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of plot. But let these things indeed be added to the story, even if not as a digression, but for the sake of the narrative's sequence. 15.8.1 After these things, when the year .... of his reign was passing, a very great cloud of heretics was stirred up, and the form of the heresy was new, not previously known to the church. For two doctrines came together, most wicked and depraved, known in ancient times, the impiety of the Manichaeans, as one might say, which we also call the heresy of the Paulicians, and the abomination of the Massalians. Such is the doctrine of the Bogomils, composed of the Massalians and Manichaeans. And as it seems, it existed even in the times before my father, but it was hidden; for the race of the Bogomils is most clever at feigning virtue. And you would not see a layman’s hair professing Bogomilism, but the evil is hidden under the cloak and the cowl. And the Bogomil looks gloomy and is covered up to his nose and walks bent over and his mouth whispers, but inwardly he is an uncontrollable wolf. 15.8.2 And this sect, being of such an unbearable nature, like a snake lurking in its hole, my father, with secret charms and spells, summoned into the light and brought forth. For now, laying aside much of his concern for western and eastern affairs, he applied himself to more spiritual matters. For in all things he prevailed over all men; in doctrinal discourses he surpassed those who devoted themselves to discourse, and in battles and strategies he excelled those admired in arms. 15.8.3 When the fame of the Bogomils was now spread everywhere (for a certain monk named Basil, most versatile in handling the impiety of the Bogomils, having twelve disciples, whom he also named apostles, and also dragging along some female disciples, malicious and utterly wicked women, spread the evil everywhere) and the evil, like a fire, fed upon many souls, the emperor’s soul could not bear this and investigated the matters concerning the heresy. And some of the Bogomils were brought to the palace, and all of them reported a certain Basil as their teacher and chief leader of the Bogomil heresy. From these, a certain Diblatius was seized, and when, upon being questioned, he was unwilling to confess, he was given over to tortures, and then he confessed about the said Basil and those whom he had appointed as apostles. Therefore the emperor assigned the search for him to many. And indeed Basil appears, the chief satrap of Satanael, a monk in dress, his face hardened, his beard thin, tall in stature [most versatile in handling the impiety] 15.8.4 And immediately the emperor, wishing to draw out what was hidden within by means of persuasion, summons the man with a holy pretense. For he both rose from his throne for him, and gave him a share of his seat and of the same table, and let down for him the whole fishing-line of the hunt and having baited the hook with all sorts of lures, he offered it to this all-devouring sea-monster to eat, and he poured the whole poison for this monk who carried wickedness in many ways, pretending in every way that he wished to become his disciple, perhaps not he alone, but also his brother, Isaac the sebastokrator, and that he would consider everything said by him as a divine oracle and obey him in all things, if only the most wicked Basil would procure for him the salvation of his soul. “And I, he says, O most honored father,” (for the emperor smeared the cup with these sweet things, so that the possessed one might vomit out his melancholy) “I admire you on account of your virtue; and I ask to learn what things are proposed by your honor, since our own are, so to speak, worthless and lead to no virtue.” But at first he was putting on a show, and that ass in truth was drawing the lion's skin over himself from all sides, and he recoiled at what was said, but he was puffed up by the praises; for he even made him his table-companion. And in all these things there was also present with him and

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πλοκῆς. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μέντοι προσιστορείσθω, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐκ τοῦ παρέργου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ τοῦ λόγου ἀκόλουθον. 15.8.1 Μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ ἔτους .... διιππεύοντος τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ μέγιστον ἐπεγείρεται νέφος αἱρετικῶν, καὶ τὸ τῆς αἱρέσεως εἶδος καινόν, μήπω πρότερον ἐγνωσμένον τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ∆ύο γὰρ δόγματα συνελθέτην κάκιστα καὶ φαυ λότατα ἐγνωσμένα τοῖς πάλαι χρόνοις, Μανιχαίων τε, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, δυσσέβεια, ἣν καὶ Παυλικιανῶν αἵρεσιν εἴπο μεν, καὶ Μασσαλιανῶν βδελυρία. Τοιοῦτον δέ ἐστι τὸ τῶν Βογομίλων δόγμα, ἐκ Μασσαλιανῶν καὶ Μανιχαίων συγκεί μενον. Καὶ ὡς ἔοικεν, ἦν μὲν κἀν τοῖς πρὸ τοὐμοῦ πατρὸς χρόνοις, ἐλάνθανε δέ· δεινότατον γὰρ τὸ Βογομίλων γένος ἀρετὴν ὑποκρίνασθαι. Καὶ τρίχα μὲν κοσμικὴν οὐκ ἂν ἴδοις βογομιλίζουσαν, κέκρυπται δὲ τὸ κακὸν ὑπὸ τὸν μανδύαν καὶ τὸ κουκούλιον. Καὶ ἐσκυθρώπακεν ὁ Βογόμιλος καὶ μέχρι ῥινὸς σκέπεται καὶ κεκυφὼς βαδίζει καὶ ὑποψιθυρί ζει τὸ στόμα, τἄνδοθι δὲ λύκος ἐστὶν ἀκάθεκτος. 15.8.2 Καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ἔθνος τοιοῦτον ὂν δυσφορώτατον, ὥσπερ ὄφιν ἐμφωλεύοντα τῇ χειᾷ, ἐπῳδῶν ἴυγξιν ἀπορρήτοις ὁ ἐμὸς πατὴρ εἰς φῶς ἐξεκαλέσατο καὶ ἐξήνεγκεν. Ἀπάρτι γὰρ τὸ πολὺ τῆς τῶν ἑσπερίων καὶ ἑῴων ἀποθέμενος φροντίδος πρὸς τὸ πνευματικώτερον ἑαυτὸν ἐπέτεινεν. Ἐν πᾶσι γὰρ τῶν ἁπάντων ἐκράτει· ἐν λόγοις διδακτικοῖς τοὺς περὶ λόγον ἐσπουδακότας ἐνίκα, ἐν μάχαις δὲ καὶ στρατηγίαις τῶν ἐν ὅπλοις θαυμαζομένων ὑπερεῖχεν. 15.8.3 Ὡς δὲ ἡ τῶν Βογομίλων ἁπανταχοῦ ἤδη διέσπαρτο φήμη (Βασίλειος γάρ τις μοναχὸς πολυτροπώτατος μεταχειρίσασθαι τὴν Βογομίλων ἀσέβειαν δώδεκα μὲν ἔχων μαθητάς, οὓς καὶ ἀποστόλους ὠνόμαζε, συνεφελκόμενος δὲ καὶ μαθητρίας τινάς, γύναια κακοήθη καὶ παμπόνηρα, ἐφήπλωσε τὴν κακίαν ἁπανταχοῦ) καὶ πολλὰς ψυχὰς δίκην πυρὸς ἐπενείματο τὸ κακόν, οὐκ ἠνείχετο ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ψυχὴ τοῦτο καὶ διερευνᾷ τὰ περὶ τῆς αἱρέσεως. Καί τινες τῶν Βογομίλων εἰς τὰ ἀνάκτορα ἤγοντο, ἅπαντες δὲ Βασίλειόν τινα κατήγγελον διδάσκαλον καὶ κορυφαῖον πρωτοστάτην τῆς βογομιλικῆς αἱρέσεως. Ἐκ τούτων δὲ ∆ιβλάτιός τις κατασχεθείς, ἐπεὶ ἐρωτώμενος ἀνομολογεῖν οὐκ ἠβούλετο, αἰκίαις παραδοθεὶς τηνικαῦτα τὸν λεγόμενον Βασίλειον ἀνωμολόγει καὶ οὓς ἐκεῖνος προεχειρίσατο ἀποστόλους. Τοίνυν τὴν τούτου ἀναζήτησιν πολλοῖς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνέ θετο. Καὶ δῆτα ἀναφαίνεται τοῦ Σαταναὴλ ἀρχισατράπης Βασίλειος, τὸ ἔνδυμα μοναχός, κατεσκληκὼς τὸ πρόσωπον, τὴν ὑπήνην ψιλός, εὐμήκης τὴν ἡλικίαν [πολυτροπώτατος μεταχειρίσασθαι τὴν ἀσέβειαν] 15.8.4 Καὶ αὐτίκα ὁ αὐτο κράτωρ, τὸ ἐνδομυχοῦν ἐθέλων παρασῦραι ταῖς πειθανάγκαις, μετακαλεῖται τὸν ἄνδρα μεθ' ὁσίου προσχήματος. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ θώκων ὑπεξανέστη αὐτῷ, καὶ καθέδρας μετέδωκε καὶ τραπέζης τῆς αὐτῆς, καὶ ὅλην τὴν ὁρμιὰν τῆς ἄγρας αὐτῷ κατεχάλασε καὶ τὸ ἄγκιστρον περιπείρας παντοδα ποῖς δελέασι τῷ παμφάγῳ τούτῳ κήτει παρέσχεν ἐμφαγεῖν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ φάρμακον τῷ μοναχῷ τούτῳ καὶ πολλαχῷ τὴν κακίαν φέρων ἐνέχει διὰ παντοίων ὑποκρινόμενος μαθητὴς αὐτῷ ἐθέλειν γενέσθαι, οὐκ αὐτὸς τάχα μόνος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸς Ἰσαάκιος ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ, καὶ πάντα τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα ὡς ἐκ θείας ὀμφῆς λογίζεσθαι καὶ ὑπείκειν τούτῳ ἐν πᾶσιν, εἰ μόνον τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῷ σωτηρίαν πραγματεύσοιτο ὁ κάκιστος Βασίλειος. «Καὶ ἐγὼ μέν, φησιν, ὦ πάτερ τιμιώτατε», (περιέχριε γὰρ τοῖς γλυκέσι τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν κύλικα, ὡς ἐξεμέσαι τὸν δαιμονιῶντα τὴν μελαγχολίαν αὐτοῦ) «ἄγαμαί σε τῆς ἀρεὶ τῆς ἕνεκα· ἀξιῶ σε δὲ καταμαθεῖν τίνα τὰ παρὰ τῆς σῆς τιμιότητος εἰσηγούμενα, ὡς τά γε τῶν ἡμετέρων μονονοὺ φαῦλα καὶ εἰς οὐδεμίαν ἀρετὴν φέροντα». Ὁ δὲ τὰ πρῶτα μὲν ἐσχηματίζετο, καὶ τὴν λεοντῆν ὁ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ὄνος ἐκεῖνος ἐφεῖλκεν εἰς ἑαυτὸν πανταχόθεν, καὶ ἀπεπήδα πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα, πλὴν ἐχαυνώθη τοῖς ἐπαίνοις· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁμοδίαιτον ἐποίησε τοῦτον. Συμπαρῆν δ' ἄρα τούτῳ ἐν πᾶσι καὶ