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to mint coins from them. But he also did this with the imperial robes, some of which, still preserved after he perished, Basil, who reigned after him, recovered, 394 finding only three centenaria from the enumerated quantity. Michael did not allow his own mother, who had withdrawn from the palace, to be at peace, but at the suggestion of Bardas, he sent men to tonsure both her and her sisters, and he confined them in the house of Karianos and took away all their possessions. Theodora, struck to the soul by these things, withdrew to the monasteries there, surviving her misfortune for only a short time. But her daughters, the emperor's blood-sisters, endured the evils inflicted upon them, whom Basil the Macedonian, after taking possession of the empire, led away to the monastery of their maternal grandmother, which is called Gastria. When the emperor's mother, as has been said, departed from the palace, the entire administration of the empire came under Bardas, who was honored as kouropalates by his nephew. Then Michael marched out against the Hagarenes, just 395 growing his first beard, and he attempted to besiege their city, Samosata (which is on the Euphrates). But the Ishmaelites, having barred the city gates against the besiegers, remained inside, giving them the impression that out of cowardice they had shut themselves up inside the walls. This brought the Romans to a state of rashness, and they pitched camp incautiously and scattered without guard. After feigning cowardice for three days, the sons of Hagar suddenly threw open the gates and with a great rush and a war cry attacked the Roman camp; and no one withstood their charge, but all turned to flight, and as they were overtaken, some were killed and others were taken captive. At which time the Manichaeans, allied with the Ishmaelites, took many of the distinguished generals captive and sold them for large sums of money. At that time, then, the emperor himself nearly would have been captured, had he not escaped the enemy through the speed of his horse and been saved. The camp was taken, and the imperial tent and the emperor's personal baggage, and all the rest was plundered. So at that time, Michael returned. 396 Again, learning that the Hagarenes were attacking the lands of the Romans, he went out against them with a stronger force. They, passing through difficult but short routes, came upon the Roman army unexpectedly and routed it. And the emperor would have been captured, had not Manuel, the magistros who happened to be Domestic of the Schools, saved him. But the enemy did not cease from ravaging the Roman territories. Therefore, the emperor's maternal uncle, Petronas, was sent against them with Roman forces to oppose them. But he did not dare an engagement, but feared the war. Learning, therefore, that on a certain mountain there lived a monk renowned for practicing virtue and foreseeing the future, he went to him and asked if he should attempt the war; and he permitted it and promised him victory. So Petronas departed and attacked the enemy, and the army of the Hagarenes was defeated, and its commander, Amer, fell. But his son, being absent from the battle (for he happened to have gone away for plunder), learning of the defeat and the death of his father, fled, but he too was captured in his flight and handed over to the general. It is said that before this 397 war Amer asked one of the captives what the place where our camp was pitched was called, and what the nearby river was called, and what name the whole of that region happened to have. When that man said that the region was called Lalakaon, the place of the camp Ptōsanta, and the river Gyris, he, taking an omen from these names, said that these names signified that the outcome of the war would not be favorable for him. For he declared that Lalakaon meant "evil for the people," that Ptōsanta signified "a fall," and from the name of the river he prophesied that they were destined to be surrounded by the enemy. So things stood thus with the victory for Petronas; but he

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κοπῆναι νομίσματα δι' αὐτῶν. ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλικαῖς στολαῖς τοῦτο ἐποίησεν, ὧν τινα ἐκείνου φθαρέντος ἔτι περισωζόμενα ὁ μετ' αὐτὸν βασιλεύσας Βασίλειος ἀνεκομίσατο, 394 τρία μόνα κεντηνάρια εὑρηκὼς ἐκ τῆς ἀπηριθμημένης ποσότητος. Τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δὲ μητέρα ὁ Μιχαὴλ τῶν βασιλείων ὑποχωρήσασαν οὐκ εἴασεν ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλ' ὑποθήκαις τοῦ Βάρδα πέμψας ἀποκείρει καὶ αὐτὴν καὶ τὰς ἀδελφὰς καὶ ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ τῶν Καριανοῦ περιορίζει καὶ ὅσα προσῆν ἀφαιρεῖται. τούτοις ἡ Θεοδώρα πληγεῖσα τὴν ψυχὴν μεταχωρεῖ πρὸς τὰς ἐκεῖθεν μονάς, ὀλίγον τῇ συμφορᾷ ἐπιζήσασα. αἱ δὲ θυγατέρες αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὁμαίμονες ἤντλουν τὰ αὐταῖς ἐπενηνεγμένα κακά, ἃς ὁ Μακεδὼν μετὰ ταῦτα Βασίλειος τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιλαβόμενος πρὸς τὴν τῆς πρὸς μητρὸς αὐταῖς μάμμης μονήν, ἣ Γαστρία καλεῖται, ἀπήγαγε. τῆς δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως μητρός, ὡς εἴρηται, τῶν ἀνακτόρων ἐκστάσης, ἡ πᾶσα τῆς βασιλείας διοίκησις ὑπὸ τὸν Βάρδαν ἐγένετο, τιμηθέντα κουροπαλάτην πρὸς τοῦ ἀνεψιοῦ. Εἶτα ἐκστρατεύει ὁ Μιχαὴλ κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν, ἄρτι 395 πρώτως ὑπηνήτης γινόμενος, καὶ πόλιν αὐτῶν τὰ Σαμόσατα (αὕτη δὲ τῶν παρευφρατιδίων ἐστί) πολιορκεῖν ἐπεχείρησεν. οἱ δ' Ἰσμαηλῖται τῆς πόλεως τὰς πύλας τοῖς πολιορκοῦσιν ἐπιζυγώσαντες ἐντὸς ἔμενον, δόκησιν διδόντες αὐτοῖς ὡς δειλαινόμενοι ἔνδον τοῦ περιβόλου συνέκλεισαν ἑαυτούς. τοῦτο τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἰς θράσος ἤνεγκε, καὶ ἀπερισκέπτως ἐσκήνωντο καὶ ἀφυλάκτως ἐσκίδναντο. ἐπὶ τρισὶ δ' ἡμέραις ὑποκριθέντες δειλίαν οἱ ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ ἀθρόον τὰς πύλας ἀναπετάσαντες μετὰ ῥύμης σφοδρᾶς καὶ ἀλαλαγμοῦ τῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπίασι χάρακι· καὶ οὐδεὶς ὑπέστη τὴν τούτων ὁρμήν, πρὸς δρασμὸν δ' οἱ πάντες ἀπεῖδον καὶ καταλαμβανόμενοι οἱ μὲν ἀνῃροῦντο, οἱ δ' ἐζωγροῦντο. ὅτε καὶ οἱ Μανιχαῖοι τοῖς Ἰσμαηλίταις συμμαχοῦντες πολλοὺς τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἐζώγρησαν στρατηγῶν καὶ χρημάτων αὐτοὺς μεγάλων ἀπέδοντο. τότε τοίνυν μικροῦ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἂν ἐλήφθη αὐτός, εἰ μὴ τῇ ταχυτῆτι τοῦ ἵππου τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπεκδραμὼν διασέσωστο. ἐλήφθη δὲ τὸ στρατόπεδον καὶ ἡ βασιλικὴ σκηνὴ καὶ ἡ πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποσκευὴ καὶ τἆλλα πάντα διήρπαστο. τότε μὲν οὖν ὑπέστρεψεν ὁ Μιχαήλ. 396 Αὖθις δὲ τοὺς Ἀγαρηνοὺς ἐπιόντας ταῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων χώραις μαθὼν ἔξεισι κατ' αὐτῶν μετὰ βαρυτέρας δυνάμεως. οἳ διὰ δυσόδων τόπων, ἐπιτόμων δέ, διελθόντες ἀπροσδόκητοι τῷ Ῥωμαίων ἐπῆλθον στρατῷ καὶ τρέπονται τοῦτον. ἥλω δ' ἂν καὶ ὁ βασιλεύς, εἰ μὴ ὁ μάγιστρος Μανουὴλ τῶν σχολῶν τυγχάνων δομέστικος αὐτὸν διεσώσατο. Οἱ δ' ἐναντίοι κακοῦντες τὰ Ῥωμαίων οὐκ ἔληγον. στέλλεται γοῦν κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως μητράδελφος ὁ Πετρωνᾶς μετὰ Ῥωμαϊκῶν δυνάμεων αὐτοῖς ἀντιτάξασθαι. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐθάρρει συμβολήν, ἀλλ' ἐδειλία τὸν πόλεμον. μαθὼν οὖν ἐν ὄρει τινὶ μοναχὸν ἀσκούμενον τὴν ἀρετὴν διαβόητον καὶ προορῶντα τὰ μέλλοντα, ἄπεισι πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ ἐρωτᾷ εἰ τῷ πολέμῳ ἐπιχειρήσειε· καὶ ὃς ἐπιτρέπει καὶ νίκην αὐτῷ ἐπαγγέλλεται. ἀπῆλθε τοίνυν ὁ Πετρωνᾶς καὶ τοῖς ἐναντίοις προσέβαλε, καὶ ἡττᾶται μὲν ἡ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν στρατιά, πίπτει δὲ ὁ ταύτης κατάρχων Ἄμερ. ὁ δὲ τούτου υἱὸς ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου ἀπών (εἰς γὰρ λείαν ἐτύγχανεν ἀποδεδημηκώς) τὴν ἧτταν καὶ τὴν φθορὰν μαθὼν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀπεδίδρασκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος ἐν τῷ δρασμῷ συλληφθεὶς παρεδόθη τῷ στρατηγῷ. λέγεται δὲ πρὸ τοῦ πο397 λέμου τούτου ὁ Ἄμερ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων πυθέσθαι τινὸς ὅπως ὁ τόπος ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἡ παρεμβολὴ καλοῖτο καὶ ὅπως ὁ παραρρέων λέγεται ποταμὸς καὶ τίνος ἡ ὅλη ἐκείνη χώρα ἔτυχε κλήσεως. ὡς δὲ τὴν μὲν χώραν Λαλακάωνα εἶπεν ἐκεῖνος κεκλῆσθαι, Πτώσαντα δὲ τὸν τόπον τοῦ χάρακος καὶ Γύρην τὸν ποταμόν, ἐκεῖνος ἐκ τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων οἰωνισάμενος ἔφη τὰς κλήσεις ταύτας οὐκ αἴσιον αὐτῷ τὸ τοῦ πολέμου τέλος παραδηλοῦν. λαοῦ μὲν γὰρ κάκωσιν ἐκάλει τὸν Λαλακάωνα, πτῶσιν δὲ σημαίνειν τὸν Πτώσαντα, γυρωθῆναι δὲ μέλλειν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ποταμοῦ κλήσεως ἐμαντεύετο. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς νίκης οὕτως εἶχον τῷ Πετρωνᾷ· ὁ δὲ