170

spacious and a marvel of our polity, previously overlooked as if through negligence and laziness it had driven towards all formlessness and disorder, and was seen as nothing other than foundations. This Constantine, exulting and rejoicing in his father's works as his own, bestows a renovation upon it, restoring it anew, not only bringing it back to its former state but 461 having created it far better, beautifying it on all sides and restoring the former comfort to those who bathe. This both brings foreigners to amazement and astounds the inhabitants. 43 The emperor Constantine appoints the patrician Theodore, called Belonas, as eparch and father of the city, a capable and eloquent man, having much experience and talent with regard to the laws; and to the community he provided unplowed sustenance for those being judged by his good order and just speech. 44 The Porphyrogennetos sends the patrician and *parakoimomenos* Basil against the godless Chambdas with an expedition and a force of people and much equipment. And indeed, armed with his God-inspired counsels, setting out from the royal household and Byzantium, he comes to the lands of the deniers of Christ, and first he sacks the city of Samosata, well-inhabited by Syrians and situated on the bank of the Euphrates, being hard to sack and populous and abounding in much wealth, thither the army proceeded, and he led them against the barbarians themselves; who, puffed up by their innate arrogance, boasted of their victory without a fight. But when the barbarians were engaged with the Roman army, and unable to withstand even their charge, 462 they were turned to flight, and each struggled to save himself as he could, then the dead were despoiled, and those taken alive were bound, and a great collection of spoils was made; and the public spectacle and the triumph of the hippodrome received it all. 45 The emperor appoints the patrician Leo, son of the *magistros* Bardas Phokas, as *strategos* of the Anatolics in place of his brother Nikephoros, an excellent man and most warlike against the Hagarenes and the enemy. And it was possible to see the brothers fighting for the Christians and advancing against the enemies and slaughtering them, who could not withstand their charge. 46 There was also a great and terrible fire near the church of St. Thomas, so that the colonnade leading to the Iron Gate was burned down. But the emperor in his great goodness, and loving and caring for the citizens as his own grandchildren, encouraged them all to rebuild their burned dwellings; and the citizens praised and thanked the emperor as a second god and benefactor. 47 When the Turks made an expedition against the Romans, and raided as far as the city on the feast of holy Pascha, and plundered all of Thrace of every soul and much booty, the emperor immediately sent out the patrician and *domestikos* of the Excubitors 463 Pothos Argyros with his *tagma* and the *strategos* of the Bucellarians and of the Opsikion and of the Thrakesion, passing in pursuit of them; who, by the well-pleasing prayer to God of the Porphyrogennetos, falling upon them by night, slaughtered and routed them, taking the booty and captives. But they, shamed by their excessive defeat and rout, returned to their own land. 48 For it is worthy to describe also the fearful sign from God that appeared and the pre-announcement of the passing of Constantine Porphyrogennetos. For they say that at the birth of the emperor a bright comet-star appeared for forty days, and now again at his illness and departure a star was shown in heaven, having a murky and dim light, and it was visible for a considerable number of days, showing by the superior power

170

εὐρύχωρόν τε καὶ τῆς καθ' ἡμᾶς πολιτείας θαῦμα, τὸ πρότε- ρον παροραθὲν ὡς ἀμελείᾳ καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀμορφίαν καὶ ἀκοσμίαν ἐλάσαι καὶ μηδὲν αλλο αὐτὸ σκοπεῖσθαι η θεμελίους. ουτος ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος τοῖς πατρικοῖς εργοις ὡς οἰκείοις ἐπιγαννύ- μενος καὶ τερπόμενος ἀνακαινισμὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἐπιδίδωσιν, αυθις ἀποκαθιστῶν, οὐ μόνον εἰς τὸν πρότερον κόσμον ἀναφέρων ἀλλὰ 461 πλέον κρείττονα δημιουργήσας, πάντοθεν περικαλλύνων καὶ τὴν προτέραν ἀποδιδοὺς τοῖς λουομένοις εὐπάθειαν. τοῦτο καὶ ξένους εἰς θάμβος εἰσάγει καὶ τοὺς ἐνδίκους ἐκπλήττει. 43 ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιον Θεόδωρον τὸν Βελωνᾶν λεγόμενον επαρχον καὶ πατέρα πόλεως προχειρίζεται, ανδρα ἱκανὸν καὶ λόγιον, πρὸς τοὺς νόμους πολυπειρίαν καὶ εὐ- φυΐαν εχοντα· καὶ πρὸς τὸ κοινωνὸν τροφὴν ἀνήροτον τοῖς δικα- ζομένοις τῇ εὐκοσμίᾳ καὶ δικαιολογίᾳ αὐτοῦ παρεῖχε. 44 Τὸν δὲ πατρίκιον καὶ παρακοιμώμενον Βασίλειον ὁ πορφυρογέννητος κατὰ τοῦ ἀθέου Χαμβαδᾶ μετὰ ἐκστρατείας καὶ δυνάμεως λαοῦ καὶ πολλῆς ἐξοπλίσεως ἀποστέλλει. καὶ δὴ ταῖς ἐκείνου θεοπνεύστοις βουλαῖς καθοπλισθείς, τῆς βασιλικῆς οἰκίας καὶ τοῦ Βυζαντίου ἀπάρας, πρὸς τὰς τῶν ἀρνητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ γίνεται χώρας, καὶ πρῶτα μὲν πόλιν πορθεῖ Σαμοσάτων, Σύροις κάλαι κατῳκισμένην καὶ πρὸς τὴν οχθαν τοῦ Εὐφράτου παρακει- μένην, δυσπόρθητον ουσαν καὶ πολυάνθρωπον καὶ πλούτῳ πολλῷ ἐπιβρίθουσαν, ταύτῃ τὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ ἐχώρει, καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν τῶν βαρβάρων ἡγεμονεύοντος· οιτινες τῇ συντρόφῳ ἀλαζονείᾳ ἐπαιρόμε- νοι ἀμαχὶ τὰ τῆς νίκης αὐτῶν ἐφρυάττοντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ βάρβαροι τῷ ̔Ρωμαϊκῷ στρατῷ συνεδέθησαν, καὶ μηδὲ τὴν αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν φέρον- 462 τες εἰς φυγὴν ἐτρέποντο, καὶ σώζειν ἑαυτὸν εκαστος οπως δύναιτο ἠγωνίζετο, τότε σκυλεύονται μὲν οἱ νεκροί, δεσμοῦνται δὲ καὶ οἱ ζωγρηθέντες, καὶ λαφύρων πολλὴ γίνεται συναγωγή· καὶ απαντα τὸ κοινὸν θέατρον καὶ ὁ θρίαμβος τοῦ ἱπποδρομίου ὑπεδέξατο. 45 ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν πατρίκιον Λέοντα τὸν υἱὸν Βάρδας μάγιστρον τοῦ Φωκᾶ στρατηγὸν εἰς ̓Ανατολικοὺς ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀδελ- φοῦ αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρου προχειρίζεται, ανδρα αριστον καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ̓Αγαρηνοὺς καὶ πολεμίους μαχιμώτατον. καὶ ην ἰδεῖν τοὺς αὐταδέλφους ὑπὲρ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀγωνιζομένους καὶ πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους χωροῦντας καὶ κατασφάττοντας, καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν μὴ φέροντας. 46 Γέγονε δὲ καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς μέγας καὶ φοβερὸς πλησίον τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ ἁγίου Θωμᾶ, ωστε κατακαῆναι τὸν εμβολον τὸν ἀπερχόμενον πρὸς τὴν Σιδηρᾶν πόρταν. ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τῇ πολλῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητι, καὶ ὡς οἰκεῖα εγγονα τοὺς πολίτας φιλῶν καὶ κηδόμενος, πάντας παρεθυμήσατο εἰς ἀνοικοδομὴν τῶν πυρ- καϊθέντων αὐτῶν οἰκημάτων· καὶ τὸν ανακτα οἱ πολῖται ὡς θεὸν δεύτερον καὶ εὐεργέτην ἐπῄνουν καὶ εὐχαρίστουν. 47 Τῶν δὲ Τούρκων ἐκστρατείας ποιησάντων κατὰ ̔Ρω- μαίων, καὶ καταδραμόντων μέχρι τῆς πόλεως τῇ ἑορτῇ τοῦ ἁγίου πάσχα, καὶ ληϊσαμένων πᾶσαν Θρᾳκῴαν ψυχὴν καὶ πραῖδαν πολ- λήν, ὁ βασιλεὺς εὐθὺς τὸν πατρίκιον καὶ δομέστικον τῶν ̓Εξκου- 463 βίτων Πόθον τὸν ̓Αργυρὸν μετὰ τοῦ τάγματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῶν βουκελαρίων καὶ τοῦ ὀψικίου καὶ τοῦ Θρᾳκήση, κατὰ πόδας αὐτῶν περάσας, ἐξαπέστειλεν· οι τῇ εὐπροσδέκτῳ πρὸς θεὸν εὐχῇ τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου νυκτὸς ἐπιπεσόντες κατέ- σφαξαν καὶ κατεπολέμησαν, λαβόντες τὴν πραῖδαν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν. αὐτοὶ δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς αγαν ηττης καὶ τροπῆς αἰσχυνθέντες εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν γῆν ὑπέστρεψαν. 48 Αξιον γάρ ἐστιν ἐξειπεῖν καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν ἐκ θεοῦ φα- νὲν σημεῖον καὶ προάγγελμα τῆς μεταθέσεως Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου. φασὶν γὰρ εἰς τὴν γέννησιν τοῦ ανακτος ἀστέρα λαμπρὸν κομήτην φανῆναι ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, νῦν δὲ πάλιν εἰς τὴν νόσον καὶ εξοδον αὐτοῦ ἀστέρα κατ' οὐρανὸν δειχθῆναι, θο- λερὸν δὲ καὶ ἀμαυρὸν φῶς εχοντα, καὶ τοῦτον ἐπὶ ἱκανὰς ἡμέρας φαινόμενον, δεικνύοντα τῇ κρείττονι δυνάμει