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enjoining him in no way to contemplate any rebellion. Likewise, Constantine the *parakoimomenos* was ordered to write letters, enjoining the same things of them and to plan nothing against, but to be in submission to the emperor Constantine. So Andreas, the *primikerios* of the imperial *vestiarium*, took these and brought them to him while he was in Cappadocia; and having received and read these, he went away to his own house and remained quiet. 13 In the fifth week of the holy fast, in the month of April, a betrothal of marital contract was given by the emperor Constantine to Helen, the daughter of Romanos, who blossomed with physical beauty and intelligence; and on the third day of Easter, called of Galilee, he is blessed and crowned with her by Nicholas the patriarch, having promoted Romanos to *basileopator*; 395 and in his place he appointed his son Christopher as *hetaeriarch*. Not long after, Leo Phokas, deceived by certain *archons* and his own regiments, was moved to rebellion. And he took up with him Constantine the *parakoimomenos*, and Constantine and Anastasios the Gongylioi, who were brothers, and Constantine Maleinos the *protasekretis*, informing and assuring everyone that he was making the same move on behalf of the emperor Constantine. But Romanos the *basileopator*, having made signed golden bulls as if from the person of the emperor Constantine, containing the overthrow of such a plot, and stating that those who abandoned Phokas and fled to the emperor were on the emperor's side, gave them to Anna, a shameless and bold woman, whom they also called Basilike, and to a certain cleric Michael, and sent them out into his camp. And they, having taken these, secretly scattered them throughout the army. And Michael, having been discovered by Phokas, was mercilessly blinded, and had his nose and ears cut off; who afterwards received a fitting reward from Romanos; likewise also the woman sent with him. First, then, Constantine, the son of Barymichael, the commander of the regiment of the *Hikanatoi*, abandoning Phokas, ran to Romanos, becoming the beginning of the dissolution of this rebellion. And with him also Balantios and the one called Atzmoros, both being *tourmarchs*. So Leo Phokas, arriving at Chrysopolis with a very 396 large and heavily armed force, set up battle lines from the stone heifer to Chalcedon, terrifying those in the city. Therefore, Symeon, the keeper of the imperial inkstand, was sent by Romanos with a dromon, carrying a signed letter from the emperor Constantine, which declared the following, (14) "As I, having found no one under my authority more vigilant and most loyal and most faithful for my sovereignty and reign than Romanos, entrusted my protection to him after God and judged him as a father, since he showed me paternal compassion and a fatherly disposition. But Leo Phokas, whom I always suspected of plotting against my reign, I have now found by his very deeds to be a plotter and tyrannically rising up against my authority. Therefore, I do not wish him to be *domestikos* from now on; for I say that he has not committed this rebellion with my counsel, but has made this attack of his own will, usurping the empire for himself." So when these things were read to the people, everyone began to withdraw and to flock to the *basileopator* Romanos. And Phokas, being reduced to helplessness and despairing as he had missed all hope, and having resorted to flight and arrived at the fortress of Ateous and not been received, having stopped in a place called Goeleon and been captured, Romanos sent John Toubakes and Leo his kinsman to bring him into the city. But they, having 397 seized him, blinded him, although they had received no

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παρεγγυωμένη μηδαμῶς στάσιν τινὰ ἐννοῆσαι. ὡσαύτως καὶ γράμματα ἐκελεύσθη Κωνσταντῖνος παρακοιμώμενος γράψαι, τὰ ομοια αὐτῶν παραγγέλλοντα καὶ μηδὲν ἐναντίον βου- λεύσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἐν ὑποταγῇ ειναι βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου. ἀνα- λαβόμενος ουν ταῦτα ̓Ανδρέας πριμικήριος τοῦ βασιλικοῦ βεστια- ρίου ἀπεκόμισεν αὐτῷ ταῦτα ἐν Καππαδοκίᾳ οντι· καὶ δεξάμενος ταῦτα καὶ ἀναγνούς, ἀπελθὼν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ οικῳ ἡσύχαζεν. 13 Τῇ δὲ πέμπτῃ ἑβδομάδι τῶν ἁγίων νηστειῶν, ̓Απριλ- λίῳ μηνί, δίδοται ἀρραβὼν γαμικοῦ συναλλάγματος παρὰ Κων- σταντίνου βασιλέως ̔Ελένῃ τῇ θυγατρὶ ̔Ρωμανοῦ, ῃ πρὸς κάλλος σωματικὸν προσήκμαζεν καὶ σύνεσις· καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ τοῦ πάσχα, λεγομένῃ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, εὐλογεῖται καὶ στεφανοῦται αμα αυτη παρὰ Νικολάου πατριάρχου, ̔Ρωμανὸν βασιλεοπάτορα προβαλό- 395 μενος· ἀντ' αὐτοῦ δὲ Χριστοφόρον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἑταιρειάρχην κατέ- στησε. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ Λέων ὁ Φωκᾶς ἀπατηθεὶς παρά τε τι- νῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ταγμάτων πρὸς ἀνταρσίαν κινεῖται. καὶ ἀνελάβετο σὺν αὐτῷ τόν τε παρακοιμώμενον Κωνσταντῖνον, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ ̓Αναστάσιον τοὺς Γογγυλίους καὶ αὐταδελ- φούς, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον πρωτασηκρῆτιν τὸν Μαλελίας, πληρο- φορῶν απαντας καὶ βεβαιῶν ὡς ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου τὴν αὐτὴν ποιεῖται κίνησιν. ̔Ρωμανὸς δὲ ὁ βασιλεοπάτωρ χρυ- σοβούλλια ποιήσας ἐνυπόγραφα ὡς ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου, τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιβουλῆς ἀνατροπὴν περιέχοντα, καὶ ὡς οἱ τὸν Φωκᾶν καταλιμπάνοντες τῷ βασιλεῖ δὲ προσφεύ- γοντες ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσίν, δοὺς αὐτὰ Αννῃ γυναικὶ ἀναιδεῖ καὶ θρασείᾳ, ην καὶ Βασιλικὴν προσηγόρευσαν, καὶ κληρικῷ τινὶ Μιχαήλ, ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ στρατοπέδῳ ἐξέπεμψεν. οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ἀνα- λαβόμενοι λάθρα διέσπειραν παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ. καὶ ὁ μὲν Μι- χαὴλ φωραθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ Φωκᾶ, ἀνηλεῶς τυφθείς, τήν τε ῥῖνα καὶ τὰ ωτα ἀπετμήθη· ος μετὰ ταῦτα παρὰ ̔Ρωμανοῦ τῆς προση- κούσης ετυχεν ἀμοιβῆς· ὡσαύτως καὶ ἡ σὺν αὐτῷ σταλεῖσα γυνή. πρῶτος ουν ὁ τοῦ Βαρυμιχαὴλ υἱὸς Κωνσταντῖνος, τοῦ τάγματος αρχων τῶν ἱκανάτων, καταλιπὼν τὸν Φωκᾶν τῷ ̔Ρωμανῷ προσέ- δραμεν, ἀρχὴ γεγονὼς καταλύσεως τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποστασίας. σὺν αὐτῷ δὲ καὶ ὁ Βαλάντιος καὶ ὁ λεγόμενος Ατζμωρος, τουρ- μάρχαι οντες καὶ ἀμφότεροι. Λέων ουν ὁ Φωκᾶς μετὰ λαοῦ 396 πλείστου ἰσχυρῶς καθωπλισμένου ἐν Χρυσοπόλει καταλαβὼν διέ- στησε παρατάξεις ἀπὸ τῆς λιθίνης δαμάλεως μέχρι Χαλκηδόνος, τοὺς ἐν πόλει φοβῶν. ἀποστέλλεται ουν μετὰ δρόμωνος παρὰ ̔Ρωμανοῦ Συμεὼν ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου, λόγον ἐνυπόγραφον τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου ἐπιφερόμενος, τάδε διαγορεύοντα, (14) ὡς ἐγὼ φύλακα τῆς ἐμῆς δεσποτείας καὶ βασιλείας ἐγρη- γορώτατον καὶ εὐνούστατον καὶ πιστότατον οὐδένα τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα η ̔Ρωμανὸν εὑρηκὼς τούτῳ τὴν ἐμὴν φυλακὴν μετὰ θεὸν ἐπίστευσα καὶ ἀντὶ πατρὸς αὐτὸν εκρινα, σπλάγχνα πατρικὰ καὶ διάθεσιν γονικὴν πρὸς ἐμὲ ἐνδειξάμενον. Λέοντα δὲ τὸν Φωκᾶν ἀεὶ τῇ ἐμῇ βασιλείᾳ ὑποπτεύων ἐπιβουλεύειν νῦν μὲν εργοις αὐτοῖς ἐπί- βουλον ευρηκα καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀρχῆς τυραννικῶς κατεξανιστάμενον. διὸ ουτε δομέστικον αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν ειναι βούλομαι· ουτε γὰρ ταύτην τὴν ἀνταρσίαν μετὰ βουλῆς ἐμῆς πεπραχέναι φημί, ἀλλ' αὐθαιρέτῳ γνώμῃ ταύτην ποιήσασθαι τὴν ἐπίθεσιν, ἑαυτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν σφετεριζόμενον. τούτων ουν τῷ λαῷ ἀναγνωσθέντων ηρξαντο πάντες ἀναχωρεῖν καὶ τῷ βασιλεοπάτορι προσρύεσθαι ̔Ρωμανῷ. τοῦ Φωκᾶ δὲ εἰς ἀμηχανίαν περιστάντος καὶ ἀπογνόν- τος ὡς πάσης ἐλπίδος ἠστοχηκότος, καὶ χρησαμένου φυγῇ καὶ πρὸς τὸ κάστρον ̓Ατεοῦς παραγενομένου καὶ μὴ δεχθέντος, ἐν χωρίῳ ὀνομαζομένῳ Γοηλέοντι καταστήσαντος καὶ συλληφθέντος, ἀπέστειλεν ̔Ρωμανὸς ̓Ιωάννην τὸν Τουβάκην καὶ Λέοντα τὸν αὐ-τοῦ συγγενῆ ωστε εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ πόλει. οἱ δὲ τοῦτον 397 κρατήσαντες ἀπετύφλωσαν, καίτοι μηδεμίαν περὶ τούτου δεξάμε- νοι