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with the filthy and licentious androgynes who were with him, and he named one a patriarch and from these he appointed eleven metropolitans, so that he himself completed the number twelve, and I shall narrate this. For having given that accursed and most filthy Gryllus the title of patriarch, and having adorned him with a gold-embroidered and most splendid patriarchal vestment and having placed an omophorion on him, and having appointed others in the order of metropolitans, eleven in addition to the ten, as has been said, from the same council of his like-minded companions, and having named himself the twelfth, the archbishop of Colonia, and having given each one a cithara to carry inside the priestly vestment, and having ordered these to be played softly underneath, thus with them he celebrated a supposed sacred initiation and liturgy, playing and dancing wildly, the most filthy one with the all-filthy, the accursed one with the profane. And when a supposedly mystical prayer was being said, the citharas had to sound softly; but when the time called for a priest's exclamation or the people's mutual response, the citharas had to be struck loudly with the plectrum and their melody made clearly audible. Then with the sacred vessels, which were adorned with the splendor of precious stones and pearls, made from silver and gold, which had also happened to be used many times in the divine liturgy, in these, therefore, they put mustard and vinegar and thus gave communion to their fellows amidst much laughter and shameful words and repulsive and abominable gestures. Well then. 22 Once, when the most holy patriarch Ignatios, with his entire ecclesiastical escort and order, was making a procession with litanies before the city and proceeding to a certain divine temple with the customary sacred melody and solemnity, it happened also that the impious and profane patriarch of the emperor, Gryllus, wearing a priestly vestment and riding on a donkey, with his most impious metropolitans and all his theatrical and Satyr-like chorus and order, proceeded from the opposite direction, theatrically declaiming and singing things in keeping with their own deeds. And when they came near, having raised their chasubles to their shoulders and having struck their citharas more vigorously, and singing back pornographic words and songs to the tune of the sacred melody, and leaping like Pans and Satyrs and clashing cymbals, and having mocked the priests and the high priest as if they were rivals, they completed their diabolical chorus and procession. But when the high priest of God heard and learned who they were and from whom and for what reason they had assembled, having groaned much and lamented their leader and cause, and with tears having begged God to stop such blasphemy and insult and to scatter the impious down to hades, so that the holy things might not be profaned and the mystical and revered things might not be mocked, he completed the procession, adhering to the prescribed hymnody. 23 At another time, for the supposed disparagement of this renowned Ignatios the patriarch and for the mockery of his own mother, the foolish and crazed emperor staged something like this. Having seated himself beforehand on the imperial throne in the most splendid Chrysotriklinos, and having seated the most shameful Gryllus beside him in patriarchal vestments as if in the name of the true patriarch, and bestowing the honor due to a high priest of God, and having had him cover his accursed beard with the covering of his head, he indicates to his own mother through one of the chamberlain eunuchs that the most holy patriarch Ignatios is seated here with me, and if you wish to receive his blessing, come, and you shall obtain it with me. But she, as a pious and God-loving woman, possessing much longing and fervent faith for the most holy Ignatios, having run out eagerly as

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συνόντων αὐτῷ μιαρῶν καὶ ἀσελγῶν ἀνδρογύνων καὶ πατριάρ- χην ενα ὠνόμαζε καὶ μητροπολίτας ἐκ τούτων ἀφώρισεν ενδεκα ὡς αὐτοῦ συμπληροῦντος τὸν δώδεκα ἀριθμόν, τοῦτο δὲ διηγήσομαι. τὸν γὰρ ἐναγῆ καὶ μιαρώτατον ἐκεῖνον Γρῦλλον τὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου ἐπιφημίσας ονομα, καὶ ἀρχιερατικῇ τοῦτον χρυσοστίκτῳ καὶ ὑπερ- λάμπρῳ κοσμήσας στολῇ καὶ ὠμοφόριον περιθείς, καὶ ἐν τάξει μητροπολιτῶν ἑτέρους ενα πρὸς τοῖς δέκα, ὡς ειρηται, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τῶν ὁμογνωμόνων αὐτῷ συνεδρίου σκευάσας, καὶ δωδέκα- τον ἑαυτὸν Κολωνείας ὀνομάσας ἀρχιεπίσκοπον, καὶ κιθάραν εκα- στον εσωθεν τῆς ἱερατικῆς στολῆς ἐπιφέρεσθαι δούς, καὶ ταύτας κάτωθεν ὑπηχεῖν προστάξας, ουτω σὺν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἱερὰν δῆθεν παίζων καὶ κατορχούμενος ἐπετέλει μυσταγωγίαν καὶ λειτουργίαν, μετὰ τῶν παμμιάρων ὁ μιαρώτατος, μετὰ τῶν βεβήλων ὁ ἐναγής. καὶ οτε μὲν μυστηριώδης δῆθεν εὐχὴ ἐλέγετο, ἠρέμα τὰς κιθάρας εδει ὑποφωνεῖν· οτε δὲ ἱερέως ἐκφώνησιν η λαοῦ ἀμοιβαίαν ἀπό- κρισιν ὁ χρόνος ὑπέβαλλεν, ἐπὶ μέγα τὰς κιθάρας τῷ πλήκτρῳ κρουομένας εδει ἠχεῖν καὶ ἐξάκουστον αὐτῶν τὴν μελῳδίαν καθί- στασθαι. ειτα τοῖς σκεύεσι τοῖς ἱεροῖς, α τινα λίθοις τιμίοις καὶ μαργάρων κατεκοσμεῖτο φαιδρότησιν, ἐξ ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ 245 κατεσκευασμένοις, α καὶ λελειτουργηκότα πολλάκις τῇ θείᾳ μυ- σταγωγίᾳ ἐτύγχανεν, ἐν τούτοις τοίνυν σίνηπι καὶ οξος ἐμβαλόν- τες ουτω μετεδίδοσαν τοῖς ὁμοίοις μετὰ πολλοῦ τοῦ μεταξὺ γέλω- τος καὶ ῥημάτων αἰσχρῶν καὶ σχημάτων ἀποτροπαίων καὶ βδελυ- ρῶν. ειεν. 22 Τοῦ δὲ ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου ̓Ιγνατίου ποτέ, μετὰ πάσης τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν ἐκκλησιαστικῆς δορυφορίας καὶ τάξεως, λιτανείαις πρόοδον πρὸ τῆς πόλεως ποιουμένου καὶ πρός τινα πο- ρευομένου θεῖον ναὸν μετὰ τῆς εἰωθυίας ἱερᾶς μελῳδίας καὶ κατα- στάσεως, συνέβη καὶ τὸν δυσσεβῆ καὶ βέβηλον τοῦ βασιλέως φα- τριάρχην Γρῦλλον, ἱερατικὴν στολὴν ἀμπεχόμενον καὶ ονῳ ἐπο- χούμενον, μετὰ τῶν δυσσεβεστέρων αὐτοῦ μητροπολιτῶν καὶ πά- σης αὐτοῦ τῆς σκηνῆς τε καὶ Σατυρικῆς χορείας καὶ τάξεως, ἀκό- λουθα τῶν οἰκείων πράξεων θυμελικῶς ἐπιτραγῳδοῦντας καὶ ᾳδον- τας ἐξ ἐναντίας χωρεῖν. ὡς δὲ πλησίον ἐγένοντο, τοῖς ωμοις τοὺς φελόνας μετεωρίσαντες καὶ τὰς κιθάρας εὐτονώτερον κρούσαντες, καὶ ῥήματα καὶ ᾳσματα πορνικὰ κατὰ τὸν φθόγγον τοῦ μέλους τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἀντεπᾴδοντες, καὶ Πανικῶς τε καὶ Σατυρικῶς σκιρτῶντες καὶ κυμβαλίζοντες, καὶ ὡς ἀντιτέχνους τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα μυ- κτηρίσαντες, τὴν διαβολικὴν χορείαν καὶ πορείαν διήνυον. πυθό- μενος δὲ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ μαθὼν οιτινές εἰσι καὶ παρὰ τίνος καὶ ἐπὶ ποίᾳ προφάσει συνέστησαν, πολλὰ καταστενάξας καὶ 246 ἀποκλαυσάμενος τὸν κορυφαῖον τούτων καὶ αιτιον, καὶ μετὰ δα- κρύων τοῦ θεοῦ δεηθεὶς στῆσαι τὴν τοιαύτην βλασφημίαν καὶ υβριν καὶ διασκεδάσαι παρὰ τὸν ᾳδην τοὺς δυσσεβεῖς, ινα μὴ βεβηλῶνται τὰ αγια καὶ τὰ μυστικὰ καὶ σεπτὰ διασύρωνται, τῆς προκειμένης ὑμνῳδίας ἐχόμενος τὴν πορείαν διήνυεν. 23 Αλλοτέ ποτε ἐπὶ φαυλισμῷ δῆθεν τοῦ ἀοιδίμου τού- του ̓Ιγνατίου τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τῆς οἰκείας μητρὸς ἐμπαιγμῷ ὁ ἀνόητος καὶ παραπλὴξ βασιλεὺς τοιοῦτόν τι ἐδραματούργησεν. ἐν τῷ ὑπερλάμπρῳ Χρυσοτρικλίνῳ ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλείου θρόνου προκαθ- εσθείς, καὶ τὸν αἰσχρότατον Γρῦλλον μετὰ τῶν ἀρχιερατικῶν ἐνδυμάτων ὡς εἰς ονομα τοῦ ἀληθῶς πατριάρχου πλησιαίτατα ἑαυτοῦ παρακαθισάμενος, καὶ τὴν ἀρχιερεῖ θεοῦ πρέπουσαν ἀπονέ- μων τιμήν, καὶ μετὰ τοῦ τῆς κεφαλῆς καλύμματος ἐπικρύψασθαι τὴν ἐξάγιστον γενειάδα πεποιηκώς, τὴν ἰδίαν μητέρα διά τινος τῶν θαλαμηπόλων εὐνούχων δηλοῖ ὡς ὁ ἁγιώτατος πατριάρχης ̓Ιγνάτιος ἐνταῦθα μετ' ἐμοῦ συγκαθέζεται, καὶ εἰ βούλει λαβεῖν τὴν εὐχὴν αὐτοῦ, ἐλθέ, καὶ μετ' ἐμοῦ τυγχάνεις αὐτῆς. ἐκείνη δὲ οια φιλευσεβὴς γυνὴ καὶ φιλόθεος, πόθον πολὺν καὶ πίστιν ζέουσαν πρὸς τὸν ἁγιώτατον κεκτημένη ̓Ιγνάτιον, σπουδαίως ἐκ- δραμοῦσα ὡς