less. For when the renowned patriarch Tarasios had long since departed this life, he heard him call a certain Michael by name, and having leaped 612 upon a lion, to strike it a fatal blow and push it down a cliff that had an abyss. 8. But from the days of the godless Leo, the Bulgars came as far as the gate with no one meeting them or hindering them; and Krum, making a sacrifice according to his custom outside the Golden Gate, sacrificed humans and many animals; and dipping his feet in the sea-shore and washing them, and sprinkling his people and being acclaimed by them, he passed through the midst of his concubines, worshipped by them and glorified, and everyone was watching these things from the wall, with no one daring to hinder him or shoot an arrow at him. And having done all he desired and whatever he wished, he encircled the city and set up a palisade against it, and having spent some days and plundered the areas outside the city, he began to demand terms of much gold and a great number of garments and a quantity of chosen maidens. And so Leo, having held council with the rulers, declared to Krum: "Come to the sea-shore with a few men not carrying weapons, and we will come out by sea, unarmed, with a chelandion, and we shall talk, and whatever you have asked, we will do it all." And having announced these things, during the night they brought out three certain armed men, and hid them in some small rooms of the Galles outside the gate of the 613 Blachernae, giving them a signal: "While we are speaking with Krum, we have to make a certain sign, which when you see, come out and kill him." And on the next day, as the Bulgars were in the district of the Holy Anargyroi outside the city, Krum went 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; some four men, having come out from their people unarmed, went down to the sea according to the arrangement, not knowing of their ambush. Then also those from the city came out with a chelandion wishing to speak with Krum, and having begun the conversation, they came out of the ship; and having dismounted, Krum sat upon the ground, and Constantine's son held his horse, which was saddled and bridled. And as they were talking, one of those from the city, who was Exaboulios, made the sign, uncovering his head with his hand. Seeing this, Krum was alarmed and jumped up; and having his horse ready, those with him lifted him up, and he mounted. And the people from the wall shouted, "The cross has conquered." And he began to flee. And the armed men, coming out of the small rooms, pursued after Krum, and having shot their arrows, as they thought that they had wounded him, he himself fled all alone to his people. But the other three were captured by those who were in the chelandion. 614 And the logothete was immediately slaughtered, but Constantine and his son were captured alive. 9. Therefore, when these things had happened, Krum, being enraged, commanded on the next day to set fire to and destroy every place; and beginning to set fires, they burned down all the churches opposite the city, which were large, which Irene and Nikephoros and Michael had restored; likewise also the monasteries and the palaces and the houses and the suburbs. And coming to Saint Mamas they set fire to the palaces there and the imperial bedchambers, and they broke the columns, and they carried off the lead and the animal statues of the hippodrome, and they slaughtered all the captives, likewise also the cattle. And passing through the coast of the Stenon and all the trading posts above, they burned them, and taking much spoil, they departed. And having seized the right part of the city towards
ἔλαττον· τοῦ γὰρ ἀοιδίμου Ταρασίου τοῦ πατριάρχου πάλαι τὸν βίον μετηλλαχότος, ἤκουσε τοῦτον Μιχαήλ τινα ἐξ ὀνόματος καλέσαι, καὶ ἐπιπηδή 612 σαντα ἐπιπλῆξαι λέοντα καιρίαν καὶ κατὰ κρημνοῦ ὠθῆσαι ἄβυσσον ἔχοντος. 8. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ ἀθέου Λέοντος ἦλθον οἱ Βούλγαροι μηδενὸς αὐτοὺς ὑπαντῶντος ἢ κωλύοντος ἕως τῆς πόρτης· καὶ ποιήσας ὁ Κροῦμος θυσίαν κατὰ τὸ ἔθος αὐτοῦ ἔξωθεν τῆς Χρυσῆς πόρτης ἔθυσε 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 τοῦ τείχους πάντων, καὶ μηδενὸς τολμῶντος κωλῦσαι αὐτὸν ἢ ἀπολῦσαι βέλος κατ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ ποιήσας πάντα τὰ ἐπιθυμητὰ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἅπερ ἐβούλετο, περιεκύκλωσεν τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἔβαλεν χάρακα ἐπ' αὐτῇ, καὶ ποιήσας ἡμέρας τινὰς καὶ πραιδεύσας τὰ ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως ἤρξατο ζητεῖν πάκτα χρυσίου καὶ ἱματισμοῦ ἀριθμὸν πολὺν καὶ κοράσια ἐπίλεκτα ποσότητα τινά. καὶ δὴ ποιήσας ὁ Λέων βουλὴν μετὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐδήλωσε 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 διαλαλήσαντες, διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς ἐξαγαγόντες τινὰς ἐνωπλισμένους τρεῖς ἄνδρας, κατέκρυψαν αὐτοὺς ἐν δωματίοις τισὶ τῶν Γάλλης ἔξωθεν τῆς πόρτης τῶν 613 Βλαχερνῶν, δώσαντες αὐτοῖς σύσσημον ὅτι διαλεγομένων ἡμῶν μετὰ τοῦ 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 τῶν, ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ὄντα ἐξ ἀδελφῆς τοῦ Κρούμου· τινες τέσσαρες ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῶν ἄοπλοι κατῆλθον ἕως τῆς θαλάσσης κατὰ συνταγήν, μὴ γινώσκοντες 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 ἀποκαβαλικεύσας ὁ Κροῦμος ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐδάφους, καὶ τὸν ἵππον αὐτοῦ ὁ υἱὸς Κωνσταντίνου στρωμένον καὶ χαλινωμένον ἐκράτει. καὶ διαλεγομένων αὐτῶν ἐποίησεν ὁ εἷς τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὸ σημεῖον, ὃς ἦν Ἑξαβούλης, τῇ χειρὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποσκεπάσας. ὃν ἰδὼν ὁ Κροῦμος καὶ σκανδαλισθεὶς ἀνεπήδησεν· καὶ ἔχων ἕτοιμον τὸν ἵππον, σηκώσαντες αὐτὸν οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, ἐκαβαλίκευσεν. καὶ ἀνέκραζεν ὁ λαὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους "ὁ 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, αὐτὸς δὲ μονώτατος ἔφυγεν εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι τρεῖς ἐπιάσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ὄντων ἐν τῷ χελανδίῳ. 614 καὶ ὁ μὲν λογοθέτης παραυτὰ ἐσφάγη, Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ καὶ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ζῶντες ἐπιάσθησαν. 9. Λοιπὸν οὖν τούτων γενομένων θυμωθεὶς ὁ Κροῦμος ἐκέλευσε τῇ ἐπαύριον ἐμπυρίσαι καὶ καταστρέψαι πάντα τόπον· καὶ ἀρξάμενοι ἐμπυρίζειν κατέκαυσαν πάσας τὰς ἐκκλησίας τὰς ἀντίπεραν τῆς πόλεως, μεγάλας οὔσας, ἃς ἀνεκαίνισαν Εἰρήνη καὶ Νικηφόρος καὶ Μιχαήλ· ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ μοναστήρια καὶ τὰ παλάτια καὶ τοὺς οἴκους καὶ τὰ προάστεια. καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Μάμαντα ἐνεπύρισαν τὰ ἐκεῖσε παλάτια καὶ τοὺς βασιλικοὺς κοιτῶνας, καὶ τοὺς κίονας κατέκλασαν, καὶ τοὺς μολίβδους ἐπῇραν καὶ τὰ ζῳδία τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν κατέσφαξαν, ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ κτήνη. καὶ διελθόντες τὴν παραθαλασσίαν τοῦ Στενοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄνω πάντα τὰ ἐμπόρεια κατέκαυσαν, καὶ ἄραντες σκῦλα πολλὰ ᾤχοντο. καὶ πιάσαντες τὸ δεξιὸν μέρος τῆς πόλεως πρὸς