142

his protocursor asked them, by whose permission had they done this? And they said that the secretaries had done this according to custom. But the people and the crowds cried out: "Many years to the philanthropic master." And the secretaries, when asked why they had done this, said, "Since they were named children of the emperor by all, we did this on our own initiative." But Priscus, seized with fear, dreaded the indignation of the emperor. And when the crowds shouted for them to be treated with clemency, Phocas consented; from that time, therefore, Priscus was angry and was not on good terms with Phocas. And a certain woman named Petronia became for the empress Constantina like a deaconess, carrying the replies from Constantina to Germanus; and as the rumor spread that Theodosius, the son of Maurice, was alive, both Constantina and Germanus had good hopes in this; but the unholy Petronia made these things manifest to the tyrant. And the tyrant gave Constantina to Theopemptus the prefect 295 for torture; and while being tortured, she confessed that Romanus the patrician knew what was being said by them. He, having been arrested and examined, agreed that there were also others as his collaborators in the plot against the tyrant. And Theodore, the prefect of the East, was also arrested, whom the tyrant killed by flogging him with ox-hide whips; and having cut off the hands and feet of Elpidius, he handed him over to the fire, and he beheaded Romanus, and he put to the sword Constantina along with her three daughters at the mole of Eutropius, where Maurice had also been killed, and he killed Germanus and his daughter on the island of Prote by the edge of the sword, likewise also John and Tzitas and Patricius and Theodosius, who held the rank of subadiuva, and Andrew Skombros and David, the chartophylax of Hormisdas. And at the same time the Persians, having crossed the Euphrates, took captive all of Syria and Palestine and Phoenicia, causing a great capture among the Romans. Years of the world ϛρʹ. Years of the divine incarnation χʹ. Emperor of the Romans, Phocas, ζʹ years. ϛʹ. King of the Persians, Chosroes, λθʹ years. κʹ. Bishop of Constantinople, Thomas, γʹ years. γʹ. Bishop of Jerusalem, Isaac, ηʹ years. ηʹ. Bishop of Alexandria, Theodore, βʹ years. βʹ. Bishop of Antioch, Anastasius, θʹ years. ηʹ. In this year Priscus, unable to bear seeing both the unjust murders and the evil things being done by Phocas, wrote to Heraclius, the patrician and general of Africa, to send Heraclius, his son, and Nicetas, the son of Gregoras the patrician and his second-in-command, so that they might come against the tyrant 296 Phocas; for he heard that a revolt against Phocas was being planned in Africa; whence also the ships from Africa did not put to sea at this time. And Phocas pitilessly killed the entire family of Maurice and Comentiolus, the general of Thrace, and many others. And in this time there was also a plague and gnats of every kind. And the Persians went out with Kardarigas and took Armenia and Cappadocia, and having fought, they routed the armies of the Romans; and they took Galatia and Paphlagonia; and they came as far as Chalcedon, ravaging every age group without mercy. And while the Persians were tyrannizing the Romans outside the city, Phocas was doing worse things to them inside, murdering and taking them captive. Bishop of Constantinople, Sergius, κθʹ years. Bishop of Jerusalem, Zacharias, κβʹ years. Bishop of Alexandria, John, ιʹ years. ϛραʹ. χαʹ. ζʹ. καʹ. αʹ. αʹ. αʹ. θʹ. In this year the Jews of Antioch, having become disorderly, made a revolt against the Christians and slaughtered Anastasius, the great patriarch of Antioch, having put his genitals into his mouth; and after this, having dragged him to the Mese, they murdered him and many of the property owners and burned them. And Phocas made Bonosus and Cottanas comes of the East

142

τὸν πρωτοκούρσορα αὐτοῦ ἠρώτα αὐτούς, τίνος ἐπιτρέψαντος τοῦτο πεποίηκαν; οἱ δὲ εἶπον, ὅτι κατὰ συνήθειαν οἱ γραμμισταὶ τοῦτο πεποίηκαν. ὁ δὲ δῆμος καὶ οἱ ὄχλοι ἔκραζον· "φιλανθρώπου δεσπότου πολλὰ τὰ ἔτη." οἱ δὲ γραμμισταὶ ἐρωτηθέντες διὰ τί τοῦτο πεποίηκαν; ἔφησαν, ὅτι "τοῦ βασιλέως τέκνα ὀνομασθέντα ὑπὸ πάντων, ἡμεῖς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν τοῦτο πεποιήκαμεν." ὁ δὲ Πρίσκος φόβῳ συνεχόμενος τὴν ἀγανάκτησιν ἐδειλία τοῦ βασιλέως. τῶν δὲ ὄχλων κραζόντων φιλανθρωπευθῆναι αὐτοῖς, συνεχώρησεν ὁ Φωκᾶς· ἔκτοτε οὖν ὁ Πρίσκος μηνιάσας οὐκ ἦν ἐν ὀρθότητι μετὰ Φωκᾶ. γυνὴ δέ τις ὀνόματι Πετρωνία γίνεται τῇ βασιλίσσῃ Κωνσταντίνῃ ὡς ἀντὶ διακόνου πρὸς Γερμανὸν ἐκ Κωνσταντίνης τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ποιουμένη· τῆς δὲ φήμης πλατυνομένης Θεοδόσιον ζῇν, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Μαυρικίου, ἐλπίδας ἀγαθὰς ἥ τε Κωνσταντῖνα καὶ ὁ Γερμανὸς εἶχεν ἐπὶ τούτῳ· ἡ δὲ ἀνοσία Πετρωνία τῷ τυράννῳ ταῦτα κατάδηλα πεποίηκεν. ὁ δὲ τύραννος Κωνσταντῖναν Θεοπέμπτῳ τῷ ἐπάρχῳ 295 πρὸς βάσανα ἔδωκεν· ἡ δὲ βασανιζομένη Ῥωμανὸν τὸν πατρίκιον γινώσκειν τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν λαλούμενα ὡμολόγησεν. οὗτος δὲ κατασχεθεὶς καὶ ἐξετασθεὶς συγκατέθετο καὶ ἄλλους εἶναι συνεργοὺς αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ τυράννου ἐπιβουλήν. κατεσχέθη δὲ καὶ Θεόδωρος, ὁ τῆς ἀνατολῆς ἔπαρχος, ὃν ὁ τύραννος βουνεύροις μαστίζων ἀνεῖλεν· Ἐλπιδίου τε τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τοὺς πόδας κόψας τῷ πυρὶ τοῦτον παρέδωκεν, τόν τε Ῥωμανὸν ἀπεκεφάλισεν, τὴν δὲ Κωνσταντῖναν σὺν ταῖς τρισὶ θυγατράσιν ἐν τῷ μώλῳ Εὐτροπίου, ἔνθα καὶ Μαυρίκιος ἀνῃρέθη, ξίφει ἀπέτεμεν, τὸν Γερμανὸν δὲ καὶ τὴν τούτου θυγατέρα ἐν τῇ Πρώτῃ νήσῳ στόματι μαχαίρας ἀπέκτεινεν, ὁμοίως καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Τζίταν καὶ Πατρίκιον καὶ Θεοδόσιον, τὸν τὴν σουβαδιουβᾶ περικείμενον ἀξίαν, καὶ Ἀνδρέαν τὸν Σκόμβρον καὶ ∆αυίδ, τὸν χαρτοφύλακα τῶν Ὁρμίσδου. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ χρόνῳ οἱ Πέρσαι τὸν Εὐφράτην περάσαντες πᾶσαν τὴν Συρίαν καὶ Παλαιστίνην καὶ Φοινίκην ᾐχμαλώτευσαν πολλὴν ἅλωσιν ἐν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ποιήσαντες. Κόσμου ἔτη ϛρʹ. Τῆς θείας σαρκώσεως ἔτη χʹ. Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς Φωκᾶς ἔτη ζʹ. ϛʹ. Περσῶν βασιλεὺς Χοσρόης ἔτη λθʹ. κʹ. Κωνσταντ. ἐπίσκοπος Θωμᾶς ἔτη γʹ. γʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ἰσάκιος ἔτη ηʹ. ηʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Θεόδωρος ἔτη βʹ. βʹ. Ἀντιοχείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἀναστάσιος ἔτη θʹ. ηʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ὁ Πρίσκος μὴ ὑποφέρων ὁρᾷν τούς τε ἀδίκους φόνους καὶ τὰ κακὰ τὰ ὑπὸ Φωκᾶ γινόμενα ἔγραψε πρὸς Ἡράκλειον, τὸν πατρίκιον καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἀφρικῆς, ὥστε ἀποστεῖλαι Ἡράκλειον, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Νικήταν, τὸν υἱὸν Γρηγορᾶ τοῦ πατρικίου καὶ ὑποστρατήγου αὐτοῦ, ὅπως ἔλθωσι κατὰ τοῦ τυράν296 νου Φωκᾶ· ἤκουε γὰρ μελετωμένην ἐν τῇ Ἀφρικῇ κατὰ Φωκᾶ ἀνταρσίαν· ὅθεν οὐδὲ τὰ πλοῖα τῆς Ἀφρικῆς ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ ἀνέβαλον. ἀπέκτεινε δὲ Φωκᾶς πᾶσαν τὴν συγγένειαν Μαυρικίου καὶ Κομεντίολον, τὸν στρατηγὸν τῆς Θρᾴκης, καὶ ἄλλους πολλοὺς ἀνηλεῶς. ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ καὶ θανατικὸν καὶ σκνιπία παντὸς εἴδους. οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι ἐξῆλθον σὺν τῷ Καρδαρίγᾳ καὶ παρέλαβον τὴν Ἀρμενίαν καὶ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν, καὶ πολεμήσαντες ἔτρεψαν τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατεύματα· καὶ παρέλαβον τὴν Γαλατίαν καὶ τὴν Παφλαγονίαν· καὶ ἦλθον μέχρι Χαλκηδόνος λυμαινόμενοι ἀφειδῶς πᾶσαν ἡλικίαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν Πέρσαι ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐτυράννουν Ῥωμαίους· Φωκᾶς δὲ ἔνδον τὰ χείρονα αὐτοῖς ἐποίει φονεύων καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζων. Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐπίσκοπος Σέργιος ἔτη κθʹ. Ἱεροσολύμων ἐπίσκοπος Ζαχαρίας ἔτη κβʹ. Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἰωάννης ἔτη ιʹ. ϛραʹ. χαʹ. ζʹ. καʹ. αʹ. αʹ. αʹ. θʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἀτακτήσαντες οἱ Ἀντιοχεῖς Ἑβραῖοι στάσινἐποιήσαντο κατὰ Χριστιανῶν καὶ ἀποσφάττουσιν Ἀναστάσιον, τὸν μέγαν πατριάρχην Ἀντιοχείας, βαλόντες τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο σύραντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Μέσην ἐφόνευσαν καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν κτητόρων καὶ ἔκαυσαν αὐτούς. ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς ἐποίησε κόμητα ἀνατολῆς Βώνοσον καὶ Κοττανᾶν