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the barbarians bore the yoke of servitude. Then they resolved to shake this off and were restive, but the lack of a leader hindered their plan. But a certain man, of obscure lineage, called Doleanos, full of deceit and cunning, proclaiming himself a son of Aaron, who was the brother of Samuel the ruler of the nation, having run away from Byzantium, as it is said, and having persuaded the nation that he was a child of Aaron, 599 born to him from an irregular union but not from a lawful marriage, was chosen as king by the barbarians. From this, the nation broke out into open rebellion and was moved to acts of plunder and overran the Roman lands. Therefore a certain general was sent with a force, in order to check the raids of the plunderers. But he, treating those under him badly, provoked them against himself and would have perished, if he had not fled by night. So the army under him, being afraid, proceeded to rebellion and appointed one of their own, named Teichomeros, who was of Bulgarian descent, as their leader and named him king of Bulgaria. And the Bulgarians were divided, some adhering to Doleanos, and others to Teichomeros. But Doleanos went after his rival by deceit; for he summoned him to a partnership in rule and in the fight against the Romans; and he was persuaded. When, therefore, both leaders were united and the multitude of the Bulgarians had assembled, Doleanos said to the gathered crowd that the nation of the Bulgarians would never be saved being governed by two leaders, and "if you wish for your salvation, remove one of us; if, then, you know me to be of the lineage of Samuel, 600 cast out Teichomeros; but if not, submit yourselves to him, and remove me from your midst." At these words a clamor was raised, and they all acclaimed his kingship, and Teichomeros was stoned to death. And Doleanos, having become sole ruler, both took Dyrrachion and proceeded against Hellas and made the regions of Nicopolis his own, with the people therein willingly going over to him, since they could not bear the greed and insatiability of the orphanotrophos. And so he, as the saying goes, made the Roman territories the spoil of the Mysians. But the emperor, when the news was brought to him, immediately set out to apprehend the rebel, saying that he considered it a terrible thing if he, having himself contributed nothing to the empire, should overlook any part of it being taken away. But because his life was despaired of (for the dropsy had already taken hold of him and his body was swollen), his kinsmen tried to prevent the campaign with entreaties and the leading men of the senate did not approve of the plan. But he, strengthened by zeal and pitting his eagerness against his weakness, marched against the Scythians, 601 and the affair was worthy of wonder. For at night, being worn out by his disease and not being expected to rise the next day, yet as soon as day broke he was seen on horseback and went before the army. And when he was in the territories of these Scythians, he prepared for battle. But the regiments had not yet clashed with one another when something happened that quickly brought the victory to the emperor without a struggle. For that son of Aaron, the patrician Alousianos, being still among the Romans, having offended the emperor, had been condemned to remain at home and neither approach the palace nor enter Byzantium at all, unless he were permitted entry. He was dispirited, therefore, on account of these things; but when he learned of the nation's rebellion and of the choice of Doleanos to rule it, he ran away from his house and disguised himself, putting on an Armenian's robe and pretending to be a servant of Theodorokanos, and, going to the army, he eluded everyone and reached Bulgaria. But he did not immediately make himself known, but conversing 602 with some of Aaron's people, he reminded them and said, "Now if one of his sons were present, would the legitimate one seem to you more preferable for the rule of the nation than the bastard?" And when they all had made it their prayer to be ruled by a legitimate son of Aaron and the kingship again to an unquestionable

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τινος ἔφερον οἱ βάρβαροι τὸν τῆς δουλείας ζυγόν. εἶτα τοῦτον ἀποσείσασθαι διανενόηντο καὶ ἐσφάδαζον, ἀλλὰ σφίσι τὸ ἄναρχον ἐκώλυε τὸ ἐννόημα. ἀνὴρ δέ τις ἄσημος μὲν τὸ γένος, ∆ολιάνος καλούμενος, δόλου δὲ μεστὸς καὶ δεινότητος, υἱὸν ἑαυτὸν ἐπιφημίσας τοῦ Ἀαρών, ὃς τοῦ Σαμουὴλ τοῦ ἄρξαντος τοῦ ἔθνους ἦν ἀδελφός, ἐκ Βυζαντίου, ὡς λέγεται, ἀποδρὰς καὶ πείσας τὸ ἔθνος παῖς εἶναι τοῦ Ἀαρών, 599 ἐξ ἡμιγάμου ἐκείνῳ γενόμενος, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξ ἐννόμου εὐνῆς, εἰς βασιλέα τοῖς βαρβάροις ᾑρέθη. ἐντεῦθεν εἰς φανερὰν ἀποστασίαν ἐξερράγη τὸ ἔθνος καὶ εἰς λῃστείας κεκίνητο καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων κατέτρεχε. στέλλεται τοίνυν στρατηγός τις μετὰ δυνάμεως, ἵν' ἀνακόπτῃ τὰς ἐπιδρομὰς τοῖς λῃστεύουσιν. ὁ δὲ κακῶς τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν προσφερόμενος ἐξηρέθισε τούτους καθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἀπώλετο ἄν, εἰ μὴ ἀπέδρα νυκτός. ἡ γοῦν ὑπ' αὐτὸν στρατιὰ δείσασα πρὸς ἀποστασίαν ἐχώρησε καί τινα ἐξ ἑαυτῶν Τειχομηρὸν κεκλημένον, ἐκ δὲ γένους φύντα Βουλγαρικοῦ, ἀρχηγὸν ἑαυτοῖς προχειρίζονται καὶ βασιλέα Βουλγαρίας αὐτὸν ὀνομάζουσι. καὶ τὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων διῄρητο, τῶν μὲν τῷ ∆ολιάνῳ, τῶν δὲ τῷ Τειχομηρῷ προσρυϊσκομένων. ἀλλὰ δόλῳ μετῆλθεν ὁ ∆ολιάνος τὸν ἀντικαθιστάμενον· μετακαλεῖται γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους μάχης· καὶ ὃς πείθεται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡνώθησαν ἄμφω οἱ ἀρχηγοὶ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Βουλγάρων συνήθροιστο, ὁ ∆ολιάνος πρὸς τοὺς συνειλεγμένους ἔφη μὴ ἄν ποτε σωθήσεσθαι τὸ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἔθνος ὑπ' ἀρχηγῶν δυοῖν κυβερνώμενον, καί "εἰ τὴν σωτηρίαν ὑμῶν βούλεσθε, τὸν ἕνα ἐξ ἡμῶν ποιήσατε ἐκποδών· εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐμὲ τοῦ γένους εἶναι τοῦ Σαμουὴλ 600 οἴδατε, ἀποσκευάσασθε τὸν Τειχομηρόν· εἰ δ' οὐ τοῦτο, αὐτῷ μὲν ἑαυτοὺς ὑποτάξατε, ἐμὲ δ' ἐκ μέσου ποιήσατε." ἐπὶ τούτοις θροῦς ἤρθη, καί οἱ τὴν βασιλείαν ξύμπαντες ἐπευφήμησαν, καὶ ὁ Τειχομηρὸς κατελεύσθη. ὁ δὲ ∆ολιάνος αὐτοκράτωρ γενόμενος εἷλέ τε τὸ ∆υρράχιον καὶ κατὰ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἐχώρησε καὶ τὰ Νικοπολιτῶν προσεποιήσατο, τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἑκόντων προσχωρησάντων αὐτῷ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔφερον τὴν τοῦ ὀρφανοτρόφου ἀπληστίαν καὶ τὸ ἀκόρεστον. καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως λείαν Μυσῶν τὸ τοῦ λόγου τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐτίθετο. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῆς ἀγγελίας κομισθείσης αὐτῷ αὐτίκα ὥρμα καταλαβεῖν τὸν ἀποστατήσαντα, δεινὸν ἡγεῖσθαι λέγων, εἰ μηδὲν αὐτὸς τῇ βασιλείᾳ προσενεγκὼν μοῖραν ταύτης ἀφαιρεθεῖσάν τινα παραβλέψεται. ὅτι δέ οἱ ἀπέγνωστο τὸ βιώσιμον (ἤδη γὰρ ὁ ὕδερος αὐτοῦ κατεκράτησε καὶ αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ἐξώγκωτο), τό τε συγγενὲς ἀπεῖργε τὴν ἐκστρατείαν αὐτῷ παρακλήσεσι καὶ οἱ προὔχοντες τῆς βουλῆς οὐκ ἐπῄνουν τὸ βούλευμα. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ζήλῳ ῥωννύμενος καὶ ἀντεπάγων τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τὸ πρόθυμον ἐπὶ τοὺς Σκύθας 601 χωρεῖ, καὶ ἦν τὸ πρᾶγμα θαύματος ἄξιον. νυκτὸς γὰρ τῇ νόσῳ καταπονούμενος καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἐς αὔριον ἀναστήσεσθαι προσδοκώμενος, ὁ δὲ ἡμέρας ἄρτι φαυούσης ἔφιππός τε ὡρᾶτο καὶ προῄει τῆς στρατιᾶς. ὡς δ' ἐν τοῖς τῶν Σκυθῶν τούτων ὁρίοις ἐγένετο, ἡτοιμάζετο πρὸς ἀντιπαράταξιν. οὔπω δ' ἀλλήλοις τὰ τάγματα συνερρώγεσαν καί τι συμβὰν ἀπόνως τάχα τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν νίκην προσένειμεν. ὁ γάρ τοι τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ἐκείνου υἱός, ὁ πατρίκιος Ἀλουσιάνος, παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ὢν ἔτι, προσκεκρουκὼς τῷ κρατοῦντι, ἐπ' οἴκου μένειν καταδεδίκαστο καὶ μήτε προσιέναι πρὸς τὰ ἀνάκτορα μήθ' ὅλως εἰσιέναι πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον, εἰ μὴ ἐπιτραπείη τὴν εἴσοδον. ἠθύμει γοῦν διὰ ταῦτα· ἐπεὶ δ' ἐγνώκει τὴν τοῦ ἔθνους ἀποστασίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆ολιάνου αἵρεσιν εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν αὐτοῦ, ἀποδιδράσκει μὲν τῆς οἰκίας αὐτοῦ καὶ μεταμφιέννυται, Ἀρμενίου τε στολὴν περιθέμενος ἑαυτῷ καὶ θεράπων εἶναι τοῦ Θεοδωροκάνου πλαττόμενος καὶ ἀπιέναι πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἔλαθε πάντας καὶ πρὸς Βουλγαρίαν κατήντησεν. ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτίκα δῆλον ἔθετο ἑαυτόν, προσομιλῶν 602 δέ τισι τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ἀνεμίμνησκε καί "ἆρα" ἔλεγεν "εἴ τις τῶν ἐκείνου παίδων παρῆν, ἔδοξεν ἂν ὑμῖν εἰς τὴν ἔθνους ἀρχὴν προτιμότερος τοῦ νόθου ὁ γνήσιος;" ὡς δὲ πάντες πεποίηντο δι' εὐχῆς τὸ ὑπὸ γνησίου παιδὸς ἄρχεσθαι τοῦ Ἀαρὼν καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν αὖθις εἰς ἀναμφίβολον