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beauty, and by far different and superior, such as the newly-built temple near the [church] of the Apostles, beautiful to see, and wonderful to admire. For if it falls short of the size of the old one, it is yet far superior in its interior brightness. And what of the faithful emperor? He made Theodore Belonas a patrician, as a co-worker of the splendid and magnificent temple. 28 And who could tell of the sacred vestments and veils which he provided for the great and all-wonderful common sanctuary? As often as he arrived, he did not seem to appear empty-handed before God, but with great and golden-wrought offerings and with pearls and stones and textiles he gave honor and was honored in return; which both adorn and make splendid the holy of holies and are proclaimed for Constantine who offered them. 29 It is necessary to recount the campaign of the patrician Basil Hexamilites, strategos of the Cibyrrhaeots. This patrician Basil, being strategos of the Cibyrrhaeots, young in body, 453 grey in wisdom and displaying an experience greater than his age, when warships set out from Tarsus with distinguished Hagarenes on them, since the strategos saw them attacking the Roman lands, thinking to seize them like a nest, the strategos drew up his ships against them in this way, and these were few in number and not sufficient against so great a multitude; but since he had a judgment and resolve stronger than the multitude of enemy ships and a courage with prudence more powerful than many allies, the two came together, and an engagement of ships appeared, and war was struck up by each side, and a certain violent shouting and pushing erupted from both sets of ships, until the strategos Basil himself, being in the midst of the deniers of Christ, leaping within, and when this happened and liquid fire surrounded the deniers of Christ from all sides, they were immediately defeated and slaughtered and taken captive into slavery, with their leaders and rulers and ship captains being captured alive before all others. And these he sent to the city to the fortunate emperor Constantine and he celebrated a triumph in the Hippodrome. 30 And the emperor Constantine designated a military force against the Lombards and Neapolitans, and sent the patrician Marianos as their commander, because the Western lands were in rebellion and had broken the bonds of the Roman yoke. For 454 those who had received the land of Lombardy as their dwelling-place grew insolent, and those who had Calabria, taking courage in this because it was far and distant from the imperial city. For this reason, constantly making rebellions, they reached such a degree of insubordination as to even make pacts with the Hagarenes and to destroy the neighboring cities and forts and villages with knife and sword. But also the Neapolitans, having been washed away from the subjection of Christ, confessed to doing the deeds of slaves, having turned to open apostasy. Therefore, so that the rebellious multitude might not increase their arrogance as if they had enslaved the subject nations of the Romans, the Porphyrogennetos, not tolerating it, defends against them with Thracian and Macedonian armies, and with warships with liquid fire he checks their audacity and folly; and the patrician Marianos Argyros, having fallen upon Naples from land and sea with the Roman army, all things on the land they burned down, and whatever outlets from the sea they secured, and having surrounded them from all sides, being pressed and humbled by famine and captivity, they sent up prayers and supplications to the emperor Constantine, subjecting themselves as from the beginning. This the Lombards and the Calabrians also did; wherefore also the barbarians of Sicily were concluding peace treaties. 31 And one must admire also him who towards the

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κάλλος, καὶ κατὰ πολὺ διαφέροντα καὶ ὑπερκείμενον, οιος ὁ τῶν ἀποστόλων πλησίον νεουργηθεὶς ναός, καλὸς μὲν ἰδεῖν, ὡραῖος δὲ θαυμάσαι. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς παλαιότητος ἀποδεῖ, ἀλλά γε τῆς ενδον φαιδρότητος πόρρω καθέστηκε. τί δὲ ὁ πιστὸς βασιλεύς; πατρίκιον τὸν Βελωνᾶν Θεόδωρον ὡς συνεργὸν τοῦ λαμπροῦ καὶ κατηγλαϊσμένου ναοῦ ἐποίησεν. 28 Τῶν δὲ ἱερῶν καὶ πέπλων ων παρεῖχεν εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἱλαστήριον τὸ μέγα καὶ πανθαύμαστον τίς ἐξείποι; ὁσάκις ἀφί- κετο, οὐκ εδοξεν ἐναντίον θεοῦ ὀφθῆναι κενός, ἀλλ' ἀναθήμασι μεγάλοις καὶ χρυσοτεύκτοις καὶ μαργαρίταις καὶ λίθοις καὶ ὑφάσ- μασιν ἐδεξιοῦτο καὶ ἀντημείβετο· α καὶ τὰ τῶν ἁγίων αγια κατακοσμοῦσι καὶ καταγλαΐζουσι καὶ τῷ προσενηνοχότι Κωνσταντίνῳ κηρύττεται. 29 Τοῦ δὲ πατρικίου Βασιλείου ̔Εξαμιλίτου καὶ στρατη- γοῦ τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν ταξείδιον χρὴ διηγήσασθαι. ουτος ὁ πα- τρίκιος Βασίλειος στρατηγὸς ων τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν, νέος τῷ σώ- 453 ματι, πολιὸς τῇ φρονήσει καὶ μείζω τῆς ἡλικίας τὴν πολυπειρίαν ἐνδεικνύμενος, πολεμικῶν καραβίων ἀπὸ Ταρσοῦ ἐξωρμημένων καὶ ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς οντων περιφανῶν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὺς ὁ στρα- τηγὸς ἑώρα πρὸς τὰς ̔Ρωμαϊκὰς χώρας προσβάλλοντας, λογιζομέ- νους ὡς νοσσιὰν περιλαβεῖν αὐτάς, ὁ στρατηγὸς τὰς ουτως αὐτῷ νῆας ἀντιπαραταξάμενος, καὶ ταύτας ὀλιγοστὰς ουσας καὶ πρὸς τοσοῦτον οὐκ ἀρκούσας τὸ πλῆθος· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν γνώμην καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ειχεν τοῦ πλήθους τῶν πολεμικῶν καραβίων κρα- ταιοτέραν καὶ τὴν μετὰ φρονήσεως τόλμαν πολλῶν συμμάχων ἰσχυροτέραν, συγγίνονται αμφω, καὶ συμβολὴ τῶν καραβίων ἀνε- φαίνετο, καὶ παρ' ἀλλήλων πόλεμος ἀνεκρούετο, καὶ βίαιός τις ἀλαλαγμὸς καὶ ὠθισμὸς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν καραβίων ἐκρούετο, εως αὐτὸς ὁ στρατηγὸς Βασίλειος μέσον τῶν ἀρνητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γενόμενος, ενδον εἰσπηδήσας, ου γεγονότος καὶ πυρὸς ἐνύγρου πάντοθεν τῶν ἀρνητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ περικυκλώσαντος αὐτίκα ἡττῶντο καὶ κατεσφάττοντο καὶ δέσμιοι εἰς δουλείαν συνελαμβάνοντο, αὐτῶν πρὸ πάντων τῶν ἡγεμόνων καὶ ἀρχόντων καὶ καϊτῶν ζωγρη- θέντων. καὶ τούτους ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως πρὸς τὸν εὐτυχῆ βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον ἐξαπέστειλεν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱππικῷ ἐθριάμβευσεν. 30 ̔Ο δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ Κωνσταντῖνος στρατιωτικὴν δύνα- μιν κατὰ τῶν Λογγιβάρδων καὶ Νεαπολιτῶν ὁρίσας, καὶ ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῶν τὸν πατρίκιον Μαριανὸν ἀποστείλας, διὰ τὸ στασιάσαι τὰ ̔Εσπέρια καὶ τῆς ̔Ρωμαϊκῆς ζεύγλης τοὺς δεσμοὺς διαρρῆξαι. καὶ 454 γὰρ κατεθρασύνθησαν οσοι τὴν Λαγγοβαρδίαν ἐκληρώσαντο χώ- ραν εἰς κατοικίαν, καὶ οσοι τὴν Καλαβρίαν, τοῦτο θαρροῦντες διὰ τὸ πόρρω καὶ μακρὰν ειναι τῆς βασιλίδος. διὰ τοῦτο συνεχῶς τὰς ἀποστασίας ποιούμενοι εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀνυποταξίας εφθασαν ὡς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̓Αγαρηνοὺς πάκτα διδόναι καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ κά- στρα καὶ κώμας τὰς πλησιαζούσας μαχαίρᾳ καὶ ξίφει ἀνελεῖν. ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ Νεαπολῖται τῆς ὑποταγῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀπορρυέντες τὰ δοῦλα πράττειν ὡμολόγησαν, πρὸς φανερὰν ἀποστασίαν τρα- πέντες. ιν' ουν μήτε τὸ στασιάσαν πλῆθος ἐπιπλεονάσωσι τὸ ἀλα- ζονικὸν ὡς τὰ ὑπήκοα ̔Ρωμαίων εθνη δουλωσάμενοι, οὐκ ἐνεγκὼν ὁ πορφυρογέννητος στρατεύμασι Θρᾳκικοῖς καὶ Μακεδονικοῖς τού- τους ἀμύνεται, καὶ ναυσὶ πολεμικαῖς μετὰ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς τὴν τού- των ἀναστέλλει αὐθάδειαν καὶ μωρίαν· καὶ ἀπὸ γῆς καὶ θαλάτ- της τὴν Νεάπολιν ὁ πατρίκιος Μαριανὸς ὁ ̓Αργυρὸς ἐπιπεσὼν μετὰ τοῦ ̔Ρωμαϊκοῦ στρατοῦ, οσα μὲν πρὸς τὴν γῆν πάντα κατέ- καυσαν, οσας δὲ ἐκβολὰς ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης ἠσφαλίσαντο, καὶ πάντοθεν αὐτοὺς περικυκλώσαντες, τῷ λιμῷ καὶ τῇ αἰχμαλωσίᾳ πιεζόμενοι καὶ ταπεινούμενοι, πρὸς δεήσεις καὶ ἱκεσίας τῷ ανακτι Κωνσταντίνῳ ἀνέπεμπον, ὑποδουλούμενοι ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς. τοῦτο καὶ οἱ Λογγίβαρδοι καὶ οἱ Καλαβροὶ ἐποιοῦντο· διὸ καὶ οἱ βάρβα- ροι τῆς Σικελίας σύμφωνα εἰρηνικὰ ἐπετέλουν. 31 Καὶ δεῖ θαυμάσαι καὶ τὸν πρὸς τῶν