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and to be called Samothrace, he overtook the enemies. However, he did not even 368 dare to approach their fleet. But Tripolites, on his own impulse, God driving him away, turned back, and in Thessalo- nica, having seized it, and having captured Leo, its strategos, who was surnamed Katzilakios, he wrought great slaughter and shedding of blood. 21 A certain cubicularius Rodophyles happened to be sent to Sicily for some need, carrying one hun- dred pounds of gold; but having fallen ill in Thessalonica, he entered in order to bathe and enjoy some rest. Tripolites seized him, and having learned that he was carrying gold, tortured him extensively and killed him as he insisted he had nothing; for he happened to have left it on the road, which Symeon the asekretis, passing by, picked up, who after this became patrikios and protasekretis. And when Tripolites wanted to destroy the city, Symeon indicated to him that he should take the gold and refrain from the destruction; which also happened. Again the fleet of the Saracens went away, sailing back. But Himerios, having learned these things, set out in pursuit against them. But they put in at Crete, and to those there they distributed a portion of the booty, and from there, having returned to their fatherland, they leave Himerios to do nothing at Lemnos. 22 The emperor had as hypostrategos of the Anatolics Eustathios the patrikios, who came from the most excellent and good family of the Argyroi; who campaigned against the Ishmaelites and routed 369 them not once but many times, honored and endowed with strength and force and intelligence and bravery and prudence and temperance and justice, having also Andronikos of the house of Doukas. The Hagarenes feared Eustathios Argyros, so that his name was spoken with amazement and fear among them. But Samonas, making the excuse to go out to his monastery, which was named ta Speira, located at the Dama- trys, took to flight with his money and his horses, hamstringing the public horses at each change-station. Therefore the emperor sent after him to pursue him Basil Kama- teros the hetaireiarches and George Krenites. But when Samonas was about to cross the Halys, Nikepho- ros Kallonas the droungarios overtook him and seized him. And he pleaded much and promised to give much. And when he did not persuade him, he took refuge at the cross in Siricha, pretending to have come for the sake of a prayer. Therefore Constantine the son of Andronikos Doukas, having arrived and taken him, returned to the City. And the emperor ordered him to be guarded in the house of Caesar Bardas. And he asked Constantine if he was truly fleeing to Syria; and having learned this to be true, he instructed Constan- tine not to say this before the senate when asked, but that he had come to Siricha for the sake of a prayer; for the emperor wanted Samo- nas to obtain a pardon. And having summoned the sena- te and brought Constantine into their midst, he asked 370 thus. "By God and by my head, was Samonas fleeing to Syria? Yes or no?" But he, revering the oaths (for he had said before that if he were not put under oath, but was asked simply, he would not tell the truth), confessed before all that he was fleeing to Syria. And after the emperor had dismissed him with anger, Samo- nas spent four months out of sight, sitting in the house of the Caesar, and after this he was deemed worthy of the imperial sight and conversation. 23 And Leo begot a son, Constantine, by Zoe his fourth wife, at whose birth a comet star appeared, sending its rays towards the east and being visible for forty days and nights. He was baptized in the great church, by patriarch Nicholas on the holy day of the Lights, Alexander the emperor's broth- er and Samonas receiving him from the holy baptismal font.

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καὶ Σαμοθρᾴκην κληθῆναι, τοὺς πολεμίους κατέλαβεν. πλὴν οὐδὲ 368 πλησιάσαι τούτων τῷ στόλῳ τετόλμηκεν. αὐθόρμητος δὲ ὁ Τριπολίτης θεοῦ τοῦτον ἀπελαύνοντος ἀντεστράφη, καὶ ἐν Θεσσαλο- νίκῃ, καταλαβὼν ταύτην, καὶ Λέοντα τὸν ταύτης στρατηγόν, ῳ ην ἐπώνυμον Κατζιλάκιος, κατασχών, σφαγὴν πολλὴν καὶ χύσιν αἱμάτων εἰργάσατο. 21 ̔Ροδοφύλης δέ τις κουβικουλάριος ετυχεν ἐν Σικελίᾳ διά τινα χρείαν ἀποσταλείς, χρυσίου λίτρας ἐπιφερόμενος ἑκα- τόν· νόσῳ δὲ περιπεσὼν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ εἰσῆλθεν ωστε λούσασθαι καὶ ἀπολαῦσαι ἀνέσεως. τοῦτον ὁ Τριπολίτης κατασχών, καὶ μαθὼν ὡς χρυσίον ἐπιφέρεται, πολλὰ βασανίσας ἀπέκτεινεν μηδὲν εχειν διατεινόμενον· ετυχεν γὰρ τοῦτο ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ ἀπολιπών, οπερ Συμεὼν ἀσηκρῆτις διερχόμενος ἀνείλετο, ος μετὰ ταῦτα πατρίκως καὶ πρωτασηκρῆτις ἐγένετο. τοῦ δὲ Τριπολίτου καταστρέψαι τὴν πόλιν βουληθέντος, δηλοῖ αὐτῷ Συμεὼν χρυσίον λαβεῖν καὶ τῆς καταστροφῆς ἀποσχέσθαι· ο καὶ γέγονεν. ὀπισθόρμητος πάλιν ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν στόλος ἀπῄει. ὁ δὲ ̔Ημέριος ταῦτα διεγνωκὼς πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν διανίσταται δίωξιν. οἱ δὲ τῇ Κρήτῃ προσ- βάλλουσι, καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀπόμοιραν τῆς λείας ἀπένειμαν, κἀκεῖ- θεν τῇ παυρίδι παλινοστήσαντες ἀπρακτεῖν κατὰ Λῆμνον ἐῶσιν τὸν ̔Ημέριον. 22 ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς ειχε τῶν ̓Ανατολικῶν ὑποστράτηγον Εὐστάθιον πατρίκιον, ος ἐκ τῆς καλλίστης καὶ ἀγαθῆς γενεᾶς τῶν ̓Αργυρῶν ἐκπεφώνηται· ος τοῖς ̓Ισμαηλίταις κατεστράτει καὶ ετρε- 369 πεν οὐχ απαξ ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις, ῥώμῃ καὶ ἰσχύϊ καὶ συνέσει καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει καὶ σωφροσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ τετιμημένος καὶ ἐπειλημμένος, εχων καὶ ̓Ανδρόνικον τὸν ἐκ τοῦ ∆ουκός. Εὐστάθιον ̓Αργυρὸν οἱ ̓Αγαρηνοὶ ἐδεδίεσαν, ὡς τὸ τούτου ονομα εκ-πληξιν καὶ φόβον αὐτοῖς λέγεσθαι. Σαμωνᾶς δὲ προφασισάμενος ἐν τῇ μονῇ αὐτοῦ, ῃ ἐπώνυμον τὰ Σπειρά, ἐξελθεῖν, ἐν τῷ ∆α- ματρὺ ουσαν, φυγῇ ἐχρήσατο αμα χρήμασι καὶ ιπποις αὐτοῦ, τοὺς δημοσίους ιππους τοὺς ἐν ἑκάστῃ ἀλλαγῇ ἀγκυλοκοπῶν. ἀποστέλ- λει ουν ὁ βασιλεὺς οπισθεν αὐτοῦ διῶξαι αὐτὸν Βασίλειον ἑται- ρειάρχην τὸν Καματερὸν καὶ τὸν Κρηνίτην τὸν Γεώργιον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν Αλυν ὁ Σαμωνᾶς εμελλεν περᾶν, κατέλαβεν αὐτὸν ὁ Νικηφό- ρος δρουγγάριος ὁ Καλλωνᾶς καὶ κατέσχεν. ὁ δὲ πολλὰ ἱκέτευεν καὶ ὑπισχνεῖτο διδόναι. ὡς δὲ οὐκ επειθεν, εἰς τὸν ἐν τῷ Σιριχᾷ καταφεύγει σταυρόν, εὐχῆς δῆθεν χάριν ἐληλυθέναι προφασισά- μενος. καταλαβὼν ουν ο Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τοῦ ̓Ανδρονίκου ὁ ∆ουκὸς υἱὸς καὶ τοῦτον ἀναλαβὼν ἐν τῇ πόλει ὑπέστρεψεν. προσέταξεν δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν μὲν ἐν τῇ τοῦ Καίσαρος Βάρδα οἰκίᾳ φυλάτ- τεσθαι. ἠρώτησεν δὲ Κωνσταντῖνον εἰ ἀληθῶς ἐν Συρίᾳ φεύγων ἐτύγχανεν· καὶ μαθὼν τοῦτο ἀληθὲς ειναι, παρήγγειλε Κωνσταν- τίνῳ μὴ τοῦτο εἰπεῖν ἐνώπιον τῆς συγκλήτου ἐρωτωμένῳ, ἀλλ' οτι ἐν τῷ Σιριχᾷ χάριν εὐχῆς παρεγένετο· ηθελε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς συγ- γνώμης τυχεῖν τὸν Σαμωνᾶν. καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος τὴν σύγκλη- τον καὶ εἰς τὸ μέσον παραγαγὼν τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ουτως ἠρώτη- 370 σεν. "πρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς κεφαλῆς, εφευγεν ἐν Συρίᾳ ὁ Σαμωνᾶς; ναὶ η ου;" ὁ δὲ τοὺς ορκους εὐλαβηθείς (ειπεν γὰρ πρότερον μὴ ὁρκιζόμενος, ἀλλ' ουτως ἁπλῶς ἐρωτώμενος, μὴ τὸ ον ἐξειπεῖν) ὡμολόγησε πάντων ἐνώπιον οτι εἰς Συρίαν εφευγεν. μετ' ὀργῆς δὲ τοῦτον τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποπεμψαμένου, ἐποίησε Σα- μωνᾶς ἀπὸ οψεως μῆνας τέσσαρας ἐν τῷ τοῦ Καίσαρος καθήμε- νος, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα τῆς βασιλικῆς οψεως καὶ ὁμιλίας κατηξιώθη. 23 ̓Εγέννησε δὲ Λέων Κωνσταντῖνον υἱὸν ἀπὸ Ζωῆς τῆς τετάρτης αὐτοῦ γαμετῆς, ου ἐν τῇ γεννήσει ἐφάνη κομήτης ἀστήρ, τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἐπ' ἀνατολὰς ἀφιεὶς καὶ ἐν ἡμέραις καὶ νυξὶ φαινόμε- νος τεσσαράκοντα. ος ἐβαπτίσθη ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ, ὑπὸ Νικολάου πατριάρχου ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ τῶν φώτων ἡμέρᾳ, ἀναδεξαμέ- νων αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου βαπτίσματος ̓Αλεξάνδρου τοῦ αὐταδέλ- φου τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ Σαμωνᾶ