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to be accomplished by both ladies, the emperor having requested this. The woman was honored as Sebaste, the former imperial honor having been bestowed on her first; and she was called despoina. And at these things the empress was neither enraged nor vexed, but with the emperor dwelling in the middle, the empress and the Sebaste lived on either side, alternating. And the Augusta never approached the emperor, unless she had ascertained621 that he was alone without his mistress. But being in this state and having been raised to such good fortune and nurturing even greater hopes within herself, she is suddenly snatched away by disease and dies, leaving great grief to the emperor. And so she departed, and a civil war came upon the emperor. For George Maniakes, a man most brave in spirit and most noble in hand and most skilled in generalship, having been sent by the two empresses, when they were in charge of the affairs of the empire, to Italy to wage war on those invading it and those who had appropriated some parts of it and to restore them again to the rule of the Romans, was resisting the enemies of the Romans. But when the axis of the empire had rolled over to Monomachos and Romanos Skleros (the man was the brother of the emperor's mistress) had become very powerful on account of his kinswoman and had been honored as magistros and protostrator, being adjacent to the house of Maniakes in the theme of the Anatolics, he treated the man's affairs badly, bearing a grudge because formerly, being at odds with him, he had been worsted. And it is said that he even mounted the bed of Maniakes. These things being reported to the man 622 roused him to anger and caused him much grief; then he is also deprived of his command, with Romanos having contrived this. Therefore, considering that if he should return to the city of Constantine, the emperor would not treat him well on account of Skleros, he attempts a tyranny. And as he was the foremost of the generals, a warlike man, a great part of the military joined him. And he, having embarked the army on ships from Italy, comes to the continent opposite it. This threw the emperor into a panic, and he inscribed a letter to Maniakes, absolving him of all fear if he would lay down his arms, and promising better things. But as he, having once cast the die, did not lay aside his arms, the emperor marches against him. And he puts in charge of the army not one of the noble men or of those tested in generalship, fearing lest that one too should dare the same things, but a eunuch of the chamberlains, who was however loyal to him. And he, taking command of the forces, went away, and Maniakes hastened to catch the men around the eunuch in disarray. But when the armies charged one another, the part under 623 the protagonist, I mean Maniakes, routs the camp of the enemy, but by the providence that directs our affairs, the fortunes of the battle were suddenly reversed, and the men around Maniakes were defeated. For as he was attacking, throwing the ranks of the phalanxes into confusion, and those at whom he shouted immediately retreated and their shield-wall was broken, he was suddenly found struck, and a mortal blow, from which much blood flowing down spread a mist over him and caused paralysis in his limbs, so that the rein even fell from his hand, and he was thrown to the ground from his horse, having slipped from his seat. He lay therefore, having died instantly, a little outside the no-man's-land, and the imperial troops for a time feared to approach him. But when his men realized their own leader had fallen, seized with panic they were scattered. Then those of the other side ran up to the one who was lying there and, cutting off the head of the wretched man, brought it to their own general. And he immediately sent it to the emperor, and he raised it high in the Hippodrome; then also when the eunuch who was thought to have won the war returned with the army, a triumph is held, with the emperor presiding with much splendor in the vestibule of the church of the Savior in the so-called Chalke, which faced the forum, and the empresses seated on either side of him. 624 But the affairs concerning Maniakes are at this point

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παρὰ τοῖν γυναίοιν ἀμφοῖν τελεσθήσεσθαι, τοῦτο τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀξιώσαντος. τετίμητο δὲ ἡ γυνὴ Σεβαστή, αὐτῇ πρώτῃ τῆς πρῴην βασιλικῆς ἀπονεμηθείσης τιμῆς· καὶ ὠνομάζετο δέσποινα. καὶ ἡ βασιλὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις οὔτ' ἐμηνία οὔτ' ἤχθετο, μέσον δὲ σκηνοῦντος τοῦ βασιλέως ἑκατέρωθεν ᾤκουν παραλλὰξ ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ἡ Σεβαστή. καὶ οὔποτε ἡ Αὐγούστα προσῄει τῷ βασιλεῖ, εἰ μὴ τῆς ἐρωμένης μεμονῶσθαι τοῦτον ἀπηκρι621 βώσατο. ἀλλ' οὕτως ἔχουσα καὶ εἰς τόσον εὐκληρίας ἀρθεῖσα καὶ μείζονας δ' ἐλπίδας παρ' ἑαυτῇ θάλπουσα ἀθρόον ἀναρπάζεται νόσῳ καὶ θνήσκει, μέγα πένθος καταλιποῦσα τῷ βασιλεῖ. Καὶ ἡ μὲν ἀπῆλθε, τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ πόλεμος ἐπῆλθεν ἐμφύλιος. ὁ γάρ τοι Μανιάκης Γεώργιος, ἀνὴρ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀνδρειότατος τὴν χεῖρά τε γενναιότατος καὶ στρατηγεῖν δεξιώτατος, παρὰ ταῖν βασιλίδαιν, ὅτ' ἐκεῖναι τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας πράγμασιν ἐφειστήκεσαν, εἰς Ἰταλίαν πεμφθεὶς πολεμησείων τοῖς αὐτῇ ἐπεμβαίνουσι καὶ ταύτης οἰκειωσαμένοις ἔνια καὶ τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων αὖθις ἡγεμονίᾳ ἐπανασώσων αὐτά, τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀντιπολέμοις ἀντικαθίστατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς τὸν Μονομάχον ὁ τῆς βασιλείας ἄξων μετακεκύλιστο καὶ ὁ Σκληρὸς Ῥωμανός (ἀδελφὸς δ' ἦν ὁ ἀνὴρ τῆς ἐρωμένης τῷ βασιλεῖ) μέγα δεδύνητο διὰ τὴν ὁμαίμονα καὶ μάγιστρος καὶ πρωτοστράτωρ τετίμητο, τῷ κατὰ τὸ θέμα τῶν ἀνατολικῶν οἴκῳ τοῦ Μανιάκη ἀρχιτερμονῶν κακῶς διετίθει τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρός, μνησικακῶν ὅτι πρῴην διαφερόμενος ἐκείνῳ κατεπονεῖτο. λέγεται δὲ καὶ τῆς εὐνῆς ἐπιβῆναι τοῦ Μανιάκη. ταῦτα τῷ ἀνδρὶ 622 ἀγγελλόμενα εἰς θυμὸν ἐκίνει αὐτὸν καὶ ἄχος ἐνεποίει πολύ· εἶτα καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφαιρεῖται, καὶ τοῦτο κατεργασαμένου τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ. ἐννοῶν τοιγαροῦν ὡς εἰ πρὸς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ἐπανελεύσεται, οὐ χρηστῶς αὐτῷ διατεθήσεται ὁ κρατῶν διὰ τὸν Σκληρόν, τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρεῖ. καί οἱ ὡς κορυφαιοτάτῳ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἀρηίῳ ἀνδρὶ πολὺ τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ προσεχώρησεν. ὁ δὲ ἐξ Ἰταλίας πρὸς τὴν ἀντικρὺ ταύτης ἤπειρον πλοίοις ἐμβιβάσας τὸ στράτευμα γίνεται. τοῦτο εἰς θόρυβον τὸν βασιλέα ἐνέβαλε, καὶ γραφὴν ἐγχαράττει τῷ Μανιάκῃ, παντὸς δείματος αὐτὸν ἀπολύουσαν, εἰ τὰ ὅπλα κατάθοιτο, ἐπαγγελλομένην δὲ τὰ χρηστότερα. ὡς δ' ἐκεῖνος ἅπαξ κύβον ἀναρρίψας οὐκέτι τῶν ὅπλων μεθίετο, ἀντιστρατεύει κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεύς. ἐφιστᾷ δὲ τῷ στρατεύματι οὔτινα τῶν γενναίων ἀνδρῶν ἢ τῶν ἐν στρατηγίαις ἐξητασμένων, δεδιὼς μὴ κἀκεῖνος τολμήσειε τὰ αὐτά, ἀλλ' ἐκτομίαν τῶν θαλαμηπολούντων, πιστὸν μέντοι αὐτῷ. ὁ δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις ἀναλαβὼν ἀπῄει, καὶ ὁ Μανιάκης ἔσπευδεν ἀσυντάκτους τοὺς περὶ τὸν ἐκτομίαν καταλαβεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ προσέβαλλον ἀλλήλαις αἱ στρατιαί, τὸ μὲν ἐπὶ 623 τῷ πρωταγωνιστῇ, τῷ Μανιάκῃ φημί, τροποῦται τὸ τῶν ἐναντίων στρατόπεδον, τὸ δ' ἐπὶ τῇ τὰ ἡμέτερα διεξαγούσῃ προνοίᾳ ἀθρόον ἀντέστραπτο τὰ τῆς μάχης, καὶ ἥττηντο οἱ περὶ τὸν Μανιάκην. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἐπιὼν τὰς τάξεις διεκλόνει τὰς φάλαγγας καὶ οἷς ἂν ἐνεβόησεν εὐθὺς ἀνεχάζοντο καὶ ὁ συνασπισμὸς διελύετο, αἴφνης πεπληγμένος εὑρέθη καὶ πληγὴν καιρίαν, ἐξ ἧς τὸ αἷμα καταρρέον πολὺ ἀχλὺν αὐτοῦ κατεσκέδασε καὶ πάρεσιν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἐνεποίησεν, ὥστε καὶ τὸν χαλινὸν διεκπεσεῖν τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, κἀκεῖνον καταβληθῆναι εἰς γῆν ἐκ τοῦ ἵππου, τῆς ἕδρας ἀπολισθήσαντα. ἔκειτο τοίνυν αὐτίκα θανὼν ἔξω τι τοῦ μεταιχμίου βραχύ, καὶ οἱ βασιλικοὶ ἐπελθεῖν τέως αὐτῷ ἐδεδίεσαν. ὡς δ' οἱ ἐκείνου τὸν σφέτερον ἔγνων ἀρχηγὸν πεσόντα, πτοίᾳ ληφθέντες διεσκεδάσθησαν. τότε τῷ κειμένῳ ἐπέδραμον οἱ τῆς ἑτέρας μοίρας καὶ τὴν τοῦ δειλαίου κεφαλὴν ἐκτεμόντες τῷ σφῶν προσήγαγον στρατηγῷ. ὁ δὲ ταύτην αὐτίκα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι πέπομφε, κἀκεῖνος μετέωρον ταύτην ἦρε κατὰ τὸ θέατρον· εἶτα καὶ τοῦ τὸν πόλεμον κατωρθωκέναι δόξαντος ἐκτομίου ἐπανελθόντος μετὰ τῆς στρατιᾶς, θρίαμβος γίνεται, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐπεστραμμένῳ προτεμενίσματι τοῦ ἐν τῇ Χαλκῇ λεγομένῃ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ναοῦ προκαθημένου μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς λαμπρότητος, ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν βασιλίδων συγκαθημένων. 624 Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Μανιάκην ἐν τούτοις