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king; and he made haste to collect money and had taken as allies both the amir of Amida (for so Emet is called) and the one of Martyropolis (which is named Miepherkeim), and indeed also Arabs. Taking these with him, therefore, he hastened towards Constantinople, buoyed up by good hopes, which he also nurtured from other sources, but more so from a dream of a certain monk pursuing virtue. For that one seemed to see Scleros approach a certain woman seated upon a high watchtower, and she handed him the imperial whip. The whip, as it seems, was a symbol of divine wrath and of the destruction of the Romans from the civil wars, which Scleros thought signified the empire, interpreting the vision according to 541 his own ambition. When the report about the tyranny of Scleros reached the rulers, the remaining military was prepared to stand against the apostate. Meanwhile, the archbishop of Nicomedia was sent to him as an ambassador and said many persuasive things to him for peace, but did not convince him. For Scleros, showing him the scarlet shoe, said it was impossible for one who had once put this on to cast it off easily. When those around the palace learned of this response, they were compelled to rush to battle. The commander of the imperial force was the eunuch Peter Phocas, whom we have mentioned before. So when the armies encamped against each other near Lapara, which was also named Lycandos, and clashed with one another, for a certain time the imperials held out bravely, then they were routed and many were killed, and the camp, falling to the enemy, was plundered. Then, having also taken the populous city of Tzamandos by the approach of its inhabitants, he had collected a swarm of money from it. Thus, having prevailed over the im542 perial army, he drew many from it to himself, who had already despaired of saving hopes concerning the emperors, and there flocked to him not only anonymous soldiers, but also many of the renowned. When these things were reported to the parakoimomenos, Leo the protovestiarios was sent again, entrusted with absolute authority and having received permission to do all things that are allowed even to emperors (one might have called the man a dictator in the Latin tongue); and having joined the commander, the protovestiarios tried with promises and honors to win over those around Scleros; but when he realized he was attempting the impossible, he marched past Scleros by night and proceeded towards ***. From this, fear seized those around Scleros, both for themselves and for their loved ones, and abandoning the apostate they went over to the protovestiarios. And from this, Scleros, fearing, sent the magistros Michael Bourtzes, who had gone over to him, and the patrikios Romanos Taronites with an army against the protovestiarios, who attacked him and were defeated. When the defeat of those who had been sent became known to Scleros, he himself with his entire army moved against the protovestiarios 543 and clashed with the army with him and was victorious. And the commander Peter was killed, while the protovestiarios was captured. This victory greatly lifted the affairs of Scleros, but brought those of the emperors to despair, especially because the apostate also controlled the sea. The parakoimomenos therefore, having prepared a fleet, sent it out against the fleet of the apostate, and when a sea battle took place, the fleet of Scleros was defeated at sea and scattered. Therefore, as matters at sea were quiet, the parakoimomenos arranged matters on land and sent Erotikos to Nicaea, the metropolis of Bithynia, to guard it; attacking which, Scleros was repulsed, and he had hoped that famine would cause those within to betray it, and indeed he wasted time there, and contrived that those inside were pressed by a shortage of grain. So Erotikos decided to outwit the enemy by a ruse, and he filled the granaries with sand and colored the sand with grain, so that the whole pile seemed to be grain. Having therefore some captives

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βασιλεύς· καὶ χρήματα συλλέξαι ποιεῖται σπουδὴν καὶ συμμάχους προσειλήφει τόν τε τῆς Ἀμίδης ἀμηρᾶν (οὕτω γὰρ τὸ Ἔμετ καλεῖται) καὶ τὸν τῆς Μαρτυρουπόλεως (ἡ δὲ Μιεφερκεὶμ ὀνομάζεται), ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ Ἄραβας. τούτους οὖν συμπαραλαβὼν ἠπείγετο πρὸς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου, ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς αἰωρούμενος, ἃς καὶ ἄλλοθεν ἔθαλπε, μᾶλλον μέντοι ἐξ ὀνείρου τινὸς μοναχοῦ ἀρετὴν μετιόντος. ἔδοξε γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ὁρᾶν τὸν Σκληρὸν γυναικί τινι ἐφ' ὑψηλῆς καθημένῃ περιωπῆς προσελθεῖν, τὴν δὲ μάστιγα αὐτῷ ἐγχειρίσαι βασιλικήν. ἡ μάστιξ δ', ὡς ἔοικεν, ἦν σύμβολον τῆς θείας ὀργῆς καὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἐμφυλίων πολέμων τῶν Ῥωμαίων φθορᾶς, ἣν ὁ Σκληρὸς δηλοῦν τὴν βασιλείαν ἐνόμιζε, πρὸς 541 τὴν οἰκείαν ἔφεσιν κρίνων τὸ ὅραμα. τῆς δὲ περὶ τῆς τυραννίδος τοῦ Σκληροῦ φήμης φθασάσης πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας ἡτοιμάζετο τὸ περιλειφθὲν στρατιωτικὸν ἀντικαταστῆναι τῷ ἀποστάτῃ. ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ στέλλεται πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ὁ Νικομηδείας ἀρχιερεὺς πρεσβεύσων καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ἐπαγωγὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην διειλέχθη αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπεισε. δείξας γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Σκληρὸς τὸ κοκκοβαφὲς πέδιλον ἀδύνατον εἶπε τὸν ἅπαξ τοῦτο ὑποδησάμενον ῥᾷον ἀποβαλεῖν. ταύτην τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ὡς ἔγνων οἱ περὶ τὰ βασίλεια, ἐξ ἀνάγκης πρὸς μάχην ὡρμήκεσαν. ἦν δὲ τῆς βασιλικῆς δυνάμεως στρατοπεδάρχης ὁ ἐκτομίας Πέτρος ὁ τοῦ Φωκᾶ, οὗ καὶ πρῴην ἐμνήσθημεν. ὡς γοῦν ἀλλήλοις ἀντεστρατοπεδεύσαντο τὰ στρατεύματα παρὰ Λάπαραν, ἣ καὶ Λυκανδὸν ὠνομάζετο, καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα συνερράγησαν, ἐπὶ μέν τινα καιρὸν ἀντεῖχον οἱ βασιλικοὶ γενναίως, ἔπειτα τρέπονται καὶ ἀναιροῦνται πολλοί, καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ὑπὸ τοὺς ἐναντίους γενόμενον διαρπάζεται. εἶτα καὶ τὴν Τζαμανδὸν πολυπληθῆ πόλιν ἐκ προσελεύσεως τῶν οἰκούντων αὐτὴν εἰληφὼς χρημάτων ἐσμὸν ἐξ αὐτῆς συνηθροίκει. οὕτω δὲ περιγενόμενος τοῦ στρα542 τεύματος τοῦ βασιλικοῦ πολλοὺς ἐκ τούτου πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπεσπάσατο, ἀπεγνωκότας ἤδη τὰς σωζούσας ἐλπίδας περὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, καὶ αὐτῷ προσερρύησαν οὐ τῶν ἀνωνύμων μόνον στρατιωτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν περιωνύμων πολλοί. ὡς δὲ ταῦτα τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ ἠγγέλθησαν, στέλλεται αὖθις Λέων ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος, ἄκρατον ἐξουσίαν ἐμπιστευθεὶς καὶ πάντα πράττειν ὅσα καὶ βασιλεῦσιν ἀνεῖται ἄδειαν εἰληφώς (εἶπεν ἄν τις τῇ Λατίνων φωνῇ τὸν ἄνδρα δικτάτορα)· καὶ συνελθὼν τῷ στρατοπεδάρχῃ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος ἐπειράθη μὲν ὑποσχέσεσι καὶ τιμαῖς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Σκληρὸν ἐπισπάσασθαι· ὡς δ' ἀνηνύτοις ἔγνω ἐπιχειρεῖν, παρελάσας νυκτὸς τὸν Σκληρὸν ἐχώρει πρὸς ***. ἐντεῦθεν δέος τοὺς περὶ τὸν Σκληρὸν εἷλε καὶ περὶ τῶν φιλτάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸν ἀποστάτην καταλιμπάνοντες τῷ πρωτοβεστιαρίῳ προσῄεσαν. κἀκ τούτου δείσας ὁ Σκληρὸς τὸν μάγιστρον Μιχαὴλ τὸν Βούρτζην προσκεχωρηκότα αὐτῷ καὶ Ῥωμανὸν πατρίκιον τὸν Ταρωνίτην μετὰ στρατιᾶς ἔπεμψε κατὰ τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίου, οἳ προσβαλόντες ἐκείνῳ ἡττήθησαν. ὡς δ' ἐγνώσθη τῷ Σκληρῷ ἡ τῶν πεμφθέντων ἧττα, αὐτὸς σὺν παντὶ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατεύματι κατὰ τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίου 543 χωρεῖ καὶ συρρήγνυται τῇ μετ' αὐτοῦ στρατιᾷ καὶ νικᾷ. καὶ ὁ μὲν στρατοπεδάρχης Πέτρος ἀνῄρητο, ὁ δὲ πρωτοβεστιάριος ἑαλώκει. αὕτη ἡ νίκη ἐπὶ μέγα μὲν ἦρε τὰ τοῦ Σκληροῦ, τὰ δὲ τῶν βασιλέων εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἤνεγκε, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ ἐθαλασσοκράτει ὁ ἀποστάτης. στόλον οὖν ὁ παρακοιμώμενος ἑτοιμάσας ἐκπέμπει κατὰ τοῦ στόλου τοῦ ἀποστάτου, καὶ ναυμαχίας γενομένης ὁ στόλος ὁ τοῦ Σκληροῦ κατεναυμαχήθη καὶ διεσκέδατο. ὡς οὖν ἠρέμει τὰ κατὰ τὴν θάλασσαν, τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἤπειρον ὁ παρακοιμώμενος διετίθετο καὶ τὸν Ἐρωτικὸν εἰς Νίκαιαν ἔπεμψε τὴν τῆς Βιθυνίας μητρόπολιν, ταύτην φρουρήσοντα· ᾗ προσβαλὼν ὁ Σκληρὸς ἀπεκρούσθη, καὶ λιμῷ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ προδοῦναι ταύτην ἠλπίκει καὶ μέντοι ἐχρονοτριβήθη ἐκεῖ, σιτοδείᾳ τοὺς ἔνδον πιέζεσθαι παρεσκεύασεν. ἔγνω γοῦν ὁ Ἐρωτικὸς ἀπάτῃ καταστρατηγῆσαι τὸν ἐναντίον καὶ τοὺς σιτῶνας ψάμμου ἐπλήρωσε καὶ τὴν ψάμμον σίτῳ ἐπέχρωσεν, ὡς δοκεῖν τὸν ὄγκον ἅπαντα σῖτον εἶναι. ἔχων οὖν τινας ἁλωτοὺς