397

outcome, the account proceeding will declare; But when Michael Tziriton approached the emperor privately and reported that Samonas had made the note, he was immediately brought down to his house and tonsured a monk, then he is led away to the monastery of the patriarch Euthymios, and from there, having been reviled, he is transferred to the monastery of Martinakios. But these things were done before the appointed deadline from the metropolitan had passed. And he made Constantine the 2.273 *parakoimomenos* in his place. And he also built for him a monastery in Nossiai, in the name of the Savior, which he also consecrated together with Euthymios the patriarch. And when the Agarenes went forth with three hundred ships, which were led by Damian, the emir of Tyre, and Leo of Tripoli, Himerios the logothete, being admiral of the Romans, in the month of October, met them at Samos, of which Romanos Lakapenos was *strategos*. And having engaged them with his men, he was defeated, and when the ships under his command were scattered, he himself barely escaped to Mitylene.

But the emperor, having been seized by a stomach ailment, and for a time worn out by such a suffering and having reached extreme weakness, was barely able to make the customary public address at the time of abstinence. For when the senate was gathered, he began to speak to them such words. "My flesh, O friends, worn out by disease, has wasted away, and my strength has failed, and perhaps I will no longer live among you, nor will I reach the resurrection of the Lord Christ. Therefore, I ask this one and final favor of you, to remember the good disposition I had toward you, and in return for this to maintain goodwill for my wife and for my son." And such was the emperor's speech, but the senatorial council, weeping and with lamentations, promised to be held by inconsolable grief at being deprived of such a lord and emperor, and to maintain goodwill both for the empress and for our lord and emperor and your son, so that, if 2.274 it should be necessary, to die ten thousand times before them. Having said these things and having given a final farewell to the emperor, the senate departed. Yet the emperor did not die immediately, but continued being sick and suffering from gangrene until the 11th of the month of May, on which day he departed from life, having handed over the scepters of the empire to Alexander his brother. Seeing him, as they say, coming for the last audience, he is said to have said, "Behold the evil time after 13 months." Having therefore handed over, as has been said, the power of the empire, and having urged many things for his son Constantine to be raised and deemed worthy of fitting care, and finally to leave him as his successor, he died. And Alexander, the brother of Leo, being already a young man and passing his twentieth year of age, on the death of Leo took the reins of the empire, with Constantine the son of Leo co-reigning with him. As soon as he ascended to the throne, he at once sent for and brought Nicholas the patriarch from Galakrenoi, and having brought down Euthymios from the throne, he raised Nicholas up for a second time. And sitting with him in the Magnaura, when a *silentium* was held, he carried out the deposition of Euthymios; whom the clerics attached to Nicholas, at the time of the 2.275 deposition, leaping on him like wild beasts, struck, rained blows on him, slapped him, plucked his venerable beard, pushed him by the neck and inflicted other unbearable punishments on him, calling him an interloper and an adulterer and one who had leapt upon another's wife. But that holy man bore everything meekly and quietly. Therefore, having been sent into exile at Agathou and dying after a short time, he was brought into the city and is buried in his own monastery. But the cleric who had plucked his gray hairs, having returned to his own house, at that very hour found it burnt down and his daughter

397

ἀπόβασιν, προϊὼν ὁ λόγος δηλώσει· Μιχαὴλ δὲ τοῦ Τζιρίθωνος κατ' ἰδίαν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσελθόντος καὶ καταμηνύσαντος ὡς ὁ Σαμωνᾶς εἴη τὸ πιττάκιον πεποιηκώς, παρευθὺ καταβιβάζεται εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀποκείρεται μονα χός, εἶτα ἐν τῇ μονῇ τοῦ πατριάρχου Εὐθυμίου ἀπάγεται, κἀκεῖ θεν διαλοιδορηθεὶς εἰς τὴν τοῦ Μαρτινακίου μετατίθεται. ταῦτα δὲ ἐπράχθη μήπω τῆς ὡρισμένης προθεσμίας παρὰ τοῦ μητροπο λίτου διαδραμούσης. ἐποίησε δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον 2.273 παρακοιμώμενον. ἔκτισε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ μοναστήριον ἐν ταῖς Νοσ σιαῖς, ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ σωτῆρος, ὃ καὶ ἐνεκαίνισεν ἅμα Εὐθυμίῳ τῷ πατριάρχῃ. Ἀγαρηνῶν δὲ ἐξελθόντων μετὰ πλοίων τριακο σίων, ὧν ἡγεῖτο ∆αμιανός τε ὁ τῆς Τύρου ἀμηρᾶς καὶ Λέων ὁ Τριπολίτης, Ἱμέριος ὁ λογοθέτης ναύαρχος ὢν τῶν Ῥωμαίωνκατὰ τὸν Ὀκτώβριον μῆνα συνήντησε τούτοις εἰς Σάμον, ἧς ἐστρατήγει Ῥωμανὸς ὁ Λακαπηνός. καὶ συμπλακεὶς τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἡττήθη, καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν νεῶν διασκεδασθεισῶν μόλις αὐτὸς διεσώθη εἰς Μιτυλήνην.

Κοιλιακῷ δὲ νοσήματι ληφθεὶς ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ἐπὶ χρόνον τῷ τοιούτῳ πάθει κατεργασθεὶς καὶ εἰς ἐσχάτην ἀδυναμίαν ἐλη λακώς, μόλις ἠδυνήθη ἐν τῷ τῆς ἐγκρατείας καιρῷ τὴν συνήθη ποιήσασθαι δημηγορίαν. συνηθροισμένης γὰρ τῆς συγκλήτου τοιούτων ἤρξατο πρὸς αὐτοὺς λόγων. "τὸ μὲν ἐμὸν σαρκίον, ὦ φίλοι, νόσῳ ἐκτρυχωθὲν ἀπέρρευσε, καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς ἐπιλέλοιπε, καὶ τάχα οὐκέτι μεθ' ὑμῶν βιοτεύω, οὐδὲ καταλήψομαι τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου Χριστοῦ ἀνάστασιν. μίαν τοίνυν καὶ τελευταίαν ὑμᾶς αἰτῶ τήνδε τὴν χάριν, ἀπομνημονεῦσαι ἣν εἶχον πρὸς ὑμᾶς χρη στὴν διάθεσιν, καὶ ἀντὶ ταύτης εὔνοιαν τῇ ἐμῇ συζύγῳ διατηρῆσαι καὶ τῷ υἱῷ." καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως δημηγορία τοιαύτη, ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος βουλὴ ὑπέσχετο δακρυρροοῦσα καὶ μετ' ὀλοφυρμῶν λύπῃ μὲν συνέχεσθαι ἀπαραμυθήτῳ τοιούτου στερισκομένη δεσπό του καὶ βασιλέως, εὔνοιαν δὲ διατηρήσειν εἴς τε τὴν δέσποιναν καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον δεσπότην καὶ βασιλέα καὶ σὸν υἱόν, ὥστε, εἰ 2.274 δεήσει, μυριάκις ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν ἀποθανεῖν. ταῦτα εἰποῦσα ἡ σύγκλητος καὶ τελευταῖον ἀσπασμὸν ἀποδοῦσα τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπηλ λάγη. οὐ μήν γε καὶ εὐθὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀλλὰ διετέ λεσε νοσηλευόμενος καὶ σφακελιζόμενος ἄχρι τῆς ιαʹ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνός, καθ' ἣν ἀπηλλάγη τοῦ βίου Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφῷ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας παραδοὺς σκῆπτρα. ὃν ἰδών, ὥς φασι, κατὰ τὴν τελευταίαν ἐρχόμενον ἐντυχίαν εἰπεῖν λέγεται "ἴδε ὁ κακὸς και ρὸς μετὰ ιγʹ μῆνας." παραδοὺς τοίνυν, ὡς εἴρηται, τὸ τῆς βασιλείας κράτος, καὶ πολλὰ παρακαλέσας τὸν αὐτοῦ υἱὸν Κων σταντῖνον παιδοτροφῆσαι καὶ ἐπιμελείας ἀξιοῦν προσηκούσης, τε λευταῖον δὲ καὶ διάδοχον αὐτοῦ καταλιπεῖν, ἐτελεύτησεν. Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ ὁ τοῦ Λέοντος ἀδελφός, ἤδη νεανίας ὢν καὶ τὸ εἰκοστὸν τῆς ἡλικίας αὐτοῦ παραμείβων ἔτος, τοῦ Λέοντος ἀποθανόντος παρέλαβε τὰς τῆς βασιλείας ἡνίας, συμβασιλεύοντος αὐτῷ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ παιδὸς Λέοντος. ὃς ἅμα τε ἐπέβη τῆς βασιλείας καὶ ἅμα ἐκπέμψας ἤγαγε Νικόλαον ἐκ Γαλακρηνῶν τὸν πατριάρχην, καὶ τοῦ θρόνου καταγαγὼν Εὐθύμιον ἀνήγαγε τὸ δεύτερον τὸν Νικόλαον. καὶ ἅμα αὐτῷ καθεσθεὶς ἐν τῇ Μαγναύρᾳ, σιλεντίου γενομένου, τὴν τοῦ Εὐθυμίου καθαίρεσιν ἐποιήσατο· ὃν οἱ προσκείμενοι τῷ Νικολάῳ κληρικοὶ ἅμα τῇ 2.275 καθαιρέσει ὥσπερ ἄγριοι ἐμπηδῶντες θῆρες ἔπληττον, κονδύλους ἐνέτριβον, ἐκολάφιζον, τὴν ἱεροπρεπῆ ἀνέτιλλον γενειάδα, ἐπὶ τράχηλον ὤθουν καὶ ἄλλας ἀνυποίστους ποινὰς τούτῳ ἐπέφερον, ἐπιβάτην ἀποκαλοῦντες καὶ μοιχὸν καὶ ἀλλοτρίᾳ ἐπιπηδήσαντα γυναικί. ὁ δὲ ἱερὸς ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ πράως ἅπαντα καὶ ἡσύχως ὑπέφερεν. ὑπερόριος οὖν ἐν τοῖς Ἀγαθοῦ σταλεὶς καὶ μετὰ μι κρὸν χρόνον ἀποβιούς, ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰσαχθεὶς θάπτεται εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ μονήν. ὁ δὲ κληρικὸς ὁ τὰς πολιὰς αὐτοῦ τίλας, ὑπο στρέψας εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ὥραν εὗρε ταύτην ἐμπεπρησμένην καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ