145

they were called Cometopuli, because they were the sons of one of their notable men who was called a *comes*. For those of the royal family had died out among them, with only one of the children of Peter being left, I mean, of course, Romanus, who was a eunuch, and of the four Cometopuli brothers, David very quickly ended his life, while Moses, besieging Serres, is struck by a stone and dies immediately. But his brother Samuel removed Aaron and his whole family from life, either because he was trying to secure the rule for himself alone or because he was favoring the Roman side (for both are said), with only one of his children being saved,548 who was called by the two names Sphondosthlabos and John. And the rule of Bulgaria devolved upon Samuel alone, who, since the Roman armies were occupied with civil wars, found an opportunity and went through all the western parts of the Roman dominion, not only plundering, but also acquiring the lands and the cities for himself. But when, as has been related, the emperor had thrown off the tyranny of Sclerus, he was eager for defense against the barbarian and decided to undertake the campaign himself. Therefore he went out without having consulted about the action either with the *magistros* Bardas Phocas, although he was Domestic of the Schools of the East, or indeed with any other of the commanders of the eastern forces. And now entering the lands of the Bulgarians, he ordered the *magistros* Leo Melissenus to be in the rear and to guard the difficult passes; and he himself, having entered, was preparing to undertake the siege of Sardica (this is Triaditza). But Stephen Contostephanus, being Domestic of the western regiments, and reasoning that if the campaign should turn out successfully for the emperor, he would never stop conducting the wars 549 himself, and neither he nor the other generals would any longer be considered worthy of much account by him, planned to make his undertaking fail and to check his impulse. Approaching, therefore, he says that Melissenus is attempting a tyranny and is going with speed towards Byzantium to take the empire; and he demanded that he not delay, but to break camp and not put it off. This disturbed the emperor and he signaled a return to the army. But Samuel, lurking in the mountain tops (for he did not dare to fight in a pitched battle), and seeing the sudden departure, judged what was being done to be cowardice and attacks the Romans and with the unexpectedness of it all threw everyone into confusion and put them to flight; and he took control of both the camp and the imperial tent and the imperial insignia. But the emperor was saved with difficulty to Philippopolis, and having found Melissenus there, was enraged against Contostephanus and poured insults upon the man. But he, taking it badly, became harsh, and the emperor, boiling with anger, both leaped up from his throne and, seizing Contostephanus by the hair and the beard, dashed the man to the ground. From this point, the leaders of the Roman forces, 550 being angry with the emperor—Phocas because his hopes were dwindling and, as the proverb goes, going the way of Mandrabulus; others because he treated them arrogantly and did not share his plans with them; and others for certain other reasons—gather in Charsianon and placed a diadem on Bardas Phocas and acclaimed him as emperor. And they, on the one hand, were arranging the matters of the revolt well, as it seemed to them. But Sclerus, being guarded in Babylon, is unexpectedly brought out of his confinement. For since the rule of the Persians had been overthrown by the Saracens, a certain Persian man, Inargus by name, having stirred up the Persian people with his words, persuades them to revolt from the slavery of the Saracens and to take up arms against them, with Inargus himself leading them. Many times, therefore, Chosroes fought against the Persians, but was defeated as many times as he engaged with them; and despairing, he takes refuge with the imprisoned Romans and releases them from their confinement, and he confers 551 with Sclerus about the war and asks him not to hold a grudge for his ill-treatment. But he at first refused the war,

145

κομητόπωλοι ὠνομάζοντο, ὅτι υἱοὶ γεγόνασιν ἑνὸς τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπισήμων καὶ λεγομένων κομήτων. οἱ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ βασιλείου γένους σφίσιν ἐπιλελοίπασι, μόνου περιλειφθέντος ἑνὸς τῶν παίδων τοῦ Πέτρου, φημὶ δῆτα τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ, ὃς ἐκτομίας ἦν, τῶν δὲ τεσσάρων συγγόνων τῶν κομητοπώλων ὁ μὲν ∆αβὶδ τάχιστα τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησεν, ὁ δέ γε Μωυσῆς τὰς Σέρρας πολιορκῶν λίθῳ βάλλεται καὶ θνήσκει εὐθύς. τὸν δ' Ἀαρὼν παγγενῆ τοῦ βίου ἐξήγαγεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σαμουήλ, ἢ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑαυτῷ μόνῳ περιποιούμενον ἢ τὰ Ῥωμαίων αἱρούμενον (λέγεται γὰρ καὶ ἀμφότερα), ἑνὸς μόνου τῶν παίδων ἐκείνου περισω548 θέντος, ὃς Σφενδοσθλάβος καὶ Ἰωάννης διωνύμως ἐκέκλητο. καὶ ἡ τῆς Βουλγαρίας ἀρχὴ εἰς μόνον περιέστη τὸν Σαμουήλ, ὃς τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων τοῖς ἐμφυλίοις ἀσχολουμένων ἄδειαν εὑρηκὼς τὰ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἡγεμονίας ἑσπέρια ξύμπαντα περιῄει, οὐ ληιζόμενος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς χώρας ἅμα καὶ τὰς πόλεις περιποιούμενος ἑαυτῷ. ἐπεὶ δέ, ὡς ἱστόρηται, τὴν τοῦ Σκληροῦ τυραννίδα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπεσείσατο, ὤργα πρὸς ἄμυναν τοῦ βαρβάρου καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ τὴν ἐκστρατείαν ποιήσασθαι. ἔξεισιν οὖν μήτε τῷ μαγίστρῳ Βάρδᾳ τῷ Φωκᾷ, καίτοι δομεστίκῳ ὄντι τῶν σχολῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς, περὶ τῆς πράξεως κοινωσάμενος μήτε μὴν ἑτέρῳ τῶν τῶν ἑῴων στραταρχούντων δυνάμεων. ἤδη δὲ πρὸς τὰ Βουλγάρων εἰσιὼν τὸν μάγιστρον Λέοντα τὸν Μελισσηνὸν κατόπιν ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι καὶ τὰς δυσχωρίας τηρεῖν· αὐτὸς δ' εἰσελθὼν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ τῆς Σαρδικῆς (αὕτη δ' ἐστὶν ἡ Τριάδιτζα) ἐπιχειρεῖν ἡτοιμάζετο. τῶν δυτικῶν δὲ ταγμάτων δομέστικος ὢν ὁ Κοντοστέφανος Στέφανος καὶ λογισάμενος ὡς εἰ εὐτυχηθείη τὰ τῆς στρατείας τῷ βασιλεῖ, οὐκ ἄν ποτε παύσαιτο δι' ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς πολέμους 549 διατιθέμενος, καὶ οὔτ' αὐτὸς οὔθ' οἱ λοιποὶ στρατιάρχαι ἔτι αὐτῷ λόγου πολλοῦ νομισθήσονται ἄξιοι, σφῆλαί οἱ διεμελέτησε τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀνακόψαι. προσελθὼν οὖν φησι τὸν Μελισσηνὸν τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρεῖν καὶ ἀπιέναι σὺν ταχυτῆτι πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον τὴν βασιλείαν καθέξοντα· καὶ ἠξίου μὴ μέλλειν, ἀναζευγνύειν δὲ καὶ μὴ ὑπερτίθεσθαι. τοῦτο τὸν βασιλέα ἐτάραξε καὶ ἐπάνοδον ἐσήμανε τῷ λαῷ. ὁ δέ γε Σαμουὴλ ταῖς τῶν ὀρέων ἐμφιλοχωρῶν κορυφαῖς (οὐ γὰρ ἐθάρρει κατὰ συστάδην μαχέσασθαι) καὶ τὴν ἀθρόαν ἀναζυγὴν ἰδὼν δειλίαν ἔκρινε τὸ πραττόμενον καὶ ἔπεισι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τῷ ἀνελπίστῳ ἅπαντας κατεθρόησε καὶ εἰς φυγὴν ἔτρεψε· καὶ τῆς τε παρεμβολῆς ἐκράτησε καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς βασιλικῆς καὶ τῶν παρασήμων τῆς βασιλείας. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς μόλις εἰς Φιλιππούπολιν διασέσωστο κἀκεῖ τὸν Μελισσηνὸν εὑρηκὼς κατὰ τοῦ Κοντοστεφάνου ἐξώργιστο καὶ ὕβρεις κατέχεε τοῦ ἀνδρός. ὁ δὲ δυσανασχετῶν ἐτραχύνετο, καὶ ἀναζέσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τῷ θυμῷ ἀνέθορέ τε τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῆς κόμης τοῦ Κοντοστεφάνου δραξάμενος καὶ τοῦ πώγωνος προσήραξε τὸν ἄνδρα τῇ γῇ. Ἐντεῦθεν οἱ τῶν δυνάμεων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν προεξάρχοντες 550 μηνιῶντες τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὁ μὲν Φωκᾶς ὅτι αὐτῷ αἱ ἐλπίδες ὑπέρρεον καὶ τὸ τῆς παροιμίας ἐπὶ τὰ Μανδραβόλου ἐχώρουν, οἱ δὲ ὅτι ὑπερηφάνως αὐτοῖς προσεφέρετο καὶ οὐκ ἐκοινώνει σφίσι τῶν βουλευμάτων, οἱ δὲ δι' ἕτερ' ἄττα, ἐν τῷ Χαρσιανῷ συναθροίζονται καὶ τῷ Φωκᾷ Βάρδᾳ διάδημα περιέθεντο καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ἠξίωσαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν τὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας, ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει, εὖ διετίθεντο. Ὁ δὲ Σκληρὸς ἐν Βαβυλῶνι φρουρούμενος ἀνελπίστως ἐξάγεται τῆς φρουρᾶς. τῆς γὰρ τῶν Περσῶν ἀρχῆς καταλυθείσης ὑπὸ Σαρακηνῶν, ἀνήρ τις Πέρσης, Ἴναργος ὄνομα, λόγοις παρακινήσας τὸ Περσικὸν πείθει ἀποστατῆσαι τῆς τῶν Σαρακηνῶν δουλείας καὶ ὅπλα ἄρασθαι κατ' αὐτῶν, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰνάργου στρατηγοῦντος αὐτῶν. πολλάκις μὲν οὖν ὁ Χοσρόης τοῖς Πέρσαις ἀντηγωνίσατο, τοσαυτάκις δ' ἡττήθη ὁσάκις σφίσι προσέμιξε· καὶ ἀπογνοὺς πρὸς τοὺς ἐμφρούρους καταφεύγει Ῥωμαίους καὶ ἀνίησι μὲν αὐτοὺς τῆς εἱρκτῆς, διαλέγεται 551 δὲ τῷ Σκληρῷ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ μὴ μνησικακῆσαι τῆς κακώσεως αὐτῷ ἀξιοῖ. ὁ δὲ πρότερον μὲν παρῃτεῖτο τὸν πόλεμον,