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victorious, he returned to Byzantium and was received with honor and was appointed domestic of the scholae. For the magister Manuel had already died. But after a short time, he himself also paid the debt. But Bardas, having shaken off all these men, arranged the administration of affairs as he wished. For Michael paid attention to nothing, but devoted himself only to theaters and horse-races,398 not with others driving the chariots, but that very emperor himself, the Augustus, driving the chariot, and the emperor competing and, instead of the imperial robe, having put on the attire of a charioteer. But not only was this terrible, but also that he forced those who excelled in rank and honor, some to compete with him, others to compete against him in the horse races and to drive chariots. Once, then, he himself wore the blue color, while the Logothete of the Drome wore the green, and others of the most distinguished men wore the others; and they had already mounted their chariots. At that moment, however, a letter was handed to the protonotary of the drome from someone who had just arrived, announcing that the Saracens had encamped in Melangeia; this is what is now more rustically called Malagina. The protonotary, at any rate, looking grim at the news, approached the emperor and informed him of these things and showed him the letter. But he, looking at him with an angry and mad expression, said, "While I am in 399 such a contest and am eager to take the inside left position, you, fool, are you talking to me about an incursion of Saracens?" Such was that wonderful emperor, and thus did he care for public affairs and the empire. And while he was disposed in this way, Bardas was turning everything and leading it wherever was to his liking, and he had ascended to the rank of Caesar and was courting the imperial power for himself and was seeking an opportunity so that he might attain it. But he had accomplished nothing good, except to take great care for learning. For the study of philosophy had been neglected and was extinguished almost completely, so that not even a spark of it was left. And this the irrationality of the rulers had accomplished. But he both set up schools for each of the sciences and appointed teachers and assigned public allowances to each of them; and over all as a teacher 400 he established the philosopher Leo, whose fame for wisdom was great, who also had become honored by the emperor Theophilos in the following way. While he had many students, it happened that one of them, who had been precisely initiated into the matters of geometry, was taken captive by the Saracens, and this man had been assigned to serve one of the notable men among the barbarians. And the one then presiding over the sons of Hagar was a lover of learning and a diligent hearer of philosophical theorems, and was devoted to the methods of geometry more than others. The master of the captive also used to attend the lecture hall, and once the captive also followed him, and having heard the teachers and seen them drawing geometrical figures, and teaching that the triangle is the principle of every figure, so that every figure is composed from it and is resolved into it, and that the circle is more capacious than all isoperimetric and equilateral figures, and other such things, the captive asked his master if he could ask the teachers about what they were teaching; and he gave permission. And he asked them to clarify the proofs of what was being taught. But they 401 were at a loss at this; and the chief of the Hagarenes, summoning the captive, said, "But could you render these proofs?" And he agreed. "Then speak," he said. And beginning, the captive clarified each point and rendered the proofs and enumerated the causes. And those listening came to an understanding of what was being said and applied themselves more keenly to the theorems, and their intellect was broadened, and they admired the man and asked if the city of Constantine also has others like him. And he said, "It possesses many better than I, and one teacher of them all, a man unparalleled by any in the discourses of philosophy." With desire

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τροπαιοφόρος ἐπανῆκεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον καὶ ὑπεδέχθη μετὰ τιμῆς καὶ τῶν σχολῶν προεβλήθη δομέστικος. ἤδη γὰρ ὁ μάγιστρος Μανουὴλ ἀπεβίω. μετὰ βραχὺ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπέτισε τὸ χρεών. Τούτους δὲ πάντας ὁ Βάρδας ἀποσεισάμενος τὴν μὲν τῶν πραγμάτων διοίκησιν, ὡς ἠβούλετο, διετίθετο. ὁ γὰρ Μιχαὴλ οὐδενὸς ἐπεστρέφετο, μόνοις δὲ θεάτροις καὶ ἱππηλασίαις ἐσχό398 λαζεν, οὐκ ἄλλων ἡνιοχούντων, αὐτοῦ δ' ἐκείνου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος καὶ ἁρματηλατοῦντος τοῦ Αὐγούστου, καὶ ἀγωνιζομένου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς βασιλείου στολῆς ἐνδεδυκότος ἡνιόχου σκευήν. οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον ἦν τὸ δεινόν, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀξιώμασι καὶ τιμαῖς ὑπερέχοντας τοὺς μὲν αὐτῷ συναγωνίζεσθαι, τοὺς δ' ἀνταγωνίζεσθαι ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἵππων ἁμίλλαις καὶ ἁρματηλατεῖν κατηνάγκαζε. ποτὲ τοίνυν αὐτὸς μὲν ἠμφίεστο τὸ χρῶμα τὸ βένετον, ὁ δὲ τοῦ δρόμου λογοθέτης τὸ πράσινον, καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν ἐπιφανεστέρων τὰ ἕτερα· καὶ ἤδη τῶν ἁρμάτων ἐπέβησαν. ἐν τούτῳ δὲ γράμματα τῷ πρωτονοταρίῳ τοῦ δρόμου παρά του πεφθακότος ἄρτι ἐνεχειρίσθησαν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς Μελαγγείοις ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ διαγγέλλοντα· ταῦτα δ' εἰσὶν ἃ νῦν ἀγροικότερον καλεῖται Μαλάγινα. ὁ γοῦν πρωτονοτάριος σκυθρωπάσας ἐπὶ τῇ ἀγγελίᾳ προσῆλθε τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ταῦτα ἐδίδασκε καὶ ὑπεδείκνυ τὰ γράμματα. ὁ δὲ ὀργίλον τι καὶ μανικὸν αὐτῷ ἐνιδών "ἐν 399 τοιούτῳ μοι" ἔφη "ἀγῶνι ὄντι καὶ τὸν μέσον εὐώνυμον καταστήσασθαι σπεύδοντι αὐτός, μάταιε, περὶ Σαρακηνῶν ἐπιδρομῆς διαλέγῃ μοι;" τοιοῦτος ὁ θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος ἦν βασιλεὺς καὶ οὕτω περὶ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἐφρόντιζεν. Ἐκείνου δὲ τοῦτον διακειμένου τὸν τρόπον, ὁ Βάρδας ἔστρεφε τὰ πάντα καὶ ἦγεν ὅπῃ ἦν αὐτῷ πρὸς βουλῆς, καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Καίσαρος ἀναβεβήκει τιμὴν καὶ ἑαυτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐμνᾶτο καὶ εὐκαιρίαν ἐζήτει, ἵν' αὐτῆς ἐπιτεύξοιτο. οὐδὲν δέ οἱ εἴργαστο ἀγαθὸν ἢ τὸ τῶν λόγων φροντίδα θέσθαι πολλήν. ἠμέλητο γὰρ τὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ ἀπέσβη σχεδὸν ἐς τὸ παντελές, ὡς μηδ' ἔναυσμά τι περιλειφθῆναι αὐτῆς. τοῦτο δὲ ἡ τῶν κρατούντων εἴργαστο ἀλογία. ὁ δὲ καὶ διατριβὰς ἑκάστῃ ἀφώρισε τῶν ἐπιστημῶν καὶ διδασκάλους προυστήσατο καὶ σιτήσεις δημοσίας τούτων ἑκάστῳ ἀπένειμεν· ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ διδάσκαλον 400 ἐγκατέστησε τὸν φιλόσοφον Λέοντα, οὗ κλέος ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ πολύ, ὃς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Θεοφίλῳ γέγονεν ἔντιμος ἐκ τρόπου τοιοῦδε. πολλῶν αὐτῷ φοιτητῶν ὄντων, ἕνα συνέβη τούτων τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς γενέσθαι ἁλώσιμον, ᾧ τὰ τῆς γεωμετρίας μεμύητο ἀκριβῶς, καὶ οὗτος τῶν παρὰ τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπισήμων τινὶ δουλεύειν ἀπονενέμητο. ἦν δ' ὁ τότε τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ προεστηκὼς φιλολογῶν καὶ φιλοσόφων θεωρημάτων ἐπιμελῶς ἀκροώμενος, πλέον δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ταῖς γεωμετρικαῖς μεθόδοις προσκείμενος. ἐφοίτα δὲ καὶ ὁ τοῦ αἰχμαλώτου δεσπότης παρὰ τὸ ἀκροατήριον, καί ποτε αὐτῷ καὶ ὁ αἰχμάλωτος εἵπετο, καὶ τῶν διδασκόντων ἀκούσας καὶ σχήματα τούτους ἰδὼν διαχαράττοντας γεωμετρικὰ ἀρχήν τε τὸ τρίγωνον παντὸς εἶναι διδάσκοντας σχήματος, ὥστ' ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἅπαν σχῆμα συνίστασθαι καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ ἀναλύεσθαι, καὶ ὡς πάντων ὁ κύκλος τῶν ἰσοπεριμέτρων αὐτῷ καὶ ἰσοπλεύρων ἐστὶ πολυχωρητότερος καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα, ἤρετο τὸν ἑαυτοῦ κύριον ὁ αἰχμάλωτος εἰ πύθοιτο τῶν διδασκάλων περὶ ὧν διδάσκουσι· καὶ ὃς ἐπέτρεψεν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς λόγους τῶν διδασκομένων ἐζήτει σαφηνίσαι αὐτούς. οἱ δ' ἠπό401 ρουν πρὸς τοῦτο· καὶ ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν προσκαλεσάμενος τὸν αἰχμάλωτον, "σὺ δ'" ἔφη "δύναιο ἂν ἀποδοῦναι τοὺς λόγους τούτους;" κἀκεῖνος κατέθετο. "οὐκοῦν λέξον" εἶπε. καὶ ἀρξάμενος ὁ αἰχμάλωτος ἐσαφήνιζεν ἕκαστον καὶ λόγους ἀπεδίδου καὶ τὰς αἰτίας κατέλεγε. καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες ἐν συνέσει τῶν λεγομένων ἐγίνοντο καὶ ὀξύτερον ἐπέβαλλον τοῖς θεωρήμασι, καὶ σφίσιν ηὐρύνετο ἡ διάνοια καὶ τὸν ἄνδρα ἐθαύμαζον ἤροντό τε εἰ καὶ ἄλλους ἔχει τοιούτους ἡ Κωνσταντίνου. ὁ δὲ "πολλούς" ἔφη "κρείττους ἐμοῦ κέκτηται, ἕνα δὲ τῶν ἁπάντων διδάσκαλον, ἄνδρα ἐν τοῖς τῆς φιλοσοφίας λόγοις παντὶ ἀπαράμιλλον." ἔρωτι