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becoming. For when 595 his sister Maria, who was the mother of Michael the Caulker who later became emperor, having gone to Ephesus for a vow and having returned from there, was recounting how much the poor were suffering being exacted for the new taxes, and was demanding that much of the burden be lifted from the subjects, the orphanotrophos, bursting into laughter, replied to her, "You think like a woman, not knowing how many expenses the state requires." This man is said to have been plotted against by the empress Zoe. For when a doctor was about to administer a purge to him, the empress, through certain persons, persuaded the pharmacist with gifts and promises to offer him poison instead of a remedy; but when the attempt became known, he escaped the danger. But thus were public affairs managed by the orphanotrophos John; and his brothers no less than he, but indeed even more, oppressed everyone, being most unjust and most avaricious; for these reasons the emperor also detested them, but he was not permitted to restrain their wickedness by his older brother, the eunuch John, who at one time would intercede for them, and at another would cover up their deeds and not allow them to come to the emperor's knowledge. 596 But now as the emperor's disease grew severe and fits of delirium frequently came upon him, he neither engaged in processions continuously nor in imperial parades nor did he conduct business from the tribunal sitting comfortably on the imperial throne, but curtains were hung around him, and certain men assigned to watch over him stood around, who, whenever they saw any sign of his mind wandering (and many things foretold this to him), would immediately draw the curtains over him and, covering the sufferer with them, would order those present to depart. The affliction would come upon him suddenly and would depart suddenly. Being in this condition, therefore, Michael gradually refrained both from seeing the empress and from approaching her, either because he was ashamed of the kinds of things he had repaid her with in return for what she had given, or because, as the affliction came upon him often and most readily, he was ashamed to be seen by her suffering so, or because the condition of his body had deteriorated and he was not fit for intercourse. But some say that having confessed to spiritual men the sin of adultery and of the emperor's 597 murder, he received from them other injunctions and to abstain from carnal pleasures; hence, indeed, he also made distributions of much money and built monasteries and went away to Thessalonica, beseeching the victorious martyr Demetrios that he might find some remedy for his affliction; and to this was added the disease of dropsy. When, therefore, John saw his brother in this state, fearing for the empire, lest, on the emperor's sudden death, it might fall to Zoe as its heiress, and from there he himself and his whole family might come to utter destruction, he went to the emperor with persuasions and convinced him to appoint his nephew Michael as Caesar, so that he might be in reserve for the imperial office. And since, as has been said, he knew Zoe was the heir to the empire, he went to her also, and they fashioned the high-born woman into the mother of the low-born man. For both brothers, having spoken with her about this, name Michael as her adopted son. And she, not daring to speak against their wishes and being otherwise easy-going and tractable in mind, consented. And the senate was assembled by proclamation in the holy church in Blachernae, and those who filled the imperial 598 rank, and in the midst of these the empress was brought forth and, standing within the railings of the sanctuary, from there she adopts Michael and embraces him as a son. The emperor immediately appointed him Caesar, and the assembly acclaimed him. It seemed, therefore, that John had now accomplished everything and secured power for his own family; but this was the overthrow of everything for him and for all his relations; how so, the account will declare in due course. But the Bulgarians, as has already been related, having been defeated in war by the emperor Basil and their kingdom having been destroyed, up to a point

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γενόμενος. τῆς γοῦν 595 ἀδελφῆς αὐτοῦ Μαρίας, ἣ μήτηρ ἦν τοῦ ὕστερον βασιλεύσαντος Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Καλαφάτου, δι' εὐχὴν εἰς Ἔφεσον ἀπελθούσης κἀκεῖθεν ἐπανελθούσης καὶ διηγουμένης ὅσα πάσχοιεν οἱ πένητες τὰς καινὰς δασμοφορίας πραττόμενοι, καὶ ἀξιούσης ἀνεθῆναι τοῖς ὑπηκόοις τὸ τοῦ ἄχθους πολύ, ὁ ὀρφανοτρόφος ἐπικαγχάσας "ὡς γυνὴ φρονεῖς" ἀνταπεκρίθη αὐτῇ "μὴ εἰδυῖα ὅσων ἡ πολιτεία δεῖται ἀναλωμάτων." οὗτος ἐπιβουλευθῆναι λέγεται παρὰ τῆς βασιλίσσης Ζωῆς. φαρμακεῦσαι γὰρ αὐτὸν καθαρσίῳ τοῦ ἰατροῦ μέλλοντος, ἀναπεῖσαι τὸν φαρμακεύοντα δώροις καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι διά τινων τὴν βασίλισσαν ἀντὶ σωτηρίου προσενεγκεῖν αὐτῷ δηλητήριον· γνωσθέντος δὲ τοῦ ἐπιχειρήματος διαδρᾶναι τὸν κίνδυνον. ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν παρὰ τοῦ ὀρφανοτρόφου Ἰωάννου τὰ κοινὰ ᾠκονόμητο· οὐ μεῖον δ' ἐκείνου οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκάκουν ξύμπαντας, ἀδικώτατοι ὄντες καὶ φιλοχρηματώτατοι· οἷς διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπηχθάνετο, ἀναστεῖλαι δὲ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῖς οὐ συνεχωρεῖτο παρὰ τοῦ μείζονος ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ ἐκτομίου Ἰωάννου, ποτὲ μὲν παραιτουμένου αὐτούς, ποτὲ δὲ τὰς αὐτῶν πράξεις περικαλύπτοντος καὶ οὐκ ἐῶντος εἰς γνῶσιν ἥκειν τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. 596 Ἤδη δὲ τῆς νόσου νεανιευομένης τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ θαμὰ τῆς τοῦ λογιζομένου παραφορᾶς αὐτῷ ἐπιούσης, οὔτε προόδοις ἐκέχρητο συνεχῶς οὔτε βασιλείοις πομπαῖς οὔτ' ἐν βήμασιν ἐχρημάτιζε τῷ βασιλείῳ θρόνῳ ἄνετος ἐφεζόμενος, ἀλλὰ παραπετάσματα περὶ αὐτὸν ἀπῃώρηντο, καί τινες ἐπιτηρεῖν τεταγμένοι αὐτὸν περιίσταντο, οἳ ὁπηνίκα τι σημεῖον εἶδον τῆς τοῦ νοῦ παρατροπῆς (πολλὰ δὲ ταύτην αὐτῷ προεμήνυον), εἷλκον ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον εὐθὺς τὰ παραπετάσματα καὶ τούτοις τὸν πάσχοντα συγκαλύπτοντες ἐξιέναι τοῖς παρεστῶσιν ἐνεκελεύοντο. τῷ δὲ ἀθρόον τε τὸ πάθος ἐπῄει καὶ ἀθρόον ἀφίστατο. οὕτως οὖν ἔχων ὁ Μιχαὴλ κατὰ βραχὺ καὶ τοῦ ὁρᾶν τὴν βασίλισσαν καὶ τοῦ προσιέναι ἀπείχετο, ἢ αἰδούμενος ὅτι οἷα ἀνθ' οἵων αὐτῇ ἀνταπέδωκεν, ἢ ὅτι θαμὰ καὶ ἑτοιμότατα τοῦ πάθους αὐτῷ ἐπιγινομένου ᾐσχύνετο πάσχων οὕτω παρ' ἐκείνης ὁρᾶσθαι, ἢ διὰ τὸ τὴν ἕξιν τοῦ σώματος διεφθάρθαι οἱ καὶ πρὸς μίξιν μὴ πεφυκέναι. ἔνιοι δέ φασιν ὡς ἀνδράσι πνευματικοῖς ἐξομολογησάμενος τὸ τῆς μοιχείας καὶ τοῦ φόνου τοῦ βασιλέως 597 ἁμάρτημα παρ' ἐκείνων ἄλλας τε ἐδέξατο ἐντολὰς καὶ τοῦ ἀφροδισίων ἀπέχεσθαι· ἔνθεν τοι καὶ διαδόσεις ἐποιεῖτο χρημάτων πολλῶν καὶ σεμνεῖα ᾠκοδόμει καὶ εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπῆλθε, τοῦ καλλινίκου μάρτυρος ∆ημητρίου δεόμενος ἵνα τι τοῦ πάθους εὕρῃ ἀλέξημα· τῷ δὲ καὶ νόσος ὑδερικὴ προσεγένετο. ὡς οὖν οὕτως ἔχοντα τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἑώρα ὁ Ἰωάννης, δείσας περὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ μὴ ἀθρόον θανόντος τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐπὶ τῇ Ζωῇ γένηται ὡς κληρονόμῳ αὐτῆς, κἀντεῦθεν αὐτός τε καὶ τὸ γένος ὅλον εἰς ἐξολόθρευσιν γένηται, μέτεισι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα πιθανότησι καὶ πείθει τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν αὐτοῦ τὸν Μιχαὴλ προχειρίσασθαι Καίσαρα, ἵν' ἔφεδρος εἴη τῇ τῆς βασιλείας ἀρχῇ. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας, ὡς εἴρηται, κληρονόμον τὴν Ζωὴν ᾔδει, μέτεισι κἀκείνην, καὶ μητέρα τὴν εὐγενῆ τοῦ δυσγενοῦς ἀναπλάττουσιν. ἄμφω γὰρ τὼ ἀδελφὼ διαλεχθέντε αὐτῇ περὶ τούτου εἰσποιητὸν ταύτης τὸν Μιχαὴλ υἱὸν ὀνομάζουσιν. ἡ δὲ μήτ' ἀντειπεῖν θαρροῦσα τοῖς ἐκείνων θελήμασι καὶ ἄλλως εὔκολος οὖσα καὶ τὴν γνώμην εὐάγωγος κατένευσε. καὶ συνήθροιστο μὲν εἰς τὸν ἐν Βλαχέρναις θεῖον ναὸν ἡ γερουσία ἐκ προκηρύγματος καὶ οἱ πληροῦντες τὴν τάξιν δὴ τὴν 598 βασίλειον, ἐν δὲ μέσοις τούτοις ἡ βασιλὶς προαχθεῖσα κἀν ταῖς κιγκλίσι γενομένη τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου ἐκεῖθεν εἰσποιεῖται τὸν Μιχαὴλ καὶ ὡς υἱὸν ἀγκαλίζεται. ὁ δ' αὐτοκράτωρ αὐτίκα τοῦτον προχειρίζεται Καίσαρα καὶ τὸ ἄθροισμα ἐπευφήμησεν. ἔδοξε μὲν οὖν ὁ Ἰωάννης ἤδη τὸ πᾶν κατεργάσασθαι καὶ τὸ κράτος τῷ οἰκείῳ γένει περιποιήσασθαι· τὸ δ' ἦν ἀνατροπὴ τοῦ παντὸς αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς προσήκουσιν ἅπασιν· ὅπως δέ, ὁ λόγος δηλώσει κατὰ καιρόν. Τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων, ὡς ἤδη ἱστόρηται, ὑπὸ Βασιλείου τοῦ βασιλέως καταπολεμηθέντων καὶ τῆς αὐτῶν βασιλείας καθαιρεθείσης, μέχρι μέν