lone five years, during which she recalled all the
banished; but at length met with the deserved reward of her ambition and
cruelty from Nicephorus, a patrician, and the treasurer general; who, in
802, usurped the empire, and having deposed her, banished her into the
isle of Lesbos, where she soon after died with grief.

St. Tarasius, on the death of the late emperor, having interdicted and
deposed the treasurer Joseph, who had married and crowned Theodota, St.
Plato, and others, who had censured his lenity, became thoroughly
reconciled to him. The saint, under his successor Nicephorus, persevered
peaceably in his practices of penance, and in the functions of his
pastoral charge. In his last sickness he still continued to offer daily
the holy sacrifice as long as he was able to move. A little before his
death he fell into a kind of trance, as the author of his life, who was
an eye-witness, relates, wherein he was heard to dispute and argue with
a number of accusers, very busy in sifting his whole life, and objecting
all they could to it. He seemed in a great fright and agitation on this
account, and, defending himself, answered every thing laid to his
charge. This filled all present with fear, seeing the endeavors of the
enemy of man to find something to condemn even in the life of so holy
and so irreprehensible a bishop. But a great serenity succeeded, and the
holy man gave up his soul to God in peace, on the 25th of February, 806,
having sat twenty-one years and two months. God honored his memory with
miracles, some of which are related by the author of his life. His
festival began to be celebrated under his successor. The Latin and Greek
churches both honor his memory on this day. Fourteen years after his
decease, Leo, the Armenian, the Iconoclast emperor, dreamed a little
before his own death, that he saw St. Tarasius highly incensed against
him, and heard him command one Michael to stab him. Leo, judging this
Michael to be a monk in the saint's monastery, ordered him the next
morning to be sought for, and even tortured some of the religious to
oblige them to a discovery of the person: but it happened there was none
of that name among them; and Leo was killed six days after by Michael
Balbus.

* * * * *

The virtue of St. Tarasius was truly great, because constant and crowned
with perseverance, though exposed to continual dangers of illusion or
seduction, amidst the artifices of hypo