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And having gone out from there, he goes away quickly to the monk, and says to him that on the coming night the emperor will come to you in humble attire, to ask about the faith and other most necessary matters. But you, however, remember to threaten him with a swift end to his life and the loss of his empire, if he should not willingly choose to be added to the dogma of the emperor Leo the Isaurian and to banish the idols from the divine sanctuaries (thus calling the divine icons), and to promise to him, having come to the aforementioned life, both a long course of life and a fortunate and long-reigning governance of the empire. Thus having instructed the monk, and having taught him what he was to say to the emperor, he returns. And after a short while, taking the emperor with him at night in humble guise, 2.56 he comes to the monk, and when the conversation was already beginning, the monk, bringing the emperor very near, as if he had perhaps foreknown the imperial dignity by divine inspiration, "You do not do well," he said, "O emperor, deceiving us with a commoner's cloak, and concealing the emperor hidden within it. But even if you act thus, yet the grace of the divine spirit did not allow us to be outwitted by you in this way for long." When the emperor heard this, and how he had not escaped notice while hiding the imperial dignity in humble guise, he was astounded, as was likely for one who was ignorant of the wicked deed, and he both recognized the monk as a divine man, and promised to do what was commanded by him obediently and with speed, and he decrees the removal of the venerable icons. And at first, he considered in secret how their purpose might be accomplished, and that no sedition might be raised concerning the church; then he brought the dogma out into the open, and of those in authority and of the church, some willingly, some unwillingly, submitted to the command. And the great and renowned among patriarchs, Nikephoros, was also compelled to subscribe to the tome for the removal of the holy icons; whom, since he would in no way obey, he places in exile on Proikonnesos, having long ago perceived the perversity of Leo, and how he would stir up and throw into confusion the affairs of the church. For it seemed to the blessed Nikephoros, when he placed the diadem upon the head of Leo, that his hand was pierced by thorns and thistles; and this he took 2.57 as a symbol and omen of the evils that happened afterwards. And as the great one was being led away into exile, the confessor Theophanes, the abbot of the monastery of the Great Field, perceiving his passage by divine inspiration while he was staying in a certain field, sent him off with incense and candles as he was passing by with the ship. And the patriarch himself greeted him with final prostrations and with outstretched hands and blessings he saluted him, not seeing nor being seen, but seeing one another with spiritual eyes, and each bestowing upon the other the fitting reverence. And when one of his fellow travelers said to the patriarch, "To whom, O master, raising your hands on high, were you making the salutation?" "To the most holy," he said, "and confessor Theophanes, the abbot of the Field, who is greeting us with lamps and incense." And not long after, the prophecy of the patriarch came to pass; for not long after, being separated from the church with many others, and being subjected to many and countless afflictions, he won the crown of confession, not being deemed worthy to see the patriarch again, so that not even in this might the patriarch's prophecy fail. And when the patriarch had been sent into exile, as we said, Theodotos Melissenos, whom the account has already presented as being called Kassiteras, unworthily ascends to the throne of the high priesthood, on the very day of the Lord's resurrection. And having ascended the throne, and having 2.58 the imperial authority assisting him, no longer in darkness and in corners but in the open and with boldness the heresy

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ἐκεῖθεν δὲ ἐξελθὼν ἄπεισι ταχέως πρὸς τὸν μονάζοντα, καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς τῇ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ ἐλεύσεταί σοι ὁ βασι λεὺς ἐν εὐτελεῖ τῇ περιβολῇ, ἐρωτήσων περὶ τῆς πίστεως καὶ ἄλλων ἀναγκαιοτάτων πραγμάτων. σὺ δὲ ἀλλὰ μέμνησο ταχεῖάν τε τοῦ βίου καταστροφὴν καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἔκπτωσιν ἀπειλῆσαι αὐτῷ, εἰ μὴ ἑκών γε αἱροῖτο τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως Λέοντος τοῦ ἐξ Ἰσαυρίας προστεθῆναι δόγματι καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν θείων σηκῶν ἐξορίσαι (τὰς θείας εἰκόνας οὕτω καλέσας), ἐπαγγείλασθαί τε τοῦ εἰρημέ νου βίου γενομένῳ ζωῆς τε μακρὰν βιοτὴν καὶ τῆς βασιλείας κυ βέρνησιν εὐτυχῆ τε καὶ πολυχρόνιον. οὕτω παιδαγωγήσας τὸν μοναχόν, καὶ ἃ μέλλει λέγειν ἐς βασιλέα παιδεύσας, ἐπάνεισι. μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα νυκτὸς ἐν ταπεινῷ τῷ σχήματι 2.56 προσλαβόμενος ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν μοναχόν, καὶ τῆς διαλέξεως ἤδη λαμβανούσης ἀρχὴν ἔγχιστα τὸν βασιλέα παραστησάμενος ὁ μονα χὸς ὡς τάχα προεγνωκὼς ἐκ θείας ἐπιπνοίας τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀξίωμα "οὐκ εὔλογα" ἔφη "ποιεῖς, ὦ βασιλεῦ, παραλογιζόμενος ἡμᾶς τῇ ἰδιωτικῇ ἀμπεχόνῃ, καὶ τὸν ἔνδον αὐτῆς κρυπτόμενον ἐπικα λύπτων βασιλέα. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ σὺ μὲν οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος χάρις ἡμᾶς οὐκ εἴασεν ἐπὶ πλέον οὕτω κατασοφίζεσθαι ὑπό σου." τοῦτο ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἔλαθεν ἐν εὐτελεῖ προσχήματι τὸ βασιλικὸν κρύπτων ἀξίωμα, κατεπλάγη τε, ὡς ἦν εἰκὸς τὸν τὸ σκαιώρημα ἀγνοοῦντα, καὶ τόν τε μοναχὸν ὡς θεῖον ἄνδρα ἐγνώρισε, καὶ τὰ προσταττόμενα παρ' αὐτοῦ εὐπει θῶς καὶ μετὰ ταχύτητος ποιήσειν ἐπήγγελτο, καὶ τῶν σεβα σμίων εἰκόνων ἐπιψηφίζει καθαίρεσιν. καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἐν τῷ λεληθότι διεσκοπεῖτο πῶς ἂν αὐτῶν ἐκτελεσθῇ τὸ σπούδασμα, καὶ μή τις στάσις ἀνεγερθῇ περὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· ἔπειτα καὶ εἰς τοὐμ φανὲς τὸ δόγμα ἐξήνεγκε, καὶ τῶν ἐν τέλει καὶ τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας οἱ μὲν ἑκόντες οἱ δὲ ἄκοντες ὑπέκυπτον τῷ προστάγματι. ἠναγκά ζετο δὲ καὶ ὁ μέγας ἐν πατριάρχαις ἀοίδιμος Νικηφόρος ἐν τῷ τῆς καθαιρέσεως τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων ὑποσημήνασθαι τόμῳ· ὃν μηδα μῶς πειθαρχήσαντα ὑπερόριον ἀνὰ τὴν Προικόνησον τίθησι, πά λαι προαισθόμενον τὴν τοῦ Λέοντος σκαιοτροπίαν, καὶ ὡς κυκήσει οὗτος καὶ συνταράξει τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἔδοξε γὰρ τῷ μακαρίτῃ Νικηφόρῳ, ὁπηνίκα τὸ διάδημα περιετίθει τῇ τοῦ Λέοντος κεφαλῇ, ἀκάνθαις καὶ τριβόλοις τὴν χεῖρα περιπαρῆναι· καὶ τοῦτο σύμβο 2.57 λον καὶ οἰωνὸν ἔθετο τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα συμβεβηκότων κακῶν. ἀπα γομένῳ δὲ τῷ μεγάλῳ πρὸς τὴν ὑπερορίαν ὁ ὁμολογητὴς Θεοφάνης ὁ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου Ἀγροῦ μονῆς καθηγούμενος, αἰσθόμενος ἐξ ἐπιπνοίας θεϊκῆς τὴν διέλευσιν τούτου, κατ' ἀγρόν τινα ἐνδιατρί βων, θυμιάμασι καὶ κηροῖς προύπεμπεν αὐτὸν μετὰ τῆς νηὸς διι όντα. αὐτός τε ὁ πατριάρχης προσκυνήσεσιν ἐσχάταις ἐδεξιοῦτο καὶ ἐκτάσει χειρῶν καὶ εὐλογίαις αὐτὸν κατησπάζετο, μὴ θεώμε νος μὴ θεώμενον, ἀλλὰ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἀλλήλους ἰδόντες, καὶ τὸ προσῆκον ἕκαστος ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμοντες σέβας. τῶν συμπλεόντων δέ τινος εἰρηκότος τῷ πατριάρχῃ "πρὸς τίνα, ὦ δέσποτα, τὰς χεῖρας αἴρων εἰς ὕψος τὸν ἀσπασμὸν ἐποίου;" "πρὸς τὸν ὁσιώτατον" ἔφη "καὶ ὁμολογητὴν Θεοφάνην, τὸν καθη γητὴν τοῦ Ἀγροῦ, λαμπάσι καὶ θυμιάμασιν ἡμᾶς δεξιούμενον." μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καὶ ἡ τοῦ πατριάρχου ἐξέβη εἰς ἔργον πρόρρησις· μετὰ πολλῶν γὰρ καὶ ἄλλων ἐν οὐ μακρῷ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀφορι σθεὶς καὶ πολλαῖς καὶ ἀπείροις κακώσεσιν ὑποβληθεὶς τὸν τῆς ὁμο λογίας ἀνεδήσατο στέφανον, μηκέτι θεάσασθαι τοῦ λοιποῦ τὸν πατριάρχην ἀξιωθείς, ἵνα μηδ' ἐν τούτῳ διαπέσῃ ἡ τοῦ πατριάρ χου πρόρρησις. ὑπερορίᾳ δὲ τοῦ πατριάρχου παραπεμφθέντος, ὡς εἴπομεν, ἄνεισιν ἀναξίως εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης θρόνον, κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κυρίου ἡμέραν, Θεόδοτος ὁ Μελισσηνός, ὃν καὶ Κασσιτηρᾶν προσαγορεύεσθαι ὁ λόγος φθά σας παρέστησε. καὶ τοῦ θρόνου ἐπιβάς, ἔχων δὲ συνεπαρήγου 2.58 σαν καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὐκ ἐν σκότει καὶ γωνίαις ἔτι ἀλλ' ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ καὶ παρρησίᾳ τὴν αἵρεσιν