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the misanthropic emperor wrote, thanking him that I have found you a man after my own heart, who does all my will. Imitating him, the rest also did the same things. But Copronymus gave the monasteries, which were for the glory of God and a refuge for those being saved, to his like-minded soldiers, and he was eager to make the monastic order disappear. In the same year Niketas, the falsely-named patriarch, scraped off the icons made of mosaics in the small secretum of the patriarchate, and the rest of the icons in the whole patriarchate. In the 28th year, he crowned his wife Eudokia, being the third, as Augusta, and he made his two sons Christopher and Nicephorus Caesars, with the patriarch offering a prayer. 2.17 In the 29th year, an exchange took place in Syria, man for man. In this year, Irene came from Athens, and was crowned with the holy crown in marriage to Leo the emperor, the son of Copronymus. In the 32nd year, Fadl entered Roman territory, and took 500 captives. The people of Mopsuestia, encountering him, killed a thousand of the Arabs, and took the captives. In the 33rd year, Constantine moved a fleet against the Bulgars, and having made peace, returned. And when the Bulgars were sending twelve thousand to Berzetia, the emperor, having heard of it and having gone out to the place called Lithosoraia, fell upon them, and killing all of them, returned to the city. He named this war noble, as not a single Christian was slain. But Elerichus, the lord of Bulgaria, knowing that he was being betrayed by his own people, writes to the emperor: "I have a plan to flee and come to you; send me therefore a word of safe-conduct, and which friends you have here, so that I may trust them and they may assist me." But he, being frivolous and foolish, was taken in by the Bulgar's deceit, and writes to him, and that one, having learned everything, destroyed them all. When Copronymus heard this, he tore out his own beard. In the 35th year, Constantine campaigned against the Bulgars, and being afflicted with carbuncles on his legs by the wrath of God and seized by a fierce and burning fever 2.18 near Arcadiopolis, he returned on a litter. And having come to Selybria and sailed as far as the Strongylon castle, he dies in soul and body, crying out and saying that while living he was delivered to unquenchable fire on account of Mary the Theotokos; but from now on let her be honored and praised as being the true Theotokos. And as he was dying and making his dispositions, he said these things: "Farewell, great church, the Hagia Sophia; farewell, church of the all-holy Theotokos of Blachernae; farewell, church of the Theotokos in Chalcopratia; farewell, church of the Holy Apostles; farewell, city and senate; farewell, my son, the emperor; farewell, you also, Theophanes, my great mystery."

So after the mourning had passed, the emperor says to Theophanes, "What is the great mystery of my father, which you alone know?" And he said, "Perhaps your father felt remorse, and for this reason he spoke to me, so that I might reveal what we did in secret; for we buried 500 centenaria in a certain place, on account of your brothers, the Caesars and nobelissimi." And Leo, having sent men, took it all, leaving them nothing. But his body, placed in the church of the Holy Apostles, in the days of Michael the son of Theophilus, by the counsel and advice of the Caesar, was taken away to the forum of Amastrianum and was burned. The archiepiscopal throne was held by Anastasius, and after him Constantine who was beheaded, and third Niketas, all heretics. 2.19 Leo the Khazar, his son, reigned for 5 years. In his 1st year, Telerig, the king of the Lombards, fled to the emperor in the city; whom he received and propitiated with gifts. For a short time the emperor seemed to be pious and to be a friend of the Theotokos and of the monks; whence also in the first years he appointed monks as metropolitans. And he crowns Constantine his son at the request of the army. In the 2nd year fled

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μισάνθρωπος βασι λεὺς ἔγραψεν εὐχαριστῶν αὐτῷ ὅτι εὗρόν σε ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρ δίαν μου, ὃς ποιεῖς πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου. τοῦτον μιμησάμε νοι καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τὰ ὅμοια διεπράττοντο. ὁ δὲ Κοπρώνυμος τὰ εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ καὶ καταφυγὴν τῶν σωζομένων μοναστήρια τοῖς ὁμόφροσιν αὐτοῦ στρατιώταις ἐδίδου, καὶ τὸ μοναχικὸν τάγμα ἐξαφανίσαι ἐσπούδαζε. τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει Νικήτας ὁ ψευδώνυμος πα τριάρχης τὰς ἐν τῷ μικρῷ σεκρέτῳ τοῦ πατριαρχείου εἰκόνας διὰ ψηφίδων οὔσας ἔξεσε, καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς εἰκόνας τὰς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ πα τριαρχείῳ. Τῷ κηʹ ἔτει ἔστεψε τὴν αὐτοῦ γυναῖκα Εὐδοκίαν τρίτην οὖ σαν Αὐγοῦσταν, καὶ τοὺς δύο αὐτοῦ υἱοὺς Χριστοφόρον καὶ Νι κηφόρον ἐποίησε Καίσαρας, τοῦ πατριάρχου ποιήσαντος εὐχήν. 2.17 Τῷ κθʹ ἔτει ἐγένετο καταλλαγὴ εἰς Συρίαν, ἄνθρωπος πρὸς ἄνθρωπον. τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἦλθεν Εἰρήνη ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν, καὶ ἐστέ φθη ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ στεφάνῳ πρὸς γάμον Λέοντι βασιλεῖ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ Κοπρωνύμου. Τῷ λβʹ ἔτει εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Φαδὰλ εἰς Ῥώμην, καὶ ἔλαβεν αἰχ μαλώτους φʹ. τούτῳ συναντήσαντες οἱ Μοψουεστεῖς τῶν μὲν Ἀράβων χιλίους ἀπέκτειναν, τὴν δὲ αἰχμαλωσίαν ἔλαβον. Τῷ λγʹ ἔτει ἐκίνησε Κωνσταντῖνος στόλον κατὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ ποιήσας εἰρήνην ὑπέστρεψε. καὶ τῶν Βουλγάρων δώδεκα χιλιάδας πεμπόντων εἰς Βερζητίαν, ἀκούσας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἐξελ θὼν εἰς τὴν λεγομένην Λιθοσωραίαν ἐπέπεσεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ πάν τας ἀνελὼν ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν. τοῦτον τὸν πόλεμον ὠνό μασεν εὐγενῆ ὡς μηδενὸς σφαγέντος Χριστιανοῦ. ὁ δὲ τῆς Βουλ γαρίας κύριος Ἐλέριχος, γνοὺς ὅτι ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων αὐτοῦ προδίδο ται, γράφει τῷ βασιλεῖ "βουλὴν ἔχω τοῦ φυγεῖν καὶ ἐλθεῖν πρός σε· πέμψον οὖν μοι λόγον ἀπαθείας, καὶ τίνας ἔχεις φίλους ὧδε, ἵνα θαρρήσω αὐτοῖς καὶ συνδράμωσί μοι." ὁ δὲ κοῦφος ὢν καὶ ἀνόητος συνυπήχθη τῇ ἀπάτῃ τοῦ Βουλγάρου, καὶ γράφει αὐτῷ, κἀκεῖνος μαθὼν πάντας ἀπώλεσεν. ὅπερ ὁ Κοπρώνυμος ἀκούσας τὴν γενειάδα αὐτοῦ ἐξέτιλε. Τῷ λεʹ ἔτει ἐκστρατεύει Κωνσταντῖνος κατὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ θεηλάτῳ ὀργῇ κατὰ τῶν σκελῶν ἀνθρακωθεὶς καὶ πυρετῷ λάβρῳ 2.18 καὶ διακαεῖ συσχεθεὶς κατὰ τὴν Ἀρκαδιούπολιν ὑπέστρεψεν ἐγκλί νιος. καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐν Σηλυβρίᾳ καὶ διαπλωϊσάμενος μέχρι τοῦ Στρογγύλου καστέλλου θνήσκει ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, βοῶν καὶ λέ γων ὅτι ζῶν πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ παρεδόθη διὰ τὴν θεοτόκον Μαρίαν· ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν τιμάσθω καὶ ἀνυμνείσθω ὡς θεοτόκος ἀληθὴς οὖσα. τελευτῶν δὲ καὶ διατυπούμενος ἔλεξε τάδε "σώζου ὁ ναὸς ὁ μέγας ἡ ἁγία σοφία· σώζου ὁ ναὸς τῆς παναγίας θεοτόκου τῶν Βλαχερνῶν· σώζου ὁ ναὸς τῆς θεοτόκου ἐν τοῖς Χαλκοπρατίοις· σώζου ὁ ναὸς τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων· σώζου πόλις καὶ σύγκλητος· σώζου υἱέ μου βασιλεῦ· σώζου καὶ σὺ Θεόφανες, τὸ μέγα μου μυστήριον."

Μετὰ γοῦν τὸ παρελθεῖν τὸ πένθος λέγει πρὸς Θεο φάνην ὁ βασιλεύς "τί ἐστὶ τὸ μέγα μυστήριον τοῦ πατρός μου, ὃ σὺ μόνος γινώσκεις;" ὁ δὲ εἶπε "τάχα ἐν μεταμέλῳ γέγονεν ὁ πατήρ σου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς ἐμὲ ἐφθέγξατο, ἵνα φανερώσω ἅπερ μυστικῶς ἐποιήσαμεν· φʹ γὰρ κεντηνάρια ἐχώσαμεν εἴς τινα τόπον, λόγῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν σου, τῶν Καισάρων καὶ νωβελισσί μων." καὶ ἀποστείλας Λέων ἔλαβε πάντα, μηδὲν αὐτοῖς κατα λιπών. τὸ δὲ σῶμα αὐτοῦ τεθὲν ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστό λων, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Μιχαὴλ υἱοῦ Θεοφίλου βουλῇ καὶ παραινέσει τοῦ Καίσαρος ἀπαχθὲν ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ τοῦ Ἀμαστριανοῦ ἐκαύθη. τὸν δὲ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης θρόνον κατεῖχεν Ἀναστάσιος, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ ἀποκεφαλισθείς, καὶ τρίτος Νικήτας, πάντες αἱρετικοί. 2.19 Λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς Χαζάρας υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη εʹ. τούτου τῷ αʹ ἔτει προσέφυγε Τελλέριγος ὁ τῶν Λογγηβάρδων ῥὴξ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν τῇ πόλει· ὃν προσδεξάμενος ἐξευμενίσατο δώροις. ἔδοξε δὲ πρὸς ὀλίγον ὁ βασιλεὺς εὐσεβεῖν φίλος τε εἶναι τῆς θεο τόκου καὶ τῶν μοναχῶν· ὅθεν καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις χρόνοις μονα χοὺς προεβάλλετο μητροπολίτας. στέφει δὲ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τῇ αἰτήσει τοῦ στρατοῦ. Τῷ βʹ ἔτει προσέφυγε