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Constantine the monk, who became bishop of Sylaeum; and praying he said in a loud 2.11 voice, "Many years to Constantine, ecumenical patriarch." and after this they both went up to the forum, and proclaimed their wicked heresy before all the people, anathematizing the most holy Germanus and George of Cyprus and John of Damascus, holy men and venerable teachers. In the same year the Bulgars sought treaties on account of the castles that had been built, and when the emperor dishonored their envoy, they came out as far as the long walls, and after taking many captives they returned unharmed. In the 19th year the emperor campaigned against the Bulgars, and having come to the Veregava pass, after losing many men, he returned in shame. In the 20th year a comet appeared in the east, most brilliant, for 10 days, and again in the west for 21 days. In the 21st year, Copronymus killed by scourging Andrew, the celebrated monk, called the Calybite, who was denouncing his impiety in Blachernae. In the 23rd year there was a great and most bitter frost in the capital and the east and north and west, so that for one hundred miles along the northern coast of the Pontus the sea was turned to stone and the ice was frozen to a depth of 30 cubits; upon which snow fell, it increased by another 20 cubits, so that the sea was conformed to the 2.12 dry land, and the sea was traversed on foot over the ice by both men and animals, both tame and wild, from Zichia as far as the Danube and the Kouphis river, the Dniester and the Dnieper and the Nekropyla and the rest of the coast as far as Mesembria and Medeia. In the month of February, when this ice, by the command of God, was divided into many mountain-like pieces, and was carried down by the force of the winds to the Hieron, it reached the city through the straits, and filled all the coast as far as the Propontis and the islands and Abydos, among which were also dead animals, both wild and tame. And everyone who wished walked unhindered as if on dry land from Sophianae to the city and from Chrysopolis to Saint Mamas and the Galatians. One of these, striking the ladder of the acropolis, shattered it. Another, dashing against the wall, shook it greatly, so that even those dwelling inside shared in the shaking. And breaking into three, it encircled the city from the Mangana to the Bosporus, the height of which surpassed that of the city. In the month of March, stars fell from the sky all at once, so that everyone said it was the end of the world. And a great drought occurred, so that springs and rivers dried up. Seeing and hearing these things, the unholy one did not perceive them to be scourges from God for the turning away from his profane and most shameful deeds, but rather, bringing the patriarch, he said to him, "What harm is it to us, if we call the Theo- 2.13 tokos Christotokos?" But he, embracing him, says, "Have mercy, master, let this word not even enter your thought. Do you not see how much Nestorius is pilloried and anathematized by the whole church?" And the emperor says, "I asked, wishing to learn. Let the matter stay with you." Not much time passed, and he committed worthy deeds against the patriarch ordained by him, which we will relate after a little. In the 24th year, having supposedly made peace with Pagan, the lord of the Bulgars, he suddenly went out of the city and, finding the mountain passes unguarded on account of the deceitful peace, entered Bulgaria as far as Tountza, and setting fire to the courts he found, he returned with fear, having done nothing noble. In the 25th year, the impious emperor, becoming enraged against everyone who feared God, killed Stephen the Younger, who was venerable to all on account of shining forth in various virtues (for he had spent sixty years as a recluse on the mountain of Saint Auxentius), after torturing him in various ways. and when many rulers and soldiers had been slandered

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Κωνσταντῖνον μοναχόν, ἐπίσκο πον γενόμενον τοῦ Συλαίου· καὶ ἐπευξάμενος ἔφη μεγάλῃ τῇ 2.11 φωνῇ "Κωνσταντίνου οἰκουμενικοῦ πατριάρχου πολλὰ τὰ ἔτη." καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀνῆλθον ἀμφότεροι ἐν τῷ φόρῳ, καὶ ἐξεφώνησαν τὴν αὐτῶν κακόδοξον αἵρεσιν ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀναθεμα τίσαντες τὸν ἁγιώτατον Γερμανὸν καὶ Γεώργιον τὸν Κύπρου καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν ∆αμασκηνόν, ἄνδρας ἁγίους καὶ αἰδεσίμους διδα σκάλους. τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐζήτησαν οἱ Βούλγαροι πάκτα διὰ τὰ κτισθέντα κάστρα, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀτιμάσαντος τὸν ἀποκρισιά ριον αὐτῶν ἐξῆλθον ἕως τῶν μακρῶν τειχῶν, καὶ πολλὴν αἰχμα λωσίαν ποιήσαντες ὑπέστρεψαν ἀβλαβεῖς. Τῷ ιθʹ ἔτει ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεστράτευσε κατὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν κλείσουραν Βερεγάβαν, πολλοὺς ἀπολέσας, ὑπέ στρεψε μετ' αἰσχύνης. Τῷ κʹ ἔτει δοκίτης ἀστὴρ ἐφάνη κατὰ τὴν ἑῴαν, λαμπρό τατος, ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ιʹ, καὶ αὖθις πρὸς δύσιν ἡμέρας καʹ. Τῷ καʹ ἔτει Ἀνδρέαν τὸν ἀοίδιμον μοναχόν, τὸν λεγόμενον Καλυβίτην, ἐν Βλαχέρναις ἐλέγχοντα αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀσέβειαν ἀπέκτεινε διὰ μαστίγων ὁ Κοπρώνυμος. Τῷ κγʹ ἔτει γέγονε ψῦχος μέγα καὶ πικρότατον κατὰ τὴν βα σιλίδα καὶ τὴν ἀνατολὴν καὶ ἄρκτον καὶ δύσιν, ὥστε τὴν ἀρκτῴαν τοῦ Πόντου παραλίαν ἐπὶ ἑκατὸν μίλια τὸ πέλαγος ἀπολιθωθῆναι καὶ ἐπὶ λʹ πήχεις τὸ πάθος παγῆναι· οὗπερ χιονισθέντος ηὐξήθη ἐπὶ ἄλλας κʹ πήχεις, ὥστε συμμορφωθῆναι τὴν θάλασσαν τῇ 2.12 ξηρᾷ, καὶ πεζοπορεῖσθαι ὕπερθεν τοῦ κρύους παρά τε ἀνθρώπων καὶ ζῴων ἡμέρων τε καὶ ἀγρίων τὸ πέλαγος, ἀπό τε Ζικχίας μέχρι ∆ανούβεως καὶ τοῦ Κούφη ποταμοῦ τοῦ ∆ανάστρεώς τε καὶ ∆α νάπρεως καὶ τῶν Νεκροπύλων καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ἀκτῆς μέχρι Με σημβρίας καὶ Μηδείας. τῷ δὲ Φεβρουαρίῳ μηνὶ τοῦ τοιούτου πάγου κατὰ κέλευσιν θεοῦ εἰς πλεῖστα ὀρεοφανῆ τμήματα διαιρε θέντος, καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνέμων βίᾳ ἐπὶ τὸ Ἱερὸν κατενεχθέντος, διὰ τοῦ στενοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἔφθασεν, καὶ μέχρι τῆς Προποντίδος καὶ τῶν νήσων καὶ Ἀβύδου πᾶσαν τὴν παραλίαν ἐπλήρωσαν, ἐν οἷς ὑπῆρχε καὶ ζῷα ἄγριά τε καὶ ἥμερα τεθνεῶτα. πᾶς δὲ ὁ βου λόμενος ἀπὸ Σοφιανῶν ἕως τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἀπὸ Χρυσουπόλεως ἕως τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος καὶ τῶν Γαλατῶν ἀκωλύτως ὡς ἐπὶ ξη ρᾶς ἐβάδιζον. ἓν δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν προσφάξαν τῇ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως σκάλᾳ συνέτριψεν αὐτήν. ἕτερον δὲ τῷ τείχει προσραγὲν τοῦτο μεγάλως ἐδόνησεν, ὡς καὶ τοὺς ἔνδοθεν οἰκοῦντας συμμετασχεῖν τοῦ σάλου. εἰς τρία δὲ ῥαγὲν ἔζωσε τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῶν Μαγγά νων ἕως τοῦ Βοσπορίου, οὗ τινὸς τὸ ὕψος ὑπερεῖχε τῆς πόλεως. τῷ δὲ Μαρτίῳ μηνὶ ἀστέρες ἀθρόως ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔπιπτον, ὡς λέγειν πάντας συντέλειαν εἶναι. αὐχμός τε πολὺς γέγονεν ὡς ξη ρανθῆναι πηγὰς καὶ ποταμούς. ἅτινα βλέπων καὶ ἀκούων ὁ ἀνό σιος οὐκ ᾐσθάνετο μάστιγας εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν τῶν βεβήλων αὐτοῦ καὶ αἰσχίστων πράξεων, ἀλλ' ἀγαγὼν μᾶλλον τὸν πατριάρχην λέγει αὐτῷ "τί ἡμᾶς βλάπτει, ἐὰν λέγωμεν τὴν θεο 2.13 τόκον Χριστοτόκον;" ὁ δὲ περιπτυξάμενος αὐτὸν λέγει "ἐλέησον, δέσποτα, μηδὲ εἰς ἔννοιάν σου ἔλθῃ οὗτος ὁ λόγος. οὐχ ὁρᾷς ὅσα στηλιτεύεται καὶ ἀναθεματίζεται Νεστόριος ὑπὸ πάσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας;" καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς "ἐγὼ μαθεῖν θέλων ἠρώτησα" φησίν, "ἕως δὲ σοῦ ἔστω ὁ λόγος." οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ, καὶ ἄξια εἰς τὸν χειροτονηθέντα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πατριάρχην διεπράξατο, ἅτινα μετ' ὀλίγον ἐροῦμεν. Τῷ κδʹ ἔτει ἀγάπην δῆθεν ποιήσας μετὰ Παγάνου τοῦ κυ ρίου Βουλγάρων, ἐξαίφνης ἐξελθὼν τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἀφυλάκτους εὑρὼν τὰς κλεισούρας διὰ τὴν ἀπατηλὴν εἰρήνην, εἰσῆλθεν εἰς Βουλγαρίαν ἕως Τούμτζας, καὶ βαλὼν πῦρ εἰς τὰς αὐλὰς ἃς εὗρε, μετὰ φόβου ὑπέστρεψε, μηδὲν γενναῖον ποιήσας. Τῷ κεʹ ἔτει ἐκμανὴς γενόμενος ὁ δυσσεβὴς βασιλεὺς κατὰ παντὸς φοβουμένου τὸν θεόν, Στέφανον τὸν νέον αἰδέσιμον ὄντα τοῖς πᾶσι διὰ τὸ ἐν ἀρεταῖς ποικίλαις ἐκλάμπειν (ἑξήκοντα γὰρ χρόνους ἐποίησεν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ τοῦ ἁγίου Αὐξεντίου ἔγκλει στος) ποικίλως τιμωρησάμενος ἀπέκτεινε. πολλῶν δὲ ἀρχόντων καὶ στρατιωτῶν διαβληθέντων