[celtic]

Да, и ещё - читаю средневекового нашего историка, Киракоса Гандзакеци. Чтение увлекательное, и для понимающих английский язык хочу привести здесь два его анекдота.



Один: ...After Mezhezh, Iranian marzpans ruled Armenia, for thirty-six years. During those years, the bishop of the Georgians died; coming to lord Movses, they asked him to give them a bishop. So he ordained a certain warden of his church named Kiwrion and gave him to them, trusting him to keep love and unity with the throne of Saint Gregory--for to that time, the Georgians received ordination from the Armenians.



After the death of Movses, this Kiwrion separated from the orthodox Church of Jesus and confessed the Chalcedonian doctrine, which heresy he had fermented in [40] from childhood, being on Greek land. He kept this evil in secret, the way fire is hidden under straw, but he did not dare reveal it during the lifetime of Movses,



After occupylng the patriarchate for thirty years, lord Movses died, entrusting stewardship of the throne to Vrt'anes K'ertogh. As soon as Movses, bishop of Ts'urtaw, saw Kiwrion's depravity, he informed Vrt'anes, so that he might somehow help the deviant Kiwrion. He wrote many times, beseechingly, to stay clear of that ill-advised heresy. But Kiwrion not only did not accept what was written to him, but even persecuted bishop Movses. As soon as lord Abraham succeeded to the throne of the kat'oghikosate of the Armenians, after Movses, he also wrote letters reminding him of the error, two and three times. Kiwrion pretended that he thought the same way they did, and claimed that Movses was slandering him. Yet as soon as it was proposed to hold a meeting to examine and investigate this matter, Kiwrion openly confessed the Chalcedonian heresy.



Then, when Abraham saw that nothing helped matters, but that Kiwrion had become even more shameless, he wrote a circulating letter to his diocese that they not commune with [g45] the Georgians, either in Church, oath or marriage or in any [41] other spiritual matters, except in trade, as if they were pagans and so that spiritual harm not befall [the Armenians] through physical acquaintance. From that time forth, Georgian ordination (which had been from the Armenians) ended, since they started to follow the Greeks.



И второй: When Emperor Tiberius died, the nobles fought with one another, and would not be pacified. There was great [42] warfare amongst them, [since they thought that] the victor would be emperor. Now the patriarch went among them and convinced them to cast lots. Whoever won would have the kingdom and rule over the others. They [agreed to this] with oaths and written pledges. [The agreement was] that at daybreak they would open the great gate of the city, and the man who happened to appear (even if he was very humble) they would take to the royal palace. Then the princes would sit together and whomever he crowned would have the kingdom. All agreed to this, and the agitation ended.



When the appointed hour arrived, they opened the gate of the city and saw Maurice at the door, holding some sort of straw to sell, to satisfy his needs. The army seized him and took him to the bath, where they washed and dressed him in noble attire, and took him to the court. As soon as [g47] they told him why he was called, he demanded of them papers and oaths that those who had lost [in the contest for] the crown, not slay him. And they swore vehemently to him that he should remain unconcerned about that.



They all sat there filled with vain hopes, and each said to himself: "It might be me." There was the throne with the crown [suspended] above it, and there were the [43] [imperial red] shoes nearby. Then Maurice came among them and took the crown in his hands, and began to circulate among those seated. As soon as he came to the first he rejoiced, but the second one was saddened as soon as he walked past him, while his companion rejoiced. Thus did Maurice circulate among them two or three times, delighting then depressing them. Suddenly, Maurice went and sat on the throne and placed the crown on his own head. When everyone saw this they were astonished. But since they had sworn to obey anyone on whose head he placed the crown, they let it be. The patriarch came forward and put the shoes on his feet and prostrated himself, as did all the nobles, and they exclaimed: "Long live Emperor Maurice."



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