10

Leo, for 7 years and 5 months of his reign, having boasted madly against God most high. 2.t REIGNS II CONCERNING MICHAEL OF AMORIUM 2.1 And Michael, in the year 6329, the 14th indiction, against all hope was proclaimed emperor from prison—O, the wonder!—and was seated on the imperial throne while still bound in iron fetters; to whom all who met him approached and paid the veneration of proskynesis. When, therefore, much time had passed and the key was missing so they could not be unlocked, John of the family of the Exaboulioi and at that time in charge of the accounts of the dromos, secretly informed those present that it was stored in the innermost garment of the murdered man, by which the fetters were unbound. And when the seventh hour was passing, the emperor Michael departed for the great church together with those who had perpetrated the daring act, to be deemed worthy of the divine initiation, not at all frightened by the people nor blushing with fear of God, but rather emboldened by the other encounters and prophecies, and furthermore by the things previously proclaimed by a certain Athinganos seer, who, having given proof of many outcomes to the then stratelates of the Anatolikon theme, clearly prophesied that Michael and a certain other of the second rank would wear the diadem. Indeed, the general was very concerned about these men, how he might arrange them as bridegrooms for his own daughters. He held fast, therefore, to this purpose, and once when the one who had charge of those invited to table, whom they call the atriklines, came to him according to custom and showed him the list, he refused the company of the many, deeming only those men worthy of his table. So when it was prepared and his daughters were seated with them, he ordered them to be seated on the same level with these men. But they, astounded by the unexpected honor of the seating arrangement, refused; but he, being disposed more pressingly, compelled them, and finally persuaded them to recline. And when a cheerful mood had come about, since they had had their fill, he gives to them his daughters as wives. And they, dizzy from the command, were for a little while displeased, considering it beyond their station, and especially Michael because he had come from the poorest and a fortune of the obscure, but nonetheless, being urged, they obeyed. 2.2 And Thomas, having heard, as they say, that Michael had become emperor, quickly contrives a populous rebellion against him. For from the beginning they were at odds with one another in mutual antipathy; and Michael was hateful to the entire army of the Anatolikoi, and no less blameworthy both because of his homeland, which breeds a multitude of Athinganoi, as it seems, and because of the defect in his speech and because he was not considered by some to possess sufficient manliness, while Thomas was beloved by all on account of his courageous spirit, no less than his urbanity and affability, and not being inferior to the best men of Leo, even if of Scythian stock, and in addition, being old, he was lame in the foot. He, therefore, having seized all the collectors of public taxes, appropriated by written order the customary revenues, from which he made distributions among the peoples and vigorously organized military commands against Michael. And no one of those hailing from the east was left behind, nor of the west itself, nor of the foreign newcomers, nor of the natives, nor of the neighbors, nor of the servile class whatever was master-hating, nor of whole nations, at different times who did not flock to him and follow him, some by land, others by sea, as to a new Xerxes though appearing among co-religionists, so that from this it came about that all the themes with their generals allied themselves with him, with only Olbianus, general of the Armeniakoi, who kept his men compliant through foresight, and Katakylas of the Opsikion, remaining loyal to the emperor Michael. And the multitude against their own people so multiplied, that the Saracens also took the opportunity with impunity to plunder all islands and lands and to possess them completely

10

Λέων τῆς βασιλείας ζʹ ἐπ' ἔτεσι καὶ μησὶ εʹ κατὰ θεοῦ ὑψίστου ἐμμανῶς αὐχησάμενος. 2.t ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΩΝ Β ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΕΞ ΑΜΟΡΙΟΥ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ 2.1 Ὁ δὲ Μιχαὴλ ἐν ἔτει ϛτκθʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιδʹ, παρ' ἐλπίδα ἐξ εἱρκτῆς αὐτοκράτωρ, ὢ τοῦ θαύματος, ἀνηγόρευται, τῷ τε βασιλικῷ θρόνῳ καθίδρυται ἔτι ταῖς σιδηροπέδαις ἐπιδεσμούμενος· ᾧ προσίασι πάντες οἱ ἐντυχόντες καὶ τὸ σέβας προσκυνητὸν ἀπονέμουσιν. παμπόλλης οὖν ὥρας παρῳχηκυίας καὶ τῆς κλειδὸς ἀπούσης μὴ τούτων ἀνεπτυγμένων, Ἰωάννης ὁ ἐκ γένους Ἐξαβουλίων καὶ τοῦ δρόμου τοὺς λόγους τηνικαῦτα τιθεὶς τοῖς παροῦσι ταύτην ἐμυστολέκτει τεταμιεῦσθαι ἐσθῆτι τῇ ἐνδοτάτω τοῦ φονευθέντος, δι' ἧς αἱ πέδαι ἀποδεδέσμηνται. ἑβδόμης δὲ ὥρας διατελούσης ἄπεισι Μιχαὴλ βασιλεὺς τῷ μεγίστῳ ναῷ συνάμα τοῖς δεδρακόσι τὸ τόλμημα, τῆς θείας τελεταρχίας ἀξιωθῆναι, μηδ' ὅλως μήτε τῷ δήμῳ δειματωθεὶς μήτε τῷ δείματι τοῦ θεοῦ κατερυθριάσας, ἀλλὰ τεθαρρηκὼς μάλιστα ἐπί τε τοῖς λοιποῖς συναντήμασι καὶ προρρήσεσιν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῖς προαναπεφωνημένοις Ἀθιγγάνου παρά τινος μάντεως, ὃς τῷ τηνικαῦτα στρατηλάτῃ τοῦ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν θέματος πεῖραν δεδωκὼς πολλῶν ἀποβάσεων διετράνου τὸν Μιχαὴλ καί τινα ἕτερον τῶν δευτέρων διαδηματοφορήσειν, σαφῶς ἀπομαντευόμενος. ἀμέλει τούτους ὁ στρατηγέτης διὰ μερίμνης εἶχεν πολλῆς, ὅπως νυμφίους ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ θυγατράσιν ἁρμόσαιτο. ἐξείχετο οὖν τοῦ τοιούτου σκοποῦ, καί ποτε τοῦ τὴν ἐπιστασίαν ἔχοντος τῶν εἰς τράπεζαν κεκλημένων, ὃν ἀτρικλίνην φημίζουσιν, κατὰ τὸ ἔθος εἰσιόντος αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν γραφὴν ἐμφανίζοντος, ἀπείπατο τῶν πολλῶν τῆς συνεστιάσεως, ἐκείνους δὲ μόνους τῆς τραπέζης καταξιῶσαι. ταύτης γοῦν διευ τρεπισθείσης καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρων συνεδριασασῶν, προστάττει τούτοις ὁμοταγεῖς γενέσθαι αὐτάς. οἱ δὲ τῇ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ θαμβηθέντες τιμῇ τῆς κατακλίσεως ἀπαναίνονται· ὁ δὲ διακείμενος ἐπαχθέστερον κατηνάγκαζεν, καὶ τελευταῖον πείθει κατακλιθῆναι. διαχύσεως δὲ γεγονυίας, ἅτε κατεμφορηθέντων αὐτῶν, ἐπιδίδωσι τούτοις τὰς θυγατέρας εἰς γαμετάς. οἱ δὲ κατιλιγγιάσαντες τοῦ προστάγματος πρὸς μὲν μικρὸν δυσανασχετοῦσιν ἐν τούτῳ τὸ παρ' ἀξίαν αὐτῶν λογιζόμενοι, καὶ μάλιστα Μιχαὴλ διὰ τὸ ἐκ πενεστάτων προῆχθαι καὶ τὴν τύχην ἀνεπιφάντων, ἀλλ' ὅμως πειθαρχοῦσιν ἐγκελευόμενοι. 2.2 Ἀκηκοὼς δέ, ὥς φασιν, ὁ Θωμᾶς τὸν Μιχαὴλ βασιλεύσαντα, ταχέως κατ' αὐτοῦ νεωτερισμὸν πολυάνθρωπον ἐντυρεύεται. ἀνέκαθεν γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἀντιπεπονθότως διΐσταντο· καὶ ὁ μὲν Μιχαὴλ παρὰ παντὸς τοῦ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν στρατεύματος ἐτύγχανεν στυγητός, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ ἐπίμωμος ἀπό τε τῆς πατρίδος αὐτοῦ Ἀθιγγάνων πληθὺν ἐκτρεφούσης, ὡς ἔοικεν, καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς γλώττης ἐλάττωμα καὶ τὸ μὴ ἱκανῶς ἔχειν τισὶν πρὸς ἀνδρείαν νομίζεσθαι, ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς πᾶσι φιλοστοργούμενος διά τε τὸ ἀνδρειόφρον οὐκ ἔλαττον καὶ ἀστεῖον καὶ εὐπροσήγορον, καὶ τῶν βελτίστων οὐκ ἐλαττούμενος Λέοντος, εἰ καὶ σκυθίζων τῷ γένει, πρὸς δὲ καὶ γηραιὸς ὤν, τὸν πόδα πεπήρωτο. οὗτος οὖν κατασχὼν τοὺς τῶν δημοσίων φόρων πάντας ἀπαιτητὰς ἐγγράφως τὰς νενομισμένας ἀπεκληροῦτο εἰσπράξεις, ἐξ ὧν διανομὰς ἐν λαοῖς ποιησάμενος στρατηγεσίας κατὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐγκρατῶς διατίθησιν. οὐδεὶς δὲ τῶν ἐξ ἀνατολῆς ὡρμημένων ἀπελιμπάνετο, οὐδὲ τῆς ἑσπέρας αὐτῆς, οὐ τῶν ἐξ ἐθνῶν ἐπηλύδων, οὐκ αὐτοχθόνων, οὐ γειτονούντων, οὐ τῆς δουλικῆς μοίρας ὅσον παρῆν μισοδέσποτον, οὐχ ὁλοκλήρων ἐθνῶν, κατὰ διαφόρους καιροὺς οἳ οὐκ αὐτῷ προσερρύησαν καὶ συνείποντο, οἱ μὲν κατὰ γῆν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ θάλασσαν, νέῳ Ζέρξῃ κἂν ἐν ὁμοπίστοις ἀναφανέντι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ πάντα τὰ θέματα σὺν τοῖς στρατηγοῖς σπένδεσθαι τούτῳ συνέβαινεν, Ὀλβιανοῦ μόνου, τοῦ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν στρατηγοῦντος, τούτους περινοίαις ἐπιπειθεῖς ἄγοντος, καὶ Κατάκυλα τοῦ Ὀψικίου τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαήλ γε προσκει μένων. καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπολυπλασίαζε τὸ πλῆθος κατὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς ἐπ' ἀδείας λαβέσθαι καιροῦ πάσας νήσους καὶ χώρας καταληΐζεσθαι καὶ καθέξειν ὅλως