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And he himself with 80,000 stands by the city, and in addition to the son previously made, he appoints another, Anastasius by name, who had long ago been counted among the so-called monks, but had come into the order of worldly ways by depravity, shameful in appearance, so that he seemed to be swarthy from wine-drinking, and more wicked in his soul from extreme madness. With him, therefore, and with the whole army he attacks the city, thinking that as soon as he appeared the gates would be opened to him. But when he is disappointed in this hope, the citizens having sent him away with insults, he encamps near <the> temple of the venerable Anargyroi, and he had as subjects all those living along the Thracian Bosphorus. Then he joins battle with the city with countless arrows and with stones from stone-throwing engines, hoping indeed to take it at the section of the Blachernae. Wherefore indeed the emperor Michael, having ascended to the roof of the temple of the Theotokos, plants the standard of war, and he orders his son Theophilus to take the victory-bringing wood of the cross and the venerable garment of the Mother of God, and to go around the circuit of the wall of Byzantium in a procession, together with the holy clergy and the other citizens, praying for divine assistance. Indeed, the apostate draws up for battle with every kind of warfare and with engines; but from a superior position the emperor's men, using both missiles and counter-engines, repel the enemy, so that they, leaving behind ladders and tortoises and rams and every such engine, fled to their own tents. But also the naval force of the apostate, itself using liquid fire, encircles the city both with this and with arrows beyond number, and also with four-legged engines called helepoleis, but it is driven back by a contrary wind that blew, since indeed it was the winter season. 2.6 And when the sun was already running towards the northern regions, he attacks the city with both his land and naval forces at that very part which is called the Horn in shape, having constructed four-legged helepoleis and thinking to shake the wall with the stones sent from the ships through them. But the emperor came to speak with some of the enemy through the wall, guaranteeing that they would have amnesty for what they had done, if they repented; but he does not persuade them, but having armed a very small force, he suddenly goes out of the city and decisively defeats those who met him, and so much so at sea that, having run their ships aground, they fled joined together to those fighting on land and renounced the war from the sea, and many of the enemy willingly deserted to the emperor. Among them also was Gregory, having drawn to himself also a certain small portion of the army and on a certain night, having seized an opportunity, he flees towards Thrace and gets behind the tyrant. But as soon as <the> leader of the sedition learned this, he marches against Gregory, and having caught him, he kills him, and having come again to the city, he holds to the original siege, and with forged letters, saying that he had been victorious on both land and sea, having deceived the fleet throughout both Greece and all the islands, he orders it to set sail and fight against the emperor. And so, having additionally armed the grain-ships as warships, they sail up with one accord, and they anchor at the shore of the so-called Byridai, being no fewer in number than the previous ones; for their number had increased to 350. He was about, then, to attack it with his ships from both the southern and northern parts of the city. But the emperor, anticipating this, sends out fire-bearing ships, which indeed attacked the enemy ships at the aforesaid place, and some of them they burn completely, and others they scatter, and the majority of these they capture with the men themselves and bring to the emperor. 2.7 And Mortagon the lord of Bulgaria, having heard all the things that had happened to come about at the queen of cities, sends an embassy to the emperor and asks to be an ally to him; the

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πολὺ δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺν πʹ χιλιάσιν ἐφίσταται τῇ πόλει, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ προτέρως ποιηθέντι υἱῷ καὶ ἕτερον ἀναδείκνυσιν, Ἀναστάσιον ὄνομα, πάλαι μὲν εἰς τοὺς καλουμένους τελέσαντα μοναχούς, εἰς κοσμικῶν δὲ τρόπων φαυλότητι τάξιν ἐληλυθότα, αἰσχρὸν τὸ εἶδος, ὥστε δοκεῖν ἐξ οἰνοποσίας ἰνδογενὴς εἶναι, μοχθηρότερον τῇ ψυχῇ ὑπὸ ἐμπληξίας ἐσχάτης. μετὰ τούτου οὖν καὶ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ προσβάλλει τῇ πόλει, ἅμα τῷ φανῆναι οἰόμενος ἀνοιγῆναι τὰς πύλας αὐτῷ. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος διαμαρτάνει, τῶν πολιτῶν μεθ' ὕβρεων ἀποπεμψάντων αὐτόν, σκηνοῦται κατὰ <τὸν> τῶν σεβασμίων Ἀναργύρων νεών, καὶ πάντας ἔσχεν ὑπηκόους τοὺς κατὰ τὸν Θρᾴκιον οἰκοῦντας Βοόσπορον. εἶτα πόλεμον μετὰ τῆς πόλεως συγκροτεῖ τοξεύμασιν ἀφάτοις καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τῶν πετροβόλων λίθοις ὀργάνων, μάλα δὴ κατὰ μέρος τῶν Βλαχερνῶν ἐλπίζων ταύτην ἑλεῖν. ὅθεν δὴ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ ἀναβὰς ἐπὶ τῆς ὀροφῆς τοῦ τῆς Θεοτόκου ναοῦ τὸ πολεμικὸν σημεῖον πήγνυσι, κελεύει δὲ καὶ Θεόφιλον τὸν υἱὸν λαβεῖν γε τὸ νικοποιὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον καὶ τὴν σεβαστὴν ἐσθῆτα τῆς θεομήτορος, καὶ περιελθεῖν τὸν τοῦ Βυζαντίου τείχους περίβολον μετὰ λιτανείας, συνάμα τῷ ἱερῷ κλήρῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις πολίταις, τῆς θείας ἐπικουρίας δεόμενον. παρατάττεται δὴ παντοίῳ πολέμου εἴδει ὁ ἀποστάτης καὶ μηχαναῖς· ἀλλ' ἐξ ὑπερδεξίου οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ταῖς τε βολαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀντιμηχανήμασι κεχρημένοι διωθοῦνται τοὺς ἐναντίους, ὥστε καὶ κλίμακας καὶ χελώνας κριούς τε καὶ πᾶν εἴ τι τοιοῦτον ὄργανον λιπόντας ὑπὸ τὰς ἰδίας διαδρᾶναι σκηνάς. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ναυτικὸς τοῦ ἀποστάτου στρατὸς καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ ὑγρῷ κεχρημένος πυρί, κυκλοῖ τὴν πόλιν τούτῳ τε καὶ τοξεύμασιν ἀριθμοῦ πλείοσιν, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τετρασκελέσιν ἑλεπόλεσι καλουμέναις, πνεύσαντι <δὲ> ἐναντίῳ πνεύματι ἀποκρούεται, ἅτε δὴ καὶ χειμερίου τῆς ὥρας οὔσης. 2.6 Ἤδη δὲ τοῦ ἡλίου ταῖς ἀρκτῴοις οἰκήσεσιν ἐπιθέοντος διά τε τοῦ πεζικοῦ καὶ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ στρατοῦ προσβάλλει τῇ πόλει κατ' ἐκεῖνο μάλα τὸ μέρος, ὃ δὴ Κέρας τὸ σχῆμα καλεῖται, τετρασκελεῖς ἑλεπόλεις κατασκευάσας καὶ ἐκ τῶν πεμπομένων δι' αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν νεῶν λίθων κατασείειν τὸ τεῖχος οἰόμενος. ὁ δέ γε βασιλεύς τισι τῶν ἐναντίων διὰ τοῦ τείχους εἰς λόγους ἦλθεν ἀμνηστίαν τῶν εἰργασμένων αὐτοῖς ἕξειν, εἰ μεταμεληθεῖεν, παρεγγυῶν· οὐ πείθει δὲ τούτους, ἀλλὰ στρατόν τινα καθοπλίσας ὀλίγιστον, ἀθρόον τῆς πόλεως ἔξεισι καὶ τοὺς ὑπαντήσαντας αὐτῷ κατὰ κράτος νικᾷ, καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν δὲ τοσοῦτον ὥστε τὰ πλοῖα πρὸς γῆν διοκείλαντας συνδεδεμένα πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς χέρσου μαχομένους ἀναφυγεῖν καὶ τὸν ἐκ θαλάττης ἀπαγορεύσασθαι πόλεμον, ἑκόντας τε πολλοὺς τῶν πολεμίων προσχωρῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἐν οἷς καὶ Γρηγόριος, συνελκύσας ἑαυτῷ καί τινα μοῖραν βραχεῖαν στρατοῦ καὶ κατὰ νύκτα τινὰ λαβόμενος εὐκαιρίας, φεύγει πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην καὶ κατὰ νώτου γίνεται τοῦ τυράννου. ἀλλ' ὅ γε στασιάρχης ἅμα <τῷ> τοῦτο μαθεῖν στρατεύει κατὰ Γρηγορίου, καὶ τοῦτον καταλαβὼν ἀναιρεῖ, καὶ πάλιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐλθὼν τῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔχεται προσεδρείας, γράμμασί τε πεπλασμένοις, ὡς κατά τε γῆν καὶ θάλασσαν εἴη νενικηκώς, τῷ κατά τε τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τὰς νήσους ἁπάσας ναυτικῷ ἐξαπατήσας ἀναχθῆναι κελεύει καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ διαμάχεσθαι. καὶ δῆτα πλοῖα σιταγωγὰ τοῖς πολεμιστηρίοις προσκαθοπλίσαντες πανθυμαδὸν ἀναπλέουσιν, προσορμίζονταί τε τῇ τῶν καλουμένων Βυρίδων ἀκτῇ, τῶν προτέρων οὐκ ἐλάττους οὖσαι τὸ πλῆθος· καὶ γὰρ εἰς νʹ καὶ τʹ ὁ τούτων ηὔξητο ἀριθμός. ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα ἔκ τε νοτίου μέρους καὶ βορείου τῆς πόλεως αὐτῇ προσβαλεῖν ταῖς ναυσίν. βασιλεὺς δὲ προφθάσας ἀποστέλλει πυρφόρους ναῦς, αἳ δὴ ταῖς τῶν ἐναντίων ναυσὶ κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον ἐπιθέμεναι χῶρον, ἃς μὲν ὁλοκαυτοῦσιν αὐτῶν, ἃς δὲ σκεδαννύουσιν, τὰς πλείους δὲ τούτων αὐτῶν συλλαμβάνουσιν ἀνδράσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσάγουσιν. 2.7 Ἀκηκοὼς δὲ Μορτάγων ὁ κύριος Βουλγαρίας ὅσα τε καὶ οἷα κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν συνηνέχθη γενέσθαι, διαπρεσβεύεται πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ συμμαχεῖν αἰτεῖται αὐτῷ· αἱ