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to reproach them for the insults from them, one man, who was present with them and felt he had been treated unworthily, so to speak, reviled the accusation 521 and blasphemed the faith and the patriarch, showing himself a despiser, as one who cared not at all if he should be called upon. A short time passed, and leaving from there, while crossing the road in between, for no apparent reason he is tripped and falls a terrible fall, and he seemed to have paid the penalty for his blasphemy, having terribly crushed his foot. The emperor, learning these things, and as was likely considering what had happened a miracle, attributed the whole of the marvel to the patriarch, when it was fitting, I think, to attribute it rather to God and to the faith, which that man had foolishly blasphemed. And immediately he orders a common assembly for the morning, and he commands that the man who had been dashed down also be brought in as he was on his cot. And when he was placed in the midst, he delivered a long and wailing public speech, establishing from this what he wished to establish, and he attacked for the most part those who were in schism from him, and especially those who were zealous for their own cause, even though they held an unchangeable opinion on those matters which they had affirmed from the beginning. And they suffered indeed, and would have suffered the greatest things, if the emperor had submitted and allowed it. But he entirely held back the others' attacks upon them by means of his goodness.

22. At this time also the man descended from the Grand Duke, an Italian by 522 race, but famed by the titles from the emperor as his son-in-law, sending often to the emperor and contriving his perversities, finally, when the symbols of Caesar were sent again on the day of the resurrection of Saint Lazarus, he is invested and proclaimed Caesar, and he receives from the emperor both thirty-three thousand gold coins. And it was agreed between them that he should receive one hundred thousand local modii of grain, and having retained up to three thousand fighting men, he would send the others away, and immediately cross over to the east. But nevertheless, out of perversity, a pretext was again not lacking, but he sends many to Cyzicus and many to Pegae, and he assigns a sufficient portion also to Lopadium. And he himself, cherishing Bpyrigerios and his men, who had already revolted, and furthermore winning over those around the bastard brother of Theuderic, for these he limited their voyage as far as Mytilene, but he detained the others and fabricated pretexts, other ones indeed, but for the time being the obvious one, that since they were ungovernable, he was not able to subject them to his own will, and this, since they had not even been satisfied with the wages they were owed. He also pretended to be collecting the one hundred thousand modii of grain; and on the one hand, the emperor's men were gathering the grain for him from the 523 country, and on the other hand, he, sending his own men, carried off what was found, on the pretext of hastening the departure, but in truth, and what was rather perceived, was that he was gratifying his desires and showing contempt to the greatest possible extent. In the meantime, in order to win over the emperor still more, and at the same time for certain other pretexts, he sends his mother-in-law and his wife, who was heavy with the burden in her womb, to the city to the ruler, delaying the crossing on the pretext that if they did not return with his demands having been accomplished, he would not cross over at all.

(23) But he himself, taking along those in whom he had more confidence, numbering about one hundred and fifty, decided to go to Emperor Michael, who was staying at Adrianople, on the pretext and for appearance's sake of doing obeisance and seeing him whom he had not seen up to this point, and furthermore, as he said, to take his leave as he was about to cross over, but for a deeper reason, and for which he was suspected, to spy on the army around the emperor. For they too were not quiet about their outrages, but suspecting his faithlessness, and especially the Alans and the old 524 Persian contingent, whom they also called Tourkopouloi, the ones around Bossilas from the Bulgarians and their own commanders, while the Roman contingent was arrayed around the Grand Primikerios Kassianos and Doukas and the Grand Hetaireiarch, and the strongholds of Macedonia

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τὰ παρ' αὐτῶν ὀνείδη διεγκαλεῖν, εἷς παρευρεθεὶς ἐκείνοις καὶ ἀναξιοπαθήσας οἷον, τὴν ἔγκλησιν 521 ἐβλασφήμει καὶ πίστιν καὶ πατριάρχην, τὸν καταφρονητὴν ὑπεμ φαίνων, ὡς ἥκιστα φροντιῶν, εἰ ἐπικαλοίη. μικρὸν διῆλθε τῆς ὥρας, καὶ ἀποστὰς ἐκεῖθεν, μεταξὺ τὴν ὁδὸν διερχόμενος, παρὰ μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν ἐμφανῆ ξυμποδίζεται καὶ πίπτει πτῶμα δεινόν, καὶ ἔδοξεν ὑποσχὼν δίκας τῆς βλασφημίας, δεινῶς συν τριβεὶς τὸν πόδα. ταῦτα μαθὼν βασιλεύς, καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς τὸ πραχθὲν ἡγησάμενος θαυματούργημα, τὸ πᾶν τοῦ παραδόξου τῷ πατριαρχοῦντι προσανετίθει, δέον ὄν, οἶμαι, καὶ μᾶλλον θεῷ καὶ τῇ πίστει, ἣν ἐκεῖνος ἀφρόνως βεβλασφημήκει. καὶ αὐτίκα πρωΐας σύναξιν κοινὴν παραγγέλλει, ἐπιτάττει δ' ἐνεχθῆ ναι καὶ τὸν καταραχθέντα ὡς εἶχεν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκίμποδος. οὗ δὴ καὶ ἐς μέσον τεθέντος, πολλὴν καὶ διωλύγιον διεξῄει δημηγορίαν, συνιστῶν ἐντεῦθεν ὃν συνιστᾶν ἤθελε, τῶν δ' ἀπ' αὐτοῦ σχιζο μένων, καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἰδίως ζηλούντων, τὰ πλεῖστα καθήπτε το, κἂν ἐκεῖνοι τὴν γνώμην ἀμετάθετον εἶχον ἐφ' οἷς ἀρχῆθεν ἐπισχυρίζοντο. καὶ ἔπασχον μέν, ἔπασχον δ' ἂν καὶ τὰ μέγιστα, εἰ βασιλεὺς ὑφίει καὶ συνεχώρει. ἀλλ' ἀνεῖχεν ὅλως τὰς ἐπ' ἐκείνοις τῶν ἄλλων ὁρμὰς τρόποις χρηστότητος.

22. Ἐν τούτῳ καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ μεγάλου δουκὸς Ἰταλὸς μὲν τὸ 522 γένος, ταῖς δ' ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ὀνομασίαις ὡς γαμβρὸς κλεϊζό μενος, πέμπων πολλάκις πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ τεχνιτεύων τὰς σκαιω ρίας, τέλος ἀποσταλέντα καὶ αὖθις τὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος σύμβολα κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς τοῦ ἁγίου Λαζάρου ἐγέρσεως ὑποδέδεται καὶ Καῖσαρ φημίζεται, δέχεταί τε παρὰ βασιλέως καὶ χρυσίου νομίσματα χιλιοστύας τρεῖς πρὸς τριάκοντα. ξυνέκειτο δὲ σφίσι λαμβάνειν καὶ σίτου τοπικοὺς μοδίους ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας, καὶ μέχρι καὶ ἐς τρεῖς χιλιάδας μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν παρακατασχόντα τοὺς ἄλ λους ἀποπέμπειν, καὶ αὐτίκα περᾶν κατ' ἀνατολήν. ἀλλ' ὅμως ἐκ σκαιωρίας καὶ αὖθις οὐχ ὑπελείπετο πρόφασις, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνὰ Κύζικον πέμπει πολλοὺς δ' ἀνὰ Πηγάς, ἱκανὴν δὲ μοῖ ραν καὶ τῷ Λοπαδίῳ προσνέμει. αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Μπυριγέριον θάλπων ἤδη ἀποστατήσαντα, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν νόθον ἀδελφὸν Θευδερίχου ὑποποιούμενος, τούτοις μὲν μέχρι καὶ Μιτυλήνης τὸν πλοῦν περιώριζεν, ἐκείνους δὲ παρακατεῖχε καὶ προφάσεις ἐπλάττετο καὶ ἄλλας μέν, τέως δέ γε τὴν ἔκδηλον, ὡς ἀκαθέκτους ὄντας οὐ δύναται καθυπάγειν εἰς τὸ οἰκεῖον θέ λημα, καὶ ταῦτα μηδὲ ταῖς κεχρεωστημέναις μισθοφορίαις ἱκα νωθέντας. ὑπεποιεῖτο δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἑκατὸν χιλιάδων τοῦ σίτου συναγωγήν· καὶ ἀνὰ μέρος μὲν οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως συνῆγον ἐκ τῆς 523 χώρας ἐκείνῳ τὸν σῖτον, ἀνὰ μέρος δ' ἐκεῖνος τοὺς ἰδίους πέμ πων ἐξεφόρει τὸ εὑρισκόμενον, προφάσει μὲν ὡς ἐπιταχύνων τὴν ἀπανάστασιν, τὸ δ' ἀληθὲς καὶ ὃ μᾶλλον κατενοεῖτο, τὰς ἐπι θυμίας ἐμπιπλῶν καὶ καταφρονῶν ἐς ὅτι μάλιστα. ἐν τοσούτῳ δέ, ἵνα δὴ καὶ πλέον τὸν βασιλέα ὑποποιήσηται, ἅμα δὲ καὶ κατά τινας ἑτέρας προφάσεις, τὴν μὲν πενθερὰν καὶ τὴν σύζυ γον τῷ ἐγγαστρίῳ βαρουμένην φόρτῳ πέμπει κατὰ πόλιν πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα, περιαργῶν τὴν διαπεραίωσιν ἐκ προφάσεως, ὡς εἰ μὴ ἐπανέλθοιεν αὗται ἐξηνυσμένων καὶ τῶν ἀπαιτουμένων, οὐδ' ὅλως περαιωθησόμενος.

(23) αὐτὸς δὲ συμπαραλαβὼν οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον ἐθάρρει, ποσουμένους περί που τοὺς ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα, ἔγνω πρὸς βασιλέα Μιχαὴλ κατὰ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ διά γοντα ἀπελθεῖν, προφάσει μὲν καὶ τῷ φαινομένῳ ὡς προσκυνή σων καὶ βλέψων ὃν ἐς τόδε οὐκ εἶδεν, ἔτι δέ γε, καὶ ὡς ἔλεγε, συνταξόμενος μέλλων διαπερᾶν, τῷ δέ γε βαθυτέρῳ, καὶ ἐφ' οἷς ὑπωπτεύετο, κατασκοπήσων τὸ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα στράτευμα. καὶ γὰρ οὐδ' ἐκεῖνοι πρὸς τὰς αὐτῶν ἀτασθαλίας ἠρέμουν, ἀλλ' ὑπονοοῦντες τὴν ἀπιστίαν, καὶ μᾶλλον Ἀλανοὶ καὶ τὸ ἐκ παλαιοῦ 524 Περσικόν, οὓς καὶ Τουρκοπούλους ὠνόμαζον, οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν ἐκ Βουλγάρων Βοσσίλαν καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους κοσμήτορας, τὸ δὲ Ῥωμαϊκὸν περὶ τὸν μέγαν πριμικήριον τὸν Κασσιανὸν καὶ τὸν ∆ούκαν καὶ μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην ταττόμενοι, τὰ τῆς Μακεδονίας τε ὀχυρὰ