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they did not think it was necessary for those who had lent the money. But they added the burden of the debt to the emperor, as if they had used it for his sake. And the emperor, though for a time unwilling, nevertheless consented to pay, and for this reason, cutting short all contention, he sent Stephen Mouzalon, who was the megas droungarios of the fleet, to quell the disturbance. But he was so far from doing this that he was even cut down by swords, horse and all. And from this a great strife was stirred up 399 between them, with the foreigners seizing the monastery of Kosmidion, and using it as a base and fighting, while the Genoese, on the shore, secured themselves in a circle with casks and hurdles and planks, and from there, as from a wall, they hurled missiles and were hurled at, so that many fell on both sides. With the emperor having with difficulty suppressed the tumult, they sailed off to Cyzicus for winter quarters. But arriving there they committed many harsh deeds, dwelling within the walls, collecting money, seizing livelihoods, attempting men's wives, and taking possession of both the inhabitants and purchased slaves. Meanwhile, Tzimiskes Pharenta, ashamed of what was being done, and having often rebuked them for the things they had enjoyed from the emperor and the things they were now doing, and not persuading them, as they were barbarians, and as their leader was rising up against him, decided to depart. Therefore, having packed up with his own ships and his own people, he set out for home. But they, still lingering at the wall near Cyzicus and reveling in their own wicked deeds, how they might cease doing such things, 400 no one was unaware of; for terrible things surrounded the Romans from all sides, and they disagreed in their suffering. But it remains for me to relate also one of the wonderful things accomplished in our time,

(15) terrible to tell and incredible to hear, which I myself would have disbelieved, and on this account would even have omitted, if it were not that many trustworthy men have reported it, and it contains a sign of God's providence and of his continuing care for the human race, even if otherwise the divine counsels work deeply and beyond our understanding, and at the same time the reputation of an emperor who was considered good, God judging in every way according to men's deeds, and on the basis of which alone they act, the error or success of men. We have already previously shown how the emperor departed from Magnesia on the Hermus. Others were put in charge of this after the emperor had departed from there, and among them was Philanthropenos, the epi tes trapezes, a man in every way adorned with nobility and old age, intelligence, and military experience. As the town was entrusted to a castrophylax and he was keeping watch on the walls late at night, he often saw a lighted torch going around the town. This happening two and three times brought thoughts to the castrophylax. And having naturally communicated this to the leading men, 401 he brought them into the same astonishment. For the time being they wished to learn what this might be. And others were sent to investigate, but nothing more of what was happening was revealed to them. And along with many others went also the castrophylax's brother, whom everyone knew to have been deaf from birth. And for them there was nothing to learn beyond the usual, but to him that wonderful and secret sight was revealed. And credibility was added by the miracle concerning him; for he who spoke after being mute and deaf made whatever he would say believable and irrefutable. So he, waiting, sees not a lighted torch but a man royally attired, who was, as it were, scorning their guards, and saying that he himself had charge of the guard. And at the same time he was told that he was speaking as to one who could hear; for the deaf man immediately heard. And the voice ordered him to proclaim with a loud voice to the guards that they should be awake and take the greatest possible care for their safety. And immediately a wonder followed the wonder; for he who heard what he should do was now also heard speaking, and he proved it by speaking believable words. And it struck them all, which was indeed true, that of that merciful 402 emperor John,

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δανείσαντας οὐκ ᾤοντο δεῖν. οἱ δὲ τὰ τοῦ χρέους βάρη προσανετίθουν τῷ βασιλεῖ ὡς αὐτοῦ γε χρη σάμενοι ἕνεκα. καὶ βασιλεὺς τέως οὐκ ἀνεχόμενος ἀλλ' οὖν πρὸς τὸ ἀποδιδόναι κατένευε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ φιλονεικίαν πᾶσαν ὑποτεμνόμενος ἔπεμπε τὸν Μουζάλωνα Στέφανον, μέγαν δρουγ γάριον τοῦ πλωΐμου ὄντα, καταστελοῦντα τὸν θόρυβον. ὁ δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐδέησε τοῦ ταῦτα ποιεῖν ὥστε καὶ κατεκόπη σπάθαις αὐτῷ γε ἵππῳ. καὶ ἔρις ἐντεῦθεν μεγάλη μεταξὺ σφῶν ὠροθύ 399 νετο, τῶν μὲν ξενικῶν τὴν τοῦ Κοσμιδίου καταλαβόντων μονήν, κἀκείνῃ ὡς ὁρμητηρίῳ χρωμένων καὶ μαχομένων, Γεννουϊτῶν δὲ αὐτόθεν κατ' αἰγιαλοὺς βούτζοις καὶ τάρπαις καὶ σανίσιν ἀσφα λισθέντων κύκλῳ, κἀντεῦθεν ὡς ἀπὸ τείχους βαλλόντων τε καὶ βαλλομένων, ὡς καὶ πολλοὺς πεσεῖν ἀμφοτέρωθεν. μόλις τὸν θόρυβον βασιλέως καταστορέσαντος, ἐπὶ Κυζίκου εἰς παραχειμα σίαν ἀπέπλεον. ἐκεῖσε δ' ἐπιστάντες πόλλ' ἄττα τῶν χαλεπῶν κατεπράττοντο, ἐντὸς τοῦ τείχους καθήμενοι, χρήματα ἐκλέγον τες, βίους ἁρπάζοντες, γυναιξὶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπιχειροῦντες, καὶ τῶν ἐποίκων ὅσα καὶ ὠνητῶν κατακυριεύοντες δούλων. τέως ὁ μὲν Φαρέντα Τζιμῆς, αἰσχυνθεὶς οἷον τὰ δρώμενα, καὶ πολλά κις ἐλέγξας οἵων μὲν ἀπήλαυσαν βασιλέως οἷα δὲ πράττουσι, καὶ μὴ πείσας βαρβάρους ὄντας, καὶ αὐτοῦ κατεξανισταμένου τοῦ ἄγοντος ἀπαίρειν ἔγνω. ὅθεν καὶ συσκευασάμενος ἅμα ναυσὶν ἰδίαις καὶ οἰκείῳ λαῷ ἐπ' οἴκου πορεύεται. ἐκεῖνοι δὲ καὶ ἔτι τῷ κατὰ Κύζικον προσκαθήμενοι τείχει καὶ ταῖς σφῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τρυφῶντες ἀτασθαλίαις, ὅπῃ καὶ λήξειαν τοιαῦτα πράττοντες, 400 ἦν οὐδεὶς ἀγνοῶν· Ῥωμαίους γὰρ πανταχόθεν τὰ δεινὰ περιέστη, καὶ διεφώνουν πάσχοντες. Ἐμοὶ δὲ λοιπὸν καί τι τῶν θαυμαστῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τελεσθὲν ἐξειπεῖν,

(15) φοβερὸν μὲν εἰπεῖν ἄπιστον δ' ἀκοῦσαι, ᾧ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς διηπίστησα ἄν, κἂν δι' αὐτὸ καὶ παρέλιπον, εἰ μή γε πολλοὶ μὲν οἱ εἰπόντες καὶ ἀξιόπιστοι, δεῖγμα δὲ προνοίας ἔχει θεοῦ καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἔτι γένος κηδεμονίας, κἂν ἄλ λως βαθέως καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ἐνεργῶνται τὰ θεῖα βουλήματα, καὶ ἅμα καὶ βασιλέως χρηστοῦ δόξαντος δόξαν, θεοῦ κρίνοντος πάν τως μετὰ τῶν ἐπιτετηδευμένων, καὶ ἐφ' οἷς καὶ μόνοις ἐπιτη δεύουσι, τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σφάλμα ἢ καὶ κατόρθωμα. ἤδη μὲν οὖν φθάσαντες ἐδηλώσαμεν πῶς Μαγνησίας τῆς κατὰ Ἕρμον βασιλεὺς ἀπαίρει. ταύτης μὲν προέστησαν ἕτεροι βασιλέως ἀπῃρ κότος ἐκεῖθεν, ἦν δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τραπέζης Φιλανθρωπηνός, ἀνὴρ εὐγενείᾳ καὶ γήρᾳ συνέσει τε καὶ ἐμπειρίαις στρατηγικαῖς ἐς ἅπαν κοσμούμενος. ὡς γοῦν τὸ πόλισμα καστροφύλακι ἐπετέτραπτο καὶ ἤδη ἐν φυλακαῖς ἐκεῖνος διαγρυπνῶν ἦν ὀψὲ τῶν νυκτῶν, πολλάκις ἡμμένην λαμπάδα καὶ περιερχομένην τὸ πόλισμα κα θεώρα. τοῦτο δὶς καὶ τρὶς γεγονὸς ἐννοίας ἐπῆγε τὸν καστρο φύλακα. ὃ δὴ καὶ τοῖς προέχουσι κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς κοινωσάμενος 401 κἀκείνους εἰς τὴν ὁμοίαν ἐνῆγεν ἔκπληξιν. τέως μαθεῖν ἠβού λοντο τί ἂν καὶ εἴη τοῦτο. καὶ πέμπονται μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι κατα σκοπήσοντες, οὐδὲν δὲ πλέον τοῦ πραττομένου ἐκείνοις ἀπεκαλύ πτετο. σὺν πολλοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπέρχεται καὶ ὁ τοῦ καστρο φύλακος ἀδελφός, ὃν καὶ ἐκκεκωφευμένον ἐκ γενετῆς οἱ πάντες ᾔδεσαν. καὶ τοῖς μὲν τοῦ συνήθους πλέον οὐκ ἦν μανθάνειν, τῷ δὲ τὸ θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἀπόρρητον θέαμα ἐκκαλύπτεται. καὶ ἡ πίστις προσετέθη τῷ κατ' αὐτὸν θαύματι· ὁ γὰρ λαλῶν ἐξ ἐννεοῦ καὶ κωφοῦ πιστόν τε καὶ ἀναντίρρητον ὅ τι ἂν εἴποι καθίστα. βλέπει οὖν ἐκεῖνος προσμένων οὐ λαμπάδα ἡμμένην ἀλλ' ἄνδρα βασιλικῶς ἐσταλμένον, τὰς μὲν αὐτῶν φυλακὰς οἷον ἐξουθενοῦντα, αὐτὸν δὲ τὴν τῆς φυλακῆς ἐπιτροπὴν ἔχειν λέ γοντα. καὶ ἅμα εἰπόντα ὡς πρὸς ἀκούοντα λέγειν· καὶ γὰρ ὁ κωφὸς ἤκουε παραυτίκα. προστάσσειν δὲ τὴν φωνὴν μεγάλῃ φωνῇ τοῖς φύλαξιν ἐπαγγέλλειν ἐγρηγορότας ὡς ἔνι μάλιστα τῆς σωτηρίας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι. καὶ θαῦμα παραυτίκα ἐπηκολούθει τῷ θαύματι· ὁ γὰρ ἀκούων ἐφ' ὅ τι πράξοι ἤδη καὶ φωνῶν ἠκούε το, καὶ ἔδειξεν ἐκεῖνος λαλῶν τε λόγους πιστούς. προσπαίει δὲ πᾶσιν, ὅπερ καὶ ἀληθὲς ἦν, ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκείνου τοῦ ἐλεή 402 μονος Ἰωάννου,