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things praised increase; and for this reason he enters the lists against him and in this way somehow competes. There was a certain monk, so it seemed, and a priest, among those very much loved and trusted by the memorable Basil, and a friend to him and a right-hand minister, whom they called Sandabarenos; who, although he was loved by the emperor, yet did not have a good reputation among others, nor an irreproachable character. And for this reason he was often satirized by the most wise Leo as a sorcerer and a deceiver and one who was leading the emperor astray into things he ought not, and distracting him from his duties. Learning these things, that cheat and wicked man fabricates goodwill and feigns friendship towards the good Leo, and says to him: 'Why is it that you, being already a young man and beloved by your father, do not secretly carry a broadsword or a dagger when you ride with your father in the country, so that you may give it to him, if he has need of it against a beast, and if some secret plot should ever be made against him, you might not be found unarmed, but have something with which you might be able to ward off your father's enemies?' But he, not suspecting the deceit nor understanding the man's treachery (for it is not easy for one not prone to wickedness to suspect evil things), accepts the advice and is persuaded to carry a dagger inside his shoe. So when the plotter knew that his counsel had been put into action, he reports to the emperor that 'Your son is plotting to kill you; and if you disbelieve, when you are about to go out from the capital for a hunt or somewhere else, order his boots to be taken from his feet, and if a sword is found on him, know that he has prepared it for your slaughter.' So, when a royal excursion was announced, all the customary retinue went out, and when they were at a certain place, the emperor pretends to have need of a dagger, and sought it with urgency. And the son, being present, and not foreseeing any of the things suspected by his father, very innocently and without malice drew the dagger he was carrying and gives it to his father. When this happened, the accusation against him immediately seemed credible and his defenses futile and empty. So, when they had returned at once to the palace, the emperor rose up in anger against his son, and had him imprisoned in one of the imperial houses, which is named Margarites, and stripped him of his red boots. And he was incited by the enemy and avenger to even extinguish the lights of his eyes. But this he was prevented from doing by the patriarch of the capital and the senate, yet he kept him inside the prison. And after a long time had passed, and his nature did not recognize itself but was hardened by wicked spirits, and while the leading men of the senate often wished to intercede on behalf of the son with the father, but were prevented at different times for different reasons, from such an occasion they had a reasonable opportunity to accomplish their wish. (101) There was a certain winged creature hanging in a woven basket in the palace, imitative and talkative, which is called a parrot; which, whether taught by some or in some other way, often used to cry out, "Alas, alas, lord Leo." And once, when a banquet was being held for the emperor, and the chief men of the council were feasting with him, and the bird often uttered the aforesaid phrase, the banqueters became gloomy and, ceasing from their merriment, sat in thought. The emperor, paying attention to them, inquired the reason for their abstinence from the food. But they, their eyes filled with tears, said, "What food shall we eat, being thus reproached by the voice of this irrational creature, we who seem to be rational and loyal to our master, because it calls upon its own master, while we, feasting, have forgotten our master who has done no wrong. For if indeed he is convicted of wrongdoing and against his father's head

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ἐπαινούμενα αυξησιν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κονίεται κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ οὑτωσί πως ἀνταγωνίζεται. ην τις τῶν πάνυ φιλουμένων καὶ πιστευομένων παρὰ τῷ ἀοιδίμῳ Βασιλείῳ μονα- 349 χός, ὡς ἐδόκει, καὶ ἱερεύς, καὶ φίλος αὐτῷ καὶ ὑπουργὸς δεξιός, ον Σανδαβαρηνὸν κατωνόμαζον· ος εἰ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐστέργετο, ἀλλ' οὐκ ειχε παρὰ τοῖς αλλοις δόξαν χρηστὴν οὐδ' ὑπόληψιν ἀνεπίληπτον. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ σο- φωτάτου διεκωμῳδεῖτο Λέοντος ὡς γόης καὶ ἀπατεὼν καὶ εἰς α μὴ δεῖ τὸν βασιλέα παρασύρων καὶ τῶν καθηκόντων ἐκδιαιτῶν. α δὴ πυνθανόμενος ὁ φέναξ ἐκεῖνος καὶ πονηρὸς ευνοιαν πλάττεται καὶ φιλίαν πρὸς τὸν χρηστὸν ὑποκρίνεται Λέοντα, καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς ινα τί νεανίας ηδη ων καὶ παρὰ τῷ πατρί σου φιλούμε- νος μὴ ἐπιφέρῃ κρυπτῶς ῥομφαίαν η μάχαιραν, οταν κατ' ἀγροὺς συνιππάζῃ σου τῷ πατρί, ινα καὶ αὐτῷ, εἰ κατὰ θηρίου χρείαν σχῇ, ἐπιδιδῷς, καὶ ει τι λαθραῖον πολλάκις κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβού- λευμα γένηται, μὴ ανοπλος εὑρεθῇς, ἀλλ' εχῃς τι μεθ' οτου δυνηθῇς τοὺς πατρικοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀνταμύνασθαι. οὐχ ὑπειδόμε- νος δὲ τὸν δόλον ἐκεῖνος οὐδὲ τὸ δολερὸν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συννοήσας (τὸ γὰρ μὴ πρόχειρον εἰς κακίαν οὐδὲ ὑπονοεῖν ἐστὶ τὰ πονηρὰ εὐχερές) δέχεται τὴν βουλὴν καὶ πείθεται μάχαιραν τοῦ ὑποδήμα- τος ἐντὸς ἐπιφέρεσθαι. ὡς ουν ὁ ἐπίβουλος εγνω χωρήσασαν εἰς εργον τὴν αὐτοῦ συμβουλήν, ἀπαγγέλλει τῷ βασιλεῖ οτι ὁ υἱός σου ἐπιβουλεύει σε ἀνελεῖν· καὶ εἰ ἀπιστεῖς, οταν κατὰ θήραν η που αλλοθι μέλλεις τῆς βασιλίδος ὑπεξελθεῖν, κέλευσον περιαιρεθῆναι τὰ πέδιλα τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰ εὑρεθήσεται ξίφος ἐπιφερόμε- νος, γνῶθι οτι πρὸς τὴν σὴν αὐτὸ σφαγὴν ἡτοιμάσατο. καταγ- 350 γελθείσης ουν ἐξόδου βασιλικῆς συνεξῆλθεν απαν τὸ εἰωθός, καὶ κατά τινα τόπον γενομένων αὐτῶν προσποιεῖται χρείαν εχειν μα- χαίρας ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἐπεζήτει ταύτην μετὰ σπουδῆς. συμπαρ- ὼν δὲ ὁ υἱός, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ὑπονοουμένων τῷ πατρὶ προειδόμε- νος, ἀκάκως πάνυ καὶ ἀπονήρως ἐφελκυσάμενος ην ἐπεφέρετο μά- χαιραν ἐπιδίδωσι τῷ πατρί. γενομένου δὲ τούτου εδοξεν εὐθέως ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ προσαγγελία πιστὴ καὶ αἱ παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀπολογίαι μάταιαι καὶ κεναί. ὑποστρεψάντων ουν αὐτίκα πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια, πρὸς ὀργὴν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ διανίσταται, καὶ κατά τινα τῶν βασιλείων οικων, ος Μαργαρίτης κατονομάζεται, εμφρουρον τοῦτον πεποίηται, καὶ τῶν ἐρυθρῶν πεδίλων ἀπογυμνοῖ. διηρέ- θιστο δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καὶ ἐκδικητοῦ πρὸς τὸ καὶ τοὺς λύχνους ἐπισβέσαι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς βασιλί- δος ἀρχιερέως καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς κωλύεται διαπράξασθαι, τῆς εἱρκτῆς δ' ομως ειχεν ἐντός. χρόνου δὲ παραδραμόντος συ- χνοῦ, καὶ τῆς φύσεως οὐ γνωριζούσης ἑαυτὴν ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν πονη- ρῶν πνευμάτων τραχυνομένης, τῶν δὲ τῆς γερουσίας ὑπερεχόντων πολλάκις βουληθέντων ὑπὲρ τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα διαπρεσβεύ- σασθαι, αλλοτε δὲ κατ' αλλην αἰτίαν κωλυομένων, ἀπὸ τοιαύτης προφάσεως ευλογον εσχον ἀφορμὴν εἰς τὸ κατανύσαι τὸ βούλημα. (101) ην τι ζῷον πτηνὸν ἐν ταλάρῳ πλεκτῷ κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια αἰωρούμενον, μιμηλὸν καὶ πολύφωνον, ο ψιττακὸς ὀνομάζεται· οπερ ειτε πρός τινων διδαχθὲν ειτε αλλως πως πολλάκις "αι αι κῦρ 351 Λέων" ἐφθέγγετο. πανδαισίας δέ ποτε τελουμένης τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τῶν πρώτων τῆς βουλῆς συνεστιωμένων αὐτῷ, καὶ τοῦ ορνι- θος πολλάκις φθεγγομένου τὸ προρρηθέν, ἐπιστυγνάσαντες οἱ δαι- τυμόνες καὶ τῆς εὐωχίας παυσάμενοι ἐπὶ συννοίας ἐκάθηντο. οις προσσχὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς τῶν ἐδεστῶν ἀποχῆς ἐπυνθά- νετο. οἱ δὲ δακρύων ὑποπλησθέντες τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς "τίνα βρῶ- σιν" ειπον "φαγούμεθα, ουτως ὑπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἀλόγου τούτου ὀνειδιζόμενοι οἱ δοκοῦντες ἡμεῖς λογικοί τε καὶ φιλοδέσποτοι, οτι αὐτὸ μὲν τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀνακαλεῖται δεσπότην, ἡμεῖς δὲ τρυφῶντες λήθην τοῦ μὴ ἀδικήσαντος δεσποσύνου ἐλάβομεν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγχεται ἀδικῶν καὶ κατὰ τῆς πατρικῆς κεφαλῆς