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but otherwise noble and good and, for his age, beauty, and speed, great and marvelous, who, if he happened to be loosed from his tether or otherwise set free, was extremely difficult to get into hand again and gave the grooms much trouble to restrain him. It happened once that the emperor, having gone out to hunt and mounted on such a horse, 231 struck a hare with a rod by his own hand. Straightaway, therefore, out of pleasure, the emperor more quickly leapt down from the horse to slaughter the hare. But the horse, being left untethered, bolted away, and although many ran together, both the chiefs of the stable and the manglabites and the rest of those around them being roused, it was not possible for anyone to catch the horse, so that the emperor, angered, ordered that, if it were caught, its hind legs should be cut. But Caesar Bardas, being present, begged the emperor not to destroy so great a virtue of a horse in vain on account of one vice. Therefore Basil, being present with his master, says to him that if I should run past the imperial horse and, being thrown from my horse, should become its rider, would there not be indignation against me from the emperor on account of its being adorned with imperial trappings? But when the emperor was reminded and ordered this to be done, Basil did this readily and skillfully. The emperor, seeing this, and admiring his skill with manliness and understanding, straightaway took him from Theophilitzes and enrolled him among the imperial equerries. And he paid attention to him and loved him, seeing that he was very different from the others in all things. For which reason, as he had often shown himself before him, he raised him to the rank of protostrator. 14 After these things, when a hunt was announced in the place called Philopation, the protostrator was riding on horseback, preceding the emperor 232 according to custom, and he carried the imperial club on his belt, which custom knows to call a *bardoukion*. And as a commotion arose from those completing the hunt, a most enormous wolf rushed out of the woods, so that almost all were terrified and fell into confusion. But Basil, rushing against it and throwing the imperial *bardoukion* from behind, struck the beast in the middle of its head and split it in two. And the Caesar, proceeding behind the emperor as was customary, and seeing what had happened, said to some of his usual companions and acquaintances who were following that I think this man is destined to be the downfall of our entire family; for he took into account his success and good fortune in all things and, because of these, the emperor's disposition towards him. Not only that, but they say that he also heard from Leo, who at that time was preeminent in all kinds of wisdom, when he often inquired of the man about these things, first that I find the downfall of your family will be by a certain young man; then, as Basil came into prominence, he pointed him out to the Caesar with his finger, saying that this happens to be the one whom I said was destined to be your successor. From which cause the Caesar was always suspicious of and plotting against Basil, even if he could nullify none of the things pre-validated by the divine will; for what is fated is not so much unexpected as it is always inescapable. And these things, although perhaps as a digression, have not been said outside of the subject. 233 15 The emperor being a lover of the hunt, and again after a short time having passed through the place called Armamentarea for the sake of both a hunt and a moderate journey, then a private banquet having been prepared and the emperor being seated at table with Theodora his own mother and his own kinsmen and the more intimate members of the senate, the protostrator was also summoned by order of the emperor, and when he was seated, the empress Theodora began more frequently

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τὰ δ' αλλα γενναῖος καὶ ἀγαθὸς καὶ καθ' ἡλικίαν καὶ κάλλος καὶ τάχος μέγας καὶ θαυμαστός, ος εἰ ετυχε λυθεὶς τοῦ δεσμοῦ η αλλως πως ἀφεθείς, λίαν ην δυσχερὴς εἰς χεῖρας αυθις ἐλθεῖν καὶ πολλὰ πράγματα πρὸς τὸ κατασχεῖν παρεῖχε τοῖς ἱπποκόμοις. συνέβη δέ ποτε τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς θήραν ἐξελθόντα καὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον ιππον ἐπιβεβη- 231 κότα αὐτοχειρίᾳ ῥάβδῳ τυχεῖν λαγωοῦ. εὐθὺς ουν ὑφ' ἡδονῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς θᾶττον ἐκ τοῦ ιππου καθήλατο πρὸς τὸ σφάξαι τὸν λαγωόν. αφετος δὲ ὁ ιππος καταλειφθεὶς ἀπεσκίρτησεν, καὶ πολλῶν συνδραμόντων, καὶ τῶν τε τοῦ ἱπποστασίου ἀρχόντων καὶ μαγγλαβιτῶν καὶ λοιπῶν τῶν περὶ αὐτοὺς συγκινηθέντων, οὐκ ην τινὶ δυνατὸν τὸν ιππον λαβεῖν, ωστε θυμωθέντα τὸν βασιλέα κε- λεῦσαι, εἰ κρατηθείη, διακοπῆναι τοὺς ὀπισθίους αὐτοῦ τῶν πο- δῶν. ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ Βάρδας παρὼν ἐδεῖτο τοῦ βασιλέως μὴ διὰ μίαν κακίαν τοσαύτην ἀρετὴν ιππου μάτην παραπολέσθαι. ὁ ουν Βασίλειος συμπαρὼν τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτοῦ λέγει πρὸς αὐτὸν οτι εἰ παραδράμω τὸν βασιλικὸν ιππον καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ιππου ἐκτινα- χθεὶς εποχος αὐτοῦ γένωμαι, αρα μὴ διὰ τὸ βασιλικοῖς φαλάροις κεκοσμῆσθαι αὐτὸν ἀγανάκτησις παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως γένηται κατ' ἐμοῦ; τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ὑπομνησθέντος καὶ κελεύσαντος τοῦτο γε- νέσθαι, ἑτοίμως καὶ εὐφυῶς ὁ Βασίλειος τοῦτο πεποίηκεν. ο θεασάμενος ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἀγαπήσας τὴν μετ' ἀνδρίας εὐφυίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ σύνεσιν, εὐθέως ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοφιλίτζη αὐτὸν ἀνέλαβέ τε καὶ εἰς τοὺς βασιλικοὺς κατέταξε στράτορας. προσεῖχε δὲ καὶ ἠγάπα αὐτόν, ὁρῶν αὐτοῦ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς αλλους ἐν πᾶσι διαφέρον κατὰ πολύ. διὸ καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιδειξάμενον κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν τοῦ πρωτοστράτορος ἀξίαν ἐβίβασε. 14 Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα κυνηγεσίου καταγγελθέντος εἰς τὸ λεγόμενον Φιλοπάτιον, ην ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ κατὰ τὸν τύπον τοῦ 232 βασιλέως προπορευόμενος εφιππος, ἐπεφέρετο δὲ καὶ τὸ ῥόπαλον τὸ βασιλικὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ζώνης αὐτοῦ, ο βαρδούκιον οιδε καλεῖν ἡ συνήθεια. θορύβου δὲ κινουμένου ἀπὸ τῶν συμπληρούντων τὸ κυνηγέσιον, ἐξέθορεν ἐκ τῆς υλης λύκος παμμεγεθέστατος, ωστε σχεδὸν πάν- τας διαπτοηθῆναι καὶ εἰς ταραχὴν ἐμπεσεῖν. ὁρμήσας δὲ κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ Βασίλειος, καὶ ῥίψας ἐξόπισθεν τὸ βασιλικὸν βαρδούκιον, ετυχε τοῦ θηρίου κατὰ τὸ μέσον τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ ταύτην ἐδιχοτό- μησεν. ὁ δὲ Καῖσαρ οπισθεν τοῦ βασιλέως κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς πο- ρευόμενος καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς θεασάμενος ειπε πρός τινας τῶν συνεπο- μένων συνήθων αὐτοῦ καὶ γνωστῶν οτι οιμαι πάσης τῆς γενεᾶς ἡμῶν τὴν κατάλυσιν τὸν ανθρωπον τοῦτον μέλλειν γενήσεσθαι· κατεστοχάζετο γὰρ καὶ τὸ πρὸς πάντα τούτου ἐπιτυχές τε καὶ εὐ- τυχὲς καὶ τὴν διὰ ταῦτα τοῦ βασιλέως διάθεσιν πρὸς αὐτόν. οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ Λέοντός φασι τοῦ τηνικαῦτα ἐπὶ παν- τοδαπῇ σοφίᾳ πρωτεύοντος ἀκοῦσαι αὐτόν, ἐν τῷ πολλάκις περὶ τούτων πυνθάνεσθαι τοῦ ἀνδρός, πρῶτα μὲν οτι ὑπὸ νεανίσκου τινὸς εὑρίσκω τὴν κατάλυσιν τῆς ὑμῶν γενεᾶς· επειτα, ὡς εἰς ἐμ- φάνειαν προέβαινεν ὁ Βασίλειος, καὶ τῷ δακτύλῳ τοῦτον ὑποδεῖξαι τῷ Καίσαρι, λέγοντα οτι ουτος τυγχάνει ον ελεγον διάδοχον ὑμῶν μέλλειν εσεσθαι. ἐξ ου καὶ ὑφωρᾶτο καὶ ἐνήδρευεν ὁ Καῖσαρ ἀεὶ τὸν Βασίλειον, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἀκυρῶσαι ἠδύνατο τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου προκυρωθέντων βουλήματος· οὐ γὰρ ουτως ἀπροσδόκητον ὡς αφυκτον ἀεὶ τὸ πεπρωμένον ἐστίν. καὶ ταῦτα μέν, εἰ καὶ κατὰ παράβασιν ισως, ἀλλ' οὐκ εξω τῆς ὑποθέσεως ειρηται. 233 15 Φιλοθήρου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τυγχάνοντος, καὶ πάλιν μετ' ὀλίγον κυνηγεσίου τε χάριν καὶ μετρίου περιοδεύματος κατὰ τὸν τῆς ̓Αρμαμενταρέας λεγόμενον τόπον περάσαντος, ειτα δουλι- κίου κατ' ἰδίαν εὐτρεπισθέντος καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπὶ τραπέζης μετὰ Θεοδώρας καθεσθέντος τῆς οἰκείας μητρὸς καὶ τῶν ἰδίων συγγε- νῶν καὶ οἰκειοτέρων τῆς συγκλήτου, προσεκλήθη καὶ ὁ πρωτο- στράτωρ τοῦ βασιλέως κελεύσαντος, καὶ καθεσθέντος αὐτοῦ ηρξατο Θεοδώρα ἡ βασιλὶς πυκνότερον