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to those entrusted with these palaces and, having been divided, they were put under guard. 12.6.4 And they again questioned the rest about the deed. And having confessed everything and not even concealing the murder, since the soldiers were known to have planned this, and especially Michael Anemas, the leader of the conspiracy, who breathed murder against the emperor, he confined them all and confiscated their properties. The house of Solomon, however, being magnificent, was given to the Augusta; and she, as was her way in such matters, taking pity on Solomon's wife, bestowed it on her without taking even the smallest thing from it. 12.6.5 Sozopolis, however, held Solomon prisoner; but as for Anemas and those with him, as the prime culprits, he ordered that, having shaved the hair of their heads and their beards close to the skin, they be paraded through the middle of the forum, and then have their eyes gouged out. Therefore the stage-performers, taking them and putting sacks on them, and having adorned their heads with the entrails of oxen and sheep like fillets, mounting them on oxen and seating them not astride, but on one side, led them through the royal courtyard. Lictors leaping before them and singing a certain ridiculous little song suitable to the procession were shouting, composed in vernacular language, but having such a meaning. For the song intended to exhort all the people... and to see these horn-bearing men who had plotted tyranny, who had sharpened their swords against the emperor. 12.6.6 Therefore every age group ran together to such a spectacle, so that even we, the emperor's daughters, went out to watch the spectacle secretly. And when they saw Michael gazing towards the palace and raising suppliant hands to heaven, asking by his gesture for his hands to be taken from his shoulders and his feet from his very buttocks and his head itself to be cut off, all nature was moved to tears and wailing, and especially we, the emperor's daughters. But I, wishing to rescue the man from such an evil fate, once and twice summoned the empress and my mother to the sight of those being paraded. For we were concerned for the men for the emperor's sake—for the truth shall be told—lest he be deprived of such soldiers, and especially of Michael, inasmuch as a heavier sentence had been pronounced against him. 12.6.7 Seeing how much the misfortune was humbling him, as I was saying, I tried to compel my own mother, if somehow the men might be rescued from the danger which was already closely threatening them. For the stage-performers were making a slower procession, contriving room for sympathy for the blood-stained men. But when she was reluctant to come (for she was sitting with the emperor, with whom she was making common intercessions to God before the Mother of God), having gone down and standing in great fear outside the gates, since I did not dare to enter, I summoned the empress with gestures. And indeed having been persuaded she goes up to the spectacle, and having seen Michael she both pitied him and, shedding a warm tear for him, runs back to the emperor, once and twice and many times begging him to grant Michael his eyes. 12.6.8 And immediately the one who would hold back the executioners is sent; and indeed having hastened, he overtakes them within the so-called Hands, which one who has passed is no longer rescued from the terrible fate. For the emperors who fixed these very bronze hands upon a certain very high vantage point and a lofty stone arch wished this to be established: that, if anyone whom the law had condemned to death should be within them, and the emperor's clemency should arrive in the middle of the journey, he will be free from the calamity, as the hands signify this: that the emperor has embraced them again and held them with his whole hands and not yet of the

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τούτων ἐμπεπιστευμένοις τῶν ἀνακτόρων καὶ διαιρεθέντες ἔμφρουροι γεγόνασι. 12.6.4 Τοὺς δέ γε λοιποὺς αὖθις ἠρώτων περὶ τοῦ δράματος. Ὁμολογήσαντες δὲ ἅπαντα καὶ μηδὲ τὸν φόνον ἐπικρύ ψαντες, ἐπεὶ οἱ στρατιῶται τοῦτον μεμελετηκέναι ἐγνώσθη σαν καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ Ἀνεμᾶς Μιχαήλ, ὁ καὶ τῆς βουλῆς κορυ φαῖος, ὁ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος φόνιον πνέων, ἅπαντας περιορίσας καὶ τὰς σφῶν ἐδήμευσε περιουσίας. Ὁ μέντοι οἶκος τοῦ Σολομῶντος περιφανὴς ὢν ἐδόθη πρὸς τὴν Αὔγουσταν· ἐκείνη δέ, ὁποία περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, οἶκτον λαβοῦσα τῆς τοῦ Σολομῶντος ὁμευνέτιδος, ἀπεχαρίσατο τοῦτον αὐτῇ μηδὲ τὸ τυχὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἀφελομένη. 12.6.5 Τὸν μέντοι Σολομῶντα ἔμφρουρον εἶχεν ἡ Σῳζόπολις· τὸν δὲ Ἀνεμᾶν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ὡς πρωταιτίους καὶ τὴν ἐν χρῷ κουρὰν τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ τοῦ πώγωνος ψιλώσας διὰ μέσης πομπεῦσαι τῆς ἀγορᾶς παρεκελεύσατο, εἶτα ἐξορυχθῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. Παραλαβόντες οὖν τούτους οἱ σκηνικοὶ καὶ σάκκους περιβαλόντες, τὰς δὲ κεφαλὰς ἐντοσθίοις βοῶν καὶ προβάτων ταινίας δίκην κοσμήσαντες, ἐν βουσὶν ἀναγα γόντες καὶ ἐγκαθίσαντες οὐ περιβάδην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ θατέραν πλευρὰν τούτους διὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἦγον αὐλίδος. Ῥαβδοῦ χοι ἔμπροσθεν τούτων ἐφαλλόμενοι καὶ ᾀσμάτιόν τι γελοῖον καὶ κατάλληλον τῇ πομπῇ προσᾴδοντες ἀνεβόων, λέξει μὲν ἰδιώτιδι διηρμοσμένον, νοῦν δὲ ἔχον τοιοῦτον. Ἐβούλετο γὰρ τὸ ᾆσμα πάνδημον πᾶσι παρακελεύεσθαι ... τε καὶ ἰδεῖν τοὺς τετυραννευκότας τούτους κερασφόρους ἄνδρας, οἵτι νες τὰ ξίφη κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἔθηξαν. 12.6.6 Ἅπασα μὲν οὖν ἡλικία εἰς τὴν τοιαύτην θέαν συνέτρεχεν, ὡς καὶ ἡμᾶς, τὰς τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατέρας, ἐξελθούσας λαθραίαν τὴν θέαν ποιεῖσθαι. Ὡς δὲ τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὡς πρὸς τὰ ἀνά κτορα ἐθεάσαντο ἐνατενίζοντα καὶ χεῖρας ἱκέτιδας ἐς οὐρανὸν αἴροντα, αἰτούμενον ἐν σχήματι χεῖρας ἐξ ὤμων ἀφαιρεθῆναι καὶ πόδας ἐκ γλουτῶν αὐτῶν καὶ κεφαλὴν αὐτὴν ἀποτμηθῆναι, ἅπασα φύσις πρὸς δάκρυον καὶ οἰμω γὰς κεκίνηται, καὶ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς, αἱ τοῦ βασιλέως θυγατέ ρες. Ἐγὼ δὲ, βουλομένη τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦ τοιούτου ῥύσασθαι κακοῦ, τὴν βασιλίδα καὶ μητέρα ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς προὐκαλούμην ἐς θέαν τῶν πομπευομένων. Ἐκηδόμεθα γὰρ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος χάριν, εἰρήσεται γὰρ τἀληθές, μὴ τοιού των ἀποστεροῖτο στρατιωτῶν καὶ μᾶλλον τοῦ Μιχαήλ, ὅσῳ καὶ βαρυτέρα ἡ κατ' αὐτοῦ ψῆφος ἐξενήνεκτο. 12.6.7 Ὁρῶσα ὁπόσον αὐτὸν ἐξεταπείνου ἡ ξυμφορά, ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον, ἐξεβιαζόμην τὴν μητέρα τὴν ἐμαυτῆς, εἴ πως τοῦ κινδύνου ῥυσθεῖεν οἱ ἄνδρες ἤδη τούτοις ἐγγύθεν ἐφεστηκότος. Σχολαιοτέραν γὰρ τὴν πορείαν οἱ σκηνικοὶ ἐποιοῦντο, χώραν πραγματευόμενοι συμπαθείας τοῖς μιαιφόνοις. Ὡς δ' ἐκείνη ἀπώκνει τὴν ἔλευσιν (καθῆστο γὰρ μετὰ τοῦ αὐτο κράτορος, οὗ τὰς πρὸς Θεὸν ἐντεύξεις κοινῇ ἐποιοῦντο ἐνώπιον τῆς Θεομήτορος), κατελθοῦσα καὶ ἔξω τῶν πυλῶν περίφοβος ἑστηκυῖα, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀπεθάρρουν τὴν εἴσοδον, νεύμασι τὴν βασίλισσαν προὐκαλούμην. Καὶ δὴ πεισθεῖσα εἰς τὴν θέαν ἀνέρχεται, καὶ θεασαμένη τὸν Μιχαὴλ ᾤκτειρέ τε καὶ δάκρυον ἐπαφεῖσα τούτῳ θερμὸν ἐπανατρέχει πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς καὶ πολλάκις ἐξαιτουμένη χαρίσασθαι τῷ Μιχαὴλ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. 12.6.8 Καὶ παρα χρῆμα πέμπεται ὁ τοὺς δημίους ἀπείρξων· καὶ δὴ σπεύσας προφθάνει τούτους ἔνδοθεν τῶν λεγομένων χειρῶν, ἃς ὁ διαβὰς οὐκέτι ῥύεται τοῦ δεινοῦ. Οἱ γὰρ τὰς χαλκᾶς ταυ τασὶ χεῖρας βασιλεῖς πήξαντες ἐπί τινος ὑψηλοτάτης περιωπῆς καὶ μετεώρου λιθίνης ἁψῖδος τοῦτο κρατῆσαι ἐβούλοντο ὡς, εἰ μέν τις ἐντὸς τούτων γένοιτο, ὃν ὁ νόμος θανάτῳ κατέκρινε, καὶ μεταξὺ τῆς ὁδοῦ φθάσοι τὰ τῆς αὐτοκρατορόθεν φιλανθρωπίας, ἐλεύθερος ἔσται τῆς συμ φορᾶς, ὡς τῶν χειρῶν τοῦτο σημαινουσῶν, ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς τούτους πάλιν ἐνηγκαλίσατο καὶ ὅλαις κατέσχε χερσὶ καὶ μήπω τῶν τῆς