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a column looking towards the west was mystically connected to Symeon the Bulgarian, and that if anyone should cut off its head, the destruction of Symeon would follow the removal. So he said these things, and not long after the head of the column was cut off, and immediately Symeon's life failed him, seized by a heart attack, as was later learned by the emperor when he ascertained the time of his death. But when Symeon had departed from among men, the rule of the Bulgarians passed to Peter, who had been born to him by his second wife. He, since the Bulgarian nation was being oppressed by famine and he feared that the surrounding 474 nations, and above all the Romans, might rise up against him, sends to the emperor, to make a treaty and, if he so chose, also a marriage alliance for himself. And when both requests seemed agreeable to the emperor, Peter himself arrived, and treaties were made concerning a truce, and there was joined to him in matrimonial union also the granddaughter of the emperor, who had been born from his elder son Christopher. But the emperor Romanos, not thinking it sufficient that he had subordinated the emperor Constantine to himself, sought a pretext to place Christopher before him also; and he arranged for the Bulgarian multitude to revolt at the time of the wedding, demanding that Christopher be acclaimed before Constantine, and on account of the revolt, pretending to manage things, he conceded that the request be granted. Then, neither fearing the divine, which had confirmed his agreements, nor respecting his subjects, he had both of his other sons acclaimed before Constantine, and the first became fifth, and if the young Romanos, son of Christopher, had not died first, he too would have been preferred 475 before him. Thus the native-born emperor and the one to whom the empire belonged by inheritance was like a marginal note. But justice did not slumber over these things; but let the narrative concerning these things be postponed. And Stephen of Amaseia, having spent three years on the throne of the queen of cities, died, and a certain monk Tryphon was consecrated on the condition that after a specified time he would willingly step down from the throne for the emperor's son Theophylact; for he was still a youth. And in these times there occurred an unbearable winter, a most severe famine, and a most dreadful conflagration. At which time the emperor Christopher also met his end. But when the appointed time had already passed, Patriarch Tryphon did not relinquish the archiepiscopal throne according to the agreements, but clung to the high priesthood with all his might. And the emperor was annoyed by the deceit, as if he had been mocked. The bishop of Caesarea, therefore, being eager to do the emperor a favor, pursues the removal of the patriarch by a trick and, putting on the mask of a friend, says to the patriarch, "The attack of the ruler against you is fierce, but he lacks accusations 476 that would subject you to deposition, and so those against you are resorting to the charge that you do not know your letters at all. But hurry and refute those who are contriving this against you. And you will dissolve their scheme if, taking a paper in front of many people, you inscribe your name and the dignity of your high priesthood. And when this has been brought to the emperor, no accusation will be left against you." So he advised these things; and the other was persuaded and in the presence of many he wrote these things on a blank paper: "Tryphon, by the mercy of God, archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome." And taking the paper, the bishop of Caesarea went away to show it to the emperor. Therefore a letter of resignation, as if from the patriarch, is written in above the signature, and as one who has resigned he is expelled from the church, and the son of the emperor is consecrated patriarch. And a Russian fleet came against the city, and the fleet was not of a thousand ships, as is said, but its ships were numbered at fifteen thousand. When these had anchored near the Pharos, a Roman fleet stood opposite them and attacking them suddenly, routed the barbarians and many of the ships 477 to the

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στήλην καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἑσπέρια ἀποβλέπουσαν εἰς τὸν Συμεὼν ἐστοιχειῶσθαι τὸν Βούλγαρον, καὶ εἰ τὴν ταύτης ἀποτέμῃ τις κεφαλήν, ἕψεται τῇ ἐκτομῇ τοῦ Συμεὼν ἡ φθορά. ὁ μὲν οὖν εἶπε ταῦτα, καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ τῆς στήλης οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ἐξετέτμητο, καὶ τῷ Συμεὼν αὐθωρὸν ἐπέλιπε τὸ βιώσιμον, ληφθέντι καρδιωγμῷ, ὡς μετὰ ταῦτα ἐγνώσθη τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀκριβωσαμένῳ τῆς ἐκείνου τελευτῆς τὸν καιρόν. ὡς δ' ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὁ Συμεὼν ἀπελήλυθεν, ἡ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχὴ πρὸς Πέτρον τὸν ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς αὐτῷ τεχθέντα περιελήλυθεν. ὅς, ἐπεὶ καὶ λιμῷ τὸ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἔθνος ἦν πιεζόμενον καὶ τὰ πέριξ 474 ἔθνη μὴ κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁρμήσαιεν ἐδεδίει καὶ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων Ῥωμαίους, στέλλει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, σπονδὰς ποιησόμενος, εἰ δ' αἱροῖτο, καὶ κῆδος εἰς ἑαυτόν. ὡς δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἄμφω καταθύμια ἔδοξε τὰ αἰτούμενα, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Πέτρος ἀφίκετο, καὶ γεγόνασι μὲν συνθῆκαι περὶ σπονδῶν, συνήφθη δὲ αὐτῷ πρὸς συμβίωσιν γαμικὴν καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγγόνη, ἣ ἐκ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοφόρου γεγέννητο. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς οὐκ ἀρκοῦν ἡγούμενος ὅτι ἑαυτοῦ τὸν βασιλέα Κωνσταντῖνον ὑπεβίβασε, λαβὴν ἐζήτει καὶ τὸν Χριστοφόρον προθεῖναι αὐτοῦ· καὶ παρεσκεύασε τὴν τῶν Βουλγάρων πληθὺν ἐν τῷ τοῦ γάμου καιρῷ στασιάσαι, ζητοῦσαν τὸν Χριστοφόρον πρὸ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἀναγορεύεσθαι, καὶ διὰ τὴν στάσιν δῆθεν οἰκονομῶν τι παρεχώρησε τὸ αἰτούμενον γίνεσθαι. εἶτα μήτε τὸ θεῖον δείσας, ὃ τὰς ὁμολογίας αὐτῷ ἐμπεπέδωκε, μήτ' αἰδεσθεὶς τὸ ὑπήκοον, καὶ ἄμφω τοὺς ἄλλους υἱεῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου προτέρους εὐφημεῖσθαι πεποίηκε, καὶ ὁ πρῶτος πέμπτος ἐγένετο, καὶ εἰ μὴ ὁ μικρὸς Ῥωμανὸς ὁ τοῦ Χριστοφόρου υἱὸς ἔφθη θανών, κἀκεῖνος ἂν 475 αὐτοῦ προτετίμητο. ἦν οὖν ὁ αὐθιγενὴς βασιλεὺς καὶ ᾧ κατὰ κλῆρον ἡ βασιλεία διέφερεν ὥσπερ παρέγγραπτος. ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τούτοις ἡ δίκη οὐκ ἐπενύσταξεν· ἀναβεβλήσθω δ' ἡ περὶ τούτων διήγησις. Ὁ Ἀμασείας δὲ Στέφανος ἔτη τρία διαγαγὼν ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ τῆς ὑπερκειμένης τῶν πόλεων ἐτελεύτησε, καὶ ἐχειροτονήθη Τρύφων τις μοναχὸς ἐπὶ συνθήκαις τοῦ μετὰ χρόνον ὡρισμένον ἑκὼν ἐκστῆναι τοῦ θρόνου τῷ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱῷ τῷ Θεοφυλάκτῳ· ἦν γὰρ ἔτι μειράκιον. γέγονε δ' ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τούτοις χειμών τε ἀφόρητος λιμός τε σφοδρότατος καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς φρικωδέστατος. ὅτε καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Χριστοφόρος τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησεν. ἤδη δὲ τοῦ ὡρισμένου καιροῦ παραρρυέντος ὁ πατριάρχης Τρύφων οὐ μεθίετο τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ ἀρχιερατικοῦ κατὰ τὰ συγκείμενα, ἀλλ' ὅλαις χερσὶ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀντείχετο. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠνιᾶτο διὰ τὴν ἀπάτην, ὡς ἐμπαιχθείς. ὁ γοῦν Καισαρείας χαρίσασθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ προθυμούμενος δόλῳ μέτεισι τὴν τοῦ πατριάρχου ἀφέλειαν καὶ φίλου προσωπεῖον ἑαυτῷ περιθέμενος τῷ πατριάρχῃ φησίν "ἡ μὲν κατὰ σοῦ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐπίθεσις σφοδρά, ἀλλ' ἐπιλείπουσιν αὐτῷ αἰτιάματα 476 ὑπὸ καθαίρεσίν σε τιθέμενα, καὶ λοιπὸν εἰς τὸ μηδὲ ὅλως εἰδέναι σε γράμματα οἱ κατὰ σοῦ περιίστανται. ἀλλὰ σπεῦσον καὶ τούτου τοὺς μελετῶντας κατὰ σοῦ ἀποκρούσασθαι. διαλύσεις δὲ τούτοις τὸ σπούδασμα, εἰ ἐνώπιον πολλῶν χάρτην λαβὼν τὸ ὄνομα ἐγχαράξεις τὸ σὸν καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης ἀξίωμα. καὶ τούτου ἀποκομισθέντος τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐκέτι κατὰ σοῦ αἰτίαμα περιλέλειπται." ὁ μὲν οὖν συνεβούλευσε ταῦτα· ὁ δὲ ἐπείθετο καὶ πολλῶν παρόντων ἀγράφῳ χάρτῃ ταῦτ' ἐγεγράφει· "Τρύφων ἐλέῳ θεοῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως νέας Ῥώμης." καὶ λαβὼν τὸν χάρτην ὁ Καισαρείας ἀπῄει ἐμφανίσων τοῦτον τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἔγγραφον οὖν ἐν αὐτῷ παραιτήσεως ὡς ἐκ τοῦ πατριάρχου ἄνωθι τῆς ὑπογραφῆς ἐξυφαίνεται, καὶ ὡς παραιτησάμενος τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλεται, καὶ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς πατριάρχης κεχειροτόνηται. Στόλος δὲ Ῥωσικὸς ἐπῆλθε κατὰ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ὁ στόλος οὐ χιλιόναυς, ὡς λέγεται, ἀλλ' εἰς πεντεκαίδεκα χιλιάδας τὰ τούτου πλοῖα ἠρίθμηντο. τούτοις περὶ τὸν Φάρον προσορμισθεῖσιν ἀντίπρῳρος ἔστη στόλος Ῥωμαϊκὸς καὶ ἀθρόον αὐτοῖς προσβαλὼν ἐτρέψατο τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ πολλὰ τῶν πλοίων 477 τῷ