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He sent (at that time this very Sergius happened to be demarch of the Green faction), and he was asking to be bound with the imperial crown by the people on certain conditions and 8..15 written agreements. Sergius, therefore, from early morning conveyed the words of Germanus to the leaders of the people. Therefore the so-called Greens became indignant and rejected the demand, saying: "Germanus would never make a change of his faction, nor would he change his principle because of being excessively and passionately disposed 8..16 toward the partisanship of the so-called Blues." So in this way the Greens destroyed the hopes of Germanus; and when Germanus failed in his plan, he transferred to the goodwill of the tyrant, and does homage to him to whom fortune, so to speak, had passed. 8.10.1 But the Greens come to the so-called Rhegium and with acclamations they magnify the tyrant and they persuade Phocas to arrive at the so-called Hebdomon (this is a place seven 8.10.2 milestones from the city). On that very day the tyrant sent out Theodore the asecretis, a distinguished man of the imperial notaries, into the so-called Great Church, so that the people of Byzantium, taking with them the hierarch and the 8.10.3 senate, might come to him. So Theodore, arriving at the great precinct of the city, the one founded by Justinian the emperor, having gone up onto the high steps (the crowds call these an ambo), imparts the tyrant's command to the people. 8.10.4 When all, therefore, had come to the Calydonian tyrant, the most licentious Centaur of the chaste purple (for it is fitting for Phocas to be so named), the half-barbarian tyrant, in mockery, seemed to wish to proclaim Germanus. 8.10.5 So while the people were acclaiming the tyrant, and all were longing for a change, the evil is proclaimed, and the tyrant is appointed master of the scepters, and disaster overcomes prosperity, and the great 8.10.6 and notorious misfortunes of the Romans, so to speak, have their beginning. Therefore that bloody man is invested with the imperial crown in the church of the prophet and baptist John. On the next day he enters the city riding in an 8.10.7 imperial carriage. Thus, therefore, the tyrant made a conspicuous and glorious entry to the palace in a white four-horse chariot and like a golden cloud raining down, he showered a distribution of the imperial treasures 8.10.8 upon those who met him. And much applause from the people, and both prayers and acclamations, were poured around the ears of the tyrant. And when he entered the palace, the crowds hold a festival, celebrating this unfortunate proclamation with horse races. On the next day he provided gifts to the 8.10. armies as an accession-gift for the scepters. The tyrant also had a wife (Leontia was her name); on her he places an imperial crown. And since it is customary for emperors to proclaim their consorts with processions, the tyrant, conspicuously honoring the custom, deemed Leontia worthy to triumph as 8.10.10 queen. Therefore on this day a contest arose among the demes concerning the stationing. For the positioning in the places was a matter of dispute for them; for the Greens wishing to make their station in the so-called Ampelion (this is a forecourt of the king's house) and to hymn the queen with the customary applause, the deme of the Blues spoke against it; for it seemed to them that this was by nature 8.10.11 unusual and strange. Therefore, when a very great disturbance occurred, the tyrant sends in Alexander to calm the dispute of those quarreling. And this Alexander was a wicked man, very notorious 8.10.12 among those who had revolted against Maurice the emperor. So Cosmas, who was vested with the demarchic supervision, opposed the words of Alexander. But Alexander an arrogant and tyrannical

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ἔπεμπε (κατ' ἐκεῖνο δὲ καιροῦ οὗτος δὴ οὗτος ὁ Σέργιος δήμαρχος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν τῆς Πρασίνου πληθύος), καὶ ἠξίου ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου τὸν βασιλικὸν ἀναδήσασθαι στέφανον ἐπὶ συνθήκαις τισὶ καὶ 8..15 ὁμολογίαις ἐγγράφοις. ὁ μὲν οὖν Σέργιος ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ πρὸς τοὺς κορυφαιοτέρους τοῦ δήμου τοὺς λόγους τοῦ Γερμανοῦ μετωχέτευσεν. δυσανασχετοῦσι τοίνυν οἱ λεγόμενοι Πράσινοι καὶ τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἀποπέμπονται φάσκοντες· "οὐκ ἂν μεταβολὴν τῆς αἱρέσεως ὁ Γερμανὸς ποιήσηται πώποτε, οὔτε μεταθήσοι τὸ δόγμα διὰ τὸ ἐς ἄγαν ἐμπαθῶς διακεῖσθαι 8..16 περὶ τὴν τῶν λεγομένων Βενέτων προσπάθειαν." οὕτω μὲν οὖν οἱ Πράσινοι τοῦ Γερμανοῦ τὰς ἐλπίδας ὠβέλισαν· ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Γερμναὸς διητύχησε τοῦ βουλήματος, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ τυράννου μετεχώρησεν εὔνοιαν, καὶ προσκυνεῖ πρὸς ὃν ἡ τύχη ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν μεταβέβηκεν. 8.10.1 Οἱ δὲ Πράσινοι εἰς τὸ λεγόμενον ῾Ρήγιον γίνονται καὶ ταῖς εὐφημίαις τὸν τύραννον μεγαλύνουσι καὶ πείθουσιν ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ ῾Εβδόμῳ (τόπος δὲ οὗτος τοῦ ἄστεος ἀπὸ 8.10.2 σημείων ἑπτὰ) τὸν Φωκᾶν ἀφικέσθαι. κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν ὁ τύραννος τὸν ἀσηκρῆτις Θεόδωρον, τῶν βασιλικῶν ταχυγράφων ἄνδρα ἐπίσημον, ἐν τῇ λεγομένῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ μεγάλῃ ἐκπέπομφεν, ὅπως οἱ Βυζάντιοι λαοὶ τὸν ἱεράρχην τήν τε 8.10.3 σύγκλητον ἀναλαβόμενοι ὡς αὐτὸν παραγένωνται. ὁ μὲν οὖν Θεόδωρος ἀφικόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ μέγα τέμενος τῆς πόλεως τὸ ὑπὸ ᾿Ιουστινιανοῦ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἱδρυμένον, ἀνεὶς ἐπὶ τῶν βημάτων τῶν ὑψηλῶν (ἄμβωνα ταῦτα τὰ πλήθη ἀποκαλεῖ) τὸ τοῦ τυράννου πρόσταγμα τῷ λαῷ μεταδίδωσιν. 8.10.4 πάντων τοιγαροῦν γενομένων πρὸς τὸν Καλυδώνιον τύραννον, τὸν τῆς σώφρονος ἁλουργίδος ἀσελγέστατον Κένταυρον (πρέπει γὰρ οὕτω τὸν Φωκᾶν ὀνομάζεσθαι), ἔδοξεν ὁ μιξοβάρβαρος τύραννος κατειρωνευόμενος Γερμανὸν ἀναγορεύειν ἐθέλειν. 8.10.5 τῶν τοίνυν δήμων κατευφημούντων τὸν τύραννον, καὶ πάντων τῆς μεταβολῆς γλιχομένων, ἀναγορεύεται τὸ κακόν, καὶ κύριος τῶν σκήπτρων ὁ τύραννος προχειρίζεται, καὶ κρατεῖ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἡ συμφορά, καὶ λαμβάνει τὴν ἔναρξιν τὰ μεγάλα 8.10.6 καὶ ἐπίσημα τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν ἀτυχήματα. περιβάλλεται τοίνυν τὸν βασίλειον στέφανον ὁ παλαμναῖος ἐκεῖνος ἀνὴρ ἐν τῷ νεῷ τοῦ προφήτου καὶ βαπτιστοῦ ᾿Ιωάννου. τῇ δὲ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐπιβαίνει τῆς πόλεως ἐφιζάνων ἁρμαμάξης 8.10.7 βασιλικῆς. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐπιφανῆ καὶ περίδοξον τὴν εἴσοδον ἐπὶ τὰ βασίλεια τεθρίππῳ λευκῇ ὁ τύραννος ἐποιήσατο καὶ οἷα νεφέλην χρυσῆν ὑετίζουσαν τῶν βασιλικῶν θησαυρῶν 8.10.8 ἐκπομπὴν τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι κατομβρίσατο. πολλοὶ δὲ παρὰ τῶν δήμων κρότοι εὐχαί τε καὶ εὐφημίαι τοῖς ὠσὶ τοῦ τυράννου περιεκέχυντο. ἐπεὶ δ' εἰσήρρησεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, πανηγυρίζει τὰ πλήθη ἱππικοῖς ἀγῶσι τὴν δυστυχῆ ταύτην ἀναγόρευσιν ἑορτάζοντα. τῇ δ' ὑστεραίᾳ ἐπιβατήρια τῶν σκήπτρων τοῖς 8.10. στρατεύμασι δῶρα παρείχετο. ὑπῆν δὲ τῷ τυράννῳ καὶ γύναιον (Λεοντία ὄνομα αὐτῇ)· ταύτῃ στέφανον βασίλειον περιτίθησιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ πομπαῖς εἴθισται τοῖς αὐτοκράτορσι τὰς ὁμοζύγους ἀναγορεύειν, ἐπιφανῶς τιμήσας τὸ ἔθος ὁ τύραννος 8.10.10 τὴν Λεοντίαν βασίλειαν ἠξίου θριαμβεύειν. γίνεται τοίνυν κατὰ ταύτην τὴν ἡμέραν τοῖς δημοτικοῖς περὶ τῆς στάσεως ἅμιλλα. ἦν γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ περὶ τῶν τόπων θέσις ἐπίμαχος· τῶν <γὰρ> Πρασίνων ἐθελόντων ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ ᾿Αμπελίῳ (προαύλιον δὲ τοῦτο τῆς βασιλέως οἰκίας) τὴν στάσιν ποιήσασθαι καὶ τὴν βασιλίδα τοῖς εἰωθόσι κρότοις ὑμνεῖν, ὁ τῶν Βενέτων δῆμος ἀντέλεγεν· ἔδοξε γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἄηθες τοῦτο 8.10.11 πεφυκέναι καὶ ξένον. μεγίστου τοιγαροῦν γενομένου ταράχου, τὸν ᾿Αλέξανδρον εἰσπέμπει ὁ τύραννος κατευνάσαι τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων τὴν ἔριν. ἦν δ' οὗτος ὁ ᾿Αλέξανδρος ἀνὴρ πονηρός, τῶν καταστασιασάντων Μαυρικίου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος 8.10.12 λίαν ἐπίσημος. ὁ μὲν οὖν Κοσμᾶς, ὁ τὴν δημαρχικὴν περικείμενος ἐπιστασίαν, ᾿Αλεξάνδρου τοῖς λόγοις ἀντέτεινεν. ὁ δ' ᾿Αλέξανδρος γαῦρον καὶ τυραννικὸν