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the evil demons, acting with envy through wicked men, try to disturb the course of good things, from these things and for this purpose a contrivance of a plot, even armed for murder, is prepared by Symbatios and George with a company of accursed and impious men. But since God in no way permitted nor tolerated wickedness even for a short time to wrestle again with its own defeat and to drive good order and justice from the earth, their wickedness is made manifest by one of the conspirators. And when the proofs followed, the ultimate penalty was imposed upon them by the laws, that is, along with the confiscation and forfeiture of all their possessions, the deprivation of life itself. But the philanthropy of the noble emperor decreed the punishment, for the time being, for those who initiated the wicked counsel to be only the gouging out of their eyes; and he would have moderated the exaction even more, if he had not known that extreme philanthropy towards them would also encourage others to imitation, and that he would then be brought to the necessity of a harsher requital. For this reason, by the said penalty, he both provided them with a time for repentance and disciplined the rest 264 of the wicked. And wishing to check still more the impulses of those unjustly seeking another's death and to destroy all their hope, he elevates to the dignity of the empire those of his children who were foremost in age, who were already being brought up and educated in a royal manner and were shining in every princely virtue, Constantine and Leo, as if casting stronger and more numerous roots for his rule, and raising up on it the noble saplings of the empire. 35 But since I have come to this part of the narrative, I wish now to speak also about his other children, how piously he planned for each of them. For like the pious and blessed men of old, and indeed even more than they, God showed him to be a father of many and beautiful children. After some time, therefore, he also bestows the crown on Alexander, his third son; and the youngest of them, Stephen, he brings to God, as Abraham did Isaac, and enrolls him in and dedicates him to the church of God. His female offspring, being equal in number to the male, he consecrates in the holy convent of the all-praised martyr Euphemia and offers them to God as an acceptable gift and an offering, having adorned them with habit and garb in the same way as the virgins who are purely and immaculately espoused to the immortal bridegroom, Christ. And if these things happened perhaps later in time, let them nevertheless lie here 265 joined together, as in nature, so also in the narrative of the tetrad of siblings. 36 Since, therefore, things at home were well with him and according to a pious and God-pleasing plan, and his fervent care for all things called him also to campaigns beyond the borders, so that by his own toils and his manliness and valor he might both extend the boundaries of the empire, and might push back and drive away the enemy further, he neglected not these things, but first he replenished the military rolls, which had been depleted from the cutting off of the donatives and salaries and the imperial grain allowances given to them, by the collection and selection of new men, and he strengthened them by the provision and granting of necessities; then, having trained them in tactical exercises, and having made them experienced in the struggle of war by continual toils, and having accustomed them to take account of good order as much as possible and to care for obedience, thus with them he marched against the barbarians on behalf of his countrymen and kinsmen and subjects. For he knew that it is not possible to know any of these menial and common crafts before learning them, nor is there anyone who, without a teacher, appears to have mastered either shoemaking, let alone any of the more serious crafts. And if it were possible for someone to know the science or art of war without learning and sufficient experience

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βασκαίνοντα τὰ φαῦλα δαιμόνια διὰ πονη- ρῶν ἀνθρώπων πειρᾶται τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν συνταράξαι φοράν, ἐκ τούτων καὶ τούτῳ συσκευὴν ἐπιβουλῆς, μετὰ καὶ πρὸς φόνον ὁπλί- ζεται Συμβάτιος καὶ Γεώργιος μετὰ στίφους ἀποφράδων ἀνθρώ- πων καὶ δυσσεβῶν. οὐ συγχωροῦντος δὲ πάντως, οὐδ' ἀνεχομέ- νου θεοῦ τὴν κακίαν δι' ἐλαχίστου αυθις ἀναπαλαῖσαι τὴν οἰκείαν ητταν καὶ ἀπελάσαι τὴν εὐνομίαν καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, κατάδηλος ἡ τούτων πονηρία καθίσταται ἀφ' ἑνὸς τῶν συνωμο- τῶν. ἀκολουθησάντων δὲ τῶν ἐλέγχων ἐπήρτητο μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν νόμων αὐτοῖς ἡ ἐσχάτη τιμωρία, τουτέστι, μετὰ καὶ δήμευσιν καὶ τῶν οντων ἁπάντων εκπτωσιν, καὶ ἡ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῆς ἀλλο- τρίωσις. ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ γενναίου βασιλέως φιλανθρωπία μόνῃ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐκκοπῇ τὴν τιμωρίαν ὡρίσατο τέως τῶν προκαταρξάν- των τῆς πονηρᾶς συμβουλῆς· καὶ πλέον δ' αν τὴν εισπραξιν ἐμε- τρίασεν, εἰ μὴ τὴν εἰς τούτους ακραν φιλανθρωπίαν ἐγίνωσκε καὶ αλλους προτρέψεσθαι πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν καὶ τότε εἰς ἀνάγκην ὑπαχθῆναι αὐτὸν καὶ βαρυτέρας ἀνταποδόσεως. διὰ τοῦτο τῇ λεχθείσῃ ποινῇ τούτοις τε μετανοίας παρέσχε καιρὸν καὶ τοὺς λοι- 264 ποὺς τῶν πονηρῶν ἐσωφρόνιζε. βουλόμενος δ' ἐπὶ μᾶλλον ἀνα- στεῖλαι τὰς ὁρμὰς τῶν ἀδίκως ζητούντων ἀλλότριον θάνατον καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ἐλπίδα περιελεῖν, ἀνάγει πρὸς τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἀξίωμα τοὺς τῶν παίδων καθ' ἡλικίαν προέχοντας, ηδη βασιλι- κῶς ἀναγομένους καὶ παιδευομένους καὶ εἰς πᾶσαν ἐκλάμποντας ἀρχικὴν ἀρετήν, Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ Λέοντα, οἱονεὶ κραταιοτέρας ῥίζας καὶ πλείονας βαλλόμενος τῇ ἀρχῇ, καὶ τοὺς εὐγενεῖς τῆς βασιλείας ορπηκας ἐπὶ ταύτης ὑψῶν. 35 ̓Αλλ' ἐπεὶ κατὰ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἐγενόμην τῆς διηγή- σεως, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τῶν λοιπῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων ηδη διαλαβεῖν, οπως περὶ ἑκάστου αὐτῶν εὐσεβῶς ἐβουλεύσατο. κατὰ γὰρ τοὺς πάλαι τῶν εὐσεβῶν καὶ μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐκείνους πολύπαιδα καὶ καλλίπαιδα καὶ τοῦτον εδειξεν ὁ θεός. μετὰ χρόνον τοίνυν τινὰ μεταδίδωσι τοῦ στέφους καὶ ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ τῷ τρίτῳ υἱῷ· τὸν δὲ τούτων νεώτατον Στέφανον, ὡς τὸν ̓Ισαὰκ ὁ ̓Αβραάμ, προσάγει θεῷ καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐγκαταλέγει καὶ ἀφιεροῖ. τὴν θήλειαν δὲ γονὴν ἰσάριθμον ουσαν τῇ αρρενι ἐν ἱερῷ σεμνείῳ τῆς πανευφήμου μάρτυρος Εὐφημίας καθιεροῖ καὶ ὡς δῶρον δεκτὸν καὶ ἀνάθημα θεῷ ἀνατίθησιν, καὶ σχήματι καὶ καταστολῇ κοσμήσας ὁμοίως ταῖς καθαρῶς καὶ ἀμιάντως τῷ ἀθα- νάτῳ νυμφίῳ νυμφευομέναις παρθένοις Χριστῷ. ταῦτα δὲ εἰ καὶ τοῖς χρόνοις υστερον τυχὸν γέγονεν, ἀλλ' ουν ἐνταῦθα κείσθω 265 συνημμένα, ωσπερ τῇ φύσει, ουτω δὴ καὶ τῇ διηγήσει τῆς τε- τρακτύος τῶν ἀδελφῶν. 36 ̓Επεὶ ουν τὰ οικοι καλῶς ειχεν αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ σκοπὸν εὐσεβῆ καὶ θεάρεστον, ἐκάλει δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ ζέουσα περὶ τῶν ολων φροντὶς καὶ πρὸς ὑπερορίους στρατείας, ὡς αν τοῖς οἰκείοις πόνοις καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ γενναιότητι πλατύνῃ μὲν τὰ ορια τῆς ἀρχῆς, πορρωτέρω δὲ συνώσῃ καὶ ἀπελάσῃ τὸ δυσμενές, οὐδὲ τούτων ἠμέλησεν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτα μὲν τοὺς στρατιωτικοὺς καταλόγους ἐλαττωθέντας ἐκ τοῦ περικοπῆναι τὰς διδομένας τούτοις φιλοτι- μίας καὶ ῥόγας καὶ τὰ βασιλικὰ σιτηρέσια διὰ νέων συλλογῆς τε καὶ ἐκλογῆς ἀνεπλήρωσεν καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν δεόντων παροχῆς τε καὶ ἐπιδόσεως ερρωσεν· επειτα γυμνάσας τούτους ταῖς τακτικαῖς μελέ- ταις, καὶ τοῖς ἐνδελεχέσι πόνοις ἐμπείρους τῆς πολεμικῆς ἀγωνίας πεποιηκώς, καὶ εὐταξίας οτι μάλιστα λόγον εχειν ἐθίσας καὶ πε- φροντικέναι τοῦ εὐπειθοῦς, ουτω μετ' αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ τῶν φυλετῶν καὶ συγγενῶν καὶ ὑπηκόων κατὰ βαρβάρων ἐστράτευσεν. ῃδει γὰρ ὡς οὐδὲ τῶν βαναύσων καὶ χυδαίων τούτων τεχνῶν οὐδεμίαν εστιν εἰδέναι πρὸ τοῦ μαθεῖν, οὐδ' εστιν οστις διδασκάλου χωρὶς ουτε ὑποδηματοράφος, μήτι γε τῶν σπουδαιοτέρων τινὰ τεχνῶν κατ- ωρθωκὼς φαίνεται. τὴν δὲ πολεμικὴν ἐπιστήμην η τέχνην εἰ δίχα μαθήσεως καὶ ἱκανῆς ἐμπειρίας ἐξῆν εἰδέναι τῷ