Stephen the metropolitan of Amaseia being a eunuch. 903 26. In the month of October, the mystikos John, the paradynasteuon, was accused of aspiring to the throne, at the instigation of the patrician Cosmas, the logothete of the drome, who was offering his daughter to him in marriage. For this reason, he was removed from the palace, but he was allowed to come forth and serve the emperor and to administer fitting matters with him; for Emperor Romanos had the greatest affection for him as being able to serve him in all things, and he did not want to cast him off completely. So, when the accusers were pressing the emperor and clearly proving the accusations, the emperor investigated, and having learned that these things were true, he was about to arrest and examine him. But he, knowing this beforehand, took to flight, and having reached the place called Monokastanon, was tonsured a monk. Constantine, son of Boilas, the master of the table, being his kinsman and friend, also fled, and having reached Olympus, he too put on the monastic habit; for he was also afraid, as being a fellow conspirator of the mystikos and a sharer in his secrets. The emperor beat the patrician Cosmas in the Horologion of the palace and replaced him. In place of the mystikos John, he appointed Theophanes as paradynasteuon. 27. At that time there was also a terrible earthquake in the theme of the Thracesians, and a great and terrifying chasm in the earth, so that many villages and churches were swallowed up. 904 28. On the 27th of the month of May, in the 15th indiction, Symeon the ruler of Bulgaria died, having appointed his son Peter as ruler, whom he had from his second wife, the sister of George Soursouboulos, whom Symeon had also left as guardian for his own children. He had tonsured as a monk Michael, who had been born from his first wife. John and Benjamin, Peter's brothers, were still adorned in Bulgarian attire. 29 The surrounding nations therefore, having learned of Symeon's death, both the Croats and the others, wanted to march against the Bulgarians. But since a famine along with locusts was severely oppressing the Bulgarian nation, they feared the attack of the other nations, and they feared even more the advance of the Romans. Therefore, having made a plan, they marched against the Romans and reached Macedonia. Intending therefore, as was likely, to inspire fear in the Romans, then having learned that the emperor was about to march against them, Peter and George secretly sent a certain monk named Kalokyris, an Armenian by race, carrying a golden bull. The things in it declared that they welcomed peace with the Romans and were eager to agree to it, and not only that but, if they wished, also to make a marriage contract. 30 The emperor, therefore, having received such a monk most gladly, immediately sent by dromon to 905 Mesembria the monk Theodosius Aboukes and Constantine the Rhodian, an imperial cleric, to discuss matters of peace with the Bulgarians. And they, having arrived and discussed the appropriate matters, departed by land together with Stephen the Bulgarian. Behind them also arrived George Soursouboulos. And having arrived in Constantinople, they made the peace, and asked to make a contract with the emperor. And having seen Christopher's daughter Maria and being greatly pleased with her, they wrote to Peter to come with haste, having first made agreements concerning the established peace. 31 Niketas the magistros, the co-father-in-law of Emperor Romanos, was sent to meet and bring Peter to the city. So when Peter the Bulgarian arrived, Emperor Romanos boarded a trireme and came to Blachernae and both saw and embraced Peter as he arrived. And when they had discussed the appropriate matters with each other, they signed the peace agreements and the marriage contracts, with Theophanes the protovestiarios mediating in these matters and continually arranging things between the Romans and the Bulgarians. 32 On the eighth of the month of October, the patriarch Stephen went out together with Theophanes the protovestiarios

Στέφανος ὁ Ἀμασείας μητροπολίτης εὐνοῦ χος ὑπάρχων. 903 26. Ὀκτωβρίῳ δὲ μηνὶ κατηγορηθεὶς ὁ μυστικὸς Ἰωάννης καὶ παραδυναστεύων ὡς τῆς βασιλείας ἐφιέμενος ὑποθήκῃ τοῦ πα τρικίου Κοσμᾶ καὶ λογοθέτου τοῦ δρόμου, διδόντος εἰς γυναῖκα τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτῷ. τούτου ἕνεκεν καταβιβάζεται μὲν τοῦ πα λατίου, συγχωρεῖται δὲ προέρχεσθαι καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξυπηρετεῖν καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ τὸ ἀνῆκον διοικεῖν· στοργὴν γὰρ ὅτι πλείστην ἐκέ κτητο πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς ὡς ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸν θερα πεύειν δυνάμενον, καὶ τελέως τοῦτον ἀπώσασθαι οὐκ ἠβούλετο. τῶν κατηγόρων οὖν ἐπειγόντων τὸν βασιλέα καὶ σαφῆ ἀποδεικνύν των τὰ κατηγορημένα, ἐρευνήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀληθῆ ταῦτα εἶναι μαθὼν ἔμελλε τοῦτον κατασχὼν ἀνετάζειν. ὁ δὲ τοῦτο προ γνοὺς χρῆται φυγῇ, καὶ τὴν Μονοκάστανον λεγομένην καταλαβὼν ἀποκείρεται μοναχός. πέφευγε δὲ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τοῦ Βοΐλα ὁ τῆς τραπέζης, οἰκεῖος καὶ φίλος ὢν αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸν Ὄλυμπον καταλαβὼν τὸ μοναχικὸν καὶ αὐτὸς σχῆμα ἐνδύεται· ἐδεδοίκει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἅτε συμμύστης ὑπάρχων τοῦ μυστικοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀπορρή των αὐτοῦ κοινωνός. τὸν δὲ πατρίκιον Κοσμᾶν ἐν τῷ ὡρολογίῳ τοῦ παλατίου τύψας ὁ βασιλεὺς διεδέξατο. προβάλλεται δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ Ἰωάννου Θεοφάνην παραδυναστεύοντα. 27. Ἐγένετο δὲ τηνικαῦτα καὶ σεισμὸς φοβερὸς ἐν τῷ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων θέματι, καὶ χάσμα γῆς μέγα καταπληκτικόν, ὥστε πολλὰ χωρία καὶ ἐκκλησίας καταποθῆναι. 904 28. Μαΐῳ δὲ μηνὶ κζʹ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιεʹ, Συμεὼν ὁ ἄρχων Βουλγαρίας ἐτελεύτησεν, Πέτρον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ προβαλόμενος ἄρ χοντα, ὃν ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ ἔσχε γυναικός, τῆς ἀδελφῆς Γεωργίου τοῦ Σουρσουβούλη, ὃν καὶ ἐπίτροπον τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν ὁ Συμεὼν καταλέλοιπεν. Μιχαὴλ δὲ ἐκ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ γενόμενον γυναικὸς ἀπέκειρε μοναχόν. Ἰωάννης δὲ καὶ Βενια μὶν οἱ τοῦ Πέτρου ἀδελφοὶ ἔτι στολῇ ἐκοσμοῦντο Βουλγαρικῇ. 29 τὰ κύκλῳ οὖν ἔθνη τὴν τοῦ Συμεὼν μαθόντες τελευτήν, οἵ τε Χρωβάτοι καὶ οἱ λοιποί, ἐκστρατεύειν κατὰ Βουλγάρων ἐβούλοντο. λιμοῦ δὲ σὺν ἀκρίσι τὸ Βουλγαρικὸν ἔθνος ἰσχυρῶς ἐκπιέζοντος, ἐδεδίεσαν μὲν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν τὴν ἔφοδον, ἐδε δίεσαν δὲ πλέον καὶ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπέλευσιν. βουλὴν οὖν ποιησάμενοι κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκστρατεύουσιν, καὶ ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ καταλαμβάνουσιν. φόβον οὖν ὡς εἰκὸς τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐμποιή σοντες, ἔπειτα μαθόντες ὅτι μέλλει κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκστρατεύειν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἀποστέλλουσι Πέτρος τε καὶ Γεώργιος κρυφίως τινὰ μοναχὸν Καλοκύριν ὀνομαζόμενον, τῷ γένει Ἀρμενιακόν, χρυσο βούλλιον ἐπιφερόμενον. διηγόρευε δὲ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς τὴν μετὰ Ῥωμαίων εἰρήνην ἀσπάζονται καὶ πρόθυμοι ταύτῃ συνθέσθαι εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλ', εἴ γε βούλονται, καὶ γαμικὸν ποιῆσαι συνάλλαγμα. 30 τὸν τοιοῦτον οὖν μοναχὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπο δεξάμενος ἀσμενέστατα, παρευθὺ ἀπέστειλε μετὰ δρόμωνος ἐν 905 Μεσημβρίᾳ τὸν μοναχὸν Θεοδόσιον τὸν Ἀβούκην καὶ Κωνσταντῖ νον βασιλικὸν κληρικὸν τὸν Ῥόδιον, τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην συλλαλῆσαι τοῖς Βουλγάροις. οἱ δὲ παραγενόμενοι καὶ τὰ εἰκότα συλλαλή σαντες ἐξῆλθον ἅμα Στεφάνῳ Βουλγάρῳ διὰ ξηρᾶς. ὄπισθεν δὲ αὐτῶν κατέλαβε καὶ Γεώργιος ὁ Σουρσούβουλος. καὶ παραγενό μενοι ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει τὴν εἰρήνην ἐποιήσαντο, καὶ συνάλ λαγμα μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ποιῆσαι ᾐτήσαντο. θεασάμενοι δὲ τὴν θυγατέρα Χριστοφόρου Μαρίαν καὶ μεγάλως ἐπ' αὐτῇ ἀρεσθέν τες ἔγραψαν τῷ Πέτρῳ διὰ τάχους παραγενέσθαι, σύμφωνα ποιή σαντες πρότερον περὶ τῆς γεγονυίας εἰρήνης. 31 ἀπεστάλη δὲ Νικήτας μάγιστρος ὁ συμπένθερος Ῥωμανοῦ βασιλέως ὑπαντῆσαι καὶ ἀγαγεῖν Πέτρον μέχρι τῆς πόλεως. τοῦ Βουλγάρου οὖν Πέ τρου καταλαβόντος, τριήρους ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς ἐπιβὰς ἐν Βλα χέρναις παρεγένετο καὶ τὸν Πέτρον ὡς αὐτὸν ἀφικόμενον ἐθεά σατό τε καὶ κατησπάσατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀλλήλοις τὰ εἰκότα συνωμί λησαν, ὑπογράφονται τά τε σύμφωνα τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ τὰ γαμικὰ συναλλάγματα, μεσολαβοῦντος ἐν τούτοις καὶ συνεχῶς διευθε τοῦντος τὰ μεταξὺ Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Βουλγάρων τοῦ πρωτοβεστια ρίου Θεοφάνους. 32 ὀγδόῃ δὲ τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς ἐξῆλθεν ὁ πατριάρχης Στέφανος ἅμα Θεοφάνει πρωτοβεστιαρίῳ