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who was an ambassador and a fiery lover of the heresy) neither accepted the gifts and sent away their bearer, saying that he could not bear to receive anything from a worshipper of idols, and threatening the emperor with the swift loss of both his kingdom and his life, if he did not refrain from worshipping idols, thus calling the venerable icons. These things, when reported by the one who was sent to Leo, made him pensive; and he communicated what was reported to one of his familiars, Theodotus Melissenus, who happened to be a heresiarch of the iconoclasts. Therefore, that man cunningly approached Leo and knowing a certain monk of the same belief as himself, he advised him to share the matter with this man, and to do whatever that man might suggest; for the man was full of spiritual graces and foresaw and foretold future events. When, therefore, he saw the emperor agreeing with his words, Theodotus went away to the monk and told him in advance of the emperor's arrival to him in the guise of a private citizen and for what reason he would come and instructed him in all that he should say to the emperor. Then at night the emperor went away to the monk, disguised, 324 so that he might not be recognized as the emperor; and Theodotus was with him. And that monk, as if forsooth initiated by the Spirit into what was being contrived, addressed Leo as emperor and said, "Do not hide your rank, nor wish to deceive our nothingness. But know that you are not rightly disposed concerning reverence, but are an outright idolater, both yourself and all your subjects. If, then, you remove the idols from the churches, both your life and your reign will be long and fortunate; but if not this, expect the swift loss of both, and in addition to this, eternal punishments will await you." And he said these things; but Leo, admiring the monk for his supposed foreknowledge (for he did not recognize Theodotus's trick), was captured by his words and breathed most vehemently against the divine images, decreeing by an edict their destruction from everywhere. He wished, however, to have the patriarch of the same mind; but he both spoke strongly against it and refuted the dogma as impious, both in speeches and in writings; this most divine man was Nikephoros. For this reason, he also condemned him to exile. And it is said that the renowned Nikephoros perceived Leo's evil character in advance and how he would be 325 a thorn to the orthodox and an occasion of turmoil for the churches. For in placing the diadem on his head, it seemed that thorns were stuck in his hand. He, therefore, was led away to Proikonnesos as an exile. But the confessor Theophanes, the abbot of the Great Field, having known his passage by the spirit (for he did not see the holy man), lighting candles and burning incense, greeted him; and he in turn from the ship responded with prostrations to the one sending him off, neither seeing nor, however, being seen. And when those sailing with the patriarch marveled and asked to whom he was paying his respects, he said, to the confessor Theophanes, the abbot of the Great Field, foretelling the confession; for he had not yet then been deemed worthy of it. When the venerable Nikephoros had thus been cast out of the church, Theodotus Melissenus was brought in his place, whose surname was two-named; for he was also called Kassiteras. From where he became known to Leo it is not right to leave unrecorded. 326 When Michael Rangabe was reigning, a certain woman from around the women's quarters of the palace, becoming possessed by madness during the lunar periods, cried out to the emperor, "Come down, depart from what belongs to another." This happened not once, but very often, and it disturbed the emperor. And being a familiar of this Theodotus, he communicated the woman's cries; and he said, "when the woman is seized by madness and cries out her usual things, she must be asked by someone to whom the palace belongs and what he is called or what he is like in appearance and if there is any other distinguishing mark about him." It seemed, therefore, that he advised well; and he himself was entrusted with the questioning; and the young woman, having gone mad again, cried out as was her custom; and he asked. And she [spoke] both the name of Leo

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πρεσβεύων καὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως διάπυρος ἐραστής) οὔτε τὰ δῶρα προσήκατο καὶ τὸν τούτων κομιστὴν ἀπεπέμψατο, ἐξ εἰδώλων προσκυνητοῦ μή τι λαβεῖν ἀνέχεσθαι φάμενος καὶ τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τῆς ζωῆς διὰ βραχέος ἐπαπειλῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ στέρησιν, εἰ μὴ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν τοῖς εἰδώλοις ἀπόσχοιτο, τὰς σεπτὰς εἰκόνας οὕτω καλῶν. ταῦτα παρὰ τοῦ σταλθέντος ἀγγελθέντα τῷ Λέοντι ἔμφροντιν αὐτὸν πεποιήκασι· καὶ κοινοῦται τὰ μηνυθέντα τῶν οἱ συνήθων τινὶ τῷ Μελισσηνῷ Θεοδότῳ, ὃς τοῖς εἰκονομάχοις αἱρεσιώτης ἐτύγχανεν ὤν. δόλῳ τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος τὸν Λέοντα μέτεισι καί τινα μοναχὸν ἑαυτῷ γινώσκων ὁμόδοξον, τούτῳ συνεβούλευε κοινώσασθαι τὴν ὑπόθεσιν, καὶ ὃ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ὑπόθηται, τοῦτο ποιῆσαι· εἶναι γὰρ τὸν ἄνδρα μεστὸν χαρίτων πνευματικῶν καὶ προορῶντα τὰ μέλλοντα καὶ προλέγοντα. ὡς οὖν εἶδε τὸν βασιλέα συνθέμενον τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, ἄπεισι πρὸς τὸν μοναχὸν ὁ Θεόδοτος καὶ προλέγει αὐτῷ τὴν ὡς αὐτὸν τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἐν ἰδιώτου σχήματι ἄφιξιν καὶ ὅτου χάριν ἐλεύσεται καὶ μυσταγωγεῖ τοῦτον ὅσα τῷ βασιλεῖ διαλέξεται. εἶτα νυκτὸς ἄπεισιν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸν μοναχὸν μεταμφιασάμενος, 324 ἵνα μὴ διαγνωσθείη ὢν βασιλεύς· συμπαρῆν δέ οἱ καὶ ὁ Θεόδοτος. ὁ δὲ μοναχὸς ἐκεῖνος, οἷα δῆθεν προμυηθεὶς ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ πλαττόμενον, ὡς βασιλέα προσεῖπε τὸν Λέοντα καὶ "μὴ κρύπτε σου" φησί "τὸ ἀξίωμα μηδ' ἀπατᾶν θέλε τὴν ἡμῶν οὐθενότητα. ἴσθι δὲ μὴ περὶ τὸ σέβας ὀρθῶς διακείμενος, ἀλλ' ἄντικρυς εἰδωλολατρῶν καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἅπαν σοι τὸ ὑπήκοον. εἰ μὲν οὖν περιαιρήσεις τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, ἔσται σοι καὶ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία πολυετής τε καὶ εὐτυχής· εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, ἀλλ' ἔλπιζε ταχεῖαν τὴν στέρησιν καὶ ἀμφοῖν, καὶ πρὸς ταύτῃ σε κολάσεις αἰώνιοι διαδέξονται." καὶ ὁ μὲν εἴρηκε ταῦτα· ὁ δὲ Λέων θαυμάσας τὸν μοναχὸν τῆς δῆθεν προγνώσεως (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἔγνω τοῦ Θεοδότου τὸ τύρευμα), ἥλω τοῖς ἐκείνου λόγοις καὶ κατὰ τῶν θείων ἐκτυπωμάτων σφοδρότατα ἔπνευσε, δόγματι τούτων πάντοθεν καθαίρεσιν καταψηφισάμενος. ἤθελε μέντοι καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην ἔχειν ὁμόψηφον· ὁ δὲ καὶ ἀντέλεγεν ἰσχυρῶς καὶ ἀσεβὲς ἐξήλεγχε τὸ δόγμα καὶ λόγοις καὶ γράμμασιν· ὁ θειότατος οὗτος ἦν Νικηφόρος. διὸ καὶ ὑπερορίαν αὐτοῦ κατακρίνει. λέγεται δὲ προαισθέσθαι τοῦ Λέοντος τὸ κακότροπον ὁ ἀοίδιμος Νικηφόρος καὶ ὡς ἔσται 325 τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις σκόλοψ καὶ κυδοιμοῦ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις λαβή. ἐν γὰρ τῷ περιτιθέναι τῇ αὐτοῦ κεφαλῇ τὸ διάδημα δόξαι ἀκάνθας ἐμπαγῆναι αὐτοῦ τῇ χειρί. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀπήγετο πρὸς Προικόνησον ὑπερόριος. ὁ δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀγροῦ καθηγούμενος ὁ ὁμολογητὴς Θεοφάνης τῷ πνεύματι τὴν ἐκείνου δίοδον ἐγνωκώς (οὐ γὰρ ἑώρα τὸν ἅγιον), κηροὺς ἀνάψας καὶ θυμιῶν ἐδεξιοῦτο αὐτόν· κἀκεῖνος αὖθις ἐκ τῆς νηὸς προσκυνήμασιν ἠμείβετο τὸν προπέμποντα, μήθ' ὁρῶν μήτε μέντοι ὁρώμενος. θαυμαζόντων δὲ τῶν σύμπλων τῷ πατριάρχῃ καὶ πυθομένων τίνι τὰς προσκυνήσεις ἀφοσιοῖ, ἐκεῖνος ἔφη τῷ ὁμολογητῇ Θεοφάνει τῷ τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀγροῦ καθηγητῇ, προειπὼν τὴν ὁμολογίαν· οὔπω γὰρ ἔφθη τότε ταύτης ἀξιωθείς. Ἐκβληθέντος δ' οὕτω τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ σεπτοῦ Νικηφόρου, ὁ Μελισσηνὸς ἀντεισήχθη Θεόδοτος, ᾧ διώνυμον τὸ ἐπώνυμον· ἐλέγετο γὰρ καὶ Κασσιτηρᾶς. ὅθεν δὲ γνωστὸς τῷ Λέοντι γέγονεν οὐ χρεὼν καταλιπεῖν ἀνιστόρητον. 326 Τοῦ Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Ῥαγγαβὲ βασιλεύοντος γύναιόν τι τῶν περὶ τὴν γυναικωνῖτιν τῶν βασιλείων κάτοχον μανίᾳ γινόμενον κατὰ τὰς σεληνιακὰς περιόδους, ἐβόα πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα "κάτελθε, τῶν ἀλλοτρίων ἐξίστασο." τοῦτο δ' οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀλλὰ πλειστάκις ἐγίνετο καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐτάραττε. συνήθει δ' ὄντι τῷ Θεοδότῳ τούτῳ κοινοῦται τὰς τοῦ γυναίου βοάς· καὶ ὅς "ὅταν ληφθῇ" φησίν "ἡ γυνὴ τῇ μανίᾳ καὶ βοᾷ τὰ συνήθη, χρὴ ἐρωτᾶσθαι παρά του τίνι προσήκουσι τὰ βασίλεια καὶ ὅπως ἐκεῖνος καλοῖτο ἢ οἷός ἐστι τὴν μορφὴν καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἐκείνῳ πρόσεστι γνώρισμα." ἔδοξεν οὖν συμβουλεύειν καλῶς· καὶ αὐτὸς πιστεύεται τὴν ἐρώτησιν· καὶ ἡ παιδίσκη μανεῖσα πάλιν ἐβόα κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες· ὁ δὲ ἠρώτα. κἀκείνη καὶ τοὔνομα τοῦ Λέοντος