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to have died." But Germanus fled for refuge to the church of the Mother of God of Cyrus. And the emperor, learning this, sent Stephen the eunuch to lead Germanus out of the church. But when Stephen wanted to lead him out by force, the shield-bearers of Germanus resisted and pushed Stephen out, and taking Germanus, they fled for refuge to the Great Church. But the emperor flogged Theodosius, his own son, with rods. For he was saying that Germanus had been driven to flight through him; and he sent the Excubitors to lead Germanus out of the Great Church. Thereupon a great uproar descended upon the city. And Germanus was willing to come out and give himself up; but the crowds did not allow it, but dishonored the emperor with great insults, saying: "May he who loves you have no skin, Maurice the Marcianist." So those guarding the walls, having learned these things, neglected their guard duty. Then those of the Green faction burn down the house of Constantine, who was called Lardys. And Maurice, in the middle of the night, taking off his imperial robe and putting on private clothes, entered a dromon with his wife and his children and Constantine and escaped. But the crowds through the whole night were insulting the emperor with the most shameful insults, and were also mocking the patriarch Cyriacus. Then, a great storm having arisen, Maurice was saved with the greatest dangers at Saint Autonomus. And on that very night, arthritic diseases attacked him, which they call podalgia and cheiralgia. Thence he sent Theodosius, his own son, with Constantine to Chosroes, the king of the Persians, 289 so that he might be reminded of the things done for him by Maurice and might render the return for the good deed to his son. But Germanus sent to Sergius, the demarch of the Green faction, that he might strive with him to become emperor, promising to honor the Green faction and to invest him with great dignities. And Sergius made this bold proposal to the most distinguished men of the deme. But they did not accept this, saying: "Germanus would never abandon his partiality for the Blues." But the Greens, going out to Rhegium, honored the tyrant Phocas with great acclamations, and persuaded him to come to the Hebdomon. So Phocas sent Theodore the asecretis, and entering into the Great Church he read out to the people that the patriarch, the demes, and the senate should come to the Hebdomon. So when this was done, and all had come to the Hebdomon, Cyriacus the patriarch demanded from the tyrant a confession concerning the orthodox faith and that he keep the church undisturbed. And the tyrant seemed to urge Germanus to become emperor. But with Germanus dissembling that he did not wish it, and the demes acclaiming the tyrant, the evil was proclaimed, and the tyrant was appointed lord of the sceptres, and calamity prevailed over good fortune, and the great misfortunes of the Romans took their beginning. And the proclamation of the tyrant took place in the church of John the Baptist. And having spent two days in this place, on the third he entered the palace, sitting on the imperial carriage. And on the fifth day he crowned Leontia, his own wife, as Augusta. Therefore the factions rioted against one another on this day because of disputes over places. And the tyrant sent out Alexander, his fellow-rebel, to quiet the factions. But Alexander, laying hands on Cosmas, the demarch of the Blues, both pushed and insulted him. And the Blues, being indignant, were shouting: "Go away! Learn the situation, Maurice is not dead." And the tyrant, having heard these things, was moved to the murder of Maurice; and sending soldiers, he brought them to Chalcedon, to the harbor of Eutropius 290. And the male children of the emperor, five of them, were killed before his eyes,

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τεθνάναι." ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς εἰς τὸν ναὸν τῆς θεομήτορος τῶν Κύρου προσέφυγεν. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦτο μαθὼν Στέφανον τὸν εὐνοῦχον ἀπέστειλεν ὑπεξαγαγεῖν τὸν Γερμανὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. τοῦ δὲ Στεφάνου βιαίως ἐξαγαγεῖν τοῦτον θελήσαντος, οἱ τοῦ Γερμανοῦ ὑπασπισταὶ ἀντικαταστάντες ἐξωθοῦσι τὸν Στέφανον καὶ λαβόντες τὸν Γερμανὸν εἰς τὴν μεγάλην ἐκκλησίαν καταφεύγουσιν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ῥάβδοις ἐμαστίγου Θεοδόσιον, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν. ἔφασκε γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν Γερμανὸν φυγαδευθῆναι· καὶ ἀποστέλλει τοὺς ἐκσκουβίτορας τοῦ ἐξαγαγεῖν τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας τὸν Γερμανόν. ἐντεῦθεν θρῦλος μέγας τῇ πόλει ἐνέσκηψεν. ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς ἠθέλησεν ἐξελθεῖν καὶ δοῦναι ἑαυτόν· τὰ δὲ πλήθη οὐ κατεδέξαντο, ἀλλ' ὕβρεσι μεγάλαις τὸν βασιλέα ἠτίμασαν λέγοντες· "μὴ σχοίη δέρμα ὁ φιλῶν σε, Μαυρίκιε Μαρκιανιστά." οἱ τοίνυν τὰ τείχη φρουροῦντες ταῦτα μαθόντες τῆς φρουρᾶς κατημέλησαν. τότε οἱ τοῦ Πρασίνου μέρους τὴν οἰκίαν Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ λεγομένου Λάρδου καταφλέγουσιν. ὁ δὲ Μαυρίκιος μεσούσης τῆς νυκτὸς ἀποδυσάμενος τὴν βασίλειον στολὴν καὶ ἰδιωτικὴν περιβαλόμενος εἰς δρόμωνά τε εἰσελθὼν μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν τέκνων αὐτοῦ καὶ Κωνσταντίνου ἀποδιδράσκει. τὰ πλήθη δὲ δι' ὅλης τῆς νυκτὸς αἰσχίσταις ὕβρεσι τὸν βασιλέα καθύβριζον, ἐπέσκωπτόν τε καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην Κυριακόν. λαίλαπος τοίνυν γενομένου μεγάλου, μετὰ κινδύνων μεγίστων διασώζεται ὁ Μαυρίκιος εἰς τὸν ἅγιον Αὐτόνομον. ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐπιτίθενται αὐτῷ καὶ νόσοι ἀρθρίτιδες, ἃς ποδαλγίας καὶ χειραλγίας καλοῦσιν. ἐντεῦθεν ἀποστέλλει Θεοδόσιον, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ υἱόν, μετὰ Κωνσταντίνου πρὸς Χοσρόην, τὸν βασιλέα Περσῶν, 289 ὅπως ὑπομνησθῇ τῶν ὑπὸ Μαυρικίου γεγονότων αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν τῆς εὐεργεσίας προσνείμῃ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ. ὁ δὲ Γερμανὸς πέμπει πρὸς Σέργιον, τὸν δήμαρχον τοῦ Πρασίνου μέρους, ὅπως συναγωνίσηται αὐτῷ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι, ὑποσχόμενος τιμῆσαι τὸ μέρος τοῦ Πρασίνου καὶ αὐτὸν μεγάλαις ἀξίαις περιβαλεῖν. ὁ δὲ Σέργιος τοῖς ἐπισημοτέροις τοῦ δήμου τοῦτο ἐθάρρησεν. οἱ δὲ τοῦτο οὐ κατεδέξαντο λέγοντες· "οὐκ ἄν ποτε Γερμανὸς τῆς τῶν Βενέτων προσπαθείας ἀποστήσεται." οἱ δὲ Πράσινοι ἐξελθόντες εἰς τὸ Ῥήγιον μεγάλαις εὐφημίαις ἐτίμων τὸν τύραννον Φωκᾶν, καὶ πείθουσιν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ παραγενέσθαι. πέμπει τοίνυν ὁ Φωκᾶς Θεόδωρον τὸν ἀσηκρήτην, καὶ εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπανέγνωσε τῷ λαῷ, ὅπως ὅ τε πατριάρχης οἱ δῆμοί τε καὶ ἡ σύγκλητος ἀφίκωνται ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ. τούτου τοίνυν γεγονότος, καὶ πάντων ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ ἀφικομένων, Κυριακὸς ὁ πατριάρχης ἀπῄτησε τὸν τύραννον ὁμολογίαν περὶ τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως καὶ τοῦ ἀτάραχον φυλάξαι τὴν ἐκκλησίαν. ἔδοξε δὲ ὁ τύραννος τὸν Γερμανὸν εἰς βασιλέα προτρέπεσθαι. τοῦ δὲ Γερμανοῦ κατειρωνευομένου μὴ θέλειν, καὶ τῶν δήμων εὐφημούντων τὸν τύραννον, ἀναγορεύεται τὸ κακόν, καὶ κύριος τῶν σκήπτρων ὁ τύραννος προχειρίζεται, καὶ κρατεῖ τῆς εὐδαιμονίας ἡ συμφορά, καὶ λαμβάνει τὴν ἔναρξιν τὰ μεγάλα τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀτυχήματα. ἡ δὲ ἀναγόρευσις τοῦ τυράννου εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου ἐγένετο. δύο δὲ ἡμέρας ἐν τούτῳ διατρίψας τῇ τρίτῃ εἰς τὰ βασίλεια εἰσῆλθεν ἐπὶ βασιλικῆς ἁμάξης καθεζόμενος. τῇ δὲ πέμπτῃ ἡμέρᾳ Λεοντίαν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα, ἔστεψεν αὐγούσταν. καταστασιάζουσι τοίνυν τὰ μέρη πρὸς ἄλληλα ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ διὰ στάσεις τόπων. ὁ δὲ τύραννος Ἀλέξανδρον, τὸν συναντάρτην αὐτοῦ, ἐξέπεμψε κατευνάσαι τὰ μέρη. ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος Κοσμᾷ, τῷ τῶν Βενέτων δημάρχῳ, χεῖρας ἐπιβαλὼν ὤθησέ τε καὶ ὕβρισεν. οἱ δὲ Βένετοι ἀγανακτοῦντες ἔκραζον· "ὕπαγε· μάθε τὴν κατάστασιν, ὁ Μαυρίκιος οὐκ ἀπέθανεν." ὁ δὲ τύραννος τούτων ἀκηκοὼς ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Μαυρικίου φόνον κινεῖται· καὶ ἀποστείλας στρατιώτας ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς ἐν Χαλκηδόνι εἰς τὸν Εὐτροπίου 290 λιμένα. καὶ προαναιροῦνται τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ παῖδες οἱ ἄρρενες ἐπ' ὄψεσιν αὐτοῦ πέντε,