82

against her how much gold is yours." When he was forced to do this and had sworn that he had a hundred litras, he ordered them to be brought. When they were brought, he said, "You do not need so much gold." So allowing him to take ten litras, he appropriated the rest, making him a table-companion at that time, 308 who had unwillingly bought lunch with the emperor for ninety litras of gold. Devising many such things against his subjects (for he was most resourceful in such matters), Nicephorus brought every evil upon them and was hated by all. Whence a certain unknown man, once taking a sword in his hands, ran into the palace, seeking to kill this emperor. When some ran up to him, he struck them with the sword, but he himself was seized and given over to tortures and revealed nothing against anyone, but pretending to be out of his mind, he was imprisoned. He made use of Manichaeans and those called Athinganoi for oracles and auguries and secret rites. And from there they infiltrated the Roman lands, and many of the more simple-minded were corrupted in the faith by them. And the sons of Hagar, often campaigning against the Romans, ravaged the lands, and they captured, among others, Euchaita. And these plundered the lands toward the rising sun, while the Bulgars plundered the western ones. Therefore the emperor decided to campaign against the Bulgars; 309 and when one of his closest associates advised him to relent in his oppression of his subjects, saying, "for all cry out against us, and if anything unfortunate should happen to us, all will rejoice at our fall," he said, "God has hardened my heart like that of Pharaoh; therefore do not expect any good from me for those under my hand." Therefore, having gathered the regiments from all sides and having arrived in Bulgaria, while Krum was leading the nation, at first he was successful, so as even to have captured the court of Krum (for so the Bulgars called the dwelling of their leader), and to put seals on his treasuries, as if they were already his own, and to punish many of his own men for plundering spoils. But when Krum became fearful and begged him to spare the nation and to make a truce with him on whatever terms he might wish, he, puffed up by his success, did not accept the truce. Therefore Krum, despairing and now considering the flight for his life, gathered his forces and, having encouraged them with exhorting words, attacks while it was still night against the Roman camp 310 as they all slept unguardedly (for they thought out of great folly that the barbarians would never dare to engage them). And immediately they rushed against the imperial tent, and Nicephorus was killed, but how is unknown. It is said that he was also killed by his own men, either they having initiated his slaughter, or the barbarians having begun it, and the Romans having completed the murder of the wretch. And Stauracius is also wounded between the right shoulder and the tendon, and many are killed, both of those in high positions, of those in office, of those in military command, of those in dignities, and of the other soldiers and of the imperial service and of the other servants, they were not even countable. And all the emperor's baggage is plundered and the entire Roman camp, and abundant wealth and many weapons and countless horses fall to the barbarians. And so Stauracius is saved with difficulty and as many as the night allowed to escape by slipping into thickets and marshes 311 and such places. And Krum, taking the corpse of the emperor Nicephorus and cutting off his head, for some days hung it on high, making a spectacle of it and parading his success. Then, cutting off the bone of the skull and stripping it of the skin and covering it with silver, he used it as a cup, and pouring wine into it, he gave it to those under him to drink. And when the destruction of the Romans and the slaughter of the emperor was announced in Byzantium, there was much lamentation everywhere

82

κατ' αὐτῆς πόσον σοι χρυσίον ἐστί." τοῦ δὲ βιασθέντος τοῦτο ποιῆσαι καὶ ὀμόσαντος ἑκατὸν ἔχειν λίτρας, ἐνεχθῆναι ταύτας παρεκελεύσατο. ὡς οὖν ἐκομίσθησαν, "οὐ χρεία σοι τοσούτου" εἶπε "χρυσοῦ." δέκα γοῦν λίτρας αὐτῷ ἐπιτρέψας λαβεῖν τὰς λοιπὰς αὐτὸς ᾠκειώσατο, ὁμοδίαιτον αὐτὸν τηνικαῦτα πεποιη308 κώς, ἐνενήκοντα χρυσίου λιτρῶν τὸ συναριστῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐχ ἑκόντα πριάμενον. Τοιαῦτα πολλὰ ὁ Νικηφόρος κατὰ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐπινοῶν (ἦν γὰρ ποριμώτατος ἐν τοιούτοις) πᾶσαν αὐτοῖς ἐπήνεγκε κάκωσιν καὶ ὑπὸ πάντων μεμίσητο. ὅθεν ἄγνωστός τις ἀνὴρ ξίφος ποτὲ λαβὼν ἐν χεροῖν εἰσέδραμε τὰ βασίλεια, ἀνελεῖν τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ζητῶν. τινῶν δ' ἐπιδραμόντων αὐτῷ, τοὺς μὲν ἔπληξε τῷ ξίφει, αὐτὸς δὲ συσχεθεὶς καὶ βασάνοις ἐκδοθεὶς οὐδέν τι κατά του ἐξέφηνεν, ἀλλὰ παρακεκόφθαι τὰς φρένας ὑποκριθεὶς κατάκλειστος γέγονε. Μανιχαίοις δὲ καὶ τοῖς καλουμένοις Ἀθιγγάνοις ἐν χρησμοῖς τε καὶ οἰωνίσμασι καὶ τελεταῖς ἀπορρήτοις ἐκέχρητο. κἀντεῦθεν εἰς τὰς χώρας τὰς Ῥωμαϊκὰς εἰσεφθάρησαν, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀβελτέρων εἰς τὴν πίστιν ὑπ' αὐτῶν διεφθάρησαν. Οἱ δὲ τῆς Ἄγαρ πολλάκις ἐπιστρατεύοντες κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκάκουν τὰς χώρας, εἷλον δὲ σὺν ἄλλοις καὶ τὴν Εὐχάϊταν. καὶ οὗτοι μὲν τὰ πρὸς ἀνίσχοντα ἥλιον ἐληίζοντο, οἱ δὲ Βούλγαροι τὰ ἑσπέρια. ἐπιστρατεῦσαι τοίνυν κατὰ Βουλγάρων ὁ 309 βασιλεὺς ἐβουλεύσατο· καί τινος τῶν οἰκειοτάτων αὐτῷ συμβουλεύοντος αὐτῷ ἐνδοῦναι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις τὴν κάκωσιν, "πάντες γάρ" ἔφη "καταβοῶσιν ἡμῶν καί, εἴ τι τῶν ἀπαισίων συμβαίη ἡμῖν, πάντες ἐπιχαρήσονται τῇ πτώσει ἡμῶν," ἐκεῖνος ἔφη ὡς "ὁ θεὸς ἐσκλήρυνε τὴν καρδίαν μου κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Φαραώ· μὴ οὖν ἐκδέχου τι ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ὑπὸ χεῖρά μου ἐξ ἐμοῦ." συναθροίσας οὖν τὰ τάγματα πάντοθεν καὶ εἰς Βουλγαρίαν παραγενόμενος, τοῦ Κρούμου τοῦ ἔθνους ἀρχηγετοῦντος, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εὐτύχησεν, ὥστε καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κρούμου παρειληφέναι αὐλήν (οὕτω γὰρ τὴν τοῦ σφῶν ἀρχηγοῦ οἱ Βούλγαροι ἐκάλουν κατοίκησιν), καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου ταμείοις σφραγῖδας ἐπιβαλεῖν, ὡς ἤδη γενομένοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν οἰκείων διὰ σκύλων ἁρπαγὴν τιμωρήσασθαι. τοῦ δὲ Κρούμου ἀποδεδειλιακότος καὶ ἱκετεύοντος φείσασθαι τοῦ ἔθνους καὶ ἐφ' οἵαις ἂν βούλοιτο συνθήκαις σπείσασθαι αὐτῷ, ὀγκωθεὶς ἐκεῖνος τῷ εὐτυχήματι τὰς σπονδὰς οὐ προσήκατο. ἀπογνοὺς οὖν ὁ Κροῦμος καὶ τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς ἤδη λογιζόμενος θέειν, τὰς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεις συναγαγὼν καὶ λόγοις παρακλητικοῖς παρακροτήσας αὐτούς, ἔπεισι νυκτὸς ἔτι οὔσης κατὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων παρεμβολῆς 310 ἀφυλάκτως κοιμωμένων ἁπάντων (μὴ γὰρ ἄν ποτε τολμῆσαι συμμίξαι αὐτοῖς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐξ ἀπονοίας πολλῆς ᾤοντο)· καὶ αὐτίκα κατὰ τῆς βασιλείου σκηνῆς ὡρμήκεσαν, καὶ ἀναιρεῖται μὲν ὁ Νικηφόρος, τὸ δ' ὅπως ἠγνόηται. λέγεται δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἀναιρεθῆναι ἢ πρωτουργησάντων τὴν ἐκείνου σφαγὴν ἢ τῶν μὲν βαρβάρων καταρξαμένων, τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων ἐπεξεργασαμένων τὸν φόνον τὸν τοῦ ἀλάστορος. τιτρώσκεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Σταυράκιος μεταξὺ τοῦ ὤμου τοῦ δεξιοῦ καὶ τοῦ τένοντος, καὶ ἀναιροῦνται πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχαῖς, τῶν ἐν τέλει, τῶν ἐν στρατηγίαις, τῶν ἐν ἀξιώμασι, τῶν δ' ἄλλως στρατευομένων καὶ τῶν τῆς βασιλικῆς ὑπηρεσίας καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν θεραπόντων οὐδὲ ἀριθμητοί. διαρπάζεται δὲ ξύμπασα ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσκευὴ καὶ ἅπαν τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων χαράκωμα, καὶ περιγίνεται τοῖς βαρβάροις καὶ πλοῦτος συχνὸς καὶ ὅπλα πολλὰ καὶ ἵππος μυρία. μόλις δ' οὖν ὁ Σταυράκιος περισώζεται καὶ ὅσοις ἡ νὺξ παρέσχε λαθεῖν λόχμας ὑποδῦσι καὶ ἕλη 311 καὶ τοιαῦτά τινα. τὸν δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως Νικηφόρου νεκρὸν λαβὼν ὁ Κροῦμος καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκτεμὼν ἐφ' ἡμέρας μέν τινας ἐφ' ὕψους ἀνήρτησε, θεατρίζων ταύτην καὶ ἐμπομπεύων τῷ κατορθώματι. εἶτα τὸ τῆς κορυφῆς ὀστοῦν ἀποδιελὼν καὶ γυμνώσας τοῦ δέρματος ἀργύρῳ τε περιδύσας, ὡς κύλικι τούτῳ ἐκέχρητο, οἶνόν τ' ἐγχέων αὐτῷ πίνειν ἐδίδου τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτόν. ἀγγελθέντος δ' ἐν Βυζαντίῳ τοῦ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὀλέθρου καὶ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως σφαγῆς, θρῆνος μὲν ἦν πανταχόσε πολὺς