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

having fallen upon it, accomplishing nothing noble or vigorous. And he considered the matter an outright disgrace and insult, and an indelible reproach, if he, Nikephoros Phokas, 56 formerly numbered among the generals, and again proclaimed Domestic of the Schools, who at one time had razed myriads of cities and, having plundered them, reduced them to ashes, and at another had enslaved prosperous lands, and having routed warlike nations in battle, had subjugated them, they not being strong enough even to look him in the eye against his might and his irresistible force in arms; but now, having received the leadership of the Romans through courage and sagacity, and leading an army numbering up to forty myriads, was repulsed, having in other respects fought against a shadow. And he was repulsed not from Babylon, which Semiramis fortified with seven surrounding walls; or from the elder Rome, which the might of the Romans had founded; or from the walls of Judaea, whose massive height, heard by the ears, seems perhaps a myth, stripped of truth, to those who have not seen it; but from Tarsus, an easily surrounded city, established on a plain suitable for cavalry, of newcomers and natives alike. Pondering and reflecting on these things, he was continually vexed, and inconsolably despondent, that the Tarsians, since their neighbors had become a work of war, and had exchanged freedom for slavery, as many as escaped the edge of the sword, should they alone of all the others get away, broadly laughing, as it were, at his courage, and deriding his military experience. Therefore, he meticulously trained those around him for battle, and sat waiting for the season of the year. And as spring was just dawning, and the harshness of winter was gently blending into the warmth of summer, according to what was ordered 57 the forces were being gathered to the emperor. And he, having fittingly armed the army, which was assembled to over forty myriads, raising the standard, advanced toward Tarsus. 2. And while he was making his march, one of the light-armed soldiers, shrinking from the difficult terrain (for the army happened to be passing through a very deep gorge, enclosed by precipices and ravines), threw the shield which he carried on his shoulders away on the road, unburdening himself. And when the emperor, passing by, saw it with his eyes, he orders one of his followers to pick up the shield; and having just arrived at the lodging-place, he investigated under which of the captains might be posted the one who, without a fight and without danger, had been revealed as a shield-thrower and had cast away his own weapon. And when the one who had done this did not escape notice, but was very quickly apprehended, the emperor, looking at him grimly and askance, said, "Tell me, you most ignoble man, if some raid from an unforeseen war had come upon us, what defense would you have used to ward off the enemy, having thrown away your shield beside the path?" But he, frozen with fear, remained speechless. And the emperor orders the captain to tear this self-murderer to pieces with tortures, and after cutting off his nose, to make a public spectacle of him throughout the camp. But he, whether seized by pity for the man, or made lax by the offer of bribes, let the man go unharmed. And on the next day, the emperor, seeing this man walking about, summons the captain and says, "O you, hard-hearted and 58 audacious man, how did you dare not to carry out what was commanded? Do you think you care more for this army than I do? I decreed such a penalty to be paid by the one who threw away his own weapon for the instruction of the rest; so that no others, imitating his carelessness and sluggishness, should do the very same thing, and be found stripped of their weapons at the time of the contests, and be swiftly killed by the enemy. Therefore, having fiercely tortured the captain and cut off his nose, he instilled fear in the entire army, to no longer be careless about their own armament. 3. And just as at

προσπεσὸν, μηδέν τι γενναῖον ἢ νεανικὸν ἐργασάμενος. καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα προπηλακισμὸν καὶ ὕβριν ἄντικρυς ἐλογίζετο, καὶ ὄνειδον ἀνεξάλειπτον, εἰ Νικηφόρος ὢν ὁ Φωκᾶς, 56 καὶ πρώην ἐν στρατηγοῖς τελῶν, καὶ αὖθις ἀναῤῥηθεὶς ∆ομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν, τοτὲ μὲν μυριάδας πόλεις κατέσκαψε καὶ δῃώσας ᾐθάλωσε, τοτὲ δὲ εὐδαίμονας χώρας ἠνδραποδίσατο, καὶ μάχιμα ἔθνη τρεψάμενος ἐκ παρατάξεως ὑπήγετο, μηδὲ ἀντοφθαλμεῖν ἐξισχύσαντα πρὸς τὴν τούτου ἀλκὴν καὶ τὴν ἀκαταγώνιστον ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ὁρμήν· τὰ νῦν δὲ, τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἀνδρείᾳ ἀγχινοίᾳ παρειληφώς, καὶ στρατὸν εἰς τετταράκοντα μυριάδας ἀριθμούμενον ἐπαγόμενος, ἀπεκρούσθη τὴν ἄλλως σκιαμαχήσας. ἀπεκρούσθη δὲ οὐχὶ Βαβυλῶνος, ἣν ἡ Σεμίραμις ἑπτὰ περιβόλοις ὠχύρωσεν· ἢ τῆς πρεσβυτέρας Ῥώμης, τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων σθένος ἥνπερ ἐπολίσατο· ἢ τῶν τῆς Ἰουδαίας τειχῶν, ὧν τὸ ναστὸν ὕψος, ὠσὶν ἀκουόμενον, μῦθος τάχα, τῆς ἀληθείας γεγυμνωμένος, τοῖς οὐχ ἑωρακόσι δοκεῖ· ἀλλὰ Ταρσοῦ, εὐπεριγράπτου πόλεως, ἐφ' ἱππηλάτου πεδίου συνῳκισμένης, τῶν ἐπηλύδων τε καὶ ἰθαγενῶν. ταῦτα δὴ ἀνελίττων καὶ γνωματεύων δυσφορῶν διετέλει, καὶ ἀπαρηγόρητα δυσθυμῶν, εἰ Ταρσεῖς, τῶν προσοίκων αὐτοῖς ἔργον πολέμου γεγενημένων, καὶ δουλείαν ἐλευθερίας ἀλλαξαμένων, ὁπόσοι τὸ τῆς μαχαίρας στόμα διέδρασαν, αὐτοὶ μόνοι τῶν ἄλλων ἀπέλθοιεν, πλατύ που τῆς ἐκείνου ἀνδρείας ἐπικαγχάζοντες, καὶ τῆς πολεμικῆς ἐμπειρίας καταμωμώμενοι. τῷ τοι καὶ τὰ ἐς τὰς μάχας τοὺς περὶ αὑτὸν διεγύμναζεν ἀκριβῶς, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἔτους ὥραν ἧστο προσεκδεχόμενος. ἦρος δὲ εὐθὺς διαλάμποντος, καὶ τῆς χειμερινῆς δριμύτητος εἰς θερινὴν θάλψιν μετακιρναμένης ἐπιεικῶς, κατὰ τὸ προστεταγμέ 57 νον αἱ δυνάμεις ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα συνηγείροντο. ὁ δὲ ἀραρότως καθοπλίσας τὴν στρατιὰν, συναγομένην ὑπὲρ μυριάδας τὰς τετταράκοντα, τὸ σημεῖον διάρας ἐπῄει τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς Ταρσοῦ. βʹ. Ἐν ᾧ δὲ τὴν πορείαν διήνυε, τῶν ψιλῶν τις στρατιωτῶν, πρὸς τὴν δυσχωρίαν ὀκλάσας (ἔτυχε γὰρ δι' αὐλῶνος τὴν στρατιὰν βαθυτάτου, εἰς ἀποῤῥῶγας καὶ σήραγγας κατακλειομένου, διαπορεύεσθαι), τὸν ὃν ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἔφερε θυρεὸν, κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ἀπέῤῥιψεν ἀποφορτισάμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ παροδεύων ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦτον τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καθεώρακε, τῶν ἑπομένων τινὶ διᾶραι τὸν θυρεὸν ἐγκελεύεται· ἄρτι δὲ φθάσας πρὸς τὴν καταγωγὴν, ὑπὸ τίνα τῶν λοχαγῶν διηρευνᾶτο ταττόμενος ἂν εἴη ὁ διαμάχης καὶ κινδύνων χωρὶς ἀποφανθεὶς ῥίψασπις καὶ τὸ ἴδιον ὅπλον ἀποβαλών. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ διέλαθεν ὁ τοῦτο δεδρακὼς, ἀλλὰ τὴν ταχίστην συνελαμβάνετο, βλοσυρόν τι τούτῳ καὶ λοξὸν ἀντωπήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ, λέγε μοι, ἔφη, ἀγεννέστατε σὺ, εἴ γε τις ἐπῆλθεν ἐξ ἀπόπτου πολέμου καταδρομὴ, τίνι ἂν ἕρκει πρὸς ἀποτροπὴν ἐχρήσω τῶν δυσμενῶν, τὸν θυρεὸν ἀποβαλὼν παρὰ τὴν ἀταρπιτόν; ὁ δὲ, πεπηγὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ δέους, διέμενεν ἀχανής. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ αἰκίαις καταξᾶναι τὸν αὐτοφονευτὴν ἑαυτοῦ τῷ λοχαγῷ ἐγκελεύεται, ἐκτεμόντι τε καὶ τὴν ῥῖνα θεατρίσαι κατὰ τὸ στρατόπεδον. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ, εἴτε οἴκτῳ ληφθεὶς πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, εἴτε καὶ δώρων ἐπιβολῇ χαυνωθεὶς, ἀσινῆ διαφῆκε τὸν ἄνδρα. τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ διϊόντα τοῦτον ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑωρακὼς, τὸν λοχαγὸν εἰσκαλεῖ καὶ, ὦ, φησὶν, ἀτέραμνε καὶ 58 θρασυκάρδιε σὺ, πῶς ἔτλης μὴ παραγαγεῖν εἰς ἔργον τὸ κελευσθέν; ἦ δοκεῖς πλεῖον ἐμοῦ τουτουῒ κήδεσθαί σοι τοῦ στρατοῦ; εἰς παιδείαν ἐγὼ τῶν λοιπῶν τὴν τοιαύτην διωρισάμην ἐκτῖσαι ποινὴν τὸν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ὅπλον ἀποῤῥιψάμενον· ὡς μήτινες τὸ τούτου ἀμελὲς καὶ νωθρὸν μιμησάμενοι ταὐτὸ τοῦτο διαπράξοιντο, κἀν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν ἀγώνων γεγυμνωμένοι τῶν ὅπλων καταλαμβάνοιντο, καὶ οὐκ ἂν φθάνοιεν πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων ἀναιρούμενοι. σφοδρῶς οὖν αἰκίσας τὸν λοχαγὸν καὶ τῆς ῥινὸς ἀφελόμενος, δέος ἐνῆκε παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ, μηκέτι ἀμελῶς διακεῖσθαι περὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον ὁπλισμόν. γʹ. Ἄρτι δὲ κατὰ