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to see its beauty and size and its magnificent adornment. For having beautified it and having draped it with gold-woven robes and every kind of ornament, thus they led him into it. And he, struck with amazement at the wonderful and immense work of the temple and marveling exceedingly at the magnificent adornment, and saying that this sacred space was truly a dwelling place of God, returned again to his own lands. 10 And when the Bulgars campaigned again and came as far as the palace of Saint Theodora and were consigning these to the fire,403 the emperor Romanos summoned the commanders of the *tagmata* to breakfast, the man called Saktikes being with them. And he advised and urged them to go out against the enemy and fight for the fatherland. And they readily agreed to die for his empire and for the Christians. Therefore, on the next day, the aforementioned Saktikes, having been armed by the emperor, demonstrated that his loyalty and courage were true; for, getting behind the Bulgars and entering their camp, he slaughtered all those found there. Therefore, when the Bulgars learned what had happened, they returned to the camp, and when battle was joined, they put Saktikes to flight, who was with few men. But since, after fighting bravely and killing many, he was no longer able to hold out against the multitude of the enemy, he let go of his horse's rein and rode in flight. And while crossing a certain river that flowed nearby, when his horse got stuck in its mud, he was wounded in the buttock and the thigh. Therefore, when the horse was with difficulty pulled out of the mud with the help of those under his command, he was saved and brought as far as Blachernae; and being placed in the holy sarcophagus, since the wound was mortal, he died during the night. 11 And at that time, the most venerable Petronas, by order of the emperor Romanos, brought one glorious small coffer and two others lacking carving from the renowned monastery 404 of Saint Mamas, which is near the gate called Xylokerkos, in which they say Maurice is laid to rest together with his sons; which were also deposited in the monastery of the emperor Romanos, that is, in the Myrelaion. 12 A certain Adrianos Chaldos, and in addition Tatzakes, a very wealthy Armenian, at the suggestion and advice of Bardas Boilas, the *strategos* in Chaldia, were plotting tyranny and rebellion against the emperor Romanos, having seized the stronghold called Paiperte; whom John Kourkouas, the Domestic of the Schools, defeated and captured, blinding the more distinguished among them and confiscating their property, but ordering the poor and insignificant to go unharmed wherever they wished. Tatzakes, however, having fled to another very strong fortress, and having received a promise that he would suffer no harm, had come into the city, and having been honored with the rank of *manglabites*, he was living under guard in the house of the Manganes. But having planned an escape, he was caught and deprived of his eyes. And they tonsured Bardas Boilas as a monk, since the emperor pitied him, as he happened to be a friend. 13 While the patrician nicknamed Moroleon, or to speak more properly Thymoleon, was *strategos* of Adrianople, being most excellent and skillful in matters of war, who had displayed very many deeds of valor against the Bulgars, the Bulgar Symeon surrounded the aforementioned city with his entire army, and having set up a palisade, he besieged it 405 strongly. But when the grain had run out for those in the city and a mighty famine oppressed them (for they had no means to get provisions from anywhere), pressed by want, they betrayed themselves and the *strategos* to the Bulgars; whom Symeon captured, and putting bonds over his whole body and punishing him with countless tortures, he finally killed him with a bitter death worthy of his own most harsh and most cruel soul. to the Bulgars, therefore, the city's

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κάλλος αὐτῆς καὶ τὸ μέγεθος θεασόμενον καὶ τὸν πολυτελῆ κόσμον. καλλωπί- σαντες γὰρ ταύτην καὶ περιστείλαντες πέπλοις χρυσοϋφέσι καὶ κόσμῳ παντοίῳ, ουτως αὐτὸν εἰσήγαγον ἐν αὐτῇ. ὁ δὲ τὸ θαυ- μαστὸν καὶ ὑπερμέγεθες τοῦ ναοῦ εργον καταπλαγεὶς καὶ τὸν πο- λυτελῆ κόσμον ὑπερθαυμάσας, καὶ ἀληθῶς θεοῦ κατοικίαν ειναι τὸν ἱερὸν χῶρον τοῦτον εἰπών, αυθις ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὰ ιδια. 10 Τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων πάλιν ἐκστρατευσάντων καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἁγίας Θεοδώρας ἐλθόντων παλατίων καὶ ταῦτα πυρὶ παραδι403 δόντων, εἰς αριστον ὁ βασιλεὺς ̔Ρωμανὸς τῶν ταγμάτων αρχον- τας συνεκάλεσεν, συνόντος αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ λεγομένου Σακτίκη. καὶ παρῄνει τούτοις καὶ προὐτρέπετο κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐξελθεῖν καὶ τῆς πατρίδος ὑπεραγωνίσασθαι. οἱ δὲ συνέθεντο ἑτοίμως τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας καὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὑπεραποθνήσκειν. τῇ ουν ἐπαύριον καθοπλισθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ εἰρημένος Σακτίκης ἀληθῆ ουσαν τὴν αὐτοῦ πίστιν καὶ ἀνδρίαν ἀπέδειξεν· οπισθεν γὰρ τῶν Βουλγάρων γενόμενος καὶ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον αὐτῶν εἰσελθὼν πάντας τοὺς ἐκεῖ εὑρεθέντας κατέσφαξεν. μαθόντες ουν οἱ Βούλγαροι τὸ γεγονὸς ὑποστρέφουσιν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, καὶ πολέμου συγκροτηθέντος τρέπουσι τὸν Σακτίκην σὺν ὀλίγων ὑπάρ- χοντα. ὁ δὲ ἐπειδὴ γενναίως ἀγωνισάμενος καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελὼν οὐκέτι ἀντέχειν ἠδύνατο πρὸς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πολεμίων, μεθίησι τοῦ ιππου τὸν χαλινὸν καὶ εἰς φυγὴν ηλαυνε. ποταμὸν δέ τινα παραρρέοντα διαπερῶν, τοῦ ιππου αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τούτου ἰλύϊ ἐμπα- γέντος, τιτρώσκεται κατὰ τῆς εδρας καὶ τοῦ μηροῦ. μόλις ουν τοῦ ιππου ἐκ τῆς ἰλύος ἀνασπασθέντος συνεργείᾳ τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα διασώζεται μέχρι τῶν Βλαχερνῶν· καὶ τεθεὶς ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ σορῷ, καιρίας τῆς πληγῆς ουσης, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐτελεύτησεν. 11 Τηνικαῦτα δὲ καὶ Πετρωνᾶς αἰδεσιμώτατος προστά- ξει ̔Ρωμανοῦ βασιλέως ηγαγεν λαρνακίδιον ενδοξον εν καὶ ετερα δύο γλυφῆς ἀμοιροῦντα ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Μάμαντος ἀνδρείας μο- 404 νῆς, τῆς πλησίον ουσης τῆς Ξηροκέρκου λεγομένης πόρτης, ἐν οις φασὶ συναποκεῖσθαι Μαυρίκιον σὺν τοῖς παισίν· α καὶ ἀπε- τέθη ἐν τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ̔Ρωμανοῦ μονῇ ητοι εἰς τὸ Μυρέλαιον. 12 ̓Αδριανὸς δέ τις Χάλδος, πρὸς δὲ Τατζάκης ̓Αρμέ-νιος πλούσιος πάνυ, τῇ ὑποθήκῃ καὶ συμβουλῇ Βάρδα τοῦ Βοήλα στρατηγοῦντος ἐν Χαλδίᾳ τυραννίδα καὶ ἀνταρσίαν κατὰ ̔Ρωμα- νοῦ βασιλέως σκευάζουσι, τὸ Παΐπερτε λεγόμενον ὀχύρωμα κατα- σχόντες· ους ὁ τῶν σχολῶν δομέστικος ̓Ιωάννης ὁ Κουρκούας καταπολεμήσας καὶ κατασχὼν τοὺς μὲν περιφανεστέρους ἀποτυ- φλοῖ, τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν δημεύσας, τοὺς δὲ πενιχροὺς καὶ ἀσή- μους ἀθῴους κελεύσας οπη βούλοιντο ἀπιέναι. Τατζάκης δὲ ἐν ἑτέρῳ ὀχυρωτάτῳ καστελλίῳ φυγών, καὶ λόγον τοῦ μή τι κακὸν παθεῖν δεξάμενος, ἐν τῇ πόλει εἰσεληλύθει, καὶ τῇ τοῦ μαγγλα- βίτου ἀξίᾳ τιμηθεὶς ἐν τῷ οικῳ τῶν Μαγγάνων διῃτᾶτο τηρού- μενος. δρασμὸν δὲ βουλευσάμενος ἁλίσκεται καὶ τῶν ὀμμάτων στερεῖται. Βάρδαν δὲ τὸν Βοήλαν ἀπέκειραν μοναχόν, τοῦ βα- σιλέως αὐτὸν κατοικτείροντος φίλον τυγχάνοντα. 13 Τοῦ δὲ πατρικίου τοῦ ουτως ἐπονομαζομένου Μωρο- λέοντος, η μᾶλλον εἰπεῖν οἰκειότερον Θυμολέοντος, ̓Αδριανουπό- λεως στρατηγοῦντος, κρατίστου τὰ πολεμικὰ καὶ περιδεξίου τυγχά- νοντος, ος πλείστας κατὰ Βουλγάρων ἀνδραγαθίας ἐπεδείξατο, ὁ Βούλγαρος Συμεὼν τὴν εἰρημένην πόλιν σὺν παντὶ τῷ στρατεύ- ματι περιεκύκλωσεν, καὶ χάρακα περιβαλὼν ἰσχυρῶς ταύτην ἐπο- 405 λιόρκει. ἐπεὶ δὲ ο τε σῖτος τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐπελελοίπει καὶ λιμὸς ἐπίεζε κραταιός (οὐδαμόθεν γὰρ ειχον ἐπισιτίσασθαι), τῇ ἐνδείᾳ πιεζόμενοι προδεδώκασιν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν τοῖς Βουλ- γάροις· ον χειρωσάμενος Συμεών, καὶ δεσμὰ καθ' ολου τοῦ σώ- ματος περιβαλὼν καὶ μυρίαις αἰκίαις τοῦτον τιμωρησάμενος, τε- λευταῖον ἀπέκτεινε θανάτῳ πικρῷ ἀξίῳ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀπηνεστάτης καὶ ὠμοτάτης ψυχῆς. Βουλγάροις ουν τὴν τῆς πόλεως