Theophanes the Confessor, Chronography

promising to do so and to give much tribute, if only he would proclaim him emperor and provide some help. He therefore proclaims him emperor of the Romans, and gives much assistance, and becomes master of Sicily, having received it from this very man, not from this one alone but also from others who joined in for the loss of such places. These things are shown most clearly and more broadly by the letter then written to Theognostus, the one who wrote about orthography, which also came into our hands, which anyone who wishes, by taking it up, will be taught the details. However, Euphemius, not long after, receives as a prize for his apostasy and his own lawlessness the loss of his own head. For having the imperial insignia he went towards Syracuse, and indeed having become distant from his 83 own troop and bodyguards by about a bow's shot, he came to the city, speaking to them tyrannically and royally. When they recognized him approaching, two certain brothers, becoming of one accord and of the same mind, approach him peacefully, rendering the honor due to an emperor. And as Euphemius gladly accepted the acclamation from them and listened to their other words, he called them over kindly to return the greeting; and indeed, having bowed his head and pressed his mouth to their mouth, he is held fast by the hair by one of the brothers, and by the other his head is taken off. And so Euphemius met such an end to his life. 28 And the Hagarenes from then on became masters not only of Sicily but also of Calabria and Langobardia, overrunning and sacking and encamping in everything until the reign of the emperor Basil of blessed memory. But his history will declare these things; but Michael, having been master of the empire for nine years and eight months, ended his life, seized by the disease of dysuria, which had its beginning in his kidneys, having neither ended his hostility toward God, in that he was unwilling to venerate the one who took on his own form in the flesh for our sake, but rather even deposing those who did venerate, namely Methodius and Euthymius, about whom we have spoken, and having intensified the implacable war with the Hagarenes, and the affairs concerning Thomas and the Cretans, 84 and indeed also of the aforementioned Africans, which God sent on account of his own wickedness. But also all of Dalmatia then revolted from the empire of the Romans, and they all became independent and autocephalous until the reign of the renowned Basil; for then they were again subjugated to the Romans. And the oracle concerning him was also fulfilled, saying thus: a beginning of evils will indeed befall the earth, when the stammering and extremely gold-loving dragon shall begin to rule Babylon completely. And his corpse was placed in the church of the Holy Apostles, in the heroön of Justinian, in a green Thessalian sarcophagus.

{1CONCERNING THE REIGN OF THEOPHILUS SON OF MICHAEL. BOOK 3.} 1 The things done by Michael the Stammerer, who reigned for nine years and

eight months, have been declared in the book before this one; but his son Theophilus, already being of a man’s age, succeeded to his father's rule and empire in the month of October of the eighth indiction, 85 in word, then, wishing to be called as it were a fiery lover of justice and to be a precise guardian of the civil laws; but in truth, protecting himself from without from those plotting against him, so that no one might attempt anything rash against him, he was playing this part. Therefore, being suspicious of the impending danger, those who had provided the empire to his father out of a conspiracy, against the

ποιῆσαι καθυ- ποσχόμενος καὶ διδόναι φόρους πολλούς, εἰ μόνον ἀναγορεύσει τοῦτον βασιλέα καί τινα παράσχοι βοήθειαν. ἀναγορεύει γοῦν τοῦτον βασιλέα ̔Ρωμαίων, καὶ χεῖρα δίδωσι πολλήν, καὶ τῆς Σι- κελίας ἐγκρατὴς γίνεται, παρ' αὐτοῦ τούτου λαβὼν αὐτήν, οὐ τούτου μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρων συνδρόμων γενομένων ἐπὶ τῇ τοιού- των ἀπωλείᾳ τόπων. δηλοῖ δὲ ταῦτα σαφέστατα καὶ πλατικώτε- ρον ἡ τότε γραφεῖσα Θεογνώστῳ τῷ περὶ ὀρθογραφίας γεγραφότι καὶ εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθοῦσα ἡμῶν, ην ὁ βουλόμενος μεταχειριζόμενος τὰ καθ' εκαστον ἀναδιδαχθήσεται. πλὴν ὁ μὲν Εὐφήμιος μετ' οὐ πολὺ αθλον τῆς ἀποστασίας καὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀνομίας λαμβάνει τὴν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ στέρησιν κεφαλῆς. σχῆμα γὰρ εχων βασιλικὸν ἀπῄει καὶ κατὰ τὴν Συράκουσαν, καὶ δὴ αποθεν γενόμενος τῆς 83 ἑαυτοῦ τάξεως καὶ τῶν δορυφόρων ὡς ἀπὸ τόξου βολῆς ἐγένετο κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, ὁμιλῶν αὐτοῖς τυραννικῶς τε καὶ βασιλικῶς. τοῦτον ὡς προσερχόμενον εγνωσαν δύο τινὲς ἀδελφοί, γενόμενοι σύμπνοοι καὶ ταὐτὸν φρονήσαντες προσέρχονται τούτῳ εἰρηνικῶς, τὴν προσήκουσαν βασιλεῖ τιμὴν ἀπονέμοντες. ὡς δ' Εὐφήμιος τήν τε παρ' αὐτῶν ἀναγόρευσιν ἀσπαστῶς ἐδέξατο καὶ τῶν αλλων κατήκουεν αὐτῶν, προσεκαλεῖτο τούτους φιλοφρόνως ἀποδώσων τὸν ἀσπασμόν· καὶ δὴ κλίνας τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ τὸ στόμα προσε- ρείσας τῷ στόματι ταῖς θριξὶ μὲν κατέχεται ἰσχυρῶς πρὸς ἑτέρου τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ ἑτέρου ἀφαιρεῖται τὴν κεφαλήν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Εὐφήμιος τοιούτῳ τέλει τοῦ βίου ἐχρήσατο. 28 Οἱ δ' ̓Αγαρηνοὶ οὐ τῆς Σικελίας μόνον εκτοτε ἀλλὰ καὶ Καλαβρίας καὶ Λαγγοβαρδίας ἐγένοντο ἐγκρατεῖς, πᾶσαν κατατρέχοντες καὶ διαπορθοῦντες καὶ ἐνσκηνοῦντες αχρι τῆς βασι- λείας τοῦ ἐν μακαρίᾳ τῇ λήξει Βασιλείου τοῦ βασιλέως. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἡ ἐκείνου δηλώσει ἱστορία· ὁ δὲ Μιχαὴλ μῆνας ὀκτὼ καὶ ετη τῆς βασιλείας γενόμενος ἐγκρατὴς ἐννέα τὸν βίον κατέλυσε, τῷ δυσουρίας νοσήματι ἁλούς, ἐκ τῶν νεφρῶν λαβούσης τὴν ἀρ- χήν, μήτε τὴν πρὸς θεὸν καταλύσας δυσμένειαν, οις οὐκ ηθελε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μορφὴν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀναλαβόμενον σάρκα προσκυνεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας καθαιρῶν Μεθόδιόν τε καὶ Εὐθύμιον, περὶ ων εἰρήκαμεν, καὶ τὸν τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐπαυξή-σας ἀκατάλλακτον πόλεμον, τά τε κατὰ Θωμᾶν καὶ τῶν Κρη- 84 ταιέων, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τῶν εἰρημένων ̓Αφρικῶν διὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν ἀποστείλαντος τοῦ θεοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ∆αλματία τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀπέστη τότε βασιλείας, καὶ γεγόνασιν απαντες ἰδιο- ρυθμοί τε καὶ αὐτοκέφαλοι μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Βασιλείου τοῦ ἀοιδίμου βασιλείας· τότε γὰρ πάλιν ουτοι ̔Ρωμαίοις καθυπετάγησαν. πε- πλήρωτο δὲ καὶ ὁ ἐπ' αὐτῷ χρησμός, λέγων ουτω, ἀρχὴ κακῶν γε προσπεσεῖται τῇ χθονί, οταν κατάρξῃ τῆς Βαβυλῶνος δράκων δύσγλωσσος αρδην καὶ φιλόχρυσος λίαν. ἐτέθη δὲ ὁ τούτου νεκρὸς ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, ἐν τῷ ἡρώῳ ̓Ιουστινιανοῦ, ἐν λάρνακι πρασίνῳ Θετταλικῇ.

{1ΠΕΡΙ ΤΗΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΣ ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ ΥΙΟΥ ΜΙΧΑΗΛ. ΛΟΓΟΣ Γ.} 1 Τὰ μὲν δὴ πραχθέντα Μιχαὴλ τῷ Τραυλῷ βασιλεύσαντι ἐννέα ετεσιν πρὸς

μησὶν ὀκτὼ ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου βιβλίῳ δεδήλωται· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ηδη Θεόφιλος ἀνδρὸς εχων ἡλικίαν τὴν πατρικὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ βασιλείαν κατὰ τὸν ̓Οκτώβριον μῆνα τῆς ὀγδόης ἰνδικτιῶνος 85 διεδέξατο, λόγῳ μὲν ουν τῆς δικαιοσύνης ωσπερ εμπυρος ἐραστὴς καλεῖσθαι βουλόμενος καὶ νόμων ειναι φύλαξ πολιτικῶν ἀκριβής· τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ εξωθεν ἑαυτὸν τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων διατηρῶν, ὡς αν μή τις κατ' αὐτοῦ τι νεανιεύσηται, ταῦτα ὑπεκρίνετο. τὸν ἐπηρτημένον ουν κίνδυνον ὑφορῶν, τοὺς τῷ πατρὶ μὲν αὐτοῦ ἐκ συνωμοσίας τὴν βασιλείαν παρεσχηκότας, κατὰ τοῦ