the emperor ordered one of his guards to throw a spear at Basil. And during dinner time, not only this one but others too, whenever he got drunk with wine, he would give orders for terrible things beyond belief, carrying out the removal of ears and 684 noses and heads; and if some, overcome by pity, had not neglected these things and put them off until the morrow, expecting some recall and repentance, which did happen, all who remained with Michael would have perished. But Basil also, having become on not a few occasions the plaything of his drunken rage, endured and waited for some repentance to come upon the man. At last, however, looking suspiciously at the situation, he hastened to act first rather than be killed by him. And when Michael's mother, Theodora, invited the emperor to the palace of Anthemios, Basil conspired against Michael. Then when the emperor sat down to dinner, he summoned Eudocia and Basil to dine with him. And when the emperor had drunk a great deal of wine, Basil got up as if for some need, and going into the emperor's bedchamber, being a strong man, he tampered with the locks of the doors, so that the doors could not be locked; and going away again, he continued to dine with the emperor. Then the emperor Michael stood up, and being unable to walk because of his great drunkenness, he was led by the hand by Basil and went into his bedchamber. After kissing his hand, Basil went out. And inside the bedchamber was Basiliskianos, who by the emperor's order had fallen asleep on the bed of Rentakios the parakoimomenos to guard him. But the chamberlain Ignatios, going to lock the door of his bedchamber, found it had been tampered with, and in despair he sat on the bed tearing his hair. 685 And as the emperor was sleeping a sleep like death from wine, Basil suddenly came with his companions and opened the doors. And Ignatios came out in fear, resisting Basil so that he would not enter. At this point the emperor awoke, and immediately John the Chaldos cut off his hands. And the apelates Iakobitzes, having wounded Basiliskianos with a sword, threw him upside down. And as the rest were standing outside on guard, when the two were joined, Asylaion said to Basil, "Even if we have cut off his hands, we have nevertheless left him alive. And if he lives, what defense shall we make?" And turning back, he fixed his sword in the emperor's heart and spilled out his entrails. And as there was a swell on the sea, they gathered together and came as far as the landing, and having climbed over the wall they came up to the palace, but there was a slab blocking the wall; and Basil, taking two of those with him and kicking it, broke the slab, and entered as far as the gate of the palace. And Eulogios the Persian, being with Basil, spoke in his own language to Ardabasdos the hetaeriarch, that Michael had died by the sword, and to open for Basil. And Ardabasdos, running to the papias, and taking the keys from him by force, opened up. And getting inside, Basil took the keys of the palace into his hands. And these things happened on the third day in the year 6362, and at the third hour of the night, in the first indiction, at the dawning of which day was the feast of Thekla the protomartyr. 686 And in the morning he made Gregory, the son of Philemon, papias; and immediately he sends to the church of Saint Mamas, and brings Eudokia Ingerina with great glory into the palace. He also sent John the praepositus to take Theoktiste the Decapolitissa to her own parents, and Paul, the epi tou koitonos, to bury Michael; who, on going, found him wrapped in the saddle-cloth of his favorite horse, which he used to ride, and his mother and his sister weeping and lamenting for him. And putting him into a small boat, he crossed over to the monastery of Chrysopolis, and buried him. Year of the world 6362, in the year of the divine incarnation 862, Basil, orthodox emperor of the Romans, for 19 years. As for the form of his body, he was most florid, well-conditioned, with eyebrows that met, fine-eyed, somber-faced, dark-complexioned, of a height midway to tall, and broad-chested,
ὑπασπιστῶν προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν λόγχην κατὰ τοῦ Βασιλείου ῥῖψαι. κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ δείπνου, οὐ μόνον τοῦ νῦν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ἀφ' οὗ τῷ οἴνῳ ἐμεθύσθη, πέρα δεινῶν ἐνεκελεύετο, ἀφαιρέσεις ὤτων καὶ 684 ῥινῶν καὶ κεφαλῶν ποιούμενος· καὶ εἰ μή τινες οἴκτῳ κρατούμενοι τούτων παρημέλουν καὶ πρὸς τὴν αὔριον ἔπεμπον, ἀνάκλησίν τινα καὶ μεταμέλειαν ἐκδεχόμενοι, ὃπερ ἦν, ἀπώλετο ἂν σύμπας ὁ παραμένων τῷ Μιχαήλ. ἀλλὰ καὶ Βασίλειος οὐκ ὀλιγάκις παροινίας παίγνιον γεγονὼς ἐκαρτέρει καὶ ἔμενεν μετάμελόν τινα γενέσθαι κατὰ τὸν ἄνδρα. ὀψὲ γοῦν τοῖς πράγμασιν ὑποβλεπόμενος προλαμβάνειν ἐσπούδασεν μᾶλλον ἢ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἀναιρεθῆναι. τῆς δὲ μητρὸς τοῦ Μιχαὴλ Θεοδώρας καλεσάσης τὸν βασιλέα εἰς τὰ Ἀνθεμίου, ὁ Βασίλειος συνεσκεύαζε τὸ κατὰ Μιχαήλ. εἶτα ἐπὶ δεῖπνον τοῦ βασιλέως καθεσθέντος, προσεκαλέσατο Εὐδοκίαν καὶ Βασίλειον τοῦ συνδειπνῆσαι αὐτῷ. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως οἴνῳ πολλῷ χρησαμένου, ἀναστὰς Βασίλειος ὡς διά τινα χρείαν, ἀπελθὼν ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι τοῦ βασιλέως διαστρέφει τὰ κλεῖθρα τῶν θυρῶν δυνατὸς ὤν, ὡς μὴ κλείεσθαι τὰς θύρας· καὶ ἀπελθὼν πάλιν συνεδείπνει τῷ βασιλεῖ. εἶτα ἀναστὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαήλ, τῇ πολλῇ μέθῃ μὴ δυνάμενος περιπατεῖν, χειροκρατούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Βασιλείου ἀπῆλθεν ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι αὐτοῦ. οὗ τὴν χεῖρα φιλήσας ἐξῆλθε Βασίλειος. ἔνδοθεν δὲ τοῦ κοιτῶνος ἦν Βασιλισκιανὸς τῇ κελεύσει τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπνώσας ἐν τῇ κλίνῃ Ῥεντακίου τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου πρὸς παραφυλακὴν αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ κοιτωνίτης Ἰγνάτιος ἀπελθὼν κλεῖσαι αὐτοῦ τὴν θύραν τοῦ κοιτῶνος εὗρεν αὐτὴν διεστραμμένην, καὶ ἀπογνοὺς ἐκαθέσθη ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης τίλλων τὰς τρίχας αὐτοῦ. 685 τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἐξ οἴνου ὕπνον θανάτῳ παραπλήσιον κοιμωμένου, ἀθρόον ἐλθὼν Βασίλειος μετὰ καὶ ἑταίρων τὰς θύρας ἀνέῳξε. καὶ ἔμφοβος ἐξῆλθεν Ἰγνάτιος ἀνθιστάμενος τῷ Βασιλείῳ μὴ εἰσελθεῖν. ἐν τούτῳ ἔξυπνος γίνεται ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ παρευθὺ Ἰωάννης ὁ Χάλδος κόπτει τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ ἀπελάτης Ἰακωβίτζης τὸν Βασιλισκιανὸν ξίφει τρώσας ἔρριψεν ἀνωκάτω. τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν ἱσταμένων ἔξω πρὸς παραφυλακήν, ἐπεὶ ἀμφότεροι ἡνώθησαν, Ἀσυλαίων ἔφη πρὸς Βασίλειον "εἰ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἐκόψαμεν, ὅμως ζῶντα αὐτὸν εἰάσαμεν. καὶ ἐὰν ζῇ, τί ἀπολογησόμεθα;" καὶ ὑποστρέψας πήσσει τὸ ξίφος κατὰ τῆς καρδίας τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ διαχέει τὰ ἔγκατα αὐτοῦ. κλύδωνος δὲ ὄντος ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ συναθροισθέντες ἦλθον μέχρι τοῦ περάματος, καὶ ἀνελθόντες διὰ τοῦ τείχους ἦλθον ἕως τοῦ παλατίου, πλὰξ δὲ ἦν φράσσουσα τὸ τεῖχος· καὶ κρατήσας Βασίλειος δύο τῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ λακτίσας κατέαξε τὴν πλάκα, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν μέχρι τῆς πύλης τοῦ παλατίου. Εὐλόγιος δὲ ὁ Πέρσης συνὼν τῷ Βασιλείῳ ἐλάλησε τῇ αὐτοῦ γλώττῃ Ἀρδαβάσδῳ ἑταιρειάρχῃ, ὡς ὁ Μιχαὴλ ξίφει ἐτελεύτησεν, καὶ ἄνοιξον τὸν Βασίλειον. ὁ δὲ Ἀρδάβασδος δραμὼν πρὸς τὸν παπίαν, καὶ ἄρας ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὰς κλεῖς βιαίως, ἤνοιξεν. καὶ γενόμενος ἔνδον Βασίλειος ᾖρε τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ παλατίου ἐπὶ χεῖρας. ταῦτα δὲ γέγονε κατὰ τὴν τρίτην ἡμέραν ἐν τῷ τξβʹ ἔτει, καὶ νυκτὸς τρίτης ὥρας, ἐπινεμήσεως αʹ, καθ' ἣν ἐπιφώσκουσαν εἶχεν ἡμέραν Θέκλας τῆς πρωτομάρτυρος. 686 καὶ τῇ ἕωθεν Γρηγόριον τὸν Φιλήμονος ἐποίησε παπίαν· καὶ παρευθὺ ἀποστέλλει ἐν τῷ ἁγίῳ Μάμαντι, καὶ εἰσάγει Εὐδοκίαν τοῦ Ἴγγηρος μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ. ἀπέστειλε δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννην πραιπόσιτον τοῦ ἀπαγάγαι τὴν ∆εκαπολίτισσαν πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους γονεῖς, καὶ Παῦλον ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος τοῦ ἐνταφιάσαι τὸν Μιχαήλ· ὃς ἀπελθὼν εὗρεν αὐτὸν ἐντετυλισμένον ἐν τῷ σαγίσματι τοῦ δεξιοῦ αὐτοῦ ἵππου, οὗ ἤλαυνε, καὶ τὴν μητέρα καὶ τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ θρηνούσας καὶ ἐλεεινολογουμένας αὐτόν. καὶ εἰσαγαγὼν εἰς πλοιάριον διεπέρασεν ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῆς Χρυσοπόλεως, καὶ ἔθαψεν αὐτόν. Κόσμου ἔτος τξβʹ, τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτει ωξβʹ, Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Βασίλειος ὀρθόδοξος ἔτη ιθʹ. ἦν δὲ οὗτος τὴν μὲν μορφὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνθηρότατος, εὐεκτικός, σύνοφρυς, εὐόμματος, σκυθρωπός, μελανόχρους, τὴν ἡλικίαν μέσος τοῦ εὐμήκους, τὰ στέρνα πλατύς,