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they had shaken off the yoke of servitude and had broken the bonds of the rule of the Romans, the emperor marched out against them; and some who submitted again without a struggle, but others with iron and great force he brought under the yoke of the rule of the Romans. Setting out from there 537 and arriving at Anazarbus and Podandus, seeing both there and in many other lands estates that were populous and bore all kinds of produce, he asked whose they were. And learning that they belonged to the parakoimomenos Basil, some having been acquired for the empire from the emperor Nicephorus Phocas, some by himself while he was domestic of the schools, and some from others, and having been gifted to him, he was both pained and said it was a terrible thing if one eunuch was enjoying the public properties for which many good men had fallen and many had suffered. These things, reported by someone to the parakoimomenos, stirred him up to a plot against the emperor; and having mixed a certain poisonous drug, not fast-acting nor causing a swift death, but a weak one and working on the one who drank it over time, and having suborned with gifts the one accustomed to be the wine-pourer for the emperor, he poured this into the cup of the ruler, which when drunk gradually harmed the strength of the drinker and destroyed the condition of his body, until it drove the emperor even to his death. Thus then John Tzimiskes, having departed from this life, leaves the empire to its 538 heirs, namely to Basil and to Constantine the sons of Romanus, having reigned for six and a half years. But what would have nearly been forgotten, I have come to relate. How then the curopalates Leo Phocas and his son Nicephorus, having been condemned to blinding, were not deprived of their sight, the emperor having secretly given instructions about them, has already been narrated. But still having their own eyes unharmed they were not content with being saved, but were planning to attack the empire again, having gained many of those around the city and the palace to be of like mind with them. But they were discovered and arrested, when one of the conspirators reported the plot. Therefore, they were no longer deemed worthy of humane treatment, but their eyes were unpityingly gouged out, and this was for them the end of their good fortune and of their desire for the empire. The scepter of the Romans was therefore restored to those to whom it belonged by birth, to Basil and to Constantine I mean, of whom the one was completing his twentieth year of age, but Constantine his seventeenth. But while these wore 539 the symbols of imperial power, the proedros Basil simply girded himself with the authority. But Basil tolerated it, not yet trusting himself, and like a trainer he paid attention to the parakoimomenos and regulated himself according to the latter’s handling and administration of public affairs, so that, when the time called, he himself might in this way handle the military registers and the good order of the state. For he was vigilant and active in character, but not relaxed like his brother and devoted to an idle life. As soon, then, as the power had devolved upon these blood-brothers, the proedros immediately brings their mother down from exile and restores her to her sons. But suspecting the magistros Bardas Sclerus, who was strategos and had all the eastern forces under his command, he deprives him of the office of strategos, and appoints him doux of Mesopotamia. This greatly vexed Sclerus and, as he was otherwise always nurturing in himself a desire for the empire, it provoked him to revolt. Having therefore taken up the office to which he had been appointed, he revealed his secret to many. Loved 540 on account of his valor by the entire army, he had almost all of them obedient to him. But since his son Romanus was in the queen of cities, he hastened to have him also with him and, having secretly sent someone, he was able to bring his son away unnoticed; and immediately he undertook the tyranny and binds his head with an imperial diadem and puts on his feet purple sandals, and is acclaimed as

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τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγὸν ἀπεσείσαντο καὶ τοὺς δεσμοὺς διέρρηξαν τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, ἐξεστράτευσεν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατ' αὐτῶν· καὶ οὓς μὲν ἀπραγμόνως ὑποκύψαντας αὖθις, οὓς δὲ σιδήρῳ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ πολλῇ τῷ ζυγῷ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ὑπηγάγετο. ἀναζευγνὺς δ' ἐκεῖθεν 537 καὶ γενόμενος κατὰ τὴν Ἀνάβαρζαν καὶ τὸ Ποδανδόν, ὁρῶν τε κἀνταῦθα καὶ ἐν ἄλλαις χώραις πολλαῖς χωρία πολυάνθρωπά τε καὶ πάμφορα, ἠρώτα οὗ εἶεν. καὶ μανθάνων ὅτι τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου εἰσὶ Βασιλείου, τὰ μὲν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Νικηφόρου τοῦ Φωκᾶ, τὰ δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ δομεστίκου τυγχάνοντος τῶν σχολῶν, τὰ δὲ παρ' ἑτέρων προσκτηθέντα τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ δωρηθέντα αὐτῷ, ἤλγησέ τε καὶ δεινὸν εἶπεν εἰ τῶν δημοσίων κτημάτων καὶ ἐφ' οἷς πολλοὶ ἔπεσον ἀγαθοὶ ἄνδρες, πολλοὶ δὲ ἐκακουχήθησαν, εἷς ἐκτομίας καταπολαύει. ταῦτα παρά του τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ καταγγελθέντα πρὸς ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτὸν ἀνηρέθισαν· καί τι δηλητήριον κερασάμενος φάρμακον, οὐ δραστήριον οὐδ' ὠκύμορον, ἀβληχρὸν δὲ καὶ χρόνῳ τὸν πεπωκότα κατεργαζόμενον, καὶ ὑπελθὼν δώροις τὸν οἰνοχοεύειν εἰωθότα τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐγχεῖ τοῦτο τοῦ κρατοῦντος τῇ κύλικι, ὃ ποθὲν κατὰ βραχὺ τὴν τοῦ πιόντος ἐσίνετο δύναμιν καὶ διέφθειρε τὴν ἕξιν τοῦ σώματος, ἕως συνήλασε καὶ εἰς τὸν μόρον τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. οὕτως οὖν τῶν τῇδε μεταστὰς ὁ Τζιμισκὴς Ἰωάννης καταλείπει τὴν βασιλείαν τοῖς κληρονόμοις αὐ538 τῆς τῷ Βασιλείῳ δηλαδὴ καὶ τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ τοῖς υἱέσι τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ, βασιλεύσας ἓξ πρὸς τὸ ἥμισυ ἐνιαυτούς. Ὃ δέ γε μικροῦ διέλαθεν ἄν, ἥκω διηγησόμενος. ὅπως μὲν οὖν ὁ κουροπαλάτης Λέων ὁ Φωκᾶς καὶ ὁ ἐκείνου υἱὸς ὁ Νικηφόρος κατακριθέντες ἐκτύφλωσιν οὐκ ἐστερήθησαν τοῦ φωτός, λάθρᾳ τοῦτο τοῦ βασιλέως περὶ αὐτῶν ἐπισκήψαντος, ἤδη ἱστόρηται. ἔχοντες δ' ἔτι τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀλώβητα ὄμματα οὐκ ἠγάπων σωζόμενοι, ἀλλὰ τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ πάλιν ἐπιθέσθαι διεμελέτων, πολλοὺς τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ βασίλεια ἑαυτοῖς ὁμοφρονοῦντας κτησάμενοι. ἀλλ' ἐφωράθησάν τε καὶ συνεσχέθησαν, ἑνὸς τῶν συνωμοτῶν τὸ μελέτημα καταγγείλαντος. οὐκέτι γοῦν φιλανθρωπίας ἠξίωντο, ἀλλ' ἀσυμπαθῶς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξωρύχθησαν, καὶ τοῦτο τέλος αὐτοῖς τῆς εὐτυχίας καὶ τοῦ περὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐγένετο ἔρωτος. Ἀποκατέστη τοίνυν τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων σκῆπτρον τοῖς τούτῳ κατὰ γένος προσήκουσι, τῷ Βασιλείῳ καὶ τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ φημί, ὧν ὁ μὲν εἰκοστὸν ἤνυε τῆς ἡλικίας ἐνιαυτόν, ὁ δέ γε Κωνσταντῖνος ἑπτακαιδέκατον. ἀλλ' οὗτοι μὲν τὰ τῆς βασιλείας 539 περιέκειντο σύμβολα, τὴν δ' ἐξουσίαν ὁ πρόεδρος Βασίλειος περιέζωστο ἀτεχνῶς. ἠνείχετο δὲ ὁ Βασίλειος μήπω πεποιθὼς ἑαυτῷ, καὶ οἷον παιδοτρίβῃ τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ προσεῖχε καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἐρρύθμιζε πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου τῶν δημοσίων πραγμάτων μεταχείρισιν καὶ διοίκησιν, ὡς ἂν καιροῦ καλοῦντος οὕτως καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ περὶ τοὺς στρατιωτικοὺς καταλόγους καὶ τῆς πολιτικῆς εὐνομίας μεταχειρίσηται. ἦν γὰρ τὸ ἦθος ἐγρηγορὼς καὶ δραστήριος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀνειμένος κατὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ περὶ τὸν ἀργὸν βίον ἐσχολακώς. ἄρτι γοῦν εἰς τοὺς ὁμαίμονας τούτους περιέστη τὸ κράτος καὶ αὐτίκα ἐκ τῆς ὑπερορίας τὴν τούτους κατάγει τεκοῦσαν ὁ πρόεδρος καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς ἀποδίδωσιν. ὑποπτεύων δὲ τὸν μάγιστρον Βάρδαν τὸν Σκληρόν, στρατηλάτην ὄντα καὶ πάσας ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἔχοντα τὰς ἑῴας δυνάμεις, ἀφαιρεῖται μὲν αὐτοῦ τὴν τοῦ στρατηλάτου ἀρχήν, δοῦκα δὲ Μεσοποταμίας αὐτὸν προχειρίζεται. τοῦτο σφόδρα ἠνίασε τὸν Σκληρὸν καὶ ἄλλως ἀεὶ τρέφοντα παρ' ἑαυτῷ τῆς βασιλείας τὸν ἔρωτα πρὸς ἀποστασίαν ἠρέθισε. καταλαβὼν οὖν τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς ἣν προεβέβλητο πολλοῖς ἀνεκάλυψε τὸ ἀπόρρητον. φιλού540 μενος δὲ διὰ τὰς ἀριστείας ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος πειθηνίους εἶχε σχεδὸν ἅπαντας. ὅτι δ' ἦν ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι τῶν πόλεων ὁ παῖς αὐτοῦ Ῥωμανός, ἔσπευσε σχεῖν κἀκεῖνον παρ' ἑαυτῷ καὶ στείλας λάθρᾳ τινὰ ἠδυνήθη καὶ τὸν υἱὸν λαθόντα ὑπαγαγέσθαι· καὶ αὐτίκα τῇ τυραννίδι ἐπικεχείρηκε ταινίᾳ τε βασιλείῳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀναδεῖται καὶ φοινικοῖς πεδίλοις τοὺς πόδας ὑποδεῖται, καὶ εὐφημεῖται ὡς