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having excellently secured him, he judged it best from his character both to change his name and adopt him as a son, as has been related by me. 13 He invades, therefore, sacking the entire East and every age group that did not come over to him by persuasion. When the reigning emperor heard these things, judging the report to be greater than the deeds, he sends against him an army that was not adequate or of any account, with which Thomas clashed and gulped down some as if a thirsty man a drink, and turning the rest to flight, he set his own affairs in a stronger position. And equipping dromon ships and other round grain-transports and horse-transports to follow him, from there he also became master of the thematic fleet, and orders the entire navy to be gathered at Lesbos, and he himself, now seeming to be irresistible, plunders all of Asia. For, being in command of eighty thousand 56 and, in a word, driving them, he went on the road leading to Abydos, intending to cross over. And when, having overrun everything—not just the lowly places but indeed also the stronger ones—he had turned it into ash and dust, but a certain well-situated place had been left and was untouched by their devastation, he entrusts his adopted son with the task of overrunning this with the accompanying phalanx. And he, being deluded by some sorceries of demons and having his soul puffed up by prophecy, had cried this out on the previous day for his own men to hear, agreeing that there would be a certain specified day and saying on which he would advance to the imperial city. Then, at any rate, riding boldly, the wretch pranced forth into grievous harm. For, advancing in scattered formation and thinking the place to be bare of opponents, he falls into a certain ambush of Olbianus, and having his head cut off on the spot, it is sent to the emperor Michael. And he sends it to his own father, who was yielding in no way during his march, nor indeed because of the terrible and difficult deeds. Thomas had just received this, and towards Thrace, holding back in no way, from the place which is by the sea (this is called Orkosion), having watched for an opportunity when indeed the moon was unlit at its conjunction, he crosses over at many points into Thrace. Therefore, these things were a concern to Michael even before his crossing, whence, having gone around all of Thrace, he both advised them to become stronger against the apostate and urged them to be loyal to him 57 even unto blood, neither denying the faith of the emperor nor indeed their own manliness and virtue. But the sight seems to be an invincible thing to the many; and for this reason, when that one had withdrawn to the imperial city, and Thomas was present before them, it happened that all changed sides easily, so that not even a word was needed, and at the same time to campaign with him as leader against the imperial city. 14 Therefore these things did not escape the emperor's notice any later than was necessary; whence he also gathers an army from those already left behind from Asia and assembles some forces through Katakylas and Olbianus, now fearing the danger for his reign. But neither did he neglect the army by sea, but with great speed he prepared in opposition to his force on both land and sea. And he came to such a point of difficulty and circumstance that he even stretched an iron chain from the acropolis to the small town opposite, keeping the way within impassable. And there was in Skyros, one of the Cyclades islands, a certain man in exile who had often been a general, who had recently come to a bitterness of soul against Michael; his name was Gregory, the so-called Pterotos, who, being a nephew of Leo, and with the latter having been recently killed, becomes an exile, because, not in silence, but with a heart boiling with friendship for Leo, on entering to do obeisance to Michael he heaped many reproaches upon him, citing the murder as the basis for his words. To whom Mi- 58 chael at that time said, "I know the sea of your despondency and the magnitude of your grief," and permitted him to bear what had happened; but when the third day had passed, he made him an exile in the aforementioned place of the Cyclades.

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περιφράξας αριστον ὑπετό- πασε τοῖς τρόποις καὶ τὴν κλῆσιν ἀλλάξασθαι καὶ υἱὸν εἰσποιήσα- σθαι, ως μοι δεδήλωται. 13 Εἰσβάλλει ουν πᾶσαν πορθῶν τὴν ̓Ανατολὴν καὶ πᾶ- σαν ἡλικίαν τὴν μὴ διὰ πειθοῦς ἐρχομένην αὐτῷ. α  δὴ ὁ βασι- λεύων ἀκηκοώς, μεῖζον ειναι κρίνας τῶν εργων τὴν ἀκοήν, κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐκπέμπει στρατὸν οὐκ ἀξιόχρεον οὐδ' ἀξιόλογον, ῳ  συρρα- γεῖς ὁ Θωμᾶς τοὺς μὲν ωσπερ τι ποτὸν διψῶν ἀνερρόφησεν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς εἰς φυγὴν τρέψας τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν διετίθετο κραταιό- τερον. ναῦς τε ἐξαρτύων διήρεις καὶ ἑτέρας στρογγύλας σιταγω- γοὺς ἑπομένας αὐτῷ καὶ ἱππαγωγούς, ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τοῦ θεματικοῦ στόλου γίνεται ἐγκρατής, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Λέσβον απαν τὸ ναυτικὸν ἀθροίζεσθαι ἐγκελεύεται, αὐτὸς δὲ ηδη που ἀνανταγώνιστος ειναι δοκῶν πᾶσαν τὴν ̓Ασίαν λεηλατεῖ. ὀκτὼ γὰρ μυριάδων κατάρχων 56 καὶ ἑνὶ λόγῳ τούτους ἡνιοχῶν τὴν ἐπὶΑβυδον ῃει φέρουσαν δὴ περαιωθησόμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντα καταδραμὼν σποδὸν καὶ κόνιν, μή πού γε τὰ ταπεινὰ τῶν χωρίων ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ τὰ κραταιότερα, ἐνειργάσατο, καταλέλειπτο δέ τι χωρίον εὐφυὲς καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν κα- κώσεως αμοιρον ην, τῷ εἰσποιητῷ τοῦτο καταδραμεῖν μετὰ τῆς προσούσης φάλαγγος ἐπιτρέπει υἱῷ. ὁ δέ τισι δαιμόνων γοητείαις κατεπαιρόμενος καὶ μαντείᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐμφυσώμενος τῇ προτεραίᾳ τοῦτο δὴ εἰς ἐπήκοον τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ἐκεκράγει, ῥητήν τινα ἡμέραν εσεσθαι καθομολογῶν καὶ φάσκων ῃ  μέλλοι εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν προελθεῖν. τότε γοῦν θρασέως ἱππαζόμενος εἰς βαρεῖαν βλάβην ὁ δείλαιος ἐξεχόρευσεν. διεσπαρμένως γὰρ φερόμενος καὶ γυμνὸν ειναι τῶν ἀντιπάλων τὸ χωρίον οἰόμενος λόχῳ δή τινι περιπίπτει τοῦ ̓Ολβιανοῦ, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐθωρὸν ἀποτμηθεὶς τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀποστέλλεται Μιχαήλ. ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν ὑφιεμένῳ κατὰ τὴν πορείαν, οὐδὲ μὴν τοῖς δεινοῖς τῶν εργων καὶ χαλεποῖς, τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ἀπο- στέλλει πατρί. αρτι ταύτην ἐδέδεκτο ὁ Θωμᾶς, καὶ πρὸς Θρᾴ- κην οὐδὲν ὑποστελλόμενος ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ θάλατταν οντος χωρίου ( ̔Ορκώσιον τοῦτο καλεῖται), καιρὸν ἐπιτηρήσας οτε δὴ κατὰ σύνοδον ἡ σελήνη ἀφώτιστος ην, πολλαχοῦ διαπεραιοῦται κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην. εμελεν ουν καὶ πρὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ διαβάσεως ταῦτα τῷ Μιχαήλ, οθεν πᾶσαν περιελθὼν τὴν Θρᾳκῶν ἰσχυροτέρους αμα παρῄνει γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν ἀποστάτην καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ φρονεῖν 57 μέχρις αἱμάτων παρεκάλει, μήτε τὴν βασιλέως πίστιν μήτε μὴν τὴν σφῶν ἐξαρνουμένους ἀνδρίαν καὶ ἀρετήν. ἀλλ' εοικεν ἡ οψις αμαχόν τι ειναι πρᾶγμα τοῖς πολλοῖς· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκείνου μὲν πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ὑποκεχωρηκότος, τοῦ Θωμᾶ δὲ κατὰ πρόσωπον παρισταμένου μεταθέσθαι συνέβη πάντας εὐκόλως, ὡς μηδὲ λόγου δεηθῆναι, καὶ αμα συστρατεύεσθαι ἡγουμένῳ κατὰ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν. 14 Οὐκ ελαθεν ουν ταῦτα θᾶττον η  εδει τὸν βασιλέα· οθεν καὶ στρατόν τινα ἐκ τῶν ηδη που καταλελειμμένων ἐκ τῆς ̓Ασίας ἐπισυνάγει καὶ δυνάμεις τινὰς διὰ τοῦ Κατάκυλα καὶ ̓Ολ-βιανοῦ συναθροίζει, τὸν περὶ τῆς βασιλείας ηδη κίνδυνον δεδιώς. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ κατὰ θάλασσαν ἠμέλει στρατοῦ, τάχει δὲ πολλῷ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλατταν ἀντιπαρεσκευάζετο δύναμιν. εἰς τοσοῦτο δὲ ηκε δυσεργίας καὶ περιστάσεως ὡς καὶ σιδηρᾶν αλυσιν ἐξ ἀκροπόλεως εἰς τὸ καταντικρὺ πολίχνιον ἐπ- εκτεῖναι, τὴν εσωθεν αβατον τηρῶν ὁδόν. ην δέ τις ἐν Σκύρῳ νήσῳ τῶν Κυκλάδων μιᾷ πολλάκις ἐστρατηγηκὼς ἀνὴρ ὑπερόριος, αρτι δὲ τῷ Μιχαὴλ εἰς πικρίαν ψυχῆς ἀφικόμενος· ονομα τούτῳ Γρηγόριος ὁ ουτω λεγόμενος Πτερωτός, ος ἀδελφιδοῦς μὲν ὑπάρ- χων τοῦ Λέοντος, αρτι δὲ τούτου ἀναιρεθέντος ὑπερόριος γίνεται, οτι μὴ σιγῇ, ζεούσῃ δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ καὶ φιλίᾳ τοῦ Λέοντος, προσ- κυνήσων τὸν Μιχαὴλ εἰσερχόμενος πολλοῖς ὀνειδισμοῖς αὐτὸν πε- ριέβαλεν, τὸν φόνον φέρων τῶν λεγομένων κατήγορον. ῳ  Μι- 58 χαὴλ τότε μὲν εἰπὼν "οιδά σου τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ πέλαγος καὶ τῆς λύπης τὸ μέγεθος" φέρειν ἐπέτρεπε τὰ γενόμενα· τρίτης δὲ παρ- ωχηκυίας ἡμέρας κατὰ τὸν εἰρημένον τόπον τῶν Κυκλάδων πε- ποίηκεν ὑπερόριον.