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indicates, draft this tome and a common defense against these things, except from historical and scriptural sources. For to speak from the belly is otherwise weak and futile, but nevertheless I myself will not accept it.” He then, being confident in these things, that no one 487 would rise to challenge what was written—for he held the chartophylax, in whom all things seemed to be shaken, in an inescapable position—thought he would win by arguments. But the patriarch with the synod, having deliberated about the tome, sending for them, gathered together those who were thought to be with them. There were therefore also as many as were the elite of the church; and there were also those around Ioannikios Tornikopoulos, being openly in schism from the patriarch, yet, since necessity called, that small-mindedness of theirs had no place; and present with these was also the emperor's own sister, Eulogia, and all who were counted with her among the monks and learned men, whose one purpose was to make a defense to the emperor against the tome. And indeed the tome was read, and one person after another objected to some point concerning the matters at hand. And since there was a need to formulate the arguments together and to compose them into a single tome, and the one who would compose it was sought, Job Iasites undertook the work, and he had others as well, and especially me, the writer of such things, as collaborators on the ideas. And not long after, the tome was completed; which, indeed, having been read again in common to all and having been refashioned as much as was needed for a more seemly form, so that it might not grieve the emperor, being harsh in certain places, they sent it with Arsenios himself. The emperor, however, having received the defense and gone through it carefully, since he knew he was greatly surpassed in arguments and, if it should be made public, he would become a cause of shame for himself, he acted haughtily, to seem to disregard it out of contempt and not out of cowardice, as was the truth, and he postponed the reading. Thus, then, those around the emperor, having been foiled in their attempt, decided to suborn Bekkos in prison by other means.

15. How Bekkos, though confined to prison, nevertheless under compulsion yielded. For collecting fragments from sacred books, since they were also opposing a learned man and it was necessary to persuade with arguments, they at any rate proposed to him, as he sat in prison, arguments of the saints, as many as seemed to be in favor of the Italians. But he, 489 taking and going through them, was somehow gently inclined toward peace. And being simple and a lover of truth in all things, in his simplicity he was won over by the scriptures, suffering the same thing as those who are at a loss, if they should be moderately at a loss unexpectedly, when they think they have the whole matter; and again, in his love of truth, he was not ashamed to confess that he did not know nor indeed had encountered them; and the reason was that while being occupied with Greek studies, it had not been possible for him to study the divine scriptures; however, he wished both to see the books and to read them more carefully, on which condition he would pay attention to the meaning of the scriptures, and thus, either being persuaded, to have his confidence based on them and to stand firmly in whatever direction he might incline, or, not being persuaded, to present the clear reasons why he was not persuaded. He said these things, and the emperor consented, and having brought him out of the prison, he provided the books for him to read at his leisure.

10. How the patriarch, giving a written opinion, swore not to accept the peace. The patriarch, however, was concerned about each of the responses to the emperor, a matter that was now pressing more heavily and not allowing him to rest. The monk Job Iasites, seeing these things and fearing for the patriarch's resolution, lest he might give up and abandon his resistance, contrived something of this sort in order to strengthen the patriarch's resolution: for he suggested writing an opinion and sending it to the pious men wherever they might be, ostensibly adding for full assurance also an oath, so that they would not be shaken, but hold fast, believing that he would not give in, and thus he would draw them to a more favorable disposition, so that even those who were at first in schism would accept him. The hierarch, persuaded by these arguments, allowed him to set forth the opinion, and he set it forth very quickly; but before it was sent, it seemed good to make a trial of the bishops, so that he might learn if to the end

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μηνύει, τόνδε τὸν τόμον καὶ κοινὸν πρὸς ταῦτα τὸν ἀπόλογον σχεδιάσατε, πλὴν ἐξ ἱστοριῶν καὶ γραφικῶν χρήσεων. Τὸ γὰρ ἀπὸ κοιλίας φωνεῖν ἀσθενὲς μὲν ἄλλως καὶ μάταιον, πλὴν δ' ἀλλ' οὐδ' αὐτὸς δέξομαι.» Ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὕτω ταῦτα θαρρῶν, ὡς οὐκ 487 ἀποδύσεταί τις πρὸς τὰ γραφέντατὸν γὰρ χαρτοφύλακα ἐν ἀφύκτοις εἶχεν, ἐν ᾧ σαλεύειν ἐδόκει τὰ πάντα, νικήσειν ἐκ λόγων ᾤετο. Ἀλλ' ὁ πατριάρ χης σὺν τῇ συνόδῳ, περὶ τοῦ τόμου διασκεψάμενοι, πέμψαντες συνῆγον τοὺς μετ' αὐτῶν εἶναι δοκοῦντας. Ἦσαν οὖν καὶ ὅσον τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔκκριτον· ἦσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Τορνικόπουλον Ἰωαννίκιον, σχιζόμενοι μὲν τοῦ πατριάρχου περιφανῶς, ὅμως δέ, τῆς χρείας καλούσης, τὰ τῆς μικροψυχίας ἐκείνης χώραν οὐκ εἶχον· παρῆν δὲ σὺν τούτοις καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτα δέλφη Εὐλογία καὶ πᾶν ὅσον ἦν μετ' αὐτῆς ἐν μοναχοῖς καὶ λογίοις ἐξεταζόμενον, οἷς σκοπὸς εἷς ἦν πρὸς τὸν τόμον ἀπολογεῖσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ. Καὶ δὴ ἀνεγινώσκετο μὲν ὁ τόμος, ἄλλος δ' ἄλλο τι πρὸς τὸ παρεστὸς τοῖς προκειμένοις ἀντέλεγεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ χρεία ἦν συμφρασθῆναι τοὺς λόγους καὶ εἰς ἕνα συντεθήσεσθαι τόμον καὶ ἐζητεῖτο ὁ συνθησόμενος, ἀνεδέχετο μὲν τὸ ἔργον ὁ Ἰασίτης Ἰώβ, εἶχε δὲ καὶ ἄλλους, καὶ μᾶλλον τὸν συγγραφέα τῶν τοιούτων ἐμέ, τῶν ἐννοιῶν συλλήπτορας. Καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ ὁ τόμος ἐξείργαστο· ὃν δὴ καὶ κοινῶς ἀναγνωσθέντα πάλιν τοῖς ὅλοις καὶ ὅσον ἦν πρὸς τὸ εὐσχημονέστερον μεταπλασθέντα, ὡς μὴ λυποίη σκληρῶς ἔν τισιν ἔχων τὸν ἄνακτα, μετ' αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ Ἀρσενίου πέμπουσιν. Ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεύς, δεξάμενος τὸν ἀπόλογον καὶ ἀκριβῶς διελθών, ἐπεὶ ἔγνω πολλῷ λελειμμένος τοῖς λόγοις καί, εἴπερ ἐμφανισθείη, αἴτιος αἰσχύνης ἑαυτῷ γενησόμενος, τῷ δοκεῖν ὑπὸ περιφρονήσεως καὶ οὐ κατὰ δειλίαν, ὡς ἦν ἀληθές, περιορᾶν ὑπερηφάνει καὶ ἀνεβάλλετο τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν. Οὕτως οὖν ἐκκρουσθέντες οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως, ἄλλως ἔγνωσαν ὑπελθεῖν τὸν Βέκκον ἐν φυλακαῖς.

ιεʹ. Ὅπως ὁ Βέκκος, εἰς φυλακὴν εἱργμένος, ὅμως βιαζόμενος κατετίθετο. Τεμμάχια γὰρ ἐκ βίβλων συλλέγοντες ἱερῶν, ἐπεὶ καὶ λογίῳ ἀντικα θίσταντο καὶ λόγοις ἦν ἀνάγκη πείθειν, λόγους γοῦν ἁγίων, ὅσοι καὶ ὑπὲρ Ἰταλῶν ἐδόκουν εἶναι, προὔτεινον ἐκείνῳ, κατὰ φυλακὴν καθημένῳ. Ὁ δέ, 489 λαμβάνων καὶ διερχόμενος, ἠρέμα πως εἰς εἰρήνην συγκατεκλίνετο. Καί γ' ἁπλοῦς ὢν καὶ φιλαλήθης εἰς ἅπαν, τῷ μὲν ἁπλῷ ταῖς γραφαῖς καθυπήγετο, ταὐτό γε πάσχων τοῖς ἀποροῦσιν, εἰ μετρίως ἀποροῖεν ἀπροσδοκήτως, τὸ πᾶν οἰομένοις ἔχειν· τῷ δ' αὖ φιλαλήθει οὐκ ἠδόξει ὁμολογεῖν μὴ εἰδέναι μήτε μὴν ἐντυχεῖν· καὶ ἡ αἰτία τὸ ἐφ' Ἑλληνικαῖς σχολάζοντι μὴ θείαις γραφαῖς ἐγγενέσθαι οἱ ἐμμελετῆσαι· θέλειν μέντοι καὶ ἰδεῖν τὰς βίβλους καὶ ἀναγνῶναι ἐπιμελέστερον, ἐφ' ᾧ τῷ νῷ τῶν γραφῶν προσέξειν, καὶ οὕτως ἢ πεισθέντα ἀνάγειν ἔχειν ἐπ' ἐκείναις τὸ θάρρος καὶ παγίως ἵστασθαι ἐς ὅ τι καὶ κλίνοι, ἢ μὴ πεισθέντα τὰς αἰτίας ἐμφανεῖς παριστᾶν δι' ἃς μὴ πείθοιτο. Ταῦτ' ἔλεγε, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατένευεν, ἐξαγαγών τε τῆς φυλακῆς, τὰς βίβλους εἰς ἀνάγνωσιν παρεῖχεν ἐπὶ σχολῆς.

ιʹ. Ὅπως ὁ πατριάρχης, γνωματεύων ἐγγράφως, ὤμνυε μὴ καταδέχεσθαι τὴν εἰρήνην. Τῷ μέντοι γε πατριάρχῃ μέλον ἦν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν πρὸς βασιλέα ἀποκρί σεων, μειζόνως ἤδη ἐπιτιθέμενον καί γ' ἠρεμεῖν μὴ ἐῶντα. Ταῦθ' ὁρῶν ὁ μοναχὸς Ἰὼβ Ἰασίτης καὶ περὶ τῇ γνώμῃ ὀρρωδήσας τοῦ πατριάρχου, μὴ καθυφείη τῆς ἐνστάσεως ἀπειπών, μηχανᾶταί τι τοιοῦτον ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν γνώμην τοῦ πατριάρχου στηρίξαι· ὑποτίθεται γὰρ γνώμην γράφειν καὶ πέμπειν τοῖς ὁπουδήποτε εὐλαβέσιν ἀνδράσιν, εἰς πληροφορίαν δῆθεν προστι θέντα καὶ ὅρκον, ἐφ' ᾧ μὴ κλονοῖντο, ἀλλ' ἀραρότως ἔχειν, ὡς οὐ καθυφείη πιστεύοντας, καὶ οὕτως ἕλξειν ἐκείνους πρὸς τὸ εὐμενέστερον, ὥστε καὶ σχιζομένους τὸ πρῶτον δέχεσθαι. Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ὁ ἱεράρχης πεισθεὶς ἐγχωρεῖ οἱ ἐκτιθέναι τὴν γνώμην, καὶ ἐξετίθετο τὴν ταχίστην· πρὶν δὲ πεμφθῆναι, ἔδοξε τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἀποπειρᾶσθαι, ὡς μάθοι εἰ εἰς τέλος