90

he surrounded others with terrible things, and in addition to the others, he also sent the divine Methodius and Euthymius, who was archbishop of Sar339dis, into exile on account of their veneration for the holy icons. Then he imprisoned Methodius in Akritas; and he perfected the renowned Euthymius with a martyr's death, being unsparingly scourged by his son Theophilus. In all things he emulated Copronymus and was partial to the Jews, and he ordered fasting on the Sabbath. And disbelieving in the resurrection, he mocked the good things to come and reviled the prophets and affirmed that there were no demons; and he did not consider fornication a sin and commanded people to swear by the God over all. And he proclaimed salvation for Judas and decreed that Easter was not to be celebrated at the proper time. These, then, are a few out of many written signs of his wickedness or even his foolishness. But let the account give to history the events that happened then; and they were civil wars. And the one who started them was Thomas, being one of the three men about whom a monk in Philomelion had prophesied to Bardanius that two of them would ascend 340 to the imperial rule, but the third (who was this Thomas) would attempt a usurpation and place a diadem on himself, yet not attain the empire. This man, then, as has already been said by me, having been appointed commander of the tagma of the foederati by Leo, when he learned that his benefactor had been killed by Michael, seemingly to avenge him, but in reality watching for the empire, he rose up against Michael, and having gathered a not inconsiderable force, he usurped almost the entire eastern portion and arranged for the public taxes to be brought to him. And having become powerful from this, he went against the Hagarenes, who at that time were fearlessly plundering every country and the islands themselves because of the civil war. And attacking them, he checked their advance, and having checked it, he encamped near them and entered into negotiations with them, and having come to terms, he made a treaty on the condition of ceding Roman territories to them, if he should become master of the empire. Having thus arranged these matters, he bound his head with the imperial fillet and was proclaimed emperor in Antioch by the one then holding its patriarchal throne 341; and he was called Job. And setting out from there with a great army (for he happened to have allies not only of Hagarenes, but also from many other nations) he attempted the usurpation more forcefully. This Thomas was not of the well-born, but rather of the very obscure and these barbarians, and was brought up in extreme poverty, so that he even served for hire. But having been raised up by fortune, as has been said, and having attempted the usurpation, he changed his name, calling himself Constantine and took a partner in the empire, as he supposed, having adopted a certain man as his son. And when Michael had sent an army against him, he engaged it, and killed some and made others fugitives. From there he took hold of the usurpation more forcefully and, having equipped a fleet, and indeed also having brought the imperial navy under his control, he crossed from Abydos to Thrace and brought almost all the eastern parts under his power, except, however, for the theme of Opsikion, of which Katakylas was strategos, and that of the Armeniacs; Olbianus held the command of this 342 theme, who indeed lay in ambush and, having seized the son adopted by the tyrant, immediately killed him. And having arrived in Thrace, as has been said, Thomas had everyone joining him. Therefore, when the emperor again engaged him both by land and by sea, the tyrant both routed and scattered both armies, and he adopted another, since the first had been killed, as has been said, one called Anastasius, who was a monk, and had cast off the divine habit and put on secular dress. And Michael came to such a state of perplexity that he stretched an iron chain from the acropolis to the town on the opposite side, so that the parts within might be kept inaccessible to the tyrant's men. But Thomas attacked the city at the same time by land and by

90

ἄλλους δεινοῖς περιέβαλε, πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ καὶ τὸν θεῖον Μεθόδιον καὶ τὸν τῆς Σάρ339 δεων ἀρχιερατεύοντα τὸν Εὐθύμιον ἐξορίᾳ παρέπεμψε διὰ τὴν τῶν ἁγίων εἰκόνων τιμήν. εἶτα τὸν μὲν Μεθόδιον καθείργνυσι κατὰ τὸν Ἀκρίταν· τὸν ἀοίδιμον δ' Εὐθύμιον μαρτυρικῷ τελειοῖ θανάτῳ, ἀφειδῶς μαστιζόμενον διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Θεοφίλου. ἐζήλου δ' ἐν ἅπασι τὸν Κοπρώνυμον καὶ τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσέκειτο τά τε σάββατα νηστεύειν προσέταττε. τῇ ἀναστάσει τε ἀπιστῶν διετώθαζε τὰ μέλλοντα ἀγαθὰ καὶ τοὺς προφήτας διέσυρε καὶ δαίμονας οὐκ εἶναι διεβεβαιοῦτο· πορνείαν τε οὐχ ἁμάρτημα ἥγητο καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ πᾶσι θεὸν ὀμνύειν διεκελεύετο. τῷ τε Ἰούδᾳ σωτηρίαν ἐπεφήμιζε καὶ τὸ πάσχα οὐ κατὰ καιρὸν ἑορτάζεσθαι ἐδογμάτιζε. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα τῆς ἐκείνου κακίας ἢ καὶ ἀνοίας γνωρίσματα ξυγγεγράφαται. Ὁ δὲ λόγος τὰ τότε ξυμβεβηκότα διδότω τῇ ἱστορίᾳ· τὰ δ' ἦσαν ἐμφύλιοι πόλεμοι. ὁ δὲ τούτων κατάρξας Θωμᾶς ἦν, εἷς τῶν τριῶν τυγχάνων ἀνδρῶν, περὶ ὧν ἐν τῷ Φιλομηλίῳ μοναχὸς τῷ Βαρδανίῳ προέφησε τοὺς μὲν δύο ἐπιβήσεσθαι 340 τῆς βασιλείου ἀρχῆς, τὸν δέ γε τρίτον (ὃς οὗτος ἦν ὁ Θωμᾶς) ἐπιχειρῆσαι μὲν τυραννίδι καὶ ἑαυτῷ περιθέσθαι διάδημα, μὴ μέντοι καὶ τῆς βασιλείας τυχεῖν. οὗτος τοίνυν, ὡς ἤδη μοι εἴρηται, ἄρχων καταστὰς τοῦ τάγματος τῶν φοιδεράτων παρὰ τοῦ Λέοντος, ὡς ἔγνω τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀναιρεθέντα παρὰ τοῦ Μιχαήλ, τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν τιμωρῶν ἐκείνῳ, τῷ δ' ὄντι τὴν βασιλείαν καραδοκῶν ἀνταίρει τῷ Μιχαὴλ καὶ συναλίσας δύναμιν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον ἅπασαν σχεδὸν τὴν ἑῴαν μοῖραν ἐσφετερίσατο καὶ τοὺς δημοσίους φόρους αὐτῷ κομίζεσθαι παρεσκεύαζε. καὶ πολὺς ἐντεῦθεν γενόμενος ἐπῆλθε καὶ τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς, ἀδεέστερον τότε πᾶσαν ληιζομένοις χώραν καὶ τὰς νήσους αὐτὰς διὰ τὸν ἐμφύλιον πόλεμον. καὶ ἐπελθὼν ἀνέκοψε τῆς φορᾶς καὶ ἀνακόψας παρεστρατοπεδεύσατο καὶ ἐς λόγους ἦλθεν αὐτοῖς καὶ ἥκων εἰς λόγους ἐσπείσατο ἐπὶ συνθήκαις τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκῶν ὁρίων παραχωρῆσαι αὐτοῖς, εἰ τῆς βασιλείας ἐγκρατὴς γένοιτο. οὕτω δὲ ταῦτα διοικησάμενος καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνεδήσατο ταινίᾳ βασιλικῇ καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀνερρήθη κατὰ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν παρὰ τοῦ τότε τὸν θρόνον αὐτῆς τὸν πατριαρχικὸν 341 ἔχοντος· Ἰὼβ δ' ἐκεῖνος ἐκέκλητο. κἀκεῖθεν ὁρμηθεὶς σὺν μεγάλῳ στρατεύματι (ἔτυχε γὰρ συμμάχων οὐκ Ἀγαρηνῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν πλειόνων) τῇ τυραννίδι κραταιότερον ἐπεχείρησεν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Θωμᾶς οὗτος οὐ τῶν εὐπατριδῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν λίαν ἀσήμων καὶ τούτων βαρβάρων, καὶ ἀπορίᾳ σύντροφος τῇ ἐσχάτῃ, ὥστε καὶ δουλεύειν μισθοῦ. ἀναχθεὶς δ' ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης, ὡς εἴρηται, καὶ τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρήσας τήν τε κλῆσιν μετέθετο, Κωνσταντῖνον ἑαυτὸν ὀνομάσας καὶ κοινωνὸν τῆς βασιλείας, ὡς ᾤετο, προσελάβετο, υἱὸν εἰσποιητὸν οἰκειωσάμενός τινα. τοῦ δὲ Μιχαὴλ στρατιὰν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐσταλκότος, συμβαλὼν ἐκεῖνος αὐτῇ τοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλε, τοὺς δὲ φυγάδας ἀπέφηνεν. ἐντεῦθεν κραταιότερον τῆς τυραννίδος ἐπείληπτο καὶ στόλον ἐξαρτυσάμενος, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν ναυτικὸν ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιησάμενος ἐξ Ἀβύδου πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην ἐπεραιώθη καὶ τὰ τῆς ἑῴας ἅπαντα σχεδὸν ὑπηγάγετο, ἄνευ μέντοι τοῦ θέματος τοῦ Ὀψικίου, οὗ ὁ Κατάκυλας ἐστρατήγει, καὶ τοῦ τῶν Ἀρμενιακῶν· ὁ Ὀλβιανὸς δὲ τὴν στρατηγίδα τούτου εἶχεν 342 ἀρχήν, ὃς δὴ λοχήσας καὶ τὸν τῷ τυράννῳ εἰσποιηθέντα υἱὸν κατασχὼν ἀνεῖλεν εὐθύς. Γενόμενος δ' ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ, ὡς εἴρηται, ὁ Θωμᾶς προστιθεμένους αὐτῷ τοὺς ξύμπαντας ἔσχηκεν. αὖθις οὖν τοῦ βασιλέως κατά τε γῆν αὐτῷ συμμίξαντος καὶ κατὰ θάλασσαν, καὶ ἄμφω τὰς στρατιὰς ὁ τύραννος ἐτρέψατό τε καὶ διεσκέδασεν, υἱοθετήσατο δ' ἕτερον, τοῦ πρώτου κτανθέντος, ὡς εἴρηται, Ἀναστάσιον μὲν καλούμενον, μοναχὸν δ' ὄντα, καὶ τὸ μὲν σχῆμα τὸ θεῖον ἀποδυσάμενον, στολὴν δὲ κοσμικὴν μεταμφιασάμενον. ἐς τοῦτο δ' ἧκεν ἀπορίας ὁ Μιχαὴλ ὡς σιδηρᾶν ἐκτεῖναι σειρὰν ἐξ ἀκροπόλεως εἰς τὸ κατ' ἀντιπέραν πολίχνιον, ἵν' ἄβατα τοῖς τοῦ τυράννου φυλάττοιτο τὰ ἐντός. ἀλλ' ὁ Θωμᾶς ὁμοῦ τῇ πόλει προσέβαλε κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ κατὰ