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salvation), but betraying military matters and all but throwing money into the hands of the enemy. For which reason, having given satisfaction, even if not what was deserved, to Nicephorus who had trusted him, he was subjected to blows on his back and chest and paid the penalty with perpetual exile. But when Nicephorus was campaigning against the Scythians and fell wounded in the battle line on the twenty-sixth of the month of July of the fourth indiction, and his son Stauracius was mortally wounded in the war so that he survived for only two months and eight days, having previously reigned with his father for eight years and seven months, and after the death of Stauracius on the second of the month of October, Michael the curopalates 12, who was the son-in-law of Nicephorus and descended from the family of Rangabe and lived in the quarter of the Mangana, received the imperial power in the month of October of the fifth indiction, Leo is released from exile according to the prevailing custom on account of the kindness of the Roman emperors, and he is brought back from his exile, and he is enrolled with the very rod-bearers of this Michael who stand guard in the palace, and not long after he is honored with the rank of patrician, and is appointed general of the Anatolics, at which time he also renewed his old friendship with the man Michael who was raised with him, whom his transfer from Bardanes had preferred as count of the cortē, and taking him as an initiate of his secrets, he had him as a most faithful man for internal affairs and a most practical one for external ones. But he was destined to be convicted of ingratitude again, having been raised with cruelty and nurtured in savagery, and the sinner was to cover his first offenses with his second ones. (5) Whence, when Krum, the leader of the Bulgars, feigned agreements and friendship and sought peaceful treaties, if only the annual payments were given to him in the order of a tribute, I think, as had seemed right to those before, and adding that the refugees of the Bulgars, and also of the Romans, be handed back to their own people, the matter of the refugees seemed absurd 13 to the senate council, even though the reigning emperor Michael was entirely of the ruler's opinion in wishing not to fail to obtain peace. but the council prevailed, having Theoctistus the magister ratifying and agreeing with its opinion, and they turned again to the works of war, leaving their words bare. And this rightly seemed good; for how could anyone seem philanthropic and compassionate who would hand over to the cruelty of the Scythians, who are no different from beasts, a man who, having stumbled into some misfortune and denied the land that bore him, than which nothing is sweeter, as they say, and also his wife and children, and has fled as to a sacred altar of refuge in the Roman state? For since their leaders see that many of their own people cannot bear their fearful and savage nature and for this reason frequently stream away to our own civilized and gentle state, and fearing that they might little by little imperceptibly empty their own people out to us, they have often raised much discussion about this even with us. But they plucked a bald one, as the proverb says, encountering steadfast men. (6) Therefore, after a short interval, they take up arms against each other. And Michael deemed it right for his subordinate general Leo to lead his forces back and cross over from the East more quickly; and intending to use him as an ally, he found an implacable enemy. 14 For from the boastful words and threats which Krum sent against the Romans, threatening destruction of bodies and devastation of the land and the cutting down of trees and the burning of dwellings, and in general, sweeping against us like a torrential river, he affirmed that he would subject all to himself, when the emperor had just marched out and contained those excessive threats, and all but within his own borders

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τηρίαν ἐπραγματεύσατο), τὰ στρατιωτικὰ δὲ προδοὺς καὶ μόνον οὐχὶ χερσὶ πολεμίοις ἐμβαλὼν χρήματα. ου  δὴ ενεκα δίκας, εἰ καὶ μὴ τὰς ἀξίας, τῷ καταπιστεύσαντι δοὺς Νικηφόρῳ πληγαῖς τε ταῖς κατὰ νώτου ὑπήχθη καὶ στέρνων καὶ φυγῇ ἀϊδίῳ τὴν ζη- μίαν ἀπέτισεν. ἀλλὰ τοῦ Νικηφόρου κατὰ Σκυθῶν ἐκστρατεύ- σαντος καὶ τραυματίου κατὰ τὴν παρεμβολὴν τοῦ πολέμου πεσόν- τος μηνὶ ̓Ιουλίῳ εἰκάδι εκτῃ τῆς τετάρτης ἰνδικτιῶνος, καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ Σταυρακίου κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον καιρίαν τρωθέντος ὡς δύο μὲν μόνους μῆνας καὶ ἡμέρας ἐπιζῆσαι ὀκτώ, συμβασιλεύσαντος δὲ πρότερον τῷ πατρὶ ετη ὀκτὼ μῆνας ἑπτά, καὶ Μιχαὴλ τοῦ κουρο- 12 παλάτου μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Σταυρακίου κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ ̓Οκτω- βρίου μηνὸς ἀποβίωσιν, γαμβροῦ μὲν Νικηφόρου τελοῦντος, ἐκ γενεᾶς δὲ καταγομένου τοῦ ̔Ραγγαβὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν θέσιν τῶν Μαγ- γάνων σκηνοῦντος, τὴν τῆς βασιλείας δεξαμένου ἀρχὴν κατὰ τὸν ̓Οκτώβριον μῆνα τῆς πέμπτης ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἀπολύεται ὁ Λέων τῆς ὑπερορίας κατὰ τὸ ἐπικρατῆσαν εθος τῆς χρηστότητος ενεκεν τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίων βασιλεῦσι, καὶ τῆς φυγῆς κατάγεται, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ τούτου δὴ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ῥαβδούχοις τοῖς κατὰ τὰ ἀνάκτορα συν- τάττεται ἐφεδρεύουσι, καὶ πατρικίων τιμᾶται μετ' οὐ πολὺ τιμῇ, καὶ στρατηγὸς ̓Ανατολικῶν ἀναδείκνυται, ἡνίκα καὶ τὴν παλαιὰν φιλίαν τοῦ σὺν αὐτῷ τραφέντος ἀνδρὸς Μιχαὴλ ἀνανεῶν, ον κό- μητα τῆς κόρτης ἡ ἐκ τοῦ Βαρδανίου μετάταξις προετίμησεν, καὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων μύστην λαμβάνων, τῶν ενδον τε ειχεν πιστότατον καὶ τῶν ἐκτὸς πρακτικώτατον. ̓Αλλ' εμελλεν αυθις ἀχαριστίας ἁλῶναι γραφῇ, ὠμότητι συντραφεὶς καὶ ἀγριότητι ἐκτραφείς, καὶ τοῖς δευτέροις τὰ πρῶτα καλύψαι ὁ ἀλιτήριος. (5) οθεν αρτι Κρούμνου τοῦ τῶν Βουλ- γάρων ἡγεμόνος συμβάσεις καὶ φιλίας ὑποκριναμένου καὶ σπονδὰς ζητοῦντος εἰρηνικάς, εἰ μόνον τὰ κατ' ετος διδόμενα εἰς τάξιν οιμαι δοθῶσιν φόρου αὐτῷ, ὡς τοῖς πρότερον εδοξε, καὶ προστι- θέντος ὡς καὶ τοὺς πρόσφυγας Βουλγάρων, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ̔Ρωμαίων εἰς τοὐπίσω ἐκδίδοσθαι τῷ ἑαυτῶν εθνει, ατοπον ἐφάνη τὸ τῶν 13 προσφύγων τοῖς τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς, εἰ καὶ ὁ βασιλεύων Μι- χαὴλ ολως ἐγένετο τῆς δόξης τοῦ αρχοντος τῷ γε δὴ τῆς εἰρήνης βούλεσθαι μὴ ἀποτυχεῖν. ἀλλ' ἐκράτησεν ἡ βουλή, Θεόκτιστον μάγιστρον ἐπικυροῦντα καὶ συντιθέμενον εχουσα τῇ δόξῃ, καὶ διελύθησαν πάλιν εἰς εργα πολέμου, τοὺς λόγους καταλιπόντες γυμνούς. καὶ τοῦτ' εἰκότως ἐφάνη καλόν· πῶς γὰρ αν τις φιλάν- θρωπος δόξῃ καὶ συμπαθὴς τόν γε διά τινα σφαλέντα δὴ περιπέ- τειαν καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μὲν ἀρνησάμενον ἐνεγκαμένην, ης οὐδὲν γλύ- κιον, ως φασι, πρὸς δὲ καὶ γαμετήν τε καὶ εγγονα, ὡς εἰς ασυλον καταφυγόντα βωμὸν τῇ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων πολιτείᾳ, τοῦτον ἐκδίδο- σθαι ὠμότητι Σκυθῶν, θηρίων διενηνοχότων οὐδέν; οις γὰρ τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ αγριον ὁρῶσιν αὐτῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς μὴ ὑποφέροντας καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπορρέοντας πρὸς τὸ ημερον καὶ πρᾶον ἡμῶν συχνῶς, ατε δή, μὴ κατὰ μικρὸν λάθωσιν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἐκκενώσαν- τες, δεδιότες οἱ σφῶν ἀρχηγοὶ τὸν πολὺν περὶ τούτων λόγον πολ- λάκις καὶ μέχρις ἡμῶν κεκινήκασιν. ἀλλὰ κενήν, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν, εψηλαν, ἀνθρώποις ἐντυχόντες στερροῖς. (6) τοιγαροῦν μικρὸν διαλιπόντες κατ' ἀλλήλων ὁπλίζονται. καὶ Μιχαὴλ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ὑποστράτηγον Λέοντα ἐπανάγειν καὶ διαπε- ραιοῦσθαι ἐκ τῆς ̓Ανατολῆς θᾶττον ἠξίου μετὰ καὶ τῶν δυνάμεων· καὶ βοηθῷ μέλλων χρῆσθαι αὐτῷ ἐχθρὸν κατέλαβεν ασπονδον. 14 ὡς γὰρ ἐκ τῶν μεγαλαύχων ῥημάτων καὶ ἀπειλῶν ων κατὰ ̔Ρω- μαίων ὁ Κροῦμνος ἀπέπεμπε, φθόρους σωμάτων ἐπαπειλῶν καὶ γῆς δῄωσιν καὶ δένδρων ἐκτομὰς καὶ οἰκημάτων πυρπόλησιν, καὶ ολως καθ' ἡμῶν οιά τις χειμάρρους ποταμὸς φερόμενος πάντας ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιῆσαι διεβεβαίου, αρτι δὴ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκστρατεύ- σαντος καὶ συστείλαντος τὰς ὑπερορίους ἐκείνας ἀπειλάς, καὶ μόνον οὐ τοῖς οἰκείοις οροις