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having become fired up, and foreseeing the future as if in a 2.71 mirror, he decided not to push aside the opportunity with slowness, an opportunity 2.71 which it is not easy to obtain again. A table, therefore, immediately, and leaving behind all the others who were more distinguished both in family and in rank, he summoned these very men to a feast, and while the drinking was at its height, the general, leading his daughters, gave them to the strangers, and acknowledged that he had sons-in-law, who were at first in a state of ecstasy at the strange and unexpected nature of the matter, but nevertheless accepted and consented, and confessed that such a thing was the work of God, not of man. But these things were done thus; but Michael, having heard the voice of the aforementioned Athinganos as some divine prophecy, and having taken as a second omen also the prediction of the monk at Philomelion, as we have already stated, set about the murder of Leo more impetuously and more daringly, having appeared wicked toward his first benefactor, that is, the aforementioned Bardanios, but more wicked toward the second, I mean Leo, who had also adopted his son from holy baptism. nevertheless, having brought about Leo's death in a most pitiful way, he assigned a certain portion of provision to Leo's children and to their mother from his confiscated properties, and having given some of his own children to them for service, and he commanded that Leo's wife be secured in the so-called monastery of the Despotai, 2.72 and the male children on the island of Prote, as has been said. when they had been castrated there, Theodosios died, but Constantine, who was renamed Basil, having been seized with a loss of voice after his castration, prayed to God that his voice might be restored, and he also prayed to Gregory, who was renowned in theology, an image of whom happened to have been set up somewhere there. The saint therefore hearkened to his prayer, and the holy figure appeared to Constantine, saying, "At Matins, take this wax tablet and read." And he, believing what was said, entered and read with a bright and very clear voice "Again my Jesus." And when his voice was restored, he abominated the folly inherited from his father, and transferred his right-mindedness to the holy icons. But these things happened later; and now that Michael had taken up the imperial power and was administering its affairs as he wished, the patriarch Nikephoros of blessed memory sent a letter, urging that the holy icons receive their veneration and that there be a restoration of piety. but Michael answered that he had come neither to do any mischief to the things set forth concerning the faith, nor indeed to work any attack and demolition of the things already handed down and confessed. "Therefore, let each man," he says, "do what seems good and desirable to him, remaining free from toils and without a taste of grief." However, he who was not even a true Christian to begin with did not maintain this policy until the end; but insofar as his royal power was strengthened, to that extent, with his ill-omened and most 2.73 cruel nature, he fanned the flames of war against the Christians and his kinsmen, now spurning the monks and surrounding them with all kinds of terrors, and devising punishments upon punishments, now locking up the other faithful in prisons and sending them into exile. From there, both Methodios, who shortly after was deemed worthy of the patriarchal throne, and Euthymios, who at that time presided over Sardis, because they did not submit to his will nor deny the veneration of the holy icons, he drove out of the city, and he handed over the divine Methodios to prison on the island of Akritas, and he delivered the blessed Euthymios to death through his own son Theophilos, to be beaten unsparingly with ox-hide whips. and to the extent that he oppressed the inheritance of Christ, to that extent he made the Jews free from and exempt of taxes, being especially beloved and cherished by him above all other men. and he put forward as a kind of pretext

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ἐκθερμανθείς, καὶ τὸ μέλλον ὥσπερ ἐν 2.71 οπτριζόμενος, οὐκ ἔγνω βραδυτῆτι παρώσασθαι τὸν καιρόν, οὗ 2.71 πάλιν τυχεῖν οὐ ῥᾴδιον. τράπεζα οὖν παραχρῆμα, καὶ τοὺς ἄλ λους πάντας καταλιπὼν τοὺς καὶ γένει καὶ ἀξιώμασι διαφανεστέ ρους, τούτους δὴ τοὺς ἄνδρας εἰς ἑστίασιν συγκαλεῖ, καὶ τοῦ πότου ἀκμάζοντος τὰς θυγατέρας ἄγων ἐδίδου τοῖς ξένοις ὁ στρα τηγός, καὶ νυμφίους ἔχειν καθωμολόγει, τῷ ξένῳ μὲν καὶ παρα δόξῳ τοῦ πράγματος ἐν ἐκστάσει πρότερον γενομένους, ἀποδεχο μένους δὲ ὅμως καὶ συγκατατιθεμένους, καὶ θεοῦ ἔργον τὸ τοιοῦ τον, οὐκ ἀνθρώπου ὁμολογοῦντας. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράττετο οὕτως· τὴν δὲ τοῦ ῥηθέντος Ἀθιγγάνου φωνὴν ὥς τινα θείαν πρόρρησιν ἐνηχηθεὶς ὁ Μιχαήλ, δεύτερον δ' οἰωνὸν εἰληφὼς καὶ τὴν κατὰ τὸ Φιλομίλιον τοῦ μο ναχοῦ προαγόρευσιν, ὡς ἤδη φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, τῷ τοῦ Λέοντος φόνῳ ἰταμώτερον ἐπέθετο καὶ θρασύτερον, κακὸς μὲν περὶ τὸν πρῶτον εὐεργέτην φανείς, ἐκεῖνον δὴ τὸν εἰρημένον Βαρδάνιον, κακίων δὲ περὶ τὸν δεύτερον, φημὶ δὴ τὸν Λέοντα, ὃς καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος υἱοθετησάμενος ἦν. ὅμως δὲ καὶ τὸν Λέοντα οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ κατεργασάμενος ἀπόμοιράν τινα χορηγίας τοῖς τοῦ Λέοντος ἐναποτάττει παισὶ καὶ τῇ τούτων μητρὶ ἐκ τῶν δημευθέντων κτημάτων αὐτοῦ, καί τινας τῶν ἑαυ τοῦ παίδων πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν αὐτοῖς δωρησάμενος, καὶ τὴν μὲν τοῦ Λέοντος γαμετὴν εἰς τὴν οὕτω λεγομένην τῶν δεσποτῶν μονὴν 2.72 ἐνασφαλίζει κελεύσας, τοὺς ἄρρενας δὲ τῶν παίδων ἐν τῇ Πρώτῃ νήσῳ, ὡς εἴρηται. ὧν κατ' αὐτὴν εὐνουχισθέντων Θεοδόσιος μὲν ἀπεβίω, Κωνσταντῖνος δ' ὁ μετονομασθεὶς Βασίλειος ἀφωνίᾳ μετὰ τὸν εὐνουχισμὸν κατασχεθεὶς ἐδεῖτο μὲν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ λυθῆναι φωνήν, ἐδεῖτο δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἐν θεολογίᾳ περιωνύμου Γρη γορίου, ἐκεῖσέ που ἀνεστηλωμένου τυγχάνοντος. ὑπήκουσεν οὖν τῆς αὐτοῦ δεήσεως ὁ ἅγιος, καὶ ὡράθη τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ φάσκων ὁ θεῖος τύπος "κατὰ τὸν ὄρθρον τουτονὶ τὸν κηρὸν λαβὼν ἀνά γνωθι." ὁ δὲ πιστεύσας τοῖς λεγομένοις, εἰσελθὼν ἀνέγνω λαμ πρᾷ καὶ καθαρωτάτῃ φωνῇ τὸ "πάλιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ ἐμός." τῆς φωνῆς δὲ λυθείσης αὐτοῦ τήν τε πατροπαράδοτον ἐβδελύξατο ἄνοιαν, καὶ περὶ τὰς θείας εἰκόνας τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην μετέθετο. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον· ἤδη δὲ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ Μι χαὴλ ἐπανελομένου ἀρχὴν καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ὡς ἐβούλετο διοι κοῦντος, ἐπιστολὴν ὁ ἀοίδιμος Νικηφόρος ὁ πατριάρχης ἐκπέμπει, παρακαλῶν ἀπολαβεῖν τὸν ἀσπασμὸν τὰς θείας εἰκόνας καὶ ἀνά κλησιν γενέσθαι τῆς εὐσεβείας. ἀλλ' ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἀπεκρίνατο μήτε τι κακουργήσων ἐλθεῖν τῶν περὶ πίστεως ἐκτεθειμένων, μήτε μὴν τῶν ἤδη παραδοθέντων καὶ ἀνομολογηθέντων καταδρομήν τινα ἐργάζεσθαι καὶ καθαίρεσιν. "ἕκαστος οὖν" φησὶ "τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτῷ ποιείτω καὶ ἐφετόν, ἀπαθὴς πόνων καὶ ἄγευστος λύπης δια τελῶν." πλὴν οὐ μέχρι τέλους ταύτην ἐτήρησε τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀληθὴς Χριστιανὸς γεγονώς· ἀλλ' ὅσον τὰ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῷ ἐκρατύνετο, τοσοῦτον κακοδαίμονι φύσει καὶ ὠμο 2.73 τάτῃ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν καὶ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἀνερρίπιζε πόλεμον, νῦν μὲν τοὺς μοναχοὺς διαπτύων καὶ παντοίοις περιβάλ λων δεινοῖς, καὶ ποιναῖς ἐξευρίσκων ποινάς, νῦν δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους πιστοὺς ἐγκλείων φρουραῖς καὶ ὑπερορίους τιθείς. ἐντεῦθεν καὶ Μεθόδιον τὸν μετὰ βραχὺ πατριαρχικοῦ θρόνου ἀξιωθέντα καὶ Εὐθύμιον τὸν τηνικαῦτα τῶν Σάρδεων προεδρεύοντα, τῷ αὐτοῦ θελήματι μὴ ὑπείκοντας μηδὲ τὴν τῶν θείων εἰκόνων ἐξαρνουμέ νους τιμήν, τῆς πόλεως ἐξωθεῖ, καὶ τὸν μὲν θεῖον Μεθόδιον φυλακῇ παραδίδωσι κατὰ τὴν νῆσον τοῦ Ἀκρίτου, τὸν δὲ μακαρί την Εὐθύμιον διὰ Θεοφίλου τοῦ οἰκείου υἱοῦ θανάτῳ παραδίδωσι, βουνεύροις τυπτόμενον ἀφειδῶς. ὅσον δὲ τὴν Χριστοῦ κληρονο μίαν ἐπίεζε, τοσοῦτον τοὺς Ἰουδαίους ἀνέτους φόρων καὶ ἐλευθέ ρους ἐτίθει, ἀγαπωμένους καὶ στεργομένους αὐτῷ τῶν ἄλλων ἀν θρώπων διαφερόντως. προυβάλλετο δ' ὥσπερ τι προκέντημα