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ended his life in chains, but some of those with him, not enduring the affliction from the chains, renounced their faith. But Constantine and some of those with him, having escaped from prison, went towards the Roman lands and, having bravely routed the 452 Hagarenes pursuing them, were saved. The emperor received him very joyfully, welcomed him magnificently, and honored him exceptionally; then he also said to him "Do not let the name deceive you, Constantine, nor think to obtain the empire, as if a Constantine were destined to rule the Romans; for know well that this one is my son. As for you, if you adorn the Sparta you have been allotted, it will be well with you; but if you attempt a revolution and a usurpation, know for certain that through this gate (showing him the one to the west of the Chrysotriklinos) your head will be brought in, separate from the rest of your body." Which also happened later. When some people came from Melitene, among whom was also the father of Samonas, the emperor received them honorably and improperly brought them into the great church, as they were infidels. But when the father of Samonas saw the honor his son had in the palace, and the wealth with which he was adorned, he wished to live with him. But he was prevented by him, who advised him to keep his own religion and to return to his homeland; "And if I myself," he said, "find an opportunity, I will return to you." 453 When the feast of Pentecost arrived, the emperor crowned his son and proclaimed him emperor. The abominable Samonas, having a eunuch servant named Constantine, from Paphlagonia, gave him to the empress for service. But since Constantine had become very close to the empress and to the emperor himself, the profane Samonas was provoked to envy and denounced him to the emperor as being the empress's lover. Therefore Leo, becoming jealous, ordered him to be tonsured a monk; and not long after, he brings him, and having ordered him to take off the monastic garments and put on secular attire, befriended him more than before. But these things were unbearable to Samonas. He therefore writes a slanderous little note through one of his men, and throws it where the emperor was about to pass by; which he, having found and read, was both pained and sought the one who had made it. Then one of those privy to this deed of Samonas revealed to the emperor that he was the author of the slanderous pamphlet. 454 However, when an eclipse of the moon then occurred, the emperor sent for the metropolitan of Synnada to inquire about it. whom Samonas, taking aside privately, asked about the eclipse; and he said that "the affliction of the moon signifies your misfortune; but if the thirteenth of July passes before you suffer, you too will escape the misfortune." Then, when asked by the emperor, the man of Synnada answered that "the affliction will descend upon the second person after you." But the emperor judged the second person to be his brother Alexander, but he was mistaken in his judgment; for it was destined at some point for the most wicked Samonas to fare ill. Therefore, learning that he was the father of the slanderous pamphlet, he expels him from the palace, tonsures him, and confines him within prescribed boundaries. And these things happened, before the thirteenth of July had passed. And as chamberlain in place of Samonas, Constantine, who was envied and conspired against by him, was appointed, for whom the emperor also built a monastery in Nossiai. 455 But Leo, having fallen ill with a stomach disease, was so weakened in strength that he was not even able to deliver to the senate the usual discourse concerning the fast, which is called a *selention*. Nevertheless, having said a few things to it and having asked them to remember him and to keep faith with his wife and with his son, and saying that he was making this final address to it, he did not pass away immediately, but lasted until May. Then, dying, he left the supreme power to his brother Alexander and entrusted his son to him, asking him to take care of him

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δεσμοῖς τὸν βίον κατέλυσε, τινὲς δὲ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐκ τῶν δεσμῶν μὴ στέγοντες κάκωσιν τὴν πίστιν ἑαυτῶν ἐξωμόσαντο. ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ καί τινες τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ τῆς εἱρκτῆς ἐκφυγόντες πρὸς τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἀπῄεσαν καὶ τοὺς καταδιώκοντας αὐτοὺς 452 Ἀγαρηνοὺς γενναίως τρεψάμενοι διεσώθησαν. ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδέξατό τε περιχαρῶς καὶ ἐδεξιώσατο μεγαλοπρεπῶς καὶ διαφερόντως ἐτίμησεν· εἶτα καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη "μὴ ἀπατάτω σε, Κωνσταντῖνε, τὸ ὄνομα, μηδ' οἴου τῆς βασιλείας τυχεῖν, ὡς Κωνσταντίνου Ῥωμαίων μέλλοντος ἄρξειν· ἴσθι γὰρ ἀκριβῶς τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν υἱὸν τὸν ἐμόν. σὺ δὲ εἰ μὲν ἣν ἔλαχες Σπάρταν κοσμεῖς, ἔσται σοι εὖ· εἰ δὲ νεωτερίσεις καὶ τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρήσεις, ἔσο βεβαίως εἰδὼς ὡς διὰ τῆσδε τῆς πύλης (τὴν πρὸς δύσιν οὖσαν τοῦ Χρυσοτρικλίνου δείξας αὐτῷ) ἡ κεφαλή σου τοῦ λοιποῦ σώματος χωρὶς εἰσαχθήσεται." ὃ καὶ γέγονεν ὕστερον. Ἐκ δὲ Μελιτηνῆς ἐλθόντων τινῶν, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ τοῦ Σαμωνᾶ πατήρ, ὑπεδέξατο τούτους ἐντίμως ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ εἰς τὴν μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν μὴ δεόντως ἀπίστους ὄντας εἰσήγαγεν. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ τοῦ Σαμωνᾶ πατὴρ ἣν εἶχεν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ τιμὴν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ὃν περιέκειτο, ἤθελε συνδιάγειν αὐτῷ. ἐκωλύθη δὲ παρ' ἐκείνου, τὴν οἰκείαν θρησκείαν τηρεῖν συμβουλεύοντος καὶ εἰς τὴν πατρίδα ἐπανελθεῖν· "εἰ δὲ καὶ αὐτός" ἔφη "τύχω καιροῦ, ὑπονοστήσω πρὸς σέ." 453 Τῆς δ' ἑορτῆς τῆς πεντηκοστῆς ἐνστάσης ἔστεψε τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀνηγόρευσε βασιλέα. ἐκτομίαν δ' ἔχων θεράποντα ὁ μυσαρὸς Σαμωνᾶς Κωνσταντῖνον ὀνομαζόμενον, ἐκ δὲ Παφλαγονίας γενόμενον, τῇ δεσποίνῃ τοῦτον δέδωκεν εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ βασιλίσσῃ καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ κρατοῦντι λίαν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος ᾠκείωτο, εἰς βασκανίαν ὁ βέβηλος ἠρέθιστο Σαμωνᾶς καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα κατεῖπεν αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐρωμένου τῇ βασιλίσσῃ. ζηλοτυπήσας οὖν ὁ Λέων ἀποκαρῆναι τοῦτον προσέταξε μοναχόν· καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ ἄγει τοῦτον καὶ ἀποδυθῆναι κελεύσας τὰ μοναχικὰ ἄμφια καὶ κοσμικὴν περιβαλέσθαι στολὴν μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον αὐτὸν ᾠκειώσατο. οὐκ ἀνεκτὰ δ' ἦσαν ταῦτα τῷ Σαμωνᾷ. γράφει τοίνυν λοίδορόν τι γραμμάτιον διά τινος τῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο ῥιπτεῖ ἔνθα ὁ βασιλεὺς διελεύσεσθαι ἔμελλεν· ὅπερ εὑρὼν ἐκεῖνος καὶ ἀναγνοὺς ἤλγησέ τε καὶ τὸν πεποιηκότα ἐζήτει. εἷς οὖν τις τῶν συνειδότων τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην τῷ Σαμωνᾷ τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν ἐργάτην τοῦ λοιδόρου βιβλίου τῷ κρατοῦντι ἐδήλωσεν. ἐκλεί454 ψεως μέντοι τότε τῆς σελήνης συμβάσης, τὸν μητροπολίτην Συνάδων ὁ βασιλεὺς μετεπέμψατο, περὶ ταύτης πευσόμενος. ὃν ὁ Σαμωνᾶς ἰδίᾳ παραλαβὼν ἤρετο περὶ τῆς ἐκλείψεως· κἀκεῖνος ἔφη ὅτι "σὸν τὸ τῆς σελήνης πάθημα σημαίνει δυστύχημα· εἰ δὲ τοῦ Ἰουλίου τρισκαιδεκάτη παρελεύσεται πρὸ τοῦ παθεῖν, ἐκφεύξῃ καὶ σὺ τὸ δυστύχημα." εἶτα καὶ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ Συνάδων ἐρωτηθεὶς ἀπεκρίνατο ὡς "εἰς τὸ δεύτερον μετὰ σὲ πρόσωπον ἐνσκήψει ἡ κάκωσις." δεύτερον δὲ πρόσωπον ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ἔκρινεν, ἀλλ' ἐσφάλη περὶ τὴν κρίσιν· ἔδει γάρ ποτε τῷ κακίστῳ Σαμωνᾷ γενέσθαι κακῶς. μαθὼν οὖν ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἦν ὁ τοῦ λοιδόρου βιβλίου πατήρ, ἐξωθεῖ μὲν τῶν βασιλείων αὐτὸν καὶ ἀποκείρει καὶ περιγραπτοῖς ὁρίοις καθείργνυσι. καὶ ταῦτα γέγονε, μήπω τῆς τρισκαιδεκάτης τοῦ Ἰουλίου παραρρυείσης. παρακοιμώμενος δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ Σαμωνᾶ ὁ παρ' ἐκείνου βασκαινόμενος Κωνσταντῖνος καὶ ἐπιβουλευόμενος προκεχείριστο, ᾧ καὶ μονὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδομήσατο ἐν ταῖς Νοσσιαῖς. 455 Νοσήσας δὲ ὁ Λέων κοιλιακὸν νόσημα τοσοῦτον κατειργάσθη τὴν δύναμιν ὡς μηδὲ δυνηθῆναι διαλεχθῆναι τῇ συγκλήτῳ περὶ νηστείας τὴν συνήθη διάλεξιν, ἣ καλεῖται σελέντιον. ὅμως ὀλίγα τινὰ ταύτῃ διαλεχθεὶς καὶ ἀξιώσας αὐτοῦ μεμνῆσθαι καὶ πίστιν εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ σύμβιον τηρεῖν καὶ εἰς τὸν υἱόν, καὶ τελευταίαν ταύτην προσλαλιὰν πρὸς αὐτὴν ποιεῖσθαι εἰπὼν οὐκ αὐτίκα ἐξέλιπεν, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τοῦ Μαΐου διήρκεσε. τότε δὲ τελευτῶν τὴν αὐταρχίαν τῷ ἀδελφῷ κατέλιπεν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῷ παραδέδωκεν, ἀξιώσας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι αὐτοῦ