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freely invading and doing evil to all the lands and the most beautiful churches and monasteries and some of the fortresses, and burning the most beautiful things, and delighting in daily murders and abductions that were very terrible and of a kind never heard of before. The upper parts of Bithynia and Mysia and Phrygia and Lydia and the celebrated Asia, except for the cities alone, he had completely ravaged. 389 These were Amourioi and Atmanes and Atinai and Alisyrai and Mantachiai and Salampaxides and Alaides and Ameramanai and Lamisai and Sphondylai and Pagdinai and every other worst and accursed name. who, incited in their audacity by a strange and Panic-stricken spirit, like a savage fire seized and devoured everything, being prevented from proceeding further and again only by the sea itself. The terrible things that were announced did not give the emperor even a moment for counsel. For it was impossible to resist and lead armies against them. For the Roman forces were not only weakened, but having also lost their provisions, fleeing the east they were anchored in the west, preserving for themselves only their lives; and it was impossible to establish others for specified rewards. On the other hand, to appease the Persian element with agreements was neither proper, and was otherwise impossible since they were so many and of different opinions, and since their leaders were known to the others only insofar as it was permitted to their subordinates to plunder and to profit, and if the leader should somehow relax either by gifts 390 or by favors, they would seek another who would lead them to plunder and profits. And for these reasons, one of the necessary measures seemed right for the time and the present circumstances: to take what was left for the time being, as much as was assigned in provisions to monasteries and to churches and to the emperor's bodyguards, away from their masters, and to enroll everyone in the military, except for the monks in their cells, so that from this they, awaiting them, might fight for their own possessions. Therefore an olive branch was sent from the patriarch wordlessly to the king, from which he had some confidence of good things from the very great assurance concerning him. But these things were only in counsels; for those who were ordered to do these things were not yet in place, and the Persians, invading from many directions, made some the work of the sword, but as many as were able to escape, shut themselves up in the fortress of Cyzicus, which had just then been built by its governor, Niphon, an active man and possessed of knowledge and experienced no less in worldly than in spiritual matters, bringing themselves and their wives and children and animals and property. 391

10. For these reasons Emperor Michael, being unable to stay in Pergamum, departed from there together with the forces around him and went to Cyzicus. But he did not delay there either, for fear of an expected attack of the Persians on his account. Wherefore, departing from there also, he came to Pegae, a city by the sea, where later, overcome with grief and despondency on account of the events, he fell into a serious illness. And he came near to being in danger, and he would have been in danger (for he had been given up by the physicians), if the manifest mercy of the Virgin and Theotokos had not come beforehand. And it is not amiss to relate this also in order. So the emperor lay breathing his last, one might say; for he had been seized and was insensible to whatever the physicians diagnosed for him. The need demanded that messages be sent very quickly to his father and emperor, but the weather was against it as the sea was contrary, and the voyage was delayed. Meanwhile, they arrived with difficulty after days. And the letters sent from there were more tears than letters. They described the illness, what kind and with what symptoms, how many days and how many nights the illness was at its height, and with what medicines he was being treated by them, and finally what his condition was; and if the physicians could do anything to help, they urged them to come as quickly as possible, if they might still find the one lying ill among the living. But the emperor, learning these most terrible things concerning the emperor, at once despaired of his life, and was in suspense to hear the

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ἀνέδην ἐπεμβαινόντων καὶ χώ ρας ἁπάσας καὶ ναοὺς καὶ μονὰς καλλίστας καί τινα τῶν φρου ρίων κακῶς ποιούντων, καὶ πυρπολούντων τὰ κάλλιστα, καθη μερινοῖς τε φόνοις τρυφώντων καὶ ἀπαγωγαῖς πολὺ τὸ δεινὸν ἐχούσαις καὶ οἷον οὐκ ἤκουσται πώποτε. τὰ δ' ἀνώτερα Βιθυ νίας τε καὶ Μυσίας Φρυγίας τε καὶ Λυδίας καὶ τῆς ὑμνουμένης Ἀσίας, πλήν γε τῶν πολισμάτων καὶ μόνων, εἰς τέλος διαπεπρά 389 χει. Ἀμούριοι ταῦτα καὶ Ἀτμᾶνες Ἀτῖναί τε καὶ Ἀλισύραι και Μανταχίαι καὶ Σαλαμπάξιδες καὶ Ἀλαΐδες καὶ Ἀμηραμάναι καὶ Λαμίσαι Σφονδύλαι τε καὶ Παγδῖναι καὶ πᾶν ἄλλο χείριστον καὶ ἐπίρρητον ὄνομα. οἳ δὴ καὶ προαχθέντες ταῖς τόλμαις ἔκ τινος ἀλλοκότου καὶ Πανικοῦ φρονήματος δίκην πυρὸς ἀγρίου ἐπελά βοντο πάντων καὶ κατενέμοντο, αὐτῇ δὴ θαλάσσῃ καὶ μόνῃ τοῦ μὴ πρόσω καὶ αὖθις προβαίνειν εἰργόμενοι. βασιλεῖ δὲ οὐδὲ διωρίαν βουλῆς παρεῖχον ἀγγελλόμενα τὰ δεινά. καὶ τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθίστασθαι καὶ ἀντιπαράγειν ἐκείνοις στρατεύματα ἄπορον ἦν. αἱ μὲν γὰρ Ῥωμαϊκαὶ δυνάμεις οὐχ ὅπως ἐξησθένουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ προνοίας ἀπολωλεκότες, ἀνατολὴν φεύγοντες ἐπὶ δύσεως ὥρμων, περιποιούμενοι ἑαυτοῖς μόνον τὸ ζῆν· ἑτέρους δ' ἐγκαθιστᾶν ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς γέρασιν ἀμήχανον ἦν. θεραπεύειν δ' αὖθις ὁμολογίαις τὸ Περσικὸν οὔτε τὸ πρέπον ἐδίδου, καὶ ἄλλως ἄπορον ἦν τόσων ὄντων καὶ διαφόρων τὰς γνώμας, καί γ' ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡγεμόνων ἐγνωσμένων τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐφ' ὅσον σκυλεύειν τε καὶ κερδαίνειν τοῖς ὑποτεταγμένοις ἐξῆν, ἢν δέ που καὶ καθυφοῖτο ὁ ἄγων ἢ δώροις 390 ἢ χάρισι, ζητούντων ἕτερον τὸν αὐτοὺς ἄξοντα ἐπὶ σκυλευμοῖς τε καὶ κέρδεσι. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἓν τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἔδοξε τῷ καιρῷ καὶ τοῖς ἐφεστῶσι πράγμασι, τὸ περιλειφθὲν τέως, ὅσον ἐν προ νοίαις ἐτάττετο μοναῖς τε καὶ ἐκκλησίαις καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῖ πα ρασπίζουσιν, ἀφεικότας τῶν δεσποτῶν, τάττειν εἰς στρατιωτι κόν, πλὴν καὶ μονοκελλικόν, ξύμπαντας, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν αὐτοὺς ἐκείνοις ὑπὲρ τῶν ἰδίων προσμένοντας μάχεσθαι. ἐστέλλετο τοι γαροῦν καὶ παρὰ πατριάρχου θαλλὸς ἐλαίας ἀναυδήτως τῷ ἄνα κτι, ὅθεν καί τι θαρρεῖν εἶχε τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἐκ τῆς περὶ αὐτόν οἱ μεγίστης πληροφορίας. τὰ δ' ἦσαν ἐν μόναις βουλαῖς· οὔπω γὰρ ἐφίσταντο οἷς ἦν ἐπιτεταγμένον ταῦτα πράττειν, καὶ τὸ Περσικὸν πολλαχόθεν ἐπεισβαλόντες τοὺς μὲν ἔργον καθιστᾶσι μαχαίρας, ὅσοι δέ γε καὶ ἴσχυσαν ἐκφυγεῖν, τῷ τῆς Κυζίκου ἐπιτειχισμῷ ἄρτι τότε συστάντι παρὰ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ προέδρου Νί φωνος, ἀνδρὸς δραστηρίου καὶ γνώσεως ἐπηβόλου καὶ οὐ μᾶλλον πνευματικοῖς ἢ κοσμικοῖς τρίβωνος πράγμασι, φέροντες ἑαυτοὺς καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα καὶ ζῶα καὶ ὕπαρξιν ἐγκατέκλεισαν. 391

10. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα καὶ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ οὐχ οἷός τ' ὢν ἐν Περγάμῳ διάγειν, ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν συνάμα καὶ ταῖς περὶ αὐτὸν δυνάμεσι Κυζίκῳ ἐπιφοιτᾷ. ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐκεῖ βραδύνει δέει προσ δοκωμένης τῶν Περσῶν δι' αὐτὸν προσβολῆς. ὅθεν κἀκεῖθεν ἀπαναστὰς ἐν Πηγαῖς παραθαλασσιδίῳ γίνεται πόλει, ὅπῃ δὴ καὶ ἐς ὕστερον λύπῃ καὶ ἀθυμίᾳ συσχεθεὶς διὰ τὰ συμβάντα νόσῳ περιπίπτει βαρείᾳ. καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦλθε τοῦ κινδυνεῦσαι, κἂν ἐκιν δύνευε (τοῖς γὰρ ἰατροῖς ἀπέγνωστο), εἰ μή γε προπεφθάκει τῆς παρθένου καὶ θεοτόκου προφανὲς ἔλεος. οὐ χεῖρον δὲ καὶ τοῦτο καθ' εἱρμὸν συνάψαι. ἔκειτο μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς τὰ λοίσθια πνέων, εἶπέ τις· ἐπείληπτο γὰρ καὶ ἀναισθήτως εἶχε πρὸς ὅ τι καὶ ἰατροὶ ἔγνων ἐκεῖνον. μηνύματα δὲ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ βασιλέα ἡ μὲν χρεία καὶ ταχύτατα προσαπῄτει, ὁ δὲ καιρὸς ἀντέβαινεν ἀντι βαινούσης θαλάσσης, καὶ ὁ πλοῦς ἐπείχετο. τέως δὲ δυσχερῶς μεθ' ἡμέρας φθάνουσι. καὶ τὰ πεμφθέντα ἐκεῖθεν γράμματα δάκρυα μᾶλλον ἦσαν ἢ γράμματα. ἐδήλουν μὲν οὖν τὴν νόσον, ὁποία καὶ ἐπὶ ποίοις σημείοις ὅσαι ἡμέραι καὶ ὅσαι νύκτες ἡ νό σος ἀκμάζει, καὶ τίσι φαρμάκοις παρ' αὐτῶν νοσηλεύεται, καὶ τέλος ὅπως ἔχων κυρεῖ· κἂν εἴ τι βοηθεῖν ἰατροὶ ἔχοιεν, ἀπαντᾶν ἤπειγον τὴν ταχίστην, ἂν τέως καὶ ἐν ζῶσι τὸν κείμενον καταλή ψαιντο. βασιλεὺς δὲ μαθὼν τὰ πάνδεινα ταῦτα περὶ τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδυσελπίστει αὐτίκα ζωῇ, καὶ μετέωρος ἦν ἀκούειν τὸ