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John Grapson of the regiment of the Excubitors, and of the Hikanatoi the son of Maroules; Romanos Argyros was general and Leo his brother and Bardas Phokas, with whom were both Melias with the Armenians and all the other generals of the themes, and with the others was also Constantine Lips the patrician, with Leo the Domestic, his counsellor in all that was required. On the twentieth of the month of August, in the 5th indiction, the war between the Romans and the Bulgarians was joined at the Achelous river; and such are the judgements of God, how unsearchable and inscrutable, the Romans are turned with their entire army and there was a complete flight and a frightful wailing, some being trampled by each other, others being killed by the enemies, and such a shedding of blood as had not happened from time immemorial. But Leo escaped by fleeing to Mesembria. And among others slain in the clash of the war were Constantine Lips and John Grapson and many other commanders. Romanos the patrician, being drungarius of the fleet, was also sent with the entire fleet to the Danube river to help Leo Phokas; but also John Bogas to bring over the 390 Pechenegs, as has been said. And when the drungarius Romanos was ordered to ferry these across against the Bulgarians so that they might ally with Leo Phokas, and Romanos and John fell into strife and disputes, the Pechenegs, seeing them quarreling and wrangling with each other, withdrew to their own lands. And when the war had reached its end, and both Romanos and Bogas had returned to the city, their own affairs were set in motion; and they brought the drungarius Romanos into such danger that they even passed a sentence condemning him to be deprived of his eyes for having through negligence, or rather malice, not ferried the Pechenegs across, but rather having withdrawn too quickly and not even having received the fleeing Romans in his ships. And he would have suffered this, if the sentence of condemnation had not been overturned by Constantine Gongyles the patrician and Stephen the magistros, as they had much influence with the Augusta. And when the Bulgarians were puffed up by the victory and campaigned as far as the city, Leo the Domestic of the Schools and John the Hetaeriarch and Nicholas the son of Doukas went out to a Thracian place so-called Katasyrtai with a very large force against the Bulgarians. But when the Bulgarians fell upon them unexpectedly during the night, and the Domestic fled, Nicholas the son of Doukas was slain and many others with him. 11 Theodore therefore, the tutor of the emperor Constantine, seeing Constantine the parakoimomenos usurping the empire for Leo his own 391 son-in-law, suggested to the emperor Constantine to take on Romanos the drungarius as his ancestral servant and well-disposed towards him, so that he might be with him, and protect him, and in whatever he might need, to have him as an ally and helper. Therefore Romanos, having been spoken to many times about this, refused. Therefore the emperor Constantine, having drawn up a letter with his own hand and secured it with his signature, sent it to him; which he, having taken into his hands, promised to make the attack against the parakoimomenos Constantine and his relatives, as was necessary. Therefore as this rumor was spreading, and the parakoimomenos was compelling Romanos to depart with the fleet, having received the customary salary, and while Romanos was in the process of fitting out and was preparing the ships, Constantine the parakoimomenos went out as if to hasten his sailing. But he met him with a servile demeanor, and eagerly promised to do what was commanded; and when he said to Romanos whether he had handsome and brave men fit to row the imperial trireme, he immediately beckoned with his hand for these men, who were ready, to come near. But they, the things of the council

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τάγματος ̓Εξκουβίτων ̓Ιωάννης ὁ Γρά-ψων, τοῦ δὲ ἱκανάτου ὁ τοῦ Μαρούλη υἱός· ̔Ρωμανὸς δὲ ὁ ̓Αργυρὸς ἐστρατήγει καὶ Λέων ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ Βάρδας ὁ Φωκᾶς, οις συνῆν μὲν καὶ ὁ Μελίας μετὰ τῶν ̓Αρμενίων καὶ οἱ αλλοι πάντες στρατηγοὶ τῶν θεμάτων, συνῆν δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοῖς αλλοις ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος ὁ Λὶψ Λέοντι δομεστίκῳ, σύμ- βουλος αὐτοῦ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνήκουσιν ων. μηνὶ δὲ Αὐγούστῳ εἰκάδι, ἰνδικτιῶνος εʹ, ὁ πόλεμος μεταξὺ ̔Ρωμαίων τε καὶ Βουλ- γάρων πρὸς τῷ ̓Αχελῴῳ συγκεκρότηται ποταμῷ· καὶ οια τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίματα, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστα, τρέπονται ̔Ρωμαῖοι πανστρατὶ καὶ γέγονε φυγὴ παντελὴς καὶ φρικώδης ὀλο- λυγή, τῶν μὲν ὑπ' ἀλλήλων συμπατουμένων, τῶν δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων ἀναιρουμένων, αιματός τε χύσις οια ἐξ αἰῶνος οὐ γέγο- νεν. ὁ δὲ Λέων ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ διεσώθη φυγών. ἐσφάγη δὲ πρὸς τοῖς αλλοις ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολέμου συμβολῇ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Λὶψ καὶ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ Γράψων καὶ αλλοι τῶν ἀρχόντων ἱκανοί. ἀπεστάλη δὲ καὶ ̔Ρωμανὸς πατρίκιος δρουγγάριος ων τῶν πλωΐμων μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στόλου ἐν τῷ ∆ανουβίῳ ποταμῷ βοηθῆσαι Λέοντι τῷ Φωκᾷ· ἀλλὰ καὶ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ Βογᾶς καταγαγεῖν Πατζι- 390 νάκας, ὡς ειρηται. κελευσθέντος δὲ τοῦ δρουγγαρίου ̔Ρωμανοῦ τούτους διαπερᾶσαι κατὰ Βουλγάρων ωστε συμμαχῆσαι Λέοντι τῷ Φωκᾷ, ̔Ρωμανοῦ δὲ καὶ ̓Ιωάννου εἰς εριδας καὶ λογομαχίας ἐλθόντων, ὁρῶντες αὐτοὺς οἱ Πατζινάκαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαμα- χομένους καὶ συστασιάζοντας ὑπεχώρησαν εἰς τὰ ιδια. τοῦ πολέ- μου δὲ τέλος λαβόντος, καὶ ὑποστρεψάντων ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ τε ̔Ρωμανοῦ καὶ τοῦ Βογᾶ, τὰ καθ' ἑαυτῶν ἐκινήθησαν· καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον τὸν δρουγγάριον ̔Ρωμανὸν περιέστησαν, ωστε καὶ καταδικάζουσαν ψῆφον ἐξήνεγκαν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν στερηθῆναι ὡς ἀμελείᾳ, μᾶλλον δὲ κακουργίᾳ μὴ διαπεράσαντα τοὺς Πατζι- νάκας, ἀλλ' ὑποχωρήσαντα τάχιον καὶ μηδὲ τοὺς φεύγοντας ̔Ρω- μαίων ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις ὑποδεξάμενον. καὶ τοῦτο αν ἐπεπόνθει, εἰ μὴ παρὰ Κωνσταντίνου πατρικίου τοῦ Γογγύλη καὶ Στεφάνου μαγίστρου, ὡς δυναμένων παρὰ τῇ Αὐγούστῃ πολλά, τὰ τῆς καταδίκης ἀνετράπη. τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων τῇ νίκῃ κατεπαρθέντων καὶ ἐκστρατευσάντων μέχρι τῆς πόλεως, ἐξῆλθε Λέων ὁ δομέστι- κος τῶν σχολῶν καὶ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ ἑταιρειάρχης καὶ Νικόλαος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ∆ουκὸς εἰς χῶρον Θρᾳκῷον ουτω λεγόμενον Κατασύρτας αμα πλείστῳ λαῷ κατὰ Βουλγάρων. τῇ δὲ νυκτὶ ἀδοκήτως ἐπιπεσόν- των αὐτοῖς τῶν Βουλγάρων, καὶ τοῦ δομεστίκου φυγόντος, ἐσφάγη Νικόλαος ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ∆ουκὸς καὶ πολλοὶ ετεροι μετ' αὐτοῦ. 11 Θεόδωρος ουν ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου παιδα- γωγός, ὁρῶν Κωνσταντῖνον παρακοιμώμενον εἰς Λέοντα τὸν ιδιον 391 γαμβρὸν τὴν βασιλείαν σφετεριζόμενον, ὑπέθηκεν Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ ̔Ρωμανὸν τὸν δρουγγάριον προσλαβέσθαι ὡς πατρικὸν αὐτοῦ δοῦλον καὶ ευνουν τὰ πρὸς αὐτόν, ὡς αν ῃ σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ διαφυλάττειν αὐτόν, καὶ ἐν οις αν δέῃ, σύμμαχον εχειν καὶ βοη- θόν. περὶ τούτου ουν πολλάκις λαληθεὶς ̔Ρωμανὸς ἀπείπατο. γραμμάτιον ουν ὁ βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος αὐτοχείρῳ διαπράξας γραφῇ καὶ ὑπογραφῇ διασφαλισάμενος ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ· οπερ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβὼν ὑπέσχετο τὴν κατὰ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Κωνσταντίνου καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπίθεσιν, ὡς δέει, ποιή- σασθαι. τῆς φήμης ουν ταύτης διαθεούσης, καὶ τοῦ παρακοι- μωμένου καταναγκάζοντος ̔Ρωμανὸν ἀποκινῆσαι μετὰ τοῦ στόλου τὴν νενομισμένην ῥόγαν λαβόντος, ἐν τῇ ἐξαρτύσει δὲ οντος τοῦ ̔Ρωμανοῦ καὶ τὰ πλοῖα εὐτρεπίζοντος, ἐξῆλθεν Κωνσταντῖνος παρακοιμώμενος ὡς ἐπισπουδάζων αὐτὸν τοῦ ἐκπλεῦσαι. ὁ δὲ τούτῳ δουλικῷ τῷ σχήματι προϋπήντησεν, καὶ προθύμως ποιή- σειν τὸ κελευόμενον ἐπηγγέλλετο· καὶ εἰ εχει ανδρας εὐειδεῖς καὶ γενναίους ἐπιτηδείους τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐρέττειν τριήρη εἰπόντος πρὸς ̔Ρωμανόν, ουτος εὐθὺς ενευσεν τούτοις τῇ χειρὶ ἑτοίμοις ουσι πλη- σίον ἐλθεῖν. οἱ δὲ τὰ τῆς βουλῆς