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he decreed he should be detained. And after this he was both expelled from there and was deemed worthy of his former honor. And a male child was born to the emperor from Zoe, his fourth wife, at whose birth a comet appeared, sending its 2.265 rays towards the east and shining for up to forty days. And Nicholas the patriarch baptized the child in Hagia Sophia, with Alexander the emperor's brother, the patrician Samonas, and the most eminent men of the senate receiving him from the holy baptism. And Leo was blessed with Zoe by Thomas the presbyter, who was also deposed, and he proclaimed her Augusta. For this reason, therefore, the patriarch forbade the emperor to enter the church, whence he would pass through the right-hand section into the metatorion. And the patrician Samonas was also promoted to parakoimomenos, having become his most skillful collaborator in every transgression and wickedness. For he induced the emperor to compel the patriarch, even unwillingly, to receive him in the church. And he, at the beginning of the month of February, summoning him, earnestly begged to be received. But since he did not accept the petition, they embarked him on a long ship from the so-called Boukoleon and took him across to Hiereia, from where they led him, making the journey on foot, to the monastery of Galakrenai founded by him. Not much time passed, and the synkellos Euthymios was ordained patriarch, a God-fearing man who had reached the pinnacle of virtue. And they say that, although he was refusing the priesthood, he was persuaded by a divine revelation to accept it. And the emperor was intending, with many notable men collaborating with him in this, to establish a law that a man could have 2.266 at the same time three or even four wives. But the patriarch prevented this with all diligence. And in the month of June, Leo the emperor was invited by Constantine Libs to the monastery newly built by him near the Holy Apostles, in order to perform the dedication and to have luncheon. Suddenly, then, a strong southwest wind blew, and shook many buildings, and disturbed and frightened the people, so that everyone fled from their houses into the open. But a rainstorm that followed stopped this tempest. And when a fleet of the Hagarenes set out against the Romans, the emperor appointed Himerios, the logothete of the drome, commander of the Roman fleet. And Andronikos Doux was also ordered to embark with him and fight against the Hagarenes. But Samonas, being an implacable enemy to the family of the Doukai because of his arrest by Constantine, having suborned one of Andronikos' friends, persuaded him to write secretly not to embark on the ships, since Himerios had an order from the emperor, at the instigation of Samonas, to blind him. So when he received the letter, he was unwilling to embark with Himerios. Therefore he alone was forced to engage the enemy on the 6th of the month of October. And having engaged, he routed them completely and annihilated them. Andronikos, learning this and despairing of everything, having packed up together with his relatives and his slaves, went away and seized a certain fortress situated above Iconium, 2.267 which they called Kabala, and looked to revolt. But Samonas, having seized the opportunity, did not let up, but provoked and agitated the emperor, and saying, "I had long since understood the man, and that he was contriving a revolt, and that it is necessary to anticipate his moves." But since through your delay, O emperor, the opportune and easiest moment has been let pass and the enemy has gone from our hands, a second attempt at least must be made, lest he secretly accomplish something rather than suffer it. Pricked by these words as by some goad, the emperor sent Gregoras Iberitzes, who was domestic of the schools and a relative-by-marriage of Andronikos, with a strong force against Andronikos. which that man learned, and that the patriarch Nicholas, to whom for the most part

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κατέχεσθαι διωρίσατο. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐκεῖθέν τε ἐξεβλήθη καὶ τῆς προτέρας ἠξιώθη τιμῆς. Ἐτέχθη δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπὸ Ζωῆς τῆς τετάρτης αὐτοῦ γαμε τῆς παιδίον ἄρρεν, οὗπερ ἐν τῇ γεννήσει κομήτης ἐφάνη, τὰς 2.265 ἀκτῖνας ἐπ' ἀνατολὰς ἀφιεὶς καὶ λάμπων ἄχρι τεσσαράκοντα ἡμε ρῶν. ἐβάπτισε δὲ τὸ παιδίον ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ σοφίᾳ Νικόλαος ὁ πα τριάρχης, ἀναδεξαμένων αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος Ἀλε ξάνδρου τοῦ αὐταδέλφου τοῦ βασιλέως, τοῦ πατρικίου Σαμωνᾶ καὶ τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου ἐξόχων. εὐλογήθη δὲ μετὰ Ζωῆς ὁ Λέων ὑπὸ Θωμᾶ πρεσβυτέρου, ὅστις καὶ καθῃρέθη, καὶ Αὐγοῦσταν αὐτὴν ἀνηγόρευσε. διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν ὁ πατριάρχης εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν εἰσέρχεσθαι ἐκώλυε τὸν βασιλέα, ὅθεν διὰ τοῦ δεξιοῦ μέρους διήρχετο εἰς τὸ μιτατώριον. προεβλήθη δὲ καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Σαμωνᾶς παρακοιμώμενος, πρὸς πᾶσαν παρανομίαν καὶ κακίαν συνεργὸς αὐτοῦ καθεστὼς δεξιώτατος. παρεσκεύασε γὰρ τὸν βασιλέα ἀναγκάσαι τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ ἄκοντα προσδέξασθαι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ὁ δὲ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνὸς μεταπεμψάμενος αὐτὸν λιπαρῶς ἐδεῖτο προσδεχθῆναι. ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ προσίετο τὴν ἔντευξιν, ἀπὸ τοῦ λεγομένου Βουκολέοντος πλοίῳ μακρῷ ἐμβιβάσαντες διαπερῶσιν ἐν τῇ Ἱερείᾳ, ἀφ' ἧς πεζῇ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ποιούμενον ἄγουσιν εἰς τὸ παρ' αὐτοῦ κτισθὲν μο ναστήριον τῶν Γαλακρηνῶν. οὐ πολὺς παρῆλθε καιρός, καὶ χειροτονεῖται πατριάρχης ὁ σύγκελλος Εὐθύμιος, ἀνὴρ θεοσεβὴς καὶ ἀρετῆς ἥκων εἰς τὸ ἀκρότατον. φασὶ δ' ὅτι καὶ ἀπαναινό μενος τὴν ἱερωσύνην θείᾳ ἀποκαλύψει ἐπείσθη αὐτὴν καταδέξα σθαι. διενοεῖτο δὲ ὁ βασιλεύς, πολλῶν ἐλλογίμων ἀνδρῶν εἰς τοῦτο συνεργούντων αὐτῷ, νόμον θεῖναι τοῦ ἄγεσθαι τὸν ἄνδρα 2.266 κατὰ ταυτὸν τρεῖς ἢ καὶ τέτταρας γυναῖκας. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν πάσῃ σπουδῇ διεκώλυσεν ὁ πατριάρχης. Ἰουνίῳ δὲ μηνὶ προσεκλήθη Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς παρὰ Κων σταντίνου τοῦ Λιβὸς εἰς τὴν καινουργηθεῖσαν παρ' αὐτοῦ μονὴν ἔγγιον τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ ἐγκαίνια ἐπιτελέσαι καὶ ἀριστῆσαι. ἐξαίφνης οὖν ἔπνευσεν ἄνεμος λὶψ σφοδρός, καὶ συνέσεισεν οἰκοδομὰς πολλάς, καὶ συνετάραξε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἐξεφόβησεν, ὡς πάντας φεύγειν ἐκ τῶν οἰκιῶν εἰς τὰ ὕπαιθρα. ὄμβρος δ' ἐπιγενόμενος ἔστησε τὴν τοιαύτην καταιγίδα. στόλου δὲ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐξελθόντος, ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἱμέριοντὸν λογοθέτην τοῦ δρόμου ἀρχηγέτην τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ κατέστησε στόλου. προσετάχθη δὲ καὶ Ἀνδρόνικος ὁ ∆οὺξ συνεισελθεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ ἀγωνίσασθαι κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν. ὁ δὲ Σαμωνᾶς τῷ τῶν ∆ουκῶν γένει ἀκατάλλακτος ὢν ἐχθρὸς διὰ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου κατάσχεσιν, ὑποθείς τινι τῶν Ἀνδρονίκου φίλων ἔπεισε γράψαι λαθραίως μὴ ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις εἰσελθεῖν, τοῦ Ἱμερίου παράγγελμα ἔχοντος ἐκ βασιλέως ὑποβολῇ τοῦ Σαμωνᾶ ἐκτυφλῶ σαι αὐτόν. ὡς οὖν ἐδέξατο τὸ γράμμα, οὐκ ἤθελε τῷ Ἱμερίῳ συνεισελθεῖν. διὸ καὶ μόνος ἠναγκάσθη κατὰ τὴν ʹ τοῦ Ὀκτω βρίου μηνὸς συμβαλεῖν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. καὶ συμβαλὼν ἐτρέψατο κατὰ κράτος καὶ ἠφάνισε. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ τοῖς ὅλοις ἀπεγνωκώς, συσκευασάμενος ἅμα συγγενέσι καὶ δούλοις αὐ τοῦ ἀπελθὼν κατέσχε τι φρούριον ἄνωθεν τοῦ Ἰκονίου διακείμενον, 2.267 ὃ Καβάλαν ὠνόμαζον, καὶ εἰς ἀποστασίαν ἔβλεψεν. οὐκ ἀνίει δ' ὁ Σαμωνᾶς ἀφορμῆς δραξάμενος καὶ παροξύνων καὶ συνταράσ σων τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ λέγων ὡς ἐγὼ πάλαι κατανενοήκειν τὸν ἄν θρωπον, καὶ ὡς ἀποστασίαν ὠδίνει καὶ ὡς χρὴ προκαταλαβεῖν τὰς ὁρμὰς αὐτοῦ. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῇ σῇ μελλήσει, ὦ βασιλεῦ, παρεῖται μὲν ὁ ἐπιτήδειος καὶ ῥᾷστος καιρὸς καὶ ᾤχετο ἐκ μέσων ἡμῶν τῶν χει ρῶν ὁ πολέμιος, τὸν δεύτερον κἂν πλοῦν ποιητέον, μὴ καὶ λάθῃ δράσας τι μᾶλλον ἢ παθών. τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις ὥσπερ τινὶ πλή κτρῳ νυγεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Ἰβηρίτζην Γρηγορᾶν, δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν καὶ κηδεστὴν Ἀνδρονίκου τυγχάνοντα, μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς ἀποστέλλει κατ' Ἀνδρονίκου. ὅπερ μαθὼν ἐκεῖνος, καὶ ὡς ὁ πατριάρχης Νικόλαος, ᾧ τὰ πολλὰ