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will happen." So Michael thus escaped destruction; but one might wonder from where Leo foretold what was to happen; for he certainly did not foreknow it from a more divine inspiration. For how could he, fighting against God, and otherwise being a man of bloodshed and of a life not pure from passions? It is said that it had been foretold to him by some oracle that on the day of the birth of Christ he would be cast from his rule and his life. But they also say that a book was stored in the palace library, in which there were oracles concerning the emperors 331 and figures of both men and beasts were inscribed, and among the others there a lion-beast was painted, on whose back the letter chi was engraved; and a man was behind the beast, with a spear driving through the chi into the lion. So the book contained these things, and they were, it seemed, Sibylline oracles. And the meaning of the aforesaid painting, being difficult to interpret, the quaestor of that time, as it is said, explained, saying that on the day of the birth of Christ an emperor was destined to be killed. For the beast signified an emperor, the chi hinted at the aforesaid day, and the spear being thrust through the middle of the chi into the lion meant that on the very day of the feast the emperor would be slain. These things troubled the emperor, but his mother's dream also terrified him. For it seemed to her that she was in the church of the Theotokos in Blachernae and saw a certain woman being escorted by men in white robes and the floor of the church full of blood, and to hear that guarded 332 woman ordering a vessel to be filled with blood and given to the emperor's mother. And when she did not accept what was offered, that illustrious woman said, "But your son fills with blood those who honor me and does not understand that he is moving God my Son to wrath." Leo's mother saw these things and reported the dream to her son and begged him to cease from his audacity against the holy icons, but the wretched man had become deaf and did not cease from fighting against God. And the divine Patriarch Tarasios, having already departed from this mortal life, was seen by someone in a dream, calling upon a certain Michael and commanding him to attack Leo and kill him. But also the prophecy of the monk in Philomelion and some other things disturbed Leo and made him afraid. For the time being, then, having bound Michael's feet in chains, he handed him over to the papias to be guarded, while he himself kept the key to the iron fetter. But spending the night full of care, he did not have 333 sleep settling on his eyes. Therefore he went to the papias's quarters and saw Michael sleeping on a bed, but the papias lying on the ground. For either the papias had done this to honor Michael or, as it seemed, he was a conspirator in the plot against the emperor. When, therefore, he saw these things, and Michael sleeping a deep and sweet sleep, such as befits one without cares, he returned in a rage and indicated his anger by a gesture of his hand. Now, none of the others noticed the emperor's presence, but one of the papias's men both recognized him when he came and, pretending to be asleep, saw all that he did and how he was angered and how he made threats, and he reported everything to them. And they, seized with fear, considered how they might escape the emperor's wrath. And Michael said to the papias, "If you yourself are willing, not only will we escape the danger, but also what we have planned will be brought to fruition." And he said, "Do what seems best to you, and 334 you will have me following you wherever you wish." Immediately, then, he scribbled a note to those who shared in his counsels, threatening that if they did not come quickly and carry out what had been planned (for this was easy, as he himself had arranged), he would reveal them all to the emperor and would not partake of the danger alone. Handing this letter to the papias, he ordered him to send one of his men to show the letter to the conspirators, naming each one, and to suggest that they come to the palace by night disguised in the guise of

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συμβήσονται." ὁ μὲν οὖν Μιχαὴλ οὕτω τὸν ὄλεθρον ὑπεξέφυγε· θαυμάσαιτο δ' ἄν τις ὅθεν ὁ Λέων προεῖπε τὸ γενησόμενον· οὐ γὰρ πάντως αὐτὸ ἐκ θειοτέρας ἐπιπνοίας προέγνωκε. πῶς γὰρ θεομαχῶν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ἄλλως ἀνὴρ ὢν αἱμάτων καὶ βίου μὴ παθῶν καθαρεύοντος; λέγεται προεγνῶσθαι αὐτῷ παρά του χρησμοδοτηθὲν ὅτι κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐκπεσεῖται καὶ τῆς ζωῆς. ἀλλὰ καί τί φασι τῇ τῶν ἀνακτόρων βιβλιοθήκῃ βιβλίον ἐναποκεῖσθαι, ἐν ᾧ καὶ χρησμοὶ περὶ τῶν βασιλέων 331 ἦσαν καὶ μορφαὶ ἐνεγράφοντο ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ θηρῶν, καὶ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἐκεῖ καὶ λέων θὴρ ἐχρωμάτιστο, ᾧ κατὰ νώτου τὸ στοιχεῖον τὸ χῖ ἐγκεχάρακτο· ἀνὴρ δ' ἦν ἐξόπισθεν τοῦ θηρὸς δόρατι διὰ τοῦ χῖ διελαύνων τὸν λέοντα. ἡ μὲν οὖν βίβλος εἶχε ταυτί, καὶ ἦσαν, ὡς ἐδόκει, Σιβύλλεια χρησμῳδήματα. τὸ δὲ τῆς εἰρημένης χρωματουργίας δυσερμήνευτον ὃν ὁ τότε κοιαίστωρ, ὡς λέγεται, διεσάφησεν, εἰπὼν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ βασιλέα μέλλειν ἀναιρεθῆναι. τὸ μὲν γὰρ θηρίον βασιλέα δηλοῦν, τὸ δὲ χῖ τὴν εἰρημένην ἡμέραν αἰνίττεσθαι, τὸ δὲ διὰ μέσου τοῦ χῖ τῷ λέοντι τὸ δόρυ ἐμπήγνυσθαι τὸ κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἑορτῆς τὸν βασιλέα κτανθήσεσθαι. ταῦτα τὸν βασιλέα ἐτάραττεν, ἀλλὰ μὴν αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ τῆς μητρὸς ἐξεδειμάτου ἐνύπνιον. ἔδοξε γὰρ ἐκείνῃ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῆς θεομήτορος εἶναι τῷ ἐν Βλαχέρναις καὶ ὁρᾶν γυναῖκά τινα προπεμπομένην ἀνδράσι λευχείμοσι καὶ πλῆρες αἱμάτων τὸ δάπεδον τοῦ ναοῦ ἀκοῦσαί τε τῆς δορυφορουμένης 332 ἐκείνης κελευούσης αἵματος ἄγγος τι πλησθῆναι καὶ δοθῆναι τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως μητρί. τῆς δὲ μὴ προσιεμένης τὸ προσφερόμενον, φάναι τὴν περιφανῆ γυναῖκα ἐκείνην "ὁ δὲ σὸς υἱὸς τοὺς ἐμὲ τιμῶντας αἱμάτων ἐμπίπλησι καὶ τὸν θεὸν καὶ υἱόν μου εἰς ὀργὴν κινῶν οὐ συνίησι." ταῦτα εἶδεν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Λέοντος καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ἀπήγγειλε τὸ ἐνύπνιον καὶ ἐδέετο παύσασθαι τοῦ κατὰ τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων τολμήματος, ἀλλ' ἐξεκεκώφει ὁ δείλαιος καὶ θεομαχῶν οὐκ ἐπαύετο. ὦπτο δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος πατριάρχης Ταράσιος καθ' ὕπνους τινὶ ἤδη τῆς ἐπικήρου ταύτης ζωῆς μεταστάς, ἐπιβοώμενός τινα Μιχαὴλ καὶ ἐπελθεῖν τῷ Λέοντι καὶ κτεῖναι τοῦτον ἐγκελευόμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἐν τῷ Φιλομηλίῳ μοναχοῦ προαγόρευσις καὶ ἄλλ' ἄττα ὑπέθραττε τὸν Λέοντα καὶ ἐδείμαινε. τέως δ' οὖν κλοιοῖς τοὺς πόδας τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐνδησάμενος τὸν μὲν τῷ παπίᾳ φρουρηθησόμενον παραδέδωκεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν κλεῖδα κατεῖχε τοῦ σιδηρέου δεσμοῦ. ἔμφροντις δὲ τὴν νύκτα διάγων οὐκ εἶχε τὸν 333 ὕπνον τοῖς ὄμμασιν αὐτοῦ ἐφιζάνοντα. διὸ καὶ ἀπῄει πρὸς τὸ τοῦ παπίου διαιτητήριον καὶ ὁρᾷ τὸν μὲν Μιχαὴλ ἐπὶ κλίνης καθεύδοντα, τὸν δὲ παπίαν ἐπ' ἐδάφους κατακλινόμενον. ἢ γὰρ τιμῶν τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὁ παπίας τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ἢ καὶ συνίστωρ ὤν, ὡς ἐδόκει, τῆς κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως βουλῆς. ὡς οὖν εἶδε ταῦτα καὶ τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὕπνον ὑπνώττοντα βαθύν τε καὶ νήδυμον καὶ οἷος ἀφρόντιδι ἔοικεν, ὑπέστρεφε μηνιῶν καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ὑπεδήλου τῇ κινήσει τῇ τῆς χειρός. τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων οὐδεὶς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ βασιλέως ᾔσθετο, εἷς δέ τις τῶν τοῦ παπίου καὶ ἔγνω τοῦτον ἐλθόντα καὶ ὑπνώττειν προσποιησάμενος ἑώρα ὅσα ἐποίησε καὶ ὡς ὠργίσθη καὶ ὡς ἠπείλησε, καὶ πάντα σφίσιν ἀπήγγειλεν. οἱ δὲ φόβῳ ληφθέντες ὅπως ἂν ἐκφύγοιεν τὸ μήνιμα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφρόντιζον. καὶ ὁ Μιχαὴλ τῷ παπίᾳ φησὶν ὡς "εἰ βούλει αὐτός, οὐ τὸν κίνδυνον ἐκφευξόμεθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μελετώμενα ἡμῖν εἰς ἔργον ἐκβήσεται." καὶ ὅς "τὸ παριστάμενόν σοι πρᾶττε" φησίν, "ἐμὲ 334 δ' ἕξεις ὅπῃ βούλει ἑπόμενον." ἐγχαράττει τοίνυν αὐτίκα γραφὴν πρὸς τούς οἱ τῶν βουλευμάτων μετέχοντας, ἀπειλῶν ὡς εἰ μὴ τάχος ἐλεύσονται καὶ τὰ βεβουλευμένα θῶνται ἐπιτελῆ (εἶναι γὰρ τοῦτο ῥᾴδιον, ὡς αὐτὸς ᾠκονόμησε), πάντας ἀνακαλύψει τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ οὐκ αὐτὸς μόνος τοῦ κινδύνου μεθέξει. ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ἐγχειρήσας τῷ παπίᾳ ἐνετείλατο στεῖλαί τινα ἐξ αὐτῆς τὸν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὑποδείξοντα τοῖς συνίστορσιν, ἕκαστον εἰπὼν ἐξ ὀνόματος, καὶ ὑποθησόμενον νυκτὸς φοιτῆσαι πρὸς τὰ ἀνάκτορα μεταμφιασαμένους ἐν σχήματι