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what was needed. And he lived in the places around the cistern of Aspar, which that man had established, from whom it also received its name; and having lived gloriously for a long time, he had died, having restored his own house as a dwelling for monks, in which he was also buried. 4.9 But after his departure from the palace, Bardas was stirred up by envy towards Theoktistos to destroy him, and he contrived it in the following manner. He suggests to the emperor Michael that his mother was planning a marriage for herself or arranging one for one of her daughters, by which she would make his imperial power forfeit, and that she would depose and blind him. And when Michael was agitated by such words, he added that Theoktistos would be the cause of these things. And both of them are concerned about the attack against him, to assassinate or rather to banish him, if they are able; and for this plot they take on some ex-generals who had been deprived of their own command, so that they might cooperate with them, and indeed also the sister of Theodora, who had the fair name Kalē Maria, so that she too might secretly cooperate with the emperor in the matters concerning the assassination of Theoktistos, having set her up as a spy in an upper chamber with a peephole, to signal from there to the emperor, whenever she saw Bardas attacking Theoktistos. Therefore, when Bardas had considered these things about him, he pretended to be resting in the chambers near the Lausiakos, sitting with the praepositi; and indeed, as Theoktistos was efficiently arranging the affairs of the logothete of the drome, Bardas was very watchfully ready to ambush him as he was coming away from the emperor or going back to him, like a lion in a secret place, to suddenly leap upon, follow, and attack or rather trip him face down. Indeed, great struggle held him, held him, and many times he was impelled to attack, and was checked from his impulse; but nevertheless, though slowly, he rises from his seat and running down overtakes him, and, so that it might be said poetically, "he struck him from behind on the ham and loosed his limbs," throwing him face down. And immediately a shoulder-sword with its scabbard is handed over, which he had drawn for the warding off of opponents. From their seats the ex-generals rise up boldly, defending the undertaking. And by the woman spy it is signaled to the emperor for his exit through the bronze gates of the lord Tiberius; and standing there he ordered Theoktistos to be taken by imperial decree. And he is dragged on the ground by shield-bearers as far as the outer parts around Skyla, and there he is held, to carry out the effect of some imperial decision. But when the empress had learned about this, she went out immediately to the Lausiakos, seeking her servant and not allowing him to be killed; but in vain, even though she cried out boldly at that time. Then, terrified by a strong voice, she is shut in her chamber lamenting; for one of the ex-generals, descending from the family of the Melissenoi, shouted at her to go back home, calling such a day one of blows. 4.10 Therefore, when Theoktistos had been held for a long time at Skyla, he entreats Constantine the Armenian, whom we mentioned before, to support him. But this man, acting with modes of kindness, closed the gates leading to the triclinium of Justinian, for the time being preventing the violent charge of soldiers coming through them, until they might determine the matters concerning his exile, and that some should not be stained with Christian blood. For this had also been a matter of much concern to Bardas, if indeed the things being done might be carried out easily. But some urge on the emperor, advising that if Theoktistos were not swiftly killed, there would be an unbearable revolt from the empress. The emperor with a sudden command emboldens the Scythians from Taurica who were in the Hetaireia to go against him and quickly do away with him. And they went with one accord; but when they found the gates closed, since Constantine was standing inside, averting the immeasurable evil with a moderate evil he steps aside, although he was noble both in sense and in spirit; and as much strength as was in him in both words and deeds,

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δέοντα. κατῴκει δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν κιστέρναν χώροις τοῦ Ἄσπαρος, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἱδρύσατο, δι' οὗ καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν αὕτη ἀπείληφεν· καὶ ἐπὶ μακρὸν χρόνον βιώσας ἐνδόξως ἀποβεβιώκει, ἀποκαταστήσας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οἶκον μονασταῖς καταγώγιον, ἐν ᾧ καὶ κεκήδευτο. 4.9 Μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ παλατίου αὐτοῦ ἀποικίαν φθόνῳ τῷ πρὸς τὸν Θεόκτιστον διεγείρεται Βάρδας αὐτὸν ἀφαντῶσαι, καὶ τρόπῳ τοιούτῳ τεχνάζεται. παρεντίθησι βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ τὴν μητέρα φρονεῖν ἑαυτῇ γάμον ἢ ἐν μιᾷ τῶν αὐτῆς θυγατέρων ἐπισκευάσασθαι, δι' οὗ τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν ποιήσειεν ἔκδοτον, τοῦτόν τε καθαιρήσειν αὐτῆς καὶ ἀπομματῶσαι. ὡς δὲ τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ἐκεκλυδώνιστο Μιχαήλ, ἐπεῖπεν τὸν Θεόκτιστον τούτων αἴτιον ἔσεσθαι. καὶ ἐμμεριμνῶσιν ἀμφότεροι περὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπιθέσεως, δολοφονῆσαι ἢ μᾶλλον ὑπερορίσαι τοῦτον, εἴ γε δυνήσονται· καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ συσκευῇ προσλαμβάνουσιν ὑποστρατήγους τινὰς τῆς οἰκείας περιῃρημένους ἀρχῆς, ὅπως αὐτοῖς συνεργήσαιεν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Θεοδώρας τὴν σύγγονον, ἐφ' ᾗ Καλὴ Μαρία τὸ εὔφημον, ὡς ἂν καὶ αὕτη τὰ κατὰ δολοφονίαν τοῦ Θεοκτίστου συμπράξῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ κρυφίως, ἐξ ὑπερτέρου τετρημένου οἰκίσκου διόπτειραν καταστήσαντες, ἐντεῦθεν κατασημῆναι τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὁπόταν τὸν Βάρδαν ἴδοι τῷ Θεοκτίστῳ ἐπιτιθέμενον. ὡς οὖν ταῦτα περὶ τούτου διεσκοπήκει ὁ Βάρδας, ταῖς πρὸς τὸν Λαυσιακὸν καθέδραις προσεποιεῖτο διαναπαύεσθαι τοῖς πραιποσίτοις συνεδριάζων· καὶ δὴ τὰ λογοθέτου τοῦ δρόμου πραγματικῶς Θεοκτίστου διευθετοῦντος, πάνυ τετηρημένως ἔσχεν ὁ Βάρδας ἐκ βασιλέως ἀπανιόντα ἢ πρὸς τοῦτον ἐπανιόντα ἐνεδρεύειν ὡς λέων ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ ἀθρόως τε προσπηδῆσαι κατακολουθῆσαί τε καὶ ἐνστῆναι ἢ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑποσκελίσαι καταπρηνῆ. συνεῖχε μὲν αὐτόν, συνεῖχε πολὺς ὁ ἀγών, καὶ ἐπιθέσθαι πολλάκις διώρμητο, καὶ τῆς ὁρμῆς ἀνεκόπτετο· ἀλλ' ὅμως, εἰ καὶ βραδέως, τῆς καθέδρας ἀνίσταται καὶ καταδραμὼν φθάνει, καὶ ἵνα λεχθείη ποιητικῶς, κόψ' ὄπιθεν κώληπα τυχών, ὑπέλυσε δὲ γυῖα, καταπρηνίξας αὐτόν. καὶ εὐθέως ἐπιδίδοται σὺν κουλεῷ σπάθη ἐπώμιος, ἣν πρὸς ἀποτροπὴν ἐναντίων ἐγύμνωσεν. τῆς ἕδρας οἱ ἀποστράτηγοι διανίστανται θαρσαλέως ἐπαμυνοῦντες τῷ ἐγχειρήματι. καὶ τῇ σκοπῷ γυναικὶ κατασημαίνεται βασιλεῖ πρὸς ἐξέλευσιν τὴν διὰ χαλκηλάτων πυλῶν Τιβερίου τοῦ ἄνακτος· καὶ στὰς ἐκεῖσε τὸν Θεόκτιστον βασιλικῇ ψήφῳ προστέταχεν αἴρεσθαι. καὶ ἑλκύεται χαμαὶ δι' ὑπασπιστῶν μέχρι τῶν ἔξω περὶ τὰ Σκῦλα, κἀκεῖσε συνέχεται πρός τινος βασιλικῆς ἀποφάσεως τελέσων ἐνέργημα. ὡς δὲ περὶ τούτου ἡ δέσποινα διεμεμαθήκει, ἐξῄει πρὸς τὸν Λαυσιακὸν αὐτοσχέδιος, ἐπιζητοῦσα τὸν ταύτης θεράποντα καὶ ἀποκτονέναι μὴ συγχωροῦσα· ἀλλ' ἀπρακτί, κἂν τότε τολμηρὸν ἐπεβόα. ἔπειτα δὲ φωνῇ βριαρᾷ καταπτοηθεῖσα, θρηνωδῶς θαλαμεύεται· τῶν ἀποστρατήγων γάρ τις, ἐκ Μελισσηνῶν κατάγων τὸ γένος, αὐτῇ ἐπεφθέγξατο παλινδρομεῖν οἴκαδε, τὴν τοιαύτην ἡμέραν κρουόντων ἀποκαλῶν. 4.10 Ὡς οὖν ἐπὶ πολὺ κατὰ τὰ Σκῦλα ὁ Θεόκτιστος ἐκεκράτητο, τὸν ἐξ Ἀρμενίων Κωνσταντῖνον, οὗ προμεμνήμεθα, δυσωπεῖ ἀντιλαβέσθαι αὐτοῦ. οὗτος δὲ χρηστότητος τρόποις φερόμενος τὰς πρὸς τὸν Ἰουστινιανοῦ τρίκλινον φερούσας πύλας συνέπτυξεν, τὴν δι' αὐτῶν ἀπείργων φορὰν στρατιωτικὴν τέως ἀκρατῶς ἐρχομένην, ἕως ἂν τὰ πρὸς ἐξορίαν αὐτοῦ διορίσειαν, καὶ μὴ κεχράνθαι Χριστιανικῷ τινὰς αἵματι. τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ Βάρδᾳ πολυμερῶς ἐπεφρόντιστο, εἴ γε ῥᾳδίως τὰ πραττόμενα διεξάγοιτο. ἀλλὰ τὸν βασιλέα παρορμῶσί τινες συμβουλεύοντες, ὡς εἴπερ μὴ διὰ τάχους ἀναιρεθείη Θεόκτιστος, ἐπανάστασις ἔσται παρὰ δεσποίνης δυσφόρητος. τοὺς ἐκ Ταυρικῆς καθ' ἑταιρείαν Σκύθας ὁ βασιλεὺς ῥαγδαίῳ προστάγματι διαρρώννυσιν ἐπελθεῖν κατ' αὐτοῦ καὶ συντόμως διαχειρίσασθαι. οἱ δὲ ἐπῄεσαν ὁμοθυμαδόν· ὡς δὲ τὰς πύλας εὗρον συνεπτυγμένας, ἐπείπερ ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος ἐντὸς ἐφεστήκει, κακῷ μετρίῳ τὸ ἄμετρον τῶν κακῶν ἐξιώμενος ὑπεξίσταται, εἰ καὶ γενναῖος τήν τε φρόνησιν καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καθεστήκει· καὶ ὅσον ἐνῆν αὐτῷ σθένους ἔν τε λόγοις καὶ ἔργοις,