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he confined and tonsured him on the island of Prote, and he himself laid claim to the imperial administration with his brother-in-law and 481 his brother; but it was not possible for the three to be of one mind. Therefore, they differed on some matters and contradicted each other; and from this they suspected one another, and Stephen made it his concern to pull Constantine down from the throne, and Constantine in turn, Stephen. But Constantine was very much quicker to the deed, with his wife Helen also urging him to this. Having therefore taken with him some of the military commanders, he seized both his brothers while they were dining with him, and immediately sent the one to the island of Panormos (this is the one of Antigonos), and the other to the one called Terebinthos, and he tonsured them both as clerics. Then, when they were about to be moved from there, they asked to come into their father's sight; seeing whom, he said, "I have begotten and exalted sons, but they have rejected me." Therefore, from there Stephen was confined in Proconnesus, and from there he was transferred to Rhodes and from this to Mitylene; but for Constantine, Samothrace became a prescribed boundary. 482 He, having tried to escape many times and for this reason having killed the chief of his guards with poison, was killed by the others. Stephen died in Lesbos, having spent nineteen years there. But their father ended his life on Prote; and thus justice pursued each of them. Having just now obtained sole rule, Constantine placed a diadem on his son Romanos, and paying rewards to those who had helped him in the deposition of the emperors, he honored Bardas Phokas as magistros and appointed him domestic of the schools of the east. Of both the sons of Bardas, he appointed Nikephoros, who later became emperor, strategos of the Anatolics, and Leo of Cappadocia, and he rewarded the others in other ways. He had the son of the emperor Stephen, Romanos, castrated, and also Basil, the illegitimate son of the old Romanos, whom he had begotten after having relations with a certain slave-girl. He also tonsured Michael, the son of Christopher, as a cleric. Constantine was pious toward God and devoted to letters, as can be learned from his writings, 483 and indeed also from his letters, which, although they may not be polished in the rhetorical art, are nevertheless varied with its figures and certain ideas. He also gave himself to rhythms and meters of all kinds; and one might know this from the metrical lament he composed on the death of his life's partner. He also took care of philosophy itself, which had already been almost forgotten, and indeed by appointing teachers of the sciences and reviving them when they were failing. And these things belonged to his better part. But with respect to the administration of the empire, he was disposed to be rather lenient; he was quick to anger and bore a heavy grudge against offenders and was an inexorable punisher, and he used more wine than was sufficient. And when making appointments, he did not place the worthy in charge of the generalships or the offices of the state, but the more wicked and disreputable, and those whom the empress and the parakoimomenos Basil introduced, making the offices for sale for money. But thus the affairs of the empire, even if not well in all respects, were administered. But plots were contrived against the ruler; the one by the parakoimomenos Theophanes, who had many other accomplices 484 and wished to bring Romanos back from Prote to the palace; the other by others, who planned to take Stephen from Lesbos and restore him to the empire. But Constantine discovered both plots and punished the conspirators, and placed the imperial personages under safer guard. But while the Turks (we have said before that the Hungarians are so called) were plundering the lands of the Romans, it happened that the nation was at peace for a certain time. For their chieftain, called Boulosoudes, and then another, Gylas, he too being a ruler of a part, came to the emperor; and

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αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῇ Πρώτῃ περιώρισε καὶ ἀπέκειρεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀντεποιήσατο διοικήσεως σὺν τῷ γαμβρῷ καὶ 481 τῷ ἀδελφῷ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν ὁμοφρονῆσαι τοὺς τρεῖς. ἔν τισιν οὖν διεφέροντο καὶ ἀλλήλοις ἀντέλεγον· κἀντεῦθεν ἀλλήλους ὑπώπτευον καὶ κατασπάσαι τῆς βασιλείας τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ὁ Στέφανος διὰ φροντίδος ἐτίθετο καὶ ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος αὖθις τὸν Στέφανον. ἀλλ' ἦν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος πρὸς τοὖργον ὀξύτερος πάνυ, πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ τῆς συζύγου Ἐλένης ἐπισπερχούσης αὐτόν. προσλαβόμενος τοίνυν καί τινας τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ἀρχόντων κατέσχε καὶ ἄμφω τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς συναριστοῦντας αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτίκα τὸν μὲν εἰς τὴν νῆσον τὴν Πάνορμον ἐξαπέστειλεν (ἡ τοῦ Ἀντιγόνου αὕτη ἐστίν), τὸν δὲ εἰς τὴν καλουμένην Τερέβινθον, καὶ κληρικοὺς καὶ ἄμφω ἀπέκειρεν. εἶτ' ἐκεῖθεν μεταχθῆναι μέλλοντες ἐζήτησαν εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν τῷ πατρί· οὓς ἰδὼν ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν "υἱοὺς ἐγέννησα καὶ ὕψωσα, αὐτοὶ δέ με ἠθέτησαν." ἐκεῖθεν οὖν ὁ μὲν Στέφανος ἐν Προικονήσῳ περιωρίσθη, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Ῥόδον κἀκ ταύτης εἰς Μιτυλήνην μετετέθη· τῷ δὲ Κωνσταντίνῳ ἡ Σαμοθρᾴκη περιγραπτὸν ἐγένετο ὅριον. 482 ὃς ἀποδρᾶναι δοκιμάσας πολλάκις καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φαρμάκῳ τὸν πρωτεύοντα τῶν φυλάκων αὐτοῦ ἀνελὼν ἀνῃρέθη παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων. ὁ δὲ Στέφανος ἐν Λέσβῳ ἀπεβίω, ἐννεακαίδεκα διαγαγὼν ἐνιαυτοὺς παρ' αὐτῇ. ὁ δὲ τούτων πατὴρ ἐν τῇ Πρώτῃ τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησε· καὶ οὕτω τούτων ἕκαστον ἡ δίκη μετῆλθεν. Ἄρτι δὲ τῆς μοναρχίας ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος τυχὼν καὶ τῷ υἱῷ Ῥωμανῷ διάδημα περιέθετο, τοῖς τε συναραμένοις αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν τῶν βασιλευόντων καθαίρεσιν ἀμοιβὰς ἐκτιννὺς τὸν μὲν Φωκᾶν Βάρδαν μάγιστρον ἐτίμησε καὶ δομέστικον προεχειρίσατο τῶν σχολῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς. ἀμφοῖν δὲ τῶν τοῦ Βάρδα υἱῶν τὸν μὲν Νικηφόρον τὸν ὕστερον βασιλεύσαντα τῶν ἀνατολικῶν προεβάλετο στρατηγόν, τὸν δὲ Λέοντα τῆς Καππαδοκίας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἄλλως ἠμείψατο. τὸν δὲ τοῦ Στεφάνου τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸν Ῥωμανὸν ἐκτομίαν ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Βασίλειον, τὸν νόθον υἱὸν τοῦ γέροντος Ῥωμανοῦ, ὃν ἐγείνατο δούλῃ τινὶ συμφθαρείς. τὸν δὲ τοῦ Χριστοφόρου υἱὸν Μιχαὴλ ἀπέκειρε κληρικόν. Ἦν δὲ ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος τὰ πρὸς θεὸν εὐσεβὴς καὶ λόγοις προσκείμενος, ὡς ἔστι καταμαθεῖν ἐκ συγγραμμάτων αὐτοῦ, 483 ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ ἐξ ἐπιστολῶν, ἃ κἂν μὴ πρὸς τέχνην ἠκρίβωνται τὴν ῥητορικήν, ἀλλά γε σχήμασι ταύτης καί τισιν ἰδέαις ποικίλλονται. ἐδίδου δὲ καὶ ῥυθμοῖς ἑαυτὸν καὶ μέτροις παντοδαποῖς· γνοίη δέ τις τοῦτο ἐξ ὧν ἐπὶ θανούσῃ αὐτῷ τῇ κοινωνῷ τοῦ βίου ἐμμέτρως ἐθρήνησεν. ἐπεμελήθη δὲ καὶ τῆς φιλοσοφίας αὐτῆς, ἐπιλελησμένης ἤδη σχεδόν, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ τῶν ἐπιστημῶν διδασκάλους ἐπιστήσας καὶ ἀναζωπυρήσας ἐκλειπούσας αὐτάς. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τῆς κρείττονος μοίρας ἐκείνῳ προσῆν. περὶ δὲ τὴν τῆς βασιλείας διοίκησιν διέκειτο μαλθακώτερον, δύσοργός τε καὶ βαρύμηνις τοῖς πταίουσιν ἦν καὶ κολαστὴς ἀπαραίτητος οἴνῳ τε τοῦ αὐτάρκους ἐκέχρητο πλείονι. καὶ ἀρχαιρεσιάζων οὐ τοὺς ἀξίους ἐφίστα ταῖς στρατηγίαις ἢ ταῖς τῆς πολιτείας ἀρχαῖς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μοχθηροτέρους καὶ ἀδοκίμους καὶ οὓς ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ὁ παρακοιμώμενος εἰσῆγον Βασίλειος, ὠνίους χρημάτων τιθέμενοι τὰς ἀρχάς. ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν τὰ τῆς βασιλείας, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἐν πᾶσι καλῶς, ᾠκονόμητο. ἐπιβουλαὶ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐμελετήθησαν· ἡ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Θεοφάνους, πολλοὺς καὶ ἄλλους συνίστο484 ρας ἔχοντος καὶ βουλομένου τὸν Ῥωμανὸν ἐπαναγαγεῖν ἐκ τῆς Πρώτης εἰς τὰ βασίλεια· ἡ δὲ παρ' ἑτέρων, τὸν Στέφανον ἐκ Λέσβου λαβεῖν μελετησάντων καὶ ἀποκαταστῆσαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄμφω τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος ἐφώρασε καὶ τοὺς μὲν συνωμότας ἐκόλασε, τοὺς δὲ βασιλειῶντας ὑπ' ἀσφαλεστέραν ἔθετο τήρησιν. Τῶν Τούρκων δέ (τοὺς δ' Οὔγγρους οὕτω καλεῖσθαι καὶ πρῴην εἰρήκαμεν) τὰ Ῥωμαίων ληιζομένων ἐπί τινα καιρὸν ἠρεμῆσαι τὸ ἔθνος συμβέβηκεν. ὁ γὰρ τούτων ἀρχηγετῶν Βολοσουδὴς κεκλημένος καὶ ἕτερος δ' αὖθις Γυλᾶς, καὶ αὐτὸς μέρους ἄρχων, προσηλθέτην τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ