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19. Concerning Hyacinthus, who he was and whence, and those around him. It would not be amiss to speak also of the things concerning Hyacinthus and of Theodosia herself and John and of their half-sister, Nostongonissa. Now Hyacinthus was a monk from the west, who had come to Nicaea, and had taken up residence in a certain church of the Archstrategos near the patriarchal residence there, a stranger and for the most part unknown, and he gathered children and, leading them in elementary education, provided for his sustenance. But it was reported to the patriarch that, as a supposedly disorderly monk, he was teaching children; and he summoned and questioned him, and when he saw the man was adroit and otherwise fearless and ready for plain speaking, and as he said he was also one of the clergy, he took him in and treated him as one of his own household. Then, when the things concerning the patriarch came to pass, since he himself appeared proved in his zeal for him, he was bound to him even more in friendship. And when the patriarch was brought up again to the city of Constantine, he was with him as the most faithful of his household, along with Ignatius of Rhodes, a man himself full of piety and of monastic state. Both, therefore, went with the patriarch, as partners both in his afflictions and in his counsels, and they showed themselves especially zealous for that for which the patriarch also was zealous and struggled. But when he had been cast out from the patriarchate, they too, having slipped in as they could to obscure corners—for they were not allowed to accompany the patriarch—endured the things of necessity painfully, yet of necessity. And the one, withdrawing from the vicinity, came to the end of his life, but Hyacinthus with those around him, suspecting the 385 imperial fear, since he saw his sister Martha was most devoted to the patriarch, resorted to her and, having somehow slipped in there, obtained his sustenance, with the emperor knowing nothing of it. Now the nun Martha also had a son, John. For of her three male children, Michael and Andronicus were with the emperor, and not long after this, Michael, though younger than Andronicus, received the rank of grand primikerios from the ruler, while the other, Andronicus, was appointed grand konostaulos; for which reason, since the former was jealous over the honors, very many things came to pass, as we shall speak of in its place. And so the two went with the emperor, meddling in nothing; but John, being younger, for a time was educated by his uncle and master John, serving him, but seeing his mother devoted to the patriarch, he himself was exceedingly zealous, admonishing 'do not take, do not touch' even down to the most trivial things, and observing this himself. With him was also his sister Theodosia, attending to the same things, already widowed from her husband Balanidiotes and leaning towards the monastic life. With them, thinking the same things, was also the nun Nostongonissa, whom the account has shown to be a half-sister, because she had been born to Tarchaneiotes by a former wife. All these, therefore, were with Hyacinthus and were exceedingly zealous for the patriarch, who was wrongly—O Justice and divine laws!—exiled. But let this suffice for now.

20. How the emperor also made an attempt on the reigning patriarch Germanus through Chalazas of Sardis. But the emperor prepares yet another, a second, attempt on the reigning patriarch. For when Chalazas of Sardis, having stayed for a considerable time in the city of Constantine, 387 had to travel to his allotted see, as he was preparing for this, the emperor entrusted secret instructions to him, to the effect that he should either personally meet with the reigning patriarch and say the same things to him as Joseph did, or else write and send a letter, rather from Chalcedon, as he was setting out for the east. And the plan was both deep and specious—for it granted that the one of high throne above the others should say such things to him, and for the one of Sardis, being of an ordination which Arsenius did not accept, to advise such things to the patriarch, when it was necessary for him, upon being accepted by him, to be content—it would be a sign that, undermining something deeper, he both says such things and advises him to relinquish

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ιθʹ. Περὶ Ὑακίνθου ὅστις καὶ ὅθεν, καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτόν. Οὐ χεῖρον δὲ λέγειν καὶ τὰ περὶ Ὑακίνθου καὶ αὐτῆς δὴ Θεοδοσίας καὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ἑτεροθαλοῦς τῆς Νοστογγονίσσης. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Ὑάκινθος μοναχὸς ἦν ἐκ δύσεως καί γε Νικαίαθι γεγονώς, ἔν τινι τοῦ Ἀρχιστρατήγου ναῷ ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἐκεῖσε πατριαρχείου προσκαθίσας, ξένος τε καὶ ἀγνὼς τὰ πλεῖστα, παῖδάς τε ἐπισυνάγει καί, τούτους ἀνάγων τὰ εἰς προπαίδειαν, ἐπορίζετο τὰς τροφάς. Ἀλλὰ τῷ πατριάρχῃ προσαγγέλλεται, ὡς δῆθεν ἀτακτῶν μοναχὸς παῖδας ἐκδιδάσκων· καὶ ὃς προσεκαλεῖτο καὶ ἀνηρώτα καί, ἐπεὶ δεξιὸν ἑώρα τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἄλλως ἀδεῆ τε καὶ εἰς παρρησίαν ἕτοιμον, ἦν δ' ὡς ἔλεγε καὶ τῶν ἱερωμένων, προσλαμβάνει τε τοῦτον καὶ ὡς οἰκείῳ ἐχρᾶτο. Εἶτα συμβάντων τῶν κατὰ πατριάρχην, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς δόκιμος ἐφάνη ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐκείνου ζηλῶν, ἔτι μᾶλλον τὰ εἰς φιλίαν ἐκείνῳ συνήπτετο. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου πάλιν ὁ πατριάρχης ἀνήγετο, συνῆν ἐκείνῳ πιστότατος τῶν οἰκείων, συνάμα καὶ Ἰγνατίῳ Ῥοδίῳ, ἀνδρὶ καὶ αὐτῷ εὐλαβείας πλήρει καὶ μοναχικῆς καταστάσεως. Συνῄτην οὖν ἄμφω τῷ πατριάρχῃ, κοινωνοὶ καὶ τῶν θλίψεων καὶ τῶν βουλευμάτων, καὶ μᾶλλον ἐδεικνυέτην ζηλοῦντε ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ ὁ πατριάρχης ζηλῶν ἠγωνίζετο. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκεῖνος ἐξεβέβλητο τῆς πατριαρχίας, κἀκεῖνοι, ὡς εἶχον παρεισδύντες γωνιῶν ἀφανείᾳοὐ γὰρ εἰῶντο τῷ πατριάρχῃ συνοπαδεῖν, τὰ τῆς ἀνάγκης ἀλγεινῶς μέν, ἀλλ' ἀναγκαίως διέφερον. Καὶ ὁ μὲν φθάνει τὸν βίον ἐκ τοῦ πλησίον ὑπεξελθών, Ὑάκινθος δὲ σὺν τοῖς ἀμφ' ἐκεῖνον, τὸν 385 βασιλικὸν ὑφορώμενος φόβον, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν ἐκείνου Μάρθαν ἑώρα τῷ πατριάρχῃ προσκειμένην τὰ μάλιστα, ἐκείνῃ δὴ προσφοιτᾷ καί που καὶ παρεισδὺς ἐκεῖθεν εἶχε τὰ εἰς τροφήν, μηδὲν τοῦ βασιλέως εἰδότος. Ἦν οὖν τῇ μοναχῇ Μάρθᾳ καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης υἱός. Τριῶν γὰρ αὐτῇ τῶν ἀρρένων ὄντων, ὁ μὲν Μιχαήλ τε καὶ Ἀνδρόνικος συνῆσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τούτων ὁ μὲν τὸ τοῦ μεγάλου πριμμικηρίου ἀξίωμα ὁ Μιχαήλ, ὕστερος ὢν τοῦ Ἀνδρονίκου, παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐλάμβανεν, ἅτερος δὲ ὁ Ἀνδρόνικος μέγας κονοσταῦλος προεχειρίζετο· παρ' ἣν αἰτίαν καί, ἐπὶ ταῖς τιμαῖς ζηλοῦντος τοῦ πρώτου, πλεῖστα ξυμβεβήκει, ὡς κατὰ τόπον ἐροῦμεν. Καὶ οἱ μὲν δύο οὕτως συνῄτην τῷ βασιλεῖ, μηδὲν πολυπραγ μονοῦντες· ὁ δ' Ἰωάννης, ὕστερος ὤν, τέως μὲν πρὸς τοῦ θείου καὶ δεσπότου Ἰωάννου, ἐκείνῳ καθυπηρετούμενος, ἐπαιδεύετο, τὴν δὲ μητέρα προσκειμένην βλέπων τῷ πατριάρχῃ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκτόπως ἐζήλου, μὴ ἅψῃ, μὴ θίγῃς μέχρι καὶ τῶν εὐτελεστάτων ὑποφωνῶν καὶ διατηρούμενος. Σὺν ἐκείνῳ ἦν καὶ ἡ ἀδελφὴ Θεοδοσία, τοῖς αὐτοῖς προσέχουσα, ἤδη κεχηρωμένη τοῦ ἀνδρὸς Βαλανιδιώτου καὶ πρὸς τὸ μοναχικὸν ἀποκλίνουσα. Συνῆν δὲ τούτοις, τὰ αὐτὰ φρονοῦσα, καὶ ἡ Νοστογγόνισσα μοναχή, ἣν ἑτεροθαλῆ ὁ λόγος ἐδείκνυ, ὅτι ἐκ προτέρας γυναικὸς τῷ Ταρχανειώτῃ γεγέννητο. Ἦσαν οὖν οὗτοι πάντες τῷ Ὑακίνθῳ συνόντες καὶ ζηλοῦντες ἐκτόπως ὑπὲρ τοῦ πατριάρχου, κακῶς, ὦ ∆ίκη καὶ νόμοι θεῖοι, ἐξορισθέντος. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐς τοσοῦτον.

κʹ. Ὅπως καὶ διὰ τοῦ Σάρδεων Χαλαζᾶ ἐπιχειρεῖ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ πατριαρ χοῦντι Γερμανῷ. Ὁ δέ γε βασιλεὺς καὶ ἄλλην δευτέραν πεῖραν τῷ πατριαρχοῦντι ἀρτύει. Τοῦ γὰρ Χαλαζᾶ Σάρδεων, ἐφ' ἱκανὸν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου προσδιατρίψαντος, 387 ἐπεὶ ἔδει πρὸς τὴν λαχοῦσαν ἐκεῖνον ἀποδημεῖν, εἰς τοῦτο παρασκευαζο μένου, ὑποθήκας ἐμπιστεύει οἱ δι' ἀπορρήτων ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐφ' ᾧ ἢ αὐτο προσώπως ἐντυχεῖν τῷ πατριαρχοῦντι καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Ἰωσὴφ εἰπεῖν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, ἢ καὶ γράψαι καὶ ἐπιστεῖλαι, μᾶλλον ἐκ Χαλκηδόνος, ἐξορμῶντα πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν. Καὶ τὸ σκέμμα ὡς βαθύ τε καὶ εὐπρεπέςτό τε γὰρ ὑψίθρονον παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους λέγειν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τοιαῦτα ἐδίδου, καὶ τὸ χειροτονίας ὄντα τὸν Σάρδεων ἣν ὁ Ἀρσένιος οὐκ ἐδέχετο τοιαῦτα τῷ πατριάρχῃ παραινεῖν, δέον ὂν παρ' αὐτοῦ δεχθεὶς ἀγαπᾶνδεικνύντος ἂν εἴη ὡς, ἄλλο τι βαθύτερον ὑπορύσσων, τοιαῦτα λέγει τε καὶ συμβουλεύει οἱ ἀφεῖναι