238

he honored the senate. And he gave 5 talents of gold to the wives of the thematic soldiers who had been killed in Bulgaria, and he enriched Theophano, the wife of Staurakios, who had become a nun, and her relatives who had lived wretchedly under Nikephoros, among which he also gave her a prominent house to be a monastery, the one called "Ta Hebraïka," where Staurakios was buried. And he enriched all the patricians and senators, high priests and priests and monks, soldiers and the poor, both those in the imperial city and in the themes, so that the immoderate avarice of Nikephoros, because of which he also perished miserably, disappeared in a few days. And in addition to his many and finest qualities, being pious and most orthodox, he was grieved by those who were separating from the holy church for any reason whatsoever, reasonable or unreasonable, and he did not cease from exhorting at length the most holy patriarch and those able to contribute to the common peace. Among these, he hastened to unite Theodore, the abbot of the Stoudios, and Plato and Joseph, archbishop of Thessaloniki, the brother of Theodore, who were being held in harsh prisons along with the leading men of their monastery, which he also accomplished. And he also sent to Charles, king of the Franks, concerning peace and an agreement for Theophylaktos, his son, and Nikephoros the most holy patriarch sent synodical [letters] to Leo the most holy pope of Rome; for before this he had been prevented by Nikephoros from doing so. And on the 25th of the month of December of the 5th indiction, the most serene Michael crowned Theophylaktos, his son, as emperor by patriarch Nikephoros on the ambo of the great church, on the 5th day of the week, and he brought a lavish ornament to the holy altar in the form of golden, jeweled vessels and anciently-made altar-cloths of gold and purple splendidly woven and adorned with wonderful holy icons. He also gave to the patriarch 25 pounds of gold, and to the venerable clergy 100 pounds, brightening the holy feast and the proclamation of his son. With great 495 zeal for God, the most pious emperor was moved against the Manichaeans, who are now Paulicians, and the Athinganoi in Phrygia and Lycaonia, having decreed capital punishment, but was dissuaded by the suggestions of Nikephoros, the most holy patriarch, and other pious men, through other wicked-minded advisors on the pretext of repentance, although it was impossible for those ensnared by that error to repent. For they ignorantly dogmatized that it was not permissible for priests to pronounce a death sentence against the impious, contradicting in every way the divine scriptures concerning this. For if Peter, the chief of the apostles, put Ananias and Sapphira to death for a lie alone, and the great Paul cries out, saying, that "those who do such things are worthy of death," and these things concerning bodily sin alone; how could they not be their opponents, those who deliver from the sword men full of every spiritual and bodily impurity and practitioners of the worship of demons? But the pious emperor Michael did execute not a few of them. But Staurakios, festering from the fatal blow in his back, so that no one could approach him because of the great stench, died on the 11th of the month of January of the 5th indiction, having reigned, so it seemed, for 2 months and days. And on the 14th of the month of May, on the day, a great solar eclipse occurred for three and a half hours, from the 8th hour to the 11th hour. And on the 7th of the month of June Michael went out against the Bulgarians, with Procopia accompanying him as far as Tzurulon. And when Krum, the leader of the Bulgarians, had taken Debeltos by siege and relocated its inhabitants along with the bishop who had gone over to him, because of the great wickedness of the emperor's advisors, the troops, especially of the Opsikion and the Thrakesians, turned to plotting and insolence, whom Michael, having placated with gifts and exhortations, silenced.

238

σύγκλητον ἐφιλοτιμήσατο. τῶν δὲ ἀναιρεθέντων ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ θεματικῶν στρατιωτῶν ταῖς γυναιξὶ εʹ τάλαντα χρυσίου ἐδωρήσατο, τὴν δὲ γαμετὴν Σταυρακίου Θεοφανὼ κατεπλούτισε μονάσασαν καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτῆς οἰκτρῶς ζήσαντας ἐπὶ Νικηφόρου, ἐν οἷς καὶ ἐπίσημον οἶκον εἰς μοναστήριον, τὰ Ἑβραϊκὰ λεγόμενον, αὐτῇ παρέσχεν, ἔνθα Σταυράκιος ἐτάφη. πάντας δὲ τοὺς πατρικίους καὶ συγκλητικούς, ἀρχιερεῖς τε καὶ ἱερεῖς καὶ μοναχούς, στρατευομένους τε καὶ πτωχούς, τούς τε κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν καὶ ἐν τοῖς θέμασι κατεπλούτισεν, ὥστε τὴν ἄμετρον φιλαργυρίαν Νικηφόρου, δι' ἣν καὶ κακῶς ὤλετο, ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις ἀφανισθῆναι. πρὸς δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ καλλίστοις αὐτοῦ τρόποις εὐσεβὴς καὶ ὀρθοδοξότατος ὢν ἐλυπεῖτο ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀποσχίζουσι τῆς ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας ἐφ' οἵᾳ δήποτε προφάσει εὐλόγῳ ἢ ἀλόγῳ, πολλά τε τὸν ἁγιώτατον πατριάρχην καὶ τοὺς δυναμένους συντρέχειν τῇ κοινῇ εἰρήνῃ παρακαλῶν οὐκ ἐπαύετο. ἐν οἷς καὶ Θεόδωρον, τὸν ἡγούμενον τῶν Στουδίου, καὶ Πλάτωνα καὶ Ἰωσήφ, ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Θεσσαλονίκης, ἀδελφὸν Θεοδώρου, ἐν φυλακαῖς πικραῖς συνεχομένους μετὰ καὶ τῶν προυχόντων τῆς κατ' αὐτοὺς μονῆς ἔσπευδεν ἑνωθῆναι, ὃ καὶ πεποίηκεν. ἀπέστειλε δὲ καὶ πρὸς Κάρουλον, βασιλέα τῶν Φράγγων, περὶ εἰρήνης καὶ συναλλαγῆς εἰς Θεοφύλακτον, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Νικηφόρος ὁ ἁγιώτατος πατριάρχης ἀπέστειλε συνοδικὰ [γράμματα] πρὸς Λέοντα τὸν ἁγιώτατον πάπαν Ῥώμης· πρὸ τούτου γὰρ ἐκωλύετο ὑπὸ Νικηφόρου τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. τῇ δὲ κεʹ τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνὸς τῆς εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος Μιχαὴλ ὁ γαληνότατος ἔστεψε Θεοφύλακτον, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, εἰς βασιλέα ὑπὸ Νικηφόρου πατριάρχου ἐν τῷ ἄμβωνι τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας, ἡμέρᾳ εʹ τῆς ἑβδομάδος, καὶ προσήγαγε πολυτελῆ κόσμον τῷ ἁγίῳ θυσιαστηρίῳ ἐν σκεύεσι χρυσοῦ διαλίθοις καὶ τετραβήλοις ἀρχαιοτεύκτοις ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ πορφύρας λαμπρῶς καθυφασμένοις καὶ θαυμασταῖς ἁγίαις εἰκόσι πεποικιλμένοις. ἐδωρήσατο δὲ καὶ τῷ πατριάρχῃ χρυσίου λίτρας κεʹ, καὶ τῷ εὐαγεῖ κλήρῳ λίτρας ρʹ φαιδρύνας τὴν ἁγίαν ἑορτὴν καὶ τὴν τοῦ παιδὸς ἀναγόρευσιν. ζήλῳ 495 δὲ θεοῦ πολλῷ κινηθεὶς ὁ εὐσεβέστατος βασιλεὺς κατὰ Μανιχαίων, τῶν νῦν Παυλικιάνων, καὶ Ἀθιγγάνων τῶν ἐν Φρυγίᾳ καὶ Λυκαονίᾳ, κεφαλικὴν τιμωρίαν ἀποφηνάμενος ταῖς Νικηφόρου, τοῦ ἁγιωτάτου πατριάρχου, καὶ ἄλλων εὐσεβῶν εἰσηγήσεσιν ἀνετράπη δι' ἑτέρων κακοτρόπων συμβούλων προφάσει μετανοίας, ὅπερ ἦν ἀδύνατον τοὺς τῇ πλάνῃ ἐκείνῃ ἑαλωκότας μετανοῆσαι. ἐδογμάτιζον δὲ ἀμαθῶς μὴ ἐξεῖναι ἱερεῦσιν ἀποφαίνεσθαι κατὰ ἀσεβῶν θάνατον, κατὰ πάντα ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐναντιούμενοι περὶ τούτου. εἰ γὰρ Πέτρος μὲν ὁ κορυφαῖος Ἀνανίαν καὶ Σάπφειραν ἐπὶ ψεύσματι μόνῳ τεθανάτωκεν, Παῦλος δὲ ὁ μέγας βοᾷ λέγων, ὅτι "οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν," καὶ ταῦτα περὶ σωματικῆς μόνης ἁμαρτίας· πῶς οὐκ ἐναντίοι αὐτῶν εἶεν οἱ τοὺς πάσης ψυχικῆς καὶ σωματικῆς ἀκαθαρσίας ἐμπλέους καὶ δαιμόνων λάτριας ὑπάρχοντας λυτρούμενοι τοῦ ξίφους; ἀλλ' ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ οὐκ ὀλίγους αὐτῶν ἀπέτεμεν. Σταυράκιος δὲ ἑλκωθεὶς ἐκ τῆς καιρίας πληγῆς τὰ περὶ τὴν ῥάχιν, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαί τινα προσεγγίζειν αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν δυσωδίαν, τέθνηκε τῇ ιαʹ τοῦ Ἰαννουαρίου μηνὸς τῆς εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, βασιλεύσας, τὸ δοκεῖν, μῆνας βʹ ἡμέρας ʹ. τῇ δὲ ιδʹ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνός, ἡμέρᾳ ʹ, ἔκλειψις ἡλιακὴ γέγονε μεγάλη ἐπὶ ὥρας τρεῖς ἥμισυ, ἀπὸ ηʹ ὥρας ἕως ὥρας ιαʹ. καὶ τῇ ζʹ τοῦ Ἰουνίου μηνὸς ἐξῆλθε Μιχαὴλ κατὰ Βουλγάρων, συνεξελθούσης αὐτῷ καὶ Προκοπίας ἕως Τζουρουλοῦ. τοῦ δὲ Βουλγάρων ἀρχηγοῦ Κρούμμου ἑλόντος τὴν ∆εβελτὸν πολιορκίᾳ καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ σὺν τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ μετοικίσαντος προσρυέντας αὐτῷ, διὰ πολλὴν κακοβουλίαν τῶν παρασυμβούλων τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς ἐπιβουλὴν ἐτράπησαν καὶ ὕβρεις τὰ πλήθη μάλιστα τοῦ Ὀψικίου καὶ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων, οὓς κατευνάσας Μιχαὴλ δωρεαῖς καὶ παραινέσεσι κατεσίγησεν.