slumber to his eyelids, nor sleep to his eyes, until he drove out the wolves, the devourers of sheep. The mighty ones of the Bulgars recognized his strength; the plains were dyed with their blood, the trunks of oaks became their corpses, marshes formed in many places from the flowing gore. Then the Ausonian army, hoplite and non-hoplite, danced over Thrace with free steps; for everywhere the Bulgarian camp was strewn, no less than the corpses of the Dardanians of old when Achilles was ravaging Troy, neighbor to the Scamander. The barbarian, therefore, restrained his audacity for a little while; for he saw that the prime of his army was laid waste. And again he raised war-cries, and again he sounded the trumpet, the signal of battle, and again Basil put on his sword and clashed his all-bronze, heavy-sounding shield, like Ares, stirrer of battles, shaker of walls, and immediately the whole plain became brazen. For he did not encamp in royal chambers, like a delicate maiden fleeing the sight of men, but the morning dews moistened his locks, which the perfumes of the purple had long since tended. And again there were hard-fought battles, again manslaughters, and the barbarian showed a barbarian-hearted audacity, like a boar pushing the point of a spear in its entrails. The army on both sides was armed, and all were breathing the spirit of courage and battle, all were iron-clad, bronze-shielded, spear-bearing; all carried heavy-bronzed ashen spears. The trumpet sounded a warlike and martial note, and man-destroying war bristled with spears, and a din and exhortation from both armies. And as the Bulgars and Romans came together, they clashed like lions, like foaming boars, and every sword raged, and hands were not still, and palms were stained with the gore of the falling, and the shattering of shields and the splintering of spears sent up a heavy-sounding, wild-sounding crash. And the emperor, like a swift-flying hawk, moved past those around him, stirring them against the heavy-minded ones. At last the army of the Bulgars went away, turning their backs, and the Roman phalanxes followed at their backs, killing the one behind, trampling those who fell, pursuing the chieftain, hamstringing the horses, and seizing the tents and reveling in the spoils. Thus the emperor undid the insolence of the Bulgars and brought down their haughty brow. Thus he drove the death-bringing dogs from his folds and from his flock. Thus, by frequent toils, he made the arrogant pitiable, the proud cowardly, slaves instead of free men. But since all-devouring Hades spares no one, the millstones of death seized Basil too, and threshed the foundation of the Romans like wheat, except in deep and comfortable and long-lived old age, having ruled the Romans for fifty years. But the imperial power and the scepters of the Romans run to his own brother, Constantine. But the proverb was in every way coming true: a foot-basin and a cup from the same clay, a ladle and a broom from the same wood. For the lives of the two brothers were diametrically different from each other by immeasurable measures, inasmuch as Basil, having disdained pleasures, made the practice of warfare his life, always selecting men who were good horsemen, armed, bronze-cuirassed, and equipped for war, but Constantine the opposite; for not even bearing to look at greaves on the ankles and iron tunics, nor to hear the chariot-clattering din even in his sleep, nor the cries of the war-trumpet, nor warlike shouts, nor ill-omened din, he always devoted himself to luxuries and rich tables, and delighted in unseemly dancing-girls, flute-lovers, fun-lovers, lyre-lovers, and this though being an old, ancient, thrice-old man. But having a cowardly and trembling soul, on account of mere slander he blinded most people, as supposedly undermining with plots of rebellion. and his life wavering upon two daughters,

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βλεφάροις νυσταγμόν, οὐδὲ ταῖς κόραις ὕπνον, ἕως τοὺς λύκους ἤλασε τοὺς προβατοσπαράκτας. ἐπέγνων τούτου τὴν ἰσχὺν οἱ δυνατοὶ Βουλγάρων· ἐβάφησαν τοῖς αἵμασιν ἐκείνων πεδιάδες, κορμοὶ δρυῶν ἐγένοντο τὰ τούτων θνησιμαῖα, ἕλη συνέστη πολλαχοῦ τοῖς ἐκρυεῖσι φόνοις. τότε στρατὸς Αὐσονικός, ὁπλίτης, οὐχ ὁπλίτης, τῆς Θρᾴκης κατεχόρευε βήμασιν ἐλευθέροις· ἁπανταχῇ γὰρ ἔστρωτο τὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων σκηνή, οὐχ ἧττον ἢ τὰ πτώματα πάλαι τὰ τῶν ∆αρδάνων Τροίαν σκαμανδρογείτονα κείροντος Ἀχιλλέως. ἐπέσχεν οὖν ὁ βάρβαρος τοῦ θράσους πρὸς ὀλίγον· τὴν γὰρ στρατεύσιμον ἀκμὴν εἶδεν ἐρημωθεῖσαν. καὶ πάλιν ἀνηλάλαξε κραυγὰς ἐνυαλίους, καὶ πάλιν θροῦν ἐσάλπισε σημάντορα τῆς μάχης, καὶ πάλιν ὁ Βασίλειος ἀμφέθετο τὸ ξίφος καὶ πάγχαλκον ἐδούπησε βαρύκτυπον ἀσπίδα, καθάπερ πολεμόκλονος τειχεσιπλήτης Ἄρης, καὶ πᾶν εὐθὺς κατάχαλκον ἐγίνετο πεδίον. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνηυλίζετο θαλάμοις βασιλείοις, ὡς τρυφερὸν κοράσιον ὄψεις ἀρρένων φεύγων, ἀλλ' ἔτεγγον ἑωθιναὶ τούτου βοστρύχους δρόσοι, οὓς πάλαι ἐκηπεύσαντο τὰ τῆς πορφύρας μύρα. καὶ πάλιν μάχαι δύσμαχοι, πάλιν ἀνδροκτασίαι, καὶ θράσος θυμοβάρβαρον ὁ βάρβαρος ἐδείκνυ, ὡς κάπρος δόρατος αἰχμὴν ὠθῶν ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις. ὥπλιστο μὲν τὸ στράτευμα μερῶν ἐξ ἑκατέρων, καὶ πάντες ἦσαν πνέοντες μένος θυμοῦ καὶ μάχης, πάντες σιδηροχίτωνες, χαλκάσπιδες, λογχῖται· μελίας ἐπεφέροντο πάντες χαλκοβαρείας. ἡ σάλπιγξ ἐνυάλιον καὶ μάχιμον ὑπήχει, καὶ πόλεμος φθισίμβροτος ἔφριξε ταῖς ἐγχείαις, καὶ θροῦς καὶ παρακελευσμὸς ἀμφοῖν τοῖν στρατευμάτοιν. ὡς δ' εἰς ταυτὸ συνῄεσαν Βούλγαροι καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι, συνέπεσον ὡς λέοντες, ὥσπερ ἀφρισταὶ κάπροι, καὶ ξίφος πᾶν ἐμαίνετο, καὶ χεῖρες οὐκ ἠρέμουν, παλάμαι δ' ἐπαλάσσοντο τοῖς τῶν πιπτόντων λύθροις, καὶ τῶν ἀσπίδων ὁ θλασμὸς καὶ τῶν δοράτων θραῦσις τὸν πάταγον ἀνέπεμπεν βαρύθρουν ἀγριόθρουν. καὶ βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ὡς ἵρηξ ὠκυπέτης παρεπορεύετο κινῶν κατὰ τῶν βαρυφρόνων. τέλος Βουλγάρων ὁ στρατὸς ᾤχετο κλίνας νῶτα, αἱ δὲ Ῥωμαίων φάλαγγες εἵποντο κατὰ νώτου, κτιννῦσαι τὸν ὀπίστατον, πίπτοντας συμπατοῦσαι, διώκουσαι τὸν φύλαρχον, ἵππους νευροκοποῦσαι, καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς ἁρπάζουσαι καὶ σκύλοις ἐντρυφῶσαι. Οὕτως ὁ κράτωρ φρύαγμα παρέλυσε Βουλγάρων καὶ τὴν ὀφρὺν κατέσπασε τὴν ὑπερεπῃρμένην. οὕτως τοὺς κύνας ἤλασε τοὺς κηρεσιφορήτους ἐκ μανδρευμάτων τῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀγελαρχίας. οὕτως οἰκτροὺς τοὺς σοβαρούς, οὕτω δειλοὺς τοὺς γαύρου πόνοις συχνοῖς εἰργάσατο, δούλους ἀντ' ἐλευθέρων. Ἐπεὶ δ' οὐ φείδεταί τινος Ἅιδης ὁ παντοφάγος, συνέσχον καὶ Βασίλειον αἱ μύλαι τοῦ θανάτου, καὶ τὸν Ῥωμαίων ἑδρασμὸν ἠλόησαν ὡς σῖτον, πλὴν ἐν βαθεῖ καὶ λιπαρῷ καὶ μακροχρόνῳ γήρᾳ, ἐν ἔτεσι πεντήκοντα κρατήσαντα Ῥωμαίων. ἡ δὲ βασίλειος ἰσχὺς καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων σκῆπτρα πρὸς τὸν αὐθόμαιμον αὐτοῦ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον τρέχει. ἀλλ' ἦν ἐπαληθεύουσα πάντως ἡ παροιμία· ποδονιπτὴρ καὶ κύπελλον ἐκ τῶν αὐτῶν χωμάτων, ζωμήρυστρον καὶ σαρωτρὸν ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ξυλείας. οἱ βίοι γὰρ τοῖν ἀδελφοῖν ἦσαν ἐκ διαμέτρου ἀλλήλων παραλλάττοντες ἀπειρομέτροις μέτροις, ὅσον ὁ μὲν Βασίλειος τὰς ἡδονὰς φαυλίσας μελέτην τῶν πολεμικῶν ἐτίθετο τὸν βίον, ἄνδρας ἀεὶ φυλοκρινῶν εὐίππους ὁπλοφόρους καὶ τοὺς χαλκεοθώρακας καὶ πολεμοστολίστους, ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος δ' ἔμπαλιν· οὐδὲ γὰρ φέρων βλέπειν κνημίδων περισφύρια καὶ σιδηροῦς χιτῶνας, οὐ δοῦπον ἁρματόκτυπον ἀκούειν κἂν ἐν ὕπνοις, οὐδὲ τῆς σάλπιγγος βοὰς τῆς πολεμιστηρίας, οὐ λαλαγὰς ἀρεϊκάς, οὐ κέλαδον κακόθρουν, τρυφαῖς ἐσχόλαζεν ἀεὶ καὶ λιπαραῖς τραπέζαις, καὶ γυναιξὶν ἐπέχαιρεν ἀσέμνοις ὀρχηστρίσι, φιλαύλοις φιλοπαίγμοσι φιλοκιθαριστρίαις, καὶ ταῦτα παλαιόχρονος πέμπελος ὢν τριγέρων. ψυχὴν δὲ δειλοκάρδιον καὶ τρομαλέαν ἔχων ἀπὸ ψιλῆς διαβολῆς τοὺς πλείους ἀπετύφλου, ὡς δῆθεν ὑπορύττοντας δόλους ἀποστασίας. ἐπὶ δυσὶ τὸν βίον δὲ σαλεύων θυγατράσι,

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