238

at the third hour of the day, Antioch the great suffered again from a divine scourge, two years after its previous suffering. For there was a great earthquake for one hour and a terrible roaring from the sky, and all the buildings fell to the ground, and the walls. And of the old buildings which had not fallen in the first earthquake, they were now thrown down. And all the splendor created in the city, both from the emperor's benefactions, and what the citizens built at their own expense, all fell down. And four thousand people and 870 men died in this fall. But the survivors fled to the other cities. And there was also a great and most severe winter, so that everyone went in procession barefoot with frequent lamentations. and it appeared to a certain god-fearing man in a vision to tell everyone to inscribe on their lintels "Christ with us. Stand." And when this was done, the wrath of God ceased. And again the emperor and the Augusta donated much money for the rebuilding of the city of Antioch, and they renamed it Theoupolis. In this year the Samaritans and Jews in Palestine crowned a certain Julianus as king, and taking up arms against the Christians 1.647 they committed robberies, murders, and arsons; whom God delivered into the hands of Justinian, and having destroyed them all, he beheaded Julianus. And after the persecution of the Hellenes and of every heresy, and after the decree was issued that pagans or heretics should not hold public office, except only Orthodox Christians, he gives to such people a period of three months for conversion. In the fourth year a great and terrible comet appeared, sending its rays upwards in the western part, which they called a torch-star; and it remained shining for twenty days. In the fifth year the insurrection called Nika occurred, and the demes crowned as emperor Hypatius, the relative of the emperor Anastasius. And a large part of the city was burned, both the Great Church and its chartered rights and all its revenue, and Hagia Eirene and the hostels, both that of Sampson and that of Euboulus, along with the sick, and the porch of the Basilica and the Augustaion and the bronze-roofed part of the palace, which from then on and now is called the Chalke because it was roofed with gilded bronze tiles. And the two porticoes were also burned as far as the forum. And the people, anathematizing the emperor Justinian, were insulting him. This insurrection was stopped by Belisarius and Moundos and Narses, who killed 35 thousand and Hypatius himself. Then indeed were also burned the Octagon and the bath of Severus called 1.648 Zeuxippos, in which there was a varied spectacle and splendor of arts, of marbles and stones and mosaics and images made of bronze, the works of men from of old, only lacking the souls of those they were made to be. For among these exceptional and mind-surpassing things stood Homer, just as he was, gathering his thoughts, his two hands clasped beneath his breast. And his beard hung down simply, and the hair on his head was likewise, thinning on either side of the crown, but his face lined with age and with cares for everything. His nose was well-proportioned in every way, but his eyes were closed by his eyelids, just as the story about him has it, showing him to be blind. He had also thrown a rough cloak over his tunic, and for a base a bronze strap lay under his feet. And there were statues made of bronze of all the eminent wise men and poets and orators, and all who were famous for their courage. Therefore, along with these was also destroyed the building called from the lights of the evening lamps, since it too had a wooden roof, in which were the wares of the merchants, silks and luxuries and gold-embroidered goods. And all the beauty of the city, which had been left by the previous great fire, was destroyed. In the same year there was a great shower of stars,

238

ὥρᾳ τρίτῃ τῆς ἡμέ ρας, ἔπαθεν ὑπὸ θεομηνίας πάλιν Ἀντιόχεια ἡ μεγάλη μετὰ δύο ἔτη τοῦ πρῴην παθεῖν αὐτήν. ἐγένετο γὰρ σεισμὸς μέγας ἐπὶ ὥραν μίαν καὶ βρυγμὸς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ φοβερός, καὶ ἔπεσον πάντα τὰ κτισθέντα ἕως ἐδάφους καὶ τὰ τείχη. καὶ ἐκ τῶν μὴ πεσόντων παλαιῶν κτισμάτων ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ σεισμῷ κατηνέχθησαν νῦν. καὶ πᾶσα ἡ γενομένη εὐπρέπεια ἐν τῇ πόλει ἔκ τε τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως φιλοτιμιῶν, καὶ ὧν ἐξ ἰδίων οἱ πολῖται ᾠκοδόμησαν, πάντα κατέπεσον. ἀπέθανον δὲ ἐν τῇ πτώσει ταύτῃ καὶ χιλιάδες τέσσαρες λαοῦ καὶ ωοʹ ἄνδρες. οἱ δὲ σωθέντες ἔφυγον εἰς τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις. γέγονε δὲ καὶ χειμὼν μέγας καὶ βαρύτατος, ὡς λιτανεύειν πάντας ἀνυποδέτους μετ' ὀδυρμῶν πυκνῶν. ἐφάνη δέ τινι θεοσεβεῖ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν ὁράματι εἰπεῖν πᾶσιν ἵνα ἐπιγράψωσιν εἰς τὰ ὑπέρθυρα αὐτῶν "Χριστὸς μεθ' ἡμῶν, στῆτε." καὶ τού του γενομένου ἔστη ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ πάλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἡ Αὐγοῦστα πολλὰ ἐδωρήσαντο χρήματα εἰς ἀνακαινισμὸν τῆς Ἀντιόχου πόλεως, καὶ μετωνόμασαν αὐτὴν Θεούπολιν. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Σαμαρῖται καὶ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ βα σιλέα τινὰ Ἰουλιανὸν ἔστεψαν, καὶ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ὅπλα κινή 1.647 σαντες ἁρπαγὰς καὶ φόνους καὶ ἐμπρησμοὺς εἰργάσαντο· οὓς ὁ θεὸς παρέδωκεν εἰς χεῖρας Ἰουστινιανοῦ, καὶ πάντας ἀφανίσας τὸν Ἰουλιανὸν ἀπεκεφάλισε. καὶ μετὰ τὸν διωγμὸν τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ πάσης αἱρέσεως, καὶ μετὰ τὸ τεθῆναι δόγμα ἑλληνίζοντας μὴ πολιτεύεσθαι ἢ αἱρετικούς, εἰ μὴ μόνους τοὺς ὀρθοδόξους Χρι στιανούς, προθεσμίαν δίδωσι τοῖς τοιούτοις εἰς ἐπιστροφὴν τριῶν μηνῶν. Τῷ δʹ ἔτει ἐφάνη κομήτης μέγας καὶ φοβερός, εἰς τὸ δυτι κὸν μέρος πέμπων ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἀκτῖνας, ὃν ἔλεγον λαμπαδίαν· καὶ ἔμεινε λάμπων ἐπὶ ἡμέρας εἴκοσι. Τῷ εʹ ἔτει γέγονεν ἡ ἀνταρσία τοῦ λεγομένου Νίκα, καὶ ἔστεψαν οἱ τῶν δήμων βασιλέα Ὑπάτιον τὸν συγγενῆ Ἀναστασίου τοῦ βασιλέως. ἐκαύθη δὲ πολὺ μέρος τῆς πόλεως, ἥ τε μεγάλη ἐκκλησία καὶ τὰ χαρτῶα αὐτῆς δικαιώματα καὶ ἡ πρόσοδος πᾶσα, ἥ τε ἁγία Εἰρήνη καὶ οἱ ξενῶνες, ὅ τε τοῦ Σαμψὼν καὶ ὁ Εὐβού λου, μετὰ τῶν ἀρρώστων, καὶ τὸ προσκήνιον τῆς βασιλικῆς καὶ τὸ Αὐγουσταῖον καὶ ἡ χαλκόστεγος τοῦ παλατίου, ἣ ἔκτοτε καὶ νῦν χαλκῆ προσαγορεύεται διὰ τὸ ἐκ χαλκῶν κεράμων κεχρυσωμέ νων ἐστεγάσθαι αὐτήν. ἐκάησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ δύο ἔμβολοι μέχρι τοῦ φόρου. ὁ δὲ λαὸς καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Ἰουστινιανὸν ἀναθεματίζοντες ἐφύβριζον. ἥτις ἀνταρσία ἐπαύθη διὰ Βελισαρίου καὶ Μούνδου καὶ Ναρσῆ, ἀνελόντων λεʹ χιλιάδας καὶ αὐτὸν Ὑπάτιον. τότε δὴ ἐνεπρήσθη καὶ τὸ ὀκτάγωνον καὶ τὸ λοετρὸν τοῦ Σεβήρου τὸ 1.648 λεγόμενον Ζεύξιππος, ἐν ᾧ ποικίλη τις ἦν θεωρία καὶ λαμπρότης τεχνῶν, τῶν τε μαρμάρων καὶ λίθων καὶ ψηφίδων καὶ εἰκόνων διὰ χαλκοῦ πεποιημένων τῶν ἀπ' αἰῶνος ἀνδρῶν ἔργα, μόνον τῷ μὴ παρεῖναι αὐταῖς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐς οὓς ἐγένοντο. εἱστήκει τοι γαροῦν μετὰ τῶν ἐξαιρέτων καὶ νοῦν ὑπερβαινόντων τούτων καὶ Ὅμηρος, ὁποῖος ἦν, συνάγων τὸν νοῦν, τὼ χεῖρε συζεύξας ὑπὸ τὰ στέρνα. καὶ πώγων αὐτοῦ ἁπλῶς καθεῖτο, θρίξ τε ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ὁμοία ἐν τοῖς ἑκατέρωθεν τοῦ βρέγματος ἀραιουμένη, τετριχωμένῳ δὲ τῷ προσώπῳ γήρατι καὶ ταῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ παντὸς φροντίσι ῥὶς μὲν ἦν μετρίως ἔχουσα πρὸς ἅπαντα, ὄμματα δὲ συνημμένα τοῖν βλεφάροιν, οἷον καὶ ὁ περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγος ἔχει, τυφλὸν ἐμφαίνοντα. ἀνεβέβλητο δὲ καὶ τριβώνιον ἐπὶ χιτῶνι, καὶ ὅσον εἰς βάσιν ἱμάς τις χαλκοῦς τοῖς ποσὶν ὑπέκειτο. στῆλαι δὲ ἦσαν ἐκ χαλκοῦ πεποιημέναι τῶν σοφῶν ἁπάντων τῶν ὑψηλῶν καὶ ποιητῶν καὶ ῥητόρων, καὶ ὅσοι ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ ἐγένοντο διαβόητοι. ᾤχετο τοίνυν σὺν τούτοις καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῶν φώτων τῶν κατὰ τὰς ἑσπέ ρας λαμπτήρων ἐπικαλούμενος οἶκος, ἅτε τὸν ὄροφον καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ ξύλων ἔχων, ἐν ᾧ αἱ περιουσίαι τῶν ἐμπορευομένων τά τε ση ρικὰ καὶ πολυτελῆ καὶ χρυσόπαστα. καὶ πᾶν τὸ κάλλος τῆς πό λεως, ὅπερ ὑπὸ τοῦ πρῴην μεγάλου ἐμπρησμοῦ κατελείφθη, ἀπώλετο. τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει γέγονεν ἀστέρων δρόμος πολύς,