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For the emperor Romanos had the greatest affection for him, as he was able to serve him in all things, and he did not wish to cast him off completely. Therefore, when the accusers were pressing the emperor and clearly proving the accusations, the emperor, having investigated and learned that these things 411 were true, was about to arrest and examine him. But he, foreseeing this, took to flight, and reaching Monokastanon, was tonsured a monk. Constantine Boilas, the trapezites, also fled, being his relative and friend, and reaching Olympus, he put on the monastic habit; for he himself was also afraid, being a confidant of the mystikos and a sharer in his most secret affairs. The emperor had the patrikios Kosmas beaten in the horologion of the palace and succeeded him. And in place of the mystikos John, he appointed Theophanes the protovestiarios, who was then in power. At that time there also occurred a terrible earthquake in the theme of the Thrakesians, and a great and astonishing chasm in the earth, so that many villages and churches were swallowed up with their inhabitants. 20 But in the month of May, on the twenty-seventh day, of the 15th indiction, Symeon, archon of Bulgaria, moved an army against the Croats, and joining battle with them, was defeated and utterly destroyed all those under him. 21 But John the astronomer, having seen the emperor Romanos, spoke thus. "Master, the column standing in the arch above the Xerolophos, facing west, is that of Symeon; and if you cut off its head, at that very hour Symeon will die." But the emperor Romanos sent men by night and cut off the head of the column; and at that very hour Symeon 412 died in Bulgaria, having been seized with folly and overcome by a heart ailment, he perished, having acted lawlessly in vain, having appointed his son Peter as archon, whom he had by his second wife, the sister of George Soursouboulos, whom Symeon had also left as guardian for his children. But he had Michael, who was born of his first wife, tonsured a monk; and John and Benjamin, the brothers of Peter, were still adorned in Bulgarian dress. 22 Therefore the surrounding nations, the Croats, the Turks, and the rest, having learned of Symeon's death, planned to march against the Bulgarians. And as a very great famine with locusts was severely oppressing the Bulgarian nation, they feared an attack from the other nations, but they feared even more the advance of the Romans. Therefore, having made a plan, they march against the Romans and arrive in Macedonia, intending, as was likely, to strike fear into the Romans. Then, learning that the emperor Romanos was about to march against them, Peter and George secretly sent a certain monk named Kalokyris, an Armenian by race, carrying a golden bull. And the things in it declared that they embraced peace with the Romans and were eager to conclude it, and not only that, but if they wished, also to make a marriage contract. Therefore the emperor, having received such a monk most gladly, immediately sent by dromon 413 the monk Theodosios Aboukes and Constantine the Rhodian, an imperial cleric, to discuss peace with the Bulgarians in Mesembria, which was formerly called Menebria, from Menas the Thracian who founded it, and bria, which among some of the Thracians is said to be a city; but for greater elegance it is named Mesembria. And they, having arrived and discussed the appropriate matters, departed by land with Stephen the Bulgarian; and behind them arrived also George Soursouboulos and Symeon Kalouterkanos and Ousampsos and Symeon, the brother-in-law of the archon of Bulgaria, and in addition to these, his relative Stephen, and indeed also Magotinos, Kronos, and Menikos were confirmed before the sovereign Romanos. and seeing the daughter

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στοργὴν γὰρ οτι πλείστην ἐκέκτητο πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ̔Ρωμανὸς ὡς ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸν θεραπεύειν δυνάμενον, καὶ τελέως τοῦτον ἀπώσασθαι οὐκ ἠβούλετο. τῶν κατηγόρων ουν κατεπειγόντων τὸν βασιλέα καὶ σαφῆ ἀποδεικνύν- των τὰ κατηγορούμενα, ἐρευνήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἀληθῆ ταῦτα 411 ειναι ἀναμαθὼν εμελλεν τοῦτον κατασχὼν ἐξετάζειν. ὁ δὲ τοῦτο προγνοὺς χρῆται φυγῇ, καὶ τὴν Μονοκάστανον καταλαβὼν ἀποκείρεται μοναχός. πέφευγε δὲ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος τοῦ Βοΐλα ὁ τῆς τραπέζης, οἰκεῖος καὶ φίλος ων αὐτῷ, καὶ τὸν Ολυμπον κα- ταλαβὼν τὸ μοναχικὸν σχῆμα ἐνδύεται· ἐδεδοίκει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ατε συμμύστης ὑπάρχων τοῦ μυστικοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀπορρητοτέρων αὐτοῦ κοινωνός. τὸν δὲ πατρίκιον Κοσμᾶν ἐν τῷ ὡρολογίῳ τοῦ παλατίου τύψας ὁ βασιλεὺς διεδέξατο. προβάλλεται δὲ ἀντὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ ̓Ιωάννου Θεοφάνην πρωτοβεστιάριον παραδυναστεύοντα. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ τηνικαῦτα σεισμὸς φοβερὸς ἐν τῷ θέματι τῶν Θρᾳ- κησίων, καὶ χάσμα γῆς μέγα καὶ καταπληκτικόν, ωστε πολλὰ χωρία καὶ ἐκκλησίας αὐτάνδρους καταποθῆναι. 20 Μαΐῳ δὲ μηνί, εἰκάδι ἑβδόμῃ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιεʹ, Συ- μεὼν αρχων Βουλγαρίας κατὰ Χρωβάτων ἐκίνησε στράτευμα, καὶ συμβαλὼν μετ' αὐτῶν πόλεμον, ἡττηθεὶς τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν απαντας αρδην ἀπώλεσεν. 21 Τὸ δὲ βασιλέα ̔Ρωμανὸν ̓Ιωάννης ἀστρονόμος θεα-σάμενος ουτως λελάληκεν. "δέσποτα, ἡ στήλη ἡ ἱσταμένη εἰς τὴν καμάραν ἐπάνω τοῦ Ξηρολόφου, ἐπὶ δυσμὰς βλέπουσα, τοῦ Συμεών ἐστι· καὶ εἰ ταύτης τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκκόψῃς, τῇ αὐτῇ ωρᾳ ὁ Συμεὼν τελευτᾷ." ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ̔Ρωμανὸς ἀποστείλας τῇ νυκτὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τῆς στήλης ἐξέκοψεν· καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ωρᾳ ὁ Συ- 412 μεὼν εἰς Βουλγαρίαν ἐτελεύτησεν, ἀνοίᾳ συσχεθεὶς καὶ νόσῳ κα- τακαρδίᾳ ἁλούς, διέφθαρτο, ἀνομήσας διὰ κενῆς, Πέτρον υἱὸν αὐτοῦ προβαλόμενος αρχοντα, ον ἐκ τῆς δευτέρας αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς εσχεν, τῆς ἀδελφῆς Γεωργίου Σουρσουβούλη, ον καὶ ἐπίτροπον τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ παισὶν ὁ Συμεὼν καταλέλοιπεν. Μιχαὴλ δὲ τὸν ἐκ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς γενόμενον ἀπέκειρεν μοναχόν· ̓Ιωάννης δὲ καὶ Βενιαμὶν οἱ τοῦ Πέτρου ἀδελφοὶ ετι στολῇ ἐκοσμοῦντο Βουλγαρικῇ. 22 Τὰ κύκλῳ ουν εθνη τοῦ Συμεὼν μαθόντα τελευτήν, οι τε Χρωβάτοι οἱ Τοῦρκοι καὶ οἱ λοιποί, ἐκστρατεύειν κατὰ Βουλγάρων ἐβουλεύοντο. λιμοῦ δὲ μεγίστου σὺν ἀκρίδι τὸ Βουλ- γαρικὸν εθνος ἰσχυρῶς ἐκπιέζοντος, ἐδεδίεσαν μὲν καὶ τῶν αλλων ἐθνῶν εφοδον, ἐδεδίεσαν δὲ πλέον καὶ τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐπέλευ- σιν. βουλὴν ουν ποιησάμενοι κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ἐκστρατεύουσιν καὶ ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ καταλαμβάνουσιν, φόβον, ὡς εἰκός, τοῖς ̔Ρω- μαίοις ἐμποιήσοντες. επειτα μαθόντες οτι μέλλει κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς ̔Ρωμανὸς ἐκστρατεύειν, ἀποστέλλουσι Πέτρος τε καὶ Γεώργιος κρυφίως τινὰ μοναχὸν Καλοκύριν ὀνομαζόμενον, τῷ γένει ̓Αρμενιακόν, χρυσοβούλλιον ἐπιφερόμενον. διηγόρευε δὲ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ ὡς τὴν μετὰ ̔Ρωμαίων εἰρήνην ἀσπάζονται καὶ πρόθυμοι ταύτην συνθέσθαι εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλ' ειγε βούλωνται, καὶ γαμικὸν ποιῆσαι συνάλλαγμα. τὸν τοιοῦτον ουν μοναχὸν ὁ βασι- λεὺς ἀσμενέστατα ἀποδεξάμενος, παρευθὺ ἀπέστειλεν μετὰ δρό- 413 μωνος τὸν μοναχὸν Θεοδόσιον τὸν ̓Αβούκην καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον βα- σιλικὸν κληρικὸν τὸν ̔Ρόδιον τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην συλλαλῆσαι τοῖς Βουλ- γάροις ἐν Μεσημβρίᾳ, τὸ πρὶν μὲν Μενεβρίᾳ καλουμένῃ, ἀπὸ Μένου Θρᾳκὸς τοῦ ταύτην οἰκίσαντος καὶ Βρίᾳ τὸ παρά τισι Θρᾳκῶν πόλισμα λεγόμενον· πρὸς δὲ τὸ εὐφραδέστερον Μεσημ- βρία ὀνομάζεται. οἱ δὲ παραγενόμενοι καὶ τὰ εἰκότα συλλαλή- σαντες ἐξῆλθον αμα Στεφάνῳ Βουλγάρῳ διὰ τῆς ξηρᾶς· καὶ οπι- σθεν αὐτῶν κατέλαβον καὶ Γεώργιος ὁ Σουρσουβούλης καὶ Συμεὼν ὁ Καλουτερκάνος καὶ Ουσαμψος καὶ Συμεὼν τοῦ ἀρχηγοῦ Βουλ- γαρίας ἀδελφὸς πρὸς γυναῖκα, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὁ ἀγχιστεὺς αὐτοῦ Στέφανος, καὶ μὴν καὶ Μαγοτῖνος Κρόνος τε καὶ Μηνικὸς διε- κρατύναντο πρὸς τὸν ανακτα ̔Ρωμανόν. θεασάμενοι δὲ τὴν θυ- γατέρα