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Michael, himself also bearing a grudge against the emperor because of his senseless anger, as has been said, and Leo Aba518lantes and the dark-complexioned Theodore, whom they called Atzypotheodoros because his appearance was rather dark, and two others. So, slipping noiselessly into the imperial bedchamber (for Theophano had arranged this for them), they found Nikephoros sleeping on a pallet on the floor, and one of them, leaping on him with a kick and insulting him, woke him up. And when, having been woken up, he lifted his head, he immediately received a mortal blow upon it, which terribly shook both his body and his soul. Then Tzimisces sat down on the imperial bed, while they set Phokas, already enfeebled and supported on both sides, before him. And he asked him the reasons for which he had been mistreated by him. But when that one answered nothing, but only uttered, "Lord, help," he ordered those around him to smash his jaws by striking them with the hilts of their swords or to knock out his teeth. Then someone from behind struck him in the back with a spear, and the spear passed out through his chest. And when a commotion 519 arose from those sleeping outside (for they had now become aware of the plot), they cut off the head of the man, who had just breathed his last, and showed it through a window to the bodyguards, and thus they stopped their rush. And it is said that a few days before, Nikephoros had found a written note in his bedchamber revealing the plot. But Leo, the brother of the emperor Nikephoros, having learned what had happened, fled for refuge to the great church with his son Nikephoros. And the murdered emperor was fifty-seven years old, of which he had held the Roman scepters for six years and as many months. λιβερ δεξιμῃς σεπτιμῃς. And so he paid his due; but Tzimisces, having become master of the empire, made the children of Romanos 520 partners in rule, while they were still children, and taking on Basil the parakoimomenos, whom Phokas had honored as proedros, although the office did not previously exist, as one experienced in the administration of public affairs, he entrusted the entire management to him. And he removed those related to Nikephoros or otherwise suspected of maintaining loyalty to him, confining the kouropalates Leo and his son Nikephoros on Lesbos, and for the other son of Leo, Bardas, setting Amaseia as a prescribed boundary, and dealing with and managing others in other ways. And he brought back those exiled by Nikephoros, among whom were also numbered high priests, as many as had not yielded to sign the tome by which it had been decreed that no high priest be appointed without him. Then John went to the great church to be crowned. But he was not allowed by Polyeuktos to enter the temple, as being polluted by murder. But Tzimisces, bearing the censure meekly, pleaded that he himself had not been the murderer with his own hand, and said that Abalantes and Atzypotheodoros had dispatched Nikephoros at the insti521gation of Theophano. The patriarch therefore demanded that Theophano be driven from the palace and confined, and that the murderers of Nikephoros be expelled, that the tome which we have mentioned be torn up, and that John himself receive penances. And he promised to do everything, and immediately sent and brought the empress down from the palace, and tore up the tome that was brought there, and promised to distribute to the poor the property which he possessed while a private citizen. And when these things were done, on the feast of the nativity of our savior and God, he was at once permitted entry into the church and crowned with the diadem, and he confined Theophano to Prokonnesos. Having been proclaimed thus, however, since great Antioch was without a high priest, he appointed a certain monk, Theodore, who had prophesied to him that he would obtain the empire, and not to hasten nor to seize it, but to await the appointment from the divine. Who, upon accepting the high priesthood, made a request to the

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Μιχαὴλ ἐγκοτῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὴν ὀργήν, ὡς εἴρηται, τὴν ἀλόγιστον καὶ Λέων ὁ Ἀβα518 λάντης καὶ ὁ μελάγχρους Θεόδωρος, ὃν διὰ τὸ τοῦ εἴδους μελάντερον ἐκάλουν Ἀτζυποθεόδωρον, καὶ ἕτεροι δύο. ἀψοφητὶ τοίνυν ὑποδύντες τὸν κοιτῶνα τὸν βασίλειον (καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἡ Θεοφανὼ κατεπράξατο) εὗρον τὸν Νικηφόρον χαμαιεύνην ὑπνώττοντα, καί τις αὐτῷ λὰξ ἐνθορὼν καὶ ἐνυβρίσας διύπνισεν. ὡς δὲ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκεῖνος διυπνισθεὶς ἀνεκούφισε, δέχεται κατ' αὐτῆς εὐθὺς καιρίαν πληγήν, ἥτις αὐτῷ δεινῶς διέσεισε καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχήν. εἶτα ὁ μὲν Τζιμισκὴς ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείου κλίνης κεκάθικε, τὸν δὲ Φωκᾶν ἤδη παρειμένον ἑκατέρωθεν ὑπερειδόμενον αὐτῷ παρεστήσαντο. ὁ δὲ τὰς αἰτίας αὐτὸν ἠρώτα δι' ἃς κεκάκωτο παρ' αὐτοῦ. ὡς δ' ἐκεῖνος πρὸς οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο, μόνον δὲ τὸ "κύριε, βοήθει" ἐφθέγγετο, ἐγκελεύεται τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν ταῖς λαβαῖς τῶν ξιφῶν τὰς γνάθους αὐτοῦ παίοντας συνθραῦσαι ἢ διασεῖσαι τοὺς ὀδόντας αὐτῷ. εἶτά τις ἐξόπισθεν δόρατι βάλλει κατὰ νῶτον αὐτόν, καὶ τὸ δόρυ διὰ τῶν στέρνων ἐξέπεσε. καὶ θορύβου 519 παρὰ τῶν προκοιτούντων γεγενημένου (ἤδη γὰρ εἰς αἴσθησιν ἧκον τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς), καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκπεπνευκότος ἄρτι ἐκτέμνουσι καὶ διὰ θυρίδος τοῖς σωματοφυλακοῦσι δεικνύουσι καὶ οὕτως τὴν ἐκείνων ὁρμὴν καταπαύουσι. λέγεται δ' ὅτι πρὸ ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων ἔγγραφον εὗρεν ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι ὁ Νικηφόρος δηλοῦν τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως Νικηφόρου αὐτάδελφος ὁ Λέων τὸ γεγονὸς ἐγνωκὼς σὺν τῷ υἱῷ Νικηφόρῳ τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ προσπέφευγεν. ἦν δὲ ὁ ἀναιρεθεὶς βασιλεὺς ἐτῶν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑπτά, ἐξ ὧν ἓξ καὶ μῆνας τοσούτους τῶν σκήπτρων ἐκράτησε τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν. λιβερ δεξιμῃς σεπτιμῃς. Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἀπέτισε τὸ χρεών· ὁ δὲ Τζιμισκὴς τῆς βασιλείας γενόμενος ἐγκρατὴς καὶ τοὺς τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ παῖδας 520 κοινωνοὺς πεποίητο τῆς ἀρχῆς παῖδας ἔτι τυγχάνοντας, τὸν δὲ παρακοιμώμενον Βασίλειον, ὃν ὁ Φωκᾶς τετίμηκε πρόεδρον, μήπω πρῴην ὄντος τοῦ ἀξιώματος, προσλαβόμενος ὡς ἐντριβῆ περὶ τὴν τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων διοίκησιν, αὐτῷ τὴν πᾶσαν οἰκονομίαν ἀνέθετο. καὶ ὃς τοὺς τῷ Νικηφόρῳ προσήκοντας ἢ καὶ ἄλλως εὔνοιαν ἐκείνῳ τηρεῖν ὑποπτευομένους ἐκ μέσου πεποίηκε, τὸν μὲν κουροπαλάτην Λέοντα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρον ἐν Λέσβῳ περιορίσας, τῷ δ' ἑτέρῳ τοῦ Λέοντος υἱῷ τῷ Βάρδᾳ ὅριον θέμενος περιγραπτὸν τὴν Ἀμάσειαν καὶ ἄλλους ἄλλως μετελθὼν καὶ οἰκονομησάμενος. τοὺς δὲ παρὰ τοῦ Νικηφόρου φυγαδευθέντας κατήγαγεν, οἷς καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς συνηρίθμηντο, ὅσοι μὴ ὑπογράψαι ἐν τῷ τόμῳ ὑπέκυψαν, δι' οὗ τεθέσπιστο μὴ ἄνευ ἐκείνου ἀρχιερέα τινὰ προχειρίζεσθαι. εἶτα ἄπεισιν ὁ Ἰωάννης εἰς τὴν μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν ταινιωθησόμενος. ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰάθη παρὰ τοῦ Πολυεύκτου εἰς τὸν ναὸν εἰσελθεῖν, ὡς φόνῳ μεμιασμένος. πρᾴως δὲ τὴν ἐπιτίμησιν ὁ Τζιμισκὴς ἐνεγκὼν ἀπελογεῖτο μὴ αὐτὸς αὐτόχειρ γενέσθαι τοῦ φόνου, ἔλεγε δὲ τὸν Ἀβαλάντην καὶ τὸν Ἀτζυποθεόδωρον ἐπι521 τροπῇ τῆς Θεοφανοῦς τὸν Νικηφόρον διαχειρίσασθαι. τὴν μὲν οὖν Θεοφανὼ ὁ πατριάρχης ἀπῄτησε τῶν βασιλείων ἀπελαθῆναι καὶ περιορισθῆναι καὶ τοὺς αὐτόχειρας τοῦ Νικηφόρου ἐκδιωχθῆναι, τὸν δὲ τόμον, οὗπερ ἐμνήσθημεν, διαρραγῆναι καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Ἰωάννην δέξασθαι ἐπιτίμια. ὁ δὲ πάντα ποιῆσαι ὑπέσχετο καὶ αὐτίκα στέλλει καὶ κατάγει τὴν βασιλίδα τῶν ἀνακτόρων καὶ τὸν τόμον ἐκεῖ κομισθέντα διέρρηξε καὶ ἣν ἐν ἰδιώταις τελῶν εἶχε περιουσίαν, διανεῖμαι πένησιν ἐπηγγείλατο. τούτων δὲ γενομένων, κατὰ τὴν γενέθλιον τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ θεοῦ ἑορτὴν ἅμα τε τὴν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπιτρέπεται εἴσοδον καὶ ἅμα τῷ διαδήματι στέφεται, τὴν δὲ Θεοφανὼ εἰς Προικόνησον περιώρισεν. οὕτω μέντοι ἀναρρηθείς, ἐπεὶ ἀρχιερέως ἡ μεγάλη Ἀντιόχεια χηρεύουσα ἦν, προχειρίζεταί τινα μοναχὸν Θεόδωρον, ὃς αὐτῷ προέφη τῆς βασιλείας τυχεῖν, καὶ μὴ σπεῦσαι μηδ' ἁρπάσαι αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ μεῖναι τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θείου προχείρισιν. ὅσπερ τὴν ἀρχιερωσύνην καταδεξάμενος ἀξίωσιν ἔθετο πρὸς τὸν