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among others, also the parents of Basil, carrying him still as an infant at the breast, were carried off to the land of the Bulgars. There, both the renowned high priest himself and the parents of Basil and the multitude with the high priest, having preserved their unadulterated faith in Christ, converted many of the Bulgars to the orthodox faith, since the nation had not yet been converted to the worship of God, and in many places of the Bulgarian land the seeds of Christian teaching were sown. But Krum's life came to an end first, and Krytagon his successor, far surpassing the deceased in beastliness, not unaware of what was happening, and that the Bulgarian race was slowly converting to Christianity, became full of anger, and having summoned in his anger both the divine high priest Manuel and the most distinguished of those with him, first tried to gently and smoothly make them abandon the orthodox and blameless faith of the Christians, but when he perceived them to be superior to both promises and threats, after many tortures he delivered them to death through martyrdom. And thus Manuel, the renowned high priest, with a death through martyrdom together with the eminent men under him, seals his own life, and it happened that many of his blood relatives were deemed worthy of the glory of martyrdom; and since it was necessary for the remaining captives to eventually obtain their return, with God from on high arranging their departure, the leader of the Bulgars, having been crushed many times and being unable any longer to stand against the 2.186 Roman forces, embraces peace instead of battle and releases the people from captivity. And as the captives were just being gathered, and were already about to return to their ancestral customs, the ruler also became a spectator of the captives, and catching sight of the boy Basil, already passing out of his childhood years and reaching his youth, he summoned him to himself, seeing him looking on with a noble gaze and smiling charmingly and leaping about, and when he stood near, he wished to take hold of him with his hands and embrace him and to give him an apple of extraordinary size; which this boy, quite innocently and boldly leaning on the ruler's knees, accepted as it was given, showing his own nobility in his unaffected and artless manner, so that the ruler was amazed, but those under him were secretly indignant, that such a youth should be allowed to return home. But nevertheless the captive Roman people was released unharmed by the goodwill of God, and the parents of Basil went out with them, bringing along their own most beloved child. And they say that many signs also happened to him, making the man recognizable, that he would be raised to the imperial station. But the other things must be passed over in the account as creating a digression; but that which it is not right to hand over to silence, this I will relate. It was the height of summer, and those who had begotten the child went out to their own field, urging the reapers to their work. And they were occupied with this, but the little child, so that he might not be 2.187 burned by the heat of the sun, having fashioned a kind of tent from a bundle of ears of corn, they placed him in it to sleep, at the same time contriving for him to get through the scorching heat of the sun unharmed, and at the same time so that he might sleep without interruption, not being disturbed by anything from outside. But they, having fashioned the pallet as the occasion allowed, and having put the child to sleep, went off to their work; but as the sun was casting its rays upon the child and bothering him not a little, an eagle, flying down, with outspread wings was shading the child. And when a cry was raised by those who saw it, fearing that he might suffer something from the animal, the mother, at once running to the child, as she found him sleeping sweetly, and seeing the eagle making a shadow for the child with its wings and not even startled by her approach, but as if even demanding thanks from her, at first she did not understand

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ἄλλων καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Βασιλείου γεννήτορος, ὑπομάζιον αὐτὸν ἔτι φέροντας, εἰς τὴν Βουλγάρων ἀπαχθῆναι γῆν. ἔνθα αὐτός τε ὁ κλεινὸς ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ οἱ τοῦ Βασιλείου γεννήτορες καὶ τὸ σὺν τῷ ἀρχιερεῖ πλῆθος ἀνόθευτον τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν πίστιν διατηρήσαντες πολλοὺς τῶν Βουλγάρων πρὸς τὴν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν μετήγαγον, μήπω τοῦ ἔθνους μετηγμένου πρὸς θεοσέβειαν, καὶ πολλαχοῦ τῆς Βουλγαρικῆς γῆς Χριστιανικῆς διδασκαλίας κατεβέβληντο σπέρ ματα. ἀλλὰ Κροῦμος μὲν ἔφθη καταλύσασθαι τὴν ζωήν, Κρυτά γων δὲ ὁ τούτου διάδοχος πολλῷ τὸν ἀπελθόντα νικῶν εἰς θηριω δίαν, αὐτὸ τὸ γινόμενον οὐκ ἀγνοήσας, καὶ ὅτι τὸ τῶν Βουλγά ρων γένος ἠρέμα πρὸς χριστιανισμὸν μεταφέρεται, θυμοῦ πλήρης καθίσταται, καὶ τόν τε θεῖον ἀρχιερέα Μανουὴλ καὶ τοὺς ἐξοχω τάτους τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν μετὰ θυμοῦ παραστησάμενος πρῶτον μὲν ἠπίως μεταστῆσαι ἐπειρᾶτο καὶ ὁμαλῶς τῆς ὀρθοδόξου καὶ ἀμω μήτου τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστεως, ἐπεὶ δὲ κρείττους αὐτοὺς κατε νόησε καὶ ὑποσχέσεων καὶ ἀπειλῶν, μετὰ πολλὰς αἰκίας τῷ διὰ μαρτυρίου παρέδωκε θανάτῳ. καὶ Μανουὴλ μὲν ὁ κλεινὸς ἀρχιε ρεὺς οὕτω τῷ διὰ μαρτυρίου τέλει συνάμα τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐμφανέσι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπισφραγίζει ζωήν, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν καθ' αἷμα συνέβη προσηκόντων μαρτυρικῆς εὐκλείας ἀξιωθῆναι· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει ποτὲ καθόδου τυχεῖν τοὺς ὑπολελειμμένους αἰχμαλώτους, ἄνωθεν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῖς πραγματευομένου, ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχη γὸς πολλάκις θραυσθεὶς καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος ἐπὶ πλέον πρὸς τὰς 2.186 Ῥωμαϊκὰς δυνάμεις ἀντικαθίστασθαι εἰρήνην ἀντὶ τῆς μάχης ἀσπάζεται καὶ ἀπολύει τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τὸν λαόν. ἄρτι δὲ συνα λιζομένων τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, καὶ μελλόντων ἤδη πρὸς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη παλινοστεῖν, καὶ ὁ ἄρχων θεωρὸς ἐγένετο τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, καὶ τὸν παῖδα κατιδὼν Βασίλειον ἤδη τὴν παιδικὴν παραλλάσσοντα ἡλικίαν καὶ τῆς ἐφήβου ἁπτόμενον πρὸς ἑαυτὸν μετεκαλεῖτο, ἐλευ θέριον ἰδὼν ἐνορῶντα καὶ χαρίεν ὑπογελῶντα καὶ περισκαίροντα, καὶ ἐγγὺς παραστάντα ταῖς χερσὶν ἠθέλησε κατασχεῖν καὶ ἀσπάσα σθαι καὶ μῆλον ὑπερφυὲς τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῷ παρασχεῖν· ὅπερ οὗ τος ἀκάκως πάνυ καὶ θαρραλέως τοῖς τοῦ ἄρχοντος ἐπερειδόμενος γόνασι διδόμενον ὑπεδέξατο, ἐν τῷ ἀπλάστῳ ἤθει καὶ ἀπεριέργῳ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ εὐγένειαν ἐνδεικνύμενος, ὡς ἐκπλαγῆναι μὲν τὸν ἄρ χοντα, ἀγανακτεῖν δὲ λεληθότως τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτόν, εἰ τοιοῦτος ὢν ὁ νέος συγχωροῖτο οἴκοι παλινοστεῖν. ἀλλ' ἀπελύθη ὅμως εὐμε νείᾳ θεοῦ ὁ αἰχμάλωτος τῶν Ῥωμαίων λαὸς ἀπαθής, συνεξῆλθον δὲ οἱ τοῦ Βασιλείου γονεῖς, τὸν φίλτατον ἑαυτῶν παῖδα προσεπα γόμενοι. Φασὶ δὲ καὶ πολλὰ σημεῖα συνενεχθῆναι τούτῳ, γνώριμον καθιστῶντα τὸν ἄνδρα, ὡς εἰς τὴν βασίλειον ἀναχθείη περιωπήν. ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα παριτέον τῷ λόγῳ ὡς παρολκὴν ἐμποιοῦντα· ὃ δ' οὐ θέμις παραδοῦναι σιγῇ, τοῦτο καὶ διηγήσομαι. θέρους ἦν ἀκμή, καὶ οἱ τὸν παῖδα γεγεννηκότες ἐξῆλθον εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀγρόν, τοὺς θεριστὰς πρὸς τὸ ἔργον ἐντείνοντες. καὶ οὗτοι μὲν ἦσαν πρὸς τούτοις, τὸ δὲ παιδίον ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ τοῦ θάλπους κατα 2.187 φλέγοιτο τοῦ ἡλίου, σκηνήν τινα σχεδιάσαντες ἐκ τοῦ συνδέσμου τῶν ἀσταχύων ἐν ταύτῃ τοῦτον κοιμηθησόμενον ἔθεντο, ἅμα μὲν τῆς τοῦ ἡλίου θέρμης τὸν καύσωνα ἀβλαβῶς διελθεῖν μηχανώμε νοι, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὡς ἀπερικόπως ὑπνώττῃ, μὴ ὑπό τινος ἔξωθεν ἐνοχλούμενος. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν τὴν στιβάδα, ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἐδί δου, σχεδιάσαντες καὶ τὸν παῖδα κατακοιμήσαντες ᾤχοντο πρὸς τὸ ἔργον· τοῦ ἡλίου δὲ τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐπαφιέντος τῷ παιδὶ καὶ οὐ μικρῶς τούτῳ παρενοχλοῦντος, ἀετὸς ἐπικαταπτὰς ἡπλωμέναις ταῖς πτέρυξι τὸ παιδίον ἐσκίαζεν. ἀρθείσης δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἰδόντων φωνῆς, μή τι καὶ πάθοι παρὰ τοῦ ζῴου εὐλαβηθέντων, ἡ μήτηρ εὐθὺς πρὸς τὸν παῖδα δραμοῦσα, ὡς εὗρε τοῦτον ἡδέως καθεύ δοντα, ἰδοῦσα δὲ καὶ τὸν ἀετὸν τῷ παιδίῳ σκιὰν ταῖς πτέρυξι περιποιούμενον καὶ μηδὲ πρὸς τὴν ταύτης ἐκπλαγέντα ἐπέλευσιν, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ καὶ χάριν ἀπαιτοῦντος αὐτήν, κατὰ μὲν τὸ πρόχειρον οὐκ εἰς νοῦν