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he was consulting, and he was advising that some plan, truly auspicious and safe, be carried out. And this was that, at the time when the girl became possessed by Phoebus, to determine precisely in every way whose was the house of the one who would be emperor, and what name he bears, and what his character is like. He decided to do these things, and she, being possessed by the spirit of Pytho, holding nothing back, says, "When you are on the acropolis at a certain time, two men will come in; Leo is the name of the one riding on a mule, and the other another; this one would be blessed with the empire." These things, then, that god-hated man both swears to 23 the emperor and says none of the things that happened, but calls the words nonsense and having nothing sound in them. But to him they were not nonsense or otherwise worthless; for he goes away immediately, and having found the man, as he had heard, in the shrine of the divine Paul, which had the charge of feeding orphans, after sitting with him and securing him and strengthening him with agreements and urging him to be bold and to rejoice, he said that a divine voice had taught him secretly the things to come, a voice which proclaimed you emperor resoundingly. These things, then, being whispered and, as it were, certain second colors painted onto the former shadows as in a picture (I mean those first ones revealed by the monk at Philomelion), no longer make him see the empire in an image and a certain appearance, but naked and, as it were, clearly in its outcome. This, therefore, caused the already soot-covered and, as it were, withered flame of Leo's hope to be rekindled, and Michael to sink into a great abyss of despondency, and it raised up the tower of the soul of the one, and shook down that of the other. But not only this woman, but indeed the one who was trusted and truly deceived, Kassiteras. But we must go again to the history. 12 So when Leo had received the imperial rule, being proclaimed publicly in the month of July of the 6th indiction, he enrolls Michael who lisped in his speech in the rank of the patricians, having previously adopted his son from the divine font 24, and he appoints Thomas, his own particularly close contemporary and 24 companion in games, as tourmarch of the foederati. And having enrolled Manuel, the protostrator of Michael, among the patricians and honored him as strategos of the Armenians, he said, "You should not have armed yourself for the war against me, having become an advisor of the emperor and of Procopia." And he, speaking very frankly, replied, "Nor should you have raised a hand against your benefactor, and furthermore your own child's godfather." Then, therefore, he was silenced by these things, respecting the virtue of the man. (13) And when he heard through reports that the ruler of the Bulgars was emboldened by his previous victory, and was again ravaging the neighboring land, and cutting down and plundering the fields and carrying off many people and many cattle, and on the other hand burning down dwellings and being altogether intolerable, he first thought it necessary through an embassy to remind him of peace, but when he did not persuade him, having rebuilt by his own means the parts of the walls that had fallen into ruin, he marched out to help with speed, and having arrived in the city of Mesembria, he used a stratagem of this kind. For a sufficient number of days, having entrenched himself and his army in a certain place, he remained sitting, each time getting provisions from our own land and lacking in necessities, but also in luxury, in nothing. And when he heard that the nearby Bulgars who were armed against him were in want of necessities, he departs by night from the place where he was lying in wait with sufficient soldiers, who were well-trained in both strength and 25 endurance, having revealed his own plan to one man alone, and he proceeds to an ambush on a certain hill, having given the signal and the hour for the war. But when day dawned and the general was deprived of the emperor, everyone agreed that this man, that is the emperor, had taken to flight, knowing nothing of what had happened. Wherefore the enemy, taking heart,

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ἀνεκοινοῦτο, καί τινα βουλὴν ἐξα- νύεσθαι ἐσυμβούλευεν αἰσίαν οντως καὶ ἀσφαλῆ. ἡ δὲ ην τοῦ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν οτε δὴ φοιβόληπτον γένηται τὸ κοράσιον, ἀκρι- βολογῆσαι τρόπῳ παντὶ τίς τε ειη οἰκία τοῦ βασιλεύσοντος, καὶ κλῆσιν ηντινα φέρει, καὶ ὁποῖος τούτου ὁ χαρακτήρ. ἐδόκει ταῦτα ποιεῖν, καὶ ἡ ἐνεργουμένη πνεύματι Πύθωνος οὐδὲν ὑποστειλαμένη "κατὰ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν" φησί "γενομένῳ σοι κατὰ τὸν δεῖνα καιρὸν δύο τινὲς ανθρωποι εἰσελεύσονται· Λέων ονομα τῷ ἑνὶ ἐποχουμέ- νῳ ἡμιόνῳ, θατέρῳ δὲ ετερον· ουτος δὲ τῆς βασιλείας κατευμοι- ρήσειεν." ταῦτα γοῦν ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεομισὴς ἀνὴρ ἐξόμνυταί τε πρὸς 23 τὸν βασιλέα καὶ λέγει τῶν γενομένων οὐδέν, λῆρον δὲ τοὺς λόγους ἀποκαλεῖ καὶ μηδὲν εχοντας ὑγιές. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκείνῳ λῆροι η  εμετος αλλως· απεισι γὰρ εὐθύς, καὶ τὸν ανδρα, ὡς ἀκηκόει, καταλα- βὼν ἐν τῷ τοῦ θείου Παύλου σηκῷ τῷ ὀρφανοὺς τρέφειν λαχόντι, συνεδριάσας καὶ ὁμολογίαις κατεμπεδώσας καὶ ὀχυρώσας καὶ θαρ- ρεῖν καὶ χαίρειν παρακελευσάμενος, ἐκ θείας φωνῆς ελεγεν διδα- χθῆναί με ἀπορρήτως τὰ μέλλοντα, τήν σε βασιλέα διαπρυσίως κηρύττουσαν. ταῦτα γοῦν ὑπολαληθέντα καὶ οιον δεύτερά τινα χρώματα ὡς ἐν ζῳγραφίᾳ ταῖς προτέραις ἐμμορφωθέντα σκιαῖς (ἐκείνας λέγω πρώτας τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ Φιλομήλιον μοναχοῦ ἐκφανθείσας) οὐκέτι ἐν εἰδώλῳ καὶ ἐμφάσει τινὶ ἐμποιεῖ τὴν βασι- λείαν ὁρᾶν, γυμνὴν δὲ καὶ οιον ἐν ἐκβάσει σαφῶς. τοῦτο ουν τήν τε ηδη κατῃθαλωμένην τοῦ Λέοντος καὶ οιον ἀπομαρανθεῖσαν φλόγα τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑποτύφεσθαι ἐποίησεν καὶ τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐν ἀβύσσῳ ἀθυμίας καταδῦναι πολλῇ, καὶ τοῦ μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς πύρ- γον ἀνέστησεν, τοῦ δὲ ἐγκατέσεισεν. οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον τὸ γύναιον, ἀλλὰ δὴ ὁ πιστευθεὶς καὶ ἐξαπατήσας τῷ οντι Κασσιτερᾶς. ἀλλ' αυθις ἐπὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἰτέον. 12 ̔Ως δ' ουν τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ειληφεν ὁ Λέων ἀρχήν, ἀναρρηθεὶς δημοσίᾳ κατὰ τὸν ̓Ιούλιον μῆνα τῆς ϛʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, Μιχαὴλ μὲν τὸν τὴν γλῶτταν ὑποσυρίζοντα τῇ τῶν πατρικίων ἐγκαταλέγει τιμῇ, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ πρότερον ἐκ τοῦ θείου λουτροῦ 24 υἱοποιησάμενος, Θωμᾶν δὲ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ διαφερόντως ὁμήλικα καὶ 24 συμπαίστορα τῶν φοιδεράτων τουρμάρχην ἐγκαθιστᾷ. καὶ Μα- νουὴλ δὲ τὸν Μιχαὴλ πρωτοστράτορα πατρικίοις ἐγκαταλέξας καὶ στρατηγὸν τιμήσας τῶν ̓Αρμενίων, "οὐκ εδει σε" εφη "πρὸς τὸν κατ' ἐμοῦ ὁπλίζεσθαι πόλεμον, σύμβουλον τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς Προκοπίας γενόμενον." καὶ ος ευ μάλιστα παρρησιαζόμενος "ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σὲ εδει" ἀντέφησεν "κατὰ τοῦ εὐεργέτου, ετι δὲ καὶ συντέ- κνου σου, χεῖρα ἀντᾶραι." τότε μὲν ουν τούτοις κατεσιγάσθη, τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αἰδεσθεὶς ἀρετήν. (13) ὡς δὲ τὸν τῶν Βουλγά- ρων αρχοντα τῇ προτεραίᾳ νίκῃ φρονηματιζόμενον διακήκοεν, καὶ αυθις δῃοῦντα μὲν τὴν γείτονα γῆν, κείροντα δὲ καὶ λεηλατοῦντα τοὺς ἀγροὺς καὶ πολλὰ μὲν σώματα πολλὰ δὲ βοσκήματα καθαρ- πάζοντα, οἰκήσεις δ' ἑτέρωθεν κατεμπιπρῶντα καὶ ολως οντα ἀφόρητον, πρῶτον μὲν δεῖν ᾠήθη διὰ πρεσβείας εἰρήνης ἀναμνῆ- σαι αὐτόν, ὡς δ' οὐκ επεισεν, τὰ τῶν τειχῶν διερρυηκότα δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἀνοικοδομησάμενος ἐξεβοήθει διὰ ταχέων, καὶ γενόμενος ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ τῇ πόλει τοιούτῳ τινὶ διεχρήσατο στρατηγήματι. ἡμέρας ἱκανὰς εν τινι τόπῳ ἐπιταφρώσας ἑαυτόν τε καὶ τὸν στρα- τὸν ἐκαθέζετο ἑκάστοτε σιτιζόμενος ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμετέρας καὶ λειπό- μενος τῶν ἀναγκαίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τρυφήν, οὐδενός. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοὺς παρακειμένους καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ καθωπλισμένους Βουλγάρους ἐν στενότητι ειναι τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀκήκοεν, τοῦ μὲν ου  ἐφήδρευε τόπου νύκτωρ ἀπάνεισι μετὰ στρατιωτῶν ἱκανῶν καὶ ῥώμῃ τε καὶ 25 καρτερίᾳ γεγυμνασμένων, ἑνὶ μόνῳ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παραγυμνώσας γνώμην, καὶ πρὸς λόχον ἐπί τινος βουνοῦ χωρεῖ, σύνθημα τοῦ πολέμου καὶ ωραν εἰπών. ὡς δ' ἡμέρα ἀνέλαμπε καὶ ὁ στρατη- γὸς ἐγυμνοῦτο τοῦ βασιλεύοντος, φυγῇ χρήσασθαι τοῦτον, τὸν βασιλέα δηλονότι, πάντες καθωμολόγουν, τῶν γεγονότων εἰδότες οὐδέν. οθεν ἀναθαρρήσαντες οἱ ἐναντίοι