by the empress, who had proceeded royally with her own children into the greatest and most famous shrine of the Wisdom of God. 123 But since the empress feared both the senate and the patriarch and those who had signed and sworn, and on account of these things did not dare to be joined to any of the notable men and proclaim him emperor, she decided it was necessary to think beyond a woman, and by cunning and deceit to win over the patriarch and thus both to accomplish her desire for herself and to somehow check the onslaught of the barbarians. She therefore communicates the matter to one of the men from the women's quarters as suitable for this. And he promises to cooperate with her in every way for what was being pursued, a razor to a whetstone, as the saying goes, being so for such things. The patriarch had a brother named Bardas, both most lecherous and mad for pleasures and having no other preeminence in life. So the eunuch approaches the patriarch, reports to him secretly the details of the matter, and that, if he would be willing, or rather, would only assent that no danger should be suspected from that dreadful signed document, his own brother would be joined to the empress, and would immediately be proclaimed emperor. And when he had the whole patriarch like a tuna swallowing the bait and already all but hastening the union, it was decided to inquire the opinion of the senate also concerning this. So the patriarch, summoning each one to himself, was establishing the necessity of the matter, denouncing the document as both lawless and illicit and as having come about through the jealousy of one man and not looking to the common advantage, which will certainly happen if the empress is joined to a man both noble and spirited; for the affairs of the Romans will flourish again, which were already expected to wither and be extinguished. And when he had everyone in agreement, some by persuasion and flattery, others by provisions of money and more lavish blandishments, and there was no fear for what was to be done, Diogenes is led at night into the palace under arms and is joined 124 to the empress; and he is proclaimed emperor on the first of the month of January of the sixth indiction, in the year 6576, without the knowledge of all the empress's sons. Immediately a great disturbance arises from the Varangians, not tolerating to acclaim him contrary to what had been commonly decided. But her son Michael appearing to them with his brothers announced that what had happened, happened with their consent, and immediately changing their minds, with loud and piercing voices they too acclaimed him.

So it was shown from this, that the many had not hoped in him in vain. And the empress ruled with her sons for seven months and a little more. But Romanos Diogenes, having thus obtained the scepters, no less than the matters at hand, took thought for military discipline and organization, even though he had his stepsons as co-rulers, or rather, to speak more truly, as rivals, and the brother of the previous emperor, John the Caesar, who stood as an obstacle to him from the beginning to the end and managed Roman affairs badly, and to the state in which it is now seen. For he began both to welcome the more worthy men and to converse with the sensible and experienced of the soldiers and to apply himself to the works of war and to prepare ambassadors and from all sides to wall off the approach for the enemies. For these reasons indeed, and after a delay of two months, the Propontis of the east receives him, and the zeal for vengeance conquered the luxury and pleasure in the capital. Which also amazed everyone, namely the swift preparation and disposition and equipping having been made by him out of great necessity. So the affairs concerning Antioch and Cilicia, having been exhausted by the aforementioned raids, were in the utmost dangers. But in the more northern parts the sultan himself had come out with his entire army, leading unbearable 125 and heavy forces, and had joined himself to the borders of the Romans at the time of autumn, wishing to winter there and at the beginning of spring soon

παρὰ τῆς βασιλίδος, προελθούσης βασιλικῶς μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων παίδων εἰς τὸν μέγιστον καὶ περίπυστον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ Σοφίας σηκόν. 123 ∆εδοικυίας δὲ τῆς βασιλίδος τήν τε σύγκλητον καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ τοὺς ὑπογράψαντας καὶ ὀμόσαντας, καὶ διὰ ταῦτα μὴ τολμώσης ζευχθῆναί τινι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν καὶ βασιλέα ἀναγορεῦσαι αὐτόν, ἔγνω δεῖν ὑπὲρ γυναῖκα μὲν φρονῆσαι , πανουργίᾳ δὲ καὶ δόλῳ τὸν πατριάρχην ὑπελθεῖν καὶ οὕτως αὑτῇ τε τὸ ἐφετὸν καταπράξασθαι καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐθνῶν ποσῶς ἀναχαιτίσαι ὁρμήν. Κοινοῦται τοίνυν τὸ πρᾶγμά τινι τῶν ἐκ τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ὡς ἐπιτηδείῳ πρὸς τοῦτο. Ὁ δὲ ὑπισχνεῖται παντὶ τρόπῳ συμπράξειν αὐτῇ πρὸς τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, ξυρὸς εἰς ἀκόνην, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, ὢν πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα. Ἀδελφὸς ἦν τῷ πατριάρχῃ Βάρδας ὄνομα, λαγνίστατός τε καὶ πρὸς ἡδονὰς ἐπτοημένος καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο διὰ βίου ἔχων προτέρημα. Πρόσεισι γοῦν τῷ πατριάρχῃ ὁ τομίας, ἀπαγγέλλει αὐτῷ μυστικῶς τὰ τοῦ πράγματος, καὶ ὡς, εἰ θελήσειε, μᾶλλον δὲ συνεπινεύσειε μόνον μηδένα κίνδυνον ὑφορᾶσθαι ἐκ τῆς φρικτῆς ἐκείνης χειρογραφίας, ζευχθήσεται μὲν τῇ βασιλίδι ὁ τούτου αὐτάδελφος, παραυτίκα δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀναγορευθήσεται. Ὡς δ' ἔσχεν ὅλον τὸν πατριάρχην θύννον καταπιόντα τὸ δέλεαρ καὶ ἤδη μονονουχὶ τὴν συναρμογὴν ἐπισπεύδοντα, γίνεται γνώμης πυθέσθαι περὶ τούτου καὶ τὴν σύγκλητον. Ἕνα καθένα γοῦν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ὁ πατριάρχης προσκαλούμενος τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τοῦ πράγματος κατεσκεύαζε, διασύρων τὸ ἔγγραφον ὡς ἔκνομόν τε καὶ ἄθεσμον καὶ διὰ ζηλοτυπίαν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς γεγονὸς καὶ μὴ πρὸς κοινὴν λυσιτέλειαν ἀφορῶν, ὅπερ ἔσται πάντως, εἰ ζευχθήσεται ἡ βασιλὶς ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ τε καὶ θυμοειδεῖ· ἀναθηλήσουσι γὰρ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐσαῦθις , ἤδη μαρανθῆναι καὶ ἀποσβεσθῆναι ἐλπιζόμενα. Ὡς δ' ἔσχε πάντας συμψήφους, τοὺς μὲν πειθοῖ καὶ κολακείᾳ, τοὺς δὲ καὶ χρημάτων παροχαῖς καὶ μειλίγμασιν ἁδροτέροις, καὶ τῷ πραχθησομένῳ δέος οὐχ ὑπῆν, ἄγεται μὲν ὁ ∆ιογένης νυκτὸς εἰς τὰ βασίλεια ἔνοπλος καὶ τῇ βασιλίδι 124 προσζεύγνυται· ἀναγορεύεται δὲ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τὴν πρώτην τοῦ Ἰανουαρίου μηνὸς τῆς ἕκτης ἐπινεμήσεως, ἔτειφοʹ, λαθὼν πάντας τοὺς τῆς βασιλίδος υἱεῖς. Γίνεται παραυτίκα τάραχος παρὰ τῶν Βαράγγων πολὺς μὴ ἀνεχομένων εὐφημῆσαι αὐτὸν παρὰ τὰ κοινῇ δόξαντα. Ἐπιφανεὶς δὲ αὐτοῖς ὁ ταύτης υἱὸς Μιχαὴλ σὺν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς γνώμῃ αὐτῶν ἀπαγγέλλουσι γενέσθαι τὸ γεγονός, καὶ αὐτίκα μετατραπέντες μεγάλαις καὶ διατόροις φωναῖς αὐτὸν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνηγόρευσαν.

Ὡς δ' οὖν ἐφάνη ἐκ τούτου, ὡς οὐ μάτην ἠλπίκασιν ἐπ' αὐτῷ οἱ πολλοί. Ἐκράτησε δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς σὺν τοῖς υἱέσι μῆνας ἑπτὰ καὶ μικρόν τι πρός. Ῥωμανὸς δὲ ὁ ∆ιογένης οὕτω τῶν σκήπτρων ἐπιτυχών, οὐκ ἔλαττον τῶν ἐν ποσὶ πραγμάτων, τῆς στρατιωτικῆς εὐταξίας ἐφρόντισε καὶ συστάσεως, κἂν ὅ τι μάλιστα συνέδρους εἶχε τοὺς προγονούς, ἐφέδρους δὲ μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν ἀληθέστερον, καὶ τὸν τοῦ προβεβασιλευκότος ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάννην τὸν καίσαρα, οἳ καὶ ἐμποδὼν αὐτῷ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἄχρι τέλους κατέστησαν καὶ τὰ ῥωμαϊκὰ κακῶς διέθεσαν πράγματα, καὶ εἰς ὃ νῦν ὁρᾶται ἔχοντα. Ἤρξατο γὰρ τούς τε ἀξιολογωτέρους δεξιοῦσθαι καὶ τοῖς ἐχέφροσι καὶ πεπειραμένοις ὁμιλεῖν τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ πολεμικῶν ἔργων ἀντέχεσθαι πρεσβευτάς τε ἑτοιμάζειν καὶ πανταχόθεν τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀποτειχίζειν τὴν πάροδον. ∆ιὰ ταῦτά τοι καὶ μετὰ δύο μηνῶν παρολκὴν ἡ τῆς ἑῴας αὐτὸν δέχεται Προποντίς, καὶ ὁ ζῆλος τῆς ἐκδικίας ἐνίκησε τὴν ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι τρυφήν τε καὶ θυμηδίαν. Ὃ καὶ πάντας κατέπληξεν, ἡ ταχεῖα δηλαδὴ ἑτοιμασία καὶ διάταξις καὶ παρασκευὴ πρὸς ἀνάγκης αὐτῷ γενομένη πολλῆς. Τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν καὶ Κιλικίαν ταῖς προειρημέναις ἐκδρομαῖς ἀπειρηκότα ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἦσαν κινδύνοις. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς βορειοτέροις αὐτὸς ὁ σουλτάνος πανστρατιᾷ ἐξελήλυθε δυνάμεις ἄγων ἀνυποίστους 125 καὶ βαρείας καὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις τῶν Ῥωμαίων τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ φθινοπώρου προσήνωτο, βουλόμενος παραχειμάσαι ἐκεῖσε καὶ ἀρχομένου τοῦ ἔαρος προσεχῶς