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to remain, but by famine and lack of necessities, by which the city was shown to be in scarcity and want, not storing up treasures. At any rate, these things were known to him, and the action began. But the one being besieged first thrusts out every kind of useless animal, and then also every age group from the city, managing most of his affairs not with persuasive words, as one might say, but with a tyrannical 69 and arbitrary will; which both stirred up and renewed the hatred against him. Then, as the famine was already raging, with no hope of salvation, and the stomach indeed compelled and demanded its own unfailing tribute, some secretly through certain small gates and others letting themselves down over the walls, some went and surrendered themselves to the emperor, while others fled to his son at the small town of Bizye. Therefore, since not only the necessary things but also the abominable and wretched were being eaten by them, and their food supply went as far as branded hides and soles, some of those in the city came in bands to the emperor, and after both asking for and receiving amnesty for their wrongdoings, they surrounded him, took him by the hands, and brought him to his enemy. And he, first performing what had long been decreed by the emperors and had already become a custom, and placing him under his feet, maims this man and cuts off his feet and hands, and makes a public spectacle of him on a donkey, as he cried out this alone in a tragic voice, "Have mercy on me, O true emperor." And when the emperor asked if any of his associates were friends and if others shared his views, he would perhaps have denounced many, had not a certain man, John called Hexaboulios, said that it was not proper, but even absurd, to trust enemies against friends, O emperor. And this man by this speech thus averted the greater punishments for his wretched citizens and friends; and so the apostate also ended his life, by 70 gradual tortures breathing out his soul like some creature dying a hard death, in the middle of the month of October, seeming at the beginning to have been ambitious and daring and capable of achieving his goal, but as he proceeded, appearing much inferior to himself and to the expectation of outsiders. But whether this also happened because of his own change and transformation for the worse, or because of the change in those warring against him, is not of great account. For as long as the war was internal to himself, which he had been quick to rekindle with an insolent and daring will, and was ambivalent about consolidating his affairs, his deeds were no less vigorous than his words, and matters proceeded according to his mind; but when he had subjugated almost all of Asia, and had crossed over to Europe with no ignoble spirit, having found no one in his way, being a man, to be sure, not motivated by reason and education, but by a certain vulgar and beggarly association, he was already fired up and puffed up and sailed out of his senses, being led and growing into certain loves and immoderate marriages through daily drunkenness and revelry. But concerning the consummation of these affairs, we grant that others may think otherwise, when they do not wish to follow our accounts. But enough about these things. And those from Bizye also quickly came to another opinion, suspecting the impending danger; for as soon as they learned of the misfortunes concerning Thomas, having done similar things for similar deeds, 71 they brought Anastasius bound hand and foot. And this one also, being forced to suffer the same things as his father, departed this life. 20 Yet the coastal cities in Thrace, both Panion and Heraclea, which had sided with the tyrant, did not cease, although these things had thus been met, so much hatred against Michael was ingrained in all, perhaps for other reasons, but much more from not wanting to depose the one who had rekindled the affair of the divine icons. However, approaching these, when an earthquake occurred and the wall of Panion was cast down, the entrance into it became effortless for Michael; but the

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διαμένειν, ἀλλὰ λιμῷ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων, οις ἐν σπάνει καὶ ἐνδείᾳ ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀποθησαυρίζουσα ἡ πόλις ἐδείκνυτο. εγνωστο γοῦν ταῦτα αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀρχὴν ἡ πρᾶξις ἐλάμβανεν. ὁ δέ γε πολιορκούμενος παντὸς μὲν ζῴου πρῶτον ἰδέαν αχρηστον, επειτα δὲ καὶ πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν τῆς πόλεως ἐξωθεῖ, οὐ παρακλητικοῖς, ὡς αν ειποι τις, λόγοις τὰ πολλὰ τῶν πράξεων διοικῶν, τυράννῳ δὲ 69 γνώμῃ καὶ αὐθεκάστῳ· ο  καὶ τὸ κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀνεθυμίασέ τε μῖσος καὶ ἀνενέωσεν. επειτα ὡς ηδη ηκμαζεν ὁ λιμός, σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς οὐδαμοῦ, ἠνάγκαζε δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτῆς φόρους ἀνελλιπεῖς ἀπῄτει δὴ ἡ γαστήρ, οἱ μὲν λάθρα διά τινων πυλίδων οἱ δὲ διὰ τειχῶν καθιμώμενοι, οἱ μὲν φέροντες τῷ βασιλεῖ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεδίδουν, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν κατὰ τὸ Βύζης πτολίεθρον ἀπεδίδρασκον. ἐπεὶ ουν οὐ τὰ ἀναγκαῖα μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἀπευκτὰ καὶ λυπρὰ τού- τοις κατεδήδοτο, αχρι δὲ τῶν σεσημμένων σκυτῶν τε καὶ καττυ- μάτων τὰ τῆς τροφῆς ἐχώρει, εἰς λόχους τινὲς τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐλθόντες τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων ἀμνηστίαν αἰτήσαντές τε καὶ λαβόντες, περισχόντες αὐτὸν λαμβάνουσί τε διὰ χειρῶν καὶ προσάγουσι τῷ ἐχθρῷ. ὁ δὲ τὸ δόξαν πάλαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ εἰς συνήθειαν ηδη ἐλθὸν πρῶτον τελέσας καὶ ὑποκάτω θεὶς τῶν ποδῶν, ἀκρωτηριάζει τοῦτον καὶ πόδας καὶ χεῖρας ἀπαράσσει αὐ- τοῦ, ἐπὶ ονου τε θεατρίζει πᾶσι, τοῦτο μόνον ἐπιτραγῳδοῦντα "ἐλέησόν με ὁ ἀληθῶς βασιλεῦ." ἐρομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ει τινες τῶν αὐτῷ συνόντων φίλων καὶ ετεροι ειεν τὰ αὐτοῦ φρονοῦν- τες, τάχα αν πολλῶν κατεῖπεν, εἰ μή τις ἀνὴρ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ κατὰ τὸν ̔Εξαβούλιον οὐ δέον εφη ειναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ατοπον, ἐχθροῖς κατὰ φίλων πιστεύειν, ω βασιλεῦ. καὶ ουτος μὲν τούτῳ διέλυσε τῷ λόγῳ τὰς μείζονας τῶν ταλαιπώρων δὴ πολιτῶν καὶ φίλων αὐ- τοῦ τιμωρίας· ουτω δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀποστάτης κατέλυσε τὸν βίον, ταῖς 70 κατὰ μικρὸν ποιναῖς τὴν ψυχὴν ἀπορρήξας ωσπερ τι ζῷον δυσθα- νατοῦν, μηνὸς μεσοῦντος ̓Οκτωβρίου, κατὰ μὲν τὰς ἀρχὰς γεγο- νέναι δοκῶν μεγαλεπήβολος καὶ τολμηρὸς καὶ τοῦ προτεθέντος ἐξεργαστικός, προβαίνων δὲ φανεὶς πολὺ καταδεέστερος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς τῶν ἐκτὸς προσδοκίας. πότερον δὲ καὶ τοῦτ' ἐγένετο παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου διαφορὰν καὶ μεταβολὴν ἐπὶ τὸ χεῖρον η  παρὰ τὴν τῶν πολεμούντων πρὸς αὐτὸν παραλλαγήν, οὐ πολὺν εχει λό- γον. εως μὲν γὰρ ην αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ πόλεμος ενδοθεν, ον φθάσας ἀνερρίπισεν αὐθάδει γνώμῃ καὶ τολμηρᾷ, καὶ ἀμφίβολος πρὸς τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων κραταίωσιν ην, ερρωντο τῶν λόγων αἱ πράξεις οὐκ ελαττον, καὶ κατὰ νοῦν ἐχώρει τὰ πράγματα· ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν ̓Ασίαν μικροῦ πᾶσαν ὑπέταξε, διεπεραιώθη δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὴν Εὐ- ρώπην σὺν οὐκ ἀγεννεῖ τῷ φρονήματι μηδένα ἐμποδὼν εὑρηκώς, ἀνὴρ ατε δὴ οὐκ ἐκ λόγων καὶ παιδείας ὁρμώμενος, βαναύσου δέ τινος καὶ ἀγυρτικῆς ὁμιλίας, ἐξῆπτο ηδη καὶ ἐπεφύσητο καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐξέπλει φρενῶν, πρὸς ερωτάς τινας καὶ γάμους οὐ σωφρο- νικοὺς διὰ τῆς καθ' ἡμέραν μέθης καὶ βακχείας ἀγόμενος καὶ αὐξανόμενος. ἀλλ' ὑπὲρ μὲν τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τούτων συντε- λείας δίδομεν καὶ αλλοις αλλως ἐννοεῖν, οτε μὴ τοῖς ἡμετέροις βούλωνται ἐξακολουθεῖν. πλὴν περὶ μὲν τούτων αὐτάρκως. καὶ οἱ ἐκ Βύζης δὲ ἐφ' ἑτέρας ταχέως ἐγένοντο γνώμης, ὑφορώμενοι τὸν προεστῶτα κίνδυνον· αμα γὰρ τῷ πυθέσθαι τὰ κατὰ τὸν Θωμᾶν ἀτυχήματα, ἐφ' ὁμοίαις πράξεσι τὰ ομοια πεποιηκότες 71 τὸν ̓Αναστάσιον ηγαγον δεδεμένον χεῖρας καὶ πόδας. ταὐτὰ δὲ καὶ ουτος [δέ τε] πεπονθέναι βιαζόμενος τῷ πατρὶ τὸν βίον μετ- ήλλαξεν. 20 Οὐ μὴν ἐπαύοντο τούτων ουτω καθυπαντησάντων κατὰ Θρᾴκην πόλεις παράλιοι, τό τε Πάνιον καὶ ̔Ηράκλεια, τὰ τοῦ τυράννου φρονῆσαι τοσοῦτον αρα μῖσος κατὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ πᾶσιν ἐνέφυ καὶ ἐξ αλλων μὲν ισως, πολλῷ δὲ πλέον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ βούλεσθαι τὸν κατὰ τῶν θείων εἰκόνων ἀναρριπισθέντα καταλῦ- σαι. πλὴν ταύταις πλησιάσας, τοῦ μὲν σεισμοῦ ἐπιγινομένου καὶ τοῦ τείχους τοῦ Πανίου καταβληθέντος ἡ εἰς αὐτὸ πάροδος ἀκμητὶ γέγονε τῷ Μιχαήλ· ἡ δ'