having armed the women like men, on the 15th day of their entry, at the dawn of Saturday, on the twenty-third of the month of July, they fell upon them while they were still almost asleep, who, having risen and armed themselves in haste, began the battle. And since the themes were encamped far from one another, they did not immediately know what had happened; for they fell only upon the imperial army and then they began to be cut down. And when they had resisted for a short time and had not prevailed at all, but were being fiercely slaughtered, the rest, seeing this, gave themselves to flight. And in that very place there lay a river, very marshy and difficult to cross. And not finding a direct way to cross, being pursued by the enemy, they fell into the river. And having entered with their horses and being unable to get out, they sank into the marsh, and being trampled by those coming from behind, and others falling upon others, thus the river was filled with both men and horses, so that the enemy passed over them unharmed and pursued the rest who naturally thought they had been saved. There, therefore, all the patricians and other commanders have fallen. As many as seemed to have escaped the harm of the river came to the stockade which the Bulgarians had constructed, it being strong and very difficult to pass through; and being unable to break through it with their horses, having left their horses, having climbed up with their own hands and feet, they threw themselves down to the other side.

And since on the outside there was a deep ditch dug, being thrown down from the height, their limbs were torn apart; and some died instantly, while others, advancing a little and not having the strength to walk, fell to the ground, and thus being tormented, they died of hunger and thirst. But in other places some set fire to the fence; and when the bindings had been burned, and the fence had collapsed on top of the ditch, then the fugitives, sinking down unexpectedly, fell into the fiery ditch of the pit, both they and their horses. And this was a worse disaster than the danger of the river. Who, hearing these things, will not weep? Who will not lament? And the children of the rulers, both of old and new families, being great in number, in the very flower of their age, having most beautiful bodies, shining with the whiteness of their skin and the fairness of their hair and beards, and a comely disposition of countenance, some of whom had been newly joined to wives distinguished for their noble birth and beauty, all of them died there; some consumed by the sword, others drowned in the river, others thrown down from the stockade, others burned up in the fire of the pit, and a few who were saved, even they, after coming home, almost all died. On that very day, therefore, Nikephoros the emperor was also killed in the midst of the first battle, with no one being able to report the manner of his death. And his son Staurakios was also struck, having received a mortal wound in the vertebrae of his spine, from which he also died, having reigned over the Romans for only two months. And many of the captured Romans, after the war was ended, were compelled by the godless Bulgarians, who had not yet then been baptized, to deny Christ and to partake of the pagan and Scythian error; who, being strengthened by the power of Christ, endured every torture, and bound on the martyr's crown through various punishments. Thus Nikephoros the emperor, through his folly and arrogance, destroyed both himself and all the strength of the Romans, having reigned for 8 years and seven months. Now this was a man of short stature, broad, with a prominent stomach, thick-haired, with protruding lips, having a large face and a very gray beard, and stout in body, very prudent and cunning and quick to understand, especially in matters of public affairs, and excessively petty and fond of money. For which reason also he inherited eternal damnation. But we, brothers, let us remember our brothers and fathers who have gone before, and the

τὰς γυναῖκας ἀνδρικῶς καθοπλίσαντες, τῇ ιεʹ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς εἰσόδου αὐτῶν, διαφαύοντος σαββάτου, εἰκάδι τρίτῃ τοῦ Ἰουλίου μηνός, ἐπέπεσον αὐτοῖς ἔτι κοιμωμένοις σχεδόν, οἵτινες διαναστάντες καὶ σπουδῇ καθοπλισάμενοι ἤρξαντο τῆς μάχης. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἦσαν μακρὰν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διεσκηνωμένα τὰ θέματα, εὐθέως οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸ συμβάν· μόνον γὰρ εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν φοσσάτον ἐπέπεσον καὶ λοιπὸν ἤρξαντο κόπτεσθαι. Καὶ μικρὸν ἀντισταθέντων αὐτῶν καὶ μηδὲν ἰσχυσάντων, ἀλλὰ σφόδρα κατασφαζομένων, ἰδόντες οἱ λοιποὶ ἔδωκαν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τροπήν. Καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ τόπῳ παρέκειτο ποταμὸς τελματώδης λίαν καὶ δυσδιέξοδος. Καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκοντες εὐθὺ πόρον τοῦ περᾶσαι, καταδιωκόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἐνέπεσον εἰς τὸν ποταμόν. Εἰσελθόντες δὲ μετὰ τῶν ἵππων αὐτῶν καὶ μὴ ἰσχύσαντες ἐξελθεῖν ἐχάλασαν εἰς τὸ τέλμα, καὶ καταπατούμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν ὄπισθεν ἐρχομένων, καὶ ἄλλοι ἐπ' ἄλλοις πίπτοντες, οὕτως ἐπληρώθη ὁ ποταμὸς ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ ἵππων, ὥστε ἐπάνωθεν αὐτῶν διέρχεσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους ἀβλαβῶς καὶ καταδιώκειν τοὺς λοιποὺς τούςὡς εἰκόςνομίζοντας ὅτι διεσώθησαν. Ἐκεῖ οὖν πάντες οἱ πατρίκιοι καὶ λοιποὶ ἄρχοντες πεπτώκασιν. Ὅσοι δὲ ἔδοξαν διαφυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ βλάβης, ἦλθον ἕως τοῦ φραγμοῦ ὃν κατεσκεύασαν οἱ Βούλγαροι, ὀχυρὸν ὄντα καὶ λίαν δυσδιεξόδευτον· καὶ μὴ δυνάμενοι σὺν τοῖς ἵπποις τοῦτον διακόψαι, καταλιπόντες τοὺς ἵππους αὐτῶν, διὰ τῶν οἰκείων χειρῶν καὶ ποδῶν ἀνερπύσαντες, ἐκρήμνιζον ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ ἕτερον μέρος.

Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἦν ἔξωθεν ὄρυγμα τάφρου βαθείας, κρημνιζόμενοι ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕψους, διεσπῶντο τὰ μέλη αὐτῶν· καὶ οἱ μὲν παραυτὰ ἀπέθνησκον, οἱ δὲ ὀλίγον προβαίνοντες καὶ μὴ ἰσχύοντες βαδίζειν ἔπιπτον χαμαί, καὶ οὕτως κολαζόμενοι ἀπέθνησκον ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψῃ. Ἐν ἑτέροις δὲ τόποις τινὲς ἐνεπύρισαν τὴν φρακτήν· καὶ δὴ καέντων τῶν δεσμῶν, καὶ συμπεσούσης τῆς ρακτῆς ἐπάνωθεν τοῦ ὀρύγματος, καὶ λοιπὸν οἱ φεύγοντες ἀπροόπτως χαλώμενοι νέπιπτον εἰς τὴν τάφρον τοῦ ὀρύγματος τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτοί τε καὶ οἱ ἵπποι αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο δὲ χείρων ἦν συμφορὰ τοῦ κινδύνου τοῦ ποταμοῦ. Τίς οὐ κλαύσει ταῦτα ἀκούων; τίς οὐ θρηνήσει; Τὰ δὲ τέκνα τῶν ἀρχόντων, ἀρχαίων τε καὶ νέων, εἰς πλῆθος ὄντα, αὐτὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἄγοντα τὸ ἄνθος, σώματα ἔχοντες περικαλλῆ λευκότητι καὶ τριχῶν ξανθότητι λάμποντα καὶ γενείων, καὶ ὄψεως θέσιν κεκαλλωπισμένην, οἵτινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ἦσαν νεωστὶ ζευχθέντες γυναιξὶν εὐγενείᾳ καὶ κάλλει διαλάμπουσι, πάντες ἐκεῖ ἀπέθανον· οἱ μὲν τῷ ξίφει ἀναλωθέντες, οἱ δὲ τῷ ποταμῷ πνιγέντες, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ φραγμοῦ κρημνισθέντες, οἱ δὲ τῷ πυρὶ τοῦ ὀρύγματος κατακαέντες, ὀλίγοι δέ τινες διασωθέντες, καὶ αὐτοὶ μετὰ τὸ ἐλθεῖν οἴκαδε σχεδὸν πάντες ἀπέθανον. Ἐν αὐτῇ οὖν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ Νικηφόρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνῃρέθη μέσον τοῦ πρώτου πολέμου, τὸν τρόπον τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ μὴ δυνηθέντος τινὸς ἀπαγγεῖλαι. Ἐπλήγη τε καὶ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Σταυράκιος καιρίαν πληγὴν λαβὼν εἰς τοὺς σπονδύλους τῆς ῥάχεως, ἐξ ἧς καὶ ἐτελεύτησεν, μῆνας δύο μόνους βασιλεύσας Ῥωμαίων. Πολλοί τε τῶν ζωγρηθέντων Ῥωμαίων μετὰ τὸ καταλυθῆναι τὸν πόλεμον ἠναγκάσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀθέων Βουλγάρων, οὔπω τότε βαπτισθέντων, ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τῆς ἐθνικῆς καὶ σκυθικῆς πλάνης μεταλαβεῖν· οἵτινες τῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνισχυθέντες δυνάμει πᾶσαν ὑπομείναντες αἰκίαν, τὸν μαρτυρικὸν στέφανον ποικίλαις κολάσεσιν ἀνεδήσαντο. Οὕτω Νικηφόρος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐξ ἀβουλίας καὶ ἀλαζονείας ἑαυτόν τε καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἰσχὺν ἀπώλεσεν, βασιλεύσας ἔτη ηʹ καὶ μῆνας ἑπτά. Ἦν δὲ οὗτος ἀνὴρ διμοιραῖος, πλατύς, προγάστωρ, δασύκομος, πρόχειλος, πρόσωπον ἔχων μέγα καὶ γένειον πολὺ πεπολιωμένον, τῷ δὲ σώματι παχύς, φρόνιμός τε πάνυ καὶ πανοῦργος καὶ ὀξὺς εἰς τὸ νοῆσαι, μάλιστα εἰς τὰ τοῦ δημοσίου πράγματα, μικρολόγος τε καὶ φιλάργυρος καθ' ὑπερβολήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον ἐκληρώσατο. Ἡμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, μνημονεύσωμεν τῶν προαπελθόντων ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν καὶ πατέρων, καὶ τὸν