162

he shears his benefactress and changes her clothes, and instead of the five-sided purple robe that befitted her, he dresses her in a coarse cloak. And he, as if he had already accomplished everything, rejoiced and appeared arrogant and gave himself over to games and luxuries; but 610 justice did not slumber, but immediately pursued the sinner. For when the drama concerning the empress was proclaimed to those in the city, dejection and gloominess were to be seen among all, and each one was disposed as if in a personal misfortune, then they also openly reviled the one who had acted as a tyrant. And the women also began lamentations, calling upon the empress. And finally all the people of the city broke out into open revolt. And in order to punish the audacious one, no one spared his own life, but each one, having armed his right hand with whatever came to hand, ran together to the palace. At first, the commotion of the crowd did not trouble him very much, then seeing the populace growing frantic and forming into companies and the people streaming in, and perceiving that those around him were of two minds (for they too hated the outrage against the empress), he became terrified and full of anguish. But the nobelissimos relieved his anguish for a short while. For being at home and having learned of the revolt, he armed those around him (and many were maintained by him) and passing through the middle of the forum, he went to the palace; and at once they send men to bring back the empress, and against the rioters 611 they set up some men to shoot arrows at them from hiding and stones from slings, by which not a few were killed. And when the empress had been brought back, they stood her up on a high place in the theatre and showed her to the rioters, so that their anger might supposedly be calmed, their own mistress having been recalled. But this kindled their anger all the more and inflamed their wrath. For when they had seen her with her clothes changed, they broke out into war even more, and hating the tyrant for his wickedness, they turned away from the empress Zoe, and turned to Theodora her sister, her too having already been forced into a monastic habit by her sister, as the preceding account has taught, and taking along some of her father's servants, they came to her; and leading her out of her dwelling and forming a shield-wall, as it were, around her, they lead her to the great sanctuary of the Wisdom of God's Word, and by all, both of the senate and of the people and of the church itself, Theodora 612 was proclaimed empress. This extinguished all hope for Michael and those around him, and fearing for his life he departs from the palace and having embarked on one of the imperial ships, he and the nobelissimos went to the renowned monastery of Stoudios, having laid aside the insignia of imperial power, and having put on for himself the vestments of a monk. When this became known to the people, they could not contain themselves for joy, and they ran together to him. And as the day was already declining, those around Theodora, fearing that the empress Zoe might again recall the one who had been cast out, so that her sister might not share the imperial power with her, send men to gouge out the eyes of both of them. So they, dragged from the very altar of the monastery of Stoudios, were led off; and the crowd, flocking around them, both insulted and jeered them, and composing songs, made a tragic spectacle of them. And when they came to the Sigma (for this is the name of the place), there their eyes were cut out, Constantine bearing the calamity nobly, but Michael both calling upon God and wailing. And when 613 darkness had covered both, those who had contrived the maiming for them returned to Theodora, who was still waiting in the great sanctuary. But Zoe happened to be at the palace. So her desire was not to accept her kinswoman as a partner in power; for she was exceedingly jealous. But the members of the senate, revering both, the one as their empress for a long time, and the other as having just been proclaimed and having been the cause of the tyranny's overthrow, persuade the elder to accept a partner

162

ἀποκείρει τὴν εὐεργέτιν καὶ μεταμφιέννυσι καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς ἐκ πενταγονίας προσηκούσης αὐτῇ πορφύρας ἐνδιδύσκει τριβώνιον. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡς ἤδη τὸ πᾶν ἠνυκὼς ἔχαιρέ τε καὶ γαῦρος ὦπτο καὶ παιδιαῖς ἑαυτὸν ἐπέδωκε καὶ τρυφαῖς· ἡ δὲ 610 δίκη οὐκ ἐπενύσταξεν, ἀλλ' αὐτίκα μετῆλθε τὸν ἀλιτήριον. ὡς γὰρ τὸ περὶ τὴν βασιλίδα δρᾶμα τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει κεκήρυκτο, κατήφειαν ἦν ὁρᾶν παρὰ πᾶσι καὶ σκυθρωπότητα, καὶ ὡς ἐν οἰκείᾳ συμφορᾷ διετίθετο ἕκαστος, εἶτα καὶ φανερῶς ἐλοιδοροῦντο τῷ τυραννήσαντι. αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες καὶ θρήνους συνίστων, ἀνακαλούμεναι τὴν βασίλισσαν. καὶ τέλος εἰς στάσιν φανερὰν ἀνερράγησαν οἱ τῆς πόλεως ξύμπαντες. καὶ ἵνα τὸν τολμητίαν τιμωρήσωνται, οὐδεὶς ἐφείδετο τῆς οἰκείας ζωῆς, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τῷ προστυχόντι τὴν δεξιὰν ὁπλίσας συνέθεον ἐπὶ τὰ ἀνάκτορα. τὸν δὲ πρῶτον μὲν οὐ πάνυ τι τὸ τοῦ πλήθους συγκίνημα ἐθορύβησεν, εἶτα τὸν δῆμον ὁρῶν ἐκμαινόμενον εἰς λόχους τε συνιστάμενον καὶ τὸν λαὸν ἐπιρρέοντα, τοὺς δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀμφιβόλους ταῖς γνώμαις κατανοῶν (κἀκείνοις γὰρ τὸ περὶ τὴν βασίλισσαν μεμίσητο τόλμημα), περιδεής τις καὶ ἐναγώνιος γέγονεν. ἀλλά τι μικρὸν τὴν ἀγωνίαν αὐτῷ ὁ νωβελίσιμος ἐπεκούφισεν. οἴκοι γὰρ ὢν καὶ τὴν στάσιν μεμαθηκώς, τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ὁπλίσας (πολλοὶ δ' αὐτῷ παρετρέφοντο) διὰ μέσης τῆς ἀγορᾶς παριὼν ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια· καὶ αὐτίκα στέλλουσι τοὺς ἐπανάξοντας τὴν βασίλισσαν, τοῖς δὲ στασιώταις 611 ἀντέστησάν τινας ἐκ τἀφανοῦς βέλη κατ' αὐτῶν ἀφιέντας καὶ λίθους ἐκ σφενδονῶν, ἐξ ὧν οὐ βράχιστοι ἀνῃρέθησαν. ἤδη δὲ τὴν βασιλίδα ἀνακομισθεῖσαν στήσαντες ἐπὶ μετεώρου ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ τοῖς στασιάζουσιν ἐπεδείκνυον, ἵνα δῆθεν αὐτοῖς κατευνασθῇ ὁ θυμός, ἀνακληθεΐσης τῆς σφετέρας δεσπότιδος. τοῖς δὲ τοῦτο μᾶλλον ἀνῆψε τὸν θυμὸν καὶ ἐξέκαυσε τὴν ὀργήν. ὡς γὰρ μετημφιεσμένην αὐτὴν ἑωράκεισαν, ἐπὶ πλέον ἀνερρώγεσαν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τῆς κακοηθείας τὸν τυραννοῦντα μισήσαντες ἀφίστανται μὲν τῆς βασιλίδος Ζωῆς, πρὸς δὲ τὴν Θεοδώραν τὴν ταύτης σύγγονον τρέπονται, ἤδη προμετασχηματισθεῖσαν κἀκείνην παρὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδίδαξε, καί τινα τῶν αὐτῆς θεραπόντων παραλαβόντες πατρῴων ἀφίκοντο ἐπ' αὐτήν· καὶ ταύτην τῆς κατοικίας ἐξαγαγόντες καὶ οἷον περὶ αὐτὴν συνασπίσαντες εἰς τὸ μέγα τέμενος ἄγουσι τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου Σοφίας, καὶ παρὰ πάντων τῶν τε τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τῶν τοῦ δήμου καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ Θεοδώρα 612 βασιλὶς ἀνηγόρευτο. τοῦτο πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τῷ Μιχαὴλ καὶ τοῖς περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἀπέσβεσε, καὶ δεδιὼς περὶ τῇ ζωῇ τῶν βασιλείων μεθίσταται καὶ νηὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐμβεβηκὼς αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ νωβελίσιμος εἰς τὴν περιώνυμον ἀπῆλθον τοῦ Στουδίου μονήν, τὰ μὲν τῆς βασιλείας γνωρίσματα ἀποθέμενος, μοναστοῦ δ' ἑαυτῷ περιθέμενος ἄμφια. ἐπεὶ δ' ἐγνώσθη τοῦτο τῷ δήμῳ, οὐκ εἶχον ὅπως ἐκ τῆς χαρᾶς κατάσχωσιν ἑαυτούς, καὶ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον συνέθεον. ἤδη δὲ κλινούσης ἡμέρας, οἱ περὶ τὴν Θεοδώραν δείσαντες μὴ ἡ βασιλὶς Ζωὴ αὖθις τὸν ἐκβεβλημένον ἀνακαλέσηται, ἵνα μὴ ἡ ἀδελφὴ αὐτῇ συγκοινωνήσῃ τῆς βασιλείας, στέλλουσι τοὺς τὰ ὄμματα καὶ ἀμφοῖν ἐξορύξοντας. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τῆς τοῦ Στουδίου μονῆς ἐκσπασθέντες ἀπήγοντο· τὸ δὲ πλῆθος συρρεῦσαν περὶ αὐτοὺς ἐνύβριζόν τε καὶ ἐπετώθαζον καὶ μέλη συντιθέντες ἐπετραγῴδουν αὐτοῖς. ὡς δ' ἧκον ἐπὶ τὸ Σίγμα (τόπος δ' ἐστὶ κεκλημένος τουτί), ἐκεῖ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξεκόπησαν, ὁ μὲν Κωνσταντῖνος γενναίως φέρων τὴν συμφοράν, ὁ δὲ Μιχαὴλ θεοκλυτῶν τε καὶ ὀδυρόμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἄμφω 613 σκότος ἐκάλυψε, πρὸς τὴν Θεοδώραν οἱ τὴν πήρωσιν ἐκείνοις σχεδιάσαντες ἐπανήλθοσαν, ἔτι τῷ μεγάλῳ τεμένει προσμένουσαν. ἡ δὲ Ζωὴ ἐτύγχανε περὶ τὰ βασίλεια. ἦν μὲν οὖν αὐτῇ τὸ βουλόμενον μὴ προσήσεσθαι τοῦ κράτους κοινωνὸν τὴν ὁμαίμονα· ἐζηλοτύπει γὰρ ἐκτόπως. ἀλλ' οἱ τῆς γερουσίας καὶ ἄμφω σεβόμενοι, τὴν μὲν ὡς βασιλίδα σφῶν ἐκ μακροῦ, τὴν δὲ ὡς ἄρτι ἀναρρηθεῖσαν καὶ τοῦ καταλυθῆναι τὴν τυραννίδα γενομένην αἰτίαν, πείθουσι τὴν πρεσβυτέραν κοινωνὸν