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from Lesbos to Thrace he planned to cross over, having as his accomplice also the archbishop of Abydos; but having been discovered, he is condemned to be blinded in his eyes along with his son Nikephoros. But it is said that the emperor secretly instructed those entrusted with the blinding of the men not to gouge out their eyes, but to give the appearance of blinding, and to preserve for the men their sight unharmed. When these things had thus come to pass, an imperial letter reached Skleros, who had just routed the Scythians, 526 to cross over to the east and to stand against Bardas Phokas. And immediately he departed and came to Caesarea, and the followers of Phokas, having left him, flocked to Skleros; but he, left alone with his servants, fled to the fortress of Tyropoion. And when he was already near the said fortress, horsemen sent by Skleros overtook him; one of whom, Constantine Charon, being bolder than the others, as it seemed, outstripped his fellow soldiers and with more vigorous impetus attacked Phokas; but he was in the rear and was attending to his men, and Charon assailed him with insults. And Phokas said, "You ought not to rebuke a man who has fallen into such misfortunes." But while Charon was in this way approaching Bardas and attempting to strike him, that man, raising his mace, strikes Constantine on the helmet and shattered it along with the man's head, and immediately a purple death seized the one who was struck, killed by a single blow. And those riding behind, seeing the fallen man, desisted from the pursuit, and Phokas entered the fortress. Then Skleros also 527 arrived and persuaded him to submit to the emperor; and when he came forward and became a cleric, Tzimiskes confined him to Chios. And Skleros was again ordered to transfer to the western regions. And the emperor takes for himself a wife, at the urging of Basil the parakoimomenos, Theodora, the daughter of Constantine Porphyrogennetos. In the second year of his reign, when spring dawned, he marched out against the Rus with very many troops and a conspicuous fleet; and as he was departing, envoys ostensibly from the Scythians met him; but they were lookouts and spies of the Romans' strength, which did not escape the emperor's notice. Therefore, having ordered that they be led around the entire camp and observe it, he ordered them to depart. And as they were departing, he himself, taking along five thousand light-armed foot-soldiers and four thousand horsemen, went after the envoys and suddenly came near to great Persthlava and 528 set up a palisade, which threw the Tauro-Scythians into confusion. And Kalokyres, the prime mover of these evils, being present there at that time and learning that the emperor had arrived, fled to the camp of the Rus; from whom they learned of the emperor's presence and were thrown into confusion, yet nonetheless they encamped opposite the Romans. But the emperor's men, coming to the city of Persthlava, as has been said, found about eight thousand training outside and they engaged them. They held out for a short time, then turned their backs and fled. And those inside, arming themselves as each was able, came out to help their kinsmen, and as they advanced without order, the Romans, meeting them, slew them, while the rest retreated back into the city again. But when some horsemen rode forth and blocked the path leading to the city, the barbarians were scattered throughout the area outside the city; where some were taken alive, and others were killed, while those in the city, having closed the gates, were besieged. On the next day, when Basil the parakoimomenos arrived with 529 the entire army, the emperor undertook the siege more vigorously; and some ascended the wall by means of ladders and, having cut down with their swords the barbarians found there, opened the gates and provided easy entry for the entire Roman army. And thus indeed the city of Persthlava

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ἐκ Λέσβου πρὸς Θρᾴκην ἐβουλεύσατο διαβῆναι, ἔχων συμπράττοντά οἱ καὶ τὸν Ἀβύδου ἀρχιεπίσκοπον· γνωσθεὶς δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πηρωθῆναι καταδικάζεται σὺν τῷ υἱῷ Νικηφόρῳ. λέγεται δὲ τὸν βασιλέα κατὰ τὸ λεληθὸς ἐντείλασθαι τοῖς ἐπιτραπεῖσι τὴν πήρωσιν τῶν ἀνδρῶν μὴ ἐκκόψαι τούτοις τὰ ὄμματα, ἀλλὰ δόκησιν μὲν παρασχεῖν ἐκτυφλώσεως, παραφυλάξαι δὲ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀλώβητον τὸ ὁρᾶν. τούτων οὖν οὕτω συνενεχθέντων, γραφὴ καταλαμβάνει βασίλειος τὸν Σκληρὸν ἄρτι τοὺς Σκύθας τρεψάμενον 526 διαπεραιωθῆναι πρὸς τὴν ἑῴαν καὶ τῷ Βάρδᾳ τῷ Φωκᾷ ἀντικαταστῆναι. καὶ αὐτίκα ἀπῄει καὶ πρὸς Καισάρειαν γέγονε, καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν Φωκᾶν ἐκεῖνον λιπόντες τῷ Σκληρῷ προσερρύησαν, μόνος δὲ μετὰ τῶν θεραπόντων περιλειφθεὶς πρὸς τὸ φρούριον κατέφυγε τὸ Τυροποιόν. ἤδη δ' ἐγγὺς ὄντα τοῦ εἰρημένου φρουρίου καταλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ἱππεῖς πεμφθέντες πρὸς τοῦ Σκληροῦ· ὧν εἷς Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Χάρων θρασύτερος τῶν ἄλλων, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὢν προφθάσας τοὺς συστρατιώτας μεθ' ὁρμῆς συντονωτέρας ἐπήρχετο τῷ Φωκᾷ· ὁ δὲ οὐράγει καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ περιεῖπε, καὶ ὁ Χάρων ὕβρεσι τοῦτον ἔβαλλε. καὶ ὁ Φωκᾶς "οὐκ ἔδει σε" εἶπεν "ἄνθρωπον ἐν συμφοραῖς τοιαύταις γενόμενον ἐπιπλήσσειν." τοῦ δὲ Χάρωνος ἐν τούτοις ἐγγίσαντος τῷ Βάρδᾳ καὶ βαλεῖν ἐπιχειροῦντος αὐτόν, ἐκεῖνος τὴν κορύνην ἀνατείνας παίει τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον κατὰ τῆς κόρυθος καὶ ταύτην συνέτριψε μετὰ τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ ἀνδρός, καὶ εὐθὺς εἷλε τὸν πεπληγμένον πορφύρεος θάνατος, μιᾷ θανατωθέντα πληγῇ. οἱ δὲ κατόπιν ἐλαύνοντες ὁρῶντες τὸν πεσόντα ἀφίστανται τῆς διώξεως, καὶ ὁ Φωκᾶς εἰσέδυ τὸ φρούριον. εἶτα καὶ ὁ Σκληρὸς 527 παρεγένετο καὶ πέπεικεν αὐτὸν προσχωρῆσαι τῷ βασιλεῖ· καὶ προσελθόντα κληρικόν τε γενόμενον εἰς τὴν Χίον περιορίζει ὁ Τζιμισκής. καὶ ὁ Σκληρὸς αὖθις προστάττεται μεταβῆναι εἰς τὰ ἑσπέρια. Νυμφεύεται δ' ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκα ὁ βασιλεὺς σπουδῇ Βασιλείου τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Θεοδώραν θυγατέρα Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ Πορφυρογεννήτου. ἔτει δὲ δευτέρῳ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἔαρος ἀναλάμψαντος ἐκστρατεύει κατὰ τῶν Ῥῶς σὺν στρατεύμασι πλείοσι καὶ στόλῳ περιφανεῖ· καὶ ἀπιόντι συναντῶσιν αὐτῷ πρεσβευταὶ δῆθεν τῶν Σκυθῶν· οἱ δὲ κατοπτῆρες ἦσαν καὶ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἰσχύος κατάσκοποι, ὃ οὐδὲ τὸν βασιλέα διέλαθε. προστάξας οὖν περιαχθῆναι αὐτοὺς κατὰ πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον καὶ τοῦτο καταμαθεῖν, ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. ἐκείνων δὲ ἀπιόντων καὶ αὐτὸς εὐζώνους παραλαβὼν πεζοὺς εἰς χιλιάδας πέντε καὶ ἱππότας τετρακισχιλίους ὀπίσω τῶν πρέσβεων ἀπῄει καὶ ἀθρόον ἐγγὺς τῆς μεγάλης Περσθλάβας γίνεται καὶ 528 βάλλεται χάρακα, ὃ τοὺς Ταυροσκύθας εἰς ἀμηχανίαν ἐνέβαλε. Καλοκύρης δὲ ὁ τῶν κακῶν πρωτουργὸς ἐκεῖ τότε παρὼν καὶ γνοὺς τὸν βασιλέα παραγενόμενον, πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ῥῶς ἀπέδρα παρεμβολήν, ἀφ' οὗ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως παρουσίαν μαθόντες ἐτεθορύβηντο, ὅμως μέντοι παραστρατοπεδεύονται τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθόντες εἰς τὸ τῆς Περσθλάβας ἄστυ, ὡς εἴρηται, καταλαμβάνουσιν ἐκτὸς γυμναζομένους ὡς ὀκτακισχιλίους κἀκείνοις συνέμιξαν. οἱ δὲ πρὸς μὲν ὀλίγον ἀντέσχον, εἶτα νῶτα στρέψαντες ἔφευγον. καὶ οἱ ἐντός, ὡς ἕκαστος ἠδύνατο ὁπλισάμενοι, ἐπικουρήσοντες τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις ἐξῄεσαν, καὶ ἀσυντάκτως αὐτοῖς χωροῦσιν ὑπαντιάζοντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἀνῄρουν, οἱ δὲ εἰς τὴν πόλιν αὖθις ἀνθυπενόστουν. ἀλλ' ἱππέων τινῶν ἐξιππασαμένων καὶ τὴν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπάγουσαν ἀτραπὸν ἐπιτειχισάντων, οἱ βάρβαροι ἀνὰ τὸν ἐκτὸς τοῦ ἄστεος χῶρον ἐσκίδναντο· ἔνθα οἱ μὲν ἐζωγροῦντο, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐκτείνοντο, οἱ δ' ἐν τῇ πόλει τὰς πύλας κλείσαντες ἐπολιορκοῦντο. τῇ δ' ἑξῆς τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Βασιλείου μετὰ 529 πάσης τῆς στρατιᾶς ἐλθόντος, ἐρρωμενέστερον ὁ βασιλεὺς τῇ πολιορκίᾳ ἐπικεχείρηκε· καί τινες διὰ κλιμάκων εἰς τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβεβήκασι καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖ τῶν βαρβάρων καταληφθέντας συγκόψαντες ξίφεσι τὰς πύλας ἠνέῳξαν καὶ τῇ Ῥωμαϊκῇ στρατιᾷ πάσῃ ῥᾳδίαν παρέσχον τὴν εἴσοδον. καὶ οὕτως μὲν τὸ τῆς Περσθλάβας ἄστυ