Theophanes the Abbot and Confessor

[Præfatio Combefisti continued] ...that it had been returned, and it indicated an exquisite monument, by which Anastasius also had been delighted. I had often heard P. Goar inquiring, because he could nowhere obtain a copy of it: nevertheless, I myself, fearing no importunity, knowing how welcome it would be, decided once again to knock at the doors of the most eminent Cardinal Francesco Barberini on this matter. I am writing, therefore, having lamented at the funeral of a common, and long-time, friend—the funeral of a dearest brother—that one thing was missing by which the father and producer of Theophanes himself might be seen to be. That he had contributed much to it—in that he adorned it, granted to Latium through the servant Buccardus, for the press at Rome, and destined that version for Paris if it could be of any use; so that, indeed, it might emerge more illustrious through the Royal types and the more mature studies of Father Goar; and that he likewise transmitted the text of Theophanes, collated with one or two Vatican manuscripts, so that the most ancient Royal text of Theophanes might thereby be illustrated, patched up, and emended. It was said that this great man—one holy and an equal or peer to himself—lacked an Encomium. May he obtain this for me by his diligence and authority, so as to have fulfilled every requirement in the Theophanes: to have attained the greatest glory for his edition, and to have earned a most powerful patron in heaven. The most eminent prince heard these things with no sluggish ear; he shook out his own shelves in Rome and those of others in vain, searched through Syracuse and Sicily, and combed through Venice; and at last, with God favoring him, the treasure appeared in a codex of the library of St. Mark; from which it was derived for us, through the diligence of that most eminent Cardinal Barberini, and by the benefit and gift of the most eminent colleague, Cardinal Ottoboni. You have, reader, what has been done regarding Theophanes, and who have contributed labor to it, while you will not be unaware that the most illustrious Puteanus brothers—the late one, and the one whom God may long keep alive—were not missing, just as they are never missing when they can be of use to good studies. For, besides the most ancient Royal codex, in which the text of Theophanes from the chronography of Syncellus is annexed, and then that of Leo Grammaticus, from which P. Goar copied everything that was published—which they most kindly lent—they also procured the Peyrescian one for the same project, and wished it to be his, not useless either in its own name, or because it was collated with the Palatine. The Continuator will shortly follow Theophanes, from the codex of the same most eminent Cardinal Barberini, to which the very thick codex of the most eminent Cardinal Mazarin will provide many historical items of Psellus, to complete the volume as is just. Farewell. 28 April, 1655.

LIFE AND PRAISE

S. P. N. THEOPHANIS, QUI ET ISAACUS

^A Just as happens to merchants traversing the worldly sea, and exchanging the far-flung oceans for the sake of greater gain, while struggling against invincible surges and billows, one after another, exceedingly violent, lashed by the winds, amidst darkness and tempest—all but shipwrecking their hopes (for if, perhaps, a small clearing of the sky having shone forth, a saving star rises for those suffering in the storm, they themselves, having their souls illuminated by the brightness of the star that has appeared, cast off the greater part of their despondency, and urge even more eagerly the one sitting at the helm to take hold of these matters; and he, having lifted his eyes aloft, and using the shining light as a guide, artfully struggling against the grimness of the surge, steers toward the straight paths)—just so, indeed, ^B do such things usually happen to those sailing on this intellectual sea, and zealously tending toward the safe harbor of the future age. Incredible...

indeed, is the storm of temptations by which they are overwhelmed, and ^A they are held fast in the deepest darkness of demonic oppositions; yet the deeds of God-beloved men are placed before their eyes as it were, and with their own brilliance they dispel that darkness, while with their God-breathed teachings they calm the tempest of the passions, filling them with the sweetest tranquility and easily conducting them to the longed-for inheritance, while they rejoice in the cargo of their spiritual goods. One may find some men adorned with some virtues, and others with others; one clearly depicts the rigor of abstinence by his very deeds; another, the splendor of purity, and teaches quite vigorously how one masters incontinence; another paints—as if on an archetype tablet—the acquisition of virtues in his life; another trains himself toward contempt for the whole of life, and another powerfully anoints himself toward the disdain of worldly glory. But if you were to contemplate the deeds of the most divine Father Theophanes, you would find every kind of virtue growing there as in a flowering garden ^B deep within his roots, cultivating a contempt for all things, and another urging him toward a rejection of the new glory. But having communed with the deeds of the most divine Father Theophanes, you would see every idea of beauty being cultivated as in a flourishing paradise.

Urged to submit these to a panegyric, I readily yielded to the exhortation, trusting that I might hunt down the aid of his intercession. This was not to procure glory for the wonderful man (for what glory could a discourse that falls so far short of his achievements confer upon him?), but rather, on the contrary, desiring to adorn the very discourses with his memory, and to offer the greatest support to those striving to imitate his deeds. But even from the very beginning, before I enter into the stadium of ^C this panegyric, I feel myself unequal to so great a burden. For at the same time his country, and his lineage, and his superior nature—and the degree to which virtue surpasses nature—all excellently honor the man proposed as the subject of the panegyric, so that for anyone encountering these at the start, it is not easy to find which of them is more appropriate. For his country, both by the laws of panegyric and by the title of parent, claims the first parts for itself, and beseeches and implores us not to be despoiled of its own ornaments. Parents, moreover, push this aside with an elbow, glorying in his education and discipline. But his virtues, confident in his purpose and possession, lift their glorious neck ^D and cry out with a loud voice to the rest, looking only toward his zeal and soul, and acknowledging themselves to be easily surpassed. I, therefore, having been appointed judge among things that do not suffer themselves to be surpassed, what shall I do? I shall linger briefly on the former, to show what things he himself, inflamed by the love of the Creator, despised and counted as nothing; then I shall apply myself entirely to setting forth his virtues according to the rationale of his intention. That country, which is decorated with the dignity of empire and stands so far above all others as is fitting for a queen to excel her subjects, brought forth this admirable man.

^A Concerning it, I desire to say much, but I am hindered both by the fact that the things which it reports to the senses cannot be explained by any power of language, and because the things said about it are clear to all who dwell in every part of the earth upon which the sun looks; therefore I turn back. He was born to parents worthy of such offspring and such a fatherland, who were abounding in riches, radiant in military glory, and armed with every choir of virtues; they had turned the love of all men toward themselves with the most eager affection ^B — not only of those who shone with religious morals and of those to whom probity itself generated friendship, or of those who were distinguished by equal dignities (even if they were possessed of a most depraved mind and measured friendship by their own interests), but also of the tyrants and the emperors themselves, who, revering the excellence of their virtue, held them most dear. Isaacius and Theodota were their names, if indeed the name is of any concern to you. To them was born the successor to that vast and great inheritance, who is now set before us for praise; he was brought forth from the maternal womb like an autumnal star, revealing the beauty of his soul through the comeliness of his body. For he did not seem to be a son of a mortal man, but of God, sanctified from the womb according to the prophet Jeremiah, and from the beginning even to the sunset of his life, he shone with all virtues. But his father, having spent only a short period of time in this region of evils, having left behind these cares and commands, reached the end of the pilgrimage appointed for all men, while the child was already three years old. But the mother... ^C They expressed that canticle in which the three children, having despised the tyrannical command at the sight of the furnace, praised the Savior in the midst of the flame of the fire. But when all had given themselves over to hilarity and joy, and were celebrating the nuptial banquet, his mind was not dulled by these things, but was meditating on divine things and desiring to fulfill the purpose of his soul. When therefore night was approaching, and his spouse had sought the secrets of the bedchamber, and was sitting on the bed, and he was agitating divine matters with his whole soul, indicating his desire with a sigh, he thus addressed her: "The course of life, O wife, as is clear to all, is short and altogether uncertain. ^D For no mortal knows when death will come, which will lead us hence to that future judgment which is common to all, in which an account of deeds done must be rendered through strict examinations. Hence, sometimes being caught off guard and burdened by great piles of sins, one is cast far from the beauty of the Creator, from whom flows all that is beautiful, and is condemned, alas, to eternal fire! And he who has possessed a few goods—if indeed they are to be called goods—which are of such a kind only in appearance and opinion, is entangled in numberless troubles, from which the end of life is scarcely free. For what, indeed, among the goods that are available here, is firm and

^A stable? Are riches? They are rather servants of vice than of virtue when not rightly administered, and being possessed of numberless those who plot against them, they are often lost before they are even acquired according to one’s desire. Is the beauty of the body, which consists in a certain sweetness of color and the fit proportion of limbs? But that is either extinguished by time or withered by sickness and flows away. The display of human glory? And what is more base than this, O dearest wife, especially when compared with that eternal one which "eye has not seen, nor ear heard" (1 Cor. ii, 9)? For if one who has acquired it in the morning does not know if it will remain until the evening, why should it be numbered among goods? Since these things are so, if it seems good, let us obey the laws of nature for a little while, and let us attend to ourselves and to the things above, fittingly casting off all those things which by no means persist in the future age.

^B These things, and many others, he said, a youth in body but an old man in wisdom, and he spoke much more than these. But Christ’s undefiled and pure dove, the turtle-dove of the wilderness and more desirous of holiness than of marriage, who far surpassed with the love kindled in her for Christ the wife of the martyr Mardarius, in which she stood alongside her husband in all those things as a counselor of better things, replied to her husband with words of this kind: "How much more just would it be, dearest spouse, to preserve the beauty of virginity always intact, rather than to defile it for the most part? Who, moreover, can guarantee that those who serve this age and apply themselves to books will ever become masters of their vow, and not be snatched away by fate prematurely, departing with vain hope? How much more ^C glorious is it, taking up the light yoke of Christ from our youth, to render ourselves worthy of the blessedness which follows therefrom, rather than applying ourselves for a short time to these perishable and empty things, and with our mind clinging to them, to remain constantly occupied with these worst of things?" When she had said these things, the young man was astonished, for he had heard a new thing, greater than any expectation. And first, indeed, prostrate upon the ground, he gave thanks to the Creator; then, looking upon his wife with a more joyful countenance, he promised that he would have her as his companion in all honorable pursuits, and thus in the future age, and together they began a marvelous work. Immediately, pursuing the monastic institution while living in the world, they cultivated their life with every kind of virtue—a holy pair, indeed, who ploughed ^D the spiritual furrows, and stored up the spiritual wheat in heavenly barns. Becoming the good odor of Christ, they delighted in Him; and perceiving the good fragrance of His ointments, they enjoyed His presence. When, therefore, they had passed the night in this way, according to the custom of spouses, the whole house was filled with the fragrance of a sweet odor, which by a long interval [surpassed] every ordinary [odor]

and indicated the presence of the Lord. ^A For He, approving the purpose of these wonderful spouses, honored them with His own presence. Therefore, casting themselves upon the ground, they besought Him that the fountains of His mercy might flow for them. And indeed, when the divine manifestation had passed, and that sight of the divine presence had gone by, they immediately poured out their wealth and entrusted it to the hands of the poor, so that they might prepare themselves to lead a life of solitude. But the envy of the common enemy, which he draws even from honest and noble deeds, stood against them. ^B Her father, who had placed all his hope of his affairs in them alone, took this plan so ill that he drove the emperor himself into great indignation. This Leo was the son and successor of Copronymus, and he, grieving at the lot of the young man and wishing to honor his own friend, threatened with oaths that he would gouge out the eyes of the youth if he did not desist from his purpose. He sent him therefore to Cyzicus, and entrusted to him the administration of heavy matters, so that while he was ignobly busied with vain things, which dissipate with time, he might forget the glory of things that last forever. But he, ^C as if embracing his departure like a boon, and gladly accepting the matter, while traveling by way of Sigrianes encountered an elder, wonderful in all things, Gregory by name—if indeed we care for names—who was adorned with other gifts and shone with the grace of prophecy. For he, having by many toils rendered his own heart free from passions, had become fit both for the contemplation of divine things and for the knowledge of things about to happen. To him Theophanes reveals the purpose of his soul, and intimates that he is meditating flight. But he, illuminated as was his custom by the all-holy Spirit, said: "There is no reason, O youth, why you should think of flight, for after a little while it will be permitted to you to betake yourself to solitude, no one hindering. For both your father-in-law ^D and the emperor will be removed from this present life and migrate to the fellowship of the future age." Then he whispered to his wife, who was his companion, uttering to her ears that this noble youth would also carry off the wreath of the martyrs at the opportune time.

He was serving the beast of burden of the elder, and boasted in this more than in the royal ministry of horses, by which he had been adorned. Assiduous therefore in the teaching of the elder, and lingering while visiting other Fathers, he was delayed on his return home, and with his companions sat down in the first place he found with his baggage. And while meanwhile he and his companions were being tormented by the intense heat and thirst, yet not bearing indignantly what had happened, nor driven by the dearth of water to repentance, so that he would regret the journey, or at least that he might slake his thirst, he would importune his own lord with vows; but when he had rendered his accustomed prayers, he would lie down upon the carpet spread there, to soothe his thirst for a little while with sleep. But God, the worker of wonderful things, looking upon the youth who for His sake was bearing labors with a willing mind, with a great

^A and marvelous miracle decorated him. For He who poured forth waters from the hardest rock for the ungrateful people, why should He not supply the necessities to a grateful youth? Therefore, close to where he lay upon the carpet, a spring by divine command miraculously gushed forth, and by its touch rousing the servant of God, it revealed itself to him. He, having called his companions, showed them the remedy for thirst bestowed by God; and drawing up that pleasant and God-given water with hollowed hands, they partook of those sweet waters granted by the divine gift, rendering the owed thanks to God, the Giver of all good things, as was fitting. And that no one might conceive the suspicion that it had suddenly appeared in public, having been hidden by some obscure chance, it vanished by night in such a way that not even a trace of it remained in the morning. This was a sign of the love with which this saint from that time forward pursued the pure God, greater even than that which Moses, the inspector of God, provided; for he obtained the thing by prayers, but this one without even asking. Furthermore, that man was led by the necessity of his murmuring people to urge the Lord to provide; but this one, using patience and thanksgiving with his companions, moved his own Lord; and besides, the Judeans (not to say Moses) defiled the gift with their incredulity; but these others honored the granted gift by the addition of their own virtue. ^B

Not yet had three years passed when his father-in-law and the emperor were cut off from the glory of the world and were translated to the dwelling that befitted them. Irene, however, that woman of strong mind and gifted with divine sense, took up the reins of empire with her son (if indeed she should be called a woman, who bore a manly spirit against enemies and disturbances). And then the human race, which had labored under long-standing war, was reconciled both with itself and with God; and, with darkness utterly dispelled, all things put on a more joyful face. Then also the sun, which surveys all things, brought forth a day free on every side, and putting off the gloom and sadness which had long occupied it, shone forth brilliantly. Then, therefore, that God-adorned and virtuous pair, having come into power, ^C bringing out the varied wealth belonging to their house, distributed it generously to all who were in need; and one house of those who love God, supplying to many things that were necessary for sustenance, and excellently relieving the poverty and the inconveniences of the life of those who had given themselves to God, greatly delighted God Himself, who had made these things His own. ^D

When, therefore, they had accomplished these and many other things, she indeed settled in the monastery which is situated on the island of Prinkipo, having bestowed her faculties thither; but he returns to the great Strategion, dwelling near the monastery in Sigriana, which is named Polychronius, which had long ago been donated by him to his own use for the sake of leisure and rest; and there, by the hands of him, he is tonsured—or rather, is initiated into the sacred mysteries.

^A For it is sacrificed—or rather, truly offered—as a sacrifice, which is far more holy than that of the great Isaac, just as that which is done of one’s own will is more excellent and more holy than that which is against one's will, and that which is completed, as opposed to that to which the final end was lacking. Therefore, having donated the monastery to them with its estate and all its possessions, which were very ample, according to his will and counsel, he withdrew to the island which they call Calonymus; and having built a monastery on the small piece of land which he held there from his paternal inheritance, using the remains of his wealth, he gathered monks from the monastery of Theodore, whom those who know call the Monacherarii. How full of virtue he was, the common proverb clearly shows. Having gifted the ownership of the monastery to them, and having appointed the most approved of all as abbot, he became an archetype for the others in the hearing of all, being adorned with such humility that he did not compare his own misery to any of the others; and he shone with such asceticism and sleeping on the ground that he surpassed everyone by a wide margin. He devoted himself to the reading of the divine Books, which he had mastered accurately, not through human education, but through continuous labor and divine grace. ^B Spending the whole night in pure prayer, he departed toward Christ, whom he desired, and drew His favor to himself; and by having mustered a spirit against the demons and passions, he was seen by all as another Moses. Having cast aside the desire for earthly things entirely, he remained only with divine things; and the last times of his life showed most of all with what fortitude and perseverance and contempt for hardships he shone.

Thus, while he was flourishing in these virtues, the protector of the monastery departed from this mortal life to the immortal one. Then, a gathering of everyone happened around him, and with tears they supplicated [him], wanting him to preside over them and to act as a leader of salvation, [he] who, even while holding the lowest place among them, shone before them with his virtues and way of life. However, they could not move his mind, whose sole study was to remain humble among the lowly; and by how much he was raised higher in virtue, by so much did he strive to be more honored by these things. ^C Finally, having spurned everything, and having taken a staff into his hands, and having firmly armed himself with the hope in Christ, in which he had relied throughout his life, he arrived at the mountain of Sigriana; and having purchased from a farmer a small plot of land which had long been called "The Field" (for it had been acquired by means of a loan from God-loving men, since he possessed nothing of soul and of the outer garment which covered his body), having closed his senses, and having become outside of the flesh and the world, he established his life's residence there; he applied himself so much to the God-given labor of his hands that, before the year had passed, he both returned the debt to those who had lent it and provided the necessities for his livelihood from his hands. And he became better than himself each... ^D

successive day, forgetting those things which were behind, to speak apostolically, stretching forth to those things which were before; ^A not considering it a stopping-point to reach a certain degree of goodness, but thinking it no small loss not to continue advancing in it. And the grace of God, which from his boyhood had rested upon him and shone unceasingly, cooperated with him in all good things.

Who could worthily express the excellence of his prayers to God, which rendered him an instrument completely purged of worldly things for divine operations? Who could recount the beauty of chastity in his heart, which joined him to the blessed spirits, rendered him a most pure vessel of God, and raised him to the contemplation of God, making him see the future as if it were present? What speech could suffice to set forth the insatiable love he held for God and his neighbor, even were one to take wings and ascend to the heaven itself? What could describe the steadfastness of his faith, alien to all duplicity, or the consistency of his hope, with which, instructed from boyhood, he was strengthened, ^B regarding the enjoyment of things to come as if they were present? Yet, such a virtue in a man, radiating with lucid torches, invited many to imitation. Indeed, those who had taken upon themselves the sweet yoke of Christ held him as a master of character, one who animated them toward virtue, as a great advantage. For, fortified by precise disciplines of love toward his neighbor, he thus overcame a humble estimation of himself and acted as a leader for those whose souls he initiated into virtue; this more intense submissiveness toward those he led was such that it almost generated contempt in them—though they, revering his virtue, repaid him with equal obedience out of the benevolence with which he pursued them and by way of love.

As if illuminated by divine grace, and gifted with an intellect such that he could easily discern what was right and fitting, as he visited the monasteries situated in Bithynia and other places, and conversed more familiarly with those who professed the monastic life, he would cast his eyes over the meadows of their virtues, ^C and as one plucks roses, so he would pluck their spiritual struggles, bringing them home to his own, carrying about in himself the patterns of perfect charity and sublime humility. Strengthened by constant abstinence, when the presence of visiting friends invited him to take food, he held his own honesty in second place and preferred the mistress of virtues: in the manner of the great Paul, he knew both how to be full and to suffer hunger, fleeing the dominion of vain glory.

A most beautiful deed of his almost escaped me. When the second Synod of Nicaea was assembled, he was called to it along with the other Fathers. And while all were coming, adorned with excellent horses and splendid garments, he, clothed in his customary haircloth sack, sat upon a donkey and joyfully undertook the journey. But when all saw him—he who had previously abounded in all the riches of wealth—now adorned with these things, drawing from him more than from others

receiving greater benefit, they were filled with immense joy. ^A He, however, having striven zealously for the truth and having overthrown error, returned illustrious in the faith, which is the most general of all virtues. ^B

But the dæmons, those authors of malice, who were jealous of his good deeds, attempted to mock him shamelessly while he slept a little during the night. They seized his thumb like wild boars with their teeth, causing sharp and unnatural pain, and leaving the marks of their teeth on that part of his body. But he, fixed with the love of God and remaining superior to their wicked design, did not even then permit the jealous dæmons to boast of what they had done. Instead, as quickly as possible, he anointed the injured hand with the ointment of precious woods, and sooner than words could tell, he rendered it free of every wound. O what a wonder! For divine grace, always resting upon his labors and the movements of his humble mind, adorned him with the gift of apostolic graces and made him a worker of extraordinary miracles. If, therefore, I should wish to tell of everything that divine grace, welcoming its indwelling in him, has granted unto him, I would both violate the laws of praise, and my discourse, being dissolved, would drift away as if sailing on a great ocean. But if, leaving aside most things, I mention a few, my discourse will have security, as if resting upon a foundation, and from what is said, the remaining things may easily be conjectured. ^C

When a certain one of his companions there was being oppressed by the assault of a savage dæmon, he suddenly became devoid of his wits; and tearing his own flesh as if it were another's, he became a burden to all who approached him. Having bound him with restraints and secured him with fetters, many cast him into a prison, having set guards over him; but the prayer to God of one evening by the one who was thus afflicted showed him to be free, the chains having suddenly fallen from his body, and revealed him returning wisely to the Lord's house, he who was previously frantic and unbearable to all. A need called the holy man to travel to the town, and as he was traveling, a strange storm fell upon them, swelling the sea with many waves; and having stirred up a savage tempest, it cut off his return. But he, being strengthened by his customary faith, said to the one fulfilling his own ministry: "Command the sea, our fellow servant, to bridle the tempest and render the waves tranquil, so that we may pleasantly complete our path homeward." And swifter than words, the act followed, showing that Christ our God is revealed as true in this matter, just as in all things, for He held that His servants would perform greater things than even He Himself had done. ^D Yet, while he was preeminent in all virtues, he nevertheless applied greater diligence to the care and relief of the poor; for since he was held fast by brotherly love, he especially cherished the mercy that springs from it. And, indeed, he offered his hand to those approaching him.

And since the amount of grain which the monastery provided for the fourth month was but small, so that it scarcely sufficed for the needs of the family, he nonetheless distributed it liberally. ^A When the minister took this matter badly, and swore on oath that there was not even enough for the family, he ordered him in a gentle voice to count the grain. When he had done this, he found that not a single modius was missing from the pile. But it would be easier to number the waves of the sea or to measure the ocean with the hollow of one’s hand than to encompass in speech the wonderful deeds performed by him. Therefore, leaving other things to others to relate, we shall proceed to those which are of primary importance and more suited to the subject at hand.

The field of the Church abounded in every good thing. ^B For it was instructed by right institutions and sound doctrine, and it flowed with deeds corresponding to them. And indeed, the most religious emperors prided themselves more on the pursuit of piety than on the vastness of their empire. Furthermore, the great pontiff, having secured the lofty throne, kindled the lights of virtue throughout the whole inhabited world. And the antistites who were under him brought their own flocks safely, without reproach, into the harbor. Finally, the superiors of the monasteries, to whom this man shone forth as a most brilliant and admirable sun, teaching students the path leading to heaven, showed by religious renunciation him who had previously ruled badly, stripped of his riches. ^C But the envious serpent could not bear to see the Church flourishing with so many good things, and seizing an occasion from the sins of the people—with God permitting it—he set out to pervert the beauty of the Church. But when he was looking for a minister suitable for his own perversity, he found one even more suitable than he had desired: Leo, I say, a most wicked man, who, tracing his lineage from the Armenians and Assyrians, had expressed in a perfect imitation of all their features—on the one hand the guile and moroseness of the one race, and on the other the ferocity of the other; nay, surpassing them by a long interval, overcoming guile with ferocity and ferocity with guile, ready to lie, and most capable of persuading others of the things he lied about. He used fraud in place of virtue, and exercised it against those most closely joined to him. This man, rising against the mild emperor who had held him in great honor, casts out the most eloquent and never-setting sun of the Church, and with him drives out almost all the antistites. ^D Scornfully rejecting this institution handed down by the apostles through their successors, he cuts out the image of the divine flesh of Christ; and he commits the same deed upon the venerable images of His Mother and of all the saints, and he covers the Church in darkness more dense and far more grave than that of the Egyptians. Hence, mixing the native craftiness of tyrants, which paganism had brought forth, with their violence, he [imitated] that ancient Rabshakeh.

^A He spoke his iniquity on high, and strove to shake the city of God—by which I mean the Church—with many machinations and deceits. Immediately, therefore, the whole commonwealth suffered shipwreck in the tempest of that man’s violence, not even attempting to resist. Those who, by the height of their virtues, were leaders to others toward heavenly things, were dragged along by the waves of his wickedness, even if they eventually redeemed their defeat through repentance. But those who despised earthly things and themselves, and who by the quickness of their minds overcame his malice, were, some of them, made to endure hunger, while others were pitilessly tormented with scourges; and at times they were even cast into the sea by night.

Then, indeed, that admirable man is also called to court, not with tyrannical and violent hand, or dragged by force, but rather invited with the flatteries to which tyrants are accustomed, so that he might be softened. "A military campaign against the enemy," he said, "is set before me, and it is necessary that I first be armed with your prayers before I join battle with the foe." Now Theophanes, knowing the malignancy of the man—although he was laboring with difficulty of the kidneys and urine (for by means of instruments introduced through the natural passage into the bladder, which would grind down the stones lodged therein, he was providing an exit for the moist waste) and was being vexed with the greatest of pains, and lying constantly bedridden as an invalid—nevertheless crossed over in a boat to the royal city. ^B When that most wicked man learned of this, having feared the sight of the holy man (reputing, I suppose, his constancy in his own mind), he signifies these things to him through one of his greatest domestics: "If you have come to grant me my wish (for the gentleness of character with which you are endowed easily persuades me to hope this of you), I know that you will enjoy as many good things as it is fitting for those to enjoy who place the will and counsel of the emperor before their own will; and, with your monastery increased by gifts of every kind, and your kinsmen adorned with the greatest dignities and royal favor, you yourself will obtain the first rank of my friendship and authority. ^C But if—which it is not even lawful to think—you shall reject my prayers with a stubborn mind, and disregard my counsel, and spurn the goods that are proposed to you, you will yourself become the cause of the greatest disgrace and calamity to yourself, doing unwillingly those things which you refuse to do willingly."

The most divine man, having derided the foolishness of what was said and its author, answers the messenger thus: ^D "I have no need of money, or possessions, or any other of the goods of this present life. For those things which I cast away as a young man, when I was able to enjoy them, fired with the love of Christ, how could I now as an old man embrace them, and despise Him for whose desire I am held? Especially when my body is broken by diseases, so that the end of life cannot be far off, and it is certain that these things are vain. But as for the monastery and my kinsmen, that shall be the care of God, to whom I commend both."

^A And to those who are able to succor me better than emperors and princes. But if, emboldened by the sicknesses and old age which now encompass me, you seek to terrify me with threats and wish to strike fear into me—just as teachers do with a rod to base-born boys—then let the pyre be kindled, let the instruments of torture be prepared, and all manner of artifices be set forth, and various kinds of machines be brought forward, so that you may know that it is in my weaknesses that the power of Christ is most clearly perfected. I myself shall hasten to come to the pyre, though I am utterly unable to walk upon the earth, having overcome the pressing infirmity through the promptness of my will."

Having heard these things, ^B that most wretched man was indeed struck with amazement at the disposition of the noble soul; yet he did not abandon hope of victory, trusting in the most noble of the athletes among his own, who was indeed adorned with the sorceries of magicians and the fallacies of sophists, and who was more instructed in the observances of the Greeks and the inspection of livers than in true disciplines; and since he had dragged that miserable man into a pit of impiety, he had great influence with him. To him he hands over the blessed Theophanes, thinking he would surely be ensnared by the enticements of this man's words. But he was found to be like an ass to the lyre. And having been struck with astonishment at the unconquerable freedom of speech of the holy man, before the engagement even began, he confessed himself defeated; and he reported to the emperor that the man was too excellent to be overcome by speech or any threats; nay, that even if he were to stay there any longer, it would come to pass that he would turn the minds of others—who might be on the verge of yielding—away from their purpose ^C of impiety. O mind firmer than adamant and unyielding to all the engines of war set against the truth! O incredible power of love toward the Creator, which could not be dissolved by any of the trials of life! Yet the man, filled with tyrannical credulity, did not cease from his assault: but he orders the holy man to be imprisoned in the palace of Eleutherius, having set guards, so that no one, moved by humanity, might bring any consolation to him who was suffering for Christ. And so his body, worn down by long-continued hunger, was gradually wasting away; and it was a source of distress to him that he was not released by a swift death. Furthermore, the diseases, having obtained the freedom to spread through the absence of medical care, raged more severely, and rendered life far more bitter than death itself. But he, ^D holding in his affections the most desired beauty of Him who holds the primacy of all desirable things, bore with a patient and equable mind things which were not tolerable to others even to hear of. The angels rejoiced, seeing with a marvelous spectacle the power of endurance, which had long since departed from mankind, returned at last; and rejoicing in this man's excellence against his enemies, they sang the anthem of victory for him. The demons shuddered, for those whose names they could not even bear to hear, and whose holy images they were attacking, they now saw rising up against them; and becoming miserable at the sight, and gnashing their teeth with spite, they maligned their own servants for their weakness.

Christ finally granted his champion, adorned with gifts surpassing all power of speech, the crown of victory. ^A For two years he persevered in the most bitter prison, and was then deported to the island of Samothrace; this, seeing with the eye of his mind, he had predicted to the one who served him. And when he had spent twenty-three days there, he was offered to the common Master as a sweet-smelling sacrifice; and, committing his holy and most pure spirit into His hands, he hastened to the inheritance he had long desired. Nor did his body, which had been the victor’s trophy and the companion and partner of his soul in all good things, lack the honors that it was fitting to confer upon it. For it was placed by the hands of pious men in a wooden ark, and was honored with appropriate hymns as the time allowed, and was glorified by wonderful gifts from God. For when a plague was raging among the livestock on the island, and was suddenly sending them to death, they took some water from the tip of the ark (for they did not dare to touch the divine body) and, by sprinkling it upon the sick animals, they showed them to be freed from the plague that was pressing upon them. Not long after, that wild boar of Christ’s Church paid for his many crimes with a single punishment; for he ended his life disgracefully in the holy places where he had behaved so wickedly. ^C And so, the thick mist having been partially cleared away, a dim sun of liberty began to shine forth, gleaming through the thinnest of clouds. Then, taking courage, the disciples of the wonderful man sailed to the island, and having taken up that famous body, which shone with most splendid graces, together with the ark, they transported it to a certain place, twelve stadia distant from the monastery. They say the name of the place is Hieria.... But the Lord, who glorifies those who glorify Him, wishing to reveal the state of his future glory, caused all those dwelling throughout that entire region to share in his gifts. For those who labored under the most serious diseases, which admitted of no cure, flocked there like waves of the sea, ^D eager to partake of his blessings. And even those vexed by demons, drawn by main force against their will (for they signaled this with shrieks and strange cries), were released from the vexation of the evil spirits by the mere touch of the sarcophagus, or by water anointed with the essence of the ark, and they returned home giving the due thanks to God, who had made them sound through him. Those who were secretly suffering from that same plague were made manifest by the demons who were forced to reveal themselves, and who fled at the command of the athlete, and were shown to be set free. Paralytics, who could barely be carried in their beds, having their limbs strengthened by his power, returned to their homes carrying their beds on their shoulders with praises. The blind, who by the complete [inactivity of their bodies...]

^A sought out the true Guide—that is, the eye—arrived; and having found what they desired without labor, they returned, having escaped the disease of being led by the hand. The lame, whose limbs were unaccustomed to walking upon the earth and dragging themselves shamefully along the ground, borrowing the hands of others to reach Eleusis, departed, leaping like deer with sound feet. Those condemned to the loss of hearing and speech, hearing the voices of others in a miraculous way, joined in giving thanks with a single voice. Women suffering from a constant flow of blood, who were almost reduced to death by the departure of their innate heat, were miraculously cured of their condition not by the hem of the Lord, but by touching the servant’s casket, and they gave forth streams of gratitude with a grateful mind. A document full of shameful deeds, when applied, sealed, to the casket, appeared to all as clean as if nothing had ever been written upon it; and all marveled at the apostolic power flowing from this casket. But who has the power to recount one by one the things done by him at that time, when even the general kinds cannot easily be numbered? Or who could commit them to writing, even if he were gifted with ten mouths and ten tongues?

For a whole year they remained in the temple of the triumphant martyr Procopius, so as not to hinder the God-given grace of the blessed man from those in need; and late ^B and with difficulty they finally went straight to his monastery, arranging themselves in a fourfold order around his coffin. For in the midst of the Fathers, the leading men took it upon their shoulders, carrying it as a kind of ark, not containing a jar acting as a storehouse for the food of an ungrateful people, nor stone tablets, nor the rod of Aaron . . . showing virtue superior to all reproach, and blunting the stings of envy with his natural serenity; ^C shining exceedingly with the badges of charity; fortified alone by a faith in which there is nothing ambiguous, and having cast down the fortifications of his adversaries; armored throughout his life by a most unshakable hope in Christ, and having shown the weapons of the enemy to be utterly deaf and vain through it; a river of the gifts of the Spirit; gladdening every heart with graces; an unsetting sun in the firmament of the Church; blunting the horn of the heretics with the brilliance of his dogmas, and guiding the souls of the God-loving toward an unblemished faith.

O physician of the sick, O propitiation for sinners, grant me ^D the most rapid freedom from the diseases weighing upon me, so that, having recovered my health, I may appear again as a grateful suppliant. Grant me deliverance from the dangers that threaten me daily, so that, having dedicated my strength to the most beautiful deeds, I may recognize You clearly as the author of these accomplishments.

requesting that my sins of ignorance and youth be abolished by divine clemency, so that, as formerly ^A of him who placed his scroll into your sarcophagus, you may appear a glorious advocate for me before the terrible judgment seat. Blunting those lethal stings of the enemy directed against us with wondrous skill, preserve us safe and whole from the pestilence of the envious, so that, treading the path of salvation without stumbling by your patronage, we may celebrate the trophies of your venerable struggle with joyful spirits, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever.

ON THE 12TH DAY OF THE MONTH OF MARCH, OF OUR HOLY FATHER THEOPHANIS THE CONFESSOR OF SINGRIANE.

At Vespers, the sticheron. ^B Tone 4 oblique.

O what a wonderful miracle! Divinely wise Father Theophanes, having taken your name from the manifestation of Christ, you followed His life-giving footsteps and abandoned the pleasures of the world, gazing upon the beauty you desired, O most excellent one; and through divine tastes you were most excellently and perfectly deified in Him.

The same. Divinely wise Father Theophanes, though in feeble health, you bravely endured bitter exile, neglecting to spare your body for the sake of the venerable icons, O most praiseworthy one; banished into exile, like one mocking the leonine ferocity of a man, you rendered their counsels foolish, and truly showed their thoughts to be ^C vain and their mind wicked.

The same. Truly the Giver of all good things has lavishly bestowed upon you the rewards for your labors; having granted you, thrice-blessed one, the power to put demons to flight and to heal diseases. And there was added joy inexpressible, where the hosts of angels dance, and you yourself forever behold the face of the Almighty.

Canon in praise of the Saint, whose acrostich is: *Theophanes sings hymns to Theophanes.*

Ode 1, Tone 4. The Red Sea. You followed the footsteps of God appearing in the flesh, illuminated by the light of piety, Father, so that hence you prosperously obtained the name truly corresponding to your life, just as it had been predetermined by providence. ^D You were charmed by the most desirable love of your Master to despise worldly desire; but, having been united by his grace

you considered the sweetness of life as nothing, O most blessed one.

^A Leo the tyrant, rushing in like a beast, persecuted the elect, unable to bear seeing the honored image of Christ. With them he also condemned you, O Theophanes, to exile.

Ode 3. The Irmos. Not in wisdom.

Full of divine light, you appeared, Theophanes, bound by the force of love to the Desired One, O blessed one; wherefore we revere your glorious memory.

By forbidding the impious dogmas of Leo, you most piously confirmed the laws of the Church; wherefore Christ glorified you with miracles.

Strengthened, O holy man, your soul strengthens the weakness of the flesh through the firmness of hope and faith; thus reconciling your fellow-servant, the body, to God.

Sessio. Tone 3. By divine faith.

Endowed with divine zeal, you abhorred the impious dogma, and experienced many and various dangers, being unjustly deported into exile, and piously brought to completion, O most blessed one. Father Theophanes, entreat Christ God to grant us his great mercy.

Ode 4. Seeing you raised on high by the Church.

The kingdom of heaven is prepared for you, O holy man, as for an athlete; for you, rejoicing, were translated from your earthly tabernacle, crying to the Master: Glory to your power, O Lord.

You became a triumphant Theophanes. You did not refuse to venerate the venerable image of Christ, O God-inspired and blessed man; therefore you also cried: Glory to your power, O Lord.

Cast into exile by the decree of the impious tyrant, the holy man took no account at all of his weak flesh, crying to the Creator: Glory to your power, O Lord.

You shone forth with magnificent miracles, O man full of God; for God repaid you for your endurance; wherefore you pour forth remedies of healing to the needy as from a fountain, O most sacred one.

Ode 5. You, O Lord, are my light.

With most pious doctrine, the holy Theophanes preached the dogma of the orthodox faith, illuminated by the light of the Spirit.

You distributed abundant riches to the needy with divine sense, having obeyed the commandment of the Master, O most illustrious man.

Having been created in your soul according to the image of the Creator, you revered the immaculate image of the Master, kissing it with longing.

Ode 6. I will sacrifice to you with a voice of praise, O Lord.

Direct my life toward virtue, O holy man; by your prayers, Father, level the path of asceticism, which I beg you, O blessed man, to grant me to run through promptly and intently on a straight course.

You lived your life soberly and chastely, O holy man; for you were endowed with prudence, fortitude, and justice, and you shone forth adorned with a choir of virtues.

THE OFFICE OF THEOPHANES

^A Having attained the glory of the martyr, O Theophanes, as one who honored the images of the Maid, the Mother of God, and of the martyrs, O Father, you were venerated and stood firm against the persecutors.

Kontakion. Tone 2. Seeking things above. Having received the divine revelation from on high, you hastened to depart from the midst of the tumults; and having embraced the monastic life, O holy one, you received the gift of action and prophecy, being devoid of a spouse and riches. Ikos. Having desired nothing on earth, you followed Christ who called you, and gladly took His yoke upon your shoulders, and found rest for your soul. Send this to me also, who am poor and slothful, who speak but do not fulfill, but am still occupied with the cares of life; and I marvel how you fled from all things, being devoid of a spouse and riches.

Memory of our holy Father Theophanes the Confessor, the monk of Singriane, who rests in the Great Field.

^B This man was born of Isaac as his father, and Theodota as his mother; after his father died while he was governing the prefecture of the Aegean Sea, he was raised and nurtured under the care of his mother. When he reached his twelfth year, he was wed to a young woman, and he lived a social life with her for eight years. Both were very wealthy. But, having been influenced by the counsel of a certain domestic servant of his, he was seized with an immense desire to embrace the monastic state. ^C When his mother departed this life, and she had left him immense riches, his father-in-law compelled him to fulfill the legal requirements of the marriage and to take the daughter as his wife. And when the appointed day arrived, the bridal chamber was prepared, the wedding song was sung, and the rest of the marriage solemnities were performed. The time pressed on, and now the blessed man was about to seek the secrets of the bridal chamber with his wife. Then, as he disclosed the secret of his soul, the girl willingly consented, and firmly affirmed that whatever he wished, she would also promptly do. When the young man heard this, he gave thanks to God. From that time forth, therefore, both were assiduous in their prayers day and night. When the impious Emperor Leo and ^D his father-in-law learned of this, they prevented the youths from their purpose. For the Emperor sent him to the fortress of Cyzicus to oversee it; for it was being built at that time. And the noble youth went and performed the service of the ruler at his own expense. In the twenty-first year of his age, both the beast-named Emperor and his father-in-law departed this life; and from then on, not only was the youth free, but the world itself became so, with Irene assuming the scepter. Since therefore everything had succeeded according to his desire, he distributed his substance to the needy and the poor, and honored his servants with freedom. Having bestowed much money upon his most noble wife, he had her tonsured in the monastery of the Prince, changing her name from Megalo to Irene. He himself consecrated his gift to the Lord in the monastery which is in [the region] of the Singriani.

^A, which has the name of Polychronios. Having become a monk, he could in no way endure to be in charge, but sitting in his cell, he provided for his own food through the labor of his hands, devoting himself for six continuous years to writing codices on the island called Calonymus, in the monastery which he himself had established. And again he returns to the mountain of the Singriani. But in the fiftieth year of his life, he is handed over to a certain infirmity, which was a stone in the bladder and the resulting nephritic symptom. From this time forward, his health was afflicted by this cruel disease; he spent the whole of his life lying in bed and unable to move, nor could he command himself to stand up. Afterward, Leo the Armenian seized the scepter of the empire: but no one is ignorant of what befell him. Yet at this time, this demented and impious man sends to the man of God, saying, “Come, pray for us, because I am going out against the barbarians.” But he, because he was immobile, was moved from a wagon into a boat, and was led to the imperial city. And though he did not catch sight of the ugly face of the tyrant, he still made a declaration to him. “If,” he said, “you consent to my entreaty, I will do good both to you and to your monastery; but if not, I will exhibit you in public disgrace on the gallows, and expose you as a terror to the rest.” Then the confessor said, “Do not squander the treasures of your gifts, but prepare the wood of the gallows or even the fire today; for I desire this with the [same] love with which I am carried toward my Christ.” Hearing these things, the shameless tyrant handed him over to John the soothsayer, a man who ^B aspired to the name of one learned, and who was filled with hatred for the faithful—an Iconoclast—thinking that he would bend the constancy of the man to the contrary through his cunning. Having been taken into the monastery of Sergius and Bacchus, at the Hormisdas, which lies adjacent to the palace, he entered into a contest of words with the soothsayer, and having vanquished him and thunderstruck him with the power of exceeding wisdom, and having demonstrated his own immutability, he sent him back to the mad tyrant in confusion. The wretch brought back the reputation of a rustic rather than an orator. Having ascended ^C to the emperor, he said, “It is easier, O King, to soften iron with wax than to transfer the spirit of this man to that which is pleasing to you.” Hearing these things, the tyrant removes him to the palaces of Eleutherius, and shuts him up in a certain very dark chamber, also providing guards, so that not even service could be rendered to the afflicted body by anyone. Having spent two years in this manner, afflicted and worn out by distress, he nevertheless struck shame into the tyrant even in this. And since force was applied daily so that he might accommodate his mind to his counsels, and he would not in any way relax his firmness of mind, he is exiled to the island of Samothrace. This abduction into exile was shortly followed by an extraction from the body. For after ^D three and twenty days, having completed his course of life on the island, he rested there, departing to the Lord holily and peacefully. But what need is there to speak of how much blessing he filled that place with, and of how many gifts of healing that place came to possess?

OFFICE OF THEOPHANES

^A Ode 7. In the furnace. Having acquired the likeness, and having attained, Father, to the most brilliant likeness in life, you shone forth exceedingly through both; crying out: Blessed are you in the temple of your glory, O Lord. You were distinguished, Father, by the crown of your confession; by your deeds and actions you confuted the words of the impious, and confirmed the faithful, crying out: Blessed are you in the temple of your glory, O Lord. With a most steadfast readiness of mind, Father, you endured the pains of the body courageously, giving thanks to your Master; crying out: Blessed are you in the temple of your glory, O Lord.

Ode 8. Daniel stretching forth his hands. Seeing, O blessed one, that you stood firm against his resolve, Leo the tyrant, most wicked, condemned you to most bitter exile; but you endured this with joy, crying out: Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Knowing that the honor of the image passes to the prototype, you ran to the stadium as a most legitimate athlete; and having been proclaimed victor, you received the crown, singing more sweetly: All you works, praise the Lord. Instead of a tabernacle on earth, the Lord of all has given you a heavenly one; and instead of narrow confinement, you found a breadth of exultation in the paradise of delight with the martyrs, crying out: Bless, all you works of the Lord, the Lord. You were illuminated by intellectual light and by the divine Spirit, O blessed Theophanes; whence you pour forth healings for those who flee to you in faith, and who venerate your holy coffin with longing, and cry out: All you works, praise the Lord.

^C Ode 9. The stone cut without hands. Having distributed all your substance to the needy, O God-bearer, you wisely received in return righteousness springing up for you; instead of corruptible things, you harvested those which sprout for eternity. You heal diseases, O most blessed one, by the power of the Paraclete; and you clearly drive away demons by his operation, O most happy one; therefore, we the faithful, beholding you, O God-bearer, call you blessed. Your light-bearing day of departure, O God-minded one, invites all the faithful to a participation in your sanctification; which we now also celebrate with joy, O most holy one. ^D May you grant your abundant grace to him who has woven the song of your praises with a ready mind, O God-minded one; and prove him to be of like character with yourself, just as he is of like name, through your acceptable prayers to God, O most holy one.

VARIOUS READINGS. * likewise: Par.

OF OUR HOLY FATHER THEOPHANE, ABBOT OF THE AGROS AND CONFESSOR, CHRONOGRAPHIA

OF 528 YEARS, BEGNNING FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF DIOCLETIAN TO THE SECOND YEAR OF MICHAEL AND THEOPHYLACT HIS SON, THAT IS FROM THE YEAR OF THE WORLD 5777 TO THE YEAR 6305 ACCORDING TO THE ALEXANDRIANS, BUT ACCORDING TO THE ROMANS 6321.

PROOEMIUM CHRONOGRAPHIAE

^A The most blessed abbot George, who was also Syncellus of Tarasius, the most holy Patriarch of Constantinople, a man of distinction and [page starts here in Greek/Latin text, proceeding to the fragment below]

PROOEMIUM OF THE CHRONOGRAPHIA

^A very learned, having evolved many books of chronographers and historians, and having examined them with no ordinary diligence.

NOTES OF JACQUES GOAR

(1) He writes in Greek that history which is inscribed *Miscella*, and is erroneously circulated under the title of Paul the Deacon: and to the year 726, in the first note to the letter of Pope Gregory, page 79 of mine: Theophanes (he understands the *Miscella*) who is falsely inscribed as Paul the Deacon. The title placed before it acknowledges the author Landulf the Wise, who compiled it from Eutropius, Paul the Deacon of Aquileia, and the narrations of Anastasius the Librarian. However, the last part, however much it may contain from Theophanes, and although most of it was rendered into Latin by Anastasius, he has never attributed the entire *Miscella* to Theophanes as its genuine author, according to the sense of the learned.

(2) The cause for which he assigns to the author, the prooemium which follows will soon show.

(3) Writing in the prooemium of the *Synopsi Historica* of Cedrenus: *The Confessor Theophanes reached the end of the history of Nicephorus, the ex-General*, it is established that the codex was mutilated by two years, and at the end of the history: indeed, Theophanes enumerates this work from the beginnings of Diocletian to the abdicated empire of Michael Curopalates, five hundred and twenty-eight years, as mentioned above. But Anastasius the Librarian, an interpreter almost on ^B par with Theophanes, and older than Cedrenus by whole centuries, finishes the history in the same words and times that Theophanes’ exemplar did, that is, at the rule deposited by Michael, having followed it along with the *Miscella*. Baronius at the year of Christ 813, number 8: *Theophanes, leading the history up to the day of the captured city of Adrianople, imposed an end upon it:* nor can it be said that the history is cut off, because the author provided no peroration (as is the custom). For Anastasius, who translated it into Latin, testifies that he led that writing up to Leo, who succeeded Michael. But why he did not prosecute the remaining part of Leo’s reign, the persecution excited by him, by which Theophanes himself was vexed, seems to have been the cause. I have said that Theophanes died in the fifth year after the finished writing.

(4) The year 5777 from the creation of the world, first intruding upon the birth of Christ 277, is numbered by the author Theophanes, following immediately upon the threshold of the ages described there. But the same numbers, both from the world, namely, and from the birth of Christ, are those which the Chronographia of George Syncellus collected, and which his continuator Theophanes ^C silently professes to follow at present. The succeeding note examines and illustrates that measure of time and numbers. Meanwhile, what variety of words according to diverse manuscript codices, what defect or excess was observed, so that this expressed title might not peradventure be condemned for departing from the royal exemplar, I shall have done something worth the effort if I explain it diligently. The royal one, after the words already adduced, writes: *Chronographia of 528 years, beginning from the first year of Diocletian unto the second year of Michael and his son Theophilus, that is, from the 5... year of the world, unto the year 6221, according to the Romans 6221*. The Barberini, a codex indeed transcribed by a very recent hand, but compared with the three Vatican [codices] and the fourth Palatine, and urbanely transmitted to Paris for the benefit of the public through the favor of his Eminence the Cardinal, grandson of Urban VIII, reads equally corruptly: *Chronographia of... years, beginning from the first year of Diocletian unto the second year of Michael and his son Thisophilus, in the year of the world, year 6221 according to the Alexandrians, but according to the Romans 6221*. In this way the Vatican under number 979, except that it renders *Theophylact* instead of *Theophilus*. The one under 154: *Chr... beginning from the first year of Michael and his son Theophilus, that is, from the year of the world, unto the 6221st year, according to the Al..., but according to the Romans 6221*. Under number 155 it agrees with the Barberini, except for one or two words of no moment. The most correct of all, which therefore, the royal one being deserted, I follow and express against my will, is the Peyrezianus, that is, the reliquiae of the beloved and most sacred library of that most learned man, M. de Peiresc, which are now curated by me, the name of the dead being now cherished by Mnemosyne, and the honor of his living soul having been adorned by Apollo: this one, I say, as the most emended beyond all, and agreeing with the likewise approved Palatine 979, was deemed worthy, lest the face of the work immediately exhibit the flaws of others, in order that it might faithfully restore the mind of the author in the title, and be faithfully rendered itself.

(5) How Petavius, the sincere illustrator of the chronology of the numbers of years down to the vulgar day of the birth of Christ, reviews these in *De doctrina temporum*, book IX, chapter 2, and how the most polished Allatius in *Eustathii Hexaemeron*, page 250 and following. Moreover, it is recognized that every distinction that existed among them has gone into three sums, which are the most notable of all. And so, the learned celebrate three computations of the Greeks, and three primary eras of years: the first counts 5493 years from the creation of the world to Christ born from the Virgin; the second computes 5501 years from the world to the birthday of Christ; between both limits, the last reckons 5508 years. The author of the first is Panodorus, an Egyptian monk, whose writings were familiar to George Syncellus and more frequently mentioned; perhaps Africanus for the second, whom Anianus, the holy Maximus the confessor and abbot, George Syncellus, and his contemporaries, S. Nicephorus the patriarch, and also our Theophanes follow in their numbers. The inventor of the third is not yet discovered, although it is ancient; for the *Chronicle of Alexandria* uses it as if received, and the third canon of the Trullan synod, gathered in the year of Christ 691, refers to it as customary—which, in the year it was celebrated, thought 5508 years from the world, and 691 from the birth of Christ added, which collected is 6199 of the world. The Oriental Church uses this same [era] in ecclesiastical offices, mostly in the *Horologium*, in constructing the paschal cycle, just as the jurists of the Greeks sign the edicts of the emperors according to it in the *Basilica*. Some call the first the Antiochene era, according to Petavius in the *Auctuarium de doctrina temporum*, book VIII, chapter 1; the second the Ethiopian; the third the Alexandrian: the reliability of which appellations rests with the authors. Scaliger, the praised writer, and Petavius, at the excerpts of Maximus, call the first the Lunar; the middle, the Oriental; the last, the Paschal; and he disputes the origins of the terms in book V *De emendatione temporum*. I suggest better things, if I am not mistaken: that the first is named Alexandrian from its institutor Panodorus the Egyptian; the second, because it stands closer to it and almost attains it, likewise obtained the name of Alexandria; the third, the Constantinopolitan, or Roman. Because Constantinople is the new Rome, and

^A having read the authors and historiographers, and having accurately searched these out, he wrote a concise chronicle from Adam to the time of Diocletian, the king and persecutor of the Christians, and having examined the times with great care, and having reconciled their discrepancies, and having corrected and arranged them as no one else before him had, and having recorded the policies of the nations and the times as well, and having, as far as was possible for him, also recorded the chief priests of the great and ecumenical sees—Rome, I mean, and Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem—both those who fed the Church with orthodox dogmas and those who in heresy ruled like robbers, he set down their times in excellent order. But when the end of life ^B overtook him, he was not able to bring his design to the intended conclusion, but, as we have stated before, up to Diocletian… ^C of very great weight, nor is there any argument for the transferred appellation that can be challenged, because Syncellus, who usurped the second era and added seven or eight years to the birth of Christ beyond Panodorus, immediately cut back the equal numbers, and by deducting the same number from the ages of the emperors, as well as the patriarchs and satraps, he finally compelled the first era from the year of the world 5493 and the second starting from 5501 to run in concord with each other and to proceed at an equal pace; that the years taken away from the emperors' eras, when the chronicle of Syncellus is compared with others, cry out even while I remain silent: I describe the evidence and example of the subtractions by the ray of the sun itself. The tyranny of Diocletian is placed at the year of the world's creation 5777 according to the computation of Syncellus, and page 4 of Theophanes, and although it marks the years after the era of Christ as 5500 and 5501, it numbers 277 years from those cited by Syncellus and Theophanes, yet the common voice of the chronologers asserts that the same tyranny was seized by Diocletian 7 or 8 years later, and links it to the Dionysian era of 284 and 285. Therefore, no one will deny that seven or eight years were subtracted by calculation from the birth of Christ to the reign of Diocletian ^D in the accounts of Syncellus, Theophanes, and others. Now add to the era of Panodorus, 5493, the 284 years of the Dionysian era of Christ, and you will undoubtedly arrive at the sum of 5777; this is indeed what Syncellus, Theophanes, and others, having embraced the second era of the Greeks, deduct from the foundation of the world to Diocletian. Therefore, the second era runs back into the first, and deserves the name of Alexandrian no less than the first: and this second [era] is again separated from the first by 7 or 8 years, and the third by a like interval around the birth of Christ; after a subtraction was made, it was merged into the first, just as the first was separated from the third by fifteen or sixteen years; it is known to be separated from the same third by a not dissimilar interval of 16 years: which is the reason why Theophanes, writing of the second era and the birth of Christ placed at the year 5501, and thus only eight years later than the first era and computation of 5493, and [asserting that] the era of the Romans—which is the third in occurrence—is the same number of years [later], and mutilated by seven years before Diocletian, affirms that his own era precedes the third [era] by 15 or 16 years just as it does the first, and that the second year of Michael Curopalates falls in the year from the foundation of the world according to the Alexandrians 6305, and according to the Romans 5321. The author dealing with the inauguration of Anastasius, page 117, repeats and confirms this method of counting.

CHRONOGRAPHIA. - PROOEMIUM.

^A ...attained his own purpose, but, as he foretold, having written only up to the age of Diocletian, he departed this mortal life, and having set out to the Lord with the right faith, he left to us, as to his genuine friends, the book which he had composed but left unfinished, and provided the grounds for us to complete what was lacking. But we, not unaware of our own ignorance and the narrowness of our speech, declined to do this, as the undertaking was beyond our capacity. But he, having exhorted us many times not to be slothful and leave the work unfinished, urged us to embark upon it. Wherefore, compelled by obedience to him, and having undertaken tasks beyond our measure, we have expended no ordinary labor. For we too, having sought out and researched many books as far as was possible for us, have compiled this ^B chronological account from Diocletian until the reign of Michael and his son Theophylact, and we have written down the kingdoms and the patriarchs, and their deeds together with their times, as well as we could, composing nothing from ourselves, but rather gathering from the ancient historians and chroniclers, and have set them in their proper places, arranging the deeds of each time without confusion; so that those who read may have knowledge in what year each deed of each king took place, whether it was military, or ecclesiastical, or political, or ^C popular, or any other. For not small is the benefit, as I think, that he who reads the deeds of the ancients reaps. And if anyone should find something beneficial in this work of ours, he shall return the fitting thanksgiving to God, and will pray for us, as to the ignorant and sinful, for the Lord’s sake. And if he finds anything lacking, let him attribute this to our ignorance and to the idleness of our lowly mind, and he shall forgive us for the Lord’s sake. For that which is according to one's ability is pleasing to God.

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

CHRONOGRAPHIA

FROM DIOCLETIAN TO MICHAEL AND HIS SON THEOPHYLACT, EMPERORS.

^A Year of the world 5777. Of the divine incarnation 277 (a). Roman Emperor Diocletian, year 1. King of the Persians, Varachis [year] 15. Bishop of Rome, Gaius, year 7. Bishop of Jerusalem, Hymenaeus, year 13. Bishop of Alexandria, Theonas, year 11. Bishop of Antioch, Tyrannus, year 2.

A.D. 280. — King of the Persians, Varanes, year one. In this year, in the fourth year of his reign, Diocletian declared Maximian Herculius his associate in supreme power.

A.D. 281. — King of the Persians, Narses, year one.

^B Year of the world 5780. Year of the world 5781.

VARIOUS READINGS

The name of the King of the Persians, Ovarachis, is written as such in manuscript A; in all others it is Ovararaches; in the Paris edition it is Arapeuchis. Among [Georgius] Syncellus, he is sometimes called Ouaraches (p. 670, 13) and sometimes Ouararaches (p. 722, 3). Agathias, however, p. 260, 11, speaks of this king and his son—who in all Theophanes’ codices below is called Ovaranes—by one and the same name, Ouararanes.

NOTES OF JACOBUS GOAR

(8) Theophanes, a continuator of Georgius Syncellus, observes the numbers from the creation of the world to the birth of Christ, and again from the birth of Christ to the tyranny of Diocletian, representing how many years he has counted and writing them down here accordingly. ^C (14) This is the opinion of the author, differing by one year from the Chronicon Alexandrinum. It is known to me, from the report of the deeds of both, that it could hardly be the case that Maximian Herculius was proclaimed a colleague in the empire in his fourth year. Diocletian, having finished the Persian expedition, was hailed as emperor at Chalcedon, as the Chronicon Alexandrinum states; having soon departed for Nicomedia, he occupied Thrace and betook himself to Moesia, in which, according to Flavius Vopiscus, he fought in many battles against Carinus for power, remaining the victor after the final battle was fought at Margus. With the departure of Carinus being announced in Gaul, Helianus and Amandus, having incited a band of peasants and brigands—whom the inhabitants call Bagaudae—devastated the fields far and wide and attacked most of the cities. Diocletian, as the writer ^D whose notes are indicated by the letters included in the Latin text, mentions...

CHRONOGRAPHIA

A.M. 5782. — In this year, Diocletian and Maximian Herculius ^A devastated the cities of Busiris and Coptos in Thebaid, Egypt, razing them to the ground because they had rebelled against the Roman empire.

A.M. 5785. — In this year, Diocletian and Maximian Herculius made Constantius and Galerius Caesars. Diocletian gave his own daughter to Galerius in marriage, and Maximian Herculius likewise gave his own daughter, Theodora, to Constantius; though both of them already had wives, whom they put away because of their affection for the emperors.

A.M. 5786. — First year of Marcellus, Bishop of Rome. First year of Peter, the holy martyr, Bishop of Alexandria. In this year, Alexandria and the rest of Egypt, having been led into rebellion by Achilleus, could not withstand the attack of the Romans; most were destroyed in the first assault, and the instigators of the rebellion paid the merited penalty.

A.M. 5787. — In this year, Diocletian and Maximian Herculius stirred up a great and most horrendous ^B persecution against the Christians, and—

^A they brought about the slaughter of many myriads of martyrs, devising all manner of tortures and committing many evil acts. Regarding whom, anyone who peruses the eight-volume Ecclesiastical History composed by Eusebius Pamphili will gain knowledge.

A.C. 288. — The first year of the episcopate of Eusebius at Rome.

In this year, Maximian Herculius, having set out upon an expedition against Amandus and Aelianus in Gaul who were fomenting revolutionary movements, put an end to them. Crassus, too, stirred up a sedition and occupied Britain, just as five Gentiani had invaded Africa, and Achilles, Egypt. But the prefect Asclepiodotus removed Crassus from the midst, after he had held Britain for three years. In Gaul, however, a most sudden and paradoxical turn of fortune befell Constantius Caesar. For within an interval of six hours of the same day, he was seen both defeated and victorious. For at first, the Alani ^B having flooded into Constantius’ army, pursued him right up to the walls of the camp; and he himself followed at the rear of his fleeing army. Since the gates were closed and he could not be admitted inside the wall, he would nowhere have escaped the hands of the enemies who were stretching out their arms to seize him, had he not been pulled up to the camp by ropes let down from the wall. Once inside, he animated and encouraged the army with his words, and having made an assault upon the Alani, he gained a brilliant victory, such that six thousand fell. Maximian Herculius, by a similar lot, overcame the five Gentiani ^C in Africa; and at Alexandria, Diocletian defeated Achilles.

And Constantine, the son of Constantius, ^A still very young, was already excelling in wars. Seeing this, Diocletian, moved by envy, sought to slay him by guile. But God miraculously saved him and restored him to his father.

A. M. 5789. — First year of Hormisdas, King of the Persians. First year of Miltiades, Bishop of Rome. First year of Zabdas, Bishop of Jerusalem. First year of Vitalis, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Veterius, the Master of Soldiers, moderately harassed the Christians in the army, ^B with the persecution thereafter spreading to the rest.

A. M. 5793. — First year of Sylvester, Bishop of Rome.

In this year, Maximian Galerius was sent by Diocletian against Narses, the king of the Persians, who at that time was raiding and looting Syria. And having engaged him in the first battle at Callinicum and Carrhae, he was defeated. While returning from flight, he met Diocletian, who was riding in a chariot. He did not receive the Caesar with his own ^C usual carriage, but allowed him to run alongside and precede his chariot for a long distance. After this, a large force having been assembled, Maximian Galerius Caesar was sent back again to the war against Narses. Having used good fortune, he dared and achieved what no other had done. For he pursued Narses even into inner Persia, slaughtered his entire army, and captured his wives, children, and sisters, and took all the things that he was carrying, ^D the treasures of money, and the nobles among the Persians, with whom, as he returned, Diocletian, who was then staying in Mesopotamia, received him with honor.

^A And all of these, having fought together and individually against many of the barbarians, achieved great successes. But Diocletian, having been lifted up by the abundance of affairs, demanded to be worshipped by the senators, and not to be greeted as before, nor to proceed in his accustomed manner; but he adorned his footwear with gold, pearls, and precious stones.

But Galerius Maximianus, seeing Constantine the son of Constantius—who was at that time staying in the East and Palestine and was well-disposed toward the Christian faith—growing day by day in strength of soul and body and in aptitude for all honorable discipline, and having divined from omens that he would be the destroyer of the tyranny and of his own beliefs, planned to kill him by treachery. But having discovered the plot through Divine providence, he secured his safety by flight, as David did, and escaped to his own father, giving many thanks to Christ the Savior who had saved him.

A. C. 294. — In this year Galerius Maximianus complied with the conjurer Theotecnus to offer sacrifices to the demons and receive oracles; and Theotecnus, entering the cave to stir up a persecution against the Christians, brought back an oracle. He also forged the teachings of the Savior and disseminated them everywhere to His shame; so that he might more easily propose that our mystery be mocked, he ordered schoolmasters to teach these things to children.

A. C. 295. — The first year of Sabor, King of the Persians. ^B

In this year it was decreed by imperial edict that the churches of Christ should be leveled to the ground and that the holy books should be consigned to the fire; and that priests and all Christians should be handed over to tortures and forced to offer sacrifices to idols. This persecution ^C was the most horrifying of all, and it consecrated countless martyrs.

A. C. 296. — In this year Diocletian and Maximianus ^D [alt-version omitted]

Herculius, out of mental instability, discarded the purple and took up the private life. Diocletian lived as a private citizen in Salona, his own city in Dalmatia, while Herculius Maximianus lived in Lycaonia, having previously celebrated a triumphal procession in Rome ^A, in which a multitude of chariots and his wives, children, and sisters preceded the captive Narses. After this, they withdrew and lived by themselves, having established others to rule in their stead: Galerius Maximianus for the East, and Constantius for the Western regions ^B. Constantius, who was content with a moderate share of the empire, was very gentle and good in his ways, and concerned himself not at all with the treasury. Rather, he wished his subjects to possess wealth, and he was so temperate regarding the acquisition of money that he would hold public festivals and honor many of his friends with banquets. He was greatly beloved by the Gauls, who compared his kindness to the bitterness of Diocletian and the murderous nature of Maximianus Herculius, from whom they had been delivered by him. He died in Britain after having reigned for eleven years ^C, having proclaimed as his successor his firstborn son, Constantine, while he was still living, in full view of all the people, even though his other sons who were born of the same father, namely Constantius, Anaballianus, and Dalmatius, who were born of Theodora, the daughter of—^D [alt-version omitted]

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

^A For Constantius was the grandson of the Emperor Claudius, while Galerius was son-in-law to Diocletian, having married his daughter Valeria. At that time, Galerius Maximian ^B set out for Italy and appointed two Caesars; he set his own son, Maximin, over the Orient, and Severus over Italy. But the soldiers in Rome proclaimed Maxentius, the son of Maximian Herculius, as Emperor. ^C Whence Herculius, once again stirred by the desire and hope of recovering the empire, attempted to strip his own son Maxentius of power, and he also sought by treachery to slay his son-in-law Constantius. But he was prevented by the soldiers from inflicting harm upon his son; as for his fatal designs against his son-in-law, he was betrayed by his daughter Fausta, checked, and executed for his wicked deeds. Eusebius of Caesarea reports that Diocletian, suffering from an ailment of the mind, laid aside the imperial insignia together with Herculius and retired to a private life: and that the latter ended his life by a noose, while Diocletian, consumed by a long illness, perished. Gelasius, the bishop of the same Caesarea, says that they repented, and wishing to reign again, were slain by a common decree of the senate. These, therefore, being removed from the scene, and upon the death of the Christian-minded Constantius, ^D Constantine Augustus and Maximian Galerius seized the empire, as I have already mentioned.

A. M. 5797. — First year of the Roman Emperor Constantine. First year of Philogenius, Bishop of Antioch. In this year, the most divine and most Christian Constantine reigned over the Romans in Gaul and Britain. At this same time, these four were his co-regents in the empire, Maximian the Gallic [alt-version omitted]

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

^A Caesar along with two Caesars, Severus and Maximinus, the son of Galerius, and Maxentius, the son of Herculius, who had been proclaimed emperor at Rome by the soldiers. These men vied with one another to surpass each other in the persecution directed against the Christians. Maxentius, the tyrant who was reigning unlawfully in Rome, committed terrible evils—adulteries with noble women, murders, thefts, and everything similar to these. Across the East, Maximinus ^B committed even worse evils, for the two, the East and the West, had drawn the two greatest evils by lot and were rekindling the persecution against the Christians. At that time, the Romans also proclaimed Licinius as Caesar, wishing to show favor to Constantine, who was his brother-in-law (having taken Constantia as his wife), and he feigned, falsely, an adoption of our piety, following the death of Severus.

In the same year, Peter, the bishop of Alexandria, while held in prison by the command of Maximian Galerius and his son Maximinus, was beheaded and suffered glorious martyrdom. He had ^C cast out of the communion of his Church Arius, who was then a deacon; the latter, having afterward become the leader of an impious heresy, turned many away from the true religion. Many others also, under these tyrants, bound themselves with the crown of martyrdom for Christ, among whom are numbered Phileas, bishop of Thmuis in Egypt, Peleus and Nilus, prelates of Egypt, Anthimus, bishop of Nicomedia, Tyrannion, bishop of Tyre, Sylvanus, the bishop of Emesa, and Sylvanus, the bishop of Gaza, Lucian, a presbyter of Antioch, and Zenobius, bishop of Sidon, Pamphilus, a presbyter of Caesarea, and countless others. This Galerius Maximinus, completely insane and unrestrained ^D regarding women...

^A was utterly maddened by women, so much so that those who were under his power anxiously pondered where they might hide their own wives; and being thoroughly consumed by the deceit of false demons, he would not endure to taste even food without consulting an oracle. He commanded that the Christians be utterly destroyed, not so much out of his own impiety as for the sake of seizing their possessions. Therefore, divine justice ^B befell him on account of his boundless debauchery and his insufferable tyranny toward the Christians. For a grievous ulcer grew upon the member of his lust, which was seen to be beyond all human remedy, as it fed upon his body with rot and worms that gnawed at the places of corruption. For he was obese and quite corpulent. Believing that he was being punished for his unjust murders, he wrote decrees for all the provinces in favor of the Christians, commanding them to conduct all their affairs with a willing heart and to pray for him. Once this was done, and he was cured of that difficult disease beyond expectation through the prayers of the Christians—though the wound, having merely closed with a scar, was scarcely healed—he raged even more fervently to return to all his iniquitous deeds. But suddenly war, tumults, famine, pestilence, and droughts followed so rapidly one upon another ^C that the living were not sufficient to bury the dead; furthermore, thunderings and portents were appearing so frequently that everyone was concerned only for himself, and most business matters were left neglected.

A.C. 298. — The first year of Hermon, bishop of Jerusalem. The first year of Achillas, ^D bishop of Alexandria. A.C. 299. — The first year of Alexander, bishop of Alexandria. The first year of Metrophanes, the first bishop of Byzantium. The first year of Paulinus, bishop of Antioch. A.C. 302. — In this year, the most holy Constantine rose up to overthrow the power of the tyrants.

^A The impious Maxentius, having bridged the river flowing past the city of Rome with ships, took his stand in battle against the great Constantine. The great Constantine feared the sorceries of Maxentius, who, given over to unholy divination, was accustomed to disembowel infants. But while he was in great anxiety, at the sixth hour of the day the venerable cross, formed of light, appeared to him with the inscription: "In this, conquer." And as the Lord stood by him in a ^B nocturnal vision, He said: "Use the sign shown to you, and conquer." Then, having fashioned a golden cross, which exists to this day, he commanded that it be carried before him in the war. And when the engagement took place, those who were with Maxentius were defeated, and the greater part of them were slain. Maxentius, fleeing with the rest, when the bridge was broken by divine power, was plunged into the river just as Pharaoh was of old with his entire army, so that the river was filled with horses and their riders, who were drowned. The citizens of Rome, as if having requested him to rise up for their aid, being delivered from the tyranny of the wicked Maxentius, having adorned ^C the city, received with joy the victor Constantine, hailing him as their savior together with the victory-bearing cross. A.M. 5803. — In this year, having secured Rome, Constantine the God-assisted commanded that the remains of the holy martyrs, having been collected before all else, be committed to a holy burial. And there were... ^D

^A Romans celebrating a victory festival, honoring the Lord and the life-giving Cross for seven days; and they extolled Constantine the victor with the highest praises.

A. M. 5805. — In this year Maximinus, the son of Galerius, having leapt [forward] and entrusted the empire to himself, shamefully ended his life in Cilicia. But Galerius, his father, because Maxentius, the son of Herculius, had been cast down in Rome by Constantine through the power of the Cross, being afraid, remitted the persecution against the Christians.

A. M. 5806. — In this year Constantine, most holy, together with Licinius Caesar, being moved by zeal for God, marched against Maximinus, the son of Galerius, who was governing the East; and he [Maximinus], having moved his army against them... ^B

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES

...of the tyrant, the state of the triumph concerning him, about the Kalends of October, is recorded by Onufrius in Baronius at the year of Christ 312. And Petavius cites [the year] in the note mentioned; but, they say, [it is cited] without any argument or sufficiently safe author. But since Eusebius and the author Theophanes commence the years from September, and since the one [Eusebius] places this joy of victory at the seventh year of Constantine, and the other equally casts the same at the side of the seventh, at its beginning—which Onufrius sagaciously noticed—that Constantine had conquered and triumphed is demonstrated to me sufficiently openly by the authority of both. The public joy of the Romans, and the victory ascribed to Constantine by the Cross, are [recorded in] the laws at year seven of Constantine in the Alexandrian Chronicle.

(68) Baptism, the consecration of churches, the undertaking of orders, vows made in a monastery, the undergoing of penance, etc., for seven continuous days is a solemn and ancient thing among the Greeks; therefore, that the Romans produced joy for seven days over restored liberty could be the author's conjecture. Eusebius describes praises to the Cross and trophies erected in book 3, *De vita Const.*, cap. 33.

(69) Galerius, that is Maximinus the son of Galerius, whose death is described after two years, that is, in the eleventh of Constantine—not in this year, which is the ninth of Constantine, that he died, but it is suggested that he assumed the tyranny: concerning which [see] below; and thus ^C it is to be understood that he later shamefully ended his life in Cilicia. That Maximinus [is] more frequently called by the name of his father Maximianus, as Pomponius Laetus notices, I observe that Maximianus is likewise very often written in Greek codices: which is the cause that, where it reads *Maximianus* here, I have rendered *Maximinus*.

(70) The period [is] moved from its place in the superior year, namely the eighth, or even the seventh, of Constantine—I think it should be compared [with the present], moved by these two reasons: 1. Because since Maxentius perished at the beginning of the seventh year of Constantine, the news of his slaughter did not delay in reaching Galerius Maximianus at the ninth year of the same Constantine. 2. Because since the persecution, more savage under Diocletian, had begun two years before the empire of Constantine according to the calculation of Theophanes, and soon its heat—*met' ogdoon etous*, after the eighth year, says Eusebius, *Hist. eccl.* lib. VIII, cap. 28—began to cool slightly, namely in the sixth year of Constantine, thus it was extinguished in the tenth year, and that year existed as the eighth of Constantine, in which his victory over Maxentius at the news brought to Maximinus, that edict of Galerius promulgated in the name of Maximinus, of which Eusebius has an exemplar [in] lib. citati cap. 29. This period, therefore, is to be transferred to the aforementioned eighth year of Constantine, which is the tenth from the persecution, or the ninth from the same, after the eighth year of the same, at which time Maximianus commanded the cruelty exercised up to that point to be relaxed.

(71) Eusebius, lib. IX, cap. 8: "But Maximinus in the East, not having survived long after the fall of Maxentius, being overcome most shamefully in war by Emperor Licinius, who was not yet raging [in the same way at that time], perished." This occurs shortly after the fall of Maxentius, while he was still living, overcome by Licinius. Eusebius depicts the cause of divisions, the battles, the ruin and death of Maximinus in that chapter, which our Theophanes wishes to have been completed in five years. In the first year, which was the seventh of Constantine, Constantine and Licinius give letters to Maximinus for restraining the persecution against the Christians: in the second year of his dominion he sends peers to his prefects, but immediately oversteps all limits of modesty by commanding. In the third, *kai ton tes basileias koinonon*—these are the words of Eusebius—*proton heauton tais timais, anagoreuei*, he declares himself first in honors from his colleagues in the empire, Constantine and Licinius, the emperors being denied [those honors], as the author said above; and he writes newly feigned letters to the governors of the provinces: *hekastes eparchias, te parelthonti eniauto*. In the fourth, Licinius moves war against him and fatigues him with various battles. Finally, in the last, who was third from the tyranny he had seized, and fifth from the slaughter of Maxentius, he perished miserably: which Aurelius Victor has embraced very briefly: "Maximinus, towards the East, after a narrow two-year rule, understand the third from his tyranny, having been routed and put to flight by Licinius near Tarsus, perished." Thus well P. and Peyr., as well as Anast., and not ^D *freudum* whom the author had already said was extinct in the previous year; *Maximianus* P. Goar reads *Maximinus*, clinging to the previous error, by which a second word had crept into the codices in the place of another. The Vatican reading pleases me most: *cum perinde ac Maxentius* [as just as Maxentius], since he trusted in the oracles of demons: whom the author had defamed under many names in the year of Constantine, in which he oppressed him, victory being won by the Cross from such deceits. COMBEFIS.

^A Maximinus trusted in the oracles of demons and the arts of magicians. But the life-giving Cross going before the great Constantine, at the very first clash, the tyrant, along with the multitude who were being slaughtered, turned in flight. He stripped off his imperial vestments and, having assumed a military habit, fled from village to village with a few of his closest companions; and having gathered together the priests of the idols and the soothsayers, he slaughtered all those who were famous for their magic arts and those he called prophets, as deceivers.

A.M. 5808. — Of the bishops of Jerusalem, 32. First year of Macarius. Of the bishops of Antioch, 23. First year of Eustathius.

^B In this year, while the most pious Constantine was yet living and about to take Galerius Maximianus (72) captive, divine wrath, anticipating this, seized him. For a flame, ignited from within his midsection and the very marrow of his bones, cast him down face-first upon the ground with intolerable pain, breathing heavily, so that both his eyes started from his head, and left the impious man deprived of sight. His flesh, putrefying from that immoderate inflammation, fell away from his bones, and thus, utterly dissolved into gore and putrefaction, he yielded up his soul, which had fought against God.

^C In this year, Constantine assigned a portion of the Roman territory (73) to Licinius, who had been his brother-in-arms and was simulating the Christian religion craftily, and having proclaimed him emperor, demanded of him pacts that he would do nothing evil against the Christians (74). From this time forth, the persecution of the tyrants against us, by the grace of God, ceased.

A.M. 5810. — In this year, the great Constantine (75), having become sole ruler of the entire Roman world, transferred all his care to divine matters, building churches and generously and lavishly enriching them from the public treasury. He was the first to write a law that the temples of the idols should be turned over to those consecrated to Christ (and Crispus, his son, also legislated with him).

^A Secondly, [it was decreed] that Christians alone should enter military service, and that they should hold command over nations and armies, while those who persisted in idolatry were to be punished with death. Thirdly, [it was decreed] that [the people] should abstain from all work during the two paschal weeks, both the one preceding the Resurrection and the one following it. With matters thus arranged, a profound peace and calm possessed the world, and there was great rejoicing among the faithful as people from all nations flocked daily to the faith of Christ, were baptized, and shattered their ancestral idols. He also decreed that the cubit measure of the rising of the Nile, the river in Egypt, should be brought into the church, and not into the Serapeum, as was the custom for the Greeks. But Licinius, before he went completely mad, arrived in Antioch and, after many tortures, put to death the sorcerer Theotecnus and those with him.

A.M. 5811. In this year Licinius began to stir up a persecution against the Christians. ^B And first of all, he drove the Christians out of the palace, forgetting both the ruin of the tyrants who had preceded him and his own covenants with the great Constantine. He did not cease from his lechery, his injustices, and the murder of Christians. Although the divine Constantine commanded him by letter to desist from this madness, he was not persuaded. He also caused Basileus, the bishop of Amasea, and, as some say, the holy forty martyrs ^C and many others, to be perfected through tortures.

A.M. 5812. The first year of Alexander, bishop of Byzantium. In this year Arius, who received his name from his madness, set forth his heresy in a public assembly of the church in Alexandria.

and by his own persistence and the cooperation of the evil one, he showed himself an adversary to the perpetual peace of the church and the author of schism. A terrible earthquake occurred in Alexandria, by which very many buildings were destroyed and an incalculable multitude of the people perished. ^A

A.M. 5813. A.C. 313. In this year, the great Constantine, having learned of the movement of Arius and being greatly grieved, wrote a common letter to Alexander and Arius, counseling them to dissolve the wicked movement and to dwell in peace with one another. He sent Hosius, the bishop of Corduba, to Alexandria concerning Arius, and shortly after to the East, to correct the easterners who, according to ancient custom, were celebrating the Pascha in a more Jewish manner. ^B He returned, however, having accomplished neither task. In this same year, the great Constantine declared his son Constans Caesar and sent him to the Gauls.

A.M. 5814. A.C. 314. In this year, as some say, the great Constantine, together with his son Crispus, was baptized in Rome by Sylvester, as those who follow his account maintain—up to the present day—the bath of piety in which he will baptize you. ^{C D}

^A Many people in Rome serve the baptistery as a testimony and proof that, after the destruction of the tyrants, he was baptized in Rome by Sylvester. Others in the East, namely in Nicomedia, claim that he was baptized near the time of his death by Eusebius of Nicomedia, a supporter of the Arian party, and that it happened to be in that place that he fell asleep. For he kept postponing the baptism, they say, hoping to be baptized in the river Jordan.

To me, however, it seems more true that he was baptized in Rome by Sylvester, and that the ecclesiastical decrees published in his name to Miltiades are forgeries—the Arians wishing to gain repute for themselves from this, or else wishing to slander the most pious emperor by showing him to have been unbaptized. ^B This is absurd and false. For if he had not been baptized at the time of the Council of Nicaea, he would not have participated in the divine mysteries, nor would he have associated with the holy Fathers, which is most absurd both to say and to think. Others, however, Arians and pagans, slander the great Constantine as illegitimate, but they, too, lie. For his royal lineage existed even before Diocletian. For his father, Constantius, was the grandson of the Emperor Claudius, and he had the great Constantine from Helena, his first wife. He also had other sons by Theodora, daughter of Maximian Herculius and sister of Maxentius (who exercised a dire tyranny in Rome and was killed by Constantine at the Milvian bridge, when he saw the sign of the cross in the sky), and likewise sister of Fausta, the wife of the great Constantine. Let no one ^C be surprised that father and son, living according to pagan rites, took two sisters as their wives. This, then, is the order of their lineage, as is set down below:

^A 15. Constantius the Great, by Theodora, daughter of Herculius, begat Constantium, father of Gallus and Dalmatius, from whom came Anaballianus, and Constantia, wife of Licinius.

Dalmatius the Younger, brother of Julian the Apostate. But from Helena he begat Constantine the Great, and him alone. And the great Constantine, from Fausta, daughter of Herculius, begat Crispus, Constantine, Constans, and Helena, wife of Julian the Apostate.

^B JAC. GOAR'S NOTE.

(96) The various readings were in need of amendment, had they not required a continuous explanation of the discourse, or contributed very much to clarifying the genealogy of Constantine. Which, reader, you see in the text is clearly defective and fallacious, and I have not expressed it from the Barberini codex, which approaches the version of Anastasius, along with the Vatican no. 455: whatever the Royal codex is, lest I be accused of abandoning the faith, it is subjoined: "From Theodora, daughter of Herculius, [he] begat Constantius, father of Gallus and Dalmatius, from whom came Dalmatius the Younger, [brother of] Julian the Apostate, and in the margin, Anaballianus. From Helena [he] begat Constantine the Great and God-beloved king, and him alone. Constantine the Great begat Constantia, wife of the impious Licinius. And the great Constantine, from Fausta, daughter of Herculius, begat Crispus, Constantine, Constantius, and Helena, wife of Julian the Apostate." The Palatine codex, equally corrupt, reads with Peyres: "Constantius the Great. From Theodora, daughter of Herculius (read Herculius), begat Constantinus (read Constantius), father of Gallus and Dalmatius, from whom came Dalmatius the Younger, [brother of] Julian the Apostate. Constantia, wife of Licinius. And from Helena he begat Constantine the Great alone. And the great Constantine, from Fausta, daughter of Herculius, begat Crispus, Constantine, Constantius, and Helena, wife of Julian the Apostate." A more correct, yet interpolated codex, Vatican no. 154, which I call the first, has: "Constantius, from Theodora, daughter of Herculius, begat Constantius, father—there is added by a recent hand—of Gallus and Julian the Apostate. [And] Anaballianus, who is also Gallus. Constantia, wife of Licinius. It is added again by the same hand, Dalmatius, from whom came Dalmatius the Younger. From Helena he begat Constantine and him alone. And the great Constantine, from Fausta, daughter of Herculius, begat Crispus, Constantine, Constantius, Constans, and Helena, wife of Julian the Apostate." Anastasius derives the progeny of Constantius differently from these texts. "Constantius, from Theodora, daughter of Herculius, begat Constantine, father of Gallus and Dalmatius: from whom were Dalmatius the Younger, brother of Julian the Apostate, [and] Anaballianus, who is also Gallus, [and] Constantia, wife of Licinius. From Helena, however, he begat Constantine the Great alone."

^C Dalmatius the Younger, brother of Julian the Apostate. From Helena, however, he begat Constantine the Great alone. But the great Constantine, from Fausta, daughter of Herculius, begat Crispus, Constantine, Constans, and Helena, wife of Julian the Apostate.

(96) [Continuation of Goar's note] ...Magnum Constantinum, Constantem, and Helena, wife of Julian the renegade. Baronius, at the year of Christ 506, no. 21, enumerates the children of Constantius Chlorus differently: and that he indeed took only Constantine from Helena, but from Theodora he took Constantius, father of Gallus and Julian, Dalmatius, parent of Annibalianus, Dalmatius the Younger, or Dalmatianus, and in the sense of some, Constantine: but others maintain Constantia, married to Licinius, Eutropia to Nepotianus, and (as others think) Anastasia. And although he asserts that Dalmatius was rejected by others, he refers to the testimony of Eutropius at the year 337, no. 56: "Verum Delmatius (so he writes there), Caesar of most prosperous nature, and not unlike his uncle, was shortly after oppressed by a military faction, and [that] by his uncle Constantius, rather with his consent than by his order." He subjoins no. 55: "With Delmatius, son of Delmatius (whom he also called Annibalianus at the year 306, no. 21) brother of Constantius, Gallus and Julian, sons of Constantinus, brother of Constantine, were almost in danger, etc.," which words, sufficiently tangled, receive every light from the said no. 21. Petavius, in his notes to the first oration of Julian, says: "Constantius had Helena as his wife at first, and Constantine was born from her. Afterwards, having repudiated Helena, he took Theodora, stepdaughter of Maximianus Herculius, from whom were born Constantius, Hannibalianus, and Constantia. Constantius had two children, Gallus and Julian; but Hannibalianus had Dalmatius. Constantia married Licinius. Constantine's son from his first wife Minervina was Crispus; from Fausta were Constantine, Constantius, Constans; Constantia who married Licinius (which four words were wrongly added by the printer) and Helena, wife of Julian." Pomponius Laetus counts only four sons of Constantius: Constantine, Anaballianus, Constantius, and Constantia. Eutropius, book ix, attributes seven children to Constantius, and puts forward only the name of Constantine: he says Constantius took Theodora, stepdaughter of Herculius, from whom he afterwards had six children, brothers of Constantine. Others make Dalmatius the parent of Dalmatius the Younger, not the brother of Constantine, but a nephew to him from his brother Constantius, together with Gallus and Julian the deserter, to which the reading of Anastasius leans. Others confuse Anaballianus with Gallus, whom others separate and make distinct. Let it suffice for the reader that I have reported these things. The author is also to be recalled at page 8, letter D.

(97) Whom the common run of historians considers born of Minervina, the author, about to consult regarding the blameless life of Constantine along with more recent Greeks, posits as having been conceived in legitimate marriage.

A. 315. In this year, seeing Licinius engaging in a more frenzied persecution against the Christians and plotting treachery against his benefactor, the pious Constantine armed himself against him by land and sea. ^A And thus, when a public war had been stirred up in Bithynia, Licinius was captured alive at Chrysopolis and delivered into the hands of Constantine. The latter, led by his innate kindness, granted him his life and sent him away to Thessalonica to be kept under guard. But when shortly thereafter, having hired barbarians with money, he intended to stir up revolt, the most merciful Constantine, having foreseen this, ordered his head to be cut off by the sword. By this means at last the state of the Christian commonwealth enjoyed perfect tranquility, the tyrants having been removed by the power of the life-giving Cross, and by the aid of God, with the reins of the whole Roman Empire committed to Constantine alone. ^B Having therefore promoted his own sons to be Caesars, he enjoyed peace. He stood forth as a man distinguished in all respects: excelling in the vigor of his mind, the keenness of his intellect, the learning of his speech, the rectitude of his justice, his readiness for acts of kindness, and the dignity of his appearance; valiant and noble in wars, and while in external struggles against the barbarians he was outstanding, in domestic ones he was invincible; so firm and unshaken in the faith that he would bring victory over all his enemies by his prayers alone. For this reason, he built temples, which we call Dominica, in various places for the conversion of the heathen to the honor of God.

In the same year, Martinus, having exercised tyranny for three months, was slain; and Licinianus, the son of Licinius, was stripped of the insignia of Caesar by Constantine. ^C

In this same year, Narses, the son of the king of the Persians,

[alt-version omitted]

[index: entries preserved]

made an incursion into Mesopotamia and took the city of Amida ^A again. Constantine Caesar, the son of Constantine, waged war against him, and although he initially stumbled, he was ultimately so successful in the battle that he put Narses himself to the sword.

A.M. 5816. — In this year, the vicennalia ^B of the reign of Constantine Augustus were celebrated. And the first holy and ecumenical synod of the 318 Fathers was held, most of whom were wonder-workers and angel-like, bearing the stigmata of Christ upon their bodies from the preceding persecutions; among them were Paphnutius, and Spyridon, and Macarius, and James of Nisibis, all wonder-workers who had raised the dead and performed many extraordinary things. The holy synod being held in Nicaea of Bithynia, Macarius of Jerusalem and Alexander of Alexandria presided over it; and on behalf of the Roman [bishop], Biton and Vincentius were present. The Church of the Antiochenes being widowed of its bishop, the synod confirmed Eustathius as bishop of Beroea in Syria. Alexander of Byzantium, moreover, was not present at the synod on account of his extreme old age and bodily infirmity; his presbyters, however, filled his place. At that time, Paul of Neocaesarea was also present at the synod, along with a multitude of other holy men distinguished in life and doctrine, whose singular praises Eusebius Pamphili wrote in his third address to the emperor ^C. The most Christian emperor liberally provided all things that were needed. This holy and ecumenical synod, by the cooperation of the holy and consubstantial Trinity, deposed Arius and those who held his views — Eusebius of Nicomedia and his associates, save for Eusebius Pamphili, who for the time being gave his assent to the term "homousios"— and sent them into exile, with the most renowned Emperor Constantine being present with them, assisting in all things that were according to God, and ordering that others be ordained in their stead, and [confirming] the faith...

^A he brought forth a written statement, which is now proclaimed throughout every church of the orthodox. At that time, while Arius the impious was present at the synod and being judged, Eusebius of Nicomedia, and Theognis, and Maris, and Narcissus, and Theophantus, and Patrophilus, having composed a blasphemous statement of faith, submitted it to the synod. But when it was torn to pieces, those who had made it, changing their minds, condemned Arius, except for Secundus of Ptolemais in Egypt, and Theonas of Marmarica, who, being cast out with Arius and anathematized, the holy symbol of the faith was proclaimed ^B by the others, ^C all signing it along with the most august emperor, and they shouted with joy, and thus the assembly was dissolved.

In this year, Crispus, the son of the emperor, having become a Christian, fell asleep; and Byzantium began to be founded.

The holy and ecumenical first synod was convened in the twelfth indiction, in the twentieth year of the great Constantine, in the month of May, the 20th day. And he wrote an encyclical letter, the synod...

^A in Alexandria, Libya, and Pentapolis, by which it declared the expulsion of Arius, Secundus, and Theonas; it also signified concerning Meletius, that he should remain quietly in his own city (15); and that those ordained by him should be confirmed by a more mystical ordination (14). He also wrote concerning the Pasch, that it should no longer be celebrated with the Jews, but according to the rite received in Italy, celebrating rather on the Lord’s Day. Likewise, the most pious emperor also ^B wrote letters (15) to all places, ordering the same things and confirming the things proclaimed by the holy synod, excommunicating Arius along with those of his way of thinking, and decreeing that they be called Porphyrians, that their writings be consumed by fire, and that those who did not comply be put to death; he also issued an imperial law that these things should be so. When the festival of his twentieth year of reign drew near, he urged all the Fathers to a banquet, and ^C sat down with them, and brilliantly honored them.

VARIOUS READINGS.

^A receiving all with splendor and honor; and he kissed the eyes that had been dug out and the limbs that had been mutilated during the persecution of Paphnutius and the like confessors, gaining sanctification from them. He exhorted all the bishops to keep peace and to abstain from slanders against their neighbors. The petitions which some had presented against each other, he burned with fire, confirming with an oath that if he saw a bishop committing adultery, he would readily cover him with the purple. Having bestowed many gifts upon all the churches, and honors upon the governors of the nations, he sent everyone away rejoicing, after having exhorted the priests.

^B When the pagan philosophers reproached the emperor in Byzantium, saying that he was not acting well according to the customs of the Roman emperors, and that he was innovating in the religion, it seemed good to the emperor to send one of the philosophers to Bishop Alexander to dispute with him. Now Alexander was a divine man, but unskilled in rhetoric and letters. Yet he said to the philosopher who was puffed up with dialectical skill: "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ, the true God, to be silent and to speak no more." At the word he was muzzled, and became speechless.

The emperor also ordered Bishop Macarius of Jerusalem (17), who was present at the synod, to search upon his return for the place of the holy resurrection, and the Golgotha of the Skull, and the life-giving wood. ^C In that same year, Constantine crowned Helena (18), his God-minded mother, and assigned her the title of Augusta (19). She had seen a vision (20) commanding her to go to Jerusalem and to bring to light the divine places that had been buried by the wicked.

^A She asked her son Constantine to fulfill the divine commands given to her. He complied with her request. Moved by a divine impulse, the pious Constantine, wishing to build a city in his own name in the plain which lies before Ilium (22), above the tomb of Ajax, where they say the Greeks who marched against Troy had their naval station, was ordered by God in a dream to build in Byzantium the city that is now Constantinople. And having built a magnificent city with great zeal, he colonized it with notable men brought from Rome and other places, selected by nobility (23); and having bestowed great houses upon them, he caused them to dwell in the city. At that time, the Christ-loving emperor built the temple of Holy Sophia (24), and of Holy Peace, and of the Apostles, and of Saint Mocius, and of the Archangel in the Anaplus (25); and he ordered the idolatrous temples of the idols to be destroyed and churches to be built. Then the temple of Asclepius at Aegae was razed (26), and that of Aphrodite at Aphaca, and many others; and he gifted their revenues to the churches. At that time, many nations (27) came to baptism, moved by the miracles wrought by the captives from the time of the emperor Gallienus.

VARIOUS READINGS

(22) Zosimus, lib. II, writes that Constantine wrote that he was to build the city of Ilium; Sozomen, lib. II, cap. 2, writes that he transferred his mind to another through divine revelation.

(23) Anastasius: *secundum genus* (according to lineage): it is obscure. P. Goar does not translate it. The same may mean *κατά γένος* (by lineage), and *γενικῶς* (generally) from other places, universally diligent: so that he brought in inhabitants not only from Rome, but from all the provinces of the Roman Empire. Or *γένος*, by families: for it is thus useful to transfer chosen families, to increase the number of citizens in a short time, and to dilate the power of the city. ^C

(24) Socrates, lib. I, cap. 12, mentions only two temples, namely the church of the Apostles, and another called Peace, which is found mentioned by another name, Sophia; thus writes Baronius in the year of Christ 330, no. 19. But although Socrates mentions two churches where he relates the city of his own name being built by Constantine, the author of the *Annals* is nonetheless deceived, who asserts that [the church of] Peace and [the church of] Sophia are one, which it is necessary to affirm are also different under different titles from the origins of Constantinople: see below.

(25) Of this archangel's temple, the name of which Sozomen narrates extensively in lib. II, cap. 2. The Anaplus is the entrance of the port of Constantinople itself, but on the side opposite the city, that is, toward Galata and the extreme shore of Asia. Procopius, *De Aedif. Justiniani*: "The shores are built with remarkable beauty in this manner: Two temples consecrated to the archangel Michael occupy the port on either side opposite one another, one in the place which is called Anaplus, situated on the left of one entering the Euxine sea (namely, on the southern side), the other on the opposite terminal." Sozomen: "The place is now called Michaelium, and is situated to the right of one sailing from the sea (from the northern side) toward Constantinople, and is distant from the city, if you cross by ship, about 35 stadia."

(26) The chronicle of Alexandria records for this year that Constantine, lib. I, cap. 53 and 54, and Sozomen, lib. II, cap. 4, had the revenues of idolatrous houses added to the churches.

(27) Sozomen of these, lib. II, cap. 5. ^D He found that they were idol temples. And below: "Saint Mocius, being of another size than what it now is, the great Constantine and his mother cut off two-thirds of the temple, and erected the altar. Because Saint Mocius had also been killed there. For this sake he also erected the temple as his own, and carried his body there." He erected the Church of Peace, and the Church of Sophia, and Saint Agathonicus, and Saint Acacius, the great Constantine. But he found Saint Mocius and Saint Menas as built temples of idols. Saint Mocius, therefore, the great Constantine and his mother cut off in the middle part, making it larger in size than what it now has, and erected an altar: because S. Mocius had been killed in that place. For whose sake he built the temple as it were already dedicated to him, and deposited his body there.

^A of the priests who had previously been taken captive under the emperor Gallienus by the Goths, Celts, and western Gauls, who were at that time making incursions against the Romans; but now, under the victorious Constantine, countless numbers of these nations, fleeing to the worship of Christ, have been enlightened. Furthermore, the Inner Indians received the faith of Christ, when Meropius, a philosopher of Tyre, took with him Aedesius and Frumentius, his disciples, to describe the places situated there, and preached to them the word of God. Athanasius consecrated Frumentius as the first bishop among them. Similarly, the Iberians also believed in his time, through a captive Christian woman, seeing the miracles performed, and how she healed the blindness that had fallen upon their king while he was hunting. Rufinus relates that these things were heard from the same king of the Iberians, Bacurius. Likewise, the Armenians ^B also believed perfectly in his time, having received salvation through Tiridates their king and Gregory their bishop. At that time also, Dorotheus, bishop of Tyre, who had suffered many hardships under Diocletian and endured exile and tortures, flourished. Being very skilled in both the Greek and Latin languages, and having acquired varied erudition through the felicities of his genius and experience in affairs, he left behind for us excellent writings in both languages. He wrote diligently concerning the bishops of Byzantium and many other places. The same man, having been recalled from exile, attended the synod, and being restored to his own parish, remained alive until the times of Julian the Apostate. But since that wicked man raged against the Christians not openly, but by hidden force through the magistrates, ^C the blessed Dorotheus again set out for Odyssopolis, where he was apprehended by the magistrates of Julian, and having endured many torments, in extreme old age, on account of his confession of Christ, he died under torture, having already numbered one hundred and seven years of life.

A. M. 5817. — In this year, the Jews and Persians, having perceived the evidence of the Christian faith throughout Persia, accuse Simeon of Ctesiphon and the other of Seleucia [to Sapor, King of the Persians]. ^D

whence a great persecution having been stirred up in Persia, very many were adorned with the crown of martyrdom for Christ. Among these were Usthaxades the pedagogue of Sapor, and Simeon the archbishop, and besides many others, a hundred clerics and bishops were martyred in one day, along with countless masses of people. Furthermore, from the cities, they counted eighteen thousand of the most eminent martyrs who were finished off by the most godless Sapor with horrific and unnatural tortures. At that time also Acepsimas the bishop, and Aethalas the presbyter, and Perbulia, the sister of Simeon the archbishop, along with very many others of the same sex, were martyred. The most godly Emperor Constantine, however, advised Sapor by letter to spare the Christians, asking him to cease from such cruelty; this letter was composed in a wondrous and most divine style, but it could not soften the man's hard heart. ^B

In the same year, the divine Constantine sent the blessed Helena ^C with a great quantity of money to Jerusalem to search for the life-giving cross of the Lord. Macarius, the patriarch of Jerusalem, having met the empress with the honor due to her, set about the search for the longed-for life-giving wood with her, spending his time in silence and fervent prayers and fasts. When these things had been accomplished, the place was soon divinely revealed to this same Macarius, where the temple and statue of the impure demon Aphrodite had been erected. Making use of royal authority, the god-crowned Helena quickly tore them down to the foundations with a multitude of workmen. ^D

NOTES BY JAC. GOARI

(36) Baronius (an. 341, no. 10) moves this persecution of Sapor, and the death of Simeon and his companions, to the times of Constantius and Constans, for the reason that Jerome in his Chronicle relates that Sapor raged against the Christians in the time of those emperors; as if that impious king could not have been goaded into frequent attacks against them, just as Jerome himself recounts. The author, having followed Sozomen, appends the first persecution of Sapor to the times of Constantine. Sozomen’s testimony, feeling the same way, occurs in book II, chapter 8 et seqq. The author sometimes writes Sabor, Saborius, and Sapor.

(37) The author thinks that these were two men, the one the prelate of Ctesiphon, the other of Seleucia. However, Sozomen, who is cited, posits that Simeon was one and the same bishop of both Ctesiphon and Seleucia. Anastasius in his own work also notes one Simeon; the Roman martyrology of April 21 and Baronius in his notes upon it mention him as the high priest of both cities: as does the menologium of April of the same day. For it praises him as the sole pontiff. Thus, further on, he mentions one archbishop Simeon, and several bishops, among whom was the bishop of Seleucia himself. Nor did the name of archbishop yield just anywhere to any metropolitans, but only to patriarchs, or to chief primates, and those who were the head of a whole nation, and themselves as it were patriarchs, yet somewhat inferior to the highest three, and then four, and five patriarchs.

(58) Regarding the year, Baronius, following the ancient historians, places the zeal and labor for seeking the holy cross to the year of Christ 326, no. 27 et seqq. See Gretser in his work on the Cross.

^A Having excavated and cast out the earth, she demolished and cleared away everything which had been built there at great expense by Aelius Hadrianus in times past. Immediately, the holy tomb and the place of the Skull were revealed, and to the east, buried near them, were three crosses; and upon searching, they also found the nails. ^B And while all were at a loss as to which one might be the Lord’s Cross, and the blessed Helena was exceedingly grieved, Macarius, the bishop—blessed indeed in the meaning of his name—resolved the question through faith. For he brought to a certain noble woman, who was in despair of life and almost at the point of death, each of the crosses and distinguished which was the Lord’s. For as soon as its shadow reached the sick woman—who lay without breath or motion—by divine power she immediately leaped up, praising God with a loud voice. ^C The most pious Helena, with fear and great joy, took up the life-giving wood, and brought a portion of it, together with the nails, to her son; the rest she placed in a silver casket and delivered to Macarius the bishop, as a memorial for succeeding generations. She then also ordered churches to be built at the holy tomb and at the place of the Skull, and in the name of her son, where the life-giving wood was found, as well as in Bethlehem and on the Mount of Olives; and having done these things, she returned to the illustrious Constantine. ^D He received her with joy and deposited a portion of the life-giving wood in a gold case, entrusting it to the bishop for safekeeping. As for the nails, he skillfully fashioned some into his own helmet, and others he mixed into the bridle of his horse, so that the prophecy might be fulfilled which says: "In that day shall that which is on the bridle of the horse be holy unto the Lord Almighty." The same most famous Constantine wrote to the namesake Macarius to hasten the building, and sent the overseer of the work with a bounty of funds, commanding the holy places to be built so sumptuously that no buildings like them existed in the whole world; he wrote to the governors of the province, ordering them to contribute actively to the works from the public treasury. The emperor was then joyfully celebrating and giving thanks to God, who had brought about such good things in his time. In the same year also, the namesake Macarius. [alt-version omitted]

^A patriarch of Jerusalem, fell asleep in peace, and Maximus, a man meek and distinguished, who had endured many torments for God during the persecution and had lost his right eye, succeeded to his throne.

At the same time, the blessed Helena also fell asleep in the Lord at the age of eighty, ^B having given many instructions to her son concerning piety toward Christ. She was buried in the church of the holy Apostles in Constantinople, which her son Constantine had built, so that the departing Christian emperors might be buried there. The blessed Helena was the first to be buried in it, having been honored with splendid commemorations and all-night vigils. The holy virgins in Jerusalem, to whom the God-minded Helena, standing as a servant, had ministered with her own hands at the tables, ^C celebrated her name with constant and pious memory and prayed for eternal blessedness for her. Finally, the emperor ordered Eusebius of Pamphilus to prepare sacred books for the churches of Constantinople, providing him with public funds.

A. M. 5818. — In this year, Constantine the Great, having waged a campaign against the Germans, Sarmatians, and Goths, gained a mighty victory through the power of the precious cross, and having devastated them, brought them down to the ultimate slavery.

In the same year, he restored Drepana in honor of Lucian, ^D the martyr of the same name who had suffered martyrdom there.

He named it Helenopolis after his mother. ^A Eusebius of Pamphilus, expressing testimony to the creed set forth at Nicaea by the Fathers, professes in writing to his own fellow citizens that it contains every orthodoxy, and he explains the meaning of its statements. Athanasius, however, in his letter to the Africans, bears witness to Pamphilus, as having accepted the term "consubstantial." ^B But Theodoret says that Eusebius of Pamphilus was of the same mind as the Arians, namely, Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia, and those with him; whence he joined in the deposition of the godly Eustathius of Antioch, along with whom he also persuaded the emperor (46) that he was justly deposed, and arranged for him to be exiled in Illyricum.

A. M. 5819. — In this year, the octagonal Lord’s house (47) began to be built in Antioch.

A. M. 5820. — In this year, the pious emperor Constantine crossed the Danube (48), built a stone bridge over it, and subjugated the Scythians.

A. M. 5821. — First year of Mark, Bishop of Rome. In this year, Constantine the pious (49), while founding Constantinople, decreed that it be called New Rome, and ordered it to have a senate (50); he set up a porphyry column (51), and upon it a statue of himself, at the place ^C where he began to build the city towards the western part, at the gate that leads to Rome, having adorned the city, and having brought to it from every province and city whatever work of beauty, statues, bronze, and marble was available.

First year of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria (52).

A. M. 5822. ^D

^A In this year the pious Constantine ^B promoted the overthrow of temples and idols alike, so that they were everywhere destroyed and their revenues were assigned to the churches of God.

A. M. 5823. — First year of Julius, Bishop of Rome.

In this year the basilica of Nicomedia was consumed by celestial fire.

A. M. 5824. — In this year, as the seventh indiction was approaching, a famine so savage invaded the East that men from the villages gathered in crowds and poured into the city of Antioch and into Cyprus. At first, indeed, they began to plunder everything they encountered by night in their raids; then finally, in the daytime, they dared to break into granaries and storehouses, pillaging and despoiling everything, and soon after they would disperse. The modius of wheat sold for four hundred silver pieces. The great Constantine bestowed a grain dole upon the churches in every city, as a perpetual food supply for widows, orphans, pilgrims, the poor, and the clergy. The church at Antioch certainly received thirty-six thousand modii of grain.

In the same year, a most violent earthquake occurring in Cyprus, the city of Salamis fell, and it destroyed a great multitude of men.

A. M. 5825. — First year of Eulalius, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year Dalmatius was declared Caesar ^C. Calocerus, however, having usurped tyrannical power on the island of Cyprus ^D.

was unable to withstand the Roman onset; and, being overcome along with the authors of the plot, he was put to death in Tarsus of Cilicia, having been thrown alive into the fire by Dalmatius Caesar. In the same year, Arius was recalled from exile under the pretext ^A of a feigned repentance and was sent to Alexandria, but he was not received by Athanasius.

A. M. 5826. — In this year, the thirtieth anniversary of the most pious and victorious Constantine was celebrated with great festivity and magnificence. On this day in Antioch, at the third to the fifth hour, a star appeared in the eastern part of the sky, from which, as if from a furnace, a dense smoke vented forth. Arius, together with Eusebius of Nicomedia and his like-minded companions, having regained their spirits, submitted to the Emperor libelli testifying to their sincere and right faith, adding also oaths ^B by which they falsely asserted that they agreed with the Fathers at Nicaea. The Emperor, persuaded by these documents, was moved to indignation against Athanasius because he had not welcomed Arius and Euzoius, who had been excommunicated by Alexander; Euzoius was serving as a deacon at that time. Eusebius and those who favored him, having found an opportunity, fought against Athanasius, seeing that he was the defender of the true faith.

A. M. 5827. — The first year of Maximos, Bishop of Jerusalem. ^C In this year, the frustration of the Emperor against Athanasius—arising from his refusal to accept Arius and Euzoius after their supposedly feigned conversion—was seized upon by those surrounding Eusebius of Nicomedia and the Meletians as a ready instrument of wickedness, and they plotted against Athanasius. First, they slandered his ordination, despite the fact that Apollinaris the Syrian gave solemn testimony confirming the ordination of Athanasius. Second, they slandered him regarding a linen garment, which his adversaries falsely accused the saint of wearing. Third, they slandered him regarding Philumenus, to whom they lied and said he had sent a great quantity of gold in order to prepare a plot against the Emperor. The Emperor, however, summoned Athanasius and, finding ^D all the charges to be lies, sent him back to Alexandria with letters and great honor.

In the same year, a pernicious plot against Athanasius by Ischyras was hatched in Mareotis. This Ischyras, pretending to be a priest, went about the churches; which, when Athanasius learned it, he hindered him from the reckless...

endeavor, by means of Macarius the presbyter. He, therefore, fleeing, came to Eusebius of Nicomedia, accusing Athanasius of having, at the time of the celebration of the mysteries, shattered sacred vessels from the altar ^A and of having burned sacred books through Macarius; they also falsely alleged that he had cut off the celebrated hand of Arsenius, using it for magic, thus shamelessly slandering the holy man. When the emperor learned of the slanders against Athanasius, he first entrusted the examination to Dalmatius, his own cousin, who was then at Antioch. ^B Later, however, he transferred the trial to Caesarea; Athanasius, having declined this because of Eusebius of Pamphylia, was judged at Tyre by the adversaries of the truth, Eusebius of Nicomedia, I say, having deceived the emperor, under the pretense that he desired the newly built holy places and wished to be present at their dedication. And he dismissed [him] with great honor, having ordered the slanders against Athanasius to be dissolved, and thus to be present with Athanasius at the festival ^C of the dedication. They having therefore assembled at Tyre, Maximus of Jerusalem was also found there, not knowing of the traps set against Athanasius; but Athanasius, having entered the assembly of the evil-minded, tore apart the slanders of his accusers like a spider's web, so that they, having been seen to be lying in the matters they brought forward, were driven mad and threw everything into confusion, and shouted: "Remove the impostor who deceives everyone with his deceit!" But Dalmatius the Caesar and cousin of the emperor, ^D with a military guard, barely saved Athanasius, who was about to be killed by them. Then also Arsenius, by the providence of God, appeared in Tyre, and the fabrication concerning him having been exposed, the enemies turned to the slander against Ischyras. Athanasius, because of the unbearable plots set against him, withdrew from Tyre; and the Arian-minded, having held a meeting ex parte, deposed the absent Athanasius; and having entered into communion with Arius and Euzoius, they sent them forward to Alexandria; and thus they went up with blood-stained hands to the dedication. The instigator of all these evils was Eusebius of Nicomedia. A true report prevails, that the great Athanasius, having fled from Tyre, went up to Jerusalem; and having offered prayers, and having anointed with the holy myrrh and sanctified the houses of prayer...

^A before the arrival of the impious, he thus moved the emperor. And he explained everything by himself. But the most glorious Constantine, having marveled at the wickedness of his adversaries, and having deemed him worthy of great honor, dismissed him with letters to Alexandria. But after the return from the dedication, Eusebius of Nicomedia, who was estranged from all piety—and Theognis, and Ursacius, and Patrophilus—having reached Byzantium, and having remained silent about the previous slanders against Athanasius, produced as false witnesses four men possessing the rank of bishop, who dared to say with an oath: "We heard Athanasius threatening to prevent the grain transport coming from Egypt to Byzantium." Wherefore, having provoked the Christ-loving emperor to anger, they compelled him to exile the great Athanasius to Trier in Gaul.

When Athanasius had been exiled, Arius again troubled Egypt. When the emperor learned this, he summoned him and asked if he agreed with the dogmas settled at Nicaea concerning the consubstantial, and when he swore that he did agree, Arius devised his customary deceit. ^B For he had prepared two papers: one confessing the consubstantial, and the other opposed to it; the second he wrote with his own hand, while the first he presented written in another’s hand. He thus persuaded the emperor, swearing that he believed thus, and asked that by his command he be admitted into the Catholic Church. When the divine Alexander learned this, he poured forth tears with laments before God in the church called Irene; and more quickly than speech, divine vengeance overtook Arius, cutting him off from life in places worthy of the uncleanness of his tongue—in the present time and in the future—his bowels having poured out in the public latrines ^C at the very hour when he was about to enter the sacred shrines unworthily; thus, his life being suddenly cut short, he lost both the present and the eternal life. These things happened in the thirty-first year of the Great Constantine, while the divine Alexander was bishop of Constantinople, and not, as Eusebius of Nicomedia says, that Eusebius of Nicomedia held the throne of Constantinople when he was preparing the charges against Athanasius at the time of the dedication. For this is shown to be a falsehood even from the chronology of the times; since Constantine reigned for thirty-two years in total, and after the first decade, in his thirteenth year, having reached Byzantium, ^D he found Metrophanes, who was bishop before Alexander, and then Alexander was bishop for twenty-three years; so that from the beginning of the reign of the Great Constantine until the falling asleep of Alexander there were thirty-seven years.

thirty-seven years, which Constantine did not reach; and thus, from an accurate calculation of time, it is demonstrated that Eusebius did not occupy the throne of Constantinople during the age of Constantine, which is also manifest from what was said above regarding Arius and Athanasius. For the exile of Athanasius and the death of Arius occurred after the thirtieth year of Constantine, and after the dedication of the monuments of Jerusalem; and the great Alexander [was] still alive ^A.

A. M. 5328. — First year of Euphronius, bishop of Antioch ^B.

In this year, Eustathius, a presbyter of Constantinople, who was living an apostolic life and had attained the summit of virtue, was known for being distinguished; and likewise Zenobius the architect, who built the Martyrium in Jerusalem by the command of Constantine ^C.

In the same year, many of the Assyrians in Mesopotamia, who were subject to the Persians, were sold by the Saracens. The Persians declared war against the Romans; and Constantine, the pious, having set out for the city of Nicomedia and having drawn up his battle line against the Persians, fell ill and rested in peace. As some of the followers of Arius say, he was then deemed worthy of holy baptism by Eusebius of Nicomedia, who had been transferred to Constantinople—which is false, as has been demonstrated; for he was baptized in Rome by Sylvester, as we have already shown. He lived for a total of sixty-five years of his life, having reigned for thirty-one years and ten months. Having written a testament, he left the empire to his three sons, Constantius, Constantine, and Constans, having used his power ^D religiously and gently; the first emperor, by the providence of God who was about him, to be called a Christian. He prevailed over many barbarians from Britain even to the Persian territories, and over the tyrants of his own people who were raging with domestic arms, having destroyed his enemies by the sign of the life-giving cross.

after he had won victories against the enemies. ^A However, he entrusted his testament to an Arian priest who had been maliciously introduced to him by his sister Constantia, charging him to deliver it to no one other than Constantius, the emperor of the eastern regions. Finally, he ordered Athanasius to be recalled from exile. Constantius, having returned from the East as he received the body of his father, ^B buried it in the Church of the Holy Apostles. And then that infamous priest of the Arian sect, having delivered the testament documents to Constantius, attained great familiarity and authority in the emperor’s palace, and with Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia, and his disciples assisting him, he compelled the empress to switch to the Arian party.

A.D. 329. — First year of the Roman Emperor Constantius. ^C

In this year, the great and holy Constantine having departed this life, his three sons took possession of the Roman Empire. Constantius, indeed, of the East; Constans of the Gauls; and Constantine of Italy. Constantius, having recalled Athanasius from exile, sent him to Alexandria with letters of recommendation, whom the Alexandrians—and especially the college of the clergy—received with great joy. Eusebius of Pamphilus, in his first book against Marcellus and likewise in the third, inveighs very vehemently against those who do not fear to call the Son of God a creature; whose statements Socrates relates and institutes his defense of Eusebius, ^D striving with all his might to demonstrate that he was alien to the Arian sentiment; but the truth itself declares that he applies a mask to his words and opinions, and that he is carried and agitated in different directions according to the variations of the times. Immediately after the great Constantine had died, Eusebius also passed away, leaving as his successor to the throne of Caesarea his disciple Acacius, a man indeed distinguished, and who, with the booklets he composed on various subjects, testifies that he is entirely devoted to the Arian party, by reason of his mental agreement with his teacher.

In the same year, Sapor, king of the Persians, meditating the devastation of Nisibis, brought an army into Mesopotamia; and having laid siege to it for sixty-three days, and not having been able to take it, he withdrew.

^A James, the bishop of the Nisibenes, remaining in the manner of the piety of God, easily accomplished his purposes through prayers; he also caused the Persians, who were hoping to destroy Nisibis, to be disappointed of their expectation. For immediately they retreated from the city, driven by the spirit of his prayer, ^B and having arrived in their own country, they received the reward of their impiety, as they were, from hunger and pestilence, being destroyed. Dalmatius the Caesar (77) was executed by the soldiers immediately after the death of the great Constantine, not by the order of Constantius, but because he did not prevent the slaughter (14).

A. M. 5830. — In this year the younger Dalmatius (78) having been executed by the soldiers, Gallus and Julian, the children of Constantius, the brother of Constantine the Great, were about to be executed as well. But disease saved Gallus, and tender infancy saved Julian, for he was only eight years old. Constantius, although he had previously accepted the *homoousion* (79), later changed his mind through lightness of judgment and the deception of the Arian presbyter, and of Eusebius, the chief of the eunuchs, and Eusebius of Nicomedia, and those around them.

A. M. 5831. — In this year Constantine, the son of the great Constantine (80), having invaded the regions assigned to his brother Constans and engaged in war, was killed by the soldiers; and Constans gained control of the whole Western ^C land alone. Constantius, reigning over the East, handed over Gallus and Julian to be educated in a place called Demacelle (81), near Caesarea in Cappadocia.

VARIOUS READINGS

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES

^A These two brothers became readers, and strove to build a church to the holy martyr Mamas. ^B But in the place where it happened that Julian was building, the ground would not admit the construction. Having shaved off his hair, he feigned a monastic way of life. Constantius and Constans enacted a law that a Jew should not purchase a slave for himself, lest he be returned to the public census; and if he should dare to circumcise a slave, he was to be punished with the sword and his property confiscated.

A. C. 332. — In this year Constantius built Amida, having strengthened it with sturdy walls. He also built Constantia, formerly called the city of Antonius, to be called by his own name thenceforth, and situated seven hundred stadia to the south of Amida.

A. C. 333. — First year of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem. ^B In this year, a synod of one hundred and ninety bishops having been convened, over which Eusebius, the prelate of Nicomedia, presided, they appoint another Eusebius, the prelate of Emesa, to be bishop of Alexandria. Since he was rejected, as one who was a Sabellian, they sent out a certain Arian, Gregory, with a large army and a certain general, Syrianus...

to drive Athanasius from the throne of Alexandria, or even to kill him. Then Athanasius, clearly counseled by God, went out among the choir of the church and escaped the death that was hanging over him. But the people themselves rejected Eusebius—who was not accepted by those in Alexandria—and, openly receiving the Arian heresy instead, they changed the faith, and after his death, having written a second exposition of faith, they kept silent concerning the word "consubstantial." At that time, also, the dedication of the church of Antioch, which Constantine the Great had built, was celebrated. ^A In the same year, Antioch was endangered by great earthquakes for three continuous days. The church that was dedicated was of a spherical form, built over the course of six years; its foundations had been laid by Constantine the Great, but it was completed and dedicated by his son Constantius.

A. M. 5834. — In this year Constantius, having defeated the Assyrians, triumphed. ^B Sapor, the king of the Persians, added to his previous evils that he persecuted the Christians under his rule. Constans, in the West, ravaged the Franks. A great earthquake having occurred in Cyprus, the greater part of the city of Salamis fell.

A. M. 5835. — First year of Paul as bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, a great earthquake having occurred, Neocaesarea in Pontus was overthrown, ^C except for the church, the bishop's residence, and the pious men discovered there. The Romans joined battle with the Persians and slew many of them. In the same year, Paul the Confessor ^D is ordained bishop of Constantinople.

^A A. C. 356. First year of Philacitus, bishop of Antioch. In this year, a violent earthquake occurring, the island of Rhodes collapsed. (The Alexandrians, however, slew Gregory, who had attacked Athanasius like a brigand and occupied the throne of Alexandria for six years.) Nevertheless, George the Arian, a certain monster from Cappadocia [(5)], is substituted by the Arians.

A. C. 337. (In this year, Dyrrachium, a city of Dalmatia, collapsed due to an earthquake; and Rome was similarly afflicted for three continuous days and feared the ultimate peril.) In Campania, twelve cities were destroyed. Constantius, coming to Byzantium, cast Paul, the bishop of Constantinople, from the throne, and intruded the most impious Eusebius of Nicomedia [(5)], like a sewer of iniquity, in a brigandish and unlawful manner, that ^B refuge of all evils [(6)].

A. C. 338. First year of Liberius, bishop of Rome. First year of Eusebius of Nicomedia, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Constantius, having cut away a mountain for the most part, prepared a harbor in Seleucia of Syria and embellished the city with buildings. He also founded another city in Phoenicia, which he named Constantia, previously called Antaradus. Sapor, king of the Persians, having advanced into Mesopotamia, besieged Nisibis for seventy-eight days, and again departed, put to shame. In the same year, an eclipse of the sun occurred, so that stars appeared in the heavens at the third hour of the day, on the sixth day of the month of Daesius. Athanasius and Paul [(8)], and all who had been expelled for the sake of the orthodox doctrine, fled to Rome to Pope Julius; and as each explained the matters concerning himself to Julius, he restored each to their own churches, having given them letters. ^{C D}

^A Constantius, however, staying in Antioch, upon learning that Julius had restored their own sees to Paul and to Athanasius by means of letters, became enraged and ordered them to be driven out from their own sees. In this same year the sun again became more parched and dim at the second hour of the Lord’s day.

[A. M. 5840.] [A. C. 340.] In this year, a great earthquake having occurred in Berytus of Phoenicia, the greater part of the city collapsed, so that a multitude of Gentiles, having promised to live a Christian life according to the same rite as us, approached the Church. Thence, certain innovators, having as it were despoiled the patterns of the Church, departed; and calling a place a house of prayer, they received the multitude into it, mimicking all the things of the Church, having become similar to us, just as the heresy of the Samaritans is related to the Jews, living as Gentiles.

[A. M. 5841.] [A. C. 341.] In this year, Sapor, the king of the Persians, having besieged Nisibis, molested it sufficiently, having even brought a multitude of elephants suitable for warfare, and mercenary kings, and engines of every kind; and he threatened that if they were not willing to withdraw, he would raze the city from its foundations. But ^B as the Nisibenes resisted against the surrender, he then resolved to flood the city with the river that flows past it. But the men, keeping the enemy at bay with prayers, had God as their protector. For as the waters were about to level the position of the walls for the sake of causing a collapse, a portion of the wall did indeed yield, and this by the permission of God, as shall be clearly shown hereafter. For immediately, the city remained guarded, and the enemies were swamped by the waters, and many were destroyed by the water. ^C But those who had suffered this, threatened that they would enter through the collapsed wall,

^A having brought up the armed elephants and readied the crowd, to attend more urgently to the war, in addition to all kinds of siege engines. But the soldiers guarding the city, by the providence of God, secured the victory from there, and filled the place with all kinds of weapons. With onagers they killed most of the elephants. Others fell into the pits of the trenches; others still, having been struck, turned backward, and more than ten thousand of their heavy-armed men died. Upon the rest, a thunderbolt fell from heaven, and the sounds of murky clouds and violent rain and thunder terrified everyone, so that the majority were destroyed by fear. ^B The new Pharaoh, Sapor, being hemmed in on all sides, was overcome by the waves of fear. Casting his eyes toward the fallen part of the wall, he saw an angel standing at the top, brilliantly adorned, and holding Emperor Constantius by the hand. Seeing this, he was confounded and threatened [his magicians] with death. But having learned the cause, they decided to explain the power of the vision to the king, as being greater than they. Through which, having then recognized the cause of the danger, and having become panic-stricken, he ordered the siege engines to be burned, and everything that had been prepared for the war to be dismantled. He himself, with his own men, fled in pursuit of his homeland, but before they could arrive, many were consumed by a plague.

^C A. M. 5842. In this year Constantius Augustus, as sole ruler, declared Gallus, his cousin, Caesar and colleague of his empire; and having bestowed upon him the name Constantius, he sent him to the East, toward Antioch, as the Persians were still harassing the province.

A. M. 5843. In this year the Jews in Palestine revolted; and they slaughtered a great number of others of the nations, both Greeks and Samaritans; but they themselves were killed down to the last man by the Roman army, and their city, Diocaesarea, was wiped out.

In the same year, Constantius, being gravely angered at Pope Liberius, who had written to him concerning the consubstantial faith and the affairs of the holy Athanasius, sent back dispatches to him, and having sent [agents?], he exiled him—

^A in the Thracian Berrhoea, at the instigation of Eusebius, the chief of the eunuchs, who contrived this evil. In his place he ordained Felix. He had been a deacon of the same church and accepted the Nicene Synod, but communicated irrationally with the Arians. The Romans, however, would not bear to communicate with him, but held ecclesiastical gatherings and meetings apart by themselves. On the command of Constantius, a synod was therefore convened at Mediolanum, consisting of three hundred bishops from the West, but from the parts of the East, very few indeed. It was dissolved without result, as the Westerners refused to accept the machinations again aimed against the holy Athanasius. Finally, when the Romans made requests to the emperor, he was forced to recall Liberius and restore him to the throne; Felix, having left Rome, never returned.

A. M. 5844. — First year of Felix, bishop of Rome. ^B A. M. 5845. — First year of Damasus, bishop of Rome. A. M. 5846. — In this year, Gallus, also called Constantius, being Caesar and distinguishing himself in wars, unable to bear his own good fortune, planned a tyranny. He killed Domitian, the prefect of the East, and Magnus the quaestor, who had informed Constantius of the conspiracy. The emperor summoned him and ordered him to be killed on the island of Thalmon, and kept his brother Julian in custody. Eusebia, the wife of Constantius, begged that he be granted to her and sent him away to Athens.

A. M. 5847. — First year of Hilarion, bishop of Jerusalem. ^C In this year, Acacius of Caesarea and Patrophilus of Scythopolis, who were Arians, deposed Maximus of Jerusalem and introduced Cyril in his place, thinking that he held the same views as them. At this time, while Cyril was bishop of Je—

-^Arusalem, the sign of the life-giving cross appeared in the heavens on the day of Pentecost, radiant with light, extending from Golgotha, where Christ was crucified, to the Mount of Olives, from whence He was taken up. A crown, having the appearance of a rainbow, encircled the sign that had appeared; and on that same day, it was also seen by Constantius. A letter of Cyril to the Emperor Constantius is in circulation concerning this, in which he calls him "most pious." Hence some, harboring suspicion of the Arian opinion, malign this same Cyril, saying that he passed over the term "consubstantial" in the catechetical lectures which he set forth for the benefit of the countless multitudes who approached the divine baptism on account of the miracle of the life-giving cross. But they are mistaken and in error. For it was necessary [for Cyril] to call the emperor "most pious"—out of simplicity of mind, rather than by settled purpose, and because the emperor had been seduced into the heresy by the knavery of the Arians, while his pagan leanings had not yet been fully destroyed. Furthermore, it was proper [for Cyril] to be silent for a time regarding the word "consubstantial," which still offended many, and which, through the contradiction of the enemies [of the faith], was casting those being baptized into confusion, and instead to make clear the meaning of "consubstantial" through synonymous expressions—which indeed the blessed Cyril has done, having expounded the faith of Nicaea word for word, and having proclaimed the Son to be true God from true God the Father.

[A.M. 5848. First year of Stephen, Arian bishop of Antioch.]

^B A.M. 5849. In this year, Athanasius and Paul, after the death of Eusebius who had impiously ruled the see of Constantinople, returned again to Rome to Pope Julius and to the Emperor Constans, the brother of Constantius. Upon the death of Eusebius, the people of Constantinople restored Paul to the throne. The Arians, on the other hand, ordained Macedonius, such that a civil war broke out between the two factions. Constantius, who was then staying at Antioch, upon hearing this, commanded Hermogenes, the master of soldiers, who had been sent into Thrace, to deflect his path, hoping to keep the ^C people from—

^A performing a side-task and driving Paul out of the Church. When Hermogenes undertook to carry this out, the populace rioted, burned down his house, killed Hermogenes himself, and threw him into the sea. Upon learning this, the Emperor left Antioch and hastened to the imperial city; he cast Paul out of the throne, yet he did not install Macedonius in it for the time being. Then, becoming enraged because of the murder of Hermogenes, he punished the city by withholding forty thousand of the daily loaves of bread ^B from the eighty thousand that his father had commanded to be distributed. Then Paul, as was said before, went to Julius, the Bishop of Rome, and returned with letters from him to Constantinople. Constantius, who was still staying in Antioch at that time, learned that Julius had restored Paul to the throne, and becoming enraged, he ordered Philip the Prefect to drive Paul out and to substitute Macedonius in his throne. The Prefect, mindful of what had happened to Hermogenes on account of Paul and fearing to suffer similar things, summoned Paul to the bath called Zeuxippus, lowered him through a window, and ordered him to be exiled to Thessalonica, from where he also originated. He took Macedonius up in his own carriage, and, as a tyrant of the Church, violently forced him into the episcopal seat, with the orthodox resisting to such an extent that three thousand one hundred and fifty men were killed; and in this way the Arians obtained the Church. At that time, Constantius also threatened Athanasius with death, who, fearing this, became a fugitive and again made his way to Rome. At the same ^C time Paul also came from Thessalonica, and when they approached Constans, they recounted what had happened to them. Constans, grieving for the holy men, and being moved with sorrow, wrote to his brother Constantius, demanding that he either return the original sees to Paul and Athanasius or threatening to wage war against him. He also urged him to have a council in Sardica, at which three hundred bishops of the West gathered, but only thirty-six from the East. These opposed those from the West, demanding first that Athanasius and Paul be cast out. But Hosius, the Bishop of Cordoba, and Protogenes of Sardica could not patiently tolerate that the holy men Athanasius and Paul were not present at the council. Then the Orientals, having gone to Philippopolis, impudently anathematized ^D the word "consubstantial." Meanwhile, the orthodox at Sardica [defended] the orthodox...

and sound definition of Nicaea, which was rightly and soundly set forth, having rejected the opinion of the Anomoeans. Then at last they restored their sees, which had been taken away, to Paul and Athanasius, and also to Marcellus, the prelate of Ancyra, who pleaded that his writings were not understood by his accusers and who professed the faith of the consubstantial. Thus the synod of Sardica, having confirmed the dogma of the consubstantial against the Orientals who had separated themselves, ^B enacted these things. After this, Constantius received Athanasius and Paul with honor and restored their own thrones to them; and in this manner Athanasius returned to Alexandria and was received with great joy, having driven out George the Arian, and he was accepted by the common applause of the rejoicing citizens.

When Magnentius practiced tyranny in the Gauls and had removed the religious prince Constans, Constantius Augustus, at that time living in Antioch, having learned of these things, immediately sent letters and ordered Paul to be driven from the royal city into exile at Cucusus; there he received death at the hands of the Arians, and soon Macedonius occupied the throne. Constantius, moreover, set out for Italy to subdue Magnentius. The Roman senate, having adorned Nepotianus with the imperial insignia, sent him on an expedition against Magnentius. Having joined battle with Magnentius at Rome, he was killed by him after he had reigned for three months, ^C before Constantius could reach Rome. Constantina, who is also called Helena, the sister of Constantius, proclaimed the honorable and illustrious man Vetranio as emperor, and set him against Magnentius for the battle. When Constantius had come to Rome and had received Vetranio with great honor, both of them fought against Magnentius near Mursa. Magnentius, having been defeated, fled into Italy. Often having been fought by the soldiers of Constantius, and having engaged at Seleucus and been defeated, he fled to Lugdunum; and having first killed his brother, and having inflicted the same death upon his own mother, he finally did away with himself; and Decentius, his brother, the Caesar, used a noose to end his life. ^D At that time also Silvanus, having attempted to seize the tyranny in the Gauls, was put to death by the soldiers of Constantius. And Constantius, having come to Rome, entered [the city] with great

pomp and military parade, having been named [as superior] to the emperors before him. His wife Eusebia also came with him, and he spent fourteen days in Rome. Having gone out to the Tribunal Campus ^B (40), and standing upon a height while the army and Bretannio were present with him, he harangued the people, persuading them that it was consistent with the [nature of the] empire, and that the authority belonged [(41)] to him who had succeeded to it from his ancestral emperors, and that it was beneficial to the people and to the state that public affairs be administered under a single authority, and all things consequent to these. Then, having stripped Bretannio—who had reigned for ten months—of his power at that very hour, he shared a table with him for a banquet; and afterwards, with all honor and guards ^C as well as many gifts, he sent him to Prusa in Bithynia. Since he was a Christian, he devoted himself to the church, performed many alms for the poor, and honored the priests until the day of his death. Constantius, having returned to Byzantium (42), and being persuaded by Eusebia, his own wife, brought out Julian, the brother of Gallus, from custody, appointed him Caesar, and sent him into the Gauls, having united him in marriage to his own sister, Helen, who was also ^D called Constantia.

In the same year, Pope Julius (43) fell asleep in Rome, and Liberius, a man in all things admirable and orthodox, was ordained in his place. But the Arians so [treated] the emperor against Athanasius

^A they urged him on to decree the death penalty against him. But even then ^B the holy man consulted his safety by flight.

A. M. 5850. — First year of Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople. In this year, a great earthquake having occurred in Nicomedia ^A at the third hour of the night, it seized the city, and destroyed a great multitude of people; the bishop of the city, Cecropius, also perished in this common disaster.

A. M. 5851. — First year of Leontius, bishop of Antioch. First year of Eudoxius, bishop of Constantinople, Macedonius having been expelled.

A. M. 5852. — Macedonius, therefore, holding the throne of Constantinople tyrannically ^B, transferred the body of the great Constantine from the Church of the Holy Apostles to the church of Saint Acacius, using as a pretext the ruin of the [former] church. Yet, as the people obstructed it, a great slaughter took place, so that the cistern ^C and the courtyard of the martyrion were filled with blood, as were the surrounding streets. Upon learning of this, Constantius was angered against Macedonius, and ordering him to be deposed, he substituted Eudoxius in his place, exchanging one great evil for a greater one.

In this year, the Persians took the fortress called Bedzacdi ^C. Constantius, however, hearing that Julian, conspicuous for his praise, had been proclaimed emperor by the army in the Gauls, he himself, remaining at Antioch ^C on account of the Persian war, set out against the tyrant Julian; and having reached the springs of Mopsus ^D, at the first station from Tarsus of Cilicia, he ended his life in the month of Dius, ^D the 3rd day, having many

^A condemnations in his own mind 51. He was baptized 52 at Antioch by Euzoius the Arian, in the year 5852 of the universal world, the twelfth period [beginning with the twelfth] 53. Julian, having become sole monarch, shamelessly Hellenized, washing away the holy baptism with the blood of sacrifices, and doing everything by which demons are propitiated.

A. M. 3855. — Year I of the Roman Emperor Julian.

^B In this year Julian the Apostate reigned, having become sole monarch due to the multitude of our sins 54. For, elated by his victory against the Barbarians, he entrusted the power to himself, and having put on the diadem before the death of Constantius, he shamelessly turned to Hellenism. Constantius, greatly repenting of this, gave up the ghost, both for the murder of his kin 55 and for the innovation of the faith, and for the proclamation of the Apostate; but when Julian the Apostate had become sole monarch by divine judgments, all manner of God-sent wrath 56 seized the Roman land. The lawless one, wishing to show Constantius to be unjust and inhuman, while feigning justice, recalled the bishops who were in [exile]. He killed Eusebius, the first of the imperial ^C eunuchs 57, as one who was allegedly unjust; he also drove away the other eunuchs 58 of the palace, because he had lost the wife whom Constantius had joined to him, his own sister; likewise also the cooks, because of his sparse diet, and the barbers, because one should suffice for many, as he used to say. He cast out the camels and donkeys and oxen and mules of the public postal service, allowing only horses to serve, because of [his] great greed 59, of which he was a ^D slave.

^A At that time, the Gentiles dwelling in the East, having regained their courage, suddenly seized George, the bishop of Alexandria, and killed him. They treated his corpse with impious mockery, placing it upon a camel and parading it through the city [(61)]. Then, having mixed his remains with the bones of dead beasts, they burned them and scattered them to the winds. At that time, Athanasius, who had been hidden for a long time by a certain virgin, emerged, held a synod in Alexandria, confirmed the dogmas established at Nicaea, and recovered the church. The Arians, after George had been removed, chose Lucius for themselves and held their assemblies in profane buildings. The Gentiles crucified and slaughtered many other Christians. They also dug up the remains of Patrophilus, the bishop of Scythopolis ^B, and scattered them here and there; they treated his skull with insults, hanging it up [(62)] and mocking it. At Gaza and Ascalon, they killed priests and virgins consecrated to God for all time, and tearing open their bellies, filled them with barley and threw them to the swine to be torn apart. Moreover, in Phoenicia, the people of Heliopolis killed the deacon Cyril [(63)] because he had destroyed their idols under the blessed Constantine, and they made a feast of his liver. The man who had cut open the deacon and tasted his liver subsequently suffered these things: he vomited up his tongue, which was flowing with gore, and spat out his teeth; finally, being blinded in his eyes and tormented in a miserable manner, he ended his life. Furthermore, Julian repaid the Christians of Caesarea in Cappadocia with many evils. For, because of the injuries brought upon the Gentiles by them under Constantius, ^C and because they had destroyed the temple of Fortune, he deprived the city of its rights and of the name of being called Caesarea. He commanded it to be called by its former name, Mazaca, because the Christians there had done many evils to the Gentiles under Constantius and had leveled the temple of Fortune. In Arethusa, they committed terrible deeds against the Christians, among whom was Mark, the most holy monk [(63)], who...

who had rescued Julian himself when the army of Constantius was seeking to kill the son of the Emperor. While he was still breathing, [his] ^B viscera.... In the Great Church they set up the idol of Dionysus, having torn down the ancient church. Mares, the bishop of Chalcedon, hurled many insults to his face when Julian was sacrificing at the house of Fortune. Julian, playing the part of a philosopher, endured the insults.

A. M. 5854. In this same year, the impious Julian decreed that Christians should not participate in Hellenic studies. Apollinaris, using divine Scripture as his material and imitating the style of the ancients, composed a work against Julian which he entitled *On Truth*, and he greatly benefited the Church. He ordered Athanasius the Great to be expelled from Alexandria, as the Hellenes were inciting him fiercely against him. As he was leaving, he told the Christians who were weeping for him to be of good cheer, saying, “Take heart; it is a little cloud, and it will pass away.” Julian wrote to the Bostrenians to expel from their city Titus, the holy bishop of Bostra; and he also ordered them to expel Dorotheus, the much-suffering bishop of Tyre, who had written many ^C ecclesiastical histories and was distinguished in speech, who had been a confessor under Diocletian and again under Licinius, and who had reached a ripe old age. In the second year of the Apostate, when his magistrates found him living a private life in Odyssopolis, they subjected him to many tortures for his faith in Christ; though he was one hundred and seven years old, they beat him and overwhelmed him with insults, putting him to death for the faith of Christ. The wretch and apostate, imitating the benevolence of the Christians, ordered that necessities be provided to strangers and the poor, deceiving the more simple-minded. The impious man ordered that his own images be inscribed with Zeus, Ares, Hermes, and the rest of the demons, and that those who put off the worship of these be punished as enemies of the emperor. When distributing the allowance to the army, he would place fire and frankincense and force the army to offer incense. At Caesarea Philippi, which is now called Paneas, where the woman with the issue of blood came from, a statue stood before the door of her house of our Lord ^D and God, Jesus Christ, which, according to a pagan custom,

following the custom of the Gentiles, and mindful of the benefit and a grateful spirit, she had raised [the statue], which the sacrilegious Julian commanded to be cast down. And this was done; for the Gentiles, mocking, dragged the image away, and in its place they set up an image by the name of Julian. The Christians, however, taking ^A this statue, deposited it in the church; but fire sent from heaven consumed the image of the Transgressor. Furthermore, a plant began to grow under the base of the statue, a most effective remedy for all diseases, which also provoked the Apostate Julian in his envy to destroy the Lord’s statue. In Nicopolis of Palestine, which was previously called Emmaus, there rises a spring that provides cures for all kinds of human and animal ailments. It is said that in it, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, after returning from a journey, washed his feet, and the ^B impious one ordered this spring to be filled in. In Hermopolis in the Thebaid there stands a tree called the Persea. If anyone should take a leaf or a small branch of this, it is a remedy for every human infirmity. They say that when the Lord fled from Herod to Egypt with the Theotokos and Joseph, having arrived at that place, the tree inclined toward the ground to worship Him, and even now it preserves the posture of that worship. Julian, meanwhile, staying in Antioch, and going up repeatedly to Daphne, and offering worship to the idol of Apollo, received—contrary to what he hoped—not a single response from the idol. Suspecting, therefore, that it was because of the remains of the holy martyr Babylas stored at Daphne that the idol was silent, he issued a decree that all the remains of the dead deposited there should be relocated along with those of the martyr. This having been done, the temple was consumed on a sudden by fire sent from heaven in the night. The idol was so burned that not even a trace of it remained. It was said to have stood for many years before. The temple was ^C so ruined that those who came after could see its debris scattered here and there, and they would be struck with an incredible admiration for the divine works. Struck with amazement at this event, Julian, suspecting that this had happened as a result of a snare by the Christians, proceeded to the interrogation of the priests who remained, and by various [tortures]... ^D

until some of them died, he heard only this from them: that this did not happen by the hand of the Christians, nor by human treachery, but that fire coming down from heaven burned the temple and the idols; just as on that same night, the fire carrying down was clearly seen by certain people in the countryside. The emperor, therefore, enraged, and as if warring against God, both closed the Great Church and confiscated all its sacred vessels. Two of the counts who had been sent, Felix and the apostate Julian, uttered these words: “We thought there was some present power here that ought to have stopped us.” But Felix said, “See with what vessels the Son of Mary is served?” And a little later, Felix, suddenly vomiting a great quantity of blood from his mouth, ended his life while being tortured. Count Julian, on that very same day, falling into a most severe disease of the gut, such that his insides rotted away and he excreted filth from his mouth, died in agony. ^B

A. M. 5855. — In this year some of those in the military were deceived, being examined for defection: some by promises of gifts and dignities, others also by necessities imposed by their own commanders. And Theotecnus, a priest entrusted with a church in a suburb of Antioch, having been deceived by promises, of his own accord turned toward idol worship; whom God punished immediately. For he became worm-eaten and lost his sight, and eating his own tongue, he died. And Heron, a bishop of the Thebaid, of his own accord defected in the city of the Antiochenes, whom God immediately punished as an example and terror to many. He, with his limbs dissolved by a rotting disease, having been cast into the square, breathed his last before the eyes of all. But others, in these very circumstances, excelled in the confession of Christ: Valentinian, being then a tribune ^C of the regiment called the Cornuti (67), not only scorned his status, but was also subjected to exile; he who, after this, by God was made emperor. ^D

^A Likewise, Jovian (68) also loosed his military belt, crying out: "I am a Christian." The people, who loved him, entreated the emperor—since he was then a commander of the troops—not to do him any injustice (69); and he was even proclaimed emperor after Julian. Artemius, moreover, the dux (70) of the diocese of Egypt, because under Constantius he had shown great zeal against idols, was confiscated and beheaded at Alexandria. Emilianus also, of Dorostolus (71), a city of Thrace—a man of veteran service—was delivered to the fire by Capetulianus (72); and very many others, in different places and ways, became illustrious in the confession of Christ.

On the other hand, a certain Thalassius (73), notorious for his lost luxury and lust, a man who even procured his own daughter for shameful deeds, was held dear by the emperor Julian as an entrails-observer, and he kept a residence near the palace in Antioch. When his house collapsed upon him, he alone perished ^B with a single eunuch, whom he happened to be embracing; all his household servants, including his own wife and her companions—being marked by the Christian faith—were saved entirely unharmed. Among them, a young boy of scarcely seven years, gathered safe from the ruins, when asked how he had been saved, replied that he had been carried away by an angel.

Julian, that man of accursed name, as if he would extinguish all knowledge of God, ordered the temple of the Jews to be rebuilt, and he placed over the work a certain Gentile named Alypius, who was most hostile to Christ. While he was digging out the foundations that had been covered over with earth, a most violent force of wind, together with a tempest and storm bursting forth through the excavated ground, scattered to the winds twenty myriads of measures of lime that had been prepared for the work. But fire, brought forth from those same foundations, consumed the Jews who were insisting upon their undertaking; ^C and upon seeing this, they desisted from their renewed efforts. The impious Julian wrote a refutation of the holy Gospels, which Cyril, the great bishop of Alexandria, brilliantly refuted in a select and luminous treatise. Porphyry also, having raged against us,

^A was by birth a Tyrian, and the wretched man was previously a Christian; but having been struck by Christians in Caesarea of Palestine, he defected to Hellenism out of indignation, and then at last the dog dared to write against the truth. In addition to these things, the divine cross appeared in the heavens, luminous and surrounded by a wreath of light, from Golgotha to the holy Mount of Olives, more brilliant even than it had been under Constantius. Spontaneously, upon the altar cloths, the books, and other church vestments, and even upon the garments, not only of Christians but also of Jews, the sign of the cross appeared—and not only in Jerusalem, but also in Antioch and other cities. And even if the Jews and Hellenes stubbornly disbelieved, they found their own garments covered with crosses; in some cases, they even turned black. But Julian sent many men to various places to consult divinations and oracles, so that he might appear, with the permission of the demons, to undertake a war against the Persians. And of the many and various oracles brought to him, I shall record one; it runs as follows: "Now we all, the gods, have rushed forth to carry off trophies of victory by the beast-river, and I, the turbulent Mars, ^B lead them [in the war]." Confident in these things, he armed himself for the war against the Persians, having penalized the Christians with the loss of much money. Upon arriving in Antioch, under the pretext of the price of goods, he was severely insulted by the Antiochenes, at which time he also composed the *Misopogon* [Beard-Hater], an Antiochene work, ostensibly for his own defense. He also punished bitterly a certain young man, Theodore, who had led the insults against him. Having done many and great things against the Christians, and promising to do more after the Persian war, he ended his wretched life miserably in the midst of it. For he was taken away by divine judgment, having reigned for two years and nine months, and he met his end ^C in the Persian war—slain by God—on the twenty-sixth of the month of January, in the sixth indiction.

He was thirty-one years of age. ^A And it came to pass, while he was in Persia, in the month of Daisios, that a water-pot filled with water in the house of a certain Christian peasant woman was transformed into boiling must or wine at the hour of evening. At that same hour she brought the vessel, filled, to the village church. The priest of the place filled a small vessel from it and carried it to Bishop Abgarus. In Carrhae, a woman was found hanging by her hair, and in Antioch there were seen many human skulls, by which the Prevaricator [Julian], while performing divinations for the war against the Persians, had put seals and locks upon the places.

A.M. 5856. — A.C. 356. — First year of the Roman Emperor Jovian.

In this year Jovian, a military tribune, a man most meek and a right-believing Christian, was hailed as Roman Emperor by the whole army, the generals, and the consuls, in the very same place in the Persian land where the Prevaricator was slain. ^B And after one engagement of the war, a peace was reached with God’s consent, acclaimed by both Romans and Persians, and fixed for thirty years. He refused the empire, saying that he could not lead an army that had turned pagan under Julian; to which all cried out with one voice that they were Christians. ^C Jovian yielded the great city of Nisibis to the Persians for the salvation of the remnant of the people, and made peace. He sent forth general laws throughout the whole Roman world concerning the sacred churches, restoring the Catholic Church to its former state and honor, in which it had been held under the blessed Constantine the Great; he recalled the exiled bishops, and wrote to the holy Athanasius for an accurate exposition of the sincere faith. ^D

Whereupon Jovian, having become more firmly established in orthodoxy, bestowed many gifts upon those who professed the consubstantial doctrine, and exempted them from tribute. ^A But Acacius, that wicked bishop of Caesarea, having gathered other bishops at Antioch, composed a petition of orthodoxy—ostensibly so—confessing the consubstantiality and the synod at Nicaea, out of fear of the pious emperor, and not out of devotion to God.

The Emperor Jovian arrived at Antioch in the month of Hyperberetaios. ^B At that time, outside the gate of the city at the place called Tripylon, a female infant was born to a rustic gardener; it was a seven-month birth, having two heads, clearly separated, each having a perfected form, as if each head were separated from the neck down. This infant was born dead in the month of Dios, which is November. Jovian then departed from Antioch for Constantinople and, having arrived in Ancyra of Galatia, he proceeded as consul with his son, Aranianus, and proclaimed him illustrissimus, though without investing him with the purple. ^C In the same year, after having reigned for nine months and fifteen days, the most Christian Emperor Jovian died in a village of Bithynia called Dadastana. In his place, Valentinian Augustus—who held the empire for eleven years—was proclaimed emperor by the army, because he was renowned for his confession as a Christian. He immediately set out for Constantinople, and having reached the queen of cities, he proclaimed his own brother, Valens, a partner in his empire, assigning to him the eastern parts, while he himself kept the western.

A. M. 5857. — First year of the Roman Emperor Valentinian.

[alt-version omitted]

NOTES OF JACQUES GOAR

(86) October. Ammianus Marcellinus, in his account of the winter, mentions this prodigy, though he omits the standard name for it.

(87) By the "procession" of the emperor, whether in a magistracy or otherwise, I understand not a simple walk, but one celebrated with equipment and pomp. I shall cite the authorities elsewhere.

(88) Regarding the current account of Jovian having been proclaimed consul, Ammianus says (lib. xxv): "When the emperor entered Ancyra, having prepared what was necessary for the pomp, he entered his consulship, having admitted into this partnership his son Varronianus, a very small child; his wailing, as he persistently resisted being carried in the curule chair in the customary fashion, portended what soon came to pass."

(89) Cedrenus states that he proclaimed one of his sons, Varonianus—who was very young—illustrissimus, which in the Roman tongue signifies "the most noble" (Lib. viii, cap. 8).

(90) Philostorgius asserts this: the same emperor, having spent nearly ten months in his reign, perished by vapor. Zosimus counts only eight months (lib. iii), Sozomen less (lib. vi, cap. 6), and Socrates least of all (lib. ii, last chapter). In a word, he reigned from June, or the sixth day before the Kalends of July, until the thirteenth day before the Kalends of March, according to Socrates; others suggest until May.

^A In this year, Valentinian Augustus declared his son Gratian an Augustus, appointing him a partner in the empire and also consul. He also proclaimed his brother Valens as emperor—who, as has been said before, was a burning Arian and had been baptized by Eudoxius. ^B The Orthodox approached Valentinian ^C through Hypatius, the bishop of Heraclea, beseeching him to permit them to assemble for the correction of the consubstantial dogma. To whom Valentinian replied: "For me, being listed among the people of the Church, to inquire too curiously about such matters is not right. Therefore, act as seems best to you priests." Then, having gathered at Lampsacus and spent two months there, they finally annulled the things enacted by Eudoxius and Acacius in Constantinople, and determined that the faith of Seleucia should prevail. But the impious Valens overturned the things done at Lampsacus and sent the bishops who had assembled there into exile. He delivered the churches of Constantinople to Eudoxius, who held the same views as he. The Orthodox had neither a shepherd nor a church. ^D In this year, Liberius, Bishop of Rome [(95)], and Athanasius of Alexandria and Meletius of Antioch, and Samosata...

's ^A Eusebius, having been recalled from exile by Jovian, shone forth in the true doctrine, as did Cyril of Jerusalem and other bishops who were champions of orthodoxy. Meanwhile, Lucius presided over the Arians in Alexandria, and Euzoius in Antioch; while Paulinus led one part of the Orthodox—who were divided into two—and Meletius led the other.

A.M. 5859. — Year 1 of Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem. Year 1 of Eudoxius, bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Procopius rebelled in Constantinople in the month of September ^B (96), and, having set out for Nacolia and surrounded himself with a large army, he struck terror into Valens; for this reason, the war against the Churches was suspended for a short time, until his own generals, Angelon and Gomaris, betrayed Procopius. Valens ordered him to be bound by the feet to two trees pulled toward each other, and then for the trees to be released; these, springing back violently, tore the tyrant asunder. He also ordered the generals who had betrayed him, Angelon and Gomaris, to be sawn in two; this the wretches suffered, having ^C been unworthily well-disposed. At that time, for fear of Procopius, he also tore down the walls of Chalcedon. Having removed Procopius, he moved again against the truth. It was then that he forced Eleusius of Cyzicus (97) to confess [the Son as] of different substance. But this Eleusius, having arrived in Cyzicus and having proclaimed his own transgression, and saying that he himself was unworthy to serve in the priesthood, urged that another bishop be appointed for Cyzicus. Learning of this, the evil-minded Eudoxius instated Eunomius in his place as bishop of Cyzicus.

In that same year, the Emperor Valens was residing in ^D

^A Marcianopolis of Mysia. ^B A great earthquake occurred throughout the whole world in the tenth indiction, at night; so much so that at Alexandria, ships anchored at the shore were carried up to a great height, and were lifted over the high buildings and the walls, and were deposited inside the courtyards and houses. After the sea had receded, they remained on dry land. The people who were fleeing from the city because of the earthquake, seeing the ships on dry land, rushed to plunder the goods stored in the ships; but then the water returned and enveloped and overwhelmed them all. Other sailors reported that at that same hour, they were sailing in the middle of the Adriatic sea, and were suddenly seized, and the ship settled onto the floor of the sea; then, after a short time, the water returned, and in this way they sailed away.

A. M. 5860 [A. C. 560].—In this year, Valentinian the Great, while his wife Severa, the mother of Gratian, was still among the living, married Justina, who was recommended by Severa herself because of her beauty, though this was unlawful; from her he begat a son, Valentinian the Younger, whom the army proclaimed emperor after the death of his father, and three daughters: Justa, Grata, and Galla, whom the Great Theodosius took as his wife in a second marriage, and from whom was born to him Placidia. Arcadius and Honorius were born to Theodosius from his first wife, Placilla. He also wrote an unlawful law that whoever wished might have two wives at the same time without hindrance. Valens the impious begat two daughters, Anastasia and Carossa, in whose names he built twin baths, and he also constructed the aqueduct which is still called the Valentinian [(1)] even to this day. Some say that Domnica, the wife of Valens, persuaded him to be so fiercely Arian; but others record that after he became emperor, when he was baptized by Eudoxius, he was bound by an oath to him, at the very baptismal font, to hold to the views of Arius and not to accept the consubstantial faith; and thus both of them, the godless men, incited countless persecutions against the orthodox. They also sent Eustathius to Liberius [(9)] of Rome.

^A along with Armenius, Silvanus of Tarsus, and Theophilus of Castabala, promising through them to accept the consubstantial. These men gave to Liberius a written petition in favor of the consubstantial, declaring that they rejected every heresy contrary to the synod at Nicaea. Liberius received them, admitted them into communion, and wrote to those in the East, bearing witness to their orthodoxy. Meanwhile, Valens, while campaigning against the Goths, wintered at Marcianopolis.

A. M. 5861. — First year of Anianus, bishop of Antioch. A. C. 361.

In this year a synod was held at Tyana, ^B where there were found Eusebius of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Gregory of Nazianzus (the father of Gregory the Theologian), Otreius of Melitine, and others. Being gladdened by the letters of Liberius, they signaled to all orthodox bishops to come together to Tarsus to confirm the right faith; but when Valens heard this, he forbade it to happen. Eudoxius once again incited Valens to order the local magistrates to exile all those who had been exiled under Constantius. At that time, Athanasius voluntarily departed ^C from Alexandria, as the common people would not allow the governor to cast him out, and he hid for a long time in his father’s tomb. But later, Valens, fearing an uprising of the Alexandrians, wrote to recall Athanasius. Eunomius separated himself from the communion of Eudoxius because Eudoxius would not have communion with Aetius, the teacher of Eunomius. For even though both were of the same mind, Eudoxius nevertheless turned away from Aetius because he was hated by all, not being ashamed to turn away from him by openly treating his own dogmas as impious. For Eunomius had been the secretary of the godless Aetius, having learned the sophistical arguments, from which he allegedly boasted, ^D while being completely uninitiated in the divine Scriptures, as his seven volumes especially demonstrate. The people of Cyzicus drove Eunomius away as a heretic and a blasphemer. This man came and was united with Eudoxius; he was a terrible blasphemer, daring to say that God knows nothing more about His own essence than we do. But more numerous persecutions against the orthodox occurred under Valens and Eudoxius, these impious men.

^A In this same year, Eudoxius having passed away, the Arians chose Demophilus as bishop for themselves; but the orthodox chose a certain Evagrius, whom Eustathius, the holy prelate of Antioch, had ordained while living secretly in Constantinople, having returned from his exile by the edict of the emperor Jovian; not finding him alive in the city, he had remained in hiding. Having heard of the ordination of Evagrius, Valens, while staying in Marcianopolis, banished the holy Eustathius to Bizya, and casting Evagrius out of the city, he handed over the churches to Demophilus the Arian. ^B

A. M. 5862. — First year of Demophilus, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, the orthodox sent an embassy to the impious Valens in Nicomedia, dispatching eighty men of the clerical order, whose leaders were Theodore, Urbanus, and Menedemus, all of whom Valens ordered to be burned, fire having been set to the ship at the very moment they arrived. Consequently, they were all consumed along with the ship, while it was still burning, as far as Daciza. ^C

A. M. 5865. — In this year, the wicked Valens gave the Gentiles freedom to perform sacrifices and hold festivals. He likewise cherished and honored the Jews. He persecuted only the orthodox and oppressed the affairs belonging to the apostolic Church.

In this year, Valens having entered Antioch in Syria, inflicted terrible things upon the orthodox, killing many by the sword and drowning others in the river that flows past the city. Likewise, upon reaching Edessa, he committed even worse deeds, having commanded Modestus the prefect ^D to enclose the multitude of the orthodox who were gathered at the sacred house of Saint Thomas, and to slaughter them. But the event that occurred concerning the woman who was rushing her small child to death brought shame upon Valens, struck the mind of the prefect, and prevented the wicked deed, it being evident that God had ordered this.

^A God, indeed, disposing it thus, restrained him. He ordered Eusebius, the bishop of Samosata, into exile in Thrace; by which it came about that, as the saint departed the city of his own accord, with the people even resisting and following him as he hastened away, he gave the greater cause for wonder. In his place, the Arians introduced a certain Eunomius, a notable patron of the Arian party, to whose communion none of the people of Samosata would join themselves. When he went to the public baths and urged the people to wash with him, no one could endure to go into the water until the vessel in which he had washed had been thoroughly cleansed and fresh water poured in. They said that the previous water had been defiled by Eunomius. When he learned this, realizing that their minds were irreconcilably hostile toward him, he condemned himself by departing from the city. After he had gone, the Arians promoted a certain Lucius—a manifest wolf—in his place. With equal zeal, Valens sought to hand over the churches of Cappadocia to the Arians, seizing upon the occasion for harassment from the noble spirit of Basil, who was at that time a presbyter of the Great Church of Caesarea, and who urged Bishop Eusebius to a zeal for orthodoxy, so that he would not yield to the impiety of Valens. ^B

A. M. 5865. A. C. 365. — The first year of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians. The first year of Peter, bishop of Alexandria. The first year of the second episcopate of Meletius of Antioch.

In this year, while Valens was staying in Antioch, certain men were discovered plotting mischief against him; and they were all destroyed, a band of profane and impious men. For they had contrived the machinery of their crime through divinations and sacrifices. ^C Now, when that athlete of Christ, preeminently trained and habituated to continuous labors—Athanasius, that is—migrated to the Lord, after having exercised his bishopric for forty-six years, forty of which he had spent in persecutions and perils sustained for the sake of the faith and piety, Peter obtained the succession of the see. The Arians, with the help of a certain Magnus, the prefect of the imperial treasury, expelled him and installed Lucius in his place. Many of the orthodox men, women, and virgins were then foully lacerated with beatings, and many even perished in their tortures. Peter, in flight, went to Rome to Damasus, as to one of the same faith, for he wrote by letter of the horrific events that had taken place in Alexandria at the hands of the Arians; but to... ^D

^A satisfy the demand, he went to Rome, sharing in the catholic dogma. In the same year, Basil was made bishop of the Church of Caesarea, since Eusebius had piously fallen asleep.

A. M. 5866. A. C. 366.

Lucius, meanwhile, committed many evils in Alexandria with the help of the Arians. For they introduced songs of demons into the church which is called the Church of Theonas, along with dancers; and uncovering the garments of the virgins, they led them naked through the city with most atrocious insults, and abused them with lasciviousness. They even killed some, and would not return their bodies to their parents, who were wailing bitterly, for their burial. ^C They also brought a lewd boy inside to the very sanctuary of the altar to perform shameful acts there.

Since the entire West professed the consubstantial Trinity, they petitioned Valentinian and convened a synod in Illyricum, and confirmed the faith of Nicaea. Valentinian wrote an edict to the bishops in Asia, Phrygia, and all the East, exhorting them to abide by the things defined by the synod, and acknowledging ^D his brother Valens and his son Gratian as partners in this faith.

^B Then also Gregory the Theologian, through the exhortations of Basil, Meletius, and other champions of piety, took over the administration of the Church at Constantinople; and had he not, by his diligence, summoned the city back to a sincere understanding of the faith, it would have been entirely infected by the contagion of the errors of Arius and Eunomius. For they possessed all the churches there, except for the oratory of Anastasia the martyr; while Demophilus was acting as bishop for the Arians. At that time, Gregory of Nyssa and Peter, brothers of Basil, were shining stars, as were Optimus in Pisidia and Amphilochius in Iconium. Valens, however, sent into exile Barsen, the bishop of Edessa, and Pelagius of Laodicea, as champions of the orthodoxy. Valentinian rebuked his brother Valens as a heretic for not sending aid when he asked for it against the Goths, saying instead: "It is not right to support a man who wages war against God." ^C A. M. 5867. — A. C. 367. In this year the great Valentinian died at the age of eighty-four, having reigned for eleven years, in the following manner: The Sauromatae, a small and wretched nation, having rebelled against him and been defeated, sent ambassadors to sue for peace. When Valentinian asked the ambassadors if all the Sauromatae were as wretched in body as they were, and they replied that you see and hold here the ones superior to all the rest, he shouted out violently and said: "The Roman empire suffers dire straits, if it ends in a Valentinian, if such Sauromatae dare to rise up against the Romans." From the intensity of his shouting and the violent clapping of his hands, a vein ^D

having burst and a great deal of blood having flowed forth, he dies in a certain fort in Gaul, on the seventeenth day of the month of the tenth, in the third indiction. ^A Since his son Gratian was not there, and Valens was residing in Antioch, the army, having gathered at the place where the great Valentinian had died, declared his four-year-old son, Valentinian, Augustus, with his mother Justina also present in the province of Pannonia. Upon learning this, Gratian did indeed admit his brother into a share of the empire; but because it had not proceeded from his own counsel, he punished the authors of the deed in various ways, because it had been done against his will. Valens sent the general Trajan against the Goths, who, having been shamefully defeated, returned. ^B When Valens reproached him for cowardice, he replied: "It is not I who have been defeated, Emperor, but you, who by waging war against God have caused the victory to swing to the side of the Barbarians." Valens killed many on account of those suspected from the oracles of being destined to rule, their names beginning with the letter Theta, among whom he also killed a certain Theodore, a man of the first rank among the patricians.

In the same year, certain of the Novatians in Phrygia, having gathered at the village of Pazum, began to celebrate the Pascha with the Hebrews; and they subsequently issued a law that the Paschal solemnity must be kept with the Jews. ^C From these, the so-called Sabbatians took their origin from a certain Sabbatius. Later, Apollinarius the Syrian also then openly defected from the Church. Damasus of Rome and Peter of Alexandria were the first to excommunicate them. Subsequently, the impious Eunomius attempted to perform baptism by a single immersion, asserting that it must not be performed in the name of the Trinity, but in the death of Christ; wherefore he would rebaptize those who had been baptized in the Trinity. Julian, also called Sabas, a holy ascetic, having come to Antioch from Edessa, strengthened the orthodox who glorified the consubstantiality of the Son of God with the Father, publicly anathematizing the Arians. The divine Aphraates also, with great boldness, reproved and rebuked the impiety of Valens to his face in Antioch. ^D One of the eunuchs, having insolently set upon Aphraates with insults and threats, while he was on his way to prepare a bath for the emperor, was suddenly struck by a disturbance of mind and, throwing himself into the hot water, perished. Furthermore, the great Ephrem was shining in asceticism and divine instruction, having poured forth from the divine Spirit many ascetic discourses and still more dogmatic ones; some of his compositions he also turned over to the Syrians to be sung through the medium of melody.

^A Indeed, he is said to have published thirty myriad lines, being truly God-wise. He also gave some of his works to the Syrians to be sung, believing that those who are less diligent would be drawn to devotion by the sweetness of the melody, for they affirm that thirty times ten thousand verses were composed by a man who was most experienced and truly most wise in divine matters.

A. M. 5868. — A. C. 368. — First year of the Roman Emperor Valens. ^B In this year the heresy of the Messalians, that is, the Euchites and Enthusiasts, sprang up. These men, interpreting the words of David in a gross and crude manner, perform dances and skip about while chanting the psalms. The heresiarchs of this group were Dadoes, Sabbas, and Adelphius, and, as some think, also Eustathius of Sebaste; to whom Amphilochius of Iconium and Letoius of Melitene, and later Flavian of Antioch, the prelates, bravely stood in opposition. But Valens, having devastated the entire Church, came to Caesarea from the East.

^A where he finally committed the acts which the great Gregory mentions in his funeral oration on Basil; at which time Galates, the son of Valens, seized by a severe illness, died, and his wife, Domnica, was afflicted by a difficult sickness. When Demosthenes, one of the cooks of Valens, attacked the divine Basil ^B during his audience with the emperor, and blustered somewhat in his barbarous dialect, the teacher, turning his discourse toward him, said: "Lo, we have seen even Demosthenes without letters." Valens, therefore, out of respect for Basil, granted many estates, and those the best, to the lepers, for whom the holy man had a care; yet, observing the strength of heart and inflexible mind of Basil, he decreed his exile. When he wished to sign the tablets of exile, three pens were broken, and finally his hand itself became paralyzed, and his strength having failed, he could not affix even a single letter.

A. M. 5869.—In this year Mavia, queen of the Saracens, having inflicted many disasters upon the Roman empire, ^C sought peace, and requested that a certain Moses, one of those living a solitary life in the desert, be given as bishop to those among the Saracens who were becoming Christians. The emperor earnestly agreeing to this, Moses did not accept ordination by Lucius the Arian, but wished to be consecrated by one of the orthodox who had been sent into exile; which also came to pass. Having taken him with her, Mavia made many of the Saracens Christians. They say that she herself was a Christian, Roman by birth, and having been taken captive, pleased the king of the Saracens by the beauty of her countenance, and in this way gained power over the kingdom. ^D Sozomen recounts many things regarding the nation, whence it began and received its name, and that they are circumcised at thirteen years of age. The Goths, moreover, having been defeated in war by the Huns, asked for help from the Emperor Valens through their bishop, Euphilas, who was infected with the Arian contagion and had previously spent time with Eudoxius and Acacius, the Arians, under Constantius. It was he who taught the Goths the Arian dogma. The Goths were divided into two factions; and Athanaric was the leader of the one, and Fritigern of the others; the latter, having been defeated, and having received help from Valens, conquered those around Athanaric; and in order to curry favor with Valens, he taught the Goths to embrace Arianism even more firmly.

^A In this year the Goths, having once again united, made an incursion into the Roman territory and devastated many provinces: Moesia, Thrace, Macedonia, and Achaia, and all of Greece, about twenty provinces in total. In this same year, men armed and formed of clouds were seen in the sky. Furthermore, in Antioch, a child was born complete in all other members, but having only one eye in the middle of his forehead, four hands, the same number of feet, and a beard. Valens, while staying in the city of Antioch and having learned about the Goths, came to Constantinople. The Byzantines, however, insulted him as being unmanly and a runaway from war. Then Isaac, a holy monk, having seized the bridle of the horse of Valens as he was marching out of the city ^B toward the ultimate war, said to him: "Where are you going, Emperor, to make war against God and having God as your adversary?" The emperor, gnashing his teeth at him, handed him over to custody, threatening him with death if he should ever return, just as Ahab once did to Micaiah. After his departure, some of those around him confessed that, at his command, divination had been performed concerning the war that lay before him. In this, having engaged the Goths and been defeated, Valens fled with a few men into a small hut. When the barbarians tracked him down, they set the house on fire, and, not knowing ^C who were inside, they burned them all. They say that the divine Isaac, while held in custody, perceived the stench of the scorched Valens by divine grace and purity of soul, and proclaimed his destruction to those present before those coming from the war could report what had happened. After the defeat and the death of Valens by fire, the Goths, elated by the victory, began to cruelly ravage the suburbs of Constantinople. Mavia, the queen of the Saracens, sent a Saracen army against them, and Domnica, the wife of Valens, having led the people of the city into battle, drove the barbarians away. When these things had been thus disposed, Gratian ^D Augustus, having learned of it in Pannonia, while coming down as if to provide aid, invested Theodosius with the purple in place of Valens, proclaimed him emperor, and sent him into the war against the Goths.

Trajan the Patrician ^A asserts in his history that the Scythians are called Goths in their native tongue. Saint Dorotheus, during the reign of the impious Valens, suffered a famous martyrdom at Alexandria, being delivered to the beasts in the amphitheater by the Arians.

A.M. 5871. — First year of the Roman Emperor Theodosius.

In this year, the Emperor Gratian adopted Theodosius, a man of Iberian origin from the West, a noble person and most experienced in the affairs of war, as his colleague in the empire. He, being famous for piety and sound in the orthodox faith, immediately defeated the barbarians who were devastating Thrace with great might. Gratian and Valentinian, by law, recalled the bishops who had been condemned to exile and drove out the Arianizers, with the cooperation of Damasus, the Pope of Rome. At that time, Peter also returned to Alexandria ^B, drove out Lucius, and recovered his own throne. Upon his death, his brother Timothy was consecrated bishop of the orthodox Church in Alexandria in his place. In Antioch in Syria, the orthodox being divided into two parts after the time of the divine Eustathius, some acknowledged Paulinus as bishop, while others regarded the holy man Meletius as bishop after the promotion of Euzoius, the Arian bishop. The emperors wrote a law in favor of the orthodox and sent it by a certain commander named Sapor to the East. When he arrived in Antioch, he found a schism, with Paulinus claiming the episcopate, Apollinaris encroaching upon the throne, and the holy Meletius remaining quietly without conflict. Flavian, at that time a presbyter, who was opposing Paulinus and showering Apollinaris with reproaches and insults, exhorted the commander Sapor to assign the throne to Meletius. Sapor, confirming the counsel of Flavian with his own decision, departed. At that time, the great Meletius ordained Diodorus as bishop ^C of Tarsus. Eusebius, the bishop of Samosata, having also returned from exile, ordained many bishops in various cities. Having come to Doliche to ordain Maris as bishop, while entering the city, God (by counsels which He alone knows) permitting it, he—

^A is killed by an Arian woman who threw a roof tile down from above upon the holy head of the saint. Regarding whom Gregory the Theologian says: "I seek my yesterday's victim, your Abrahamic old man."

Then also the same Gregory the Theologian taught with greater boldness in Constantinople at the prayer-house of Saint Anastasia, ^B where they say that miraculous wonders also took place through the appearance of our all-holy Lady Theotokos.

A. M. 5872. — First year of Timotheus, bishop of Alexandria. A. M. 5873. — First year of Siricius, bishop of Rome.

A. M. 5874. — In this year, the emperor Gratian was killed ^B by the treachery of Andragathius, a general of the tyrant Maximus. For he himself, having entered a carriage, pretended to be the wife of Gratian, and when Gratian, as if deceived, had met him carelessly, Andragathius killed him. Upon his being removed, Valentinian held the Roman empire.

In the same year, the great Theodosius, having fallen into a serious illness in Thessalonica, was baptized by Acholius ^C the bishop, and he wrote a law in favor of the orthodox who hold to the consubstantial, which he sent to Constantinople. Having come to Constantinople, he gave notice to Demophilus either to depart from the error of Arius or quickly to leave the churches. But he, having gathered the multitude of the Arians, held services outside the city, having with him also Lucius, the Arian bishop of Alexandria. And thus, finally, the divine Gregory, together with those whom he had enlightened in the orthodox faith, received all the churches which the Arians had occupied for forty years and a little more.

A. M. 5875. — First year of Varanes, king of the Persians. First year of Gregory the Theologian, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year at Antioch, in the neighborhood ^D of the Jobitae, as they are called, a woman gave birth at once to

four male children; and they survived for two months, and then died, one after the other, all four. ^A Year of the World 5876. In this year, the great and ecumenical ^B holy second synod of the hundred and fifty orthodox bishops was assembled at Constantinople under Theodosius the Great, for the confirmation of the dogmas set forth at Nicaea. He also summoned thirty-six bishops from the heresy of Macedonius, among whom Eleusius held the first place. Presiding over the holy hundred and fifty Fathers were Timothy of Alexandria, Meletius of Antioch, the most sacred Cyril of Jerusalem, and the divine Gregory of Constantinople. These thirty-six bishops who held the view of Macedonius, being exhorted by the Fathers to accept the dogmas at Nicaea, as they had once already agreed under Valens with Liberius, gave written professions of faith. But those who had been sent to Rome along with Silvanus refused to assent to the truth; and, having slipped away from the city, they became a laughing-stock to all, since they held one thing in their minds and professed another in words, and were found to be fraudulently producing the letters of Liberius, which they claimed testified to their orthodoxy. The holy synod, however, confirmed the bishopric of Constantinople for Gregory the Theologian by their votes, and ^C installed him on the throne even against his will and resistance, as one who had labored much and had freed the Church from the plague of the heresies. But when the all-wise and most blessed man realized that some of those from Egypt were envious of the matter, he produced his farewell address and of his own accord withdrew from the throne of the imperial city. Upon his resignation, the Emperor and the synod chose Nectarius, who was from Tarsus by race and was at that time exercising the office of praetor; he had not yet been cleansed by the rite of baptism, but he was otherwise distinguished by virtuous and devout habits. The holy and ecumenical synod confirmed the dogma of the consubstantiality.

^A of the Spirit, and added the theology of the Spirit to the creed. It also promulgated canons in which it granted the ^B see of Constantinople the prerogatives of New Rome. At that time, Gregory of Nyssa and Pelagius of Laodicea, along with Eulogius of Edessa and Amphilochius of Iconium, were shining in that assembly, together with the great Gregory and those aforementioned. The holy synod anathematized Arius and Eusebius of Nicomedia, Euzoius and Acacius, Theognis and Euphronius, and the rest; besides these, it also excommunicated Macedonius, who fought against the Holy Spirit, as well as Eudoxius, Aetius, and Eunomius. Meletius the Great, after the synod was concluded, fell asleep in peace in Constantinople. His holy body was carried to Antioch and placed near the tomb of the holy martyr Babylas. Flavian was ordained bishop of Antioch while Paulinus was still alive, although oaths had been given by Flavian that he would not accept the ordination to the episcopacy. The Church of Antioch was thus once again seized by turmoil, as some yielded to Paulinus and others to Flavian. At that time, the emperor also brought the body of Paul the Confessor to Constantinople and deposited it in the church which Macedonius had built, while having laid snares for Paul.

A.M. 5877. — First year of Nectarius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Theodosius Augustus proclaimed his son Honorius, born ^C of the most pious Placidia, [illustrissimus] and consul. He also prepared for war against the tyrant Maximus. When he was warring against him in the western regions, a false rumor spread that Maximus had been victorious; the Arians, seized by manifest fury, set fire to the house of Nectarius, the bishop of Constantinople.

A.M. 5878. — In this year at Antioch, an addition was built onto the Taurian Gate to increase the width of the bridge, and it was roofed over; a small basilica was also built in the Old City near the great one. In Palestine, in the village of Emmaus, an infant was born who was one and whole from the navel downwards, but divided into two shapes upwards, so that he had two chests, a twin head, and the senses of both complete. The one would eat ^D and drink, and the other would not eat; the one would sleep, and the

^A other would be awake. There were also times when they would play with one another, and both would weep, and strike one another. They lived for a little over two years. The one died, and the other lived for four days, and it also died. In the same year, the Emperor Theodosius erected the statue of Taurus (50).

A. C. 379. — In this year, on the twenty-sixth of the month of Epeiph, Timotheus the bishop of Alexandria having departed this life, Theophilus was ordained in his place (51). A. C. 380. — The first year of Theophilus as bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, Theodosius, the most pious emperor, having been proclaimed victor, killed the tyrant Maximus (52) before the twelfth of the Kalends of August, and also handed over to death his general Andragathius, as he had murdered Gratian.

A. C. 381. — In this year, Theodosius proceeded to Rome with his son Honorius, whom, having installed as emperor on the throne on the fifth of the Ides of June, he himself returned to Constantinople.

A. C. 382. — In this year, Eugenius, an ex-professor of the art of oratory, and one who exercised the office of a controller or ratiocinator, flared up with the lust for imperial power, to whom Artabasdus, born in Lesser Galatia, joined himself as an ally. When Valentinian, the son of the great Valentinian by Justa, learned of this, he took his own life by hanging. Upon learning this, Theodosius moved his army, and prepared an expedition for his vengeance. Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, having requested permission from the Emperor Theodosius, cleansed the temple of the Hellenes in Alexandria, and refitted it into a church, and [the rest of the text continues here].

^B

^C

^D

Hellenes, overwhelmed with shame, committed very many murders. Theodosius, having learned of the murders perpetrated by them, declared those Christians who had been killed to be blessed as martyrs; but to the Hellenes he offered pardon, if they would convert to the Christian religion; and he ordered their sanctuaries to be pulled down, their idols to be melted, and given for the needs of the poor. As the temple of Serapis in Alexandria was being dismantled, sacred letters of the Egyptians were found ^B bearing the mark of the cross, which those of the Hellenes who had believed, upon seeing them, said signified the cross, according to the meaning of the hieroglyphic letters, as life to come.

A. M. 5883. — In this year Marcellus, bishop of Apamea in Syria, moved by divine zeal, destroyed the sanctuaries of the Hellenes at Apamea, and for this reason he was killed by the Hellenes. Nectarius of Constantinople removed the presbyter appointed over penance, because of a scandalous act committed in the church by a certain deacon against a woman who was devoting herself to penance. ^C But in Rome and throughout all the West, this custom is still carefully observed to this day, and a place is set apart for those doing penance. Theodosius the Emperor furthermore wrote a law that a woman should not move forward as a deaconess, unless she had exceeded sixty years, according to the Apostle. He also exiled Eunomius, who was creating unauthorized assemblies and deceiving the people; and he died in exile.

In the same year, Placilla, wife of Theodosius, fell asleep; she was pious and a lover of the poor, ministering with her own hands to the maimed and the sick. The people of Antioch broke down her statue and dragged it, being enraged on account of the taxes imposed upon them by the Emperor to be paid. The Emperor, being exceedingly angered by this, and because of the affection he held for the most pious Placilla, was about to destroy them all, had not Flavian, the Bishop of Antioch, come and interceded on behalf of the Antiochenes; John ^D

Chrysostom, who was then a presbyter at Antioch, delivered truly admirable orations to encourage and uplift those who had violated the imperial images.

A. C. 384. — In this year, Theodosius undertook an expedition against the tyrant Eugenius, and having set out for Thessalonica with his army, upon his very arrival there, the city was stirred to sedition, both on account of the pitching of the army's camp, and because of a charioteer and the prefect's boy. The people therefore assailed the emperor with insults and murdered the prefect himself. The emperor, bearing this patiently for a short time and seeking to mollify the populace, ordered a chariot race to be held; then, when the people and the tribes had gathered for the spectacle, he permitted the soldiers to slaughter them with arrows; and fifteen thousand of the people perished. When he arrived at Milan, Bishop Ambrose forbade him from entering the church. Furthermore, on the feast day of the Savior’s Nativity, Ambrose severely rebuked Rufinus the master of offices, who had come to intercede on the emperor’s behalf. When, however, at the persuasion of Ambrose, Theodosius finally enacted a law that a period of thirty days should be granted to those condemned to capital punishment or confiscation of goods for the deliberation of the execution of the sentence, then he was received into the church, though outside the chancel of the altar, and not according to his former custom within the enclosure of the sanctuary itself. Hence the custom has, quite rightly, prevailed to this day that emperors, removed from the altar, stand together with the people to participate in the sacred rites.

In this same year, when the Nile had not overflowed according to custom, the Gentiles rejoiced, saying that the reason for this was the prohibition against sacrificing to their gods. Upon learning of this, the most pious emperor replied: "Far be it that a river should irrigate the land by taking pleasure in sacrifices." God, wishing to show that the emperor’s statement was pleasing to Him, blessed and increased the inundation of the Nile to such an extent that all the Egyptians were brought into fear, lest this great flood of water might submerge Alexandria itself. ^C

A. C. 385. — In this year, the pious emperor Theodosius ^D

^A, having fought valiantly against Eugenius at the passes of the Alps, took him alive and put him to death. Argabastus, however, having escaped by flight, made away with himself.

In the same year, the relics of the prophets Habakkuk and Micah were divinely revealed to Bezenus, the bishop of Eleutheropolis in Palestine, being found in two villages in the territory of Eleutheropolis. When the emperor had arrived at Rome, the bishops approached him, by the advice of Innocent, the bishop of Rome, petitioning against Flavian, the bishop of Antioch. But the most Christian emperor, having exhorted them to terms of peace, united them after seventeen years ^B, ordering the bishops from the East to come to Rome, with whom Acacius of Beroea was also sent. Theodosius conferred many graces upon Rome, doing away with the atrocities that occurred in the bakeries ^C against strangers who happened upon them, and who were shut up in the mills until old age; likewise, he prohibited the abuse of adulterous women in the brothels, no longer permitting them to be shut up there, and allowing the practice to be tested by law.

A. M. 5886. — In this year, after the destruction of the tyrant Eugenius and the restoration of order in affairs, the pious emperor Theodosius departed from Rome and set out for Constantinople. Upon arriving in Milan, he fell ill, and summoned his son Honorius, and having looked upon him ^D

^A he was suddenly seized with an adverse illness after his midday meal, and being unable to present himself in the evening, he commanded his son to finish the spectacle. On the following night, he rested in the Lord, having lived sixty years and reigned sixteen, leaving behind his two sons as emperors: Arcadius the elder of the East, and Honorius of the Western parts. Arcadius transferred his body to Constantinople and buried it in the church of the Holy Apostles.

A.M. 5887. — First year of the Roman emperors Arcadius and Honorius. First year of Isdegerdes, king of the Persians. In this year, the emperor Arcadius, having been proclaimed, built the great portico ^B opposite the praetorium.

A.M. 5888. — First year of Anastasius, bishop of Rome. A.M. 5890. — First year of Innocent, bishop of Rome. First year of Flavian, bishop of Antioch. In this year, on the sixth day before the Kalends of the month of Pauni, the relics of the holy prophet, precursor, and Baptist John were translated to Alexandria.

A.M. 5891. — In this year, the most illustrious Anatolius was burned in Alexandria. The emperor Arcadius also established a private unit in Constantinople, which he called the Arcadians.

A.M. 5892. — In this year, Nectarius, bishop of Constantinople, passed away ^C. Theophilus of Alexandria, being present, strove to hinder the election of John Chrysostom, advocating for a certain Isidore, a priest of his own, for the episcopacy of the Queen of Cities, because he had faithfully served him when Theodosius was warring against the tyrant Maximus, having received from him...

^A gifts and presents. The emperor and the whole city were pleased that John, having been summoned by him from Antioch for this purpose, should be ordained. Now John was one of the most illustrious citizens of Antioch, born of a father named Secundus and a mother named Anthusa. Being highly learned, he was admired for the most part because of divine grace, and even by the most clever of the Greek sophists; whence Libanius, when asked by his students around the time of his death who was to succeed him in the school, said: "I would have named John, had the Christians not snatched him away from us." The Golden-mouthed (Chrysostom) was, however, instructed in the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures by a certain Carterius, a prefect of a monastery, and received his liberal education from the aforementioned Libanius. In the same year there was born to the Emperor Arcadius, by Eudoxia Augusta, a son, Theodosius the younger, whom John Chrysostom received ^B at his baptism.

A. M. 5893. — The first year of John Chrysostom as bishop of Constantinople. In the seventh year of Arcadius, a son, Theodosius the younger, was born to him by Eudoxia. A. M. 5894. — The first year of John as bishop of Jerusalem. In this year Gainas attempted to play the tyrant against Arcadius and inflicted many evils upon Byzantium. Having taken oaths from Arcadius and given them in the temple of Saint Euphemia ^C at Chalcedon, he broke them; and having committed many greater evils, he entered the city, proceeding to plunder and other atrocities. Leaving for the Chersonese of Thrace, he constructed rafts so that he might cross over to Asia and bring the eastern cities under his power. There, in a great battle joined by land and sea, he perished along with his armies.

A. M. 5895. — In this year Honorius stirred up disturbances and seditions in Rome. ^D For, having been moved against the citizens over some minor matters, and being unable to control his anger, he withdrew to Ravenna, a coastal city of Italy. Having sent a barbarian of the Gallic race who held supreme authority with him, along with a multitude of soldiers, he ordered them to plunder and harass with arms those who had done wrong.

^A And it came to pass that the city, being besieged, was very nearly brought to total ruin. Alaric, however, joined himself to the order of senators remaining in the city, and having taken all the treasures of the palace, and Placidia, the sister of Honorius by the same father—being then a maiden—he led her off, having seized her for his own people, into the Gauls, and departed. Constantius, one of Alaric’s companions, to whom the keeping of the maiden had been entrusted, fled, taking her with him, and brought her to the Emperor Honorius. The emperor received Constantius kindly and honored him with the dignity of senator; and after a short interval of time, he gave him the maiden ^B in marriage and proclaimed him emperor. By her he had a son, whom he called Valentinian the Younger. And Constantius, having joined his forces with Honorius, destroyed the tyrants in Rome, confiscated their houses, and restored the city to peace. Now, John, that great teacher, enlightened not only the church of Constantinople, but also the churches of Thrace, Asia, and Pontus. From this it is established that even before the holy council convened at Chalcedon, churches of this region were subject to the prelate of Constantinople. Furthermore, one from the sect of Macedonius, departing from it through the persuasion and doctrine of the holy Father, returned to the Church; but although he frequently urged his own wife to return and take up communion with the Church, he barely succeeded. ^C She, having accepted the communion from the Macedonian sect, gave it to her own maid and ordered her to keep it with her. And so, having gone to Chrysostom and received the communion from his holy hands, she pretended to partake of it, but finally handed it over to the maid; then, having taken what she had received from the Macedonians, she brought it to her mouth and found that it had turned into a stone. Trembling and shuddering, she threw herself at the feet of John, confessing the crime she had attempted, and humbly returned to the Church. The stone was thereafter deposited in the treasury to be preserved. The letter of Chrysostom to Theodore, bishop of Mopsuestia, was written not to the first, but to him who was promoted last. ^D Finally, Arsenius the Great, who had gained great fame throughout the entire world and, having despised all worldly things, flourished in the monastic order by his life, his speech, and his miracles, was professing divine philosophy in Egypt at this time.

^A

In the same year, Arcadius set up the column of Xerolophus (87), and he founded the city of Arcadiopolis in Thrace.

A. M. 5896. — In this year, John Chrysostom was great in life and speech, brilliant in divine gifts, and exact in all virtue. The people loved him, being greatly edified by his teachings; but those who lived in dissipation turned away from him, and these same people also assisted in the war against him. Included in these events were the matters concerning Eutropius the eunuch; and further, the rivalry of Severianus, bishop of Gabala, against Sarapion, John’s archdeacon; and the flight of the monks (88) from Egypt because of Theophilus; and the letters ^B sent by Theophilus to Epiphanius; from all of which, a plot was formed against the servant of Christ, John. When Epiphanius, the prelate of Cyprus, arrived at the Hebdomon (89), he performed ordinations and services against the wishes of John. Although John overlooked this for the sake of divine love, and indeed invited Epiphanius to stay with him in the episcopal residence, the latter refused, being preoccupied with the slanders fabricated by Theophilus against the blessed John.

A. M. 5897. — In this year, John Chrysostom composed a discourse against wicked women, on the occasion of which the ill-disposed and the enemies of the truth provoked Eudoxia by telling her that the discourse was spoken against her. ^C She, complaining to Arcadius that she had suffered dreadful things at the hands of John, persuaded him to send for Theophilus, who was an open enemy of John. Upon arriving at the Oak, which is now called Rufiniana (90), he concocted a conspiracy against John and cast him out of the city. When the people learned of this, they caused a great riot, not allowing John to be cast out. Upon which, Eudoxia, moved by the lamentations of the people, besought the Emperor Arcadius, and he, having sent the eunuch Briso, recalled John from Praenetus (91). But he, refusing to enter the city before a public council, stayed in a suburb at the Anaplus. Then the people [besought] the emperor to bring John into the city. ^D

and install him on his throne; so that Theophilus and those with him, seized with fear, fled from the city. Then sixty bishops gathered; they justly declared null and void all things that had been decreed by Theophilus and his followers against the divine John. ^A In this year, the Empress Eudoxia had an image of herself made of silver and set it up in the place called the Pittakia, near the Church of Saint Irene. The prefect of the city, a Manichaean perverted by Hellenic ideas, caused clamors, dances, and performances before the statue, creating immoderate noise and tumult. He vexed the high priest, not permitting him to perform the divine mysteries with peace and quiet of mind, for he frequently interrupted the chanters. ^B The holy John addressed him concerning this in a discourse. But he stirred up Eudoxia against John, as though he were indignant at the honor paid to her statue. And so, hatred against John arose once more, and once more, anger. John then delivered the discourse which begins: “Again Herodias raves.” Then a perfect enmity of the empress against him was stirred up, and again there was deposition and exile. The people set fire to the church, and many suffered danger for John's sake. John was driven from the city and exiled to Cucusus, and from there he was moved to Pityus. ^C But when he had turned aside to Comana, a town of Armenia, he was perfected in the Lord. Upon his exile, Arsacius, the brother of Nectarius who preceded Chrysostom on the throne, obtained the episcopate. But neither Innocent, the Roman prelate, nor Flavian of Antioch consented to the ejection of John; indeed, they consoled the clergy of the city by sending them letters, and they were gravely troubled by these daring deeds. Epiphanius, meanwhile, sailed off to Cyprus, God Himself, as it seems, having forwarned him of his departure (for they say that He made known to John [Epiphanius’s] death in exile, and to Epiphanius, John’s death on the ship). Epiphanius said to his traveling companions: “I am hastening away; I leave you the books, the city, and the hypocrisy.” ^D In the same year, Eudoxia died (95). A. M. 5899. — First year of Arsacius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, the Emperor Arcadius, having gone ^A into Caria, where they say the holy martyr Acacius suffered, prayed, and upon leaving the temple, a great building in Caria immediately collapsed. The multitude, saved by the emperor's prayer, attributed their safety to his supplications.

A. M. 5900. — In this year, the earth shook in Rome for seven days. And Stilicho, the most illustrious man, was slain in Ravenna, along with other dignitaries.

In this same year, Arcadius died (93) on the eleventh day before the Kalends of September. Arcadius the father, perceiving that the young Theodosius was still in his infancy and lacking defenders, and fearing lest he be betrayed by someone, proclaimed him emperor and by his will appointed Isdegerdes, the king of the Persians, as his guardian. Isdegerdes, the king of the Persians, ^B having received Arcadius's will, maintained a prosperous and tranquil peace with the Romans, and secured the empire for Theodosius, safe and sound. He sent a certain Antiochus, a man of wonderful character and great learning, to be his supervisor and tutor, and wrote the following to the Roman Senate: "Since Arcadius has fallen asleep and has appointed me the guardian of his child, I have sent one to take my place. Let no one, therefore, plot against the child, lest he stir up an irreconcilable war against the Romans." Antiochus, having arrived, accompanied the emperor everywhere. The emperor was skillfully instructed in Christian principles by his uncle Honorius and his sister Pulcheria. And there was peace between the Romans and the Persians, especially as Antiochus wrote ^C much on behalf of the Christians, and thus Christianity was spread throughout Persia.

A. M. 5901. — First year of the Roman Emperor Theodosius. First year of Atticus, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, the Emperor Arcadius died, who had reigned after the death (98) of his father Theodosius for fourteen years, three months, and fourteen days, having also reigned as co-emperor with his father for twelve years. He left behind his son Theodosius, who was ^D eight years old.

he left [no one] to share the rule, having been taken into the association of the empire six years ^A prior. When Theodosius was accepted as emperor, his sister Pulcheria, a virgin of fifteen years, under the counsel and guidance of God, administered public affairs remarkably well.

ADMINISTRATION OF PULCHERIA

A. D. 402. — In this year, Atticus, prelate of Constantinople, having admonished a certain paralyzed Jew about accepting the faith, and having persuaded him, washed him in holy baptism and brought him forth from the font sound and healthy. For he is said to have lived his life according to God.

A. D. 403. — In this year, Rome was captured by Alaric on the ninth day before the Kalends of September; and a few days later, Constantine, a most illustrious man, was slain with many others.

A. D. 404. — In this year, Jovianus and Sebastianus, most illustrious men, were killed in Gaul, and their heads were brought to Rome; and five days later, Sallustius and Heraclianus were likewise put to death.

A. D. 405. — First year of Zosimus, bishop of Rome. ^C In this year, the Jews in Alexandria brought many evils upon the Christians. For, having agreed with one another to wear a ring made of palm leaves, by which they might recognize one another, they gave orders to public criers to shout at night that the church was being ravaged by fire. Thus, the Christians rushing to the fire were slaughtered by the Jews. When the atrocity ^D was brought to light...

the Christian magistrates ^A banished them from Alexandria and confiscated their property.

In the same year, Antiochus the Persian departed this life, and the most blessed Pulcheria took complete and absolute control of affairs.

A.M. 5906. In this year, certain men brought a violent death upon Hypatia the philosopher, daughter of Theon the philosopher. ^B

In the same year, Isdegerdes, king of the Persians, having first been persuaded by the exhortations of Maruthas, bishop of Mesopotamia, and of Abdaas, bishop of the royal city in Persia, became most devout, so that he seemed almost ready to be baptized on account of the miracles of Maruthas, and he punished the Magi as deceivers. He died, however, in his twentieth year. The cause of the persecution stirred up by him was Abdaas, bishop of the royal city in Persia, who, though moved by a divine zeal, did not act according to the norm of reason and set fire to the temple of fire. When the king learned of this, he ordered the churches throughout the region of Persia to be destroyed, and he tormented Abdaas with various punishments. Since the persecution lasted for five years, many martyrs were revealed, an innumerable multitude. For the Magi searched diligently ^C through cities and villages for those who were hiding. Others, even of their own accord, betrayed themselves, lest by their silence they should appear to have denied Christ. Since the Christians were butchered without mercy, very many were put to death amid the very torments themselves, and many also fled to the Romans.

[The falling asleep of Theophilus of Alexandria, and the promotion of the divine Cyril and of Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem.]

A.M. 5907. In this year, Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, departed this life, and his nephew Cyril was ordained in his stead. ^D

In the same year, Hesychius, presbyter of Jerusalem, flourished in the knowledge of letters. ^A

A.C. 408. — First year of Vararanes, king of the Persians. First year of Cyril, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, the Jews, having seized a Christian boy at Immum, as if in sport, and in order to ridicule the cross, hung the same boy upon a piece of wood and killed him with tortures. The emperor, being informed of this, punished the Jews with fitting penalties.

A.C. 411. — First year of Praulius, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Atticus baptized the daughter of Leontius the philosopher, named Athenaïs, and renamed her Eudocia; she, being preeminent in elegance of body, sharpness of mind, and eloquence of speech, married Theodosius through the counsel of Pulcheria. ^B

In the same year, Valentinian, the son of Constantius and Galla Placidia, was born at Ravenna.

A.C. 412. — First year of Theodotus, bishop of Antioch.

VARIOUS READINGS.

(14) As for Hesychius of Jerusalem, Possevinus in his *Apparatus* recognizes no one by this name, unless it be the one who in the times of Pope Gregory—and in his letters—is celebrated not as a presbyter, but as patriarch of that see. Sixtus Senensis mentions two men distinguished by this name, one flourishing in the age of Theodosius the Elder, the other in that of the Younger: he affirms, however, though with some doubt, that the latter was adorned with the pontifical miter by a certain gloss. I read of a Hesychius to whom Augustine directs letters 78 and 80; but when I see him saluted as a fellow-bishop and as a father of fellow-presbyters, I hesitate to conclude if he is the one of Jerusalem. Therefore, with Photius as my authority, and the collector of the *Bibliotheca Graecorum Patrum*, this Hesychius shall remain for me one promoted only to the dignity of the presbyterate. ^C

(15) Ecchellensis assigns 31 years, and 155; for the author himself counts only 32 in other canons.

(17) The *Chronicon Alexandrinum* recounts in a long series of speech how she was brought to the palace; I record in few words those nuptials, in which providence reconciled the minds of differing cults. The Emperor Theodosius, with his youth waxing hot with desire, having reached the age of maturity, sought for himself as a wife the sister of Pulcheria—who was the guardian of his empire and life—a matter he often requested. When he surveyed the most noble women, worthy of such a marriage, his brother Theodosius suggested that neither nobility nor wealth were his concern, but that he sought in a girl a beauty which, if it did not surpass all those seen at that time, should not be joined to him; for he was pining for the supreme beauty of a woman such as he had not yet seen with his eyes. ^D Through the faces of all maidens, as if through groves, he searches with his eyes for that Venus or Nymph; Pulcheria hunts, and Paulinus, the son of the count of the domestics—a youth dear to Theodosius (for he had been joined to him from boyhood and had become a partner in his education)—sends searchers through the provinces, in case perhaps that delight of nature and her supreme masterpiece might be found. It happened in the meantime that Athenaïs, a Greek virgin born in Athens, came to Byzantium to her aunt to be with her kinsmen, the occasion of which journey was this: Heraclitus the father, or as others say, Leontius, left by testament the property he had gathered from the academy to his sons Valerianus and Gesius, but to his daughter only a hundred coins and the promise of fortune. Athenaïs, supposedly disinherited of her due portion of the goods by her brothers, acted with prayers so that she might receive a praised portion of the goods. Having suffered refusal repeatedly, she diverted to Constantinople to her aunt, who, having taken up her cause, instituted a suit against her brothers and brought the day of trial before Pulcheria for the inclusion of her sister Athenaïs in the share of the inheritance. Athenaïs appeared, displaying in her face that loveliness which Theodosius had imagined for himself, and, besides that, a store of all literature, which she displayed before his tribunal when she pleaded her own case. Shall I say more? One pleases, who has gathered into herself alone not only the ornaments and praises of women, but even those of men. Pulcheria arranges for the girl to be brought to the palace, where she is soon committed to the care of her fellow chambermaids and led into Pulcheria's bedchamber. The young emperor, having entered with Paulinus as his companion, furtively and quickly, but attentively, sees her whole face through a veil (for the girl had covered her eyes with a veil), and at once receives an ardor into his mind for her, and finally takes her into the partnership of marriage, of life, and of empire. Socrates, lib. VII, cap. 21; Evagrius, lib. I, cap. 20.

(18) Socrates, lib. VII, cap. 25, declares that Atticus was learned in many examples in the naming of names. It is no wonder if, in the naming of Eudocia, he was guided by the desire to call her *eudoxia* [good fame]. Canon 30 of the Council of Nicaea, in the Turrian edition, orders that the names of Christians be imposed according to Scripture: how well *eudoxia* is savored in the pages of both Testaments, the Fathers have declared, who felt that the word read in Scripture designated her as Eudocia.

(19) Idatius records the birthday of Valentinian III, which Theophanes follows. Prosper assigns it to the previous year.

^A In this year, Bishop Atticus, seeing the Johannites celebrating their assemblies outside the church, ordered the name of John Chrysostom to be mentioned in the diptychs of the Church. And he reunited many to the Church. In the same year (20) Valentinian was born in Ravenna, the son of Constantius and cousin of Theodosius. A.M. 5913. — First year of Boniface, bishop of Rome. In this year Constantius, the father of Valentinian, obtained the empire, on the sixth day before the Ides of February; and he was slain on the fourth day before the Nones of September (21). In this year, Callistus the Augustal was slain in Alexandria by his own slaves, in the month of Thoth, on the tenth day (22).

A.M. 5915. — In this year Emperor Honorius (23) died ^B in Rome on the fifteenth day of the month of August, and when this was declared in Constantinople, the city was closed for seven days (24). Upon his death, a certain John, one of the imperial secretaries (25), seized the empire of Rome, and sent an embassy to Theodosius, begging to be acknowledged as emperor. Theodosius, having cast the envoys into custody, sent the general Ardaburius against him; the tyrant captured him and shut him up in Ravenna. Learning this, Theodosius sent Aspar, the son of that man, against him. And through the prayers of the God-fearing emperor, an angel of the Lord appeared in the likeness of a shepherd, and guided Aspar and those who were serving in his company, ^C and led them through the lake adjoining Ravenna, which was impassable, but which God caused to be passable, just as in the case of the Israelites. Having crossed over on dry land and finding the gates of the city open, they slew the tyrant and freed Ardaburius from his bonds. This man having been removed, Emperor Theodosius made Valentinian, the son of Constantius and Galla Placidia, Caesar, and sent him off to the Western regions with his own mother, and he also sent with him Helion the patrician, as one who was to establish him as emperor. And he reigned for thirty-one years (26).

^A A. C. 416. — The first year of John, bishop of Antioch. In this year, there were many riots and mutual slaughter among the citizens of Alexandria. ^A During the same year, Theodosius sent an imperial crown to Valentinian in Rome by way of the patrician Helion. Maruthas, furthermore, the bishop of Mesopotamia, healed the son of Isdegerdes, the king of the Persians, who was vexed by a demon, through prayer and fasting, whereby Isdegerdes gained much confidence in the Christian religion. ^A A. C. 417. — The first year of Celestine, bishop of Rome. ^B A. C. 418. — In this year, after Isdegerdes had met his end, his son Vararanes entered upon the kingdom and simultaneously with it a persecution of the faith. He therefore sent envoys to Theodosius demanding the fugitives from his kingdom. But Theodosius, the emperor of the Romans, did not consent to deliver them up. From this, the treaty was dissolved and a great war was stirred up between the two sides. Hence, Theodosius dispatched Ardaburius with a force of Romans, while Vararanes dispatched Arseus with a Persian force ^C and many myriads of Saracen auxiliaries. Ardaburius, having penetrated into Persia and devastated the province called Arzana, entered into Mesopotamia; the leader of the Persians likewise progressed into Mesopotamia toward the Euphrates with his own men, and when they supposed that the Roman ranks were falling upon them, being moved by the impulse of God and shaken by empty terrors, they leaped into the river while fully armed: to such an extent that ten myriads perished in the vortices of the waters. The Romans then intercepted the remainder and destroyed them all, including the myriad known among the Persians as the "Immortals," along with all their commanders; Christ having demanded vengeance from the Persians because they had unjustly brought death upon religious men, Ardaburius destroyed them.

Concerning the finding of the relics of Zechariah the prophet and of Stephen the first martyr.

^A bodies, the teacher of the Apostle Paul, Gamaliel, together with Abibon his son, having performed the funeral rites, buried.

A. M. 5920. In this year, the pious Emperor Theodosius, in emulation of the blessed Pulcheria, sent a great sum of money to the Bishop of Jerusalem for the distribution to those in need, and also a golden cross set with precious stones, to be fixed in the place of Holy Calvary. The Archbishop, intending to compensate these gifts with a vicarious offering, sent the relics of the right hand of the first martyr Stephen by the hand of Passarion, who is among the saints. When this had arrived at Chalcedon, the blessed Pulcheria saw in a dream that very night the holy Stephen saying to her: "Behold, your prayer has been heard, and your request has been fulfilled, and it has come to Chalcedon." Rising up and taking her brother with her, she went out to meet the holy relics, and having taken them into the palace, she built a glorious house ^B for the holy first martyr, and there she deposited the holy relics.

A. M. 5921. — First year of Sisinnius, Bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, moved by great goodness, the Emperor Theodosius, although he had overcome the Persians by force of arms, wishing to spare the blood of the Christians dwelling in Persia, embraced peace, and sent as ambassadors Helion, a patrician man whom he held in great honor, and Anatolius, the general of the East, to conclude a peace. Vararanes, having learned of the loss of his own men, willingly accepted the embassy, and thus the persecution against the Christians ceased. Emperor Theodosius, giving thanks to God for such benefits, ^C never ceased to honor Him with hymns, having as participants in this singing his own sisters, who practiced virginity throughout their lives.

In the same year, Sisinnius, Bishop of Constantinople, ordained Proclus as Bishop of Cyzicus; but the people of Cyzicus, not receiving him, ordained as their head a monk named Dalmatius, against the will of Sisinnius. Proclus, being deprived of his own church, was distinguished in Constantinople by preaching to the people, by the counsel and permission of Sisinnius. ^D

^A In the same year, the storm of persecution against the Christians in Persia was settled.

A.M. 5922. In this year, Philip, a presbyter of Side, having completed his Christian History in thirty-six books, inveighs bitterly against Sisinnius, because Sisinnius had been preferred over both Philip and Proclus for the episcopate. Shortly thereafter, Sisinnius departed from this life.

A.M. 5923. First year of Nestorius as bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Sisinnius, the bishop of Constantinople, having fallen asleep, Nestorius succeeded to the episcopate; he was Germanician by birth. ^B No sooner had he ascended the throne than his evil faith and his distorted mind concerning the dogmas of the Church were immediately manifested. For he gave a sermon concerning the faith to his own syncellus, commanding him to proclaim it in the public assembly of the Christian people, containing these words: "Let no one call Mary the Theotokos; for Mary was a human, and it is impossible for God to be born of a human." Eusebius, a certain scholasticus of the empress of Constantinople, was the first to take offense at this utterance, from which many of the Byzantines were troubled. Nestorius, however, being eager to confirm his discourse, everywhere cast about this saying, calling the Lord a mere man. ^C But on a certain Sunday, while Nestorius was presiding, Proclus, having been urged to give an exposition, said: "Homily on the Theotokos," the beginning of which was: "A virginal festival today, brothers." Then the impious Nestorius became hateful to all because of his arrogance and evil faith. For he also had a certain Anastasius, an Antiochene presbyter, whom he held in great esteem as a man of the same mind—a most bold man, who in the church was blaspheming the ever-virgin Theotokos. Against him, Eusebius of Dorylaeum was the first to speak out; by acting in this way, he stirred up many tumults and disturbances.

In the same year, the awesome miracle of the holy ^D

^A seven youths in Ephesus occurred, when they were awakened from the sleep in which they had remained buried for 184 years.

A. M. 5924. — In this year, Cyril, bishop of the Alexandrians, having learned of the blasphemies of Nestorius, writes to him, exhorting and admonishing him to abstain from his distorted dogmas and to hold fast to the correct faith. But Nestorius sent back a reply full of insults and blasphemies. Then Cyril writes to the Pope of Rome regarding Nestorius, and makes manifest to him the blasphemies written to him by Nestorius. Then Celestine writes to Nestorius, having set for him a limit of ten days, so that he might cease from his blasphemy and repent; but if he persisted in his evil doctrine, he was no longer to be considered a priest in communion. Celestine and Cyril likewise write to John, the archbishop of Antioch, and to Praulius of Jerusalem ^B concerning Nestorius and the heresy associated with him. John also writes to Nestorius, counseling him to abandon the heresy, reminding him of what was said by the Apostle: "God sent forth His Son, born of a woman" (Gal. iv. 4). But Nestorius, knowing that the patriarchs would not tolerate the remaining silent while the churches were so disturbed, instigated the emperor to write a *sacra* to Cyril, full of stings; and believing by these means to strike at him, he stirred him up all the more. For, rising up, he writes to the emperor and his sisters concerning the correct faith and the evil doctrine of Nestorius, at the same time requesting that an ecumenical council be held in order for the matters concerning Nestorius to be settled ^C canonically. Then the emperor Theodosius writes to all the bishops under him to arrive at Ephesus without any delay after Easter, decreeing that he who did not find himself at the synod in Ephesus by the day of Holy Pentecost would have no defense before God or before us. But the Roman pontiff Celestine, being unable to be present at the synod due to the labors of the winter sea, wrote to Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, to occupy his place in the synod.

A. M. 5925. — In this year, the holy and ecumenical ^D synod of the two hundred Fathers was gathered at Ephesus. All the bishops having therefore arrived, John of Antioch and the Orientals did not appear at the appointed deadline, and on the sixteenth day after the designated term, John...

^A not appearing, Nestorius arrived with much pomp of his retinue. And so, on the twentieth of the month of June, the council was inaugurated, with Nestorius, Cyril, and Praulius presiding, while Cyril held the place of the Roman pontiff; and as all were already entering into theological disquisitions, Nestorius said, not without great arrogance and affectation: "I, for my part, could never call Him God who has been recognized as two or three months old. And for this reason I am clean from your blood; and from this time forward I shall not return to you." Having said these things, he departed with six bishops who followed his opinion. But those of Cyril's party, assembling on the following day, dispatched three bishops to summon him, but he did not obey. And in the same manner, being summoned a second, a third, and even a fourth time by the synod, he did not appear; but he even saw to it that the legates were pelted with insults and abuse. Then the holy and ecumenical synod, receiving the delegated bishops thus affected by insults and abuse, pronounced sentence against him and decreed that he should henceforth be alien to every priestly dignity; and they announced to him face-to-face his own deposition.

These things being thus accomplished, three days later John, the bishop of Antioch, arrived, accompanied by twenty-six bishops; and these, having learned that he was deposed, separated themselves from the holy synod and, sitting separately with Nestorius, deposed—as it seemed to them—Cyril and Memnon the Ephesian prelate. Theodoret, indeed, thinking to attack and refute Cyril, misrepresented the twelve chapters and vomited forth all the venom of Nestorius into his own work. But the holy Cyril, rising boldly, constructed a defense of his own chapters, brought forth an exposition, and by bringing into light the treasure of ecclesiastical doctrine, he made manifest to the eyes of all the goal at which his own pious ^B sentiment aimed. By the holy synod, John, the prelate of the Antiochenes, was later summoned for a third time, and since he refused to come to appear, he received—together with his associates—the adverse sentence, to the effect that they were to be removed from all ecclesiastical ministry until, seized with repentance for their counsel, they should confess the fault they had committed. And this the holy synod defined, so that it might be established that whatever had been attempted against the most holy prelates of the Church, Cyril and Memnon, outside the laws of piety and the authority of the canons, was of no strength or validity whatsoever. Therefore, these controversies concerning all these matters having been agitated and reported in writings to the Emperor Theodosius, the bishops of both parties were ordered to proceed to Constantinople, and having gone up, by the assistance of God, those of the holy synod prevailed; and the deposition of Nestorius having been confirmed, Maximian was ordained bishop of Constantinople, being a presbyter of the same church. ^C But the Orientals took Nestorius with them ^D

^A into the East. In the fourth year from the deposition of Nestorius, John, the bishop of the Antiochians, being filled with the fear of God and seeing that many of the notable men of Antioch were being corrupted [adulterated] by the doctrine of Nestorius, wrote asking the emperor to drive him out of the East. The emperor exiled Nestorius to the Oasis ^B, and sent orders to Cyril and John to be reconciled without delay, so that all dissension might be completely eliminated from the churches. John complied with the order and wrote to Cyril, expressing his own faith, and accepting the confession of the Fathers at Nicaea, and that of the one hundred and fifty gathered at Constantinople, as well as the acts of Ephesus. When Cyril received and approved this, he wrote a letter to John and the remaining Orientals, the beginning of which is: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth exult." By both parties agreeing to this confession, the churches subject to each returned to a union of peace and harmony. ^C In these times, Nonnus, a prelate full of God, was pasturing the Church of the Edessenes; he it was who offered to God the most notable of the mimes of Antioch, and instead of a harlot named Margarita, presented her to Christ as the holy penitent Pelagia. He, therefore, not the least of the saints, rejoicing at the reconciliation initiated by the saints, wrote words full of admonition and instruction to Archbishop John, saying among other things: "Purge the Church, O man of God, from the tares of Nestorius and their treachery." Eventually, divine justice overtook the impious and blasphemous Nestorius in his exile, with all his members, and especially his impure tongue, flowing with corruption [tabor], by which he was corroded and consumed by death, thus forestalling his recall from the Oasis ^D to another place.

A. M. 5926. — First year of Maximian as bishop of Constantinople.

In this year came Valentinian, son of Galla Placidia and Constantius, from Rome to Constantinople, and he took as his wife Eudoxia, the daughter of Emperor Theodosius, born to him by Eudocia, and thereafter he returned to Rome.

^A In the same year, Hesychius the priest of Jerusalem died, and the blessed Melania, the granddaughter of the great Melania, fell asleep in the exercise of religious virtues and in a life of perfection at Jerusalem.

A. D. 427. — First year of Xystus, bishop of Rome.

In this year, Emperor Theodosius sent his wife Eudocia to Jerusalem to offer hymns of thanksgiving to God; she bestowed many gifts upon the churches, and having venerated the holy cross and the holy sites, she returned to the capital.

A. D. 428. — First year of Isdegerdes, king of the Persians. First year of Proclus, bishop of Constantinople.

^B In this year, a disaster occurred in the theater of Alexandria, and five hundred and seventy-two men perished during the all-night vigil of the Niloa.

A. D. 430. — In this year, the most holy Proclus, bishop of Constantinople, having sought and received permission from Emperor Theodosius, transferred the relics of John Chrysostom from Comana to the imperial city. And in the following year, after a period of exactly thirty-three years, he brought them in a public and crowded ceremonial procession, with the emperor and the blessed Pulcheria accompanying him, and deposited them in the Church of the Apostles. And thus he reunited those who had been separated from the Church on account of his deposition. In the time of this Proclus, of holy memory, earthquakes occurred. ^C

VARIOUS READINGS

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES

^A in Constantinople for four months. Wherefore, the Byzantines, being struck with fear, fled outside the city to the so-called Campus, and they were spending the days with the bishop in prayers of supplication to God. Therefore, on one occasion, as the earth was heaving and all the people were crying out, "Lord, have mercy," vehemently, about the third hour, it happened by divine power that a certain youth was caught up into the air, all looking on, and he heard a divine voice commanding him to announce to the bishop and the people that they should pray and say thus: "Holy God, holy Mighty, holy Immortal, have mercy on us," adding nothing else. And Proclus, who is among the saints…

VARIOUS READINGS

JAC. GOARI NOTES

Having received this decree, he ordered the people to sing in this manner, and immediately the earthquake ceased. ^A The blessed Pulcheria and her brother, refreshed by this miracle, decreed that this divine hymn should be sung throughout the entire world; and from that time, all the churches have received the custom of singing it to God every day.

A. C. 451. — First year of Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem. A. M. 3931. — First year of Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Valentinian was not only unable to preserve Britain, Gaul, and Spain, but he also lost Western Libya, the province which is called the land of the Africans, in the following manner: There were two generals, Aetius and Bonifacius, whom Theodosius sent to Rome at the request of Valentinian. ^B When Bonifacius had obtained the prefecture of Western Libya, Aetius, moved by envy, fabricated a calumny against him, as if he were meditating a rebellion and hastening to seize Libya. And these things he told to Placidia, the mother of Valentinian. But he wrote to Bonifacius as follows: "If you are summoned, do not think of returning; for you have been slandered, and the emperors intend to entrap you by treachery." Having received this, Bonifacius, trusting Aetius as a sincere friend, did not come when he was summoned. Then the emperors welcomed Aetius as a well-wisher.

At that time, there were Goths and many other very great nations living beyond the Danube in the hyperborean regions. Among these there are four principal ones, altogether: Goths, Visigoths, ^C Gepedes, and Vandals, separated from one another by nothing other than the appellation of their names, and using one common language everywhere; but otherwise, all follow the corrupt opinions of the Arian heresy. These, while Arcadius and Honorius were reigning, crossed the Danube and fixed their residence on Roman soil. The Gepedes indeed, from whom the Lombards and Abares were later divided, occupied the regions situated near Singidunum and Sirmium. The Visigoths, after the slaughters inflicted by Alaric, when Rome had been devastated, withdrew into Gaul and obtained the provinces there. The Goths first attained Pannonia, then in the nineteenth year of the reign, with Theodosius the Younger permitting it, they inhabited the regions of Thrace, ^D and having protracted their Thracian habitation for fifty-eight years, they finally became masters of the Western Empire. The Vandals, having invited the Alans and the Germans, who are now

^A called Franks, crossed the river Rhine having Modigisclus as their leader, ^B and settled in Spain, which is the first region of Europe from the Western Ocean. Bonifatius, however, fearing the Roman emperors, crossed from Libya into Spain and came to the Vandals. And finding that Modigisclus had died, and that his sons, Gontharis and Gizerichus, were administering the rule, he urged them to divide Western Libya into three parts, promising that each might possess a third part with him, and that they should together defend against any enemy whatsoever. Upon these agreements, the Vandals crossed the strait and inhabited Libya from the Ocean as far as Tripolis near Cyrene. The Visigoths also, rising up from Gaul, took possession of Spain. Some of the Roman senators, friends of Bonifatius, reported Aetius's treachery and all his slanders to Placidia, making manifest the letter of Aetius to them, which Bonifatius had sent to them. Placidia, struck with alarm, did not punish Aetius at all, but sent a letter of exhortation to Bonifatius under oath. After Gontharis died, Gizerichus became sole ruler of the Vandals. Bonifatius, therefore, having received the word, campaigned against the Vandals, a great army having come to him from both Rome and Byzantium, led by Aspar. When the battle was waged against Gizerichus, the Roman army was defeated; and thus Bonifatius, having gone ^C to Rome with Aspar, dissolved the suspicion by proving the truth. Africa, however, remained under the Vandals. At that time also, Marcianus, being a soldier and serving under Aspar, was captured alive by Gizerichus, and he later became emperor.

A. M. 5932. — In this year, the holy martyr Euphemia was transferred in Alexandria on the sixth day before the Calends of October.

A. M. 5953. — In this year, the Cantharus, which is a bath in Alexandria, was completed. Certain monks, coming to Constantinople, importuned the emperor against Theodore, who had been bishop of Mopsuestia, after his death, accusing him as a heretic. The emperor commissioned Proclus to write to the bishops of the East to conduct an inquiry, and if the monks were telling the truth, to anathematize Theodore. But John of Antioch wrote back to Proclus with his own synod, testifying to the orthodoxy of Theodore to the emperor.

^A A. C. 434. — The year of Domnus, bishop of Antioch, 1. A. C. 435. — The year of Leo, bishop of Rome, 1. 83 In this year Charmosynus the Augustalis was beaten [to death] in the stadium at Alexandria, and he died on the first day of the month of Epiphi. A. C. 436. — In this year the Emperor Theodosius ordered Antiochus the Praepositus, patrician, and his own tutor, to have his house confiscated, having been condemned as a cleric for contempt and pride against the emperor's majesty. Wherefore he also passed a law that no eunuch should be promoted to the dignity of a patrician. A. C. 437. — In this year Cyrus, the praefect of the city and of the praetorium, a most learned man and...

^B VARIOUS READINGS.

JAC. GOARI NOTES. (62) I suspect that the king of the Persians, Isdegerdes, gave him to Theodosius when he was entering upon the empire as a guardian, and he who, from his fifth year, was removed from the supreme administration of affairs, the patrician of the empire, the praepositus of Pulcheria’s eunuchs, and promoted to be the tutor [bajulus] of Theodosius himself, struck fear with his increased power. The name of Antiochus and the affinity of his offices are proofs of suspicion. The author [speaks] to the first and fifth year of Theodosius. (63) The eunuch prince, and he who is at times prefect of the bedchamber, is the praepositus. The Euchologion in the inauguration of the empress: The empress is led in by the praepositus, who presents her to the patriarch. Photius in the Politics of Metrophanes and Alexander: In that treachery there conspired Eusebius the impious praepositus (not a bishop, as an ignorant interpreter says), and certain others, and ^C companions of his impiety and of his androgynous nature; that is, the eunuchs. Simocatta, lib. iv, cap. 16: The eunuch supreme and chief, deputed to the imperial bodyguard, whom the Latins are accustomed to call praepositus. (64) [Patrician], father of the commonwealth, is called [so], without doubt. Constantine increased their dignity. Zosimus, Hist. ii: Constantine was the first to devise that title of honor, and he passed a law that those who had attained it should sit above the praefects of the praetoria itself. The same, epist. lib. ii: Calling in common upon [God], that just as we, having obtained our praefectian family, have by divine favor also rendered it patrician: so they too, whom they respect as patrician, may make it consular. Suidas concerning the patrician together with Antiochus: A patrician is the father of the commonwealth. He sends legates who hold rank in the chief council of the senate: these happened to be patricians. Emperor Theodosius, angered at the slander against Antiochus the praepositus for high treason, issued a decree that a eunuch should not hold rank among the patricians. Wherefore the praepositus was stripped of his honor, ^D and publicly disgraced, and commanded to be registered among the priests. More concerning the patrician in Cassiodorus in his Variae. (65) He is called Curator, intendant, and tutor [paedagogus], says Gregoras lib. v, above: tutor, and trainer [paedotriba]. Moschopulus: Paedagogus, master, who is called tutor [bajulus]. Leunclavius: The great tutor [bajulus] is the moderator of the emperor, and the arbiter of his counsels, or even his tutor, if the emperor be of minor age, so that he may be a Pope [papa], the Roman pontiff certainly; or the Alexandrian, even before Cyril so called in Epiphanius, haer. 69, in the epistle of Arius, and others; here a priest or cleric, who nevertheless lives in the world, not in a monastery: for a priest is a monk. I said priest, [falsely]. Lacerda, in his adversaria, expecting to convict the exposition, who interprets the reader in Photius’ Nomocanon, by which the reader is called not simply [papa], but a simple cleric: otherwise this Antiochus, of whom the discourse treats, is written by the author, as by Suidas in the second note above. Thus therefore, the author has the cleric as the Roman or Alexandrian pontiff in many places. That the [word] papa is written by doubling, Suidas testifies in v. papa, which confirms the reverent name of father and nourisher. See the following fourth note. (67) Concerning the exauctoration and relegation, Suidas relates that he was condemned, v. Kyros, who at the time Eudocia had gone on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, concerning whose journey in previous years: Cyrus Panoplites, the author of poems, lived under Theodosius the Younger, emperor: by whom he was also declared praefect of the praetorium and praefect of the city. He flourished as ex-consul, and promoted to patrician dignity. For Eudocia, the wife of Theodosius, being empress, greatly loved Cyrus, being a lover of letters. But upon her departure from the imperial palaces, and her dwelling in the East in Jerusalem, Cyrus, being conspired against, becomes bishop of those in Cotyaeum of Phrygia, and he lasted until the Emperor Leo.

^A a man most wise and capable, who had constructed the walls of the city and renewed all of Constantinople, concerning whom the Byzantines cried out while the emperor was sitting in the hippodrome and listening: "Constantine founded, Cyrus renewed!" The emperor, however, grew angry that they said these things about him, and pretending that he was pagan-minded, he removed him from his office and confiscated his property. He, seeking refuge in the church, became a cleric. The emperor, moved with pity for him, ordered him to be made bishop of Smyrna in Asia. But the Smyrnæans, having seized him before the holy Theophany, suspecting him as pagan-minded, wanted to kill him in the church. ^B Having entered the church and being urged to speak to the people, he said: "Men, brothers, let the birth of our God and Savior Jesus Christ be honored in silence, because the Word of God was conceived in the holy Virgin by hearing alone. To Him be the glory unto the ages of ages. Amen." And the people rejoiced and praised him, and he administered the bishopric among them piously.

A. M. 5938. — In this year, another John, the one called the Vandal, attempted to incite tyranny against Valentinian in Rome. And Theodosius, having sent an army with the generals Aspar and Artaburius, when a battle was joined, John was defeated; and having received a pledge, he delivered himself up alive. ^C And they bring him to the Emperor Theodosius, and they busy themselves to ensure that he is deemed worthy of honors. But Chrysaphius, being a eunuch and exercising power in the imperial palaces, killed him by treachery; but Divine Justice did not let this crime go unpunished for long.

A. M. 5939. — In this year, Cyril of Alexandria and Proclus of Constantinople

[255] and Proclus were piously laid to rest. Flavian, the priest and ^A *skeuophylax* of the Great Church of Constantinople, succeeded Proclus, a man most holy and virtuous. Dioscorus the impious succeeded Cyril; he was not at all instructional, but was rather a worthless and savage man, especially toward the relatives of Cyril, for whom he even consecrated their house, although it was at a great height, as a church, despite it being a third-story dwelling.

A. M. 5940. — Flavian's first year as bishop of Constantinople. Alexandria's bishop Dioscorus's first year.

In this year, the eunuch Chrysaphius, who controlled the palace ^B and the emperor, envying Flavian's ordination and bearing it ill, suggested to the emperor—who was otherwise by no means a bad man, but who was at that time staying in Chalcedon—that he signify to the patriarch by letter that he should send the *eulogiae* (blessings) for his ordination. Flavian sent clean, pure loaves as *eulogiae*. But Chrysaphius, turning these away, signified that the emperor was seeking golden *eulogiae*.

The bishop sent word in reply that he had no money to send, unless he were to make use of the sacred ^A vessels. From this there arose no small vexation between them, without Pulcheria being aware of these matters. Now, these things were in Constantinople.

In Alexandria, however, Dioscorus from the very outset plundered the kinsmen of Cyril and seized their goods. He deposed Cyril’s cousin, Athanasius, who was a presbyter, without cause, and confiscated all his property. He acted in this way because he was opposed to the orthodox faith of Cyril; being a heretic, he had been imbued with the opinions of Origen from his tenderest years. They also ^B held a grievance against Flavian, because he had provided a small amount of support to the kinsmen of the blessed Cyril.

Chrysaphius, being impious and unable to endure the concord of the Churches, made it his endeavor to disturb them, and he was quite versatile in his efforts to drive Flavian from his bishopric, wishing to appoint a certain Eutyches, an archimandrite who was of the same mind as himself, to the bishopric. But since he could accomplish nothing while Pulcheria was in control of affairs, he first insinuated himself into the favor of Eudocia, who was inexperienced, and he incited in her envy against her own mother-in-law. He suggested ^C to her that she should reproach her [Pulcheria] to the emperor in order to obtain the *praepositus* [chamberlain] for herself; for Pulcheria necessarily required the *praepositus* for the administration of affairs. The emperor, being pestered by his wife, sent word to her, saying: "Let this not trouble you; for it is not possible for you to have a *praepositus*, nor do I cast aside my sister, who manages the affairs of the empire well, skillfully, and piously."

Having failed in this, Chrysaphius turned to another scheme and suggested to Eudocia that she should importune the emperor ^D and ask him to command the patriarch to ordain her a deaconess, as one who had chosen to live in virginity. And as Eudocia importuned him all the more, she broke down the emperor’s levity. The blessed Flavian, having been urged to do this by the emperor, was deeply grieved, foreseeing the scandals that would subsequently arise from this. He promised the emperor that he would do it, but he wrote to Pulcheria, exhorting her not to appear before him, so that—as he said—"I may not be forced to do something that would grieve you." She, having understood from his letter what was being planned, sent the *praepositus* to Eudocia, and she herself went out to the Hebdomon and kept in seclusion. Because of this, the emperor and Eudocia were very grieved at Flavian, as if he had revealed the secret. While Pulcheria was keeping in seclusion, and Eudocia was arranging the affairs of the empire, it happened that a certain Paulinus, a magister...

^A distinguished in all learning and by the beauty of his appearance, was especially dear to Eudocia, with whom she was accustomed to associate and converse in private more familiarly. Now, on the day of the holy Theophany, someone brought to the emperor a large and wonderful apple; the emperor, admiring it, sent it to Eudocia, and she sent it to Paulinus. Paulinus, two days later, sent it to the emperor. The emperor, having recognized this, hid it. Then, going to the Augusta, he said: "By my salvation (88), where is the apple I sent to you?" She replied: "By your salvation, I have eaten it." Then, becoming enraged, he ordered the apple to be brought forth, and Paulinus to be exiled to Cappadocia and there slain. The aforementioned Eusebius the Scholasticus (89), who first withstood Nestorius, was loved by Eudocia as a most learned man; ^B and having been advanced to the bishopric of Dorylaeum, and having debated with the archimandrite Eutyches concerning the faith, he found that he held opinions that were not right. Though he besought and exhorted him many times to mend his ways, he did not succeed. Then Eusebius brought the matter concerning him to Flavian the bishop, who, having convened a synod of forty bishops, summoned Eutyches, and having examined him according to the entire order of ecclesiastical canons, and having found him to be a heretic and deceitful, deposed him. Chrysaphius, however, who agreed with his [Eutyches’] opinion and held supreme power in the palace, when he learned of these things, was inflamed with even greater anger against Flavian, and indicated to Dioscorus of Alexandria ^C that he would perform for him everything he desired, if he would join him in the accusations against Flavian and Eusebius and champion the cause of Eutyches. Against this he also stirred up the Augusta Eudocia, reminding her of the grievances concerning Pulcheria and Flavian. Together, both of them urged the emperor to decree that a second synod be convened in Ephesus; and they gave Dioscorus the authority to preside over the synod, having sent to him a very large army for his aid. ^D

^A A.M. 5941. In this year, by the order of the emperor Theodosius, the predatory and lawless synod was convened in Ephesus ^B to judge the matters regarding Flavian and Eutyches, at the instigation of Dioscorus the impious, and by the advice of Chrysaphius the eunuch, who was called Taiumas, and who had persuaded the emperor’s fickleness. When all had gathered, Dioscorus took the chair as president and did not permit any other notary to be present at the synod, but instructed that only his own men should record the proceedings. When a search was made, Eutyches was required to set forth his own belief, and he replied saying: "I confess that our Lord existed in two natures before the union; but after the union, I confess one nature." Then Dioscorus said: "And we all agree with these things." The legates of Pope Leo, seeing the impetuosity of Dioscorus and that he had not permitted the letter of the Pope to Flavian—nor the one to the synod—to be read, but that they were overlooked, fled and returned to Rome. Dioscorus restored Eutyches to his former rank of priesthood, but swiftly stripped Eusebius of Dorylaeum and Flavian of Constantinople of their dignity. The latter, even before the decree of deposition, having been cast out by the blows and kicks of Dioscorus’s ministers, departed this life on the third day; and on the following day, the other bishops were forced by military violence and swords to sign. But Domnus, the bishop of Antioch, having signed under duress, and having come to his senses, resisted Dioscorus and the authorities, shouting against what had been done, calling the synod impious, and seeking to take back his own signature. Having learned of these things, Pope Leo went to the emperor Valentinian and the augustas, and with tears entreated that letters be written to the emperor Theodosius, that a correction be made of the things done lawlessly and uncanonically in Ephesus. He replied to his daughter Eudoxia as follows: "I wish this to be known to your sweetness, that Flavian was removed from the churches by divine judgment, as the cause of many disturbances." Moreover, Dioscorus deposed Theodoret and Ibas and Andrew ^C and ^D

all the bishops of the East. ^A Theodosius, the emperor, was as unstable as a leaf, carried about by every wind, whence he often signed papers without reading them. Sometimes the most wise Pulcheria would present to him a document for him to sign without reading it, which consigned his own wife Eudocia to servitude, and he signed it, having been rebuked by Pulcheria.

In the same year, Gizerich, having grown powerful with increased numbers of Vandals, and having proclaimed himself king of the land and of the sea and of many islands previously subject to the Romans, grieved Theodosius. ^B And he dispatched one thousand one hundred transport ships with a Roman force under the generals Areobindus, Asyla, Innobindus, Arintheus, and Germanus. This force having anchored at Sicily, Gizerich, struck with terror, sent an embassy to Theodosius concerning a treaty.

A. M. 5942. The first year of Anatolius as bishop of Constantinople. The first year of Maximus as bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Theodosius, considering his own affairs more carefully, and recognizing that he had been deceived by the craftiness of Chrysaphius, conceived the deepest grief regarding the impiety committed against Flavian and the injustice done to the remaining bishops. ^C And, being very indignant, he first banished Chrysaphius to a certain island. He attacked Eudocia severely, calling her the cause of all evils, accusing her of having driven Pulcheria from the palace, and, moreover, taunting her regarding the events that had occurred concerning Paulinus. She, in despair, begged to be allowed to go to Jerusalem. Taking with her Severus the presbyter and John the deacon as companions on the journey, she went to Jerusalem. And the emperor, learning that these men had associated with her frequently in the city before, and were now with her in Jerusalem, and that she was bestowing many gifts upon them, sent letters and ordered them to be beheaded. ^D Then the emperor, having entreated the blessed Pulcheria with many prayers, brought her back to the palace; and she immediately sent to Ephesus and brought back the corpse of the holy Flavian, and having carried it through the center of the city with a great guard of soldiers, buried it in the holy Apostles' [church].

^A At that time he consecrated the church of the Chalcoprateia as a church for the Theotokos, it previously having been a synagogue of the Jews. And while the people, as we have said before, were awaiting in Sicily the arrival of the legates of Gizerich and the command of the emperor, meanwhile Attila, ^B the son of Omnudius, a Scythian, having become a brave and arrogant man, having lost his elder brother Bdela, and being the sole ruler of the kingdom of the Scythians, whom they also call Huns, overran Thrace. On whose account Theodosius especially makes a treaty with Gizerich and brings back the fleet from Sicily. He sends Aspar with the forces under him, and Areobindus and Argalisclas against Attila, who had already destroyed Ratiaria, Nassa, Philippopolis, Arcadiopolis, Constantia, and many other towns, and had gathered an immense amount of booty together with many captives. Then, the generals having been very much weakened in the battles, Attila advanced even as far as both seas, namely the Pontic and that which extends to Callipolis and Sestos, enslaving every city and fortress, except for Adrianople and Heraclea, which was once called Perinthus, so that he reached as far as the fortress of Athyra. Theodosius is therefore compelled to send an embassy to Attila; and he promised to provide him six thousand pounds [of gold] for his departure from the Roman territories, and furthermore agreed to pay him a yearly tribute of one thousand pounds, if he would make peace. Then, when the Roman forces had returned from the war against Attila, shortly after, Theodosius died on the twentieth day of the month of June, in the third indiction. The blessed Pulcheria, with the death of the emperor not yet made known to anyone, having summoned Marcian, ^C a man distinguished in temperance and decorum, being of a mature age and suitable for conducting affairs, says to him: "Since the emperor has passed away, I have chosen you from the whole senate..."

as a virtuous man; give me your word that you will preserve my virginity, which I have dedicated to God, and I shall proclaim you emperor." Upon his promising that he would do so, Pulcheria calls for the patriarch and the senate, and takes care that Marcian should be declared emperor of the Romans. ^A

A. C. 445. — First year of the Roman Emperor Marcian.

In this year, the most pious Marcian, having been declared emperor by a divine decree, recalled all those who were in exile. The blessed Pulcheria handed over the all-detestable eunuch Chrysaphius to Jordanas, the son of John (who, having once seized tyranny in Rome and having betaken himself to Ardaburius and Aspar after his surrender, had come to Byzantium and been promoted to honors and dignities, but had eventually suffered death at the hands of Chrysaphius); and him Jordanas punished with a like death. ^B

It is worthwhile to record in writing how Marcian was destined by God for the empire. In years gone by, when the Persian war was stirred up, Marcian, being a common soldier, was marching from Greece against the Persians with his own regiment. When he had arrived in Lycia, he fell ill and was left behind by his comrades in the city of Sidema. Having tarried there for a long time, he became bound by a bond of friendship to two brothers, named Julius and Tatianus, who took him into their own house, cared for him, and commanded him to rest. Once, when they went out to hunt, they took him as a companion; and around noon, being fatigued, they enjoyed a sleep. ^C Tatianus, having awakened from sleep before the others, beheld Marcian still sleeping in the sun, and observed a huge eagle flying down upon him, spreading out its wings, and providing shade for him. Marveling at the portent, he wakes his brother and points out the wonder; and as both of them marveled for a long time at the bird's benevolent service, they wake Marcian and say to him: "If you should ever become emperor, what will you bestow upon us?" He replied: "Who am I that such a thing should happen to me?" But they repeated the question again. Marcian says: "If this should happen from God, I will proclaim you both fathers." ^D Then they gave him two hundred gold pieces, saying: "Go to Constantinople, and remember us, for God will exalt you." Having gone away, he joined himself to Ardaburius and Aspar.

men of the Arian persuasion, and after staying with them for fifteen years and becoming their domestic, he went down with Aspar on an expedition to Africa against Gizerich, and in the conflict he was captured. Gizerich having shut up the captives in his own courtyard, he observed them from an upper chamber. About noon, looking down, he saw Marcian asleep, and an eagle coming and spreading its wings, shading him. Having seen this, Gizerich reasoned that this was a divine dispensation; and having summoned the man, and knowing him to be the domestic of Aspar, he perceived that he was destined to be raised to the throne. He did not wish to kill him, reasoning that no one can hinder the counsel of God. He demanded an oath from him, that if it should seem good to God for him to become emperor, he would never make war on the Vandals. And so, Marcian, having been released unharmed, came to Constantinople. After a short time had passed, and Theodosius had died, he was declared emperor, as we have stated before. He proved to be kind toward all his subjects. Now Attila rose up against the emperor of Rome, Valentinian, because he had not given him his own sister, Honoria, as a wife; and having gone as far as the city of Aurelianum, and having engaged with Aetius, the general of the Romans, and being defeated, and having lost most of his forces by the river Liger, he went back in disgrace. Marcian, mindful of the kindness formerly bestowed upon him in Lycia, summoned Tatian and Julius and proclaimed them as fathers. He appointed Tatian as prefect of the city, and entrusted the government of Libya to Julius. The blessed Pulcheria built many other churches for Christ, and especially that which is seen in Blachernae, dedicated to our all-praised Lady, the Theotokos, at the beginning of the reign of the God-fearing Marcian. The blessed Pope of Rome, Leo, wrote to Marcian requesting that the things dared by Dioscorus and Eutyches in Ephesus against the holy Flavian be examined in an ecumenical council, and the emperor ordered all the bishops to be assembled.

^A A.M. 5914. — In this year the holy fourth council took place in Chalcedon, in the month of October, in the fifth indiction, one year and two months after the accession of Marcian; and all the bishops ^{B C D}

^A having gathered in the martyrion of Saint Euphemia, and with the senate in attendance, the things concerning the first indiction were rehearsed, along with the acts of Eutyches and the innovations made at Ephesus by Dioscorus. When Dioscorus was accused regarding these matters, he took refuge in the plea of ignorance regarding the acts; but when he was convicted by the arguments drawn from the acts themselves, he was perplexed and hesitated, and at the same time the truth was laid bare. Then, not knowing what to say for his defense, he was put to shame. Those who had sat with him in the robber synod accused Dioscorus of the violence and compulsion they had endured from him; and having asked for pardon from the synod, they were accepted—among whom was Juvenal, the bishop of Jerusalem. Dioscorus, wavering in mind and uncertain what he should answer, no longer dared to show himself before the synod. Then the synod, with the Emperor Marcian himself present along with the senate, pronounced judgment against Dioscorus and Eutyches and deposed them. ^B [At which point this is completed.] The emperor exiled Dioscorus to Gangra, and having praised the synod, he said: "I owe the greatest thanks to the Lord and God of us all, because, all dissension having been removed, we have all come together into one and the same confession." And having treated the six hundred and thirty holy Fathers with kindness, he dismissed each to their own home in peace. And Proterius was ordained bishop of Alexandria in place of Dioscorus.

Year 1. Of the Persian King Peroz, year 1. Of the bishop of Alexandria, Proterius, year 1.

^C In this year, the blessed and pious Pulcheria fell asleep in Christ, having performed many noble deeds and having left all her possessions to the poor, which Marcian most willingly distributed, although they were immense. Furthermore, she herself built many houses of prayer, and poorhouses, and hostels, and cemeteries for the dead, among which is numbered the temple of the holy martyr Laurence. But after Dioscorus was driven into exile and Proterius was appointed in his stead, those who were of the same mind as Dioscorus and Eutyches stirred up a great uprising, threatening to block the grain supply. And Marcian ^D [index: entries preserved]

^A having learned of this, ordered that the grain of Egypt should not be brought to Alexandria, but should be transported through the Nile to Pelusium, and from there shipped to the queen of cities. The Alexandrians, being afflicted by famine, intervened, putting forward Proterius to intercede with the emperor on their behalf, and thus they ceased their disorder.

In this same year, the Diocletian baths in Alexandria were restored; and Attila devastated the city of Aquileia with fire.

In the same year, the monk Theodosius, ^B a destructive man, having rushed down to Jerusalem after the council at Chalcedon, and having learned that the Augusta Eudocia had sided with Dioscorus, who had been deposed by the council, began to cry out against the council, claiming it had overturned the true faith. He carried the Augusta along with him, deceived the monks, and employing his own murderous methods, seized the episcopal throne in barbaric fashion. Having the household staff of the Augusta as his ministers, he ordained bishops in each city, while the bishops were still sitting at the council. He forced Severianus, the bishop of Scythopolis, out of the city and slew him, because he would not assent to his corrupt errors; he incited persecution against those who would not commune with him, tortured some, confiscated the goods of others, ^C and consigned the houses of still others to the fire, so that the city looked as if it had been devastated by barbarians. He also slew Athanasius, a deacon of the Holy Resurrection, who had reproached and refuted his impiety, and after dragging his holy body through the city as a spectacle, he threw it to the dogs. Domnus, the archbishop of Antioch, and Juvenalius of Jerusalem fled to the desert to save themselves. But when that pest had occupied the see of Jerusalem for twenty months, the Emperor Marcian, having learned the truth, ordered him to be arrested; but the fugitive escaped to Mount Sinai. ^D When he and those ordained by him had been removed, Juvenalius was restored to his own throne.

A. M. 5346. — First year of Basilius, bishop of Antioch.

In this year, the Emperor Valentinian, being in Rome and suspecting the excessive power of the patrician and general Aetius, murdered him, having taken to his aid a certain eunuch named Heraclius. The Aetius...

^A Attila was preparing war against Marcian, who would not bear to provide him the tribute appointed by Theodosius. But in the meantime, having fallen in love with a certain beautiful maiden and celebrating the marriage with her, he became excessively drunken and overcome by deep sleep, and a copious flow of blood suddenly erupted from his nostrils and mouth, and he ended his life. His sons, receiving such a vast dominion of their father, waged war against each other and were destroyed. But the Romans, who held the parts of the East, enjoyed all peace, justice, and gladness while Marcian was emperor. And those years were truly golden by the kindness of the emperor, with tranquility shed over all things.

^B A.M. 5947. In this year, Valentinian, the emperor of Rome, stood by the orthodox dogmas of the Church, but he abandoned himself to many illegal acts in his daily life. For, being married to the most beautiful woman, Eudoxia, the daughter of the Emperor Theodosius, he abused others in a demonic manner. He also consorted continually with those who practiced curious arts. Wherefore he was betrayed to a most shameful death. For Maximus, the grandson of the Maximus who had tyrannized under Theodosius the Great, and indeed his namesake, being ranked among the patricians in Rome, entering into the palace, slew Valentinian, ^C and by force lived with Eudoxia (15), and seized the empire. For by the things through which a man sins, by those he is also punished. Afflicted by these things, and considering that no help would come to her from Byzantium, since her father Theodosius and Pulcheria had already passed away, Eudoxia sent for Gizerich to Rome, imploring him to deliver her from the tyranny of Maximus. But when Gizerich sailed to Rome with a great fleet, Maximus, seized with fear, took to flight. And those who were with him slew him after he had reigned for one year (16). Gizerich, with no one standing against him, entered Rome on the third day after the slaughter of Maximus, and having taken all the wealth ^D and the spectacles of the city, he loaded them onto his ships, among which were solid gold and jeweled ecclesiastical treasures, and the Hebrew vessels which Vespasian and Titus had brought to Rome after the capture of Jerusalem; and having taken with these also the Empress Eudoxia and her daughters, he sailed back to Africa. He joined Eudoxia to Huneric, his firstborn son, while Placidia, having learned that she had a husband, the patrician Olybrius, he kept under guard with her mother. Majorian, upon hearing of the death of Maximus,

^A held the empire for two years; on his removal, Avitus held the Roman empire for two years, and after him Severus for three years. After these there was no emperor, but Ricimer, master of soldiers, being endowed with great power, administered the sum of affairs.

In the same year Eudocia ^B died in Jerusalem, having left much to the churches. A. M. 5948. — First year of Martyrius, Bishop of Antioch. In this year Ravenna was consumed by fire, and after a few days the patrician Remistus was slaughtered at Classis. And after nineteen days Avitus was defeated by Ricimer, and having been made bishop in the city ^C of Placentia, he departed into the Gauls and died. A. M. 5949. — In this year the Emperor Marcian.

died, ^A one day before the Kalends of May, and Leo the Great began his reign. In this same year, the Gratian baths and the Great Basilica at the Stoechion in Alexandria were renovated. Now, the Emperor Marcian was a man of great piety and fear of God; he used to attend the processions at the Campus on foot, doing much good for those in need. Seeing this, the Patriarch Anatolius also stopped being carried in a sedan chair, according to custom, and took part in the processions on foot.

In this year, Timotheus Aelurus, having recourse to magic and deceit, would walk about at night among the cells of the monks, calling each one by name. And when someone answered, he would say, "I am an angel, and I have been sent to tell you all to withdraw from the communion of Proterius and from those things that were done at Chalcedon, and to appoint Timotheus Aelurus as bishop of Alexandria."

In the same year, Eudoxia, the daughter of the Emperor ^B Theodosius and wife of Valentinian the Third, returned from Africa with one of her daughters, Placidia, the wife of Olybrius; for Eudocia had been married to Huneric, the son of Gizerich, and did not return.

A. M. 5950. — First year of the Roman Emperor Leo.

In this yearレオ, Leo, a Thracian by birth and a tribune in rank, was acclaimed emperor in the month of February, in the tenth indiction, and was crowned by the Patriarch Anatolius.

In the same year, a terrible earthquake occurred at Antioch, and almost the entire city fell. ^C A giraffe, two aurochs, and other beasts were brought to Alexandria; and along with them, Timotheus, surnamed Aelurus, threw the city of the Alexandrians into turmoil.

^A Having bought a band of lawless men, he seized the Alexandrian throne tyrannically; and though he was deposed, he was ordained by two others who were equally stripped of ecclesiastical dignity. Hence arose all the scandals that vexed Alexandria. For while all the priests of the world accepted the decree of the Council of Chalcedon, this wretch, with a certain unbridled frenzy, insulted it, and performed the ordination of bishops, though he was not himself ordained, and performed baptism though he was not a priest. The blessed Proterius, sensing the conspiracy being prepared against him by Aelurus, gave place to anger and fled to the holy baptistery on the first day of the Paschal festival. But the precursor of Antichrist, respecting neither the holy day nor the venerable places, sent men to slaughter the innocent high priest along with others who were with him. And having dragged his corpse with ropes, they cast it out of the holy font, and having paraded it throughout the city, they treated it with total inhumanity and impiety; at last they burned it with fire and scattered the ashes into the air. ^B In the same year, the body of the holy Anastasia was brought from Sirmium and deposited in her church in the Domnicus porticoes. Timotheus Aelurus, having found certain works of Cyril the Great that had not yet been published, corrupted them in many places, as Peter the presbyter of Alexandria testifies. ^C

A.M. 5951. — The first year of Gennadius, bishop of Constantinople. Timotheus Aelurus held the see of Alexandria like a brigand for two years. In this year, the Emperor Leo, having learned of the unjust slaughter of Proterius ^D

and the unlawful promotion of Aelurus, sent ^A Caesarius and had the tongues cut out of those who had been accomplices in the murder of Proterius, and banished them both; but he did not proceed against the unholy Timotheus, declaring that judgment concerning him belonged to the bishops. In this same year also Zeno was joined in marriage to Ariadne, the daughter of Leo.

A. M. 5952. — In this year the Emperor sent letters to the bishops of every province, requesting that they state to him their own opinion: first, whether they acquiesced in the decrees of the council of Chalcedon; and second, what they had to say concerning the ordination of Aelurus. In these he also ^B put pressure on Saint Symeon the Stylite, and Barda the monk, and Jacob the wonderworker, as though they would have to render an account to the Lord of all things, so that they might pass judgment on the disputed matters. They, with one voice and common consent, affirmed that the holy synod assembled at Chalcedon was holy and they accepted the definition set forth by it. They also, with one accord, condemned Timotheus as a murderer and a heretic. Gennadius also exerted himself before the Emperor to have justice satisfied for what had been nefariously perpetrated. But Aspar the Arian opposed him. The pious Emperor, however, banished Aelurus to Gangra, to the place where once ^C Dioscorus, his teacher, was also sent. But he, even there, began to hold conventicles and create disturbances; the Emperor, having learned of this, banished him further to Cherson. Another Timotheus, surnamed Leucus, who is also called Salophacialus, a man of right belief and beloved by all for the probity of his character, was ordained bishop of Alexandria in his place.

A. M. 5953. — First year of Timotheus Leucus, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year the most holy Juvenalius, ^D bishop of Jerusalem, died, and Anastasius was ordained in his place by sacred rite. And in the same year rested also Symeon the great Stylite, the most celebrated of the monastic community, who, having set a precedent for such virtue, proved himself standard-bearer before the rest.

^A A. M. 5954. In this year a great fire occurred in Constantinople, on the second day of the month of September, in the fifteenth indiction; it began at the shipyard, and reached as far as the church of St. Thomas of the Amantius. Marcianus the oeconomus, having ascended to the tiles of the church of St. Anastasia, holding the Gospel, preserved the holy house unharmed by his prayers and tears.

A. M. 5955. In this year, Majorian was slain at Dertona by the patrician Ricimer, and Severus and Serpentius were raised to the imperial summit on the Nones of July. In the same year, when a certain painter dared to depict the Savior according to the likeness of Zeus, his hand withered; however, Gennadius, having confessed the sin, healed him through prayer. Some historians say that the curly and sparse-haired appearance is more fitting for the Savior. ^B It is said that when Gennadius was praying in the sanctuary at night, he saw a specter of a demon; when he rebuked it, he heard it crying out that while he himself lived, it yielded, but after his death it would surely gain possession of the Church—a matter which caused Gennadius to supplicate God greatly. In the same year, Studius also built the church [of the Forerunner].

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES BY JACQUES GOAR

That same Symeon, leading this severe manner of life in the flesh, reached fifty-six years. For in the monastery where he first learned the divine precepts of life, he lived 9 years, but in the "Mandra," for so it is called, forty-seven: and of these years he spent ten in a very narrow place, seven on lower columns, and finally thirty on a forty-cubit column. Thus the patron of his monastery, in which he was sometimes first, the archimandrite... ^C [The] first to show the administration on a column, the first archimandrite... ^D Studius, a nobleman and founder of the most famous monastery. The oratory of the Studites was formerly a catholic church (like a parish, accessible to both men and women), which was later changed into a monastery. The same nobleman Studius built the temple of the Archstrategus at Nacolia, in which are inscribed heroic verses:

Studius built a magnificent house, and swiftly Having accomplished it, he received a reward, taking the consul's rod.

The fourth year of Marcian is marked by his consulship. Regarding the family of Studius, see Baronius at the year 450, n. 16.

[...] of the Forerunner, and he installed in it monks from the monastery of the Acoemetae 45. And Gratissimus [*] the praepositus built the church of Saint Cyriacus outside the Golden Gate, and he renounced the world within it 44.

A. M. 5956. — First year of Juvenal, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Emperor Leo appointed Zeno, his son-in-law, as general of all the East, and Basiliscus, the brother of Empress Verina, as general of Thrace. Zeno, having arrived in Antioch, found the holy Martyrius as bishop there. Now Peter the Fuller 46, who attended upon Zeno, being a presbyter of the church of the martyr Bassa at Chalcedon — who also, having persuaded Zeno to assist him, hired some of the followers of Apollinaris ^A — stirred up countless tumults against the faith and against Martyrius the bishop. He also struck with anathema those who did not say that God was crucified, and, having divided the people of Antioch, he added to the Thrice-Holy Hymn the phrase, "who was crucified for us," which from that time to this present day has been accustomed to be said by the Theopaschites. Martyrius, moreover, set out to Emperor Leo, and was received with much honor, through the zeal of Gennadius, bishop of Constantinople. Having returned to Antioch, and finding the people ^B split into factions and also those of Zeno’s party growing stronger, he renounced the bishopric in the church assembly, using words of this kind: "To the disobedient clergy, the contumacious people, and the church defiled with filth, I send word of my renunciation, while keeping for myself the dignity of the priesthood" 47. Upon his withdrawing, Peter the Fuller leaped onto the throne of Antioch, immediately ordaining as bishop of Apamea a certain John who had been under deposition ^C. Upon receiving news of these things, Gennadius reported everything to the Emperor, who decreed that Peter the Fuller should be punished with exile. Having heard this, Peter avoided the exile by flight; and by common vote a certain Julian 48 was appointed bishop of Antioch. ^D

^A In this same year, on the fifth of the Ides of May, the body of the prophet Elisha was brought to Alexandria and deposited in the monastery of Paul the Leper. For he healed a leper, and inflicted leprosy, and he was entombed in the house erected by the Leper.

A. M. 5957. — In this year was built the quadrate structure of Saint John in Alexandria and the sanctuary; and the Heptabizus, the public bath, was restored to the city. At these times also, Daniel the Stylite (49), a truly wondrous man, ascended the column placed at the Anaplus. And John the consular (50), surnamed of the Bingomalis, having entreated the holy Basianus, took his place under him in the manner of monks. He would always arrive at the palace as one of the senators, and upon withdrawing to the monastery of Basianus, he would perform services as a subordinate. But once inside, immediately donning the monastic sheepskin, he fulfilled the duties of the kitchen, the stable, and other like tasks.

In this same year, Anthimus and Timocles (52), poets of the Troparia, were known.

In this same year, through a petition of the Senate of Rome (53), Emperor Leo sent Anthimus, the son-in-law of Marcian, his predecessor, a man well-instructed in the Christian dogmas and governing the empire most piously, to be appointed Emperor at Rome.

A. M. 5958. — In this year, a sign appeared (54) in the heavens, a cloud having the shape of a trumpet, visible for forty days toward evening. ^C

A. M. 5959. — In this year... he launched an expedition from Alexandria (55) of three thousand men; and a great cistern was built at the house of John, and two baths, one named Health and the other Healing; and the river was dug in

^A from Chersus to Copreus.

A. C. 460. — In this year Isocasius, quaestor of Antioch, who was also a philosopher, was denounced to the emperor as a Gentile, and the emperor ordered him to be examined by the prefect of the praetorium in Constantinople. As he was being led into the Zeuxippus with his hands bound behind his back, Puseus the prefect said to him: "Do you see, Isocasius, in what state you now stand?" He replied: "I see, and I am not surprised; for being a man, I have fallen into human calamities. But judge me, as you once used to judge with me." Having heard this, the people acclaimed the emperor with favorable shouts. And the emperor, having learned this ^B, rejoiced and sent him back to his own country.

A. C. 461. — First year of Julian, bishop of Antioch.

In this year, the emperor Leo, having outfitted a great fleet against Gizerich ^C, who held Africa, sent it forth. For Gizerich, after the death of Marcian, had inflicted many evils upon the provinces subject to Roman rule, carrying off spoils, sending many into captivity, and razing cities to the ground everywhere. Wherefore, stirred by zeal, the emperor ^D gathered a hundred thousand ships from the whole of the East, and having filled them with soldiers and arms, sent them against Gizerich. For they say he spent a thousand and three hundred centenaria of gold on this fleet. He appointed Basiliscus as leader and commander of this fleet, the brother of Verina Augusta, who had already fulfilled the office of consul and was renowned for frequent victories over the Scythians in Thrace. He, with the gathering to his aid of no small force from the Western sea, engaged in frequent conflicts with the fleet of Gizerich, sent many of his ships to the bottom of the sea, and was then able to conquer Carthage itself. But later, lured by the enticements of gifts and an abundance of money by Gizerich, he gave way and was defeated.

^A And the Thracian reports that this was done, as it were, in the Persian manner. Some, however, say that Aspar and Ardaburius, being Arians and on that account unable to attain to the empire themselves, had made Leo, who was then their procurator, emperor 61, hoping that they themselves would continue to manage the affairs of the empire. But when the emperor did not accept this, they struggled to twist the things that were being well administered by him, and they agreed to give the empire to Basiliscus if he would betray the emperor’s fleet and army to Gizerich, who was an Arian like themselves and of the same mind. And they say that on this account Basiliscus betrayed them. Then Gizerich, having devised a stratagem with some of the enemy vessels, filled them with combustible material. Approaching by night, while the Romans were sleeping off their guard, he set these loose from the shore with a land wind directed against the Roman fleet, and they burned many of the vessels; the others, escaping the danger, returned to Sicily. Only then was the treachery of Basiliscus revealed, escaping no one in the camp.

^B In the same year, Patricius, the son of Aspar 62, whom the emperor Leo had made Caesar so that he might draw Aspar away from the perverse opinions of the Arians 63, and that he might merit well of the empire—was sent to Alexandria with great display, at which time the Corean bath was restored.

^C A. M. 5902. A. C. 462. First year of Simplicius, Bishop of Rome.

In this year the emperor Leo 64 sent Zeno, the master of soldiers in the East and his own son-in-law, to Thrace 65, due to the necessity of war, and ordered that another army be gathered from his own retinue to bring支援. The soldiers were easily swayed by the promptings of Aspar to kill Zeno. But having perceived the plot, he fled to Serdica, a city of Thrace, and consulted for his safety. Because of this, Aspar became suspect to the emperor Leo.

^D A. M. 5903. In this year, Leo, the emperor, sent...

^A Heraclius of Edessa, son of Florus the ex-consul, and Marson the Isaurian, men strenuous in arms, with armies gathered from Egypt, the Thebaid, and the desert. These, having fallen unexpectedly upon the Vandals, took Tripoli and very many other cities in Libya, and they wore down the forces of Gizerich much more severely than Basiliscus had done in the naval battle, so that he prepared to send an embassy to the emperor Leo about concluding peace; and he finally obtained this from Leo, since he needed the services of Basiliscus, Heraclius, and Marsus at that time for the conspiracy against Aspar. For Aspar, as I said before, having become suspect to the emperor and surrounded by much power, was, through the guile of the emperor, betrayed to death a little later along with his sons Ardaburius and Patricius—whom the emperor had formerly declared Caesar in order to win the favor of Aspar.

A. M. 5964. — First year of Acacius, bishop of Constantinople. ^B

In this year, after Aspar had been killed by Leo along with his sons Ardaburius and Patricius, Ostris, the bodyguard of Aspar, and Theoderich, son of Triarius and brother to the wife of Aspar, set out with armed troops against the city to avenge the blood of those killed. And had not Basiliscus—having returned from Sicily—and Zeno—equally from Chalcedon, where he was awaiting the news of Aspar’s death—arrived in time to bring aid to the city and scatter the instigators of the sedition, there would have been a great disturbance in affairs. The youngest son of Aspar, Armenarchus, ^C was secretly removed by the counsel of Zeno and escaped, having been sent into Isauria, and he was accepted as a son-in-law by the base-born son of Zeno; he finally returned to Byzantium after the death of Leo and lived the rest of his life happily. In Italy, Ricimer the general, whom I mentioned earlier, and who was the son-in-law of Anthemius, who reigned piously in Rome, rose up against his own father-in-law. Since wars were occupying the entire region, the emperor’s forces were exhausted by such famine that they did not even spare hides and other unusual foods, and in the seventh year of his reign they removed the emperor Anthemius himself from the midst. Then Leo, because of the tumults again stirred up in Rome, sent Olybrius, the husband of Placidia, ^D to Rome, having first proclaimed him emperor. After the slaughter of Anthemius, Ricimer, having lived only three months...

died of a disease, Olybrius also having departed with him ^A due to bodily infirmity. Upon the death of these, Majorian took over the empire 75, a man of sound mind and experienced in wars. Finding the cities ravaged by Gizerich, he invaded Lianes 44, and having occupied Liguria, appeared formidable to the Vandals; and as he was about to gird himself with victory, he was meanwhile seized by a dysentery disease and died. The general, having crossed over by Phatmus 76, was saved. In these matters, therefore, while those around Gizerich were occupied 77, the young Eudocia, granddaughter of Theodosius, having spent sixteen years in Africa with her husband Honorich, and having borne a child from him, Ilderich, being distressed against her husband because he was an Arian, finding an opportunity and taking flight, went to Jerusalem. And having worshipped at the venerable places, and kissed the tomb of her own grandmother, and spent a few days in the holy city, she died in peace, having left all her possessions in the Holy Resurrection, and having entrusted Curcus 47 together with his children to the archbishop of Jerusalem, as a fellow-worker ^B with her and one faithful to the end [...] Honorich, her Arian husband.

A. M. 5965. In this year, the emperor 78 Leo crowned Leo, the son of Zeno and of Ariadne 59 his own daughter, his own grandson 61, and proclaimed him emperor. And after the death of Olybrius 79 and of Ricimer and Majorian, Glycerius is proclaimed emperor of Italy, a man not undistinguished, whom, when he had held power for five months, Nepotianus of Dalmatia drives from rule. And he himself also reigns for a short time 82, Oreste ^C of some sort driving him out, whose own child Romulus, surnamed Augustulus, succeeded, and having ruled for only two years, [the empire] of the Roman kingdom was transferred from Romulus, the founder of Rome...

And it should be noted that the empire of the West, having had its inception with Romulus, ceased again after so many years with another Romulus. Odoacer, a Goth indeed by race, but raised on Italian soil, having seized the authority with barbarian force, and having assumed for himself the title of king, and having established the Roman republic according to its ancestral laws, held the empire for ten years. He resided in Ravenna, a city of Italy, which is opulent and elegant, and situated by the sea.

A. C. 466. — In this year, dust fell from the clouds which appeared to be burning, so that all supposed that fire was raining down. Therefore, being intent on supplications and processions, they trembled. ^B It was deposited on the roofs to the height of a palm. But all asserted that it was true fire that had appeared and subsequently been extinguished, and, by the benevolence of God, turned into dust.

In the same year, the Emperor Leo, having been seized by a disease in Byzantium, departed this life, leaving as emperor his infant son by Ariadne, Leo, whom he had designated beforehand, in the month of January, in the twelfth indiction. ^C And in the month of February, [Ariadne] crowned her own father Zeno in the seats of the hippodrome, with Verina and Ariadne aiding him in this. But the young Leo, having reigned for only ten months with his own father Zeno, was afflicted with a sickly constitution and expired; then Zeno reigned alone for seventeen years and two months, counting also the twenty months of the tyranny of Basiliscus. Zeno, having managed the government harshly, ^D in the beginnings [of his reign], the Saracens [invaded] Mesopotamia...

^A ravaged Mesopotamia, and from there the Huns devastated Thrace, inflicting grave damage everywhere, while the Emperor indulged in foul pleasures and nefarious deeds.

A. M. 597. — First year of the Roman Emperor Zeno. First year of Peter, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Leo the Younger, having reigned for only ten months with Zeno his father, and having proceeded as consul ^B, was taken by death, and Zeno ruled the empire alone. Basiliscus, the brother of Verina, Zeno’s mother-in-law, while residing in Heraclea of Thrace, spurred on by the urgings of Verina herself and certain members of the senate, stirred up a rebellion against Zeno. Zeno, fearing danger, fled to Syria with his wife Ariadne and a considerable sum of money, to a certain strong fortress called Vara. From there, he withdrew to Tessades for this reason, together with his wife Ariadne, as Illus and Trocundus were besieging him, being at that time well-disposed toward Basiliscus. Basiliscus, however, was acclaimed emperor in the Campus ^C; he created his son Marcus Caesar, and crowned his own wife Zenodia as Augusta. And immediately he arrayed himself against the faith, mostly urged on to this by the words of Zenodia. He recalled Timothy Aelurus by means of an edict, and Peter the Fuller, who was hiding in the monastery of the Diomedeans, along with all those others who were enemies of the holy Council of Chalcedon and were now speaking boldly against the truth. Aelurus, having gathered the unruly Alexandrians residing in Byzantium, came from the palace in a procession to the church, riding on an ass ^D. But having arrived at the place called the Octagon, he fell off the ass and broke his leg, and was forced to return in shame. Basiliscus then sent him to Alexandria with edicts against the Council, and Peter the Fuller to Antioch, and he strengthened both against the truth. Timothy Salophaciolus, the bishop of Alexandria, having learned that Timothy Aelurus had arrived, withdrew.

^A He betook himself to the monasteries situated in Canopus, in which he had once professed the ascetic life. Aelurus, however, could not harm him, though he inflicted many evils upon many others, because he was beloved by all. ^B Indeed, as Aelurus was arriving in Alexandria, his partisans—those zealous for his side—called out to him: “You have fed your enemies, O Pope!” But the unholy man shouted back: “Yes, I have indeed fed them.” ^C This impious man also anathematized the Council of Chalcedon. Julian, the bishop of Antioch, died of grief at what had occurred. Peter the Fuller, having seized the throne, turned to anathematizing and causing disturbances. From this, killings and plunderings took place because of the addition to the Trisagion. Basiliscus, by a general edict, expelled the Council of Chalcedon and ordered Acacius of Constantinople to do the same. But the entire city, including women and children, gathered in the church and opposed Basiliscus, preventing this. Acacius, dressing himself in black, covered the throne and the altar with black veils. ^D Even the great Daniel of the pillar, inflamed by divine zeal, came down from the pillar where he had sat and constantly attended all ecclesiastical assemblies with Acacius and the crowd of the people. Meanwhile, Perozes launched an expedition against the Hephthalite Huns, and having turned them, he pursued them. They, making their flight in narrow places, retreated little by little into the mountains, moving to the right and the left. Getting behind them, they shut them in, defenseless. Perozes, being constricted, asked for peace. The king of the Hephthalites would not grant this until he [Perozes] had prostrated himself before him and sworn by oaths that he would no longer wage war against the Hephthalites. Forced by necessity, he did this.

[alt-version omitted]

NOTES OF JACQUES GOAR

(91) "You have called out to them": As if in the manner of a gentle father toward children, yet you have deceived your enemies. A metaphor from nurses, who thus feed children with soft food, while they themselves swallow greater things. Aristophanes, *Knights*: "I know him, what he is fed with," instead of "with what he is deceived and takes pleasure."

(92) The word [pappas] signifies "father." Hence, a large part of the writers among the Greeks write that [this title] was given to the patriarch of Alexandria in the time of Cyril and Celestine, the Roman Pope's legate at the Council of Ephesus, for the sake of rewarding Cyril’s piety and as an act of service to the Roman See. Let faith in such a privilege rest with them, which totters under the authority of Nicephorus, lib. xv, cap. 34: he says, at the time when the rumor is (a fable, in my opinion) that he received that mitre and the appellation of "Pope," and was called judge of the entire world. A most insipid fable, I say. For Athanasius, who was before Cyril, writes himself "Pope" in a letter to the Antiochenes: "They who have written the letter are these: Pope Athanasius, and those who were with him in Alexandria." And the Alexandrian clergy, in a letter to Athanasius himself, and to Epiphanius (hæres. 69), address him thus: "To the blessed Pope, our bishop Alexander, we the presbyters and deacons, greeting in the Lord." And in the course of the letter: "Why do you argue with Pope Alexander, who asserts that the Son is from the Father?" Regarding the name "Hieroclas" (though more commonly "Heroclas"), I observe from the *Chronicon Orientale* (published by Ecchellensis, p. 115) that he was the first once greeted by that name. Hieroclas was the first who was surnamed by that name. Even the Gentiles called Jove "Pope." Regarding the word [pappas] and its duplication into [papas], see Suidas. The Greek Church rejects the black color in its offices; it is accustomed to use nothing but white, or purple during Lent. We have discussed the colors of that Church in our work on the Eucologion.

(94) He borrowed this from Procopius, *De Bello Persico*, right at the beginning, who calls these Huns "Ephthalites," describes their character and origin, and finally mentions how Perozes (as he calls him) turned toward the East (thinking that the King of the Ephthalites was worshiping him) and, at the counsel of the Magi, worshiped the sun.

^A Forced by necessity, he turned back in great disgrace. When he could not bear the shame, he again campaigned against them, having broken his oaths.

^B A.M. 5968. — A.C. 468. — The first year of Timothy Aelurus, Bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, as the clergy and the monks of Constantinople were contending for the holy Council of Chalcedon, Acacius, fearing the masses, pretended to agree with them; wherefore he spoke from the pulpit against Basiliscus and Zeno. When Basiliscus learned of this, and fearing the fervor of the city's populace, he departed from the city, having commanded the Senate that no one was to encounter Acacius, for the people were on the verge of burning the city. Daniel the wondrous Stylite, having taken with him the monks and those of the people who were zealous, went out to Basiliscus and spoke to him with great boldness, but he did not listen to them.

In the same year, Perozes again campaigned against the White Huns, who are called Ephthalites, and perished with his entire army. For they had dug a deep trench, and having placed reeds over it and covered it with earth, they remained inside. They sent a few to engage them, and having turned back in flight, and crossed the narrow passes, they fled together with the rest. The Persians, suspecting no danger, pursued them uncontrollably, and all together, with Perozes and his children, fell into the pit and perished. Perozes, realizing the disaster, took the very white and large pearl which he himself possessed—a gem exceedingly precious—and pulled it from his right ear and threw it away, so that no one might wear it after him, since it was of such extraordinary and admirable beauty as no other king had ever possessed before. Thus Perozes perished with his entire army. Those who did not accompany Perozes on his campaign chose Cabades, the younger son of Perozes, as king.

^A The barbarians also ruled the Persians for two years, demanding tribute. Since Cabades exercised his power all too violently, he enacted a law that women should be held in common; for this reason, the Persians removed him from power, and having bound him, they consigned him to prison, and they made Blasius, who was also called Valas, the brother of Perozes, king, because there was no other son of Perozes. But the wife of Cabades ministered to him in his confinement. The warden of the prison began to lust after the woman, as she was beautiful. Cabades urged his wife to submit to the man, if she might in any way be able to escape the fortress. ^B This having been done, the woman, entering to Cabades without hindrance, tended to him. A friend of Cabades, named Seoses, indicated through the woman to Cabades that he had horses and men prepared in a certain field. Therefore, at the onset of night, Cabades persuaded his wife to give him her own clothing, and for the wife to take the garments he himself was wearing and to sit in the prison. Thus, Cabades having escaped from the prison, and having mounted a horse together with Seoses, betook himself to the Hunnish Nephthalites; and their king gave his daughter in marriage to him, and having given him a large army, he sent him against the Persians. The guards, catching sight of the woman clothed in the garments of Cabades, supposed for several days that Cabades was in the prison. But Cabades, bursting into Persia with the Hunnish forces, obtained the kingdom without any labor, and he deprived Blasius, also called Valas, of his eyes and kept him under guard; and he placed the kingdom in safety, for he was both clever and energetic. He reigned eleven years after this.

A.M. 5969.— First year of the Persian king Valas. First year of Anastasius, Bishop of Jerusalem. ^C In this year, Illus and Trocundus—who were besieging Zeno—seeing that Basiliscus was not fulfilling the things he had promised them, and with the senate bearing no longer the arrogance of Basiliscus, on account of the depravity of his character and his madness, wrote to them, having become reconciled with Zeno; and Illus and Trocundus, having taken him, returned to the imperial city. Having learned this, Basiliscus sent Armatius, his own nephew, who was general of Thrace, with his entire army and the populace of Constantinople against Zeno, having made him swear upon holy baptism not to betray him. But Armatius, having encountered Zeno near Nicaea in Bithynia, so struck him with terror ^D that he was nearly on the point of retreating with the auxiliary force of the Isaurians.

^A But blinded by the lavish promises of gifts from Zeno, and also because he was to succeed to the office of master of soldiers, he was lured by the hope that his son, Basiliscus, would be created Caesar and sit as Zeno’s colleague. He therefore turned back against Basiliscus. When Zeno, with Ariadne, reached the queen of cities, he was received by the people and the senate. Basiliscus fled to the church, and having laid down his royal crown upon the holy table, he took refuge in the baptistery with Zenodia, his heterodox wife. Zeno, having arrived, came to the church ^B and thus entered the palace. Having sent to the church, he took Basiliscus, giving him his word not to behead him or his children; but he ordered him to be sent away to Cucusus in Cappadocia, to be shut up in a tower with his wife and children, and to be destroyed by famine—though some say that he was slaughtered while being led away. Zeno immediately held horse races and proclaimed Basiliscus, the son of Armatius, Caesar, and, according to his promises, he made him sit with the emperor in the royal box and honored the charioteers together with the emperor. ^C But Zeno, reflecting that, just as Armatius had not kept the faith he had sworn to the emperor, he would not keep it for him either—but rather, if his son, the Caesar, should come to man’s estate, he would rise up against me; and as for me, that which I pledged, I have fulfilled, and I have made him master of soldiers and his son Caesar—he ordered him to be slaughtered as a perjurer. And he was slaughtered in the spiral staircase ^D of the palace, as he was going up to the hippodrome; but he ordained his son, the Caesar, as a reader. For Ariadne had saved him as a cousin, and he later served as bishop of Cyzicus in excellent fashion. Zeno turned against Peter the Fuller because he had sided with Basiliscus. By a decree of the Eastern synod he was deposed, and John was ordained in his place. He too was cast out after three months, and after him Stephen, a pious man, was promoted as bishop of Antioch. Peter, being exiled to Pityus, deceived his guards and fled to the holy Theodore of Euchaita. In these times, Timothy Aelurus died, and Peter the Mongus was brought in in his place, a wicked man and an adversary of the truth, having long ago been punished with deposition. This man,

by one bishop and that one equally deposed

^A, was consecrated. Monks, moved by divine zeal, attacked him and forced him from the episcopate after he had held it for only thirty-six days, and they rightfully restored Timothy Salophaciolus, a man worthy of the throne, to the seat.

A.M. 5970. — First year of Timothy Salophaciolus, bishop of Alexandria. First year of Stephen, bishop of Antioch.

In this year a fearful earthquake occurred in Constantinople on the twenty-fifth day of the month of September, in the first indiction, and many churches, houses, and porticos fell to the ground, and a countless multitude of men was overwhelmed by the ruins. The globe also fell from the hand of the statue that is in the forum, as did the statue of the great Theodosius placed on the column of Taurus, and the inner walls of the city collapsed for a wide space. The earthquake persisted for a long time, so that the city was kept in continuous terror. Stephen, however, having been appointed bishop of Antioch by the common suffrage of the followers of Peter the Fuller, was accused before Zeno of being a Nestorian; yet an Eastern synod, having assembled at Laodicea, by the command of the emperor, restored him to his see as innocent of the charge brought against him.

In the same year Theoderich, son of Triarius, who is also called Strabo, the nephew by his brother of the wife of Aspar—who had been slain by Leo—having gathered a multitude of barbarians, moved his forces against Zeno. ^B Being an intimate and friend of Basiliscus, and declared general by him, after Zeno’s return he entered Thrace, and from there he rose up and plundered all the regions around Byzantium as far as the mouth of the Euxine. But when his own intimates conspired to betray him, he scented the treachery and, turning back, slew the authors of the plot. He himself, while mounting his horse, fell unexpectedly upon a spear fixed before his tent and perished.

A.M. 5971. — In this year Marcian, the son of Anthemius ^C who had reigned at Rome, and likewise of Leontia, [the daughter of Verina and sister of the empress Ariadne, ...]

moved against the emperor Zeno at Byzantium, on the grounds that Leontia, his wife, had been born when Leo was already emperor, whereas Ariadne had been born before his accession to the empire. A fierce battle having been joined between Zeno and Marcian, Marcian, aided by his brothers Romulus and Procopius, prevailed in strength and forced all of Zeno’s troops to retreat into the palace as into a stronghold: and he came within a little of seizing the palace and the empire itself. But, being little concerned with the conduct of affairs and having turned his attention to feasting and sleep, and being stripped of his allies by Illo the magister, who had seduced them with gifts, he was so greatly weakened in the battle the following day that he fled for refuge to the church of the Apostles for protection, and by the command of Zeno was ordained a presbyter by Acacius, and was exiled to the castle of Papurius in Cappadocia. But his brothers Procopius and Romulus were captured by Illo at night while they were bathing; they, however, escaped from his power and fled to Rome. ^B

A. M. 5972. — In this year, Illo the magister advised the emperor Zeno that he should expel his mother-in-law Verina from the city. And having sent her by some ruse to Chalcedon, not long after he sent her away to the castle of Papurius to live with Marcian and his own daughter Leontia. She wrote to her own daughter Ariadne, begging that she might be recalled from exile; and the empress interceded with Zeno. But he said to her: "Ask the patrician Illo about her." So she sent for him and asked him with tears. But he was not persuaded, saying: "You seek to make another emperor against your husband." Then Ariadne, angered, said to the emperor: "Must Illo remain in the palace, or I?" And the emperor said to her: "I want you. If you can do anything against Illo, do it." So she plotted his assassination. And he ordered Urbicius, the cubicularius, to exhort someone to kill him. And as he was going up the spiral staircase of the Hippodrome, a scholarius named Spanicius, having been tasked with the deed, brought his sword down upon his head. But the spatharius of the magister, having ^C kept a close watch, caught the sword with his arm; the extremity of the blade, however, severed his right ear. Zeno, wishing to show himself in no way privy to this deed, ordered ^D

Illus to believe that he had not been aware of what had happened, though in truth the attempt had not succeeded. Having treated the wound, he began to wear a *camelausion* [(15)]. He asked the emperor for permission to depart for the East, on the pretext of changing the air, since he was suffering from the wound. The emperor, wishing to appease him entirely, appointed him commander of the entire East [(14)], giving him full authority, so that he could even appoint dukes [(15)]. Having taken with him the patrician Leontius, by birth a Syrian, a man equally distinguished in literary studies and the art of war, who was also commander of the army in Thrace, and with him Marsus and the senator Pamprepius—who had been accused of magic—and having collected great forces from every quarter, he set out for the city of Antioch in Syria and openly proclaimed his tyranny. ^A

A. C. 473. — First year of Cabades, king of the Persians. A. M. 5973.

The other bishop of Antioch, Stephanus, cast into the Orontes river.

In this year, Stephanus, bishop of Antioch, having met his end, they ordained another Stephanus in his place by order of the Emperor Zeno. The enemies of the faith, because of their bias toward the Fuller [(Peter)], arming their fury as a support for their madness, stabbed him with sharpened reeds in the baptistery of the holy martyr Barlaam, and having killed him, threw him into the Orontes river, arming their folly with their rage. Zeno, intending to punish the crimes committed against Stephanus, ordered Acacius, the bishop of Constantinople, to ordain a bishop for Antioch; and he ordained Calandion. The Antiochenes, however, being unaware of the ordination that had taken place, elected for themselves a bishop named John, called Codonatus, whom Calandion later transferred to the see of Tyre, which is the primary see after Antioch. ^B

In this same year, Timothy Salophaciolus died in Alexandria, in whose place John the Tabennisiote was ordained.

^A John the Tabennisiote, a holy man and a vigorous fighter for right dogmas, was promoted to be presbyter and steward of the Church of Alexandria. The patrician Illus, with Leontius and the rest of his companions, set out for the fortress of Papurius, and having brought out Verina Augusta from custody and taken her to Tarsus in Cilicia, he caused her to crown the patrician Leontius as emperor outside the city walls at the church of Saint Peter. And Lady Verina wrote a sacred letter to the Antiochene Syrians, that they should receive Leontius as emperor; and furthermore, she issued sacred letters to all the prefects of the East, Egypt, and Libya, that they should recognize Leontius as emperor and not offer any resistance.

Annus Mundi 5974. — The first year of John the Tabennisiote as bishop of Alexandria. The first year of Calandio as bishop of Antioch. ^B In this year, the sacred letters of the Lady Verina were brought and read aloud, the contents of which were as follows: "Verina Augusta, to our prefects and the peoples who love Christ, greetings. You know that our empire is ours, and that after the death of my husband Leo, we had proclaimed as emperor the Trascalissean, who was afterwards called Zeno, hoping he would bring the state back to a better condition; but now, seeing it inclining toward the worse and collapsing on account of his insatiable greed, we have deemed it necessary to crown for you a Christian emperor, adorned with piety and justice, so that he may protect the affairs of the state and govern its military matters peacefully and prudently. ^C We have therefore crowned Leontius, the most pious emperor of the Romans, who will deem you all worthy of his care and providence." And they, having received the sacred letters, hailed Leontius as emperor with auspicious acclamations.

Annus Mundi 5975. — In this year, Illus and Leontius released Longinus, the brother of Zeno, and his mother from the custody of the fortress. Verina, however, having fallen ill there, died; and after some years her body was brought to Byzantium by Areadna.

Annus Mundi 5976. — The first year of Felix as bishop of Rome. ^D In this year Leontius entered Antioch as emperor on the twenty-seventh day of the month of June, in the seventh indiction, and appointed Lilianus as prefect of the praetorium. Having departed from there, he waged war on his native city of Chalcis. But Zeno sent John the Scythian against Illus and Leontius with a very large force by land and sea. A fierce battle having been joined, Illus and Leontius were defeated at Papurius.

Leontius, together with the master Pamprepius, known to be a sorcerer, fled into the fortress of Papurius. Then, too, Joannes apprehended Trocundus, the brother of Illus, as he was departing to collect the forces of the barbarians, and condemned him to death. Illus and Leontius, deceived by the wiles of the master sorcerer Pamprepius, remained there besieged for four years. At length, having learned of his slaughter, they cast Pamprepius, as a seducer, headlong from the walls, hacked into pieces.

In this same year, the partisans of Peter Mongus, through bribery and impostures, persuaded Zeno to expel Joannes the Tabennisiote, bishop of Alexandria, as if he had been consecrated against his (Zeno's) will, and to recall Peter Mongus to Alexandria from the regions of Euchaita. Then indeed Zeno issued the Henoticon, a decree of peace, dictated—as some affirm—by Acacius of Constantinople, and promulgated it through all the provinces. Before Peter Mongus returned to Alexandria, Zeno commanded him to have communion with Simplicius, the Roman pontiff, and with Acacius. Hence, so that they might receive Mongus and cast out Joannes, Acacius wrote to those in Alexandria. Joannes, having learned of Peter's arrival, although the clergy and the people were prepared to lay down their lives for him and were beseeching him not to depart, prudently and without tumult slipped away from the city, considering with himself the evils that Peter was about to commit.

A. D. 477. — The first year of Peter Mongus, Bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, Theoderich, son of Walamer, whose name—as that of a brave and prudent man, and one not alien to good letters—was very famous both among the barbarians and among the Romans (for he had formerly stayed at Byzantium as a hostage, and had frequented the very best of teachers; his father Walamer having held command over the Gothic race after the sons of Attila, during the times of Leo), was summoned by Zeno from Thrace to Byzantium, and having been declared consul and gifted with the prefecture of Thrace, was sent with Joannes the Scythian against Illus. And when Illus and Leontius were pressed by a strict siege in the Papurius fortress, he left Joannes to press the war, and he himself returned to Zeno: and subsequently, having departed into Thrace and encamped...

near Byzantium, he was tempted to occupy the city; but, as they say, swayed by mercy for the city, he returned to Thrace. Being urged by Zeno, he descended into Italy. There, having defeated Odoacer in a great battle, he finally donned the royal insignia in Ravenna. He also overcame many other barbarians, bringing even the Vandals into subjection, without even taking up arms against them, as Gizerich had already died before he himself reached Rome; and he finally gained control of both Rome and the entirety of the West. ^A

A. M. 5978. — First year of Peter the Fuller, bishop of Antioch. ^B

In this year, the bishops of the East wrote to Acacius, complaining that he had granted communion to Mongus. He, however, paying no attention to them, impudently forced everyone to communicate with Mongus. The citizens of the queen of cities, and all the Orientals together, traveled as suppliants to Felix, who held the Roman see after the death of Simplicius, the bishop of Rome, and accused Acacius of being the cause of all these evils. Meanwhile, Joannes, the prelate of Alexandria, entered Rome, reporting these same things. Consequently, Felix, having convened a synod in the church of the chief of the apostles, Peter, sent two bishops and a defender to Constantinople, writing to Zeno and Acacius to cast Peter the Mongus out of the Church as a heretic. ^C

A. M. 5979. — In this year, since those sent from Rome had been seized at Abydos by the counsel of Zeno and Acacius, and their letters had been taken away and they themselves thrown into custody, Zeno threatened to kill them unless they communicated with Acacius and Peter the Mongus.

A. M. 5980. — In this year, Illus and Leontius, having endured many labors of war and having been kept under siege for four years in the Papurius fortress, were captured through the treachery of Trocundus, the brother of the wife [of Illus], who had been sent there for this purpose by Zeno. And they were beheaded, and their heads were sent to Zeno and carried on poles in the Circus, and thence across the harbor to the town, which is known by the name of Sice... ^D

^A. But Zeno, at the suggestion of Acacius, compelled the bishops throughout the East to subscribe to the union and to communicate with Peter Mongus; and he persuaded the apocrisiaries ^B of Felix, bishop of Rome, whom he had misled with flatteries and ensnared with money, to act contrary to the commands laid upon them, and to enter into communion with Peter, while all the orthodox party protested and cried out against it. And in the first place, they tied the hook ^C to ropes and publicly hung one of them (with it); secondly, they threw the book in; and thirdly, they placed it in a basket of vegetables. Felix, however, having learned of the deeds of his legates, deposed them, and wrote a sentence of deposition against Acacius. He who was carrying this, having slipped past those who had been stationed in ambush at Abydos, reached the monastery of Dius ^D. The monks of Dius, on Sunday, delivered the letter to Acacius in the sanctuary. Acacius’s supporters killed some of the monks who had delivered the letter; others they tortured and cast into prison. But Acacius received the deposition without any agitation of mind, and erased the name of Felix from the diptychs.

Phravitas, bishop of Constantinople, for three months.

In this year, Calandion, bishop of Antioch, brought the relics of Eustathius the Great from Philippi, where the saint had died in exile; and the entire city of Antioch poured out with great honor to meet them at the twelfth milestone. And those who had separated themselves from the Church on account of the saint were reunited with it, one hundred years after his repose. Upon the death of Acacius, Phravitas, having held the bishopric for three months, wrote to Felix that he was in communion with him, but not with Peter Mongus; yet he wrote to Mongus that he was in communion with him, but turned away from Felix of Rome. And Felix, regarding the letters to Mongus...

^A which had been sent, received them from the orthodox, but when Phravitas's envoys arrived with the synodal letters, he dismissed them without honor. Upon the death of Phravitas, Euthymius, presbyter and curator of the poor in the city of Neapolis, obtained the bishopric of Constantinople; and immediately, with his own hands, he erased the name of Mongus from the sacred diptychs, and thus he sat upon the throne; and he arranged those of Felix of Rome.

A. M. 5982. — First year of Euthymius, bishop of Constantinople. First year of Palladius, bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Peter Mongus ^B died in Alexandria, and Athanasius, nicknamed Celites, was ordained in his place. But the Emperor Zeno, having been freed from the tyrants, expelled Calandion from the Church of the Antiochenes and banished him to the Oasis, and established Peter the Fuller in his place, and Nestor, Romanus of Chalcedon, Eusebius of Samosata, Julian of Mopsuestia, Paul of Constantina, Manus of Hemeria, and Andreas of Theodosiopolis were removed from their sees—on the pretext of partiality toward the tyrants, but in truth because of Zeno's Henoticon. But Peter the Fuller, having entered Antioch, committed many wicked acts, for instance, excommunications of the synod and expulsions of blameless bishops, and illicit introductions and ordinations, and things similar to these. He also, in the first place, added to the Trisagion: "Christ our King, who was crucified for us." But Peter, having returned, removed "Christ our King." And Xenaias ^C, that slave of Satan, taught that the image of the Master and those of the saints should not be received. For he was a Persian by birth, a slave in fortune, having fled from his own master, and during the time of Calandion, he incited the villages around Antioch.

VARIAE LECTIONES

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

^A Those in the vicinity of Antioch, not yet cleansed by the laver of baptism, were pretending to be clerics, and were disrupting [the people] from the true sense of the faith. Calandion had indeed driven them out. But Peter the Fuller, having ordained him bishop of Hierapolis, renamed him Philoxenus. Later, discovering that he was unbaptized, he said that his ordination was sufficient to supply the place of baptism. Euthymius, however, that most orthodox man, (47) drove out of the Church Anastasius the Silentiary (48), who later reigned ill, as a heretic and of the same mind as Eutyches, seeing him disrupting the people (49) and turning over his chair within the church; he threatened him that, if he did not cease, he would shave his head and parade him in triumph before the crowds. He even appealed to Zeno, and obtained authority over him. Zeno asked (50) Marianus, the most learned count (for he was knowledgeable of certain secrets and used to prophesy the future), "Who will reign after me?" He replied to him, "One from among the silentiaries will succeed to both your empire and your wife." ^B And Patricius, who was a wise, pious, prudent man, conspicuous for the probity of his character, he proscribed unjustly, and finally, having cast him into custody, ordered him to be killed by the palace guards who were guarding him. When this was perceived, the prefect Arcadius hurled insults at the emperor; and when the emperor heard this, he ordered that he be killed while entering the palace. But the prefect, learning of this (52), took refuge in the church, and was rescued from a bitter death; however, the emperor confiscated his house.

^C A. D. 483. — First year of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. A. M. 5983. — First year of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, Felix received the synodal letters of Euthymius and admitted him to the fellowship of communion as an orthodox man.

^A — First year of Acacius, although he did not acknowledge the bishop, because he had not erased the name of Acacius and of Fravitas who had succeeded him in the episcopate from the diptychs.

In the same year, Peter Fullo died, and Palladius (53), a presbyter of the church of the holy protomartyr Thecla in Seleucia, was promoted to be bishop. Along with Palladius, John, son of Constantius, and Anastasius the silentiarius, who later reigned most vilely, were also chosen. Zeno, elated by the destruction of the tyrants, turned to confiscations and unjust homicides, accusing every man of having either assisted those tyrants or counseled the attack. He even slew Cottais, the companion in arms of John the Scythian, without cause; ^B and Leontius, who had been the victor over those who were besieged by them; and the marvelous Pelagius (54), a patrician, who was distinguished in the composition of epic verse and celebrated for his prudence and justice. While doing these things, Zeno was seized by epilepsy, and he died constantly carrying on his lips the name of Pelagius, whom he had unjustly murdered. He left behind no child, but he left his brother Longinus, who had held the consulship and had been declared prince of the senate, a man indeed senseless, odious to all, and given over to luxury. As he had a multitude of Isaurians with him in Byzantium and had won over to his friendship Longinus the magister, trusting in their help, he thought that he could obtain the empire without labor. But when Ariadne, the entire senate, and the whole army proclaimed Anastasius the silentiarius emperor, Longinus was disappointed of his hope. ^C Anastasius, having become emperor, was requested by Euthymius the patriarch to provide a written confession of faith, so that he might not disturb anything in the Church and the faith, openly declaring him unworthy of the Christian empire (57). But as the empress Ariadne and the senate were urging him, he took his hand-written document, in which he accepted the decrees of the council at Chalcedon as the rule of faith. And thus... ^D

^A having been accepted by him, Euthymius received it, handed down by him. ^B Thereafter, crowned by him, he took Ariadne as his wife, for he was indeed unmarried. Now the Manichaeans and Arians rejoiced at the promotion of Anastasius: the Manichaeans because the mother of the emperor was kindly disposed towards their cause, and the Arians because they had complete possession of Clearchus, his maternal uncle, the brother of his heterodox mother. ^C But the year in which Zeno died and Anastasius began to reign is numbered by the Romans from Adam as 5999, but according to the more accurate and true calculation of the Alexandrians as 5983; from the empire of Diocletian it is 207, and from the divine incarnation 483, in the 14th indiction. Anastasius was crowned in the aforementioned 14th indiction, on the 14th of the month of April, on the fifth day of the great Paschal solemnity, in the seat of the Hippodrome.

A. D. 484. — First year of Anastasius, king of the Romans. First year of Zamasphus, king of the Persians.

In this year, when Anastasius, the Dyrrhachian surnamed Dicorus, was reigning, he suffered the sedition and ambush of Longinus, the brother of Zeno. Having soon taken him into his power, he sent him into exile to Alexandria in Egypt, and ordered him to be ordained a presbyter. Having survived for seven years in Alexandria, he died. The emperor, however, having suspicions about Longinus the Magister and the Isaurians who were staying in the city, stripped Longinus of his magistracy. ^D Meanwhile, Peter the Fuller was beseeching from exile to be recalled to Antioch, his own see. The emperor permitted him to return by right of postliminium, but not, however, to enter Antioch; for he commanded that Palladius be ordained as the prelate of Antioch. Hence Euthymius, the prelate of Constantinople, having gathered the bishops who were staying in the city, confirmed the holy synod of Chalcedon. John the Tabennesiote, while living in Rome, heard that Anastasius was reigning, and came to Byzantium, hoping for a grateful reciprocation of benefits from him, on account of the great kindness he had once shown him in Alexandria, having received him naked from a shipwreck and fostered him so kindly that, as for his miseries...

he made him unaware of them. But Anastasius, hearing that he had arrived, with great ingratitude ordered him to be exiled, not even deigning to receive him or see him. John, having anticipated this, fled to Rome and saved himself. ^A

A. M. 5985. — Rome, first year of Bishop Gelasius. ^B

In this year, Emperor Anastasius drove from Constantinople the Isaurians (65) on account of many atrocities; having departed, they plotted a tyranny. Longinus, the ex-magister, having gathered them and another force of Barbarians and brigands—some one hundred and fifty thousand—and relying on the abundance of arms and money placed in Isauria by Zeno, arrived in the territory of the Isaurians, the emperor having allowed the departure, although he suspected a conspiratorial attack. Immediately, Longinus rose up and advanced as far as Phrygia and Cotyaeum, ravaging many cities, although he himself was not the leader of the army. For Ninilings (66) was the commander of Isauria, having been established by Zeno, a most audacious man, and Athenodorus, a very simple man, one of the senators, and Conon, the bishop of Apamea, having left his throne and transformed himself from a priest into a heavy-armed soldier and general. Against these, Anastasius sent a Roman army, of which the leaders were John the Scythian, who had put down the tyranny of Illus and Leontius, and the other John, byname "the Hunchback," both of whom were commanders of the Thracian army, and Diogenes (these happened to be counts of the scholarians), and certain other excellent men. When a battle took place at Cotyaeum, Ninilings, the general, was slain. The greater part of the Isaurian force was almost destroyed, and they barely escaped to their own places. And had the Romans not spent time pointlessly collecting spoils, they would have achieved a complete victory in this war. But while they were incautiously engaged in these things, the Isaurians, having seized a certain fortress on the summit of the Taurus, held out, waging war for a third year, fortified by the position of the towns and forts situated on Mount Taurus.

A. M. 5986. — In this year, Claudiopolis, situated in the plain between the two Tauruses, having been captured by Diogenes, the Isaurians, unable to bear it, ^D

^A descend from Taurus and besiege Diogenes for a long time, to the point that the army was in danger of perishing from famine and being destroyed. But John, whose surname was Cyrtus 67, having crossed the passes of Taurus and captured the guards, suddenly appearing before them, destroyed the army of the besiegers, Diogenes also sallying forth. At that time, Conon, too, who was bishop, being wounded, died shortly after; and thus this became for the Romans a second and very great victory.

A. C. 487. — First year of Martyrius, Bishop of Jerusalem.

A. M. 5987. — ^B In the same year, Zamasphes, son of Perozes, king of the Persians, having expelled Cabades, obtained the kingdom of the Persians for the four years due to the reign of Cabades.

In this year, a certain Longinus, called Selenuntius, inhabiting Selynus, ^C a city of Isauria situated on a high mountain toward the southern sea of that region, brought supplies, which he had procured from everywhere by merchant ships, to the Isaurians; for in these narrow places, Longinus the Magister and Athenodorus were remaining. But the emperor, weary of the long delays of the war 69, informed Euthymius the bishop that he desired peace, and ordered him to assemble the bishops visiting the city, as though they were to petition for pardon in the name of the Isaurians. Euthymius, however, revealed the secret to the patrician John, the father-in-law of Athenodorus, who was the author and leader of the instigated tyranny. He, quickly running, reported the matter to the emperor, which kindled a spark of immortal hatred in the mind of Emperor Anastasius against Euthymius, from which he imputed the ambushes and machinations of the Isaurians to Euthymius. On that account, having set traps for Euthymius, they prompted a certain man to brandish a sword at his head before the martyrium. But a certain Paul, defender of the Church, who exceeded the patriarch in stature, received the blow on his head not without great danger, and killed the ambush-layer with the so-called *sira* (a sword). Furthermore, they plotted to bring death to Euthymius again in the mountain assembly, whom he escaped in private attire and sought safety. Finally, Emperor Anastasius violently extorted from Euthymius the confession of faith that had been published by him.

A. C. 488. — First year of Cabades, king of the Persians. ^D A. M. 5988. — In this year, John the Scythian, after a long siege...

^A seized Longinus the ex-magistrate, and Longinus the Selenuntian, and Athenodorus, and the other tyrants. Having beheaded them, he sent their heads to Byzantium to the emperor Anastasius. Anastasius, while celebrating the equestrian games, paraded in triumphal fashion the heads of the tyrants and the captive Isaurians who had been sent, and finally, having fixed these heads upon pikes in Sycae, he made a public display of them. He forced the multitude of the Isaurians to migrate to Thrace. He bestowed the rank of consul and great honors upon John the Scythian and the other John, the Hunchback. Through Eusebius the magistrate, he signaled to bishop Euthymius: "Your prayers, O venerable one, have soot-stained your friends." For the emperor, having assembled the bishops who were in the city, complained against Euthymius; and they, in order to gratify the emperor, voted for his excommunication and deposition. The emperor appointed Macedonius, who was the keeper of the sacred vessels, as bishop of Constantinople in his place. ^B However, the people mutinied on account of Euthymius and ran to the Hippodrome, making supplications, but they accomplished nothing, as the emperor was violently bent on winning this cause. Macedonius, having been wrongly persuaded by Anastasius, subscribed to Zeno’s *Henotikon*.

A. M. 5989. — First year of Macedonius as bishop of Constantinople. A. C. 489. — First year of Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Anastasius sent Euthymius into exile to Euchaita. He asked that a pledge be given to him by Macedonius, so that he might remain free from treachery as he was being led away. Macedonius, being permitted to give his word, approached Euthymius in the baptistery after ^C first ordering the archdeacon to remove the pallium from his shoulders. And so, entering in to Euthymius in the simple habit of a priest, he gave him money he had borrowed from others, so that he was praised by many for both actions; for he was ascetic and holy, having been reared by Gennadius, and he was even his nephew.

In the same year, Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, having died, John Monaxo, the presbyter and steward, nicknamed Hemula, was ordained in his place.

A. M. 5990. — First year of Anastasius as bishop of Rome. A. C. 490. — First year of Anastasius, bishop of Rome. First year of John of Alexandria.

In this year, an incursion of the so-called Scenite ^D Arabs took place in Euphratesia, harassing the region, and Eugenius re-

- ^A gion's commander, a man distinguished in deeds and speech, stood against them at the first town of Syria, named Bithrapsus, and proved himself superior in the ensuing battle. Those who were defeated had previously entered into a treaty with the Persians, being of the tribe of the phylarch Naaman. Then, too, Romanus, commander of the forces in Palestine, a man of excellent counsel and generalship, joined battle with Agarus, the son of the one named Thalabanes, having with him a great multitude of captives. Before that battle, Romanus had also put to flight another Scenite, Gamalus by name, who had raided Palestine before his arrival. At that same time, Romanus also liberated the island of Iotabe, situated in the gulf of the Red Sea, which had formerly paid no small tribute to the Roman emperor but had in the meantime been seized by the Scenite Arabs; he did this after intense battles, and once more allowed it to be occupied by Roman merchants ^B who dwelt there autonomously, trading in the goods brought from India, while paying the established tribute to the emperor.

A. C. 491.—122 In this year, Macedonius, following the counsel of the emperor, strove to reconcile the monasteries of the Queen of Cities which were separating themselves from the communion of the principal Church because of Zeno’s Henotikon. Being unable to accomplish this, he advised the emperor to summon the bishops who were sojourning in the city ^C and to confirm in writing the dogmas rightly decreed at Chalcedon, which was later done by means of a written instrument. He then further exhorted the monasteries to peace and concord, especially the monastery of Dius, that of Bassianus, the Akoimetoi, and that of Matrona, which were the ones most actively separating themselves from those who had accepted Zeno’s Henotikon, and were willingly suffering exile. Seeing them persist in their decision, Macedonius resolved to leave them to their own will rather than stir up persecution against them. The holy Matrona, ^D still alive and not communicating with the ascetics who were with her because of Zeno’s Henotikon, performed many miracles, while Chrysaurius, a deacon of the Church, was compelling her. And another woman named Sophia, eminent among the monastics, also performed many...

^A arduous struggles, and endured much that was beyond human endurance. Theodoric the African, having a deacon ^B who was orthodox and much beloved by him, but who had changed over to Arianism to curry favor with the Arianizing Theodoric, had him beheaded with a sword, saying: "If you did not keep the faith toward God, neither will you keep it toward me." Palladius, the bishop of Antioch, having died, the emperor appointed Flavian, a presbyter and apocrisiarius of the Church of the Antiochians, to his place. They say that Flavian held opinions contrary to the dogmas of Chalcedon. A certain Arian named Olympius, while bathing in the Helenian baths, uttered terrible blasphemies and died in an agonizing manner in the water basin; a picture of this event was painted. A certain Eutychianus, chief of the dietaries, having been persuaded by gifts from the Arians, tore down the image of Olympius that had been set up; from that day his body withered away in a terrible manner, and he died.

A.M. 5992. — First year of Elias, bishop of Jerusalem. First year of Flavian of Antioch.

In this same year, the senator Festus, having been sent to Constantinople from Rome for certain political affairs, requested ^C that the memory of the holy apostles Peter and Paul be celebrated with greater splendor, an observance which prevails to this day. Macedonius, wishing to send a synodical letter to Anastasius, bishop of Rome, through the hands of Festus, was prevented from doing so by the emperor.

A.M. 5993. — In this year, Festus, setting out from Rome, agreed with the emperor Anastasius to persuade Pope Anastasius to accept the Henoticon of Zeno. However, he did not find him alive. ^D

^A

He, having corrupted many with the power of money, was voted in as Bishop of Rome, contrary to the laws of the Romans, by one part and faction. But the more orthodox ^B who had been divided elected Symmachus, who was one of the deacons. Henceforth many disorders, murders, and robberies occurred for three years, until Theodoric the Goth, who was at that time ruling Rome, although he was infected with the Arian contagion, convoked a local synod, confirmed Symmachus as Bishop of Rome, and ordered Laurentius to be bishop of the city of Nuceria. But he, not remaining quiet, but stirring up seditions, was deposed by Symmachus and sent into exile. And thus the sedition was quieted.

In the same year Anastasius abolished the chrysargyron ^C tax and the venationes, or public fights with beasts, and he bestowed for free the magistracies which had previously been for sale.

A. D. 494. — First year of the Bishop of Rome, Symmachus.

In this year there occurred again an incursion of the Saracens in Phoenicia and Syria after the death of Agar, with his brother Badicharimus rushing upon the regions like a whirlwind, and returning after the plunder even faster than he had come, so that the Roman, who was pursuing them, could in no way overtake the enemies. ^D

In this same year, those who are called Bulgars ^A made an incursion into Illyricum and Thrace, although their nation was not yet known by name.

A. M. 5995. — A. C. 495. — The first year of Salustius, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Anastasius made a treaty with Arethas, who was called Thalabanes, the father of Badicharimus and Agarus; and thereafter, all of Palestine, Arabia, and Phoenicia enjoyed great tranquility and peace. And in Neocaesarea, a short time before an earthquake was about to occur, a soldier traveling along saw two soldiers approaching the city, and another behind them shouting: "Guard the house in which the reliquary of Gregory is kept." When the earthquake occurred, the greater part of the city fell, except for the temple of Saint Gregory. ^B

A. M. 5996. — A. C. 496. — In this year, Cabades, the king of the Persians, demanded money from Anastasius. Anastasius said that if he wished to receive it as a loan, he should draw up a written agreement, but otherwise, he would offer nothing. Whereupon, violating the peace which had been established by Theodosius the Younger, he marched with a great multitude of Persians and auxiliaries; first, indeed, he invaded Armenia and captured Theodosiopolis, betrayal having been committed by Constantine, a man of senatorial rank and leader of the Illyrian forces. Then, having moved into Mesopotamia, he besieged Amida, since the place was not sufficiently fortified with a large army; ^C indeed, only Alypius, a man otherwise most praiseworthy and a lover of philosophy, who took upon himself all the care of the preservation of the cities and the storage of provisions, defended it with a very small force. It is situated not far from Constantina, which is distant fifty-six stadia from Nisibis ^D toward the west, and the same distance from Amida toward the north. But some time having elapsed in the interval, and some individual skirmishes having occurred between the Persians and the Romans, in which the Romans had at times been inferior and at other times victorious over the nations, according to the varying fortune of war, at last someone betrayed Amida to the Persians. Having been besieged by the barbarians for more than three months, it was finally betrayed at night from one of the towers guarded by monks, the enemy using ladders for the invasion.

^A And in this way, having entered within the city, they turned to looting and destruction, having gathered for themselves spoils in great abundance from every side. But on the third day after the betrayal, King Cabades entered the city riding an elephant; and though he found the riches therein quite meager, he left Gloen in charge of the city's defense, while he himself returned to Nisibis, with the Persian camps and armies stationed between Amida and Constantia.

^B A. M. 5997. In this year, an army of Goths, Bessi, and other Thracian nations is sent by Emperor Anastasius (94) to the commander and prefect Areobindus, son of Dagalaiphus, who held the rank of ordinary consul with great power and dignity. This man's grandfather on his father's side was the Areobindus who distinguished himself in battles against the Persians during the days of Theodosius the Younger; but the Areobindus in question was born to Dagalaiphus and Dyagesthea, the daughter of Ardaburius and granddaughter of Aspar, whom we have previously mentioned, and he possessed great power. Sent along with Areobindus were many other generals, of whom the most illustrious were Patricius and Hypatius, the son of Secundinus and of the sister of Emperor Anastasius, and Pharasmanes, father of Zung, by race a Laz, and the aforementioned Romanus, who had joined the army from Euphratesia, and Justin, who later became emperor, and Zemarchus, and several others. All these forces having been assembled at Edessa, a city of the province of Osroene, and at Samosata, another city of Euphratesia, those who accompanied Hypatius and Patricius were engaged in efforts to liberate Amida from the Persian garrison. ^C But Areobindus, having pitched his camp with the tribunes Romanus and Asuadus (96) and certain others, attacked Cabades himself, who was then dwelling in Nisibis, harassed the Persian lines with various battles, drove Cabades himself from Nisibis, and forced him to withdraw from his lands for a distance of many miles. Moreover, he killed a most important commander of the Persians in one engagement, whose sword and bracelet were brought to Areobindus by the Scythian who had slain him, and were sent to the emperor as a most notable symbol of victory. Since the Persian army had been diminished in this way by the prowess of the Roman commanders, Cabades sent a very large force against the Romans, so that Areobindus felt compelled to urge those with Hypatius and Patricius to leave the places around Amida and hasten to offer him support. But as they refused to be moved ^D out of envy, Areobindus himself...

desired to retreat to Byzantium, had not Appion the Egyptian, ^A who was then prefect of the army and responsible for the provisions and the oversight of all matters, restrained him in those regions. As the generals were at odds with one another, Cabades entered Nisibis, and having learned of the discord among the generals, and being himself strong in numbers and dividing his own army into many detachments, he overran, so to speak, the entire Roman territory and laid it waste as far as the Syrians themselves, having meanwhile sent many envoys to Areobindus concerning peace and declaring that the war should be settled with money. Thus, therefore, he ravaged especially the regions around Edessa, where Areobindus was; yet, not having acted successfully there, he was instead compelled, contrary to expectation, to retreat from the battle with Areobindus, being weaker in forces. But when he learned that his general Gloës, whom he had left to guard Amida, was ready to perish [at the hands of the Romans], he retreated by another way, having suffered great slaughter, disregarding the hostages whom he had given to Areobindus, as well as the terms of peace; and, against the agreements, they held captive that virtuous man Alypius and Basilius of Edessa. So, after his departure to his own lands, winter having already set in, the Roman generals ^B were divided into various towns of Euphratesia, Osrhoene, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Armenia, to pass the winter season.

In the same year, the chariot races (97) having taken place, a riot between the two factions occurred, and many died from both sides, among whom was counted a son of the Emperor Anastasius, born to him of a concubine; being greatly grieved by his death, Anastasius punished many with the extreme penalty and sent others into exile.

A.M. 5998. — In this year, the Emperor sent Celer the master of the offices (98) with a very great force under his command, and having entrusted to him and to the general Theodotus almost the entire authority, he committed to them the management of the whole war. He urgently recalled Appion and Hypatius to Byzantium, deeming that their services were no longer needed in the camp on account of their enmity toward the general Areobindus, and he entrusted the superintendence of the provisioning to the general Calliopius. Celer, therefore, having managed the whole war most excellently ^C together with Areobindus, Patricius, Borus, Timostratus, Romanus, and the others in various places—for he was a man of outstanding intellect and great wisdom, ^D

^A filled with the grace of God and brave, Illyrian by birth, from whence Anastasius also originated. And he made many incursions into the Persian country and their fortresses, ravaging some by fire and others in different ways, so that even Nisibis itself almost came under the power of the Romans. For a pestilence had invaded the Persian region. Then, however, through the provinces of the Cadusii, as they are called, and other nations, one tumult after another was heard to arise; and by these the affairs of the Persians were so greatly shaken that Cabades readily appointed Aspetius as a commander to negotiate for peace in earnest with the Romans. And although the Romans brought back nothing of great significance, the Persians returned Amida to them without any difficulty—a place which—even with infinite labors and the famine that had already begun to overcome the guards stationed inside—they had not been able to snatch from the Persians, both because of the convenience of the location and the indissoluble strength of the walls. ^B Furthermore, the commanders, considering the encroaching troubles of winter and the difficulties of the places in which the peace negotiations with Aspetius were being held, and the dangerous winter conditions, judged it better to ransom the Roman army for a few talents. Having therefore given thirty talents and received back Basilius of Edessa, who was still serving as a hostage among the Persians (for that good man Alypius had died among them from a protracted illness), and having likewise returned the hostages whom they held, they recovered Amida; and meeting at the borders of Ammodia and the fortress of Mardes, they finally reached peace conditions, which they eventually gave and received confirmed in writing. ^C And this was the end of the Persian war waged by Anastasius, which occurred around the fifteenth year of his reign. But since the war had lasted for the whole of three years—by which the Persian territory had been exhausted much more than by all the previous wars—it was brought to this conclusion in the fifteenth year of the reign of Anastasius. Upon the death of John, bishop of Alexandria, John the Nicaean was ordained in his place.

In the same year, by order of Anastasius, many bronze works were melted down, from those which the great Constantine had set up. He fashioned for himself his own statue out of them, which he erected on the column of Taurus; for the one that had formerly stood there, of Theodosius the Great, had fallen and was shattered by an earthquake. ^D

A.C. 499. — First year of John the Nicaean, bishop of Alexandria. In this year Anastasius, being freed from [the wars], began to pervert…

^A Macedonius the patriarch strove to divert from the orthodox faith. Many of the bishops, wishing to gain the favor of Anastasius, declared themselves adversaries of the Council of Chalcedon; among whom the foremost was Eleusius, bishop of Sasima. Anastasius brought a certain Manichæan, a Syrian-Persian by race, skilled in the art of painting, from Cyzicus, dressing him in the garments of a presbyter. He dared to paint, in the Helenian palace, monstrous things and subjects alien to the holy images of the Church, with the consent of the emperor, who took pleasure in the Manichæans; whence a great sedition of the people arose. And at that time the emperor devised that the prefect should follow him in the ecclesiastical assemblies and in the processions. For he feared the uprisings of the orthodox; and it became a custom. Anastasius brought Xenaias, the Manichæan-minded, also called Philoxenus, to Byzantium, as being of one mind with himself. ^B But Macedonius deemed him worthy of neither communion nor the familiarity of speech, as the clergy, the monks, and the people were in an uproar. Hence, Anastasius secretly led him out of the city. As for a certain Acholius, who had drawn a sword against Macedonius at the instigation of those hostile to him, Macedonius ordered that monthly rations be given to him, being praised for his gentleness. He did this also for some needy ones who had plundered the church.

In the same year, a man appeared who was a metal-worker, a fearsome man by the name of John, a deceiver in Antioch. He, entering secretly into the silversmiths’ shops, would show the silversmiths hands and feet of statues and other small figures cast in solid gold, saying, ^C that he had found a treasure full of such things. And he deceived and defrauded many; so that the emperor, upon learning of this, apprehended him. He brought to the emperor a horse’s bridle of pure gold set with pearls; and the emperor, receiving it, said to him: "Truly, you shall not deceive me with your conjuring tricks." And he banished him to Petra, the fortress of Asia, and there he died.

A. M. 6000. — In this year, the emperor Anastasius fortified ^D the place Daras, which is in Mesopotamia.

situated between the borders of the Romans and the Persians; and he made churches and storehouses for preserving grain and cisterns for receiving water, and porticoes therein; and he named it Anastasioupolis. He also built two public baths, and granted it the rights of a city.

A. M. 6004. — In this year, the emperor Anastasius compelled Flavian, the bishop of Antioch, to subscribe to the Henotikon of Zeno; whereupon he, having assembled a synod of the bishops under him, wrote a lengthy letter, professing the synods at Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus, while passing over the one at Chalcedon in silence. And he also anathematized Diodorus and Theodore, submitting four chapters, through which he appears not to concur with the synod at Chalcedon, and especially to contend against the phrase, "in two natures." Some say that these chapters were those of Acacius of Constantinople. ^B Now Flavian wrote a private letter to Anastasius, following the counsel of his own [advisors]; similarly also the impious Xenaias, who even added—of his own authority—to these chapters an anathema against the most divine Leo, bishop of Rome, and the synod, and those of the same mind as him. And Constantine, bishop of Seleucia, anathematized the holy synod at Chalcedon, writing the same thing as Xenaias. Flavian, however, as though accusing them on that very account, wrote to the emperor reporting it. But the emperor was angered against him, receiving Constantine and Xenaias more favorably. Anastasius wrote to Elias, the bishop of ^C Jerusalem, ordering...

him to assemble a synod of those under him and to vote against the synod of Chalcedon. ^A Elias, however, did not assemble a synod, but himself alone anathematized Nestorius and Eutyches, and Diodorus and Theodore, while accepting the synod at Chalcedon.

In the same year, a disturbance occurred in Alexandria between John, the bishop, a Nicaean [by name], and Dagalaiphus, the count, concerning Gennadius Phicopetrus; and a riot took place in the city for many days. The soldiers burned the house of Bishop John, and the house of Phicopetrus was likewise burned by the citizens, and the Alexandrians set up ^B a statue of the emperor at the Cantharus.

A. M. 5002. — In this year, two hundred heretical monks, having come from the East to Byzantium with the impious Severus, were exerting themselves against Macedonius and the synod. Anastasius received them with honor, as enemies of the truth who had disturbed the East and were about to do these same things here. John, the bishop of Alexandria, promised to give two thousand pounds of gold to the emperor if he would completely cast out the synod at Chalcedon. The emperor pressured Macedonius to hold communion with John’s legates and to offer peace to John himself, who neither accepted nor rejected the synod, nor did he cast it out. Macedonius stood against him, saying he would hold no communion with them unless they confessed the synod at Chalcedon to be the mother and teacher. ^C And Deuterius, the bishop of the Arians of Byzantium, baptizing someone called Barbarus, contrary to the Lordly tradition

^A dared to say: "Barbarus is baptized in the name of the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit." And immediately the baptismal font dried up. The barbarian, gripped by terror, fled and made the miracle known to all.

The emperor forced Macedonius of Constantinople to anathematize the Synod of Chalcedon, just as he also compelled Elias of Jerusalem. But Macedonius said that it was impossible to do this without an ecumenical synod, presided over by the bishop of Rome. ^B Therefore, the emperor, becoming exasperated, ordered those who took refuge in the church to be dragged away by force, and he granted the rights of sanctuary to the shrines of the heretics.

And as many clerics and lay heretics as happened to be in Byzantium were busy in league with Severus and the heretical monks of the East against Macedonius; whence the God-bearing monks of Palestine, moved by divine zeal, came to Byzantium against Severus and the monks with him.

Dorotheus, an Alexandrian monk, wrote a lengthy volume in defense of the Synod of Chalcedon, which he gave to Magna, the bride of Anastasius, who was an orthodox sister. She presented the book to Anastasius, hoping that through it he might be converted. But he, having read the book and finding it to be against his own opinion, banished Dorotheus to the Oasis, and treated the book with contempt because he had titled it *Tragoedia*, that is to say, a prophecy of the current state of affairs, just as it is said to have been spoken by the great Basil against Julian.

Macedonius, for his part, anathematized Flavian of Antioch ^C and all those who dared to say anything against the synod, and he anathematized and expelled the messengers of Flavian who had come to him for certain needs.

^A A.M. 6003. A.D. 503.—This year, Anastasius decreed that a synod be convoked at Sidon. For Soterichus, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, having been consecrated by Macedonius, had confessed in writing that he accepted the dogmas of the council at Chalcedon as a rule of faith. But afterwards, he became its bitterest enemy, so that he went into the East to communicate the whole matter to the impious Xenaias (Philoxenus), and both of them requested the emperor to hold a synod at Sidon, for the complete rejection of the holy synod of Chalcedon. This synod was indeed formed, but it was quickly dissolved, the emperor having sent Eutropius the tribune for this purpose, who, having broken it up, persuaded Flavian of Antioch and Elias of ^B Jerusalem, together with their bishops, to write to the emperor in whatever manner pleased them. Flavian then wrote that he accepted only the three synods and the Henotikon of Zeno, making no mention at all of the one at Chalcedon. Elias, bishop of Jerusalem, testified that he rejected Chalcedon. But Soterichus of Caesarea in Cappadocia and Xenaias wrote to the emperor against Flavian and Elias, claiming that they were the cause of [the failure for] all to meet in one assembly and sentiment, because they refused to pronounce clearly against the synod of Chalcedon. Wherefore Anastasius, being angry, suggested to certain pseudo-monks ^C that they should assemble at Antioch, where, having stirred up a tumult against Flavian, they demanded that he anathematize the synod of Chalcedon and Diodorus, Theodore, Ibas, and Theodoret; and Flavian, out of faint-heartedness, did this, and in public assembly he struck them and the synod with anathema.

In the same year, the emperor also set a trap for Macedonius; and the schismatics, with a crowd hired for wages, in the church dedicated to the Archangel at the palace and also in the Great Church, chanted on Sunday the Trisagion hymn, adding: "Who was crucified for us," so that the orthodox were forced, with blows, to drive them out. The emperor, ^D however, openly, through the schismatic monks and clergy, and Julian, once bishop of Caria, afterwards of Halicarnassus, and Severus the impious, who was still a monk, attacked Macedonius, openly assailing him with foul insults.

^A The dense crowds of the city, with women and children, and the superiors of the orthodox monks, cried out, "The time for martyrdom is at hand; let us not desert our Father," casting insults at the emperor, calling him a Manichaean and unworthy of the empire. Terrified by this, he locked the palace gates and kept ships ready for flight. He who had previously sworn that he would never admit Macedonius to his presence now, seized with fear, fervently longed to see him. And as he proceeded toward the emperor, the people, turning to the abbots and monks, said with great acclamations, "We have our Father among us." The military schools also followed him as he passed with favorable voices. Finally, being brought before Anastasius, he denounced him as an enemy of the Church. But he, for the moment, feigned peace and unity of mind with the bishop.

A.C. 504. — Year ^B of Elias, Bishop of Jerusalem

A.M. 6004.

In this year, the emperor deceived Macedonius through the master of offices, Celer, by sending a memorandum in which he professed to accept the first and second synods, but remained completely silent regarding the synod at Ephesus and that of Chalcedon. By this, Macedonius brought upon himself great reproach; for through such a memorandum he approved the act of concord published by Zeno, to which he had already subscribed at the time of his ordination. On this account, Macedonius went to the monastery of Dalmatus and, before the clergy and the monks who were moved to fervent zeal and were indignant at the foulness of the ^C seen deed, he instituted a defense in a formal discourse, protesting that he accepted the holy synod ^D in Chalcedon and held those who did not accept it to be heretics; and they celebrated the sacred mysteries with him. But the emperor, by gifts, persuaded his like-minded clergy and monks to elect another bishop in his place, which greatly distressed Areadna and the leaders of the senatorial order; for Macedonius was dear to all, both for the purity of his life and for the orthodoxy of his dogmas, even if he had been deceived. And the emperor incited two worthless men to accuse Macedonius as a pederast and a heretic, to give these [accusations]...

^A in writing to the eparch and to the magister; and similarly against the orthodox presbyters and deacons. And the emperor ordered Cellor the magister to forcibly remove him from the episcopate, while Macedonius cried out that he was ready to make his defense, not only in the praetorium, but even in the theater. Many of the clergy were cast into prisons; others, having the strength to flee, were scattered in Rome and Phoenicia. And the impious emperor was eager to obtain from Macedonius ^B by means of the magister the authentic document of the things done at Chalcedon and to tear it up. But Macedonius, having sealed it, deposited it in the sanctuary. But Calopodius the eunuch, the steward of the Great Church, having stolen it, carried it off to the emperor. Then the emperor, having brought Macedonius out by night by force, ordered him to be exiled to Chalcedon, and from there to Euchaita, not daring to inquire into any of the charges against him, for he feared the crowds. On the next day, he brought forward as bishop ^C a certain Timotheus, a presbyter and sceuophylax of the church, nicknamed Litrobule and Celo (33), because of certain deeds appropriate to the names, who, entering into the churches, would first tear down the images of Macedonius (34) and thus celebrate the liturgy. And he enrolled John of Alexandria (35) in the diptychs, the Nicaeote, and wrote synodical letters to him (41). And Anastasius, having perceived that he had exiled Macedonius without a judgment ^D and without deposition (36), sent a magister and stationed him beyond Claudiopolis of Honorias (37). They themselves being judges and

accusers, they condemned the one who was deported even before his trial and in his absence by the abrogation of his office, and they sent the sentence of deposition through bishops and a presbyter of Cyzicus. 134. When Macedonius saw them, even before the beginning of the conversation, he asked if they accepted the Council of Chalcedon. When they replied, "Who for that matter are you?", he himself then said, "Sabbatiani or Macedonians, if they brought me a deposition, I would have to accept it." And thus they returned having accomplished nothing; and he himself reached Euchaita.

At the same time, the lawless emperor also sought to cast Flavian from the throne of Antioch and to introduce in his place Severus, the manifest enemy of the truth. The accusers attacked him, alleging that he had anathematized the synod by word of mouth only, and not with the sentiment of his heart. And so the magistrates who had been sent by the emperor advised him to depart for a short time on account of the tumult that had arisen. When he had departed to Platanos, they immediately ordained the wicked Severus, who had previously been a monk in the monastery of the schismatics near Majuma of Gaza, as bishop. They exiled Flavian to Petra ^B, and many other bishops, clerics, and monks they sent into exile in irons. Elias of Jerusalem, being forced by the emperor either to communicate with Severus or to be cast out of the episcopate, although his monks strengthened his resolve, chose rather to be driven from the episcopate; and John from the cross-guardians [staurophylakes] was ordained in his place, having promised to do whatever they wanted. Yet, once ordained, he did not do so at all ^C.

A. C. 505. — First year of Timothy, bishop of Constantinople. First year of John of Jerusalem. First year of Severus of Antioch.

In this year, the inhabitants of Scythia, Mysia, and other regions urged Vitalian, the son of the count of the Foederati, Patriciolus, to take up arms against the impious Anastasius. Being thus provoked, he [Anastasius] killed many myriads of the army of those who ^D...

were fighting against him, and he plundered a vast amount of gold ^A sent to them as pay, and arms intended for their aid, along with their provisions and everything else that was laid out. It is said that in one engagement, he struck down sixty-five thousand of the imperial army, along with Hypatius, their commander, who was the son of a cousin of Anastasius 46 and of the patrician Secundinus, whom he also captured and kept alive in confinement.

The impious emperor Anastasius and the sacrilegious bishop of Constantinople, Timotheus, inflicted many evils upon the monks, laymen, and clergy who supported Macedonius and the synod, to such an extent that they exiled many of them to the Oasis of the Thebaid. Timotheus sent the synodal letters 47 and the deposition of Macedonius to the bishops in every city for them to subscribe. Of these, the more courageous stood firm against both; those who were more unstable, out of fear of the emperor, subscribed to both 48; those who were in the middle did not subscribe to the deposition of Macedonius, but only to the synodal letters of Timotheus, which was, however, the same thing, even if it seemed to them that there was some difference. ^B Timotheus, wishing to insert the name of Severus into the diptychs and to eject that of Flavianus, was prevented by the people. For all the orthodox shunned the communion of Severus, especially the monks, against whom he cruelly took action, having gathered a mob of rustics, and, overturning the altars and melting down the sacred vessels of the orthodox, the sacrilegious man slaughtered many of them.

Juliana, the most illustrious woman who built the church of the Theotokos in the Honorati quarter, defended the Council of Chalcedon so strongly ^C that, even though the emperor himself devised various ruses and tricks, he could not persuade her to enter into communion with Timotheus; nor could Timotheus himself persuade her, although he visited her repeatedly. Furthermore, the emperor oppressed with many calamities Pompeius, his own cousin, and his wife, a lady of decorous character and given to acts of charity, because they were well-disposed toward the synod ^D and were supplying the needs of Macedonius in his exile.

Those, moreover, who were sent by Timotheus to John of Nicaea, in Alexandria, cursed the holy synod of Chalcedon from the pulpit. Upon the death of the abbot of the monastery of Dius 48, Timotheus came to appoint an abbot. But the man who was to be promoted said he would not receive an imposition of hands from a man who rejected the Council of Chalcedon. Timotheus then said— [index: entries preserved]

“Let everyone who does not admit the Council of Chalcedon be struck with an anathema.” And so the prefect did not permit himself to be confirmed by him. ^B John, the archdeacon of Timotheus, who was a Manichaean, heaped insults upon Timotheus and reported the matter to the Emperor. But when the Emperor had rebuked him ignominiously and harshly, Timotheus denied the whole matter before the eyes of the Emperor, and anathematized those who accepted the Council held at Chalcedon.

John, the impious bishop of Alexandria, forbade the Egyptians from going up to Jerusalem, lest they should communicate with the Fathers of the Chalcedonian Council on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Then, indeed, some things entirely horrible were committed in Jerusalem by those who were possessed by demons.

Anastasius, as he sought to become the ^C commander (dux) of Palestine, promised the Emperor that if he did not persuade John, the bishop of Jerusalem who succeeded Elias, to hold communion with Severus, he would pay three hundred pounds of gold. Having received the authority, he came to Jerusalem, and cast John into custody since he would not be persuaded. But a certain Zacharias, a commander of Palestine, a religious man, moved by divine zeal, suggested to the bishop that he should promise the commander that he would do what was pleasing to him, if only he were restored to his throne. When he had released him and restored him, he immediately gathered the monasteries into the church of Saint Stephen, and having ascended the pulpit, ^D he anathematized Nestorius, Eutychem, Severus, and Soterichus, the bishop of Caesarea, publicly proclaiming the four holy and ecumenical councils.

Hypatius, the Emperor’s nephew via his brother, who was entirely alienated from the communion of Severus, was present at these events. When he was sharing communion with John, he then donated one hundred pounds of gold to Theodosius, the holy abbot of the monasteries, so that he might distribute it among the monks who maintained the true faith and defended the Council of Chalcedon.

Furthermore, the Emperor ordered some of the magistrates to introduce the addition to the Trisagion hymn from the pulpit in the church of Saint Theodore of the Spharacia; as a result, the people, incensed, left because of the dust on the day the supplication (litany) was held at the Triconchus. When Timotheus also commanded all the churches by a written circular that the Trisagion hymn should be sung in public processions without omitting the addition, many out of fear followed his instructions. But the monks went about singing a different psalm. When the people saw them, they cried out: "The orthodox have arrived well." A great rioting broke out, with the burning of many houses and a thousand murders, while the crowd shouted against Anastasius and demanded another emperor, ^B and all praised Vitalian as the autocrat, such that Anastasius took flight and hid in a suburb near the Blachernae; he was then insulted by Ariadne herself as the cause of many evils for the Christians.

^A phylarch of the Saracens, having been baptized, Severus the impious sent two bishops to him to impart his own heresy to him. But by the providence of God, the man was baptized by the orthodox who accepted the Synod. And to the bishops of Severus, who were striving to distort the phylarch from the true doctrine, Alamundarus refuted them in a wondrously dramatic way, saying to them: "I received letters today," he said, "that the Archangel Michael has died this very day." When they replied that this was a thing which could not happen, the phylarch turned his speech toward them: "And how," he said, "was God, pure and simple, crucified according to your thinking, if Christ did not consist of two natures, since not even an angel can die?" And so the bishops of Severus departed in shame. Cabades also cut the hamstrings of certain Christians in Persia, who nevertheless walked straight thereafter. ^B

A. M. 6006. — A. C. 506. — First year of Hormisdas, bishop of Rome.

In this year, Vitalianus, having occupied all of Thrace, Scythia, and Mysia, taking with him a great multitude of Huns and Bulgars, captured Anchialus and Odyssopolis, and took Cyril, the master of the soldiers of Thrace; and he came raiding as far as Byzantium. But sparing the city, he pitched camp at Sosthenium. Anastasius, being in despair, sent some of the senate, beseeching him to make peace; and he swore, along with the senate, to recall the exiled bishops to Heraclea of Thrace. But Vitalianus added that the princes of each schola should also swear to this; and that Macedonius and Flavianus, who had been unjustly expelled, should receive back ^C their own sees, and likewise all the other bishops; and that thus the synod should be assembled, with the bishop of Rome and all the bishops coming, and that in this way by a common judgment those things which had been daringly committed against the orthodox might be examined. When the Emperor and the senate and the rest of the magistrates and the people had sworn and confirmed that these things were to be done in this way, peace was made, and he returned to his own lands. Now Secundianus the patrician, the son-in-law of Anastasius by his sister, and the father of Hypatius, falling at the feet ^D of Vitalianus with many tears, Hypatius...

his own son, was received back alive and safe from the chains in which he was held in Mysia. ^A Now Hormisdas, the bishop of Rome, being importuned by Theodoric, who favored Vitalianus, sent as legates Bishop Euodius and Vitalianus the archdeacon, after a council had been summoned at Heraclea. About two hundred bishops also arrived from various places; but they, having been deluded by the lawless emperor and by Timotheus, the bishop of Constantinople, departed having accomplished nothing. For the impious emperor, having violated his agreements, secretly signaled to the pope of Rome not to come. For he had sent a sacra to Vitalianus to send it to Rome in order for the pope to come to the council being summoned at Heraclea. But all the people and the entire senate openly reviled Anastasius as a perjurer. And that lawless man shamefully said that there was a law ordering an emperor, in case of necessity, to perjure himself and to lie. Such was this most lawless Manichaean-minded man.

^B A.C. 507. — In this year, Vitalianus, being angered at Anastasius on account of the perjury, showed forth many evils against those under Anastasius in the camps and the rest of the polity, killing, seizing, and plundering, and at last, in contempt, he sold each soldier for a single follis.

^C A.C. 508. — In this year the Huns, who are called Sabiri, having crossed the Caspian Gates, raided Armenia, and having ravaged Cappadocia, Galatia, and Pontus, they advanced even as far as Euchaita, which they almost captured. Whence also the holy Macedonius, fleeing and being in danger, was with difficulty saved at Gangra. Learning of this, Anastasius bitterly ordered that he be guarded there, having sent, as they say, one to kill him. And having finished his life in Gangra, he was buried in the church of the holy martyr Callinicus, near his relics, performing many healings. ^D [alt-version omitted]

^A They say that when Macedonius was dead and lying there, he made the sign of the cross upon himself with his hand. A certain Theodore of those who were with him saw in a dream one saying to him: "Take these, and go and read them before Anastasius, and say to him: 'I indeed am going to my fathers, whose faith I have kept, but I will not cease to trouble the Master until you also come, and we stand together to undergo judgment.'"

In the same year, in Alexandria, very many men, women, and children ^B were dreadfully afflicted by demons and were howling in groups. Those who were sleeping saw a certain person of terrible appearance saying that they were suffering these things because of the anathemas cast upon the synod.

In the same year also the empress Areadna died. The monks inhabiting the desert regions of Palestine, moved by divine zeal, drew up four protests. Two they sent to the emperor, one to the governors of the province, and one to John, the bishop of Jerusalem, ^C protesting that they would in no way depart from the holy synod at Chalcedon, nor hold communion with the impious Severus; for they were prepared to die, even if they were to burn down the holy places. But since the bishop of Thessalonica, out of fear of the emperor, held communion with Timothy, the bishop of Constantinople, forty bishops of Illyricum and Greece gathered together and, by a written confession, declared that they were withdrawing from him as from their own metropolitan and, having sent to Rome, ^D promised in writing to hold communion with the bishop of Rome. Theodore the historian foolishly calls the bishop of Thessalonica a patriarch, not knowing why.

A. M. 6009.—In this year, John the Nicaean, the heretical bishop of Alexandria, having died, Dioscorus the younger, nephew of Timothy Aelurus, became the Alexandrian prelate.

^A When he had come to Byzantium on behalf of the Alexandrians to act as an envoy to the emperor regarding the murder of the son of Calliopius, the Augustalis, he was publicly reviled by the orthodox on his way, as they supposed that he had come to act against the true dogmas. Therefore, having carried out his embassy regarding the murder, he departed with haste. The cause of the murder was this: when Dioscorus had been ordained, the multitudes of rural folk withdrew, saying that a bishop does not take his seat unless he has been installed according to the way the canons of the holy apostles prescribe. For it was the magistrates ^B who had enthroned him. So, when Dioscorus went to the church of Saint Mark, the clergy came and vested him a second time, and ordained him again. And thus, having gone to the church of Saint John, he celebrated the synaxis. While Theodosius, the son of Calliopius the Augustalis, and Acacius, the master of soldiers, were present there, the mobs, in a tumult, began to rail against the Augustalis because he had praised the emperor Anastasius. Then, when an opportunity ^C arose, some men rushed forward and cast the son of the Augustalis from his throne and killed him. The master of soldiers, Acacius, put to death as many as he could apprehend. Having heard this news, the emperor was moved to anger against the Alexandrians. But Dioscorus, having undertaken an embassy to him, softened his mind. Now, between the Indians and the Persians ^D there is a fortress named Tzubdadeser, where, learning that a great quantity of money and precious stones was stored, Cabades sought to take it. But demons lurking about the place prevented it from falling into human power. Therefore, having applied every artifice of the magi who were with him, and then of the Jews also as well, and having not achieved his purpose, he was persuaded that he could possess the place through the prayer of the Christians to God. He ordered a certain Christian bishop of those living in Persia to be brought to him; and he, having celebrated the synaxis and having partaken of the divine mysteries, approached the place, drove away the demons that were there, and handed the fortress over to Cabades without toil. Stupefied by the miracle, Cabades wished the bishop to be honored with the first seat, whereas up until that time Manichaeans and Jews had held the foremost honors. He also granted free permission to those who wished to be baptized. A. C. 510.—The first year of Dioscorus, bishop of Alexandria. In this year, the emperor Anastasius (66) saw

in a vision a fearful man holding a book; and having opened this, and found the name of the emperor, he said to him: "Behold, because of your perversity of faith, I blot out fourteen years," and he blotted them out. Having awakened, he called Amantius the praepositus ^B and told him the vision. He said: "I also saw this night that I was standing before your majesty, and a great swine came, and taking hold of my chlamys, cast me to the ground and completely devoured me." Having thereupon called Proclus the dream-interpreter, they related to him the things seen. He said to them that both of them would shortly be finished. Upon the death of Timothy, bishop of Constantinople, they appointed John the Cappadocian, presbyter and syncellus, as bishop of Constantinople. This man, being ordained on the third day of Easter, put on the apostolic vestment. The people, however, made a great tumult, demanding of John that he anathematize Severus. ^C In the same year, the eleventh indiction, on the ninth of April, the impious emperor Anastasius died, having reigned twenty-seven years and seven months, in the two hundred and thirty-fourth year since Diocletian. Justin the pious emperor succeeded in his place; he was an elderly man and very experienced, having begun as a soldier and advanced as far as the senate, and was Illyrian by birth. Some say that Anastasius was struck by a divine thunderbolt and became stupefied.

A. M. 6011.—First year of Justin, emperor of the Romans. First year of John, bishop of Constantinople. In this year, Justin, having attained the height of the empire, was best of all.

[... continued from previous page] displayed himself to all. He was a man zealous for the orthodox faith and illustrious in the glory of war. Joined to a wife named Lupicia, he bestowed upon her the imperial crown, whom, as she was being crowned, the popular tribes called Euphemia. Now the aforementioned Vitalianus, after the death of Anastasius, became so greatly attached to Justin the Great that he received from him the rank of master of the soldiers, and journeyed to Byzantium to hold the consulship, and was declared consul and comes of the Present ^A; and he possessed such influence with the emperor that he ordered Severus to be expelled and killed. For Vitalianus was indeed a man well-disposed toward the right faith. Upon receiving this message, Severus fled, and likewise Julian, the bishop of Halicarnassus; and having journeyed to Egypt, while Dioscorus was still administering the bishopric of Alexandria, they stirred up great tumults therein by moving debates concerning the corruptible and the incorruptible. ^B Now bishops and clerics came from Rome, who, fortified by the authority of Hormisdas, bishop of Rome, and relying also on the power of Vitalianus while he was still alive and the diligence of John the Cappadocian, who was still bishop of Constantinople, added the holy synod of Chalcedon to the diptychs alongside the other three holy synods, and recorded it with them in the sacred registers. But when the impious Severus had been removed from the midst, Paul, who was in charge of receiving pilgrims in the house of Eubulus, was ordained bishop of Antioch; and the emperor bestowed upon the city of Antioch a thousand pounds of gold. He likewise employed much equity throughout the other cities, suppressing popular tumults everywhere. ^C The pious emperor also exiled Xenaeas, [also known as] Philoxenus, the bishop of Hierapolis, who held the sentiments of the Manichaeans, along with Peter of Apamea and all their fellow adherents in that contagion; and he slew the praepositus Amantius, and the cubicularius Andreas, and the comes of Amantius, Theocritus—whom he intended to make emperor—as men who had plotted a tyranny. For the praepositus had given money to Justin to be distributed among the soldiers, on the condition that they would hail Theocritus as emperor: but the army and the popular tribes did not allow Theocritus to rule, but proclaimed Justin as prince. They themselves, being dissatisfied, plotted tyranny and were put to death. The emperor also recalled all those who had been unjustly exiled by Anastasius, ^D and Appion the patrician, whom, in Nicaea [the presbyter...]

^A had been forced to be ordained, Justin appointed as a man of foresight and prudence to be the Praetorian Prefect, and Diogenianus to be Master of the Soldiers in the East.

In the same year, ^A a terrible comet appeared in the East, which had a ray stretching downwards; the astronomers called it "the bearded one," and all were afraid of it.

A. M. 6012. A. C. 512. — First year of Paul, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Vitalianus was assassinated by the Byzantines, who were resentful toward him because, ^B during the time of his rebellion against Anastasius, many slaughters had occurred. John the Cappadocian, Bishop of Constantinople, having died, Epiphanius, a presbyter of the same church and syncellus, was ordained on the twenty-fifth day of February. Likewise, Hormisdas having fallen asleep in death, John succeeded to the bishopric of Rome.

In the same year, the Blue faction gained political power, ^B stirring up disturbances in all the cities. ^{C D} [alt-version omitted]

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

...as is shown by various chronicles, just as happened during the reign of Justinian, and in the time of Anastasius, and of the tyrant Phocas, and of other emperors. Regarding the circus, its structure and parties, the factions, the rivalries, the colors, the dissensions, and the authors of all these things, the *Chronicon Alexandrinum* depicts them graphically; since its words are not easily accessible to everyone, yet must be consulted for most of the passages in the present history, I have deemed it necessary to transfer them here for the sake of future necessity. "Then, when the people in those horse races were enjoying excessive liberty, or rather license, and were celebrating the horse races however and whenever they wished, using their own expenses—as they had houses and horses and stables, which are preserved even to this day, and revenues for celebrating them—and the emperor was invited, but did not have any power in that matter, many turbulent and absurd things used to happen during those races, as some would join the faction of the Blues, and others the party of the Greens: and sometimes even civil wars were stirred up between the opposing parties, and in the presence of the emperor the commoners would belch forth words full of impudence.

And from Antioch the evil of disorder was brought forth, and thus it spread to all the cities, and it prevailed for many years.

^A Those who prayed for the one wearing the cyan habit—that is, the party of Poseidon—to win, were superstitious, believing that if the one contending for Poseidon were defeated, there would be a failure of fish of every kind, shipwrecks at sea, and a disturbance of violent winds. Conversely, the citizens living inland, the local farmers, and everyone who labored in agriculture prayed for the one wearing the grass-green habit to win, being superstitious, believing that if the one contending for Demeter—which is for the earth—were defeated, there would be a famine of grain, and a scarcity of wine, of oil, and of all other crops. Now Oenomaus had defeated many of his opponents for many years. For he also had Apsyrtus teaching him the art of charioteering bitterly; which Oenomaus, having been defeated by Pelops the Lydian, was killed.

The horse race was first devised by a certain Enyalius, son of Poseidon, who married Libya, the daughter of Io and Zeus-Picus, who having taken control of the southern regions called that same country Libya, after the name of his own wife. Enyalius invented the horse race with various chariots, as the most wise Callimachus recorded in his *Etesian* works. And thereafter, after him, Erichthonius performed them, and others in different places performed them too. But Oenomaus himself was the first to perform that same horse race with four-horse chariots. For this reason he also became renowned, as is recorded in the histories of Charax the most wise, who also wrote these things: that the exercise of the horse race was devised for the administration of the world—that is, of the heaven, and the earth, and the sea. For they chronicled the twelve houses of the Zodiacal circle that rules the earth, and the sea, and the transient life of men. And the floor of the hippodrome was the whole earth. The Euripus was the sea, being divided by the land. And the turning post at the gates was the east. And the one at the starting-rope, the west. And the seven spires, the path and movement of the seven wandering stars and the Great Bear.

The Emperor Romulus, for his part, in honor of the Sun and the four elements subject to it, ^B was the first in Rome to devise and perform the race in that same region of the West, that is, Italy, with four-horse chariots, that is, for earth, and sea, and fire, and air. And Romulus applied these names to those same four elements: to the earth, the Green faction, which is the grass-colored; to the sea—that is, to the waters—the Blue faction, as being cyan; to the fire, the Red faction, as being the fire-colored; and to the air, the White. And from there, four factions were devised in Rome. He called the Green faction the "Prasinos," which is a Roman word, which is interpreted as *emparamonon* (long-lasting). For *pratenteuein* is said to mean to "endure"—because the green earth stands forever with the groves. And he called it the "Veneton" (Blue) on account of there being a province under Rome called Venetia, whose metropolis is Aquileia; and from there come the cyan—that is, the Venetian—dyes of the garments. ^C And he attached to the Green faction, which is the earth, one might say, the White, as the air, because it rains and is harmonious with the earth. To the Venetian faction, which is the waters, he attached by mixing the Red faction, which is for the fire, in that it extinguishes the fire as being subordinate to it. And thereafter the inhabitants of Rome were divided into the factions, and they were no longer in harmony with one another, because each man loved his own victory and laid claim to his own party as if it were a kind of religion, and there arose a great schism in Rome, and the factions had great enmity toward one another. ^D Nor was Romulus idle for long; he marked out in the city that which he called the Hippodrome, so that he might curb the disturbances of the seditious populace.

^A, since the earth, verdant with groves, is always present with us and persists. The Veneta faction he named after the Veneta province, which is subject to Rome, just as the sea is subject to the earth.

This evil of sedition, having first been born in that city, spread subsequently to other cities and prevailed for five years. They would slaughter with their swords the Prasins they encountered, and even those who were hiding in their homes, forcing their way inside and cutting them down, while the magistrates did not dare to exact justice for so many murders. These things were carried out villainously up to the sixth year of the pious Justin.

A.M. 6013. — First year of Epiphanius, bishop of Constantinople. First year of Timothy, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, as a war had been set in motion between the Romans and the Persians, Justin sent envoys and gifts to Ziligdes, the king of the Huns, and he came to terms with him, with ancestral oaths, to assist the king of the Romans ^B. Having sent also… ^{C D}

^A having received the embassy, he agreed to join him. When Justin heard of this, he was greatly distressed. Ziligdes, however, sent twenty thousand men to the Persians to make war upon the Romans. Justin sent an embassy to Cabades, King of the Persians, concerning peace. Pretending to write about other matters, he informed Cabades regarding Ziligdes, saying that he had sworn an oath of alliance with the Romans, that he had received many gifts, and intended to betray the Persians, and that since we are brothers, we ought to come into friendship and not be played the fool by these dogs. ^B Cabades then questioned Ziligdes privately whether he had indeed received gifts from the Romans to turn against the Persians. He replied, "Yes." Cabades, enraged, put him to death, and sending a multitude of Persians during the night, slaughtered his forces, suspecting that they had come to him with treachery. Those who were able to flee returned to their own lands.

Euphrasius of Antioch erased the names of the Fathers of the Synod of Chalcedon and of the Pope of Rome from the diptychs. Subsequently, however, fearing the consequences, he repented and publicly proclaimed the four synods.

Cabades, King of the Persians, proposed to appoint the Roman Emperor as guardian of his house. For he did not wish his eldest son ^C—whom the laws of the Persians called to the throne—to rule, nor his second son, because he had had an eye put out; but the father cherished Chosroes, who was born of his sister Asped. Therefore, he decided to make peace with the Romans and intended to make Chosroes the adoptive son of the Emperor. To this end, he sent ambassadors to Byzantium to Justin. But the Emperor, having summoned the senate to deliberation, did not permit this to happen, calling it a ruse and a betrayal of the Romans, for Proclus the quaestor, a wise and sagacious man, had prudently advised that this was merely a scheme being prepared in such a way.

A. M. 6014. — In this year, the city of Dyrrhachium, in New Epirus in Illyricum, suffered a blow ^D from heaven. The Emperor provided a vast sum of money for the restoration of the city. Corinth, the metropolis of Greece, suffered a like disaster, and in this case, too, he displayed great generosity.

A. M. 6015. — First year of Euphrasius, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, Tzathus, king of the Lazs, having apostatized ^A from the Persian kingdom—with Cabades reigning and indeed loving Tzathus, such that he had even promoted him to be king of the Lazs—came to Justin in Byzantium and besought the emperor that he might become a Christian and be proclaimed by him as king of the Lazs. The emperor, having received him with joy, enlightened him ^B through baptism and declared him his son. He also took as his wife a Roman woman, the granddaughter of Hmus the patrician and curopalates, Valeria by name, whom he later led back into his own country, having been designated king of the Lazs by Justin, and having worn a royal crown and a white chlamys, which had a gold ^C tablion, upon which, stitched with needlework, the image of the Emperor Justin was depicted; and a white sticharion having gold orphreys and the image of the emperor. For his shoes were red, having pearls in the Persian manner; likewise also his belt was of gold with pearls. Having received many gifts from the emperor, he returned home with joy. Cabades, the king of the Persians, having learned of this, signaled to the Emperor Justin, saying, "Between us there being friendship and peace, thou art doing the things of an enemy, and thou art receiving under thy authority those who have been subject to the Persians from of old." But the emperor replied to him, "We have not laid hold of, nor have we enticed, any of those subject to thy kingdom. But Tzathus, having come ^D to our palaces, besought us, falling at our feet, to be rescued from the loathsome and Hellenic rite [(the error) of the demons] and the impious sacrifices and the deception of the demons, and to approach the Creator of all things.

We baptized him ^A and sent him back to his own country. From that time on, there was enmity between the Romans and the Persians.

In the same year, the events concerning Saint Arethas and the others in the city of Negra were carried out by the Homerites, and the war of Elisbaas, king of the Ethiopians, against the Homerites, and the victory was won by them.

A.M. 6016. — Year 1. — John, Bishop of Rome.

In this year, Theodoric, who held Rome and was infected with the wicked sentiments of Arius, compelled Pope John to go to Byzantium to the Emperor Justin and to act as an envoy for the Arians, that they might not be forced to abandon their heresy; for Theodoric threatened to commit the same outrages against the orthodox inhabitants of Italy. John, therefore, arriving in Byzantium and being invited by the Patriarch Epiphanius, refused the meeting until he, as the Roman Pontiff, should first have obtained the seat of honor above Epiphanius. John indeed shared the communion with all the bishops, but he did not share it with Timothy of Alexandria.

Cavades, the king of the Persians, son of Perozes, destroyed in one day many myriads of Manichaeans, together with their bishop, Indazarus, and others of the senatorial order among the Persians who held the same opinion. For his third son, called Phthasuarsan, whom his daughter Sambuce had borne to him, had been instructed by the Manichaeans and drawn into their opinion. They approached him in this manner: "Your father has grown old, and if it should happen that he dies, the archimagi will immediately install one of your brothers as king, because they hold to their dogma. But we can, by our prayers, persuade your father to abdicate the kingdom and appoint you in his place, so that you may everywhere strengthen the dogma of the Manichaeans." He pledged himself to do this if he were to reign. Cavades, having been informed of these things, ordered a council ^B to be convened, saying it was to make his son Phthasuarsan king. Having ordered all the Manichaeans, together with their bishop and women and...

children to be present at the assembly, ^A and likewise Glonazes the archimagos, and the magi, and Bazanes, the bishop of the Christians, beloved by Cabades as a most excellent physician, and having summoned the Manichaeans, he said: "I rejoice in your doctrine, and I wish, while I am yet alive, to give the kingdom to my son Phthasuarsan, as he is of your mind. But withdraw yourselves in order to receive him." They, having taken heart, withdrew themselves with boldness. But Cabades, having given permission to the army to enter, cut them all to pieces with swords, together with their bishop, in the sight of the archimagos and of the bishop of the Christians. And he sent out *sacras* (royal decrees) into all the land under him, so that any Manichaean found was to be put to death and burned with fire, and their possessions were to be brought into the royal treasuries, and their books burned. ^B The pious emperor Justin took up the administration of the empire with all capability and courage, and sent *sacras* everywhere throughout the cities, so that all who caused disorder or murder might be punished; and having restored peace to the factions in Constantinople, he struck great terror. Immediately upon assuming the empire, he crowned his wife Theodora as Augusta. And he appointed the patrician Hypatius, son of Secundinus, *magister militum* of the East, to guard the eastern parts against the Persians and the incursions of the Saracens. He himself also stirred up a great persecution against the Manichaeans, and punished many.

A. M. 6017. — In this year, Anazarbus, the metropolis of the second Cilicia, suffered from a most terrible earthquake, while Calliopius, the son of Ireneus, was its governor, and the whole city fell. Justin rebuilt this city and called it Justinopolis. ^C In the same year, Edessa, a great and celebrated city, the metropolis of the province of Osroene, was submerged by a divine visitation of the waters of the river. For the Scirtus river, flowing through the middle of it, ^D

^A brings with it much wealth and pleasure. At that time, however, it swelled like the sea, and dragging houses along with their inhabitants, it plunged them into the depths. Among those who remained safe, a rumor grew that the same river had devastated the city at another time, though not with such great slaughter. When the waters finally withdrew, a stone tablet was found on the bank of the river, inscribed with hieroglyphic characters in this form: “The Scirtus river will leap unhappy leaps for the citizens.” Emperor Justin provided many goods to both cities for their restoration.

In this same year, a certain woman from Cilicia appeared, giant-like in appearance, who in stature exceeded every perfect and tall man by one cubit, and was extremely broad in her body’s width. She wandered through all the cities, and from each workshop, she would take one obol.

^B

A.C. 518. — First year of Chosroes, King of the Persians. A.M. 6018.

In this year, in the month of October, in the fourth indiction, the first fruits of divine vengeance invaded the city of Antioch. For a great fire appeared invisibly in the middle of the city, which portended the coming threat of God. For the fire was ignited from the martyrium of Saint Stephen and reached as far as the praetorium of the Master of Soldiers. This was the unhappy beginning of sorrows. Indeed, the fires lasted for six months, by which many houses were burned and many people died; and no one could discern whence the fire was kindled. For it took hold of an elevated and large building of five stories from the roof tiles. But the Emperor, persuaded by the embassy of the Patriarch Euphrasius, ^C bestowed two hundred centenaria of gold upon the city.

In the same year, on the twentieth day of the month of May, in the same indiction, at the seventh hour, while Olybrius was holding the consulship in Rome, great Antioch of Syria suffered a misfortune that can scarcely be expressed in words, and was struck by the avenging God. For the wrath of God shook it so much that almost the entire city collapsed and became a tomb for its inhabitants. And some who were buried by the earth and were still alive were burned by fire bursting forth from the earth. Another

fire from the air came down like sparks, and it burned up whomever it touched, like lightning; and the earth was shaken for one year.

A. M. 6019. — First year of Felix, bishop of Rome. ^A

In this year, as the earthquake continued to prevail, Euphrasius, the bishop of Antioch, was buried by the earthquake and died; and every house and the churches collapsed, and the beauty of the city vanished. And such a divine calamity had never happened in any other city in all generations. The most pious Emperor Justin, having learned of these things, was greatly grieved in his soul, to such an extent that he removed the diadem from his head and the purple robe, and he mourned in sackcloth for many days, so that even when he approached the church on a festive day, he did not consent to wear the crown or the chlamys; but he went in thus simply, wearing only a purple mantle, and weeping before the entire senate, and all wept with him, wearing mourning clothes.

And the emperor immediately sent Carinus the Comes, having given him five centenaria ^B to clear away the ruins, if he might be able to save some, and to preserve the property buried in the debris from thieves and plunderers. And again the emperor sent after him the patrician Phocas, son of Craterus, and the patrician Asterius, and the eparch, wise men, to whom he gave much money for the restoration of the city.

And in the month of April, on the 4th, in the same 5th indiction, at the feast of Pascha, the Emperor Justin, ^C having fallen ill, while still alive appointed his own nephew Justinian as emperor, and crowned him, and he reigned with him for four months. In the month of August of the same 5th indiction, the most pious Justin died, leaving Justinian as emperor.

Euphrasius, the bishop of Antioch, having died, Euphraimius of Amida, who was Comes of the East at that time, was ordained in his place, who showed a divine zeal against the schismatics. ^D

A. M. 6020. — First year of Justinian, emperor of the Romans. First year of John, bishop of Jerusalem. First year of Euphraimius, bishop of Antioch.

^A In this year, having obtained the sole power of the empire, the great Justinian appointed the Armenian patrician as count of the East; to him he gave money, ordering him to go and restore the city of Phoenice Libanesia ^B called Palmyra, to the inner limit, and he ordered the duke to reside in it and to protect the holy places and to keep watch over them. On the first day of the month of January of the same indiction, the emperor held his consulship, and he gave as much money as no emperor had given while holding the consulship.

In the same year, the king of the Persians waged war against the Laz ^B Tzathus, because he had fled to the Romans. Furthermore, the emperor Justinian sent him reinforcements of troops and three generals: Belisarius, Cyricus, and Peter. And having engaged in battle, they were defeated; the emperor was indignant at the generals, because, moved by jealousy of one another, they had betrayed the victory. And having removed them, he sent Peter the notary as his general; and having joined battle with the Persians ^C together with the Lazi, they were victorious and slew many of the Persians.

In the same year, the king of the Heruli, by name Grepes, attached himself to the Romans, and came to Constantinople with his own people, and requested the emperor to become a Christian. The emperor, having baptized him on the Theophany, received him from the baptismal font. And twelve of his senators and kin were baptized with him; and he departed with joy to his own lands, reconciled to the emperor, and having promised to provide military aid to him, wherever he might ^D wish. The emperor appointed as general of Armenia Tzit-as, a man experienced in warfare and

very capable. For Armenia ^A had not yet had a master of the militia, but only dukes and counts. A multitude of Armenians served under him, as they knew the parts and regions of Armenia. He also gave him four divisions from the eastern army. And thus a great guard and aid for the Romans was formed. He also joined to him in marriage the sister of the Augusta Theodora, named Cometo (40).

In the same year, a certain barbarian woman from the Huns, called by the common name Sabir, Boarex by name, a widow, ^B crossed over into Roman territories having with her one hundred thousand Huns. Having lost her own husband Balach, she ruled over the Hunnic regions. She took two kings from another, more interior nation of Huns, named Styrax and Glones, who had been summoned by Cabades, the king of the Persians, to carry aid to him and to vex the Romans with war, and who were then passing through her country toward the Persian lands with twenty thousand men; she received them with arms and cut them to pieces. One of these kings, called Styrax, she captured in the battle, bound in chains, and sent to Constantinople to the emperor; but Glones she slew in the battle. And thus she became an ally and peaceful toward the emperor Justinian.

In this same year, the king of the Huns near the Bosporus (42), named Gordas, ^C drew near to the emperor, and became a Christian and was baptized; the emperor received him and, having bestowed upon him many gifts, sent him back to his own country to guard the Roman interests and the city of Bosporus—which was called so because of the payment of oxen made to the Romans in place of money each year—and to guard the city on account of the Huns, and to demand the payments of the oxen. There was in that same city much commerce between the Romans and the Huns. The king of the Huns, having become a Christian, returned to his own country and found his own brother, and related to him the kindness and generosity of the emperor, ^D and that he had become a Christian; and taking the idols which the Huns worshipped, he melted them down: for they were of silver and amber. And the Huns, having become angry,

conspiring with his brother, rushed upon him and put him to death; and they made his brother Muageris ^B king. And fearing lest the Romans should seek him out, they came suddenly to the city of Bosporus, and slew the tribune Dalmatius and the soldiers. Having heard these things, the emperor sent John, ex-consul, grandson of John the Scythian, and son of the patrician Rufinus, with numerous Scythian forces; who, having joined to himself by the land route through Odyssopolis both Godilla and the general Badurius, moved the army against them. And the Huns, having heard this, fled and disappeared. And peace was established in Bosporus, and the Romans held it without fear.

The Emperor Justinian ^C took away all the churches of the heretics and restored them to the orthodox, except for those which belonged to the Exocionite Arians. The emperor also promulgated an edict concerning bishops, orphanotrophs, oikonomoi, and xenodochs, to the effect that they should not have the right of bequeathing any property, except that which they had in their possession before they entered upon their office and concerning which they were able to make a testament; but from the hour that they had entered upon the administration of their duties, they should have no power to bequeath any such thing by testament, but their entire estate should be inherited by the holy house. The same emperor also finished the public bath at the Dagistheum, which had been begun formerly by Anastasius; and in the middle of the area or atrium, he constructed a most capacious cistern, having laid the foundation for the basilica.

A. C. 521. — 151 In this year, Esaias of Rhodes and Alexander of Diospolis in Thrace, bishops, ^D were deposed as having been found to be sodomites, and they were severely punished by the emperor, being castrated and led through the city in ignominy, while the herald cried out: "Ye who are bishops, do not defile the venerable station." Furthermore, the emperor enacted severe laws against those who practiced lewdness, and many were punished. And great fear and security prevailed. He also renewed all the ancient laws,

^A collecting them into a single volume and naming them the "New Constitutions." In these, he forbids the prefect, in the places where he holds his prefecture, from purchasing property, building a house, or inheriting the estate of foreigners, unless there exists some blood relationship between them.

In the same year, on the twenty-ninth day of November ^B (the third hour, the fourth day of the week, in the seventh indiction, two years after the previous disaster), the great city of Antioch again suffered from a heaven-sent calamity. A great earthquake lasted for one hour, and a terrifying roar was heard from the heavens. Everything that had been built was leveled to the ground; even the walls and whatever ancient structures had not fallen in the first earthquake were now brought down. All the beauty in the city that had been achieved through the emperor's generosity, or that which the citizens had erected with their own means, entirely collapsed. Upon learning of these things, the neighboring cities ^C went into mourning and offered public supplications. In this collapse, four thousand eight hundred and seventy people perished. Those who were saved fled to other cities, or lived in huts in the mountains. A great and most severe winter followed, and all the remaining inhabitants of the city walked barefoot, weeping and throwing ^D themselves prone into the snow, crying out, "Lord, have mercy!" Then it was revealed in a vision to a pious man that he should instruct all who had survived to write on the lintels of their houses: "Christ is with us, stand still." When this was done, the wrath of God ceased.

The emperor and the Augusta again bestowed much money for the restoration and rebuilding of the city of Antioch, and he renamed it Theoupolis. On the twenty-first day of the month of March of the seventh indiction, Alamundarus, the petty king of the Saracens, made an incursion and ravaged First Syria as far as the borders of Antioch, to the places called the Litargos and the Scaphalenses estates. He killed many people, burned the suburbs of Chalcedon, the Sermium estate, and the region of Cynegia. Upon hearing this, the leaders of the Romans went out armed against him. When the Saracens learned of this, along with the Persians, they took their booty and captives and fled through the Inner desert. In the month of April of the same seventh indiction, military aid was sent by the emperor, both foot soldiers and those called the Lycocranites from Phrygia, and...

having recalled Hypatius, the son of Secundinus, the emperor appointed Belisarius as magister militum in the East. ^A On the twelfth of May, Hermogenes the magister, a learned man, sent as an envoy by Emperor Justinian to the king of the Persians to discuss peace, arrived in Antioch. In the month of June, the Samaritans and Jews dwelling in Palestine crowned a certain Julian as king, and having taken up arms against the Christians, they incited raids, murders, and arson against them. God delivered these into the hands of Justinian, who destroyed them all and beheaded the tyrant Julian. ^B Chosroes, the king of the Persians, having received the magister Hermogenes who was approaching with gifts to negotiate peace, did in the month of July of the same 7th indiction, after accepting the gifts, reject the proposed talk of peace, being thoroughly persuaded by the Samaritans who had fled to him and were suggesting to him to surrender their country, the whole of Palestine, as they had an auxiliary force of Jews and Samaritans numbering fifty thousand. Trusting in these, Chosroes did not choose peace, wishing also to take Jerusalem itself through them, an exceedingly wealthy city which possessed countless centenaria of gold and a vast collection of precious stones. ^C He took as a pretext the gold mines in the mountains of Armenia, which formerly yielded a talent to the Romans and Persians alike, but now yielded only to the Romans, and setting forth other such claims, he wrote to the emperor. When the plot of the Samaritans was discovered while they were returning from Persia, they were apprehended at Ammidium; these were five notable Samaritans ^D of the wealthy class; they were delivered to the commander Belisarius, and upon being interrogated, they confessed everything.

In the same year, the Duke of Palestine caused enmity with the phylarch of those subject to the Romans, the Saracens. And the phylarch, fearing, withdrew to the inner limit. When Alamundarus learned of this, he made an incursion, seized him, and put him to death. Having also taken his wives and children, he returned. Upon learning of this, the dukes of Phoenicia, Arabia, and Mesopotamia, as well as the phylarch, pursued him; and when Alamundarus heard this, he fled into the regions of India, into places where no Roman had ever entered. They also seized his tents and brought back much booty of the Saracens—men, women, and children—as well as those Romans they found oppressed in captivity, and camels, sheep, oxen, and a great deal of silk 65 and clothing. They also burned four Persian castles, and returned with a great victory.

A.M. 6022. — In this year of the eighth indiction 66, the Emperor Justinian initiated a great persecution against the Hellenes and every heresy 67, and he confiscated their properties. Macedonius, the former referendary 68, and Asclepiodotus, the former prefect 69, were accused; the latter, struck by fear, embraced the faith and died; and Pegasius...

he was examined and forced to yield: Phocas, also a patrician and son of Craterus, and Thomas the quaestor, and ^A many others were arrested, which struck great fear into everyone. The emperor, however, enacted a law that only Christians, and those approved as upright in their faith, should be admitted to hold public and civil offices, and that Gentiles and heretics should be removed from them; he further prescribed a period of three months as the final limit for them to repent. Then, in the month of March of the same eighth indiction, Hermogenes, ex-consul and magister, and Rufinus, ex-magister militum and patrician, departed from Antioch and, acting as ambassadors, set out toward Persia; upon reaching Daras, they notified the King of the Persians to receive them for an audience. While they were staying at Daras, Belisarius, the magister militum of the East, together with the remaining Roman commanders, ^B pitched his camp as close to the city as possible. Meran, the chief general of the Persian King, and the King’s own son, along with the other Persian commanders, having learned of this and gathered with countless forces in Nisibis, divided their entire battle line into three columns and attacked them in the month of June of the aforementioned eighth indiction. The Roman commanders, upon discovering the danger, led out their forces in excellent order and went to meet the Persians, and from this an intense battle and a terrible conflict ensued. The Romans slaughtered the Persians and defeated them with a great slaughter, and captured their standard. Meran and the son of the Persian King and a very few survivors of the battle fled to Nisibis, leaving a glorious victory to the Romans. When the King of the Persians learned of this, he allowed only the patrician Rufinus, accompanied by the count Alexander, to approach him; and in the following month of August, ^C they met and conversed with one another frequently, and having established the conditions of the hoped-for peace, they parted in peace.

A.C. 523. — First year of Boniface, bishop of Rome. A.M. 6023. In this year, in the month of September, in the ninth indiction, a huge and terrible star appeared in the western region of the sky, a comet, that is, called Lampadias, which emitted into the upper part of the sky rays that flashed like lightning, and it persisted for a full twenty days; from this, universal disturbances of the peoples ^D and slaughter occurred. And upon the completion of

^A the month of November, the patrician Rufinus, having finished his embassy from the Persians to the Emperor Justinian, returned, having settled all matters regarding peace. The Emperor, receiving him, rejoiced greatly on account of the peace and was pleased with all that had been settled, and thus the affairs of both parties met with peace.

A. M. 6024. — In this, the fifth year of the reign of Justinian, in the month of January, in the tenth indiction, the sedition known as "Nika" took place. The factions of the people crowned Hypatius, a relative of the Emperor Anastasius, as emperor. A great part of the city was burned, including the Great Church, the holy Church of Irene, the hostel of Sampson, the Augusteum, the vestibule of the palace, and the Chalke. Great fear arose, and many of those found in what is called the Hippodrome with Hypatius, as they say, thirty-five thousand, perished. The disorder, "Nika," occurred in the following manner: when the parties arrived at the Hippodrome, those of the Greens shouted "Nika" [Conquer]! through Calopodium the ^B spatharios.

VARIOUS READINGS.

NOTES OF JAC. GOAR.

^A The Greens, gathered around the circus, cried out: "Many years to you, Justinian Augustus! You conquer! I suffer injustice, O you who alone are good, and I bear it no longer. God knows. I fear to name him, lest you be more fortunate, ^B and I am about to be in danger." The Mandator (official crier) answered: "Who he is, I do not know." The faction of the Greens: "He who oppresses me, thrice-August, lingers in the shoemaker’s workshops." Mandator: "No one does you injustice." Greens: "One alone treats me with injustice, O Theotokos, lest he repeat similar heads of iniquity." Mandator: "Who that is, we do not know." Greens: "You alone know, thrice-August, who oppresses me this day." Mandator: "If there is anyone at all, we do not know." Greens: "Calopodium the spatharios is the one who harasses me, Master of all." Mandator: "Calopodium administers nothing." Greens: "Whoever he may be, he shall meet the fate of Judas; God will repay him for the injustice done to me with swiftness." Mandator: "You do not come up to see, except to insult the magistrates." Greens: "Whoever it is that does me injustice, he shall meet the fate of Judas." ^C Mandator: "Be silent, Jews, Manichaeans, and Samaritans!" Greens: "Do you call us Jews and Samaritans? May the Theotokos be our helper, along with all others." Mandator: "How long will you curse yourselves?" Greens: "If anyone does not say that he believes rightly, O Master, anathema upon him, as upon Judas." Mandator: "I command you to be baptized in the name of the One." And the Greens shouted at one another and cried out: "As you have commanded, *atlas*, I am baptized in the name of the One." Mandator: "In truth, unless you are silent, I shall behead you." Greens: "Every man hastens to seize power, that he may be saved; and if we, being afflicted, utter anything, let not your majesty be indignant; for the..." ^D [Jacob Goar's Notes omitted]

^A empire itself endures all things—even God endures all things patiently.

**Prasini:** We complain with justice. We call all things now by their own names: where he may be lingering, we know not; the palace, most august, or the state and administration of the commonwealth is unknown to me; I proceed by a single road through the city, when I sit upon my donkey; nay, nor even then, most august.

**Mandator:** Any free man, wheresoever he wishes, may proceed safely and with impunity in public.

**Prasini:** I trust to freedom; and yet I am not permitted to make it manifest. If anyone is free, and is suspected of being of the Prasini faction, he is punished absolutely in the open.

**Mandator:** Ye death-deserving wretches! Do you not spare even your own souls?

**Prasini:** ^B Let this party color be taken away, and justice does not exist, desist from nodding; and suffer us, we are punished. Behold the fountain gushing, and whomsoever thou wilt, punish. Truly, the human nature does not endure these two things. Would that Sabbatius had never been born, so that he had not had a son who is a murderer. Rightly is the murder which happened at the Zeugma in the morning, which thou didst see, and which was slaughtered by the afternoon, apart from the rest, Lord of all.

**Veneti:** You alone have the murderers of the whole stadium.

**Prasini:** When dost thou slaughter, and go abroad?

**Veneti:** And thou, thou slaughterest, and stirrest up tumult. ^C You alone have the murderers of the stadium.

**Prasini:** Lord Justinian, they themselves entreat, and no one slays them. He who wishes shall perceive, who slew the wood-seller at the Zeugma, O Emperor?

**Mandator:** You slew him.

**Prasini:** Who slew the son of Epagathus, O Emperor?

**Mandator:** You also slew him, and implicate the Veneti in the crime.

**Prasini:** Even now, even now, Lord God have mercy, force is offered to the truth. I would gladly oppose those who assert that the affairs of the world are ordered by God. Whence is this calamity? ^D [Jacob Goar's Notes omitted]

the author of evils? Prasini: Is God not the author of evils? And who is it that harms me? If there is a philosopher or a hermit, let him declare the distinction between the two. Mandator: You blasphemers, enemies of God, when will you finally be silent? Prasini: If this satisfies your majesty, I submit even against my will, thrice-august one. All things are born for me, all things are known to me, but I remain silent. Be saved, justice, you shall no longer speak out. I am departing, and at that point I "Judaize." Or rather, it is more advantageous to act according to the Greeks than to act according to the Veneti, God knows. Veneti: I loathe what I abhor, I flee even from seeing it; yet look how envy causes me great distress. Prasini: Let the bones of the spectators be dug up.

Once this was said, the Prasini departed, leaving the Emperor and the Veneti watching in the circus. Immediately, a popular tumult occurred, provoked by certain magistrates in the following way: the prefect, having seized three seditious members of the charioteers' factions, condemned them to hanging. The first of them died immediately, but the other two fell from the gallows. They were hanged again, and again they fell. The crowd standing by, having seen this, cried out, "Take them to the church." The monks of Saint Conon, having heard the shouting, snatched them away in a boat and ferried them to Saint Laurence, because that church enjoyed the privilege that no one should be cast out of it until they had made due satisfaction. Upon hearing this, the prefect sent soldiers to guard them. When the popular factions found out that they had been sent, they gathered at the praetorium, demanding from the prefect that he remove the soldiers stationed to guard the prisoners at the church of Saint Laurence; but they received no response from him. ^B Thereupon, the factions, inflamed with fury, set fire to the praetorium; they burned everything from the vault of the forum as far as the Chalke, and entirely consumed with flames the silversmiths' shops and all the buildings of Lausus, ^C and they mercilessly slaughtered all the soldiers they encountered. Entering the houses, they plundered all their possessions, and set on fire the bronze-roofed entrance of the palace, and [the quarters of] the Protectors, and the ninth [region] of the Augusteum. And the populace descended to the Iou-

^Alian harbor, which they call of Sophia, and came to the house of Probus, demanding weapons, and crying out for another emperor for the city; they set fire to the house of Probus, and the house was brought down. And they came and burned the bath of Alexander, and the great hospice of Samson, and the infirm perished, and the Great Church with both its colonnades; and it was all brought down from the four-sided [portico]. The emperor, being terrified, wished to load the money onto a dromon and depart for Thrace, as far as Heraclea, having left for the protection of the palace the commander Mundus with his son and three thousand men, and Constantiolus, and the cubicularii. ^B The factions cast the corpses — there were also among them many women whom they had killed — throughout the city into the sea. But when a rumor spread that the emperor, having taken the Augusta with him, had departed into Thrace, they proclaimed Hypatius the patrician emperor; and sitting in the hippodrome, he was acclaimed by the factions. And he heard the insulting words directed at Justinian the emperor. There also came from the Flavians two hundred younger Greens, wearing breastplates, intending to open the palace and lead Hypatius in. The emperor, having heard the daring acts of the populace and of Hypatius, entered into the palace, and went up to what are called the Pulpita, ^C behind the throne of the hippodrome, into the triclinium which has bronze doors, having with him Mundus and Constantiolus and Belisarius and other senators, and the assistance of armed soldiers, and the cubicularii and the spatharii. Narses the cubicularius went out, and by distributing money, drew some of the Veneti faction to his own side, and they began to cry out: "Justinian Augustus, may you be victorious! Lord, save Justinian the emperor and Theodora the Augusta." Then the crowd fell into disagreement, and they rushed against one another. And those from the palace, having gone out with the same assistance, separated some of them from the populace, and rushed into the hippodrome. ^D And Narses [entered] through the doors, while the son of Mundus [entered] through the sphendone; others...

[proceeded] by the path toward the imperial seat, and arriving at the level of the arena, they began to strike the populace—some shooting arrows, others slaughtering them with swords—so that not one of the citizens, whether of the Veneti or the Prasini, who were found in the Hippodrome, escaped alive. Belisarius, having rushed to the imperial seat with his spatharii, took Hypatius prisoner and brought him before the emperor, and they committed him to custody. Thirty-five thousand men were killed that day. And no citizen appeared there any longer; but there was peace on that day. On the following day, Hypatius and his brother Pompeius were slaughtered, and their bodies were cast into the sea; and their houses were confiscated, along with others of the patricians ^B and the illustres and the consulars, whose estates were added to the emperor’s treasury because they had shown themselves to be supporters and auxiliaries of Hypatius. A great terror thenceforth seized the minds of all; the city ceased from tumult, and circus games were not held for a long time.

In the same year, from evening until the morning twilight, a huge swarm of stars was seen, so that all were terrified and cried out, "The stars are falling," and we had never seen such a thing.

A. M. 6025. — Rome’s bishop John, year I.

In this year, Theodora the most pious Augusta went out to the warm waters of the Pythians ^C to warm herself; and there went with her both Patricius Menas the prefect and Patricius Elias the count of the largitions, and other patricians, as well as cubicularii and satraps, four thousand in all; and she bestowed much on churches and poorhouses and monasteries.

A. M. 6026. — In this year, Priscus the consul, a former notary of the emperor, having incurred the indignation of the Empress Theodora, was confiscated of all his goods and was ordained deacon of the church of Cyzicus ^D by order of the emperor.

In the same year, the Vandalic wars were undertaken, and finally Africa was recovered by Belisarius. For the Vandals...

^A, as has been stated in the years above, under the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, occupied Spain, and from there crossed over with their king, Gondigisclus, into Libya, which they seized. When Gondigisclus departed this life, his sons, Gogdaris and Gizerichus, succeeded to his rule. After Gogdaris was removed from among men, Gizerichus was proclaimed king of the Vandals; and having taken the city of Carthage and brought it under his yoke, and having likewise captured Rome, he reigned for thirty-nine years. When he had met his end, his son Honorichus succeeded to the kingdom, showing many evils to the Christians in Libya and forcing them to Arianise; he killed many, and cut their tongues out from the throat, yet by the grace of God they spoke thereafter. The Maurusii, holding these things in contempt, waged war against them and wrought many evils upon the Vandals. After reigning for eight years, he died, having lost Numidia and the mountain of Aburusium ^B, which were no longer under the Vandal dominion. Gondabunus, the son of Geeson and grandson of Gizerichus, succeeded to the rule, showing even greater evils to the Christians; he died after reigning for twelve years. Trasimundus succeeded to his rule, a man handsome, prudent, and magnanimous. He compelled the Christians to change their ancestral faith, not by tormenting them, but by turning away from those whom he found not to be obeying his words. When his wife departed from this life without issue, he took the best counsel and, having sent an embassy to Theuderichus, king of the Goths in Spain, he asked to take his sister, Amalaphrida, who was a widow, in marriage. He gave his sister to him in marriage, along with two thousand choice Goths in the order of guards, and another five thousand fighting men for their support. Theuderichus also bestowed upon his sister one of the promontories in Sicily, that which is called Lysium ^C; and from this Trasimundus appeared the wealthiest and most powerful of all who had hitherto reigned in Libya. He became a friend of the emperor Anastasius and held the kingdom for twenty-seven years. After his death, Hilderichus, son of Honorichus and grandson of Gizerichus, assumed the office of the kingdom, a man gentle and good, and he was not at all harsh toward the Christians; but he was very soft in matters of war and did not wish to hear even a word of such business. Ameras ^D, his nephew, a man gifted in warfare, was general of the Vandals, whom they even called Achilles. Hilderichus had been a friend of Justinian before he became emperor under Justin.

and they frequently provoked one another to strengthen their mutual friendship by sending and receiving many gifts. Now there was a certain man of the line of Gizerichus, Gelimer by name, a base man instructed in evil habits, eager for innovation, and accustomed to coveting the wealth of others. ^A Having, after seven years of Hilderichus's reign, stirred up a tyranny against his own lord, he seized him and cast him into prison with his wife Amalaphrida. He put to death all the Goths, and kept Amer and his brother Euagetes under guard. But, puffed up by his new tyranny, he could not live for long content with the present state of affairs. Wherefore, he wrote a defense of himself to the Emperor Justinian, claiming that the kingdom belonged to him by right, since Hilderichus was in no way able to administer it. Justinian, having learned of these things, wrote to him that he would in no way approve of this tyranny. But he, ^B disregarding these replies, blinded Amer, and shut Hilderichus and Euagetes into a stricter prison. When Justinian learned of this, he immediately decreed an expedition against Libya; he brought to an end the war which he happened then to be waging in Media, and after recalling Belisarius from the East, he consulted the senate on the matter. The senate judged the affair difficult and dangerous, calling to mind the most unfortunate naval expedition of the Emperor Leo against the Vandals, and how great a number of soldiers had perished under the command of Basiliscus, and how much wealth had been spent upon it in vain. Wherefore, ^C having weighed the magnitude of the danger, they feared that the emperor might choose Belisarius himself as leader of this naval expedition. Joannes the patrician, however, descending into the midst, spoke as follows: "We indeed, O master, will obey your commands, nor has it ever been our counsel to resist them. But it is just for you to consider the immense length of the journey, how great, forsooth, are the expanses of sea, and how vast the interval of land travel, which can scarcely be traversed in one hundred and forty days, furthermore how uncertain is the victory in the war to be entered upon, and how miserable to be— ^D The emperor, having heard this, could no longer contain his purpose, but was preparing the army and ships, and procuring arms and provisions. He commanded Belisarius to be in readiness, as one who was to be general in Libya. Poudentius, having immediately stirred up a tyranny, Tripo-

Tripoli ^A seized, and wrote back to Justinian, that he should send an army to recover it. In like manner, also, Gogdas the Goth, having tyrannized against his own lord Gelimer, seized the island of Sardinia, and wrote to Justinian in order that he might send an army and a general, and recover the island; who indeed sent Cyril with three hundred men to his assistance. But Gelimer, having sent his brother with a large fleet, and a choice army of Vandals, recovered it, and slew Gogdas.

Belisarius took the army ^B and the fleet and the officers, namely Solomon the general, and Dorotheus of Armenia, and Cyprian, and Valerian, and Martin, and Alphias, and John, and Marcellus, and Cyril, of whom I made mention before, and many others of those dwelling in Thrace. There followed them a thousand Heruli, whom Pharas commanded, and Massagete horse-archers, whom Sisinnius and Balas led. There were five hundred ships in all, each holding five myriad modii. The sailors were thirty thousand, being Egyptians, Ionians, and Cilicians. The chief in command of the ships was Calonymus the Alexandrian. And there were ninety dromones for naval battle. The emperor appointed Belisarius as commander-in-chief over all. This Belisarius had drawn his origin from the region of Germania, which lies between Thrace and Illyricum, and he carried with him Antonina, his own wife.

Now Gelimer sent his own brother Tzatzon with ^C one hundred and twenty ships and a choice army to the island of Sardinia against Gogdas. It was the seventh year of Justinian when Belisarius was sent to the island. Procopius the historian was also in his company at that time. Having set sail from the queen of cities, they came to Abydus. Belisarius was concerned that the whole fleet should sail together and anchor at the same place. Having reached Sicily, he sent Procopius the historian to Syracuse, to see if ^D there was any way to learn the secrets of the enemy, or whether he might be able to find out about their strength, so that they might not be harmed by the enemy. These they now call dromones, that is, "runners," for they are able to run swiftly.

^A Procopius sent the historian to Syracuse to search, if by any chance he might discover guides for the journey, so that they might convey the fleet unexpectedly to the shores of the Libyan land, and so that he might more easily lead his military forces to the ground (for he feared that the inhabitants of the region would be of aid to the enemy). Meanwhile, he himself sailed with the entire fleet to Cauchana, a village which was two hundred stadia distant from Syracuse. Procopius, having entered Syracuse, bought provisions from Amalasuntha, the wife of Theoderic and mother of Athalaric, the king of Italy (these two were joined by treaty with Justinian). And unexpectedly he encountered a man, bound to him by friendship since boyhood, who had all the locations of Libya and the sea known to him from frequent experience, having departed from Carthage no more than three days prior. He declared that the Vandals were enjoying profound tranquility, suspecting no battle line drawn up against them, and that Gelimer himself was currently delaying at a distance of four stations from the sea. Having taken this man with him, Procopius brought him to Belisarius at Cauchana. Belisarius, having heard these things, steered toward the coast of Libya on the third day and anchored at a place which they call Caput Breve. ^B Having disembarked from the ships, and having quickly dug a deep trench and raised a rampart around it, they pitched camp in a single day. There, while the earthwork was being dug, the ground of its own accord emitted a great spring of water, although otherwise the whole place labored under a shortage of water; this sufficed for the necessary uses of the pack animals and the entire army. On the following day, the soldiers proceeded to pillage. The commander of the army, observing them more severely, finally spoke words of this sort: "To use violence and to live by stealing the property of others is a sin at any time, and most especially when danger is imminent. For I, trusting only in this, have set you ashore on this land: that by justice and benevolence we might win over the divine power to ourselves, and might draw the Libyans to our side. ^C But this intemperance and license of yours in living will turn you toward the opposite, and will compel the Libyans to give aid to the Vandals. But yield to my counsel; buy provisions with a price, so that you may appear to violate neither divine nor human law, nor to convert or bend the affection of the Libyans into hostile intent. Therefore, intending to procure the help of God for yourselves, desist from plundering the property of others, and willingly cast away gain that is teeming with dangers." Then Belisarius, having sent an army to the city of Syllectum, acquired it without any effort. For, having arrived at it by night, they entered mixed in with the wagons of the country-folk who were entering it, and took it. ^D And when it became day, having seized the priest and the leading men of the city, they sent them to the commander. On the same day, the man who was in charge of the public post also defected, handing over the public horses.

^A Belisarius, having organized the army, marched toward Carthage. He entrusted three hundred picked men to John the Armenian, ordering him to follow along, not to diverge from his own path, and not to fall too far behind the army. Upon reaching the city of Syllectum, he won the inhabitants over with his kindness and gracious speech, so that they made the journey as if in their own land, with the inhabitants neither retreating nor hiding, but even providing a market and serving the soldiers in other respects. They completed eighty stadia each day until they reached Carthage. Thus, passing through the cities of Leptis and Adrumetum, they arrived at the place called Chrasis, three hundred and eight stadia distant from Carthage, where there was also a royal palace of the Vandals, very beautiful gardens, and clearest springs, as well as an infinite abundance of fruits of every kind. As a result, each of the soldiers pitched his tent among the fruit trees; and since the beauty of the fruits invited them to harvest, and the use of them was common to all, no harm could be perceived. ^B When Gelimer learned that the Romans were approaching, he wrote to his brother Amatus in Carthage, ordering him to put to death Ilderichus and as many others of his relatives as were held in custody, and to arm the Vandals and anyone else in the city fit for military service for war. Amatus did as he was commanded. Belisarius sent word to Archelaus the prefect and Calonymus the naval commander to bring the fleet closer to Carthage but to make no assault upon the city until he ordered it. He himself proceeded to Decimum, which is seventy stadia distant from Carthage. Gelimer ordered his nephew Cibamundus to march on the left with two thousand men, so that while Amatus was heading straight toward Carthage, he himself would follow behind, and by arriving from the places on the left with Cibamundus, they might surround the hostile army on all sides and capture them all at once. ^C But Belisarius, as I said, ordered John to advance, and the Massagetae to hold the left flank of the army. Amatus did not arrive at the proper time, but left the multitude of the Vandals in Carthage, and arrived at Decimum very quickly with only a few men, and those not even gathered together. Meeting John, he came to blows, was killed by John, and those with him turned and fled uncontrollably, causing confusion among all those coming from Carthage to Decimum, thinking that the pursuers were very numerous. ^D John and those with him slaughtered them.

right up to the gates of Carthage, in such numbers that those who saw them might have estimated the work to be that of twenty thousand enemies. ^A Gibamundus and the two thousand soldiers accompanying him, while bringing reinforcements to their allies, fell upon the Huns and were all destroyed. Belisarius, being at Decimum, learned nothing of these events; but having encircled the camp with a palisade, he pitched his tents, leaving his wife and the infantry there. He himself, accompanied by his cavalry and commanders, marched toward Carthage. Finding the dead lying along the way, and Amatas himself slain along with the Vandals, and having learned what had happened, he ascended a certain hill. From there, he saw a great cloud of dust stirred up from the south and a large troop of Vandal cavalry led by Gelimer, for Gelimer was still ignorant of the slaughter of Gibamundus and the death of Amatas. ^B When they had come close to one another, the Vandals, having anticipated them, occupied the hill and appeared formidable to their enemies. The Romans, turning in flight, arrived at a village seven stades distant from Decimum. But God, beyond all expectation, struck the Vandals with fear; for if they had pursued them immediately, they would have completely destroyed them all, together with Belisarius himself (so numerous was the multitude of the Vandals), and they could have easily captured John, who was returning from Carthage and was occupied with pillaging the spoils of the dead. Gelimer, having left the hill where he found his dead brother, turned entirely to lamentations and wailing, by which the sharp edge of his victory was completely blunted. Belisarius, having ordered the fugitives to stand, soon arranged everything in order, reproached them for their cowardice, and, having learned of the slaughter the enemies had sustained and of the victory gained by John, he made an attack against Gelimer with intense speed and vigor of spirit. ^C The barbarians, found to be entirely unprepared for the engagement, turned to a headlong flight, and having lost many of their own and abandoned Carthage, they retreated to Medias. When night fell, Belisarius, John, and the Massagetae returned to Decimum, and upon hearing all that had happened, they rejoiced greatly. The following day, having brought up the infantry and also Belisarius's wife, they all made their journey toward Carthage. The Carthaginians opened the gates and, having lit lamps, went out in a body to meet Belisarius. The Vandals who were in the city took refuge in the temples. When the fleet also arrived, they raised the chain in the harbor and received them. The greater part of the fleet, observing the command of Belisarius, did not enter the harbor but anchored outside. Calonymus, however, having donned the mantle of disobedience, entered, and having plundered the ships, seized much wealth and entered ^D the temples and houses near the harbor, and took many prisoners. Belisarius, having taken Carthage without a struggle, admonished his soldiers, saying: "Behold, what great successes..."

attend us, since we have indeed conducted ourselves toward the peoples of Libya with moderation and temperance, as you can see. Now, let the same moderation be maintained in the city of Carthage, so that no one may unjustly receive a citizen, and no one may treat another’s property wickedly or plunder it. For our emperor has sent us to liberate these citizens, who have suffered many evils at the hands of the barbarian Vandals, to bring them aid, and finally to restore their liberty." ^A Having exhorted them in this way, he entered Carthage. He ascended to the palace, and sat upon Gelimer’s throne. To him came the merchants of Carthage and those who lived near the sea, lamenting that they had suffered plunder at the hands of the fleet. Belisarius made the naval commander, Calonymus, take an oath that he would restore everything that had been seized and return it to its rightful owners. But he, having appropriated some of it and violated his oath, did not long after pay the penalty; for, being driven out of his mind, he chewed off his own tongue and died. Belisarius feasted the people in royal fashion, and Gelimer’s own household staff set out the food, poured the wine, and performed the other services. Thus the general took the city with almost no tumult of war, so that not even an insult was brought upon any man, nor was it necessary for anyone in the market-place to lock his house; ^B but rather, the soldiers bought what they needed and ate and made merry. Those Vandals who had fled to the temples he brought out, having given them his word of honor. He also took care of the city walls, which had previously been neglected. It was said that an ancient rumor was still whispered in Carthage: "Gamma shall expel the Letter." And that has now been fulfilled; for formerly Gizerich expelled Bonifacius, and now Belisarius has expelled Gelimer.

Gelimer, however, by bestowing much money upon the laborers of Libya, brought them over to his side and ordered them to kill those of the Romans who were traversing the fields. When Belisarius learned that the laborers had done this, he sent Diogenes, one of his guards, to demand an account of the crime and to punish the laborers. ^C Diogenes, having entered a house with his companions, fell asleep, fearing nothing hostile. When Gelimer learned of this, he selected three hundred men and sent them against him. They went and surrounded the house where he was lying, for they were afraid to break in during the night. The Romans, becoming aware of this,

^A rising up, arming themselves, and mounting their horses—being twenty in number—suddenly threw open the gates; and, covering themselves with their shields and fighting bravely with their spears, they put the adversaries to flight.

Furthermore, Gelimer, having gone into Numidia, gathered all the Vandals and as many of the Moors as he had as friends, and prepared to renew the war. He also sent letters into Sardinia to Tzatzon, his own brother, indicating to him what had befallen him. He [Tzatzon], having departed immediately with all his people from Sardinia, reached the coast of Libya on the third day and found Gelimer. When they embraced one another by the neck, they did not speak a word to each other, but, saying only "Hail," kept holding each other tight and wept; and in like manner the whole army lamented their common calamity. Gelimer, taking both armies together, marched toward Carthage ^B and attempted to besiege it, thinking that the city would be surrendered to him by the Carthaginians, among whom the doctrine of Arius was cultivated, and by the Roman soldiers as well, toward whom that same doctrine had inclined. He also sent to the chieftains of the Huns, promising to give them many good things if they would surrender the Romans to him by treachery.

Belisarius, learning these things from the deserters, and having found a certain Laurentius who was a traitor dwelling in Carthage, impaled him on a hill before the city. Because of this, those who were plotting treachery fell into such great fear that the Massagetae openly revealed to them what had been secretly disclosed by Gelimer. Now that he had persuaded all in the army to be friendly toward him through his engaging words and even through oaths, he [Belisarius] immediately ordered John the Armenian to take all the cavalry—except for five hundred—and, having set out against the Vandals, to provoke a battle with skirmishes. He himself followed ^C later with the infantry forces and those five hundred horsemen.

When he found that the Vandals had encamped at Tricamarum, both sides remained near one another that night in their camps. A portent occurred in the Roman army: the tips of their spears shone with a great fire. Upon seeing this, they were struck with amazement, but, arming themselves at daybreak, both sides rushed to join battle. John, having chosen not many from his own troops, crossed the river and made an assault upon the Vandals. Tzatzon, holding his ground bravely and charging against him from the opposite side, put him to flight, and thus the pursuing Vandals reached as far as the river. But again John, taking most of the bodyguards of Belisarius, leaped against Tzatzon with a shout and a great clamor. And so a fierce battle takes place, and Tzatzon, the brother of Gelimer, falls. Then, indeed, the whole ^D

^A Roman army, having crossed the river, advanced upon the enemy, and putting them to flight, pursued them as far as their camp. And having returned, they stripped the dead, especially those who were adorned with gold, and retreated to their own camp. Fifty Romans died in this battle, and eight hundred Vandals. Belisarius, having arrived with the infantry in the late afternoon, setting out with all possible speed with the entire army, moved toward the Vandal camp. Gelimer, having learned that Belisarius was present with the infantry and the entire army, mounting his horse and giving no orders, fled in a state of agitation ^B toward Numidia with a few of his kinsmen and servants. When the Vandals realized he had fled and that the enemy were already in sight, then indeed the men, women, and children were thrown into confusion and wailed, and they cared neither for money nor for their dearest ones, though they were lamenting, but each fled wherever it was pleasant. The Romans, having approached, took the camp, and having pursued them all through the night, they slew as many men as they encountered, and considered the boys and women as slaves. They found such a multitude of riches as had never happened to be in one place. For having plundered the Roman empire, ^C they had brought much wealth into Libya; and since the country itself was good and fertile, they had amassed great revenues of wealth. For the Vandals had held Libya for ninety-five years, and having gathered much wealth, on that day all the wealth reverted to the hands of the Romans. For having waged war for three months, from the month of October to the end of December, Belisarius subjugated all of Libya. He sent John the Armenian with two hundred picked men to pursue Gelimer until he could take him dead or alive. And he, having reached ^D Gelimer, was about to take him, if a matter of this kind had not occurred: Uliarius, one of Belisarius’s guards, was with John, and, being drunk with wine, seeing a bird sitting on a tree, he stretched his bow and shot arrows at it, and he missed the bird, but struck John in the back of the neck. He, having been dealt a fatal blow, died, leaving behind a great mourning for himself to King Justinian, to Belisarius, and to all the Romans and Carthaginians. Thus Gelimer, having escaped on that day, went toward the Moors. Belisarius, having pursued him, shut him up in Papua, a mountain at the ends of Numidia. Having besieged him there throughout the winter, and all his supplies having run out...

indeed wandered, but struck John in the neck from behind. He, therefore, wounded by a lethal blow, and having abandoned his own desire and with much lamentation for the Emperor Justinian, for Belisarius, for all the Romans, and for the Carthaginians, perished. Gelimer, therefore, on that day, having taken to flight, withdrew to the Moors: but Belisarius, having pursued the fugitive, besieged him, having enclosed him on Mount Papua at the limits of Numidia. But with the siege set through the winter, he began to be pressed by a shortage of necessary things: for neither bread, nor wine, nor oil is produced among the Moors, but only emmer and barley, in the manner of animals lacking reason, and they eat these even unground. Brought into that calamity, Gelimer sought from Pharan, whom Belisarius had left to continue the ^A siege, that a lyre, one loaf of bread, and a sponge be sent to him by letter. To Pharan hesitating, and not knowing what these things might mean, the courier who had brought the letter added: "Not yet having seen bread, from the time he ascended the mountain, he desires to see bread; for his eyes, unwashed from that time and now filled with filth and aching, he seeks the sponge to soothe and wipe them; lastly, the lyre, he himself being wondrously skilled at playing the lyre, he desires, so that he might bewail the calamity of his present misfortune and pursue it with lamentation." Having heard these things, Pharan grieved, and bewailing the human lot, he granted what Gelimer had requested by letter, and sent everything that was necessary. The winter now having passed, Gelimer, fearing that he might be pressed by a tighter siege of the Romans, pitying especially the children of his own kin, who were teeming with maggots and suffering, softened in soul and entirely broken, wrote back to Pharan, that having been given a pledge of security, he himself with his own might transition to Belisarius. He, having confirmed this with an oath, having taken everyone, arrived at Carthage. And Belisarius received him ^B joyfully: but Gelimer approached Belisarius laughing. Some suspected that he had been alienated from his natural state of mind by the excess of his suffering and driven to insanity; but his friends claimed that he was prudent and sagacious, seeing that he, who had been born of royal stock, had previously held the kingdom, had possessed the firm protection of places and men, and had abounded in immense riches, in one moment of time [now faced] flight and every ^C misery, and having endured those things on Papua and now having come as a captive, he thought that human things were worth nothing, or worthy of much laughter. Belisarius, however, did not keep him in dishonor, along with all the leaders of the Vandals, so that he might lead him to the Emperor Justinian in Byzantium. And Belisarius immediately sent Cyril, along with the head of Tzatzon, to the island of Sardo ^D (38), which was formerly called Cyruna, and subjugated it for the Romans. To Caesarea in Mauretania he sent another John, which is a journey of thirty days from Carthage, and lies toward Gades and the setting of the sun. He also sent another John, one of his bodyguards, to the strait at Gades and the other of the Pillars of Heracles, to hold the fortress there which they call Septon. And to the...

islands near the entrance of the Ocean, Majorca and Minorca, he sent ^A Apollinaris, a man excellent in warfare. He also sent some of the Mauritanians and Vandals to Sicily (39) with orders to take the fortress. The Goths who were guarding this made these things known to the mother of Athalaric. She wrote to Belisarius not to take the fortress by tyranny until the Emperor Justinian should learn of it and do what he deemed best. In this way the Vandalic war came to an end.

But envy, as it is wont to do in great (40) prosperity ^B, also stirred against Belisarius. For some slandered him to the emperor, alleging that he was plotting a tyranny. The emperor, having sent Solomon, tested the intention of Belisarius, whether he should come to Byzantium with Gelimer and the Vandals, or whether he should remain there and send them on; for the leaders who had brought the charge of tyranny had not caught him [off guard regarding their plot]. Belisarius arrived at Byzantium, having left Solomon as general of Libya. Upon reaching Byzantium, Belisarius ^C was deemed worthy of great honors by Gelimer and the Vandals, such as those which in times past the Roman generals assumed after their greatest victories. Six hundred years having passed, no one had attained such honor except Titus and Trajan, and other emperors who, having led armies against the barbarian nation, had conquered. For as he displayed the spoils and the captives of the war, he marched them through the midst of the city, which the Romans call a triumph; not in the ancient manner, however, but on foot, ^D walking from his own house as far as the Hippodrome. The spoils were those that were accustomed to be dedicated to the service of the emperor’s state: golden thrones, and carriages in which the wives of the kings are carried, a great abundance of ornaments made from precious stones, golden goblets, and everything else that is useful for the emperor’s feast. There was also silver, weighing many myriads of talents, and all sorts of royal treasures which Gizerich had taken when he despoiled the palace in Rome; among which were also the treasures of the Jews which Vespasian and Titus had brought to Rome after the fall of Jerusalem.

^A The captives were led in triumph. Gelimer himself was clothed in a purple chlamys thrown over his shoulder, and all his kinsmen were with him, as well as those of the Vandals who were of very tall stature and handsome in body and countenance. When Gelimer arrived at the hippodrome, and saw the king sitting upon the tribunal and the people standing on both sides, he did not cease from crying out, repeating frequently: "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" When he arrived at the king's tribunal, they stripped him of the purple, and compelled him to bow down to the ground and do homage to the king. The king and the Augusta, with great liberality of wealth, received the children and grandchildren of Ilderich, and all those who were found to trace their lineage from the emperor Valentinian. To Gelimer, however, he assigned large and pleasant villages and towns throughout Galatia, in which he himself was allowed to dwell with his kinsmen; but because he refused to abandon the Arian heresy, he did not raise him to the rank of patrician. ^B After the triumph was celebrated, Belisarius subsequently held the consulship, and from his victory the people of Byzantium received such a largesse of money as was never heard of before.

Now when Solomon was administering Libya, the Maurusii moved their arms against the Libyans. These Maurusii drew their origin from the nations whom Jesus, the son of Nave, drove out from the region of the Phoenicians, from Sidon as far as Egypt, where they were dwelling. When they arrived in Egypt and were not received by the inhabitants, they proceeded into Libya and dwelt there (which in later times the emperors of the Romans, having subdued it, called Tingitana). And finally, they erected two columns of white stone at the sides of the Great Fountain, upon which they carved inscriptions in the Phoenician character and dialect to this effect: "We are those who fled from the face of Jesus the brigand, the son of Nave." There were also other indigenous nations in Libya, over whom Asclepias, king and son of the earth, as they called him, presided, who first laid the foundations of Carthage. Solomon, however, having led his forces out of Carthage, undertook an expedition against the Maurusii. When he arrived in Byzacium at the town of Rames, where the Maurusii had encamped by making a circle out of their herds of camels, ^C and had placed their women and children at the center of the circle, as well as themselves, he rode his horse and led five hundred picked men toward the center of the circle...

ordering them to attack the enemy and pierce the camels with their spears. About two hundred were killed, and he occupied the center of the enclosure where the women were sitting with a rapid dash. The barbarians, struck with terror, fled up the mountain in complete disorder. Ten thousand Moors were killed on that day, and all the women together with their children were taken prisoner. Having taken them, along with the camels and all the spoils, the, victors entered Carthage and celebrated a festival for the victory they had won. But the barbarians, having left none of their own behind, gathered together again with their wives and children, and marched against the Romans, ravaging the villages around Byzacium. ^B Solomon, having gathered all the forces of the army in opposition, marched against them; and when he had arrived at Bulgarion, which was the site of the enemy's camp, he drew up the whole army as if to begin a battle. The Moors, fearing to descend into the plain, remained for a long time on the mountain of Bulgarion. Solomon sent Theodore during the night with a thousand infantry and one of his standard-bearers, so that they might ascend the mountain behind the enemy during the night, and, as soon as the sun rose, lift their standards aloft and simultaneously burst upon the enemies. He himself, while it was still deep night, ascending toward dawn along with them, directed his course against the enemy. Seeing that they were surrounded and enclosed by the Romans on all sides, the barbarians fled toward the precipices, pushing one another and causing mutual slaughter in their confusion. Five myriads of Moors perished in the battle; of the Romans, not one was missing, nor did even one receive a wound, but all remained sound and carried off a complete victory. Many of their chieftains fled to the Romans. The number of women and children taken by the Romans was so great that they were sold to anyone wishing to purchase a Moorish boy for the price of a sheep. ^C And then the old oracle of the prophetess was fulfilled for them, that their multitude would be destroyed by a beardless man. For Solomon had been made a eunuch from childhood against his will, having lost his generative organs due to a disease. Having taken all the spoils, he returned to Carthage.

In this same year, a portent occurred in the heavens. ^D For the sun, stripped of its rays, possessed a light entirely like the moon for the whole year, obscured; and as it was frequently seen not full, as it was accustomed to be, it appeared to be enduring an eclipse. It was the...

^A tenth year of the reign of Justinian. At that same time, neither war nor deadly pestilence ceased to be inflicted upon wretched mortals. For at the beginning of spring, Belisarius was sent by Justinian to make Sicily tributary to the Romans. When he had wintered in that island, and the feast of Pascha arrived 44, the Romans who were in Libya rebelled against Solomon in the following manner: having taken the wives of the slaughtered Vandals, they held their lands as their own, and refused to pay the emperor the taxes due for them. Solomon exhorted them not to oppose the emperor’s decree, but rather to render to him what was seen to be his. Some of them, however, and especially the Goths, had lapsed into the Arian heresy; the priests of the Church held these excluded from the communion of the Church, and would not even baptize their children. Whence, upon the day of the solemn celebration of baptism, a sedition arose, and a plot was formed by the soldiers to kill Solomon in the church. Having gone out of the city, they pillaged its lands and treated the Libyans like enemies. Solomon, having heard of this, fell into great turmoil of mind and, with persuasive words, tried to induce the army to desist from the sedition. But they, having gathered in opposition, ^B shamelessly heaped insults upon Solomon and all the chief men. Then, proceeding to the palace, they chose Theodore the Cappadocian as their general by common vote, and, girded with iron, they killed everyone they encountered—whether Libyan or Roman—if he were an associate of Solomon, and they plundered his property, and entering into the houses, they snatched away all that was precious. Solomon, having fled to the sacred sanctuary of the palace, remained hidden. When the silence of night came on, he went out from the palace with the writer Procopius and Martin, and having boarded a ship, he arrived at Syracuse, a city of Sicily, to Belisarius, and by letter entrusted to Theodore the task of caring for Carthage and administering all matters in the name of the emperor. Moreover, the soldiers, having gathered at the Bules (Council) field 45, chose as tyrant Tzotzas, one of Martin’s bodyguards, a man by nature headlong in anger and ready for every crime, under whom, having driven out the emperor’s magistrates, they might hold Libya for themselves. Tzotzas, therefore, approaching ^C closer to the city of Carthage, ordered Theodore through a messenger to hand over the city to him as quickly as possible, if he wished for himself and his men to survive immune from harm. But the Carthaginians, together with Theodore, openly declared that they would hold the city in the name of the emperor. Tzotzas, having heard these things, set himself to the siege of the city. Belisarius, having selected one hundred men from his own bodyguards and sub-guards, whom Solomon was leading with him, sailed to Carthage in a single ship at the lighting of the lamps. When day had come, the tyrant and the soldiers learned of Belisarius...

arrival, and with great confusion of ranks they turned to shameful flight. Raising about two thousand men from his army, Belisarius pursued the fugitives and overtook them at the city of Membrasa. ^A When he saw them deserting their ranks and wandering without any order, he attacked them in like manner. They took to flight, and reaching Numidia, they gathered again. Few died in this battle, and most of them were Vandals; for Belisarius spared the Romans. Having plundered their camp, he discovered great riches in it, and those women on whose account the war had been started.

Having accomplished these things, Belisarius proceeded to Carthage. ^B But there arrived a messenger from Sicily who reported that a mutiny had broken out in the camp, ready to throw everything into confusion unless he should arrive in haste. Having arranged matters in Libya as best he could, and having entrusted Carthage to Ildeger and Theodore, he returned to Sicily. When Justinian learned of these things, he sent his nephew Germanus, a patrician, to Libya with Domnicus and Symmachus, men distinguished for their knowledge, and a few others. ^C When Germanus arrived in Carthage, he counted the soldiers and, having collected the books of the scribes in which the soldiers’ names were inscribed, he discovered that only a third part of the army—both in Carthage and in the other cities—remained on the side of the Emperor, while all the rest had joined the tyrant. On this account, he did not advance to battle, but he concerned himself with the army. He gave out that he had been sent by the Emperor to avenge the soldiers who had been wronged and to punish those who had been the authors of injustice against them. ^D When the soldiers heard this, they gradually began to defect to him. Germanus received them with great kindness and, after giving pledges, held them in esteem and paid their wages. When the rumor of this at last reached the ears of all, they abandoned the tyrant and returned to Carthage. Tzotzas, however, sensing the impending evil and having encouraged the allies who remained, marched against Carthage. Germanus drew up the army against him and marched out; the army fighting under him showed great alacrity of spirit, and they commended their own goodwill toward the Emperor to their leader, and persuaded him. Seeing this, those who followed Tzotzas were seized with sudden fear and withdrew into Numidia; nor had Germanus proceeded far with the whole army when he caught up with them, and he found that many myriads of Moorish barbarians had joined them, under the leadership of Juda and Ar...

Arthias. ^A They joined battle, and as the struggle grew fierce, someone killed the horse that Germanus was riding. Germanus fell headlong to the ground and would have been in extreme danger, had not his guards gathered around him in armor, brought up a horse with all speed, and lifted him back up. The dissident soldiers therefore turned to flight, and Tzotzas, in the midst of this confusion, was barely able to escape with a few men. Germanus ordered those who were nearest to him to charge straight into the enemy camp, and he captured it once the battle was renewed. Then, however, the soldiers began plundering the wealth they found on ^B the spot without any selection or restraint, caring nothing for their commander and showing him no respect whatever. Fearing that the enemy might regain their courage and attack him, Germanus halted, lamenting such disgraceful behavior and calling them back into order. But the Moors, seeing this rout, charged upon the dissident soldiers and pursued them along with the emperor’s army. Tzotzas, who had placed all his confidence in them, seeing this turn against him on their part, took to flight with a hundred others and withdrew into the interior of Mauretania, and thus at last the sedition ended. The emperor recalled Germanus, together with Domnicus and Symmachus, to Byzantium, and committed the administration of Libya once again to Solomon. This was the thirteenth year of the reign of Justinian; ^C he also added other governors of Libya: Rufinus, Leontius, and John the son of Sisinnios. Solomon, having sailed to Carthage, governed the people with moderation and guarded Libya securely, organizing the army in such a way that if he held anyone among the soldiers to be suspicious, he immediately sent him to Byzantium.

Belisarius, having recovered Sicily and Rome, as well as the neighboring cities which were held by Jutgius, for Roman authority, brought Jutgius with his wife and children to Justinian in Byzantium. The emperor sent Narses the cubicularius with a strong fleet to Rome to govern the affairs there. Solomon, having ^D managed affairs well at Carthage and in Libya, marched against the Moors. First, he dispatched Gogdarius, one of his guards—a man commended for his integrity and military skill—with an army. He, having arrived at the river Bigas, pitched camp at the deserted city of Baugae. There, a battle having taken place, he was defeated and retreated into the rampart, where he was pressed by the continuous siege of the Moors. Hearing this from a nearby location, Solomon flew to the rescue with all speed. The barbarians...

seized with fear, retreated and pitched their camp at the foothills of Mount Abrasium. ^A Solomon engaged them in battle and put them to flight. The Moors fled to the difficult, craggy locations of the mountain and soon directed their path toward the Mauri. Solomon, having plundered the plains around Mugada and laid waste to all their territory by fire, and having carried off a vast amount of supplies, returned to the fortress of Zerbulen, where Eaudas had taken refuge with twenty thousand Moors. Eaudas, however, abandoning the fortress, ascended to the heights of Mount Abrasium and chose to remain quiet. Solomon besieged the fortress of Zerbulen for three days, and having plundered everything within it and established guards there, proceeded onward. He was considering where it might be possible to reach the summit of the mountain, which was both sheer and held by great ^B difficulty. But God made a path in this impassable place in the following way: one of the soldiers of the infantry, of the rank of *Optio* (52), Genson by name, whether moved by his own martial spirit or stirred by some divine impulse, began to ascend alone toward the enemy. Behind him followed some of his fellow soldiers, marvelling at what was happening. Three of the Moors, appointed to guard the approach, caught sight of the man from a distance and, assuming he was coming toward them, ran to meet him on the path. Because they were proceeding singly and alone due to the narrowness of the place, he killed the first, then the second likewise, and finally pierced the third. When those who were following behind witnessed this, they rushed toward the enemy with great noise and confusion. As soon as the Roman army heard and saw what was happening, they did not wait for the general, nor for the signal of the trumpets, nor did they keep their formation, but ^C making a great clamor and cheering one another on, they ran toward the enemy's camp. There, indeed, Rufinus and Leontius performed feats worthy of note against the enemy. Immediately the barbarians fled wherever each was able. Eaudas, having been struck in the thigh by a javelin, escaped and retreated toward the Mauri. The Romans, having plundered the enemy's camp, no longer left Mount Abrasium unguarded, but built fortifications and kept watch over it. There was a rock there, extremely steep, on which the Moors had built a tower and made it a stronghold—a refuge that was both powerful and most unassailable. There, it happened, Eaudas had deposited his wealth ^D and his wives, with one guard.

^A of his property appointed. For he had never supposed that the enemy would reach this tower, nor that they could take it by force. But the Romans, while exploring the difficult ravines of Mount Aurasium, happened upon the place. One of their number even attempted to climb the tower in jest, and he was met with laughter and mocking from the women and the old man. The Roman, however, creeping up with his hands and feet, when he had approached closer, drew his sword and leaped forth, and reaching the old man's neck, cut off his head. Then the soldiers, having now taken courage and holding onto one another, climbed into the tower and, seizing the women and the great wealth stored there, brought them to Solomon.

Solomon surrounded the cities in Libya with walls and fortified them. After the Moors had been defeated and had withdrawn from Numidia, he made the province of Zaba ^B and Mauretania, with Etephes as its capital, tributary to the Romans. For Caesarea is the chief metropolis of the other Mauretania, which Belisarius had previously subdued. Because of this, all the Libyans became subjects of the Romans and enjoyed secure peace. After four years had passed in this peace, in the seventeenth year of Justinian, Cyrus and Sergius, the children of Bacchus, brother of Solomon, were sent by the emperor to govern Libya; Cyrus administered Pentapolis, and Sergius administered Tripolis.

The Moors sent their elders to the city of Leptis Magna to Sergius, that they might offer him gifts and secure the peace. Sergius, following the counsel of a Tripolitan man named Pudentius, admitted eighty of the more notable barbarians into the city, promising to fulfill all their requests, and he confirmed the peace with oaths. He sent the rest out into the suburb, and calling them all to a feast, he slaughtered them ^C. One of them, however, slipped away secretly and, having escaped the danger, reported what had been attempted to his tribesmen. Upon hearing this, they returned at a run to their own camp, and having joined forces with all the rest, they took up arms against the Romans. Sergius, with Pudentius, went to meet them, and a battle being joined, Pudentius was killed after losing many of his men. Sergius, seized by frantic terror, sailed to Carthage to his uncle Solomon.

All Tripolitana was abandoned by the Moors, and the barbarians, after plundering all the districts round about ^D and carrying off a multitude of Roman captives, [set out] against Pentapolis.

^A Cyrus, having received news of this, took to flight and sailed to Carthage. The barbarians, with no one resisting them, captured the city of Berenice and marched upon Carthage, and having reached Byzacium, they plundered a great many of the fields there by raiding them. Antalas, having a enmity against Solomon because he had killed his brother, joined the barbarians and guided them against Carthage and Solomon. Solomon, having heard these things, took his army and rushed against them. Having come to the city of ^B Bestes, which was a six-days' journey from Carthage, he encamped there. Cyrus and Sergius and the younger Solomon, the children of Bacchus, were with him. Seeing the multitude of the barbarians and being struck with fear, he sent to their leaders, rebuking them for having taken up arms against the Romans even though they were bound by treaties, and stating that it was fitting for peace to be maintained and confirmed by oaths. The barbarians, mocking what was said, replied: "Since Sergius, having sworn upon the Gospels, kept his oaths well by killing eighty of our men, how then are we to believe *your* oaths now?" When the battle was joined, the Romans were turned to flight. The horse having stumbled, Solomon was killed, and those guarding him as well. Sergius, his nephew, was entrusted by the Emperor with the administration of Libya. ^C But John, the son of Sisinniolus, and the other leaders harbored such great hatred toward Sergius that they did not want to lift their weapons against the enemy, and meanwhile the barbarians were plundering everything with total impunity. Antalas wrote to the Emperor Justinian to this effect: "All the Maurusians desire to serve you and to love you, but, not bearing the violent yoke of Solomon and his nephews, they have rebelled. Remove these men, and peace will be established between the Romans and the Maurusians." The Emperor did not agree to do this. Antalas and the Maurusian army gathered again in Byzacium, and with them was Tzotzas, having few soldiers and Vandals. The Libyans urged John, the son of Sisinniolus, to muster an army and march against the enemy along with Himerius, the commander of the ^D levies in Byzacium. Having taken the army, he went against the enemies and ordered Himerius to advance. A battle having taken place, the Romans were defeated, and the barbarians captured Himerius alive along with his army; and having put him in prison, they handed the soldiers over to Tzotzas, who made them swear to fight against the Romans. By treachery, through Himerius, they took the city of Hadrumetum. Some of the Libyans fled to Sicily, while others fled to other islands and

^A to Byzantium. The Maurusii and Tzotzas, with no one to withstand them, ravaged all of Libya.

Now those who had crossed from Libya to Byzantium petitioned the emperor repeatedly to send an army and a superior commander into Libya. The emperor, however, sent Areobindus with a small number of soldiers—a man otherwise noble and prudent, but entirely unskilled and inexperienced in military matters—and with him Athanasius and a few Armenians, led by Artabanes and John, the Arsacids. He did not, however, recall Sergius; rather, he ordered both him and Areobindus to be commanders of Libya: Sergius was to carry on the war against the barbarians who were in Numidia, while Areobindus was to fight against the Maurusii who held Byzacium. ^B When Areobindus reached Libya, he took half the army and sent John, the son of Constantiolus, to fight against Tzotzas and the rest of the barbarians. John, seeing the multitude of the enemy, realized he was compelled to join battle with them. He bore a great enmity against Tzotzas, such that each prayed to be the slayer of the other, and so to die. The battle having begun, both advanced from their respective camps and rushed upon each other. John drew his bow and aimed a missile at Tzotzas’s right groin; from this, Tzotzas died a few days later. The barbarians, however, attacking the enemy with great fury—being an infinite number—slew John and all the Romans to a man. They say that he, while dying, said: "I die a pleasant death, my prayer concerning Tzotzas having been fulfilled." Tzotzas, upon learning of John’s death, also perished in joy. John the Armenian also died in that war.

^C Upon hearing this, the emperor was distressed; he removed Sergius from his position and recalled him, entrusting the entire administration of Libya to Areobindus alone. But scarcely two months had passed when one Gottharius, a commander of the registers of recruits, having devised a plot against Areobindus, secretly incited the Maurusii to undertake an expedition against the Carthaginians. Immediately, therefore, an army of the enemy from the regions of Numidia and Byzacium assembled at an appointed place and marched with great eagerness for battle toward Carthage. ^D Cunzinas and Haudas were in command of the Numidians, and Antalas of the Byzacians. John the tyrant was also present with them, in place of Tzotzas, with his soldiers. When Areobindus learned of this, trusting Gottharius as a friend, he entrusted the entire army to him and sent him, together with Artabanes and the Armenians, against the enemy. He...

Gottharius sent his own cook, a Moor by birth, to the barbarians to speak to Antalas, signifying that Gottharius wished to take him as a partner in his rule over Libya. Antalas received the message gladly; however, he replied that it was not safe for such matters to be managed by a cook. Hearing this, Gottharius sent Ulistheus, his own bodyguard, whom he trusted, to Antalas, urging him to draw near to Carthage so that he might dispatch Areobindus. Ulistheus met secretly with Antalas, and they agreed that Antalas should rule over Byzacium and take half of Areobindus’ wealth, as well as one thousand five hundred Roman soldiers to join him, while Gottharius would assume the imperial status and take possession of Carthage. Having arranged these matters, Ulistheus returned to Gottharius. ^B

The barbarians moved against Carthage with great haste. Having reached the Decimum and encamped there, they marched on Carthage the following day. Encountering them, the Roman army unexpectedly engaged them in battle and killed many of the Moors. Gottharius blamed and mocked these men, claiming they were acting rashly and bringing the Roman situation into danger. Areobindus, having sent to Cunzina, urged him to become a traitor against the Moors; he agreed to do so. For the race of the Moors is untrustworthy both toward others and toward everyone. Areobindus confided this to Gottharius. ^C But he advised Areobindus not to trust Cunzina. Having sent Ulistheus, he disclosed these things to Antalas. Gottharius intended to kill Areobindus secretly and persuaded him to leave Carthage and be found in the war. Areobindus, being inexperienced in war and unable to put on his armor, delayed. And so the time of the day passed; thus, having deferred the battle until the next day, he rested. Gottharius, suspecting that he was making this delay on purpose—since he was aware of the things being done—openly rebelled against him. Areobindus quickly abandoned Carthage, fled, and having entered a ship, intended to sail for Byzantium, had not the winter ^D that set in between prevented him. Having sent for Athanasius in Carthage, he summoned some men, among whom was Artabanes, who urged Areobindus strongly neither to despair nor to tremble or fear Gottharius; but rather to go himself, together with all those who followed him, before any further evil could come about. Gottharius slandered Areobindus to the soldiers, as being unmanly, cowardly, and unwilling to give them their pay. Areobindus, together with Artabanes and his followers, went out against Gottharius.

And a battle took place upon the battlements and at the other gates. ^A Most of the soldiers did not know what Gottharius had plotted, and they gathered together and armed themselves against him. But Areobindus, seeing men being killed—and being unused to such a spectacle—could not bear the cowardice, and he fled; he took refuge in the monastery by the sea, which Solomon had built and fortified like a secure citadel, with his wife and sister. Then Artabanes also took to flight.

Gottharius, having won a decisive victory, took the palace. He summoned the city’s high priest and Athanasius, and ordered them to give their pledge to Areobindus and bring him to the palace, threatening that if he refused to obey, he would lay siege to him, and that there would no longer be any hope of safety or trust left for him. Areobindus, ^B therefore, having received the pledge from the bishop Reparatus, came into the sight of Gottharius; he fell prostrate and lay there, holding out the Gospels as a supplication, in which the bishop had sworn and given him his pledge. Gottharius raised him up, having sworn to everyone that he would do him no harm, but that on the following day he would be sent to Byzantium with his wife and his wealth. Having dismissed the priest, he took Areobindus and Athanasius to dine with him in the palace. He honored Areobindus and asked him to recline first upon the couch, and after they had dined well, he ordered him to sleep in the commander’s bedchamber. But having sent Aulistheus with certain others, ^C who were shouting and making a clamor, he killed him. He spared Athanasius, however, on account of his old age. On the following day, he sent the head of the man who had been killed to Antalas, but having kept the wealth, he gave nothing of it to him according to the agreements.

Antalas, having learned what had been done to Areobindus and reflecting upon the perjury of Gottharius, wished to go over to the side of the Emperor Justinian. Artabanes, having received the pledge from Gottharius, went up to the palace with the Armenians and acknowledged that he was a servant of the tyrant. But he planned to kill him secretly. Having confided his plan to his nephew Gregory and his bodyguard Artaserius, Gregory said to him: ^D "Now, Artabanes, there is an opportunity for you alone to win the glory of Belisarius. For he, having received a great army and money from the Emperor, and with leaders accompanying him, and a fleet such as no one had ever heard of, with much labor made Libya tributary to the Romans; but now that it has once again fallen away into its former state from the beginning, it lies with you alone to offer it back to the Emperor and to save the situation. Consider your lineage, that you are an Arsacid from of old, and that, being noble, it is always fitting that you perform brave deeds and display many acts of virtue. For you, being young, in..."

^A memory, successfully withstood Acacius, the Armenian magistrate, and Tzitzas, the Roman general, in hand-to-hand combat, and at the same time served under Chosroes, King of the Persians. Being such a man, then, do not suffer the Roman Empire to be held any longer by a drunken dog. Those things which are in our power, should you so command, I and Artaserius will perform." Gottharis thereupon appointed Artabanes to lead the army and ordered him to set out against Antalas and the Moors who were occupying Byzacium. John, the author and leader of the rebellion, and Ulistheus the bodyguard also accompanied him; and Moors, under the leadership of Cunzinas, followed him as well. Having joined battle with Antalas and the barbarians, he put them to flight. ^B Artabanes, moved by a sudden cowardice, turned his standards back and returned to the camp. Ulistheus, indeed, was contemplating killing him in the camp. But Artabanes, claiming that he had been afraid lest the barbarians, sallying forth from the city of Adramytum, should bring aid to the enemy and work irreparable harm upon us, maintained that it was necessary for Gottharis himself to come with the whole army, and only then would the enemies be completely destroyed. Having returned to Carthage, he reported all these things to the tyrant. The tyrant, having consulted with Pasiphilus, decided to arm the entire army and to march with it to battle, leaving behind only the guards for the city. Each day, however, Gottharis was putting many to death on suspicion alone. Having gone out of Carthage to a suburb where, from of old, three couches had been set, he reclined upon them ^C with Artabanes, Athanasius, and Peter, the bodyguard of Solomon. Artabanes, therefore, deeming the time opportune for the murder of the tyrant, revealed his plan to Gregory, Artaserius, and certain trusted bodyguards. He ordered the bodyguards to be inside under arms (for it was the custom for bodyguards to stand behind the commanders while they were at table) and to set upon the enterprise suddenly when he himself should signal that the time had come, having instructed Artaserius to be the first to set his hand to the task. He also commanded Gregory to select many of the most daring of the Armenians, to bring them to the palace armed only with swords, and to reveal the plans to none of them. As the drinking progressed and Gottharis was well-soaked with wine, ^D Artaserius drew his sword and rushed against the tyrant. One of the servants, seeing the sword naked, cried aloud: "What is this, my good man?" Gottharis turned his face to look at him, but Artaserius struck him with his sword and severed his right hand. Artabanes then leaped up, drew a dagger, and plunged it into the tyrant's side up to the hilt, and suddenly dispatched him. Then Artabanes...

^A ordered Athanasius to take charge of the treasures in the palace, as he had ^B done under Areobindus. When the guards learned of the death of Gontharis, they hailed Justinian as the victor and emperor. Consequently, those loyal to the emperor rushed into the houses of the conspirators and killed them. John, however, took refuge with the Vandals in the church, but Artabanes gave them safe conduct, led them out, and sent them to Byzantium. The murder of the tyrant occurred thirty-six days after his tyranny began, in the nineteenth year of Justinian. ^B By this deed, Artabanes won great glory among all men. Prejecta, the wife of Areobindus, rewarded him with great gifts. And the emperor appointed him commander of Libya. But not long after, Artabanes resigned from that office and went to the emperor in Byzantium, and the emperor appointed John, the brother of Pappus, commander of Libya. When John arrived in Libya, ^C he campaigned against Antalas and the Moors who were occupying Byzacium, and having fought them, he won a victory and killed many of the enemy, and recovering the standards which the barbarians had taken from Solomon, he sent them to the emperor in Byzantium. He also drove the rest of the barbarians out of the Roman lands. But some time later, the Leuathae, with a great army from the regions near Tripoli, arrived in Byzacium and joined Antalas; John, having met them, was defeated, and having lost many of his men, he retreated as far as Carthage. The barbarians then descended as far as Carthage, plundering its villages and towns. Later, however, John roused the courage of his soldiers, and having taken the Moors and others, including those under Cunzina, into the alliance, he fought them, routed them, and pursuing them fiercely, he slaughtered a great multitude. The rest fled to the furthest reaches of Libya, and thus the state of affairs in Libya attained deep peace.

A. M. 6027.—First year of John, bishop of Jerusalem. ^D In this year, the king of the Iberians, Zamanargus, came to Constantinople to the most pious Emperor Justinian with his wife and all his courtiers, beseeching him to be admitted into an alliance and faithful friendship with the Romans. The emperor, having approved his proposal, received him and his courtiers with worthy honors; likewise, the Augusta (received them) with various finery and with gems

and sent them away in peace to their own kingdom. ^A A. M. 6028. — A. C. 528. — First year of Agapetus, Bishop of Rome.

In this year, the city of Pompeiopolis in Mysia suffered a great calamity, struck by a divine scourge. For the earth was split by a great earthquake, and half the city was swallowed up along with its inhabitants; and they were beneath the earth, and the voices of them crying out to be pitied were heard. The emperor contributed much for them to be rescued and assisted, and he rewarded with great gifts those who went to search for them among the ruins and rubble.

In this same year, Justinian handed down for singing in the churches the: "Only-begotten Son and Word of God." He also set up the clock in the Milion. ^B

A. C. 529. — First year of Anthimus, Bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Epiphanius the bishop having departed this life in the month of June, on the fifth day, in the fifteenth indiction, after having held the episcopate for sixteen years and three months, Anthimus, the heretical bishop of Trapezus, was translated to Constantinople. In this same time, Agapetus, the Bishop of Rome, having come up to Constantinople, convened a synod ^C against the impious Severus and Julian of Halicarnassus and the other Theopaschites, among whom also Anthimus, the bishop of Constantinople, as one of like mind with them, was deposed and cast out, having held the episcopate for ten months; and in his stead, Menas, a priest and superintendent of the hospice of Samson, was ordained by Agapetus, the Pope of Rome. Agapetus, the Bishop of Rome, [was] in Byzantium... ^D

That Roman pontiff Agapetus, while tarrying in Byzantium, rested in the Lord, and in the place of the deceased was consecrated Sylvester, who lived for one year. ^A

A.C. 530. — Year one of Sylvester, bishop of Rome. Year one of Mennas, bishop of Constantinople. Year one of Gaenas, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, on the twenty-seventh day of the month of December, in the first indiction, the first dedication of the Great Church took place. The procession of the suppliant people went out from the church of Saint Anastasia, with the patriarch Mennas sitting in the imperial chariot, and the emperor himself proceeding among the people. From the day of the burning of the most holy Great Church until its dedication, five years, eleven months, and ten days intervened. ^B

A.C. 531. — Year one of Vigilius, bishop of Rome. Year one of Theodosius, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, the Bulgars—two kings with an innumerable multitude of Bulgars and a *drungus*—moved their arms into Scythia and Mysia, while Justin was acting as master of soldiers in Mysia and Bandarius in Scythia. They, having gone out against the Bulgars, joined battle, in which Justin, the master of soldiers, fell; in whose place Constantine, son of Florentius, was substituted. And the Bulgars broke through as far as the parts of Thrace. Against them went out Acum the Hun—whom the emperor had received from the sacred font—the master of soldiers for Illyricum, who undertook an expedition. Therefore, the Romans, having closed the Bulgars in on all sides with their forces, cutting them down with the sword, laid low an ^C innumerable multitude of them, seized all their booty, and, having taken away their two kings, won a glorious victory by their own valor. As they were returning from the battle, happy, other Bulgars met them and cut off their path, just as if trapping them with a snare, while they were fleeing; Constantius, Acum, and Godillas. Godillas, indeed, having cut through his snare with the work of his sword, escaped. But Constantine, together with Acum, was taken alive. Constantine, indeed, was ransomed for the price of a thousand coins and returned to Constantinople; but Acum was kept with the rest of the captives and they returned to their own homes. ^D

In this same year, Chosroes, king of the Persians, took great Antioch, which is in Syria: and

having entered Apamea and other cities, he took them by force of arms and arrived as a victor.

^A A.M. 6032. [A.C. 532]. — In this year, Mundus, who traced his lineage from the Gepids, a son of Giesmus, who after the death of his father had come to his uncle on his mother’s side, the king of Sirmium, came over to the Roman side. Upon this being known, King Theuderich at Rome sent envoys to him; convinced by their words, he went to Theuderich and stayed with him, becoming an ally in his wars. After Theuderich had fulfilled his fate, he came to the river Danube and requested Emperor Justinian that he be henceforth considered a subject of his empire. He even came to Constantinople, and the emperor, having honored him with great gifts together with his son, dismissed him, having appointed him master of the soldiers in Illyricum. Upon his arrival in Illyricum, a countless host of Bulgarians blocked his path: yet he nonetheless opened a way with the sword, and, rushing upon his adversaries, destroyed them all. He sent the select men among the captives, along with many others, to Constantinople, where they were led in public mockery through the hippodrome. There followed a profound peace through Thrace, the Huns fearing any longer to cross the Danube. The emperor sent the Bulgarian captives to Armenia and Lazica, and had them enrolled in the military registers.

A.M. 6033. [A.C. 533]. — First year of Paul, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, being the fourteenth of Justinian, Chosroes, king of the Persians, made his fourth incursion into the Roman domain. Having arrived in the province of Commagene, he intended to march against Palestine and Jerusalem, in order to plunder the treasures stored in Jerusalem. For he had heard that this region was fertile and wealthy with inhabitants. The Romans, however, did not intend to meet them in any way; rather, they occupied the fortified places, each as best he could, wishing to guard these and preserve themselves. Justinian, having learned of these things, sent Belisarius again from the region of the bishop of Alexandria, Paul—

^A [†] having returned from the Western parts to them, he sent him. He, riding on public horses 18, arrived with great speed in Euphratensis. Justus, the emperor’s nephew, along with Buzes, the master of the soldiers of the East, chanced to have taken refuge in Hierapolis. When they heard that Belisarius had arrived, they wrote to him, asking him to come to them and to protect Hierapolis with arms. But Belisarius rebuked them severely in his reply, saying that it was neither equitable nor good to protect one city while meanwhile allowing the enemy to roam freely through the Roman domain and ravage the other cities of the empire. "For you know well," he said, "that death adorned with virtue is far to be preferred to safety gained without a battle; for this would not rightly be called safety, but manifest betrayal. But come as quickly as possible to the district of Europus, where, having collected the whole army, I have hope, God willing, to prevail over the enemy." ^B Having heard these things, the commanders took heart, and they left Justus with a few men to guard Hierapolis, while the rest came to Europus 19. When Chosroes learned that Belisarius and the whole Roman army were encamped at Europus, he stood amazed and decided to advance no further, but instead sent Abandazes [(78)] the secretary, a prudent man, to Belisarius, purportedly to spy upon the general and the camp, while pretending to complain that the Emperor Justinian had not sent the envoys to Persia to negotiate the preservation of peace treaties. Belisarius, learning that he had come for the sake of an embassy, himself selected six thousand men 21, handsome in stature and tall, and went out from the camp ^C as if to hunt. He ordered Diogenes the bodyguard and Adulius, an Armenian, to cross the river with a thousand horsemen, ostensibly to test the fords of the river. When Belisarius learned that the envoy was approaching, he pitched his tent [(79)] in a desolate place, signifying that he had arrived there without any preparation. He commanded the soldiers to stand on either side of the tent—these were Thracians, Illyrians, Goths, and Heruls, to whom were also added Vandals and Moors—and to occupy a great expanse of the plain [(80)]; for they did not serve as servants, nor did they remain in one place, but walked about circling, as if hunting, and looked at Chosroes' envoy casually, ^D as if in passing, and they moved about girded and cheerful of face, carrying axes and javelins. When Abandazes came into the sight of Belisarius, he [seemed] to be distressed...

said that Chosroes was pained that Justinian, neglecting their pacts, had not sent ambassadors to him to discuss peace, and had thereby compelled Chosroes to wage war against the Romans. Belisarius, as if making almost nothing of his words, referred the whole cause of the war to Chosroes ^B as if to its author. For if he were held by a desire for peace, he certainly would never have entered the Roman domain to seek it; but rather, remaining in his own territory, he would have awaited the coming of the ambassadors. Having said these things, he dismissed the ambassador.

The ambassador, having returned to Chosroes, reported that he had seen Belisarius, a general exceeding in prudence and conspicuous for the fortitude of his spirit; but as for his soldiers, gathered from various nations, as far as one could conjecture from the adornment of their armor, such as he remembered never to have seen elsewhere. Since he was nowhere an advocate for fighting a war of this kind—lest, if he himself were defeated, the whole race of the Persians and the sum of the kingdom should experience danger within the Roman domain, and yet [lest] he should find no convenient place for a retreat—he deemed that, if he were to win, it was not to be greatly esteemed; for [if he defeated] only one Roman commander, he would still be outmatched [by the Empire]. Chosroes, at his counsel, began to think of returning to his own seat; for he feared to attempt the ford of the river, as the Romans were occupying it.

Having pondered many things in his mind, he finally sent to Belisarius, requesting that he recall those who had crossed the river, and procure for him a safe departure. Belisarius immediately sent ambassadors to him, commended his retreat, and affirmed that [others] would quickly be sent by the Emperor who would establish a firm peace with him. Chosroes, however, requested that he might have a safe passage through the Roman lands, free from danger. Therefore, Belisarius sent John of Edessa, a most illustrious man, as a hostage to Chosroes, so that he might go through the Roman lands more safely.

Meanwhile, the Romans followed Belisarius with happy vows and auspicious ^C acclamations, noting that he had attained greater glory from this deed than when he brought Gelimer, captured in war, and Wittigis, the two kings, to Constantinople. And it was truly a feat worthy of memory and praise that, when all the Romans, struck with fear, had hidden themselves in safer places, and Chosroes had penetrated into the middle of the provinces of the Roman empire, one man, having been brought with swift course from Byzantium, dared to oppose his camp to the army of the King of the Persians; and by his own wisdom he brought it about that Chosroes, deceived by this unexpected turn of events, returned home with his business unfinished.

In the same year, to Timothy, bishop of Alexandria ^D

^A after his death, the impious Severus, the adulterous occupant of the see of Antioch, and Julian of Halicarnassus, having fled Alexandria, were caught split into disagreement with one another regarding the corruptible and the incorruptible, being strangers to the truth. And some put forward Theodosius, others Gainas, to be bishop of Alexandria; and Gainas held the bishopric for a year, and Theodosius for two. Justinian summoned them by letter and brought them to Byzantium, and ordered them to live separated from one another. He put forward Paul, whom he deemed to be orthodox, as bishop of Alexandria. This man, having remembered the unsacred Severus in the ecclesiastical prayers and sacrifices, was cast out of the bishopric by the emperor's wrath, and having gone away, he spent his time in Jerusalem.

A. M. 6054. — In this year in the month of October, the fifth indiction, the great pestilence ^B occurred in Byzantium. And at the same time, the Hypapante, or Meeting of the Lord, began to be celebrated in Byzantium on the second day of the month of February. And on the sixteenth day of the month of August, of the same fifth indiction, a great earthquake occurred in Constantinople, and the churches and houses fell, and especially the wall by the Golden Gate. The spear also fell, which the statue standing in the Forum of Saint Constantine was holding, and the right hand of the statue of the Xerolophos; and many died, and a great fear occurred.

A. M. 6055. — First year of Zoilus, bishop of Alexandria. In this year it happened that the king of the Exumites ^C waged war against the king of the Homerites, who were Jews, for the following cause. ^D

^A The king of the Exumites is located further inland than Egypt, and follows the Jewish custom. Now, Roman merchants would travel through the territory of the Homerites to reach the Exumites and the further regions of the Indians and Ethiopians. As these merchants were traveling, as was their custom, through the mountainous regions of the Homerite, Damianus, their king, killed them and seized all their belongings, saying that the Romans were harming and killing the Jews who lived in his own territory. Because of this, the trade of the Exumite with the further Indians was severed. Being enraged, Adad, the king of the Exumites, sent word to the Homerite, saying, “You have injured my kingdom and the further India by preventing the Roman merchants from coming to us.” They came to great enmity and joined in battle against one another. And as they were about to fight, Adad, the king of the Exumites, made a vow, saying, “If I defeat the Homerite, I shall become a Christian, and I fight on behalf of the Christians.” By the agency of God, he conquered with great power and took alive as a captive Damianus, their king; he took their country and his royal city. ^B Having given thanks to God, King Adad of the Exumites sent to King Justinian to receive a bishop and clergy, and to be taught and become a Christian. Justinian rejoiced greatly at this and ordered that a bishop, whomever they might wish, be given to them. The envoys, after making a careful search, selected the *paranomarios* of Saint John in the Great Church of Alexandria, a man pious and renowned for his virginal purity, aged sixty-two, named John. And having taken him, they departed for their own land to their king, Adad. And thus they all believed in Christ and were baptized.

^C A. M. 6036. In this year, on the sixth day of the month of September, on the first day of the seventh indiction, a great earthquake occurred throughout the whole world, such that half of Cyzicus collapsed. In the same year, the great bronze ^D column near the palace, which is called the Augusteus, was completed, and the equestrian statue of the Emperor Justinian was raised upon it. In the same year, a certain itinerant entertainer from the lands of the Italians, named Andreas, arrived with a tawny and blind dog, which, when commanded by him, would perform spectacles. For while standing in the forum, with a large crowd of people gathered around, he would secretly take from the bystanders their ring

rings, both gold and silver and iron; and he would place them upon the ground, covering them with dirt. And then he would permit the dog, and it would take them, and give to each his own. Likewise, it would also bring out, mixed and confused, the coins of various emperors, by name and one by one. Furthermore, a crowd of men and women standing around, being questioned, he would point out those pregnant, and the fornicators, and the adulterers, and the stingy, and the magnanimous; and he would point everything out with truth. Whence they said that he possessed a Pythian spirit (92).

A. M. 6057. — In this year the sea (93) rose up against Thrace for four miles, and covered it over the parts of Odyssus and Dionysiopolis and Aphrodision; and many were drowned in the waters. And again, by God’s command, the same sea was restored to its own places.

A. M. 6058. — First year of Peter, bishop of Jerusalem. First year of Domnus, bishop of Antioch. In this year there occurred a shortage of wheat and wine and much winter weather (94), and there was a great earthquake in Byzantium, and a disturbance concerning the holy Pascha (95). [JAC. GOARI NOTÆ] (92) That is, *pythomantheia*, and a diviner among those who inquire. Jerome in *Ezech.*, chap. xiv, calls it a Pythic spirit. (93) Procopius, *De bello Gotthorum* III, records this swelling of the sea at the eighteenth year of Justinian, which begins from September. (94) *Cheimon*, as rendered by Anastasius, whom I follow, and I have translated as "continuous rain-flood." For the more recent Greeks call an abundance of rain *cheimon*, and it is not as accustomed to arise from ice or cold, as from flooding and continuous rains, causing a shortage of wheat and wine. (95) Petavius, desiring to set this passage for the text, which is obscured by the brevity of the text and the error superimposed by Scaliger, into a clear light where he thought the manifest rays shine forth, has incautiously fallen into the opposing barrier and its shadow in the *theoria* to the notes on Nicephorus, and in *De doct. temp.*, book IV, chap. 24. Therefore he found light, but did not fully escape the shadow. He certainly illustrated the mutation of the holy Pascha, I would say *eversion* rather than "destruction" of the holy Pascha as with Anastasius and the *Miscella*, or with others an inverted order. For since, according to the Nicene canon, it is forbidden for Christians to celebrate the holy Pascha at the same time as the Jews and the Quartodecimans, and when the fourteenth moon happens to fall on a Lord’s day, it is fitting that the Paschal feast should be postponed to another following day: in the nineteenth year of Justinian, when the Lord’s day and the fourteenth moon coincided, and at the same time both fell on the first day of April, it was necessary to transfer the Paschal celebration to another Lord’s day, which is numbered the eighth of April, so that the Church would not agree with the Jews and Quartodecimans. But the Paschal solemnity being postponed, since the *carnisprivium* ought forthwith to be protracted, by both of Justinian’s edicts, deferred to another week, the people, as they had been commanded, celebrated the feast of Pascha; but the *carnisprivium* was to be established only on the eleventh day by imperial decree, as if Pascha had occupied the Kalends of April, he died on the fourth of February: and thus he was found to have fasted for one week more than was fitting, or than the law of the Church might require. This exposition of the illustrated text pleases Petavius, as it does me: but the observation which follows in his work concerning the Quadragesimal fast of the Greeks is entirely contrary to the truth. One must know, he says in the latter part, that the Greeks begin their Quadragesimal time, and *apochrosis*, from the Lord’s day of Sexagesima, 56 days before Pascha, as is evident from the computation of Maximus, and Albinus Flaccus in the book *De div. offic.*, chapter *De Septuag.*, the reason for whose institution is this. For since the Greeks, and the Westerns (for so I think it should be read, not "Orientals"), have it established to dedicate solid days to fasting: and since they are not accustomed to fast on Lord’s days nor on Sabbaths, with the single exception of Pascha: it is necessary that they should anticipate the beginning. For the Roman Church begins her Quadragesima from the first Lord’s day of Quadragesima, which is the one next to the Lord’s day of Quinquagesima. But from this day to the Great Sabbath inclusive there are 42 days, of which six Lord’s days are expunged, the remainder are days dedicated to fasting (for the Western Church fasts on Sabbaths); wherefore, so that the 40 fasting days might be completed, the head of the fast is anticipated, and the beginning is taken from the weekday before the Lord’s day of Quadragesima. But indeed the Greeks, who remove not six but twelve days from those days (for they do not fast on Sabbaths), since they have only the remaining days consecrated to fasting, compensate the ten remaining from the previous weeks. And so they add two solid days, and establish the first Lord’s day, which they call *apocreown*, on the Lord’s day of Sexagesima, from which to the Paschal Sabbath there are 41 *apochresimoi* days, with eight Lord’s days and seven Sabbaths removed, the rest are 41 fasting days. Since on the Great Sabbath, as has been said, the Orientals fast. Wherefore the first Lord’s day, which we call Sexagesima, is called by the Greeks *apochresimos heorte*. This he says subtly: but how the G...

Greeks count these things, and the order of the fast, is ^A observed. The lower orders of the people kept the *apochresimos* on February 4. The emperor, however, decreed that meat should be sold openly for another week. Thus the butchers ^B and the selling of meat continued.

Notes of Jacques Goar on the Chronographia

I discuss in few words matters dissonant in the deeds and sayings of the Greeks and Latins. It is necessary to observe in the fasts of both the Greeks and the Latins the quantity and quality of food, and the days on which abstinence from food is enjoined. They themselves admit that *monophagia*, or a single meal, was once permitted only in the evening: but now, immediately after midday, having recited the vesper offices and having consumed the pre-consecrated mysteries, about the second hour from noon, by permission of the Church, they can refresh the body with food. *Xerophagia* (the eating of dry food) remains inviolate up to this day among them, and it rejects not only meat and dairy products, but even fish entirely (excepting shellfish and spineless polyps): I say "entirely," those in which there is blood; and oil itself is banned throughout the Quadragesima, so that the fast from fish and oil is complete for them.

As for the time of the Quadragesimal fast, if you observe it strictly and rigidly, according to their own sense, it is completed in thirty-six days and a half. If you relax the rigor a little, it rises to forty-six days, or even to the forty-eighth, or to the fifty-sixth, as Petavius wishes; never, however, to the forty-seventh. Attending to their custom, the obscurity of the aforesaid is dissipated. The Sunday which for the Latins is Sexagesima is called by the Greeks *apochresimos*, because on it it is still lawful to eat meat, and with its passing, one begins to abstain from meat. Furthermore, the *apochreos* feast is celebrated more among the Greeks than the *carnisprivium* ^C is as a feast in Latin churches (even if it is noted in the calendars with red characters). Those six days following our Sexagesima and the Greek *apochreos* allow dairy products, cheese, and eggs to be set before them, even on Wednesday and Friday, days dedicated to fasting, of which we will speak again. We follow with the Sunday of Quinquagesima, called *Tyrophagos* by the Greeks in their ecclesiastical offices, because during that whole week the Church permits cheese and eggs, and after these have been eaten, a final farewell must be bid to them as the Quadragesima soon presses on. The following Monday inaugurates the Quadragesimal fast, and from that day on, not only cheese and eggs, but even fish and oil are forbidden. However, the Sabbath and the Lord's days are exempted from that severe law, and on them oil alone is indulged; but on the Lord's Day of the Incarnation, which is otherwise called the Annunciation (*Euangelismos*) and *Baion* (Palm Sunday), fish and oil are never denied. ^D Therefore, having left aside the Annunciation—which now falls within the Quadragesima, or is removed from it—with the Sabbath and Lord's Days also removed from our mind (on which the allowance of oil is given, if one excepts the Great Sabbath of Easter, for that is the great day of the Sabbath according to the sacred canons), the rigid and stricter Quadragesimal fast is gathered to be thirty-six days and a half: five, indeed, in each of the seven weeks, which make thirty-five; one more from the Great Sabbath, which adds the sixth; and the middle part of the Paschal night, which looks to the dawn, before which it is not lawful to break the fast. From all these, the Quadragesimal fast among the Greeks is to be reckoned at no more than thirty-six days and a half. And lest this exposition be turned into a fiction of my own, I bring forward the opinion on this matter written by Matthew Blastares, the canonist most celebrated among the Greeks, in cap. v, Elementi T. He says:

"This is for you to observe. The whole of the Old Law was accustomed to teach the condition of invisible things through the medium of visible things, and to compare the correct spiritual disposition through the use of bodily things. Among other things, it was especially a precept to offer to God the tithes of one's possessions as they returned each year. What was done by them in shadows is mystically received by us. But since the holy gathering of the apostles had proposed to themselves not to abolish the law, but rather to fulfill it, knowing that the law was lacking in this—not of specific things, but of the days of each of our lives during the rotation of the year—they decreed that we should dedicate the tithes of the days to God; so that through the diligence applied on those days, and a warmer repentance, we might be able, with God as our helper, to heal the wounds of the soul contracted throughout the whole year. And we say that the tenth part of the year is these days of fasting. For the seven weeks of these, excluding the Sabbaths and the Lord's Days, make thirty-five days; and if you add the Great Sabbath, and the middle part of the illustrious and light-bearing night, they become thirty-six days and a half, being exactly the tenth part of the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. For the tenth of three hundred is thirty; and of sixty, six; and the half of five is two and a half... And so you will realize that the Greek Quadragesima is composed of the number of forty-six days; and you will fix the first day of Quadragesima as the pure start of it, on the Monday after Quinquagesima, which they call 'Clean Monday' (*katharan deuteran*) from the purified consumption of food. The Sunday of Quadragesima for them is likewise the first of the Quadragesimal course among the Sundays, and it obtains the name of *Orthodoxia*, even though it is the step of the same stage—that is, it is the seventh day: for the first follows *Tyrophagos*, that is, Quinquagesima."

The Greek Evangelistary, or book of the Gospels, offers the argument, by which, after *Kyriake Tyrophagos*, there occur the Gospels to be read in the vigils, that is, in the vespers of the first week of the fast: then indeed the second Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at Vesper...

all the butchers exercised their trade, they slaughtered and offered for sale; but no one bought or ate meat. The paschal solemnity, therefore, as the emperor had decreed, was celebrated; and at the same time it was discovered that the people had fasted one week longer than they ought to have done. ^A A.M. 6039.—In this year, Rome was taken by the Goths. And Pope Vigilius arrived at Constantinople, and, having been received by the emperor with great honor, he promised to bring about the union of the catholic Church and to anathematize the Three Chapters; having been so greatly honored by the emperor, he was so emboldened that he imposed upon Menas, the bishop of Constantinople, the penalty of exclusion from communion for four months. And Menas also gave him the same penalty. ^B But the emperor, being angered at Vigilius on account of the penalty and because he delayed to fulfill what had been resolved concerning the union of the Churches, sent men to arrest him. And he, fearing the anger of the emperor, took refuge in the sanctuary of the martyr Sergius in the monastery of Hormisdas.

VARIOUS READINGS. JAC. GOAR’S NOTES.

...and at last the first Sunday of the Fasts; for which reason we have adopted the practice of celebrating orthodoxy on the first Sunday of the holy fasts. One must know that on the Wednesday and Friday of Cheese-fare week, after the ninth hour, we eat cheese and eggs, because of the Jacobites and Tetradites, according to the canon of our father among the saints, Nicephorus. ^C ...it is finished. It is no wonder that Anastasius, out of reverence for the apostolic see, suppressed this word, or that Theophanes, St. Nicephorus, and other Greeks, who were more hostile to the Three Chapters—for the sake of which business Pope Vigilius had removed Menas from communion, so that he might press for their condemnation—should have brought it forward. The force of the note is clear; and P. Goar attempts in vain to twist it, so that the author might not appear to be criticizing Vigilius for abusing the emperor's favor. You have his name removed from the sacred diptychs, or rather placed under the name of the patriarch Menas, against the rights of the Roman see, in the 25th year of Justinian, and subsequently restored to its own order, when he perhaps yielded regarding the Three Chapters, and showed himself more indulgent toward Menas and other Orientals who wished to proscribe them, in order to gain the favor of Justinian. Whether the confirmation of the synod in his name, which that most illustrious and learned archbishop of Toulouse, a man most friendly in his kindness, brought forth some years ago from the Royal Library, is genuine, is not the place here to dispute. Certainly, Theophanes does not favor it at all. COMBEFIS. ^D ...was small, in which the great Justinian, while he was still a private citizen, had a church built, and named it [the church of] Sergius and Bacchus. He had another [church] of the Apostles, because he received the oracle under the steps when he made the slaughter in the Hippodrome. It was called the Harbor of Julian, because the man who built it was so called.

^A He seized the columns supporting the altar and overturned them, being heavy and large of body. The emperor, having repented, received Pope Vigilius into favor. And being requested by Theodora Augusta, Vigilius received Menas, the Patriarch of Constantinople, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of June, the day of the Holy Apostles.

In the same year, on the eleventh day of the month of May, on the Saturday of the Holy Pentecost, as the birthday games of the Circus were being held, a battle took place between the two factions ^B. And the emperor, having sent out the excubitors and soldiers with drawn swords, ordered many of them to be killed; others, seeking safety in flight, were drowned in the sea or died from wounds received, so that a very great slaughter was brought about.

A. M. 6040. — In this year there were continuous earthquakes and great rains; likewise in the month of February there was a great earthquake, so that all despaired of their safety and, prostrate with great fear, began to perform litanies and to beseech God to be delivered from the impending threats. In the same year, in the month of June, in the eleventh indiction, the Empress Theodora fell asleep in piety.

A. M. 6041. — In this year there were very fearsome thunders and lightnings, so that many who were sleeping suffered harm from the lightnings entering through the houses. And on the day sacred to Saint John, there were thunders and most fearsome ^C lightnings, so that a portion of the column of the Xerolophos was peeled off and scaled, and the carved head of the same column was damaged. In the month of July, a clash occurred between both parties, and the house called the Pardo was burned down; and many things were consumed, that is to say, from the bronze Tetrapylon to the place called Eleusia. And many murders occurred. And when the emperor went in procession to the Hebdomon, the vestitors lost the emperor’s crown, which was found after eight months. In which even a single pearl and all the rest of its ornaments were saved and found.

JAC. GOAR’S NOTES

In the circus he published (it), it was called the Harbor of Julian: for it was the name of him who founded it. These words dissolve the objection which Baronius brings together under the year 552, 17: namely, that Theophanes writes that he sought asylum at the holy church of Sergius, and Vigilius himself at that of Peter. This difficulty is indeed nothing, since in that same place a temple of Sergius and the apostles (one indeed different from that which Constantine built) was founded by Justinian: concerning which Procopius, *On Edifices of Justinian*, oration 2, and Gyllius, *Topography of Constantinople*, book 2, chapter 16, speak both copiously and graphically. Both places enjoyed the privilege of asylum, because they were founded by Justinian. ^D No one will doubt the service, who attends to the opinion of the Chronicle of Constantinople: the temple of Saint John and the Arcadian baths were founded by Arcadius, the emperor choosing for himself six thousand from the citizens for service when he proceeded through the city. Concerning the Arcadian satellites and the service composed of them, see above. Concerning the Hebdomon of Constantinople, a suburb to the East: see Gyllius, *Topogr. CP.* book 4, chapter 4, from Procopius, *On Edifices of Justinian*, oration 2. Regarding the vestitores, ministers of the imperial wardrobe: see Pancirollus, *On the Notitia Imperii*, chapter 81.

^A A. C. 542. — First year of Apollinarius, bishop of Alexandria. In this year, in the month of October, while the circus games were being celebrated, an envoy of the Indians came to Constantinople bringing an elephant, and he entered the hippodrome. In the month of January, the name of the patriarch of Constantinople was degraded from the first rank, and with Vigilius set over him, his name was also promoted to the first order in the ecclesiastical registers. In the month of March, however, the elephant escaped from the stable by night and struck many people and killed others. And on the sixteenth day of April, in the evening, while the circus games were being held, the popular factions fought among themselves, and many from both sides were killed; subsequently, they rushed into the workshops and plundered everything they found, with John, surnamed Coccorobius, as urban prefect. Furthermore, on the twenty-eighth day of the month of July, on the third day of the week, the consecration of the Church of the Holy Apostles took place, ^B and the deposition of the holy relics of Andrew, Luke, and Timothy, who were holy apostles. Bishop Menas proceeded with the holy relics, carried in an imperial golden chariot adorned with gems; he carried the three caskets of the holy apostles upon his knees: and thus he performed the dedication.

A. C. 543. — In this year, in the month of April, in the fourth indiction, Narses the chamberlain was sent to Rome to wage war against the Goths who had captured the city. For after the city had been recovered by Belisarius, the Goths renewed the war and possessed it again with arms. In the month of July, on the ninth day, a great and terrible earthquake occurred throughout the whole region of Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia, ^C so that Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Tripolis, and Byblis suffered great damages, and many thousands of men perished. At the city of Botrys, a large part of the promontory adjacent to the sea, which has the name Lithoprosopon, was torn away and cast into the sea, and it formed a harbor suitable for receiving many large ships: whereas that city had not previously possessed a harbor. The emperor, however, sent a great sum of money to repair the ruins of those cities. The sea also retreated into the deep gulf of the ocean for a thousand paces: from which many ships were submerged into the deep, and again, by the will of God, it returned to its own channel. ^D

A. C. 544. — In this year, in the month of September, in the fifteenth indiction, the dedication of the Church of Saint Irene was performed in Sycae, across from the royal city. And the holy

^A relics from the Great Church proceeded, with the two patriarchs, Menas of Constantinople and Apollinarius of Alexandria. Both of them sat in the imperial chariot, holding the holy relics upon their knees; and they came as far as the ferry and crossed over, and the emperor met them. And they opened the same Church of the holy martyr Irene. In the same year the harbor of the Hebdomon was cleansed, and in the same period Menas, the bishop of Constantinople, died, and in his place Eutychius, the apocrisiarius from Amasea, a monk of the monastery in Amasea and a presbyter, followed him on the very same day that the corpse of Menas still lay exposed in the sacred sanctuary.

And in the month of August, triumphal tidings and trophies of victory came from Rome by Narses, the cubicularius and exarch of the Romans. For having joined battle with Totila, the king of the Goths, he conquered him with force, took Rome, and slew Totila; and he sent his garments, stained with blood, along with his jewelled ^B tiara [kamelausion] to Constantinople, and they were cast at the feet of the emperor in the secretum. But it is necessary to assign also the year of Anthimus to the time of the patriarch Menas, so that the total of sixteen years may be established.

A. M. 6045. — First year of Eutychius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year was held the holy and ecumenical fifth council against the demented Origen, and Didymus, who was deprived of the light of his eyes, and Evagrius, and their Greek-minded ravings, and again against the acephalous chapters. Vigilius, the pope of Rome, did not sit with those who had assembled; but being dismissed by the emperor after much agitation, he died in Illyricum while traveling the road back to Rome.

A. M. 6046. — In this year, on the fourteenth day of the month of August, in the second indiction, at the hour of midnight, as the Lord’s [day] was dawning ^{C D}

^A a fearsome earthquake occurred (20), such that many houses, and baths, and churches, and a portion of the walls of Constantinople suffered—especially those of the Golden Gate—and many perished. A great part of Nicomedia also fell. This same earthquake prevailed for forty days; and for a short time men fell into contrition, performing litanies, keeping vigil, and remaining in the churches, but when God’s kindness was manifested, they again returned to worse ways. The memory of this earthquake is observed annually when the people perform a litany in the Campus. Now the Lazi, having defected (21) from the Romans on account of the avarice and injustice ^B of their commander, John, and having deserted to the Persians, returned again to the Roman side within this same year; and the Romans seized the fortress of Petra and drove out the Persians.

A. C. 547. — In this year, on the eleventh day of the month of July, in the third indiction, during the sacred assembly celebrated at [the church of] Saint Euphemia of Olybrius, a violent earthquake occurred. On the nineteenth day of the same month, moreover, there were thunderclaps and lightning flashes that were clearly horrific, and a terrible Libs [south-west] wind blew with such force that the cross standing inside the gate of Rousion fell to the ground.

A. C. 548. — In this year, in the month of July, in the fourth indiction, ^C the Jews and Samaritans in Caesarea of Palestine raised a tumult and, feigning the dissensions between the factions of the Greens and the Blues (26), they attacked the Christian citizens of that city and killed many of them, and burned churches. Furthermore, they killed Stephen, the governor of that same city, in the praetorium, and plundered all his property. His wife, however, traveled to Constantinople and approached the emperor, who commanded Amantius, the master of soldiers, to go down into Palestine and to inquire into the murder of Stephen. Those whom he found guilty, some he punished by hanging, others by decapitation, others by the truncation of their limbs, and most of them...

he deprived of their property: from which great fear fell upon all the eastern regions. ^A In the month of December, a mortality of men, especially of children, spread through various cities. In the month of May, likewise, a shortage of bread afflicted Byzantium: and the people, cast into straits, shouted to the emperor, "Master, give the city abundance." Then, during the very celebrations of the Nativity, as the Persian envoys were sitting in the circus, they tore down the prefect’s house, because of which the emperor, indignant that they had attacked the prefect Musonius, ordered them to be arrested and punished with extreme severity. The emperor was indeed grieved that the factions of the people had shouted so impudently against the Persian envoy; for there was an abundance of wine, lard, and every kind of food, but a shortage of wheat and barley. On the thirteenth of the month of July, the fifth day of the week, there were fearful lightning and thunder, such that many suffered harm, and the rain was so abundant that the earth, having laboured from the lack of rain, was completely saturated.

A. M. 6049. — A. C. 549. — First year of Pelagius, bishop of Rome.

In this year, on the sixth day of the month of December, at the commemoration of the "Ash," ^B Timotheus, prefect of the monasteries and head of the monastery of Dalmatius, died; and in his place Anthymus, a recluse of the same monastery, was appointed. And a fire appeared in the sky, in the shape of a lance, from the north to the setting sun. And on the second of the month of April, a fearful earthquake occurred, from which no harm was suffered.

A. M. 6050. — A. C. 550. — In this year, on the sixth day of the month of October, in the sixth indiction, at the twilight of the Sabbath, a great earthquake occurred: and on the fourteenth of December, another followed that was altogether fearful, so that the two walls of the city of Constantinople—that of Constantine and that built by Theodosius—suffered damage. ^C The churches in the Exareton were ruined, as well as those extending beyond the Hebdomon: the church of Saint Samuel, and that of the Holy Deipara, which is called after Petala, and that of Saint Vincent, and many church altars and ciboria.

^A Likewise, from the Golden Gate as far as the Rousion, there was no place or suburb that did not fall down from the fearful threat of the earthquake. Rhegium fell in its entirety to the ground, so that it was not even recognizable. The church of the holy martyrs Stratonicus and Callinicus, which was in Rhegium, also fell to the ground. And the purple column standing in front of the palace of the Jucundiani ^B fell along with the statue placed upon it, and it sank eight feet into the ground. The statue of the Emperor Arcadius, which was toward the left side of the arch of Taurus, also fell to the ground, and many suffered in these collapses. Others, who were trapped by the debris eight days later, were saved after two or three days. It was heard that the same thing had happened in other cities as well. For no man on earth in that generation remembers such a great and fearful earthquake. The earth continued to shake ^C day and night for ten whole days, though the clemency of God was not entirely alienated; and for a short time men were pricked in their hearts to repentance, intent on prayers and litanies, but once God's kindness was shown, they returned to worse deeds. The emperor did not wear his diadem for forty days; indeed, on the holy Nativity of Christ, he went to the church without it. So disturbed was he that he stopped the banquets of the nineteen courses, as is the custom, and gave the cost of them to the poor. At the same time, an altogether insolent and unknown ^D nation, called the Avars, entered Byzantium, and the whole city ran to the sight of them, as they had never seen such a nation before. For they had their hair bound up behind in long, thick plaits.

The remainder of their clothing was like that of the other Huns. Fleeing from their own land, they came into the parts of Scythia and Mysia, and sent envoys to Justinian, asking to be received. In the month of February (59), a pestilence of men ^A occurred, caused by buboes, especially among the young, so that the living were not sufficient to bury the dead; this pestilence raged from the month of February until the month of July.

A.M. 6051. In this year, on the 7th of May (40), the third day of the week, at the fifth hour, as the dome (trullos) of the Great Church was being beautified (for it had been split by the earthquakes that had occurred and the work of the Isaurians), the eastern part of the arch of the holy sanctuary fell, and crushed the ciborium, the holy table, and the ambo. The engineers were blamed, because they had not made the suspension below ^B, having avoided the outlet, but had bored the pillars that support the dome, and for this reason they did not hold. Consequently, the most pious emperor, having observed this, raised other pillars and received the dome, and thus it was built, having been raised twenty feet higher for the ascent above the first structure.

In the same year, the Huns and Sclaveni (41) rose up against Thrace in great multitudes, and made war upon it, and slew and took prisoner many. They also captured Sergius the commander, son of Bacchus the elder, and Ederman, commander of Calopodius the most glorious cubicularius and praepositus. And having found certain parts of the Anastasian wall (42) that had fallen due to the earthquakes, they entered through them ^C and took prisoner up to Drypia and Nymphae and Chitucomis (43); and all fled into the city with their belongings.

For this reason, the emperor sent many men chosen from the citizens to the Long Wall; there, a battle having been joined, many of the Romans and the scholarians fell. ^A Afterwards, by order of the emperor, the silver ciboria and the holy silver tables, which were in the churches outside the city, were carried off to their own places; and the scholarians, the protectores, the numeri, and the entire senate defended all the gates of the Theodosian wall. But when the emperor saw that the barbarians remained there persistently, he ordered the patrician Belisarius to go out against them with others from the senate. Belisarius took all the horses, both those of the emperor and those of the circus, as well as those of the sacred houses, and of every private man who had horses in his possession, and having equipped the people with arms, he set out for the village of Chitti; ^B and there he fortified himself with a rampart: then he began to capture and kill some of the barbarians; he even ordered trees to be cut down and dragged behind the army: from this, a great dust was stirred up by the wind and, carried onto the barbarians, settled upon them: they, thinking that huge forces were present there, turned to flight and retreated to the region of Saint Stratonicus and to the Decaton. And when they soon learned from their scouts that the walls of Constantinople were defended by a great number of soldiers, they turned towards the parts of Tzurulum, Arcadiopolis, and Saint Alexander of the Zuppari, and remained there encamped until holy Easter. After the Easter festival, the emperor, with all the citizens, left the city and went to Selymbria to repair the ruins of the Long Wall, ^C at the point where the barbarians had entered; wherefore they retreated and departed across the wall. The emperor remained there until the month of August; similarly, the barbarians also wandered about outside the city until the month of August. Furthermore, the emperor ordered two-prowed ^D ships to be built, and intended that with these he would meet the Huns on the Danube if they should ever cross, and engage them in battle. Upon hearing this, the barbarians sent envoys and requested that they be allowed to return safely and cross the Danube. The emperor therefore sent his nephew Justin, the curopalates, and let them go unharmed.

A. M. 6052. — The first year of Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, the emperor began to build ^A the bridge over the Sangarius river; and having diverted the same river into another channel, he made five awesome and stupendous arches, and made it solid for crossing, whereas the bridge had previously been of wood.

A. M. 6053. — In this year, on the ninth day of September, the fifth day of the week, in the ninth indiction, a rumor was spread through Constantinople that the emperor had died. For he had returned from Thrace, and was seen by no one. Consequently, the populace in a sudden panic seized bread from the bakeries and shops; and by the third hour of the day, bread was nowhere to be found in the entire city, and a great rain fell on that same day. The workshops were closed, and it was rumored throughout the palace that no one from the senate had seen the emperor because he was suffering from a headache. From this, they believed that he had died. But around the ninth hour, the senate held a council and sent the prefect, and ordered lights to be lit throughout the whole city, ^B because the emperor was recovering. And in this way the city was restored from its state of agitation. After the emperor had recovered his health, Eugenius, the former prefect, denounced Georgius, the curator of Marcina, and Ætherius, the curator of Antioch, as having attempted, in conjunction with Gerontius, the city prefect, to make Theodorus, the son of the magister Petrus, emperor. When the matter was investigated and not proven, Eugenius, failing to be fully cleared of malice, had his house confiscated by the state. He, however, fled to the church and saved himself. ^C In the month of December, a great fire occurred in the port of Julianus, and many houses and churches were burned from the beginning of the port up to Probus. A great plague also occurred in Cilicia and Anazarbus, and earthquakes in great Antioch, and the orthodox and the Severians attacked one another, and many slayings took place. The emperor sent Zimarchus, the count of the East, and he punished the disorderly, sending many into exile, confiscating their goods, and mutilating ^D them.

A. M. 6054. — In this year, in the month of October.

on the 12th day, being the 4th day of the week, and the 10th indiction, a great conflagration occurred late in the evening at the parts of Caesarius, as far as the place called Omphacera. All the workshops and the vaulted gateways were consumed as far as the place called Bovis. In the month of November, while the equestrian games were being held—before the emperor had arrived to watch—a riot of the populace occurred, ^B and the Greens attacked the Blues. When the emperor was informed, he ascended to the imperial seat, and having witnessed the battle, he ordered Marianus, the Count of the Excubitors, along with the Curator of the Caesarium, to descend and separate the factions. But they went and were unable to separate them. Many from both sides died, and many were wounded. Entering into the enclosures of the Greens, the Blues shouted, "Set fire here, set fire there!" But no Green was to be seen. And again, the Greens shouted, "Ai, ai, everyone, everyone into the middle!" They went into the neighborhoods of the Blues, and began throwing stones at everyone they found, shouting, "Set fire, set fire here!" But no Blue was to be seen. And they entered into the neighborhoods at the dawning of Sunday, and seized their property. The emperor ordered the Greens to be arrested, and they were punished with many tortures. The Blues fled to the church of the Theotokos in the Blachernae. The Greens, ^C acting aggressively, fled to the holy Euphemia in Chalcedon, whom the Prefect cast out and punished. Their wives and mothers began to cry out in the churches to the emperor, that he might grant an indulgence to the Greens, but they were driven away with sticks, and the emperor was not appeased until the feast of the birth of Christ. In the month of February, the emperor ordered that of the seven Scholae, those stationed in Bithynia, in Nicomedia, Cius, Prusa, Cyzicus, Cotyaeum, and Dorylaeum, should abandon these places and settle in Thrace, in Heraclea and the cities around it. In the month of March, the Scholae rose up against their own Count, on account of certain allowances which they had been accustomed to receive and which had then been rescinded. So they set upon him. But Theodore, the son of Peter the Magister, happened to be there—whose surname was Condocheres—and by using threatening language, ^D he was able to appease them. In the same year, Baisipolis was captured by the Huns; and the emperor sent Marcellus the commander-in-chief, his own nephew, with a multitude of soldiers, to recover the city and Persida. In the month of April...

the Thracian city of Anastasiopolis was occupied by the Huns, and finally, in the month of May, Zimarchus, the curator of Placidia, was denounced by George, the curator of the estates of Marina, and John the ex-consul—both of whom were kinsmen of Empress Theodora—for having spoken many grievous things against the emperor.

A. M. 6055 — In this year, in the month of October, a popular sedition was stirred up in the Pittakia, and the emperor punished a great many people. In the month of November, there was a great lack of rain and a scarcity of water, so that many fights broke out at the water reservoirs. In the month of August, too, only the north wind blew, and the south wind nowhere, so that ships could not reach the city from the south, which led the Patriarch Eutychius to go in procession with prayers to Jerusalem, that is to say, to St. Diomedes ^B.

In the same year, in the month of [...], triumphal news of victory arrived from Rome at Constantinople, announcing that the patrician Narses had recovered two fortified cities of the Goths, Verona and Brixia. On the twenty-fifth day of the same month, on a Saturday toward evening, certain men plotted to slay the emperor as he sat in the palace. The authors of the crime were Ablabius, of the Melistoi, Marcellus the money-changer, and Sergius, the nephew of the curator Etherius. Their conspiracy was of this nature: namely, that when the emperor had reclined in the dining hall toward evening, before he had the opportunity to depart, they would break in and kill him. They also kept certain Indians hidden in ambush as accomplices for this crime, at the Silentiarium, the place called the Archangel, and the Arma, so that when the plot was carried out, they might stir up a tumult. Ablabius himself had received fifty pounds of gold from Marcellus the money-changer to lend his support to the undertaking, and by the providence of God, Ablabius grew confident and spoke to Eusebius the ex-consul, who was Count of the Foederati, and to John the Logothete ^C who was under Domentziolus, saying that we wish to attack the emperor on this very evening. But he, having informed the emperor, caught them, and found them...

^A carrying concealed swords. And Marcellus the silversmith, frustrated in his plan, drew the sword which he was carrying, inflicted three wounds upon himself in the triclinium, and while being seized, he expired. Sergius, the nephew of Etherius, slipping away, fled into the church of the Blachernae; and when they had brought him out of the church and interrogated him, they persuaded him to confess that Isaac the silversmith, and the most glorious patrician Belisarius himself, were also privy to such a conspiracy, and that Vitus the silversmith, and Paul, the curator of the aforementioned Belisarius, were accessories. Once both had been arrested and handed over to Procopius the prefect, they disclosed all the plots and accused the patrician Belisarius. Immediately, therefore, the emperor was inflamed against Belisarius, because of which many decided to take to flight. Then, indeed, on the fifth day of the month of December, the emperor convened the curia ^B, having brought with him also the most holy patriarch Eutychius, and having ordered their confessions to be read publicly; Belisarius, standing by and hearing them, was deeply grieved, and fell under the displeasure of the emperor, who sent soldiers and arrested all his domestics, and ordered him himself to be kept shut up in his own house under guard. Furthermore, on the twentieth day of the month of December, the dedication of the Great Church was celebrated for the second time; and the all-night vigil ^C accustomed to precede a dedication of this kind was performed at the church of Saint Plato; and from there, according to the sacred rite of the procession—at which the emperor showed himself present—the patriarch of Constantinople, Eutychius, was carried in a chariot, and adorned in apostolic habit, and holding the holy Gospel, he proceeded, with the people all singing: "Lift up your gates, O ye princes." In the same month also, some parts of Africa were occupied by the Mauritanians ^D who were inciting a rebellion in Africa, in this manner: A certain man by the name of Cutzinas, of that same Mauritanian nation—an exarch of the Mauritanians—was accustomed to receive from the governor of Africa at that time a certain amount of gold. But when he came to receive it, John, the governor of Africa, killed him. And his children arose, being avengers of their father.

^A And rising up against Africa, they took some of its parts, having plundered them. The emperor, therefore, learning this, sent to the aid of Africa Marcian, his nephew and general, with a strong force, to pacify the Moors. And they approached him, and Africa was pacified. In the month of April, Procopius the prefect of the city was succeeded, and Andreas the ex-logothete took his place. And as he was coming out of the palace of the Chalke, sitting in his carriage, and departing to the praetorium, the Greens met him at the Laus; and they began to abuse him and throw stones; and a great disorder arose in the midst of the two factions. And they entered into the jails, and the battle lasted from the tenth hour until evening. ^B And the emperor sent Justin, his nephew and curopalates, and drove them away. And again, around the twelfth hour, they joined battle, and were overcome; and he made a procession for many days; and they cut off the thumbs of their hands, as many as had fought with swords. And on the nineteenth of the month of July, Belisarius the patrician was received, having recovered all his honors. ^C And Peter the magister also arrived (65) from Persia, having made peace for seven years (66), concerning Lazica and the parts of the East. In the same month came envoys of Ascel, the king of the Hermechiones (67), of the nation of the barbarians who dwell within, near the Ocean. In the month of August there occurred a failure of water, so that the public baths were closed, and slaughters took place at the water-reservoirs. ^D In this year, in the month of October, in the twelfth indiction, the emperor Justinian went for the sake of prayer to the Myriangeloi (68), that is to say, to Germium, which is a city of Galatia, to hold an oration.

^A In the month of November, the patrician Arethas, phylarch of the Saracens, came to Byzantium, needing to present to the emperor (69) which of his children should hold the phylarchy after his death, and to report on what had been done by Abar, the son of Alamandar, in his territories. In the month of December, a great fire broke out, by which the hospice of Sampson, intended for the reception of pilgrims, was entirely consumed, as were the houses in front of the house of Rufus, and the central court near the Great Church, which is called the Garvnostasion (71), and the two monasteries situated near Saint Irene, along with its central court (72), and a part of its narthex (73).

A. C. 557. — In this year, in the month of March, in the thirteenth indiction, the patrician Belisarius died in Byzantium, and his entire estate reverted to the imperial house (74) of Marina. In the same thirteenth indiction, on the twelfth day of the month of April, Eutychius, patriarch of Constantinople, was deposed (75) and exiled (76) to Amasea by Justinian. In his place, John, an ex-scholasticus who had been the responsalis for the Great Church of Antioch, was appointed.

In the same year, the emperor Justinian, having stirred up the doctrine concerning the corruptible and the incorruptible (77), and having sent out everywhere an edict alien to all piety, was prevented by God and died on the eleventh day of the month of November, in the following fourteenth indiction, having reigned for thirty-eight years, seven months, and thirteen days. His successor was designated as his nephew, Justin, the curopalates.

In the same year, the Theodosiani and the Gaianitae (78) began to build meeting houses in Alexandria. The Gaianitae, prevailing in authority and influence, ordained as bishop for themselves their own archdeacon, Elpidius, whom the emperor ordered to be brought to him in chains; however, he died on the journey at Sigris. The Theodosiani, moreover...

together ^A with the Gaianitæ, met in one place and enthroned a common bishop for themselves: having ordained a certain monk, John (79), whom the Gaianitæ suspected of having practiced a ruse against them, they tore out the abbot's beard along with the skin and flesh.

A. M. 6058. — A. C. 558. — First year of the Roman emperor Justin. First year of John, bishop of Constantinople. First year of Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this same year, on the fourteenth day of November (80), in the fourteenth indiction, Justin, the nephew of Justinian, crowned by John the Scholastic patriarch, assumed the empire. He was a Thracian by birth, magnanimous, capable in all things, and a lover of building. He had a wife named Sophia (81), whom he also crowned Augusta. Being pious, he adorned the churches built by Justinian, specifically the Great Church, the Church of the Holy Apostles, and other churches and monasteries, endowing them with sacred implements, gifts, and all their revenues. He was truly orthodox. And he sent the abbot Photinus, ^B the kinsman of the patrician Belisarius, giving him authority over all persons and matters to reconcile the churches of Egypt and Alexandria and to secure good peace.

A. M. 6059. — In this same year, Ætherius and Æbilius (82), together with the physician who was with them, plotted against the emperor Justin; but being discovered, they died by the sword. He also performed the consulship (83) and scattered much money, so that he enriched many. ^C

[alt-version omitted]

NOTES BY JAC. GOAR

(79) A passage from corruption in no way to be vindicated: because it does not cohere with the preceding narrative. The variant readings *dolon* in one codex and *doulon* in another suggest the suspicion of interpolation. Therefore, I do not willingly read: "And having met in one place, the Theodosiani and the Gaianitæ installed a common bishop for themselves and ordained a certain monk John, whom the Gaianitæ, thinking he had practiced a ruse (or servitude), and the rest." If they read *doulon* (servant), they might think that he had been placed in the episcopal seat, and that the Gaianitæ tore out the beard of the same abbot [believing he had served as a servant]. Perhaps indeed the Gaianitæ had been deceived by this John, or certainly, he was estimated by them as a servant, and they punished him for that servitude, namely, by the shaving of the beard. Anastasius, almost an interpreter of Theophanes, expresses the here completely mutilated sense: "They tore out the beard along with the skin and flesh of a certain abbot." He adds things which we in no wise read in the Greek codices, but that the madness of heretics is accustomed to behave thus, to such an extent that they perform many things of the sort. ^D The word added after *evronisan* (they enthroned), which is in the Royal codex, seems superfluous, and wrongly placed by a copyist in place of another, which is desired in its stead. For the discourse is about Dorotheus, whom, secretly ordained by the Theodosiani, they simultaneously, with the Gaianitæ joined, might have raised into the seat, not ordained again. The sequence should be thus arranged: "Thinking that John, a certain monk, had practiced ruses against them (suppose that the ordination of Elpidius had been made by them by betraying him to the emperor), they tore out the beard of him who was abbot along with the skin and flesh": and Anastasius adds that in this matter the heretics equaled the heathens; which things seem to have fallen out of the Greek of Theophanes. COMBERIS.

(80) Thus *Chronicon Alexandrinum*. (81) Niece of Theodora, herself the daughter of Vigilantia, sister of Justinian, and daughter of Dulcissimus. Victor Tunnunensis. (82) Of their conspiracy and customs Evagrius, book v, cap. 2. He calls him further by this name. (83) Corippus sings of the wealth promised by Justin himself, book iii and iv: "I will enrich the people with riches," etc.

^A In the same year, abbot Agatho, brother of bishop Apolinarius of Alexandria, having arrived in Alexandria to demand an accounting of administrative affairs, sent Eustochius, a monk who was then the great steward of Alexandria, to prison, accusing him of mismanaging his office. He escaped through the roof and went to Byzantium. Macarius having been expelled from the church by intrigues 84, Eustochius was consecrated bishop of Jerusalem in his place.

A. M. 6060. — The first year of Eustochius, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Sophia, the most pious Augusta, having summoned all the money-lenders and note-brokers, ordered them to bring to her the bonds of those who were in debt and the pledges. Having received these into her power, she restored the pledges to the debtors and replaced everything into the hands of their rightful owners; and she was greatly praised by the whole city for this deed. ^B Eustochius, however, having departed to Jerusalem, out of hatred for Apolinarius, Agatho, and Macarius, expelled the monks of the New Laura, accusing them of the Origenist dogma; and for this reason, he himself was subsequently expelled, and Macarius was restored to his own throne.

A. M. 6061. — The restoration of Macarius as bishop of Jerusalem, and the first year of John of Alexandria.

In this year, during the celebration of chariot races, when the factions were contending with one another, the emperor sent mandates 87 to both parties, saying to the Veneti, "The Emperor Justinian is dead among you," but to the Prasini, "The Emperor Justinian lives among you" 88. Having heard this, the factions became silent and never returned to their former dissensions.

^C In the same year, he began to build the palace of the Sophianae 89 in the name of his wife, Sophia, taking the opportunity that his son, Justus, had been buried there 90 while he was still acting as curopalates, before he became emperor.

^A And he adorned the palace with various precious marbles.

A. M. 6062. — Rome, bishop Benedict, year 1. In this year, Emperor Justinus began to build a second palace in his own suburban estate, which he had possessed before he assumed the empire. Likewise, he also built another one at the port on the island of the Princes, which was also his suburban estate, and the church of the holy Anargyroi in the region of Darius. He also restored the public bath of Taurus and named it Sophianas, in the name of his wife, Sophia.

In the same year, the great Anastasius, bishop of Antioch, having attacked in his synodal letters Joannes of Constantinople, who had ordained Joannes of Alexandria, and against Joannes of Alexandria himself who had been ordained, was expelled from his own see by the indignation of Justinus, and Gregorius, a monk and apocrisiarius of the monastery of the Byzantines, was ordained in his place.

A. M. 6063. — Antioch, bishop Gregorius, year 1. In this year, Narses the cubicularius and protospatharios, who was so dear to Emperor Justinian that he was mocked on his account, built the house of Narses and the monastery of the Cathari. But Emperor Justinus, having perceived that his own nephew, whom he had adorned with the augustal dignity in Alexandria, was plotting against him, sent immediately and had him beheaded. ^C

A. M. 6064. — In this year, Justinus began to build the church of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the orphanotropheion, and the church of the holy Apostles in the Triconchos, which had burned down during the time of Emperor Zeno. He also added to the church of the holy Theotokos of the Blachernae the two apses, one facing north and the other south, in that famous temple, and constructed the church in the shape of a cross. ^D

^A In this same year, the peace treaties between the Romans and the Persians were broken, and the Persian war was rekindled, on account of the envy directed toward the legates sent by the Homerite Indians to the Romans, and furthermore because the Emperor had sent Julian the *magistrianus* ^B with imperial decrees across the Nile and the Indian Sea to Arethas, king of the Ethiopians. King Arethas received the legate with great joy, as one who desired the friendship of the Roman Emperor. Having returned from his embassy, Julian reported that he had been received by King Arethas, who was dressed in the following manner: he was naked in body, but around his loins, where the belt is placed, he wore a linen garment interwoven with gold, which appeared divided toward the abdomen and was adorned with precious gems. Five armlets were fastened to his arms, and golden bracelets were on his hands. A linen band shot with gold was wrapped around his head, and from both sides of the knots hung four chains; on his neck he wore a golden torque. He rode upon a carriage drawn by four elephants, which had four wheels and a chariot above it, elevated, such as are the carriages of the provincial governors, and covered with golden plates. Standing upon it, he held a small gilded shield and two short spears in his hands; all his courtiers stood around him, equipped with arms and singing musical tunes. The Roman legate, therefore, having been brought in and having shown the honor of adoration, was ordered by him to rise and be brought closer. Having received the imperial decree, he kissed the seal, ^C which bore the Emperor’s bust, and having received gifts from him, he was affected with great joy. Upon reading the sacred decree, he found it contained an order for him to arm himself against the King of the Persians, to devastate the provinces of the Persians bordering upon his own, and to strike no further treaty with the Persians, but rather to conduct trade through the region of the Homerites he had subjected, by way of the Nile river toward Alexandria. Immediately, the King, Arethas, having gathered his army in the sight of the Roman legate, initiated the war against the Persians, having sent ahead the Saracens who served under him. Having himself departed into Persian territory, he ravaged all the regions in those parts. King Arethas having captured the head of the legate... ^D

tenderly pressed upon him the kisses of peace; and having bestowed upon him ample gifts, he dismissed him, attended by a large retinue. There arose another trouble which disturbed Chosroes. For during that time the Huns, whom we are accustomed to call Turks, sent an embassy ^A to Tzachus through the land of the Alans. Chosroes, fearing this, feigned that the Armenians were in rebellion against him and pretended that they were defecting to Justin, and he demanded that the fugitives be returned. For the king of the Romans had been accustomed to pay five hundred pounds of gold every year, so that the Persians might guard the fortresses in the vicinity of that place, lest the nations, bursting in, might destroy the commonwealth of either party, and the fortresses were guarded at the common expense. But Justin dissolved the peace, asserting that it was a disgrace for the Romans to pay tribute to the Persians. For this reason, that great war of the Persians and Romans took place. Justin, having appointed Martin the patrician, his own kinsman, as general of the East, sent him against the Persians.

A. M. 6065. — First year of John, Bishop of Jerusalem. In this year, on the sixth of October, the emperor was afflicted by failing health ^B, and became incensed with wrath against his own brother, Baduarius, and subjected him to the ultimate indignities, having given the chamberlains authority to drive him out with blows, so that he was dragged into the council chamber despised and defiled. He was the count of the imperial stables. Sophia, upon learning this, was grieved and rebuked the emperor. He, repenting of his deed, went down to the stable and entered suddenly with the head of the chamberlains. Baduarius, seeing the emperor, fled in fear of the emperor from manger to manger. The emperor cried out, "I adjure you by God, my brother, stop," and running, he detained him, and grasping him in his arms and soothing him with kisses, he said, "Indeed ^C, I have sinned against you, my brother; but receive me as your first brother and as emperor."

For I know that this has happened ^A through the operation of the devil." But he, falling at his feet and weeping, said, "Truly, my lord, you have power; yet by the presence of the senate you have humiliated your servant." Just then the lord began to apologize to him for these things, and he showed him the irrational animals. But the emperor entreated him to dine with him, and they were reconciled. In the same year, a great battle took place around Sargathum between the Persians and the Romans, and the Romans were victorious.

A. M. 6066. — First year of Hormisdas, King of the Persians.

In this year the Avars ^B came to the regions of the Danube; and, having learned of this, the emperor sent Tiberius, the Count of the Excubitors, against them; and having joined battle with them, he was defeated, being taken by surprise by them, and having lost many men, he returned. Now Hormisdas, the King of the Persians, having appointed Artabanes as general, sent him to cross the Euphrates and to ravage the Roman territory. He himself, having taken the forces, advanced ^C against the Romans who were besieging Nisibis. But Martinus, having learned of this, abandoned Nisibis and retreated toward the Roman regions. Artabanes, having reached the vicinity of Antioch and having ravaged the suburbs of the city, proceeded into Coelesyria. Thus, then, Artabanes, having secured much booty and many captives, returned to his own land. The Emperor Justin, deeply distressed by these events, removed Martinus from the generalship and appointed Archelaus as general. And Artabanes captured Daras, ^D and thus returned. Having learned of this, Justin, struck with dread at the magnitude of the disaster, was seized by a disease of derangement, and requested to make a treaty with Hormisdas, who agreed to make a one-year truce.

^A In this year, the Emperor Justinus adopted Tiberius, the Count of the Excubitors, as his son, declared him Caesar, and made him a sharer in his own throne and of equal honor during the circus games and on festive and solemn days. For the Emperor, laboring from a disease of the feet, was confined to his bed for the greater part of the time.

A.M. 6068. — In this year Justinus repaired the great aqueduct of Valens and provided a supply of water to the city.

A.M. 6069. — In this year the Emperor Justinus took away from the Jews the synagogue which was in the Chalcoprateia, and made it into a church of our Lady, the most holy Theotokos, adjacent to the Great Church. In the same year, on the thirty-first day of the month of August, in the tenth indiction, John, bishop of Constantinople, died.

A.M. 6070. — First year of Eutychius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, in the month of October, in the eleventh indiction, Eutychius received the throne of Constantinople for the second time. The Emperor, however, being afflicted by ill health, and having been slightly relieved of his pain, summoned the high priest, the senate, all the clergy, and the officials; and, bringing forward Caesar Tiberius in the presence of all, he proclaimed him Emperor, using these words: ^B "See how God, in His goodness, adorns you with this habit and dignity; God, not I, has bestowed it upon you. Honor this habit, that you may be worthy of honor from Him. Honor your mother, who until now has been your lady. Rejoice nowhere in the shedding of blood. Do not be a participant in homicides. Do not render evil for evil. Do not imitate me in taking on enmities; for I, as a man, have sinned. For indeed, I have been a sinner, and I have received the reward for my offenses. Yet, together with those who were the authors of my evils, I shall stand to be judged before the tribunal of Christ. ^C Do not let this habit make you proud, as it once did me. Thus, take heed to all, as you would to yourself. Know who you were and who you now are. Do not be proud, lest you sin. You know who I was, and who I have become, and who I am. All these are your children and servants. You know that I have preferred you to my own bowels. Do you see all these? They are the magistrates of the state. ^D Take heed to your soldier. Do not accept soldiers; let no one say to you that it happened thus before you. For I say these things having learned from that which I suffered. Those who have...

let them enjoy their wealth; for those who do not have, grant it. And when a prayer 18 had been offered by the patriarch, and all had said "Amen," the Caesar fell at the feet of the emperor, and the emperor said to him: "If you wish, I am; if you do not wish, I am not. May God, who made heaven and earth, and all things that I forgot to tell you, himself implant them in your heart." Having finished these things, the emperor concluded, dissolving the assembly. The assembly having dissolved, Tiberius distributed gifts to the subjects, and all the rest that is customary at imperial inaugurations.

^A A. C. 571. — First year of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. A. M. 6071.

In this year, in the month of October, the twelfth indiction, Tiberius was crowned by Eutychius the patriarch, as has been related above, and began to reign; he too was a Thracian by birth. When he had already obtained the scepter, at the celebration of the circus games, the factions cried out: "Let us see, let us see the Augusta of the Romans." But he immediately sent a mandate, saying: "That name, the Augusta, she has obtained because the church is situated in the region of the public bath of Dagisteus." Hearing these cries, the factions broke out: "Anastasia Augusta, may you conquer. Save, O Lord, those whom You have commanded to reign." Hearing this, Sophia, the wife of Justin, was struck in her heart. For she wanted to take Tiberius and remain Augusta. For she did not know that he had a wife. Some, indeed, said that even while Justin was still alive, she had attached Tiberius to herself, and that she herself had persuaded Justin to make him Caesar. But Tiberius sent and brought Anastasia, his wife, who had two daughters by him, Charito and

^A Constantina. And he crowned her Augusta, and distributed much consular largesse to the people.

A. M. 6073. — A. C. 572. — First year of Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, the Emperor Tiberius built a palace in the Julian harbor, which he named Sophia, after the wife of Justin. He established her in it, having assigned chamberlains for her service. By imperial edict, he ordered that she be honored as his mother; he also built a bath and provided all the other family necessities for her comfort. He sent envoys to the king of the Persians, according to custom, to announce his accession; but the king of the Persians did not accept peace. Then Tiberius gathered great forces ^B and, distributing the imperial treasures, formed many armies, appointing a certain Justinian as general of the East. He, having taken the forces, arrived at Daras. The Persians likewise camped near them, being led by Mechoes. When the battle lines were drawn up, they entered into parley, and mutually struck a treaty, agreeing that the Romans and the Persians would for a period of four years refrain from inflicting slaughter upon the Orient, and would settle the war being waged over Armenia.

A. M. 6073. — In this year, the king of the Persians took his own forces and marched upon Armenia. But the Roman general, hearing that the King of the Persians was himself coming ^C to wage war, was disheartened; for a great fear had entered into the hearts of the Romans. Because of this, Justinian addressed the forces and delivered the fighting men from their cowardice. The battle was joined, and there was such a great discharge of arrows by the Persians that it obscured the rays of the sun; the Romans, having thrust back ^D

the arrows with their shields, proceeded to close-quarters combat. The Roman formation was ^A so dense and firmly compacted on all sides that the Persians could not withstand it; the Babylonian host was thrown into flight, and a great multitude of them were slain. The Romans also captured the Persian camp, the royal tent, and all their splendid baggage. They also took possession of the elephants, and sent those distinctively royal spoils of that war to Tiberius in Constantinople. Consequently, the king of the Persians, unable to endure such disgrace, issued a law forbidding the prince of the Persians to ever again go forth to war in person. The Roman army, meanwhile, ^B pursued its advantage over the Persian disasters, proceeded into the interior of Persia, and penetrating as far as the middle of the Hyrcanian Sea, drove off an almost infinite multitude of captives and spoils. Nor did the Romans return home upon the arrival of winter; rather, they spent the whole season dispersed throughout Persia. In that same year, Tiberius began to build the public baths of Blachernae; he also repaired many churches, hostels, and almshouses, and ordered that his name be inscribed on public documents as Tiberius Constantinus.

A. M. 6074. — First year of John, Bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, on the sixth of April, in the fifteenth indiction, Eutychius the patriarch ended his final day; and after six days, John, deacon of the Great Church, known as the Faster, was consecrated. ^C Emperor Tiberius, having purchased a body of robust barbarians, established a private army of fifteen thousand men to be named after himself; and having clothed and armed them, to the number of five thousand, he appointed as their commander Maurice, the Count of the Foederati, and joined to him as sub-commander Narses, and sent them against the Persians. A great battle being joined, the Romans won a decisive victory and took from the Persians the cities and territories which they had occupied during the reigns of Justinian and Justin. Maurice, having returned to Constantinople, was received with great honor by the emperor, and Tiberius celebrated his victories, Maurice having…

Maurice, and took him as a son-in-law, joining him to Constantina, his own daughter. Likewise, he also joined his daughter Charito to the commander Germanus, having made them both Caesars.

On the fourteenth day of the month of August, in the fifteenth indiction, having tasted morning breakfast which appeared fine on the surface but was poisoned beyond all measure, Tiberius fell into a wasting disease. And now being near death, he summoned the Patriarch John and the entire Senate together with the armies into the tribunal, and being carried on a litter, as he could not speak, he made known to the people through the ministry of a reader ^B those things which were conducive to the affairs of the Romans, and declared Maurice, his own son-in-law, emperor, while all acclaimed the purpose of the emperor and Maurice the emperor with happy prayers and the shouting of favorable voices. Tiberius, having been carried back into his own bed, expired, having reigned three years, ten months, and eight days.

A. M. 6075. — First year of the Roman Emperor Maurice.

In this year Maurice, being forty-three years old, reigned; and after a short time he celebrated his marriage ^C as his father, Paul, had arrived at Byzantium, and Marites, who was the great eunuch of the palace, performed the duty of groomsman. In the month of April a fire occurred in the Forum, and windstorms assisting the fire destroyed many houses. And on the tenth day of the month of May the greatest earthquake occurred, so that everyone fled to the churches, and the birthday equestrian contest was not celebrated. In the same month ^D the Abares...

^A, having a short time before seized Sirmium, a notable city of Europe, demanded that to the eighty thousand in gold, which they were receiving annually from the Romans, another twenty thousand in gold be added; and the emperor, desiring peace, agreed to this. He also asked that an elephant, an Indian animal, be sent to him for a spectacle. And the emperor sent to him the largest of all that he had; and when he saw it, he immediately sent it back to the emperor. He also asked that a golden couch be sent to him. And the emperor sent this as well. But he sent it back ^B, as if disparaging it. He demanded, furthermore, that another twenty thousand be added to the hundred thousand. And when the emperor did not agree, the Chagan [Note 47] launched an expedition, destroyed the city of Sigidon, and subdued many other cities belonging to the Illyrian prefecture. He also took Anchialus and threatened to destroy the Long Walls as well. Therefore the emperor sent the patrician Elpidius with Commentiolus as envoys to the Chagan; and the barbarian promised to keep the peace on the terms of the treaties. In the East, the emperor appointed John Mustacon [Note 48] as general of Armenia; ^C and having come to the river Nymphius, where it flows into the Tigris, he joined battle with Cardarigas (Cardarigas is not a proper name, but a great dignity among the Persians, namely that of the supreme general), and the Romans were prevailing over the barbarians. But Crus, the sub-general, moved by envy and jealousy, turned to flight. When the others of the Romans saw this, they too turned to flight, and with difficulty escaped in safety to the camp. A second engagement having taken place, the Romans were defeated, and many of them were slaughtered.

A. M. 6076. — In this year, on the twentieth day of the month of December, in the second indiction, the emperor was proclaimed consul [Note 49], and he bestowed many treasures upon the city. And Philippicus [Note 50] was appointed general of the East, having taken as his wife Gordia, the emperor's own sister.

^A Philippicus, having reached the Persian territories, drew near to Nisibis; and having suddenly made an incursion into Persia, he carried away a great number of captives. On learning of this, Cardarigas, the general of the Persians, having laid an ambush, desired to entrap the Roman camps. But Philippicus, keeping his captives safe, crossed through the mountains into the land of the Medes, and having ravaged many villages of the Median territory, he returned to Roman lands. ^B The Chagan, meanwhile, hastened to break the peace by treachery. For he armed the nation of the Sclaveni against Thrace, who arrived as far as the Long Walls, causing great destruction and taking many prisoners. The emperor, having led the palace troops out of the city, ordered the demes to guard the Long Walls. He appointed Commentiolus as general, armed him, and sent him against the barbarians. Unexpectedly falling upon the barbarians, he slew great multitudes and drove them away. Having arrived at Adrianople, he encountered Andragastus ^C, who was leading throngs of Sclaveni along with captives; falling upon him, he rescued the captives and gained a great victory.

A.M. 6077. In this year, Philippicus, having taken up the armies, set out for the Persian territory. Having reached Arzanene, he seized great spoils and struck fear into the Persian armies; but having been afflicted by sickness, Philippicus arrived at Martyropolis and appointed his nephew to lead the people, and established Stephanus as commander of the regiments. Cardarigas, having reached Martyropolis, burned all its suburbs and withdrew. Philippicus, suffering from illness, returned to Constantinople, and the armies returned ^D safely to their homes.

In the same year, a son was born to the emperor, and he named him Theodosius.

^A A. M. 6078. — In this year, Philippicus, having departed from the Queen of Cities, encamped at the city of Amida; and having assembled the military, he asked if they were ready in spirit to go forward to war. The Romans, having also interposed oaths, testified to their eagerness to fight; and thus he himself came to Anazarbus. When Cardarigas learned of this, he dismissed the report of it from his ears with a laugh, considering what was told to be the delusions of a dreamer. Having called the magi, he asked who would be the master of the victory. These servants of demons declared that the Persians would carry off the victory from the gods. The Persians, therefore, leaped for joy at these promises of the magi, and immediately they fashioned shackles ^B of wood and iron, so as to cast them upon the Romans. The general, on the other hand, exhorted the Romans not to ruin the labors of the farmers, lest the justice of God, which hates wickedness, be turned away and transfer the victory to the Barbarians. Therefore, on the following day, the general sent two chiefs of the Saracen tribes, and they captured Persians alive, through whom they learned the movements and intentions of their adversaries; they declared that the Barbarians wished to attack the Romans on the Lord’s day. Philippicus, having marshaled the Romans from early dawn in three phalanxes, went out to meet them for battle. He himself, having taken up the God-man image, which the Romans believe was not fashioned by human hands, ran through the ranks and imparted divine strength to the soldiery. And standing behind the battle line, ^C holding that weapon, with many tears he petitioned God, who had taken to his aid the heavenly hosts. When the battle was joined, Vitalianus the tribune, moved with a greater impetus than the others against the Persians, disrupted their densest phalanx and seized the *tuldum*. But the Romans began to occupy themselves with the spoils; seeing them, Philippicus, fearing lest the rest, turning to the plunder, should forget the battle line, and the Barbarians, having turned about, should destroy them, placed his own helmet upon Theodore of Ilisinus and sent him to strike with his sword those who were occupied with the spoils. Seeing him, and thinking him to be Philippicus, they abandoned the spoils and ^D

returned to renew the battle. ^A The battle having been extended for many hours, an order was issued by the general to strike the horses of the Persians with spears. This having been done, the Persian army was routed, and the Romans crowned themselves with a great victory, having destroyed many, whom they then despoiled. On the following day, Cardarigas, having gathered his own forces, armed himself again for battle. ^B And a second battle having been engaged, the Romans were victorious again, and many Persians were slain; two thousand Persians were captured alive and sent to Byzantium. Cardarigas fled to Dara, but the Persians, having reproached him, cast him out. Furthermore, Philippicus sent Heraclius, the father of Heraclius who afterwards reigned, at that time a lieutenant-general, to scout the Barbarians' councils; the soldiers, however, who had been wounded in the battle, he dismissed to the cities to attend to their bodies. Then, having led forth the army, he marched towards Babylon and besieged the fortress of Chlomarum. ^C Cardarigas, however, having gathered a band of peasants unaccustomed to arms, along with their beasts of burden, and having mustered a tumultuous army, boasted as if he had refortified his camp; and through fortified places in a moonless night he arrived at the rear of the Romans, though he did not dare to engage them in hand-to-hand combat. But Philippicus, troubled by an untimely fear, abandoned the siege of the fortress and took to a senseless flight: the rest of the army, having learned of this, also followed their leader, fleeing through impassable places ^D and encountering great dangers on all sides. For the night was moonless and dark. When the sun had risen, they were delivered from the calamity. Having overtaken the general, they branded him with the most shameful abuse. The Persians, thinking the flight of the Romans was feigned, did not dare to pursue them. But Heraclius, having crossed the Tigris, delivered to the flames all the notable towns of the land of Media, and thus returned to Philippicus with much booty.

A. M. 6079.

^A having distinguished the unskilled from the elite, ordered the useless force—forty thousand men—to guard the camp. Taking with him the six thousand elite soldiers, he gave two thousand to Castus and two thousand to Martinus, and keeping two thousand for himself, he marched against the Barbarians. Castus, having arrived at Zarpada and the Haemus, and finding the Barbarians negligent and unguarded, killed many of them. Having taken much spoil, he entrusted it to his guards to protect. Martinus, however, approaching the places near the city of Tomi, and having made an attack upon the Chagan unexpectedly, destroyed many of his forces, so that he was forced to purchase his safety by flight. Martinus, ^B having achieved a notable victory, returned to the general, where he had promised to await them. Comentiolus, seized by fear, retreated to Marcianopolis. Not finding him there, they joined their armies together and pitched camp at the passes of the Haemus. Martinus, having seen the Chagan crossing the river, returned to the general. Castus, having crossed the river and approaching the vanguard of the Avars, overcame them in battle; but, carried away by no sensible plan, he neglected to withdraw and join the general. Wherefore, on the following day, the Chagan, having cut off every exit, overcame him; from which point the army, dispersed as each one was able, fled through the woods and thickets. Some, like wild beasts in a hunt, were captured by the Barbarians and ^C revealed where Castus was hiding. Having captured him alive, the Barbarians surrounded him and celebrated their victory with leaps and dances. The Chagan, directing his journey toward the south, moved the war into Thrace and reached the Long Wall. Comentiolus, however, having been covered and hidden in the forests of the Haemus, finally came out with Martinus; and finding the Chagan unprepared, because the whole multitude of the Barbarians had been dispersed throughout Thrace, he marched against him at the first watch of the night. And a great success for his hands was being offered, had not adverse fortune thwarted his endeavor. For when the pack of one of the pack animals overturned onto the ground, and one companion of the animal's master shouted out in his native tongue to the master of the beast, ^D while lifting the fallen load, saying, "Turna, turna, frater," the master of the mule did not hear the voice; but the others, hearing it, and thinking the enemy had arrived, in great confusion and terror, cried out in a loud voice, "Turna, turna, frater." And the master of the mule

^A, seized with great cowardice, fled uncontrollably. And one could see the Avars and the Romans escaping from one another, though no one was pursuing them. The Chagan, having gathered his forces, besieged the city of Apiria again; and having captured Busas, the prefect of the city's machines, he threatened the man with death. Busas, provided that he might keep his life in safety, asked to redeem it with a large sum of money; wherefore they brought him bound to the view of the city. He, therefore, having recounted the benefits by which he had served the city, begged the citizens to pay the price of his liberty. But because they would not hear his prayers, a certain citizen, who was rumored to have had relations with Busas's wife, persuaded them. Busas, therefore, when he saw that he was held in contempt, promised to deliver the city to the Chagan; and having constructed a siege engine, which the common people call a ram, he invaded the city. Instructed in the skill of building ^B such engines, the barbarians captured many other cities, and returned with a great haul of captives. But the Byzantines, when they learned that Castus had been taken captive by the barbarians, brought most serious charges against Maurice, and openly heaped abuse upon him. At this time also the father of Heraclius, Heraclius, launched an attack on a Persian fort and captured it, as did Theodore the fort of Mazaros. Both of them arrived at Beiudes. And as the fort was very strongly fortified, a soldier by the name of Sapphires, having devised certain sharpened stakes, and fixing them firmly between the joints of the stones, prepared a way of ascent for himself to the upper reaches. But a Persian man pushed him down just as he was already topping the battlement of the wall. Sapphires ^C fell and was caught by the shields of his companions. He returned to the work he had begun; and again he was likewise pushed down from the top of the citadel, and was caught by the shields of the Romans, and again attempted to carry out his plan. Finally, having overcome the summit of the wall, he cut off the head of the Persian, and casting it into the air, he filled the Romans with courage. And as many imitated the hero, and climbed the wall as if by steps using the stakes, the fort fell into the power of the Romans; and of the Persians, some were killed, while others ^D were [taken] with their war equipment.

and delivered to the fire.

Philippicus, having left Heraclius as leader of the Roman army, again prepared his journey to Byzantium. Upon arriving in Tarsus, he learned that the Emperor had appointed Priscus as commander of the East and had already sent him; wherefore he wrote to Heraclius, that upon leaving the army he should go to Armenia to Narses and make Priscus’ arrival known. For the Emperor had ordered Philippicus to deprive the army of a fourth part of their pay. For Maurice was suffering from the disease of avarice. But Philippicus, fearing that an occasion for tyranny might arise from this, did not in the least obey the Emperor, because he had [already] resigned from the duty of commanding the army.

Priscus, arriving in Antioch, commanded the soldiers to assemble at Monocartus; he also summoned Germanus, who had been entrusted with the principality of the Edessenes, along with the bishop of the city, and accompanied by them he went to the camp, intending to celebrate the feast of Pascha with them. The leaders of the army came out from the camp and advanced to meet him with standards raised at a distance of two miles from the camp. But Priscus, forgetting his former custom, did not dismount from his horse, nor did he receive them with the accustomed greetings. ^B Hence was the beginning of the hatred toward him, for the multitudes do not bear public and common insults patiently. After the celebration of the festivals was finished, he presented the Emperor’s letters with great haughtiness. The soldiers therefore ran to the commander’s tent, and some drew their swords, others threatened [him] with stones, and others brandished clubs and sticks. Wherefore Priscus, struck with fear, mounted his horse and rescued himself from danger by flight. They tore his tent to pieces and plundered all his possessions.

In the meantime, Priscus, having arrived at Constantia, treated the contusions received from the throwing of stones and his other wounds by the aid of physicians; and he sent the bishop of the city to apologize to the army, promising that he would persuade the Emperor to detract nothing from the things that were accustomed to be provided. ^C But the army sent the bishop back laden with insults, and they raised Germanus up on shields—even though he was reluctant—and proclaimed him commander; and having overturned the Emperor’s statues and destroyed his images, they turned to open ^D insurrection.

and were on the point of encircling the cities, had Germanus not prevented this with much exhortation and admonition ^A. Priscus made these things known to the Emperor. And the Emperor made Philippicus commander of the East once again; and Priscus returned again to Byzantium. The army, however, secured itself with oaths that in no way would it be ruled by Maurice. The barbarians, meanwhile, ^B took pleasure in the Roman calamities. The Emperor sent Aristobulus, the curator of the imperial houses, to the army, so that by oaths and gifts he might dissolve the tyranny, which he faithfully accomplished. When the tyranny had been broken up, a great war arose between the Persians and Romans at Martyropolis. Since the Romans, by their strength and strategy, had vanquished the Persians, the Persian commander Baruzas ^C was slain; three thousand were captured alive, including the chief commanders of the Persian ranks; only one thousand in number were saved, who, exhausted by dangers, were permitted to return to Persia. The Romans sent many of the Persian spoils to the Emperor, along with all those who had been captured, together with the standards. Maurice built the Carian portico at Blachernae, having depicted in it, by means of painters, his own deeds from childhood up to his assumption of the empire; and he completed the public bath that was there.

^D A.M. 6080. In this year in the month of September, in the sixth indiction, the Lombards began a war against the Romans, and the nations of the Maurusians stirred up great disturbances throughout Africa. In Persia there exists a prison called Lethe (that is, Oblivion), in which the King of the Persians had locked many men from various nations, along with the captives from the city of Daras. These men, having despaired of liberty, rose up against those guarding them, and having killed Manusa and taken his sister captive, they arrived in Byzantium. The Emperor received them with great joy; but the Roman army barely recognized Philippicus as their commander.

^A When a battle broke out between the Romans and the Persians, the Romans were defeated. The Emperor, however, dismissed Philippicus from his command of the army and sent Comentiolus, the general of the East, in his place. When Comentiolus reached Nisibis, and the Persians under Sarbanus were standing their ground, they joined battle with one another. Heraclius, the father of the Emperor Heraclius, fighting bravely in the battle, killed the Persian general; once he was removed, the Persians turned to flight, and the Romans pursued them. Since great plunder was obtained by them and the *touldon* (baggage train) was captured, they sent much spoil to Byzantium. The Emperor cheered the city with equestrian spectacles and public festivals and celebrated the victories with a triumph. ^B Hormisdas, having appointed Baram as general, sent him with great forces into Suania. Having arrived there unexpectedly, and after the Turks were defeated by the Persians, Hormisdas grew so prosperous that he demanded forty thousand gold pieces in tribute from the Turks, whereas previously he paid the same amount to the Turks. When Baram had achieved a great name for his military prowess during this war and was already encamped at the river Araxes, Maurice, having learned of this, appointed Romanus as general and sent him with an army into Suania. Romanus, having reached Lazica and arrived at the river called the Phasis, camped in Albania. ^C Baram, having heard that the Roman army had arrived, mocked the matter; furthermore, he desired to test the Roman method of warfare, for he had never before fought against the Romans. Crossing the neighboring river, therefore, he advanced as if drawing the Romans into the inner regions of Persia. Romanus divided his army, leaving those inexperienced in war with the baggage, and pursued the Barbarians with the remaining ten thousand selected men. He ordered two thousand of these to outpace the rest of the army; they encountered the Persian scouts, put them to flight, and slaughtered them all. For, having taken to flight and encountering a precipice, they were shut in and all perished. ^D The Romans arrived as far as the rampart of the Barbarians, so that Baram was astonished at such valor. Receiving this news, Romanus encouraged his camp, and they drew up in battle array in the plain of Albania. Baram tried to snatch victory by craft rather than by open warfare, but he failed in his designs, for Romanus excelled in the highest art of war. Finally, when the forces had engaged on both sides and many of the Barbarians had been slaughtered [alt-version omitted]

^A, the Romans won a most signal victory. The Barbarians were despoiled, and, being left without burial, they became food for wild beasts. Upon hearing this, the king of the Persians, unable to bear the shame, sent a woman's garment to Baram and removed him from his command. Consequently, Baram began to plot fresh disturbances and set about fomenting a ^B rebellion; furthermore, he retorted to Hormisdas with insulting letters, addressing the missive with this inscription: "Baram writes this to Hormisda, the daughter of Chosroes." Having gathered the troops, he alleged that Hormisdas was angry at the armies for being defeated by the Romans. He even produced forged letters, as if from Hormisdas, to show the soldiers in order to diminish their pay, reminding them of the harshness and extreme cruelty of Hormisdas, his greed and violence, and how he delighted in bloodshed, eschewed peace, and had cast the ^C nobles into chains; he recounted how he had beheaded some with the sword and drowned others in the Tigris; and he noted how he compelled the Persians to engage in great wars so that they might be destroyed and not rise up against him. By such speeches, Baram won over the troops and kindled a great rebellion against Hormisdas; and all, having bound Baram with oaths, resolved to depose Hormisdas. But Hormisdas dispatched Pheroganes, his cook, having equipped him with arms and a large force, against Baram. Baram declared to Pheroganes and the ^D armies that Persians should not take up arms against their fellow Persians, and he reminded them of the harshness, injustice, bloodthirstiness, and greed of Hormisdas, as well as his faithlessness, arrogance, and violence. The troops under Pheroganes, realizing that these things were truly spoken, defected to Baram, and having killed Pheroganes, they joined themselves to Baram and hastened toward Ctesiphon. Now, Hormisdas had kept Bindoës, a man of great dignity, in chains. In the midst of the great turmoil of events, Besdas, the brother of Bindoës, broke into the prison and brought out his brother Bindoës; and having gathered a multitude of peasants and citizens [e], at the third hour of the day they entered the palace and, finding Hormisdas sitting upon the royal throne, they subjected him to many insults. Bindoës, having seized Hormisdas, took the diadem from his head

and threw him into prison; ^A he urged Chosroes to take up the ancestral throne. Hormisdas, having sent a messenger from prison to the Persians, begged for the opportunity to speak of matters concerning the welfare of Persia. Therefore, on the following day, a frequent assembly of Persians was gathered in the palace along with the common people, and they brought Hormisdas in chains. Hormisdas reminded the Persians that it was not right to commit such crimes against their kings, and [he recounted] how many trophies he had raised since he began to reign, and how many benefits he had conferred upon the Persians, and how he had made the Turks pay tribute to Persia, and [how he had caused] the Romans to desire peace, and how he had taken Martyropolis; he declared the ancestral glories. He demanded that Chosroes be deposed from the kingdom as one who was unjust, insatiate, bloodthirsty, arrogant, an insulter, and fond of war; he said that he had another son, and he urged them to appoint him as king instead. Bindoës spoke against Hormisdas, and by putting forward his failings, incited everyone against Hormisdas. They brought into the midst the wife of Hormisdas and his son, and in the sight of Hormisdas, they cut them in two; when they had deprived him of his sight, they cast him into prison. ^B And Chosroes for a time treated his father kindly in the prison, providing him with every delight; but Hormisdas trampled upon the gifts sent by the king and repaid them with insults and reproaches. Chosroes, being enraged, ordered him to be beaten to death with sticks upon his loins [(89)]. This deed deeply afflicted the Persians and ignited hatred against Chosroes. Chosroes, having gathered forces, withdrew from the palace and marched against Baram into the plain of the Zaba river, where Baram had his camp. Chosroes, suspecting that some of his nobles were leaning toward the side of Baram, put them to death. The people, being in a tumult, Chosroes fled with a few, and all those who were with Chosroes went over to Baram. Chosroes was at a loss as to what he should do, some advising him to go to the Turks, others to the Romans. Chosroes mounted his horse and, ^C letting the bridle go, commanded everyone to follow the movements of the horse. The horse moved toward the Roman regions and arrived at Cercosium; he sent ambassadors to make his arrival known to the Romans. It happened that Probus the patrician was there, who received him and informed the King ^D through letters of what had happened to him. Baram sent envoys to

^A the Emperor, begging him not to grant aid to Chosroes. But the Emperor Maurice commanded Comentiolus, the general, to receive Chosroes at Hierapolis and to honor him with royal hospitalities. In the same year, the Emperor Maurice [(90)] also ordained that a litany be held in Blachernae in memory of the holy Theotokos, and that panegyrics be recited in honor of the Lady, naming it a *panegyris* (a public festival) [(91)].

A. M. 6081. — First year of Chosroes, King of Persia.

In this year, after King Maurice had adopted [(92)] Chosroes, the King of the Persians, as his son, he sent to him Domitianus, Bishop of Melitene, who was his own relative, along with Narses, having entrusted the command of the war to him. ^B They took Chosroes and all the Roman forces and invaded Persia. Upon learning this, Baram took the forces around him and encamped at a place called Alexandrina, intending to prevent the troops coming from Armenia from uniting with Narses. For Maurice had ordered John Mustacon, the general of the Armenian forces, to take his troops and join with Narses, so that together they might engage in the war against Baram. During the night, all the Roman forces were united and drawn up in formation against Baram. Baram, seized by fear, encamped near the mountain. When a fearsome battle was engaged, ^C Narses, disdaining the Indian beasts, broke through the middle of the barbarians' phalanx. When this happened, the rest of Baram's phalanxes were weakened, and a great flight of the tyrant's army ensued. Narses, pursuing them relentlessly, slaughtered the Persians. Having taken six thousand prisoners, he led them in chains to Chosroes, and Chosroes put them all to the sword. As for the Turks he found, he sent them to the Emperor in Byzantium. Now, these Turks had the sign of the cross tattooed in black on their foreheads, and when asked...

^A by the Emperor in what way they came to bear this sign, the Turks said that many years ago, when a plague was raging in Turkey, some Christians among them had suggested they do this, and that from that time on, salvation had come to the land. The Roman army, having seized the tent of Baram and his entire military equipment and elephants, brought them to Chosroes. Baram himself made his escape to the interior regions of Persia, and thus the war against him was ended. Chosroes, adorned with such a glorious victory, recovered his own throne and provided a triumphal banquet, offering thanks for the victory to the Romans. Narses, however, as he was about to return home, said to Chosroes: "Remember, Chosroes, this present day. The Romans bestow the kingdom upon you." But Chosroes, fearing ^B that treachery might be intended, requested of Maurice that a thousand Romans be assigned for his guard and protection. Maurice, having shown great humanity toward the barbarian, satisfied his request; and thus the Persian war of the Romans finally reached its end.

A.M. 6082. — In this year, on the twenty-sixth day of the month of March, in the eighth indiction, on the holy day of Pascha, Theodosius, the son of the supreme Emperor Maurice, being four and a half years old, received the imperial crown from John, the Patriarch of Constantinople. In the same year, the supreme Emperor Maurice completed the church of the Holy Forty Martyrs, which Tiberius had begun to build and which had already been brought to the midpoint of the work. They relate that a Praetorium had once been constructed in that place. But as a deep peace occupied the entire East, Europe was being agitated by the storms of war; for this reason, the supreme Emperor himself transferred all the forces of the empire from the East ^C to Thrace.

A.M. 6083. — In this year, at the beginning of spring, with his troops already collected in Thrace, Maurice went out with them to see the ruins caused by the barbarians. The Augusta, however, and the Patriarch and the entire Senate entreated the Emperor not

to undertake the war himself, but to entrust it to a general; yet he did not accept this. ^A While he was setting out for the war, an eclipse of the sun occurred. There arose also extraordinary gusts of wind, a violent south wind. When he reached Rhegium, he refreshed the multitude of the poor by distributing silver coins among them. Having gone out to hunt, a wild boar of immense size rushed against the Caesar. His horse, terrified by the sight, attempted to throw the Caesar; but although it leapt and kicked and struggled mightily, it could never dislodge the Caesar. ^B The boar, however, unharmed by anyone, withdrew into the woods. Furthermore, while he was making his journey toward Perinthus by sea, a more violent wind and rain set in, and the sailors being reduced to extreme straits, the boat in which the Emperor was traveling was carried away by the storms and, contrary to all expectation, was brought safe to the place called Daphnium. That night a woman was giving birth and emitting pitiable cries; when day dawned, the Emperor sent men to see what had happened, he being the spectator of the event that had occurred. He saw a child born ^C devoid of eyes and eyelids, having neither hands nor arms; and from its loins a fish’s tail was growing. On that same day, the Emperor’s horse, which was adorned all around with golden trappings, suddenly collapsed and died. The Emperor, pondering all these things, was consumed with silent grief. The next day, three men of the Sclavinian race, wearing nothing of iron, were captured by the Romans, carrying only lyres. The Emperor asked them whence they came and where they made their dwelling. They said that by race they were Sclavini, and ^D that they lived at the ends of the western Ocean; and that the Chagan had sent an embassy to them, and had solicited the leaders of their tribes with gifts to bring him aid against the Romans; but their commanders had sent them to plead with the Chagan that he could not, on account of the length of the road, send him an alliance. They claimed to have made an eighteen-month journey and thus finally to have fallen in with the Romans. They carried lyres because, not knowing how to wear armor, they lived in a region ignorant of iron. The Emperor, having marveled at their stature and praised the greatness of their bodies, sent them to Heraclea. Having arrived at Anchialus and learned that ambassadors from the Persians and the Franks had arrived in Byzantium, he returned to the palace.

A. C. 584. In this year the Chagan demanded that an increase be given to the sum of money agreed upon for him. But the Emperor rejected the barbarian's words. Wherefore the Chagan resolved to renew the war; he soon takes Singidon, and pitches camp at Sirmium. The Emperor then appointed Priscus as Duke of Europe. Priscus chose Salvianus as his legate and ordered him to ride ahead of the army. When an irruption was made against the barbarians, and a fierce battle was joined, victory rested with the Romans; receiving news of the defeat, the Chagan prepared another army and went out to battle. Salvianus, having caught sight of the huge multitude of armed men, was deterred and returned to Priscus. Learning of the Romans' retreat, the Chagan advanced towards Anchialus—understand this as Saint Alexander—and devastated the whole place with a vast fire. Thence he turned aside to Drizepera, and having prepared siege engines, he attempted to take the town by storm. The inhabitants of Drizepera offered very bold resistance: for, opening the gates, they threatened to engage the barbarians bravely, being pressed by extreme necessity. Then indeed, in that hour, divine power was present with them. For, in the bright light of midday, the barbarians seemed to see Roman forces emerging from the city and threatening to join in armed conflict; from which they were confounded and, casting themselves into headlong flight, they betook themselves to Perinthus. Priscus, however, unable to bear even the sight of the barbarian line, entered the fortress of Tzurulum ^B and protected his life with careful guard: thereupon the barbarian prince became minded to besiege Priscus. When this was reported to Maurice, he was in doubt as to what he should do. But at length, by good counsel, he armed himself against the numberless multitude of barbarians, and fought them with prudence. Accordingly, he persuaded one of the excubitors who had gone to the camps to fall of his own accord into the power of the barbarians, with gifts and more ample promises: and at the same time he entrusted him with letters to Priscus in these words: "To the most glorious Duke Priscus. Do not fear the wicked attempt of the barbarians: for this shall be to their own destruction. For know that the Chagan is ashamed to return to the land granted to him by the Romans. For this reason, let your greatness hold fast at Tzurulum ^C amid the wanderings... ^D

Chagan and drive him about as he pleases. We are sending a large fleet by sea and are preparing captivity for the enemy; for otherwise he ^A would return home with disgrace and loss. The Chagan, upon intercepting the letters, read what was written, and was struck with fear. Having settled terms with Priscus and made peace for few and worthless gifts, he returned to his own land ^B in great flight.

A. D. 585. — First Year of Amo, Bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Emperor Maurice sent Priscus with all the Roman forces to the Ister river, in order to prevent the Sclavinian nations from crossing the river. When he arrived at Dorostolum, the Chagan, having learned of his arrival, sent envoys to him, protesting against the Romans for giving the start ^C and occasion for war. Priscus replied that he had not been sent to wage war against the Barbarians, but that the Emperor had commanded him to restrain only the Sclavinian nations. Priscus, however, having learned that Ardagastus had dispersed the multitudes of the Sclavinians to plunder throughout the Roman province, crossed the Ister in the middle of the night ^D and unexpectedly engaged Ardagastus. Ardagastus, perceiving the danger, mounted a bare horse and with difficulty saved himself by flight. The Romans, having slain multitudes of Sclavinians, and having devastated the whole region around Ardagastus, and having captured countless numbers, sent many of them to Byzantium under Tatemer. Tatemer, traveling in an incautious and slack manner, and furthermore indulging in wine and pleasures along the way, fell into the hands of an attacking multitude of Sclavinians on the third day; then, seized with fear, he arrived at Byzantium by flight. But the other Romans who were his companions on the road, stoutly withstanding the onslaught of the Sclavinians, overcame the Barbarians beyond all expectation, and brought the entire haul of captives safely to the Emperor at Byzantium. The Emperor, rejoicing, repaid the divine favor with praises and hymns, and offered thanks to God with the people of the whole city. Priscus, having become bolder through this success, penetrated into the inner parts of the Sclavinians. But Gepaidas, a man who was devoted to the Christian religion, defected to the Romans and showed the Romans the entrance, and they overcame the Barbarians; he also said that Musugium, the king of the Barbarians, was living thirty miles away. By the treachery of Gepaidas, having crossed the river...

^A in the middle of the night, Priscus found Musugium completely overwhelmed by wine; for he was celebrating the funeral rites of his own brother. Having taken him alive, he wrought a great slaughter among the Barbarians. But having gained much booty, the Romans gave themselves over to drunkenness and pleasure. Wherefore the Barbarians, having gathered again into one band, made an attack upon the victors; and the counter-attack might have been more severe than the previously performed exploit, had not Genzon, arriving with the infantry strength of the Romans, checked the onsets of the Barbarians in a mighty battle. And Priscus impaled those to whom the protection of his own person had been entrusted.

^B At the same time, Paulus, the father of the Emperor, having died in Constantinople, obtained a burial and tomb equal to that of the emperors; likewise also Anastasia Augusta, the mother-in-law of Maurice and spouse of the Emperor Tiberius, was granted a burial place next to her husband Tiberius.

^C A. M. 6086. In this year, Priscus having again occupied the Danube, and having ravaged the nation of the Sclavinians, and having sent a large amount of booty and a number of captives to the Emperor, the Emperor, having sent Tatimeras to Priscus, commanded the Romans to spend the winter there. The Romans, having learned of this, objected, saying that this could not be done, both because of the multitudes of the Barbarians and the hostility and danger of the region, and because of the unbearable cold. But Priscus calmed the soldiers with persuasive words and persuaded them to remain in winter quarters there, in obedience to the Emperor’s command.

^D Maurice, having heard these things, appointed Philippicus, his own son-in-law, general of the East, whom he held in the highest trust because he had joined his sister to him in marriage, as Count of the Excubitors. Furthermore, Philippicus began to build in Chrysopolis the monastery of our most holy Lady, the Theotokos, and a palace in it which was intended to receive Maurice the Emperor and his children, having prepared fishponds and gardens within for his use and delight; and he built in Constantinople the house called by his name, the Philippicum.

A. M. 6087. First year of Cyriacus, bishop of Constantinople. First year of Anastasius, bishop of Antioch.

^A In this year, in the suburban regions of Byzantium, strange portents occur: a child is born with four feet, and another with two heads. Those who carefully compile histories say that these things do not portend good for the cities in which such things are born. The emperor removes Priscus from his command of the army, and appoints his own brother, Peter, as commander of the Roman forces. Now Priscus, upon being informed of his discharge, led his forces across the river before Peter could arrive. When the Chagan heard of the Roman army’s crossing, he was greatly amazed; he sent to Priscus, seeking to learn the reason and desiring to receive a portion of the spoils, and in this way to swim across the river himself. For he was extremely vexed at the good fortune of the Romans. Priscus therefore sends an embassy to the Chagan regarding these matters, headed by Theodore the physician, a man adorned with quick-wittedness and prudence. ^B This man, having observed that the Chagan was high-minded and was making his replies with greater arrogance (for he boasted that he was the master of all nations), calmed the barbarian’s pride with an ancient story. For he said: "Listen, Chagan, to a profitable story. Sesostris, the illustrious and most fortunate king of the Egyptians, radiant in wealth and invincible in the strength of his forces, enslaved most great and numerous nations. Lapsing, as a result, into arrogance, he had a chariot fashioned, gilded and set with precious stones; sitting upon it, he harnessed to the yoke for the chariot four of the conquered kings. ^C This having been done, while he was standing in a prominent place, one of the four kings frequently turned his gaze backward and watched the wheel revolving. As Sesostris questioned him, asking why he kept his eyes fixed behind him, he replied: 'I am marveling at the wheel, which is unstable and moves in different ways; and at one time it brings down what is high, while at another it raises up what is low.' Sesostris, having intelligently pondered the parable with his hearing, decreed that the kings should no longer pull the chariot." The Chagan, having heard these things and smiling, said that he would maintain the peace, and that regarding the inclination of Priscus, if he should desire any of the ^D

^A spoils, he might leave them as a gift. And so, having conceded the payment for the crossing, Priscus restored all the captives to the Chagan; and he, retaining the spoils for himself, crossed the river again without danger. The Chagan was wondrously pleased at receiving these things; but when Priscus had returned to Byzantium, Petrus succeeded to the office of leading the armies.

A. C. 588. ^B — A. M. 6088. — In this year the emperor signaled to the general Petrus, by his mandates, that the Roman soldiers should receive the third part of their pay in gold coins; the second part in arms granted to them; and finally, that they should be credited for the last third in material for whatever clothing they chose. When they learned of this, they turned to rebellion. The general, terrified, excused what had been done to the soldiers, asserting that it was in no way true; indeed, he even displayed other letters in which the emperor ordered that those soldiers who had behaved bravely in war and had escaped from grave dangers should spend their time in cities with a furlough, and be supported among the other veterans at public expense; furthermore, that the children of the soldiers should be enrolled in the place of their parents. By such enticements of words he soothed the army, so that all followed the Caesar with joyous acclamations; and of all these things Petrus informed the emperor. Approaching Marcianopolis, he sent forward a thousand soldiers to scout. They, stumbling upon the Sclavini who were carrying off a great amount of booty from the Roman borders, put them to flight. But the Barbarians, having killed the captives, carried off the rest of the booty, which was very great, and escaped back into the Roman borders.

In the same year the emperor founded the round sun-dial of the Magnaura, ^C and erected his own statue in the middle of the atrium, and placed there the armament.

A. C. 589. — A. M. 6089. — In this year, when the general Petrus had gone out to hunt, a wild boar met him and crushed his foot against a tree, by which he was tormented for a long time with truly intolerable pains. But the emperor rebuked him with very harsh, shameful, and most grievous letters of reproach, when he had learned that the Sclavinian nations were moving toward Byzantium. But Petrus, ^D being moved and truly forced, betook himself to Novae. When indeed the primates of the city and the soldiers, together with the bishop...

were met by those ^B coming forward, the general, having seen them and having wondered at the equipment and valor of those men, orders them, leaving the city, to mingle with the Roman multitude. But the soldiers, having been drawn up for the watch of the city, were not persuaded to do this. And the general, being angered, sent Genzon with a multitude of soldiers. But they, having learned [this], fled to the church, and having closed the doors of the temple, they sat ^C inside. But Genzon, fearing the sanctity of the temple, remained having achieved nothing. But Petrus, being enraged, dismissed Genzon from his command and sent Scribon (22), having treated the bishop ignominiously, to bring him to himself. But those of the city, having been gathered together with all their households, ^D shamefully expel Scribon from the city; and having closed the gates of the city, they sang the praises of the Emperor Maurice, but covered the general with insults; and thus Petrus retreated from there in disgrace. And he sends ahead a thousand men for reconnaissance; but they fall in with a thousand Bulgarians in number. But the Bulgarians, trusting in the peace with the Chagan, were proceeding without a care; but the Romans made their attacks against the Bulgarians. But the Bulgarians send seven men, advising them not to break the peace. Having heard this, the scouts report these things to the general. But the general said: "Not even if the Emperor himself should come, will I spare these men." A battle having taken place, the Romans are put to flight. But the barbarians did not pursue them, so that they might not fall into ambushes by pursuing their victory too ardently. But the general had the commander of the scouts harshly scourged. Having learned this, the Chagan sent envoys to Petrus, complaining of the provocation, and [saying] how the Romans had dissolved the peace without just cause. But Petrus, having used deceitful words, maintained that he did not know of the movement, and [offered] to give double all the spoils; and thus, through the barbarians taking back the lost spoils in two parts (25), they keep the peace. But Petrus advances against Peregastus (24), the exarch of the Sclavini. And the barbarians, having met them around the bank of the river, prevented them from crossing. But the Romans, shooting arrows from the transport vessels (25), turned them back; and as they were turning, he is struck at.

^A Peregastus, being wounded, dies. The Romans, having crossed the river, seized much booty and returned to their own lands. But their guides, having lost their way and led them into dry and waterless ^B places, the army was in great danger; marching through the night, they encountered the Ilbakius river. As a thicket lay on the opposite bank of the river, the barbarians, hiding within it, were shooting arrows at those who were drawing ^C water. Great injury having therefore been done to the Roman armies, they fled, having been defeated by the barbarians. Maurice, hearing this, removed Peter from his generalship and sent Priscus back as general of Thrace.

A. M. 6090. In this year, the general Priscus went forth into Thrace and reviewed the forces, and he found that a great multitude of them had perished. Having taken these, he proceeds to the Ister river to Novas. The Chagan, learning of this, sent envoys to inquire into the reason for his arrival. Priscus pretended that he had come for the sake of hunting. To whom the Chagan said, "It is not right to hunt in another's territory." Priscus, on the contrary, claimed the land as his own and reproached the Chagan for his flight from the East. The barbarian tore down the wall of Singidon ^D and marched into the Roman land. Learning of this, Priscus proceeded to the island of the Ister, and taking dromons, he arrived at Constantiola to speak with the Chagan. When the Chagan had come to the bank of the river, Priscus conversed from his ship. The Chagan said to him, "What is it to you, Priscus, regarding my land? And do you wish to take it from my hands through deceit? God will judge between me and the Emperor Maurice; He will demand the blood of the Roman army and of my own army from his hands." Priscus replied, "You are not trying to take from us just one city." The Chagan replied, "Shortly you will see fifty other cities of the Roman Empire being enslaved by the barbarians." Priscus, having brought his ships to Singidon, sacked the city, drove the Bulgars out of it, and began to rebuild the wall. The Chagan sent messengers to him, and while calling his false gods to witness, he complained bitterly to him regarding what he had done. Winter having arrived, both sides...

withdrew to their own territories. ^A In the same year, Peter, the brother of Maurice, built the church of the holy Theotokos at Arabindus, adorning it with various marbles; and likewise, Cyriacus the patriarch placed the church of the holy Theotokos at the Diaconissa.

A.M. 6091. — In this year, the Chagan, having gathered his force, marched against Dalmatia. And having taken Balben and the forty cities around it, he devastated them all. Priscus, having learned of these things, sent Gundues to scout what was being done; and he, having surprised the barbarians as they were marching through trackless regions, chanced upon two barbarians who were overcome with wine; and Gundues inquired of them about the movements of the barbarians. They replied that the Chagan had entrusted the booty to two thousand well-armed soldiers and had sent them home to his own dwellings. Gundues, having learned this, hid in a narrow ravine, and at daybreak, having come upon their rear, he suddenly slew them all; and having taken the booty, he brought it to Priscus. The Chagan, having learned of the failure, returned to his own country, and Priscus returned to his own.

A.M. 6092. — In this year, in the third indiction, in the month of March, Priscus, having taken up his forces, arrived at Singidon. The Chagan, having gathered his own force, suddenly appeared in Mysia and attempted to take the city of Tomosia. ^B For this reason, Priscus abandoned Singidon and approached him. When the feast of Pascha arrived, and the Romans were wasting away from famine, the Chagan, having heard of this, made it known to Priscus that he should send carts to him, so that he might send supplies to them, in order that they might celebrate their own feast with gladness. He therefore filled and sent to them four hundred carts; likewise Priscus also sent back to the barbarian certain Indian wares: ^C pepper, Indian leaf, costus, cassia, and other things that were requested. The Chagan was sitting at Thermium, and having received these, he rejoiced over them; and until the feast was completed, Romans and barbarians mingled with one another, and there was no fear in either army. When the feast was completed, the barbarians separated from the Romans. ^D

^A Maurice, under the pretext of supporting Priscus, sent Comentiolus with a force of infantry. Upon receiving intelligence of this, the Chagan (53) went on a campaign against Comentiolus toward Moesia, positioning his camp thirty miles from the army of Comentiolus. Comentiolus, being in great distress of mind, sent an embassy to the Chagan. Indeed, there was a rumor that Maurice had commanded Comentiolus to betray the Roman army to the enemy so as to put an end to their creating disturbances. In the middle of the night, he ordered the army to arm themselves, without signaling to the rank and file that he intended to engage in battle. They, assuming they were ordered to bear arms for the sake of exercise, did not equip themselves as they ought for the coming struggle. When day broke and the barbarians fell upon them, a great tumult seized the entire army. Comentiolus himself disturbed the ranks and ^B acted as the absolute author of the confusion, and so the Romans were put to flight. The barbarians, catching the army arrayed according to no law of warfare, slaughtered everyone with the utmost inhumanity. Comentiolus in disgraceful flight sought safety at Drizipera, but the citizens drove him out of the city with insults and by pelting him with stones. The barbarians, having arrived at Drizipera, plundered the city and set fire to the temple of Saint Alexander; finding his tomb silver-plated, they impiously plundered it. After having treated the body of the martyr with outrage and having taken much booty in Thrace, they insulted the Romans with a great crowd. When Comentiolus returned to Byzantium, a great disturbance and storm of fear fell upon the whole city; so much so that, out of excessive fear, they openly planned to abandon Europe and migrate to Chalcedon in Asia. The Emperor, however, surrounded by a bodyguard of excubitors and having gathered a body of armed soldiers, defended the Long Wall; the factions of the people guarded the city, while the senate advised that an embassy be sent to the Chagan. But God, desiring to avenge the injuries inflicted upon the martyr Alexander, sent a pestilential disease upon the barbarians; and in a single day, fever and buboes killed ^D seven of the Chagan’s sons along with countless other multitudes, so that instead of the joy of victory, and paeans, and songs, the barbarian had only laments, tears, and inconsolable grief. The senate petitioned the Caesar to send an embassy to the barbarian at Drizipera (35), who with words

^B of office soothed the barbarian. The barbarian, held by an unrestrained grief for the loss of his children, refused to accept the gifts; he addressed the envoys only in this way: "God shall sit as a just judge between me and the Emperor Maurice; for he himself gave the cause for the peace to be broken. Yet I will return all the captives to him for one coin per head." Maurice could not bear to pay that sum of money; wherefore the Chagan demanded half a coin per head for their redemption, but Maurice would not agree to pay even half a coin, nor even the four ceratia which the Chagan had finally asked for each. Because of this, the Chagan killed them all to the last man and returned to his own country, adding fifty thousand to the annual tribute which the Romans had been paying under ancient agreements. It was also agreed that neither the Romans nor the Bulgars would cross the Ister river anymore. From these events, a great hatred was stirred up against the Emperor Maurice, whence even the army, scattered throughout Thrace, began to revile him openly with insults and injuries, and moved to mock and spit curses upon him. The army therefore decided to send envoys to Maurice against Comentiolus, complaining that they had been betrayed by him in battle. One of the envoys was Phocas, who, pleading before Maurice in the hearing of the senate, cast insolent reproaches at him, to such an extent that, with blows even being struck, someone among the patricians plucked his beard. Furthermore, the emperor did not accept the accusations brought against Comentiolus, and he sent the envoys away with their business entirely unfinished; from which the series of conspiracies ^C directed against the emperor subsequently grew.

At this time, in Egypt, in the Nile river, while Menas the prefect was traveling with his people in the place called the Delta, at sunrise, creatures with the appearance of men appeared in the river, a male and a female. The male was broad-chested and striking in appearance, fair-haired, with graying hair, naked by nature down to the waist, and he showed himself quite naked to everyone; the rest of his body the water covered. The prefect bound him with oaths not to end the spectacle before everyone had ^D satiated themselves with the sight of this extraordinary vision. The woman had both her breasts visible and her face smooth... [alt-version omitted]

and her hair long. And so for the ninth hour the whole army looked upon the animals with amazement; at the ninth hour they submerged into the river. Menas later related these things in writing to the Emperor.

^A A. C. 593. — First year of Isacius, Bishop of Jerusalem. First year of Anastasius, Bishop of Antioch.

In this year, on the twenty-sixth day of the month of March, in the fourth indiction, on the very day of Holy Pascha, Sophia Augusta, the wife of Justin, together with Constantina, the wife of Maurice, offered to the emperor a crown they had prepared, superior in value to any other. The emperor, admiring the work, went to the church and offered it as a gift to God, and he hung it above the holy table by a triple chain of jewels and gold. Upon receiving this news, the Augustae were utterly dismayed; and amid complaints and affronts, Augusta Constantina celebrated the festive day with the emperor. But the emperor, paying no heed to the accusations leveled by the Thracian troops against Comentiolus, Comentiolus himself led an army toward the Ister, joined Priscus at Singidunum, and the peace with the barbarians was broken. Once this was broken, they came to Viminacium, which is a great island of the Ister. Upon hearing this, the Chagan gathered his forces and invaded the Roman provinces; having entrusted other troops to the care of his sons, he ordered them to guard the fords of the river Ister. The Romans, however, constructed makeshift boats, crossed the river, and under the command of Priscus engaged in battle with the son of the Chagan; for Comentiolus, having fallen ill, remained on the island of Viminacium. ^B The struggle lasted for many hours, and when the sun set, three hundred Romans had been killed, while four thousand of the barbarians were lost. Having led the troops out of the camp at early dawn and drawn them up in battle array on both sides, the war was joined again, and another eight thousand of the barbarians were slaughtered. On the third day, the Romans, likewise drawn up in order from a higher position,

advanced against the barbarians, and having put them to flight and driven them into the waters of the lake, ^A they caused many of them to drown, among whom even the Chagan's own children perished, and the Romans secured a brilliant victory. The Chagan, having gathered many forces, marched against the Romans, but once battle was joined, the Romans put the barbarians to flight; and this was a more famous victory for the Romans than any other. Priscus, having drawn up four thousand armed men, ordered them to cross the river Tisza and to reconnoiter the barbarians' tents. The barbarians, knowing nothing of that which had occurred, were celebrating a festival and indulging in drunkenness. The Romans, falling upon them unexpectedly, inflicted a terrible slaughter upon them, for they killed thirty thousand Gepids and other barbarians; and having taken a great amount of plunder, they returned to Priscus. The Chagan, having again collected forces, arrived at the Danube, ^B and the barbarians, having joined battle, were defeated and drowned in the currents of the river. Along with them, many Sclaveni also perished. Three thousand two hundred Avars and two thousand other barbarians were taken alive into the power of the Romans. The Chagan sent envoys to the Emperor Maurice to try to redeem the captives; but Maurice, not yet having learned of the brilliant Roman victory, wrote to Priscus to return only the barbarians. Comentiolus, having barely recovered from his illness, set out for Novae, seeking guides to lead him along the road of the Emperor Trajan. An old man who was acquainted with it declared it to be difficult and inaccessible, both because of the many rains and because it was winter, possessed of high mountains and snows. ^C Comentiolus, not persuaded by the old man's words, departed along that road. Because of the excessive cold and severe frost, many of the Romans perished, and the greater part of the pack animals. And with difficulty he arrived at Philippopolis; and once the Romans had wintered there, Comentiolus departed for Byzantium.

In the same year, a man ^D clothed in the monastic habit and renowned for his practices of the ascetic life, having drawn a sword, ran from the Forum as far as the Chalke gate holding the naked sword in his hand, threatening the emperor in the presence of all with death by the sword.

Likewise, Herodianus had foretold to Maurice, in the presence of all, what would happen to him.

But when, one night, the emperor was walking barefoot ^B in procession with the whole city, and was passing by the Carpiana, some from the crowd began to stir up a riot, throwing stones at the emperor; so that he was scarcely able to escape in safety with his son Theodosius and complete his prayer at the Blachernae. The populace, having found a man resembling Maurice, fitted him with a black cloak, wreathed his head with a garland of garlic, and, putting him on an ass, made sport of him, saying: "He has found a tender heifer, and like a young cock ^C he has leaped upon her, and has brought forth children like wooden rattles." No one dares to speak, but he silences them all: "My holy one, my holy one, terrible and powerful, strike him upon the skull, that he may not be puffed up; and I offer to you the great ox in prayer." The emperor arrested many of these and punished them.

A. M. 6094.

^A For he had heard that the multitudes of the barbarians had gathered near the cataracts, under the command of Apsech. Peter sent an envoy to Apsech regarding peace. But Apsech attempted to take the location of the cataracts from the Romans, while the Chagan was undertaking an expedition against Constantinople. The Romans returned to Thrace and arrived at Adrianople. The emperor, having learned that the Chagan was marching against Byzantium, wrote to Peter to return to the Istrus (Danube). He also sent Bonosus the *scribon* with a fleet to transport the troops across the river. Peter sent Gundoes, his lieutenant, across the Istrus, and they captured much booty. When the Chagan learned of this, he sent Apsech with a multitude to destroy the nation of the sailors ^B, as they were allies of the Romans. When this happened, a portion of the barbarians joined (?) with the Romans. ^C Maurice, coming to himself, and knowing that nothing escapes God, but that He renders to everyone according to their works, and having considered the error he had committed regarding the captives, by not ransoming them, judged that it was better that he receive punishment for his sins in this life rather than in the life to come. Having composed written petitions, he dispatched them to all the patriarchal thrones and all the churches under him, and to the monasteries in the desert, and in Jerusalem, and to the lauras, with money, candles, and incense, so that they might pray for him, that he might receive his recompense here and not in the life to come. ^D

^A He was also suspicious of Philippicus, his son-in-law, because of the letter Phi, from which his name took its beginning. But Philippicus swore divers oaths to the emperor, that he was pure in his service and that there was neither word nor deceit in him. As Maurice was beseeching God (59) to have mercy on his soul, in one night, as he slept, he saw a vision: he imagined himself standing before the image of the Savior at the bronze gate of the palace, with a great crowd gathered around him. A voice was heard coming from the form (60) of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, saying: "Bring forth Maurice." And the ministers of justice seized him and brought him to the porphyry umbilical stone standing there (61). Then the divine voice said to him: "Where do you wish me to recompense you? Here, or in the age to come?" Hearing this, he said: "O most humane Master, most righteous Judge, here rather than in the age to come." And the divine ^B voice ordered that Maurice, his wife, his children, and all his kin be handed over to Phocas the soldier. Maurice, awakened from sleep, called his chamberlain and ordered him to summon his son-in-law Philippicus with all speed. The chamberlain went and called him. He, shaking off his sleep, awakened his wife also and, wishing her safety with a kiss, said: "Farewell, wife, now you see me for the last time." She, with a great cry, exclaimed to the chamberlain: "I adjure you by God, what is the matter, that the emperor seeks him at this hour?" He swore that he did not know, save that the emperor had suddenly risen from his sleep and sent him. Philippicus asked for the opportunity to receive the Eucharist, and thus provided, he proceeded to the emperor. His wife Gordia lay on the ground, wailing and weeping, invoking the aid of the divine power in her prayers. Philippicus entered the imperial bedchamber and threw himself at the emperor's feet. The emperor said to him: "For God's sake, forgive me, for I have sinned against you. For until this hour I have been suspicious of you and held you in hatred." And having ordered the chamberlain ^C to withdraw, he rose from his bed and fell at the feet of Philippicus, saying: "Forgive me; for I firmly know that you have committed no sin against me. But tell me, do you know of a soldier among our legions named Phocas?" Philippicus, considering (63), says to him: "I know one who, a short time ago, having been sent..."

on an errand from the army, spoke against your authority." The emperor said: "What sort of a rank is he of?" Philippicus replied: "He is young, bold, and cowardly." Then Maurice says: "If he is cowardly, he is also a murderer." And he explained to Philippicus the revelation of the dream. On that night there appeared in the sky a star, which is called a comet. On the following day, the ^B Magistrianus who had been sent to the holy Fathers in the desert arrived, and he returned bringing from them an answer of this kind: "God, having accepted your repentance, saves your soul and enrolls you with your whole family in the album of the saints; but you shall fall from the dignity of the empire with disgrace and with danger to your life." Having heard these things, Maurice gave great thanks to God.

When, therefore, the autumn season came ^C, and Emperor Maurice ordered Peter to have the army pass the winter in the land of the Sclaveni, the soldiers, refusing to carry out the orders, mutinied, claiming as a pretext the condition of their horses, the fact that they were encumbered with much booty, and that the swarms of barbarians were scattered throughout the region; and they plotted sedition. The general, incensed against the people, forced them into hardships [(67)]. Thereupon heavy rains fell upon the army, and great cold. Peter was making his camp twenty miles away from the road [(68)]. Maurice, ^D however, bothered Peter with letters to cross the Ister and to draw the winter provisions for the people from the land of the Sclaveni, so that he might not be compelled to supply food from the public stores to the Romans. The general, having summoned Gundui, said: "How very burdensome to me are the emperor's commands, ordering the Romans to winter on foreign and hostile soil! The necessity of obeying is indeed grave, but the difficulty of refusing is greater. Greed produces nothing good, and it has been established as the mother of all evils. The emperor, infected with this disease, is becoming the author of the greatest evils for the Romans." Having summoned the prefects of the troops, he revealed the emperor's purpose to them. They said that the people would not accept this. The people, having heard this, mutinied; and the prominent leaders, fleeing from them, came to the general. The assembled multitudes put forward an exarch

moved to rebellion. The leaders withdraw themselves from the danger and, wandering, betake themselves to the leader. Wherefore the troops, gathered into one, created Phocas the centurion exarch: then, having lifted the exarch upon a shield, they followed him with auspicious acclamations. Having understood this, Peter slipped away in flight and informed the emperor of everything. Maurice, receiving a message so grave and troublesome, strove to hide it from the city cohorts. On the second day following, however, in order to hide the misfortune more, he celebrated a horse race. Then indeed the faction of the Greens erupted into these voices: "Constantine and Domentiolus, lord of the Romans, thrice august, are soliciting the people so that, as our sins demand, a scoundrel may be appointed administrator of the commonwealth: God, the maker of all things, will subject to you all adversaries and enemies, both internal and external, without the shedding of blood." The emperor signaled to the factions regarding these things: "Let the indecent movements and sedition of the insane soldiers not move you in the least." Then the Blues: "God, who ordered you to be emperor, will prostrate all who oppose your majesty with arms. If he who acts so ungratefully toward you is a Roman, He will subject him again to your service without the danger of slaughter." The emperor therefore ordered them, equipped with arms and soothed by bland words, to guard the city walls ^A with their tribunes. But the Romans, while the emperor's son was exercising himself in hunting at Calicratia with his father-in-law Germanus, directed letters to Theodosius himself to assume the empire; if he were unwilling, they would declare Germanus emperor instead: for the domination of Maurice could no longer be tolerated. Having learned this, Maurice calls his son to him; but he entrusts the defense of the walls to Comentiolus. Then he accused Germanus, together with his son Theodosius, as the author of the impending calamities, ^{B C} [Greek: he accused him of having been the cause of the misfortunes.] When Germanus was defending himself, Maurice said: "O Germanus, there are two proofs of my suspicion: the letters from the people to you, and the sparing ^D

φείδεσθαι ^A τοῦ λαοῦ τῆς ἀγελαίας ἵππου τῆς νεμομένης εἰς τὰ προάστεια. Πάντα γὰρ διήρπασαν, καὶ τῶν σῶν ἐφείσαντο. Φείδου, Γερμανέ, τοῦ μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον, οὐδὲν ἠδύτερον τοῦ διὰ ξίφους τεθνάναι. Ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς εἰς τὸν ναὸν τῆς Θεομήτορος τῶν Κύρου προσέφυγεν. Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο μαθὼν Στέφανον τὸν εὐνοῦχον ἀπέστειλεν τοῦ ἐξαγαγεῖν τὸν Γερμανὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Τοῦ δὲ Στεφάνου βιαίως ἐξαγαγεῖν τοῦτον θελήσαντος, οἱ τοῦ Γερμανοῦ ὑπασπισταὶ ἀντικαταστάντες, ἐξωθοῦσι τὸν Στέφανον, καὶ λαβόντες τὸν Γερμανὸν εἰς τὴν Μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν καταφεύγουσιν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ῥάβδοις ἐμαστίγου Θεοδόσιον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν. Ἔφασκεν γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ Γερμανῶν φυγαδευθῆναι· καὶ ἀποστέλλει ἐξκουδίτωρας τοῦ ἐξαγαγεῖν τῆς Μεγάλης Ἐκκλησίας τὸν Γερμανόν. Ἐντεῦθεν ^B θρύλλος μέγας τῇ πόλει ἐνέσκηψεν. Ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς ἠθέλησεν ἐξελθεῖν, καὶ δοῦναι ἑαυτόν. Τὰ δὲ πλήθη οὐ κατεδέξαντο, ἀλλ' ὕβρεσι μεγάλαις τὸν βασιλέα ἠτίμασαν, λέγοντες· Μὴ σχοίη δέρμα ὁ φιλῶν σε, Μαυρίκιε Μαρκιανιστά. Οἱ τοίνυν τὰ τείχη φρουροῦντες ταῦτα μαθόντες, τῆς φρουρᾶς κατημέλησαν. Τότε οἱ τοῦ Πρασίνου μέρους τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου, τοῦ λεγομένου Λάρδου, καταφλέγουσιν. Ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος μεσούσης τῆς νυκτὸς ἀποδυσάμενος τὴν βασιλικὴν στολὴν, καὶ ἰδιωτικὴν περιβαλόμενος, εἰς δρόμωνας τε εἰσελθὼν, μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν τέκνων αὐτοῦ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου, ἀποδιδράσκει. Τὰ δὲ πλήθη δι' ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς αἰσχέσεις ὕβρεσι τὸν βασιλέα καθύβριζον ἐπέσκωπτόν τε, καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην Κυριακόν. Λαίλαπος τοίνυν γενομένου μεγάλου μετὰ κινδύνων μεγίστων διασώζεται Αὐτόνομος ^C (77). Ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐπιτίθενται αὐτῷ καὶ νόσοι ἀρθρίτιδες, ἃς ποδαλγίας καὶ χειραλγίας καλοῦσιν. Ἐντεῦθεν ἀποστέλλει Θεοδόσιον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱὸν πρὸς Χοσρόην τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν μετὰ Κωνσταντίνου, ὅπως ὑπομνήσῃ τῶν ἀπὸ Μαυρικίου γεγονότων αὐτῷ, καὶ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τῆς εὐεργεσίας προσνείμῃ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς πέμπει πρὸς Σέργιον τὸν δήμαρχον τοῦ Πρασίνου μέρους, ὅπως συναγωνίσηται αὐτῷ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι, ὑποσχόμενος τιμῆσαι τὸ μέρος τοῦ Πρασίνου, καὶ αὐτὸν μεγάλαις ἀξίαις περιβαλεῖν. Ὁ δὲ Σέργιος τοῖς ἐπισημοτέροις τοῦ δήμου τοῦτο ἐθάρρησεν. Οἱ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ κατεδέξαντο λέγοντες· ^D

^A never would Germanus depart from his preference for the Blues. The Greens, therefore, going forth to Rhegium, honored the tyrant Phocas with great acclamations and persuaded him to appear at the Hebdomon. ^B Phocas then sent Theodore the *asecretis*, who, entering the Great Church, read out before the people the order that the patriarch, the factions, and the senate should come to the Hebdomon. This having been done and everyone having arrived at the Hebdomon, Cyriacus the patriarch demanded from the tyrant a sworn guarantee that he would keep the true faith and preserve the Church undisturbed. The tyrant pretended to be eager that Germanus should be made emperor. But when Germanus, feigning that he did not wish it, declined, and the factions meanwhile did not cease to acclaim the tyrant with repeated cries, ^C ruin and the calamities of the empire were proclaimed as emperor. Thus the tyrant was hailed as master of the scepters, a calamity assumed the rights of prosperity, and the woes of the Romans burst forth from these hostile beginnings. The inauguration of the tyrant was performed at the temple of John the Baptist. Having remained there for two days, on the third he was finally conveyed in the imperial chariot into the palace. Moreover, on the fifth day after his arrival, he crowned Leontia, his wife, and proclaimed her Augusta. The factions, however, being at variance with one another regarding the locations of their stations, stirred up a sedition on that same day. ^D Therefore the tyrant sent Alexander, his associate in the conspiracy, to settle the factions. Alexander, laying hands on Cosmas, the tribune of the Blues, pushed and insulted him. The Blues, indignant, shouted: "Go away, learn to act with moderation: Maurice has not yet perished." The tyrant, having heard these voices, was moved to the murder of Maurice; and having sent soldiers, he brought them to the port of Eutropius in Chalcedon. And the emperor’s male children were slaughtered before his eyes, five in number, the tyrant thereafter punishing the emperor with the slaughter of his children. Maurice, acting as a philosopher in his misfortune, called upon God before all, and kept saying repeatedly: "You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are upright."

Thus, with the children dead, the father displayed his virtue further through an epitaph upon the greatness of the calamities ^A. For when his nurse had stolen one of the royal youths and offered her own in his place for the slaughter, Maurice would not accept it, but sought his own son. Some say that when the boy was slaughtered, milk flowed along with the blood, so that all who beheld it lamented grievously. Thus, the emperor, having become greater than nature alone, changed his life. From that time forth, various and extraordinary misfortunes did not cease to destabilize the Roman Empire. For Chosroes, the king of the Persians, broke the peace, and the Avars ^B devastated Thrace, and both armies of the Romans were destroyed; so that when Heraclius became emperor, he made a precise inspection of the military, and out of the entire multitude that had been present during the tyranny of Phocas against Maurice, he found no more than two men remaining. Thus, those who had promoted the tyrant were consumed under him.

A. M. 6095. — First year of the Roman Emperor Phocas.

In this year, in the month of November, in the sixth indiction ^C, the tyrant Phocas, having seized the empire, slew Maurice with his five male children, as has been foretold; and he ordered their heads to be placed in the Campus of the Tribunal for many days. The citizens would leave the city and watch them until they grew putrid. Peter, his brother, was also put to death, along with many others. As for his son Theodosius, the rumor prevails that he had fled and had been saved. Chosroes, the king of the Persians, amplified this rumor, lying in various ways at different times, claiming he had the boy with him and pretending to be concerned that he might receive the Roman Empire. In reality, however, he hoped to seize the Roman Empire through deceit, as was proven in many ways—most notably by his launching of sudden wars and by the great harm he inflicted upon Roman territories. When Phocas sent an ambassador to him, Bilius, he seized him and cast him into prison, never again to return to the Roman realms ^D.

The ^A tyrant also shut up the Empress Constantina, together with her three daughters, in a private house known as the house of Leo.

In the city of Alexandria, a certain religious man, one of the skilled scribes, returning home in the middle of the night from a festive vigil, saw statues being pulled down from their bases to the ground, and heard them in a loud voice proclaiming the slaughter of Maurice and his children, and all the disasters that had occurred at Byzantium. In the morning, the man went to the Augustalis and reported these things. He charged him to make these things known to no one. But he watched the day and awaited the outcome. On the ninth day, a messenger arrived announcing the slaughter of Maurice. Then the Augustalis celebrated the prophecy of the demons before the people.

Narses, who had become a Roman general, rebelled against the tyrant and seized Edessa. Therefore, Phocas wrote to the general Germanus to besiege Edessa. Narses, in turn, wrote to Chosroes, the king of the Persians, urging him to gather his forces and wage war against the Romans. Phocas made his own brother, Domentiolus, Master of Offices, and Priscus, Count of the Excubitors.

A.M. 6096. — In this year, on the ^B seventh day of the month of December, in the seventh indiction, Phocas went forth for the customary festival solemnities, distributing coins to the people after the manner of consuls. Chosroes, king of the Persians, having gathered a large force, sent it against the Romans. Germanus, upon receiving this news, was afraid, but being compelled by necessity, he began the war. When Germanus was wounded in the battle, his guards carried him off to Constantina, and the Romans were defeated; on the tenth day after receiving the wound, Germanus died.

Phocas transferred his forces from Europe to Asia, having increased all the gifts for the Chagan in accordance with the treaty, hoping by this means to keep the barbarian nation at peace. Dividing these troops, he sent one part against the Persians, and another to besiege Edessa against Narses, under the eunuch Leontius and his own ^C chief officer. Chosroes, having assembled his forces, arrived at Daras. Narses, having left Edessa, fled to Hierapolis. ^D

^A And Chosroes met the Romans at Arzamum. And having arranged his camp after the manner of elephants, he began the war, and won a great victory, having taken prisoner many of the Romans, whom he also beheaded. These things having been so transacted, Chosroes returned to his own land, leaving Zongos in command of his forces. Learning this, Phocas flew into a rage against Leontius, and had him brought in iron shackles shamefully to Byzantium, and appointed his own nephew Domentziolus as general, whom he also made curopalates. ^B A.M. 6097. — In this year Chosroes sent Cardarigas and Rhosmiazas, and they ravaged many of the cities of the Romans. Now Domentziolus, having given his word to Narses and having persuaded him by many oaths that he would suffer no injustice at the hands of Phocas, sent him to Phocas. But Phocas, not having kept this word, burned him with fire. For this cause, therefore, the Romans were in great sorrow, because Narses had struck such great fear into the Persians that the children of the Persians would tremble just by hearing the name of Narses. A.M. 6098. Year 1 of Thomas, Bishop of Constantinople. — ^C In this year, a scholastic eunuch, a man of note in the palace, taking Constantina the empress and her three daughters in the middle of the night, fled to the Great Church, by the counsel of Germanus the patrician, who was aspiring to the empire. A great sedition therefore arose in the city. And the Greens, having gathered at the Cochlias, were speaking evil of Constantina; and Germanus had sent a talent of gold to the demarch of the Greens, in order to win them over to his side. But the leaders of the faction did not accept this. And the tyrant sent to the church to drag the women out; but the patriarch Cyriacus ^D withstood the tyrant, not permitting the women to be dragged tyrannically from the holy temple. But having been assured by oaths from Phocas that he would not harm them, they were taken out of the sacred precinct, and locked in a monastery. And having compelled Germanus to shave his hair, he enrolled him among the priests, and kept him under guard in his own house. At that time also Philippicus, having shaved off his hair, received the dignity of the priesthood, and spent his time in the monastery at Chrysopolis, which he himself had built. And in this year the Persians took Daras, and were overrunning all of Mesopotamia and Syria, making much plunder.

of which there is no number. ^B And Patriarch Cyriacus having died (97), Thomas is ordained in his place, being a deacon and sacellarius of the same church, on the eleventh of October.

A. M. 6099. — First year of Theodore, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year Phocas, the tyrant, gave his daughter Domentia in marriage to Priscus, the patrician and count of the excubitors, and after the wedding had taken place in the palace of Marina, he ordered horse races to be held. The demarchs of the two factions, along with those of the imperial laurata, set up images of Priscus and Domentia in the four-arched gate (98). When the emperor saw these things he was angered, and having sent for the demarchs, Theophanes and Pamphilus, and having had them stripped and laid on their faces on the ground, he ordered them to be beheaded. Having sent his own protocursor, he asked them whose advice had led them to attempt this. They replied that the painters had done it according to the established custom. The factions and the rest of the people shouted out: "To the most clement lord, many years." The painters (99), being asked why they had done this, said, "Because they have been named as children of the emperor by everyone, we have done this of our own initiative." Priscus, seized with fear, dreaded the emperor's indignation. But as the crowds were calling out for them to be pardoned, Phocas granted it; from that moment, therefore, Priscus, harboring resentment, was not in harmony with Phocas. A woman by the name of Petronia, acting as a deaconess ^C for the Empress Constantina, would carry the replies between Constantina and Germanus. And as a rumor spread that Theodosius, the son of Maurice, was still among the living, both Constantina and Germanus nurtured great hopes of a change in circumstances because of this report. But the nefarious Petronia made manifest to the tyrant what was being done. And the tyrant delivered Constantina to Theopemptus the eparch for torture; and while she was being tortured, she [implicated] Romanus the patrician. ^D

^A He, being likewise examined, denounced others besides as having been his accomplices in the plots against the tyrant. Theodore, the eparch of the East, was also seized, whom the tyrant killed by scourging him with bull-hide whips. And after cutting off the hands and feet of Elpidius, he delivered him to the fire; and he beheaded Romanus, and slew Constantina along with her three daughters with the sword at the mole of Eutropius, where Maurice had also been killed. He also killed Germanus and his daughter on the island of Prote by the edge of the sword. In like manner, he also savagely did away with John Tzitzas the patrician, and Theodosius, who held the dignity of subadiuva, and Andrew Scombrus, and David the chartophylax of the Hormisdas.

In the same year, the Persians crossed the Euphrates and took captive all of Syria, Palestine, and Phoenicia, causing great ruin among the Romans.

A. M. 6100. — In this year, Priscus, no longer able to endure the unjust murders and the things being done by Phocas, wrote to Heraclius, the patrician and general of Africa, that he should send his son, Heraclius, and Nicetas, the son of the patrician and deputy-general Grēgoras, so that they might come against the tyrant Phocas; for he heard that an insurrection against Phocas was being prepared in Africa; hence the ships from Africa did not even sail during this year. Phocas, however, killed all the kin of Maurice and Comentiolus, the general of Thrace, and many others mercilessly. In this year, there occurred a pestilence and a plague of insects of every kind. ^B The Persians went out with Cardarigas, and took Armenia and Cappadocia, and having joined battle, they routed the Roman armies; and they took Galatia and Paphlagonia; and they came as far as Chalcedon, ravaging without mercy men of every age. And while the Persians ^C were exercising their tyranny over the Romans outside the city, Phocas was doing worse to them inside.

^A

A.C. 601. First year of Sergius, bishop of Constantinople. First year of Zacharias, bishop of Jerusalem. First year of John, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, a sedition having been stirred up, the Jews of Antioch rioted and, after killing the great patriarch of Antioch, Anastasius, they inserted his private parts into his mouth. They then dragged him through the middle of the streets of the city and killed him, along with many of the wealthy citizens, and burned them with fire. Phocas made Bonosus Count of the Orient and Cotton magister militum, and sent them against them. Having gathered armies, they marched upon them, killed many, mutilated them, and drove them from the city.

Furthermore, during equestrian games given by Phocas to the people, the Greens openly insulted him, shouting: "Again you have drunk from the cup, and again you have lost your mind." Consequently, by his order, Constans, the prefect of the city, cut off the extremities of many ^B and hung them at the turning point of the circus; others he punished with beheading; and others he had enclosed in sacks and cast into the depths of the sea. Thereupon, the Greens gathered together and set fire to the Praetorium, burning the secretum, the archives, and the prisons, so that those who were held in confinement received their freedom by flight. Phocas, becoming enraged, sentenced the Greens to no longer hold public office in the state.

Heraclius, governor of Africa, being frequently importuned by the senate, equipped his son Heraclius with a fleet and soldiers to proceed against the tyrant Phocas. Likewise, his lieutenant in the prefecture, Gregoras, armed his son Nicetas and sent him to Constantinople, having agreed upon terms with Heraclius that whoever arrived first and defeated the tyrant should obtain the empire. ^C

In this same year, a very great cold raged, so that the sea froze, whereby innumerable fish were cast up dead upon the shore. At that time Phocas... ^D

^A commanded that Macrobius Scribonius be shot with arrows in the forum, and he suspended him at the fortress of the Theodosians in the Hebdomon, from the poles where the recruits are exercised, and ordered him to meet his death—for he was surely privy to the conspiracy hatched against him. For Theodorus the Cappadocian praefect, and Elpidius the superintendent of the arsenal, and various others, had entered into a plan to kill Phocas while he was sitting in the Hippodrome. And having prepared a banquet, Theodorus the praefect of the praetorium began to reveal his intent to them. It happened that Anastasius, the count of the largitiones, was found there. When the feast was taking place and the matters of the conspiracy were being explained, Anastasius, who had been found there, regretted it and did not speak the things of his heart, but held his tongue. But Elpidius persisted, saying: "Do you not wish that, while he is sitting in the seat ^B in the hippodrome, I should seize him, pluck out his eyes, and thus kill him?" And he promised to provide them with arms. But the matter having been made known to Phocas through a denunciation by Anastasius, he ordered the praefect and Elpidius and the nobles who knew of the conspiracy to be examined with all diligence. And when they were examined, they confessed the matters of the conspiracy, and that they had wished to make Theodorus emperor. And Phocas ordered that Theodorus and Elpidius and Anastasius and all those who knew of the conspiracy be beheaded.

A. M. 6102. — Year 1 of the Roman Emperor Heraclius. ^C A. C. 602. — Year 1 of the Roman Emperor Heraclius.

In this year, in the month of October, on the fourth day, in the fourteenth indiction, Heraclius arrived from Africa bringing castellated ships, having in the masts small chests and images of the Mother of God, just as George the Pisidian says, and a great army from Africa and Mauritania, and likewise Nicetas, the son of the patrician Gregoras, from there.

^A Alexandria and Pentapolis, having with him a great infantry force. Now Heraclius had betrothed Eudocia, the daughter of Rogatus the African, who at this time was staying in Constantinople along with Epiphania, the mother of Heraclius, and Eudocia, who was betrothed to him. Phocas seized them, and shut them up to be strictly guarded in the imperial monastery, which is called the New Repentance. When Heraclius reached Abydos, he found Theodore, the count of Abydos, and having examined him, learned from him the events occurring in Constantinople. Phocas had sent his brother Domentziolus, the magister, to guard the Long Walls. But that magister, having learned that Heraclius had reached Abydos, fled, abandoning the walls, and entered Constantinople. ^B Heraclius welcomed at Abydos all those whom Phocas had sent into exile, and set out with them for Heraclea. Now Stephen, the metropolitan of Cyzicus, having taken a crown from the church of the holy Mother of God, which is named Artake, brought it to Heraclius. Heraclius arrived at Constantinople and steered into the harbor of Sophia; and a battle having been joined, he defeated the tyrant Phocas by the grace of Christ. The factions of the people seized him, put him to death, and burned him with fire at the place called the Ox. ^C Heraclius, having entered the palace, was crowned by the patriarch Sergius in the oratory of Saint Stephen, which is built within the palace itself. On the same day, his betrothed Eudocia was also crowned Augusta. Both then received the nuptial crowns from the patriarch Sergius, and he was proclaimed emperor and bridegroom simultaneously on that day, and was adorned with both crowns. In the month of May, the Persians made an expedition into Syria, and having captured Apamea and Edessa, they arrived as far as Antioch. The Romans, having advanced to meet them, joined battle, yet were bested, insomuch that the entire Roman army was destroyed to the point of extinction, and very few indeed remained as survivors. In the month of July of the same indiction, the emperor received a daughter from Eudocia, named Epiphania, who was baptized in the Blachernae by the patriarch Sergius on the fifteenth day of August. 251 A.C. 605. — In this year the Persians gained possession of Caesarea of Cappadocia, and [took] many myriads of men ^D

as captives. But Heraclius, having assumed the empire, found the whole state of Roman affairs ruined. ^A For the Barbarians had ravaged Europe, the Persians had utterly devastated all of Asia and carried away entire cities into captivity, and they had exhausted the Roman army in continuous wars. Seeing this, the Emperor was in doubt as to what he should do. For having inspected the army, to see if there were any survivors among those who had campaigned against Maurice with Phocas during his tyranny, he found only two men in all the themes. ^B In the same year, on the third day of the month of May, in the fifteenth indiction, a son was born to the Emperor by Eudocia, named Heraclius the Younger and also New Constantine. And in the month of August, on the fourteenth day, Eudocia Augusta died in the same fifteenth indiction.

A. M. 6104. — In this year, in the month of October, in the first indiction, Epiphania, the daughter of Heraclius, was crowned Augusta by patriarch Sergius in the oratory of Saint Stephen in the palace. And in the month of December, on the twenty-fifth day, in the same first indiction, Heraclius, the son of Heraclius, new Constantine, was crowned as colleague in the empire by patriarch Sergius. In the same year, the Saracens campaigned against Syria; and having ravaged many regions, they returned.

A. M. 6105. — In this year the Persians took Damascus and carried away a great multitude of people. ^C But Emperor Heraclius sent envoys to Chosroes to urge him to cease from the pitiless shedding of human blood, and to agree on tributes and accept terms of peace. But he dismissed the envoys without result, having held no discussion with them, hoping to gain possession of the entire Roman rule. And in that same year, Heraclius took Martina as his wife and proclaimed her Augusta, having crowned her in the augusteum, where she was crowned by patriarch Sergius.

A. M. 6106. — In this year the Persians took the regions of the Jordan, ^D [alt-version omitted] [index: entries preserved]

^A Palestine, and the Holy City by force of arms, and killed many therein by the hands of the Jews—some say ninety thousand. For these men, buying the Christians as each man’s means allowed, immediately killed them. Having taken Zacharias, the patriarch of Jerusalem, and the precious and life-giving wood of the Cross, and a multitude of captives, they led them away into Persia. In the same year, Constantine, another son of the emperor, was born of Martina his wife, and was baptized in the Blachernae by Patriarch Sergius.

A. M. 6107. — In this year the Persians took all of Egypt, Alexandria, and Libya as far as Ethiopia, and having taken a great multitude of captives and immense spoils and riches, they returned to their own provinces. They could not take Chalcedon, but leaving a garrison to besiege it, they departed.

A. M. 6108. — In this year the Persians campaigned against Chalcedon, and took it by force of arms. In the same year, on the first day of the month of January, in the fifth indiction, Constantine the Younger, also called Heraclius, son of Heraclius, was declared consul; and he proclaimed his own younger brother, born of Heraclius and Martina, Caesar.

A. M. 6109. — In this year Heraclius again sent ambassadors into Persia to Chosroes, seeking peace. But Chosroes rejected them again, saying: "I will not spare you until you have renounced the Crucified One, whom you call God, and have worshipped the sun."

A. M. 6110. — In this year the Avars campaigned against Thrace. Heraclius sent ambassadors to them and requested peace; and upon the Chagan promising to make it, the emperor went out beyond the Long Wall, far from the city, and with the full imperial retinue and a large and magnificent supply of gifts, he received the Chagan, having obtained assurances from him to establish a mutually inviolable peace. But that barbarian, having scorned his oath and the treaty, suddenly and tyrannically advanced against the emperor.

The Emperor, terrified by ^A the unexpected movement of the situation, fled back toward the city. The barbarian, having seized the imperial baggage and retinue, and as many as he could capture, retreated, having plundered many villages of Thrace, which, deceived by the expectation of peace, suspected nothing of the sort.

A. M. 6111. — Year one of George, bishop of Alexandria.

In this year, Heraclius, having sent ambassadors to the barbarian Chagan ^B to complain about the transgressions committed by him, urged him toward peace. For, intending to campaign against Persia, he wished to be at peace with the Chagan. The Chagan, moved by the love of the emperor, promised to repent and pledged to make peace; and, having settled everything, the ambassadors returned in peace. In the same year, the Persians took Ancyra in Galatia by war.

A. M. 6112. — In this year, Chosroes hardened his yoke over all men to the point of bloodshed and taxation. For, puffed up ^C by his victory, he could no longer stay within the established bounds of justice and equity. Then Heraclius, having taken up zeal for God, and having purportedly made peace with the Avars, moved his armies from Europe to Asia, and intended, with the cooperation of God, to advance against Persia.

A. M. 6113. — In this year, on the fourth day of April, in the tenth indiction, the Emperor Heraclius, having celebrated the feast of Easter, immediately on the second day of the week, toward evening, set out against ^D Persia. Having taken the treasures of the holy houses, as he was in lack of a loan, he also took the polykandela [candelabra] of the Great Church and other liturgical vessels, coining them into coins and many miliaresia. He left his own son with Sergius the Patriarch of Constantinople to manage affairs, together with Bonus the patrician, a man of sound mind and in all things prudent and experienced. He wrote also to the Chagan of the Avars, urging him to aid the Roman cause, having established friendship with him, and named him guardian of his own son.

^A Having departed from the Queen of Cities, he set out by the so-called Gates, having performed his journey by vessels. Arriving thence at the provinces of the themes, he collected the armies, and added a new levy to them. He began to exercise these men and trained them in the arts of war. For, having divided the army into two equal parts, he ordered them to form lines of battle and to engage with one another without bloodshed; he taught them to raise a war cry, to sing paeans and shouts, and to stir themselves up, so that if they should find themselves in real wars, they would not be struck with panic, but, taking heart, they might charge against their enemies as if it were a sport. Taking in his hands the Theandric image, which human hands did not paint, but such as the Word, who fashioned and formed all things, brought to light without the delineation of colors—as He brought forth fruit without seed—being fully confident in a figure of this kind, fashioned by God, and pledging his faith to the army, that he would strive with them even unto death, and having promised to bind and attach himself to them always as his own children, he descended to the martial conflicts. For he sought to acquire authority over the soldiers through affection rather than fear. ^B But when he found the army dissolved by sloth, by dejection of spirit, by lack of order and confusion, and scattered into various parts of the provinces, he quickly and expeditiously gathered them all into one. Hence, all as if with one voice praised the strength and spirit of the emperor; the emperor himself, intending to inspire strength into their breasts, used these words: "See, brothers and children, how the enemies of God have trampled upon our country and laid waste to the cities and burned the altars and filled the tables of the bloodless sacrifices with murderous blood, and defile the churches, even now immune to any stain, with most filthy pleasures." Then, intending to instruct the soldiers in warlike exercises, he commanded those who were armed and ready for the fight to divide into two battle lines, and at the signal of the trumpets, for the phalanxes of shields to engage with one another. Meanwhile, the army, fortified with breastplates and all their arms, kept their station. Thus, when the ranks were safely established, he exhorted them to join hands, and [by means of] violent pushes against one another, ^C and mutual... he demonstrated the formation of war. And it was a fearful sight to behold: slaughter without danger, and movements toward killings without blood, and [the learning of] methods before the necessity, ^D so that each man, having taken the opportunity from the bloodless slaughter, might remain safer. Having thus armed everyone, he commanded them to abstain from injustice and to hold fast to piety. Having arrived at the parts of Armenia, he ordered a multitude of cavalry to run ahead secretly, intending to fall upon...

^A the enemy by surprise; but the vanguard of the emperor, having met them, took their general prisoner and brought him to Heraclius, and, having routed them, slew many. ^B And when winter descended, the emperor having blockaded the Pontic climate, it seemed to the barbarians that he would winter there. But having escaped the notice of the Persians, he turned back and invaded Persis. Having learned this, the barbarians fell into a state of negligence due to the unexpected nature of his incursion. But Sarbarus, the general of the Persians, having taken his own force, came into Cilicia, so that by exiting into Romania he might overthrow him. But fearing that the emperor, having invaded Persis through Armenia, might throw it into turmoil, he did not have a settled judgment as to what he should do. Nevertheless, he was forced to follow after the Roman army, anxious to steal the war, and to attack them during a dark night. But since the night was moonlit, he was thwarted in his design, and he maligned the moon, which they had previously revered. And the moon underwent an eclipse during that very night by coincidence. From this, Sarbarus grew fearful of attacking the emperor, and occupied the mountains, looking like a gazelle, observing the excellent generalship of the Romans from on high. The emperor, having perceived his cowardice, encamped confidently in the places, full of rest, provoking him to battle. Descending secretly from the mountain, they frequently made minor skirmishes, and in every one the Romans were superior, and the army took more courage, seeing the emperor leaping to the front and fighting valiantly. ^C Now, a certain Persian, who shortly before had become a refugee, was in the emperor's army. This man fled back to the Persians, hoping that they would destroy the Roman expedition. But having seen their cowardice, after the tenth day he went up to the emperor and revealed precisely the entire lack of mettle of the barbarians. But Sarbarus, no longer enduring the stay on the mountain, was forced to rush to battle, and having divided the army into three parts, he came down, suddenly, at the break of day, before the sunrise, having prepared himself for battle. But the emperor, having known beforehand, and having arranged the army likewise into three phalanxes, led them into the battle. As the sun rose and the emperor was positioned toward the east, its ray blinded the Persians; they, however, were worshiping it as a god. The emperor feigned that his people were turning to flight, and... ^D

expected to hope. But when he had experienced their base-spiritedness and terror, after the tenth day he returned to the Emperor, and explained more clearly the entire situation of the Barbarians and their fear. However, that arrogant leader of the Persians, impatient at being kept for so long in the mountains, and compelled by necessity to descend into the fray, divided his army into three columns. At the first light of dawn, while the sun had not yet become visible upon the earth, he appeared unexpectedly, ready for battle. ^A The Emperor, having previously known his plans, arranged and distributed his army into three battle lines and led them out to the fight. When the Emperor was positioned toward the East, the rays of the rising sun—which the Persians venerate as a god—were striking their eyes more sharply. The Emperor therefore ordered his army to feign flight; for this reason, the Persians, having broken the ranks of their phalanxes, decided to pursue them with excessive abandon. But the Romans, turning their faces toward them, bravely withstood their charge and compelled them to turn their backs; and having slain many of them, they drove the rest into the narrow passes of the mountains, and, having pushed them into rugged and precipitous places, they struck them down and brought them into extreme peril. They even hunted down the Persians as they leaped about like wild mountain goats over those rough and jagged rocks, taking them alive; and having occupied their camp, they plundered all their military equipment. Then, indeed, the Romans, with hands lifted to heaven, rendered due thanks to God, and also offered up vows to Him for their Emperor, who was so skilled in military affairs. For those who previously were terrified even to gaze upon the dust raised by the Persians now plundered their tents, which they had found undisturbed. For who, I ask, would ever have hoped that the Persians, a nation invincible in arms, would turn their backs to the Romans? The Emperor, however, having left behind the army and a commander set over it, by whose care they might pass the winter in Armenia, returned to ^B Byzantium.

In this year, Mamed the Emir first began to appear; he reigned for nine years, from the thirteenth year of the power conferred upon Heraclius.

A.M. 6114. In this year, on the 15th of the month of March, in the eleventh indiction, the Emperor Heraclius set out from the royal city and arrived quickly in Armenia. But Chosroes, the king of the Persians, sent Sarbanazas with his own army to invade the land of the Romans. And Heraclius wrote to

^A Chosroes, that he should either embrace peace or he himself should invade Persia with his army. But Chosroes neither accepted the peace, nor did he regard any of the words, because he did not expect that Heraclius would dare to approach Persia. The Emperor, however, on the twentieth day of the month of April, invaded Persia, and when Chosroes learned this, he ordered Sarbarazas ^B to turn back; and having assembled his armies from the whole of Persia, and having handed them over to the general Sai, he commanded him to unite them with Sarbarazas as quickly as possible, and thus to advance against the Emperor. But Heraclius, having called his army together, stirred them up with hortatory words, saying: "Men, my brothers, let us take into our hearts the fear of God, and let us strive to avenge the outrage against God. Let us stand bravely against the enemies who have wrought many terrible things upon the Christians. Let us be ashamed of the unconquered majesty of the Roman empire, and let us stand against enemies who are armed in such an ungodly manner. Let us take faith as the slayer of terror. Let us consider that we are within the lands of the Persians, and that flight brings great danger. Let us avenge the defilement of the virgins, and seeing the severed limbs of our fellow soldiers, let us stir our hearts. The danger is not without reward, but is the agent of eternal glory. Let us stand bravely, and the Lord God will aid us and will destroy our enemies." When the Emperor had spoken these and other like things to the people, one answered him on behalf of all: "You have opened our hearts, Master, by opening your mouth in exhortation. Your words have sharpened our swords and have made these very blades spirited. You have given us wings ^C through your words. We blush to see you, our leader, in the battles, and we shall follow in all your commands." The Emperor, having taken up the army, immediately marched into the interior of Persia, burning the lands and villages with fire; and a terrible miracle occurs. For at the time of the summer solstice, the air became dewy and cool, refreshing the Roman army, so that they took up good hopes. When Heraclius heard that Chosroes was in the city of Gazacos with forty thousand fighting men, he rushed against him; and having sent ahead some of the Saracens who were under him to meet the guard of Chosroes, they killed some of them, and having bound others, they brought them to the Emperor together with their commander. When Chosroes learned this, he abandoned the city and the army and resorted to flight. Heraclius pursued them; those whom he caught he killed, and the others fled and were scattered. And the Emperor, having captured ^D the city of Gazacos in the East, in which were the Temple of Fire and the treasures of Croesus, the king of the Lydians, and the imposture of the Magi, having taken these, [he went] to Dastagerd.

Furthermore, the emperor, leaving Gazacum, approached Thebarmaes, and having entered the city, he consumed the Temple of Fire with the entire city by fire. ^B From there, indeed, he pursued Chosroes from the rear through the narrow places of the Medes, and Chosroes, wandering through these defiles, kept moving from one place to another. Heraclius, however, following him, plundered many cities and regions. But when winter came on and he deliberated with his army about winter quarters, some thought they should winter in Albania, while others believed they should march against Chosroes himself. The emperor, however, having enjoined expiation and sanctity upon the whole army for three continuous days, opened the divine Gospels and found that it was signified to him that he should winter in Albania. Therefore, immediately turning his route, he hastened into Albania. On the way, moreover, since he was taking with him a huge spoil of the Persians, both of treasures and of captives, he suffered many incursions from the Persian troops; but with God helping him, he escaped victorious everywhere. But when a harsher winter and frost had vexed them on the journey, when he arrived in Albania, he set free from their bonds—out of an innate mercy—the Persians, whom he was leading with him as captives to the number of fifty thousand; and he refreshed them as best he could with care for their bodies and with medicine, so that all, pouring out into tears, with vows conceived for him, wished that, with that destructive plague of the whole world, Chosroes, killed, he himself might finally emerge as the liberator of all Persia. ^C Amed, second year. A. D. 615. — In this year, Chosroes, king of the Persians, appointed Sarablagas, a man strenuous and puffed up with martial pride, as general, and, having entrusted to him an army called the Chosroegenae and the Perozitae, he sent them into Albania against Heraclius. But when they had entered the borders of Albania, they never dared to approach the emperor at close quarters or to stand in arms within his sight; rather, having consulted to set traps for him, they thought it sufficient for themselves to occupy the mountain defiles by which the road leads to Persia. Heraclius, however, through the wide and sloping plains of the fields, from which he was collecting abundant provisions, setting out from Albania at the beginning of spring, was making his path into Persia, even if the distance of a long road.

^A forced him to finish it with a longer delay. But Sarablagas, in order to get before the emperor, decided to proceed into Persia by a narrow path, as if it were a shorter route. Heraclius, therefore, encouraged his army with words such as these: "We know, brothers, that the Persian army, wandering in impassable places, is thoroughly exhausting its horses and draining them of strength; wherefore let us hasten to attack Chosroes with great speed, so that by attacking unexpectedly, we may throw him into fear and flight." The army, however, especially the allies of the Lazi, the Abasgi, and the Iberians, did not agree to do this, from which eventually arose a huge disaster. For Sarbarazas, joined with the forces which Chosroes had equipped, and at the same time with his other troops, proceeded through Armenia against Heraclius. Sarablagas, moreover, followed behind the emperor, but did not descend to engagement; for he was eager to join himself with Sarbarazas, and so to begin the war. The Romans, upon learning of the arrival of Sarablarazas, were struck with fear, and repenting of their poorly committed disobedience, acknowledging what a great evil it is for a servant not to yield to the counsels of his lord, they fell on their faces at the feet of the emperor with tears, and said: "Reach out thy right hand, master, to be kissed, before we miserable ones perish; for we are ready to obey thy pleasure." Then the emperor, before Sarablagas ^B could be joined to the army of Sarbarazas, attempted to test his strength by initiating battle, and by making frequent sorties against him both by night and by day, he cast him into fear and mental distress. Then, leaving both of them behind him, he hastened with swift pace against Chosroes. But two soldiers, having deserted from the Roman side to the Persians, persuaded them that the Romans had given themselves to flight out of cowardice. But another rumor also came to the Persians, that Saes, the general of the Persians, was coming with another army to bring aid. Having heard this news, Sarbarazas and Sarablagas hastened to descend to battle with Heraclius, before Saes should arrive and transfer the whole glory of victory to himself. Therefore, having given faith to the deserters, they advanced against Heraclius; and now, being very near, they pitched their camp, deciding to join battle at the following light. Heraclius, having set out from there ^C in the evening, traveled through the whole night; and having become far away from them, and having found a verdant field, he pitched his camp in it. The Barbarians, thinking they were fleeing out of cowardice, marched in disorder to catch them. But he, having turned against them, did not strike battle against them; but having occupied a certain wooded hill ^D and having massed his people, with the help of God he turned the Persians [alt-version omitted]

^A into flight and, pursuing them through the ravines, slew a great multitude. And throughout this struggle, when Saes arrived with his army, having been turned to flight, and a great part of his army having been cut down, he scattered the rest as they fled and seized all of their baggage. Sarbarazas straightway joined Saes, gathering together the barbarians who had survived the battle; and they again planned to advance against Heraclius. The emperor marched toward the land of the Huns and the difficult terrain thereof, through rugged and impassable places. But the barbarians followed behind them. The Lazi, together with the Abasgi, being terrified by the danger, violated the alliance and, having been separated from the Roman army, departed to their own country. Saes, rejoicing at this, went with great fury together with the barbarians against Heraclius. ^B The emperor, having gathered the army, encouraged them with words, and exhorted them with such advice, saying: "Let not the number of the enemy, brothers, by any means terrify you. For God willing, one Roman will put a thousand adversaries to flight. Let us offer ourselves to God for the salvation of our brothers. Let us obtain the crowns of martyrs, so that future time may praise us, and God may render to us our rewards." With these and many other words having emboldened the army, the emperor with a cheerful face drew up the lines of battle; and they stood at a small distance from one another, and from morning until evening they did not join battle. But as evening came on, ^C the emperor proceeded on his journey. The barbarians again followed behind him. But having changed his path and wishing to forestall them, he fell into marshy places, and they were led astray, and they came into great danger. The emperor, having crossed the parts of Persarmenia, passed by. Since that land was held by the Persians, many flocked to Sarbarazas, and he increased his own host. But when winter approached, this multitude was dispersed into their own homes and regions. When Heraclius learned of this, he meditated on stealing the war by night: and with winter pressing, and the barbarian having no suspicion ^D of him, he chose stronger horses and soldiers more excellent in strength, and having armed them, he divided them into two ranks, and commanded this one to advance to attack the barbarian; he himself decided to follow with the other behind them. Having completed the journey with a swift pace through the night, they captured the village of Salbanon at the ninth hour of the night, with the Persians being within it and unaware of the assault, and they, having risen up, rushed against them. The Romans [began to...]

slew them all, except for one who came to the barbarian with the news of the slaughter. Whereupon the barbarian, having left the place very quickly, and being naked and even barefoot, mounted a horse and obtained his safety by flight. ^A Seeing his wives and all the Persian flower, the princes and satraps and picked soldiers, having ascended onto the roofs of the houses and attempting to wage war from there, he brought them down by means of fire; and some he slew, others he consumed with fire, and others finally he bound with handcuffs and fetters and took into captivity. He also took the arms of Sarbaraz: a golden shield, a sword, a spear, and a gem-studded golden belt, and his footwear as well. Having taken all these things, he went against those who were scattered in the surrounding ^B territories, who, having learned of the flight of Sarbaraz, fled uncontrollably. He himself, having pursued them, slew many of them and took some as captives, and the rest returned in disgrace to Persia. The Emperor, having gathered his own army, wintered joyfully in those very places.

A. M. 6116. — In this year, on the first day of the month of March, the Emperor Heraclius, having gathered his own army, took counsel as to which road he should travel; for two narrow and difficult ways were set before him: one leading to Taron, and the other to the land of the Syrians. And the one leading to Taron was indeed more different ^C (67), but it had a scarcity of all provisions; while that which led to the land of the Syrians, crossing over the Taurus, provided an abundance and plenty of provisions. Everyone compared this one, even if it were rougher and covered with much snow, and decided to take it. Having crossed this with much labor, in seven days they reached the Tigris river; and having crossed it, they reached Martyropolis and Amida; and there the army and the captives rested. From there the Emperor was able to send letters to Byzantium, and to declare all that concerned himself, and to bring much joy to the city. But the barbarian (68), having gathered his own scattered people, advanced against him. ^D The Emperor, having selected a choice group of soldiers, sent them to guard the mountain passes leading towards him; and he himself, having marched out through the passages to the east, went to meet the barbarian directly, and having crossed the Nymphios river, he arrived at the Euphrates, where the bridge woven from ropes

^A. But Sarbarazas, having unfastened the ropes of the bridge from one bank, brought the whole bridge over to the other. The emperor arriving, and finding no bridge by which to cross the river, rode along the bank and, having searched it, found a ford; and he crossed it without danger, ^B miraculously, in the month of March. And reaching Samosata, and again crossing the Taurus, he arrived at Germaniceia; and having crossed the Adana, he came to the Sarus river. But Sarbarus again, having extended the bridge to its own place, crossed the Euphrates without hindrance, and followed behind him. The emperor having crossed the bridge of the Sarus, and having found a place suitable for the rest of the army and the horses, encamped there and let them rest. But Sarbarus also arrived ^C at the opposite side. Finding the bridge, and the bulwarks on it held by the Romans, he encamped. Many of the Romans, rushing out in disorder across the bridge, attacked the Persians and caused a great slaughter among them. But the emperor forbade them to go out in disorder, lest a way be afforded to the adversaries to come together onto the bridge and cross over. But the people did not obey the emperor. And Sarbarus, having laid an ambush and shown himself as if fleeing, drew many Romans, against the will of the emperor, to pursue him; and having turned back and engaged them, he killed as many as he caught outside the bridge, ^D paying the penalty for their disobedience. But the emperor, having seen that the Barbarians had broken rank in the pursuit, and that many in the bulwarks of the Romans were being slaughtered by them, moved against them. A man of giant stature met the emperor and attacked him in the middle of the bridge. The emperor, having struck him, threw him into the depths of the river. He having fallen, the Barbarians were put to flight, and in the narrowness of the bridge the Barbarians threw themselves into the river; others were cut down by swords; while the multitude of the Barbarians, having poured out toward the banks of the river, shot arrows and resisted, not allowing the Romans to cross. But the emperor, having crossed, resisted the Barbarians bravely, fighting with a few of his own retinue with strength beyond that of a man, so that Sarbarus was amazed, and a certain refugee near him...

^A one who had defiled himself with the foul desertion to idols and had left the Roman army for the Persians, said: "Do you see the Caesar, O Cosmas, with what daring he stands in the battle, and how he fights alone against so great a multitude, and how, like an anvil, he spits back the missiles?" For he was recognized by his true and proper greaves, and though he had received many wounds, he had sustained not a single one that endangered his life. ^B The battle having been carried on in this way, when evening arrived, they separated from one another; and Sarbarus, struck with fear, retreated backward during the night. The emperor, having gathered his people together, rushed to the city of Sebastea, and having crossed the river Halys, he remained in that region for the whole winter. Chosroes, driven mad, sent men to take all the treasures of the churches in all the lands under the Persians. And he forced the Christians to adopt the heresy of Nestorius in order to spite the emperor.

Chief of the Arabs, Amed, nine years.

A. M. 6117. — In this year, Chosroes, king of the Persians, made a new campaign, having enlisted foreigners, citizens, and servants, having made a selection from every kind of people. Having handed this selection over to the general Saes, he joined to it another fifty thousand men whom he had chosen from the phalanx of Sarbarus, and he named them "Gold-spears," and sent them against the emperor. ^C He sent Sarbarus with the rest of his army against Constantinople, so that, having made an agreement with the Huns from the West—whom they call Avars—as well as with the Avaris, Sclavians, and Gepids, they might advance against the city and besiege it. Having learned of this, the emperor divided his own army into three parts: he sent one part to guard the city; he delivered the second to his own brother Theodore and commanded him to fight against Saes; and taking the third part himself, he moved toward Lazica. While staying there, he invited the eastern Turks, whom they call Chazars, into an alliance. ^D Saes, having arrived with this newly-recruited host, armed himself for battle against the emperor's brother, Theodore. As they joined battle with one another, God, plainly assisting through the prayers of the most praised Theotokos, [sent] a sudden violent hail...

upon the barbarians, and struck down many of them. The Roman battle line meanwhile enjoyed calm. The Romans put the Persians to flight and cut down a great multitude. When Chosroes learned of this, he burned with intense anger against Saes. Saes himself, having fallen into a sickness from great despondency, died. Yet Chosroes ordered that his corpse be salted and brought to him, and he commanded that the body, though dead and devoid of sensation, be lacerated with stripes and ^B injuries.

The Chazars, having broken through the Caspian gates, burst into Persia and, with Ziebelus as their leader—who held the second rank in dignity after the Chagan—penetrated the province of Adroegan. Wherever they traveled, they took Persians captive and delivered their cities and villages to the flames. The emperor, meanwhile, having left Lazica, sought to join them and meet them. When Ziebelus caught sight of the emperor, he advanced to meet him, kissed his neck, and did him homage, while the Persians looked on from the city of Tiphilis. ^C The entire army of the Turks, falling to the ground and prostrating themselves upon their faces, as if struck by the awe of his majesty, honored the emperor with a form of honor unusual to them, yet solemn among the gentiles. Likewise, their commanders climbed upon rocks and fell down in the same posture. Ziebelus also offered his own son, who was just beginning to grow a beard, to the emperor, being delighted by the emperor’s words and marveling at the sight and wisdom of the man. Ziebelus finally selected forty thousand valiant men ^D and assigned them to the emperor as allies in war, and he himself returned to his own country. With these added to his own forces, the emperor marched against Chosroes.

Sarbarus, meanwhile, attacked Chalcedon, and the Abares, having set out from Thrace, approached the city and strove to take it by force; having moved many siege engines against it, and having brought over from the Ister [river] an countless and innumerable multitude of soldiers on dugout canoes, they filled the entire Horn of the gulf. They besieged the city for ten days by land and sea, but were finally routed by the power and help of God and through the prayers of the immaculate and Theotokos Virgin. Having lost many of their forces on land and at sea, they retreated with great shame.

^A Sarbarus, however, having laid siege to Chalcedon, did not desist; but rather, exercising piracy by sea and predation by land, he devastated the regions situated across the strait and their cities, and spent his winter there in the midst of the tempest.

A. M. 6118. — In this year, starting from the month of September, Heraclius, having made an unexpected incursion into Persia along with the Turks on account of the impending rigor of winter, cast Chosroes, when he learned of the expedition, into anxiety and stupor. But the Turks, seeing the winter coming on and being impatient of the frequent incursions of the Persians, and not knowing how to work with the Emperor, began to slip away little by little, and having all abandoned him, they returned. The Emperor spoke to his own people, saying: "Know, brothers, that no one wishes to be our ally in the war except for God alone, and the Mother who conceived Him without seed, that He may show His own power and send forth His help to us." Chosroes, having gathered together all of his forces, set ^B Rhazates over them as general, a man most warlike and brave, and sent him against Heraclius. The Emperor was burning the cities and villages of Persia with fire and iron, and was destroying with the sword all the Persians who fell into his hands. On the ninth day of the month of October, in the fifteenth indiction, he arrived in the region of Chamaetha and gave the army rest for one week. Rhazates, having arrived at Gazakon, came up behind him, and followed the Romans, consuming everything along the way. He himself followed behind like a starving dog, barely feeding on their crumbs; and because he could not find provisions, many of his beasts of burden perished. On the first day of the month of December, the Emperor reached a great river called Zabas, and having crossed it, he encamped near the city of Nineveh. Rhazates also arrived at the crossing, following him, and having gone down three miles, he found another crossing and passed over. The Emperor, having sent Baanes the Master of Soldiers with a few ^C select soldiers, found a [bando] of Persians, and having killed their Count, brought back his head and his all-gold sword, and having killed many, he brought back 26 alive, among whom

was the spatharios of Rhazates; and he indeed ^A announced to the Emperor that Rhazates wished to do battle with him, having been so commanded by Chosroes, and that three thousand armed men had been sent to him. But they had not yet arrived. Having learned this, the Emperor ordered the baggage to move forward; and he himself followed, anxiously seeking a place where he must fight, before the three thousand could be joined to them. Having found a plain suitable for battle, and having spoken to his people, he drew up his ranks. Rhazates, having also arrived, drew up his own in three phalanxes ^B (87), and advanced against the Emperor. On the twelfth day of the month of December, which was a Saturday, the battle was joined, and the Emperor, rushing ahead of all, encountered the leader of the Persians; and by the power of God and the help of the Theotokos, he struck him down. And those who had rushed ahead with him were routed; and the Emperor, encountering another, struck him down as well. A third also attacked him, and with a spear gave a blow to his lip, and wounded him. But the Emperor killed him also; and the trumpets sounding, both sides joined battle, and as the fight grew very ^C fierce, the Emperor’s horse, called Phalbas, also known as Dorcon, was wounded in the thigh by a spear thrust from the foot soldiers; but being protected by the covering of sinew (88), he was not harmed, nor did they themselves prevail. Rhazates falls in the battle, and the three tourmarchs of the Persians, and almost all the commanders, and the greater part of their army. Fifty Romans were also slaughtered, and many were wounded, but only ten died; and the battle was joined from dawn until the eleventh hour. The Romans took twenty-eight ^D standards of the Persians, excluding those that were broken, and having despoiled the dead, they took their loricae, helmets, and every kind of armor (89); and they remained apart from one another by two arrow-shots (90). For a rout did not take place. But the Roman forces watered and fed their horses during the night (91). The Persian cavalrymen stood until the seventh hour

of the night ^A near the corpses of the slain, and at the eighth hour of the night they moved off and returned to their camp, and having taken this, they departed and encamped at the foot of a rugged mountain, trembling and terrified. They took many gold-hilted swords, golden belts, pearls, and the gold-wrought shield of Rhazates, which had 120 plates, and they took his golden coat of mail, and they brought his ^B tunic together with his head, and his bracelets, and his saddle of solid gold. Barsamoses, the prince of the Iberians who were under the power of the Persians and who had once been under the Romans, was captured alive (92). It was not the case that the battle did not last through the whole day. Thus the Romans were victorious, but this happened solely through the help of God.

The emperor, having steadied the spirits of the army, marched against Chosroes, so that he might strike terror into him, and he sent off a message from Byzantium of Chalcedon to summon Sarbarus. On the twenty-first day of the month of December, the emperor learned that the men of Rhazates, ^C having escaped the battle, had been joined by the three thousand sent by Chosroes, and were following behind him. Having seized Nineveh, the emperor crossed the great river Zab before Chosroes could learn of his plans. George, having covered forty-eight miles during the night, seized the four bridges of the Lesser Zab, and having found Persians in the fortifications, he took them prisoner. On the twenty-third day of the month of December, the emperor, having arrived at the bridges, crossed over, and encamped at the dwellings of Jesdem; and he gave his army and their horses rest (93), and he celebrated the feast of the Nativity of Christ ^D in that place. When Chosroes learned that the Romans had captured the bridges of the Lesser Zab, he sent word to the Persian people who were with Rhazates, that they should make great haste and get ahead of the emperor, and go to him (94). They, making haste and having crossed the Lesser Zab in other places, got ahead of the emperor and were marching in front of him. But the emperor seized another palace of Chosroes, the one called Rousa, and this too is...

^A utterly razed it, feared lest the enemy should attack him at the bridge of the river Tornas. But seeing this, they abandoned the bridge and fled. The Emperor, having crossed without hindrance, arrived at another palace, that which is called Bedgali. ^B There he built a hippodrome (95), and this he also destroyed. Some of the Armenians who were with the Persians came to the Emperor, saying that Chosroes, with his elephants and his own army, had encamped five miles from the palace called Dastagerd, at a place called Barasroth, and that he had ordered the army to gather there in order to fight you; for there is also a river difficult to cross there, having a narrow bridge and many narrow passages between buildings, and rotting bridges. The Emperor, having deliberated with his officers and the army, sat down in the palace of Bedgali. For he found in it, in one park, three hundred fattened ostriches (96), and in another about five hundred fattened gazelles, and in another one hundred fattened wild donkeys; and he distributed everything to the people. And on the first of January they spent time there. For they also found sheep and pigs and oxen, of which there was no number. And all the people rested, enjoying and glorifying God. ^C Having captured those who were herding these, they learned from them accurately that Chosroes, having learned on the twenty-third of December that the Emperor had crossed the bridge of the Tornas, immediately moved from the palace at Dastagerd (98). He himself had gone by another road to another palace called Beddarach. And having destroyed this also and handed it over to the fire, they gave thanks to God, who through the intercessions of the Theotokos performed such wonders. For who expected Chosroes to flee from the face of the Emperor of the Romans from the palaces in Dastagerd and to depart to Ctesiphon, where for twenty-four years he did not deign to see Ctesiphon, but had his royal residence in Dastagerd? The peoples of the Romans found ^D

^A in the palace of Dastagerd three hundred standards or banners taken in various wars. They also found varieties of perfumes and spices unusually left behind in that place, namely a great quantity of aloes, logs of great aloes of eighteen pounds, and a vast supply of silk threads, pepper, and carbasine tunics beyond measure, sugar, ginger, and many other goods. And some found silver, and all-silk garments, embroidered tapestries, and carpets made with needles, and a great multitude of very fine things, which, because of their weight, they could not all carry away; and they burned all the pavilions of Chosroes, and the porches which he used to erect in the manner of a camp pitched in the fields, and very many of his statues. ^B He also found in those palaces ostriches, gazelles, onagers, peacocks, and pheasants in an infinite multitude, and for the sake of hunting, lions and tigers of huge size, alive. Many captives from Edessa and Alexandria, and from other cities a great multitude, fled to the emperor. The emperor also celebrated the feast of Lights in Dastagerd, refreshing and restoring the people and the horses, and destroying the palaces of Chosroes, buildings truly precious and wonderful and astonishing, which he leveled to the ground, so that Chosroes might learn what pain the Romans had concerning the cities devastated and burned by him. Many were also held from the household of the palace. Being questioned by them as to when he departed from Dastagerd, they said: ^C "Nine days before you arrived, having heard of your presence, he secretly pierced the wall of the city near the palace, and thus he withdrew through the gardens with his wife and his children, so that no tumult might arise in the city. And neither his armies nor his nobles knew of it, until he had gone five miles; and then he announced that they should follow him to Ctesiphon. And he who was unable to travel five miles in a day, in his flight made twenty-five. And his wives and children, not seeing each other, then fled in confusion, pushing one another." And when night came, Chosroes entered the house of an insignificant farmer to stay, barely finding space in his doorway, which Heraclius, when he saw it at the last, marveled at. ^D And after three days he reached Ctesiphon.

^A This Chosroes, who twenty-four years earlier, when he was capturing Daras under the emperor Phocas, had heard a prophecy from sorcerers and astrologers that he would be destroyed at the time he withdrew to Ctesiphon; and who because of this had not dared to advance even a single mile from Dastagerd toward Ctesiphon—eventually, having been forced to flee, he took refuge in that city. But he did not trust that he could remain there either; instead, crossing the bridge of the Tigris river to the city situated on the other side, which is called Seleucia by us and Guedeser by the Persians, he deposited all his wealth there. He settled there with Sirem, his wife, and three other women, who were also his daughters; but as for his other wives and his many children, he sent them off forty thousand paces toward the East, into a highly fortified place. ^B Now some of the Persians were accusing Sarbaras to Chosroes, claiming that he was siding with the Romans and speaking against him. Therefore, he sent his own spatharios to Cardaregas, the colleague of Sarbarazas, who had been ordered to lay siege to Chalcedon, signifying that he should do away with Sarbarazas and then immediately lead his army to bring him aid. However, the man carrying these letters was captured by the Romans near Galatia, unaware that the Persians were being watched, and he was brought before the son of the emperor in Constantinople. The emperor, having learned the truth in order from the man sent, immediately summoned Sarbarazas. Coming into the emperor's presence, he stood there. ^C The emperor showed him the letter sent to Cardaregas, which he had delivered to him openly. He read the letter, and having been informed of the plot against him, he changed his mind and made a pact with the emperor's son and the patriarch. Then, having forged the letter of Chosroes, he added to the forty satraps, nobles, tribunes, and centurions whom he had been ordered to kill, others who were supposedly doomed to certain death, and having skillfully applied the seal, he gathered the commanders and Cardaregas himself. After reading the letter in the hearing of all, he challenged Cardaregas, saying: "Is this what you promise to do?" ^D The nobles, already seething with anger, declared that Chosroes had fallen from his royal status, and having composed pacts of peace with the emperor, they all consented, by common counsel, that they should depart from Chalcedon and return to their own lands without causing any harm.

^A Heraclius wrote to Chosroes: "I am pursuing, and I hasten toward peace. For I do not willingly burn Persis, but I am forced to do so by you. Let us, therefore, even now cast aside our weapons and embrace peace; let us extinguish the fire before it consumes everything." Since he would not accept this, the hatred of the people of Persis against him grew greatly ^B and Chosroes conscripted all the men of his magnates, and all his servants and those of his wives, and having armed them all, he sent them away to be joined to the army of Rhazates, and to take their stand at the river Arba, twelve miles from Ctesiphon; and he ordered them that, as soon as the emperor should cross the river, they were to cut the bridge and the pontoon bridge. The emperor, having moved from Dastagerd on the seventh day of the month of January, and having marched for three days, encamped twelve miles from the river Arba, where the army of the Persians was, in which they had two hundred elephants. The emperor sent George, the tourmarches of the Armeniacs, to go as far as the river and learn if the Arba had a crossing. And having found that they had cut the bridges, and that the Arba had no crossing, he returned to the emperor. The emperor having moved from there, came toward Siazurum ^C and went about burning the lands and cities throughout the month of February. In the month of March, having come to a village called Barzam, he stayed there for seven days. And he sent Mezezius the general on a raid; and there joined him Gundabunas, who was a chiliarch of the army of Sarbarus, along with five others, three of whom were counts and two were officials; and he brought them to the emperor. This Gundabunas reported necessary matters to the emperor, saying that when Chosroes fled from Dastagerd and went to Ctesiphon and Seleucia, he fell ill with dysentery and desired to crown his son, Merdasas, who was born of Seiram; and that he crossed the river again and took with him Merdasas and Seiram, and the other son of hers, Saliarum; but his firstborn son, Siroes, and his brothers and his wives he left ^D on the other side of the river. When Siroes learned that he wished to crown Merdasas, he was troubled; and he sent his foster-brother to Gundabunas, signifying to him: "Come across the river, so that I may speak with you." Gundabunas was afraid because of Chosroes to cross; and he signaled to him, "Write to me through your foster-brother what it is you wish." And Siroes wrote to him: "You know how the commonwealth..."

of the Persians has perished through the operations of that wicked man Chosroes; now you should know for certain that he wishes to crown Merdasas and holds me, his firstborn son, in total contempt. If you address the army for me, you will cause them to accept me, if you so desire. If I gain the kingdom, I will immediately increase the soldiers' pay, and there will be a peace treaty for me with the Roman Emperor, and all things will prosper. ^B In order, therefore, that I may obtain the kingdom, secure the services of the army; and that I may honor you, even as I shall increase the rest with honors and wealth, and keep you with me, I will never be wanting." These were his words. I, however, using the services of the same foster-brother, replied: "Whatever power suggests, that I should solicit the army in our conversation, I promise to labor for your sake." Having already addressed twenty-two companions and drawn many other soldiers to my own way of thinking, I sent word of these things to Siroes; in return, he wrote back, instructing that on the twenty-third day of the month of March, having brought out the younger of the military ranks with me, I should meet him at the wooden bridge of the river Tigris, so that in this way I might take him into the army with me, and we might move against Chosroes. ^C There are, Emperor, with Siroes two sons of Sarbarazas, and there is present Esdin, born of his father, and numerous offspring of many nobles, as well as the son of Aram, all select in arms and blood. And indeed, if they can remove Chosroes from the midst, it will be prosperous and happy; but if they should fail in their purpose, all with Siroes himself will betake themselves to your battle lines, Emperor. To this end, Siroes sent me to you, my lord. For he is ashamed to appear before the Roman Emperor, who was once the author of safety for Chosroes; for at present he has received nothing but evils from him, so much so that because of the foul deed of an ungrateful man, not even I, who have found faith from the Emperor, could deserve it. But Emperor Heraclius, sending back the legates to Siroes, commanded that he should open the prisons and set free the Romans held in them, instruct them in arms, and move with them against Chosroes. ^D Siroes obeyed the Emperor's pleasure, and having released the captives from custody, he moved weapons against his father, the parricide Chosroes. Chosroes attempted to flee, but being unable to effect his escape, he was captured. Having bound him tightly with iron fetters and tied his hands behind his back, they placed heavy iron weights upon his feet and neck, and cast him into the house of darkness, which he himself as a young man had constructed and firmly fortified for the depositing of his wealth; and there, sustaining him with only meager bread and sparing water, they prepared for him to perish miserably of hunger. For this was the pronouncement of Siroes against him: "The gold which he collected in vain, with which he starved many, he shall himself eat." He sent satraps to him to revile him and spit upon him. And bringing forth Merdasas, his son, whom he had wished to crown, he slew him before his eyes, and killed all his other children before him; and he sent all his enemies to revile and strike him and spit upon him. Five days...

^A suffered on account of him; and through famine he made the very world a desert. Moreover, he sent satraps who would sprinkle him with insults and defile him with spittle. Furthermore, he killed Merdasas, his own son, whom he had recently planned to crown as king, before his eyes, and he removed from his sight all his remaining children; finally, he sent to him every enemy of his, who would just now provoke him with insults, blows, and spittle. After these things were perpetrated in this manner for five days, he ordered Siroes to be pierced with arrows: and thus, little by little, through slow and lingering torments, he exhaled his wicked soul. Then, indeed, Siroes, having sent letters to Heraclius, announced the death of the execrable Chosroes; and having composed a lasting peace with him by both word and sword, he restored to him all the Christians held in custody and all those who were captives throughout Persia, along with the patriarch Zacharias and the venerable and life-giving woods from Jerusalem, which had formerly been taken by Sarbaraza when he captured Jerusalem. ^B

Arab prince Muamed for nine years. A. M. 6119. — First year of Siroes, king of the Persians.

In this year, a peace treaty having been concluded between the Persians and the Romans, the emperor sent his own brother, Theodore, with letters and men delegated by the king of the Persians, Siroes, so that they might lead back with peace the Persians found in Edessa, in Palestine, in Jerusalem, and in the remaining cities of the Romans into Persia, and might ensure that they pass through Roman territory without impediment or harm. The emperor, therefore, having warred against Persia for six continuous years, in the seventh finally, peace having been obtained (as if in a mystical spectacle proven in himself), returned to Constantinople with great joy. ^C For after God had finished all creation in six days, he consecrated the seventh day to rest: so this man, having exhausted himself with heavy labors for six years, in the seventh year returned to the city with peace and joy and rested. The people of the city, having learned of his arrival, moved by an irresistible desire, all went out to Hieria ^D to meet him, along with the patriarch and the emperor Constantine, his son, carrying olive branches and lamps, and cheering him with joy and tears. His son, approaching, fell at his feet, and having embraced one another, they both watered the ground with a shower of tears. The people, seeing this, all gave thanks.

^A hymns of thanksgiving to God sent up; and thus, having taken the emperor, they entered the city with rejoicings.

Prince of the Arabs, Muamed, nine years. A.C. 620. — King of the Persians, Adeser, reigns seven months.

In the beginning of this year, the Emperor Heraclius, taking with him the venerable and life-giving wood, set out from the reigning city for Jerusalem to offer thanks to God. When he arrived at Tiberias, the Christians brought accusations against a certain man named Benjamin, as being one who did them grievous harm. For he was a man possessing power beyond measure, to such an extent that he alone sufficed to pay the expenses of the emperor and the entire army. The emperor, therefore, intending to condemn him for his crime, said: “For what reason do you do harm to the Christians?” And he replied: “Because they are enemies of my faith.” For he was a Jew. But the emperor, having admonished him and persuaded him, baptized him in the house of Eustathius the Neapolitan, who was a Christian, and who had also entertained the emperor. Entering Jerusalem, the emperor restored ^B Zacharias the patriarch, and the venerable and life-giving wood to its own place, and having offered many thanks to God, he dismissed those of the Hebrew...

^C After no long time, Heraclius also proceeded toward Byzantium, received with much acclamation and exceeding glory by those there. The second indiction it was when these things were being done; but when the emperor had arrived at Jerusalem and Patriarch Zacharias had ended his life, after he had come from Palestine from captivity, and when the holy Modestus, archimandrite of the monastery of Saint Theodosius — who had built the holy Anastasis and the Holy Bethlehem, as they had been burned by the Persians—was also present; then therefore the emperor ordains the holy Modestus as patriarch.

^D [alt-version omitted] [index: entries preserved]

^A Then, having bestowed many thanks upon God, he drove the Hebrews from the Holy City, commanding that they should have no power to approach the Holy City within three miles. Having arrived at Edessa, he restored the church to the orthodox, which had been held by the Nestorians since the time of Chosroes. And coming to Hierapolis, he heard that Siroes, the king of the Persians, was dead, and that Adeser, his son, had taken the kingdom of the Persians. ^B After he had held the power for seven months, Sarbarazas rose up against him, and having struck him down, ruled over the Persians for two months. The Persians, having dispatched him, set up Borane to be queen, the daughter of Chosroes, who held the kingdom of the Persians for seven months. Hormisdas then succeeded her, who was at last driven from the throne by the Saracens, and the Persian kingdom was finally subjected to the Arabs, and it has remained under them to this day.

The leader of the Arabs, Muamed, for nine years.

A. M. 6121. — First year of Hormisdas, king of the Persians. 274 A. C. 621.

In this year, while the emperor was still at Hierapolis, Athanasius, the patriarch of the Jacobites, came to him—a cunning and pernicious man, after the innate craftiness of the Syrians—and having stirred up discourse with the emperor concerning the faith, Heraclius promised him that if he would accept the council at Chalcedon, he would make him patriarch of Antioch. ^C And he, acting in pretense, accepted the council, acknowledging the two natures in Christ as united; and he asked the emperor concerning the energy and [the wills].

NOTES OF JAC. GOAR

(15) Authors who have written on Persian affairs, along with Nicephorus and Schikardus, offer the names. (16) The author edited a tract on the heresy of the Jacobites, from which I will quote a few things: "Jacob, from whom they derived this name, was a certain Syrian monk, very ignoble and obscure, surnamed Tzanzal (Culex) because of his extreme, I believe, baseness. He, therefore, having accepted the doctrine of Eutyches, preached it among the Syrians." (17) The author, intending to lift the faith of the meeting with Theophanes, attacks it with these arguments: 1. It is similar to the one held by the same Heraclius with Paul the Severian, though the circumstances of place and time are different; yet most things show it to be the same. 2. It is not mentioned by those authors or writings by whom such a mention should have been commended. ^D 3. It is wrongly related that Heraclius was dismayed in spirit (he would have written *attonitus* for *consterhatum*) upon hearing the opinion of Athanasius, whose mind had already been opened to a similar sentiment by Paul and Sergius. 4. Paul the Severian was granted the bishopric of Antioch by Heraclius because of a feigned repudiation of his heresy. Perhaps he had discarded the name of Paul and assumed that of Athanasius. However, these missiles are weaker than those with which Theophanes is besieged, and the truth of the history written by him is harmed. And truly, the first attack against it is null, or at least weak, which admits the double meeting of Heraclius, first with Paul and then with Athanasius, and although the subject and purpose were the same, it was different in the circumstances of the persons, place, and time; 2. Although the frauds of Athanasius are shrouded in silence by some writers, they are nevertheless loudly ventilated by others, such as Sophronius, who exclaims against them: "With whom," he says, "may Athanasius also be anathema and catathema, as well as Athanasius the Syrian, and Anastasius the Apozygarius," etc.; 3. Heraclius was astonished at the words of Athanasius, which introduced new and unheard-of dogmas contrary to the rest, for in some things the Jacobites differed from the Severians; 4. As for the last argument, for me—or for those with good sense—faith is only as strong as the authority which supports it. I warn you, moreover, that in this discourse against Theophanes, Baronius is wrongly argued against, who, placing the meeting of Heraclius and Athanasius in the year 25 according to Cedrenus, recalled it to that year; for whoever reads the series of years in Cedrenus will notice that it is the error of the printer alone, not of Baronius.

^A The emperor, confused by the unfamiliarity of the terms, writes to Sergius, bishop of Constantinople. He summons and questions Cyrus, bishop of Phasis, and in doing so, finds him in agreement with Sergius regarding the one will and the one energy. For Sergius, being a Syrian by birth and coming from Jacobite parents, had confessed and written ^B of one physical act of willing and one operation in Christ. The emperor, having aligned the counsel of both, found Athanasius also in agreement with them. For he knew that where one energy is understood, there also one nature is recognized. The emperor, being confirmed in this, writes to John, the pope of Rome, concerning the understanding of both. But he did not accept their heresy. After George, the prelate of Alexandria, departed this life, Cyrus is appointed bishop of Alexandria, and being joined to Theodore, bishop of Pharan, he fashioned that poorly-tinted union, imagining one and the same natural energy in Christ, and committed it to writing. ^C These things having happened in this order, the Council of Chalcedon, and indeed the entire Catholic Church, fell into great reproach and disgrace. For the Jacobites and Theodosians [(19)] boasted openly, asserting that it was not they who were in communion with Chalcedon, but rather that Chalcedon had come into communion with them, by having confessed, through the one energy, one nature of Christ. At that time, Sophronius is ordained bishop of Jerusalem, and having gathered the bishops under him, he condemned the Monothelite dogma ^D and sent the synodal acts to Sergius of Constantinople and John of Rome. Having heard these things, Heraclius was shamed, and though he did not wish to rescind what he had already admitted, he could not bear the reproach. Therefore, thinking he had found a brilliant solution, he issues the so-called Edict, which declares that neither one nor two energies should be confessed in Christ. When the followers of Severus read this, they mocked the Catholic Church in cookshops and baths, saying: "The Chalcedonians, who formerly followed the view of Nestorius, had repented and returned to the truth, having been united with us through the one energy into the one nature of Christ; but now, having condemned the proper teaching, they have lost both positions, confessing neither one nor two in Christ." After the death of Sergius, Pyrrhus succeeded to the see of Constantinople, who impiously upheld the things dogmatized by Sergius and Cyrus. After Heraclius died and his son Constantine reigned, Pyrrhus, together with Martina, took him off with poison.

^A The senate and the city population then deposed and expelled Pyrrhus as a sacrilegious and impious man, along with Martina and her son. Constans, the son of Constantine, obtains the empire, and Paul, who is also a heretic, is ordained bishop of Constantinople. John, the bishop of Rome, having convoked a synod of bishops, anathematized the heresy of the Monothelites. Likewise, in Africa, Byzacium, Numidia, and Mauritania, various bishops gathered together and anathematized the Monophysites. Upon the death of John, bishop of Rome, Theodore is ordained pope in his stead. Pyrrhus, having made his way to Africa, became acquainted with the most holy abbot Maximus, a man admirable in monastic virtues and in the company of the godly hierarchs there; having reproved him and persuaded him, they sent him to Pope Theodore in Rome. Having delivered a libellus of orthodoxy to the pope, he was received by him. But having departed from Rome and arrived at Ravenna, he returned like a dog to his own vomit. When Pope Theodore learned of this, he called together the full assembly of the Church, and ^B coming to the tomb of the chief of the apostles, Peter, he requested the divine chalice, and letting drops of the life-giving blood of Christ fall into the ink, he wrote out with his own hand the deposition of Pyrrhus and those who communicated with him. Pyrrhus having then reached Constantinople, and Paul being dead, the daring exponents of diverse and vain faith re-established Pyrrhus on the throne of Constantinople. Upon the death of Pope Theodore, the most holy Martin is elected Roman pontiff. ^C When Maximus also arrived in Rome from Africa and ignited the holy zeal for God in Pope Martin, they convoked a synod of one hundred and fifty bishops and anathematized Sergius, Pyrrhus, Cyrus, and Paul; and they set forth clearly the two wills and operations of Christ our God, and proclaimed them in the ninth year of the reign of Constans, grandson of Heraclius, in the eighth indiction. Constans, having learned this and being filled with rage, had Saint Martin and Maximus brought to Constantinople, tortured them, and sent them into exile in the regions of Cherson. ^D

and furthermore inflicted punishments upon many of the Western bishops. When Martin was finally driven into exile, Agatho was instituted as Pope of Rome ^B, who himself, moved by sincere fervor for God, convoked a holy synod, and having asserted the two wills and operations, condemned the heresy of the Monothelites. At that time, the Church being agitated by the emperors and the impious priests, the inhabitant of the desert, Amalec, emerged as a common scourge of the Christian people, and for the first time is heard the report of the slaughter of the Roman army; I speak of that which occurred at Gabitha and Iermouchas, a most abominable effusion of Christian blood, which was followed by the devastations of the Palestines, the Caesareans, and the Hierosolymites, then the loss of the Egyptian dominion, and the captivity of the Mediterranean regions, the islands, and all of Romania; and furthermore, the total and common destruction of the Roman army and fleet in Phoenicia, and the ruin of all Christian peoples and provinces: of which there was no end until the persecutor of the Church was unhappily slain in the bath of Daphne in Sicily. ^C

A. M. 6122.

He fathered two sons, Mundar and Arabia. Mundar produced Curasus, Isus, Themimes, and Asadus, and others unknown. All these inhabited the desert of the Madianites ^B and lived in it as herdsmen, dwelling in tents. There are also others interior to them, not of their tribe but of Jektan, who are called Amanites, that is, Homerites (52). Some of them carried on trade with their camels.

But as the aforementioned Muamed was impoverished and an orphan, it seemed good to him to go to a certain very wealthy woman, his kinswoman, by the name of Chadiga, and hire himself out to tend her camels and trade in Egypt and Palestine. Little by little, gaining her confidence ^C, he entered into the service of the woman who was a widow, and took her as his wife; and he kept her camels and her property. As he came into Palestine, he associated with both Jews and Christians. He hunted for some scriptural texts from them, and he suffered from the affliction of epilepsy. When his wife noticed this, she was very much grieved, being of noble birth and having been joined to such a man, who was not only poor but also afflicted with epilepsy. But he devised a way to soothe her, saying: "I have a vision of an angel named Gabriel; and unable to bear the sight of him, I faint and fall down." ^D She, having at hand a certain monk who had been exiled there because of his heterodoxy and was living there, reported everything to him, as well as the name of the angel. And he, wishing to reassure her, said to her: "He has spoken the truth, for this angel is sent to all the prophets." She, therefore, being the first to receive the word of the false prophet (33), believed him and preached to other women of her own tribe that he was a prophet. Thus, it passed from women to men, first to Abubachar, whom he also left as his successor. And his heresy finally took control of the parts of Athribos through war (34); although at first it was kept secret for years.

then for another ten years it was spread by force of arms, and finally for nine years it was preached openly. Furthermore, he taught his subjects thus: "He who kills an enemy, or is killed by an enemy, enters Paradise." He asserted that Paradise consisted of the enjoyment of physical food, drink, and intercourse with women; he spoke of a river of wine, honey, and milk, and of women—not those present, but others—and that the intercourse would be long-lasting and the pleasure perpetual; and other things full of lewdness and folly. He further enjoined that they should be moved by compassion for one another and bring aid to those suffering injustice.

In that same year, in the fourth indiction, on the seventh day of the month of November, David, son of Heraclius, was born while the Emperor was in the East. ^B On the same day, Heraclius, son of Heraclius the Younger, also called Constantine, grandson of the great Heraclius, came into the light, and was baptized in the Blachernae by the Patriarch Sergius on the third day of the month of November, in the fifth indiction, with the lustral water.

A.C. 625. Year one of the Arab leader Abubachar. Year one of Modestus, Bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, the Persians turned against one another, ^C and fought among themselves amidst chaotic civil wars. At that same time, the King of the Indians sent gifts as a token of his good will to Heraclius for his victory over the Persians—a considerable quantity of pearls and precious stones. Muhammad had by now already perished, having appointed four amirs ^D to wage war against the Christians of Arab descent. And they came to a village called Mucheorum, where Theodore the Vicar resided, intending to launch an attack against the Arabs on the day of their idolatrous sacrifice. But the Vicar, having learned of this from a certain Corasus ^D, called Coutabas, gathered

^A all the soldiers of the desert guard, and having ascertained from the Saracen the day and the hour when they intended to attack them, he fell upon them in the village called Mothus and killed three amirs and a multitude of the people. But one amir, named Chaledus, whom they also called "the Sword of God," escaped.

However, since some of the Arabs positioned nearby were accustomed to bringing meager wages for the protection of the entrances of the desert, there arrived at that time a certain eunuch to distribute pay to the soldiers. And when the Arabs came, according to custom, to receive their pay, the eunuch drove them away, saying, "Our lord barely pays the soldiers; how much less will he distribute it to these dogs?" The Arabs, being thus ill-treated, withdrew to their fellow tribesmen, and they in turn led them to the region of Gaza, which, being a gateway of the desert against Mount Sinai, abounds with much wealth.

A. M. 6124. — Persarum rex Hormisdas annis undecim.

In this year Abubacharus sent four commanders, as I have previously stated, who, led by the Arabs, came and took Heram and the whole region of Gaza, which occupies the gateway of the desert towards Mount Sinai. Against these, Sergius, having finally come from the city of Caesarea in Palestine with a very few soldiers,^B engaged them in battle; he himself was the first to be killed, along with the three hundred soldiers who were with him. And having taken many captives and much spoil, they returned home with a brilliant victory.

In that same year, an earthquake occurred in Palestine; and a sign appeared in the sky towards the south, called a "docites" [beam-star], foreshadowing the rule of the Arabs. It remained for thirty days, extending from the south to the north, and it bore the appearance of a sword.

A. M. 6125. — Hierosolymorum episcopi Sophronii annus primus. Alexandriæ Cyri episcopi annus primus.

In this year, Abubacharus died after having held the command for two years and a half; and the rule was taken up by Umanus, who took the city of Bostra and many others.^C He departed as far as Gabetha. Against these, Theodore...

the brother of the Emperor Heraclius, having engaged them in battle, was defeated and returned to the emperor at Edessa. The emperor then appointed another general by the name of Baanes, and the sacellarius Theodore ^B with a great force he sent against the Arabs. Having arrived at Edessa, he encountered a multitude of Saracens, and, having slaughtered them—including their emir and the rest—he drove them as far as Damascus, and there, near the Bardanesian river, he encamped. Heraclius, meanwhile, having abandoned Syria as a lost cause, gathered up the venerable wood from Jerusalem and departed for Constantinople. He ordered Baanes to return from Damascus to Edessa, and also the sacellarius Theodore, who was leading an army of forty thousand men. These men pursued the Arabs from Edessa as far as Damascus.

The Persian King Hormisdas reigned for eleven years. A. C. 626. — The first year of the Arab leader Umar.

In this year, the Saracens, having collected an almost immense army of troops, made an incursion into Arabia near the territory of Damascus. When this became known to him, Baanes sent letters to the imperial sacellarius, urging him to hasten with all his forces to his aid, for the army of the Arabs was indeed ^C numberless. The sacellarius came to Baanes, and both set out from Edessa and encountered the Arabs; and a battle was joined on the very first day—which was Tuesday, the twenty-third of the month of July—in which the troops under the sacellarius were utterly routed. Then, the soldiers of Baanes, having mutinied, proclaimed Baanes emperor and renounced Heraclius. At that time, the troops of the sacellarius withdrew, and the Saracens, finding an opening, joined battle. A south wind blowing with great force into the faces of the Romans, and dust being stirred up and carried through the air, they were unable to face their enemies and were defeated. Because they could not hold their ground, they yielded in the battle and, ^D throwing themselves into the narrow passes of the Iermochthas river, they all almost completely perished there. There were forty thousand men for both generals combined. Then the Saracens, having gained a brilliant victory, marched upon Damascus and took it, as well as the provinces of Phoenicia, in which they established their own settlements; and soon they began an expedition against Egypt. In the meantime, Cyrus is accused before the emperor of having given the gold of Egypt to the Saracens. And having sent with wrath, he summoned him. But a certain Manuel of Ar—

Armenian descent was appointed Augustalis. After a period of time had elapsed, the collectors of the Saracens arrived to gather the tribute in gold, whom Manuel, having achieved nothing, drove away with these words: "I am not that unarmed Cyrus who will pay you tribute; I am present, equipped with arms." After the collectors returned, the Saracens armed themselves against Egypt, and having joined battle with Manuel, they forced him to take flight. He himself, with a few companions, retreated to Alexandria. From then on, the Saracens imposed tribute on Egypt. Heraclius, having received the news of these events, sends Cyrus to persuade the Saracens, if they forsook Egypt, to stand by the previous conditions. Cyrus, having gone to the camp of the Saracens, first cleared himself of the crime of this breach, and then promised to confirm the previous agreements by a new oath, if it seemed good to them. The Saracens did not allow themselves to be persuaded by the words of the bishop. Therefore, they said, "Can you devour this colossal column?" And when he said that this was in no way possible, they responded: "Neither is it possible in any way for us to depart from Egypt." ^{A B}

A. M. 6127. — Persarum rex Hormisdas annis undecim regnat. A. C. 627.

In this year, Omar undertook an expedition against Palestine, and having besieged the holy city for two years, he received it into his power on the terms given. Sophronius, the high priest of Jerusalem, had received a pledge for the safety of all Palestine from him. Omar, therefore, covered in the haircloth garments of camels, which were torn and filthy, and manifesting an obviously diabolical hypocrisy under the veil of piety, enters the holy city, and immediately asked for the temple built by Solomon to be shown to him, intending to transform it into an oratory of his impiety and blasphemy. When Sophronius saw him, he said: "This is truly the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place." And with a great abundance of tears, that illustrious defender of piety bewailed the Christian nation. While he was lingering within the precincts of the temple, the patriarch prayed to him that he would take and put on the linen cloth and garment he had received from him. And although he had refused to put them on, the bishop with difficulty persuaded him to wear them until his usual garments were washed; and having resumed his own, he immediately returned those to Sophronius. In that calamity of affairs, Sophronius, having adorned the church of Jerusalem with excellent words and deeds, and having struggled against the wickedness of Heraclius and the Monothelites who were addicted to him, and having raised most brilliant trophies against Sergius and Pyrrhus, passed away. ^{C D}

In the same year, Omar sent Jadu to Syria, who reduced that entire province under the power of the Saracens.

^A A. C. 628. — In this year John, surnamed Caleas, the procurator of the province of Osrhoene, set out to speak with Jadu at Chalcedon; and he agreed to pay him one hundred thousand coins annually, provided that, as long as he paid the promised weight of gold, Jadu would not cross the Euphrates for the sake of either peace or war. These things being thus stipulated, John returned to Edessa, and at the proper time sent the annual tribute to Jadu. When this was discovered, Heraclius judged John to be guilty of a crime, for he had certainly undertaken this without the emperor’s knowledge. Having therefore summoned him back, he condemned him to exile, and appointed a certain military commander, Ptolemy, in his place.

A. C. 629. — In this year the Arabs took Antioch by force of arms. Mavias was appointed by Omar as the leader and emir of the entire territory of the Saracens, which extended from Egypt as far as the Euphrates. The king of the Persians, Hormisdas, reigned eleven years.

A. C. 630. — First year of Pyrrhus, bishop of Constantinople. In this year Jadu, having led his entire army across the Euphrates, occupied Edessa. The Edessenes, having received a guarantee of safety for themselves and their fields, opened the gates of the city to the military commander and the Roman soldiers who were with him. The enemy then proceeded toward Constantia, and having laid siege to it and conquered it by force of arms, they slaughtered three hundred Romans with the sword. From there, they marched upon Dara, invaded the city in war, and destroyed all its people, and thus Jadu subjugated all of Mesopotamia. ^B

A. C. 631. — In this year the Saracens moved their arms and forces into Persia, and having joined battle with the Persian army, they fought with superior strength and subjected all the Persians to themselves by force of arms. But the king of the Persians, Hormisdas, seeking safety in flight, withdrew into the interior of Persia and into a more hidden royal palace. The Saracens offered the captive daughters of Hormisdas and all his royal equipment to Omar. In that same year, Omar ordered the entire territory and the lands subject to him to be registered. This registration accounted for the number not only of men, but also of beasts of burden and plants. ^{C D}

^A In this year, the Emperor Heraclius died in the month of March, in the fourteenth indiction, having suffered from dropsy. He had reigned for thirty years and ten months. Constantine, his son, held the empire after him for four months, and died, having been poisoned by the agency of Martina, his stepmother, and Pyrrhus the patriarch. Then Heracleonas, the son of Martina, reigned together with his mother Martina for six months.

First year of Paul, bishop of Constantinople. In this year, Muawiya took possession of Caesarea in Palestine after a seven-year siege, and killed seven thousand Romans therein. In the same year, the Senate rejected Heracleonas, together with his mother Martina and Valentinus; and they cut out the tongue of Martina and slit the nose of Heracleonas, and after exiling them, they raised up Constans, the son of Constantine and grandson of Heraclius, to the throne. He reigned for twenty-seven years. When Pyrrhus had been expelled from the episcopate, Paul, a presbyter and steward, was ordained patriarch of Constantinople in the month of October, in the fifteenth indiction; he held the bishopric for twelve years.

^B First year of Constans, Emperor of the Romans. In this year, the Emperor Constans addressed the Senate, saying: "My father Constantine, who administered the empire for a sufficiently long time together with his own father—that is to say my grandfather—Heraclius, while he was still alive, yet after his death reigned for an all-too-short time, was cut off from the living, his excellent hope severed by the envy of his stepmother Martina; and she herself perpetrated this crime of hers through Heracleonas, her son by Heraclius. Because of this, you, by the counsel of God, expelled her and her son from the empire by decree of the Senate, so that the Roman dominion might not be seen as illegitimate and nefarious, a matter which—beyond all else—your most exalted dignity has clearly ensured. Wherefore I entreat you to be yourselves my counselors and judges for the common salvation of the citizens." And with these words at last...

he dismissed the senate, having honored them with gifts.

^A A. M. 6135. In this year, Umar began to build the temple in Jerusalem, but the structure would not stand firm; instead, it kept collapsing. When he asked the reason, the Jews replied, "If you do not remove the cross that is on the Mount of Olives, the building will not stand." Because of this claim, the cross was removed from there, and thus their construction was stabilized. For this reason, the enemies of Christ tore down many crosses.

A. M. 6136. First year of Peter, bishop of Alexandria. In this year, the patrician Valentinian stirred up a sedition against Constans, but the emperor sent men and put him to death, and brought the people back into submission to himself. And an eclipse of the sun occurred in the month of Dios, on the fifth day, the sixth day of the week, at the ninth hour.

A. M. 6137. In this year, Umar, the leader of the Saracens, was treacherously murdered in the month of Dios, on the fifth day, by a certain Persian of the Magian religion. Finding him at prayer, he stabbed him in the stomach with a sword, and thus he ended his life and his rule, which had lasted twelve years. After him, Uthman, his kinsman, the son of Phan, was established as leader.

A. M. 6138. First year of Uthman, leader of the Arabs. In this year, Gregory the patrician stirred up a rebellion in Africa, along with the Africans.

A. M. 6139. In this year, a violent wind occurred upon the earth ^B and uprooted many plants and tore up immense trees by the roots, and knocked down many columns of pillars. ^D (61) Their interpretation is recovered from the *Historia Miscella*. (62) "The Mosque of the Saracens where the Temple of Solomon formerly stood": the holy land geographers have variant readings concerning their religious practice there. (63) Abraham Ecchellensis writes "Haffan." Consult Leunclavius, *Hist. Musulm.*, book 1. (64) *Synopsis chronica Sirmondi* in the *Collectanea*. (65) The present year, with the eighth indiction current, the Lateran or Roman council—concerning which page 286 treats—shows its acts clearly: "In the name of the Lord God our Savior Jesus Christ, in the ninth year of the reign of the lord Constans, on the third day before the Nones of October, the eighth indiction." Since, however, the author Theophanes testifies that Heracleonas was brought into order in the fifteenth indiction, it is necessary that he progress with an equal count of indictions and years of the reign of Constans, so that he who here is the eighth should hold the indiction of the same number; and with that parity posited by the author, we notice that his calculations for the whole year are surpassed by the council's computation regarding the age of Constans. Baronius does not so much untie this knot as cut it at the year of Christ 641, no. 1, saying that the eighth year of the indiction falls into the ninth year of Constans: which indeed, as it is true, avoids the difficulty, but does not explain it at all. For since Constans attained the scepter around the month of July, after the expulsion of Heracleonas, and since by Petavius's calculations in the edition of Nicephorus (Reg. p. 74) it is certain that before the end of the year the ninth year of Constans easily begins, but that is not the ninth according to Theophanes, but the eighth, which occurred at the council near the Nones of October, pre-empting the year reckoned from September by only two months. It is better to say, according to the mind of Theophanes, that the years marked by indictions sometimes take on the number of the indictions, even if they hold a different one. Whence it happens that Constans, having begun his reign under the fifteenth indiction, and furthermore as the succeeding eight numbers pass, so that touching nine indictions, he is written as having reached nine years as well. (66) Clearly "columnatures" [column-builders/bearers], as Anastasius also reads; not "statues," which it elsewhere has; even if for "column," "statue" is...

^A In that same year, the Saracens campaigned against Africa. Having engaged the tyrant Gregory, they put him to flight and destroyed his army; and having imposed [a treaty of] tribute upon the Africans, they returned.

A. M. 6140. — In this year, Mavias campaigned by sea against Cyprus. He had 1,700 ships, took Constantia along with the whole island, and caused great destruction there. But when he heard that the cubicularius Cacorizus was coming against him with a great Roman force, he sailed away towards Aradus. ^B Having anchored his own fleet there, he attempted to take the fortress of the island town using all kinds of siege engines. Having achieved nothing, he sent to them a certain bishop by the name of Thomarichus, thinking to frighten them into surrendering the city, becoming tributary, and leaving the island. As the bishop entered among them, they held him inside, but they did not submit to Mavias. And so, the siege of Aradus having become fruitless, he returned to Damascus, as winter had overtaken him.

A. M. 6141. — In this year, Mavias campaigned against Aradus, having drawn up his army in great force, ^C and took it by parley on the condition that the townspeople could live wherever they pleased; but he burned the city, tore down the walls, and rendered the island uninhabited to this day. In the same year, a council was held in Rome by Pope Martin against the Monothelites.

A. M. 6142. — In this year, the stratopedarch with the Arabs campaigned against Isauria; and after much slaughter, he took many captive and returned with five thousand prisoners. But the Emperor Constans sent a certain Procopius to Mavias seeking peace, which also came to pass in the second year, Mavias having taken ^D Gregory, son of Theodore, as a hostage in Damascus.

A. M. 6143. — In this year, Pasagnathes, the patrician of the Armenians, rebelled against the emperor and made a treaty with Mavias, having given him his own son. Hearing this, the emperor came as far as Caesarea in Cappadocia, and, despairing of Armenia, returned.

A. M. 6144. — In this year, the brother of the emperor Heraclius...

Gregory of Heliopolis met his end, and having been treated with myrrh, was carried to Constantinople. In this same year, dust rained down from the sky like rain, and great fear fell upon the souls of men.

Paul held the bishopric of Constantinople for twelve years. ^A Paul passed away, and Pyrrhus was restored again for four months and twenty-three days.

A.D. 645. — In this year, Rhodes having been occupied by the Saracens, Mavias cast down the Rhodian Colossus one thousand three hundred and sixty years after it had been set up. A certain Edessene Jew, having purchased it, loaded nine hundred camels with its metal. In the same year, Abibus, the commander of the Arabs, entered Armenia with an armed force; and having encountered Maurianus, the Roman general, who had come out to meet him, he put him to flight as far as the Caucasian mountains and plundered the region far and wide.

A.D. 646. — In this year, Mavias made preparations for an army, and indeed ordered a huge fleet, fortified with arms and soldiers, to be prepared to bring war and slaughter upon Constantinople. He ordered all the apparatus of war to be gathered at Tripoli, which is a city of Phoenicia. ^B When two brothers, who were Christ-lovers and had settled in Tripoli, the sons of Buccinator, saw this, they were stirred with a divine zeal and rushed to the public prisons of the city (there was indeed a not insignificant number of Romans in chains); having broken down the doors by force and set the captives free, they made an assault upon the emir of the city, and having killed him and those with him, and having consumed all his supplies with fire, they sailed off toward Roman territory. But nevertheless, Mavias did not desist from his purpose of making war; on the contrary, he himself marched the army against Caesarea of Cappadocia, and appointed Abulabarus as admiral of the fleet. ^C He sailed to the place called Phoenix in Lycia, where Emperor Constans was stationed with the Roman fleet, and fought a naval battle with him. As the emperor was about to engage in the naval battle, he saw in a dream during that night that he was at Thessalonica. Having awakened, he told someone—

the vision. The man said: "Would that you had neither slept nor seen that dream. For your being in Thessalonica is judged to be a ^B sign of evil omen; for Thessalonica is considered to signify the transfer of victory to the enemy." The emperor, however, paying no heed to this, arranged the Roman fleet for a naval battle and challenged them to war. And when they joined battle with each other, the Romans were defeated, and the sea was mingled with the blood of the Romans. The emperor changed his clothing with another man. Then the son of Buccinator, the aforementioned, leapt onto the imperial ship, snatched the emperor, and having transferred him to another vessel, saved him against all expectation ^C from the present danger. He himself, behaving bravely, positioned himself as captain of the imperial ship and fought full of martial spirit; at last, for the sake of the emperor, he stoutly met death. Therefore, the enemy, surrounding him on all sides and thinking him to be the emperor, after killing many, slew him along with the man who was wearing the imperial garments. The emperor, having thus turned to flight, escaped unscathed and, leaving everything behind, sailed away to Constantinople.

A. M. 6147. In this year, Uthman, the general of the Saracens, was assassinated by those in Ethria, having served for ten years. ^D A rebellion then arose among the Arabs. For those who dwelt in the desert wanted Ali, the nephew of Ali and son-in-law of Muhammad; but those in Syria and Egypt wanted Mavia, who also won and held power. Mavia, the leader of the Arabs, for 29 years.

A. M. 6148. In this year, Mavia marched against Ali, and both gathered in the middle of the plain of Barbalissus, at Caesarium near the Euphrates. The troops of Mavia, having prevailed, seized the water; and the troops of Ali, coming under the constraint of thirst, deserted. Mavia, however, did not wish to wage battle but won the victory without effort.

A. M. 6149. In this year [D (continuing)] the emperor undertook an expedition against Sclavinia, and took prisoner many Barbarians.

^A And in that same year, the things concerning holy Maximus and his disciples were carried out ^B against those who struggled for the sake of the orthodox faith against the Monothelites; when Constans was unable to bring them over to his own heterodoxy, he cut out the tongue of the holy man, which flowed with divine wisdom and varied erudition, along with his right hand, since they had written much against his impiety together with his disciples (both of them were named Anastasius), which they themselves even copied word for word, as all who are studious of the sciences know.

A. C. 650. — In this year, Mu’awiya having undertaken a mission from the emperor, the Arabs, tossed by seditions and tumults, made a pact with the Romans, to the effect that every day they would pay the Romans one thousand coins, a horse, and a slave. Meanwhile, a great earthquake arose in the month of Daisios in the second indiction throughout Palestine and Syria, causing great ruins. In this same year also ^B A. M. 6150. — In this year a settlement was made between the Romans and the Arabs, Mu’awiya having sent an embassy on account of the rebellion, that the Arabs should pay the Romans daily one thousand coins, a horse, and a slave; and in this same time a great earthquake occurred, and a collapse in Palestine and Syria in the month of Daisios, in the second indiction. in the same year was exiled ^C [Note: Jacob Goar's commentary notes omitted] ^D and Calliopas the exarch, in the seventh month after the council had been celebrated, letters having been sent first to CP., and replies received; having undertaken and finished journeys from CP. to Ravenna, and from Ravenna to Rome, causing various vexations to Martin, which require delay and succession, and cannot be brought about at one time. Therefore, he is taken from Rome in the third year, as Sirmondus wishes in his *Synopsis chronica* to the *Collectanea of Anastasius*, in the month of June, and as Martin himself writes: "We reached Mesenum (Misenum, the promontory at the mouth of the Tiber), on the Calends of July, in which was the ship, that is, my prison." He spends three months there among various islands, that is, to the beginning of the fourth year, he himself saying: "In many of the islands, in which we were hindered for three months, I have found no compassion." He commemorates a year on Naxos, which is the fourth from his assumption, and the eleventh indiction of the current cycle. "Except only" (he pursues the former words) "on Naxian island, since we spent a year there, etc.": from whence, having departed in the first month of the twelfth indiction, he arrives at CP. And when he had finally reached Byzantium, says the writer of his martyrdom, that blessed man, on the seventeenth day of the month of September, into the harbor near Euphemia, etc. Subjected to various kinds of prisons, examinations, and torments, he later receives the sentence of exile. Therefore, the most reverend pope did in that same Diomedes prison eighty-five days after the first ninety-three (in the custody of the guards), which is 178 all together. "And so Sagaleba the scribe came, saying: 'Because I have been ordered to take you from here, and to transfer you to my house, and after two days to direct you where the sacellarius has ordered.'" And further down: "It is said therefore that he was exiled to Cherson. And after a few days we learned that he had been sent there by secret voyage." He himself marks the time of the departure in his epistle: "After we had departed from what is called Jeron near CP., sailing on the holy fifth day of the Supper of the Lord, we passed through the Pharos, traveling through diverse places, and on the Ides of May we arrived at Cherson." I calculate at length sixteen months from the exile to his death from these words of the writer lauded above. But he died ... in the month of September, on the sixteenth day, in the fourteenth indiction. Furthermore, the same author conjectures the death of the wicked Pyrrhus to that time, at which the holy pontiff was held in the Diomedes prison in the twelfth year of Constans and the equal indiction.

^A The most holy Martin, Pope of Rome, having fought bravely for the truth, and having become a confessor, finished his life in the climate of the East.

A. M. 6151. — In this year, Constans slew his own brother, Theodosius. While the Arabs were at Sapphin, Ali, the prince of Persia, was murdered; from which time Mavias alone obtained the empire of the Arabs. He established his royal seat in Damascus and deposited the treasures of his wealth there.

A. M. 6152. — In this year, a heresy of the Arabs appeared, those who are called Charurgitae. Mavias, having subdued them, humbled those in Persia and exalted those in Syria; and he called the ones Isamites and the others Heracites. And of the Isamites, he raised the wages to two hundred coins, while of the Heracites, he reduced the value to thirty coins.

A. M. 6153. — In this year, the Emperor, having left Constantinople, moved to Syracuse in Sicily, wishing to transfer the empire to Rome. And he sent to bring his wife and his three sons, Constantine, Heraclius, and Tiberius; but the Byzantines did not permit them ^B to depart.

A. M. 6154. — In this year, the Arabs marched against Romania, and took many as captives, and laid many places waste.

A. M. 6155. — In this year, a part of Sicily was taken captive, and they dwelt in Damascus by their own will.

A. M. 6156. — In this year, an error concerning the time of the fasts arose. Abderachman, the son of Chaled, marched against Romania, and wintered in it, and ravaged many regions. The Sclavini, having joined him, came down with him into Syria, five thousand in number, ^C

and they settled in the region of Apamea, at the town of Sceuocobolum.

A. C. 657. — First year of Thomas, bishop of Constantinople. In this year, Busur penetrated the borders of the Romans with an armed force; and Thomarichus, bishop of Apamea, died, and the bishop of Emesa perished by fire.

A. C. 658. — In this year, Busur, having renewed his army, harassed the Roman provinces, and devastated parts of the Exapolis, and Phadalas wintered there with his troops.

A. C. 659. — In this year, Saborius, who was of Persian origin and commander of the Armeniacs, rebelled against the Emperor Constans. He sent Sergius, the magister militum, to Mavias, promising to hand over the Roman Empire to Mavias if he would provide him with aid against the Emperor. When Constantine, the son of the Emperor, learned of this, he too sent Andrew, the cubicularius, with gifts to Mavias, so that he would ^B not provide aid to the rebel. Andrew, having reached Damascus, found that Sergius had arrived before him and had preoccupied the place and the mind of the prince. Mavias, therefore, feigned piety and a feeling of compassion toward the Emperor. Sergius chanced to be sitting with Mavias, and when Andrew entered, Sergius, seeing him, rose up. Mavias rebuked Sergius, saying, "You are afraid." Sergius excused his action, protesting that he had acted according to his native custom. Turning to Andrew, Mavias said, "What do you ask?" He replied, "That you might bring your aid to the subduing of the rebel." Mavias answered, "You both act with enmity; why should I not give aid to the one who makes the greater offer?" To whom Andrew said, "Do not doubt, Emir, that a small amount from the Emperor is more honorable for you than a large amount from a rebel; nevertheless, do what pleases you most." Having said this, Andrew remained silent. ^C Mavias then said, "I am considering this matter," and he ordered both of them to leave. Then, having called Sergius to him privately, he spoke to him, saying, "Why do you show respect to Andrew? You will achieve nothing." On the following day, Sergius, having anticipated Andrew, was sitting at the side of Mavias; and when Andrew entered, he did not rise as he had the day before. Andrew, therefore, looking fiercely at Sergius, insulted him with threats, saying, "If I remain alive, I will show you who I am." Sergius retorted, "I do not rise for you, because you are neither a man nor, again, a woman." Mavias checked them both, and said to Andrew, "Stipulate to provide as much as Sergius gives." "And how much is it?" asked Andrew. Mavias ^D

said, "The collection of public taxes to the Arabs." And Andrew said, "Woe to you, Mavias! You advise me to give the body, while keeping the shadow. ^A As you wish, stand with Sergius; for I will not do this. However, leaving you aside, we flee to God, as One who is more powerful and able to protect the Romans, and we place our hopes in Him." Having said this, he says to Mavias, "Farewell," and he departed from Damascus for Melitene, because the tyrant was in those parts where Sergius had to travel. And when he reached Arabissus (86), he encountered the ^B kleisourarches. For he had not been led astray by the tyrant. He ordered him to watch for Sergius when he returned, and to bring him to him. He himself went to Amnesia, waiting for Sergius, and he informed the emperor of the things he had done. Sergius, having agreed with Mavias on what seemed good, took with him Phadalas, a general of the Arabs, with barbarian auxiliary forces to fight alongside Saborios. ^C Sergius, riding ahead of Phadalas and going quite joyfully towards Saborios, fell into the ambushes prepared for him by Andrew's troops at the mountain passes. Having seized him, they brought him to Andrew as a prisoner. Sergius, upon seeing Andrew, threw himself at his feet, begging him for mercy. But he said to him, "Are you that Sergius who boasted regarding your virility ^D before Mavias, and called me a 'womanish' (87) one? Behold, from now on your virility will be of no use to you, but will rather cause your death." Having said this, he ordered his private parts to be cut off, and he hung him on a tree. Constantine (88), having heard of Phadalas's arrival as aid to Saborios, dispatched the patrician Nicephorus with a Roman force to oppose Saborios. Saborios happened to be in Adrianople, and when he learned that Nicephorus was coming against him, he trained himself for battle. But it happened on one of the days that, according to his custom, he was riding his horse out of the city; and when he got near the city gate, he struck the horse with the whip. The horse, having become unruly, dashed his head against the gate; he ended his life miserably, and thus God granted the victory to the emperor. Phadalas, therefore, having arrived at Exapolis and learned everything, was perplexed. And he sent to Mavias asking for aid, because the

Romans had already decided to enter ^A into concord. Mavias sent his son Izid, equipped with a copious army of barbarians to assist him. Wherefore both, having joined their forces, came to Chalcedon, and they led away a not insignificant number of captives. Then indeed, the Phrygian city of Amorium having been captured, and five thousand armed men having been left for its guard, they returned to Syria. But winter pressing on, and much snow covering the face of the earth, the emperor sent the same 292 Andreas the cubiculary with a strong force of armed men to Amorium, who by night, having climbed the wall by means of certain timbers, entered the city; and they slaughtered all the Arabs, to the number of five thousand, with not even one remaining alive. Furthermore, in that same winter there was such a flooding of waters at Edessa that many were suffocated. Moreover, a sign appeared in the heaven ^B.

A. C. 660. — The year of John, bishop of Constantinople, 1st.

In this year, the emperor Constans was assassinated in Sicily, at Syracuse, in a bath which was named Daphne. The cause of his death was of this sort: upon the death of Theodosius his brother, which was brought about by his own hand, the hatred of the Byzantines toward him flared up vehemently, especially when he brought the most holy Roman pope, Martin, with dishonor to Constantinople and relegated him to the regions of Cherson, and moreover mutilated the tongue and severed the hands of Maximus the most learned confessor, and furthermore persecuted many of the orthodox, who refused to approve of his own heresy, with scourges, exiles, and proscriptions; and he finally subjected the two Anastasii, being the proven disciples of the confessor and martyr Maximus, to exile and tortures. On account of these things, I say, he stirred up against himself the most flagrant ^C hatred of all, by which being terrified, he decided to transfer the empire to Rome. And hence he had intended to have the empress and their three sons brought to him, if Andreas the cubiculary and Theodorus of Colonia had not stood against his plans, and led away those who had been ordered to cross over to him from Constantinople. Thenceforth he tarried in Sicily for six years. Therefore, when he had entered the aforementioned bath, a certain Andreas, son of Troilus, accompanied him, that he might perform a service for him. But when he had begun to clean himself with Gallic soap, Andreas, lifting the bucket into the air, struck it upon the head of the emperor, and instantly took to flight. The emperor at last lingering in the bath, those who stood without, sending themselves inside, found him slaughtered; and funeral rites having been performed for him, they forced a certain Armenian, Mizizius, ^D to seize the scepter. For he was excessively handsome and most comely. But Constantine, having heard of the death of his father, with a most numerous fleet

^A arrives in Sicily, and having subdued this Mizizius, he executes him along with the murderers of his own father. And having established affairs in the West, he hastened to Constantinople, and rules over the Romans together with Tiberius and Heraclius, his own brothers. [While the Emperor Constans was in Sicily, and had gone to the bath, Mizizius, having joined to himself accomplices in the parricide, attacked him and brought about his death. The successor to the empire subjected Mizizius and the rest of the authors of the crime to punishment and condemned them to capital punishment. Likewise, he also punished the patrician Justinian, the father of Germanus, who afterwards held the dignity of patriarch—for he had killed his father—and he castrated Germanus himself, who was acting more ferociously.]

A.M. 6161. — Year 1 of the Roman Emperor Constantine. In this year Constantine reigned together with his brothers. And the Saracens campaigned against Africa; and they took captive eighty thousand, as they say. The soldiers of the Anatolic theme came to Chrysopolis, saying, "We believe in the Trinity; let us crown the three." Constantine was troubled, because he alone was crowned, while his brothers possessed no dignity; and having sent Theodore, patrician of Coloneia (92), he turned them aside, ^B having praised them. And he took their leadership to go up into the city and to deliberate with the senate and to do their will. But immediately the emperor hanged them across the way in Sycae (93). And having seen this and being put to shame, they returned in grief to their own homes. The emperor ordered his brothers to be mutilated in their noses.

A.M. 6162. — In this year a great winter occurred, and many men and beasts were endangered. And Phadalas wintered at Cyzicus.

A.M. 6163. — In this year Busur campaigned and took many captive, and returned.

A.M. 6164. — In this year a rainbow appeared in the sky, and all flesh shuddered, in the month of March, Dystrus, so that everyone said that it is the end of the world. In this time, the deniers of Christ, having readied a large mast, ^C and having sailed past Cilicia, wintered, in Smyrna Muamed the son of Abdela, and Caisus in Cilicia and Lycia. And a pestilence occurred in Egypt. And he also sent Chale the emir with another fleet towards ^D

provide reinforcement, as he was most capable and bold in battle. ^A The aforementioned Constantine, having learned of such a movement of the God-defying heathens against Constantinople, himself had built large biremes equipped with fire-pots (94) and fire-siphoning dromones; and he ordered them to moor in the Proclisian harbor, that of Caesarius.

A. M. 6165. — In this year, the aforementioned fleet of the God-defying heathens arrived ^B and moored in the Thracian parts, from the western promontory of the Hebdomon (96), that is, the so-called Magnaura, back to the eastern promontory, called the Cyclobius. Every day, therefore, a clash of battle was waged from dawn until evening, from the arm of the Golden Gate as far as the Cyclobius, as they thrust and were repelled by turns. Thus they continued in these actions from the month of April until September. And returning, they went off to Cyzicus, and having taken possession of it, they wintered there. ^C When spring returned, setting forth likewise by sea, they engaged in battle with the Christians. Having continued this for seven years, and being put to shame by the aid of God and the Mother of God, and having lost a multitude of fighting men, and having suffered a great number of wounded, they retreated with great sorrow. The same God-ordained fleet was making preparations...

^A for its own destruction; for, drifting toward the region of Sylaeum, it was tossed by adverse currents and attacked by a violent storm, so that its ships were shattered against the rocks or swallowed into the deep, and the whole perished. But Suphian’s son and his younger brother, Ayph, joined battle with Florus, Petronas, and Cyprianus, who were leading an armed force of Roman soldiers, and in that battle thirty thousand Arabs were slain. Then Callinicus, an architect from Heliopolis in Syria, having defected to the Romans, prepared the "sea-fire," set the Arab fleet ablaze, and burned them up, together with the men alive. And thus the Romans returned victorious and discovered the sea-fire.

A. M. 6166. — First year of Constantine as bishop of Constantinople. In this year, Abdelas, son of Kais, and Phadalas wintered in Crete.

A. M. 6167. — In this year a sign appeared in the heavens on a Saturday.

A. M. 6168. — First year of Theodore as bishop of Constantinople. In this year there was a great plague of locusts in Syria and Mesopotamia.

A. M. 6169. — In this year the Mardaites ^B entered the Lebanon and took control of everything from Mount Maurus as far as the Holy City; they also occupied the peaks of the Lebanon. Many slaves and natives fled to them, so that in a very short space of time they grew into many thousands. Having learned of this, Mavias ^C and his advisors were greatly terrified, concluding that the Roman Empire was under God’s protection. And he sent envoys to the Emperor Constantine seeking peace, promising to pay the sovereign annual tribute as well. The emperor, having received these envoys and hearing their request, sent with them to Syria the patrician John, surnamed Pitsigaudes, as a man of ancient family in the commonwealth, one who was very experienced and possessed of great wisdom, so that he might appropriately converse with the Arabs and arrange the conditions of peace. Upon his arrival in Syria, Mavias, having gathered a council of the Ameraeans and Corasenians, received him with great honor. ^D When many things had been debated concerning the peace and discussed back and forth, eventually

it was agreed ^A between both parties that a document of peace should be drawn up, confirmed by oath, that an annual tribute should be provided to the Roman Commonwealth by the Agarenes of three thousand pounds of gold, and eight thousand captives, and fifty noble horses. These terms having been settled between the two sides for thirty years, a broad peace was maintained between the Romans and the Arabs. And when two such formal documents had been exchanged between them with oaths, the aforementioned, all-praised man returned to the emperor with many gifts. When those who inhabited the western regions learned of this, the Chagan of the Avars and the kings who were further out, ^B as well as the exarchs and castaldi and the most prominent of the western nations, sent embassies to the emperor with gifts, requesting that a peace and concord be established and confirmed with them. The emperor, yielding to their requests, confirmed a sovereign peace with them as well. And there was great tranquility both in the East and in the West.

In the first year of George, bishop of Constantinople. In this year, there was a great earthquake throughout Mesopotamia, ^C during which the Batan and the dome of the church of Edessa collapsed; and Mavias rebuilt it at the urging of the Christians.

A.M. 6171. In this year, Mavias, the first king of the Saracens, died on the sixth day of the month of Artemisius, in the first indiction. He had served as strategos for twenty-six years, reigned for twenty-four years, and his son Izid took the principate after him. At about this same time, the nation of the Bulgarians invaded Thrace. It is necessary to speak also concerning the antiquity of the Onogundur ^D Bulgarians and Kotragoi. In the northern regions

^A of the Euxine Sea, in the so-termed Maeotian Lake, there flows a very large river brought down from the Ocean through the land of the Sarmatians, named the Atals, into which also flows the river called the Tanais, this too emerging from the Iberian Gates [(12)] of the Caucasian mountains [(13)]. Now from the confluence of the Tanais and the Atals (for the Atals, above the aforementioned Maeotian Lake, is divided by another stream), there emerges the river named the Cuphis, which discharges at the end of the Pontic Sea, near the Necropylae [(15)], at the promontory called the Ram's Face. From the designated lake, a sea wide as a river flows into the Euxine Pontic Sea through the land of the Bosporus and Cimmeria; in this river is caught the so-termed Murzulium [(15)] and those similar to it. ^B And towards the eastern parts of the aforementioned lake, they call it Phanaguria, and the Jews dwelling there [(16)], many nations are counted. But from this same lake to the so-termed river Cuphis, where the *xystus*—a Bulgarian fish—is caught [(17)], lies the ancient and Great Bulgaria, and those called the Cotragors are also their kinsmen.

But in the times [(18)] of Constantine who died in the West [(19)], a certain Crobatus, lord [(20)] of the aforementioned Bulgaria and the Cotragors, being near death, left behind five sons to whom, by his testament, he gave command to keep their dominion firm and stable and to defend it from the servitude of foreign nations, that they should not dwell separately from one another. But after a short time from the death of their father, these five sons having proceeded to distribute between themselves the portions of their dominion, they decided to separate from one another, each with the people subject to his own authority. ^C And the first son, named Batbaias [(21)], keeping the commandment of his own father, remained on his ancestral soil until this day. The second brother, named Cotragos, having crossed the river Tanais, placed his seat opposite his first brother; the fourth and the fifth, having crossed the river Istrus, that is to say the Danube, one of them into Pannonia

^A subject to the Chagan of the Avars, remained there with his force; the other, having taken possession of the Pentapolis near Ravenna, became subject to the empire of the Christians. Subsequently, the third of these, called Asparuch, having crossed the rivers Danapris and Danastris, and having reached the Olgu—which are rivers further to the north of the Danube—and having judged the place between this and those to be safe and impregnable on both sides, decided to have his seat and habitation in the middle. For since it is fortified in the front part by marshes, and on this side and that is surrounded by rivers, it afforded great security against enemies to the nation, which otherwise had been diminished by this division.

^B These having been thus divided into five parts, and having been reduced to something small and weak, the numerous race of the Chazars, issuing from the inner depths of Berzilia, which is part of first Sarmatia, burst forth, and having brought under their dominion all the provinces situated across the river as far as the Pontic Sea, and having made the first brother, Batbaia, the prince of first Bulgaria (who was the first of the five brothers), tributary to them, they exact the tribute from him to this day. ^C When the Emperor Constantine learned that a foul and unclean nation had suddenly crossed the Danube and pitched their tents at the Olgu, and was wandering through the region adjacent to the Danube and inflicting slaughter (that is to say, over the land which they now occupy, which at that time was under the dominion of the Christians), he conceived great grief. He therefore orders all the legions to move into the parts of Thrace, and having armed a band of soldiers both by sea and by land, he undertook an expedition, intending to dislodge the enemies from the places they had occupied by force of arms; and he marshaled his infantry forces through the mainland and the lands adjacent to the so-called Olgu and the Danube, and he moored his ships at the adjacent shores of the river. But the Bulgarians, having beheld such a sudden and numerous array of war, being cast into despair of their safety, withdrawing into the aforementioned fortification, placed themselves in a safe position. For three or even four days, they dared not set foot out of such a fortification; nor did the Romans, on account of the occasion provided by the adjacent marshes, feel confident enough to descend into conflict; they remained on both sides. Then, certainly, the impure nation, having observed the weakness and effeminacy of the Romans, took courage and more eagerly...

^A became disposed to commit battle. Meanwhile the emperor, being afflicted with a sharp pain in his feet and compelled to return to Mesembria for the sake of the greater ease and comfort of the baths, taking with him only five dromones and a few of his palace attendants, left behind the generals and the army, having commanded them to skirmish and force the enemy from their stronghold, and to join battle with them if they dared to come out; but if not, to lay siege to them and keep them shut up within their fortifications. ^B Those of the cavalry, falsely claiming that the emperor had fled, and being seized by fear, adopted that same flight themselves, with no one pursuing them. The Bulgarians, witnessing this spectacle, pursued them, and slew most of them with the sword, while many were wounded; and having pursued them as far as the Danube, and crossed it, they arrived at the place called Barna, near Odyssus and the inland country thereabouts. Having observed that the whole place was well defended—from the rear by the Danube river, and from the front and flanks by mountain passes and the Pontic Sea—and having subjugated the seven tribes of the Sclavinian nations dwelling there, they settled the Seberenses ^C from the forward pass of the Beregabi toward the eastern regions, while the remaining seven tribes were settled toward the south and west as far as Abaria, all of them becoming tributary to themselves. In this manner, having extended and expanded the borders of their dominion, they began to ravage and plunder the cities and towns that were under the Roman administration. Whence the emperor, being compelled, made peace with them, agreeing to pay them an annual sum to their shame, by reason of the multitude of our sins; for it was a marvelous thing for those far and near to hear that he who had made all nations tributary to himself, throughout the east and west and north and south, had been defeated by this ^D filthy and newly-risen nation. But he, believing that this had happened to the Christians by the providence of God, and acting with an evangelical mind, made peace; and until the end of his life he remained free from all wars, having a special zeal to unite the holy Churches of God that had been divided everywhere since the times of the emperor Heraclius, his great-grandfather, and of Sergius and Pyrrhus, the wicked-minded men who had unworthily held the throne of Constantinople and had dogmatized that there was one will and one energy in our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, whose heresies the most Christian emperor was endeavoring to overthrow.

^A Having assembled an ecumenical council of two hundred and eighty-nine bishops, he confirmed the dogmas previously ratified in the five preceding holy and ecumenical councils, and voted that the pious dogma of the two wills and operations should be decreed in accordance with this same holy and most accurate Sixth Ecumenical Council, over which the same all-pious emperor, Constantine, and the pious hierarchs presided.

A. M. 6172. — Year 1 of the Arab leader Izid. In this year, the holy [(25)] and Sixth Ecumenical Council was assembled in Constantinople of two hundred and eighty-nine [(26)] bishops and Fathers, by the command of the pious emperor Constantine.

A. M. 6173. — In this year, Constantine removed his brothers Heraclius and Tiberius from the dignity of the empire, and reigned alone with his son Justinian.

A. M. 6174. — In this year, Muchar the impostor, having stirred up a tyranny, became master of Persis; he proclaimed himself a prophet, and the Arabs were thrown into turmoil. ^B

A. M. 6175. — Year 1 of the Arab leader Marvam. In this time, Izid died, and the Arabs of Ethribus [(27)] were stirred up and rose in revolt, establishing as their leader a certain Abdelam, son of Zuber. Those who inhabit Phoenicia and Palestine gathered together and came to Damascus, and then to Gabetha to Asan, the amir of Palestine; they gave their right hands to Marvam, and established him as leader, and he reigned as amir for nine months. And upon his death, his son Abimelech succeeded to the rule, having been declared amir, and reigned for 21 years; he subdued the tyrants and slew Abdelam, son of Zuber, and his successor. ^C

A. M. 6176. — Year 1 of the Arab leader Abimelech. Year 1 of Theodore, bishop of Constantinople. In this year there occurred a great famine and pestilence [(28)] in Syria.

^A Abimelech obtained the leadership of the nation. As the Mardaites were attacking the regions of Lebanon and a pestilence was prevailing, the same Abimelech requested the peace that had been sought in May, having sent ambassadors to the emperor, and he agreed to pay the same 365,000 gold coins, and 365 slaves, and likewise 365 thoroughbred horses.

A. M. 6177. — In this year the pious emperor Constantine, having reigned for seventeen years, fell asleep in peace. His son Justinian assumed the empire. ^B

We must recognize that certain people act foolishly and rave in vain when they say that the principal canons of the Sixth Synod, which are famous among them, were brought into existence four years later. For just as they are proven to be liars in all things, they are also shown to be saying nothing true in this regard. For the accurate chronological record states that the holy Sixth Ecumenical Synod against the Monothelites took place in the twelfth year of the reign of Constantine ^C (grandson of Heraclius), in the year of the creation of the world 6182. ^D

VARIOUS READINGS AND NOTES

(30) The recent interpreter wrongly rendered this: "the same number of slaves," which would be 365,000; this is no less abhorrent to reason than it is to the author’s words and sense; for in a year or two the Arabs would have poured out all their servants and horses to the Romans. That payment is held to be as it were in the first year of Justinian.

(31) Among those who hold such opinions, these words of his from the second act of the Seventh Synod demonstrate that Tarasius was patriarch: What is this ignorance with which many labor regarding these canons? For it is a scandal to doubt whether they belong to the Sixth Synod. Let such people recognize, therefore, that the Sixth Synod was gathered in the time of Constantine, namely against those who locate only one operation and will in Christ. They, therefore, having anathematized the heretics and confirming the orthodox faith, returned home in the fourteenth year of Constantine. Therefore, after four or five years, those same Fathers, gathered under Justinian, the son of Constantine, issued the canons: and no one should doubt this.

(32) Theophanes conjectures that the Trullan canons were issued twenty-five years after the Sixth Synod, by this one argument, that between the Sixth Synod, celebrated (as he thinks) when 6172 years from the creation of the world had passed, and the year 6199, which canon 3 itself mentions, just as many years intervene. Nevertheless, many things occur that do not so much disturb his calculations as they do convict his opinion of manifest falsehood. 1. In whatever year those canons were produced, the testimony of the third canon proves that they were signed in the fifth indiction. But what of the fact that it is the twenty-seventh year from the creation of the world which bears the mark of the fifth indiction, and not rather the sixth—or, since it belongs to another cycle, the ninth indiction—that the Sixth Synod, as its acts ^D testify, was held? 2. Justinian, reigning for the second time, numbered the fifth indiction in which the synod in Trullo was held: but the same fell in the first year of his reign, and the 6183rd year of the world. 3. Blastares, in the preface to his Nomocanon, left it attested that he saw the canons issued in Trullo, confirmed by the subscription of Patriarch Paul: "The princes of this synod were celebrated: Paul of Constantinople, the other Paul of Alexandria, George of Antioch, Anastasius of Jerusalem, John of the new Justinianopolis, Basil of Gortyna, a metropolis of the island of Crete, and he who held the place of the entire holy Church of Rome; for thus it is found in ancient books, that after the emperor’s signature, each of the patriarchs and metropolitans signed his own name and title." And that Paul held the patriarchate only while Justinian was reigning for the first time. From the chronological reasoning of Theophanes himself, it remains therefore that after the Sixth Synod had passed, for ten years [or after the years were completed], under the rule of Justinian in his first reign, in the fifth indiction, the Trullan canons were published. Furthermore, the other number of years from the creation of the world which canon three has follows a different method of calculation than that of Theophanes.

affirms, in the year six thousand one hundred seventy-second ^A from the creation of the world, and that the same Constantine reigned for five years thereafter, and upon his passing, ^B his son Justinian held the monarchy for ten years; when Justinian was expelled, Leontius held power for three years, and after Leontius, Tiberius, who is also Apsimarus, reigned for seven years, and again Justinian, who had been expelled, was restored to the empire for six years, so that from the very published types of the council—or rather the canons—in the second year of the empire of the nose-mutilated Justinian restored, we clearly find them first promulgated. For in the third canon we read in these words: We have decided that those who have been involved in two marriages, and who up to the fifteenth day of the past month of January of the past fourth indiction, of the six thousand one hundred ninety-ninth year, have wished to remain in the slavery of sin and not to repent in any way, should be subjected to canonical deposition. And with some things interposed: But those who, after having received orders, have bound themselves even in one marriage, that is to say, presbyters, deacons, and subdeacons, having been prohibited from sacred ministry for a short period of time and punished with penalties, shall finally be restored to their own ranks, but shall in no way be promoted to any higher rank, their unlawful cohabitation having been clearly dissolved. Thus, from this very designation of times, from the celebration of the holy universal sixth synod to the published canons promulgated in its name, twenty-seven years are clearly gathered, George being patriarch at the holy oecumenical synod, whose third year of patriarchate was numbered, and who spent three more years in the dignity after the synod. After him, Theodore sat for three years, Paul for seven years, Callinicus for twelve years, and Cyrus finally for two years, so that from the very tenures of the patriarchs twenty-seven years are clearly computed; and from the promulgation of the canons until the fourth year of Philippicus, five years intervene, but in the first year of the empire of Philippicus himself the insane conventicle against the holy oecumenical ^C council was celebrated, and Cyrus having been expelled in the sixth year of his patriarchate, Joannes became patriarch of Constantinople. ^D Andrew however, the metropolitan of Crete, and Germanus, the metropolitan of Cyzicus, having signed plainly and having anathematized (35) with all those at the same times the aforementioned holy oecumenical sixth synod against the Monothelites; and after three years, upon the death of Joannes, Germanus was transferred from

Cyzicus and held the patriarchate of Constantinople for fifteen years, and in the thirteenth year of the reign of Leo he was driven from the see, and Anastasius became patriarch, and held it for twenty-four years; and after him Constantinus for twelve years, and Nicetas for fourteen, and Paulus for five, and Tarasius for twenty-one, and Nicephorus for eight, and Theodotus for six, and Antonius for sixteen, and finally Joannes the lecanomancer for six years and one month. ^A

A. M. 6178. — First year of the reign of Justinianus, emperor of the Romans. ^B

In this year Abimelech sent envoys to Justinianus in order to confirm the peace. Peace was established on these terms: that the emperor should suppress the band of the Mardaites in Lebanon and prevent their incursions; and that Abimelech should pay the emperor every day a thousand gold coins, a horse, and a slave; and that they should share equally the taxes of Cyprus, Armenia, and Iberia. And the emperor sent Paulus the magistrianus to Abimelech to confirm the terms agreed upon; and a written security was made before witnesses. And the magistrianus, having been treated with honor, returned to the emperor. ^C And the emperor, having sent for them, received the twelve thousand Mardaites, thus maiming the Roman power. For indeed, all the cities situated on the mountain tops which are now inhabited by the Arabs, from the border of Mopsuestia as far as the fourth Armenia, were until then weak and uninhabited because of the incursion of the Mardaites; since they were taken away, Romania has suffered terrible evils at the hands of the Arabs up to this day.

In the same year Abimelech sent Ziandus, the brother of Mavia, into Persia against Muchtar, ^D the impostor and tyrant. And Ziandus was killed by Muchtar. And having heard this, Abimelech came into Mesopotamia and was opposed by Saidus, the rebel; whom, upon returning, he persuaded by words to open Damascus, which had been seized by him, and after this he put him to death by treachery. Justinianus, however, being young, about sixteen years of age, and managing his affairs without counsel, sent Leontius the general into Armenia with a Roman force, and having killed the Saracens there, he subjected Iberia to the Romans in the same way.

^A and Albania, and Bulcacia, and Media; and having imposed taxes upon these regions, he sent a great quantity of wealth to the emperor. But Abimelech, upon learning of these things, seized Cercisium, and subjected Theopolis.

A. C. 679. — First year of Paul, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year a famine occurred in Syria, and many crossed over into Roman territory. The emperor, having gone into Armenia, received there the Mardaites, who had previously been stationed in Lebanon, that brazen wall of the Roman Empire, which he himself had dismantled. He also dissolved the peace that had been established with the Bulgarians, violating and utterly overturning the terms of the treaties granted by his father. Purposing to send into slavery the Bulgarians and the ^B Sclavenian provinces, he ordered the equestrian legions to cross over into Thrace.

A. C. 680. — In this year, Justinian led an army into Bulgaria and Thrace. And he at first repelled the Bulgarians who had come out against him in arms. ^C And having made excursions as far as Thessalonica, he led a vast multitude of Sclavenians—some conquered by force of war, others who had come over to him spontaneously and surrendered—out of their own country and decided to have them dwell in the regions of Opsikion, having crossed the strait of Abydos. But upon his return, being waylaid by the Bulgarians within the narrow pass of the defile, with many of his army killed and wounded, he was barely able to escape the danger and cross over to the opposite side.

In the same year, Abdelas, son of Zuber, sent his own brother, Musab, against Muchtar; and having engaged him in battle, he compelled Muchtar to take to flight and to retreat into Syria, and overtaking him on the road, he made an end of him. Abimelech, indeed, having undertaken an expedition against Musarus and having attained victory, put his enemy to death and subjected all of Persia to his own empire.

A. C. 681. — In this year, Abimelech sent Chagan against Zumir to move weapons in Macca. Chagan, having destroyed Zumir, brought the province of Chagan, which was hostile to him, under the power of Abimelech. ^D

^A And Persia, Mesopotamia, and the great Arabia of Ethribus were subjected to Abimelech, and their civil wars ceased.

A. M. 6182. — In this year, the rule of the Arabs had an end and release from every war, and Abimelech made peace, having subjected everyone.

In this year, Justinian, out of folly, broke the peace with Abimelech; for he was eager to transplant the island of the Cypriots in an irrational manner, and he did not accept the newly appearing coinage sent by Abimelech, which had never existed before. ^B A great multitude of Cypriots, while crossing, were drowned, and some perished from ensuing illness, while the rest turned back to Cyprus. Hearing these things, Abimelech, acting with satanic guile, begged that the peace not be broken, but that his coinage be accepted, as the Arabs were not accepting the Roman coinage in their own districts; since the weight of gold was being paid, no harm at all was coming to the Romans from the Arabs minting new coins. But he [Justinian], considering the entreaty to be fear, did not understand that what they were aiming for was to stop the incursion of the Mardaites, and thus to break the peace under a pretext that seemed reasonable; which is what eventually happened. And Abimelech sent men to build the temple of ^C Macca. And he wanted to carry off the columns of the holy Gethsemane. But Sergius, a man most Christian, the general logothete of Mansour and very deeply acquainted with the same Abimelech, and a patrician who was his colleague and the most excellent of the Christians living in Palestine, by the name of Claesus, begged him not to do this, but through their intercession to persuade Justinian to send others in their place; which indeed occurred.

A. M. 6183. — In this year, Justinian chose from the Slavs who had been transplanted by him, and he organized thirty thousand, and having armed them, he named them the "chosen people," and their leader Nebulus by name. Trusting in them, he wrote ^D

^A to the Arabs that he could no longer stand by the terms of the peace written between them. And having taken up the chosen people [(49)] and all the cavalry themes, he proceeded to Sebastopolis [(50)], which is by the sea. The Arabs were feigning, and not wishing to break the peace, but being forced to do so by the Emperor's provocation and over-hastiness, they too armed themselves and arrived at Sebastopolis, calling God to witness before the Emperor that the oaths sworn between them should not be violated, for otherwise God would be the avenger and judge of their wrongs. But the Emperor would not even endure to hear these things, but rather pressed on to battle; and so they tore up the written document of the peace, and having fastened it high upon a pole in place of a standard [(51)(52)], they advanced, and rushed against the Romans, having Muamed as their general, and joined battle. At first the Arabs were defeated. But Muamed, secretly suborning the general of the Slavs who was serving as an auxiliary with the Romans, sent him a quiver full of gold coins, and having beguiled him with many promises, persuaded him to desert to them together with twenty thousand, and thus he brought about the flight of the Romans. Then Justinian slaughtered the remainder of them, including women and children, at the place called Leucatas, a precipitous site by the sea lying along the Nicomedian Gulf [(53)]. ^B [A.M. 6185.] In this year, Symbatius the patrician of Armenia, having learned of the defeat of the Romans, handed over Armenia to the Arabs, and submitted to them, as well as inner Persia, known as Khorasan. There arose there a rebel named Sabinus, who slew many of the Arabs, and nearly drowned the Chagan himself in the river. From that time the Hagarenes, becoming more emboldened and audacious, harassed the whole Roman dominion. ^C [A.M. 6186.] First year of Callinicus, bishop of Constantinople. ^D

In this year an eclipse of the sun occurred on the fifth day of the month of Hyperberetaios, on the first day of the week, at the third hour, so that some bright stars were seen. ^A And Muamed launched an expedition against the Roman empire, having with him the fugitive Slavs as experts in the Roman territories, and he took many into captivity. There also occurred a slaughter of swine ^B in Syria. Justinian, meanwhile, concerned himself with the buildings of the palace. And he erected what is called the Justinian Triclinium, and the surrounding walls of the palace; and he appointed overseer Stephen the Persian, his sacellarius and chief eunuch, a man of great power, bloodthirsty and cruel, who was not content merely to harass the workmen with insults, but even stoned both them and their foremen. ^C And when the emperor had set out abroad, that wild beast dared even to whip the Augustus Anastasia, the emperor's mother, after the manner of children with leather straps. In these circumstances, he also showed much wickedness towards the civil populace, making the emperor hateful. Likewise, he appointed to the office of the general logothete a certain monk named Theodotus, a recluse ^D who had previously lived in the Thracian regions of the Strait, a man equally savage and unyielding, who, without cause or reason, handled most of the state officials and prominent men—not only from the administrators, but even from the residents of the city—

demanding exactions, requisitions, and confiscations, and tormenting them with smoke by hanging them with ropes and lighting straw beneath them. Furthermore, the city prefect, by the emperor's command, cast many men into prisons and kept them in chains for many years. Because of all this, the hatred of the people for the emperor grew. ^A In addition to this, the emperor urged Callinicus the patriarch to compose prayers for the destruction of the church of the holy Theotokos of the Metropolitan, which was situated near the palace, for he wished to set up a fountain in its place and to build seats for the Blue faction, so that the emperor might be received there. ^B The patriarch replied, "We have prayers for the foundation of a church, but we have received none from our predecessors for the destruction of a church." As the emperor insisted vehemently and demanded the prayers even by force, the patriarch said, "Glory to God, who endures even these things, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen." Hearing this, they destroyed the church and constructed the fountain. And they built the church of the Metropolitan at the Petrion.

A. M. 6187

^A city, having shifted anchorage, he conferred with the friends who came to him; among these were his own true friends, the monk Paul of Kallistratos, who was also an astronomer, ^B and Gregory the Cappadocian, who had been a *kleisourarches* and later a monk and hegumen of Floros, who, visiting him quite frequently in prison, assured him that he would reign over the Romans. Leontius said to them, "You have assured me in prison of the empire, and now my life is ending in miseries. For I stand in the rear, awaiting death at every hour." They said to him, "Do not hesitate, for this will soon be fulfilled. Only listen to us and follow us." Taking his men and whatever arms he had, Leontius went up to the praetorium in great silence. ^C When they knocked on the gate, they pretended that the emperor had arrived to pass judgment on some of those residing there. When this was announced to the prefect, he came quickly and opened the gates; he was seized by Leontius, and being bound, he was fettered hand and foot. Leontius then entered and, opening the cells, released the men who were imprisoned—many noble men, confined for six or eight years—most of whom were soldiers, and arming them, he went out into the forum with them, shouting, "All Christians to Saint Sophia!" ^D Having sent men to each region, he ordered them to shout the same call. The multitude of the city, stirred to tumult, assembled in haste at the baptistery of the church. He himself, along with the two monks and his friends, and some of the more prominent men who had come out of the prison, went up to the patriarchate to the patriarch. Finding him also disturbed because of the orders that had been given to the patrician Stephen Rhousios, he persuaded him to go down to the baptistery and to call out thus: "This is the day which the Lord has made." And the whole multitude raised a cry: "Let the bones of Justinian be dug up!" And thus all the people ran out into the Hippodrome. When day had come, they led Justinian out to the Hippodrome through the *sphendone*. And having slit his nose, along with

^A his tongue, they sentenced him to exile in Cherson. After this, the populace seized Theodotus the monk, who was the general logothete, and Stephen the sakellarios, a Persian by birth, and having tied their feet with ropes, they dragged them across the main thoroughfare and, having taken them to the Bovos, they burned them; and thus they acclaimed Leontius as emperor.

A.M. 6188. — First year of the Roman emperor Leontius. In this year Leontius reigned and remained peaceful on all sides.

A.M. 6189. — In this year Alidos invaded the Roman Empire with an armed force and, having collected a multitude of captives, he returned. Sergius, the patrician of Lazica and Barnukios, also became a rebel against the emperor and betrayed those districts to the Arabs.

A.M. 6190. — In this year the Arabs attacked Africa; they captured it and established a garrison ^B of their own soldiers there. When Leontius learned of this, he sent the patrician John, a man capable in managing affairs, with the entire Roman fleet. When he had reached Carthage and by martial valor had broken the chain blocking the harbor there, and had turned the enemy to flight and driven them out, he restored all the fortified cities of Africa to liberty; and, having left behind a garrison of his own soldiers, he reported these events to the emperor. He wintered there, awaiting the emperor's commands. But the Protosymbolos ^C (who was the leader of the Arab council), when he learned of these deeds, equipped a more powerful and numerous fleet against them and pursued the aforementioned John along with his fleet at the harbor; and having enclosed him within an open, simple area, he blockaded him from the outside in the manner of a siege. The aforementioned [John] returned to Romania, wishing to obtain a greater force from the emperor. And he came as far as Crete, making his way to the emperor. But the army, being dragged along by its own leaders ^D

^A, wishing to return to the emperor—for they were held back no less by fear than by shame—turned completely to a calamitous design. Having rejected the name of Leontius, they proclaimed as emperor Apsimar, who was then serving as drungarius of the Cibyrraeots at Curiciotae, and having imposed upon him the name Tiberius. While Leontius was clearing the Neorion harbor in Constantinople, the plague of buboes fell upon the city, and in four months it destroyed a multitude of people. Apsimar, arriving with the fleet that was with him, moored opposite the city at Sycae. But since the citizens of the city were unwilling to surrender Leontius to the army for a good length of time, a betrayal took place through the single wall ^B of the Blachernae, and by foreign officers who had been entrusted with the keys of the land wall after a fearful oath sworn upon the holy table; these people, through a conspiracy, surrendered the city. Once the soldiers of the fleet had entered, they went into the houses of the citizens and stripped their inhabitants. Apsimar had Leontius’s nose slit, and placed him in the monastery of Dalmatus to be kept under guard. As for his commanders and friends, regarding them as having died with him, he had them beaten and, having confiscated their property, sent them into exile. He also promoted Heraclius, his own full brother, as being highly capable, to be the supreme commander of all the external equestrian themes, and sent him to run through the regions of Cappadocia and the mountain passes, to keep watch on the machinations of the enemy, and to decide what ought to be done to counter them.

A. M. 6191. — First year of the Roman emperor Apsimar. ^C In this year, Apsimar seized the empire. And Abderachman rebelled in Persia, and became master of it, and drove the Chagan out from it.

A. M. 6192. — In this year, there was a great plague. And Mohamed marched with a multitude of Arabs against Abderachman, and upon reaching Persia, joined forces with the Chagan, and waged war ^D

^A against him. They killed him and returned the Persian principality to the Chagan. The Romans, meanwhile, made an incursion into Syria, and advanced as far as Samosata, and having plundered the surrounding country, they killed many—as they say, two hundred thousand—Arabs; and having taken much spoil and a great number of Arab captives, they returned, having struck great fear into them.

A. M. 6193. — In this year, Abdelas campaigned against Romania, and having besieged Taran ^B ton and achieved nothing, he returned to Mopsuestia and placed guards in it.

A. M. 6194. — In this year, Baanes, surnamed Eptadaimon, subjected the fourth Armenia to the Arabs. Apsimarus exiled Philippicus, the son of the patrician Nicephorus, to Cephalonia, because he imagined that he would one day possess the empire. For he claimed to have seen in a dream that his head was overshadowed by an eagle. Having heard this, the emperor immediately sent him into exile.

A. M. 6195. — In this year, the nobles of Armenia rose up against the Saracens and killed all the Saracens in Armenia. And again they sent an embassy to Apsimarus and brought the Romans into their country. ^C But Mohamed campaigned against them and killed many; he subjected Armenia again to the Saracens, and collected the Armenian nobles together in one place and burned them all alive. At that same time, Azar made war on Cilicia with ten thousand armed men; but Heraclius, the brother of the emperor, came against him, killed most of his forces, and sent the rest in chains to the emperor.

A. M. 6196. — In this year, Azibus, the son of Chunei, campaigned against Cilicia, and having besieged the fort of Sisium, he destroyed it. Heraclius, the brother of the emperor, ^D attacked him with equal forces, and joining battle, he slaughtered twelve thousand Arabs. Meanwhile, Justinian, residing in Cherson and proclaiming that he would once again govern the empire, terrified the local inhabitants with such words. Fearing danger from the emperor, they took counsel to kill him or to deliver him to the emperor. Observing their schemes, he skillfully made his escape, and having hastened to Daras, he demanded an audience and parley with the Chagan of the Chazars. Having received this message, the Chagan welcomed him with great honor, and gave him his own sister, Theodora, as his wife. After a short time, having made a request to the Chagan, he went down to Phanagoria, and there

^A he dwelt with Theodora.

Hearing these things, Apsimarus sent to the Chagan, promising to give him many gifts if he would send Justinian to him alive, or at least his head. The Chagan, yielding to this request, sent a guard to him, pretending that this was out of concern so that he might not be plotted against by his own countrymen, but he instructed Papatzes, who was there on his behalf, and Balgitzes, the prefect of Bosphorus (88), that when the signal was given to them, they should kill Justinian. When these things were made known by a servant of the Chagan to Theodora, and were revealed to Justinian, he summoned the aforementioned Papatzes to speak with him in private, and he strangled him with a cord (89); and he did the same to Balgitzes, the prefect of Bosphorus.

Immediately he sent Theodora away into Chazaria, while he himself, having secretly fled toward Phanagoria, came down to the mouth of the river (90). Having found a fishing boat fully equipped, he boarded it. Sailing past Asada, he came as far as Symbolon, near Cherson. Having sent secret messengers into Cherson, he took up Basbacurius (91) and his brother, and Salbanus and Stephanus, and Moropaulos with Theophilus; and having sailed with them, he passed the lighthouse of Cherson. ^B Thereafter, sailing past the Necropyla and the mouths of the Dnieper and the Dniester (92), a storm suddenly arose, and all despaired of their safety.

Myaces, his own household servant, said to him: "Behold, master, we are dying; make a vow to God for your safety, that if God restores to you your empire, you will take vengeance on none of your enemies." But he, answering in anger, said to him: "If I spare a single one of them, may God drown me right here." And he emerged safely from that storm, and entered the mouth of the Danube.

He sent Stephanus to Terbelis, the lord of Bulgaria, to ask him for support so that he might recover his ancestral kingdom; he promised to give him many gifts, and his own daughter in marriage. Terbelis, having sworn an oath to obey him in all things and to render him assistance, and having received him with honor, rallied the entire host of Bulgarians and Slavs subject to him. ^C And in the coming year, they took up arms and set out for the imperial city. ^D

^A 697 A.C. — In this year, the leader of the Arabs, Abimelech, died, and Valid his son obtained the principality. In this same year, Justinian, relying on the help of Terbelis and the Bulgarians who had joined him, attacked the queen of cities with arms, and having pitched camp at the Charsian gate, occupied the entire space as far as Blachernae. For three days, while holding talks with the citizens, they received nothing but insults and taunts from them, to whom they had also offered peace terms in vain. Justinian, however, having entered the city with very few of his own people through the aqueduct without a fight, created a commotion and clamor of slaughter, became master of it, and shortly after took up residence and at the same time established his camp in the palace of the Blachernae.

^B 698 A.C. — First year of the reign of Justinian, emperor of the Romans, again. First year of Valid, leader of the Arabs. First year of Cyrus, bishop of Constantinople. First year of John, bishop of Jerusalem.

In this year, Justinian was restored to the empire, and having bestowed excellent gifts and royal furnishings upon Terbelis, he entered into a pact with him and dismissed him in peace. Apsimarus, having abandoned the city, fled to Apollonias; but being pursued, he was captured and brought to Justinian. Heraclius also, having been fettered and dragged from Thrace, was presented to him along with the other dignitaries who had served under him, all of whom he hung by nooses from the wall. ^C Sending ministers through all the inland regions, he found many of Apsimarus' soldiers and killed them all, as well as those who were plotting something on his behalf as those who were remaining quiet. He also ordered Apsimarus and Leontius to be led in chains through all the regions of the city in ignominy; and when the circus games were celebrated, with Justinian himself seated in his proper place, they were publicly dragged with disgrace and thrust down to be humbled at his feet. Justinian trod upon and trampled the necks of those bent and prone toward the ground until the first event of the circus was displayed, with the people shouting: "You have walked upon the asp and the basilisk, and you have trampled the lion and the dragon." ^D Eventually, having sent them into the Cynegion, he ordered their heads to be cut off. He blinded Callinicus the patriarch and relegated him to Rome, and in his place he installed a certain Cyrus, a monk who had been enclosed on the island of Amastris, because he had predicted to him the restoration of his second reign. He destroyed an innumerable multitude from both the civil and military registers. Many he also cast into sacks [in the sea…]

^A and brought to a bitter death; some, too, he invited to a lunch-party and, as they rose from the table, he condemned some to the gallows and others to the sword. Horror and fear thus took possession of everyone's mind. He then sent a fleet to fetch his wife from Chazaria, and many of the ships were sunk ^A with their crews. Hearing this, the Chagan signifies to him: "O foolish one, was it not right for you to fetch your wife with two or three ships, and not to kill such a multitude? Or do you think to take her by war? See, a son has also been born to you: send, therefore, and take them." He sent Theophylactus the cubicularius, ^B received Theodora and her son Tiberius, and crowned them; and they reigned as emperors with him.

A. M. 6199. — In this year, Valid ^B seized the catholic and most holy church of Damascus ^B, out of envy against the Christians, he being an apostate, because of the surpassing beauty of that temple; and he forbade the public registers of the logothesia to be written in Greek, ordering them instead to be drafted in Arabic, except for the numerals—since it is not possible in that language to write a unit, or a binary, or a ternary, or eight and a half, or three—and for this reason Christian notaries remain among them to this day.

A. M. 6200. — In this year, Justinian ^C violated the peace between the Romans and the Bulgars, and having sent the cavalry regiments through to Thrace, and having equipped a fleet against the Bulgars and Tervel, he set out. Arriving at Anchialus, he anchored the fleet in front of the fortress, while he ordered the cavalry to camp in the fields above, unguarded and without a thought of any danger. The army being scattered like sheep ^C over the fields to collect fodder, the Bulgarian scouts observed from the mountain tops the aimless organization of the Romans; and, gathering themselves like wild beasts, they suddenly hurled themselves upon them and greatly slaughtered the Roman flock, [capturing] a great number of prisoners, as well as horses and armor, apart from the

number of the slain. Justinian, having fled into the fortress with those who had been saved, held the gates closed for three days. ^A But seeing the persistence of the Bulgarians, he himself was the first to hamstring his own horse, and he exhorted everyone else to do the same. Having placed his military weapons on the walls as if they were trophies, he boarded the ships secretly by night, sailed away, and arrived in the City in disgrace.

A. C. 701. — In this year Masalmas and Abbas, driven to madness by the destruction of the army under their leader Maiuna by Marianus, besieged the city of Tyana and, after encircling it with a tight blockade, spent the winter there. Justinian sent to them two commanders, Theodore Carterucas and Theophylact Salibas, with a trained army and a crowd of peasants as rustic auxiliaries, [to assist in] defeating the enemy and driving them off from the blockade they had established. ^B Being divided in their minds and then attacking the enemy without observing any military order, they turned in flight, and after many thousands of them were lost, not a few of the survivors fell as captives into the hands of the adversaries. The enemy, having secured their camp and provisions, persisted constantly in blockading the city until they captured it. For already the [inhabitants] were suffering from a shortage of food, and the thought of breaking the siege and withdrawing had entered their minds. Seeing this, the Tyanenses, driven to desperation and having received a guarantee of safety, went over to the side of the enemy, leaving the city empty of inhabitants, as it is seen even to this day. Those [enemy forces], violating their promise, immediately exiled the Tyanenses to desert places and kept many of them as captives for themselves.

A. C. 702. — In this year Abbas, having led an army into Roman territory, drove off many captives and returned to his own people, and began to build the city of Garis in the region of Heliopolis. ^C

A. C. 703. — In this year Uthman led an army into central Cilicia and brought many cities under his authority by giving a guarantee of security; indeed, even Camachum, along with the adjacent regions, was betrayed to him. Justinian, however, mindful of the injuries he had once received, dispatched Maurus the patrician to Cherson, together with Stephen the patrician, surnamed Aspictus, having entrusted to them a strong and very well-equipped fleet. For the plots against him that had been devised by the Chersonites, the Bosphorians, and the others dwelling in those regions remained deeply ingrained in his mind; [consequently he sent] every warship, dromon, trireme, and transport vessel, to the number of ten thousand, as well as fishing boats and even skiffs, from the distribution of the

city’s inhabitants, the senatorial order, the tradesmen, the commoners, and every sort of official, at their shared expense. ^A Having prepared these and ordered them to set sail and depart from the harbor, he commanded that they should put to the sword all the inhabitants of those fortresses, leaving no one alive, and he sent along with them ^B Helias the spatharios, whom he charged to install a governor in Cherson. Upon arriving in Cherson, they met with no resistance, took the fortresses, and put everyone to the sword, except for the youths, whom they thought best to spare as infants, and reserved them for slavery. Tudunum, the prefect of Cherson—who represented the Chagan—and Zoilos, who was chief citizen by lineage and birth, along with forty other prominent and distinguished men, they skewered on wooden spits and roasted alive on a fire. Another twenty, with their hands bound behind their backs, they tied to a boat filled with stones and sank into the sea. ^C When Justinian heard this, he was enraged that the youths had been spared, and commanded that they be brought to him with all haste. When the fleet set sail in the month of October and reached the open sea, it encountered the celestial constellation known as Taurus; the entire fleet was all but consumed in the sea, such that seventy-three thousand were counted as lost in the shipwreck. Upon learning of this calamity, so far was he from grieving that he was instead filled with joy, and, persisting in such madness, he shouted out new threats and sent forth a second fleet, with orders to raze everything to the ground, to plow it over, and to slay everyone down to those who piss against the wall. ^D When those in the aforementioned fortresses heard these things, they secured themselves; and being forced to take a position against the Emperor, they sent to the Chagan in Khazaria, requesting a force for their protection. Consequently, there was stirred up against him both Helias the spatharios and Bardanes the exile—who at that time had been recalled from Cephalonia—and they went with the fleet to Cherson. When Justinian learned of these things,

he sent with a few light ships George the patrician, surnamed Syrus, the general logothete, and John the prefect, and Christopher, the tourmarch of the Thracesians, with three hundred armed men, having delivered to them Tudunus and Zoilus, whom he charged to be restored ^A to their former state in Cherson, and by means of an envoy to offer apologies to the Chagan, and to bring Helias and Bardanes to him. When they had arrived in Cherson, the citizens of the city did not deign to hold any discussion with them. On the following day, however, when the citizens allowed these men alone to enter the council chamber, they immediately closed the gates. They slew the general logothete and the prefect with the sword, and they handed over Tudunus, together with Zoilus and the aforementioned tourmarch and the three hundred soldiers, to the Chazars, and sent them to the Chagan. Since Tudunus died on the way, the Chazars, for his funeral feast, slaughtered the tourmarch and the three hundred soldiers. Then the people of Cherson and the other fortresses dug up the remains of Justinian, and hailed the exile Bardanes, who was also called Philippicus, as emperor.

Upon learning this, Justinian, raging with even greater madness, slaughtered the children of the spatharios Helias in their mother's lap; he forced her to be defiled by her own cook, who was an Indian. Then, having equipped another fleet, he sent Maurus the patrician, who was also called Baesus, having provided him with a battering ram, siege engines, and all manner of war-making equipment for the destruction of the fortresses, giving him strict orders to raze the walls of Cherson to the ground, to destroy the whole city, to spare the life of no inhabitant, and above all to keep him informed of the outcome of events by frequent dispatches. ^B Having crossed the sea, he brought up the ram and overthrew the tower called the Centenaresium, and also another not far from it, which is called Synagrus; but with the arrival of the Chazars, the fighting ceased on both sides. Bardanius fled to the Chagan. The fleet having failed in its endeavor, and not daring to return to the emperor, they dug up the remains of Justinian, and for their part they hailed Bardanes as emperor. And they asked the Chagan that Philippicus be given to them. When the Chagan demanded a pledge from them that he would not be betrayed by them, and that he be ransomed for one nomisma per man, they immediately ^C

^A Having given these things, they took hold of Philippicus the emperor. Now, as the fleet delayed and no report arrived, Justinian surmised the cause, and taking with him the men of the Opsikion, and a portion of the Thrakesians, he went up as far as Sinope, so that he might discern the state of affairs in Cherson. While he was observing the surrounding regions, he saw the fleet sailing toward the city, and roaring like a lion, he himself also rushed toward the city. But Philippicus having arrived first and seized the city, he himself went to the Damatrys and encamped there with his own men. Philippicus immediately sent against Tiberius, Maurus the patrician along with John, a spatharios by surname Struthus, a man of equal dignity; and likewise Elijah with a troop against Justinian at the Damatrys, and another again against Basbacurius, who had already betaken himself to flight. ^B And Maurus, having traveled to the Blachernae together with the aforementioned Struthus, found Tiberius holding in one hand the column of the holy table of the altar of the holy Theotokos, and in the other the precious wood and the amulets around his neck, while outside of the sanctuary sat Anastasia, the mother of his father, who, rolling at the feet of Maurus, begged that her grandson Tiberius not be killed, as he had committed no wrong. As she was holding his feet and entreating with tears, Struthus went inside the sanctuary and forcibly snatched him away; and having removed the precious wood from him, he placed it upon the holy table, while the amulets he hung about his own neck. Having taken the boy to the upper side-gate of Kallinikos, ^C they stripped him, and having stretched him out upon the skin, they slaughtered him like a sheep, and ordered that he be buried in the church of the Holy Physicians, which is called the Paulina. Basbacurius the proto-patrician and count of the Opsikion having also been captured, he too was put to death. Elijah, having gone up to the Damatrys with the troop that was with him, and having had discussions...

^B with the army that was stationed there, and having promised safety to the soldiers who followed Justinian, persuaded them to separate from one another, to abandon Justinian, to leave him alone, and finally to cross over to the side of Philippicus. Having done these things, the aforementioned Elijah, inflamed with rage, leapt upon Justinian, and having seized him by the neck, with the sword ^C with which he was girded, he cut off his head and sent it by way of Romanus the spatharios to Philippicus. Philippicus, through the same spatharios, sent it away to the western regions as far as Rome. Now, before he became emperor, a certain recluse who was possessed of the gift of prophecy but was infected with heresy, was staying in the monastery of Kallistratos; when Philippicus came to him, he said to him, "The empire is laid up for you." He was troubled, and the recluse said, "If God commands it, do you argue against it? But I declare this to you: the Sixth Synod was wrongly held; if, therefore, you become emperor, cast it out, and your reign will be strong and long-lasting." He agreed with him with oaths to do this. After Leontius had succeeded Justinian, Philippicus went up to the recluse. The recluse said to him, "Do not be in a hurry; you are destined to become emperor." When Apsimar was reigning, he again went up to him, and he said to him again, "Do not be in a hurry; it awaits you." When Philippicus had gained the courage of one of his friends, he gave word of this to Apsimar. But he, having scourged and shorn him and put him in irons, exiled him to Cephalonia. When Justinian was reigning, he recalled him again. And having become emperor, he made a false synod of bishops according to the word of the pseudoprophet and recluse; and he cast out the holy and ecumenical Sixth Synod. And in the same year the vain man was blinded. Living in great freedom from care in the palaces, he found there a wealth of money and very brilliant treasures that had been gathered over many years by those who had reigned before him from confiscations and various pretexts, and especially by the aforementioned Justinian, and he scattered these mindlessly and in vain, without effort. Though he was considered eloquent and prudent in his conversations, in his deeds he lived his life in a shameful and incompetent manner; in every respect he showed himself unworthy. He was also a heretic and an adulterer. Having expelled Cyrus the patriarch...

^A from his see, he promoted in his place a certain John, a partner in his wickedness and depraved opinion.

A. M. 6204. — A. C. 704. — The first year of Philippicus, Emperor of the Romans. The first year of John, Bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, Philippicus expelled the Armenians from their own lands and compelled them to inhabit Melitene and Fourth Armenia. Masalmas, moreover, captured Amasea, along with many other forts, and took much plunder and many prisoners; George, the bishop of Apamea, was transferred to Martyropolis. Philippicus did not blush to move with madness ^B against the holy and universal sixth synod, being eager to overturn the divine dogmas established by it. He therefore found John, the bishop of Constantinople, to be of the same mind as himself—whom he had appointed by deposing Cyrus, its former presiding bishop, whom he also confined in the monastery of Chora—as well as Germanus, who subsequently occupied the throne of Constantinople—who at that time was governing Cyzicus—and Andrew, himself also bishop of Crete, and Nicholas, [c] who had been a server of the chalice and was an expert sophist in the medical arts and at that time holding the office of quaestor.

^A Elpidius, the deacon of the Great Church, and Antiochus, the chartophylax, and others akin to them, who even in writing anathematized the holy Sixth Synod. But the Bulgarians, having crept secretly through Phileas to the straits of the Byzantine narrows and caused great slaughter, had made an incursion as far as the city; they apprehended many who were crossing the strait, and others who were celebrating very opulent weddings and most sumptuous feasts with various silver vessels and other apparatus they had brought together. ^B Indeed, they ran as far as the Golden Gate, and having taken the whole of Thrace captive, they returned safe and immune from danger to their own territory with countless herds. Likewise, the Arabs also took Misthia and other fortifications, and having made an incursion, they seized a countless number of families and livestock.

A. M. 6205. — In this year, Abbas invaded Romania and took Antioch in Pisidia with many captives, and then he returned. A great earthquake occurred in Syria on the 28th of the month of Peritius. Two years of Philippicus’s reign having passed during these events, and while the birthday games were being celebrated, the Greens having won the victory, it pleased the emperor on the Saturday of Pentecost to proceed on a great horse ^C with a procession and musical instruments, and to bathe in the public bath of Zeuxippus, and to dine with citizens of ancient nobility. ^D Now while he was indulging in midday rest, Rufus, the protostrator of the Opsikion, at the counsel of the patrician George, count of the Opsikion—surnamed Boraphos—and of the patrician Theodore Myacius, and at the urging of the soldiers belonging to the garrisons they commanded in Thrace from the same theme, broke in, and finding Philippicus resting at midday, seized him and carried him off

^A to the clubhouse of the Greens; and there, without anyone knowing it, they blinded him. On the following day, which was Pentecost, the people having gathered in the Great Church, Artemius, the protoasecretis, was crowned, being renamed Anastasius. On the following Saturday, Georgius and Theodorus Myaclus were blinded, and on the second Saturday, Georgius Buraphus was punished with the same penalty, and they were deported into exile at Thessalonica. ^B

A. M. 6206. — A. C. 706. — First year of the Roman Emperor Artemius.

In this year Masalmas harassed Romania with raids, and having ravaged Galatia, returned with much booty and many captives. Now Artemius, having appointed very capable generals to the cavalry themes and very learned men to civil affairs, remained secure and free from tumult. The Arabs, however, arming themselves against Romania ^C by land and by sea, the emperor sent envoys into Syria to Walid, ostensibly to discuss peace—Daniel the Sinopite, a patrician and the eparch of the city—having instructed him to investigate in detail the movement and strength of the Arabs against Romania. When he had departed and returned, he reported to the emperor their great preparation against the Queen of Cities, by land and by sea, saying, "Let each bring his own provisions for three years; he who does not have enough, let him leave the city." The emperor appointed overseers ^D of the works and began to build dromons and biremes; he also renovated the maritime walls. Likewise, he positioned bolt-hurling ballistae and tetrares on the towers and engines, and having fortified the city as much as he could, he deposited the greatest amount of produce and seed in the imperial granaries, and took every care for guarding the supplies he had stored.

A. M. 6207. — First year of the Arab leader Suliman. First year of Germanus, Bishop of Constantinople.

In this year Walid died and Suliman succeeded him in the rule. In this same second year of the reign of Artemius, who is also Anastasius, in the indiction—

^A thirteenth, on the eleventh day of the month of August, Germanus was translated from the metropolis of Cyzicus to Constantinople. The decree regarding this translation, which will soon be set forth, was promulgated: "By the vote and approval of the most pious presbyters and deacons, and of all the holy clergy, and of the sacred senate, and of all the Christ-loving people of this God-guarded and queen of cities, divine grace, which always heals the weak and completes what is lacking, translates Germanus, the most holy metropolitan and president of the Cyzicus metropolis, to be bishop of this God-guarded and queen of cities." This translation took place in the presence of Michael, the most holy presbyter and apocrisiarius of the Apostolic See, and of the other priests and bishops present, during the reign of Artemius.

Artemius, learning that the fleet of the Saracens had sailed from Alexandria to Phoenicia for the purpose of cutting cypress wood, selected from his own fleet the swifter ships, placed troops from the Opsician theme upon them, and ordered them all to meet at Rhodes. Over these he appointed as leader and head the deacon John of the Great Church, who at that time was serving in the office of general logothete. When he arrived at Rhodes and the entire fleet had gathered there, he consulted with the commanders about setting sail from there and crossing into Phoenicia, in order to burn the wood and all the remaining materials of the Agarenes that might be found there. ^B While all accepted the proposal with one mind, only the Opsicians dissented, and while they rendered the due honors to the emperor, ^C they refused to obey him, and the men of the Opsician theme did not receive him; they rose up against the emperor...

and slew the deacon John with their swords. From this, the fleet was divided, and each returned to their own homeland. The rebels, however, marched against the queen of cities. ^A When they arrived at Adramyttium, being without a leader, they found there a local man named Theodosius, a collector of public taxes, a private citizen unversed in public affairs, and they urged him to become emperor. He fled and hid himself on a mountain, but they found him, forced him, and hailed him as emperor. When Artemius learned of this, he placed his own household officers in charge of the city, along with the fleet that had been prepared by him, and having equipped them, he himself departed to the city of Nicaea, where he fortified himself. ^B The rebels, having taken heart and stirred up the entire Opsician theme and the Gotthograecians, captured many small and large merchant vessels, and by land and sea they rushed upon Chrysopolis. As the city’s fleet was stationed at the harbor of Saint Mamas, they fought each other every day for six continuous months. But when the fleet of the city finally withdrew to the harbor of the Neorion, Theodosius crossed the strait and occupied the parts of Thrace. By a betrayal that occurred at the gate of the single wall of the Blachernae, they took the city. ^C The lawless men of the Opsician theme, together with the Gotthograecians, rushed into the houses of the citizens by night and committed a great slaughter and arson, sparing no one. They seized the officers of Artemius who were in the city, together with Germanus, the Patriarch of Constantinople, and carried them off to Nicaea to secure the submission of Artemius and those with him. When Artemius saw these men, he despaired of his own situation and surrendered himself, and having requested a promise of immunity, he donned the monastic habit. Theodosius, having kept him unharmed, sent him into exile at Thessalonica. ^D Philippicus reigned for two years and nine months, and Artemius for one year and three months. Leo, who was the general of the Anatolikon theme, being a champion of Artemius, did not submit to Theodosius; he had as his fellow-conspirator and helper Artabasdus the Armenian, the general of the Armeniakon theme, to whom he had promised to give his own daughter in marriage, which he later fulfilled.

^A In this year, Masalmas undertook an expedition against Constantinople, and for this reason he sent Suliman ahead with an army by land, and Umar by sea. He himself followed behind them with a great supply of war equipment. Suliman and Baccharus, having arrived at Amorion, sent letters to Leo, the general of the Anatolikoi, saying: "We know that the empire of the Romans belongs to you; for this reason, come here to us, and let us discuss the terms of peace with one another." Suliman, therefore, having observed that Amorion had no army, and knowing that the general was at enmity with the emperor because of his loyalty to Artemius, decided to wait there for Masalmas, and he besieged the city. ^B When he was already near the city, the Saracens began to salute the general Leo as emperor, with auspicious cries, urgently requesting the citizens to do the same. When the citizens of Amorion realized the Saracens' sentiment in saluting Leo, they likewise proclaimed him emperor. Leo, considering that the city, being empty of garrison and commanders, would quickly be lost to the hands of the enemy, wrote to Suliman: "If you desire to meet us to discuss peace, why are you attempting to occupy this city?" He replied to him: "Come only, and I will withdraw." The general, therefore, having received a pledge of good faith from Suliman, set out to him with three hundred cavalrymen. The Hagarenes, adorned in their breastplates and well-equipped with arms, upon seeing him, came to meet him and stood in battle formation at a distance of half a mile from their camp. ^C When he went to them for three continuous days, they held frequent discussions regarding the keeping of the peace and their withdrawal from the city. They replied to him: "Establish the peace, and we will depart immediately." However, the general, having suspected that the Saracens had a plan to detain him, invited all the illustrious Saracens to a dinner; while they were feasting, Suliman sent three thousand armored Saracens to surround him and guard him so that he would not escape. The watch ^D discovered this and reported to him: "A multitude of Saracen cavalry is surrounding us." One of them, a cavalryman named Zuber, came forward, standing before them and saying: "A servant has fled after stealing a great amount of money, and for that reason we have mounted our horses." The general, having perceived the craftiness of their deception, said to them: "Do not be distracted."

Wherever you go among our fortresses, we shall find you." Being grieved, he was able to make it known secretly through one of his men to those of Amorium: "Fear God, do not betray yourselves ^A (59). For behold, Masalmas is also drawing near." And the bishop goes out to him, and says the same things to him.

When Suleiman learned that the bishop had gone out to him, they send to the general, saying: "Give the bishop to us." But he, being pressured (60), hid him, saying to one of his men: "While we are talking, dress him in other clothing, and as if he were one attending to the carrying of wood or water, command him to withdraw into the mountain wilderness." But as the Saracens were pressing him regarding the bishop, the general says: "He is not here; but go to the amir, and I myself am coming, and we shall talk about everything." ^B They, having reasoned that as he came to the amir they would seize him in their midst, let him go. Mounting his horse with two hundred of his men, as if supposedly hunting, he turned to the left. The Saracens who were with him then say to him: "Where are you going?" He said: "I wish to betake myself to the meadows [(60*)]." They said: "Your plan is not good, and we are not coming with you." Then the general says to his own men: "Although they gave us their word ^C, they intended to seize us, and through us to destroy the Christians; yet of our people or of the animals which they had with them, they did not detain a single one." And having gone ten miles, he pitched camp.

On the next day, he sends his domestikos of the troops (61) to them, and makes it known to them: "You gave me your word, and by deceit you intended to seize me; for this reason I withdrew." Now Masalmas had already crossed the mountain passes, but Suleiman did not know this. The amireni ^D and the people were stirred up against Suleiman, saying: "Why are we sitting around these walls and not raiding?" And having overturned the tents, they withdrew. The general brought Nicaeas, the tourmarches, with the soldiers into Amorium, having cast out most of the women and children. And he himself goes into Pisidia. When Masalmas had come into Cappadocia, the Cappadocians, despairing for their own lives, went out to meet him, entreating him to take them. Now Masalmas, hearing of the enmity which the emperor Theodosios had toward the general...

and wishing to deceive him, and to make peace with him, and through him to subjugate Romania, says to them: "Are you not of the general's party?" They said, "Yes." "Do you do whatever he does?" They said, "Yes." Then he says to them: "Go away to your fortresses 62, and fear no one." And he commanded his own people not to plunder any of the provinces of the general. ^A Having learned this, and thinking that Suliman was signaling to Masalmas that he had abandoned him and had departed, the general sent letters to Masalmas containing the following: "I wished to come near to you; but because Suliman, after I had departed to him, wanted to seize me, I am now afraid to come to you." Masalmas then says to the general's messenger: "I know that the general is mocking me because I have not plundered his provinces at all." The messenger says to him: "It is not so; but he is writing to you in truth." Then he asks: "How is Amorion near to him?" He said, "It is well, and in his submission." But, provoked, he insulted him, saying: "Why do you lie?" He said that it was as he had spoken, and that he had placed soldiers there, along with a tourmarch; and he had led out the superfluous families. ^B Masalmas, having therefore received great distress regarding this, and being angered, chased him away. For he had a plan through the summertime 63 to take him, and to await the fleet, and thus to cross into Asia and winter there. Again, therefore, having sought out the messenger of the general, he cross-examined him. But he said to him plainly that all the things which I tell you are true. "But also a thousand soldiers together with the tourmarch have entered there; and he has brought out all the property of those who were there and the destitute families." Having heard these things, he writes to the general: "Come near to me, and I will make peace with you, and I will do everything as you wish." But the general, observing that he had approached Masalmas 64, and that in another five days he would pass through his provinces 65, sends to him two consuls 66, and signifies to him: "I received your letters and I have accepted your choice, and behold, I am coming to you. But as you know, I am a general, and money, and silver, and people have to follow me. Send me a word concerning each thing. And if indeed, just as you—"

^A your things come to pass, well and happily; but if not, I shall return to my own people without danger or grief. When the consuls had arrived at him at Theodosiana, Masalmas said to them, "I am certain that your general is mocking me." But they replied, "God forbid." Masalmas then, having given the security which they had requested of him, dismissed them. And as they were on their way, with the written promise of faith as a witness, Masalmas, who had a vast army and was not able to remain anywhere, attacked Acroinum with his weapons. When the general saw that he had crossed the borders of his provinces, he betook himself to Nicomedia, and by chance he encountered the son of Theodosius with all the imperial equipage and the nobles of the palace, and took him into his power. Masalmas thereupon turned aside into Asia, and wintered there, and Umarus likewise in Cilicia. The general, taking with him the son of the emperor and having deliberated with his men, arrived at Chrysopolis. When Theodosius was informed of what had happened, and had requested the opinion of Germanos the patriarch and the senate, he received ^B a pledge of immunity and safety from Leo, who had admitted the patriarch as a mediator in this negotiation, and thus he abdicated the empire and delivered it to Leo; and then he himself and his son as well were enrolled among the clergy, and spent the remainder of their lives in peace.

Masalmas, coming to Pergamon, besieged it, and by the permission of God, through the operation of the devil, he took the city. For through the persuasion of a certain magician, the people of the city took a pregnant woman who was about to give birth, and cut her open; and having taken the infant and boiled it in a pot, all who wished to make war dipped the sleeves of their right hands into such a God-abominated sacrifice, and from then on they were delivered into the power of their enemies.

In the year of the world 6209, of Christ 709. First year of the Roman Emperor Leo the Isaurian.

In this year Leo, who was descended from Germanicia, or more truly from Isauria, obtained the empire. He had been transferred with his parents from his native soil to Mesembria ^C in Thrace by the Emperor Justinian during the times of his first reign, and during his second reign, when he returned with the Bulgars, Leo himself met ^D (the rest of the sentence is missing from the page).

^A with a gift of five hundred sheep. Justinian, having been appeased by this, immediately made him a spatharios and kept him as a sincere friend. Envy, however, stirred some people to accuse him to Justinian of aiming at the throne, but upon a proper investigation of the matter, those slanderers were sent away in disgrace. From that time forth, such talk began to be spread by many. Justinian, therefore, although he did not wish to harm him openly, nonetheless allowed a certain rumor ^B to be planted against him in his mind, and sent him off to Alania 74 with money to stir up the Alans against Abasgia, Lazica, and Iberia 73. He went to Lazica, and having deposited the money at the Phasis, and taking a few of the locals with him, he went off to Dapsilia, and having crossed the Caucasian mountains, arrived in Alania. But Justinian, desiring to destroy him, did not hesitate to send for and take back the money that had been deposited by him at the Phasis. The Alans, however, having received the spatharios with full honors and having obeyed his words, made an incursion into Abasgia and reduced the entire province to servitude. Then the lord of the Abasgians signified to the Alans in these words: "If I conjecture correctly, for a man more prone to being implicated in lies than this one, who would stir up mutual dissension between neighbors of our place and country, [Justinian] could not have found one. He indeed deceived us, especially when he first offered us the promise of money, only to have Justinian seize the money back at his own command. But surrender him to us, and we will give you three thousand nomismata, and the peace we have had from of old we will not violate." The Alans replied that they had not obeyed him for the sake of money, but because of their affection for the Emperor. Again ^C the Abasgians sent to them, saying: "Give him to us, and we will pay you six thousand nomismata." The Alans, wishing to scout out the territory of the Abasgians, agreed to accept the six thousand nomismata and to deliver the spatharios. The Alans trusted the spatharios with everything, and said to him, "You see that the road leading to Roman territory is closed, and you have no way to pass through; but rather, let us treat with them deceitfully and make an agreement with them, to the effect that we are handing you over, and we will send you along with some of our men, so that we may reconnoiter the passes ^D of their territory, and [then] we will make an attack and ravage their land, and thus accomplish our purpose." And when the envoys of the Alans had gone off to Abasgia and had agreed to hand over the spatharios, they received many gifts from them.

The Abasgi, meanwhile, delegated more of their own men to accompany these envoys, to count out the promised sum of gold and receive the spatharios. ^B But the Alans said to the spatharios, "These men, as we forewarned you, have come to take custody of you, and all of Abasgia is waiting for you in bonds. You know that, as neighbors to our province, merchants of ours frequently travel back and forth through their territory. Therefore, so that the plan we have seized upon may not be turned into a crime, we shall hand you over to them openly. But when they are moving off, we will release you secretly from the rear, and we will kill them, but we will hide you until our people are gathered and we can enter their land in a body." And this is what came to pass. For the envoys of the Abasgi, having received the spatharios together with his men, bound them and were departing. But the Alans, having overtaken them from the rear, together with Itazes their lord, slew the Abasgi. They hid the spatharios, and, having raised an army, Itazes set out against Abasgia. Having entered the mountain passes unexpectedly, he wrought great slaughter and devastation upon the Abasgi. When Justinian heard these things—that his mission had been accomplished even without any expenditure of money—he sent letters to the Abasgi saying, "If you keep our spatharios safe and allow him to pass through your territory unharmed, we shall forgive you all the offenses you have committed against us." They, having received these things with joy, sent again to Alania, saying, "We give you our children as hostages; only hand over the spatharios to us, that we may send him on to Justinian." But the spatharios would not accept this, saying, ^C saying, "God is able to open a door for me to go forth, for through Abasgia I will not go." After some time, when an army of Romans and Armenians had entered Lazica and were besieging Archaeopolis, hearing of the arrival of the Saracens, they retreated. A group of some two hundred of them, having become detached, went up into the regions of Apsilia and the Caucasus, committing robberies. When the Saracens had taken possession of Lazica, the Roman and Armenian army used flight and turned back toward the Phasis. The two hundred, having remained in the Caucasian mountains, set themselves to plundering, despairing of their own return. The Alans, learning of this, assumed that a host of Romans was in the Caucasus, and rejoicing, they said to the spatharios, "The Romans have drawn near; go to them." The spatharios, having taken fifty Alans and having crossed the snows of the Caucasus with them in the month of May, found them, and being in great joy,

^A asked, "Where is the people?" They answered, "When the Saracens fell upon Romania, they turned back. We, however, not being able to reach Romania, have come to Alania." And he said to them, "What shall we do now?" And they said that it is impossible for us to pass through this land. But the spatharios asked, "Is it not possible to go out by another way?" Now there was a fortress there, called Iron, in which there was a garrison commander, Pharasmanios by name, who was under the Saracens and who had peace with the Armenians. The spatharios therefore sent to him and declared: "As much as you have peace with the Armenians, make peace also with me, and place yourself under the empire of the Romans; and provide us with a crossing to descend to the sea, and to cross over to Trapezous." As he would not consent to do this, the spatharios sent some of his own men and some Armenians, charging them to make an ambush, ^B and saying: "Whenever they come out of the fortress for their daily labor, seize as many of them as you can, and hold the gates from the outside until we also arrive." Those who had gone out did as they were instructed, and when the people went out to their daily labor, they fell upon them suddenly and held the gate, and took many prisoner. Pharasmanios having remained in the fortress with a few men, the spatharios also arrived, and having conversed with Pharasmanios so that he might open the gates in peace, he was unwilling, but rather waged war. Since the fortress was strong, he was unable to take it. Marinos, the leader of the Apsilians, having learned that the fortress was being besieged, was seized with fear, believing that there was a large army with the spatharios. Taking three hundred men with him, he went to the spatharios, saying, "I will ensure your safe passage to the seashore." Pharasmanios, seeing the situation, said to the spatharios, "Take my child as a hostage, and I confess that I serve the Empire." Taking his child, he says to him, "What kind of servant of the Empire do you call yourself, seeing that you are blockaded and speaking to us in this way? It is impossible for us to depart until we have taken the fortress." Then Pharasmanios says, "Give me your word." The spatharios gave him his word that he would harm him in nothing, but that he would enter the fortress with only thirty men. Having ^C guarded this word, he commanded those entering with him, thirty in number: "Upon our entry, take the gates, and let all the others come in." ^D And when this was done, he commanded fire to be set to the fortress. A great conflagration having arisen, the families came out, snatching whatever they could carry of their belongings.

After spending three days there, he leveled the walls to the ground. Then, having moved, he descended into Apsilia along with Marinos, the first of their people, and was received by the Apsilians with great honors. ^A Descending from there to the seashore, he crossed over and came to Justinian. After Justinian was executed and Philippicus had been blinded, Artemius became emperor, and he appointed Leo to be general for the Anatolics. When Theodosius later became emperor and Artemius was driven out, and the Roman state was in confusion—both from the incursion of the barbarians and from the bloodthirstiness of Justinian and the impieties of Philippicus—this said Leo fought on behalf of Artemius, opposing Theodosius. He had as his ally and fellow-conspirator Artabasdus, the general of the Armeniacs, whom he had also made his son-in-law after becoming emperor by giving him his daughter in marriage, and he had promoted him to curopalates. ^B Masalmas, having wintered in Asia, awaited the fulfillment of Leo’s promises; but having received nothing from Leo and knowing that he had been mocked by him, he went to Abydos and crossed over a sufficient force into Thrace, and he moved against the Queen of Cities, having written also to Suleiman, the first of his counselors, to arrive with the fleet that had been prepared. ^C On the 15th of the month of August, Masalmas besieged the city, having laid waste to the Thracian fortresses. Having surrounded the land wall, they dug a great trench, and above it they built a breastwork of dry stone. On the first day of the month of September, in the first indiction, that enemy of Christ, Suleiman, arrived at the city with his fleet and his emirs, having enormous and warlike ships and dromons in the number of one thousand eight hundred, and he brought them to anchor ^D from the Magnaura to the Cyclobius. Two days later, a south wind blowing, they departed from there and sailed past the city. Some crossed over to the parts of Eutropius and Anthimus, while others anchored in the parts of Thrace from the fortress of the Galatae as far as the Key. Since the large ships were burdened by their cargo and were struggling, the rearguard remained behind up to twenty catinae, each having one hundred lorikata to guard them.

duos autem dies noto spirante ea statione solverunt, et ad urbem adnavigaverunt. Et hi quidem Eutropii Anthemiique oras occupant, alii in Thraciæ partes a Galatæ castello ad portus ipsius devehuntur. Onerariæ tandem naves suo pondere depressæ ac tardius latæ cum classis extrema tenerent, ad viginti ex præcipuis numerum retro totum agmen steterunt, centum milites loricis instructos ad singularum defensionem ferentes. Tranquillitate autem magna toto freto primum incumbente, leni mox venti flatu ex portus angustiis in extimum spatium delatæ sunt, easdemque piissimus imperator incendiariis navibus ex urbis extrema arce emissis, igne Dei juvantis opera injecto, cunctas absumpsit, et hæ quidem ad maritima urbis mœnia ^B conflagrantes disjectæ, aliæ pelagi profundo cum impositis hominibus absorptæ, reliquæ ad Oxeam Plateamque insulam altum mare tenentes deductæ. Hinc urbis civibus creverunt animi, hostes vero operosam potentemque avidi ignis virtutem experti summo terrore perculsi. Ita quippe ipsa die sub vesperam ad maritimos muros militares copias applicare, temonesque supra propugnacula imponere decreverant. Sed istud eorum consilium sanctæ Dei Genitricis interventu Deus incassum et irritum declaravit. Porro eadem nocte plus imperator catenam ferream Galatæ portum occludentem ^C silenter subduxit. Hostes imperatorem animo eos circumveniendi removisse rati, ulterius progredi et ad Galatæ portum appellere nequaquam ausi sunt, sed ad Sosthenii sinum recedentes classem suam ^D [Greek continuation:] Ἀλλὰ καταλαβούσης αὐτὰς ἐν τῷ ρεύματι καὶ τοῦ Στενοῦ μικρὸν πνεύσαντος ὤθησεν αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω. Ὁ δὲ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς παραχρῆμα ἐμπύρους ναῦς κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκπέμψας ἀπὸ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως, τῇ θείᾳ συμμαχίᾳ πυρπολήτους αὐτὰς ἐποίησεν· καὶ αἱ μὲν εἰς τὰ παράλια τείχη ἐμπυριζόμεναι ἀπερρίφησαν, αἱ δὲ εἰς τὸν βυθὸν αὐτανδροι κατεποντίσθησαν· ἕτεραι δὲ μέχρι τῆς Ὀξείας καὶ Πλατείας νήσου λαυρίζουσαι ἀπηνέχθησαν. Ἐντεῦθεν οὖν οἱ μὲν τῆς πόλεως θάρσος ἔλαβον, οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι μεγάλως κατέπτηξαν τὴν τοῦ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς ἐγνωκότες δραστικωτάτην ἐνέργειαν. Ἐβούλοντο γὰρ τῇ αὐτῇ ἑσπέρῃ εἰς τὰ παράλια προσορμίσαι τείχη, καὶ τοὺς αὐχένας εἰς τὰς ἐπάλξεις ἐπιθεῖναι· ἀλλὰ τὴν βουλὴν αὐτῶν διεσκέδασεν ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τῶν πρεσβειῶν τῆς ἁγίας Θεοτόκου. Τῇ δὲ αὐτῇ νυκτὶ τὴν ἄλυσιν τὴν τῶν Γαλάτου ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς μυστικῶς συνέστειλεν. Οἱ δὲ ἐχθροὶ νομίσαντες, ὅτι βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς δελεάσαι ὁ βασιλεὺς ταύτην παρέστειλεν, οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ ὁρμίσαι ἔνδον τῶν Γαλάτου· ἀλλὰ διαπλεύσαντες ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τοῦ Σωσθενίου ἐκεῖ κατησφαλίσαντο τὸ ἑαυτῶν πλώιμον. Τῇ δὲ ὀγδόῃ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς θνήσκει ὁ Σουλεϊμὰν ὁ ἀρχηγὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀμηρεύει Οὐμάρ. Χειμῶνος δὲ γενομένου βαρυτάτου ἐν τῇ Θράκῃ, ὥστε τὴν γῆν ἐπὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας μὴ φαίνεσθαι ἐκ τῆς κρυσταλλωθείσης χιόνος, πλῆθος ἵππων τε καὶ καμήλων καὶ λοιπῶν ζῴων τῶν ἐχθρῶν τεθνήκασιν. Τῷ δὲ ἐαρινῷ καιρῷ κατέλαβεν Σουφιὰμ μετὰ τοῦ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ κτισθέντος στόλου, ἔχων κατίνας σιτοφόρους τετρακοσίας καὶ

καὶ ^A δρόμωνας. Καὶ μαθὼν τὴν τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ πυρὸς ἐνέργειαν, καὶ παραδραμὼν τὴν Βιθυνίαν, καὶ ἄντικρυς περάσας, εἰς τὸν τοῦ Καλοῦ Ἀγροῦ λιμένα προσωρμίσεν. Μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ κατέλαβεν καὶ Ἰζὶδ μετὰ ἑτέρου στόλου κτισθέντος ἐν Ἀφρικῇ ἔχων καὶ αὐτὸς κατίνας τριακοσίας ἑξήκοντα ἁρμαμέντον τε καὶ δαπάνας. Ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ μεμαθηκὼς περὶ τοῦ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς προσώρμισεν εἰς τὸν Σάτυρον καὶ Βρύαν καὶ ἕως Καρταλιμένος. Οἱ δὲ τῶν δύο στόλων τούτων Αἰγύπτιοι καθ' ἑαυτοὺς βουλευσάμενοι νυκτὸς τοὺς τῶν κατίνων σανδάλους ἄραντες ἐν τῇ πόλει προσέφυγον τὸν βασιλέα εὐφημοῦντες, ὥστε ἀπὸ τῆς Ἱερείας ^B ἕως τῆς πόλεως ὁλόξυλον φαίνεσθαι τὴν θάλασσαν. Μαθὼν δὲ δι' αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς περὶ τῶν κρυπτομένων δύο στόλων ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ, σίφωνας πυρσοφόρους κατασκευάσας, εἰς δρόμωνάς τε καὶ διήρεις τούτους ἐμβαλών, κατὰ τῶν δύο στόλων ἐξέπεμψεν. Τοῦ δὲ Θεοῦ συνεργήσαντος διὰ τῶν πρεσβειῶν τῆς παναχράντου Θεοτόκου ἐπιτοπίως ἐβυθίσθησαν οἱ ἐχθροί· καὶ λαβόντες τὰ σκῦλα οἱ ἡμέτεροι καὶ τὰς δαπάνας αὐτῶν μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ νίκης ὑπέστρεψαν. Ἔτι δὲ πάλιν τοῦ Μερδασᾶν ἀπὸ Πυλῶν σὺν τῷ στρατῷ τῶν Ἀράβων ἕως Νικαίας καὶ Νικομηδείας διατρέχοντος, οἱ ἐν τῷ Λιβῷ καὶ Σόφωνι δίκην Μαρδαϊτῶν κρυπτόμενοι βασιλικοὶ ἄρχοντες, καὶ τὰ πεζικὰ ἐξάπινα τούτοις ἐπιρρίπτοντες καὶ κλασματίζοντες, ἐκεῖθεν ἀποδρᾶσαι ἐποίησαν· καὶ λοιπὸν μικρᾶς ἀδείας τῆς περατικῆς παραλίας εὑρούσης ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξερχόμενα χελάνδια πλεῖστα ἐκόμιζον δαπάνας· ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ τὰ ἁλιευτικὰ ἀγράρια εἰς τε τὰς νήσους καὶ παράλια τείχη ἀγρεύειν ἰχθύας οὐκ ἐκωλύοντα. Λιμοῦ δὲ μεγάλου γεγονότος ἐν τοῖς Ἄραψι, πάντα τὰ ἀποθνήσκοντα ζῷα αὐτῶν κατήσθιον, ἵππους τε καὶ ὄνους καὶ καμήλους· φασὶ δέ τινες ὅτι καὶ ἀνθρώπους τεθνεώτας καὶ τὸν ἑαυτῶν κόπρον εἰς τὰ κλίβανα βάλλοντες καὶ ζυμοῦντες ἤσθιον. ^C Ἐνέσκηψεν δέ εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ λοιμικὴ νόσος καὶ ἀναρίθμητα πλήθη ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπώλοντο. Τῷ δὲ αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ εὐσεβέστατος βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη ιζ΄. Συνέβη δὲ ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς ἐκείνοις τοῖς Ἄραψιν ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐν πλοίοις καὶ ἰδεῖν τὸ ἀπόρρητον τοῦ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς ὃ ἐποίησεν ὁ Καλλίνικος ἀρχιτέκτων ἀπὸ Ἡλιουπόλεως τῆς Συρίας. Ἦν γὰρ ἐκ φύσεως ἕτοιμος ὁ λαὸς ἐκεῖνος τοῦ κτίζειν στόλους λαμπρούς, ὡς ἐκείνους τοὺς νῦν ῥηθέντας. Ἔμαθον δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτῶν οἱ Χριστιανοί, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν δυνατὸν ἀντιστῆναι τῷ πυρὶ τούτῳ, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶν αὐτῶν ἵστασθαι. Ἔφυγον οὖν ἐκ τοῦ Ἀμωρρεάνου λιμένος ἕως τῆς Ἱερείας, ὅπερ ἐστὶν περαιόθεν τοῦ Ἁγίου Μάμαντος, καὶ ᾔτησαν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν σωτηρίαν καὶ τὸ βάπτισμα, ὃ καὶ ἔλαβον. ^D Παραλαβὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀσφαλισάμενος, ἐκράτησεν αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ, οἵτινες ἦσαν εἰδότες τὸ ἔργον τῶν κατίνων. Οὗτοι γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάμενοι, είκοσι δύο χιλιάδας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔσφαξαν. Καὶ πολλὰ συνέβησα…

συνέβησαν αὐτοῖς δεινὰ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ὥστε ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτοὺς τῇ πείρα ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἡ ^A παναγία Παρθένος Θεομήτωρ φρουροῦσι τὴν πόλιν ταύτην, καὶ τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν βασίλειον, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐγκατάλειψις Θεοῦ τελεία ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, εἰ καὶ πρὸς βραχὺ παιδευόμεθα διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. ^B Πόλεμον δὲ συνῆψε πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἔθνος, καὶ, ὡς φασιν οἱ ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάμενοι, εἴκοσι δύο χιλιάδας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔσφαξαν. Πολλαὶ δέ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν ἐκεῖνον αὐτοῖς ἐπέστησαν συμφοραί, δι᾽ ὧν ἔγνωσαν ἐμπειρίᾳ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἡ παναγία Παρθένος Θεομήτωρ φρουροῦσι τὴν πόλιν ταύτην καὶ τὸ τῶν Χριστιανῶν κράτος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐγκατάλειψις Θεοῦ τελεία ἐν τοῖς ἐπικαλουμένοις αὐτὸν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, κἂν πρὸς βραχὺ παιδευόμεθα διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν. ^C Α. Μ. 6210. — Ἀράβων ἀρχηγοῦ Οὐμάρου ἔτος α΄.

A. C. 710. — Ἀράβων ἀρχηγοῦ Οὐμάρου ἔτος α΄.

Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Σέργιος ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος καὶ στρατηγὸς Σικελίας ἀκούσας ὅτι οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ παρακαθέζονται τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν, ἐστέψεν ἐκεῖσε ἴδιον βασιλέα ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αὐτοῦ ὀνόματι Βασίλειον Κωνσταντινουπολίτην υἱὸν Γρηγορίου τοῦ Ὀνομαγούλου, Τιβέριον αὐτὸν μετονομάσας. Ἐποίησεν δὲ προβολὰς καὶ ἰδίους ἄρχοντας μετὰ βουλῆς τοῦ προλεχθέντος Σεργίου. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο ἀκούσας ἀποστέλλει Παῦλον τὸν ἴδιον αὐτοῦ χαρτουλάριον, προβαλλόμενος αὐτὸν πατρίκιον καὶ στρατηγὸν Σικελίας, παραδεδωκὼς αὐτῷ πρὸς σύναρσιν αὐτοῦ κελεύσεις πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν δυτικῶν μερῶν τε καὶ σάκραν πρὸς τὸν λαόν. Καὶ διὰ νυκτὸς εἰσελθόντες εἰς ἐξελαστικὸν δρόμωνα, ἐξῆλθον ἐπὶ τὰ μέρη Κυζίκου καὶ ^D ἀπὸ τόπου εἰς τόπον, διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης τὴν πορείαν ποιησάμενοι, ἐξάπινα τὴν Σικελίαν καταλαμβάνουσιν. Εἰσελθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἐν Συρακούσῃ ἤκουσεν Σέργιος καὶ ἐξέστη, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιγνοὺς αἰτίαν προσέφυγεν εἰς τοὺς πλησιάζοντας τῇ Καλαβρίᾳ Λογγιβάρδους. Τοῦ δὲ λαοῦ ἀθροισθέντος, καὶ τῆς σάκρας ἀναγνωσθείσης, καὶ δι᾽ αὐτῆς πιστωθέντες, ὅτι καὶ τὸ βασίλειον συνίσταται, καὶ ἡ πόλις εὐθυμοτέρα ἐστὶν περὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ τὰ...

τὰ ^A περὶ τῶν δύο στύλων διηγησαμένου αὐτοῖς, εὐθέως τὸν μὲν Λέοντα βασιλέα εὐφήμησαν, Βασίλειον δὲ τὸν Ὀνομάγουλον καὶ τοὺς παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ προχειρισθέντας ἄρχοντας δεσμίους τῷ στρατηγῷ παρέδωκαν. Αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν μὲν Βασίλειον σὺν τῷ μονοστρατήγῳ αὐτοῦ ἀπεκεφάλισεν, καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν φασκιώσας τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ τῶν σπαθαρίων ἀπέστειλεν. Τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τύψας καὶ κουρεύσας, τινὰς δὲ καὶ ῥινοκοπήσας ἐξώρισεν. Ἐντεῦθεν μεγάλη κατάστασις ἐν τοῖς Δυτικοῖς ἐγένετο. Σέργιος δὲ ὁ προλεχθεὶς λόγον ἀπαθείας τὸν στρατηγὸν αἰτησάμενος καὶ λαβών, ἐξῆλθε πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ πάντα εἰρήνευσαν τὰ ἑσπέρα μέρη. Οὔμαρος δὲ κρατήσας τῶν Ἀράβων, ἐπέτρεψεν ἀνακάμψαι τὴν Μασαλμᾶν. Ἀποκινησάντων δὲ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν τῇ ιε΄ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνὸς μετὰ πολλῆς αἰσχύνης· ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἐκπορίζειν τὸν στόλον αὐτῶν λαῖλαψ ἐκ Θεοῦ διὰ τῶν πρεσβειῶν τῆς Θεομήτορος ἐνσκήψας εἰς αὐτούς, τούτους διεσκόρπισεν· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐν Προκονήσῳ καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς νήσοις, τοὺς δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἀποστρόφοις καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀκταῖς κατεπόντισεν. Οἱ δὲ περιλειφθέντες παρήρχοντο τὸ Αἰγαῖον πέλαγος, καὶ ἄφνω ἐπῆλθεν αὐτοῖς θεομηνία φοβερά· χάλαζα γὰρ πύρινος κατελθοῦσα ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς θαλάσσης καχλάσαι πεποίηκεν, καὶ τῆς πίσσης λυθείσης, αὐτανδροι αἱ νῆες εἰς βυθὸν κατηνέχθησαν· δέκα δὲ μόνον καὶ αὗται προνοίᾳ Θεοῦ περισωθεῖσαι ἐξ αὐτῶν, πρὸς τὸ ἀπαγγεῖλαι ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς Ἄραψι τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ γεγονότα εἰς αὐτούς· ἃς καὶ περιτυχόντες οἱ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰς μὲν πέντε πιάσαι ἠδυνήθησαν, αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι πέντε ἀπεσώθησαν εἰς Συρίαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δυναστείαν ἀναγγέλλουσαι.

^B Τῷ δ᾽ αὐτῷ ἔτει σεισμοῦ μεγάλου γενομένου ἐν Συρίᾳ, ἐκώλυσεν Οὔμαρος τὸν οἶνον ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων, καὶ μαγαρίζειν τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς ἠνάγκαζεν. καὶ τοὺς μὲν μαγαρίζοντας ἀτελεῖς ἐποίει, τοὺς δὲ ^C (ἀποκαταλείποντας) χριστιανικὴν ὁμολογίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς negato Christi nomine ad

had defected to a foreign rite, he declared them immune from taxes ^A, and cruelly killed those who would not admit the decree, from which many were made martyrs: he enacted a law that the testimony of a Christian should not be received against a Saracen. Finally, he sent a letter manifesting the exposition of his faith, which he had transmitted to the Emperor Leo, thinking it would lead the man to his own filthy senses.

A. C. 711. — In this year, to the irreligious Emperor Leo, a son superior in impiety and irreligion, 335, a true precursor of the Antichrist, Constantine, was born. On the twenty-fifth day of the month of October, ^B Maria his wife received the partnership of the crown in the triclinium of the Augusteum, and with a solemn retinue performed a procession to the Great Church without her husband. Vows having been conceived there, before the entrance to the great altar for the solemnities, she proceeded to the great baptistery, her husband having betaken himself to the same place, attended by a few domestics. And there, when Constantine, the heir of the empire and of their malice, was being cleansed with lustral water by the prelate Germanus, he gave a dire and foul indication of his character from infancy, namely, by relieving his bowels into the sacred font, as is reported by eyewitnesses worthy of faith, so that the most holy patriarch Germanus prophesied that this was a sign that the greatest evil would come to the Christians and to the Church itself through him. Men of the themes and the most respected senators received him from the sacred font. The sacred rites having been performed, Augusta Maria, attended by the retinue of the whole court, with gifts scattered to the people from the ^C church as far as the Aerean gate of the palace, returned with her son initiated by baptism.

In the same year also, Nicetas Xylonites, having given letters to Artemius, who had been relegated to Thessalonica, warns him to set out to seek allied arms from Terbelis of the Bulgarians, and subsequently to campaign against Leo. He, following the advice, proceeds into Bulgaria, and receives an army and one hundred and fifty centenaria of gold. Equipped with that apparatus, he heads straight for Constantinople. The citizens of the city driving Artemius from them and rejecting his empire, the Bulgarians ^D [Greek: handed him over, and having been treated kindly by him, they returned. The emperor killed him together with Xylonites, having also confiscated the property of Xylonites.]

οὐσίαν. ^C This man the Emperor put to death along with Xylonites, confiscating also the estate of Xylonites, who was his master of offices and a man of great wealth. Similarly, the Bulgarians decapitated the patrician Sisinnius, surnamed Rendaces, and Theognostus the protoasecretis, and Nicetas Anthrax, prefect of the city wall, on the grounds that they were associates of Artemius. Likewise, Leo put to death Isoes, patrician and count of Opsikion, as his accomplices and friends, while the others he mutilated and confiscated their property and sent them into exile.

A. M. 6212. — Year 1 of the Arab leader Izid.

In this year, in the third indiction, on the day of Pascha, Constantine was crowned by his father Leo ^D in the tribunal of the Nineteen Accubita, with the blessed Patriarch Germanus performing the customary prayers. In the same year, Umarus, the Arab emir, died after ruling for two years and four months, and Izid succeeded him. During his time, a tyrant arose in Persia, named Izid Mualabi, and many from Persia went over to him. But Izid sent Masalmas against him, who killed him and brought Persia into subjection.

A. M. 6213. — In this year a certain Syrian appeared, a pseudo-Christ, who deceived the Jews by falsely claiming that he himself was Christ the Son of God.

A. M. 6214. — In this year, the Emperor compelled the Jews and the Montanists to be baptized. The Jews, indeed, being baptized unwillingly, despised the baptism, and, having eaten, they would partake of the holy gift and pollute the ^D holy...

^A faith. The Montanists, having prophesied their own end, entered the houses designated for their error on the appointed day and burned themselves alive.

A. C. 715. — In this year, a certain Jew from Laodicea on the Phoenician coast, a supreme sorcerer, having held conversation with Izid, promised that he would possess the Arab principate for forty years if only he would eliminate the venerable images from the churches of the Christians throughout his entire principate. Furthermore, this Izid, truly insane, promulgated a general decree against the holy and venerable images. But by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the intercessions of His uncorrupted Mother and of all the saints, Izid died the same year, before his satanic decree had reached the ears and knowledge of the many. When Emperor Leo proved himself a participant in this kind of wicked and repulsive depravity, he became the author of many evils for us. He also found a companion in his ignorance, a certain Beser by name, formerly a deserter of the Christian faith in Syria. Having truly abjured the faith which is rendered to Christ, and having immediately been thoroughly imbued in his soul with the opinions of the Arabs, and having been liberated from their servitude not long before these events, and having escaped into the Roman domain, he had been received by Leo with special honors on account of his bodily strength and his consistent frame of mind in accepting heresies. He subsequently stood by the emperor as a supporter and assistant in this great evil, to whom the bishop of Nacolia also falsely assented, a man reeking with impurity from every side, and living with ignorance as if it were a companion for his entire life.

A. C. 716. — The first year of the Arab leader Isam. I shall relate in the following narrative the deeds of the blessed Pope Stephen of Rome, and how he fled into the domain of the Franks and reached them.

This venerable Stephen, having suffered many evils at the hands of Astulphus, the king of the Longobards, ^{B C D}

and being compelled by ^A his lack of counsel and the cruelty of Astulphus, he obtained permission from him to travel to Francia and to do what he could. Upon arriving in Francia, he anointed and crowned as king Pepin, a man at that time very illustrious, who was also the administrator of affairs for the king, and who had previously fought against the Arabs 25 who had crossed over from Africa into Spain 26—those who had held said Spain until the present day, and who had dared to array themselves against the Franks. The aforementioned Pepin, having taken up a position against them with his multitude, killed the ^B exarch of that people himself, Abderachman 28, and destroyed a numberless multitude beside the river Eridanus 27. He was admired and beloved by the people, not only for this, but also for other excellences, and he became the first of the nation to take the lead, though not of royal blood, as he had ^C been absolved by the aforementioned Stephen of the oath of perjury against the king, and having tonsured the previous king, he confined him in a monastery with honor and rest. This Pepin had two sons, Carolus and Carlomannus 29, his brother.

In the same year, Izid, who held the emirate of the Arabs for four years, departed this life. And Isam, his brother, began his emirate.

^A and began to build palaces throughout the provinces and cities, and to do sowing and plant gardens, and to channel water. And he campaigned in Romaniam, and after losing many of those with him, returned. But Pope Stephen of Rome fled to the Franks.

A. M. 6217. — First year of Gregory, Bishop of Rome. In this year, the impious Emperor Leo began to discourse on the removal and deposition of the holy and venerable images ^B; having learned of this, Gregory, Pope of Rome, forbade the taxes of Italy and Rome from being delivered to him, having previously written a decretal epistle to Leo himself, admonishing him that it did not befit an emperor to hold discourse on the faith and to innovate upon the ancient dogmas of the Church which had been dogmatized by the holy Fathers. In the same year also, a torrent overflowing entered the city of Edessa, and destroyed many.

A. M. 6218. — In this year, Masalmas attacked Caesarea of Cappadocia with arms and took it. And a plague spread in Syria. And the camels of the first-counselor were burned at Saint Elias. Moreover, Mavias, the son of Isam, campaigned in Romaniam; and having marched around it, he returned. In this same year, during the ninth indiction ^C, in the season of summer, a vapor as if from a burning furnace boiled up from the depths of the sea between the islands of Thera and Therasia for some days, and by degrees, as it thickened and petrified by the intensity of the fiery combustion, the whole smoke appeared fire-bright. And by the density of the earthy substance, it sent up large pumice stones, like rocks, over all of Asia Minor, and Lesbos, and Abydos, and the seaboard of Macedonia, so that the entire face of that sea was filled with floating pumice. In the midst of such great fire, an island solidified into a mass of earth was attached to the island called Hiera, ^D which had never existed before, but just as Thera and Therasia, which we mentioned above, once boiled up, so also this one [boiled up] now in the time of Leo, the enemy of God, who, considering the divine wrath against him as being in his own favor, more shamelessly against

^A the holy and venerable icons raised a war, having as an ally Beser, the denier of God, and a rival in the same folly. For both were filled with all ignorance and all lack of learning, from which great evil arises. The people in the imperial city, being very grieved at these new teachings, intended to attack him, and they slew some of the imperial men who had torn down the icon of the Lord that was upon the great ^B Brazen Gate; wherefore many of them were punished for the sake of piety with mutilation of limbs, scourging, exile, and fines—especially those who were noble and distinguished in speech. So much so that the schools were extinguished, and the pious education that had prevailed from the time of Constantine the Great among the saints until now—of which, among many other good things, this Saracen-minded Leo has become the destroyer—was also destroyed.

In these matters, therefore, moved by divine zeal, the Helladici and the people of the Cyclades islands rise up against him, having agreed upon a great naval battle, and having with them a certain Cosmas, whom they intended to crown. Agallianus, the tourmarch of the Helladici, led the army, along with Stephanus. These, having approached the imperial city in the month of April ^C of the tenth indiction, were defeated after joining battle with the Byzantines, their ships having been burned by the prepared fire. Some were drowned around the cistern, among whom was Agallianus, who threw himself in fully armed; those who survived fled to the victorious emperor, while Cosmas and Stephanus were beheaded. Leo the impious grew in his wickedness, along with those like-minded with him, intensifying the persecution against piety.

At the summer solstice of this same tenth indiction, after that evil victory over their own countrymen, a force of Sarcen emirs, two in number, marched against the city of Nicaea in Bithynia, ^D with fifteen thousand "monozoni," and surrounded the city unprepared. And Muntas followed with another eight thousand five hundred, who, after a long siege and a partial destruction of the walls—that of the venerated

^A shrine of the holy Fathers located there—failed to take the city, as they did not prevail thanks to the acceptable prayers offered to God, where even now their venerable images remain standing, honored by those of like mind. One Constantine, a groom of Artabasdus, seeing an image of the Theotokos standing there, took a stone and threw it at her, and shattered her, and trampled her underfoot after she had fallen. And he sees in a dream the Lady standing before him and saying: "Do you know what a noble deed you have done to me? Truly you have done this against your own head." On the following day, when the Saracens were attacking the wall and the battle had been joined, he ran to the wall, like a brave soldier, when that wretch was struck by a stone sent from a ballista ^B or artillery engine, and it shattered his head and face, having received the reward worthy of his impiety. They returned having gathered many captives and spoils. In this, God demonstrated to the impious emperor that it was not on account of the piety and religion of his own people, as he boasted, that this had turned out well, but rather by reason of some divine and secret judgment; for He repelled that Arabic attack from the city of the holy Fathers by their own intercessions, through the most accurate images of them honored therein, for the refutation of the tyrant and as an inexcusable judgment against him, but on the other hand for the confirmation of the pious. For that impious man was mistaken not only concerning the relative veneration of the ^C venerable images, but also concerning the intercessions of the all-pure Theotokos and all the saints, and, like his teachers the Arabs, he loathed their very relics. From this time forward, therefore, he shamelessly harassed the blessed Germanos, Patriarch of Constantinople, blaming all the emperors, high priests, and Christian peoples before him, as if they were idolaters for their veneration of the holy and venerable images, not enduring for his own lack of faith and great stupidity that... ^D

^A reasoning concerning relative veneration.

A.M. 6219. In this year Mavias captured the fortress of Atcus and returned.

A.M. 6220. In this year the son of the Chagan, the prince of Chazaria, harried Media and Armenia with hostile arms, and finding Garachus, the commander of the Arabs, in Armenia, he destroyed him together with the multitude that was with him; and having plundered the land of the Armenians and Medes, he turned back, having struck great fear into the Arabs.

A.M. 6221. In this year Masalmas undertook an expedition into the lands of the Turks, and engaging with one another in battle, many fell on both sides; and Masalmas, struck with fear, took to flight and returned through the mountains of Chazaria. In this same year ^B Leo, the lawless emperor, went mad against the true faith and, having brought the holy Germanus to himself, began to entice him with flattering words. The blessed high priest said to him: "We hear that a proscription of the holy and venerable images will take place, but not during your reign." When he compelled him to say during whose reign, he replied: "During the reign of Conon" ^C. He said: "But my baptismal name is truly Conon." The patriarch replied: "God forbid, master, that this evil be brought to pass during your reign; for he who performs this is a precursor of Antichrist, and an overthrower and enemy of the divine incarnation." Because of these words, the tyrant was angered against the blessed one, as Herod was once against the Forerunner. The patriarch reminded him of the written pledges given before his empire, how he had given God as surety that he would in no way shake the Church of God or its apostolic and God-delivered ordinances. But not even so was the wretch ashamed. Keeping watch and suborning certain people, he struggled to find words ^D of his, that he might construe them as against his reign, so that as a factionary, and not as a confessor, if perhaps...

he might remove him from the throne ^A, having as a helper and participant in this Anastasius, his disciple and syncellus, having promised him—as one of like mind in his impiety—that he would be an adulterer and successor to the throne. The blessed man, not unaware that he was so crookedly disposed, ^B imitating his own Master as if towards another Iscariot, wisely and gently reminded him of his treachery. But when he saw him being led astray without hope of turning back, he turned towards him as he was stepping on the back part of his garment while he was going in to the emperor, and said: "Do not be in a hurry, for you shall sooner enter the circus than you wish." But he, not troubled by these words, nor did others understand the prophecy, which, however, having received its fulfillment after fifteen years, in the third year of the persecutor Constantine, in the twelfth indiction, convinced all that it had been prophesied by divine grace. For Constantine, having prevailed and taken over the reign after the expulsion of his son-in-law Artabasdus, ^C had this Anastasius beaten, and along with other enemies, in the hippodrome through the *dippion*, he had him paraded publicly, naked and riding backward on a donkey, as one who had conspired with his enemies and crowned Artabasdus, as will be shown in its proper place. And in Byzantium, this holy and divinely inspired Germanus flourished as a champion of the dogmas concerning piety, fighting like a man struggling with wild beasts against the wild-beast-named Leo and his fellow-conspirators. In Elder Rome, Gregory, the most holy apostolic man and fellow-throne-sharer of Peter, the chief of the apostles, was brilliant in word and deed, he who detached Rome and Italy and all the West ^D from the political and ecclesiastical obedience of Leo and the reign under him. In Damascus of Syria, John Chrysorrhoas, presbyter and monk, the son of Mansur, an excellent teacher, shone forth in life and word. But while he cast Germanus from the patriarchal throne as one subject to his power, Gregory, through the letters which all know were sent to him, expressed his indignation against him, and finally John, together with the bishops of the East, subjects the impious one to anathema. On the third day of the month of January, of the thirteenth indiction, on the third day of the week, the impious Leo issued a decree against the holy and venerable icons.

And in the tribunal of the Nineteen Accubita, he summoned the most holy patriarch Germanus, thinking to persuade him to sign against the holy icons. But that courageous servant of Christ, not being persuaded in the least by his filthy evil-mindedness, and having set forth the word of truth correctly, resigned his priesthood, handing over his omophorion, and saying after much doctrinal discourse: "If I am Jonah, cast me into the sea. For without an ecumenical council, O king, I cannot innovate in matters of faith." And having gone away to the place called Platanion to his ancestral home, he remained in quiet, having served as high priest for fourteen years, five months, and seven days. ^B On the twenty-second of the same month of January, they ordained Anastasius, the falsely-named, a disciple and syncellus of the same blessed Germanus, who had consented to Leo’s impiety, having been appointed the false bishop of Constantinople out of a desire for worldly preferment. Gregory, the holy primate of Rome, as I have also previously mentioned, excommunicated Anastasius along with his libelli, and having rebuked Leo by letter as impious, he caused Rome, with all of Italy, to defect from his empire. The tyrant, having become enraged, intensified the persecution against the holy icons, and many clergy, monks, and devout laymen risked their lives for the word of the true faith, having crowned themselves with the martyr’s crown.

A. M. 6222. — First year of Anastasius, bishop of Constantinople. ^C In this year, Masalmas invaded the Roman territory, and coming into Cappadocia, he took the fort of Charsian by treachery.

A. M. 6223. — In this year, the aforementioned Masalmas invaded Turkey, and having reached the Caspian Gates, he was struck with fear and turned back.

A. M. 6224. — In this year, the Emperor Leo took the daughter of the Khagan, the ruler of the Scythians, as a wife for his son Constantine, having made her a Christian and calling her Irene; who, having learned the holy scriptures, was distinguished in piety and rebuked their impiety. ^D Moreover, Mavias, the son of Isam, invaded Romania, and coming as far as Paphlagonia, he turned back...

laden with much booty. The Emperor, however, raging against the Pope and the defection of Rome and Italy, equipped a great fleet and sent it against them, appointing Manes, the general of the Cibyrrhaeots, as their commander. But that vain prince suffered a supreme disgrace when his fleet suffered shipwreck in the Adriatic Sea. From this, the hater of God, driven to greater fury and imbued with the Arab spirit, imposed upon the peoples of Sicily and Calabria a head-tax increased by a third part. Moreover, he commanded that the patrimonies, as they are called, of the holy and chief of the Apostles, which are venerated in the churches of Old Rome—which had from ancient times been assigned and allotted to their churches—should be paid into the public treasury, three and a half talents of gold. He further ordered that male infants who were born should be examined and registered, just as Pharaoh once did to the Hebrew boys; a thing which not even the Arabs, his own teachers, ever did to the Christians in the East.

^A A. C. 725. — This year, a pestilential plague ravaging Syria, many perished.

A. C. 726. — First year of Zacharias, bishop of Rome.

In this year, Theodore, the son of Mansur, was relegated to the regions of the desert. A fiery, splendid sign was also seen in the heavens. Finally, Mavias plundered Asia.

A. C. 727. — In this year, Suliman, son of Isam, moved his forces into the province of the Armenians, but returned having accomplished nothing.

A. C. 728. — In this year, Mavias brought war upon Romania, but not many days after, forced to return, he fell from his horse and gave up his spirit. ^B

A. M. 6225.

A. M. 6226.

A. M. 6227.

A. C. 729. — In this year, Suliman, son of Isam, carried off many captives from Asia. Among the fellow-captives was a certain man of Pergamene origin, who declared himself to be Tiberius, the son of Justinian. Isam sent him to Jerusalem, adorned with all royal state, with an army, standards, and banners, for the honor of his own son and to strike terror into the emperors, and from there he ordered him to traverse all...

Syria with great pomp, which was a spectacle of admiration to all.

A. M. 6230. ^A — A. C. 750. In this year, Suliman, son of Isam, attacked the Roman realm with arms, ravaged the castle known as the Iron Castle, and took Eustathius, the son of the patrician Marianus, captive.

A. M. 6231. ^B — A. C. 751. In this year, in the month of May, the eighth indiction, Suliman poured his forces into Romania with ninety thousand men, under four commanders. The highest of these was Gamer, who, with a thousand light-armed soldiers, lay in ambush in various parts of the Asian territory; next to him were Melich and Batal with twenty thousand cavalry near Acroinum; and after them, ^C Suliman himself with sixty thousand near Tyana in Cappadocia. Those who had overrun Asia and Cappadocia, having collected a numerous multitude of men, women, and livestock, returned home unharmed. But Melich and Batal, who had followed to Acroinum, were attacked by Leo and Constantine and defeated by the victors. Many perished by the sword along with the two commanders; eight hundred and six thousand of their best warriors, offering strong resistance, fled to Synada; having saved themselves there, they rejoined Suliman and returned to Syria. That same year, many of their forces also perished in Africa, along with their commander, whose name was Damascenus.

A. M. 6232. ^D — A. C. 732. In this year, which was the twenty-fourth of the reign of Leo, the tyrant and most lawless Isaurian, warehouses in Damascus were set on fire by the Hieracites, and they were hanged, and...

On the twenty-eighth day of the month of Peritius, a torrent flooded the city of Edessa. In that same year, ^A a great and terrible earthquake occurred in Constantinople on the twenty-sixth day of October, in the ninth indiction, on the fourth day of the week, at the eighth hour, and churches and monasteries fell, and very many of the people were buried by the ruins. The statue of the great Constantine which stood at the gate of Atalus fell down together with the Atalus himself, and the column of Arcadius which stood on the Xerolophus, and the statue of the great Theodosius ^B which was placed at the Golden Gate, and the land walls of the city and cities and villages throughout Thrace, and Nicomedia in Bithynia, and Praenetus, and Nicaea, in which only one church was saved. The sea also withdrew from its own boundaries in certain places, and this earthquake lasted twelve months. The emperor, having seen the walls of the city fallen, spoke to the people, saying, "You are not able ^C to rebuild the walls, but we have given orders to the administrators. And they are demanding for the canon a silver milliaresion for every gold olocotin." And the government receives them, and builds the walls. From then on, the custom prevailed of giving two ceratia to the administrators for every head. The year was 6248 from the creation of the world according to the Romans, from Adam; according to the Egyptians, understand the Alexandrians, 6252; from Philip the Macedonian, 1063. ^D Therefore Leo reigned from the twenty-fifth day of the month of March in the fifteenth indiction until the eighteenth day of the month of June in the ninth indiction, having reigned for twenty-four years, two months, and eighteen days. Likewise, Constantine, his son, and successor to his impiety and kingdom, from the same day of the month of June...

^A of the ninth indiction to the fourteenth day of the month of September of the fourteenth indiction, by the permission of God, held power for thirty-four years, three months, and two days. Thus, therefore, as we have foretold, in the same year of the ninth indiction, on the eighteenth day of the month of June, Leo died, both in his soul and in his physical death, and Constantine, his son, became emperor. ^B Now, as many evils as befell the Christians during the time of Leo the impious—both in regard to the orthodox faith and in regard to civil administrations, through the contrivance of foul gain and avarice—and likewise in Syria, Calabria, and Crete, and the defection of Italy because of his false belief, as well as earthquakes, famines, pestilences, and the uprisings of nations—that I might pass over those things in part—have been set forth in the preceding chapters.

It is fitting, however, from this point forward, to set forth the lawless deeds of his most ungodly and wretched son, which were even more sacrilegious and hateful to God; yet to do so truthfully, as we are under the gaze of the all-seeing God, and without superfluity, for the benefit of those who come after and those now led astray, and for the miserable and corrupt men being deceived ^C into the vile heresy of that most lawless one—beginning from the tenth indiction, the first year of his reign. For this all-polluted and violent man, a bloodthirsty and most savage beast, who used his power tyrannically and not lawfully, was first of all—through the working of magic, and indulgence in promiscuity, and sacrifices of blood, and being defiled by horse manure and urine, and taking pleasure in immoralities and in the invocation of demons, and living from his youth in all pursuits that are simply soul-destroying—alienated from God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and from his immaculate and all-holy Mother, and from all the saints. ^D And when he received the ancestral authority, along with that wickedness—if one must tell how much the all-polluted one nurtured that wickedness from the start, and fanned it into a manifest and enraging flame—no small despondency seized the Christians who saw this, so that from the beginning all, on account of his harshness, detested him immediately.

^A And they were well-disposed to transfer the empire to Artabasdus, the curopalates and count of the Opsikion, who was his son-in-law, being married to his sister Anna, as he held a right belief concerning the faith. In the same year, Isam, the leader of the Arabs, slew the Christian captives throughout every city of his rule; among whom the blessed Eustathius, son of the illustrious patrician Marinos, after suffering many torments and not denying his sincere faith, shone forth as a true and illustrious martyr in Charran, a famous city of Mesopotamia, where his venerable and holy relics provide healing of every kind by the grace of God. And many others were consummated through martyrdom and the shedding of their blood in Christ.

A.M. 6233. A.C. 733.—First year of the Roman Emperor Constantine. ^B

In this year, God’s judgment having so ordained and the multitude of our offenses provoking punishment, Constantine, the persecutor of ancestral traditions, received the empire. Therefore, on the twenty-seventh day of the month of June, pertaining to the following tenth indiction, having set out with an expedition against the Arabs into the regions of the Opsikion, he came to the city which is called Krasos. But when Artabasdus was staying at Dorylaion with the troops of the Opsikion, they harbored suspicion toward one another. ^C Constantine, having sent letters to him, requested that his sons be sent to him, as they were his nephews, claiming he was eager to see them. His intention, however, was to seize and hold them in custody. But Artabasdus, suspecting the deceit, and despairing of his own affairs, and knowing his [Constantine’s] measureless wickedness, spoke to the army and persuaded them, and set out against him with the entire throng. He encountered the patrician Beser, who was of Saracen mind, and slew him with the sword. ^D Constantine, having found a saddled pack-horse that happened to be there, mounted it and fled to Amorion; then, rushing to the Anatolic theme, which was then commanded by Longinus, he was saved by them, and he won them over with great promises. He immediately sent to Sisinnacius, who was at that time the strategos of the Thracesian theme, and persuaded them to ally with him. Thence, therefore, terrible battles and counter-armaments took place for the subjects, as kings were proclaimed by both sides. Artabasdus wrote...

^A to Theophanes the patrician and magister, who was acting as the representative 76 in the city, informing him through the silentiary Thalassius of everything that had occurred. Being well-disposed toward Artabasdus, he gathered the people in the catechumena 77 of the Great Church and, through both the letters and the testimony of the aforementioned Thalassius, persuaded everyone that the emperor had died and that Artabasdus had been proclaimed emperor by the themes. Then all the people, with Anastasius, the falsely-named patriarch ^B, cast him [Constantine] out with anathemas and execrations, as an impious monster and an alien to God; and they joyfully accepted his slaughter, as if they had been delivered from a great evil, and proclaimed Artabasdus emperor, as an orthodox defender of divine dogmas. Immediately, therefore, Monutes 78 sent to the Thracian regions to his own son, Nicephorus, who was strategos of Thrace, that he should bring the army stationed there to guard the city. Having locked the gates of the walls, therefore, and set watches, ^C and having seized the friends of Constantine, he beat them and sheared their hair before casting them into prison. Artabasdus having entered the city with the Opsician troops, Constantine also arrived from Chrysopolis with two themes, the Thracensian, I mean, and the Anatolic, but having achieved nothing, he turned back and wintered at Amorium. Artabasdus, meanwhile, re-erected the holy icons throughout the entire city. The Arabs, however, learning of their mutual strife, took many captives into Romania, with Sulimane as their general. Anastasius, the falsely-named patriarch, ^D holding the venerable and life-giving wood [of the Cross], swore to the people, saying: "By Him who was nailed to this wood, Constantine the emperor said this to me: 'Do not consider the Son of God, whom Mary bore and who is called Christ, to be anything more than a mere man. For Mary bore him just as my mother Mary bore me.'" And upon hearing this, the people rejected him.

A.M. 6254. — A.C. 734. — First year of Stephen, Bishop of Antioch. In this year, Isam, the leader of the Arabs, died. He restored the most holy Church of Antioch, which had been widowed of a pastor for forty years, the Arabs having prevented a patriarch from being chosen in it, by appointing a certain devout monk of Syrian origin named Stephen.

^A but pious, and famous for his virtue among the Christians living in the East, if only they would accept him, granted them the free power to choose a patriarch. They, believing this to have come about by divine providence, install Stephen himself as bishop in the see of Theoupolis [Antioch] of the Antiochenes, and from that time even to this very day, no impediment has been offered by the Saracens to the election of a patriarch.

In this year, Valid, the son of Isam, attained the principate of the Arabs. To him, Constantine sent Andrew the spatharios, and Artabasdus sent Gregory the logothete, both asking that aid be given to them. Because of a long-lasting drought and an earthquake, various places were so shaken that in the desert of Saba the summits of the mountains collided with one another, and villages were swallowed up by the earth. ^B In the same year, Cosmas, the patriarch of Alexandria, together with his city, returned to the orthodox Church, having abjured the depravity of the Monothelites that had possessed that city from the times of Cyrus, who lived under Heraclius, and having recognized the error. Furthermore, Gamer, accompanied by the forces of the Saracens, made an incursion into Romania and, having gathered a huge booty of captives, returned to his own country. In the month of June, a sign appeared in the northern part of the sky. Valid commanded that Peter, the most holy metropolitan of Damascus, have his tongue cut out, as he was openly refuting the impiety of the Arabs and the Manichaeans. He also deported him as an exile to Arabia Felix; there he reached the end, having suffered for Christ, and having clearly proclaimed the divine liturgy, as those who recounted it confirm they had perceived with their own hearing. A rival and sharer of the same name, Peter at Maiuma, ^C distinguished himself by suffering martyrdom for Christ in these times. Indeed, having been seized by a disease, he invited the princes of the Arabs—as they were known to him owing to his office as chartulary of the public revenues—his acquaintances, to a private conversation. Then he said to them: "I pray that you might receive from God a reward for this visit to me; for although you are deprived of the light of faith, you are yet to be considered friends. Therefore, I wish you to be witnesses of my testament, which is of this sort: Whoever does not believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial and life-giving Trinity in the unity of nature of the persons, he is blinded in the eyes of his soul, and is worthy of eternal punishment. ^D Such is also your false prophet, Muhammad, the forerunner of the Antichrist. Depart, therefore, if to me

^A now calling heaven and earth to witness before you, you grant any credence, you must renounce his fabulous and delirious doctrine. Let this present proof of my benevolence toward you move you to accept this counsel, that you may not suffer the like ^B torment with him. When they heard this man interpreting the divine nature to these Arabians and others like them, they were seized with astonishment and madness simultaneously, and they bade the man farewell, thinking he had fallen into a mental delirium. But when he regained his strength after his sickness, he began to shout in a loud voice: "Anathema to Muhammad and to his book of fables, and to all who believe in him!" Immediately subjected to the punishment of the sword, he was declared a martyr. Our holy Father John, rightly surnamed Chrysorrhoas because of the spiritual grace that bloomed in him like a golden luster in both word and life, honored him with eulogies. Constantine, that impious emperor, used to subject this same John to annually renewed curses because of the excellence ^C of his orthodoxy, and because of his paternal name Mansur—which is translated "redeemed"—he called that new teacher of the Church "Manzer" [bastard], with a Jewish mindset.

In the same year, in the month of May, Artabasdus went forth to the parts of the Opsikion, and having levied an army, he took control of Asia, ravaging it. When Constantine learned of this, he moved against him. Finding him returning from Kelbianon to the regions of Sardis, he engaged him in battle, routed him, and pursued him as far as Cyzicus. He, having reached Cyzicus and boarded a dromon, saved himself in the city. In the month of August of the same eleventh indiction, Nicetas, the commander-in-chief and son of Artabasdus, having engaged Constantine in battle near Modrina, fled having been routed, and Constantine slew the patrician Tiridates, the Armenian, a brave soldier and cousin of Artabasdus, along with other ^D select commanders. On both sides, no small slaughter of the troops took place, as the Armenians and Armeniac troops fought against the Orientals and Thracians, who were the defenders of Constantine. The devil, the author of all evil, stirred up such madness among Christians during these times and such mutual slaughters, that children moved against parents and brothers against brothers, rushing to slaughter without any regard for blood or kinship, and mercilessly burned one another’s dwellings and properties without feeling the damage inflicted.

^A In the year of the world 6235. The first year of the Arab leader Valid. In this year, in the northern part of the sky, a sign appeared, and dust fell like rain in various places. An earthquake also occurred at the Caspian Gates; and Valid was killed by the Arabs in the month of April, on the sixteenth day, a Thursday, having ruled for one year. Izid surnamed Leipsus, that is, "The Diminished," succeeded to the rule ^B (90). Having spent much money, he secured Damascus, and received pledges for the rule from those Arabs who dwelt in Damascus, Persia, and Egypt. Marvam, the son of Muamed, who was governor of Armenia, hearing these things, seized Mesopotamia, pretending he was protecting the children of Valid, but actually opposing Izid. After five months, Izid died, leaving his brother Abraim as his successor in Damascus. Marvam arrayed himself against him, and taking the forces from Mesopotamia, he went to Edessa, and from there to the regions of Damascus and Antilibanus, into a plain called Garis. And there, engaging Suliman at the river Litam—which is to say, "The Wicked"—he put him to flight and destroyed twenty thousand of his men, so that Suliman, with a few others and almost alone, escaped by flight to Damascus. Having entered the city, he killed the sons of Valid, whom Marvam appeared to be protecting, and ^C left Damascus, having plundered sufficient wealth. When Marvam reached Damascus, he killed many of the nobles and those who had been accomplices in the murder of Valid and his children, and others he mutilated. He moved all the money and treasures to Harran, a city of Mesopotamia.

In the month of September, in the twelfth indiction, Constantine went toward Chalcedon, crossed the strait, and proceeded into Thrace, for Sisinnios, the commander of the Thracesians, had crossed through Abydos and stationed himself at the land wall. Having arrived at the Charsian Gate, ^D and from there to another...

^A part of the city, which is called the Golden Gate, he showed himself openly to the throngs, and immediately returned and encamped at Saint Mamas. Meanwhile, the citizens of the city began to be pinched by the lack of provisions. On account of this, Artabasdus sent Athanasius, the asecretis, and his own domesticus to transport provisions into the city by small boats. Meeting them outside the straits of Abydos, the fleet of the Cibyrrhaeots detained them and led them to the Emperor, who distributed the provisions procured by them to his own troops, but ordered Athanasius and Artabasdus to lose their sight immediately. After these things, Artabasdus sought to open the gates of the land wall and to join battle with Constantine. A conflict having ensued, the forces of Artabasdus were turned to flight, and many perished, among whom also was Monoutes. Artabasdus, having built biremes carrying Greek fire in cauldrons, sent them to Saint Mamas against the fleet of the Cibyrrhaeots, and drove them off. ^B There was a great famine in the city, so that a modius of barley was sold for twelve nummi, of legumes for nineteen, of millet and lupines for eight; five pounds of oil for a nummus, and a sextarius of wine for a semissis. As the people were dying of hunger, Artabasdus was compelled to grant the public permission to migrate from the city; but observing the faces of those departing, he detained some. Wherefore, some would cover their faces, and others wrapped themselves in women's clothing, while others [adopted] the monastic habit; and so they were able to escape unnoticed. Nicetas, the commander-in-chief, having gathered his own troops, which had been dispersed from Modrine, came as far as Chrysopolis; and when he retreated from there, the Emperor crossed over and pursued him from the rear, and finally catching up with him at Nicomedia, he captured him alive, ^C together with Marcellinus, who, from a bishop, had turned into a curator, whom he immediately ordered to be beheaded. The commander-in-chief, having been placed in shackles, he displayed to his father [hanging] from the wall. On the second day of the month of November, having drawn up his lines in battle formation at dusk, he took the city through the land wall. Artabasdus, together with the patrician Baktangeios, having entered into a boat, arrived for the time being at the Opsikion, and having departed into the...

^A castle of Puzanes, shut himself within. The emperor having apprehended them, blinded Artabasdus together with his two sons, while he ordered Baktangeios to be beheaded for the hunting of wild beasts, and his head to be hung up in the Milion for three days. But after thirty years, the vengeful and merciless emperor ordered his own wife to go away to the Monastery of Chora (for he was buried there), and to dig up his bones, and to carry them in a cloak, and to cast them into the so-called monuments of Pelagius along with those who had laid violent hands upon themselves. O, what an inhuman deed! He also slew many others of the nobles who had sided with Artabasdus; he blinded countless others, and cut off the hands of some and the feet of others. Moreover, he permitted the foreign commanders who had come with him to enter the houses and plunder the property of the citizens; and he inflicted many other ^B countless terrible grievances upon the city. Having organized horse races, he brought in Artabasdus together with his sons and his friends, bound, through the Hippodrome, ^C along with Anastasius, the false-named patriarch, who had been publicly blinded and was sitting backwards on a donkey, and paraded them through the stadium of the Hippodrome. Yet, again, having terrified and enslaved him as one of like mind, he seated him on the priestly throne. And he blinded Sisinnius, the patrician and general of the Thracesians, who had greatly collaborated and fought alongside him, and was his cousin, after forty days, by the just judgment of God. For he who brings help to the impious ^D shall fall into his hands, as it is written.

A.C. 736. — First year of the Arab leader Marwam. First year of Theophylact, Bishop of Antioch. In this year a great comet was seen in the sky over Syria. And Thebit and Dachak, the prince of the Aruritae, stirred up a sedition against Marwam. Marwam, having apprehended them together with twelve thousand soldiers, slaughtered them near the borders of Emesa. In the same year, the same Marwam, by the request of the Christians of the East...

permitted Theophylact, a presbyter of Edessa, to be ordained patriarch of Antioch after the death of Stephen, and ensured by public letters that he be honored by the Arabs. For he was most adorned with spiritual graces, and especially with those of temperance. ^A Moreover, at Emesa, he had one hundred and twenty Chaldeans hanged, and he slew in prison Abam, who was guilty of shedding much Christian blood and had ravaged and plundered many places. For an Ethiopian sent to him by Marwam for this purpose, having filled a sack with quicklime, placed it so deftly about his head and nostrils that he easily smothered the man, a punishment befitting a sorcerer. For by magical arts and the invocation of demons he had been the author of many evils against the Christians, and he was also a participant in the slaughter of Valid.

A. M. 6237. — In this year, Suleiman gathered his armies and engaged Marwam again, but was defeated, losing seven thousand of his own men, and he escaped as a fugitive to Palmyra, and from there to Persia. The people of Emesa, as well as the Heliopolitans and Damascenes, rebelled ^B against Marwam, and having shut the gates of their cities, denied him entry. He sent his son against Dachac with a large force of soldiers, while he himself marched on Emesa, which he took after four months. Dachac came with a very great force, but Marwam engaged him in Mesopotamia, and after many of those with him had been slain, he captured him alive and put him to death. While these things were being done, Constantine invaded Germanicia and sent his army into Syria and Dulichia, having found a favorable opportunity for victory due to the strife of the Barbarians among themselves. By a ruse, he sent for the Arabs in those ^C cities and received them unarmed, and he moved his paternal relatives to Byzantium, along with many Syrian Monophysite heretics. Most of these, dwelling in Thrace, have persisted until this day in adding the crucifixion to the Trinity in the Trisagion hymn, in accordance with Peter the Fuller. From the tenth to the fifteenth day of the month of August, there was darkness.

Then Marvam, having won the victory and captured Emesa, slaughtered all the kinsmen and freedmen of Isam. He also razed the walls of Heliopolis, Damascus, and Jerusalem, put to death many men of authority, and mutilated those who were left behind in these cities.

A. C. 738. — In this year, on the eighteenth day of the month of January, at the fourth hour, a great earthquake occurred in Palestine, around the Jordan, and in all of Syria, so that many myriads and an uncountable number of men perished, and churches and monasteries fell; this was especially the case in the wilderness of the Holy City. In the same year, a pestilential death, beginning from Sicily and Calabria, spread like fire, gradually consuming its way through Monobasia and Greece and the adjacent islands. It traversed the whole of the fourteenth indiction, lashing the irreligious Constantine, if by any means it might withdraw and restrain him from the madness which he bore against the churches and the venerable images. He, however, as once Pharaoh, remained hardened in his evils and uncorrected. That pestilent virus of the buboes spread even to the imperial city in the fifteenth indiction. At first, it attacked the body in an invisible and sudden manner, but then, on the clothing of men and on the sacred vestments of the churches, it manifested itself in many oily little crosses. Hence, there arose among the people great sorrow and despondency at the difficulty of such a portent.

Jac. Goar's Notes

(10) Nicephorus presents a description of it. (11) Since this note refers to the previous year, as does the fifteenth of the current one. Nicephorus relates that the plague, which had raged with great slaughter for only one year, gradually ceased. It is pleasing to relate this plague—which, besides Theophanes and those who follow him, St. Nicephorus also describes—in the words of that most grave author, St. Theodore the Studite. Thus he says concerning his father, Plato: "For during that time the wrath of God fell from heaven (for the subject matter compels me to narrate it), which brought a great destruction and ruin upon all the people, not only to other small towns and cities, but especially to the imperial city of Byzantium, moving just as an Egyptian scourge from one city and region to another; in this also the parents of Plato, worthy of eternal memory, departed this life. It is not inappropriate, for the sake of utility, that the very mode of death be described; so that a narrative of such a kind might strike terror into the souls of those who prudently heed it. Suddenly, the sign of the life-giving cross appeared, sprinkled upon the garments of individuals as if with oil, as though by the skillful art of a hand and brush. Nay, it was rather by the finger of God and a higher providence that terror was struck into those so marked, and death immediately followed; so that in one day even the same person would carry out a dead man, and then he himself would be carried out. It was a sight to see two in the same coffin; four placed upon the same beast of burden; one load of miserable corpses succeeding another. Everywhere laments and wailings resounded; the undertakers were failing; those who could pay the funeral rites were rare; houses were being closed; no one was to be seen in the streets; the tombs were full of corpses; so that in the space of two months, the city, most populous and teeming with an innumerable multitude of men, became desert and desolate of inhabitants." These things happened during the reign of the impious Constantine, by whom the image of God was held in disgrace, which the most wicked impostor called a phantom of error. [alt-version omitted]

^A And it was a divine plague, ruthlessly destroying not only those in the city, but also those in all its surrounding territory. There were also phantoms among many of the people, and, becoming as it were in an ecstasy, they imagined that they were traveling in the company of strange persons, as it seemed, and persons of fierce countenance, and that these, as though they were friends, were greeting them and conversing with them. They would note what was said by them and explain it. They saw the same persons entering houses and either destroying the people of the house or wounding them with swords. And it happened that most of the things reported by them occurred exactly as they had seen.

In the spring season of the first indiction, the plague increased more greatly, and in the summer it broke out once and for all, so that entire houses were closed up completely, and there were none left to bury the dead. ^B Therefore, because of the great distress, it was devised to place 15 boards—called *hypotetracanthila*—upon pack animals, and in this way to carry out the dead; similarly, they also loaded them onto wagons, one on top of the other. And when all the cemeteries and suburbs were filled, and furthermore when dry cisterns and pits and very many vineyards had been dug up—and indeed, even the gardens inside the old walls had been used for such burial of human bodies—and thus it was with difficulty that they met this need. ^C When every house had been devastated by such a calamity because of the impiety that had been committed by those in power against the holy icons, the fleet of the Hagarenes immediately seized Cyprus from Alexandria, where the Roman fleet also was. And the commander of the Cibyrrhaeots, falling upon them

in the port of Ceramea, having occupied its mouths, attacked them unexpectedly and with spirit, and they say that of the thousand enemy dromons, only three escaped.

^A A.M. 6239. — In this year, Gregory is killed by the Aruritae, and Marvam, the leader of the Arabs, won a victory, as I previously related.

A.M. 6240. — In this year, the peoples from the more eastern parts of Persia, called the Chorasanites and the Maurophori [the Black-robed], moved against Marvam and the entire lineage of those who had ruled before them from Muamed the false prophet down to this same Marvam—that is to say, against the so-called kin of the Omayads. For after the slaughter of Valid, as the Saracens were warring among themselves and occupied with mutual killings, those known as the sons of Achim and Alim, being kinsmen of the false prophet themselves but having been hidden and fugitives in the smaller Arabia, gathered together under their leader Abraham. Having sent one of their freedmen, named Abumusulin, to certain of the notables in the region of Chorasan, they sought to join forces with them against Marvam. They met at a certain place called Chactaba and held counsel; having incited the servants against their own masters, they slaughtered many of them in one night. Armed with their weapons, horses, and wealth, they became a powerful force. They were divided into two tribes, the Caisini and the Imanitae. ^B Amumilim, observing that the Imanitae were the stronger, incited them against the Caisini, and having destroyed them, he arrived in Persia with Chactaba. Having engaged Bindara in battle, he won a victory and took about one hundred thousand men. Then, marching against Ibinubir, who was leading an army of two hundred thousand men, he likewise routed and struck him down. Then, finally, meeting Marvam, who was surrounded by three hundred thousand men, at the river Zab, he attacked and defeated him, and destroyed an infinite multitude of the enemy. And it was possible to see, according to the Scripture, one man putting to flight a thousand, and two putting tens of thousands to flight. ^C

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JACQUES GOAR

^A Marvam, seeing him conquering by force, comes to Charran, and having crossed the river, he broke the bridge which was made of boats. And having taken with him all his wealth and his household, with three thousand of his own home-born servants, he fled to Egypt.

A. M. 6241. — In this year Marvam is pursued by the Maurophori, and having been overtaken by them, he is killed after a very heavy battle had been joined. Now, Salich, son of Alim, one of the aforementioned fugitives who had also sent Mumuslim, led them and attained the Arab empire. ^B The rest, having gathered together in the region of Samaria and Trachonitis, assigned the leadership by lot to Abulabas, and after him to his brother Abdela, and after him to Ibi-Muse. And they determined that Abdela, the brother of Alim, and also the son of Alim, should govern Syria, and they gave the same Alim to rule over Egypt, while they ordered Abdela, the brother of Abulabas, to hold the portion of the empire he had obtained, Mesopotamia. Now, the same Abulabas ^C, who was also chief over all, sat in Persis, the rule having been transferred by him and the Persians who fought alongside him from Damascus, along with all the treasures which Marvam had carried with him. The surviving sons and kinsmen of Marvam, having come from Egypt to Africa, and from there having crossed the narrow sea that separates Libya and Europe at the Ocean, the place called Septa, inhabited the Spanish part of Europe until this present time, possessing some who had previously dwelt there, having been cast out by the Moors—their kinsmen and of the same religion—by way of ships. The destruction under Marvam lasted for six years, in which all the famous cities in Syria were dismantled, except for Antioch, because he intended to make it a safe refuge for himself; and countless numbers of Arabs perished at his command. For he was most experienced in matters of war. He happened to be a follower of the heresy of the Epicureans, that is, the Automatists, having caught this impiety from the Greeks living in Charran. On the 25th of the month of January ^D, in the third indiction, a son was born to the Emperor Constantine, whom he named Leo, by the daughter of the Chagan of Chazaria. And in the same year there occurred an earthquake in Syria, and a great and terrible collapse, whereby some of the cities were utterly—

^A destroyed, while others collapsed partially, and others still were carried, intact with their walls and buildings, from the mountains down into the plains lying below, a distance of six miles or even a little more. Those who were eyewitnesses to the miracle ^B reported that the earth of Mesopotamia had split open for a length of two miles, and that from the depths of this fissure there had emerged another land, very white and sandy, from the center of which, as they say, there came forth an animal not unlike a mule, spotless, speaking with a human voice, and foretelling the incursion of another nation from the desert against the Arabs; which also came to pass. ^C In the following year, being the fourth indiction, on the holy feast day of Pentecost, the impious emperor Constantine crowned his own son Leo as emperor, through the agency of Anastasius, the pseudo-patriarch and his partner in perversity.

A. D. 742. — First year of the Arab leader Muamed. ^D In this year the Chalcidenses rose up against the dark-skinned (Maurophoros) Persians, and four thousand of them were killed by them in the borders of Emesa. The same thing happened in Arabia against the Caisini by the same Persians. But when the head of Marvam, ingeniously preserved with aromatics, was produced, the majority of the disturbances were thereafter suppressed. In the same year, on the twenty-ninth day of the month of Desius, the most holy patriarch of Antioch, Theophylact, fell asleep in death.

A. D. 743. — First year of Theodore, Bishop of Antioch. In this year, the Arabs—chiefs who had recently risen to power—treacherously seized many of the Christians, as being relatives of those who had previously held command, and destroyed them in Antipatris of Palestine. And in the same year, Constantine took Theodosiopolis, along with Melitene, and sent the Armenians into captivity. Theodore, the son of the Vicar, coming from Lesser Armenia, was ordained patriarch of Antioch.

A. D. 744. — In this year, Constantine, the impious emperor, puffed up by the vain winds of pride, many a time against the Church.

^A and the orthodox faith, pondering silent conspiracies, sought in every city to persuade the people, by craft, to draw toward his own opinion, thus making smooth the way for the utter impiety which was to follow.

A. M. 6245. — In this year, Anastasius, that sacrilegious occupant of the See of Constantinople, died, his soul and body alike perishing by a most wretched disease called *chordapsus*: he vomited his own filth through his mouth, paying a fitting penalty for his insolence against God and his teacher. In the same year, the impious Constantine ^B, against the holy and venerable images, convoked an illicit council of three hundred and forty-eight bishops in the palace of Hieria, presided over by Theodosius, bishop of Ephesus, the son of Apsimar, and Pastillas, bishop of Perge. These men, establishing their private views by their own private authority, with no one present from the catholic sees—I mean Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, or Jerusalem—began their work on the tenth day of the month of February and continued until the eighth day of August of that same fourth indiction. During this time, the enemies of the Theotokos came to the Blachernae; Constantine ascended the ambo, holding by the hand the monk Constantine ^C, who had been bishop of Syllaeum, and praying aloud with a great voice, he said: "Long years to Constantine, the oecumenical patriarch." And on the twenty-seventh of the same month, the emperor came in procession to the Forum with the sacrilegious Constantine and the rest of the bishops, and they proclaimed their own heretical corruption before all the people, daring to cast anathemas upon the most holy Germanus, George of Cyprus, and John Chrysorrhoas of Damascus, son of Mansour, men who were saints and venerable teachers.

[A.C. 746. — Constantinus, Bishop of Constantinople, first year.]

In this year Muamed, who is also called Abulabas, dies, having held the principate for five years. ^B His brother Abdellas was residing in the city of Mecha, the place dedicated to their blasphemy. He writes to Abumuslim, who was living in Persia, to preserve for him the part of the principate which had fallen to him by lot. The latter, however, having learned that Abdellas, son of Ali and brother of Salem, the supreme commander of Syria, was seeking to procure the principate for himself—and for that reason was advancing into Persia in order to subject it to himself—while at the same time opposing the Persians and leaning toward those of Syria (who had indeed entered into an alliance with him), being certain of these things, stirred up the Syrian armies against him. Having joined battle at Tyana, and having slain many from the opposing side, Abusalim remained the victor; for the majority were Slavs and Antiochenes. ^C Abdellas alone, having survived and being unharmed, after a few days requested to receive pledges of safety from the other Abdella, the brother of Muamed, who had departed from Mecha and had made haste to Persia. The latter, having shut him up in a house that was on the point of collapse, and having secretly ordered the foundations to be dug away, killed him. As for Abumuslim, who was raging against the Arabs of Syria—as they had revolted against the Maurephori and had slain many of them throughout Palestine, the lands of Emesa, and the maritime regions, and were now preparing arms against him—he repressed them by leading military forces against them. Enraged at Abdellas, he rushed into interior Persia with his whole host. Abdellas, struck with fear, revoked him with the enticing language of words and the blandishments of prayer, and even by sending to him the very symbols of his empire, that is to say, the staff and sandals of their false prophet Muamed, begging that he would deign to turn aside to him for a journey of at least one day, so that he might pay him the duty of gratitude owed to a father. The latter, enticed by ^D such allurements, came to him with one hundred thousand horsemen brought along with him. But when the forces of both had joined together, he was slain by the very hands of the one who had invited him. The crowds, however, having been scattered, took their departure that same day, though loaded with the highest honors. Thus was the order of Abdella’s rule.

[A.C. 747. — Arab leader Abdella’s first year.] [Paulus, Bishop of Rome, first year.] [A.M. 6247.]

^A In this year, Nicetas, Bishop of Heliopolis, was struck with anathema by the entire assembly of the Church. The Emperor Constantine, meanwhile, led out the Syrians and Armenians whom he had removed from Theodosiopolis and Melitene, and transferred them to Thrace, by which the heresy of the Paulicians was increased. The city, likewise, having been left destitute of citizens due to the plague, he brought in other inhabitants from the islands, from Greece, and from other lower regions, together with their whole families, so that they might dwell there, and thus he restored the city to being as full and populous as it had been before. ^B In the same year, the Bulgarians, on account of the new fortresses that had been constructed, demanded new treaties. Because the Emperor spurned their envoy, they themselves, to avenge this insult, burst forth with an army well-prepared, as far as the Long Wall, heading toward the royal city. Having therefore performed a great slaughter and having taken a multitude of captives, they returned unharmed and unscathed to their own homes.

A.M. 6248. — In this year, a not insignificant earthquake occurred in Palestine and Syria on the ninth day of the month of March. Theodore, the Patriarch of Antioch, was sent into exile out of the envy of the Arabs, having been accused by them of frequently informing the Emperor Constantine, through letters, of the affairs of the Arabs. For this reason, Salem, the leader of the Arabs, ordered him to be transferred to the province of Moabitis, which was his homeland. The same Salem likewise decreed by law that no new churches were to be built anywhere, that no cross was to be publicly displayed, and that no one was to discourse with Arabs on the dogmas of the Christian faith. He undertook an expedition into Romania with eighty thousand armed men. ^C But, having arrived in Cappadocia, where he heard that Constantine was arming himself against him, he was struck by fear; and with the matter left entirely unfinished and having caused no harm, he finally returned, taking with him only a few Armenians who had, of their own accord, crossed over to his camp.

A.M. 6249. — In this year, Abdellas increased the tribute imposed upon Christians, so that all, whether they were monks, inclusi, or stylites—those whose lives were pleasing to God—were registered as tax-paying subjects. He also [sealed] the archives of the churches.

^A And he brought in Hebrews to sell these; but the freedmen bought them.

A.D. 750. — In this year, Constantine brought the Slavinian provinces, which are situated toward Macedonia, into servitude and compelled the remainder to be brought entirely under the Roman Empire. In the same year, certain men from the Black-Robed Persians, being of the Magian religion and held by the deception of the devil, sold their possessions and, having stripped off their garments, climbed onto the walls of buildings and cast themselves headlong, thinking—deceived by the craftiness of magic and possessed more powerfully by the devil—that they would fly more readily into heaven. As they had nothing comparable or worthy of that heavenly inheritance, they fell heavily to the earth, having their limbs shattered. Salem Abdellas removed from the midst the six leaders of this error, having found them in Berrhoea and in Chalcis. ^B

A.D. 751. — In this year, the Saracens, moved by envy, prohibited the Christians for a short time from managing the public tax records, but having been forced by necessity again—because they themselves were unable to write the numbers and sums—they returned them to their hands. They made an irruption into Romania and led away many captives; and having joined battle with him at Melas, they prostrated Paul, the commander of the Armenians, along with a not inconsiderable portion of the army, and led away in chains forty-two men of high standing from the Roman jurisdiction, along with many others, and many heads. But the Emperor marched with an army into Bulgaria and arrived at the Beregaba pass. The Bulgarians went to meet him and slaughtered many of his soldiers, among whom were Leo, the patrician and commander of the Thracians, and another Leo, the logothete of the drome, along with many of the commoners; and they took their arms. And thus they returned ingloriously. ^C

A.D. 752. — In this year, an error occurred in the celebration of the Paschal feast, and the orthodox in the eastern regions celebrated Easter on the sixth day of the month of April, whereas the erring heretics celebrated that solemnity on the thirteenth.

In the same year, the head of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist was transferred from the monastery of Antri to his temple ^D

^A which stands magnificent in the city of Emesa, and the descent was built where to this day it is honored by the faithful with both bodily and spiritual fragrance, gushing forth healing for all who approach in faith. In the same year, a very brilliant comet appeared in the east for ten days, and again it was seen for twenty-one days towards the west. A certain Syrian named Theodore from Mount Lebanon, in the region of Heliopolis which is adjacent to Lebanon, rebelled against the Arabs, and after fighting with them, many fell on both sides; finally, he was turned to flight, and all the Lebanese who were with him were slain. Conflicts and wars also occurred in Africa, a solar eclipse having taken place in the month of August on the fifteenth day, the sixth day of the week, at the tenth hour. Certain of the Maurophori arose in Dabecus saying that the son of the protosymbulus was God, as if he were their nourisher, and they brought forth such a doctrine. And the Maurophori entered ^B into the house of their error, and slew the keepers, sixty in number. And some went out against Basra, and took many captive, and obtained much wealth. A. M. 6253. — In this year the Casiotae rebelled against the Maurophori on account of women. For there remained of them in a house where they were living brothers ^D

^A who possessed, and they wished to drown their wives in a bog. Those three brothers, having been aroused, killed them and buried them. Those who had gathered together killed the rest as well. And Salem, having sent troops by a ruse, came upon them from above. And having seized them, he hanged the three brothers and killed many others. And on the day dedicated to the paschal solemnity, the Christian people having gathered in the assembly, he entered the common and principal church, and ordered the metropolitan, who was standing at the sacred altars and crying out with a loud voice, "For your people prays to you and entreats you," to be seized and thrust into prison, another priest meanwhile being supplied to complete the holy synaxis, from which a great fear was excited in the minds of all. And had not the metropolitan, by his innate urbanity of character and humble speech, calmed the ferocious prince, a very great evil would have been committed on that occasion. ^B Yet he was the blessed Anastasius.

In the same year, Constantine the persecutor killed the venerable monk Andrew, called the Calybite, who lived at the Blachernae, having beaten him with rods because he had reproved his impiety, calling him a young Valens and Julian; and he had ordered his body to be thrown into the sea, but the sisters of Andrew, carrying it away, committed it to burial in the emporium of Leucadius.

A. D. 754. — First year of Constantine, bishop of Rome.

In this year a comet like a beam was seen in the East. The son of Fatima was taken from the living. The Bulgarians, having stirred up a sedition, rejected their own lords, who had succeeded to power in a continuous series of one lineage until then, having inflicted slaughter upon them, and they appointed for themselves as leader a man of evil mind named Teletzin, thirty years of age. Many Slavs, therefore, leaving their fatherland, voluntarily betook themselves to the emperor, whom he established to dwell at Artana. But on the seventeenth day of the month of June, the emperor set out towards Thrace, having also sent a fleet through the Euxine Sea of up to two thousand chelandia, carrying twelve horses each. And Teletzes, hearing of the movement against him by land and sea, having taken into alliance from the neighboring ^C nations twenty thousand, and having stationed these at the fortifications, secured himself. The...

^A The Emperor, however, having arrived, pitched his camp on the plain of Anchialus. And on the thirtieth of the month of June, of the first indiction, on a Thursday, Teletzes appeared, advancing with a multitude of tribes; and joining battle, they slaughtered one another for a long time, and Teletzes, having been routed, fled. The battle lasted from the fifth hour until evening, and a great multitude of the Bulgarians was destroyed, many were taken prisoner, and others even defected [to the Romans]. The Emperor, elated by such a victory, celebrated a triumph for it in the city, entering in armor with his army, acclaimed by the factions, and dragging the captured Bulgarians bound in wooden stocks, whom he ordered to be beheaded by the citizens outside the Golden Gate. ^B But the Bulgarians, having stirred up sedition against Teletzes, killed him along with his nobles, and set up Sabinus, who was the son-in-law of Kormesios, their former lord. But when Sabinus immediately sent to the Emperor and sought to make peace, the Bulgarians who had appointed him opposed Sabinus, saying that "Bulgaria is about to be enslaved to the Romans through you." A riot having occurred, Sabinus fled to the fortress of Mesembria and defected to the Emperor. And the Bulgarians set up another lord, Paganos by name.

In this year, those of the desert and of Barathon rose up against Abdellas, [incited by] two brothers, whom he, having sent an army, destroyed along with eighty thousand of their troops. In the same year, the Turks came out from the Caspian Gates, and killed many in Armenia, and took much booty, and returned. ^C A certain Cosmas, bishop of Epiphaneia, which is situated near Apamea in Syria, surnamed Comanites, when the citizens of Epiphaneia brought an accusation before Theodore, patriarch of Antioch, against the same Cosmas concerning the diminution of sacred vessels, and he, being unable to make restitution for these, defected from the orthodox faith and became of one mind with the heresy of Constantine against the holy icons. Him, by common judgment, Theodore, patriarch of Antioch, and Theodore of Jerusalem, and Cosmas of Alexandria, along with the bishops under them, on the day of holy Pentecost, after the reading of the holy Gospel, with one accord anathematized, each in his own see. ^D In the same year, from the beginning of the month of October, there was a great and most bitter cold, not only in our land, but also throughout the East, the North, and the West.

^A And it reached even to the North and West, so that the northern coast of the sea was frozen solid by the cold for a hundred miles in length and to a depth of thirty cubits, and the whole stretch of land which lies from Zechia up to the Danube and the river Kouphis and Damastris and the Danapris and the Necropylae and the remaining coast as far as Mesembria and Media 62 suffered similar effects. This ice was further covered with snow and increased by another twenty cubits, so that the sea was made uniform with the dry land, and it became a safe path for men and animals, both wild and tame, walking on foot from Chazaria, Bulgaria, and the other nations lying adjacent. In the month of February of the fourth indiction 63, by the command of God, this ice was broken into many and various mountain-like fragments; and by the force of the winds it was carried down to Daphnusia and the Hieron, ^B and thus through the Strait it reached the City, filling the entire coast up to the Propontis, the islands, and Abydos, of which we ourselves were eyewitnesses, having stepped onto one of them with some of our own contemporaries 64 and played upon it. There were also wild and tame animals lying dead in these fragments. Anyone who wished could walk dry-shod and without difficulty across from the Sophianae to the City, and from Chrysopolis to St. Mamas and Galata, just as if over solid ground. One of these fragments, having drifted to the stairs of the Acropolis, shattered them. Another, truly horrifying and huge, struck the wall with such force that it shook it severely, so that those who lived inside felt the tremor of the shock. Finally, it split into three parts and girded the City 64 from the Mangana to the Bosphorus, for its height rose above the walls of the City. ^C All the inhabitants of the City, men and women and children alike, remained intent on these sights for a long time, and soon, dissolved in groans and tears, they would return to their homes, quite at a loss as to what to think of these things. In the same year, in the month of March, stars were seen falling in great numbers from the sky 65, so that all who saw them surmised that the end of the present age had arrived. A great drought also occurred, so that even the springs dried up. The Emperor summoned the Patriarch and said to him, "What harm does it do us if we call the Theotokos [Mother of God] Christotokos [Mother of Christ]?" The Patriarch, embracing him, said, "Have mercy, master, may this notion never even come into your mind; do you not see..." ^D

how defamed and execrable Nestorius is held to be throughout the universal Church?" To this the Emperor replied, "Desirous of learning, I proposed the question, but let this secret remain known to no one."

A.M. 6256. — In this year, the Turks again fell upon the Caspian Gates and Iberia, and having engaged in battle with the Arabs, many fell on both sides. Abdellas, by a cunning artifice, deprived Ise ^A of his rule—he upon whom, as mentioned above, the third lot of holding power had fallen after him. For, seeing him suffering from a hemicranial and vertiginous headache, and being filled with dizzying sickness, he persuaded him that he would be healed if, into his nostrils, a sneezing powder were blown, prepared by his own physician, a certain man named Moses, a deacon of the Church of Antioch, whom Abdellas had already corrupted with gifts, so that he might prepare a medicine that was at once violent and sleep-inducing. And indeed, the same Ise, persuaded by Abdellas, although he was on his guard against eating with him because of his treachery, received the powder into his nostrils. ^B And being filled with the influence about his head, and having been deprived of all perceptions and his directive faculties, he lay speechless. Abdellas then, having summoned the leaders and the nobles of the race, asked as if he were their brother, "What do you think concerning your future king?" When he had been rejected by their common vote, they gave their right hands and allegiance to Monam—the son of Abdellas, surnamed Madi—while they carried the insensible Ise home, and Abdellas sought to appease him after the third day, once his senses were restored and his mind recovered, by means of many excuses and by compensating for the insult with a hundred talents of gold.

In the same year, Paganos, the lord of Bulgaria, sent to the Emperor, ^C asking to be granted an audience with him. Having received his word, he came to him with his Boilads; and when the Emperor had taken his seat, with Sabinus also sitting beside him, he received them. He reproached them for their disorder and their hatred against Sabinus, and they made what appeared to be peace. Then the Emperor, having sent secretly into Bulgaria, seized the chieftain Severus of the Sclaveni, who had committed many evils in Thrace. Also caught was Christinus, of the profession of Christians, and the first of the Scamari, whom—

^A they brought to the port of St. Thomas; and having cut off his hands and feet, they handed him over to physicians. They dissected him alive from the groin [(71)] to the chest to observe the structure of the human body, and thus delivered him to the fire. ^B Thereafter the emperor, having gone out of the city and finding the mountain passes unguarded because of the deceitful peace, entered Bulgaria as far as the Tunza. And having set fire to the courtyards that he found, he returned with fear, having performed no noble deed.

A. M. 6257. — In this year, on the twentieth of the month of November, in the fourth indiction, the impious and lawless emperor, having become mad ^B against everyone who feared God, ordered Stephen the Younger, the protomartyr, who was an anchorite at St. Auxentius (this place is at the neighboring mountain of Damatrys), to be dragged to punishment. Having taken him—he who was an anchorite—his enemies, who were partakers of his ignorance and of like mind with him, the Scholarioi and those of the remaining regiments, having bound his foot with a rope, dragged him from the praetorium [(72)] as far as the monuments of Pelagius [(73)], where also, tearing him apart, they cast his honorable relics into the pit of those who have died a violent death, as he was one who persuaded many to the monastic life and to despise imperial dignities and riches. For the man was venerable to all, because he had spent about sixty years in the anchorite's cell [(74)], and shone with many virtues. And since many princes and soldiers were accused of venerating icons, he subjected them to various torments and most bitter punishments. ^C Furthermore, he demanded a general oath from all those under his empire that no one should venerate an icon; after which he made Constantine, the patriarch of false name, ascend the ambo and, holding up the honorable and life-giving wood, swear that he was not among those who venerate the icons; and he immediately made him a "Stephanite" instead of a monk, bringing his noble deeds to a close, but suddenly seized by fear, he retreated to Constantinople.

^A And not long after, divine vengeance delivered him into the hands of the bloodthirsty murderer. On the twenty-first day of the month of January, in the fourth indiction, the emperor began a war against the Bulgars and sent two thousand six hundred *chelandia* to Anchialus, having equipped them from all the themes. When these had anchored along the shores ^B and a north wind blew, almost all of them were broken to pieces; and a great multitude of people were drowned, so that the emperor had to cast out grapnels to retrieve and bury the dead. On the seventeenth day of the month of July, he returned to the city ingloriously. And on the twenty-first day of the month of August of the same fourth indiction, he made the monastic habit and way of life a public disgrace in the hippodrome, and exposed it to the eyes of all. For he ordered each individual monk to be led by the hand of a woman around the circuit of the hippodrome, and thus to walk about, being spat upon and abused by all the people. Likewise, on the twenty-fifth day of the same month, nineteen of the most distinguished magistrates were brought into the hippodrome and led through it in an ignominious procession, as if they had devised wicked plans against the emperor, having been slandered—not in truth, but out of envy because they were handsome and robust and praised by all; some of them suffered this because of their piety and because they were in the habit of visiting the aforementioned solitary, and were celebrating his sufferings.

^A His rage flared up, and he brought them to trial on capital charges. Among those notable for this were: first, Constantine, a patrician and former logothete of the drome, whom he nicknamed Podopagurus; second, his brother Strategius, a patrician and domestic of the excubitors; third, Antiochus, who had held the office of logothete of the drome and governor of Sicily; fourth, David Beseris, a spatharios and count of the Opsikion; fifth, Theophylactus of Iconium, a protospatharios and governor of Thrace; sixth, Christopher, assigned as spatharios to the patrician Himerius; seventh, Constantine, a spatharios and imperial protostrator, the son of the patrician Bardanes; eighth, Theophylactus, a candidatus assigned to Marinakes; and others. He paraded all of these ignominiously through the Hippodrome, and having ordered them to be spat upon and reviled by the entire populace, he passed the death sentence upon them. As for the two brothers, I mean Constantine and Strategius, he beheaded them in the Kynegion, while the people followed them to their death with great lamentation. ^B Indignant at these tears of the people, the emperor had the prefect Procopius beaten for having permitted this, and after appointing a successor, he stripped him of his office. He cast all the survivors into exile after their eyes had been gouged out; and, sending officials every year to the places where they were living in exile, he ordered each one of them to be beaten with one hundred lashes of dried bull-hide, in a fit of pure madness.

On the thirtieth day of the same month of August, in the same indiction, the miserable man ^C turned his madness against the patriarch who shared his name and his thinking. He found certain monks, clerics, and laymen—friends whom he imagined to be most faithful to the patriarch—and induced them to say: "We heard the patriarch speaking with Podopagurus against the emperor." He sent them to him at the patriarchate so that they might denounce him. When he denied it, he made them swear upon the holy wood that "We heard these insults from the patriarch." ^D In these matters, therefore, the one who sent them sealed the patriarchate, and he sent the patriarch into exile at Terebinthos, and then again to the island of Prote.

A. M. 6258. — First year of Niketas, bishop of Constantinople. ^A A. C. 758.

In this year Abdellas Ibinali (90) died, crushed by the tower in which he was being held prisoner. This Abdellas, while ruling as emir, inflicted many evils upon the Christians under his authority. For he ordered the crosses atop the churches (91) to be taken down, and forbade nocturnal vigils and the instruction of their own writings. Those called by them *Arurite*, which is interpreted as "zealots," rose up against them in the Palmyrene desert. But the malice of those men toward the churches of God was clearly that of non-believers. The emperor of the Christians, however—perhaps due to the ineffable judgments of God, much like the maddened Achab of Israel—showed a madness far exceeding that of the Arab rage toward the orthodox bishops, monks, and laypeople under his reign, both rulers and subjects. He everywhere denounced, in writing and by word, as useless the petitions to the holy Virgin and Theotokos and to all the saints, from whom all help springs forth for us; he buried their holy relics and made them vanish, if ever one was heard of as being renowned and dedicated for the health of souls and bodies and honored, as was the custom, by the pious. ^B Straightway death was threatened against such people as impious, along with confiscations, exiles, and tortures. The most God-graced relic, like some treasure of its possessors, was taken away and rendered invisible for the future.

The impious emperor performed such a deed even against the most precious relic of the all-praised martyr Euphemia, sinking it with its sarcophagus so that it might not be seen dispensing myrrh to all the people and refuting his absurdities against the intercessions. But God, who preserves the bones of those well-pleasing to Him, according to the Scriptures (Ps. XXXIII, 1), kept it unharmed, revealing it again on the island of Lemnos. For through a nocturnal vision, he commanded that it be raised and guarded. In the time of the pious emperors Constantine and Irene, in the fourth indiction, it returned to its own shrine ^C with the honor that was befitting. The same one, that of the churches... ^D

' common enemy, had made that holy place a storeroom and had wrongly dedicated it to the receiving of dung. But they cleaned out and purified the place, and consecrated the church anew, both for the reproof of the one emperor's impiety and as a monument to demonstrate the piety of the other towards God. This astonishing and noteworthy miracle ^B following the death of that nefarious emperor by some twenty-two years, we ourselves together with the most pious emperors and Tarasius, the most holy patriarch, beheld, and together with them communicated, though unworthy, having been honored with that great grace.

On the sixteenth day of the month of November of the same fifth indiction, Nicetas, a eunuch of Slav origin, was illegitimately consecrated patriarch of Constantinople by the vote of the emperor. And there occurred such a drought, that not even a light dew fell from the heaven; and the water in the city failed entirely. The cisterns and the baths stopped, and indeed ^C even the natural springs that had flowed perpetually before ceased, because of the drought of the air. Seeing this, the emperor began to restore the aqueduct of Valentinian, which had lasted down to the times of Heraclius, but had then been destroyed by the Arabs; for which reason he gathered together artisans selected from various places: from Asia and Pontus, one thousand builders and two hundred plasterers; from Greece and the adjacent islands, five hundred tile-workers; and from Thrace itself, five thousand laborers and two hundred potters; and he appointed over them supervisors of the work, and one of the patricians, to whose care the sum of all things was entrusted. ^D When the work was therefore completed and the water brought into the city, in that same fifth indiction he promoted those who shared his sentiments and were capable artisans for the furthering of his wickedness to the dignities of the empire. Michael, indeed, the Melissenus, in the theme of the Anatolics, and Michael, the Lachanodracon, to the Thracesians, and to the Buccellarii, Mane, the man who was namesake to his wickedness. And who is capable of recounting the impious deeds of these men, which we shall describe briefly in their own places? For to describe in detail the works of these men, done for the healing of the ruler, I do not believe the world itself would contain the books written—to speak in an evangelical manner.

A. M. 6259. — A. C. 759. — First year of Stephen, bishop of Rome. ^A

In this year, on the sixth day of the month of October, in the sixth indiction, Constantine, the patriarch of false name, was brought from the island of Principis into the city. The tyrant Constantine inflicted so many lashes upon him that he was unable to walk on his own feet. He ordered him to be carried in a litter, and, having gone out, he commanded him to sit in the ^B solea of the Great Church. There was present with him an ascretis carrying a scroll of parchment, in which the causes for this were written. By imperial order, the entire population of the city having been gathered there and watching, the scroll was read aloud in the hearing of all the people. And at each individual charge, the ascretis struck him on the face, while Patriarch Nicetas sat in the throne and looked on. ^C After this, having raised him onto the ambo and stood him upright, Nicetas took the scroll, and, having sent bishops, and having taken his pallium, he anathematized him, and, calling him Skotiops, they ordered him to exit the church backwards. On the following day, while the horse races were being held, they stripped his face, and shaved his beard, the hair of his head, and his eyebrows. And having dressed him in a short, sleeveless tunic, they placed him facing backward upon an ass equipped with a packsaddle, such that he held its tail. They brought him out through the Diippion into the hippodrome, with all the people and the commoners reviling him and spitting upon him. Constantine, his nephew, who had had his nose cut off, led the ass. When he arrived at the place of the factions, everyone again spat upon him and threw dust upon him. Then, having brought him to the Stama, they threw him off the ass and trampled on his neck.

^A And having seated him before the factions, he heard mocking words from them until the dismissal of the games. And on the fifth day of the month of August, he sent the patricians to him, and said to him: "What do you say concerning our faith and the synod which we have held?" ^B The man, empty-headed, replied: "You believe rightly, and you have held the synod well," thinking by this to appease him again. They, having answered deceitfully, said: "This was the one thing we wanted to hear from your impure mouth. Now, therefore, depart into darkness and into the anathema." And so, having received the sentence, he was beheaded at the Kynegion. And they bound his head by the ears, and for three days they hung it in the Milion as a spectacle for the people. His body, having bound his foot with a rope, they dragged and threw it among the corpses of those who had died a violent death; likewise, after three days they also brought his head and threw it away. O the irrationality and cruelty and inhumanity of that untamed beast! ^C Did the wretch not respect the holy font? For he had received two of his children by his third wife in his own arms. Always, therefore, he was beastly in manner and untamed. From this time on, he used greater madness against the holy churches. For he sent and caused Peter, the venerable stylite, to be taken down from the pillar, and because he did not yield to his dogmas, he ordered him to be bound alive by the feet and dragged through the middle of the city's streets and thrown among the corpses of Pelagius; others, bound in sacks and burdened with stones, he ordered to be thrown into the sea. He devised blindness of eyes, slit noses, laceration by whips, and every kind of punishment against those who were pious. And these things were done in the city by the emperor and those who thought as he did—I mean Anthony the patrician and domestic of the schools, and Peter the magistrianus, and the multitude of the tagmata trained by him; and in the outer themes, through the aforementioned generals. ^D He himself took pleasure in cithara music and banquets, training those around him in disgraceful talk and dancing. And if anyone, by chance or inadvertently, let slip the voice usual to Christians—"Theotokos, help"—or was caught keeping vigil all night, or frequenting the churches, or living chastely, or not using oaths excessively, he was punished as guilty of treason and examined by tortures. He made the monasteries, which were for the glory of God and refuges for those being saved, into common houses for his like-minded soldiers. The...

monastery of the Dalmatians, the most famous of all the cenobia in ^A Byzantium, he assigned as a lodging for soldiers. ^B Other sacred edifices, such as those known by the names of Callistratus, Dius, and Maximinus, and other religious houses of monks and virgins, he razed to their foundations. But those whom he found to be preeminent in military skill or distinguished in rank—most especially those who were previously close to him and had become confidants of his debaucheries and unspeakable acts—who were eager to pursue the monastic life, he condemned to certain death, suspecting that they would cause him shame through their confessions. ^C For this reason, he took to himself Strategius, the son of Podopagurus, who was handsome in appearance—for he was accustomed to attach such persons to himself because of his own profligacy—and when he perceived that he bore no love for his lawless pederastic lusts, and that he was confessing these things to Macarius, the recluse of Saint Auxentius, and receiving remedies for his salvation, he branded him as a conspirator against himself, and, together with the recluse, as has been mentioned before, he killed him. He also caused the public buildings (secreta) in the city to be brought to account during this time. For becoming a new Midas, he hoarded gold and stripped the farmers bare, and because of the collection of taxes, men were forced to sell the gifts of God at low prices. In the same year, the false-named patriarch Nicetas, by means of mosaic ^D work, caused the icons in the small secretum of the patriarchate to be removed.

and condemned to death. For the rest, he ensured that produce of every kind was plentiful in the city at its proper season. Becoming a new Midas, and indeed thirsting for gold, he amassed immense riches, worked the farmers to the point of extreme exhaustion, and compelled men to sell at a pittance the crops which had been generously granted by God and stored for sustenance, driven by the necessity of paying their taxes. In this same year, Nicetas, who falsely called himself patriarch, erased the mosaics of the patriarchal palace which had been depicted in the smaller ^A secret; he also removed the decoration of the great secret with wooden images crafted in relief, and painted over the faces of all the remaining images with a different color; he did exactly the same in the Abramiaeum.

A. C. 760. — In this year, the emperor, a man of three wives, proclaimed his third wife, Eudocia, Augusta ^B on the first day of the month of April, in the seventh indiction, on a Saturday, in the tribunal of the nineteen couches, where he placed the crown upon her. On the following day, which was the second of April—the Lord’s day of the Holy Pascha—he declared his two sons begotten of her, Christopher and Nicephorus, Caesars in the same tribunal, while the patriarch offered up the holy prayers, and the emperor placed upon them the chlamydes and the imperial crowns. ^C Likewise, he made their brother, Nicetas the youngest, a Nobilissimus, and placed upon him a golden chlamys and a crown. And thus the emperors went forth, casting consulship trimisia and semisia and newly minted coins among the people as far as the Great Church.

A. C. 761. — In this year, an exchange of captives took place in Syria: man for man, woman for woman, and child for child. Abdellas commanded that they should shave their beards and wear headgear one and a half cubits high. Furthermore, Abdellas himself besieged Camachum for the entire summer with eighty thousand men, but having accomplished nothing, ^D he returned covered with shame. And on the [...] day of September...

^A eighth indiction, Irene arrived from Athens, having set out from Hieria for the imperial city with many dromons and chelandia adorned with silk coverings; the leading men of the city along with their wives went out to meet her ^B and escorted her as she arrived. And on the third day of the month of September, the patriarch having come to the palace, the betrothal of the Emperor Leo to the same Irene took place in the church of the Pharos. Then, on the seventeenth day of the month of December, the Empress Irene was crowned in the Augusta’s triclinium, and having gone to the oratory of Saint Stephen in the Daphne, she received the nuptial crowns with her lord, the Emperor Leo.

A. M. 6262. — A. C. 762. — First year of Hadrian, bishop of Rome.

In this year, Banacas harassed the Roman territory with hostile arms and carried off a multitude of captives. The Romans, however, entered the fourth Armenia province and pillaged it. Saulach died, and Germanicia was transferred to Palestine. In the same year, Lachanodracon, imitating his master ^C, gathered together all the monks and nuns who were under the Thracesian theme to Ephesus, and having led them out into a plain called the Tzucanisterium, he said to them: "Whoever desires to obey the Emperor and me, let him put on a white garment and take a wife at this hour; but those who do not do this will be blinded and deported into exile to Cyprus." And no sooner was the word spoken than the deed was accomplished; and many testified to their faith on that day, but many also perished having deserted their order, whom Draco treated with familiarity. In the same ninth indiction, on the fourteenth day of the month of January, a son was born to the Emperor Leo and Irene, and he was named Constantine, while his grandfather Constantine was still among the living.

A. M. 6265. — A. C. 763. — In this year, Banacas undertook an expedition into Romania, and having descended from Isauria to the fortress of Syce, he besieged it. Having received news of this, the Emperor immediately sent letters to Michael, the commander of the Anatolians, and to Banem of the Bucellarians, and to Bardanes of the Armeniacs. And having arrived, they seized...

their exit, the pass, which was very difficult to traverse. The fleet of the Cibyrrhaeots, arriving with Peter, the protospatharios and their commander, rushed into the harbor of the fortress. When Banacas saw this, although he despaired of success, he nevertheless encouraged and heartened his men; and going up toward the cavalry themes, he raised a shout, put them to flight, and after killing many and taking all the surrounding regions captive, he returned laden with much plunder.

^B In the same year, Michael Lachanodraco, the commander of the Thrakesians, having sent his illegitimate son Leo, nicknamed Kouloukes, and another Leo, an ex-abbot nicknamed Koutzodaktylos, sold all the monasteries, both of men and women, and all the sacred vessels, books, livestock, and whatever else belonged to their estate; and he transmitted the money collected from them to the Emperor. He consumed by fire every monastic and Patristic book he found. And if anyone was found wearing a holy relic in a phylactery, he handed it over to the fire and punished the wearer as an impious person. He destroyed many of the monks with scourges; others he finished off with the sword, and he blinded countless others. As for some, he smeared their beards with an ointment made of wax and oil and set fire to them, and thus he burned their faces and heads; others he sent into exile after many tortures. Finally, he did not leave a single person in his entire province clothed in the monastic habit. When the Emperor, hater of good and justice, learned of this, he wrote to him expressing gratitude, saying: "I have found you to be a man after my own heart, who carries out all my wishes." The others, therefore, imitating him, rushed into similar crimes.

A. C. 764. — In this year Abdellas sent Mualabitum with a numerous army into Africa, and Alphadal Barinar made an incursion into the borders of the Romans and carried off five hundred captives. The Mopsuestians went out to meet him, and having joined battle, they killed one thousand of the Arabs. Abdellas, having set out for Jerusalem, fasted...

and ordered the Christians and Hebrews to be inscribed in their registers. ^A Many of the Christians fled by sea into Romania. Curicus Sergius was captured outside Syke, and Lacherphabus Sergius was captured at Cyprus, he being there as the Emperor's representative.

A. M. 6265. — In this year, in the month of May, in the twelfth indiction, Constantine mobilized a fleet of two thousand chelandia against Bulgaria. He himself moved toward the Rhusian chelandia in order to make his passage into the Danube river, having left behind the generals of the cavalry themes outside the mountain passes, so that if the Bulgarians were occupied in repelling him, they might be able to enter into Bulgaria. But when he came to Varna, he became afraid and began to think of returning. ^B The Bulgarians, seeing this and becoming fearful, sent Boïlas and Tzigatus, asking for peace to be made. The King, seeing them and becoming overjoyed, made peace; and they swore to one another that neither the Bulgarians would enter against Romania, nor the King attempt to enter into Bulgaria. And they drew up documents concerning this between themselves. And the King, turning back, entered into the city, having left sentries from all the themes and at the fortresses that he had built. In the month of October of the same twelfth indiction (29), the King received a message from Bulgaria from his secret friends, that the lord of Bulgaria was dispatching twelve thousand men and Boïlas to the Berzetia to take the inhabitants captive and to remove them into Bulgaria. ^C But he, in order that it might not be known that he was moving against the Bulgarians—for the envoys of the lord of Bulgaria had come to him, and while they were still in the city, he pretended to be moving against the Arabs—sent over the standards (50) and the service. And having dismissed the envoys and having learned through scouts of their departure, he mustered the army and moved out in haste. And having gathered the sentries of the themes and the Thracesians, and having united the Optimati (31) with the regiments, he made them[...].

^A arrive at the place called Lithosoria, fell upon them without the sound of a trumpet, and having routed them, he achieved a great victory. And he returned with much spoils and many captives, celebrated a triumph in the city, and having entered in action, he called this war "noble," as no one had resisted him, and neither slaughter nor shedding of Christian blood had occurred.

A. M. 6266. — In this year, eight-score thousands from Africa arrived in Syria and were paraded publicly in the manner of a triumphal procession. The emperor, however, conscious that he had violated the peace with the Bulgarians, prepared a large fleet a second time. And having put twelve thousand cavalry into it, he sent ahead all the commanders of the marines whom he had in his retinue, while he himself, held back by fear, remained with the equestrian forces. That fleet, having been carried as far as Mesembria and tossed by contrary blasts of the North wind, almost perished entirely, and many were lost; and he returned having achieved nothing. But Tzerigus, the master of Bulgaria, learning that the emperor was discovering his plans from his own people, wrote to him: "I have a mind to flee and come to you. Therefore, send me a guarantee of my personal safety, and write who are the friends you have here whom I may trust and who will be of assistance to me." He, led by thoughtlessness, wrote them down, and the Bulgarian, having learned them, destroyed them all. Upon hearing this, Constantine tore out many of his gray hairs in grief.

A. M. 6267. — In this year, in the thirteenth indiction, ^C the emperor Constantine left the city to wage war against the Bulgarians. But having been seized by a divinely-sent affliction of an anthrax upon his legs, and thereafter by a most vehement fever and a burning unknown to the physicians due to the excessive inflammation, he was carried on the shoulders of his subjects on a litter and returned to Arcadiopolis, and from there he set out for Selymbria, and having set sail on the fourteenth of the month of September, in the fourteenth indiction ^D [index: entries preserved]

^A having reached the Strongylus castle, he died miserably on the ship, crying out and saying: "Being yet alive, I have been delivered to inextinguishable fire." He, who had lived as her most implacable enemy, afterwards demanded that the holy Virgin and Mother of God be celebrated with hymns and praises. After the death of his father, he reigned alone for thirty-four years, two months, and twenty-six days. And thus he ended his life, having defiled himself with much Christian blood, with the invocations of demons and sacrifices, with persecutions of the holy churches and of the right and blameless faith, and furthermore with the slaughter of monks and the profanation of monasteries; and having transcended in all sorts of wickedness, he raged—no less than Diocletian and the tyrants of old—with a fury beyond all reason. In the same month, Abdellas, the leader of the Arabs, also died. These two most savage beasts, who had for a long time together torn apart the human race, were both taken away at the same time by the providence of God. And Leo and Madi, their sons, took power. In that same year, Theodotus, the king of the Lombards, ^B approached the imperial city and took refuge with the emperor.

A. M. 6268. — First year of Leo, emperor of the Romans. First year of Madi, leader of the Arabs.

In this year, Madi sent Abasbale into Romania with a great force; he opened the cave called Causim, which was named for smoke, and having taken the captives who were held in it, he returned. The emperor Leo began to spend generously the wealth left to him by his father, and won over the people and the citizens in the city by their profusion. ^C For a short time he appeared to be pious and a friend of the Theotokos and the monks. Wherefore he appointed metropolitans from the abbots in the chief sees, and he formed many troops according to the themes, and he increased the military orders. Consequently, the commanders of the themes, professing themselves bound by this benefit, entered with a great multitude of the common people, requesting that his son Constantine be designated emperor.

^A But he, as is the custom for emperors, replied to them that “My son is my only begotten, and I am afraid to do this, lest a human fate befall me, and you, while he is still an infant, put him to death and nominate another.” ^B They, however, with oaths promised to reassure him that they would not have any emperor other than his son, even if God should will that he die. This petitioning continued from Palm Sunday until Great Thursday, with the people clamoring and gathering in the Hippodrome and making their requests. On Holy Friday, he ordered them to take an oath. And all the people, both those of the themes and of the Senate, and those of the interior regiments and all the citizens, and those of the guilds, swore upon the venerable and life-giving wood, not to accept any emperor other than Leo and Constantine and their offspring; and they confirmed what they had sworn with documents written by their own hands. ^C The next day, which was Holy Saturday, the emperor went out to the tribunal of the nineteen accubita and proclaimed his brother Eudocimus as Nobilissimus; for the father had already promoted Anthimus to the same honor while he was still alive. Then, the emperor went out with the two Caesars and the two Nobilissimi and the younger emperor Constantine to the Great Church, and having changed his vestments, as is customary for emperors, he returned to the ambo along with his son and the patriarch. And all the people entering, they placed their documents upon the holy table. The emperor then spoke to them with these words: “See, brothers, that I fulfill your petition and grant my son to you as emperor. Behold, you receive him from the Church and from the hand of Christ.” ^D They then cried out with a loud voice, saying: “Stand as our surety, O Son of God, that from Your hand we receive our lord Constantine as emperor, for we shall preserve him and shall bravely meet death for his sake.” And on the following day, which was the Great Sunday of Easter, of the fourteenth indiction, at the hour of dawn, the emperor, accompanied by the patriarch, went to the Hippodrome, and having brought out the Antimensium, with all the people watching, the patriarch performed the prayer, and crowned the

^A emperor his son. And thus the two emperors, accompanied by the two Caesars and the three Nobilissimi, proceeded into the Great Church. The empress Irene also, after the emperors had proceeded, was led in procession with the scepters being carried before her with solemn observance through the Scholae, and she went up through the ascent of the Chalke into the catechumena of the church, without going into the middle of the vestibule. In the month of May of the same indiction, Nicephorus the Caesar, the emperor's brother, was denounced to the emperor on the charge of plotting against him, along with certain spatharioi, stratores, and other imperial servants. The emperor having summoned a silentium at the Magnaura, laid before the people the charges made against him. They, with one accord, shouted that both should be removed from the midst, being men who were perjurers, not remembering that they had once sworn to their father under oath that they would not allow harm to befall his children after his death. The emperor, therefore, having scourged and shorn those who were inciting rebellion, banished them to the regions of Cherson for safe and secure custody.

^B ... [The text here missing a beginning in the source indicates a gap in the manuscript tradition, continuing:] ...into Roman territory, and carrying off captives, he returned to his own people. Telerus, however, the lord of the Bulgarians, fled to the emperor, who, having given him his wife Irene's cousin in marriage, made him a patrician. Having received him after he had been initiated by the holy font, the emperor honored him greatly and loved him.

A. M. 6270. A. C. 770. In this year Uthmas sat at Dabecum and stirred up sedition. Emperor Leo, however, released the armies of the Romans, and a hundred thousand entered Syria, led by Michael Lachanodraco of the Thracesians, Arṭabasdus the Armenian of the Orientals, Tatzates of the Bucellarians, Caristerotzes of the Armeniacs, and Gregory the son of Muzalacius of the Opsicians. They surrounded Germanicea, where Isbaali, the uncle of Madias, was besieged, and having taken all his camels, they would have taken Germanicea as well, had not Isbaali persuaded Lachanodraco with gifts. He turned away from the city to plunder the region and to carry off the heretical Jacobite Syrian captives. Having accomplished these things, he returned to besiege the castle again. Uthmas, however, having collected his forces at Dabecum, appointed emirs and engaged the Romans in battle. Five emirs and two thousand soldiers are said to have fallen from among the Arabs, and they returned on Friday. ^C ... They had, in fact, entered the city on Sunday. The emperor, meanwhile, about to celebrate the Maiuma, sat upon his throne with his son, and thus, having won the victory...

He also transferred the heretic Syrians into Thrace and settled them there.

A. C. 771. — In this year, Madi, the leader of the Arabs, provoked to anger by past disasters ^B, sent Asan with a great force of Maurophoroi [Note: i.e., "Black-Cloaks" or Abbasid troops] and troops from Syria and Mesopotamia, and he marched as far as Dorylaeum. The emperor then ordered his generals not to join them in an open, pitched battle, but rather to secure the fortresses and bring in the population for their protection, while also dispatching great commanders to each fortress. He ordered them to select from the entire army three thousand elite soldiers to follow the enemy, so that they might press upon them from the rear if they scattered to plunder, and—by moving ahead of them—to destroy by fire the pastures of their horses and any other supplies they might find. When the enemy had maintained the siege at Dorylaeum for seventeen days, they ran out of all the necessities of life and suffered from a shortage of fodder for their horses, so that the greater part of them perished. Compelled, therefore, to retreat, they besieged Amorium for one day, but seeing it fortified ^C and well-provided with arms, provisions, and a garrison of soldiers, they returned to their own lands.

A. C. 772. — First year of the episcopate of Paul of Constantinople.

In this year, Madi, the leader of the Arabs, arrived at Dabikon with a great force and mighty war-machinery. He sent his son Aaron into Romania, while he himself returned to the Holy City. He also sent Machesias, called the Zealot, and gave him authority to convert the servants of the Christians to his own service and religion, and to devastate the holy churches. He went as far as Emesa and promised not to use force, except against those descended from *apistoi* Note: "infidels," here used in the specific technical sense of those who had apostatized from Islam to Christianity, as long as the Jews and Christians made themselves known. And at once he began to persecute them with such impiety as neither Lysias nor Agricolaus ever did, and he put many to death. But women overcame his madness by the grace of Christ our God, even those who were betrothed, namely [the wives] of the archdeacon of Emesa and of his son ^D Isaiah, having been tortured in many ways and not yielding to the impiety. For, from a thousand...

received the crown of victory from Christ. ^A He reached even as far as Damascus, and devastated many churches, not heeding the word given to the Christians by the Arabs. On the sixth day of the month of February, in the third indiction, ^B on the Sunday of Cheese-fare, Nicetas, who was from the Slavs, the eunuch and patriarch of Constantinople, died. And on the second Sunday of the fasts, Paul, a venerable reader, Cyprian by race, shining forth in word and deed, after much refusal due to the prevailing heresy, was with great force ordained patriarch of Constantinople. In ^C the middle week of the fasts, James the protospatharios, and Papias, and Strategius, and Theophanes the cubicularius and chamberlain, and also Leo and Thomas, cubicularii, were seized—and these together with other pious men—on the charge of venerating the holy and venerable icons. Then, stripping off his own hidden wickedness, Leo, the son of the persecutor, having cruelly beaten them and shorn them, and having made them, bound, to be led in procession through the midst of the city, locked them in the praetorium, where the aforementioned Theophanes also died, having become a confessor and having received the crown of martyrdom; all the rest, after his death, were revealed as approved monks. Now Maron, having entered into the Armeniakon theme, laid siege to the fortress of Sematodos ^D for the whole summer, and in the month of September he surrendered it upon terms. He had sent the Out-

previously dispatched Uthmam with fifty thousand men to oppress Asia with war; Michael Lachanodrakon, attended by a light force suitable for raiding, met him, and having joined battle, killed Uthmam, his brother. Furthermore, on the eighth day of the month of September, in the fourth indiction, Leo, the son of Constantine, ended his days in this manner: being consumed with an insane lust for gems and precious stones, he coveted the crown hanging in the Great Church, and having taken it, placed it upon his own head. Immediately, carbuncles broke out upon his head, and having been seized by a violent fever, he died, having reigned for five years, less six months. ^B

A.C. 775. — First year of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

In this year, the most pious Irene, together with her son Constantine, contrary to the expectation of men, by the ordinance of God, undertook the administration of the empire in the month of September, in the fourth indiction, so that the marvelous work of God might shine forth the more clearly, in that He intended through a widowed woman and an orphaned boy to purge the savage impiety against Himself and His servants, and the tyranny armed against the churches by Constantine, the enemy of divine things—just as of old He overthrew the malice of the devil through the weakness of fishermen and unlearned men. ^C But when the empire had been entrusted to her for forty days, while her son was in his twelfth year, some of the senators and nobles conspired to bring out Nikephoros, the Caesar, into the midst and appoint him emperor. But the plot being discovered, Gregory, the logothete of the public post, Bardas, lately commander of the Armeniakons, Constantine, the spatharius of the vicarius and domestic of the excubitors, Theophylaktos Rangabe, son of the drungarios of the Twelve Islands, and many others were apprehended; Irene had them beaten and tonsured, and banished them to various places. As for the Caesars and nobilissimi, the brothers of her husband, she had them tonsured and ordained into the priesthood, and compelled them to distribute the sacraments to the people at the feast of the Nativity of Christ, at which time she herself, proceeding in royal state in public with her son, returned to the church the crown which had been taken by her husband, now adorned with pearls and precious stones, and offered it. She also sent Elpidios, the patrician and commander in Sicily, as also pre-

previously having commanded the forces there, and dismissed him in the month of February. In the month of April, fifteen days later, the same Elpidios was slandered as one who favored the side of the Caesars; and having sent the spatharios Theophilos, she gave orders that he should quickly seize and bring him. But when he had gone, the Sicilians did not surrender him. She ^B then had his wife whipped and her hair shorn, and with their children sent her to the praetorium to be kept in custody. In the month of June, she sent all the frontier themes to guard the passes and to watch for the exit of the Arabs, appointing as their head John the sakellarios, who was a eunuch and one of her own household. Madi sent Keber with a great force, and they met one another in a place called Melos. And the battle having been joined, the Arabs were defeated, and many of them were killed, and they returned with shame. Now the pious began to speak freely, and the word of God was spread abroad, and those who wished to be saved began to renounce the world (56), and the doxology of God was raised on high, and the monasteries were being restored, and every good thing was becoming manifest. And at this time in the Long Walls of Thrace, a certain man while digging found a sarcophagus, and having cleaned and uncovered it, he found a man lying inside, and letters inscribed on the sarcophagus containing these words: "Christ is to be born of the Virgin Mary, and I believe in him. Under the emperors Constantine and Irene, O Sun, you shall see me again."

A. M. 6274. — In this year, Irene sent Constantine ^C the sakellarios and Mamalos the primikeriios to Charles, king of the Franks, in order that they might betroth his daughter, called Erythro (57), to her son Constantine.

Theophanes' Chronographia

(56) "Those who wished to be saved, to renounce the world without impediment": the monastic institution, to embrace this, which under the emperor Constantine had been a capital offense; and even under Leo his son, as the author has pursued in the previous year himself. Nothing to the point as regards the renunciation of heresies. Noted are the titles regarding those who renounce. Theodore is often praised: "And there came to us the Christ-bearing Irene, who by name ruled, from whom among other good things, the door to the monastic life was opened to all who wished, which had long been closed by an impious government, as if by one Hellenizing [paganizing] against the Christian faith. Thence the renunciation of the world for our people; and for the most renowned Father, the leadership after his quiet life. He is urged by the prelate of the time to preside over the church of Nicomedia; he elected metropolitans from the abbots for the most important thrones; 'And the monasteries to be restored': for except for the principal monastery of the city, that of Dalmatus, which was given over to the use of soldiers, Constantine had destroyed the rest in the city." COMBEFIS.

(57) "Rotrud, called Erythro in the Frankish tongue, as the Anonymous Annals of the Franks collected by André Du Chesne in vol. 2, p. 22, and by Petavius on p. 354, attributed to Nibelung, in the year of the Lord [he is missing for the whole seven-year period, as noticed elsewhere] write: 'King Charles went to Rome... and there Rotrud, the king's daughter, was betrothed to the Emperor Constantine.' The Anonymous Saxon Poet in the same volume, p. 177: 'Also Ruotrud, who was older than the others, whom his daughter was, wept bitterly mourning her death. Her and the Greeks, the rich realms were to have had, because she was not worthy of such a lord.'"

' Having made an agreement and oaths among one another, she left behind ^A Elisaeus the eunuch and notary to teach her the Greek letters and language, and to instruct her in the customs of the Roman empire. She equipped a great fleet and a chosen host from the themes, and chose capable leaders, ^B Theodore the patrician and eunuch, a man of action, and sent him into Sicily against Elpidius. After many battles were joined there with bravery, in the end absolute victory fell to the side of Theodore. Seeing this, Elpidius, struck with fear, took what wealth he had and Nicephorus the Duke and crossed into Africa; and having received a promise of immunity, he went over to the Arabs, who received him as if he were the Roman emperor, crowning him in vain, and putting upon him the *tzangia* and the crown (58). While the Roman people were occupied with these things, Aaron, son of Madi, came forth with a force and equipment exceeding all measure, from the Black-robed ones, and all of Syria, Mesopotamia, and the desert, and came as far as Chrysopolis, leaving ^C behind Bunusus to besiege Nacolia and guard his rear. He also sent Burniche into Asia with thirty thousand men, who, having fought Lachanodraco and the Thracensian theme at a place called Darenus, out of the thirty thousand men they had, killed fifteen thousand (59). The empress sent Anthony the Domestic with the regiments, who occupied Vane and shut them in. Tatzates, the general of the Bucellarii, fled to them, being a deserter of the faith, out of the hatred he bore toward Stauracius the patrician and logothete of the *dromos*, the eunuch, who at that time took precedence over all others and managed everything. He gave counsel to them, and they asked for peace. When Stauracius, Peter the magistros, and Anthony the Domestic went out for this purpose, they did not exact strict terms, nor did they provide to take hostages from the children of the leaders; ^D but going out incautiously, they were seized by them, bound, and forced, both sides, to make peace. And the Augusta and Aaron exchanged many gifts with one another, and they agreed also to pay them tribute at the appropriate time; and when the peace was made, they withdrew, leaving behind also the fortress of Nacolia. Tatzates also took his wife and all his possessions.

A. M. 6275. — In this year, Irene, having made peace with the Arabs and finding herself free from the cares of war, sent the patrician and logothete of the swift course, Stauracius, with a large force against the Sclavinian nations. Having marched down to Thessalonica and Hellas, he subdued everyone and made them tributary to the empire. He also entered the Peloponnese and brought back a huge multitude of captives and spoils for the Roman empire. ^A

A. M. 6276. — In this year, in the month of January of the seventh indiction, the aforementioned Stauracius arrived from the Sclavinian expedition and celebrated his victory in the hippodrome. In the month of May of the same seventh indiction, the empress Irene went out with her son ^B and a large force to Thrace, bringing with her musical instruments, and she traveled as far as Berrhoea; having ordered this city to be rebuilt, she renamed it Irenopolis. She then went down to Philippopolis in complete safety, and returned in peace, having also restored Anchialus. In the same year, the leader of the Arabs, Madi, also called Muamed, died, and his son Moses seized power. On the thirty-first of the month of August of the same seventh indiction, the holy and most saintly patriarch Paul fell ill, resigned from the throne, and went down to the monastery of Florus, where he took the monastic habit without the empress's knowledge. ^C When the empress heard of this, she arrived to see him with her son, and full of grief, cried out to him: "Why have you done this?" He, with many tears, said to her: "Would that I had never even sat on the priestly throne of the Church of God, which is tyrannically administered and has been cut off from the other catholic sees, and which is under anathema!" She, having summoned the patricians and the notables of the senate, sent them to him to hear what he had to say. He said to them: "If you do not convoke an ecumenical council and correct the error that is in your midst, you have no salvation." They said to him: "Why then did you sign at your ordination that you would not venerate the icons?" He replied: "It is for this reason that I weep and have taken refuge in repentance, beseeching God that he may not punish me as a priest who has remained silent until now and who has not proclaimed the truth for fear of your madness." After these words he fell asleep in the Lord in peace, leaving behind great mourning for the empire ^D and for the pious men of the commonwealth. For the man was venerable and merciful beyond measure, and worthy of all respect, and the commonwealth and the empire possessed great faith in him.

But from this time forth, conversations and discussions concerning the holy and venerable icons began to be held freely by all.

A. M. 6277. — First year of the Arab leader Moses. First year of Tarasius, bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, the Empress Irene gathered all the people into the Magnaura and addressed them in this manner: "You know, brothers, what Patriarch Paul has done. And if he had lived longer, we would certainly not have allowed him to abandon the throne of the episcopate, even though he donned the monastic habit. But since it pleased God that he should depart from this life, let us now diligently seek a man who is able to shepherd us and confirm the Church of God with the doctrine of the Word." With one voice, all replied that they knew of no one other than Tarasius, who was then of the secret secrets. The Empress said again to the people: "We also decree the same patriarch, but he refuses the burden. However, let him openly explain the reason for which he does not accept the election of the empire and all the people." He, setting forth his defense before the people, said these words: "Our emperors, the most fierce defenders of our blameless faith—that is, the Christian faith—and of all things that pertain to the glory of God, while they take care of all matters that they know to be pleasing to the Divine and useful to us, and especially those which pertain to the Church, and now acting with the greatest zeal so that a pontiff might be created in their imperial city, conceived of me with a pious mind and commanded that their counsel concerning this matter be made manifest to you all. Although I professed myself altogether unworthy of this office and offered no consent regarding it, inasmuch as I was in no way able to carry or endure the yoke of so great a burden, they commanded that I should appear before your presence, because you yourselves have all approved of this counsel by your suffrage. Wherefore, men who fear God and always keep Him before your hearts, who are marked by the appellation of God—God, I say, whose true name we bear, for I understand you to be Christians—I would wish that you listen attentively to a very brief discourse, which I have resolved to speak for myself, prompted by the narrowness of spirit and smallness of stature which I have by nature. For as to whatever I previously said to the religious and, in every way, orthodox emperors regarding myself, I shall relate all of it to you at the present time. Fear hinders me from consenting to this election, and I dread the sight of God, lest I should fear and run into this position inconsiderately, and so be liable to horrific damnation. For if that man, who by the voice of God was master, and...

^A spectator of paradise, and hearer of secret words, who brought the name of God openly to the nations and to kings, Paul the divine apostle, writing to the Corinthians, said: "Lest by any means, after preaching to others, I myself should be a castaway" (I Cor. ix, 27), how can I, who have associated with the world and been numbered among laymen, and served in imperial offices, so leap into the greatness of the priesthood without examination and careful reflection? The attempt is fearful to my smallness; the undertaking is bold.

The cause of my fear and my refusal is as follows. I see and observe the Church, which is founded upon the rock, Christ our God, now miserably torn and divided limb by limb, with us maintaining things far different from one another, and our fellow-Christians of the East holding one way, and those of the West holding yet another and agreeing with them; and we, being alienated from all of them, are ^B anathematized by them day by day, individually. Accursed is the anathema: it banishes a man far from God, and drives him from the kingdom of heaven into the outer darkness. The rule and law of the Church knows no strife or contention, but, just as it knows one baptism, one faith, so too does it know one agreement in every ecclesiastical matter. For there is nothing so acceptable and pleasing before God as that we should be united and become one catholic Church, as we profess in the symbol of our sincere faith; and we ask, brothers—for I think that you also, because I know you have the fear of God, desire this—that an ecumenical council be gathered by our most pious and orthodox emperors, so that we may become one of the one God, and united in the Trinity ^C and like-minded and equal in honor, as one body of our head, Christ, well-fitted and joined together, belonging to the Holy Spirit, not against one another, but with one another, those of the truth thinking and saying the same thing, and that there may be no strife and division ^D among us, so that the peace of God which surpasses all understanding may guard us all. And if indeed our emperors, the champions of orthodoxy, command me to acquiesce to my petition, I also agree, and I shall fulfill their command, and I embrace your vote; but if not, I am unable to do this, lest I be subjected to the anathema and be found condemned on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ and the judge of righteousness, where neither king, nor priest, nor rulers, nor a multitude of men can deliver me out of it. And if anything is pleasing to you, brothers, give an answer to my apology, or rather to my request. And all willingly listened to what was said, agreeing that a council should take place. And Tarasios, again discoursing to the people, said that Leo the emperor destroyed the icons,

^A that which you have said is pleasing to you, give an answer to my apology, or, as I would rather say, to my petition." Those who heard an oration of this kind willingly, all together decreed that a council should be summoned. Wherefore Tarasius, turning his speech again to the people, said: "Emperor Leo, I said, overturned the images, and the council, being celebrated thereafter, found them overturned. But because they were removed by the sole power of the emperor, the sum and head of the whole matter concerns again this question: that they dared to abolish, as they pleased, the ancient custom handed down in the Church. But the truth of God, to speak according to the Apostle, is not bound. ^B Furthermore, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of December of that same eighth indiction, our religious Father Tarasius was proclaimed patriarch of Constantinople; and having immediately sent his synodical letters, and a libellus of his faith as a witness, he was admitted into the communion of the Church by Pope Hadrian. The Empress also sent to the same Pope, requesting that he send letters and men in his name, so that they might be represented at the council. The Pope indeed appointed Peter, the oeconomus of his church, and the abbot of the monastery of Saint Sabas, men of preeminent honor and adorned with every cultivation of virtue. The Empress and the patriarch also summoned by their own envoys the prelates of Alexandria and Antioch; for peace had not yet been concluded with the Arabs. And so from Antioch they brought that John, a man famous for both virtue and doctrine, shining with no light proofs of holiness, formerly syncellus to the patriarch of Antioch, and Thomas from Alexandria, a religious man and distinguished by his piety, who had flourished as archbishop of the great city of Thessalonica in Illyricum. ^C A. C. 778. — First year of Aaron, leader of the Arabs. In this year, Moses, the leader of the Arabs, having died, Aaron, his brother, was placed in his stead and obtained the empire, who inflicted many evils upon the Christians. In the same year, the emperors sent men to convoke all the bishops of their rule, to whom those men we have mentioned, sent by Pope Hadrian with letters, came together with the patriarchs of Antioch and Alexandria. Then, indeed, on the seventeenth day of the month of August, in the ninth indiction, in the cathedral of the Holy Apostles in the imperial city, they began to preside and investigate the Holy Scriptures, and to examine the difficulties by proposing doubts to one another, while the emperors watched ^D from the area of the catechumens. The troops of the scholarii and the excubitors, moreover, imbued with the doctrine of their perverse master, and from their own

commanders, having drawn their swords, ^A rushed upon them, threatening to kill the high priest and the orthodox bishops and abbots. When the empress ^B attempted, through those of her household staff who were standing by, to restrain them, they did not obey, but rather insulted them all the more. When the patriarch arose, and having entered into the holy sanctuary of the altar with the orthodox bishops and monks—those who were bishops of their perverse way of thinking rushed out towards them, shouting, "We have won!" And by the grace of God, those mad and inhuman men harmed no one; and thus, the synod being dissolved, each departed to his own home.

A. M. 6279. ^B — In this year, the empress sent the patrician and logothete of the drome, Stauracius, into Thrace in the month of September, at the beginning of the 10th indiction, to the border themes that were there at that time, and persuaded them to cooperate with her and to expel from the city the impious people whom the persecutor Constantine had armed and trained. And having feigned a departure for the eastern regions, as if the Arabs were making an incursion, the whole imperial retinue and court proceeded as far as Malagina. Accordingly, those troops, arriving from outside, entered the city and brought it under their own control. Then, indeed, the empress signaled to the opposing troops by messengers: "Lay down your arms and send them to me; know that I do not need your services." They, as though alienated from their senses by God, laid down their arms. Then, having loaded their families onto ships, she exiled them from the city, ordering each to go back to the own province from which he had been born. And having formed an army of her own, with officers obedient to her, in the month of May she again sent out in every direction and summoned the bishops to come to the city of the Nicaeans in Bithynia, in order for the synod to take place there. And through the entire summer, all were gathered in Nicaea. From Rome and the east, she had not sent them away, but held them. ^C

VARIOUS READINGS

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES

^A On the ninth day of the month of September, in the eleventh indiction, on a Sunday, during the fifth hour of the day, as the solemnities of the Mass were being celebrated, a huge eclipse of the sun occurred.

^B A. G. 780. — In this year, the most holy archbishop of Constantinople, Tarasius, betook himself to the city of Nicaea. Then indeed the holy and universal Seventh Synod [(68)] of bishops was celebrated, and the Catholic Church, with no new doctrine brought forward—nay, rather, standing firm upon the assertions of the holy and blessed Fathers—proscribed the recently intruded heresy and recovered its ancient splendor. Furthermore, it struck with anathema the three false-named patriarchs—I mean Anastasius, Constantine, and Nicetas—and all their like-minded followers. Now, the first meeting and session of the bishops was held in the Catholic Church of Holy Wisdom at Nicaea on the eleventh day of October [(69)]. And in the month of November, all entered the imperial city; and the emperors, presiding together with the bishops in the Magnaura, caused the tome to be read, to which the emperor and his mother subscribed, confirming the piety and the ancient dogmas of the holy Fathers; and then, having heaped honors and gifts upon the priests, they dismissed them. Thus the Church of God received peace, although the enemy does not cease to over-sow tares among His own workers; yet the Church of God, even when constantly assailed, triumphs.

^C A. C. 781. — In this year, in the month of September, an army of Arabs, prepared for plundering, made an incursion into Romania and penetrated into the theme of the Orientals, to a place called Copidnadus. The Roman generals, having gathered their forces, joined battle with them but were defeated; and many perished, as well as not a few of the ranks of the exiles. Diogenes, the turmarch of the Orientals, a brave man, and the commanders of the Opsikion fell. Meanwhile, the Empress Irene dissolved the pact made with the Franks and, sending the protospatharios Theophanes, brought back a maiden from the Armeniac theme, Mary by name, from Amnia, and betrothed her to the Emperor Constantine, her son. Although Constantine bore this very ill, and because of his affection for the daughter of the King of the Franks, Carolus, to whom he had been betrothed, was unwilling to give his consent, the wedding was nonetheless celebrated ^D in the month of November, in the twelfth indiction. Philetus, the Duke of Thrace, having gone toward the Strymon, and [having encamped] without keeping watch...

was put to death by the Bulgarians, who had fallen upon him suddenly, together with many others. ^A Irene also sent John the *sakellarios* and *logothete* of the military [(70)] to Lombardy, having joined to him Theodotus, the son of the former king of Greater Lombardy [(71)], to be used in the expedition, in case they might be able to defend themselves against Charles and to win over some of his subjects. They went down, then, to Theodore, the patrician and *strategos* of Sicily; and, after the battle had been joined, they were overcome by the Franks, and John himself was captured and suffered a cruel death.

^B A. M. 6282. — In this year, evil men moved by hatred for the piety of the emperors stirred up the mother against the son, and the son against the mother. For they persuaded her, as if they had been fully assured by prophecies or oracles, saying: "It is not appointed by God that your son should hold the empire; that which is, is yours, and has been committed to you by God." She, as a woman easily deceived, and laboring under the ambition of ruling, was readily convinced in her own mind that this was so. She did not perceive that they were only anxious to manage affairs themselves and had invented this as a pretext. ^C The emperor, therefore, being now over twenty years old, robust and capable, saw that he possessed no authority, and he was aggrieved to see Stauracius the patrician and *logothete* holding everything, and to see everyone approaching him, and no one daring to frequent the emperor. Having taken counsel with his own familiar men, who were certainly few in number—those being Peter the *magister*, Theodore the patrician Camulianus, and Damian also the patrician—he determined to seize her [(20)] and banish her to Sicily, and to take the empire for himself. On the ninth day of the month of February, in the thirteenth indiction, a violent earthquake occurred, such that people did not dare to remain in their houses to sleep, but all passed their time in the gardens and in tents pitched under the open sky. The empress, however, went out with her son to Saint Mamas. When this pretext was made known to Stauracius, he agitated the Augusta against her son, and arrested all the men of the emperor, all of them, and having tonsured them, he sent them into exile along with John the *primo-mandator*.

protospatharios and the Bajulus, whose surname was Pieridius, to the lower reaches of the empire, as far as Sicily. ^B Having subjected the Magister Peter to disgrace and insults, she commanded him to remain at home, as she did also with Theodorus the patrician, the Camulian. As for the patrician Damianus, she had him beaten and tonsured, and deported him to the fortress of Apolloniades. Finally, she subjected her son to an equal penalty of beatings and the ignominy of insults, and kept him confined at home, so that for many days he did not appear in public; and with this she finally drove the army by her importunities to bring the soldiers into this counsel: "We will not suffer your son to rule as long as you live," and they all swore thus, since no one dared to oppose this in any way at all. Meanwhile, a fleet of the Arabs undertook an expedition against Cyprus; and when the empress perceived this, she gathered all the Roman ships together and instructed them against them. When both commanders had arrived at Myra, having passed the Chelidonian promontory, they sent the fleet into the Gulf of Attalia. Now the Arabs, having set sail from Cyprus, and having encountered calm weather, were wandering upon the sea. And when they wished to catch sight of land, the commanders of the fleet, sailing up, suddenly spotted them; wherefore, having drawn up the fleet for battle, they joined combat. Theophilus, however, the commander of the Cibyrrhaeots, a robust man and suited for warfare, being overly confident in spirit, left all the others behind and attacked the enemies, but was captured by them and brought to Aaron. Placed in his presence, ^C Aaron exhorted him at length to become a deserter from his religion and a traitor, and to delight voluptuously in earthly things. Since he rejected everything offered, and, being solicited more and more by promises and threats, did not acquiesce, he finally suffered the punishment of the sword and was revealed as a glorious martyr.

393 A.D. 783. — First year of Constantine, Emperor of the Romans.

In this year, in the month of September, in the fourteenth indiction, those who were demanding an oath from the soldiers in the name of Irene requested that it be performed by the Armeniac theme. They refused to bind themselves by oath with these words: "We will be subject to your son for our whole life," they said, "nor will we ever allow the name of Irene to be placed before that of Constantine, but we will always call upon Constantine and Irene, as we have done from the beginning." The empress again dispatched Alexius, surnamed Muselem, a spatharios and drungarios of the watch, to soothe them. Wherefore the Armeniacs kept him with them and placed him over themselves; ^D and having cast their own commander, the patrician Nicephorus, into custody, they proclaimed Constantine alone as emperor with loud voices. Learning of this, the peoples of the remaining themes drove out their own commanders, and they too proclaimed Constantine alone as emperor. Upon receiving news of this kind

^A regarding the craftiness of the wicked devil! How he strives to destroy the human race through so many machinations! For those who, fifteen years before, had sworn that fearful oath, and had drawn up documents, and deposited them within the holy sanctuary, were again swearing to Irene that they would never be ruled by her son during her lifetime. And forgetting this again, they hailed Constantine as emperor, not perceiving, poor souls, that they ought not to have made a counter-oath. For it is absolutely necessary that perjury should follow a counter-oath, and perjury is a denial of God.

Having gathered in the month of October of the fourteenth indiction, the men of the themes in Atroa ^B sought, by common counsel, that Constantine, now in his twentieth year, be emperor; and Irene, fearing the surge of the people, set him free. They confirmed him as emperor, but they declared his mother deposed. The emperor immediately sent Michael Lachanodracon and his tutor and protospatharios, John, and they made the Armeniacs swear not to accept his mother Irene as empress; and he confirmed Alexios as their general. ^C Returning to the city in the month of December, the emperor had Staurakios whipped and shorn of his hair, and exiled him to the theme of the Armeniacs for their satisfaction. He also exiled Aetios, the eunuch and protospatharios and her confidant, and all her domestic eunuchs; and having stripped her—with his habitual apathy—he settled her in the palace of Eleutherios, which she herself had built, and in which she had concealed most of her wealth. ^D

In the same month, a fire broke out, and the patriarchate's triclinium, called the Thomaites, the quaestorium, and many other houses as far as the Milion, were burned. In the month of April, Constantine set out on an expedition against the Bulgarians and came to the fort called Probaton, at the stream of Saint George; and having encountered Kardam, the lord of Bulgaria, a small battle took place towards evening, and the Romans, having become faint-hearted, fled by night and returned ingloriously; and the Bulgarians, having been frightened, also turned back.

^A A. M. 6284. In this year, in the month of September, the Emperor ^A marched against the Arabs, and departing from Amorium, went towards Tarsus in Cilicia. Having arrived at the Anydros towers, he returned empty-handed in the month of October, in the fifteenth indiction. On the fifteenth of the month of January, the Emperor, having been besought by his mother herself and many of the dignitaries, proclaimed her empress once more, and she was acclaimed together with him, as at the beginning, [reigning as] Constantine and Irene. And all submitted. But the Armeniac theme, struck by this novelty, rose in tumult and demanded that Alexius, who had but a short time before been their general—whom the emperor had summoned at that time upon some pretext, and having honored him with the rank of patrician, had kept with himself—be returned to them and restored to his office. Constantine, therefore, because of this demand, and because talk of him as the future emperor was being bruited about among the masses, had him beaten and shorn, and cast him into the praetorium.

In the month of July, he marched against the Bulgarians and built the fortress of Marcellae. On the twentieth of the month of July, Cardamus, the lord of Bulgaria, brought out all the forces of his domain and took up a position in the fortifications. But the Emperor, burning with youthful ardor and persuaded by false prophets who predicted victory for him, joined battle thoughtlessly and without order, and suffered a great defeat. He fled back to the city, having lost many, not only of the common soldiers but also of the dignitaries, among whom were Michael, the magister Lachanodraco; ^B Bardas, the patrician; Stephanus, the protospatharius; Chamaeas; and Nicetas and Theognostus, who had been generals, as well as no small number of the imperial retinue; and also Pancratius, that false prophet and astronomer, who had prophesied his victory. Furthermore, the Bulgarians captured the baggage train, the wealth, the horses, and the tent, along with the entire imperial equipment.

The military companies that had assembled in the city then plotted to bring out Nicephorus, who was from the Caesars, and proclaim him emperor. When Constantine learned of this conspiracy, he sent and had both of the sons of his grandfather Constantine brought out to the place of Saint Mamas. He blinded Nicephorus, and had the tongues of Christophoros, Nicetas, Anthimus, and Eudocimus cut out. Together with them, he also blinded the aforementioned patrician Alexius, being persuaded by the suggestions of his mother and of the aforementioned patrician Stauracius, who warned that unless he blinded him, they would vote for him to be emperor. The punishment of these men took place in the month of August, on a Saturday, in the fifteenth indiction, at the ninth hour. But Divine Justice did not long leave this unjust act unavenged. For after five years, to the same...

month, the same Constantine was blinded by his own mother.

^A In this year, the Armeniaci, having heard that the patrician Alexios had been blinded, believed that the patrician Theodore Kamulianos would be proclaimed emperor. Consequently, they seized their general, Theodore, and the patrician Kamulianos. The emperor, having learned this, dispatched the protospatharios Constantine and Chrysocheres, general of the Bucellarii, along with the rest of the thematic troops, to persuade them. However, when they joined battle against them, he caught both of them and blinded them, and many were slaughtered on both sides ^B in the month of November, of the first indiction. On the twenty-fourth day of December, at the second hour of the night, during thunder and lightning, a portion of the imperial workshop was set on fire. After the celebration of the holy Pascha, the emperor marched against the Armeniaci with all the rest of the themes. And on the twenty-seventh day of May, of the first indiction, a Sunday, the day of Pentecost, he fought them. Having conquered them through the treachery of those Armenians who had defected to him, he seized them and executed the spatharios Andronicus, their tourmarch, Theophilus the tourmarch, and Gregory, bishop of Sinope. He subjected the rest to confiscation of goods ^C and chastisement. He bound a thousand of them from their fortress and brought them out to the city through the Blachernae gate in the month of July, on the twenty-fourth day, a Monday, having imprinted on their faces with a needle and black ink, "Armenian conspirator." He dispersed them into Sicily and the other islands. The treacherous Armenians, having gained nothing from the emperor, handed over the fortress of Camachum to the Arabs.

[A.M. 6286.] — In this year, in the month of October, of the second indiction, the Arabs received the fortress.

But when the Empress Irene learned of this, she sent the patrician Constantine Serantapechos and Theophylact, his son, who was a spatharios and her nephew; and they blinded all of them and scattered their plot against her. On the second day of Holy Easter, the empress went out from the Holy Apostles, mounted upon a golden carriage drawn by four white horses and guided by four patricians—namely Bardanes, the general of the Thracesians, and Sisinnios, the general of Thrace, and Niketas, the Domestic of the Schools, and Constantine Boilas—while she scattered consular largesse in abundance. In the month of May, the empress became so ill that she was near death; and the conflict between the eunuchs intensified. Aetios took with him Niketas, the patrician and Domestic of the Schools, and they fiercely opposed Staurakios, convincing the empress that he was aspiring to imperial power. She became enraged against him and confronted him in the Palace of Hieria, calling him a plotter of subversion and riots and declaring that he was bringing about his own speedy destruction. He tried to defend himself and secured his own position, but he was furious against Aetios and Niketas, the patricians mentioned above.

^A forced her to become a monastic ^B, and having persuaded her, he had her tonsured in the month of January, in the third indiction. In the month of April he campaigned against the Arabs; and on the eighth of the month of May, having fought with one of their raiding parties at a place called Anousan, he defeated and routed them, and drove them as far as the river. And having gone down to Ephesus, and having prayed to the Theologian, he remitted the market tax of one hundred pounds of gold to provide for the upkeep of the holy apostle and evangelist John. In the month of August, the emperor crowned Theodote the cubicularia as Augusta and was illegally betrothed to her.

A. M. 6288 — In this year, in the month of September of the fourth indiction, the emperor celebrated his marriage with Theodote in the St. Mamas palace, on a Wednesday. In the month of April of the same fourth indiction, on the seventh day, at the night hour, a most terrible earthquake occurred on the island of Crete. There also occurred in Constantinople ^C on the fourth of the month of May one that was very terrible. Kardam, the lord of Bulgaria, declared to the emperor: "Either pay me everything in full, or I am coming as far as the Golden Gate and will lay waste to Thrace." The emperor, wrapping ^D horse dung in a saddlecloth, sent it to him, saying: "I have sent you everything that is fitting for you. You are old, and I do not want you to tire yourself by coming as far as here; but I am coming as far as Marcellus, and you come out. And let God judge between us." And the emperor, having sent to the border themes, mustered his army and reached Verinikopolis, and Kardas... [alt-version omitted]

JAC. GOARI NOTES

He confessed without confusion—The Precursor of the Lord said, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother Philip’s wife"; and his rival, who was like Herod, said the same to him. And yet his head was not cut off; for it in no way sat in the emperor’s mind to make him a martyr, he who by his own will had striven for the struggle, just as he himself had previously professed: nevertheless he made him a confessor against his will, who shut the treasure of truth in a certain cell as if he were a criminal. I refrain from saying more, lest I seem too prolix, regarding the ways in which he pursued the cruelty of that imprisonment, with the very minister of the sacrilegious and incestuous marriage serving as prefect of the prison, in a monastery near the Palace; whose constant importuning of Plato, until the adulterous emperor was brought into order and removed from affairs, to whom Irene again, as if bringing him out of the prison of martyrdom with the clear glory of a martyr, led him forth and relaxed the exiles of his disciples: nay, he says, the prelate Tarasius held the man in veneration, excusing what had been done on account of those things that had occurred, and calling him to union; which occurred once he who had placed the nuptial crowns had been removed, and out of a desire to avoid schism, from which the blessed man most of all recoiled. COMBEFIS.

(83) In the sacred area of John the Theologian: some, deceived by this phrase, think that it means that St. Mary had spent some time in that city according to the acts of the Council of Ephesus, which is foreign to truth and decency. ID.

(84) Market tax: See the examples in Meursius.

(85) Market days: See Anastasius' translation.

(86) He remitted: or by force or by spontaneous divorce, they enter into new nuptials; Arcadius has treated this learnedly and copiously in his work on the agreement of the sacraments in both Churches, book vi.

(87) ...are brought forward.

(88) A saddlecloth: *mandylion* is written more corruptly by others: *mantile*, napkin, sudarium—it is in one word; it is read in Julius Pollux, book vii, chapter 16, interpreting it: it is a diminutive, about which see Meursius.

^A The Emperor gathered his whole army and proceeded as far as Bersinicia. Cardamus came across from the direction of the Abrolebam forest, and, struck with fear, hid himself in the grove. The Emperor, having rallied the spirits of his army, advanced toward the Abrolebam grove for seventeen continuous days, challenging the enemy to battle, which he, distrusting his strength, refused to engage in, and retreated into the province. In the same year, the Arabs broke through as far as Amorium, and having taken some captives from the neighboring fields, returned home with nothing accomplished.

In the same year, Plato, the superior of the Sakkoudion, separated himself from the communion of Patriarch Tarasius, because he had admitted the Emperor to communion and had given the catechist leave to shave his wife, Mary, and to confirm him with Theodote. When the Emperor learned of this, he sent Bardanias the patrician and domestic of the schools, and John, count of the Opsikion, and brought Plato into the city, and shut him up in a prison in the palace at the temple of the commander of the heavenly host. He had the rest of the monks, along with Plato's nephews, beaten and banished to Thessalonica; Irene undertook to defend them because they were opposing her son and bringing him to shame.

A. C. 789. — First year of Leo, Bishop of Rome.

In this year, in the month of September, the Emperor ^B went with his mother to Prusa to be restored by the thermal waters. In the following month of October, of the fifth indiction, a son was born to the Emperor, whom he named Leo. Upon receiving this news, the Emperor, leaving his mother at the baths with the whole imperial retinue and the courtiers, hastened back to the city. There, finding a convenient time, Irene had a conversation with the commanders of the military regiments, and by scattering gifts and promises among them ^C she sought to overthrow her own son.

^D

VARIOUS READINGS.

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES.

^A She induced them to strip the son of his supreme authority and commit it to her, and thus by her own allurements, and partly through the persuasion of her own household, she drew everyone over to her side, meanwhile awaiting an opportune day. ^B Now, upon the death of Pope Hadrian, Leo, a man worthy of all honor and veneration, was appointed in his place at Rome. In the month of March, the emperor went out against the Arabs, having with him Stauracius the patrician and the other friends of his mother, along with a select force of twenty thousand light-armed troops from both themes. Those around Stauracius, seeing the eagerness of the people and the emperor, feared that if he fought and won, their plan against him would be thwarted. Having bribed the watchmen, they persuaded them to claim falsely that the Saracens had fled. The emperor, being greatly aggrieved, returned to the city having accomplished nothing. On the first day of the month of May, his son Leo died, and he mourned him very greatly. On the seventeenth day of June, in the fifth indiction, as the emperor was passing by St. Mamas after the equestrian spectacles in the circus, the commanders of the regiments whom we mentioned met him and attempted to arrest him. ^C Perceiving the danger, he boarded his *chelandion* and crossed to Pylae, intending to take refuge in the theme of the Anatolics. Those friends of his mother were with him, without his knowledge. His wife also went out with him as far as Triton. Then his companions, the friends of his mother, having consulted among themselves, said: "If the remaining soldiers ever gather to the emperor, he will reassert his freedom, and once he discovers our plan, he will utterly destroy us." His mother, having gathered at the Eleutheria those from the ranks whom we mentioned, entered the palace, and when she learned the number of the people flocking to the emperor, she was greatly terrified. She contemplated sending bishops to him to secure an oath of safety from him so that he might retire into a private corner of the house. ^D However, she first wrote to the friends who were with her son: "Unless you devise a way to hand my son over to me, I shall reveal to the emperor the conversations held between us." They, seized by fear, laid hold of Constantine, who was without suspicion, and having placed him on a *chelandion*, they brought him into the city on the morning of Saturday, the fifteenth of the same month. They locked him in the Porphyra, where he had been born. And about the ninth hour, they blinded him grievously and incurably, leading to his death.

The sun was darkened for seventeen days and did not give forth its rays, so that ships wandered and were carried off course, and everyone said and confessed that the sun had withheld its rays because of the blinding of the emperor; and thus Irene, his mother, consolidated her power by the counsel of herself and her advisors. ^A

In the same year, the kinsmen of the blessed Pope Hadrian of Rome, having stirred up the populace, rebelled against Pope Leo, and having seized him, they blinded him. However, they were unable to extinguish his sight entirely, for those appointed to blind him were moved by compassion and spared him. ^B Leo soon fled to Charles, king of the Franks; the king severely avenged himself upon his enemies and restored him again to his own throne, and from that time forth Rome fell under the power of the Franks. Leo, wishing to repay the favor, crowned Charles as Emperor of the Romans in the church of the holy Apostle Peter, anointing him with oil from his head even to his feet (99), and clothing him in imperial vestments and a crown, on the twenty-fifth day of December, in the ninth indiction (1).

In the year of the world 6290. The first year again of Irene, Empress of the Romans.

In this year, Irene, having secured the empire, immediately sent Dorotheus, the abbot of Chrysopolis, and Constantine, the chartophylax of the Great Church, to Abimelech, who was ravaging the regions of Cappadocia and Galatia, to negotiate a peace with him; but the peace negotiations came to nothing. In the month of November, certain men desirous of political upheaval—the sons of the God-fighting Constantine, who were held in custody at the palace of Therapia—were persuaded to flee to the Great Church ^C and there supposedly to request a guarantee for their future safety, in order that, under this pretext, the people might acclaim one of them emperor. When a large multitude had flocked to the church, Aetius the eunuch, a patrician, entered, and having given them his word—though no one was looking out for their safety—he brought them out and ordered them to be deported as exiles to Athens. The two patricians, Staurakius and Aetius, ^D

[alt-version omitted]

JAC. GOARI NOTÆ.

(99) That in the confirmation [of the rites] the Greeks wish the whole body to be anointed with holy oil, whereas the Latins anoint several parts of their kings—namely, the head, the breast, the shoulders, and the arms—the same as they do with emperors; but Theophanes wrote that the whole body of Charles the Great was smeared with the sacred unction from head to foot.

(1) Theophanies, in his text, leaves it to the year of our Lord 800, number 6, [saying] that Charles was crowned by the Roman pontiff on the Kalends of January, in the ninth indiction. But he falls into error, as all the Latins disagree. He is somewhat careless regarding Theophanes’ reading. For what is in Theophanes is clear enough, [concerning] how he received both the coronation and the anointing, and from him in Anastasius and the *Miscellanea* on the eighth day before the Kalends of January. But if he wishes the empire to have been conferred upon Charles in the eighth indiction, because the year eight hundred from the birth of Christ, in which he was acclaimed emperor, is marked with the sign of the eighth indiction: let that most deserving writer of ecclesiastical annals, who is not ignorant of the reckoning of times, observe that the Greeks, from whose fold Theophanes came—being no inferior member of it—take the beginning of the indiction from September: and thus it falls, for the most part, into the eight hundredth year, marked by the ninth indiction.

^A being intimates of the empress, they became enemies of one another, so that they openly displayed their enmity, both having the objective, after her death, to secure the empire for their own kinsmen.

In the year of the world 6291, A.D. 791. In this year Abimelech set out against Romania, and having sent out a raid of plunderers, he descended as far as the Manganai. And having arrived at the stables of Stauracius, he seized the horses and the imperial *promosella* (3) and returned unharmed; and the rest descended as far as Lydia and took much booty. Another band of them, having made a raid, fell upon Paul the patrician and Count of the Opsikion with his whole theme and the Optimatoi, and inflicted much slaughter upon them; they took even their baggage-train, and returned also. ^B In the month of March of the seventh indiction, Acamerus, the ruler of the Sclavinians of Belzetia (5), having been incited by certain Helladics (6), desired to bring forth the sons of Constantine and appoint one of them as emperor. The empress Irene, having learned of this, sent to the patrician Constantine, surnamed Serantapechos (7), and to his son Theophylact, who was a spatharios and her own nephew; and he blinded them all and scattered their conspiracy against her. On the second day of Holy Easter, the empress came forth from the Church of the Holy Apostles riding on a golden carriage, drawn by four white horses, and supported by four patricians (8)—namely, Bardanes, the general of the Thracesians, Sisinnius, the general of the Thracians, Nicetas, the domestic of the schools, and Constantine Boelas—casting about consular largess in abundance. ^C In the month of May, the empress fell so grievously ill that they said she was near to death, from which ensued envy and discord among the eunuchs. Aetius, having taken to himself Nicetas, the patrician and domestic of the schools, opposed Stauracius strenuously, and they persuaded the empress that he was aspiring to the throne; and, being enraged, she behaved severely toward him in the palace of the Hierion, saying—

that he himself was the inventor and author of the tumults and seditions, and that he would bring ruin upon himself. But he, having offered his defense to her, was putting himself in a position of security ^A, though he raged against Aetius and Nicetas, the aforementioned patricians.

A. C. 792. — In this year, in the month of February of the eighth indiction, the aforementioned Stauracius stirred up sedition and rebellion in the imperial city itself, having won over the minds of the scholarians and excubitors and their leaders with gifts and rewards. But the most pious Irene, having convened the senate at the triclinium of Justinian, forbade anyone accustomed to serve in the military to approach Stauracius, from which a tranquility of affairs emerged for a short time. ^B Aetius, whom we have mentioned, and Nicetas, with certain others, were pursuing Stauracius. Meanwhile, he, having been struck in the heart, vomited from his mouth frothy blood sent forth from the regions of the chest and lungs, and gave an unavoidable sign of death to the physicians who were flocking to witness the spectacle, although the rest of the demented flatterers—not merely physicians, but also certain unholy monks and sorcerers—rashly affirmed with oaths, up to the very day of his death, which occurred in the month of June of the same eighth indiction on the third day, that he would live and reign. ^C Delighted by these deceptive prophecies, he arranged for a sedition to be stirred up in Cappadocia against Aetius; however, fortune did not grant him the opportunity to hear the outcome of it, for two days precisely after his death, the first messenger regarding that matter arrived, and those who had been arrested as authors of the sedition were subjected to exiles and punishments.

A. C. 793. — In this year, when the ninth indiction was numbered, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of December, Charles, king of the Franks, was crowned by Pope Leo. And having designed to attack Sicily with a fleet, he changed his plan, intending in his mind to contract ^D a marriage and peace with Irene, for which cause he dispatched envoys in the following year, which was the tenth indiction. Furthermore, in the month of March of the ninth indiction, the most pious Irene remitted civilian taxes to the Byzantines, and significantly lightened the so-called commerce taxes at Abydos and the Hieros, for which, along with many other benefits, the populace returned the greatest thanks to her.

^A A. M. 6294. — In this year, Aetios the patrician, being freed from Staurakios and relieved of that anxiety, was exerting every effort to transfer the supreme power of the empire to his own brother, for which reason he had seen to it that he was appointed commander-in-chief of Thrace and Macedonia, while he himself held the eastern themes and the Opsikion. Being full of arrogance and seething, he despised the nobles who had been raised to high office, and considered the rest as worth nothing. Consequently, they were greatly enraged, and hatching an insurrection against the empress, they put it into action. There also arrived the apocrisiarii sent by Charles and Pope Leo to Irene, requesting that she be joined to Charles in marriage, and so unite the East and the West, to which she would have agreed, had not this Aetios, whom we have mentioned many times, stood in the way, as he was exercising power behind the scenes and plotting to usurp the empire for his own brother.

^B A. M. 6295. — First year of the Roman Emperor Nicephorus. In this year, on the thirty-first day of October, in the eleventh indiction, at the fourth hour of the night, as Monday was dawning, Nicephorus, patrician and general logothete, instigated a tyranny against the most pious Augusta Irene—God Himself permitting it through His ineffable judgments, provoked by the multitude of our sins—with the cooperation of Niketas, patrician and Domestic of the Schools, and Sisinnius, a patrician and his brother, those deceitful and perjured Triphylli. There joined them also Leo the patrician and quaestor, Serantapechos, and Gregory the patrician, son of Mousoulakios, and Theoktistos the patrician and quaestor, and Peter the patrician, who fraudulently drew some of the commanders of the military regiments over to their side. ^C Having seized that which is called the Chalkē, and having suddenly and deceitfully misled the guards, they convinced them that they had been sent by the empress herself to proclaim the same Nicephorus emperor, because, they claimed, the patrician Aetios was forcing her to proclaim his own brother, Leo, as emperor. They, believing such a great lie, joined in acclaiming the tyrant as emperor. Thus, then, those same patricians went to the Great Palace and entered it. From there, having sent out certain nobodies and slaves throughout the entire city, they carried out the proclamation before midnight, and stationed guards at the palace of Eleutherios, ^D where it happened that she was staying. At dawn, having summoned her, they locked her up in the Great Palace; and thus they proceeded to the Great Church to crown the wicked man. All

the people of the city, and everyone who had come to the ^A events that were taking place, were displeased, and they cursed him who was imposing the crown, him who was receiving it, and those who were congratulating them. Those who lived in piety and reason were amazed at the divine judgment—how it could allow a woman who had recently fought for the true faith and suffered many labors to be deposed from the empire by a usurper, while those who were most attached to her, because of their greed, fell away to him—I mean Leo, the patrician and *sakellarios* of Sinope, and the God-hated Triphylliis, and the above-mentioned patricians who had been enriched by the many gifts they received from her. Often invited to her table with pleasant blandishments, they had insisted, with ^B dreadful oaths beyond all the things in the world, that it was right to prefer friendship with her above all else. Others, thunderstruck by what had happened, and doubting the reality, thought they were being deluded by dreams. Others, more skilled at predicting future events, praised the prosperity of the past and lamented the impending calamity under the approaching tyranny, especially those who had already experienced the tyrant’s wicked character. In general, a darkness of mind and a comfortless despair took hold of everyone, lest by recounting the confused speeches of each I make my narrative too long. Furthermore, even the unnatural sharpness of the weather, which on that day appeared frightful and utterly gloomy, and the intolerable cold that ^C invaded—though it was autumn—clearly portended the future madness and unbearable malice of the man and his supporters. For on the following day, accompanied by some of the patricians, he went to the empress held in custody, assuming that treacherous appearance of benevolence usual to him, by which he had deceived many. He excused himself, claiming he had been raised to the empire entirely against his will—being, he said, alienated from any desire for it—and he cursed those who had promoted him to it but had plotted against her, just like the traitor Judas, who received the Lord after the supper yet was the imitator of that same traitor. Bearing witness to them in all things, he even pointed out that he liked to wear black shoes, ^D contrary to imperial custom. He treacherously urged her to be of good courage, and with oaths promised her every bodily comfort appropriate for an empress from a servant, warning her to fear no harm to herself from this calamitous change of events. Furthermore, having condemned greed, which he sometimes affected, he begged her not to hide from him any of the treasures collected by the emperors that she might be unable to keep for herself, as he himself was constantly consumed by an insatiable hunger for gold. But the wise and God-loving Irene, though she was obligated by the suffering of such a sudden change...

^A been troubled by the sudden change of circumstances, yet spoke with a noble and prudent spirit to the man who was yesterday a perjured servant, and today a grievous exactor and shameless tyrant: "I myself, O man, believe that it was God who lifted me up when I had been orphaned, and, though I was unworthy, raised me to the throne of the empire; and therefore I attribute the cause of this deposition to myself and my own sins. In all things, and in every way, may the name of the Lord be blessed," she said, calling upon the King of kings and Lord of lords; "yet I attribute the manner of your advancement to the Lord, without whose nod I have believed that nothing can happen to us. As to the reports that were often brought to me regarding the dignity you now possess, the outcome has proven them true, and you yourself are not unaware of them; yet if I had allowed myself to be swayed by them, you would have perished with no one to hold anyone back. But as I was persuaded by your oaths, and as I spared your many accomplices, I dealt reasonably ^B before God, and then surrendered my cause to Him through whom kings reign and potentates rule the earth. And now, as you have been declared emperor by Him, I worship you as emperor. I ask that you spare my weakness and grant me the home of Eleutherius, which was built by me, as a place of solace for my incomparable misfortune." He replied: "If you wish for this to be granted to you, swear to me by every divine power that you will not hide any of the treasures of the empire, and I will fulfill your request, and provide for all your care and relief." She swore to him by the venerable and life-giving wood of the cross that she would not hide from him even a single obol, which she also fulfilled. Having attained his desire, he immediately sent her into exile on the Island of the Princes, in the monastery ^C which she herself had built, while the legates of Charlemagne were still in the city and looking on at what was being done. Indeed, this glutton for power, having gotten hold of the empire, could not for even a short space of time hide his innate propensity for evil and greed, being also addicted to simulation; as if he were about to cut off and utterly eradicate the injustice that was rampant, he established a wicked and thoroughly iniquitous tribunal in the Magnaura. The tyrant's purpose was not to render justice to the poor, as the facts showed, but through this to humiliate and take prisoner those in positions of authority, and to transfer all theirs to himself; which he did. ^D

^A Seeing all people grieving against him, and fearing lest, mindful of the benefactions of the pious Irene, they might again invite her to rule, in the month of November, when the most severe winter was setting in, he, being unpitying, did not have mercy on her, but exiled her to the island of Lesbos [(19)], ordering her to be guarded securely and to be seen by no one at all. On the thirtieth of the month of April, Nicetas Triphyllius died, having been destroyed, as they say, by poison given by Nicephorus. And on the fourth day of the month of May, being the fifth day of the week, Nicephorus went out to a suburb of Chalcedon and, having mounted a very gentle and tame horse, by the providence of God he was thrown to the ground and crushed his right foot. On the nineteenth of the month of July, the fourth day of the week, at the first hour, ^B Bardanes the patrician and commander of the Anatolics, surnamed the Turk, was proclaimed emperor by the themes across the strait. Though he long refused, he was unable to escape them. Having descended as far as Chrysopolis and having paraded his army for eight days, and not being received by the city, he returned to Malagina. But fearing God and considering lest, because of him, a slaughter of Christians might occur, he sent to Nicephorus and received a written guarantee in his own hand, to which the most holy Patriarch Tarasius and all the patricians also subscribed, whereby he ensured that he and all his followers would be kept unharmed and unpunished. Then, on the eighth of the month of September, at midnight, having secretly fled, he went down to Cius in Bithynia ^C to the monastery of Heraclius, and finding there the imperial transport ship that had been sent for that purpose, he had his head tonsured [(20)] and was clothed in the monastic habit, and having boarded it, he went to the island called Prote, in which he had built a monastery, thinking that the deceptive Nicephorus would respect the terrible oath he had given him and would do him no harm in any way. But he first stripped him of his rank, and seizing the opportunity, he took prisoner all the chiefs and landowners [(21)] of the themes, and some from the imperial city, and left all the army without sustenance. And what words could suffice to recount worthily the deeds done by him in those days by the permission of God because of our sins? ^D On the ninth of the month of August, of the eleventh indiction, the Empress Irene died in exile on the island of Lesbos, and her body was carried [to the monastery on the island of Prinkipo, which she had built herself.]

^A A. M. 6296. A. C. 796. In this year, in the month of December, in the twelfth indiction, Nicephorus crowned his son Stauracius as emperor at the hands of Tarasius, the most holy patriarch, on the ambo of the Great Church; he was a person who, in every respect—whether in appearance, in physical strength, or in judgment—was entirely unfit for such a dignity. Now Nicephorus, who never upheld the truth in any matter, sent some Lycaonians—or rather, Lycanthropic beasts, men instructed in the same mind and character as himself—to the island of Prote. He commanded them to land at night and to blind the aforementioned Bardanes, as if he himself knew nothing of it, and then, after the deed was done, to flee for sanctuary to the church. When this happened, both the patriarch and the entire senate, as well as all who feared God, were terribly grieved. But the most lawless emperor Nicephorus, pretending to seek vengeance, began to investigate the Lycaonians in office by means of oaths, as if he had wanted to avenge Bardanes—a man who in everything acted for show and did nothing according to God. For he had among his other lawless deeds this special trait of character, by which he had deceived many even before his reign. Yet to those who knew his practice well, he was most ridiculous; so much so that, his most detestable face being always obscured by shamelessness, he then remained for seven days unseen within the imperial bedchamber, wailing and feigning tears. For feminine tears came naturally to him, a thing that seems to be innate in many wicked men who falsely boast of being Christs and prophets; yet this did not escape the notice of many. In the month of August, he set out against the Arabs and met them at Crasus in Phrygia; having engaged in battle, he was defeated, and having lost many of his men, he himself was very nearly captured, had not some of the leaders, who were most brave, with difficulty managed to rescue him from the danger.

^D A. M. 6297. In this year, a rebellion having occurred in Persia, the leader of the Arabs went down there to reconcile the dissident factions. Nicephorus, finding an opportunity, rebuilt Ancyra in Galatia, and Thebasa and Andrasus. He also sent a raiding party into Syria, but it returned having accomplished nothing, and indeed having lost many men.

A. M. 6298. First year of Nicephorus as bishop of Constantinople.

In this year, on the twenty-fifth day of the month of February, in the fourteenth indiction, Tarasius, the most holy archbishop of Constantinople, gloriously ended his life, and his body was carried [out... ]

to the straits of the Pontus, and was buried in the monastery founded by him on the fourth day of the first week of the Fast. And on the twelfth day of the month of April, on the great Sunday of Pascha, Nicephorus, the most holy patriarch, formerly an asekretis, was ordained by the vote of the whole people and of the priests, and also of the emperors. ^A But Plato and Theodore, the superior of the Studium monastery, did not consent to the ordination of Nicephorus; nay, rather, having meditated a schism from the others, they stood firmly against it, driven by an argument which was seemingly plausible, namely, that one ought not suddenly to leap from the base state of the laity to the supreme height of the episcopacy. The Emperor Nicephorus, having planned to banish them from the city, was restrained by the opinion of some who pointed out that the ordination of the patriarch would become odious if the monks, ^B who numbered up to seven hundred and were serving under Theodore, and his monastery, which was so famous, were to be dispersed by such assertions and fall from their foundations. Moreover, this was neither new in the Church nor recently devised, since many others also, created bishops from the laity, had behaved themselves in accordance with God in the priestly dignity. In the same year, Aaron, the leader of the Arabs, having collected the greatest forces from the Maurophori, Syria, ^C Palestine, and Libya, to the number of one thousand three hundred, made an expedition against Romanía. And having come to Tyana, he built... ^D

JAC. GOAR'S NOTES.

^A And he built a house of his blasphemy. And having besieged it, he took the castle of Heracles, which was very strongly fortified, and Thebasa, and Malacopaea, and Sideropalum, and Andrasus. And he sent sixty thousand ^B of his army, and they came down as far as Ancyra; and having reconnoitered it, he returned. The Emperor Nicephorus, seized by fear and perplexity, himself went out in desperation, showing the noble deeds of his misery (24), and having performed many trophies, he sent to Aaron the metropolitan of Synada, and Peter the abbot of Gulaion, and Gregory the steward of Amastris, asking for peace to be made. And after they had discussed the matter at length, they established the peace, so that each year there should be paid to them thirty thousand gold coins, and three coins for the head (25) of the Emperor himself, and three for his son. Aaron, having received this, rejoiced and was glad, as if he had subjected the Roman Empire, and he rejoiced more than if he had received ten thousand talents. They also agreed that the captured castles should not be rebuilt (26). But when the Arabs had departed, he immediately rebuilt and refortified the same castles. Aaron, having learned of this, sent again and captured Thebasa, and having sent a fleet to Cyprus, he destroyed the churches, and relocated the Cypriots, and having made many captives, he broke the peace. ^C

A. M. 6299. — In this year, Nicephorus campaigned against the Bulgarians, and having reached Adrianople, since a conspiracy was being plotted against him by the imperial staff and the regiments, he realized it and returned without success, having accomplished nothing, except that he took vengeance on his own countrymen, subjecting many to beatings, exiles, and confiscations. (27) Having sent Bardanius, the spatharios, surnamed Anemas, he took as captives all the proselytes and foreign settlers, and transferred them to Thrace, thinking to obtain a not inconsiderable weight of gold from them.

for he did everything for the sake of the gold he loved, and not for the love of Christ. ^A

A.C. 800. — In this year, in the month of September, in the first indiction, Aaron, the leader of the Arabs, sent forth Humaid with a strong fleet against Rhodes. He, having suddenly undertaken the voyage and arriving at Rhodes, carried off a great quantity of spoil from it, only the fortress being kept immune from devastation. But truly, as he was returning, the saint and worker of wonders, Nicholas, harassed him with manifest vengeance. For when he had occupied Myra and attempted to smash his sacred coffin, and through error applied force and blows to a neighboring one, ^B instantly an immense storm of winds and sea waves, with a mixture of thunder and lightning, seized the fleet, so that most of the ships were shattered and submerged; and he himself, that enemy of God, Humaid, having experienced the power of the saint, barely and beyond all hope was able to escape the danger.

In the month of December, on the twentieth day, Nicephorus, intending to join his son Stauracius to a wife, having conducted an accurate search for virgins throughout everything under his authority, took Theophano the Athenian, a relative of the blessed Irene, who had been betrothed to a man with whom she had frequently lain, and separating her from him, he joined her to the wretched Stauracius, so that he who was accustomed to violate all laws, in this also transgressed impudently. Moreover, two other girls, ^C surpassing her in beauty by far, whom he had selected together with her, this detestable man defiled openly in the very days of the wedding solemnities, not without the laughter of men.

But in the month of February, many of the nobles, having plotted a conspiracy against him, designated as emperor Arsaber the quaestor and patrician, a religious and learned man. When Nicephorus, most practiced in devising deceits against others, had discovered the ambush, he had Arsaber beaten and shorn, and relegated him to Bithynia to spend the rest of his life among the monks; and he subjected the others to blows, exiles, and the confiscation of their property, suppressing not only the nobles living in the secular world, but also holy bishops and monks, and even those of the Great Church, the syncellus, the sacellarius, and the chartophylax, men who were distinguished and worthy of all veneration. ^D

A.C. 801. — First year of the Arab leader Muamed.

In this year, in the month of March, in the second indiction, Aaron, the leader of the Arabs, died in the interior of Persia, in the region called Chorasan. Muamed his son, entirely inept at everything, assumed the rule, against whom his brother Abdellas, having stirred up sedition, bursting forth from the province of Chorasan with his paternal forces, became the author of a civil war throughout that nation. Straightaway, those in Syria, Egypt, and Libya

^A divided into various factions, ruined both the public state and private individuals, raging confusedly in slaughter, rapine, and every kind of atrocity, both against themselves and against the Christians subject to them. Then indeed, ^B throughout the holy city of Christ our God, the churches were desolated and devastated. From this came the ruin that burst upon the monasteries of the two great lauras—I mean those of Saint Chariton and Cyriacus, and of Saint Sabas—as well as the remaining coenobia of the saints Euthymius and Theodosius. This kind of anarchy, and the mutual slaughter ^C of one another and of us, prevailed for years. Theodore, the abbot of the Studios, and his brother Joseph, the Archbishop of Thessalonica, together with Plato the recluse and the rest of their monks, withdrew from the communion of Nicephorus, the most holy patriarch, because of Joseph the economus, who had illegitimately placed the marriage crowns upon Constantine and Theodote. Nicephorus the emperor, seizing the opportunity, gathered many bishops and abbots and ordered a synod to be held against them, by the decree of which they were cast out of the monastery and the city and sent into exile in the month of January, in the second indiction. In the same year, while pay was being given to the soldiers at the Strymon, the Bulgarians fell upon it and carried off 1,100 pounds of gold, and slaughtered many of the people along with the general and the officers. For there were also no small number of officers from the other themes stationed there, and all perished there. They also took the entire baggage train and returned. In the same year, ^D before the feast of Easter, Crummus, the leader of the Bulgarians, having mobilized against Sardica, took it by deceit and craft, and slaughtered six thousand Roman soldiers, not counting the private multitude. Nicephorus, having gone out against him on the third day of the week of the saving Passion, achieved nothing worth mentioning; indeed, when his officers who had been saved from the flight asked for a safe conduct, [E] he deigned not to grant it, but forced them to desert to the enemy; among those who did so was Euthymius the spatharius, who was most skilled in siege machinery. Nicephorus, intending to add to his own disgrace, lied, saying that he had celebrated the feast of Easter in the court of Crummus, and wanting to restore Sardica, which had been abandoned by the enemy, he feared the opposing multitudes [F] and attempted, through his generals and officers, to persuade the crowds to petition the emperor for the reconstruction. When they understood the play—that it was an action proposed by his own wickedness—they rose in rebellion against him and the [G]

^A leaders of their own at the sixth hour, and falling upon them, tore down their tents. Having come as far as the palace, they pelted him with many insults and curses, swearing that they would no longer endure his immoderate greed and his wicked mind. He, struck with great terror at the sudden uprising, rose from the table and, first through the patricians Nicephorus and Peter, tried to appease ^B the army with oaths and persuasive words. But they, pausing for a little while, occupied a certain hill, forgetting the action they had in hand, wretched as they were, and shouted, "Lord, have mercy," as if they were in an earthquake or a drought. He, ever ready for every kind of wickedness, having secretly deceived many of the leaders all night long with bribes, went out himself the next day, stood in their midst, and addressed the crowds concerning every kind of prosperity and peace, giving them assurances with terrible oaths and expressing his affection for them as if they were his own children. And he immediately marched to the city, leaving behind the patrician and *promoncurion* Theodosius, by the name of Salibaras, to discover the instigators of the tumult through their accusations against one another. As the troops returned to the city, he feigned a distribution of pay, but instead punished many of the soldiers with beatings, shearing of hair, and exile to Saint Mamas. At last, having treated such terrible and fearsome ^C oaths as if they were merely to be trampled underfoot, he deported the majority into exile at Chrysopolis. Struck by so great a calamity, they gave the name of "Fiery River" to the harbor of the crossing.

A. C. 802

those who were stronger but suffered along with them and could not help, and who expected heavier disasters. These things began from the month of September and were concluded by the holy Easter.

He commanded a second hardship along with this: that the poor should be enrolled for military service and be armed by their fellow-countrymen, providing also eighteen nomismata per person to the public treasury, and that they should be responsible for the public taxes with joint liability ^A.

A third act of malice: that everyone should be inspected and their taxes increased, and for the sake of the paper-tax, two keratia per person; and he ordered that all remissions of taxes be revoked.

A fifth: that the smoke-tax ^B be demanded from the tenants of the holy houses—of the orphanage, and of the hostels, and of the hospitals, and of the churches, and of the royal monasteries—from the first year of his tyranny; and that the best of the estates be taken into the royal administration, while their taxes were to be laid upon the remaining lands and tenants of those same holy houses, so that the taxes on many were doubled, while their dwellings and fields were restricted.

A sixth: that it be investigated by the commanders who those were who had suddenly become wealthy out of poverty, and that money be demanded from them as discoverers of treasures.

A seventh: that those who for twenty years had found a storage jar or any vessel whatsoever, and even those people themselves, be turned into cash.

An eighth: that those who had inherited properties from grandparents or parents before those same twenty years, and had divided them, should give them to the public treasury if they were poor; and he ordered those who had bought domestic slaves outside of Abydos to pay two nomismata for each, and especially those in the Dodecanese.

A ninth: that those ^C dwelling by the sea, especially the ship-owners of Asia Minor who had never lived as farmers, be compelled to buy from the estates plundered by him, in such a way as they were valued by him.

A tenth: that he gathered the prominent ship-owners in Constantinople and gave them gold to be lent at an interest rate of four keratia per nomisma for twelve pounds, and they were to pay the customary customs duties as well.

These things, out of many, have been inscribed by me as a small summary, indicating the type of his ^D craftiness in greed. For things concerning the Queen of Cities were...

^A in truth beyond writing: he was tracking how those in power, those in the middle, and those of low degree lived, and he was inciting the wicked among the servants to slander their masters, while he seemingly wavered at first over these reports, only later to confirm the slanders. He did the same even with obscure persons against those of note, honoring those who slandered well. He cast many of the occupants out of their homes, from the first to the third generation, in the hope that they would fail quickly and he might inherit from them. It is worth ^B mentioning this, too, for the sake of pleasure or as an example. There was a certain candle-seller in the marketplace who had acquired some means through his own labors. The monster, having summoned him, spoke to him about money as follows: "Place your hand upon my head and swear to me how much gold you have." The man, seemingly refusing as unworthy to do so, was forced by him to perform this, and confessed to having one hundred pounds. He ordered this to be brought at once, saying: "What need have you of such trouble? Dine with me, and once you have received your hundred coins, return to your house content."

A. C. 803. ^C In this year, Nicephorus, who by a written law had forbidden the practice of usury, extended for the worse the inspections—accustomed to him and hateful to God—of the Christians, the unjust seizures of all goods, animals, fodder, and fruits, the usury exacted from ships, and other infinite evils, a narration of which, since it has been partially established, would be troublesome to those who desire to know historical events in summary. On the first day of the month of October, the third day of the week, a certain unknown man, covered in a monastic habit, drew a sword from the side of a soldier and rushed into the palace, intending to bring death to Nicephorus. ^D He gravely wounded two of those standing by who pursued and attempted to restrain him. Being seized, and having been interrogated under torture, with no author of the crime or accomplice accused, he pretended to be tormented by a demon. The emperor ordered the man to be bound in wooden stocks, together with those who were agitated by a demon, because they augured that this was a portent of a grave evil impending for both the rulers and every subject, just as had happened in the times of the impious Nestorius. Furthermore, the Manichaeans—who are now called Paulicians—and the Athingani in Phrygia and...

Lycaonia, near his own homeland, found him a fervent friend; he was ablaze with the same desire as them, and entirely devoted to their prophecies and superstitions. ^A Having summoned them when Bardanius the Patrician rose in rebellion against him, he subdued the man by using their sorceries. For he had a bull lowered into a pit, bound by its horns to an iron stake, its head bent toward the earth, and in that condition, while it was bellowing and writhing, he had it killed; he then ordered Bardanius’s garment to be ground in a mill in the reverse direction, while muttering incantations, and thus—God permitting it on account of the multitude of our sins—he won the victory. ^B For this reason, under his rule, those Manichaeans were granted the freedom to live with others and to use the rights of citizenship without fear, from which it came to pass that many men of lighter mind were corrupted by their nefarious opinions.

At that time in the Hexakionion there was a certain Nicolaus, falsely claiming for himself the title of hermit, and others who were partakers of the same life, who were accustomed to spewing blasphemies against the True Word and the venerable icons. He sought to bind these men to himself, while inflicting misery upon the Pontiff Nicephorus and all those who directed their lives according to God. For he was frequently angered by those who brought complaints against them, while he took great delight in those who harbored enmity toward one another, and he mockingly reviled every Christian who loved his neighbor as one who overturns the divine commandments; and it was his earnest desire to initiate unjustified and reasonable lawsuits against every Christian in the torture-chamber of the Magnaura, so that no one might be free to protest against his impieties. ^C He ordered that military commanders should treat bishops and clerics as slaves, dragging them from their bishoprics and monasteries by sovereign right and abusing their possessions. Furthermore, he used to criticize with insults those who from of old had consecrated gold or silver vessels to God, and he dogmatized that those which the church of the community now possessed were suitable for common use—just as Judas did regarding the Lord’s ointment. ^D He blamed all the emperors before him as unskillful, altogether denying Divine Providence, and asserting that no one was more powerful than the sovereign, if the sovereign wished to rule vigorously. But that godless man was frustrated in his own reasonings.

In the month of February of the same fourth indiction, on the first Saturday of the holy Fast, the Saracens met with Leo, the general of the Armeniacs, along with the infantry of the theme, at Euchaita, and carried it off with a great multitude of people. The sum was thirteen talents, amounting to one thousand three hundred pounds; and even then, not being disciplined, Nicephorus was not checked from ceasing his greed. Given such signs, this new Ahab, having not been disciplined, and being more insatiable than Phalaris and Midas, drew up a battle line against the Bulgarians together with Stauracius his son, and with the

^A imperial city having been departed from in the month of May, he commanded Nicetas the patrician and general logothete to increase the public taxes of the churches and monasteries, and to exact from the houses of the nobles the arrears of eight years. And there was great lamentation. But being rebuked by a certain intimate servant of his, I mean Theodosius, the son of Salibaras, who was a patrician, saying, "Master, all cry out against us, and in the time of trial all will rejoice at our downfall," he said to him, "If God hardened my heart, as that of Pharaoh, what good thing shall there be for those under my hand? Do not, Theodosius, expect from Nicephorus anything other than what you see." These things, the Lord knows, I myself heard with a living voice from Theodosius. Having collected the forces, not only from Thrace but also from the remoter themes, and many poor men having been driven thither as well, to campaign at their own expense armed with slings and staffs, among which all were cursing him and his whole army with him, he marched against the Bulgarians. But Crummus, fearing the crowds, when they were at Marcellae ^B, asked for peace. But he, being hindered by his own depraved counsel and the suggestions of his like-minded advisors, refused the treaty, and after many detours through impassable places, with the army dangerously exposed, the cowardly bold man enters Bulgaria on the twentieth day of the month of July (the rising of the Dog Star was death-bringing), frequently sounding forth the phrase, "Who shall go and deceive Ahab?" saying that whether God or the adversary draws all things. But before he entered, Byzantius, his intimate servant, fled from Marcellae ^C to Crummus, having snatched up royal raiment and a hundred pounds of gold; many interpreted his flight as an evil omen for Nicephorus. For three days after the first clashes, thinking he was prospering, he did not attribute the victory to the prospering God, but proclaimed only the good fortune and prudence of Stauracius, and threatened the officials who obstructed the entry. He ordered that irrational animals and infants and every age be pitilessly slaughtered, and he left the corpses of those of the same race as himself unburied, caring only for the collection of the dogs, and having placed locks and seals on the treasuries ^D of Crummus, he secured them as his own henceforth. He also cut off other limbs of Christians who had touched the dogs, and burned the so-called palace of Crummus, the latter being greatly humbled and declaring, "Behold, you have conquered. Take, therefore, what is pleasing to you, and depart in peace." But the enemy of peace did not accept this, at which he, having become enraged, his...

^A exits and entrances of the land having been fenced about with wooden fortifications, sent them to secure them. Nicephorus, having learned this, immediately, as if thunderstruck, was wandering about, knowing not what to do. And he kept telling those with him of the destruction, saying that even if we should become winged, let no one hope to escape death. These things—the engines—took place for two days, Thursday and Friday. And on the night of the Sabbath, disturbances and noises ^B of armed men around Nicephorus and those with him were heard, which unnerved everyone; and before the day, the barbarians having fallen upon the tent of Nicephorus and of the grandees with him, they slew him miserably (46), among whom there was also Aetius, the patrician, and Peter, the patrician, and Sisinnius, the patrician, son of Triphyllios, and Theodosius, the patrician, called Salibaras, who had caused much grief and shown many evils to the blessed Irene, and the eparch, the patrician, and Romanus, the patrician, and the strategos of the Anatolics, and many other protospatharioi, and spatharioi, and commanders of the tagmata, the domestic of the excubitors, and the drungarios of the imperial vigla, and the strategos of Thrace, and many commanders of the themes with countless hosts; and all the glory of the Christians was destroyed, and all the arms perished, and the goods of the empire. May it not happen ^C that Christians see again the ugly things of such a day, for everything was beyond lamentation. And these things happened on the twenty-fifth of July (47), of the fourth indiction. And Kroummos, having cut off the head of Nicephorus, hung it upon a pole for many days, for a display and shame to the nations arriving unto him. After ^D these things, having taken it, and having stripped the bone, and having clothed it with silver on the outside, he made the chiefs of the Sklavinoi drink from it in boastfulness. And since many widows and orphans were made in one day, and the lamentation was uncontainable, his slaughter became a consolation to many. But no one of those who were saved has explained exactly the manner of his slaughter. For some say that even Christians, for this one who had fallen, pelted him with stones (48). But the effeminate servants of his house, with whom he also used to sleep...

were partly consumed by the fire of the rampart, and partly slaughtered by the sword, perishing together with him. Certainly, no time was more calamitous for the Christians than this reign of Nicephorus, so much so that he surpassed all his cruellest predecessors in greed, lust, and utter barbaric savagery. If I were to go through the details of these, the history would be incredible to posterity and burdensome for us to undertake; but, as the common proverb has it, the whole fabric is known from the hem and the border. ^B Nicephorus’s son, Stauracius, received a lethal wound on the right side of his vertebrae, and having barely escaped the conflict alive, he arrived at Adrianople, violently tormented by the pains of his wound. Then the patrician and domestic of the scholars, Stephanus, with Theoctistus the magister present, declared Stauracius emperor and delivered an oration to the surviving army regarding the conduct of his father’s reign, which they received with glad spirits. Michael the Curopalates, however, having returned safe from the battle, when urged to allow himself to be hailed as emperor, refused the power offered to him, out of regard for the oaths he had given to Nicephorus and Stauracius, being much entreated by his friends. Stephanus the domestic, relying on the hope of Stauracius recovering better health, resisted him strongly, but Theoctistus the magister was anxiously urging that the empire be conferred upon Michael. Stauracius, meanwhile, passing blood with his urine, had his thighs and legs so ^C withered that he was carried into the city in a litter. To him, the patriarch Nicephorus, being well-disposed, gave counsel that he should appease God and console those who had been oppressed by his father’s rapacity; to which the true heir of his father’s disposition replied that he could not restore more than three talents. But these were but a small portion of that man’s injustices. Yet, even concerning these he hesitated, longing to live. Still harboring an implacable paternal disposition, he more frequently visited with dishonors Theoctistus the magister, Stephanus the domestic, and Michael the Curopalates, and was utterly averse to his own sister Procopia, as if she had plotted against him with the intrigues of the Augusta Theophano. ^D For the wretched woman, in imitation of the holy Irene, had hoped to hold the empire, being a childless woman. But Stauracius, seeing himself in an incurable state, was anxious to secure the empire for his spouse, or else to rouse a democracy for the Christians in view of the previous evils. At this, Nicephorus the patriarch, and Theoctistus the magister, and Stephanus the domestic, struck with fear, turned from great enmity to friendship with one another and with Michael the Curopalates.

Furthermore, toward the end of the month of September, in the fifth indiction. On the evening of the first day of the month of October, Stauracius summoned Stephanus the domestic and asked him how he might be able to bring Michael, his brother-in-law, out of his house in order to blind him. And when he said that this was impossible at that hour due to the force surrounding him, and the security of the location of his house, he entreated him that what had been said should be made known to no one. But he, having persuaded him with convincing words to be free of care, throughout the whole night gathered the remainder of the regiments of the forces in the Hippodrome, along with their own commanders, for the purpose of proclaiming the same Michael as emperor. And the entire senate having come at dawn into the palace, they proclaimed him emperor, as will be shown in what follows. Nicephorus the patriarch demanded from Michael a document in his own hand concerning the orthodox faith, and that he should keep his hands bloodless from Christians, and concerning clergy or monastics, and generally all the ecclesiastical register, that they not be beaten by him.

A. M. 6304. — ^C Romanorum imperatoris Michael ^D A. C. 804. — First year. In this year, on the second day of the month of October, in the fifth indiction, on the fifth day of the week, at the first hour, Michael the most pious Curopalates was proclaimed Emperor of the Romans in the Hippodrome by the entire senate and the regiments. And Stauracius, having heard of this proclamation, immediately cut off his hair and put on monastic garments through the agency of the monk Symeon, his kinsman, crying out much to the patriarch; who, having come into the palace, together with the emperor Michael and his sister, entreated Stauracius much not to be grieved at what had happened; for it was not from a plot, but from despair of his own life. But he, raging with paternal wickedness, would not accept it, saying to him: "You will not find a better friend than me." And at the fourth hour of the day, Michael was crowned by Nicephorus the patriarch in the ambo of the Great Church, upon which a common rejoicing occurred, and he gave to that child

of the entire city’s rejoicing, he himself bestowed upon the patriarch fifty pounds of gold, and upon the clergy twenty-five. For, being magnanimous and free from the stain of avarice, he provided comfort to all those who had been unjustly wronged by the greed of Nicephorus, and with his gifts he revived the senate and the military ranks. ^A On the twelfth day of the same month, Procopia 52 received the title of Augusta with the crown in the Augustean triclinium, and she honored the senate with many gifts. Furthermore, to the wives of the soldiers from the themes who had been killed in the Bulgarian war, she distributed five talents of gold; and she enriched Theophano, the wife of Stauracius, who had been secluded in a monastery, and endowed her kindred who had lived in misery under Nicephorus, granting them among other things a notable house called the "Hebraica" for a monastery, where Stauracius was buried. Finally, he enriched all the patricians and senators, the high priests, priests, and monks, the military, the poor, the citizens of the imperial city, and the inhabitants of the provinces with benefits, so that of the insatiable and immense avarice of Nicephorus, because of which he perished in a miserable lot, no trace remained. ^B To his numberless other virtues and upright morals was added the fact that, excelling in piety and in right faith toward God, he was deeply troubled by those who for any pretext whatsoever, whether reasonable or unreasonable, had separated themselves from the communion of the holy Church. He did not cease to urge the most holy patriarch and all those able to promote the common good of peace with persistent prayers and exhortations. Among these, he strove to reconcile to concord and unity Theodore 53, the abbot of the Studios, and Plato, and Joseph, the archbishop of Thessalonica, the brother of Theodore, who were held in bitter custody ^C along with the leading men of their monastery; and this he accomplished. He also sent to Charles 54, the king of the Franks, concerning peace and an agreement, through his son Theophylact; and the most holy patriarch Nicephorus likewise sent synodical letters to Leo, the most holy pope of Rome. Before this... [the text here enters the provided Greek fragment: "ἡμῖν ῥοπῇ τῶν τηνικαῦτα εὐσεβῶς βασιλευσάντων εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ποίμνην πάλιν ἀποκαταστήσασα, ὁμολογητὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀναδείκνυσι. Ἤρθη ἐκ μέσου τὸ σκάνδαλον..."] ...restored to his own flock by the will of those who then piously reigned, he shows himself to be a confessor. "The scandal was removed from the midst, by which also the disagreement with the hierarch occurred." The rulers were moved to pity; the most holy patriarch defended himself, saying that all the things that had happened were by the malicious intent of the emperor. Then there was agreement, and devotion toward him. For there is nothing dear to God ^D other than the benefit of peace and harmony, whenever harmony does not involve a disagreement of faith, nor the transgression of a commandment of God, nor the overturning of a canon—as the present case has been shown to be, so far as we are concerned—leaving aside the things that happened in between, as being similar to what occurred in times past under the God-bearing Fathers and similarly dealt with by way of economy. Or rather, as the precise examination of these matters is reserved for the future age to the impartial Judge.

^A For he was indeed hindered by Nicephorus from doing this. On the twenty-fifth day of the month of December, in the fifth indiction, the most serene emperor Michael crowned his son Theophylact as emperor, through the ministry of the patriarch Nicephorus, on the ambo of the Great Church, on the fifth day of the week. He brought a costly ornament to the holy altar, in vessels of gold set with precious stones, and four-fold veils of ancient workmanship, splendidly woven from gold and purple, and decorated with marvelous holy images. He also gifted twenty-five pounds of gold to the patriarch, and one hundred pounds to the holy clergy, thereby gladdening the holy feast and the proclamation of his child. ^B Moved by great zeal for God, the most pious emperor against the Manichaeans—who are now called Paulicians—and the Athingani in Phrygia and Lycaonia, pronounced the death penalty according to the suggestions of the most holy patriarch Nicephorus and other pious men; yet he was hindered from carrying out the sentence by other perverse counselors under the pretext of repentance, a thing which it is impossible for those caught in that heresy to possess. They argued ignorantly that it is not permitted for priests to pronounce a death sentence against the impious, in this being in every way opposed to the divine Scriptures. For if Peter, the chief of the apostles, ^C put Ananias and Sapphira to death for a single lie, and Paul the Great cries out saying that those who practice such things are worthy of death, and this concerning a single bodily sin, how could those *not* be their adversaries who deliver men full of every psychic and bodily impurity and the worship of demons from the sword of divine retribution? Still, the pious emperor Michael did behead not a few of them. Stauracius, meanwhile, with the ulcer from the mortal wound he had received in his spine inflamed so that no one could approach him due to the terrible stench, departed this life on the eleventh day of the month of January of the fifth indiction, having held the empire, as deemed, for two months and six days. ^D On the fourteenth of the month of May, a Wednesday, a great solar eclipse occurred, lasting for three and a half hours, from the eighth hour until the eleventh hour. And on the seventeenth of the month of June, Michael went out against the Bulgarians, with Procopia accompanying him, as far as Tzouroulon. But the chieftain of the Bulgarians, Kroummos, having taken Develtos, laying siege to it, and having moved the inhabitants together with the bishop, the masses—especially those of the Opsikion and the Thracesians—having become unruly from the great malice of the emperor’s evil counselors, broke into mutiny and insults against him; these Michael calmed with gifts.

and by speaking to them, and thus restored order. When the Bulgarians learned of this sedition within the Roman armies, and perceived that, out of fear of the war and of the strain of sustaining the military camp or the open field or the garrisons, they were in tumult, they raided even more extensively into Thrace and Macedonia. At that time, Anchialos and Berrhoia were abandoned, and the ^B Christians took to flight, with no one pursuing them; those who inhabited Nikaia and the fort of Probaton, and certain other fortified places, as well as Philippopolis, Philippi, and the Strymon, seizing the opportunity, fled back to their own lands. This was a divine vengeance condemning the madness of Nikephoros, through which his supposed achievements, in which he prided himself, vanished and utterly collapsed.

For, not to mention the perversities of their opinions, and the heresies of the Paulicians and the Athinganoi iconoclasts and the Tetraditai, which are hateful to God and long since serpent-like—for I omit to speak of adulteries and fornications, debauchery and perjury, fraternal discord, rapine, and their other crimes, which have come to light—in truth, these men ^C placed that God-hated and thrice-wretched Constantine among the blessed, as if he had acted brilliantly against the Bulgarians on account of the piety which he displayed, as those wretches preached. They sharpened their tongues against the holy and venerable icons and the monastic habit. Some of them, having returned as inhabitants of the imperial city, from the time of the ecumenical synod, were preparing to overturn the orthodox faith; and, blinded in their souls, they wished to install as king, without God, the sons of Constantine, the enemy of God. They plotted to steal away by night those sons, who were guarded on the island of Panormos, ^D and to lead them to the army. But the Lord put them to confusion, having roused Michael, the most pious, to the defense of the truth. For, having discussed the appropriate matters concerning the faith with the people without hypocrisy, he set out for the royal city. Having conceived a wise plan, he terrified the multitude of the revolutionaries with a few blows, and exiled the blind sons of Constantine to Aphousia; and one of the imperial pseudo-hermits, a co-conspirator of Nicholas of Exachionites, who had scraped and dishonored an icon of the all-holy Theotokos, he punished by cutting out his tongue, and he perished in both soul and body. As for his like-minded companion Nicholas, who promised to repent, he celebrated a triumph over him before all, as he confessed his own evils; and he handed him over to a monastery, that he might not live in freedom of his own will. Having discussed matters concerning God with the people in silence at the Magnaura, he...

^A revealed his dogmas. He also publicly proscribed the Athingani and sent them into exile, with the assistance of Leo, the commander of the Orientals. But in the month of August of the fifth indiction, Thebith took up arms against the Christians. Leo, commander of the Orientals, engaged him in battle, and having struck down two thousand of his soldiers and captured their horses and armor, he won a great name for himself from that victory. As for Muhamed, the elder of Aaron’s sons, who held the rule of the nation, he engaged in conflict with his brother Abdella in the interior of Persia, was defeated, and having fled, took refuge in Baghdad ^B and seized it. Another tyrant held Damascus, while two others divided Egypt and Africa between them, and yet another ravaged Palestine in the manner of a robber.

A. M. 6305. — In this year, Krum, the leader of the Bulgarians ^B, sent his envoy Dargamer to discuss peace once more with the Emperor Michael, seeking that the treaties established under Theodosius of Adramyttium and the patriarch Germanus with Comersis, who was at that time the master of Bulgaria, be fulfilled. These defined the boundaries of the territories of both princes from the Meleones of Thrace, and stipulated that clothing and red skins to the value of thirty pounds of gold should be given, and furthermore, that fugitives from either side should be returned by each prince to the other, even if they happened to be traitors to the state. Those trading in either territory were to have their goods verified ^C by means of sigillia and seals, and these were to be entered into the public accounts. He also wrote threats to the Emperor, saying: "If you do not hasten to embrace peace, I will array myself against Mesembria." ^D

Having received these words, the Emperor, led by the counsels of wicked men, refused to accept peace. Indeed, under the pretense of piety—or rather, I should say, of ignorance—these insidious advisers, who were ruining the common cause, suggested that the fugitives should by no means be returned, and they brought forward as an argument for the opinion given the authority of the Lord’s Gospel: "Him that cometh to me I will not cast out" (John vi, 37). ^B In the middle of the month of October, Crummus drew up his army against Mesembria, having brought up siege engines for the capture of the city, the use of which he had learned on such an occasion from Nicephorus, that conqueror of the Christians (63). For he had enlisted in the army a certain Arab, a man preeminent in mechanical art and very well versed in it, who had approached the baptism of the Church, and he had assigned him his residence at Adrianople. But when that man received neither the reward he expected for his merit nor any benefit, but was rather defrauded of his hopes by having a portion of his pay cut, and because, when he complained, the Emperor had even castigated him with severe blows, he was driven by desperation to take refuge with the Bulgarians, and he taught them the whole art of building siege engines. Equipped, therefore, with engines of this kind, and with no one offering resistance to the enemy’s forces due to lethargy and cowardice, Crummus took the city before the end of the month. The Emperor, cast into anguish of mind, summoned the patriarch on the Kalends of November to a conference and sought counsel regarding the establishment of peace with the enemy. There were present at the assembly the metropolitans of Nicaea and Cyzicus, and a not insignificant number of the wicked councilors. ^C And the patriarch and the metropolitans, following the sentiment of the Emperor, embraced the invitation to peace; but the wicked councilors, together with Theodore, the abbot of the Studium, overturned it, saying: "Peace that rescinds God’s commandments should not be admitted. For," they said, "the Lord has decreed: 'Him that cometh to me I will not cast out' (John vi, 37)." They alleged this, and they were truly ignorant of what they were saying or regarding what matters they were asserting themselves. First, because with no one among them fleeing to us, we have betrayed those who were within the halls, whom we could have saved by establishing peace. Second, because even if a few had fled, it was more fitting to be concerned for the salvation of the greater number and those of our own nation and blood, than to grow rich on some uncertain, feigned gain set before us. For it is more pleasing to God to save many than a few. Moreover, it is rightly called madness to prepare for oneself an enormous loss in the hope of the slightest gain; and he who takes no care of his own household or family, according to Paul, has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel. ^D Yet how can he who is with those who hate peace be a lover of peace, unless perhaps these men are wiser than Paul and David? Who is wiser than thrice-blessed Germanus at present, unless the wicked councilors—who are soul-destroying and who reject peace—are so?

These things, as has been said, occurred on the first of the month of November. On the fourth of the same month, a comet was seen in the shape of two bright moons joined together and then separating into different shapes, even taking the form of a headless man. ^A On the following day, the dismal news of the capture of Mesembria came to us, terrifying everyone with the expectation of further great evils. For the enemy, finding it filled with all the things necessary for human habitation, seized it along with Debeltos; there they found thirty-six bronze siphons, and no small amount of the liquid fire sent forth through them, as well as a vast quantity of gold and silver. In the same year, many Christians from Palestine and all of Syria, both monastics and laics, reached Cyprus, fleeing the immeasurable cruelty of the Arabs. ^B For since the universal right of governing and the order of legitimate administration had been torn apart and thoroughly prostrated throughout Syria, Egypt, Africa, and the entire Arab domain, murders, robberies, adulteries, debaucheries, and all manner of deeds hateful to God were being committed in villages and cities by that nation. The venerable places of the holy Resurrection of Christ our God, of Calvary, and other holy sites in the holy city were also profaned. ^C Likewise, the famous monastic lauras in the desert, those of Saint Chariton and Saint Sabas, and all the other monasteries and churches, were laid waste. Some were killed as martyrs, while others fled to Cyprus, and from there to Byzantium, where they were hospitably received by the pious Emperor Michael and the most holy Patriarch Nicephorus. For those who came to the city, they gifted a prominent monastery; to the monks and laics who remained in Cyprus, they sent a talent of gold and provided for them in every way. ^D Michael was indeed kind and gentle toward all, but regarding the administration of affairs he was rudderless, enslaved to Theoctistus the magister and the other officials. In the month of February, two Christians fleeing from Bulgaria informed the Emperor that Krum was hastening to ambush those in Thrace all at once. On the 15th of the month, the Emperor went out of the city, and by the providence of God, Krum returned without success, having lost not a few men. The Emperor, having reached Adrianople and having restored order there, returned with joy. And having gone up to the monastery of Saint Tarasius the Patriarch, and having performed the memorial services among his...

rightful kin, he covered his sacred tomb with silver plates weighing ninety-five pounds.

However, Mesembria having been taken from the Romans, the Emperor rejected the conditions of peace offered by Crummus, and ordered the army gathered from all the themes to cross over into Thrace, which all took amiss, especially the Cappadocians and the Armeniacs. The Emperor, therefore, leading the military forces out of the city, was accompanied by the Augusta Procopia as far as the aqueducts near Heraclea; the soldiers, bearing this very ill, openly assailed the Emperor with taunts and insults. ^B Furthermore, on the fourth day of the month of May, an eclipse of the sun occurred at the twelfth degree of Taurus, according to the horoscope at the sunrise, from which a great terror fell upon the troops. But the Emperor, having led out the leaders and the military ranks, roamed through Thrace, yet he dared not attack Mesembria, nor did he attempt anything necessary to rout the enemies: for he surely placed faith in the mad words of his own counselors, who, being entirely ignorant of the art of war, asserted that the enemy would by no means advance against him, but would rather remain forever in their own region. Moreover, the arrival of the barbarian force proved much graver and more ruinous to the provincials, who were destitute of necessary supplies and plagued by rapine and incursions, than the presence of their own countrymen.

At the beginning of the month of June, Crummus, the prince of the Bulgarians, having prepared his battle lines and suspecting that the Christian army was very numerous, moved against the Romans and pitched his camp at Bersinicia, about thirty miles from the imperial camp. Then indeed Leo, the patrician and commander of the Anatolians, and John surnamed Aplaces, the patrician and commander of Macedonia, being eager to join battle and stirred in spirit, were restrained by the Emperor through his evil counselors. ^C While the whole city was supplicating with its high priest in the Church of the Holy Apostles, certain of the impious ones of the god-hated heresy of Constantine, having pried open the door of the imperial tombs—no one noticing on account of the density of the crowd—caused it to be opened suddenly with a certain clatter, as if by some divine miracle. And having rushed inside, they fell down before the tomb of the deceiver, calling upon him, and not God, saying, "Arise, and help the perishing state," proclaiming that he had risen on horseback and was going forth to fight the Bulgarians, he who dwells in Tartarus with demons. ^D The city prefect, having arrested them—though at first they lied, claiming the doors of the tombs had opened of their own accord by divine power—when they were brought before the prefectural bench and examined about the testimony, before any punishment they told the whole drama of the prying open; and having punished them worthily, he sent them off in a public procession, shouting out the [_punishment due for their_]...

and their crime. For in this way did the devil, the inventor of evil, train those serving in the army, that they should not blame their own sins, but the orthodox and ancestral faith, and the holy habit of the monks, which is the exercise of philosophy according to God. Many of those who blasphemed these things were Christians only in appearance, but in truth Paulicians; who, not being able to expose their own filthy dogmas, misled the ignorant under this pretext, calling Constantine the Jew-minded one a prophet and a victor, and embracing his heresy for the overthrow of the economy of our Lord Jesus Christ in the flesh.

On the twenty-first of the month of June, the Christians and the Bulgarians drew up for battle ^B not far from Adrianople. The Christians were sorely worsted in the war; and the enemy held the field to such an extent that the majority of the Christians, without even seeing the first engagement, took to flight—so much so that Krum, astonished, thought that what was happening was some sort of ambush, and almost held back his own men from the pursuit. But when he saw them fleeing without restraint, he pursued and slaughtered great multitudes, and they even captured the baggage train and plundered it. The emperor returned fleeing to the city, cursing the multitudes and their commanders, and still also swearing his abdication from the throne; and he shared this matter with Leo, the patrician and commander of the Anatolics, as a man pious and most brave, ^C and ready in all things to succeed to the throne. But when he did not yield at all, having left him to stand over the themes, he himself reached the queen of cities on the twenty-fourth of the month of June, wishing indeed to abdicate the power and appoint another, but not being permitted by his wife and those who ruled at his side. Nicephorus, the most holy patriarch, agreed in this, as he and those ^D [who were with him...]

[alt-version omitted]

NOTES OF JACOB GOAR

There are those who attribute the praise of the saved army to Leo, and write that he fought bravely; when the imperial cohorts had fled of their own accord, and had betrayed their station; but the troops of Leo did not do so. The following events indicate that the matter truly stood thus. For how else would Michael have been about to leave Leo as a garrison for the entire Roman dominion against the Bulgarians, the sight of whom he had not even been able to endure with his whole army? And how would he have been able to note Michael for cowardice, and persuade himself, as one man, to restore the collapsing state if he had recently exhibited an example of remarkable cowardice? Therefore, a plot was formed against Leo, so that he might be defamed, perhaps out of hatred for that persecution which he incited against the orthodox. The author of the Life of Nikolaos Studites, a serious writer indeed, and one close to the events, makes no mention of that cowardice of Leo, but says that he had won the hearts of the soldiers with gifts, so that he might thus be created emperor, when other things also came to pass, and he had not infrequently fulfilled the role of a strenuous commander.

^A Deterred from the machinations prepared against his own, which he proved with his own eyes, he considered the apparatus, and lest those who were fleeing should be pursued, he sometimes held back his men. But when he perceived the truth of such a headlong flight, he pursued the enemies from the rear, and having plundered their camp and seized their rich spoils, he inflicted a great slaughter. The Emperor, likewise having slipped away in flight, was withdrawing his foot towards the city; and railing with curses at the military ranks and their leaders, he promised with a sworn oath that he would abdicate the power of the empire. He immediately opened his plan to Leo the Patrician and Commander of the Orientals, as to a man conspicuous for piety, excelling in military virtue, and already suitable for administering the republic. But because he refused to accept the dignity so freely offered, ^B leaving to him the power of governing the themes, on the twenty-fourth of June he sought the city again; and although he had pondered on laying down the empire and substituting another prince upon the throne, after his wife and the nobles had attained the supreme power in the administration of the republic after him, he was not permitted to execute his plan. Certainly, the most holy Patriarch Nicephorus assented to the proposals, when, to be sure, it was understood that if the new emperor were designated in that way, he himself, Michael, and his children would easily be saved.

Meanwhile, the military leaders and all the forces, having been informed of the Emperor's flight, and judging that it was no longer to be tolerated to be commanded by such a man, after a council had been initiated among themselves, asked Leo, the Commander of the Orientals, to take counsel for the public good and to raise up the Christian republic. He, pondering in his mind the ruin imminent for the empire and the violent incursions of the barbarians, whom they could scarcely restrain, and being eager to preserve the emperors and to keep himself immune from the stain of treachery, delayed for some time and, according to his strength, opposed delays to the dignity to be accepted. But when he perceived that the enemy was hastening to the city by great marches, he petitioned through letters ^C to the Patriarch Nicephorus, whom he made more certain about his own rectitude before God, that he might collect the empire through his nod and through his prayer, which had originated from a divine source. Then, indeed, accompanied by the leaders and all the armies, and ascending the tribunal placed before the city, he was saluted as the legitimate Emperor of the Romans; and already at midday, having entered through the gate of the city which is called the Golden [Gate], he repaired to the palace. Michael, having heard of the designation of Leo, with Procopia and his children, fleeing to the oratory which is at the forum, after his hair was shorn, assumed the monastic habit together with his family. On the following day, which was the eleventh of the month of July, in the sixth indiction, on the second day of the week, amidst the middle of the day, having been crowned in the Great Church on the ambo by the patriarch Nicephorus, he commanded that the walls of the city should be guarded more diligently by day and night: ^D and he himself, stirring up everyone and encouraging them to conceive of a better hope, urged them to be of good hope, as God, through the intercession of the immaculate Mother of God and all the saints, would shortly perform some new and unexpected work, lest, on account of the multitude of our sins, we should everywhere be overwhelmed with shame; and, relying on this, he went about, himself a continuous explorer of the walls. Furthermore, the younger Sennacherib, Crumnus, elated by his victories into pride, having left his own brother to besiege Adrianople with his forces, coming upon the Queen of Cities with forces and horses, leaped before the walls from Blachernae as far as the Golden Gate (66), demonstrating...

the power around it, having performed foul and demonic sacrifices in the meadow near the sea of the Golden Gate, he asked the emperor to allow him to fix his spear against the Golden Gate itself. When he did not agree to this, he returned to his own tent. Having marveled at the city walls and the orderly array of the emperor, and despairing of his hoped-for siege, he turned to negotiations; and before concluding these, he was conducting discussions concerning peace. ^B The emperor, seizing the opportunity, attempted to spear him; but because of the multitude of our sins, this was prevented by the ineptitude of those who were assisting in such a deed, who indeed wounded him, but did not inflict a fatal blow. Enraged at this, the wretch sent a raiding party to St. Mamas, burned the palace erected there, and loading onto wagons the bronze lion from the hippodrome together with the dragon of the Hydrias and choice marbles, he returned, sitting down before Adrianople and capturing it.

VARIOUS READINGS

NOTES OF JAC. GOARI

CHRONOGRAPHICAL NARRATIVE

CONTAINING

THE EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN THE TIME OF LEO, SON OF BARDAS THE ARMENIAN

^C Michael the Emperor in the first year of his reign crowned his son Theophylact on the feast days... [the procession] taking place with great splendor and glory of Procopia, ^D

NOTES OF FRANC. COMBEFIS

^A Procopia, with great glory, and having stood before the altar, and having seen the coronation of her son, and having caused great joy, and having distributed much money—for she was the one administering all the affairs of the empire, as her husband was gentle, as has been said—also performed many acts of alms, scattering the money which Nicephorus had gathered with great care, sending what was necessary to the churches, to the monasteries, to the ascetics in the deserts, to the poor-houses, to the hospices for the poor and strangers, to the captives, the widows, the orphans, and to those who had been deprived of their wealth; and by making everyone joyful, they were glorified by all. And the factions of the people composed poems in every tone in their honor, offering every pleasure of adulation. ^B And thereafter he recalled all those towards whom Nicephorus had been ill-disposed and whom he had cast out of the palace: the brothers of Theodote, who were patricians; and Leo, surnamed Sclerus, whom he appointed as commander of the Peloponnesus; and Leo, son of Bardas the Armenian, who had been guilty of treason, and who, having been beaten, shorn, and exiled by Nicephorus, they recalled, and made him a patrician and commander of the Anatolics—who, being a wicked man, later tyrannized them, as we shall tell later.

Now, these events having taken place, the Bulgarians, having become prideful because of their victory over Nicephorus, wished to go to war. Michael, having learned of this and having taken counsel, gathered all the themes, having recruited many others in place of those who had been destroyed in the war, and having brought together those who guarded the passes of Syria—Lycaonians, Cilicians, Isaurians, Cappadocians, Galatians—and taking everyone with him, he set out in the second year of his reign, in the sixth indiction. ^C The city followed him, and Procopia Augusta, his wife, went out as far as the aqueduct, performing the *maiumas*, and giving gifts to the commanders of the army; Procopia besought them to guard the emperor Michael diligently, to protect him in the war, and to fight on behalf of the Christians; and from there she returned to the city.

Thence the emperor and all the people set out and approached the border and the fortresses of the passes. The Bulgarians stood drawn up opposite them, and seeing the multitude of the army, they did not dare to attack them, but stood in battle array. ^D Likewise, the army of the emperor also stood in formation for fifteen days, not daring to lay hands upon one another. Finally, exhausted by their hardships, exposed to the immoderate heat of the summer day and night, both the men and the beasts of burden were reduced to the point of extreme ruin, with the Romans about to make an assault upon the Bulgarians, and the Bulgarians in turn about to break in upon the Romans.