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The general Andreas himself was sent, and the magistros Stephen, and the magistros Hagipolites, and Craterus and Gouber the patricians. Having therefore brought Patriarch Photius and honorably seated him upon a throne, and having seated themselves, they began the examination. And the general said to the patriarch, "Do you know, O master, the monk Theodore?" He replied, "I know many monks named Theodore; which one do you mean?" When Andreas added the name of Santabarenos, the patriarch said, "I know the man, he is the bishop of Euchaita." And when Santabarenos was brought in, Andreas said to him, "The emperor asks you, where are the money and the goods of my empire?" He answered, "With those to whom the emperor of that day gave them. But since the current ruler now seeks them, he has the authority both to seek them and to take them." And Andreas said, "Tell me now, whom were you plotting to make emperor, by suggesting to the emperor's father that he put out the eyes of his own son? A relative of yours or of the patriarch?" But he swore that he knew nothing of what he was accused. And the magistros Stephen said, "Then, O versatile and scheming man, 2.252 how did you inform the emperor that you would convict the patriarch concerning this?" And he, when he heard this speech, immediately grasped the patriarch's feet, saying, "I adjure you, master, by God, to depose me first, and then let them take me, stripped of the priesthood, and punish me as a malefactor. For I am conscious of no such thing, nor did I inform the emperor." But the patriarch, taking him up and raising him from his feet, said, "By my salvation, lord Theodore, you are an archbishop both in this age and in the age to come." But Andreas the general, becoming angry, said, "And did you not inform the emperor through me, you imposter and sorcerer, that you would convict the patriarch concerning this?" But he again denied knowing anything about this. When the magistrates returned and made known to the emperor what had been said, he, inflamed with anger, and even more so because he could not find a reasonable charge against the patriarch, sent and had Santabarenos flogged severely and exiled him to Athens, and afterwards he sent and had him blinded and transferred him to the east. He recalled him after a delay of many years, and assigned him rations from the New Church. He died after the death of Leo, while his wife Zoe and his son Constantine were reigning. In the second year of the reign of Leo, Angaion, the 2.253 duke of Langobardia, and son-in-law of the king of Francia, having learned of the death of Emperor Basil, renounced his friendship with the Romans and brought the whole country under his own control. Learning of this, the emperor sent the patrician Constantine, the master of the table, against him with the western themes. When an engagement took place, the forces of Constantine were defeated and cut to pieces, with him barely being saved. At this time there was also an eclipse of the sun around the sixth hour of the day, so that even the stars appeared, and a violent blast of winds and lightning and dreadful thunder and scorching thunderbolts, by which seven men on the steps of Saint Constantine in the forum were struck by lightning. Samos was also besieged by the Saracens, and the general in it, Constantine Paspalas the patrician, was captured along with it. The emperor, overcome by his passion for Zoe, the daughter of Zaoutzes, honored her father as basileopator, having himself created this dignity which had not previously existed. For Zoe, who at that time shone most greatly in beauty and grace, had been married to a man, Theodore Gouniazitzes the patrician, but after he was treacherously murdered by poison, she became the emperor's mistress while, as has been said, his own wife was still alive. In the following year, Stephen, the emperor's brother and patriarch, departed this life, and Antony was appointed in 2.254 his place

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αὐτός τε ὁ στρατηλάτης ἐπέμφθη Ἀνδρέας καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Στέφανος καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος ὁ Ἁγιοπολίτης καὶ Κρατερὸς καὶ Γοῦβερ οἱ πατρίκιοι. ἀγαγόντες οὖν τὸν πατριάρχην Φώτιον καὶ ἐντίμως ἐπὶ θρόνου καθίσαντες, καὶ αὐτοὶ καθεσθέντες, τὴν ἐξέτασιν ἐποιοῦντο. καὶ φησὶν ὁ στρατηλάτης πρὸς τὸν πατριάρ χην "γνωρίζεις, ὦ δέσποτα, τὸν μοναχὸν Θεόδωρον;" ὁ δὲ "μοναχοὺς οἶδα Θεοδώρους πολλούς· ποῖον λέγεις;" τοῦ δὲ Ἀν δρέου προσθεμένου τὴν τοῦ Σανδαβαρηνοῦ προσηγορίαν, ὁ πα τριάρχης "γινώσκω" ἔφη "τὸν ἄνδρα, ἐπίσκοπον τῶν Εὐχαΐτων ὑπάρχοντα." ἐνεχθέντος δὲ καὶ τοῦ Σανδαβαρηνοῦ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ Ἀνδρέας "ὁ βασιλεύς σοι δηλοῖ, ποῦ εἰσὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τὰ πράγματα τῆς βασιλείας μου;" ὁ δὲ ὑπολαβὼν "παρ' ἐκείνοις οἷς δέδωκε ταῦτα ὁ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν βασιλεύς. ἐπεὶ δὲ νῦν ζητεῖ ταῦτα ὁ ἄρτι κρατῶν, ἐξουσίαν ἔχει καὶ ζητεῖν ταῦτα καὶ λαμβάνειν." καὶ ὁ Ἀνδρέας "εἰπὲ τέως, σὺ τίνα ἐβουλεύου βασιλέα ποιῆσαι, τῷ πατρὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑποτιθεὶς τοῦ οἰκείου παιδὸς ἐξορύξαι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς; σὸν συγγενῆ ἢ τοῦ πατριάρ χου;" ὁ δὲ ἐξώμνυτο μηδὲν ὧν κατηγορεῖτο εἰδέναι. καὶ φησὶν ὁ μάγιστρος Στέφανος "εἶτα, ὦ πολύτροπε καὶ μηχανορράφε, 2.252 πῶς ἐμήνυσας περὶ τούτου τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξελέγξειν τὸν πατριάρχην;" καὶ ὅς, ὡς ἤκουσε τούτου τοῦ λόγου, εὐθέως ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου ποδῶν, "ὁρκίζω σε δέσποτα κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ" λέγων "πρότερόν με καθαιρῆσαι, καὶ τότε γυμνὸν ἱερωσύνης παραλαβέτωσαν καὶ κολαζέτωσαν ὡς κακοῦργον. οὐδὲν γὰρ τοιοῦ τον σύνοιδα ἐμαυτῷ, οὔτε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐμήνυσα." ὁ δὲ πατριάρ χης ἀναλαμβάνων αὐτὸν καὶ τῶν ποδῶν ἀνιστῶν φησὶ "μὰ τὴν ἐμὴν σωτηρίαν, κύριε Θεόδωρε, ἀρχιεπίσκοπος εἶ καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι." θυμωθεὶς δὲ Ἀνδρέας ὁ στρατηλά της "καὶ οὐκ ἐμήνυσας δι' ἐμοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἀπατεὼν καὶ γόης, τὸν πατριάρχην περὶ τούτου ἐλέγξαι;" ὁ δὲ πάλιν ἀπηρνεῖτο περὶ τούτου μηδὲν εἰδέναι. ὑποστρεψάντων δὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τὰ λαληθέντα γνώριμα θεμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ, αὐτὸς τῷ θυμῷ φλεγμαίνων, καὶ πλέον διὰ τὸ μὴ κατὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου εὔλογον αἰτίαν εὑρεῖν, ἀποστείλας ἐμάστιξε τὸν Σανδαβαρηνὸν ἀπηνῶς καὶ ἐν Ἀθήναις ἐξώρισε, καὶ κατόπιν ἀποστείλας ἐτύφλωσε καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἕω μετέθηκεν. ἀνεκαλέσατο δὲ τοῦτον μετὰ χρόνων πολλῶν παρολκήν, καὶ σιτήσεις τούτῳ ἀφώρισεν ἀπὸ τῆς νέας ἐκκλησίας. ἐτελεύτησε δὲ μετὰ θάνατον Λέοντος, ἐπὶ Ζωῆς τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ βασι λευόντων. Τῷ δευτέρῳ ἔτει τῆς βασιλείας Λέοντος Ἀγγαίων ὁ Λαγγο 2.253 βαρδίας δούξ, γαμβρὸς δὲ τοῦ ῥηγὸς Φραγγίας, τὸν θάνατον πυθόμενος Βασιλείου τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπέστη τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους φιλίας καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο. τοῦτο γνοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν πατρίκιον Κωνσταντῖνον, τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης, μετὰ τῶν δυτικῶν ἐκπέμπει κατ' αὐτοῦ θεμάτων. συμβολῆς δὲ γενομένης οἱ περὶ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ἡττήθησαν καὶ κατεκόπησαν, μόγις ἐκείνου περισωθέντος. Κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἐγένετο καὶ ἡλίου ἔκλειψις περὶ ὥραν ἕκτην τῆς ἡμέρας, ὥστε καὶ ἀστέρας φανῆναι, ἀνέμων τε βιαία πνοὴ καὶ ἀστραπαὶ καὶ βρονταὶ φρικώδεις καὶ σκηπτοὶ καυ σώδεις, ὑφ' ὧν καὶ ἄνδρες ἑπτὰ ἐν τοῖς ἀναβάθμοις τοῦ ἁγίου Κωνσταντίνου ἐν τῷ φόρῳ ἐκεραυνώθησαν. ἐπολιορκήθη δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ Σαρακηνῶν ἡ Σάμος, συμπαραληφθέντος καὶ τοῦ στρατη γοῦντος ἐν αὐτῇ Κωνσταντίνου πατρικίου τοῦ Πασπαλᾶ. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῷ πρὸς Ζωὴν τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ Ζαουτζᾶ φίλτρῳ νικώ μενος τιμᾷ τὸν ταύτης πατέρα βασιλεοπάτορα, αὐτὸς τὸ ἀξίωμα καινουργήσας μὴ πρότερον ὄν. ἡ γὰρ Ζωὴ μέγιστον ἐπὶ κάλλει καὶ εὐπρεπείᾳ τῷ τότε διαλάμπουσα συνέζευκτο μὲν ἀνδρὶ Θεο δώρῳ πατρικίῳ τῷ Γουνιαζίτζῃ, ἐκείνου δὲ δολοφονηθέντος φαρ μάκῳ ἐπαλλακεύετο τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ζώσης, ὡς εἴρηται, τῆς αὐ τοῦ γυναικός. Τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἔτει Στέφανος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφὸς καὶ πατριάρχης ἀπέλιπε τὴν ζωήν, καὶ προεχειρίσθη Ἀντώνιος ἀντ' 2.254 αὐτοῦ