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seeing that he was making no little progress each day, he resigned the service that had been his until then, as if he were unable to live in the reigning city, and asked for the command of the strategia of the Ionians, that is, the Thrakesians. The emperor, fulfilling his request, appointed him strategos of the said theme. After a short time had passed, and affairs were being dangerously shaken and the empire was being rocked and seeking a leader because the emperor was more concerned with other things than 239 knowing how to handle matters as was necessary, and previously many things had escaped his notice because his co-ruler the Caesar always administered urgent matters and affairs were almost entirely his responsibility along with all the care of the secular administration, outcries and murmurings arose against the emperor from the senatorial council and the civil government and from almost all those in charge of the administrations and handling affairs, and furthermore from the armies and all the populace of the city. When the emperor learned of these things through his closest associates, and having scarcely, as it were, sobered up for a short while, and recognizing his own not only negligence and indolence concerning public affairs but also his incompetence and simplicity, and fearing an uprising or a revolt from the populace, he decided to take on a partner in affairs and in the rule. And since he had a short time before adopted Basil, and knew him not only to be superior to the many in courage but also in intelligence and able to make up for his own deficiency in steering the ship of state, and at the same time divine providence was leading him to this, he confirmed his opinion to this effect, that Basil be emperor... And indeed, with God assisting the plan and the deed, on the very day of holy Pentecost, on which the Paraclete from the Father came upon the disciples of Christ our God, in the renowned and eponymous church of the Wisdom of God 240 Basil put on the imperial crown, by the hand of Michael who was then emperor, but by the vote and judgment of Christ the ever-reigning king. It was the twenty-sixth of the month of May, of the fourteenth indiction according to the Romans. 19 When Symbatios, who was living in the strategia assigned to him, learned what had happened, he could not bear with human fortitude the envy that was consuming him, but having with him that patrikios Peganes, who was raging along with him, who commanded the strategia of the Opsikion, they looked to revolt, and out of desperation decided to start a rebellion. And having persuaded the troops under them, they put their plans into action, acclaiming Michael as emperor so that by this they might win over the multitudes and not seem to be raising a heel of rebellion against the autocrat, but defaming Basil and washing him with countless insults. And having raged with such acts of desperation during the summer season, and having burned many fields of the powerful around the capital, and having seized and burned no few ships that were making the voyage to the reigning city in the harbors, when winter came, they dispersed, as their partners in the audacious act slipped away secretly and in small groups. The leaders of the drama, realizing this, tried to find their safety in flight. And Symbatios entered the fortress of the so-called Plateia Petra, while Peganes occupied Kotyaion. 241 But they gained nothing from such a plan; for, being taken by the hand of the emperor, they were brought to him as prisoners. And they came upon him staying in the palace of Saint Mamas; and seeing them, and having reproached and reviled them much for their desperation and disorder, and having first gone through them with sufficient scourgings, he afterwards handed them over to the punishments of the law. And Symbatios, deprived of both his eyes and of one hand, into exile

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καθορᾶν οὐκ ὀλίγην ἐπίδοσιν καθ' ἑκάστην λαμβάνοντα, παραιτεῖται μὲν τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ μέχρι τότε διακονίαν, ὡς μὴ δυνάμενος κατὰ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ζῆν, τῆς δὲ τῶν ̓Ιώνων ητοι Θρᾳκησίων στρατηγίας αἰτεῖ τὴν ἀρχήν. ου τὴν αιτησιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκπληρῶν προβάλλεται τοῦ εἰρημένου θέμα- τος στρατηγόν. ὀλίγου δὲ διελθόντος καιροῦ, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπισφαλῶς σαλευόντων καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς κραδαινομένης καὶ ζητούσης τὸν προστησόμενον διὰ τὸ τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς αλλοις μᾶλλον ειναι η 239 πράγμασιν εἰς δέον εἰδέναι χρῆσθαι, πρότερον δὲ τὰ πολλὰ λαν- θάνειν διὰ τὸ τὸν κοινωνὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς Καίσαρα ἀεὶ τὰ κατεπείγοντα διοικεῖν καὶ αὐτῷ σχεδὸν ἀνακεῖσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὴν μέρι- μναν πᾶσαν τῆς κοσμικῆς διοικήσεως, ἐγίνοντο καταβοήσεις τε καὶ διαγογγυσμοὶ κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως παρά τε τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ πολιτεύματος καὶ παρὰ πάντων σχεδὸν τῶν οντων ἐπὶ τῶν διοικήσεων καὶ μεταχειριζομένων τὰ πράγματα, ετι δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ πλήθους τοῦ ἀστικοῦ· α διὰ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ὁ βασιλεὺς γνούς, καὶ μόλις οιον ἐπὶ βραχὺ ἀνα- νήψας, καὶ ἐπιγνοὺς τὴν οἰκείαν περὶ τὰ κοινὰ οὐ μόνον ἀμέλειαν καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνεπιτηδειότητα καὶ ἀφέλειαν, καὶ ἐπανά- στασιν η ἀπόστασιν παρὰ τοῦ πλήθους εὐλαβηθείς, εγνω κοινωνὸν τῶν πραγμάτων προσλαβέσθαι καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς· καὶ ἐπείπερ πρὸ ὀλίγου υἱοποιησάμενος ην τὸν Βασίλειον, ῃδει δὲ αὐτὸν οὐ μόνον ἀνδρίᾳ ἀλλὰ καὶ συνέσει τῶν πολλῶν διαφέροντα καὶ ἱκανὸν ἀνα- πληροῦν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἐν τῇ κυβερνήσει τοῦ κοσμικοῦ σκάφους ὑστέρη- μα, αμα καὶ τῆς θείας ἐναγούσης εἰς τοῦτο προνοίας αὐτόν, βε- βαιοῖ πρὸς τοῦτο τὴν γνώμην αὐτοῦ ωστε Βασίλειον βασιλέα ... καὶ δὴ θεοῦ συνεφαπτομένου τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ πράγματος, κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἁγίας πεντηκοστῆς, ἐν ῃ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ παράκλητος πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφοίτησε μα- θητάς, ἐν τῷ περιβλέπτῳ καὶ ἐπωνύμῳ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας ναῷ 240 τὸν βασίλειον ὁ Βασίλειος περιτίθεται στέφανον, χειρὶ μὲν τοῦ τότε Μιχαὴλ βασιλεύοντος, ψήφῳ δὲ καὶ κρίσει Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἀεὶ βα- σιλεύοντος. εκτην πρὸς ταῖς εικοσιν ειχεν ὁ Μαΐος μήν, τῆς τεσσα- ρεσκαιδεκάτης κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίους ἐπινεμήσεως. 19 Μαθὼν δὲ τὸ γεγονὸς ὁ Συμβάτιος κατὰ τὴν ἀπονε- μηθεῖσαν αὐτῷ στρατηγίδα διάγων, οὐκ ἠδυνήθη τὸν διατήκοντα φθόνον αὐτῷ ἀνθρωπίνως ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἀλλὰ συναπομανέντα σχὼν καὶ Πηγάνην ἐκεῖνον τὸν πατρίκιον, ος τῆς κατὰ τὸ ̓Οψίκιον ἡγεῖτο στρατηγίδος, εἰς ἀπόστασιν βλέπουσι, καὶ μοῦλτον ἐξ ἀπονοίας εγνωσαν συνιστᾶν. ἀναπείσαντες δὲ καὶ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοὺς στρατεύ- ματα εἰς εργον ἐξάγουσι τὰ βουλεύματα, εὐφημοῦντες μὲν τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὡς βασιλέα διὰ τὸ ἐκ τούτου τὰ πλήθη ἐπάγεσθαι καὶ μὴ δοκεῖν πτέρναν ἀποστασίας αιρειν κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, δυσφημοῦντες δὲ τὸν Βασίλειον καὶ μυρίαις πλύνοντες υβρεσι. φρυαξάμενοι δὲ ταῖς τοιαύταις ἀπονοίαις κατὰ τὸν τοῦ θέρους καιρόν, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀγροὺς τῶν κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα δυνατῶν πυρ- πολήσαντες, καὶ ναῦς οὐκ ὀλίγας τῶν πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ποιουμένων τὸν πλοῦν ἐν τοῖς ορμοις κατασχόντες καὶ κατακαύ- σαντες, ὡς εφθασεν ὁ χειμών, διαλύονται, διαδιδρασκόντων λά- θρα καὶ κατ' ὀλίγους τῶν κοινωνῶν τοῦ τολμήματος. ο συνιδόν- τες οἱ τοῦ δράματος ἀρχηγοὶ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν λαβεῖν ἐπειρά- θησαν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Συμβάτιος εἰς τὸ τῆς Πλατείας λεγομένης πέ- τρας φρούριον ὑπεισέρχεται, ὁ δὲ Πηγάνης κατέχει τὸ Κοτυάειον. 241 ἀλλ' εἰς οὐδὲν τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπινοίας ἀπώναντο· ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως ληφθέντες χειρὸς δέσμιοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρονται. κατα- λαμβάνουσι δὲ τοῦτον ἐν τοῖς τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος παλατίοις διά- γοντα· ους ἰδών, καὶ πολλὰ τῆς ἀπονοίας καὶ ἀταξίας ὀνειδίσας τε καὶ λοιδορησάμενος, καὶ διὰ μαστίγων πρότερον ἐπεξελθὼν ἱκανῶν, υστερον ἐκδότους ταῖς τοῦ νόμου ποιναῖς ἐποιήσατο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Συμβάτιος ἀμφοτέρων τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ τῆς μιᾶς χειρὸς στερηθεὶς εἰς ἐξορίαν