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having handed over the guard, he withdrew; who, having heard of the Roman army's attack against them, abandoning this, departed, and it came under the Romans again. 14 When Leo of Tripoli with a great force and warships went out against the Romans and landed on the island of Lemnos, John, patrikios and droungarios of the fleet, surnamed Radinos, suddenly attacked him; and a battle having taken place, with God's help the Agarenes under him were routed, and only the Tripolitan alone barely escaped by flight. 15 In the month of September, of the second indiction, Symeon, archon of Bulgaria, campaigned with his whole army against Constantinople, and he plundered Thrace and Macedonia, and burned everything and destroyed and cut down the trees. And coming as far as Blachernae he sought that the patriarch Nicholas and some of the magnates be sent to him, so that he might meet with them about peace. Therefore both sides took hostages from each other, and there went out 406 first the patriarch Nicholas, then Michael the patrikios called Stypiotis, and John the mystikos and paradynasteuon; for already John the rhaiktor, having been slandered to the emperor, feigning illness, had left the palace and been tonsured in his own monastery near Galakrenai. So they discussed peace with Symeon, but he sent them away, and sought to see the emperor Romanos himself; for he had been fully informed by many about his prudence, courage, and intelligence. The emperor, therefore, greatly rejoiced at this; for he longed for peace and for a stop to the daily shedding of blood. Therefore, sending men to the shore of Kosmidion, he had a very strong pier constructed in the sea, so that the imperial trireme, sailing through, might moor at it. Therefore, fencing it in on all sides, he ordered a partition to be made in the middle, where they were to speak with each other. Therefore Symeon, sending men, burned the church of the Most Holy Theotokos at Pege, which the emperor Justinian had built, and all its surroundings, making it clear from this that he did not want peace, but was deceiving him with high-flown hopes. And the emperor, arriving at Blachernae with Nicholas the patriarch, entered the holy reliquary and stretched out his hands in prayer, then falling prostrate he wet the holy ground with tears, beseeching the all-hymned and immaculate Theotokos to soften the unbending and relentless heart of the 407 arrogant Symeon and persuade him to agree to peace. So opening the holy casket in which the venerable omophorion of the holy Theotokos was treasured, the emperor, taking this and putting it on like some impenetrable breastplate, and putting on his faith in the most-blameless Theotokos like a kind of helmet, went out of the church, having armed himself with safe weapons. Therefore, having adorned the fleet with him with shields and arms, he took up the appointed place to converse with Symeon. It was the fifth day when these things happened, the ninth of the month of November, and the fourth hour of the day. And Symeon also arrived, bringing with him a multitude divided into many battle-lines, some with golden shields and golden spears, others with silver shields and silver spears, and others adorned with every color of arms, and all decorated with iron; who, having Symeon in their midst, acclaimed him as emperor in the Roman tongue. And all of the senatorial council, standing on the walls, watched what was happening. It was possible then to see a truly royal and magnanimous soul, and to marvel at his undaunted spirit and his stature of courage, how, seeing such an onslaught of enemies, he was not struck with terror, nor did he shrink back or withdraw, but as if going into a crowd of friends, so he advanced calmly, almost giving his life to the enemies of the

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φυλακὴν παραδοὺς ὑπεχώρησεν· οι τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν τοῦ ̔Ρωμαίων στρατοῦ εφοδον ἀκηκοότες, ταύτην καταλιπόντες ἀπῆλθον, καὶ πάλιν ὑπὸ ̔Ρωμαίους αὐτὴ ἐγένετο. 14 Λέοντος δὲ τοῦ Τριπολίτου μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς καὶ πλοίων πολεμικῶν κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐξελθόντος καὶ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ Λήμνῳ καταλαβόντος, ̓Ιωάννης πατρίκιος καὶ δρουγγάριος τῶν πλωΐμων ὁ ̔Ραδινὸς κατονομαζόμενος αἰφνιδίως ἐπέθετο αὐτῷ· καὶ πολέμου γεγονότος, θεοῦ συνεργίᾳ οἱ ὑπ' αὐτὸν τρέπονται ̓Αγαρηνοί, μόλις δὲ μόνος ὁ Τριπολίτης φυγῇ διασώζεται. 15 Σεπτεμβρίῳ δὲ μηνί, ἰνδικτιῶνος δευτέρας, Συμεὼν αρχων Βουλγαρίας πανστρατὶ κατὰ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐκστρα- τεύει, καὶ ληΐζεται μὲν Θρᾴκην καὶ Μακεδονίαν, ἐμπυρίζει δὲ πάντα καὶ καταστρέφει καὶ δενδροτομεῖ. μέχρι δὲ Βλαχερνῶν ἐπιγενόμενος ἐπεζήτησεν ἀποσταλῆναι αὐτῷ τὸν πατριάρχην Νικό- λαον καί τινας τῶν μεγιστάνων ωστε περὶ εἰρήνης αὐτοῖς συντυ- χεῖν. ελαβον ουν ὁμήρους παρ' ἀλλήλων ἀμφότεροι, καὶ ἐξῆλθε 406 πρότερον μὲν ὁ πατριάρχης Νικόλαος, επειτα ὁ Μιχαὴλ πατρί- κιος προσαγορευόμενος ὁ Στυπιώτης, καὶ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ μυστικὸς καὶ παραδυναστεύων· ηδη γὰρ ̓Ιωάννης ὁ ῥαίκτωρ διαβληθεὶς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἀσθένειαν προφασισάμενος τοῦ παλατίου κατελη- λύθει καὶ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ μονῇ πλησίον Γαλακρηνῶν ἀπεκάρη. οἱ μὲν ουν μετὰ Συμεὼν περὶ εἰρήνης διελέγοντο, ὁ δὲ αὐτοὺς μὲν ἀπεπέμψατο, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα ̔Ρωμανὸν ἐπεζήτει θεάσασθαι· παρὰ πολλῶν δὲ πεπληροφόρητο περί τε τῆς αὐτοῦ φρονήσεως καὶ ἀνδρίας καὶ συνέσεως. ὁ τοίνυν βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τούτου σφόδρα ἠγαλλιάσατο· ἐπόθει γὰρ τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ τὸ στῆναι τὰς γινομέ- νας τῶν αἱμάτων ἐκχύσεις ὁσημέραι. ἀποστείλας ουν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Κοσμιδίου αἰγιαλῷ κατεσκεύασεν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὀχυρωτάτην ἀπόβασιν, ωστε τὴν βασιλικὴν τριήρην διεκπλέουσαν ἐν αὐτῇ προσορμίζεσθαι. περιφράξας ουν αὐτὴν πάντοθεν διατείχισμα μέσον γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ενθα ἀλλήλοις εμελλον ὁμιλεῖν. ἀπο- στείλας ουν Συμεὼν τὸν τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου ναὸν ἐνέπρησεν τὸν ἐν τῇ Πηγῇ, ον ̓Ιουστινιανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐδομήσατο, καὶ τὰ πέριξ αὐτοῦ σύμπαντα, δῆλος ων ἐντεῦθεν μὴ τὴν εἰρήνην ἐθέ- λων, ἀλλ' ἐλπίσι μετεώροις τοῦτον ἐξαπατῶν. παραγενόμενος δὲ ἐν Βλαχέρναις ὁ βασιλεὺς αμα Νικολάῳ πατριάρχῃ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ εἰσῆλθε σορῷ καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐξέτεινεν εἰς εὐχήν, ειτα πρηνὴς πεσὼν δάκρυσι κατέβρεχε τὸ αγιον εδαφος, τὴν πανύμνητον καὶ αχραντον θεοτόκον ἀντιβολῶν τὴν ἀκαμπῆ καὶ ἀμείλικτον τοῦ 407 ὑπερηφάνου Συμεὼν καρδίαν μαλάξαι καὶ πεῖσαι τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην συνθέσθαι. τὸ αγιον ουν κιβώτιον διανοίξαντες ἐν ῳ τὸ σεπτὸν τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου τεθησαύριστο ὠμοφόριον, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ βασι- λεὺς ἀνελόμενος καὶ ωσπερ τινὰ θώρακα ἀδιάρρηκτον περιβαλό- μενος, καὶ τὴν πίστιν τὴν εἰς τὴν ὑπεράμωμον θεοτόκον οια περι- κεφαλαίαν τινὰ περιθέμενος, ἐξῄει τοῦ ναοῦ οπλοις ἀσφαλέσι φραξάμενος. τὸν σὺν αὐτῷ ουν στόλον ἀσπίσι τε καὶ οπλοις κατακοσμήσας τὸν ὡρισμένον τόπον κατέλαβεν συνομιλῆσαι τῷ Συμεών. πέμπτη δὲ ην ἡμέρα οτε ταῦτα ἐγένετο, ἐννάτη τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνός, τετάρτη δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ωρα. παρεγένετο δὲ καὶ ὁ Συμεών, πλῆθος ἐπαγόμενος εἰς πολλὰς διῃρημένον τὰς παρατάξεις, τῶν μὲν χρυσασπίδων καὶ χρυσοδοράτων, τῶν δὲ ἀργυρασπίδων καὶ ἀργυροδοράτων, τῶν δὲ πάσῃ οπλων χροιᾷ κεκοσμημένων, πάντων καὶ κατακεκοσμημένων σιδήρῳ· οι μέσον αὐτῶν εἰληφότες Συμεὼν ὡς βασιλέα εὐφήμουν τῇ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων φωνῇ. πάντες δὲ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐφεστῶτες κατεθεῶντο τὰ δρώμενα. ην ουν ἰδεῖν τότε ψυχὴν βασιλικὴν τῷ οντι καὶ μεγαλόφρονα, καὶ θαυμάσαι τὸ τοῦ φρονήματος ἀκατά- πληκτον καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀνδρίας παράστημα, οπως τοσαύτην πολε- μίων βλέπων ἐπιφορὰν οὐ κατεπλάγη καὶ συνεστάλη καὶ ὑπεχώρη- σεν, ἀλλ' ωσπερ εἰς φίλων πλῆθος χωρῶν, ουτως ἀτρέμας ἀπῄει, μόνον οὐχὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῖς πολεμίοις τῶν