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had died; but another tyranny was stirred up again, of which the agent was Theophilos Erotikos. Who, having learned the situation concerning the second Michael, the nephew of the first, and that the imperial power had been entrusted to women, having won over the Cypriots (for he happened to be their governor at that time), attempts a revolt. However, Monomachos needed no delay for his overthrow; for having sent a fleet, through it he captured Erotikos and more easily brought the island into subjection. And patriarch Alexios dies, having enjoyed the patriarchal throne for eighteen years, and Michael, called Keroularios, is installed in his place. And Monomachos took away twenty-five centenaria of gold from the monastery of patriarch Alexios, which had been stored there by that patriarch. Moreover, the eunuch John, who had become Orphanotrophos, the brother of the emperor Michael the Paphlagonian, having been transferred to Mitylene when Monomachos came to power, is blinded in the eyes there, as it seems to some, by the will of the empress Theodora without the emperor's knowledge, but as it seems to others, the ruler himself ordered this, being angry at him 625 on account of his long and unjust exile. Who, having survived the blinding for a few days, ended his life. But again another, more terrible tyranny rose up against Monomachos. This was that of Leo Tornikios, who was related to the emperor by birth on his mother's side. This man, therefore, living in Orestias (for so the city of the emperor Hadrian was formerly called), had the Macedonians paying attention to him as to someone superior. For the man was neither mean in appearance nor in spirit; and he had something else by which he attracted most men to himself. For rumor prophesied about him, as is said in vain about others too, that he would one day be master of the Roman scepters. Towards whom the emperor was not disposed as towards a kinsman, but indeed he was also hostile to the man. But the ruler's sister, Euprepia, both treated him as family and welcomed him, a noble woman and very steadfast in spirit, who had reached a conspicuous state of fortune and an abundance of wealth, who was not beloved by her brother, but he was in awe of her on account of her superior intelligence. But she, not receiving any of the greater honors from him, 626 neither approached him often and when she did approach, she behaved arrogantly, both refuting and reproaching. And if she saw her brother growing angry at these things, she would contemptuously show her displeasure. The emperor, therefore, seeing his sister's sincere affection for Tornikios, both grew suspicious and angry, and in order to place them far from each other, he assigns to him the command of the territories in Iberia belonging to the Roman empire, having decreed for him an exile speciously disguised. And so he went away; but the rumor, which had raised him in hopes to a great height of fortune, did not cease. And because of this some people slandered the man to the emperor. But he, having his mind shaken by these words, sends for him and cuts Tornikios' hair, thinking to cut off his hopes along with his hair, and dresses him in a black rag, believing that by this he was darkening for him the expected brilliance of his fortune; and when he had returned thus, he neither pitied him, but also sent him away with a laugh. But the Macedonians, being attached to the man even before, as has been said, and cherishing good hopes for him, having led him by night out of the queen 627 of cities, bring him to their own metropolis, Adrianople, and by the zeal of those attached to him, quickly the greater part of the armies were gathered there, as much as by hatred for the emperor. For for certain reasons neither had he treated the soldiers well, but also nourished suspicions against them, and they for these reasons were stirred to hatred against him. When, therefore, they had assembled, they immediately deemed him worthy of imperial acclamation and proclamation. And he with them immediately set to work and suddenly attacks the reigning city, and as he approached many came over to him, both soldiers and townsmen; and he was buoyed by the hopes, that

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τετελευτήκασιν· ἄλλη δ' αὖθις κεκίνητο τυραννίς, ἧς ἦν ἐργάτης Θεόφιλος ὁ Ἐρωτικός. ὃς τὰ κατὰ τὸν δεύτερον Μιχαήλ, τὸν τοῦ πρώτου ἀδελφιδοῦν, μαθὼν καὶ ὡς γυναιξὶν ἡ βασιλεία πεπίστευται, τοὺς Κυπρίους ὑπελθών (τούτων γὰρ ἔτυχεν ἄρχων τότε) ἀποστασίᾳ ἐπιχειρεῖ. οὐ μέντοι τριβῆς τῷ Μονομάχῳ ἐδέησε πρὸς τὴν τούτου καθαίρεσιν· στόλον γὰρ στείλας δι' αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἐρωτικὸν ἐχειρώσατο καὶ τὴν νῆσον ῥᾷον εἰς δούλωσιν ὑπηγάγετο. Θνήσκει δὲ ὁ πατριάρχης Ἀλέξιος, ἐπ' ἔτη δέκα πρὸς τοῖς ὀκτὼ καταπολαύσας τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ πατριαρχικοῦ, καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ λεγόμενος Κηρουλάριος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνθιδρύεται. χρυσίου δὲ κεντηνάρια πέντε καὶ εἴκοσιν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἀλεξίου μονῆς ὁ Μονομάχος ἀφείλετο, παρ' ἐκείνου τοῦ πατριάρχου θησαυρισθέντα ἐκεῖ. ὅ γε μὴν ἐκτομίας Ἰωάννης, ὁ γεγονὼς ὀρφανοτρόφος, ὁ τοῦ βασιλεύσαντος Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Παφλαγόνος αὐτάδελφος, εἰς Μιτυλήνην τοῦ Μονομάχου κρατήσαντος μεταχθεὶς ἐκεῖ πηροῦται τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ὡς μέν τισι δοκεῖ, παρὰ τῆς βασιλίδος Θεοδώρας γνώμης ἄτερ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ὡς δ' ἐνίοις, αὐτοῦ τοῦ κρατοῦντος τοῦτο κελεύσαντος, μηνιῶντος 625 αὐτῷ διὰ τὸ τῆς ὑπερορίας πολυετὲς καὶ ἀναίτιον. ὃς βραχείας ἡμέρας τῇ πηρώσει ἐπιβιώσας τὴν ζωὴν ἐξεμέτρησεν. Ἄλλη δ' αὖθις τυραννὶς τῷ Μονομάχῳ δεινοτέρα ἐξυπανέστη. ἡ τοῦ Τορνικίου δ' ἦν αὕτη Λέοντος, ὃς μητρόθεν κατὰ γένος προσῆκε τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. οὗτος τοίνυν τὴν Ὀρεστιάδα οἰκῶν (οὕτω δὲ πάλαι ἡ πόλις ἐκαλεῖτο τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀδριανοῦ) τοὺς Μακεδόνας εἶχε προσέχοντας αὐτῷ ὡς δή τινι κρείττονι. ἦν γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ οὔτε τὸ εἶδος φαῦλος οὔτε τὸ φρόνημα· εἶχε δέ τι καὶ ἕτερον ᾧ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν τοὺς πλείστους ἐφείλκετο. ἐχρησμολόγει γὰρ ἡ φήμη περὶ αὐτοῦ, οἷα καὶ περὶ ἄλλων λέγεται μάτην, ὡς τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν σκήπτρων ἔσοιτό ποτε ἐγκρατής. πρὸς ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς οὔτε ὡς αὐτῷ προσήκοντα διετέθειτο, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ ἀπηχθάνετο τῷ ἀνδρί. ἡ δὲ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὁμαίμων ἡ Εὐπρεπία ᾠκειοῦτό τε καὶ ἐδεξιοῦτο αὐτόν, γυνὴ γενναία τε καὶ σταθηροτάτη τὸ φρόνημα καὶ εἰς τύχης ἐλάσασα περιφάνειαν καὶ εἰς πλούτου δαψίλειαν, ἣ τῷ ἀδελφῷ στερκτέα οὐκ ἦν, ηὐλαβεῖτο δ' αὐτὴν διὰ τὸ περιὸν τῆς φρονήσεως. ἡ δὲ μή τινος ἐξ ἐκείνου τυγχάνουσα τῶν μειζόνων 626 οὔτε συχνάκις αὐτῷ προσῄει καὶ ὑπερηφάνως ὅτε προσελήλυθε προσεφέρετο, διελέγχουσά τε καὶ ὀνειδίζουσα. εἰ δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις ἑωράκει τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὀργιζόμενον, ἀπεδυσπέτει καταφρονητικῶς. ὁρῶν οὖν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Τορνίκην τῆς ἀδελφῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς γνησιότητα ὑπώπτευέ τε καὶ ἐμηνία, καὶ ἵνα πόρρω ἀλλήλων θεῖτο αὐτούς, τῶν ἐν Ἴβηρσι τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίᾳ διαφερόντων αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνατίθησι, κατεσχηματισμένην εὐπροσώπως ὑπερορίαν αὐτοῦ καταψηφισάμενος. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπῆλθεν· ἡ δέ γε φήμη, ἣ πρὸς μέγα τύχης αὐτὸν ἐξῆρεν ἐν ἐλπίσιν, οὐκ ἔληγε. καί τινες ἐκ τούτου τὸν ἄνδρα πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα διέβαλλον. ὁ δὲ τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις τὴν γνώμην διασεισθεὶς στέλλει καὶ κείρει μὲν τὴν κόμην τῷ Τορνίκῃ, συγκείρειν αὐτῷ ταῖς θριξὶ καὶ τὰς ἐλπίδας οἰόμενος, ῥάκος δὲ μέλαν αὐτὸν ἀμφιέννυσι, ζοφοῦν αὐτῷ νομίζων ἐντεῦθεν τὴν προσδοκωμένην τῆς τύχης λαμπρότητα· οὕτω δ' ἐπανελθόντα μήτ' οἰκτείρας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπικαγχάσας ἀφῆκεν. οἱ δέ γε Μακεδόνες καὶ πρῴην, ὡς εἴρηται, προσκείμενοι τῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ χρηστὰς ἐλπίδας ἐπ' αὐτῷ θάλποντες, νυκτὸς αὐτὸν ὑπεξαγαγόντες τῆς βασιλίδος 627 τῶν πόλεων ἐς τὴν αὐτῶν μητρόπολιν ἄγουσι τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν, καὶ σπουδῇ τῶν προστεθειμένων αὐτῷ ταχὺ τὰ πλείω τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐκεῖ συνηθροίσθησαν ἢ καὶ μίσει τῷ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. διά τινας γὰρ αἰτίας οὔτ' ἐκεῖνος καλῶς τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐκέχρητο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑποψίας ὑπέτρεφε κατ' αὐτῶν, κἀκεῖνοι διὰ ταῦτα πρὸς ἔχθος κατ' αὐτοῦ ἠρεθίζοντο. ὡς δ' οὖν συνελέγησαν, εὐφημίας αὐτὸν αὐτίκα βασιλικῆς καὶ ἀναρρήσεως κατηξίωσαν. ὁ δὲ σὺν αὐτοῖς εὐθὺς ἔργου εἴχετο καὶ ἀθρόον τῇ βασιλευούσῃ ἐπιφοιτᾷ, καί οἱ προσιόντι προσεφοίτων πολλοὶ καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ ἀστικοί· κἀκεῖνος ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ᾐώρητο, ὡς