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from the prefects and curator of the imperial house of Placidia; and in his place came Theodore, surnamed Nicomedeus. In the same month the customary birthday celebration was not held, but it was held on the thirteenth of the same month. and after the dismissal from the hippodrome, as the Greens were departing, and coming down the Portico of Moschianus under guard, suddenly the said Greens were insulted by some people from the house called that of Appion, the members of the Blue faction attacked the Greens, and a clash occurred in various places. And the Blues, having crossed over from Sycae, began to throw fire and 491 burn the warehouses by the sea; and if anyone tried to extinguish it, he was shot with arrows by the members of the Blue faction; for they had various shifts of the same workshop hands. and being caught up in the strife, they burned the house called that of Andreas, which was in the dockyard; likewise they also clashed in the Mese; and there they threw fire into the house called that of Barsymius, who was at that time holding the office of prefect; and it was burned up to the bronze Tetrapylon and the portico opposite; and the battle raged for two days. And when Marinus, the count of the excubitors, came out with much military assistance and Justinus the most glorious curopalates, they were barely able to stop both factions. And at the same time, when Gerontius was prefect of the city, many arsons occurred in various parts of Constantinople. and when an arrest was made from both factions, many were disciplined, and some were even beheaded; and the same arrest lasted for seventy days. In the month of June, in the same indiction, Hellenes were arrested, paraded around, and their books were burned in the Cynegium, along with images of their abominable gods and statues. And in the same month the synodical letters of the Pope of Rome were brought. And in the same month a factional battle broke out in Cyzicus, 492 so that many fell from both factions. and in the same battle some of the things there were also destroyed. In the month of August of the tenth indiction, the dedication of the holy martyr Theodora, which is near the bridge, took place. and by order of the same emperor, there was also a procession from the silversmiths and very many lights. In the month of October of the 11th indiction, a schism occurred among the Blues in Byzantium; and when a clash between them occurred in the so-called Pittacia, with swords drawn, Clericus was killed while fighting, being the son of John Commentarisius, surnamed Gylus. In the month of November there was a great drought in Constantinople, so that many fights also occurred at the aqueducts. and many north winds to blow; for from the beginning of the month of August the south wind did not blow, and the third fleet of ships did not enter, so that Eutychius the patriarch even permitted litanies to be held to Jerusalem. And in the same month news of victory came from Rome from Narses the patrician, that he had taken fortified cities of the Goths, that is Beroea and Brincas. He also sent the keys of the same cities along with the spoils. 493 In the month of November of the 11th indiction, some plotted a scheme against the same emperor Justinian to murder him, as he was sitting in the palace in the evening. Those who planned the design of the plot were these: Ablabius son of Meltiades and Marcellus the silversmith and Sergius the nephew of Aetherius the curator. And their plan was this, that as he was sitting in the triclinium in the evening, they would enter and slay the same emperor. For they had also stationed their own men in a place, so that when the same plot occurred they might create a disturbance. And the same Ablabius had also received gold from Marcellus, about fifty pounds of gold, in order to assist. And indeed, as God thus

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ἀπὸ ἐπάρχων καὶ κουράτωρ τοῦ δεσποτικοῦ οἴκου τῶν Πλακιδίας· καὶ γέγονεν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Θεόδωρος ὁ ἐπίκλην Νικομηδεύς. Μηνὶ τῷ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἤχθη τὸ γενέθλιον τὸ ἐξ ἔθους ἐπιτελούμενον, ἀλλ' ἤχθη τῇ τρισκαιδεκάτῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνός. καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου ἀναχωρούντων τῶν Πρασίνων, καὶ κατερχομένων τὸν ἔμβολον τῶν Μοσχιανοῦ μετὰ παραφυλακῆς, ἐξαίφνης ὑβρισθέντες οἱ αὐτοὶ Πράσινοι ἔκ τινων τῶν τῆς οἰκίας τῆς λεγομένης τῶν Ἀππίωνος, ἐπέβησαν τοῖς Πρασίνοις οἱ τοῦ Βενέτου μέρους, καὶ ἐγένετο συμβολὴ ἐν διαφόροις τόποις. καὶ περάσαντες οἱ Βένετοι ἀπὸ Συκῶν ἤρξαντο βάλλειν πῦρ καὶ 491 καίειν τὰς παραθαλασσίους ἀποθήκας· καὶ εἰ ἐπεχείρησέ τις τοῦ σβέσαι, ἐτοξεύετο ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Βενέτου μέρους· εἶχον γὰρ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐργαστηριακῶν διαφόρους ἀμοιβάς. καὶ τῇ ἔριδι συσχεθέντες, ἔκαυσαν τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν λεγομένην τῶν Ἀνδρέου τὴν οὖσαν ἐν τῷ νεωρίῳ· ὁμοίως δὲ συνέβαλον καὶ ἐν τῇ Μέσῃ· κἀκεῖσε ἔβαλον πῦρ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν λεγομένην τῶν Βαρσυμίου, τότε διανύοντος τὴν τῶν ἐπάρχων ἀρχήν· καὶ ἐκαύθη ἕως τοῦ χαλκοῦ Τετραπύλου καὶ ὁ ἄντικρυς ἔμβολος· καὶ ἐπεκράτησεν ἡ μάχη ἡμέρας δύο. καὶ ἐξελθόντος τοῦ κόμητος τῶν ἐξκουβιτόρων Μαρίνου μετὰ πολλῆς βοηθείας στρατιωτικῆς καὶ Ἰουστίνου τοῦ ἐνδοξοτάτου κουροπαλάτου, μόλις ἠδυνήθησαν καταπαῦσαι τὰ ἀμφότερα μέρη. Τῷ δὲ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ ἐπάρχου πόλεως ὄντος Γεροντίου ἐμπρησμοὶ πολλοὶ γεγόνασιν ἐν διαφόροις μέρεσι Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. καὶ γενομένης κατοχῆς ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν πολλοὶ μὲν ἐσωφρονίσθησαν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἀπετμήθησαν· καὶ ἐπεκράτησεν ἡ αὐτὴ κατοχὴ ἐπὶ ἡμέρας ἑβδομήκοντα. Μηνὶ ἰουνίῳ, ἰνδικτιῶνι τῇ αὐτῇ, συσχεθέντες Ἕλληνες περιεβωμίσθησαν καὶ τὰ βιβλία αὐτῶν κατεκαύθη ἐν τῷ Κυνηγίῳ καὶ εἰκόνες τῶν μυσερῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἀγάλματα. Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ μηνὶ ἠνέχθησαν τὰ συνοδικὰ τοῦ πάπα Ῥώμης. Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ μηνὶ συνήφθη δημοτικὴ μάχη ἐν Κυζίκῳ, 492 ὥστε πολλοὺς πεσεῖν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν. ἐν αὐτῇ δὲ τῇ μάχῃ καί τινα τῶν ἐκεῖσε κατεστράφη. Μηνὶ αὐγούστῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος δεκάτης ἐγένοντο τὰ ἐγκαίνια τῆς ἁγίας μάρτυρος Θεοδώρας τῆς οὔσης πλησίον τῆς γεφύρης. κατὰ κέλευσιν δὲ τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πρόβλησις ἐκ τῶν ἀργυροπρατῶν καὶ φῶτα πάμπολλα ἐγένετο. Μηνὶ ὀκτωβρίῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος ιαʹ διμερὲς γέγονεν ἐκ τῶν Βενέτων ἐν Βυζαντίῳ· καὶ γενομένης συμβολῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς ἐπίκλην Πιττακίοις, ξιφῶν συρέντων, ἀπεχειρίσθη Κληρικός, ὡς μάχεται, υἱὸς ὢν Ἰωάννου Κομενταρισίου τοῦ ἐπίκλην Γύλου. Μηνὶ νοεμβρίῳ πολλὴ ἀβροχία ἐγένετο ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει, ὡς καὶ πολλὰς μάχας γενέσθαι ἐν τοῖς ὑδρείοις. καὶ βορεῖς δὲ πολλοὺς φυσῆσαι· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ αὐγούστου μηνὸς οὐκ ἐφύσησε νότος, καὶ ὁ τρίτος δὲ στόλος τῶν πλοίων οὐκ εἰσῆλθεν, ὥστε καὶ λιτανείας Εὐτύχιον τὸν πατριάρχην ἐπιτρέψαι γενέσθαι εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ. Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ μηνὶ ἐπινίκια ἦλθον ἀπὸ Ῥώμης ἀπὸ Ναρσοῦ τοῦ πατρικίου, ὡς ὅτιπερ παρέλαβε πόλεις ὀχυρὰς τῶν Γότθων, τοῦτ' ἐστὶ Βεροΐαν καὶ Βρίνκας. ἔπεμψε καὶ τὰς τῶν αὐτῶν πόλεων κλεῖς μετὰ καὶ τῶν λαφύρων. 493 Μηνὶ νοεμβρίῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος ιαʹ ἐμελέτησαν δόλον τινὲς κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ βασιλέως Ἰουστινιανοῦ τοῦ φονεῦσαι αὐτόν, ὡς κάθηται ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ ἐν ἑσπέρᾳ. οἱ δὲ τὴν σκέψιν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς μελετήσαντες ἦσαν οὗτοι, Ἀβλάβιος Μελτιάδου καὶ Μάρκελλος ὁ ἀργυροπράτης καὶ Σέργιος ὁ ἀνεψιὸς Αἰθερίου τοῦ κουράτωρος. ἡ δὲ μελέτη αὐτῶν ἦν αὕτη, ἵνα, ὡς κάθηται ἐν τῷ τρικλίνῳ ἑσπέρας, εἰσέλθωσι καὶ σφάξωσι τὸν αὐτὸν βασιλέα. ἦσαν γὰρ καὶ ἰδίους ἀνθρώπους στήσαντες κατὰ τόπον, ἵνα γενομένης τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ταραχὴν ποιήσωσιν. ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς Ἀβλάβιος ἦν λαβὼν καὶ χρυσίον παρὰ Μαρκέλλου, περὶ τὰς πεντήκοντα τοῦ χρυσίου λίτρας, εἰς τὸ συνεπαμῦναι. καὶ δή, τοῦ θεοῦ οὕτως