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cast away the omen, but as she was, taking a stone from the ground she drove the eagle away. And he flew away a little, but when the woman returned to her husband, the eagle was again present in the same manner, overshadowing the child with outstretched wings. And again a piercing cry was raised by the onlookers, and the mother to the child, and again the eagle being scared away by a stone, and the mother's return to the workers. When this happened three times and many times, she at last gained an understanding of the divine symbol, and she inferred from what had happened before what would happen later. The boy was therefore raised with all care by his parents alone; and when he had already passed the 2.188 age of youths, his father departed this life, and widowhood befell the mother and orphanhood this young man, and from this arose troubles and afflictions. And a swarm of cares also flowed in, as the care of the house and his mother’s forethought and that of his siblings had just attached itself to him. Since agriculture seemed to him a small help and assistant for his livelihood, he decided to enter the capital city and from there to provide worthily for himself and his beloved ones the necessities. And he had this desire for the capital city, but his mother held him back and restrained him, not allowing him to do what he planned, but begging him to remain and care for her in her old age, and when she had departed, to send her on her way with his own hands, and thus to undertake the journey that was his heart's desire. But even as she was holding him so tenaciously, the cares of life persuaded her to release him. Setting out, therefore, from Macedonia, he reached the capital city; and having traversed the distance in between, and having come to the golden gates of the capital, and having entered through them as it was already toward evening, in the monastery of the holy martyr Diomedes, upon the benches in the forecourts before the gateway, being exhausted, he threw himself down carelessly as he was and rested.

And about the first watch of the night, the martyr Diomedes appeared in a dream to the abbot of the monastery, ordering him to go out to the gateway of the monastery and to call Basil by name, and to lead the one who answered into the monastery and deem him worthy of care; for this man had been anointed king by God, and 2.189 he was destined to be for the rebuilding and growth of the present monastery. But the abbot, reckoning what he had seen to be a phantom, took no account of what had been said, but gave himself up again to sleep. But having seen the same things again a second time, since being somewhat sluggish and sleepy he did not get up, a third time he saw the martyr no longer exhorting him quietly and gently, but even threatening him very fiercely and seeming to bring scourges, if he would not more quickly obey what was said. Then, indeed, having been awakened in fear and having shaken off his hesitation, he stood at the gateway, and according to the divine command he called, “Basil.” And he immediately [replied], “Here I am, lord; what do you command your servant?” And leading him inside the monastery, he deemed him worthy of the needed care and attention and showed him every kindness. Then, having made him promise to keep it secret and not to make it known to anyone but to guard the mystery within himself, he revealed to him the martyr's prophecy, and implored him to remember both himself and the monastery after the outcome of events. But when he shook off the matter as being beyond him, and rather asked the abbot to be placed in servitude to one of the more prominent men, the abbot gladly handed him over to this man, and since Theophilus, a kinsman of the emperor Michael and of Bardas the Caesar, who because of his youth they called by the diminutive Theophilitzes, was on familiar terms with that monastery, to him he introduced Basil, as he was always eager to have as attendants about him men who were noble and handsome and renowned for their manliness; 2.190 for such men he sought

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ἔβαλλε τὸ θεοπρόπιον, ἀλλ' ὡς εἶχε λίθον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς λαβοῦσα τὸν ἀετὸν ἀπεδίωκε. καὶ οὗτος μὲν μικρὸν ἀπέπτη, τῆς δὲ γυναικὸς πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα ὑποστρεψάσης πάλιν παρῆν ὁ ἀετὸς κατὰ τὸ πρότερον σχῆμα ἡπλωμέναις ταῖς πτέρυξι τὸ παιδίον ἐπι σκιάζων. καὶ πάλιν ἦρτο φωνὴ παρὰ τῶν θεατῶν διωλύγιος, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ πρὸς τὸ παιδίον, καὶ λίθῳ πάλιν ὁ ἀετὸς ἀποσοβού μενος, καὶ ἡ τῆς μητρὸς πρὸς τοὺς ἐργαζομένους ὑποστροφή. ὡς δὲ καὶ τρὶς καὶ πολλάκις τοῦτο ἐγένετο, μόλις ποτὲ συναίσθησιν τοῦ θείου λαμβάνει συμβόλου, καὶ τεκμηριοῦται διὰ τῶν προλα βόντων τὰ γενόμενα ὕστερον. Ἐτρέφετο τοίνυν διὰ πάσης ἐπιμελείας ὁ παῖς ὑπὸ μόνοις τοῖς φύσασιν· ἤδη δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν τῶν νεανίσκων παραμείψαντος 2.188 ἡλικίαν μετήλλαξε μὲν ὁ πατὴρ τὸν βίον, χηρεία δὲ περὶ τὴν μη τέρα καὶ ὀρφανία περὶ τουτονὶ τὸν νεανίαν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀνίαι καὶ θλίψεις ἀπεφύοντο. ἐπέρρει δὲ καὶ φροντίδων ἐσμός, τῆς περὶ τὸν οἶκον ἐπιμελείας καὶ τῆς μητρικῆς προνοίας καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἄρτι ἐφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐξημμένης. ἐπείπερ ἡ γεωργία μικρά τις ἐπι κουρία ἐδόκει αὐτῷ καὶ συνεργὸς πρὸς τὸν βίον, βουλεύεται πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν εἰσελθεῖν κἀντεῦθεν ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς φιλτά τοις ἐπαξίως πορίζεσθαι τὰ δέοντα. καὶ τοῦτον μὲν εἶχεν ὁ πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἔρως, ἀνθεῖλκε δὲ καὶ κατεῖχεν ἡ μήτηρ, μὴ συγχωροῦσα ποιῆσαι τὸ βουλευόμενον, ἀλλὰ προσμένειν παρακα λοῦσα καὶ γηροτροφεῖν, ἀπελθοῦσαν δὲ παραπέμψαι ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ χερσί, καὶ οὕτω πορείαν στείλασθαι τὴν αὐτῷ καταθύμιον. ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως αὐτὴν ἔχουσαν δυσαποσπάστως αἱ βιωτικαὶ φροντίδες ἀναπείθουσιν ἀπολῦσαι. ἄρας οὖν ἐκ Μακεδονίας τὴν βασιλίδα καταλαμβάνει· καὶ τὸ μεταξὺ διανύσας διάστημα, καὶ κατὰ τὰς χρυσᾶς πύλας τῆς βασιλίδος γενόμενος, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν εἰσελθὼν ἤδη πρὸς ἑσπέραν τῆς ἡμέρας οὔσης, ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου μάρτυρος ∆ιομήδους μονῇ, κατὰ τὰ ἐν τοῖς προαυλίοις βάθρα πρὸ τοῦ πυλῶνος, κατάκοπος ὤν, ἀτημελῶς ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐπιρρίψας ἑαυτὸν ἀνεπαύετο.

Περὶ πρώτην δὲ φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ὄναρ τῷ τῆς μονῆς ἡγουμένῳ ὁ μάρτυς ἐφίσταται ∆ιομήδης, κελεύων ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὸν τῆς μονῆς πυλῶνα καὶ ὀνομαστὶ καλέσαι Βασίλειον, καὶ τὸν ὑπακούσαντα εἰσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ μοναστήριον καὶ ἐπιμελείας ἀξιῶσαι· κεχρισμένον γὰρ εἶναι τοῦτον βασιλέα παρὰ θεοῦ, καὶ 2.189 αὐτὸν μέλλειν εἰς ἀνοικοδομὴν καὶ αὔξησιν τῆς παρούσης γενέσθαι μονῆς. ὁ δὲ καθηγούμενος φάντασμα τὸ θεαθὲν εἶναι ὑπολογι σάμενος ἐν οὐδενὶ λόγῳ τὰ λαληθέντα ἐποιήσατο, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἑαυ τὸν τῷ ὕπνῳ ἐπεδεδώκει. τὰ ὅμοια δὲ πάλιν ἐκ δευτέρου θεασά μενος, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀνέφερε νωθής τις ὢν καὶ ὑπνώδης, ἐκ τρίτου βλέπει τὸν μάρτυρα οὐκέθ' ἡσύχως καὶ πράως παρακελευόμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν σφοδρῶς ἀπειλοῦντα καὶ μάστιγας τῷ δοκεῖν ἐπι φέροντα, εἰ μὴ θᾶττον ὑπηρετήσει τοῖς λεγομένοις. τότε δ' οὖν ἔμφοβος διυπνισθεὶς καὶ τὸν ὄκνον ἐκτιναξάμενος τῷ πυλῶνι ἐφί σταται, καὶ κατὰ τὸ θεῖον πρόσταγμα ἐκάλει Βασίλειε. καὶ ὃς εὐθὺς "ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, κύριε· τί προστάσσεις τῷ δούλῳ σου;" εἴσω δὲ αὐτὸν τῆς μονῆς εἰσαγαγὼν δεούσης τε θεραπείας καὶ ἐπιμε λείας ἠξίωσε καὶ πάσης μετέδωκε φιλοφροσύνης. εἶτ' ἐχεμυθεῖν ἀσφαλισάμενος καὶ μὴ ἔκπυστον πρός τινα θέσθαι ἀλλὰ παρ' ἑαυ τῷ φυλάττειν τὸ μυστήριον παρεγγυήσας, τὴν τοῦ μάρτυρος αὐτῷ ἐφανέρωσε πρόρρησιν, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἔκβασιν τῶν πραγμάτων ἑαυ τοῦ τε καὶ τῆς μονῆς μεμνῆσθαι ἐδυσώπει. τοῦ δὲ ὡς ὑπὲρ ἑαυ τὸν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀποσειομένου, καὶ μᾶλλον ἀξιοῦντος τὸν ἡγούμε νον εἰσοικισθῆναί τινι τῶν ἐμφανεστέρων εἰς δουλείαν, ἀσπασίως ἑαυτὸν εἰς τοῦτον ἐκδέδωκεν ὁ ἡγούμενος, καὶ ἐπεὶ συνήθως εἶχε πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην μονὴν ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ καὶ τοῦ Βάρδα τοῦ Καίσαρος συγγενὴς Θεόφιλος, ὃν ὑποκοριζόμενοι διὰ τὸ μι κρὸν τῆς ἡλικίας Θεοφιλίτζην ἐκάλουν, τούτῳ συνέστησε τὸν Βα σίλειον ἀεὶ σπουδὴν ἔχοντι γενναίους καὶ εὐειδεῖς καὶ ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ 2.190 διαβοήτους κεκτῆσθαι περὶ αὐτὸν ὑπηρέτας· τοιούτους γὰρ προσ