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in Hierapolis, 59 having sacked it, and one lock from the hair of John the Baptist, matted with blood. This one, having reigned for two years, is murdered in the palace by the counsel of the Empress Theophano, by Tzimisces and his co-conspirators. And after him, John Tzimisces reigns, having as co-emperors with him Basil and Constantine, the sons of Romanus. He marries Theodora, the sister of Romanus, and daughter of Constantine Porphyrogenitus. And he is crowned with the diadem of the empire by Patriarch Polyeuctus, having first been persuaded by him and removed Nikephoros's murderers, and having brought down Theophano from the palace and exiled her, and having torn up the tome which Nikephoros Phokas had issued for the confusion of ecclesiastical affairs. And after his proclamation, Polyeuctus, having survived for only 35 days, ended his life, and in his place Basil Skamandrenos is appointed patriarch, who, being slandered on certain charges, was deposed by a synod. And in his place Antony the Studite was appointed. But Tzimisces, having reigned for two years and 30 days, being done in by poison by Basil the parakoimomenos, dies, leaving as successors Basil and Constantine, the sons of Romanus. Therefore after Tzimisces, Basil and Constantine Porphyrogenitus hold the empire for three years, of whom Basil was in his 20th year of age, and Constantine in his 17th. Therefore, while they had only the title of emperor, Basil the parakoimomenos conducted all the 60 management of affairs, who at the same time also, sending for their mother from exile, brings her to the palace. And when Nicholas Chrysoberges, having steered the church for 12 years and 8 months, departed this life, Sisinnius the magistros is ordained, an eloquent man who had reached the pinnacle of the art of medicine and law. And he too, having shepherded the church for only three years, departed from life, and Sergius was appointed, being the abbot of the monastery of Manuel and tracing his lineage to Photius the patriarch, who, having shepherded the church of God for 20 whole years, departed to the Lord, and Eustathius was appointed patriarch, being the first of the presbyters of the palace church. And the emperor Basil also restored the aqueduct of the emperor Valens, so that those in Byzantium might have an abundance of water. He, being seized by a sudden illness, passed away, a few days before his death Eustathius the patriarch also having died, whose successor the emperor made Alexius, a monk who was ekklesiarches in the monastery of Stoudios. Therefore, when the emperor Basil died and was buried in the church of the evangelist and theologian at the Hebdomon, his brother Constantine alone assumed the power of the empire; who, having lived for the whole time of his life 70 years, but having been autocrator for three years less one month, being seized by a sudden illness and given up by the doctors, appoints Romanus Argyrus as emperor in his place, having first 61 joined to him his own daughter Zoe, as his wife had voluntarily shorn her hair because her husband Romanus was in danger of being blinded by the emperor, and on this account bestowed upon her husband, along with his sight, the empire as well. Thus, against all hope, having escaped the danger of being blinded, the emperor Romanus is proclaimed autocrator along with Zoe, the daughter of Constantine, having performed not a few good works upon becoming emperor. And he abolished the allelengyon, which, having been enacted by Basil, Constantine had intended to abolish, but did not manage to do so. During his reign George Maniakes also, having captured Edessa, finding in it the autograph letter sent to Abgar by our Lord Jesus Christ, sent it to the emperor Romanus in Byzantium. Thus he is struck by a chronic illness and his beard and hair fall out, having been done in, as they say, by John the orphanotrophos; towards

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Ἱεραπόλει, 59 ταύτην πεπορθηκώς, καὶ τῶν τριχῶν τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου βόστρυχον ἕνα πεπιλημένον αἵματι. οὗτος βασιλεύσας ἔτη ʹ φονεύεται ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ βουλῇ τῆς βασιλίσσης Θεοφανοῦς παρὰ τοῦ Τζιμισκῆ καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ συνωμοτῶν. Μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον βασιλεύει Ἰωάννης ὁ Τζιμισκῆς, συμβασιλεύοντας ἔχων αὐτῷ Βασίλειον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ῥωμανοῦ. ἄγεται δὲ γυναῖκα Θεοδώραν τὴν ἀδελφὴν Ῥωμανοῦ, θυγατέρα δὲ τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου Κωνσταντίνου. στέφεται δὲ τῷ τῆς βασιλείας διαδήματι παρὰ Πολυεύκτου πατριάρχου, πρότερον αὐτῷ πεισθεὶς καὶ τοὺς Νικηφόρου αὐτόχειρας ἐκ μέσου ποιήσας, καὶ τὴν Θεοφανὼ τοῦ παλατίου καταβιβάσας καὶ ἐξορίσας, καὶ τὸν τόμον διαρρήξας ὃν ἐπὶ συγχύσει τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν ὁ Φωκᾶς Νικηφόρος ἐξέθετο. μετὰ δὲ τὴν τούτου ἀναγόρευσιν λεʹ μόνας ἡμέρας ὁ Πολύευκτος ἐπιβιοὺς κατέλυσε τὴν ζωήν, καὶ προχειρίζεται ἀντ' αὐτοῦ πατριάρχης Βασίλειος ὁ Σκαμανδρηνός, ὃς ἐπ' αἰτίαις τισὶ διαβληθεὶς συνοδικῶς καθῃρέθη. προεβλήθη δὲ ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Ἀντώνιος ὁ Στουδίτης. ὁ δὲ Τζιμισκῆς βασιλεύσας ἔτη ʹ καὶ ἡμέρας λʹ, φαρμάκῳ κατεργασθεὶς παρὰ Βασιλείου τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου, θνήσκει διαδόχους καταλιπὼν Βασίλειον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τοὺς παῖδας Ῥωμανοῦ. Μετὰ οὖν τὸν Τζιμισκῆ κρατοῦσι τῆς βασιλείας Βασίλειος καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ πορφυρογέννητος ἔτη γʹ, ὧν ὁ μὲν Βασίλειος τὸν κʹ ἤνυε τῆς ἡλικίας χρόνον, τὸν ιζʹ δὲ ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος. διὸ καὶ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ὄνομα μόνον τούτων ἐχόντων πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν 60 πραγμάτων μεταχείρησιν Βασίλειος ὁ παρακοιμώμενος ἐνήργει, ὃς ἅμα καὶ τὴν τούτων μητέρα πέμψας ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερορίας ἄγει εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. Νικολάου δὲ τοῦ Χρυσοβέργη ἐπὶ χρόνους ιβʹ καὶ μῆνας ηʹ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἰθύναντος καὶ λύσαντος τὴν ζωήν, χειροτονεῖται Σισίννιος μάγιστρος, ἀνὴρ ἐλλόγιμος καὶ ἰατρικῆς καὶ νομικῆς τέχνης ἥκων εἰς τὸ ἀκρότατον. καὶ οὗτος δὲ ἐπὶ τρεῖς μόνους ἐνιαυτοὺς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ποιμάνας ἐξέστη τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ προεβλήθη Σέργιος, ἡγούμενος ὢν τῆς μονῆς τοῦ Μανουὴλ καὶ τὸ γένος ἀναφέρων εἰς Φώτιον τὸν πατριάρχην, ὃς ἐπὶ κʹ ὅλους ἐνιαυτοὺς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ποιμάνας ἐκκλησίαν πρὸς κύριον ἐξεδήμησε, καὶ προεβλήθη πατριάρχης Εὐστάθιος, πρῶτος ὢν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ ἐν βασιλείοις ναοῦ. ἀνεκαίνισε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος καὶ τὸν ἀγωγὸν Οὐάλεντος τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν οἱ ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ ἀφθονίαν ὕδατος. οὗτος αἰφνιδίῳ νόσῳ ληφθεὶς ἀπεβίω, πρό τινων ἡμερῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς καὶ Εὐσταθίου τοῦ πατριάρχου ἀποθανόντος, οὗ διάδοχον ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιον μοναχὸν ἐποιήσατο ἐκκλησιάρχην ὄντα ἐν τῇ τοῦ Στουδίου μονῇ. τοῦ οὖν βασιλέως Βασιλείου τελευτήσαντος καὶ ἐν τῷ κατὰ τὸ Ἕβδομον ναῷ τοῦ εὐαγγελιστοῦ καὶ θεολόγου ταφέντος, ὁ τούτου ἀδελφὸς Κωνσταντῖνος μόνος τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἀνεδήσατο κράτος· ὃς ζήσας μὲν τὸν ἅπαντα τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ χρόνον οʹ ἔτη, ἐπὶ τρεῖς δὲ ἑνὸς δέοντος μηνὸς αὐτοκράτωρ γεγονώς, αἰφνιδίῳ νόσῳ ληφθεὶς καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν ἀπαγορευθεὶς ἀντ' αὐτοῦ βασιλέα προχειρίζεται Ῥωμανὸν τὸν Ἀργυρόν, συζεύξας πρότερον 61 αὐτῷ τὴν ἰδίαν θυγατέρα Ζωήν, ὡς τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς ἑκουσίως τὴν τρίχα κειραμένης διὰ τὸ κινδυνεύειν τὸν αὐτῆς ἄνδρα Ῥωμανὸν πηρωθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο σὺν τῇ ὄψει καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ συζύγῳ χαρισαμένης. οὕτως παρὰ πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τὸν τῆς πηρώσεως κίνδυνον διαδρὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς αὐτοκράτωρ ἅμα Ζωῇ τῇ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἀναγορεύεται θυγατρί, οὐκ ὀλίγας ἀγαθουργίας ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῦσαι ποιήσας. ἐξέκοψε δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀλληλέγγυον, ὃ παρὰ Βασιλείου τυπωθὲν ἐμελέτα μὲν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος ἐκκόψαι, οὐκ ἔφθασε δέ. ἐπὶ τῆς τούτου βασιλείας καὶ Γεώργιος ὁ Μανιάκης τὴν Ἔδεσαν ἑλών, ἐν ταύτῃ εὑρὼν τὴν πρὸς Αὔγαρον πεμφθεῖσαν ἰδιόγραφον ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμανῷ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀπέστειλεν. οὕτως νόσῳ χρονίᾳ βάλλεται καὶ τριχορρυεῖ γένυν τε καὶ τὴν κόμην, κατεργασθείς, ὥς φασιν, ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου ὀρφανοτρόφου· πρὸς