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descending from the sultanic family and called sultan by his own people. who, having met the emperor on horseback, from a distance dismounted from his horse himself and approached on foot and thus having paid his respects to him, he both made a treaty and was honored with much money, both he and as many as had come with him, he for his part returned to his own lands, while the emperor returned to the palace. From this, the pain in his feet increased and he was bedridden for the most part, but the empress was in charge and was expected to usurp the sole rule. But her son and emperor was not at rest, in every way campaigning against his mother's apparent undertaking. 759 But as the emperor was worn down by the disease, he was moved to the great palace toward the rising sun and was being nursed, and a gathering of the physicians took place around him every day. But there was not one diagnosis for all of them, but with difficulty they finally came to one opinion; and it was to cauterize the emperor's stomach with an iron. So the emperor received a flaming iron on his stomach. However, the air of the palace did not seem well-tempered to the doctors, as it was rather damp. For which reason the ruler had also been moved to the palace of the Mangana, whether it happened thus by chance or because fate was driving the dying man to breathe out his soul there. For those who were excited about such things, saying that the phrase "he will fall in pain-healing places" was written about him, both explained and named the residence of the Mangana "pain-healing" because of the hospital in it, as it provided a cure for extreme pains. And even the cauterizing of the emperor was said by the experts in these matters not to have happened in vain, but this too was according to an ancient prophecy and 760 prognostication. For it had been written somewhere about him by those who had composed the enigmatic writings concerning the emperors that "burned by an ankêris he will fall," with those writers saying ankêris to represent the small iron, with which it is customary to cauterize the stomach, because of it being bent at its tip. But neither the cauterization nor the change of air benefited the sick man at all, but he was gently proceeding toward the end. Nor did the doctors say that his survival was despaired of; and some monks foretold to him that he would not pass away unless he first went to Jerusalem to worship at the life-giving tomb of our lord and savior, where they prophesied he was destined to lay down his diadem. And they for their part were promising these things to him, and he believed what was said; for what is to our liking, this is easily believed when it is announced. And so, being deceived, he unawares drew near to the end of his life and before his arrival in Jerusalem laid aside, but not willingly, his diadem, and it might be said he departed for the Jerusalem above, the mother-city of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven. On the fifteenth 761 day of the eleventh indiction the Augustus was breathing his last, and he lay drawing his breath, rapid and weak, while the empress was wholly given over to her grief and her daughters were gathered about her. Now most of the day had already passed and the sun was not standing overhead, nor, so to speak, at its zenith, but had declined a little, going down toward the west, and it was announced to the emperor's son and emperor that his father was just now passing away. But he entered the chamber where the dying man lay, not to mourn the one departing, but to get visual confirmation that he was dying. And having seen, he immediately went out and mounting his horse, he rode out of the Mangana with those around him, and as he was riding out many joined him. As he had just left the precinct of the Mangana, the Abasgians came to meet him; these were they who had been sent from there with the girl brought from Abasgia and married to the elder of the Caesar's sons, and having met him they both shouted and did obeisance. Then they say that the empress passionately announced to the dying emperor the departure of his son, but that he said 762 nothing to this, or not

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τοῦ γένους τοῦ σουλτανικοῦ καταγόμενος καὶ σουλτὰν ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων ὀνομαζόμενος. ὃς ἐφίππῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐντυχὼν πόρρωθεν αὐτὸς ἀποβὰς τοῦ ἵππου καὶ πεζὸς προσεληλυθὼς καὶ οὕτω τὴν προσκύνησιν αὐτῷ ἀφοσιωσάμενος συνθήκας τε ἔθετο καὶ χρήμασι πολλοῖς φιλοτιμηθεὶς ἐκεῖνός τε καὶ ὅσοι σὺν αὐτῷ ἐληλύθασιν, ὁ μὲν ἐπανῄει πρὸς τὰ ἤθη τὰ ἑαυτοῦ, ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ ἐπανῆλθε πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια. ἐντεῦθεν ηὔξητο τὸ τῶν ποδῶν ἄλγος αὐτῷ καὶ ἦν κλινήρης ὡς τὰ πολλά, κατῆρχε δ' ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ἦν ἐπίδοξος τὴν αὐταρχίαν σφετερίσασθαι. ὁ δὲ ταύτης υἱὸς καὶ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἠρέμει, παντοίως πρὸς τὴν δοκοῦσαν τῆς μητρὸς ἐπιχείρησιν ἀντιστρατευόμενος. 759 Ὡς δὲ τῇ νόσῳ κατεπονεῖτο ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, εἰς τὸ μέγα τὸ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον μετεκομίσθη ἀνάκτορον καὶ ἦν νοσοκομούμενος, καὶ τῶν Ἀσκληπιαδῶν περὶ ἐκεῖνον καθ' ἑκάστην ἐγίνετο ἀθροισμός. οὐκ ἦν δὲ μία πᾶσι διάγνωσις, μόλις δ' οὖν εἰς μίαν γνώμην ἦλθόν ποτε· ἡ δ' ἦν σιδήρῳ τὸν στόμαχον καυτηριάσαι τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. σίδηρον οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τοῦ στομάχου φλογόεντα δέχεται. οὐκ εὔκρατος μέντοι ἐδόκει τοῖς ἰατροῖς ὁ τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἀήρ, οἷα δὴ νοτιώτερος. διὸ καὶ εἰς τὰ τῶν Μαγγάνων ἀνάκτορα μετακεκόμιστο ὁ κρατῶν, εἴτε τυχαίως οὕτω συμβὰν εἴτε τοῦ χρεὼν τὸν θνήσκοντα συνελαύνοντος ἐκεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐρυγεῖν. τὸ γὰρ "ἐν ἀκεσωδύνοις πεσεῖται" περὶ ἐκείνου γεγράφθαι λέγοντες οἱ περὶ ταῦτα ἐπτοημένοι ἀκεσώδυνα τὴν τῶν Μαγγάνων κατοικίαν ἐξηγοῦντό τε καὶ ὠνόμαζον διὰ τὸ ἰατρεῖον τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἄκος ταῖς περιωδυνίαις περιποιούμενον. καὶ οὐδὲ τὸ καυτηριάσαι τὸν βασιλέα γενέσθαι μάτην ἐλέγετο τοῖς περὶ ταῦτα κομψοῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ παλαιγενῆ καὶ τοῦτο πρόρρησίν τε καὶ 760 πρόγνωσιν. γεγράφθαι γάρ που περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῖς πονήσασι τὰς περὶ τῶν βασιλέων αἰνιγματώδεις γραφὰς ὡς "ἀγκῆρι καυθεὶς πεσεῖται," ἀγκῆρι λέγοντες τοὺς συγγραφεῖς ἐκείνους τὸ σιδήριον ἀπεικάσαι, δι' οὗ τὸν στόμαχον καυστηριάζεσθαι εἴθισται, διὰ τὸ κεκάμφθαι πρὸς τὸ ἄκρον αὐτό. ἀλλ' οὔθ' ἡ καυτηρία οὔτε μὴν ἡ τοῦ ἀέρος ἐναλλαγὴ τῷ κάμνοντί τι ἐλυσιτέλησαν, ἠρέμα δὲ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἐχώρει. οὔτε δὲ οἱ ἰατροὶ ἀπεγνῶσθαι αὐτῷ τὸ βιώσιμον ἔλεγον· καί τινες μοναχοὶ προὔλεγον αὐτῷ μὴ ἄλλως ἐκλιπεῖν εἰ μὴ πρότερον πρὸς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀφίκηται εἰς προσκύνησιν τοῦ ζωηφόρου τάφου τοῦ κυρίου καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, ὅπου καὶ τὸ διάδημα αὐτὸν ἀποθέσθαι μέλλειν ἐχρησμολόγουν. καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα αὐτῷ ἐπηγγέλλοντο, ὁ δὲ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἐπίστευεν· ὃ γὰρ ἡμῖν πρὸς βουλῆς, τοῦτο ῥᾴδιον εἰς πίστιν καταγγελλόμενον. οὕτω δὲ κλεπτόμενος ἔλαθε τῷ τέλει προσεγγίσας τῆς βιοτῆς καὶ πρὸ τῆς εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀφίξεως ἀποθέμενος, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἑκών, τὸ διάδημα, εἴη δ' εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐκδημήσας, τὴν τῶν πρωτοτόκων μητρόπολιν τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς. πεντεκαιδεκάτην 761 μὲν ὁ Αὔγουστος ἦγε τῆς ἑνδεκάτης ἐπινεμήσεως καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα ἔπνει ὁ Αὔγουστος, καὶ ὁ μὲν ἔκειτο ἀναφέρων τὸ ἆσθμα πυκνόν τι καὶ ἀδρανές, ἡ δέ γε βασίλισσα ὅλη τοῦ πάθους ἦν καὶ συνῆκτο περὶ αὐτὴν τὰ θυγάτρια. ἤδη μὲν οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας παρεληλύθει τὸ πλέον καὶ ὁ ἥλιος οὐχ ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἦν ἑστώς, οὐδ' οἷον εἰπεῖν κατὰ κάθετον, ἀλλ' ἐκλίνθη βραχύ τι κατιὼν πρὸς δυσμάς, καὶ δηλοῦται τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱῷ καὶ βασιλεῖ ἐκλείπειν ἄρτι τὸν πατέρα. ὁ δ' εἰσῄει τὸν οἶκον, ἔνθαπερ ὁ θνήσκων κατέκειτο, οὔτι τὸν ἀπιόντα θρηνήσων, τὸ δὲ πιστὸν τοῦ θνήσκειν ἐκεῖνον τῇ ὄψει ληψόμενος. καὶ ἰδὼν αὐτίκα ἐξῆλθε καὶ ἀναβὰς τὸν ἵππον ἐξῄει τῶν Μαγγάνων σὺν τοῖς περὶ αὐτόν, ἐξιόντι δὲ πολλοὶ συνυπήχθησαν. ἄρτι δ' ἐξελθόντι τὸν τῶν Μαγγάνων περίβολον προσυπαντῶσιν οἱ Ἀβασγοί· οὗτοι δ' ἦσαν οἳ τῇ ἐξ Ἀβασγίας κομισθείσῃ παιδὶ καὶ νυμφευομένῃ τῷ μείζονι τῶν υἱέων τοῦ Καίσαρος ἐκεῖθεν συναπεστάλησαν, καὶ ὑπηντηκότες ἐπηλάλαξάν τε καὶ προσεκύνησαν. τότε φασὶ τὴν βασιλίδα τῷ θνήσκοντι βασιλεῖ περιπαθῶς ἀπαγγεῖλαι τὴν τοῦ υἱέος ἀπέλευσιν, τὸν δὲ φθέγ762 ξασθαι μὲν πρὸς τοῦτο μηδέν, ἢ μὴ