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one hundred pounds of this gold. And the sticheron for Palm Sunday, "Go forth, nations, go forth, and peoples," they say is the offspring of his soul. And since by nature he had little hair on his head, being somewhat bald, he issued an edict everywhere to cut the hair close to the skin and not to allow any Roman to wear it beyond the neck, and that the one who disregarded the decree should be tormented with many lashes, being puffed up with restoring the virtue of the Roman ancestors. Being the father of five daughters, as the preceding account has shown, and destitute of male offspring, he thought it necessary to join in marriage his youngest, Maria, who was exceedingly beloved by him. The bridegroom was of the family of the Krenitai, from the land of the Armenians, Alexios by name, Mosele by surname, handsome in appearance, in the prime of his life. First he honored him with the dignity of the patricians and proconsuls, then also with that of magistros and later Caesar, and giving him sufficient troops, he sent him to Longobardia because of some urgent need. And he went away, carrying out the affairs there well, and as it seemed to the emperor. Therefore the affection for him flourished, but the envy from men flourished with it, and they slandered him as desiring the imperial office, 2.119 adding that somehow the A would overcome the TH. The Caesar, learning of these things and as it were hearing the envy, begged the emperor many times to be allowed to transfer himself to the monastic life. But the emperor did not permit this, being cautious about his daughter's widowhood, and the Caesar remained in tranquility, occupied with public affairs. But when Michael was born to the emperor and the Caesar's wife Maria departed this life, he honored her in this way: he placed her corpse in a silver-plated sarcophagus, and granted asylum to the tomb for men found guilty of whatever crimes. But as for Alexios, who had secretly transferred himself and donned the monastic habit, since he could not persuade him to cast it off, he reluctantly let him be, having given him for a dwelling the imperial monastery at Chrysopolis, and also that of Bryseos and the one at Elaia. And he, dwelling in the one at Chrysopolis, since he once needed a walk and came to the place called Anthemios, he chose to purchase it by imperial command; in which he also built a lavish monastery, and when he departed this life he was placed there, and with him also his brother Theodosios, who had held the rank of patrician, leaving behind many tokens of his own excellent life in the monastery.

When the leader of the Arabs, Imbrael, campaigned against the Romans, 2.120 Theophilos also went forth to rival him, casting off all fear. For if any was present, yet the experience in war and nobility of the men with him put it as far away as possible. The men were Theophobos and Manuel. But Manuel was well-known for his courage even to his enemies, having commanded the army of the Anatolics under Leo, and having become the chief of grooms for Michael before him; they call this office protostrator. The account will also make clear about Theophobos, from where and how, being descended from the Persians, he became known to the emperor and took his sister in marriage. Once one of the Persians of the royal line, having arrived in Constantinople on an embassy, not from a lawful union but from a clandestine and secret one begat him and departed. And since it is an inviolable law for the Persians that no one can take control of their rule unless he is of the royal line, and the members of the royal line had died out in the constant wars, driven out by the Hagarenes, the Persians often tried to take back this Theophobos from Constantinople to rule over them, and having sent various embassies to Theophilos, and promising peace treaties

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τούτου χρυσίου λίτρας ἑκατόν. καὶ τὸ στιχηρὸν δὲ τὸ κατὰ τὴν βαϊοφό ρον, τὸ "ἐξέλθετε ἔθνη, ἐξέλθετε καὶ λαοί," τὸν ἐκείνου φασὶν εἶναι τόκον ψυχῆς. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὰς περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τρίχας ὀλίγας ἐκ φύσεως εἶχεν, ἀναφάλας τις ὤν, θέσπισμα ἐξέθετο πανταχοῦ ἐν χρῷ τὰς τρίχας ἀποκείρειν καὶ μή τινα Ῥωμαῖον ὄντα περαιτέρω ταύτας τοῦ τραχήλου φέρεσθαι συγχωρεῖν, τὸν δὲ τὸ δόγμα παρορῶντα πολ λαῖς αἰκίζεσθαι μάστιξι, τὴν τῶν προγόνων Ῥωμαίων ἀρετὴν ἐπαν άγειν βρενθυόμενος. Πέντε δὲ θυγατέρων ὑπάρχων πατήρ, ὡς προλαβὼν ὁ λό γος ἀπέφηνε, καὶ ἄρρενος ἔρημος γονῆς, τὴν πασῶν ἐσχάτην Μαρίαν ὑπερβαλλόντως ἀγαπωμένην αὐτῷ δεῖν ᾠήθη συζεῦξαι ἀνδρί. ὁ νυμφίος δὲ ἦν τῆς τῶν Κρηνιτῶν γενεᾶς, χώρας τῶν Ἀρμενίων, Ἀλέξιος τοὔνομα, Μωσηλὲ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν, τῷ εἴδει ὡραῖος, ἀκμάζων τὴν ἡλικίαν. πρῶτα μὲν τῇ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ ἀνθυπάτων τιμήσας ἀξίᾳ, εἶτα καὶ μάγιστρον καὶ ὕστερον Καί σαρα, στρατεύματά τε δοὺς αὐτῷ ἱκανὰ πρὸς τὴν Λογγιβαρδίαν ἐξέπεμψε χρείας κατεπειγούσης τινός. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπῄει καλῶς τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἐξανύων, καὶ ὡς ἐδόκει τῷ βασιλεῖ. διὸ καὶ ἤκμαζε μὲν ὁ πρὸς αὐτὸν πόθος, συνήκμαζε δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων φθό νος, καὶ διέβαλλον αὐτὸν ὡς τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιθυμοῦντα, προστι 2.119 θέντες ὡς δήποτε τὸ α τοῦ θ κατακυριεῦσαι. ἅπερ δὴ πυνθανό μενος ὁ Καῖσαρ, καὶ τοῦ φθόνου ὥσπερ ἀκροώμενος, πολλὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐδέετο συγχωρηθῆναι αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν μονήρη μετατάξα σθαι βίον. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἐπέτρεψε, τὴν χηρείαν τῆς θυγατρὸς εὐλαβούμενος, καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ ἔμενεν ἐφ' ἡσυχίας τοῖς δημοσίοις ἐνασχολούμενος. ὡς δ' ἀπετέχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Καίσαρος γαμετὴ Μαρία τὸν βίον μετήλλαξε, ταύτην μὲν οὕτως ἐτίμησεν ὡς τὸν νεκρὸν αὐτῆς ἐν λάρνακι θεῖναι περιηργυρωμένῃ, καὶ ἀσυλίαν δοῦναι τῷ τάφῳ τοῖς ἐφ' οἵοις δή ποτε ἐγκλήμασιν ἁλοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις. τὸν δὲ Ἀλέξιον λάθρᾳ μεταταξάμενον καὶ τὸ μοναχικὸν ἀμφιεσάμενον σχῆμα, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔπειθε τοῦτο ἀποβαλεῖν, μόλις ἐᾶσαι, δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ εἰς ἐνδιαί τημα τό τε κατὰ Χρυσούπολιν βασιλικὸν μοναστήριον, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὸ τοῦ Βρύσεως καὶ τὸ κατὰ τὴν Ἐλαίαν. ἐκεῖνος δὲ τῷ κατὰ τὴν Χρυσούπολιν ὄντι ἐνδιαιτώμενος, ἐπεί ποτε περιπάτου ἐδεήθη καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀνθεμίου λεγόμενον τόπον ἐγένετο, εἵλετο τοῦτον διὰ βασιλικῆς προστάξεως ἐξωνήσασθαι· ἐν ᾧ καὶ μοναστήριον κατασκευάσας πολυτελές, τὸν βίον ἐκλιμπάνων ἐτέθη ἐκεῖσε, σὺν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ὁ τούτου ἀδελφὸς Θεοδόσιος ἐς πατρικίους τελέσας, πολλὰ γνωρίσματα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀρίστης βιοτῆς ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ καταλιπών.

Τοῦ δὲ ἀρχηγοῦ τῶν Ἀράβων Ἰμπραὴλ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκ 2.120 στρατεύσαντος καὶ ὁ Θεόφιλος ἀντιφιλοτιμούμενος ἔξεισιν, ἅπαν δέος ἀποβαλών. εἰ γάρ τι καὶ προσῆν, ἀλλ' ἡ τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ ἀνδρῶν κατὰ πολέμους πεῖρα καὶ γενναιότης ὡς πορρωτάτω τοῦτο ἐτίθει. Θεόφοβος οἱ ἄνδρες ἦσαν καὶ Μανουήλ. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Μανουὴλ δῆλος ἦν ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἐναντίοις, τοῦ στρατοῦ τῶν ἀνατολικῶν κατάρξας ἐπὶ τοῦ Λέοντος, καὶ τοῦ πρὸ αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἱπποκόμων ὁ πρῶτος γενόμενος· πρωτοστράτορα τοῦτον φασί. δηλώσει δὲ καὶ τὸν Θεόφοβον ὁ λόγος, ὅθεν τε καὶ ὅπως ἐκ Περσῶν καταγόμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ γέγονε γνώριμος καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ εἰς γάμον ἡρμόσατο. εἰς πρεσβείαν τίς ποτε τῶν ἐκ βασιλικῆς σειρᾶς Περσῶν ἀφικόμενος εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινού πολιν, οὐκ ἐκ νομίμου συναφείας ἐκ λαθραίας δὲ καὶ κρυφίας τοῦτον ἀποτεκὼν ἀπεδήμησεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ νόμος ἀπαράβατος τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐστὶ μή τινα τῆς αὐτῶν ἀρχῆς ἐγκρατῆ γενέσθαι μὴ τῆς βασιλικῆς ὄντα σειρᾶς, ἐξέλιπον δὲ ἐκ τῶν συνεχῶν πολέμων ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐλαθέντες οἱ τῆς βασιλικῆς σειρᾶς, τοῦτον τὸν Θεόφοβον πολλάκις ὁρμήσαντες οἱ Πέρσαι ἀναλαβέσθαι ἀπὸ Κων σταντινουπόλεως τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι ἐπ' αὐτοῖς, καὶ πρεσβείαν δια φόρον ποιήσαντες πρὸς Θεόφιλον, καὶ εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς ὑπο