to change his forms, so also he himself at one time appeared as one who speaks fairly and is excellent, and at another time the opposite, for which reason he was also justly named Chameleon by a holy man. Therefore Leo, as has been said before, having cast Michael out of his kingdom, tyrannically took over the kingdom himself, and having tonsured Procopia the Augusta, wife of Michael, he castrated his children after tonsuring them, and he sent them tonsured to the islands, and taking away everything they had, leaving them neither their own property nor that of their parents, so that they were in want even of necessities. But they gave thanks to God in all things. Michael was mature in age, in the very flower of his youth, round-faced, wheat-colored, having a black head of hair and a new-grown beard, and his beard was comely in its arrangement on his face, it too being black, and he was very gentle and good, if ever anyone was. This man suffered many afflictions because of the cruelty of the impious Leo; expecting death every day, and eating his bread with pain every day, the Lord miraculously kept him unharmed 342 from his malice. And then the Bulgars came, with no one meeting or hindering them, as far as the gate, and Krum, making a sacrifice according to his custom outside the Golden Gate, sacrificed men and many beasts. And on the shore of the sea, having wet his feet and washed himself around, and having sprinkled his people, and having been acclaimed by them, he passed through the midst of his concubines, having been prostrated before by them and glorified, and all this while everyone was watching from the walls, with no one daring to hinder him or shoot an arrow against him. And having done all his desires and whatever he wished, he encircled the city, and put a palisade around it, and having spent some days and plundered the areas outside the city, he began to seek pacts for a great amount of gold and clothing, and a certain quantity of chosen maidens. And indeed Leo, having made counsel with the rulers, declared to Krum: "Come to the shore with a few men not carrying weapons, and we shall come out by sea, unarmed, with a chelandion, and we will talk; and whatever you have asked, we will do it all." And having declared these things, during the night they brought out some armed men, as many as three names, and they hid them in some small rooms of the Galles outside the gate of the Blachernae, giving them a signal: "While we are speaking with 343 Krum, we have to make a certain sign, which when you see, come out and kill him." And on the next day, while the Bulgars were in the area of the Holy Unmercenaries outside the city, Krum came down to the sea according to the arrangement with three others, his logothete and Constantine, called of Patzikos, who had fled to Bulgaria many years before, having also his son who was from Krum's sister. These four, having come out from their people unarmed, came down to the sea according to the arrangement with three others, not knowing of their ambush. Then also those from the city came out with a chelandion, wishing to speak with Krum, and having begun their talk, they came out of the ship. And Krum, having dismounted, sat on the ground, and the son of Constantine held his horse, which was saddled and bridled. And while they were talking, one of those from the city, who was Hexaboules, made the sign, uncovering his head with his hand. Krum, seeing this and being alarmed, leaped up, and having his horse ready, those with him lifted him up, and he mounted. And the people from the walls cried out, "The cross has conquered." And he began to flee. And the armed men, coming out of the rooms, pursued after Krum, and loosing their arrows [as they thought that they had wounded him.

ἐναλλάττειν τὰς μορφάς, οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς ποτὲ μὲν ὡς χρηστολόγος καὶ ἄριστος φαινόμενος, ποτὲ καὶ τοὐναντίον, ὅπερ καὶ δικαίως ἐπωνομάσθη Χαμαιλέων ὑπὸ ἁγίου ἀνδρός. ἐκβαλὼν οὖν Λέων, καθὼς προείρηται, τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ τυραννικῶς παρέλαβεν αὐτὸς τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ κουρεύσας Προκοπίαν τὴν Αὐγούσταν, γυναῖκα τοῦ Μιχαήλ, τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ ἐξευνούχισεν κουρεύσας αὐτά, καὶ ἐκούρευσεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰ νησία, ἐπάρας δὲ πάντα ὅσα εἶχον, μὴ ἐάσας αὐτοῖς μήτε τὰ ἴδια μήτε τὰ τῶν γονέων αὐτῶν, ὥστε ὑστερεῖσθαι αὐτοὺς καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων. αὐτοὶ δὲ ηὐχαρίστουν ἐν πᾶσι τὸν θεόν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Μιχαὴλ τέλειος μὲν τὴν ἡλικίαν, αὐτὸ τὸ ἄνθος ἄγων τῆς νεότητος, στρογγυλοπρόσωπος, σιτόχροος, μαῦραν ἔχων τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ ἐπιάγουρον, καὶ τὸ γένειον εὐπρεπῶς διακείμενον, ἐν τῇ ὄψει αὐτοῦ, μαῦρον καὶ αὐτό, πρᾶος δὲ πάνυ καὶ ἀγαθός, εἰ καί τις ἄλλος. οὗτος θλίψεις πολλὰς ὑπέστη διὰ τὴν ὠμότητα τοῦ ἀσεβοῦς Λέοντος· καθ' ἡμέραν τὸν θάνατον ἐκδεχόμενος, καὶ μετ' ὀδύνης καθ' ἡμέραν τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ ἐσθίων, ὁ κύριος ἀβλαβῆ ἐφύλαξεν παραδόξως 342 ἐκ τῆς κακουργίας αὐτοῦ. καὶ λοιπὸν ἦλθον οἱ Βούλγαροι μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ὑπαντῶντος ἢ κωλύοντος ἕως τῆς πόρτης, καὶ ποιήσας ὁ Κροῦμμος θυσίαν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος αὐτοῦ ἔξωθεν τῆς Χρυσῆς πόρτης ἔθυσεν ἀνθρώπους καὶ κτήνη πολλά. καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰγιαλὸν τῆς θαλάσσης βρέξας τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ καὶ περικλυσάμενος, καὶ ῥαντίσας τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εὐφημισθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν, διῆλθεν μέσον τῶν παλλακίδων αὐτοῦ, προσκυνηθεὶς ὑπ' αὐτῶν καὶ δοξασθείς, καὶ ταῦτα θεωρούντων ἐκ τῶν τειχῶν πάντων, καὶ μηδενὸς τολμῶντος κωλῦσαι αὐτὸν ἢ ἀπολῦσαι βέλος κατ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ἐπιθυμήματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅπερ ἐβούλετο, περιεκύκλωσεν τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἔβαλεν χάρακα ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ποιήσας ἡμέρας τινὰς καὶ πραιδεύσας τὰ ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως, ἤρξατο ζητεῖν πάκτα χρυσίου καὶ ἱματισμῶν πολὺν ἀριθμόν, καὶ κοράσια ἐπίλεκτα ποσότητα τινά. καὶ δὴ ποιήσας ὁ Λέων βουλὴν μετὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων, ἐδήλωσεν τὸν Κροῦμον ὅτι ἐλθὲ ἕως τοῦ αἰγιαλοῦ μετὰ ὀλίγων τινῶν μὴ ἐπιφερομένων ὅπλα, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐξερχόμεθα διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης ἄοπλοι μετὰ χελανδίου, καὶ συλλαλοῦμεν· καὶ ἅπερ ᾐτήσω πάντα ποιοῦμεν. καὶ ταῦτα δηλώσαντες, διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐξαγαγόντες τινὰς ἐνωπλισμένους ἕως ὀνομάτων τριῶν, καὶ κατέκρυψαν αὐτοὺς ἐν δωματίοις τισὶν τῶν Γάλλης ἔξωθεν τῆς πόρτης τῶν Βλαχερνῶν, δώσαντες αὐτοῖς σύσσημον ὅτι διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν μετὰ τοῦ 343 Κρούμου σημεῖόν τι ἔχομεν ποιῆσαι, ὅπερ θεασάμενοι ἐξέλθατε καὶ ἀποκτείνατε αὐτόν. καὶ τῇ ἐπαύριον ὄντων τῶν Βουλγάρων ἐπὶ τὸ μέρος τῶν ἁγίων Ἀναργύρων ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως, κατῆλθεν ὁ Κροῦμος ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν κατὰ τὴν συνταγὴν μετὰ ἄλλων τριῶν, τὸν λογοθέτην αὐτοῦ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν λεγόμενον τοῦ Πατζικοῦ, φυγόντος εἰς Βουλγαρίαν πρὸ πολλῶν ἐτῶν, ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ὄντα ἐξ ἀδελφῆς τοῦ Κρούμου. οὗτοι τέσσαρες ἐξελθόντες τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῶν ἄοπλοι κατῆλθον ἕως τῆς θαλάσσης κατὰ τὴν συνταγὴν μετὰ ἄλλων τριῶν, μὴ γινώσκοντες δὲ τὸ ἔνεδρον αὐτῶν. λοιπὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξῆλθον μετὰ χελανδίου, βουλόμενοι συλλαλῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ Κρούμου, καὶ λαβόντες λόγον ἐξῆλθον τοῦ καραβίου. καὶ ἀποκαβαλλικεύσας ὁ Κροῦμος ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους, καὶ τὸν ἵππον αὐτοῦ ἐκράτει ὁ υἱὸς Κωνσταντίνου στρωμένον χαλινωμένον. καὶ διαλεγομένων αὐτῶν ἐποίησεν ὁ εἷς τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὸ σημεῖον, ὃς ἦν ὁ Ἑξαβούλης, τῇ χειρὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποσκεπάσας. ὃν ἰδὼν ὁ Κροῦμος καὶ σκανδαλισθεὶς ἀνεπήδησεν, καὶ ἔχων ἕτοιμον τὸν ἵππον, σηκώσαντες αὐτὸν οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἐκαβαλλίκευσεν. καὶ ἀνέκραζεν ὁ λαὸς ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν "σταυρὸς ἐνίκησεν." καὶ αὐτὸς ἤρξατο φεύγειν. καὶ ἐξελθόντες οἱ ἐνωπλισμένοι ἐκ τῶν δωμάτων κατεδίωξαν ὀπίσω τοῦ Κρούμου, καὶ ἀπολύσαντες αὐτῶν τὰ βέλη [ὡς ᾠήθησαν ὅτι ἐπλήγωσαν αὐτόν.