186

he cross-examines him. But he said to him under oath, that "all the things which I say to you are true. But also a thousand taxatoi with the tourmarch entered there; and he brought out all the property of those there and the poor families from there." Having heard these things, he writes to the strategos, that "come near me, and I shall make peace with you, and I shall do all things as you wish." But the strategos, 390 seeing that he had approached Masalaion, and that in another five days he would pass through his provinces, sends to him two hypatoi and makes clear to him that "I received your letters and I accepted your proposal, and behold, I am coming to you. But as you know, I am a strategos, and money and silver and people must follow me. Send me an account for each thing. And if my business is done as I seek from you, well and good, since otherwise I shall return unharmed and unmolested." So when the hypatoi overtook him at Theodosiana, Masalmas says to them: "I knew that your strategos was mocking me." But they said: "May it not be so." Then having made the account which they had sought, he dismisses them. So while the hypatoi were departing to the strategos with the signed account, Masalmas, having many multitudes and being unable ever to stand still, arrives at Akroinon. But the strategos, seeing that he had passed through his provinces, departs for Nicomedia. And happening upon the son of Theodosius, he gets him into his power along with all the imperial service and the men of rank of the palace. But Masalmas went down into Asia and wintered there, and Oumaros in Cilicia. But the strategos, having taken the son of the emperor and consulted with those with him, comes to Chrysopolis. But Theodosius, learning what had been done and consulting Germanos the patriarch and the senate, received a promise through the same patriarch from Leo for his own safety and for keeping the church unshaken, and so he hands over the empire to him. And Theodosius, having become a cleric along with his son, lived the remaining time of their lives in peace. But Masalmas came to Pergamum and besieged it, and by permission of God he took it, through diabolical energy. For at the suggestions of a certain magus, the people of the city brought a pregnant woman who was about to give birth, and dissected her; and taking the infant and boiling it in a cauldron, all who wished to fight 391 dipped the sleeves of their right hands into such a God-abhorred sacrifice and were thereupon handed over to their enemies. Emperor of the Romans, Leo the Isaurian, for 24 years. 209. 709. 1. 3. 3. 12. In this year Leo became emperor, being descended from Germanikeia, but in truth from Isauria. And by emperor Justinian he was resettled with his parents in Mesembria of Thrace during his first reign; and in his second reign, as he was coming with the Bulgars, he met him with gifts of 500 sheep. And Justinian, being pleased, immediately made him a spatharios, and held him as a genuine friend. But some, moved by envy towards him, slandered him as aspiring to the empire. And when an inquiry was made concerning this, they were shamed as slanderers. But such a report from then on began to be spoken by many. Justinian, therefore, even if he did not wish to harm him openly, yet a certain loathing for him was instilled in him, and he sends him to Alania with money to stir up the Alans against Abasgia, as the Saracens were ruling over Abasgia and Lazica and Iberia. But he, having gone to Lazica, deposited the money in Phasis, and taking a few of the locals, he went away to Apsilia, and having crossed the Caucasus mountains he came to Alania. But Justinian, wishing to destroy him, sent and took the money from Phasis; but the Alans, having received the spatharios with all honor and having obeyed his words, entered and took Abasgia captive. But the lord of the Abasgians

186

ἐπανακρίνει αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐνωμότως ἔφη, ὅτι "πάντα ἅπερ λέγω σοι ἀληθῆ ὑπάρχει. ἀλλὰ καὶ χίλιοι ταξάτοι σὺν τῷ τουρμάρχῃ ἐκεῖ εἰσῆλθον· πᾶσαν δὲ ὕπαρξιν τῶν ἐκεῖσε καὶ τὰς ἀπόρους φαμιλίας ἐξήγαγε τῶν ἐκεῖ." ταῦτα ἀκούσας γράφει τῷ στρατηγῷ, ὅτι "ἐλθὲ ἐγγὺς μοῦ, καὶ εἰρηνεύω μετὰ σοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὡς θέλεις ποιῶ." θεωρήσας δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς 390 ὅτι ἐπὶ Μασαλαιὸν ἐπλησίασεν, καὶ ὅτι ἐν ἄλλαις πέντε ἡμέραις παρέρχεται τὰς ἐπαρχίας αὐτοῦ, πέμπει πρὸς αὐτὸν δύο ὑπάτους καὶ δηλοῖ αὐτῷ, ὅτι "τὰ γράμματά σου ἐδεξάμην καὶ τὴν προαίρεσίν σου ἀπεδεξάμην, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἔρχομαι πρὸς σέ. ἀλλ' ὡς ἐπίστασαι, στρατηγός εἰμι, καὶ χρήματα καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ λαός μοι ἔχει ἀκολουθῆσαι. πέμψον μοι περὶ ἑκάστου λόγον. καὶ εἰ μέν, καθὼς ἐπιζητῶ ἐξ ὑμῶν, γένηται τὸ πρᾶγμά μου, εὖ καὶ καλῶς, ἐπεὶ κἂν ἀζήμιος καὶ ἄθλιπτος ἐπανελεύσομαι." τῶν οὖν ὑπάτων καταφθασάντων αὐτὸν εἰς Θεοδοσιανά, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Μασαλμᾶς· "ᾔδειν ὅτι ἐμπαίζει με ὁ στρατηγὸς ὑμῶν." ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἔφησαν· "μὴ γένοιτο." τότε πεποιηκὼς ὃν ἐπεζήτησαν λόγον, ἀπολύει αὐτούς. ἐν ὅσῳ οὖν οἱ ὕπατοι μετὰ τοῦ ἐνυπογράφου λόγου πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν ἀπήρχοντο, ὁ Μασαλμᾶς πλήθη πολλὰ ἔχων καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος πώποτε στῆναι παραγίνεται εἰς Ἀκροϊνόν. ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ στρατηγός, ὅτι παρῆλθε τὰς ἐπαρχίας αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ τὴν Νικομήδειαν ἀπέρχεται. περιτυχὼν δὲ τὸν τοῦ Θεοδοσίου υἱὸν χειροῦται τοῦτον μετὰ πάσης τῆς βασιλικῆς ὑπουργίας καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει ἀνδρῶν τοῦ παλατίου. ὁ δὲ Μασαλμᾶς κατελθὼν εἰς Ἀσίαν ἐκεῖ παρεχείμασεν, καὶ Οὔμαρος ἐν Κιλικίᾳ. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς παραλαβὼν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ συμβουλευσάμενος τοῖς σὺν αὐτῷ ἔρχεται εἰς Χρυσόπολιν. γνοὺς δὲ Θεοδόσιος τὰ πραχθέντα καὶ βουλευσάμενος Γερμανὸν τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ τὴν σύγκλητον, ἔλαβε λόγον διὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πατριάρχου παρὰ Λέοντος τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀβλαβείας καὶ τοῦ ἀσάλευτον φυλάττειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ οὕτως ἐγχειρίζει αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν. Θεοδόσιος δὲ σὺν τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ κληρικοὶ γεγονότες τὸν ὑπόλοιπον χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν ἐν εἰρήνῃ διῆξαν. ἐλθὼν δὲ Μασαλμᾶς ἐν τῇ Περγάμῳ ταύτην παρεκάθισε καὶ παραχωρήσει θεοῦ ταύτην παρέλαβεν, ἐκ διαβολικῆς ἐνεργείας. εἰσηγήσεσι γάρ τινος μάγου ἐνέγκαντες οἱ τῆς πόλεως ἔγκυον γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ τεκεῖν οὖσαν, ταύτην ἀνέτεμον· καὶ λαβόντες τὸ βρέφος καὶ ἐπὶ κακκάβου ἑψήσαντες, εἰς τὴν τοιαύτην θεοβδέλυκτον θυσίαν πάντες οἱ πολεμεῖν βουλόμενοι 391 τὰ μανίκια τῆς δεξιᾶς αὐτῶν χειρὸς κατέβαψαν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς παρεδόθησαν. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Λέων ὁ Ἴσαυρος ἔτη κδʹ. σθʹ. ψθʹ. αʹ. γʹ. γʹ. ιβʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Λέων ἐβασίλευσεν ἐκ τῆς Γερμανικέων καταγόμενος, τῇ ἀληθείᾳ δὲ ἐκ τῆς Ἰσαυρίας. ὑπὸ δὲ Ἰουστινιανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως σὺν τοῖς γονεῦσι μετοικίζεται ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ αὐτοῦ βασιλείᾳ· ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ αὐτοῦ βασιλείᾳ ἐρχομένου αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων, ὑπήντησεν αὐτῷ μετὰ δώρων προβάτων φʹ. θεραπευθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰουστινιανὸς σπαθάριον αὐτὸν εὐθέως πεποίηκεν, καὶ ἔσχεν αὐτὸν ὡς γνήσιον φίλον. φθόνῳ δὲ φερόμενοί τινες πρὸς αὐτὸν διέβαλον αὐτὸν ὡς τῆς βασιλείας ὀρεγόμενον. ζητήσεως δὲ γενομένης περὶ τούτου, ὡς συκοφάνται κατησχύνθησαν. ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος λόγος ἔκτοτε ἤρξατο ὑπὸ πολλῶν λαλεῖσθαι. ὁ οὖν Ἰουστινιανὸς εἰ καὶ προφανῶς βλάψαι τοῦτον οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλ' οὖν βρόμος τις αὐτῷ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐντίθεται, καὶ ἀποστέλλει αὐτὸν ἐν Ἀλανίᾳ μετὰ χρημάτων πρὸς τὸ συγκινῆσαι τοὺς Ἀλανοὺς κατὰ Ἀβασγίας, τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἐπικρατούντων τήν τε Ἀβασγίαν καὶ Λαζικὴν καὶ Ἰβηρίαν. ὁ δὲ ἀπελθὼν ἐν τῇ Λαζικῇ τὰ μὲν χρήματα ἀπέθετο ἐν τῷ Φάσιδι, ὀλίγους δὲ λαβὼν τῶν ἐντοπίων ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Ἀψιλίαν, καὶ ὑπερβὰς τὰ Καυκάσια ὄρη ἦλθεν ἐν Ἀλανίᾳ. ὁ δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς θέλων ἀπολέσαι αὐτόν, πέμψας ἐπῆρε τὰ χρήματα ἐκ τοῦ Φάσιδος· οἱ δὲ Ἀλανοὶ τὸν σπαθάριον μετὰ πάσης τιμῆς δεξάμενοι καὶ τῶν λόγων αὐτοῦ ὑπακούσαντες εἰσῆλθον καὶ ᾐχμαλώτευσαν τὴν Ἀβασγίαν. ὁ δὲ τῶν Ἀβασγῶν κύριος