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of the patrician and of all the officials. At that time Kyphos also became a home for the aged, the courtesans there having been driven out. And the emperor Leo was blessed with Zoe by Thomas the presbyter, who was also deposed; and he proclaimed her empress. For this reason, therefore, the patriarch prevented the emperor from entering the church, whence he would pass through the right part into the metatorion. 24 And Samonas was appointed parakoimomenos because he had become an accomplice to the emperor in transgression and all wickedness 371. And they began to plot against the church. For having summoned the patriarch Nicholas (it was the first of the month of February) and having begged many times to be received, since they were not able to persuade him, placing him in a small boat from the kleterion from the Boukoleon, they sent him across to Hiereia, from which he went with difficulty as far as Galakrenoi as much snow was lying. The synkellos Euthymios was ordained patriarch, a man of sacred dignity, both temperate and pious, whom they say accepted the high priesthood from a divine revelation; for the emperor was intending to issue a wicked law for a man to have three and four wives, with many most learned men collaborating with him in this. 25 In the month of June, the emperor Leo was invited by Constantine Libos to his monastery near the Holy Apostles to celebrate the consecration and to dine. And there came a wind called lips, blowing violently until the third hour, shaking both houses and churches, so that all fled into open places, saying that it was the end of the world, had not the philanthropy of God stopped such a storm with rains. 26 When a fleet of the Hagarenes came out against the Romans, the emperor appointed Himerios, logothete of the dromos, as commander of the whole fleet. Andronikos the doux also accepted to join Himerios and fight the Hagarenes. But Samonas, being an implacable enemy to Andronikos, was digging a pit for him 372 and was setting traps for his feet, being hostile to him on account of the postponement of his flight; and he suborned someone to write secretly to Andronikos not to board the ships, because, he says, Himerios has received orders from the emperor, prompted by Samonas, to seize and blind you. And although Himerios repeatedly urged Andronikos to board the ships as the Hagarenes were pressing on, he refused, not deigning to do this. But Himerios alone, joining battle with the Hagarenes on the feast of the holy apostle Thomas, wrought a great victory. Learning this, Andronikos, and despairing, along with his relatives and his slaves, seized the city called Kabala, rushing into apostasy. And Samonas, having long desired to seize such an opportunity, said to the emperor, "Did I not always say, master, that the doux is a rebel and an apostate and an enemy to your reign?" At once, therefore, he sent Gregoras, called Iberitzes, who was domestic of the schools and a kinsman-by-marriage of Andronikos, to fight him. Learning this, Andronikos, and how the patriarch Nicholas was driven from the church, fled with his whole household to the Hagarenes, who had at that time come out against the Romans; whom the amermoumnes received honorably and magnificently. But the emperor was grieved for Andronikos, and wished to send him a signed letter to return to the Romans. And some advised the emperor that one of the Saracens of the praetorium 373 be treated kindly and sent to Syria with a signed letter. This indeed he did, writing it in cinnabar and sealing it with a golden bulla and enclosing it inside a small tract of a manger. But when the Saracen had departed from the emperor, Samonas, having summoned him, said, "Do you know what you are holding?" Saying this, he who was holding the wax, as if he were from Syria

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πατρικίου καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει ἁπάν- των. γέγονε τότε καὶ ἡ Κύφη γηροκομεῖον, τῶν ἐκεῖσε ἑταιρίδων ἐκδιωχθέντων. εὐλογήθη δὲ Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ Ζωῆς ὑπὸ Θωμᾶ πρεσβυτέρου, οστις καὶ καθῃρέθη· καὶ βασίλισσαν αὐτὴν ἀνηγόρευσεν. διὰ ταύτην ουν αἰτίαν ὁ πατριάρχης τὸν βασιλέα εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσέρχεσθαι διεκώλυσεν, οθεν διὰ τοῦ δεξιοῦ μέρους διήρχετο εἰς τὸ μητατόριον. 24 Προεβλήθη δὲ Σαμωνᾶς παρακοιμώμενος διὰ τὸ συνεργὸς καθεστάναι τῷ βασιλεῖ πρὸς παρανομίαν καὶ κακίαν 371 απασαν. καὶ κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ηρξαντο μελετᾶν. προσκαλε- σάμενος γὰρ τὸν πατριάρχην Νικόλαον (πρώτη ην τοῦ Φεβρουα- ρίου μηνὸς) καὶ πολλὰ λιπαρήσαντες δεχθῆναι, ἐπεὶ πεῖσαι οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν, ἀπὸ κλητορίου ἀπὸ τοῦ Βουκολέοντος πλοίῳ μικρῷ ἐμβιβάσαντες ἐν τῇ ̔Ιερείᾳ διεπέρασαν, ἀφ' ης μέχρι Γαλακρηνῶν μόλις ἀπῄει χιόνος ἐπικειμένης πολλῆς. χειροτονεῖται ὁ σύγκελλος Εὐθύμιος πατριάρχης, ἀνὴρ ἱεροπρεπὴς ἐγκρατής τε καὶ θεοσε- βής, ον φασιν ἐκ θείας ἀποκαλύψεως τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην καταδέ- ξασθαι· καὶ γὰρ διενοεῖτο ὁ βασιλεὺς νόμον πονηρὸν ἐκθεῖναι τοῦ εχειν γυναῖκας ανδρα τρεῖς καὶ τέσσαρας, πολλῶν λογιωτάτων ἀν- δρῶν εἰς τοῦτο αὐτῷ συνεργούντων. 25 ̓Ιουνίῳ δὲ μηνὶ προσεκλήθη Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς παρὰ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Λιβὸς ἐν τῇ μονῇ αὐτοῦ πλησίον τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων τοῦ τὰ ἐγκαίνια ἐπιτελέσαι καὶ ἀριστῆσαι. καὶ γέγονεν ανεμος ὁ λεγόμενος λίψ, φυσήσας εως τρίτου σφοδρῶς, συσσείσας καὶ οἰκήματα καὶ ἐκκλησίας, ωστε πάντας φεύγειν ἐν τόποις ὑπαί- θροις, λέγοντας συντέλειαν ειναι κοσμικήν, εἰ μὴ ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ φιλ- ανθρωπία δι' ομβρων εστησεν τὴν τοιαύτην καταιγίδα. 26 Στόλου δὲ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐξελθόντος, ὁ βασιλεὺς ̔Ημέριον λογοθέτην τοῦ δρόμου τοῦ στόλου παντὸς ἀρχηγὸν προβάλλεται. ἐδέξατο καὶ ̓Ανδρόνικος ὁ δοὺξ συνεισελ- θεῖν τῷ ̔Ημερίῳ καὶ τοὺς ̓Αγαρηνοὺς καταπολεμῆσαι. ὁ δὲ Σα-μωνᾶς ἀδιάλλακτος ἐχθρὸς ων ̓Ανδρονίκῳ βόθρον αὐτῷ ὑπώρυτ- 372 τεν καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ παγίδας ὑπετίθει, δυσμενῶς εχων αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν ὑπέρθεσιν τῆς φυγῆς· ὑπέβαλε δέ τινα γράψαι λαθραίως ̓Ανδρο- νίκῳ μὴ ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις εἰσελθεῖν, οτι, φησίν, παραγγελίας ὁ ̔Ημέριος ειληφεν παρὰ βασιλέως, ὑποβληθέντος παρὰ Σαμωνᾶ, κατασχεῖν καὶ τυφλῶσαί σε. πολλὰ δὲ τοῦ ̔Ημερίου προτρεπο- μένου τὸν ̓Ανδρόνικον ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις εἰσελθεῖν τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐπικειμένων, ἀπεσκίρτησε, μὴ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι καταδεξάμενος. ̔Ημέριος δὲ μόνος τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου Θωμᾶ μνήμῃ συμβα- λὼν πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν μεγάλην νίκην εἰργάσατο. τοῦτο μαθὼν ̓Ανδρόνικος, καὶ ἀπογνούς, αμα συγγενέσι καὶ δούλοις αὐτοῦ πόλιν κατέσχεν τὴν λεγομένην Καβάλαν, εἰς ἀποστασίαν ὁρμήσας. ὁ δὲ Σαμωνᾶς πάλαι ποτὲ τοιούτου ἐπιλαβέσθαι και- ροῦ ἐπιθυμῶν πρὸς βασιλέα ελεγεν "οὐκ ἀεί, δέσποτα, ελεγον οτι ἀντάρτης καὶ ἀποστάτης ἐστὶν ὁ δοὺξ καὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου πολέ- μιος;" παραυτίκα γοῦν ἀπέστειλεν Γρηγορᾶν ̓Ιβηρίτζην λεγόμε- νον, δομέστικον οντα τῶν σχολῶν καὶ συμπένθερον ̓Ανδρονίκου, καταπολεμῆσαι αὐτόν. μαθὼν δὲ τοῦτο ̓Ανδρόνικος, καὶ πῶς ὁ πατριάρχης Νικόλαος τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐξεδιώχθη, τοῖς ̓Αγαρηνοῖς ἐξέφυγεν πανοικί, τηνικαῦτα κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐξεληλυθόσιν· ον ἀμερμουμνῆς ἐντίμως καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς προσεδέξατο. ἐλυπεῖτο δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὸν ̓Ανδρόνικον, καὶ ἐβούλετο λόγον αὐτῷ ἐνυ- πόγραφον ἀποστεῖλαι τοῦ πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους ὑποστρέψαι. συνεβού- λευσαν δέ τινες τῷ βασιλεῖ φιλοφρονηθῆναί τινα τῶν τοῦ πραιτω- 373 ρίου Σαρακηνῶν καὶ ἀποσταλῆναι ἐν Συρίᾳ μετὰ λόγου ἐνυπογρά- φου. ο δὴ καὶ πεποίηκεν, διὰ κινναβάρεως γράψας καὶ βούλλῃ σφραγίσας χρυσῇ καὶ ενδον βραχέος φατλίου τράκτου κατακλείσας αὐτό. τοῦ δὲ Σαρακηνοῦ ἀπὸ βασιλέως ἐξελθόντος, προσκαλε- σάμενος τοῦτον ὁ Σαμωνᾶς ειπεν "οιδας ο κατέχεις;" τοῦτο εἰπὼν δὴ ο ἐκράτει κηρόν, ὡς τῆς Συρίας ειη