History
And what i have accurately ascertained from those who saw it, these things i will also commit to writing. 2. just now in the month of november, of the
He commanded that the triremes and the other transport ships should all be brought to anchor in a good harbor, and that they should control the sea, a
War. therefore, having gone around and seen that it was by nature difficult to enter and hard to approach for on the one side it had the sea as a saf
They would be frustrated. and having gone out of the camp, and having overrun a part of the country, when he learned from those who had been taken ali
It was easy to attack by assault, being raised to the greatest possible height, and girded with two trenches dug to a corresponding depth), and the de
Having divided his phalanx into three parts by night, he went against the scythians, and falling upon them suddenly, in a brief moment of time he wrou
Meet them, when i give the signal with the trumpets. such was the exhortation that the general delivered and the army shouted 22 and applauded, and w
6. but nikephoros phokas, the colleague of the aforementioned leo (for it is necessary, having summarized the account, to proceed with the history in
The general, having seen this, spurred his horse, quickened his pace, rode in and restrained the soldiers' onslaught, persuading them not to kill the
Having drawn up an irresistible battle-line, went through the land of the hagarenes. to them, having heard of the attack of nikephoros, it did not see
Was dignified by his rank), was hostilely disposed towards nicephorus. 11. he decided, therefore, to attempt a revolution at once but not having at h
, to proclaim him supreme commander, and to entrust the forces of asia to him, so that he might defend and check the assault of the foreigners. for th
He said, if you are persuaded to take up the rule of the east, i shall quickly declare you emperor, and restore you to the imperial thrones. speak wel
For he was gently nursing his little body), then, recovering again, he said, “speak, most brave one, what need is there to consider this?” but he said
I have assumed the imperial office, but compelled by the necessity of you, the army, and you yourselves bear witness for me that i was both shunning s
Before the report of his proclamation could fly abroad, to seize in advance the straits and passages of the sea. for thus he thought that matters woul
Numbering over three thousand, attacked the house of joseph and his collaborators along with the people. and having subjected these to plunder and pil
Especially the monks), they did not allow the man to persist in what he had decided, but urged him both to embrace marriage and not to shun meat-eatin
Makes it flood in a single hour) emboldened by these things, the barbarians mocked the emperor and insolently hurled insults at him, and making sorti
Having fallen upon it, accomplishing nothing noble or vigorous. and he considered the matter an outright disgrace and insult, and an indelible reproac
Having come to the region around tarsus, there he encamped and having pitched a palisade round about, he ordered the crops and the meadows, luxuriant
Having recovered the standards, which, crafted from gold and stones, the tarsians had captured in various battles while routing the roman force, and h
Of the spectacle, turned to flight and ran back to their own houses. and from the pushing and disorderly rush, no little slaughter occurred, with very
To blow favorably upon them, but blowing against them strongly and fiercely, it has sunk their affairs. but the account will now clearly reveal these
To those acting against the divine ordinance, if somehow at least in this way people, being afraid, would abstain from evil deeds, and would cling to
He had taken a fortress, and having crossed mount lebanon transversely, he turned his attention to tripoli, which he saw was fortified and exceptional
Being obliged to drive them away, and to guard the flocks from harm, they, in addition to not driving them away, themselves cut them down and tear the
Having come, and having been befriended by the ruler of the tauroi, and having corrupted him with gifts and bewitched him with persuasive words (for t
Reconciliation and friendship might be secured. the mysians gladly received the embassy, and putting daughters of the royal blood 80 on wagons (for it
They might do. but as they were already considering rushing to their defense, and to stoutly resist the enemy in close combat, as dawn was brightly br
Boasting to all about his brave deeds in wars. 6. having approached the emperor with these words and, 85 as was likely, having bewitched him (for he s
Having lowered from above, one by one they first pulled up all the conspirators, and then john himself. having come up, therefore, beyond all human su
The vengeance for these things, and to those who were slipping he seemed relentless and burdensome, and oppressive to those wishing to lead an indiffe
At the end of the month of december, during the thirteenth indiction of the six thousand four hundred and seventy-eighth year, a throng of select men,
Having captured him, confines him to amaseia. having therefore from this secured sufficient safety for himself and for his affairs, and having purged
To make amends for what nikephoros had improperly introduced. for nikephoros, whether wishing to correct divine matters that were being disturbed by s
And having found him not very accurately versed in secular education, but most diligently trained in divine and our own, he anoints him patriarch of a
The bosporus, but to pass by moesia, which belongs to the romans, and has from of old been a part of macedonia. for it is said that the moesians, bein
To make replies. for we trust in christ, the immortal god, that if you do not depart from this land, you will be driven from it by us even against you
A disgrace by the raids of the scythians to send out bilingual men dressed in scythian attire into the homesteads and customs of the enemy, so that t
The romans on the one hand shouted for joy, and were strengthened for valor but the scythians, growing cowardly at the new and strange nature of the
2. the emperor, when he learned of such a revolt, was disturbed, as was likely, and having brought up bishop stephen from abydos with wingless speed,
He saw that murders along with the ensuing conspirators were proceeding harshly and inhumanely, he decided to no longer delay or be slothful, so that
Considering into what fortunes the unholy and blood-guilty john has enclosed my family, having mercilessly slain the emperor and my uncle, who was his
Eye, and to learn that these things were red, just as they had been from of old. phocas, considering this prodigy a second evil omen, and seeing also
Immediately, lest it be some ill-omened thing, and destruction befall the pursuing mysians but learning they were fleeing at full speed, he both purs
The russian minds were lifted up in audacity and boldness. therefore, the emperor, not enduring their overweening arrogance and their blatant insolenc
Being given out, and going under the earth by the inscrutable wisdom of the creator and again from the 130 celtic mountains gushing up, and winding t
Should set a phalanx against us, things will not end well for us, but in dreadful perplexity and helplessness. therefore, having strengthened your spi
Is called drista) lingering with his whole force. but in this way kalokyres escaped, and night coming on stopped the romans from battle. and just on t
And they killed up to one hundred and fifty vigorous men. but the emperor, learning of such an event, quickly mounted his horse and urged his follower
But the rest of the multitude he bound in fetters and shut up in prisons. he himself, having gathered the entire host of the tauro-scythians, numberin
1. and just as day was dawning, the emperor fortified the camp with a strong palisade in this manner. a certain low hill of dorystolon rises at a dist
He was courting them with gifts and toasts, encouraging them to proceed vigorously to the wars. 3. while these matters were in suspense, and the battl
He flees to a divine and great sanctuary, seen as a pitiful supplicant instead of a haughty and boastful tyrant. whom the men of the drungarius dragge
Having drowned. for it is said that, being possessed by greek 150 orgies, they perform sacrifices and libations for the dead in the greek manner, havi
On the next day (it was the sixth day of the week, and the twenty-fourth day of the month of july), when the sun was setting, the tauro-scythians, hav
Was being concluded. 10. but the romans, following the divine man who went before, 155 engage with the enemy, and a fierce battle having commenced, th
With purity. at any rate, having conferred a few things about a truce with the emperor, seated beside the rowing-bench of the skiff, he departed. but
Was crossed over. this is the greatest of the rivers cutting through asia, 161 and one of those that flow from eden, as we have learned from the divin
The emperor, as one who abused the power of his leadership for certain powerful men, and did not direct the affairs of the church as was established b
Having assembled forces, and having meticulously armed them, departing from the reigning city, he advanced through palestine, a prosperous land, flowi
The mainland is enclosed by strongholds, stretching upon a certain steep hill on the other side it is surrounded by the sea, putting forth a well-hav
Before until fire-bearing ships were secretly sent out from byzantium by those in power. which bardas parsakoutenos the magistros was leading, and ha
I would have been destroyed, if some divine providence had not led me out of that very danger, which caused me to ride out with speed, before the ravi
Furthermore, the star rising in the west at the setting of the morning star, which, making its risings in the evening, kept no fixed position at one c
Of the city, but already becoming feeble, and suffering from a deep and intractable panting. and having just come to the royal hearth, he was shown to
I have assumed the imperial office, but compelled by the necessity of you, the army, and you yourselves bear witness for me that I was both shunning so great a care and providence for everything, and that you compelled me, unwillingly, to accept it. I wish all of you to know that it was rather for your goodwill and for my own safety that I gave myself to so great a struggle. And I call to witness the Providence that directs all things, that I am ready to lay down even my very life for you, and that none of the unpleasantnesses of such an aim would lead me away from it. Since, therefore, you did not endure the unholy madness and the raging and swelling arrogance of that eunuch to come to pass, but having shaken off a certain heavy-hearted overseer, as it were, you chose me to be your emperor, I shall show clearly in action that I knew how to be ruled, and now I know well how to rule securely, with God's help. Therefore, having goodwill like a child-loving father, I advise all of you as father-loving sons, not to look to ease and luxury, but to be vigilant and sober, and to meet circumstances with seemliness. For I surmise that matters will not be decided without bloodshed. For indeed, by as much as the power of the empire has risen to an unattainable height, by so much also do envy and war grow around it, vying with each other. Your struggle, then, is not against Cretans, nor against Scythians and Arabs, whom we have handled with our own valor, but against the Roman 43 state, into which unmixed blessings flow from all sides, and which it is not possible to take at the first shout, like some fortress; as it is surrounded by the sea and well-fenced, and enclosed on every side with strong towers, and overflowing with a youthful populace, and far surpassing the inhabited world in gold and wealth and offerings. It is necessary, therefore, having adopted a noble bearing, with which you have been accustomed during battles to overcome all opposition, to now proceed against the adversaries even more than is possible. For I am persuaded that I shall have in this struggle a helper, even the Almighty. For it was not we who violated the treaties and the oaths, but the hostile spirit of Joseph did, who sent my kinsmen into exile on no pretext, and to me, who knew nothing of these things, he cruelly and inhumanly portended death. And agreements are not wont to be broken by those who first resort to arms, but by those who plot against their own people during a truce. Considering my reputation, under whose generalship you have set up innumerable trophies, and having whetted your ingrained valor, if ever before, follow without turning back where Providence leads, and I myself am setting out. 6. When Nicephorus had related these things in the hearing of the army, he strengthened the spirits of all, and instilled an inexpressible eagerness into their souls, so that one would think that no turn of war from 44 resistance could have competed with such a movement. For the troops loved him with a divine 44 passion, and everyone gloried in his boasts. For having been engaged in wars from his youth, and having been shown to be formidable in deeds of valor in formation and battle, not only was he unconquerable and skillful in strength, but also seasoned in mind and incomparable in every kind of virtue. Therefore, going straightway to the church of the Caesareans, from there he returned to his tent, and having honored John with the rank of Magister, he proclaimed him Domestic of the East, and he sent out mandates and decrees throughout the entire Roman dominion, and having appointed generals for the Euxine, and all the coastal regions, and Abydos, he dispatched them, having commanded them to depart with wingless speed; this, perhaps, as it seems, taking forethought for,
βασιλείας ἀνείληφα, κατανάγκῃ δὲ ὑμῶν τοῦ στρατοῦ βιασθεὶς, μαρτυρεῖτέ μοι καὶ αὐτοὶ, οἵ γε καὶ ἀποτροπιαζόμενόν τε τὴν τοσαύτην
φροντίδα καὶ πρόνοιαν τοῦ παντὸς, καὶ ἄκοντα κατηναγκάσατε δέξασθαι. ὅτι δὲ εὐνοίᾳ μᾶλλον ὑμῶν τε καὶ ἀσφαλείᾳ ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς
τὸν τοσοῦτον ἀγῶνα ἐπέδωκα ἐμαυτὸν, εἰδέναι βούλομαι πάντας ὑμᾶς. μαρτύρομαι δὲ τὴν τὸ πᾶν διευθύνουσαν πρόνοιαν, ὡς πρόθυμός
εἰμι , καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν θεῖναι ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἄν μέ τι τῶν ἀηδῶν τοῦ τοιούτου ἀπαγάγοι σκοποῦ. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἠνέγκατε
τὴν τομίου ἔκσπονδον ἀπόνοιαν καὶ τὴν λυσσώδη καὶ ὀργῶσαν ἐκείνου αὐθάδειαν εἰς ἔργον χωρῆσαι, ἀλλ' ὡσανεί τινα βαρυκάρδιον
ἐπιστάτην ἀποσεισάμενοι, ἐμὲ βασιλεύειν ὑμῶν ᾑρετίσασθε, ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων δείξω σαφῶς, ὅτι τε ᾔδειν ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ νῦν ἄρχειν
ἀνεπισφαλῶς σὺν θεῷ ἐξεπίσταμαι. εὔνοιαν οὖν ἔχων ὥς τις φιλόπαις πατὴρ, συμβουλεύω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ὡς υἱοῖς φιλοπάτορσι, μὴ πρὸς
ῥᾳστώνην καὶ τρυφὴν ἀπιδεῖν, ἀλλ' ἐγρηγορέναι καὶ νήφειν, καὶ τὰ συμπίπτοντα εὐπρεπισμένως προσδέχεσθαι. τεκμαίρομαι γὰρ,
μὴ ἀναιμωτὶ διακριθῆναι τὰ πράγματα. καὶ γὰρ, ὅσον εἰς ἀνέφικτον ὕψος τῆς βασιλείας τὸ κράτος ἀνέστηκε, τοσοῦτον καὶ ὁ φθόνος
καὶ ὁ πόλεμος περὶ αὐτὴν αὔξεται διαμιλλώμενα. οὐ πρὸς Κρῆτας οὖν ὑμῖν ἡ πάλη, οὐδὲ πρὸς Σκύθας καὶ Ἄραβας, οὓς τῇ σφῶν ἀρετῇ
διεχειρισάμεθα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων 43 πολιτείαν, καθ' ἣν ἄκρατα πανταχόθεν εἰσρεῖ, καὶ ἣν οὐκ ἔνι αὐτοβοεὶ ὥς τι τῶν
φρουρίων ἑλεῖν· θαλάσσῃ τε περιῤῥεόμενον καὶ εὐερκῆ οὖσαν, καὶ πυργώμασιν ἐρυμνοῖς περικλειομένην ἑκασταχοῦ, καὶ ἡβῶντι λαῷ
περιπλήθουσαν, καὶ χρυσῷ καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ ἀναθήμασι πολλῷ τῆς οἰκουμένης διαφέρουσαν. δεῖ οὖν τὸ γενναῖον ἀνειληφότας παράστημα,
ᾧ κεχρημένοι παρὰ τὰς μάχας τὸ ἀντίξουν ἅπαν κατηγωνίζεσθε, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ ἐνὸν ἄρτι μᾶλλον κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων χωρεῖν. πέπεισμαι
γὰρ ἕξειν ἐπὶ τουτονὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα συνεργὸν καὶ τὸν κρείττονα. τὰς γὰρ σπονδὰς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους οὐχ ἡμεῖς, τὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ δὲ διέφθειρε
δυσμενὲς, ὃς τοὺς ἐμοὺς ἀγχιστεῖς ἐπὶ προφάσει μηδεμιᾷ ὑπερορίᾳ παρέπεμψεν, ἐμοὶ δὲ τούτων εἰδηκότι μηδὲν, ὠμῶς καὶ ἀφιλανθρώπως
θάνατον ἐσκαιώρησε. τὰς δὲ ξυμβάσεις οὐχ οἱ πρώτως ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα χωροῦντες διαλύειν ᾠείθασιν, ἀλλ' οἱ ἐν σπονδαῖς τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις
ἐπιβουλεύοντες. δόξαν τε τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναλογιζόμενοι, ὑφ' ἧς στρατηγούμενοι ὑπὲρ ἀριθμὸν κατωρθώσατε τρόπαια, καὶ τὴν σύντροφον
ὑμῶν εἴπερ ἄλλοτέ ποτε παραθήξαντες ἀρετὴν, ἕπεσθε ἀνεπιστρόφως, ᾗ ἂν ἡ πρόνοια ἡγῆται, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁρμῶ. ϛʹ. Ταῦτα εἰς ἐπήκοον
τῆς στρατιᾶς ὁ Νικηφόρος διεξελθὼν πάντων ἐπέῤῥωσε τὰ φρονήματα, καὶ προθυμίαν ἀδιήγητον ἐνεστάλαξε ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ὡς οἴεσθαι
μήτινα πολέμου ῥοπὴν ἐξ 44 ἀντιστάσεως ἀνθαμιλληθῆναι τῷ τοιούτῳ κινήματι. δαιμονίως 44 γὰρ αὐτὸν ἔστεργε τὰ στρατεύματα,
καὶ πᾶς τις αὐτοῦ τοῖς αὐχήμασιν ἐσεμνύνετο. καὶ γὰρ ἐν πολέμοις ἀναστραφεὶς ἐκ νεότητος, καὶ φοβερὸς ἀναδειχθεὶς ἐν τοῖς
κατὰ τάξιν καὶ μάχας ἀνδραγαθήμασιν, οὐ μόνον τὴν ἀλκὴν ἄμαχος ἐτέλει καὶ περιδέξιος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν φρένα κατηρτυμένος καὶ
τὴν παντοδαπὴν ἀρετὴν ἀπαράμιλλος. εὐθὺς οὖν εἰς τὴν τῶν Καισαρέων ἐκκλησίαν νέων, ἐκεῖθεν ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν ἐπανέστρεφε, καὶ
τὸν Ἰωάννην τῷ τοῦ Μαγίστρου τιμήσας ἀξιώματι, ∆ομέστικον τῆς Ἀνατολῆς ἀνηγόρευσεν, ἐντάλματά τε καὶ διατάγματα πανταχοῦ τῆς
Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐξέπεμπε, καὶ στρατηγοὺς προχειρισάμενος ἐπὶ τὸν Εὔξεινον, καὶ τὰ παράκτια πάντα, καὶ Ἄβυδον ἔστελλεν ,
ἀπτέρῳ τάχει ἀπιέναι τούτοις ἐγκελευσάμενος· τοῦτο τάχα, ὡς ἔοικε, προμηθούμενος,
