50

Theophobos would not see death among the Persians but would live on in incorruptibility, because his death had at some point occurred secretly and not openly. 137 39 And at the same time, the Cretans, having set out with their whole fleet, were ravaging the coast of the Thrakesians and taking captives. And their youthful exploits and stratagems went so far that they attempted to overrun not only the coastland, but also to advance with naked sword against those dwelling in the mountain, which is called Latros, and against those who embraced the solitary life, and to make the things there Mysian plunder. But Constantine of the Kontomytes, at that time exercising authority over this theme, since they had come out onto the land, slaughtered them like dolphins and with a noble hand delivered them all to oblivion. And during the time of his reign, in the month of October, in the eighth indiction, the fleet of the Romans, having been defeated in a sea battle at the island of Thasos, was utterly and completely destroyed. And subsequently the army of the Ishmaelites did not cease overrunning the Cyclades islands, and indeed all the others. And again in Abasgia, both Theophobos and Theodora's brother Bardas, having been sent out with an army, suffered a severe misfortune, with very few returning from there. But also droughts and again extraordinary winters and generally irregularities and intemperate conditions occurring in the air afflicted the earth and those on it, from which came shortages of grain and famines and upheavals of the earth from earthquakes, so that there was no time when they did not occur during all the days of his reign. 138 40 And since he had emptied out the whole substance of his body through diarrhea and wasting of the stomach, so that his soul was no longer able to remain anywhere but sought to fly away from it and depart, he feared for his son and his wife; and having assembled everyone in the Magnaura, when he was with difficulty lifted and raised from his bed by his attendants, and gathering much breath with a groan, he said, "Another, lamenting in such a disease and tempest, would have bemoaned the flower of his youth and such great good fortune, which envy, from the beginning bewitching me terribly, now casts its evil eye upon and removes me from mankind. But I, foreseeing the widowhood of my wife and the misfortune and orphanhood of my son, and in addition the deprivation of servants brought up with fine characters and in service, and of my senate and council, I weep aloud, O you who are present, and I lament as I leave you, who are tame and gentle, for a life to which I go, I know not what, and I exchange a glory for which I have no knowledge at all of what will meet me in its place. But for now remember me, whose tongue you will no longer hear, a tongue that was at times bitter for the sake of what was fitting and expedient; and treasure up the good will after my death, passing it on to both my son and wife, being mindful of this by all means, that whatsoever each one will be to his neighbor, such a thing will also happen to him in the future." With such words from the royal 139 tongue charming and taming everyone, there was no one who was without tears, nor was it possible to imagine the groaning and lamentation sent up from those present. 41 Having survived, then, for a little while longer, on the twentieth of the month of January he departed this life, having been in possession of the empire for twelve years and three months, greatly abominating those who held to the orthodox faith throughout his whole life and unsparingly bringing every storm upon them at every single moment, for which reasons he also bore the name 'Unfortunate' from every man, as if it were a kind of inheritance, having never set up a trophy against the enemy that was both royal and praiseworthy, nor indeed having been able to reverse his former defeat, although indeed having undertaken eighteen wars against the enemy throughout his whole life, and having engaged with them so many times and having advanced to battle lines that were not ignoble. But him, indeed, having thus ended his life

50

παρὰ Πέρσαις μὴ οψεσθαι θάνατον τὸν Θεόφοβον ἀλλ' ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ διαζῆν, τῷ κρύβδην ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀναφανδὸν τὸν ἐκείνου θάνατον γενέσθαι ποτέ. 137 39 Κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν Κρῆτες παντὶ στόλῳ ἀρά- μενοι τὴν παράλιον ἐδῄουν τῶν Θρᾳκησίων καὶ ᾐχμαλώτιζον. παρὰ τοσοῦτον δὲ αὐτῶν ἐχώρουν τὰ νεανιεύματα καὶ τὰ στρατη- γήματα παρ' οσον οὐ τὴν αἰγιαλῖτιν μόνον ἐπειρῶντο καταδρα- μεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ ορει, οπερ ουτω καλεῖται Λάτρος, ἐνσκηνούντων καὶ τῶν μοναύλιον βίον ἀσπαζομένων γυμνῷ τῷ ξίφει χωρεῖν καὶ Μυσῶν λείαν τὰ ἐκεῖσε ποιεῖν. ἀλλὰ Κωνσταν- τῖνος ὁ κατὰ τὸν Κοντομύτην τηνικαῦτα τὴν πρόνοιαν τοῦ θέμα- τος τούτου ποιῶν, ἐπείπερ εξω πρὸς τὴν χέρσον ἐγένοντο, ὡς δελ- φῖνας τούτους ἀπέσφαξε καὶ γενναίᾳ χειρὶ τῇ ἀφανείᾳ πάντας παρ- έδωκεν. καὶ κατὰ τὸν τῆς αὐτοκρατορίας δὲ χρόνον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν ̓Οκτώβριον μῆνα, εἰς ἰνδικτιῶνα ὀγδόην, ὁ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων στόλος ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ Θάσῳ καταναυμαχηθεὶς αρδην απας ἀπώ- λετο. καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς δὲ τὰς Κυκλάδας νήσους, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὰς αλλας ἁπάσας, ὁ τῶν ̓Ισμαηλιτῶν κατασύρων στρατὸς οὐκ ἐπαύετο. καὶ αυθις ἐν ̓Αβασγίᾳ ο τε Θεόφοβος καὶ ὁ τῆς Θεοδώ- ρας ἀδελφὸς Βάρδας ἀποσταλέντες μετὰ στρατιᾶς ἰσχυρῶς ἐδυστύ- χησαν, ὀλίγων αγαν ἐκεῖθεν ὑποστρεψάντων. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐχμοὶ καὶ πάλιν χειμῶνες ἐξαίσιοι καὶ ολως ἀνωμαλίαι καὶ δυσκρασίαι κατὰ τὸν ἀέρα γινόμεναι ἐκάκουν τὴν γῆν καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐξ ων σιτοδεῖαι καὶ λιμοὶ καὶ γῆς ἐκ σεισμῶν ἀνατιναγμοὶ οὐκ ην οτε μὴ ἐγίνοντο κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ απασαν τῆς βασιλείας ἡμέραν. 138 40 ̓Επεὶ δὲ ολην ἐκκενώσας τὴν τοῦ σώματος οὐσίαν τῇ τῆς γαστρὸς διαρροίᾳ καὶ φθόῃ, ὡς μηδαμοῦ στῆναι τῆς ψυχῆς ετι δυναμένης ἀλλ' ἀποπτῆναι αὐτῆς ζητούσης καὶ ἀποστῆναι, ἐδε- δίει [δὲ] περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ γαμετῆς, ἐν τῇ Μαγναύρᾳ πάντας ἐκκλησιάσας [οτε] καὶ μόγις κλίνης ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων κουφισθεὶς καὶ ἀρθείς, καὶ πολὺ ἀθροίσας πνεῦμα ἐν στεναγμῷ, "αλλος μὲν" εφη "ἀπολοφυρόμενος ἐν τοιαύτῃ νόσῳ καὶ καταιγίδι τὸ τῆς νεότητος ανθος ἐξετραγῴδησε καὶ τὴν τοσούτην εὐδαιμο- νίαν, αις ὁ ἐξ ἀρχῆς φθόνος ἐπιβασκαίνων με δεινῶς τὰ νῦν ἐπο- φθαλμίζει καὶ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων με ποιεῖ. ἐγὼ δὲ τὴν τῆς γαμετῆς μου χηρείαν προορῶν καὶ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ δυσποτμίαν καὶ ὀρφανίαν, πρὸς δὲ καὶ διακόνων ηθεσι καλοῖς ἐντραφέντων καὶ θεραπείαις καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς συγκλήτου καὶ γερουσίας τὴν στέρησιν, ἀνακλαίομαι, ω παρόντες, καὶ ἀποδύρομαι οις τε ὑμᾶς χειροήθεις οντας καὶ πραεῖς καταλιμπάνων πρὸς ον οὐκ οιδα πορεύομαι βίον, καὶ ἀλ- λάσσομαι δόξαν ἀνθ' ης οὐδ' ολως ο τι μοι προσαπαντήσεται εγνωκα. ἀλλὰ μέμνησθέ μου τέως τῆς ης οὐκέτι γλώττης ἀκού- σεσθε καὶ ην οτε πικρὰ τοῦ πρέποντος ενεκεν καὶ συμφέροντος· καὶ τὴν μετὰ θάνατον ευνοιαν εις τε υἱὸν καὶ γυναῖκα διαβαίνου- σαν ταμιεύσασθε, ἐκεῖνο πάντως προσενθυμούμενοι, ὡς ὁποῖός περ εκαστος τῷ πέλας τούτου γενήσεται, τοιοῦτον καὶ αὐτῷ τὸ πρὸς τὸ μέλλον συμβήσεται." τοιούτοις ῥήμασι τῆς βασιλικῆς 139 πάντας κατακηλούσης γλώττης καὶ ἡμερούσης, οὐκ ην οστις ἀδά- κρυτος ην, οὐδ' ην εἰκάσαι τὸν ἀναπεμφθέντα ἐκ τῶν παρόντων στεναγμόν τε καὶ ὀδυρμόν. 41 Μικρὸν ουν ετι ἐπιβιώσας κατὰ τὴν εἰκάδα τοῦ ̓Ια- νουαρίου μηνὸς τὸν βίον μετήλλαξεν, τῆς βασιλείας γενόμενος ἐγ- κρατὴς μῆνας τρεῖς ἐπὶ δώδεκα ετεσιν, πολλὰ τοὺς τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως περιεχομένους παρ' ολον αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον μυσαττόμενός τε καὶ χειμῶνα πάντα κατὰ πᾶσαν ωραν καιροῦ ἐπάγων αὐτοῖς ἀφει- δῶς, ἀνθ' ων ενεκεν καὶ τὸ δυστυχὴς ονομα παρὰ παντὸς ἀνθρώ- που ωσπερ τινὰ κλῆρον ἐπήγετο, μηδέποτε τρόπαιον στήσας κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν βασιλικόν τε καὶ ἀξιέπαινον, μήτε μὴν τὴν προτέραν ητταν ἀναμάχεσθαι δυνηθείς, καίτοι γε ὀκτωκαίδεκα πολέμους παρ' ολην αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν συστήσας, καὶ τοσαυ- τάκις αὐτοῖς συμπλακεὶς καὶ πρὸς παρατάξεις χωρήσας οὐκ ἀγεν- νεῖς. ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μὲν ουτω καταστρέψαντα τὸν βίον