others in the engagement of the war, 882 both Constantine Lips and John Grapson and a sufficient number of other commanders. 17. And at some point Romanos the patrikios and drungarius of the fleet was sent with the entire fleet to the Danube river to help Leo Phocas; but also John Bogas to bring over the Patzinaks, as has been said before, with the drungarius Romanos having been ordered to transport them against the Bulgarians, so that they might fight alongside Leo Phocas. But Romanos and John Bogas having fallen into strife and arguments, the Patzinaks, seeing them fighting and quarreling with one another, withdrew to their own lands. 18 And with the war having now come to an end and both Romanos and Bogas having returned to the city, proceedings were brought against them, and they brought the drungarius Romanos into such great danger that they delivered a sentence condemning him to be deprived of his eyes for negligence, or rather malice, in not having transported the Patzinaks, but having withdrawn too quickly and not even having received the fleeing Romans into the ships. And he would have suffered this, if the sentence of condemnation had not been overturned by Constantine Gongyles and Stephen the magistros, as they had great influence with the Augusta. 19. But with the Bulgarians at that time being puffed up by the victory and campaigning as far as the city, Leo the dome- 883 stikos of the schools and John the hetaireiarches and Nicholas the son of Doukas went forth to a Thracian place so-called Katasyrtai together with a very large force against the Bulgarians. But in the night, with the Bulgarians having unexpectedly fallen upon them and with the domestikos fleeing, Nicholas the son of Doukas was slain and many others with him. 20. Therefore Theodore, the tutor of the emperor Constantine, seeing Constantine the parakoimomenos usurping the empire for Leo his own son-in-law, suggested to the emperor Constantine that he should promote Romanos the drungarius as his father's servant and well-disposed towards him, so that he might be with him, and guard him, and have him as an ally and helper in whatever he might need. Therefore, having been spoken to about this many times, Romanos refused. So the emperor Constantine sent him a letter, written out in his own hand and secured with his signature. which he, having taken into his hands, promised to make the attack against the parakoimomenos Constantine and his relatives as follows. 21. So with this rumor spreading, and with the parakoimomenos Constantine compelling Romanos to move out with the fleet, he himself made the excuse that it was impossible to sail away as the fleet had not received its customary pay. And while Romanos was fitting out and preparing the ships, Constantine the parakoimomenos came out to urge him to sail out. And he went to meet him with a servile manner, and 884 eagerly promised to do what was commanded. And as the parakoimomenos was wishing to return, and having said to Romanos if he had handsome and noble men to row the imperial trireme, he immediately beckoned with his hand for them, who were ready, to come near. And they, knowing the plan, having now come very near Romanos' dromon, when he, walking behind Constantine the parakoimomenos, shouted, "Seize him with your hands and lift him up," they immediately seized him and brought him into the trireme of the drungarius Romanos and held him in custody. So there was no one defending or pitying the man, as all those with him took to flight. 22. Zoe Augusta, having learned these things, summons the patriarch Nicholas and her magnates and sends them to Romanos, wishing to learn what had happened. But when they had crossed over, the people drove them off by throwing stones. Therefore, in the morning, Zoe came out onto the sun-terrace of the Boukoleon and called out to her son and to all, "How then did this rebellion happen?" And Theodore, the tutor of the emperor Constantine, said to her that it was because Leo Phocas destroyed the Romans and Constantine the parakoimomenos the palace

ἄλλοις ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολέμου 882 συμβολῇ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Λὶψ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Γράψων καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν ἀρχόντων ἱκανοί. 17. Ἀπεστάλη δὲ πότε καὶ Ῥωμανὸς πατρίκιος καὶ δρουγγάριος ὢν τῶν πλωΐμων μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στόλου ἐν τῷ ∆ανουβίῳ ποταμῷ βοηθήσων Λέοντι τῷ Φωκᾷ· ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ Βογᾶς καταγαγεῖν Πατζίνακας, ὡς προείρηται, κελευσθέντος τοῦ δρουγ γαρίου Ῥωμανοῦ διαπερᾶσαι τούτους κατὰ Βουλγάρων, ὥστε συμ μαχῆσαι Λέοντι Φωκᾷ. Ῥωμανοῦ δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βογᾷ εἰς ἔριδας καὶ λογομαχίας ἐλθόντες, ὁρῶντες αὐτοὺς οἱ Πατζίνακοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαμαχομένους καὶ στασιάζοντας ὑπεχώρησαν εἰς τὰ ἴδια. 18 τοῦ πολέμου δὲ ἤδη τέλος λαβόντος καὶ ὑπο στρεψάντων ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ τε Ῥωμανοῦ καὶ τοῦ Βογᾶ, τὰ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκινήθησαν, καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον τὸν δρουγγάριον Ῥωμανὸν περιέστησαν ὥστε καταδικάζουσαν ψῆφον ἀνήνεγκαν, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν στερηθῆναι ὡς ἀμελείᾳ, μᾶλλον δὲ κακουργίᾳ μὴ διαπεράσαντα τοὺς Πατζίνακας, ἀλλ' ὑποχωρήσαντα τάχιον καὶ μηδὲ τοὺς φεύγοντας Ῥωμαίων ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις ὑποδεξάμενον. καὶ τοῦτο ἂν ἐπεπόνθει, εἰ μὴ παρὰ Κωνσταντίνου Γογγύλου καὶ Στεφάνου τοῦ μαγίστρου, ὡς δυναμένων παρὰ τῇ Αὐγούστῃ πολλά, τὰ τῆς καταδίκης ἀνετράπη. 19. Τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων τηνικάδε τῇ νίκῃ κατεπαρθέντων καὶ ἐκστρατευσάντων μέχρι τῆς πόλεως, ἐξῆλθεν Λέων ὁ δομέ 883 στικος τῶν σχολῶν καὶ Ἰωάννης ἑταιρειάρχης καὶ Νικόλαος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ∆ουκὸς εἰς χῶρον Θρᾳκῷον οὕτω λεγόμενον Κατασύρτας ἅμα πλείστῳ λαῷ κατὰ Βουλγάρων. τῇ δὲ νυκτὶ ἀδοκήτως ἐπιπεσόν των αὐτοῖς τῶν Βουλγάρων καὶ τοῦ δομεστίκου φυγόντος ἐσφάγη Νικόλαος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ∆ουκὸς καὶ πολλοὶ ἕτεροι μετ' αὐτοῦ. 20. Θεόδωρος οὖν ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου παιδα γωγὸς ὁρῶν Κωνσταντῖνον παρακοιμώμενον εἰς Λέοντα τὸν ἴδιον γαμβρὸν τὴν βασιλείαν σφετεριζόμενον, ὑπέθηκε Κωνσταντίνῳ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμανὸν δρουγγάριον προβαλέσθαι ὡς πατρικὸν αὐτοῦ δοῦλον καὶ εὔνουν τὰ πρὸς αὐτόν, ὡς ἂν ᾖ σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ διαφυ λάττειν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐν οἷς ἂν δέοιτο σύμμαχον ἔχειν καὶ βοηθόν. πολλάκις οὖν περὶ τούτου λαληθεὶς Ῥωμανὸς ἀπείπατο. γραμμα τεῖον οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος αὐτοχείρῳ διαχαράξας γραφῇ καὶ ὑπογραφῇ διασφαλισάμενος ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ. ὅπερ οὗτος ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβὼν ὑπέσχετο τὴν κατὰ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Κωνσταν τίνου καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπίθεσιν ὧδε ποιήσασθαι. 21. Τῆς φήμης οὖν ταύτης διαθεούσης, καὶ τοῦ παρα κοιμωμένου Κωνσταντίνου καταναγκάζοντος Ῥωμανὸν ἀποκινῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ στόλου, αὐτὸς προεφασίζετο ἀδυνάτως ἔχειν τοῦ ἀπο πλεῖν μὴ τοῦ στόλου τὴν νενομισμένην ῥόγαν λαβόντος. ἐν τῇ ἐξαρτύσει δὲ ὄντος τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ καὶ τὰ πλοῖα εὐτρεπίζοντος ἐξῆλθε Κωνσταντῖνος παρακοιμώμενος ἐπισπουδάσων αὐτὸν τοῦ ἐκπλεῦσαι. ὁ δὲ τούτῳ δουλικῷ τῷ σχήματι προσυπήντησεν, καὶ 884 προθύμως ποιήσειν τὸ κελευόμενον ἐπηγγέλλετο. ὑποστρέψαι δὲ βουλομένου τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου, καὶ εἰ ἔχοι ἄνδρας εὐειδεῖς καὶ γενναίους τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐρέττειν τριήρην εἰπόντος πρὸς Ῥωμανόν, οὗτος εὐθὺς ἔνευσεν αὐτοῖς τῇ χειρὶ ἑτοίμοις οὖσι πλησίον ἐλθεῖν. οἱ δὲ τὰ τῆς βουλῆς εἰδότες, ἔγγιστα ἤδη τοῦ δρόμωνος Ῥωμανοῦ γεγονότες, ἐπειδὴ οὗτος ὀπίσω τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Κωνσταντίνου περιπατῶν "ἀναρπάσατε αὐτὸν ταῖς χερσὶ καὶ ἄρατε αὐτὸν" ἐπε φώνησε, παραχρῆμα οὗτοι τοῦτον ἁρπάσαντες εἰς τὴν τοῦ δρουγ γαρίου Ῥωμανοῦ τριήρην εἰσήγαγον καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ κατεῖχον. οὐδεὶς οὖν ὁ ὑπερασπίζων ἦν ἢ κατοικτείρων τὸν ἄνθρωπον, πάν των τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ χρησαμένων φυγῇ. 22. Ταῦτα Ζωὴ Αὐγοῦστα μαθοῦσα προσκαλεῖται τὸν πατριάρχην Νικόλαον καὶ τοὺς αὐτῆς μεγιστᾶνας καὶ ἀποστέλλει πρὸς Ῥωμανόν, τὸ γεγονὸς βουλομένη μαθεῖν. τούτων δὲ δια περασάντων, λίθοις ὁ λαὸς ἐξήλασαν βαλόντες. ἕωθεν οὖν ἐξελ θοῦσα Ζωὴ ἐν τῷ τοῦ Βουκολέοντος ἡλιακῷ ἐπεφώνει τῷ υἱῷ καὶ πᾶσι, πῶς ἄρα γέγονεν ἡ ἀνταρσία αὕτη; ἔφησε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ παιδαγωγὸς τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου Θεόδωρος ὅτι διὰ τὸ ἀπολέσαι Λέοντα τὸν Φωκᾶν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον παρακοιμώμενον τὸ παλάτιον