242
in his left hand a sphere-shaped apple as if he had dominion over the whole earth, and having his right hand outstretched and as if commanding the Persians, "Stop and do not set foot on the land of the Romans." And all the bronze around the column itself was a tile 1.657 overlaid with gold, covering the entrance of the palace of Constantine the Great emperor, which even until now is called the Chalke. This is the column called the Augustaeum. In the 17th year, a certain coppersmith appeared, Andreas by name, having with him a tawny and blind dog, which performed wonders. For when a crowd stood by him, secretly from the dog he would take the rings of those standing by, both gold and silver and iron, and he placed them on the ground covering them with earth, and he would direct the dog, and it would take and give to each his own. Likewise, it also returned mixed coins of different emperors by name. But also of the men and women standing by, it pointed out those who were pregnant and fornicators and adulterers and the merciful and the stingy; it pointed out everyone with truth. Whence they said the dog had the spirit of a Python. In the 18th year, the sea rose up against Thrace for 4 miles, and covered it toward the regions of Odessus and Dionysiopolis and Aphrodisium, and many were drowned in the waters; and again by the command of God the sea returned to its own places.
In the 19th year there was a shortage of grain and wine, and a great winter in Byzantium, and a confusion of the holy Pascha, and the demes observed the meat-fare on the 4th of the month of February. But the emperor ordered another week to be added for meat, and though all the butchers put it out, no one bought or ate. But 1.658 Pascha happened according to the imperial command, and the people were found to have fasted an extra week. In the 20th year Rome was taken by the Goths, and Pope Vigilius went up to Constantinople. In the same year, on the Saturday of Pentecost, when a hippodrome race was held, a fight occurred between the two factions, and the emperor, having sent men, killed many of them. In the 21st year there were terrible earthquakes and great rains. On the 11th of the month of July the empress Theodora fell asleep piously. In the 22nd year there were thunders and lightnings beyond nature, so that many who were sleeping were harmed by the lightning. In the month of July there was again a clash between both factions of the deme, and a conflagration, which destroyed the things it encountered from the bronze tetrapylon to the church, and much slaughter occurred. And when a procession was held at the Hebdomon, the vestiaritai lost the crown of the emperor. And after 8 months it was found, where also one pearl was, and all its stone. In the 23rd year, when a hippodrome race was held, an ambassador of the Indians came to Constantinople bringing an elephant, which, having gone out at night from the stable, killed many and maimed others. And in the month of April, when a hippodrome race was held, a clash of the demes again occurred, and many died, and houses and workshops were plundered. On the 1.659 28th of the month of June, the consecration of the church of the Holy Apostles took place, and the deposition of the holy relics of Andrew, Luke, and Timothy the apostles. In the 24th year, Narses the cubicularius was sent to Rome to make war on the Goths; for after Belisarius conquered it, the Goths rose up again and took it. And on the 9th of the month of July, a terrible earthquake occurred in all of Palestine and Arabia and Mesopotamia and Syria and Phoenicia, and many cities suffered, and great multitudes of people died. And in the city of Botrys, a great part was broken off from the mountain lying beside the sea called Lithoprosopon, and was carried into the sea, and formed a great harbor, so that many very large ships could enter it; for before this it did not have a harbor. And the sea fled into the open water one mile, and again by the command of God it was restored. In the month of August came
242
ἀριστερᾷ χειρὶ μῆλον σφαιροειδὲς ὡς τῆς γῆς ἁπά σης αὐτοῦ κυριεύσαντος, τὴν δεξιὰν δὲ ἀνατεταμένην ἔχουσα καὶ οἱονεὶ Πέρσαις διακελευομένην "στῆτε καὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων γῆς μὴ ἐπιβῆτε." ὁ δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν τὸν κίονα χαλκὸς ἅπας κέραμος ἦν 1.657 διάχρυσος, τὴν εἴσοδον τοῦ παλατίου Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἐπικαλύπτων, ἥτις καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν χαλκῆ προσαγο ρεύεται. οὗτος δέ ἐστιν ὁ κίων ὁ λεγόμενος Αὐγουστίων. Τῷ ιζʹ ἔτει ἀνεφάνη τις χαλκεὺς Ἀνδρέας ὀνόματι, ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ κύνα ξανθὸν καὶ τυφλόν, ὃς ἐποίει τέρατα. παρε στῶτος γὰρ αὐτῷ ὄχλου, λάθρᾳ τοῦ κυνὸς ἐκομίζετο τὰ τῶν ἑστώτων δακτυλίδια, χρυσᾶ τε καὶ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ σιδηρᾶ, καὶ ἐτίθη εἰς τοὔδαφος περισκέπων αὐτὰ χώματι, καὶ ἐπέτρεπε τὸν κύνα, καὶ ἐλάμβανε καὶ ἐδίδου ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον. ὁμοίως καὶ διαφόρων βασιλέων νομίσματα μιγνύμενα ἀπεδίδου κατ' ὄνομα. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρεστώτων ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν ἀπεδείκνυε τὰς ἐν γα στρὶ ἐχούσας καὶ πόρνους καὶ μοιχοὺς καὶ ἐλεήμονας καὶ κνιπούς· πάντας μετὰ ἀληθείας ἐδείκνυεν. ὅθεν ἔλεγον τὸν κύνα πνεῦμα Πύθωνος ἔχειν. Τῷ ιηʹ ἔτει ἐπανέστη ἡ θάλασσα τῇ Θρᾴκῃ ἐπὶ μίλια δʹ, καὶ ἐκάλυψεν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη Ὀδησοῦ καὶ ∆ιονυσιούπολιν καὶ τὸ Ἀφροδίσιον, καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπνίγησαν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι· καὶ πάλιν τῷ τοῦ θεοῦ προστάγματι ἀποκατέστη ἡ θάλασσα εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους τόπους.
Τῷ ιθʹ ἔτει γέγονε λεῖψις σίτου καὶ οἴνου, καὶ χειμὼν πολὺς ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ, καὶ διαστροφὴ τοῦ ἁγίου πάσχα, καὶ ἐποίησαν οἱ δῆμοι τὴν ἀπόκρεων μηνὶ Φεβρουαρίῳ δʹ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς προσέταξεν ἑτέραν ἑβδομάδα παραθεῖναι κρέας, καὶ πάντων τῶν κρεωπώλων προβαλόντων οὐδεὶς ἠγόρασεν οὐδὲ ἤσθιον. τὸ δὲ 1.658 πάσχα γέγονε κατὰ τὸ βασιλικὸν πρόσταγμα, καὶ εὑρέθη ὁ λαὸς νηστεύσας ἑβδομάδα περισσήν. Τῷ κʹ ἔτει παρελήφθη ἡ Ῥώμη ὑπὸ τῶν Γότθων, ὁ δὲ πά πας Βιγίλιος ἀνῆλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει, τῷ σαββάτῳ τῆς πεντηκοστῆς, ἱππικοῦ γενομένου γέγονε μάχη τῶν δύο μερῶν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνεῖλε πολλοὺς ἐξ αὐτῶν. Τῷ καʹ ἔτει γεγόνασι σεισμοὶ φοβεροὶ καὶ βροχαὶ μεγάλαι. μηνὶ Ἰουλίῳ ιαʹ ἐκοιμήθη ἡ βασιλὶς Θεοδώρα εὐσεβῶς. Τῷ κβʹ ἔτει γεγόνασι βρονταὶ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ ὑπὲρ φύσιν, ὥστε πολλοὺς καθεύδοντας ὑπὸ τῶν ἀστραπῶν βλαβῆναι. τῷ Ἰουλίῳ μηνὶ γέγονε πάλιν συμβολὴ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν τοῦ δήμου μερῶν, καὶ ἐμπρησμός, ὃς ἠφάνισε τὰ ἐντυχόντα ἀπὸ τοῦ χαλκοῦ τετραπύλου ἕως τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ ἐγένετο φόνος πολύς. καὶ προκένσου γενομένου ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ ἀπώλεσαν οἱ βεστιαρῖται τὸ στέμμα τοῦ βασιλέως. καὶ μετὰ μῆνας ηʹ εὑρέθη, ὅπου καὶ ἓν μαργαριτάριον, καὶ ἡ λίθος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα. Τῷ κγʹ ἔτει ἀχθέντος ἱππικοῦ πρεσβευτὴς Ἰνδῶν ἦλθεν ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει φέρων ἐλέφαντα, ὃς ἐξελθὼν νυκτὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ στάβλου πολλοὺς ἐφόνευσε καὶ ἄλλους ἐκύλλωσε. τῷ δὲ Ἀπριλ λίῳ μηνὶ ἱππικοῦ γενομένου συμβολὴ τῶν δήμων πάλιν ἐγένετο, καὶ πολλοὶ ἀπέθανον, καὶ οἶκοι καὶ ἐργαστήρια διηρπάγησαν. τῷ 1.659 δὲ Ἰουνίῳ μηνὶ κηʹ γέγονε τὰ ἐγκαίνια τοῦ ναοῦ τῶν ἁγίων ἀπο στόλων καὶ ἡ κατάθεσις τῶν ἁγίων λειψάνων Ἀνδρέου Λουκᾶ καὶ Τιμοθέου τῶν ἀποστόλων. Τῷ κδʹ ἔτει ἐπέμφθη Ναρσῆς ὁ κουβικουλάριος εἰς Ῥώμην πολεμῆσαι τοῖς Γότθοις· μετὰ γὰρ τὸ κρατῆσαι αὐτὴν Βελισάριον, πάλιν ἐπανέστησαν οἱ Γότθοι καὶ ἐκράτησαν αὐτήν. τῇ δὲ θʹ τοῦ Ἰουλίου μηνὸς ἐγένετο σεισμὸς φοβερὸς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Παλαι στίνῃ καὶ Ἀραβίᾳ καὶ Μεσοποταμίᾳ καὶ Συρίᾳ καὶ Φοινίκῃ, καὶ ἔπαθον πόλεις πολλαί, καὶ ἀπέθανον ἀνθρώπων πλήθη πολλά. ἐν δὲ τῇ πόλει Βότρυος ἀπεσπάσθη ἐκ τοῦ παρακειμένου τῇ θα λάσσῃ ὄρους τοῦ λεγομένου Λιθοπροσώπου μέρος πολύ, καὶ εἰσ ήχθη εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἀπετέλεσε λιμένα μέγαν, ὡς εἰσέρχε σθαι ἐν αὐτῷ πλοῖα πολλὰ παμμεγέθη· πρὸ γὰρ τούτου οὐκ εἶχε λιμένα. ἔφυγε δὲ ἡ θάλασσα εἰς τὸ πέλαγος μίλιον ἕν, καὶ πάλιν τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ κελεύσει ἀποκατέστη. τῷ Αὐγούστῳ μηνὶ ἦλθον