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he assigned attendance to the envoy, among which there happened to be two hand-washing basins, both golden and jeweled, displaying the graces of precise craftsmanship.362 Beyond all these things, it is said that he also gave him forty centenaria of gold coinage, so that he might give gifts generously and lavishly to whichever of the Hagarenes he wished and thereby astonish the barbarians, who would reckon that if the servants of the king were so wealthy, how much wealth must that king himself be master of. So the syncellus, arriving in the city of Baghdad (which is the ancient Babylon), and coming into the presence of the leader of the Hagarenes and conversing with him and presenting the gifts from the emperor, was both honored and admired, both for these things and for the power of his speech (for he was very skillful in debate). But he amazed the barbarians even more by behaving most generously toward them. For if any approached him, either being sent by their own ruler or for some other need, he would greet them with great sums of money, so that those who received them were both delighted and astounded. And once, when the amermoumnes was making him his table companion, he had one of those golden hand-washing basins there, pouring water for him over his hands; 363 This, then, being left carelessly (for he had instructed his servants to do so, that it might be lost), was stolen by someone. And when it was sought for but not found, the barbarians raised a clamor, admiring its great value and its beauty. But he, saying that he did not care about what was lost, caused astonishment among the barbarians, who saw him unconcerned about such a treasure, and urged his own servants to bring the other one, which, when it was brought, cast the barbarians into even greater amazement. And the leader of the Hagarenes, vying in generosity, greeted John with many gifts and on top of everything provided him with one hundred captives, having dressed them in most splendid garments. So John, having returned from there and describing to the emperor the things there and the designs and variety of the princely houses, moved him with a desire to build such things. And indeed he ordered a palace to be built for him at Bryas, resembling in all respects those in Syria; and he, supervising their builders and teaching them the designs and the measures of width and length and height, quickly completed the buildings. 364 This emperor also magnificently restored the sea walls of the city, which had by then fallen into disrepair both from the passage of time and from some other misfortunes, raising them to a greater height than they were before; and he erected a very large hospice in his own name, on the site where there had previously been a lodging for courtesans. He was also continent in matters of love, so that only once was he seized by love for a young maiden who served the empress and was of outstanding beauty, and when Theodora was pained by this, they say that he swore never again to have experience of another woman and that he was tormented by his lapse and asked for her forgiveness. But his madness concerning the holy icons caused these things to be considered as nothing. For he raged outright and was more insane than those before him, and he was a crueler punisher of those who honored the holy images, but also indeed of those who represented them in paintings. Wherefore, after cruelly torturing a certain monk, Lazaros, who was renowned at that time for the art of painting, he imprisoned him in a dungeon; but when he had recovered from his wounds, he again 365 gave his hands to the painting of holy icons, the tyrant ordered red-hot iron plates to be placed upon the wrists of Lazaros, so that the pious might not be able to venerate the works of his wrists. So he endured this punishment for the sake of the venerable icons, but the tyrant was disappointed in his hopes. For it is said that after the punishment, that confessor, cast out of prison and still bearing the wounds on his hands, with divine grace assisting him, painted venerable icons, and after the overthrow of the tyrant painted the image of the Savior at the Chalke, and restored it, just as it is seen now, of the

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ὑπηρεσίαν τῷ πεμφθέντι ἀπένειμεν, ἐν οἷς καὶ διττὰ ἐτύγχανον χερνιβόξεστα χρύσεά τε καὶ διάλιθα καὶ τέχνης ἀκριβοῦς ἐνδει362 κνύμενα χάριτας. τούτων δὲ πάντων ἐπέκεινα λέγεται δοῦναι αὐτῷ καὶ χρυσοῦ χαράγματος κεντηνάρια τεσσαράκοντα, ἵν' ἔχοι δωρεῖσθαι τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν οἷς βούλοιτο φιλοτίμως καὶ δαψιλῶς κἀντεῦθεν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκπλήττοι, λογιζομένους ὡς εἰ τοσοῦτον οἱ τοῦ ἄνακτος εὐποροῖεν, αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος πόσου ἂν εἴη κύριος πλούτου. ἀφικόμενος οὖν εἰς τὴν τοῦ Βαγδᾶ πόλιν ὁ σύγκελλος (αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ παλαιὰ Βαβυλών) καὶ τῷ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἀρχηγῷ εἰς θέαν ἐλθὼν καὶ διαλεχθεὶς καὶ τὰ ἐκ βασιλέως δῶρα προσαγαγών, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ λόγου δύναμιν (ἦν γὰρ εἰς διάλεξιν περιδέξιος) καὶ ἐτιμᾶτο καὶ ἐθαυμάζετο. πλέον δ' ἐξεθάμβησε τοὺς βαρβάρους φιλοτιμότατα πρὸς αὐτοὺς διακείμενος. εἰ γάρ τινες ἐκείνῳ προσῄεσαν ἢ παρὰ τοῦ σφετέρου στελλόμενοι ἄρχοντος ἢ κατά τινα χρείαν ἄλλην, χρήμασιν αὐτοὺς ἐδεξιοῦτο μεγάλοις, ὡς καὶ χαίρειν καὶ τεθηπέναι τοὺς ταῦτα λαμβάνοντας. ὁμέστιον δέ ποτε τοῦτον τοῦ ἀμερμουμνῆ ποιουμένου, τὸ ἓν τῶν χρυσῶν ἐκείνων χερνιβοξέστων εἶχεν ἐκεῖ, ὕδωρ αὐτῷ ἐπιχέων κατὰ χειρός· 363 τοῦτο γοῦν ἀμελῶς κείμενον (οὕτω γὰρ ποιῆσαι τοῖς αὐτοῦ θεράπουσιν ἐνετείλατο, ἵν' ἀπόληται) παρά του ἐκλάπη. ὡς δὲ ζητούμενον οὐκ ἦν, οἱ βάρβαροι θροῦν ἤγειραν, καὶ τὸ πολύτιμον ἐκείνου καὶ τὸ κάλλος θαυμάζοντες. ὁ δὲ μὴ μέλειν αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ ἀπολομένου εἰπὼν τοῖς μὲν βαρβάροις ἔκπληξιν ἐνεποίησε, τοιούτου χρήματος καὶ ἀφροντιστοῦντα ὁρῶσιν αὐτόν, τοῖς δ' ἑαυτοῦ θεράπουσι τὸ ἕτερον ἐνεγκεῖν προετρέπετο, ὃ κομισθὲν εἰς πλέον θάμβος τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐνῆκεν. ἀντιφιλοτιμούμενος δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἀρχηγὸς πολλοῖς τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐδεξιοῦτο δωρήμασι καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν αὐτῷ αἰχμαλώτους παρέσχετο ἑκατόν, ἀμφιάσας αὐτοὺς λαμπροτέροις ἐσθήμασιν. ἐπανελθὼν οὖν ἐκεῖθεν ὁ Ἰωάννης καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ ἐκεῖ διηγούμενος καὶ τῶν ἀρχικῶν οἰκιῶν σχήματά τε καὶ ποικιλίαν, εἰς ἔρωτα κεκίνηκε τοιαῦτα δομήσασθαι. καὶ μέντοι ἐπέταξεν ἐν τῷ Βρύαντι δείμασθαί οἱ ἀνάκτορα τοῖς ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐοικότα ἐν ἅπασι· καὶ ὃς ἐπιστατῶν τοῖς τούτων δομήτορσι καὶ σχήματα διδάσκων καὶ μέτρα εὔρους τε καὶ μήκους καὶ ὕψους ταχὺ τὰς οἰκοδομὰς ἐξεπέρανεν. 364 Οὗτος ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὰ πάραλα τείχη τῆς πόλεως πεπονηκότα τότε καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ χρόνου παραρροῆς καὶ ἔκ τινων συμπτωμάτων ἑτέρων ἀνεκαίνισε μεγαλοπρεπῶς, εἰς ὕψος πλέον ἢ πρότερον ἦσαν ἐπάρας αὐτά· καὶ ξενῶνα μέγιστον εἰς ὄνομα οἰκεῖον ἀνήγειρεν, ἐν τόπῳ οὗ πρότερον ἦν ἑταιρουσῶν γυναικῶν καταγώγιον. Ἦν δὲ καὶ περὶ τὰ ἀφροδίσια ἐγκρατής, ὡς ἅπαξ ποτὲ ἔρωτι παιδίσκης ἁλῶναι ὑπηρετουμένης τῇ βασιλίδι τὴν ὥραν διαπρεποῦς, τῆς Θεοδώρας δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἀλγούσης, ἐπόμνυσθαί φασιν ἐκεῖνον μὴ ἄλλοτε μηδ' ἑτέρας πεῖραν λαβεῖν γυναικὸς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀλισθήματι δάκνεσθαι καὶ συγγνώμην ἐξ ἐκείνης αἰτεῖν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἡ περὶ τὰς σεπτὰς εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ μανία εἰς οὐδὲν ἐποίει λογίζεσθαι. ἐλύττα γὰρ ἄντικρυς καὶ πλέον ἐμεμήνει τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ ὠμότερος τῶν τιμητῶν τῶν ἱερῶν ἐκτυπωμάτων ἦν κολαστής, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῶν γραφαῖς τυπούντων αὐτά. ὅθεν καί τινα μοναχὸν Λάζαρον, περιβόητον ὄντα τηνικαῦτα περὶ τὴν γραφικήν, ἀπηνῶς αἰκισάμενος καθεῖρξεν εἰς δεσμωτήριον· ὡς δὲ ἐκ τῶν πληγῶν ἐκεῖνος ῥαΐσας αὖθις 365 τὰς χεῖρας ἁγίων εἰκόνων ἐδίδου γραφαῖς, πέταλα ὁ τύραννος ἐκέλευσεν ἐκπυρωθέντα σιδήρεα τοῖς τοῦ Λαζάρου ἐπιτεθῆναι καρποῖς, ἵνα μὴ τοὺς πόνους τῶν καρπῶν αὐτοῦ οἱ εὐσεβοῦντες ἔχοιεν προσκυνεῖν. ὁ μὲν οὖν ὑπέστη ταύτην ὑπὲρ τῶν σεβαστῶν εἰκόνων τὴν κόλασιν, ἐψεύσθη δὲ τῶν ἐλπίδων ὁ τύραννος. λέγεται γὰρ μετὰ τὴν κόλασιν τῆς εἱρκτῆς ἐκβληθεὶς ὁ ὁμολογητὴς ἐκεῖνος, ἔτι τὰς πληγὰς φέρων ἐν ταῖς χερσί, τῆς θείας χάριτος συνεφαπτομένης αὐτῷ εἰκόνας διαχαράξαι σεπτάς, μετὰ δὲ τὴν τοῦ τυράννου κατάλυσιν τὸ ἐν τῇ Χαλκῇ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐκτύπωμα γράψαι, καὶ οἷον ἄρτι ὁρᾶται, ἀναστηλῶσαι αὐτό, τῆς