ὑποταγὴν καὶ πρὸς πένητας ελεον, ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἐπιδήλως ἐξέλαμψεν, σώφρων ἐκ νέου καὶ ἀνδρεῖος ἀναφαινόμενος, τήν τε ἰσότητα μετὰ φρονήσεως ἀγαπῶν καὶ διαφερόντως τιμῶν, καὶ ἐν μηδενὶ τῶν τα- πεινοτέρων κατεπαιρόμενος ἐξ ων ευνοια παρὰ πάντων αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ πᾶσιν ειναι προσφιλῆ καὶ ἐράσμιον. 7 Ηδη δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν παιδικὴν παραλλάξαντος ἡλικίαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν μειρακίων ἐλάσαντος καὶ τοῖς ἀνδρικωτέροις και- ρὸν εχοντος προσβαίνειν ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, ἐξέλιπε τὸν βίον ὁ φύσας πατὴρ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπῆρε κατάστασιν, πένθος δὲ καὶ θρῆνος κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν, ὡς εἰκός, ἐπεκώμαζε· χηρεία περὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ ὀρφανία περὶ τοῦτον τὸν κράτιστον καὶ αἱ ἐντεῦθεν ἀνίαι καὶ θλίψεις ἐφύοντο, ἐπέρρει δὲ καὶ φροντίδων ἐσμὸς τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον διοικήσεως ενεκα· ερρεπε γὰρ πρὸς τοῦτον εὐθὺς 221 πᾶσα ἡ περὶ τὸν οικον ἐπιμέλεια καὶ ἡ πρόνοια τῆς μητρὸς καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ γεωργίας ἐπικουρία μικρά τις καὶ ἀγεννὴς ἐδόκει αὐτῷ, ἐβουλεύετο πρὸς τὸν βασιλεύουσαν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ τὰ τῆς οἰκείας ἀρετῆς ἐπιδείξασθαι κἀντεῦθεν ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ προσπορίσαι τὰ δέοντα καὶ μεγαλωφελῆ τὴν προστα- σίαν ἐπιδείξασθαι καὶ προμήθειαν· ῃδει γὰρ ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις καὶ μάλιστα ταῖς βασιλευομέναις τῶν πόλεων τὰς δεξιὰς φύσεις εὐδοκιμεῖν καὶ τοὺς τῶν αλλων κατά τι προέχοντας ἐπὶ λαμπρο- τέρας τύχης γνωρίζεσθαι, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἀδοξοτέραις τῶν πόλεων καὶ ταπειναῖς, ωσπερ ἐν ταῖς κωμητικαῖς ἀναστροφαῖς, ἀμαυροῦσθαι καὶ φθίνειν τὰς ἀρετάς, καὶ αὐτὰς ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν ἐν τῷ μὴ ἐπιδεί- κνυσθαι μηδὲ θαυμάζεσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἐξίτηλον χωρεῖν καὶ μαραί- νεσθαι. διὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡ πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εισοδος ἐδόκει αὐτῷ λυσιτελὴς καὶ συμφέρουσα, ἀνθεῖλκε δὲ καὶ κατεῖχεν ὁ τῆς μητρὸς πόθος καὶ τὸ θέλειν ἐπικουφίζειν ταύτης τὰ δυσχερῆ, αὐτῆς ἐκείνης μάλιστα τὰς γηροτρόφους ἐλπίδας προβαλλομένης καὶ τὴν ἐγγύθεν ἀπαιτούσης ἐπικουρίαν καὶ ὑπουργίαν ἐν τοῖς καθήκουσιν. 8 ̓Επεὶ δὲ κυριωτέραν εδει τὴν θείαν γενέσθαι βουλὴν καὶ τοῦτον πρὸς οπερ ἀφώριστο κατὰ μικρὸν ὁδῷ βαδίζοντα ἀνελ- θεῖν, ὀνειράτων οψεις πείθουσι τὴν μητέρα ὑπενδοῦναι αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπεῖξαι τῆς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ὁρμῆς, μᾶλλον δὲ αὐτὴν ἐκείνην παρ- ορμῆσαι αὐτὸν καὶ προτρέψασθαι τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν κατα- 222 λαβεῖν καὶ ἐπιδείξασθαι τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς λειμῶνα καὶ τὰ τοῦ γεν- ναίου φρονήματος προτερήματα. εδοξε γάρ ποτε οναρ ἡ μήτηρ ὁρᾶν μέγιστον ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀναβλαστῆσαι φυτόν, ὡς ἡ Κύρου μήτηρ ειδε τὴν αμπελον, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας αὐτῆς ἑστάναι ανθεσί τε κομῶν καὶ καρπῷ βρῖθον, χρυσοῦν τε ειναι τὸ ἀπὸ γῆς τούτου μέγα στέλεχος, καὶ τὸ κλάδος καὶ τὰ φύλλα χρυσοειδῆ. τοῦτο δὲ πρός τινα τῶν συνήθων καὶ περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατευστοχεῖν δο- κούντων διηγησαμένη ἐπὶ λαμπρᾶς καὶ μεγάλης τύχης εσεσθαι δηλοῦν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς ηκουσε. καὶ αυθις δὲ μετά τινα χρόνον ὀλίγον ὁρᾷ κατὰ τοὺς υπνους ανδρα τινὰ γηραιόν, ου πῦρ ἐξῄει ἀπὸ τοῦ στόματος, διαρρήδην λέγοντα πρὸς αὐτὴν οτι ὁ ἀγαπώ- μενος ὑπὸ σοῦ ὁ υἱός σου Βασίλειος τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων βασιλείας παρὰ θεοῦ τὰ σκῆπτρα ἐγχειρισθήσεται, καὶ δεῖ σε προτρέψασθαι τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν εἰσελθεῖν. ἡ δὲ πρὸς τὴν χαρμόσυνον ταύτην ἀγγελίαν διαχυθεῖσα καὶ πλήρης γενομένη χα- ρᾶς προσεκύνησέ τε τὸν γηραιὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ "τίς ει" ειπεν αὐτῷ, "ω κύριέ μου, ὁ μὴ ἀπαξιώσας ἐποφθῆναι τῇ δούλῃ σου, ἀλλ' ουτως εὐφρόσυνα εὐαγγέλια προσκομίσας μοι;" ὁ δὲ " ̓Ηλίας" φησίν "ὁ Θεσβίτης εἰμί," καὶ ἀπέπτη τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. διυπνι- σθεῖσα ουν ἐκείνη, καὶ ταῖς δεξιαῖς ταύταις οψεσι, μᾶλλον δὲ θείαις ἀποκαλύψεσιν οιον