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having established and testified to his inexperience in wars, and on the one hand, those who were reaching and seizing being very weak and not knowing how to fight a noble battle and shake walls, nor even causing any retreat of the man standing on the towers. Therefore, when these things appeared not to be in accord with the previous rumor that had blared and 61 rung out everywhere, but rather lesser and as if steered and accomplished by some very weak mind, the besieged city immediately took courage, and used such far-reaching missiles as to compel them to encamp somewhere far away, abandoning so many engines, and to plan for their own safety. Wherefore, since the matters of the siege did not go as he expected, but he met with things more stubborn than his own opinion, and besides, the season showed the time to be more severe, since winter had come on and Thrace is harsher in winter than other places, he turned to winter quarters and the withdrawal of the army. 15 But already, with spring shining gently and forcing the throng of soldiers to leave their dens and burrows, he decided to attack the city of Constantine again from both sides, by land and by sea. But he now found Michael not as before, but having just gathered some military force, and another naval one by sea. At any rate, he went armed again to that part where also before, the gulf of the Blachernae. So when day was dawning and the battle signal was being given and he was about to batter the wall of the Blachernae, Michael came to speak with some of them from the heights of the walls, announcing to them an amnesty for their terrible deeds and promising to give many good things, if only they would change sides and not wish to be defiled with the blood of their countrymen and brothers. But having poured these words, as the saying goes, into a 62 pierced jar, he made them bolder, because they were being entreated, and in a word, freed from the constraint of fear, and himself steadfast and more resolute. Wherefore suddenly streaming out against them from many posterns, where they did not expect, he joins battle with some of these, and having wrought considerable destruction, brilliantly achieves victory. But by sea even more than on land he was achieving victory. For when the imperial triremes put to sea and were about to join battle, just as the rebel fleet was starting the battle and hurling stones, having suffered I know not what and been struck by what fears and alarms and having backed water, it was brought to the shore; and some of the men, deserting to the emperor, took courage in changing sides, while others fled to their own camp on land, utterly refusing to be at sea and fight. Thus, therefore, the navy was dissolved without a fight, and for the time being came to nothing, having accomplished nothing worthy either of the multitude of ships or of the men who had embarked on them. 16 Wherefore Gregory, who was mentioned, having perceived that this very apostate was contemptible and would become more so as time went on, since he devoted himself to drinking bouts and was greatly lacking in prudence, by which victories are wont to be gained more than 63 from any other source, having taken a certain portion of the regiment under his command, and having previously communicated with the emperor through a certain monk from the Stoudios monastery sent by the emperor, he contemplates a break and gets behind the back of the apostate, at once terrifying him and filling him with confusion, and at the same time negotiating a reconciliation and pardon for the wrongs he had committed against the emperor, and indeed for his wife and children (for they were being kept in prison since he had joined Thomas). But the emperor did not manage to hear these things; into

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τεθεικότος καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς πολέμους ἀπειρίαν καταμαρτυρήσαντος, πῇ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐφικνουμένων καὶ καταλαμ- βανόντων ἀσθενεστάτων οντων καὶ οὐ κατὰ μάχην γενναίαν τε καὶ διασείειν τείχη εἰδότων, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ κατὰ πύργους ἱσταμένου ἀνδρὸς ὑποχώρησίν τινα παρασκευαζόντων. ὡς ουν ἐφαίνετο ταῦτα οὐ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν διαθρυλήσασαν πάντα φήμην καὶ 61 διακωδωνίσασαν, ηττω δὲ καὶ ὡς εκ τινος ἀσθενεστάτης φρενὸς διακυβερνώμενα καὶ ἐκπερατούμενα, ἀνεθάρρησέ τε ἡ πολιορκου- μένη πόλις εὐθέως, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἑκηβολωτέροις ἐχρῆτο τοῖς βέ- λεσιν ὡς πόρρω που τούτους αὐλισθῆναι ἐπαναγκάσαι, τὰς τοσαύ- τας μηχανὰς ἐγκαταλιπόντας, καὶ περὶ τῆς ἰδίας βουλεύεσθαι σω- τηρίας. οθεν ἐπεὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν πολιορκίαν οὐχ ὡς ῳετο, στερ- ρότερα δὲ η  κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην ἀπήντησεν, αλλως δὲ καὶ ἡ ωρα δριμύτερον ἐδείκνυ τὸν καιρὸν ατε δὴ καὶ χειμῶνος ἐπιγενο- μένου καὶ τῆς Θρᾴκης τῶν αλλων ουσης δυσχειμέρου, ἐπὶ παρα- χειμασίαν ἐτράπη καὶ τὸν τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀνακομιδήν. 15Ηδη δὲ τοῦ εαρος ημερον ἐπιλάμποντος καὶ τὸν στρα- τιώτην οχλον τὰς καταδύσεις καὶ χηραμοὺς καταλιπεῖν ἐκβιάζον- τος, ἀμφοτέρωθεν αυθις κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν εκρινε προσβάλλειν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου. ἀλλ' ηδη τὸν Μιχαὴλ οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρότερον, αρτι δὲ στρατιωτικήν τινα δύναμιν ευρισκε συλλεξάμε- νον, καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν αλλην δὴ ναυτικήν. κατ' ἐκεῖνο γοῦν πάλιν ῃει τὸ μέρος ὁπλισάμενος ῃ  καὶ πρότερον, τὸν κόλπον τῶν Βλαχερνῶν. ὡς ουν ἡμέρα ὑπέλαμπεν καὶ τὸ σύνθημα ἐδίδοτο τὸ πολεμικὸν καὶ τεῖχος εμελλε κατασείειν τῶν Βλαχερνῶν, εἰς λό- γους δή τισιν ἐκ τοῦ τῶν τειχῶν μετεώρου ηλθεν ὁ Μιχαήλ, ἀμνη- στίαν αὐτοῖς δεινῶν εὐαγγελιζόμενος καὶ ὑπισχνούμενος δώσειν ἀγαθὰ πολλά, εἰ μόνον δὴ μετατάξοιντο καὶ μὴ βουληθεῖεν αιμα- σιν ὁμοφύλων καὶ ἀδελφῶν καταχραίνεσθαι. ἀλλ' εἰς πίθον 62 τετρημένον, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, τούτους ἐναπεράνας τοὺς λόγους, ἐκεί- νους μὲν θαρσαλεωτέρους, οτι δὴ καὶ παρακαλοῖντο, ταὐτὸν δὲ εἰπεῖν καὶ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ φόβου συστάσεως λελυμένους εἰργάσατο, ἑαυτὸν δὲ σταθερόν τε καὶ στερρότερον. οθεν αφνω ἐκ πολλῶν πυλίδων κατ' αὐτῶν συρρυείς, ῃ  μὴ προσεδόκων ἐκεῖνοι, συρρή- γνυταί τισι τούτοις εἰς μάχην, καὶ φθόρον ἱκανὸν ἐργασάμενος τὴν νικῶσαν λαμβάνει λαμπρῶς. κατὰ θάλατταν δὲ καὶ μᾶλλον η  κατ' ηπειρον τὴν νικῶσαν ἐλάμβανεν. ὡς γὰρ αἱ βασιλικαὶ τριήρεις ἀνήγοντο καὶ εἰς χεῖρας συνέρχεσθαι εμελλον, αρτι δὴ πόλεμον συγκροτοῦντος καὶ λίθους ἐπαφιέντος τοῦ ἀποστατικοῦ πλωΐμου, οὐκ οιδ' ο τι παθόντος καὶ τίσι δείμασι καὶ θορύβοις περικτυπηθέντος καὶ πρύμναν κρούσαντος κατήγετο πρὸς τὴν χέρ- σον· καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν ἀνδρῶν πρὸς βασιλέα αὐτομολοῦντες ἐθάρ- ρουν μετατιθέμενοι, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον στρατόπεδον τὸ κατὰ γῆν ἀπεδίδρασκον, τὸ κατὰ θάλασσαν ειναι καὶ διαμάχεσθαι ἀπαρ- νησάμενοι παντελῶς. ουτω μὲν ουν ἀπονητὶ διελύθη τὸ ναυτικόν, καὶ τέως ἐχώρησεν εἰς οὐδέν, αξιον ουτε τοῦ πλήθους τῶν νεῶν ουτε τῶν εἰς αὐτὰς ἀναβεβηκότων ἀνδρῶν διαπραξάμενον. 16Οθεν καὶ Γρηγόριος ὁ δηλωθεὶς συνεωρακὼς αὐτόν τε τοῦτον τὸν ἀποστάτην εὐκαταφρόνητον οντα τε καὶ πλέον προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου γενησόμενον, ατε δὴ πότοις σχολάζοντα καὶ φρονήσεως ἀμοιροῦντα κατὰ πολύ, δι' ης πεφύκασι μᾶλλον η 63 ποθεν αλλοθεν αἱ νῖκαι προσγίνεσθαι, μοῖράν τινα τοῦ ὑφ' ἑαυ- τὸν τάγματος συλλαβόμενος, καὶ πρότερον δὲ κοινολογησάμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ μοναχοῦ τινὸς τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν Στουδίου τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσταλέντος, ῥῆξιν ἐννοεῖ καὶ τοῦ ἀποστάτου γίνεται κατὰ νώτου, ὁμοῦ μὲν τοῦτον ἐκδειματῶν καὶ θορύβου πληρῶν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τῶν εἰς βασιλέα ἑαυτῷ ἡμαρτημένων, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ γα- μετῇ καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις (καὶ γὰρ ἐτηροῦντο ἐν φυλακῇ ἐκείνου τῷ Θωμᾷ προσθεμένου) διαλλαγὴν καὶ συγγνώμην πραγματευόμενος. ἀλλ' ουτε ὁ βασιλεὺς ταῦτα εφθασε διακοῦσαι· εἰς