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and the third or even last being considered that which, it was suspected, would likely stir the emperor's anger, but the first being that which would either be accomplished easily or would even seem to be a kind of pleasantry. For under him the bold deeds of the many also took courage, as they would be brought before the emperor, and he who dared to speak at once about his own rights was held in high repute, as one who through him would seem to speak the truth to the ruler. Thus was the man most approved for undertaking the causes of men, so that it is not amiss to recount some of his deeds as an example of his precise frankness and his support for justice. It was the height of summer, and the ruler, around the stillest part of midday, after his after-luncheon nap, was sitting in the open air in the middle of the Oaton. And the patriarch was sitting with him, having come from the nearby Chora, so as to arrive most easily when the emperor also woke from sleep. He was petitioning, then, and the petition was a request on behalf of a man whom 519 the priest discerned to have been wronged, but the emperor, not being well disposed towards him, did not consent that he be saved; and the insistence from both sides was sufficient to disturb even the hearer. But it did not yet cease for them, but for the one, as he was speaking for justice, his zeal boiled up and he struck more frankly, while for the emperor, who turned his enmity for the one being interceded for into harshness against the intercessor, it happened that he was provoked to anger. And the one was begging, the other refusing; the one was beseeching even more forcefully, the other grew angry. Finally, he said that the man was being wronged, but the other did not care. And as he was clearly going to do something more reckless if he were not heard, the other would not grant the release at all, no matter what he might do. And immediately zeal entered the priest, and: “Why,” he says, “and from whom is it worthy for us to be high priests, rather than cooks and grooms, who must bow, whatever you wish?” He both said these things and at once threw down the symbol of the patriarchate, the staff, and it clattered as it fell at the feet of the emperor, and he, rising at the same time, went out as fast as his feet could carry him. And the emperor, considering the matter a disgrace, stood up speechless, while that one, with many trying to stop him and indeed with many being sent frequently by the emperor and urging him to return, since his departure would become a cause of grief to the emperor, he would not listen at all, but departed on foot and reached the monastery of the Chora, showing by his deed what the nature of zeal is like and how it does not respect persons, if it is according to God. At another time again—for this too presses to be told—there was a petition on behalf of a man who seemed to have justice on his side in those things for which he was petitioning the emperor, but though he had spoken many times, he was not heard, and the help seemed overdue. The intercessor therefore seizes an opportunity, and the opportunity was the festival of the renowned among martyrs, George, and a gathering of not a few men in the monastery of the Mangana. And the priest was performing the bloodless sacrifice, and the emperor, standing, was participating in the rite. When the offering of the gifts was completed and it was necessary for the emperor, having washed his hands, to approach, in order to partake of the antidoron and to receive a blessing from the 521 celebrant, the little doors before the sanctuary are opened, the one who will say the prayer for the emperor appears, the emperor approaches, he extends his hands to receive the divine bread, the priest holds back his right hand, which was holding the fragment of the holy bread. And so with the emperor's hands extended, and the priest's right hand remaining still, his tongue brings forth the supplication and seeks release for the one who is grieved. You would have seen then the noble bearing of the soul, of the one supplicating to be given the fragment, and of the other supplicating to grant the release, and of the one putting it off to another time, as that was not the time for a release, and of the other compelling him the more, as that was the time both for sanctification from God and also for sympathy towards a man. Finally the emperor implores to receive the fragment, not so much out of need, as he showed, as being ashamed before the people if he should return empty-handed. But as he would not give it, saying he would receive it for his condemnation if he did not release the grief for the one grieving in vain, and to change the

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καὶ τρίτου ἢ καὶ ὑστάτου τεθησομένου τοῦ παροξυσμὸν ἐκ τῶν εἰκότων κινῆσαι βασιλέως ὑφορωμένου, πρώτου δέ γε τοῦ ἢ ῥᾳδίως ἀνυσθησομένου ἢ καὶ εἰς χαριεντι σμόν τινα δόξοντος. Ὑπ' αὐτῷ γὰρ καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἐθάρσουν αἱ τόλμαι, ὡς μέχρι βασιλέως ἀναχθησόμεναι, καὶ ἔνδοξος ἦν ὁ τολμῶν αὐτίκα περὶ τῶν σφετέρων δικαίων λέγειν, ὡς ἀληθῆ δόξων λέγειν δι' ἐκείνου πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα. Οὕτως ἦν πρὸς τὰς ἀναδοχὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὁ ἀνὴρ δοκιμώτατος ὤστε καὶ προλαβεῖν οὐ χεῖρόν τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς δεῖγμ' ἀκριβοῦς παρρησίας καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἀντιλήψεως. Θέρους ἀκμὴ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κρατῶν περὶ τὸ τῆς μεσημβρίας σταθερώτατον, μετὰ τὸν μετ' ἄριστον ὕπνον, κατὰ τὰ Ὠάτου μέσα καθήμενος ἐναιθρίαζε. Συνεδριάζων δ' ἦν ἐκείνῳ καὶ πατριάρχης, ἐγγύθεν ἐκ τῆς Χώρας ἔχων, ἡνίκα καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐξ ὕπνου ἀνέγροιτο, ἐκ τοῦ ῥᾷστα παραγίνεσθαι. Ἐνετύγχανε τοίνυν, καὶ ἡ ἐντυχία ἀξίωσις ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπου ἦν ὃν ἠδικῆσθαι 519 μὲν ὁ ἱερεὺς διεγίνωσκεν, οὐ καλῶς δ' ἔχων ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ ἐκεῖνον οὐ κατένευε σῴζεσθαι· καὶ ἡ ἔνστασις ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἱκανὴ ἦν θορυβῆσαι καὶ τὸν ἀκούοντα. Τοῖς δ' οὐκ ἔληγεν ἔτι, ἀλλὰ τῷ μέν, ὡς ὑπὲρ δικαίου λέγοντι, ὁ ζῆλος ἀνέζει καὶ παρρησιαστικώτερον ἔπληττε, βασιλεῖ δέ, τὸ ἐπὶ τῷ διαπρεσβευομένῳ ἔχθος πρὸς τὴν κατὰ τοῦ πρεσβεύοντος βαρύτητα τρέψαντι, ξυνέβαινε παροξύνεσθαι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐδέετο, ὁ δ' ἀνένευεν· ὁ μὲν καὶ δρα στικώτερον ἠντιβόλει, ὁ δ' ἠγρίαινε. Τέλος ἀλλ' ἀδικεῖσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἔλεγεν, ὁ δ' οὐκ ἐφρόντιζεν. Ὡς δὲ καὶ δῆλος ἦν πράξων παραβολώτερον, ἢν μή γ' ἀκούοι, ὁ δὲ ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδίδου τὸ παράπαν τὴν λύσιν, κἂν ὅ τι καὶ πράξοι. Καὶ εὐθὺς ζῆλος εἰσέδυ τὸν ἱερέα, καί· «Τί δέ, φησί, καὶ ἀπὸ τίνων ἀρχιερεῖς εἶναι ἄξιον ἢ μαγείρους καὶ στράτωρας, οὓς ὑποκλίνειν ἀνάγκη, κἂν ὅ τι θέλοιτε;» Ταῦτά τε εἰπεῖν καὶ ἀθρόον τὸ τῆς πατριαρχίας σύμβολον ῥῖψαι, τὴν βακτηρίαν, τὴν δ' ἐπιρροιζῆσαι, πρὸ ποδῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ πεσοῦσαν, τὸν δ' ἅμ' ἀναστάντα, ᾗ ποδῶν εἶχεν, ἔξω χωρεῖν. Καὶ τὸν μὲν βασιλέα, ἐν αἰσχύνῃ ποιοῦντα τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἐννεὸν ἀνίστασθαι, ἐκεῖνον δὲ πολλῶν ἐπεχόντων καί γε τῶν ἐκ βασιλέως συχνῶν πεμπομένων καὶ ὑποστρέ ψαι παρακαλούντων, ὡς εἰς λύπην τῷ βασιλεῖ γενησομένης τῆς ἐκχωρήσεως, τὸν δὲ μηδ' ὅλως ἀκοῦσαι, ἀλλὰ πεζῇ διελθεῖν καὶ τὴν μονὴν τῆς Χώρας καταλαβεῖν, ἔργῳ δείξαντα τὴν τοῦ ζήλου φύσιν ὁποία καὶ ὡς οὐ λαμβάνει πρόσωπον, ἂν κατὰ Θεὸν γίνηται. Ἄλλοτε δὲ πάλινπροτρέχει γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο ῥηθῆναιὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπου δέησις ἦν δοκοῦντος ἔχειν τὸ δίκαιον ἐφ' οἷς καὶ βασιλέως δέεται, ἀλλὰ πολ λάκις εἰπὼν οὐκ ἠκούσθη, καὶ ὑπερήμερος ἐφαίνετο ἡ βοήθεια. ∆ράττεται τοίνυν ὁ πρεσβεύων καιροῦ, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἑορτὴ ἦν τοῦ ἐν μάρτυσι περιφανοῦς Γεωργίου καὶ σύναξις ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων ἀνὰ τὴν τῶν Μαγγάνων μονήν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ἱερεὺς τὴν ἀναίμακτον ἐτέλει θυσίαν, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἱστάμενος ἐτελεῖτο. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἐτελεύτα ἡ τῶν δώρων ἀναφορὰ καὶ ἔδει τὸν βασιλέα νιψάμενον προσελθεῖν, ἐφ' ᾧ τε μετασχεῖν ἀντιδώρου καὶ εὐλογίαν παρὰ τοῦ 521 λειτουργήσαντος δέξασθαι, ἀνοίγνυνται τὰ πρόσθεν τῶν ἀδύτων θυρία, ἐμφανίζεται ὁ τὴν εὐχὴν τελέσων τῷ βασιλεῖ, πρόσεισι βασιλεύς, ἐκτείνει τὰς χεῖρας τοῦ θείου ἄρτου ληψόμενος, ἐπέχει τὴν δεξιὰν ὁ ἱερεύς, τὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ ἄρτου κλάσμα κατέχουσαν. Καὶ οὕτω τῶν μὲν χειρῶν ἐκτεταμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ, τῆς δὲ δεξιᾶς τῷ ἱερεῖ ἀτρεμούσης, ἡ γλῶσσα φέρει τὴν ἱκεσίαν καὶ τῷ λυπουμένῳ ζητεῖ τὴν λύσιν. Εἶδες ἂν τότε γενναῖον παράστημα τῆς ψυχῆς, τοῦ μὲν ἱκετεύοντος δοῦναι τὸ κλάσμα, τοῦ δ' ἱκετεύοντος δοῦναι τὴν λύσιν, καὶ τοῦ μὲν εἰς καιρὸν ἀναρτῶντος, ὡς μὴ ὄντος ἐκείνου καιροῦ λύσεως, τοῦ δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον ἐξαναγκάζοντος, ὡς ὄντος ἐκείνου καιροῦ ἅμα μὲν ἁγιασμοῦ ἐκ Θεοῦ, ἅμα δὲ καὶ συμπαθείας πρὸς ἄνθρωπον. Τέλος ἀντιβολεῖ βασιλεὺς τὸ κλάσμα λαμβάνειν, οὐ κατὰ χρείαν μᾶλλον, ὡς ἔδειξεν, ἤ, εἴ γε κενὸς ὑποστρέψοι, τὸν λαὸν αἰσχυνόμενος. Ὡς δ' οὐκ ἐδίδου, εἰς κρῖμα λέγων λαμβάνειν, εἰ μὴ λύοι τῷ διακενῆς λυπουμένῳ τὴν λύπην, μεταβαλεῖν τε τὸν