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of Constantine, and already treatises were being confused over the marriage alliance, as Maria was moving her husband towards enmity, on which grounds, when they also had a child, Michael, the matters concerning Mesembria were in delay; and the emperor was clearly inventing pretexts for them for not giving what he had no wish to give at all; and the hatred was fanned by the emperor's disregard for her mother, Eulogia. The cause was the dispute concerning the events in the church, so that she was considered an enemy by the ruler, not only because she herself was in schism from communion with the church, but also because she was winning over and cherishing many of the schismatics. When Maria learned these things from those who visited her daily—for there were not a few of the monks who cherished their supplication to her—she plotted terrible things against her uncle, hating the action, as she said to her supplicants, and also considering her mother's enmity from the emperor as a terrible thing. Wherefore, showing her hatred in equal measure, she attempts to act even more than is fitting for women; for she sends Joseph, whom they also called Katharos, along with others to Palestine, at once to clarify the past events to the patriarch of Aelia, and at the same time to incite the sultan against the emperor as much as he could, so that he from there and the Bulgarians from here, coming together, might harm the emperor's land; for the emperor was also hateful to God, as having transgressed the religion towards Him, and that nothing else moves God against men than that 547 they should transgress the belief held towards Him from the beginning. To the patriarch, then, those sent by Maria seemed to speak credible things, as he had learned of the events from others too; wherefore, though they only added to the matter by magnifying it, he took them for true ambassadors and did not inquire too closely about who sent them, and he believed that Athanasius of Alexandria and Euthymius of Antioch were doing that which he alone was deemed worthy to do. But to the sultan their embassy was entirely beyond expectation, as it had never before been made to the rulers of Egypt before him; moreover, since the nation of the Bulgarians was not so distinguished as to be considered a great power, it made the embassy suspicious and he sent them away in silence. However, what seemed true to Gregory, the patriarch of Aelia, was indeed very true. For the patriarch of Antioch had already come to the city of Constantine, having been rescued from the hands of the king of Armenia; for he, holding enmity towards the patriarch and wishing to get him out of the way, since he had the man in his hands, handed him over to those who would take him where he might perish immediately; and they, having taken him, entrusted him to a sea-girt rock, which was desolate and devoid of human solace. But he, having been saved, as he said, by the visitations of the wonderworker Nicholas, runs to the emperor, having been brought to the city. And the patriarch of Alexandria, he too having arrived after the events, could not undo what had been done, but nevertheless kept the peace, being hindered by his sojourn from investigating these matters. For he had not been summoned for this purpose, but he himself, as a consolation for the sorrows he suffered while living among the godless, fled to the emperor as to a harbor and, having come upon accomplished facts, judged it necessary to remain quiet, refraining entirely from cooperating, and considering it inopportune to stir up established matters.

2. How Maria outwitted Osphentisthlabos. Maria, however, having crowned her son Michael despite his age, raised and brought him up as an emperor, providing acclamations for the child along with his fathers. And being very suspicious of Osphentisthlabos, since he was a despot, 549 she cunningly suborned him; for as Constantine was in a weak state, she contrived such things, fearing for her child. Having sent therefore, with oaths that she would not plot against him, she persuades Osphentisthlabos to come to her. And he, trusting the oaths, came to Ternobon and demanded to be adopted as a son, though he was already past his youth. And so he was publicly adopted as a son by Maria in church; for after the priest's prayers and the lights upon them, she, having parted

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τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ κήδει σπονδαὶ συνεχέοντο ἤδη, τῆς Μαρίας κινούσης τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς ἔχθραν, ἐφ' οἷς καὶ παιδοποιησαμένων τὸν Μιχαήλ, ἐν ἀναβολαῖς τὰ περὶ τὴν Μεσέμβρειαν ἦσαν· καὶ δῆλος ἦν βασιλεὺς ἐκείνοις πλαττόμενος ἀφορμὰς τοῦ μὴ διδόναι ἃ καὶ καθάπαξ διδόναι οὐκ ἦν βουλομένῳ ἐκείνῳ· ἀνερρίπιζε δὲ τὸ μῖσος καὶ ἡ πρὸς βασιλέως τῆς μητρὸς ἐκείνης Εὐλογίας παρόρασις. Τὸ δ' αἴτιον ἡ περὶ τῶν γεγονότων τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ διαφορά, ὡς καὶ εἰς ἐχθρὰν λογίζεσθαι τῷ κρατοῦντι μὴ ὅπως αὐτὴν σχιζομένην τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κοινωνίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν σχιζομένων περιποιοῦσαν καὶ περιθάλπουσαν. Ταῦθ' ἡ Μαρία πυνθανομένη τῶν ὁσημέραι παρ' αὐτὴν φοιτώντων ἦσαν γὰρ καὶ τῶν μοναχῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοι τὴν εἰς ἐκείνην στέρξαντες ἱκε τείαν, δεινὰ ἐμελέτα κατὰ τοῦ θείου, στυγοῦσα μὲν καὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν, ὡς πρὸς τοὺς ἱκετεύοντας ἔλεγεν, ἐν δεινῷ δὲ ποιουμένη καὶ τὴν τῆς μητρὸς πρὸς βασιλέως ἀπέχθειαν. Ὅθεν καὶ πρὸς ἶσα δεικνῦσα τὸ ἔχθος, πειρᾶται πράττειν καὶ μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ γυναῖκας· τὸν γὰρ Ἰωσὴφ σὺν ἄλλοις, ὃν δὴ καὶ Καθαρὸν ὠνόμαζον, πέμπει πρὸς Παλαιστίνην, ἅμα μὲν τῷ τῆς Αἰλίας πατριάρχῃ τὰ πραχθέντα διασαφήσοντα, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν σουλτὰν κατὰ βασιλέως ὡς ἐνὸν ἐκείνῳ παρακινήσοντα, ὥσθ' ἅμα ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἔνθεν, Βουλγάρους δ' ἐντεῦθεν συνελθόντας τὴν χώραν τοῦ βασιλέως κακοῦν· εἶναι γὰρ καὶ τῷ θείῳ ἀπηχθημένον τὸν βασιλέα, ὡς παραβάντα τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον θρησκείαν, οὐδὲν δ' ἄλλο εἶναι τὸ κινοῦν Θεὸν ἐπ' ἀνθρώπους ἢ τὸ παραβῆναι 547 σφᾶς τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον νομιζομένην δόξαν ἀρχῆθεν. Τῷ μὲν οὖν πατριάρχῃ οἱ παρὰ τῆς Μαρίας πεμφθέντες πιστὰ λέγειν ἐδόκουν, καὶ παρ' ἄλλων μαθόντι τὰ γεγονότα· ὅθεν καὶ παρὰ μόνον τὸ μεγεθύνειν προστιθέντας τὸ πρᾶγμα, ἀληθινοὺς πρέσβεις εἶχε καὶ οὐκ ἐπολυπραγμόνει τὸν πέμψαντα, ἐπίστευε δὲ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀλεξανδρείας Ἀθανάσιον καί γε τὸν Ἀντιοχείας Εὐθύμιον ἐκεῖνο πράττειν ὃ καὶ μόνος ἠξιοῦτο ποιεῖν. Τῷ δέ γε σουλτὰν παρ' ἐλπισμὸν ἦν πάντα ἡ ἐκείνων πρεσβεία, ὡς μηδέποτ' ἄλλοτε γενομένη τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ τῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄρχουσι· προσέτι δὲ καὶ τὸ ἔθνος τῶν Βουλγάρων μὴ περιφανὲς ὂν ὥστε καὶ εἰς ἀρχὴν ἀνάγεσθαι, ἐν ὑπονοίαις τὴν πρεσβείαν ἐποίει καὶ σιγηλῶς ἀπέπεμπε. Τὸ μέντοι γε δοκοῦν τῷ τῆς Αἰλίας πατριαρχεύοντι Γρηγορίῳ καὶ λίαν ἀληθινὸν ἦν. Ὁ γὰρ Ἀντιοχείας καὶ προεπεδήμησε τῇ Κωνσταντίνου, ῥυσθεὶς τῶν τοῦ ῥηγὸς Ἀρμενίας χειρῶν· ἐκεῖνος γάρ, ἔχθος τῷ πατριάρχῃ τηρῶν καὶ θέλων ἐκποδὼν ποιῆσαι, ἐπεὶ ἀνὰ χεῖρας εἶχε τὸν ἄνδρα, ἐκδίδωσι τοῖς ἀπάξουσιν ᾗ δὴ καὶ ἀπολλύναι ἐκ τοῦ παραχρῆμα ξυμβαίη· καὶ οἳ λαβόντες ἀμφιάλῳ κατεπίστευον πέτρᾳ, ἐρήμῳ οὔσῃ καὶ ἀπανθρώπῳ τὰ ἐς παράκλησιν. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος, ῥυσθείς, ὡς ἔλεγε, ταῖς θαυματουργοῦ Νικολάου ἐπιστασίαις, βασιλεῖ προστρέχει, καταχθεὶς εἰς πόλιν. Ὁ δέ γ' Ἀλεξανδρείας, καὶ αὐτὸς ὕστερος τῶν πραχθέντων γεγονώς, ἀναλύειν μὲν οὐκ εἶχε τὸ γεγονός, ὅμως δ' εἰρήνευεν, ἐμποδὼν ἔχων τὴν ξενιτείαν τοῦ ταῦτα ζητεῖν. Οὐ γὰρ προσκέ κλητο ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς κατὰ παραμυθίαν ὧν ἔπασχε λυπηρῶν, ἐν τοῖς ἀθέοις διάγων, ὡς ἐπὶ λιμένα εἰς τὸν βασιλέα κατέφευγε καί, ἐπιτετελεσμένοις ἐπιστάς, ἔκρινε δεῖν ἡσυχάζειν, τοῦ μὲν συμπρᾶξαι παμπληθὲς ἀπέχων, τὸ δ' ἀνακινεῖν καθεστῶτα ἡγούμενος ἄκαιρον.

βʹ. Ὅπως ἡ Μαρία κατεσοφίσατο τὸν Ὀσφεντίσθλαβον. Ἡ μέντοι γε Μαρία, Μιχαὴλ τὸν παῖδα καὶ παρὰ τὴν ἡλικίαν στέψασα, βασιλικῶς ἔτρεφε καὶ ἀνῆγε, τὴν εὐφημίαν μετὰ πατέρας τῷ παιδὶ παρέ χουσα. Ὑπόπτως δὲ τῷ Ὀσφεντισθλάβῳ καὶ λίαν ἔχουσα, δεσπότῃ γε ὄντι, 549 ὑποποιεῖται δολίως ἐκεῖνον· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἀσθενῶς ἔχοντος ἐποίει τοιαῦτα κατασκευάζειν, περὶ τῷ παιδὶ δειλιῶσαν. Πέμψασα γοῦν, ὅρκοις τοῦ μὴ ἐπιβουλεῦσαί οἱ, πείθει παραγενέσθαι τὸν Ὀσφεντίσθλαβον παρ' αὐτήν. Ὁ δέ, τοῖς ὅρκοις θαρρήσας, εἰς Τέρνοβον ἧκε καὶ ἤδη παρηβηκότα υἱοποιεῖσθαι ἠξίου. Καὶ δὴ ἐπ' ἐκκλησίας περιφανῶς τῇ Μαρίᾳ ἐκεῖνος υἱοπεποίητο· μετὰ γὰρ τὰς τοῦ ἱερέως ἐντεύξεις καὶ τὰ ἐπ' αὐταῖς φῶτα, διασχοῦσα