History
And what i have accurately ascertained from those who saw it, these things i will also commit to writing. 2. just now in the month of november, of the
He commanded that the triremes and the other transport ships should all be brought to anchor in a good harbor, and that they should control the sea, a
War. therefore, having gone around and seen that it was by nature difficult to enter and hard to approach for on the one side it had the sea as a saf
They would be frustrated. and having gone out of the camp, and having overrun a part of the country, when he learned from those who had been taken ali
It was easy to attack by assault, being raised to the greatest possible height, and girded with two trenches dug to a corresponding depth), and the de
Having divided his phalanx into three parts by night, he went against the scythians, and falling upon them suddenly, in a brief moment of time he wrou
Meet them, when i give the signal with the trumpets. such was the exhortation that the general delivered and the army shouted 22 and applauded, and w
6. but nikephoros phokas, the colleague of the aforementioned leo (for it is necessary, having summarized the account, to proceed with the history in
The general, having seen this, spurred his horse, quickened his pace, rode in and restrained the soldiers' onslaught, persuading them not to kill the
Having drawn up an irresistible battle-line, went through the land of the hagarenes. to them, having heard of the attack of nikephoros, it did not see
Was dignified by his rank), was hostilely disposed towards nicephorus. 11. he decided, therefore, to attempt a revolution at once but not having at h
, to proclaim him supreme commander, and to entrust the forces of asia to him, so that he might defend and check the assault of the foreigners. for th
He said, if you are persuaded to take up the rule of the east, i shall quickly declare you emperor, and restore you to the imperial thrones. speak wel
For he was gently nursing his little body), then, recovering again, he said, “speak, most brave one, what need is there to consider this?” but he said
I have assumed the imperial office, but compelled by the necessity of you, the army, and you yourselves bear witness for me that i was both shunning s
Before the report of his proclamation could fly abroad, to seize in advance the straits and passages of the sea. for thus he thought that matters woul
Numbering over three thousand, attacked the house of joseph and his collaborators along with the people. and having subjected these to plunder and pil
Especially the monks), they did not allow the man to persist in what he had decided, but urged him both to embrace marriage and not to shun meat-eatin
Makes it flood in a single hour) emboldened by these things, the barbarians mocked the emperor and insolently hurled insults at him, and making sorti
Having fallen upon it, accomplishing nothing noble or vigorous. and he considered the matter an outright disgrace and insult, and an indelible reproac
Having come to the region around tarsus, there he encamped and having pitched a palisade round about, he ordered the crops and the meadows, luxuriant
Having recovered the standards, which, crafted from gold and stones, the tarsians had captured in various battles while routing the roman force, and h
Of the spectacle, turned to flight and ran back to their own houses. and from the pushing and disorderly rush, no little slaughter occurred, with very
To blow favorably upon them, but blowing against them strongly and fiercely, it has sunk their affairs. but the account will now clearly reveal these
To those acting against the divine ordinance, if somehow at least in this way people, being afraid, would abstain from evil deeds, and would cling to
He had taken a fortress, and having crossed mount lebanon transversely, he turned his attention to tripoli, which he saw was fortified and exceptional
Being obliged to drive them away, and to guard the flocks from harm, they, in addition to not driving them away, themselves cut them down and tear the
Having come, and having been befriended by the ruler of the tauroi, and having corrupted him with gifts and bewitched him with persuasive words (for t
Reconciliation and friendship might be secured. the mysians gladly received the embassy, and putting daughters of the royal blood 80 on wagons (for it
They might do. but as they were already considering rushing to their defense, and to stoutly resist the enemy in close combat, as dawn was brightly br
Boasting to all about his brave deeds in wars. 6. having approached the emperor with these words and, 85 as was likely, having bewitched him (for he s
Having lowered from above, one by one they first pulled up all the conspirators, and then john himself. having come up, therefore, beyond all human su
The vengeance for these things, and to those who were slipping he seemed relentless and burdensome, and oppressive to those wishing to lead an indiffe
At the end of the month of december, during the thirteenth indiction of the six thousand four hundred and seventy-eighth year, a throng of select men,
Having captured him, confines him to amaseia. having therefore from this secured sufficient safety for himself and for his affairs, and having purged
To make amends for what nikephoros had improperly introduced. for nikephoros, whether wishing to correct divine matters that were being disturbed by s
And having found him not very accurately versed in secular education, but most diligently trained in divine and our own, he anoints him patriarch of a
The bosporus, but to pass by moesia, which belongs to the romans, and has from of old been a part of macedonia. for it is said that the moesians, bein
To make replies. for we trust in christ, the immortal god, that if you do not depart from this land, you will be driven from it by us even against you
A disgrace by the raids of the scythians to send out bilingual men dressed in scythian attire into the homesteads and customs of the enemy, so that t
The romans on the one hand shouted for joy, and were strengthened for valor but the scythians, growing cowardly at the new and strange nature of the
2. the emperor, when he learned of such a revolt, was disturbed, as was likely, and having brought up bishop stephen from abydos with wingless speed,
He saw that murders along with the ensuing conspirators were proceeding harshly and inhumanely, he decided to no longer delay or be slothful, so that
Considering into what fortunes the unholy and blood-guilty john has enclosed my family, having mercilessly slain the emperor and my uncle, who was his
Eye, and to learn that these things were red, just as they had been from of old. phocas, considering this prodigy a second evil omen, and seeing also
Immediately, lest it be some ill-omened thing, and destruction befall the pursuing mysians but learning they were fleeing at full speed, he both purs
The russian minds were lifted up in audacity and boldness. therefore, the emperor, not enduring their overweening arrogance and their blatant insolenc
Being given out, and going under the earth by the inscrutable wisdom of the creator and again from the 130 celtic mountains gushing up, and winding t
Should set a phalanx against us, things will not end well for us, but in dreadful perplexity and helplessness. therefore, having strengthened your spi
Is called drista) lingering with his whole force. but in this way kalokyres escaped, and night coming on stopped the romans from battle. and just on t
And they killed up to one hundred and fifty vigorous men. but the emperor, learning of such an event, quickly mounted his horse and urged his follower
But the rest of the multitude he bound in fetters and shut up in prisons. he himself, having gathered the entire host of the tauro-scythians, numberin
1. and just as day was dawning, the emperor fortified the camp with a strong palisade in this manner. a certain low hill of dorystolon rises at a dist
He was courting them with gifts and toasts, encouraging them to proceed vigorously to the wars. 3. while these matters were in suspense, and the battl
He flees to a divine and great sanctuary, seen as a pitiful supplicant instead of a haughty and boastful tyrant. whom the men of the drungarius dragge
Having drowned. for it is said that, being possessed by greek 150 orgies, they perform sacrifices and libations for the dead in the greek manner, havi
On the next day (it was the sixth day of the week, and the twenty-fourth day of the month of july), when the sun was setting, the tauro-scythians, hav
Was being concluded. 10. but the romans, following the divine man who went before, 155 engage with the enemy, and a fierce battle having commenced, th
With purity. at any rate, having conferred a few things about a truce with the emperor, seated beside the rowing-bench of the skiff, he departed. but
Was crossed over. this is the greatest of the rivers cutting through asia, 161 and one of those that flow from eden, as we have learned from the divin
The emperor, as one who abused the power of his leadership for certain powerful men, and did not direct the affairs of the church as was established b
Having assembled forces, and having meticulously armed them, departing from the reigning city, he advanced through palestine, a prosperous land, flowi
The mainland is enclosed by strongholds, stretching upon a certain steep hill on the other side it is surrounded by the sea, putting forth a well-hav
Before until fire-bearing ships were secretly sent out from byzantium by those in power. which bardas parsakoutenos the magistros was leading, and ha
I would have been destroyed, if some divine providence had not led me out of that very danger, which caused me to ride out with speed, before the ravi
Furthermore, the star rising in the west at the setting of the morning star, which, making its risings in the evening, kept no fixed position at one c
Of the city, but already becoming feeble, and suffering from a deep and intractable panting. and having just come to the royal hearth, he was shown to
he flees to a divine and great sanctuary, seen as a pitiful supplicant instead of a haughty and boastful tyrant. Whom the men of the Drungarius dragged from there, and putting him in a skiff along with his son Nikephoros, they exile them to the island called Kalonymos; and by an imperial command, brought again from Mysia by the emperor, they blind them both, and confiscate their property. 5. But thus for the Curopalates Leo the affair of his tyranny ended in a terrible and destructive conclusion. But the Rus, having formed a shield-wall 148 (for the account returns to where it digressed), went out onto the plain, trying with all their might to burn the siege-engines of the Romans. For they could not withstand the missiles sent out from these with a whirring sound, as very many Scythians were being killed daily by the hurled stones. And John Kourkouas, the Magistros, a kinsman of the emperor by birth, who was keeping guard over these engines, seeing the bold attack of the enemy, and otherwise being heavy-headed with wine and drowsy (for it was after lunch), mounted a horse and, with his elite followers, charged against them. But the horse, falling into a ditch, threw the Magistros from its back. And the Scythians, seeing his magnificent full armor, and the horse's trappings and other gear brilliantly wrought (for they happened to be abundantly gilded with gold), thinking him to be the emperor himself, running around him all at once with their weapons, dismembered him mercilessly with their swords and axes; and impaling his head on a spear, they fixed it on the towers, taunting the Romans that they had butchered their emperor like a fatted beast. But such was the reward that John the Magistros carried off for the outrages he had committed against the holy sanctuaries, having become the object of barbaric wrath. For it is said that he had plundered many of the [churches] throughout Mysia, and had refashioned their furniture and sacred vessels into private treasures. 6. But the Rus, elated by such a victory, on the following day, went out from the city and drew up their lines in the no-man's-land; and the Romans, 149 also forming a deep phalanx with locked shields, went against them. There, Anemas, one of the imperial bodyguards and son of the ruler of the Cretans, seeing Ikmor—who led the Scythian army after Svendosthlabos and was honored right after him, a man of gigantic and youthful build—charging furiously with the phalanx of his foot companions and killing many Romans, elated by his natural strength, drawing the sword hanging at his side, and spurring his horse this way and that and tormenting it with goads, rushes against Ikmor, and overtaking him, strikes him on the neck-tendon; and the Scythian's head, cut off along with his right arm, was dashed to the ground. When he fell, a cry mixed with lamentation arose from the Scythians; and the Romans charged upon them. But they did not withstand the enemy's attack, but, being exceedingly grieved by the fate of their general, raising their shields on their shoulders, they retreated through the city, whom the Romans pursued and killed. And when night had already fallen, and the moon was full, they went out onto the plain and searched for their own dead; and having gathered them before the wall and kindled frequent pyres, they burned them, having slaughtered over them very many of the captives, both men and women, according to their ancestral custom. And having made offerings, they drowned suckling infants and cockerels in the Ister, these to the rushing of the river
θεῖον καὶ μέγαν καταφεύγει σηκὸν, ἱκέτης ἐλεεινὸς ἀντὶ σοβαροῦ τυράννου καὶ ἀλαζόνος ὁρώμενος. ὃν ἐκεῖθεν οἱ περὶ τὸν ∆ρουγγάριον
ἀποσπάσαντες, εἰς ἀκάτιόν τε ἅμα τῷ υἱῷ Νικηφόρῳ ἐμβαλόντες, πρὸς τὴν λεγομένην Καλώνυμον νῆσον περιορίζουσι· κελεύσει τε
βασιλικῇ αὖθις πρὸς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐκ Μυσίας ἐνηνεγμένῃ ἀμφοτέρους ἀποτυφλοῦσι, καὶ τὴν τούτων περιουσίαν δημεύουσιν. εʹ.
Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν τῷ Κουροπαλάτῃ Λέοντι τὰ τῆς τυραννίδος εἰς δεινὸν καὶ ὀλέθριον κατέληξε τέλος. οἱ δὲ Ῥῶς συνα 148 σπίσαντες
(αὖθις γὰρ ὁ λόγος, ὅθεν ἐξέβη, ἐπάνεισιν), ἐπὶ τὸ πεδίον ἐξῄεσαν, παντὶ σθένει πειρώμενοι, τὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πυρπολεῖν μηχανάς.
οὐ γὰρ τὰς τούτων μετὰ ῥοίζου ἔστεγον ἐκπεμπομένας βολὰς, πλείστων ὁσημέραι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀφιεμένων λίθων ἀναιρουμένων Σκυθῶν. Ἰωάννης
δὲ ὁ Κουρκούας καὶ Μάγιστρος, ἐκ γένους προσήκων τῷ βασιλεῖ, τὴν τῶν τοιούτων μηχανημάτων ποιούμενος φυλακὴν, τὴν μετὰ θράσους
ὁρμὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ἰδὼν, καὶ ἄλλως οἴνῳ καρηβαρῶν καὶ νευστάζων (μετ' ἄριστον γὰρ ἦν), ἵππου ἐπιβὰς, σὺν τοῖς ἐφεπομένοις
λογάσιν ἤλαυνε κατ' αὐτῶν. βόθρῳ δὲ ὁ ἵππος κατενεχθεὶς ἀποβάλλει τῶν νώτων τὸν Μάγιστρον. οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι, ἀριπρεπῆ πανοπλίαν
ἰδόντες, καὶ φάλαρα τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σκευὴν ἐξειργασμένα λαμπρῶς (ἐτύγχανον γὰρ κατακόρως ἀληλιμμένα χρυσῷ), δόξαντες
αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον εἶναι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, ἀθρόως περιδραμόντες αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις τοῦτον τοῖς ξίφεσι καὶ πελέκεσι κατεμέλισαν ἀπηνῶς·
δορατίῳ τε τὴν κεφαλὴν περιπείραντες, ἐπὶ τῶν πύργων κατέπηξαν, Ῥωμαίους τωθάζοντες, ὡς τὸν σφῶν βασιλέα δίκην βοσκήματος
κρεουργήσαντες. ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν Ἰωάννης ὁ Μάγιστρος ἀπηνέγκατο τὰ ἐπίχειρα, ὧν εἰς τοὺς θείους πεπαρῳνήκει σηκοὺς, θυμοῦ
βαρβαρικοῦ γεγονὼς παρανάλωμα. λέγεται γὰρ πολλοὺς τῶν κατὰ Μυσίαν κεραΐσαι, καὶ τὰ τούτων ἔπιπλα καὶ σκεύη τὰ ἱερὰ εἰς ἰδιωτικὰ
μετασκευάσαι κειμήλια. ϛʹ. Ῥῶς δὲ τῇ τοιαύτῃ νίκῃ κατεπαρθέντες, ἐς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν τοῦ ἄστεος ὑπεξιόντες, παρὰ τὸ μεταίχμιον
ἐτάξαντο· Ῥωμαῖοι 149 δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ, ἐς βαθεῖαν συνασπίσαντες φάλαγγα, τούτοις ἀντεπῄεσαν. ἐνταῦθα Ἴκμορα, τὸν μετὰ τὸν Σφενδοσθλάβον
τὸ Σκυθικὸν ἄγοντα στράτευμα καὶ τιμώμενον εὐθὺς μετ' ἐκεῖνον, ἄνδρα γιγαντώδη καὶ νεανικὸν, ἰδὼν Ἀνεμᾶς, ὁ τῶν βασιλικῶν
σωματοφυλάκων εἷς, καὶ τοῦ τῶν Κρητῶν υἱὸς ἀρχηγοῦ, ἐνθουσιωδῶς ἐφορμῶντα μετὰ τῆς τῶν ἐφεπομένων πεζεταίρων φάλαγγος καὶ
πλείστους Ῥωμαίων ἀποκτιννύοντα, ἀλκῇ τε φύσεως ἐπαρθεὶς, τὸ παρῃωρημένον ξίφος ἑλκύσας, καὶ τὸν ἵππον τῇδε κἀκεῖσε παρεξελάσας,
τοῖς τε μύωψι καταικίσας, κατὰ τοῦ Ἴκμορος ἴεται, καὶ τοῦτον κατειληφὼς πλήττει κατὰ τοῦ τένοντος· ἡ δὲ τοῦ Σκύθου κεφαλὴ
σὺν τῇ δεξιᾷ ἐκτμηθεῖσα χειρὶ πρὸς τοὔδαφος ἀπηράττετο. τοῦ δὲ πεσόντος, βοή τις παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν οἰμωγῇ σύμμικτος αἴρεται·
Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τούτοις ἐπέδραμον. οἱ δὲ οὐκ ἤνεγκαν τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ῥοπὴν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τοῦ σφῶν στρατηγοῦ πάθει ἐκτόπως περιαλγήσαντες,
τὰ σάκη κατωμαδὸν ἄραντες, ἐχώρουν διὰ τοῦ ἄστεος, οὓς ἐπισπόμενοι Ῥωμαῖοι ἀπέκτεινον. ἤδη δὲ νυκτὸς κατασχούσης, καὶ τῆς
μήνης πλησιφαοῦς οὔσης, κατὰ τὸ πεδίον ἐξελθόντες τοὺς σφετέρους ἀνεψηλάφων νεκρούς· οὓς καὶ συναλίσαντες πρὸ τοῦ περιβόλου
καὶ πυρὰς θαμινὰς διανάψαντες, κατέκαυσαν, πλείστους τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, ἄνδρας καὶ γύναια, ἐπ' αὐτοῖς κατὰ τὸν πάτριον νόμον
ἐναποσφάξαντες. ἐναγισμούς τε πεποιηκότες, ἐπὶ τὸν Ἴστρον ὑπομάζια βρέφη καὶ ἀλεκτρυόνας ἀπέπνιξαν, τῷ ῥοθίῳ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ταῦτα
