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to be governed by the church, he considered by himself how both the affairs concerning the patriarch might be settled and things might turn out according to his own judgment. For if one succeeded, but the other was left undone, he thought it necessary that the whole affair would limp; for if, after the patriarch was established, he himself were to be thwarted in his plans, it would be a failure in the most important matters; or if, in the patriarch's absence, he himself were to act according to his will, he would not be at fault at all, but many, connecting these things with what had happened concerning the patriarch, since he was unjustly inactive, would raise the greatest disturbance, and the reasonable argument would be added, that, if he were present, he would certainly have stood in the way of his designs; but now, since the emperor chose to act unlawfully, an unlawful conclusion had been introduced by other unlawful beginnings, so as to both deceive the patriarch and trip up the king with unseemly notions about the divine, as if He were either not watching or would not pursue the sinner; and these things were a great disturbance to him, so that even danger was suspected. The ruler, considering these things, wished to join the unjoinable: both the restoration of the patriarch and the inactivity of the legitimate emperor; but these things were to attempt to spin flax with what is not flax. So he decided to test the patriarch, if, with the affairs concerning John being so entirely suspended and unresolved, he himself would consent to his entry into the city, and in addition to the leadership of the church, and if he would choose to crown him again as emperor a second time in the city—for it was just in other respects 231 that he who was first brought in should also be crowned first of the emperors—so that, if he granted these things, he might hope that in addition to this, things would be quiet once they were done. And he thought to persuade him by saying such things for three reasons: that he had been softened by time while living in exile; that he was afraid lest another be appointed in his place, which had already happened in another case; and thirdly, that it was a necessity for him also to long for his homeland, which it was impossible to set foot in, and this with the highest honor and glory, without promising to carry these things out; but if he were not persuaded, it was sufficient for him to have made the request to him. Therefore, the emperor, having composed himself with such thoughts, while the bishops were still disagreeing, he himself also sided with those voting for him, and the matter here was in the balance, with the emperor having been added; and the other side, being thus weakened, yielded, and all the more because he was being summoned on specific terms by the emperor and the synod; for it was also particularly required of them to be unmindful of what should be called their rashness or injustice, and to immediately share in the sacraments with them and to accept those ordained by Nikephoros, and not to divide the church out of any small-mindedness, which had no timeliness. Having agreed on these things, they sent out those who would report them. But when he heard the messages, he was at first indignant that he was being summoned with demands and not being asked to grant pardon for the wrongs committed; for the former course belongs to those who are in the right for what they did, the latter to those who have erred. Nevertheless, being entreated, he was mollified and was ready to comply; except, having completed the journey from there by land and by sea, he arrived at the estate of Rufinus, so that on the one hand he might rest a little, and on the other hand he might give more complete answers from nearby to the demands made of him. 233

2. How the patriarch, having been recalled, is brought into the city and crowns the emperor again. Therefore, when emissaries were sent there from both the emperor and the synod and the questions were raised, he, granting some things and promising others besides, crossed over very quickly and, having set foot in the city, took possession of the church by common vote and decision. So first the emperor, apologizing to him for what had been done, exalted him with great honors and honored him with revenues for the church. And he restored the entire sanctuary to its former state, which had been altered in many ways by the Italians; and indeed, having appointed the monk Rouchas, a man energetic in such matters, he redecorated the bema and the ambo and the solea and

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ἐκκλησίας ἰθύνεσθαι, ἐσκόπει καθ' ἑαυτὸν πῶς ἂν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν πατριάρχην κατασταίη καὶ τὰ κατὰ γνώμην ἐκβαίη. Θατέρου δ' εὐοδήσαντος, εἰ θάτερον ἀπολείποιτο, τὸ πᾶν ἂν χωλεύειν ἀναγ καῖον ἡγεῖτο· εἴτε γάρ, καταστάντος τοῦ πατριάρχου, αὐτὸς ἐμποδίζοιτο ταῖς βουλήσεσιν, ἐπὶ μεγίστοις ἀτυχεῖν· εἴτ' ἀπόντος ἐκείνου, αὐτὸς τὰ κατὰ βούλησιν πράττοι, τῶν πρὸς αὐτοῦ μὲν ἥκιστα ἁμαρτάνειν, πολλοὺς δέ, συμπλέκοντας ταῦτα τῷ περὶ τὸν πατριάρχην συμβάντι, ὡς οὐκ ἐνδίκως ἀπρακτοῦντος, μεγίστην αἴρειν τὴν ταραχήν, καὶ προσεῖναι τὸ εὔλογον, ὡς, εἰ παρῆν, πάντως ἐμποδὼν ἂν ἐκεῖνον στῆναι ταῖς ἐπινοίαις· νῦν δέ, προαι ρουμένου τοῦ βασιλέως παρανομεῖν, παρανόμοις ἄλλαις ἀρχαῖς συμπέρασμα παράνομον ἐπεισῆχθαι, ὡς καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην παραλογίσασθαι καὶ τὸν βασιλέα πτερνίσαι ταῖς οὐ καλαῖς περὶ τὸ θεῖον ὑπολήψεσιν, ὡς ἐκείνου ἢ μὴ ἐφορῶντος ἢ μὴ μετελευσομένου τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα· τὰ δ' εἰς μεγάλην εἶναί οἱ τὴν ταραχήν, ὡς καὶ κίνδυνον ὑπονοεῖσθαι. Ταῦθ' ὁ κρατῶν λογιζόμενος συνάπτειν ἤθελε τὰ ἀσύναπτα, τήν τε τοῦ πατριάρχου ἀποκατάστασιν καὶ τὴν τοῦ γνησίου βασιλέως ἀπραξίαν· τὰ δ' ἦσαν λίνον μὴ λίνῳ συγκλώθοντα πράττειν. Ἔγνω γοῦν πειρᾶσθαι τοῦ πα τριάρχου, εἰ, οὕτως τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐχόντων ἀπηρτημένως πάντη καὶ ἀνειμένως, αὐτὸς κατανεύοι τὴν εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἴσοδον, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τὴν προστασίαν τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ εἰ στέφειν αὖθις ἐκεῖνον βασιλικῶς κατὰ τὸ δεύτερον ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως προαιροῖτοεἶναι γὰρ καὶ ἄλλως δίκαιον 231 πρώτως εἰσαχθέντα καὶ πρῶτον τῶν βασιλέων στέφεσθαι, ὡς, εἰ διδοίη ταῦτα, ἐλπίζειν καὶ τἀπὶ τούτοις ὡς ἐφησυχάσοι πραχθέντων. Τρισὶ δ' ᾤετο πείσειν τοιαῦτα λέγοντα, τῷ τε μεμαλακίσθαι τοῦτον τῷ χρόνῳ ἐν ὑπερορίαις διάγοντα, τῷ τε δεδιέναι μὴ καὶ αὖθις ἀντικαταστῇ ἄλλος, γεγονὸς καὶ ἐπ' ἄλλῳ ἤδη, καὶ τρίτῳ τῷ ἀνάγκην εἶναι καὶ αὐτὸν ἐρᾶν τῆς πατρίδος, ἧς ἀδύνατον ἐπιβῆναι, καὶ ταῦτα μεθ' ὑπερτάτης τιμῆς τε καὶ δόξης, μὴ ταῦθ' ὑπισχνού μενον ἐκτελεῖν· εἰ δέ γε μὴ πείθοιτο, αὔταρκες πρὸς ἐκεῖνον εἶναί οἱ τὸ ἀξιῶσαι. Τοιούτοις τοιγαροῦν λογισμοῖς ὁ βασιλεύων συγκροτηθείς, ἔτι τῶν ἀρχιε ρέων διαφωνούντων, προστίθεται καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς ἐκεῖνον ψηφιζομένοις, καὶ ἀμφιρρέπει τὰ τῇδε, προστεθέντος τοῦ βασιλέως· θάτερον δὲ μέρος ὡς ἀσθενῆσαν ἐντεῦθεν συγκατακλίνεται, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς πρὸς βασιλέως καὶ τῆς συνόδου καλοῖτο· ἦν γὰρ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἰδίως προσαπαιτούμε νον ἀμνημονεῖν μὲν σφίσι τῆς εἴτε προπετείας εἴτ' ἀδικίας χρὴ λέγειν καὶ παραυτίκα κοινωνεῖν ἐκείνοις τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ τοὺς παρὰ τοῦ Νικηφόρου χειροτονηθέντας δέχεσθαι καὶ μὴ σχίζειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἔκ τινος μικρο ψυχίας, μηδὲν ἐχούσης καιρόν. Ταῦτα συνθέντες, ἀποστέλλουσι τοὺς ἀπαγ γελοῦντας. Ὁ δ' ὡς ἤκουσεν τῶν διαμηνυμάτων, πρῶτον μὲν ἐσχετλίαζεν, εἰ καλοῖτο προσαπαιτούμενος καὶ μὴ παρακαλοῖτο συγγνώμην τῶν ἡμαρτη μένων παρίσχειν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ δίκαιον ἐχόντων ἐφ' οἷς ἔπραξαν εἶναι, τὸ δ' ἁμαρτόντων. Ὅμως παρακαλούμενος ἐπραΰνετο καὶ ἕτοιμος ἦν πρὸς τὸ προσχωρεῖν· πλὴν πεζῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ τὴν πορείαν ἐκεῖθεν διηνυκώς, ἐν τοῖς Ῥουφίνου γίνεται, ὡς τοῦτο μὲν προσαναπαυσόμενος, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ἐντελέστερον ἐκ τοῦ παρασχεδὸν δώσων ἐφ' οἷς ἀπῄτητο. 233

βʹ. Ὅπως μετακληθεὶς ὁ πατριάρχης εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσάγεται καὶ στέφει αὖθις τὸν βασιλέα. Ἐκεῖσε τοιγαροῦν πεμπομένων πρός τε τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς συνόδου καὶ κινουμένων τῶν ζητημάτων, ὁ δέ, τὰ μὲν διδούς, τὰ δὲ καὶ προσυποσχόμενος, περαιοῦταί τε τὴν ταχίστην καί, τῆς πόλεως ἐπιβάς, ψήφῳ κοινῇ καὶ γνώμῃ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καταλαμβάνει. Πρῶτος οὖν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀπολογούμενος ἐκείνῳ περὶ τῶν πραχθέντων, μεγάλαις ἤγαλλε ταῖς τιμαῖς καὶ ταῖς εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν προσόδοις ἐτίμα. Καὶ τὸ μὲν ἱερὸν ἅπαν μετεποίει πρὸς τὴν προτέραν κατά στασιν, ἐκτραπὲν ἐπὶ πολλοῖς παρὰ τῶν Ἰταλῶν· καὶ δὴ ἐπιστήσας τὸν μοναχὸν Ῥουχᾶν, ἄνδρα δραστήριον ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, μετεκόσμει τε τὸ βῆμα καὶ ἄμβωνα καὶ σωλέαν καὶ