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they were taking over after the inhabitants had moved away by royal command on account of the danger, and having surrounded the place they encamped for days, refraining from attacking the Italians, but giving the impression that they would attack those who had openly entered into rebellion, as was suspected by many. There was therefore, as has been said, a suspicion of spying from this, for him arriving from there, that indeed for each of the western forts he came upon, he appointed his own governors and guards from the Catalans. It was therefore the eighth of the waning Boedromion, and the Caesar's arrival was announced to the ruler Michael during the review, as he was passing with the army. And this, announced by that brother-in-law Asan, was a surprise; and the emperor sent to inquire how he had arrived, whether it had been ordered for him by the emperor and father, or whether he himself had come of his own free will. And he professed his servitude to him, and that he was present to do homage, and at the same time also to join him on the proposed journey to the 525 east. But he in turn sent back and greeted him with fitting words. It was Wednesday of the week called of Thomas, and resting in the evening, having appeared before the emperor and been treated kindly, as was fitting and worthy, with imperial banquets, on the day after this he would enter Adrianople together with the emperor. And on this day and the one after it, with displays of friendship for the troops, the emperor advised him, prescribing things for gentleness, as the Romans in no way tolerated such tyrannical and repulsive customs. But he, still hastening his departure, was as it were making arrangements, and gladly received the advice.

(24) But the Alans were enraged against him, watching for their opportunity, having with them also Gircon, whose son had been killed at Cyzicus, as we have already said. So they were following him silently from this side and that. So when an opportunity was given to him to see the Augusta alone, with all the other Italians standing somewhere outside, as he was departing and the gate of the house in which the Augusta was already opening, he receives a fatal blow from behind through the kidneys from Gircon, who was seeking the blood of his own son. And so he falls instantly, a man indeed barbarous and unjust and for the most part arrogant, 526 but yet keen and roused for wars. A clamor arises from this, and the men from the east, so to speak, tore him to pieces and drank his blood, remembering their own; so did their malice arm them. So having taken up his corpse, they throw it down somewhere outside. The emperor, learning this and scarcely having come to his senses, asked before all else concerning the Augusta, if she was safe; for the murder, as he heard, having been committed in her house, led him to fear whether she too had suffered something irreparable. When therefore he learned the good news concerning the Augusta, even though having been greatly distressed for the man, nevertheless, being prudent, he took precautions very wisely, and ordered that it not be revealed at all to the other Italians, who were one hundred and fifty in number. So them, knowing nothing of what had happened, they silently surrounded according to the command and ordered by the emperor's decree to put their arms on the ground, and they subdued them without a struggle, shutting them up unarmed in the prisons. Thenceforth the Alan and eastern murderers of the Caesar, appearing before the emperor, excused their bold deed, saying that it was not otherwise possible than to mercilessly slay the avenging spirit of many, and a rebel in mind against their own emperors. And others, having encouraged each other with even greater impulses, 527 and especially the Alans, mounted their horses and rushed out everywhere, wherever they might find Catalans. But the emperor, learning of the whole sally of the troops, and fearing for them lest, running out in a disorderly way, they be defeated and their impulse result in danger for them, sent his uncle Theodore together with others and tried to make them turn back. But indeed he did not succeed at all, but they immediately rushed out and coming upon Italians in certain places (for the matters of the... were not yet unknown to them

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διελάμβανον ἀπαναστάντων τῶν οἰκητόρων κατὰ βασι λικὴν διὰ τὸν κίνδυνον πρόσταξιν, καὶ κύκλῳ περισχόντες τὸν τόπον ἐφ' ἡμέραις ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο, τοῦ μὲν προσβαλεῖν Ἰτα λοῖς ἀποσχόμενοι, ἔννοιαν δὲ διδόντες ὡς ἐπιθήσονται φανεροῖς εἰς ἀποστασίαν καταστᾶσιν, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν ὑπωπτεύετο. ἦν τοί νυν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ κατασκοπήσεως ὑποψία, ὡς εἴρηται, αὐτόθεν ἀφικνουμένῳ, ὅτι γε καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν κατὰ δύσιν φρουρίων, οἷς ἐπισταίη, ἰδίους ἐκ Κατελάνων ἁρμοστὰς καθίστη καὶ φύλακας. Βοηδρομιῶνος τοιγαροῦν ὀγδόη λήγοντος ἦν, καὶ ἠγγέλλετο τῷ κρατοῦντι Μιχαὴλ ἡ τοῦ Καίσαρος ἄφιξις ἀνὰ τὴν δεῖξιν ἅμα τῷ στρατῷ διάγοντι. ἀγγελθὲν δὲ τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ γυναικαδέλ φου ἐκείνου Ἀσὰν θαῦμα ἦν· καὶ πέμψας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπυνθάνετο πῶς ἂν καὶ παραγένοιτο, εἰ ὁρισθὲν αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τε καὶ πατρός, ἢ αὐτὸς καὶ γνώμης ἦλθεν αὐτοθελοῦς. καὶ ὃς τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν μὲν δουλείαν καθωμολόγει, καὶ ὡς προσκυνήσων πάρεστιν, ἅμα δέ γε καὶ κατὰ τὴν προκειμένην ὁδὸν τὴν ἐπ' ἀνα 525 τολῆς αὐτῷ συνταξόμενος. ὁ δ' αὖθις ἀντέπεμπε καὶ λόγοις ἐδεξιοῦτο προσήκουσι. τετρὰς ἦν τῆς τοῦ Θωμᾶ λεγομένης ἑβδο μάδος, καὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν ἀνέσας, βασιλεῖ φανεὶς καὶ φιλοφρονη θεὶς ὡς εἰκὸς ἀξίως βασιλικαῖς ὁμεστιάσεσι, τὴν μετ' αὐτὴν ἡμέ ραν συνάμα βασιλεῖ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ εἴσεισι. ταύτην δὲ καὶ τὴν μετ' ἐκείνην ἀγήλας φιλοτησίαις αὐτὸν βασιλεὺς παρῄνει τὰ εἰς προσήνειαν διοριζόμενος, ὡς μηδὲν ὅλως τῶν Ῥωμαίων χωρούν των τοιαῦτα ἤθη τυραννικὰ καὶ ἀπόκροτα. ἐκεῖνος δ' ἔτι σπεύ δων τὴν ἀποχώρησιν οἱονεὶ συνετάττετο, καὶ τὴν παραίνεσιν ἀσμένως ἐδέχετο.

(24) οἱ δὲ Ἀλανοὶ ἐθύμαινον κατ' αὐτοῦ, τὸν καιρὸν ἐπιτηροῦντες, ἔχοντες μεθ' ἑαυτῶν καὶ τὸν Γεωργοῦν, οὗ ὁ υἱὸς κατὰ τὴν Κύζικον ἀπεκτάνθη, καθὰ φθάσαντες εἴπο μεν. παρηκολούθουν οὖν τούτῳ σιγῇ ἔνθεν κἀκεῖθεν. δοθέν τος οὖν ἐκείνῳ καιροῦ τὴν Αὐγοῦσταν ἰδεῖν μόνον, τῶν ἄλλων Ἰταλῶν πάντων ἔξω που ἑστώτων, ἀπερχόμενος καὶ ἤδη τῆς πύλης ἀνοιγομένης τοῦ οἰκήματος ἐν ᾧ ἡ Αὐγοῦστα ἦν, δέχεται καιρίαν τὴν πληγὴν ὄπισθεν διὰ τῶν νεφρῶν παρὰ τοῦ Γεωργοῦ ζητοῦντος τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἰδίου υἱοῦ. καὶ οὕτω παραχρῆμα πίπτει, ἀνὴρ βάρβαρος μὲν καὶ ἄδικος καὶ ὡς τὰ πολλὰ φρονηματίας, 526 ἀλλ' οὖν ὀξὺς εἰς πολέμους καὶ διεγηγερμένος. θροῦς ἐντεῦθεν ἐγείρεται, καὶ οἱ ἀπ' ἀνατολῆς, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἐκεῖνον διεσπάραξαν καὶ ἀπερρόφουν τοῦ αἵματος, τῶν ἰδίων μεμνημένοι· οὕτως ὥπλιζεν αὐτοὺς ἡ κακία. ἄραντες οὖν τὸν νεκρὸν ἐκείνου ἔξω που καταρρίπτουσι. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ μόλις ἑαυτοῦ γεγονὼς ἠρώτα πρὸ πάντων περὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης εἰ περιῇ· φόνος γάρ, ὡς ἤκουεν, εἰργασμένος ἐν τῷ αὐτῆς οἰκήματι μή τι κἀκεί νη πέπονθεν ἀνήκεστον φοβεῖν ἐπῆγεν. ὡς γοῦν τὰ χρηστὰ μὲν περὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης μαθὼν ἦν, κἂν οἷον ὑπερπαθήσας τοῦ ἀν δρός, ὅμως φρόνιμος ὢν προεμηθεύσατο πάνυ σοφῶς, καὶ προσέταττε μὴ ἐκφανθῆναι τὸ σύνολον τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἰταλοῖς ἑκα τὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν οὖσιν. ἐκείνους οὖν μηδὲν εἰ δότας τῶν συμβάντων σιγῇ κατὰ τὸ πρόσταγμα περικυκλώσαντες ἐκέλευσαν ὁρισμῷ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ὅπλα εἰς γῆν θεῖναι, καὶ ἀκο νιτὶ ἐχειρώσαντο, ταῖς εἱρκταῖς ἀνόπλους ἐγκατακλείοντες. ἐν τεῦθεν οἱ Ἀλανοὶ καὶ ἀνατολικοὶ τοῦ Καίσαρος φονεῖς φανέντι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν τόλμαν ἀπελογοῦντο, ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως οὐκ ὂν μὴ τὸν πολλῶν ἀλάστορα, αὐτῶν δὲ βασιλέων ἀποστάτην τὴν γνώ μην, ἀνηλεῶς κατασφάττοιεν. ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ μείζοσιν ὁρμαῖς 527 ἀλλήλους παρακροτήσαντες, καὶ μᾶλλον Ἀλανοί, ἐπιβάντες τῶν ἵππων ἐξέθεον πανταχοῦ, ὅπου ἂν καὶ καταλήψαιντο Κατελά νους. ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς μαθὼν τὴν ἐκδρομὴν ὅλην τῶν στρατευ μάτων, καὶ δείσας περὶ ἐκείνους μή πως ἀσυντάκτως ἐκθέοντες ἡττηθῶσι καὶ εἰς κίνδυνον αὐτοῖς ἡ ὁρμὴ περιστῇ, πέμψας τὸν θεῖον αὑτοῦ Θεόδωρον συνάμα καὶ ἄλλοις ὑποστρέφειν ἐπείρα. οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ ἤνυτε τὸ παράπαν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἐξέθεον καὶ τόποις τισὶν ἐφιστάμενοι Ἰταλοῖς μὲν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄπυστά πω σφίσι τὰ τοῦ