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of clerics and carrying hidden daggers. So they arrived as they had been instructed; and just as it was becoming dawn, the imperial chanters arrived, to sing the morning hymns. With these the papias also brought in Michael's fellow conspirators, and they hid together in a certain corner and in darkness; and the chanters sang the hymns. When they were already past the middle of these, the emperor 335 entered the church and, having a piercing voice, very deep and entering the ears with harshness, he thought he was melodious and most tuneful, and was accustomed to lead the hymns. Then, therefore, standing he cried out, "they have scorned the desire for the King of all." And immediately from the corner and the darkness those who had plotted against him rushed out, having drawn their swords; but he, understanding what was being done, ran into the sanctuary, and his assassins followed, and there, wounded by them with many blows and having his hand cut off, he was finally deprived of his head as well, having reigned cruelly and impiously for seven years and five months. And his corpse was dragged to the Hippodrome and cast out. But Michael, his feet still bound in iron (for the key to the chains was not immediately found, as Leo carried it in his bosom), was acclaimed and paid homage to as emperor. Then, when the irons were broken, he arrived at the great church 336 to be crowned with the diadem, considering the blood-guilt as nothing. And having brought down Leo's wife and sons from the palace (and they were four: Sabbatios, who was renamed Constantine upon his proclamation, Basil and Gregory, and a fourth, Theodosios), he confined her in the monastery of the Despotai, and banishing the sons to the island called Prote, he deprived them all of their manhood. And Theodosios died, but Constantine became afflicted with speechlessness; on account of which he prayed most fervently to God, and indeed also to the great father Gregory the Theologian, constantly visiting his icon, that his speechlessness might be removed; for with the fall of the empire and the paternal heresy, the sons of Leo also fell. So it seemed that the saint once stood before him, commanding him to rise and to read "Again my Jesus." And he, having believed the word, entered the 337 church and read, with nothing hindering his voice. But even if he confined the wife, as has been said, and the sons of Leo to prescribed limits, he did not leave them without provision, but he assigned to them some of their own possessions, so that from these they might provide for their needs; and he also gave them some for their service. Now this Michael came from Amorion, a city of upper Phrygia, in which Jews and Athinganoi and a multitude of other impious people had settled; and there was a certain mixed heresy from among these, in which this Michael is also said to have participated. And the heresy accepts divine baptism, but teaches the observance of the Mosaic ordinance, except for circumcising the foreskin. And he also had a certain Jew in his household instructing him; whence it was not possible to find anything pure in him, but he was, so to speak, the man, a medley of heresies. For this reason he was also hostile to reason, as it was for the overthrow of his heresy. 338 Living in poverty from his youth, he served as a soldier; once, therefore, approaching his commander, he asked for something. And a certain Athinganos happened to be standing by and he says to the general, speaking his word in secret, "This man who now beseeches you will be emperor of the Romans." And he, immediately putting faith in the prophecy, befriends Michael and makes him a kinsman by marriage to his daughter. And as soon as Michael had leapt to supreme power, as has been related, the most holy Nikephoros, being in exile, sent a letter to him, demanding that the restoration of the icons should take place. But he said he would neither innovate anything concerning the faith, nor alter the state of the church, nor even compel anyone to believe concerning the divine contrary to what he wishes. But these things remained in words; for not long after he showed his own mind and proceeded against the orthodox, and many and

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κληρικῶν καὶ ξιφίδια κεκρυμμένα βαστάζοντας. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἧκον ὡς ἐνετάλθησαν· ἄρτι δὲ περὶ ὄρθρον τῆς νυκτὸς γενομένης ἧκον οἱ βασιλικοὶ ψάλται, τὰς ᾠδὰς ᾄσοντες τὰς ἑωθινάς. τούτοις ὁ παπίας καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Μιχαὴλ συνίστορας συνεισήγαγε, καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐν γωνίᾳ τινὶ καὶ σκότῳ συνεκρύπτοντο· οἱ ψάλται δὲ τοὺς ὕμνους ᾖδον. ἤδη δὲ τούτων ὑπερμεσούντων καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς 335 εἰς τὸν ναὸν ἐπεδήμησε καὶ διάτορον ἔχων φθόγγον, βαρύτατον δὲ καὶ σὺν τραχύτητι ταῖς ἀκοαῖς εἰσδυόμενον, ᾤετο εὐφωνεῖν καὶ εἶναι μελῳδικώτατος καὶ κατάρχεσθαι τῶν ὕμνων εἰώθει. τότε τοίνυν στὰς ἐξεφώνησε, τῷ παντάνακτος ἐξεφαύλισαν πόθῳ. καὶ αὐτίκα τῆς γωνίας οἱ κατ' αὐτοῦ μελετήσαντες καὶ τοῦ σκότους ἐξέθορον, τὰ ξίφη σπασάμενοι· ὁ δὲ συνεὶς τὸ δρώμενον εἰσέδραμε τὸ θυσιαστήριον, καὶ οἱ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀναιρέται ἐφείποντο, κἀκεῖ πρὸς αὐτῶν πολλαῖς κατατρωθεὶς ταῖς πληγαῖς καὶ τὴν χεῖρα ἀποτμηθεὶς τέλος ἀφῄρητο καὶ τὴν κεφαλήν, βασιλεύσας ὠμῶς τε καὶ ἀσεβῶς ἐπὶ ἔτη ἑπτὰ καὶ μῆνας πέντε. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐκείνου νεκρὸς εἰς τὸν Ἱππόδρομον συρόμενος ἔρριπτο. ὁ δὲ Μιχαὴλ ἔτι τοὺς πόδας ὢν σιδηρόδετος (ἡ κλεὶς γὰρ οὐχ εὕρητο τῶν δεσμῶν αὐτίκα, τοῦ Λέοντος αὐτὴν ἐγκόλπιον φέροντος) εὐφημήθη καὶ προσεκυνήθη ὡς βασιλεύς. εἶτα τῶν σιδήρων θραυσθέντων εἰς τὴν μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν 336 ἀφίκετο, ταινιωθησόμενος διαδήματι, τὴν μιαιφονίαν παρ' οὐδὲν λογισάμενος. τὴν δὲ τοῦ Λέοντος γαμετὴν καὶ τοὺς παῖδας (τέσσαρες δ' ἦσαν· Σαββάτιος, ὃς ἐν τῷ ἀναγορεύεσθαι μετωνόμαστο Κωνσταντῖνος, Βασίλειός τε καὶ Γρηγόριος καὶ τέταρτος Θεοδόσιος) τῶν βασιλείων καταγαγών, τὴν μὲν ἐν τῇ μονῇ καθεῖρξε τῶν ∆εσποτῶν, τοὺς δὲ εἰς τὴν Πρώτην καλουμένην νῆσον περιορίσας ἅπαντας τῆς ἀρρενωπίας ἐστέρησε. καὶ ὁ μὲν Θεοδόσιος ἔθανεν, ὁ δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος ἀφωνίᾳ κάτοχος γέγονε· δι' ἣν ἐδέετο θερμότατα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τοῦ μεγάλου πατρὸς Γρηγορίου τοῦ θεολόγου, ἐνδελεχῶς τῷ αὐτοῦ προσφοιτῶν ἐκτυπώματι, περιαιρεθῆναι τὴν ἀφωνίαν αὐτοῦ· τῇ γὰρ ἐκπτώσει τῆς βασιλείας καὶ τῆς πατρικῆς κακοδοξίας οἱ παῖδες τοῦ Λέοντος συνεξέπεσον. ἔδοξεν οὖν ποτε ὁ ἅγιος ἐπιστῆναι αὐτῷ, κελεύων ἀναστῆναι καὶ ἀναγνῶναι τὸ "πάλιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἐμός." ὁ δὲ πεπιστευκὼς τῷ ῥήματι εἰσῆλθεν ἐπ' 337 ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἀνέγνω μή τινος αὐτοῦ παρεμποδίζοντος τῇ φωνῇ. εἰ δὲ καὶ περιγραπτοῖς ὁρίοις τὴν σύζυγον, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Λέοντος περιέγραψεν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀχορηγήτους κατέλιπε, τινὰς δὲ τῶν κτήσεων αὐτῶν αὐτοῖς προσαπένειμεν, ἵν' ἐκ τούτων τὰ πρὸς χρείαν πορίζοιντο· καί τινας δὲ πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν αὐτοῖς ἐδωρήσατο. Ὥρμητο δὲ ὁ Μιχαὴλ οὗτος ἐξ Ἀμορίου, πόλεως τῆς ἄνω Φρυγίας, ἐν ᾗ Ἰουδαῖοί τε καὶ Ἀθίγγανοι καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἑτέρωνπληθὺς ἐγκατῴκιστο· καί τις ἐκ τούτων ἦν ἐκεῖσε σύμμικτος αἵρεσις, ἧς συμμετέχειν καὶ οὗτος ὁ Μιχαὴλ λέγεται. καὶ ἡ αἵρεσις τὸ μὲν θεῖον βάπτισμα δέχεται, τὴν δὲ Μωσαϊκὴν διαταγὴν διδάσκει τηρεῖν, ἐκτὸς τοῦ περιτέμνεσθαι τὴν ἀκροβυστίαν. εἶχε δὲ καὶ Ἰουδαῖόν τινα κατ' οἶκον παιδοτριβοῦντα αὐτόν· ὅθεν οὐκ ἦν τι παρ' αὐτῷ εὑρεῖν ἀκραιφνές, ἀλλ' ἦν, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ὁ ἄνθρωπος πανσπερμία αἱρέσεων. διὸ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἀπήχθετο, ὡς εἰς ἀνατροπὴν ὄντι τῆς κακοδοξίας αὐτοῦ. 338 Ἀπορίᾳ δὲ συζῶν ἐκ νεότητος ἐστρατεύετο· ποτὲ τοίνυν τῷ ταγματάρχῃ προσελθὼν περί του ἐδέετο. τῷ δὲ ἔτυχέ τις Ἀθίγγανος παρεστὼς καί φησι πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τὸν λόγον ποιούμενος ὡς "βασιλεύσει Ῥωμαίων οὗτος, ὅς σου δέεται νῦν." καὶ ὃς αὐτίκα τῷ μαντεύματι θέμενος οἰκειοῦται τὸν Μιχαὴλ καὶ κηδεστὴν ποιεῖται ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρί. Ἄρτι δὲ τῇ αὐταρχίᾳ ἐπιπηδήσαντος τοῦ Μιχαήλ, ὡς ἱστόρηται, ὁ ἱερώτατος Νικηφόρος ὑπερόριος ὢν ἐπιστέλλει αὐτῷ, ἀξιῶν τὴν τῶν εἰκόνων γενήσεσθαι ἀναστήλωσιν. ὁ δὲ μήτε τι καινοτομήσειν ἔφη περὶ τὴν πίστιν μήτε τὴν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀλλοιῶσαι κατάστασιν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ βιάσασθαί τινα περὶ τοῦ θείου δοξάζειν παρ' ὃ βούλεται. ἐν λόγοις δ' ἔμεινε ταῦτα· οὐ μετὰ πολὺ γὰρ τὴν γνώμην ἔδειξε τὴν οἰκείαν καὶ κατὰ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων ἐχώρησε, καὶ πολλοὺς καὶ