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should need arise against a beast, you hand it over? And if some secret plot should often be made against you, that you might not be found unarmed, but 2.246 have something with which you could defend yourself against your father's enemies?" But Leo, not suspecting the deceit, nor understanding the scheme, accepts the advice and is persuaded to carry a dagger inside his boot. And Sandabarenos, knowing that his own plot had proceeded to action, approaches the emperor and says, "Let it be known to you, O emperor, that your son is plotting against your life; and if you disbelieve, when you go out hunting, order the sandals to be taken from his feet, and if he be found carrying a sword, my counsel will certainly be advantageous." These things were said, a royal expedition was announced, all the usual retinue went out with him, and Leo, the emperor's son, goes out as well. And having arrived at a certain place, the emperor pretends to have need of a dagger, and he demanded it with insistence. So the son, foreseeing none of the things suspected by his father, guilelessly drew out the dagger which he was carrying and gives it to his father.

When this happened, the accusations of Sandabarenos were immediately believed, while the defenses from Leo were futile and empty. Therefore the emperor, having returned to the palace, rises up in anger against his son, and in one of the palace rooms, which is called the Margarita, he made him a prisoner, and he also takes away the insignia of royalty. He was also provoked by Sandabarenos to put out the lights of his eyes. But he was prevented from doing this by the patriarch and the counsel of the senate, but nevertheless he kept him inside the prison. And when a long time had passed, 2.247 and the senate had often wished to intercede concerning this but was prevented for one reason or another in various ways, a reasonable pretext was given, by which they were led to accomplish what they were striving for. There was a certain flying animal hanging in a cage in the palace for the sight and delight of those who saw and heard it (the name of the animal was parrot), imitative and of many voices; which, whether taught by some or otherwise spontaneously, often uttered, "Alas, alas, lord Leo." And once when a banquet was being held for the emperor and the leading men of the senate were dining with him, and the bird often uttered the aforesaid phrase, the banqueters became gloomy, ceased from their feasting, and sat in thought; to whom the emperor paid attention and asked the reason for their abstinence from the food. And they, their eyes filling with tears, said, "What food, O master, shall we eat, being so reproached by the voice of this irrational creature, we who are considered rational and loyal to our master, since the irrational animal itself calls upon its own master, while we, feasting, have become forgetful of a master who has done no wrong. For if he is convicted of wrongdoing and of having prepared his right hand against his father, we all will become his slayers with our own hands, not taking our fill of his blood; but if he escapes conviction on the charges for which he was accused, for how long will the slanderous tongue prevail against him?" Therefore the emperor, softened by such words, then ordered them to be seated, 2.248 and promised to look into the matter himself; and not long after, returning to his natural disposition, he brings his son out of prison and into his sight, and changes his mourning clothes, and cuts off the excess hair that had grown during his grief, and restores to him the former honor of the empire. Not much time was in between, and he is seized by the disease of dysentery, and little by little he was wasted away by such a wasting sickness. And having arranged the affairs of the empire as seemed best, and having made known his heir and successor, he departed this life, having been co-emperor with Michael before him for one year, and having excelled for another nineteen years in the autocratic rule of the empire.

387

κατὰ θηρίου σχῇ χρείαν, ἐπιδιδῷς; καὶ εἴ τι λαθραῖον πολλά κις κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιβούλευμα γένηται, μὴ ἄνοπλος εὑρεθῇς, ἀλλ' 2.246 ἔχῃς τι μεθ' ὅτου δυνήσῃ τοὺς πατρικοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἀνταμύνα σθαι;" οὐχ ὑπειδόμενος δὲ τὸν δόλον ὁ Λέων, οὐδὲ συννοήσας τὴν μηχανήν, δέχεται τὴν συμβουλήν, καὶ μάχαιραν ἐντὸς τοῦ ὑποδήματος ἐπιφέρεσθαι πείθεται. γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Σανδαβαρηνὸς εἰς ἔργον χωρήσασαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκευωρίαν, πρόσεισι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ φησὶ "γνωστόν σοι ἔστω, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὡς ἐπιβουλεύει τῇ ζωῇ σου ὁ σὸς υἱός· καὶ εἰ ἀπιστεῖς, ὅταν κατὰ θήραν ἐξίῃς, κέλευσον περιαιρεθῆναι τὰ πέδιλα τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰ εὑρεθείη ξίφος ἐπιφερόμενος, ἔσται πάντως ἡ ἐμὴ συμβουλὴ συμφέρουσα." ἐλέχθη ταῦτα, ἔξοδος κατηγγέλθη βασιλική, συνεξῆλθεν ἅπαν τὸ εἰωθός, ἔξεισι καὶ Λέων ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱός. καὶ κατά τινα τόπον γενόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς προσποιεῖται χρείαν ἔχειν μαχαίρας, καὶ ἐπεζήτει ταύτην μετ' ἐπιτάσεως. μηδὲν οὖν τῶν ὑπονοουμέ νων τῷ πατρὶ προειδὼς ὁ υἱός, ἀπονήρως ἐφελκυσάμενος ἣν ἐπε φέρετο μάχαιραν ἐπιδίδωσι τῷ πατρί.

Τούτου γενομένου αἱ μὲν τοῦ Σανδαβαρηνοῦ προσαγγελίαι εὐθὺς ἐπιστεύοντο, αἱ δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Λέοντος ἀπολογίαι μάταιοι καὶ κεναί. ὑποστρέψας οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια πρὸς ὀργὴν κατὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ διανίσταται, καὶ ἔν τινι τῶν βασιλείων οἴκων, ὃς μαργαρίτης κατονομάζεται, ἔμφρουρον τοῦτον πεποίηκεν, ἀφαιρεῖται δὲ καὶ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας παράσημα. διηρεθίζετο δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Σανδαβαρηνοῦ καὶ τοὺς λύχνους ἀποσβέσαι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν ἐκω λύθη ποιῆσαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς, τῆς εἱρκτῆς δὲ ὅμως εἶχεν ἐντός. χρόνου δὲ παραδραμόντος συχνοῦ, 2.247 καὶ πολλάκις τῆς συγκλήτου βουληθείσης διαπρεσβεύσασθαι περὶ τούτου καὶ κατ' ἄλλην καὶ ἄλλην αἰτίαν ἄλλως καὶ ἄλλως κωλυο μένης, πρόφασις δίδοται εὔλογος, ἐξ ἧς ὡδηγήθησαν εἰς τὸ κα ταλῦσαι τὰ σπουδαζόμενα. ζῷον ἦν τι πτηνὸν ἐν κλωβῷ κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια αἰωρούμενον πρὸς θέαν καὶ τέρψιν τῶν θεωμένων καὶ ἀκουόντων (ψιττακὸς ὄνομα τῷ ζῴῳ), μιμηλὸν καὶ πολύφωνον· ὅπερ εἴτε πρός τινων διδαχθὲν εἴτ' ἄλλως πως ἐξ αὐτομάτου πολ λάκις "αἲ αἲ κύριε Λέον" ἐφθέγγετο. εὐωχίας δέ ποτε τελουμέ νης τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῶν πρώτων τῆς βουλῆς συνεστιωμένων αὐτῷ, καὶ τοῦ ὄρνιθος πολλάκις φθεγγομένου τὸ προρρηθέν, ἐπιστυγνά σαντες οἱ δαιτυμόνες τῆς εὐωχίας ἐπαύσαντο καὶ ἐπὶ συννοίας ἐκά θηντο· οἷσπερ προσσχὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀποχῆς τῶν βρωμάτων ἐπήρετο. οἱ δὲ δακρύων ὑποπλησθέντες τοὺς ὀφθαλ μοὺς "τίνα ὦ δέσποτα" εἶπον "βρῶσιν φαγούμεθα, οὕτως ὑπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἀλόγου τούτου ὀνειδιζόμενοι, δοκοῦντες ἡμεῖς λο γικοί τε καὶ φιλοδέσποτοι, ὅτι αὐτὸ μὲν τὸ ἄλογον ζῷον τὸν οἰκεῖον ἀνακαλεῖται δεσπότην, ἡμεῖς δὲ τρυφῶντες λήθην τοῦ μηδὲν ἀδι κήσαντος ἐλάβομεν δεσπότου. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀδικῶν ἐλέγχεται καὶ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς εὐτρεπίσας τὴν δεξιάν, αὐτόχειρες ἡμεῖς τούτου γενησόμεθα πάντες, τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ μὴ λαμβάνοντες κόρον· εἰ δ' ἐφ' οἷς ἐνεκλήθη διαφεύγει τὸν ἔλεγχον, μέχρι τίνος ἡ συκο φάντις γλῶσσα κατ' αὐτοῦ δυναμοῦται;" μαλαχθεὶς οὖν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ὁ βασιλεὺς τότε μὲν καθεσθῆναι τούτοις προσ 2.248 έταξε, σκοπῆσαι δ' αὐτὸς περὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπηγγείλατο· μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ πρὸς τὴν φύσιν ἐπανελθὼν ἐξάγει τε φρουρᾶς καὶ εἰς ὄψιν ἄγει τὸν υἱόν, καὶ τὴν πένθιμον ἀμείβει στολήν, καὶ τὸ περιττὸν τῆς ἐν τῇ λύπῃ τραφείσης κόμης περιαιρεῖ, καὶ τὴν προτέραν τῆς βασιλείας τιμὴν ἀποδίδωσιν. Οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ, καὶ διαρροίας νόσῳ ἁλίσκεται, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν τῇ τοιαύτῃ τηκεδόνι κατεμαραίνετο. διαθεὶς δ' ὡς ἐδόκει τὰ τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ τὸν κληρονόμον καὶ διάδοχον γνώ ριμον ποιησάμενος, τὸν βίον ἀπέλιπε, συμβασιλεύσας μὲν τῷ πρὸ αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ χρόνον ἕνα, ἑτέρους δὲ ἐννέα καὶ δέκα χρόνους περὶ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα τῆς βασιλείας διαπρέψας ἀρχήν.