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he took care of the palace buildings. And he built the so-called triclinium of Justinian and the surrounding walls of the palace; and he appointed as overseer Stephen the Persian, his sacellarius and protoeunuch, a lord and master, being exceedingly bloodthirsty and harsh; who was not content to mercilessly torture the workmen, but also to stone both them and their foremen. And when the emperor was away, that savage beast dared even to scourge his mother, Anastasia the Augusta, childishly with whips. By these things and by showing much evil to the entire populace, he made the emperor hated. Likewise, also for the affairs of the general logothesion he appointed a certain abbot named Theodotus, formerly a recluse in the Thracian parts of the Stenon, he too being exceedingly terrible and very untamable, who, making demands and exactions and confiscations against very many rulers of the state and notable men, not only from the administrators but also from the inhabitants of the city, rashly and vainly and without pretext, hanging them with ropes and smoking them with chaff. Furthermore, the eparch also, by imperial command, locking up very many men in prisons, caused them to be guarded for years. All these things increased the hatred of the people for the emperor. And the emperor demanded 368 that Callinicus the patriarch make a prayer, in order to demolish the church of the holy Theotokos of the Metropolitan, which was near the palace, wishing to set up a fountain in its place and to build stands for the deme of the Blues, so that they might receive the emperor there. But the patriarch said: "We have a prayer for the founding of a church, but for the demolition of a church we have not received one." But when the emperor was compelling him and demanding the prayer by all means, the patriarch said: "Glory to God who is always long-suffering, now and forever and unto the ages of ages. Amen." And hearing this, they demolished the church and made the fountain. And they made the church of the Metropolitan at the Petrion. 10. 12. 2. In this year, Muhammad campaigned against the fourth Armenia and, having taken many captives, returned. And in the same year, Justinian was expelled from the emperorship in the following manner: he ordered Stephen the patrician and general, surnamed Rousios, to kill the people of Constantinople by night, and to begin with the patriarch. But Leontius, who had become patrician and general of the Anatolics and had distinguished himself in wars and had spent three years in prison, being suddenly accused, was recalled and was appointed general of Hellas. And he was ordered to be put on three dromons and to depart from the city on the same day. And on the same night, in the Julianesian harbor of Sophia near the Maurus, having moved his anchorage in order to sail out of the city, he was conferring with friends who were coming to him, among whom came to him also his genuine friends, Paul the monk of the Callistratus monastery, who was also an astronomer, Gregory the Cappadocian, who had also become a kleisourarch, and then a monk and abbot of the Florus monastery; who, visiting him quite often in prison, had assured him that he would be emperor of the Romans. But Leontius says to them: "You assured me in prison about the emperorship; and now my life 369 is ending in evils. For at every hour I shall be expecting death from behind." And they said: "Do not you yourself hesitate, and this will be fulfilled immediately. Only listen to us, and follow us." And Leontius, taking his men and whatever arms he had, went up to the praetorium in great silence, and knocking on the gate, they gave as a pretext that the emperor had arrived to administer some of those who were there. And when the then prefect was informed and had come quickly and opened the gates, he is seized by Leontius and, having been slapped, was bound hand and foot. And Leontius, having entered and opened the prisons and released

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τὰ τοῦ παλατίου κτίσματα ἐπεμελεῖτο. καὶ ἔκτισε τὸν Ἰουστινιανοῦ τρίκλινον λεγόμενον καὶ τὰ τοῦ παλατίου περιτειχίσματα· καὶ ἐπέστησεν ἐπείκτην Στέφανον τὸν Πέρσην, σακελλάριον αὐτοῦ καὶ πρωτοευνοῦχον, κύριον καὶ ἐξουσιαστήν, λίαν ὄντα αἱμοβόρον καὶ ἀπηνῆ· ὅστις ἀνηλεῶς τοὺς μὲν ὄπερας αἰκίζειν οὐκ ἠρκεῖτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ λιθοβολεῖν αὐτούς τε καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἐπιστάτας. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀποδημήσαντος, κατετόλμησεν ὁ ἄγριος θὴρ ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ μητέρα Ἀναστασίαν τὴν αὐγούσταν παιδικῶς δι' ἀβηνῶν μαστιγῶσαι. ἐν τούτοις δὲ καὶ εἰς ἅπαν τὸ πολιτικὸν πλῆθος πολλὰ κακὰ ἐνδειξάμενος μισητὸν τὸν βασιλέα πεποίηκεν. ὁμοίως καὶ εἰς τὰ τοῦ γενικοῦ λογοθεσίου πράγματα κατέστησεν ἀββᾶν τινα ὀνόματι Θεόδοτον, ἔγκλειστον τὸ πρότερον ὄντα ἐν τοῖς Θρᾳκῴοις τοῦ Στενοῦ μέρεσιν, καὶ αὐτὸν δεινότατον καὶ ἀτίθασον λίαν ὑπάρχοντα, ὅστις πλείστους τῆς πολιτείας ἄρχοντας καὶ ἐμφανεῖς ἄνδρας οὐκ ἐκ τῶν διοικητῶν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τῆς πόλεως οἰκητόρων, εἰκῆ καὶ μάτην ἀπροφασίστως, ἀπαιτήσεις καὶ ἐκταγὰς καὶ δημεύσεις ποιούμενος σχοίνοις τε τούτους κρεμνῶν καὶ ἀχύροις ὑποκαπνίζων. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ὁ ἔπαρχος βασιλικῇ κελεύσει πλείστους ἄνδρας ἐν εἱρκταῖς κατακλείσας ἐπὶ χρόνους τηρεῖσθαι πεποίηκεν. ταῦτα πάντα ἐπηύξησε τὸ μῖσος τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀπῄτει 368 Καλλίνικον τὸν πατριάρχην ποιῆσαι εὐχήν, ἵνα καταλύσῃ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῆς ἁγίας θεοτόκου τῶν μητροπολίτου τὴν οὖσαν πλησίον τοῦ παλατίου, θέλων ἐν τῷ τόπῳ στῆσαι φιάλην καὶ βάθρα κτίσαι τοῦ δήμου τῶν Βενέτων, ὅπως ἐκεῖ δέχωνται τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ πατριάρχης ἔλεγεν ὅτι· "εὐχὴν ἐπὶ συστάσει ἐκκλησίας ἔχομεν, ἐπὶ δὲ καταλύσει ἐκκλησίας οὐ παρελάβομεν." βιαζομένου δὲ αὐτὸν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πάντως ἀπαιτοῦντος τὴν εὐχήν, ἔφη ὁ πατριάρχης· "δόξα τῷ θεῷ τῷ ἀνεχομένῳ πάντοτε, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν." καὶ τοῦτο ἀκούσαντες κατέλυσαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν φιάλην. καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τῶν μητροπολίτου εἰς τὸ Πετρίν. ιʹ. ιβʹ. βʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσε Μουάμεδ τὴν τετάρτην Ἀρμενίαν καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύσας πολλοὺς ἀνέστρεψεν. Ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ ἔτει Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐξεβλήθη τῆς βασιλείας τρόπῳ τοιῷδε· ἐκέλευσε Στεφάνῳ τῷ πατρικίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ, τὸ ἐπίκλην Ῥουσίῳ, νυκτὸς ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν δῆμον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ἄρξασθαι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατριάρχου. Λεόντιος δὲ ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς τῶν ἀνατολικῶν γενόμενος καὶ ἐν πολέμοις εὐδοκιμήσας ἐν φρουρᾷ τε χρόνους τρεῖς ποιήσας, κατηγορηθεὶς ἐξάπινα ἀνεκλήθη καὶ στρατηγὸς Ἑλλάδος προεβλήθη. ἐκελεύσθη δὲ εἰς τρεῖς ἐμβληθῆναι δρόμωνας καὶ αὐθημερὸν ἀποκινῆσαι τῆς πόλεως. τῇ δὲ αὐτῇ νυκτὶ ἐν τῷ Ἰουλιανησίῳ λιμένι τῶν Σοφίας πλησίον τῶν Μαύρου πρὸς τὸ ἐκπορίσαι τῆς πόλεως μεθορμίσαντος, συνετάσσετο τοῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀπερχομένοις φίλοις, ἐν οἷς πρὸς αὐτὸν παρεγένοντο καὶ οἱ γνήσιοι αὐτοῦ φίλοι, Παῦλος μοναχὸς τῶν Καλλιστράτου, ὁ καὶ ἀστρονόμος, Γρηγόριος ὁ Καππάδοξ ὁ καὶ κλεισουριάρχης γενόμενος, ἔπειτα δὲ μοναχὸς καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Φλώρου· οἵ τινες ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ πυκνοτέρως αὐτὸν ἐπισκεπτόμενοι διεβεβαιοῦντο αὐτὸν βασιλεύσειν τῶν Ῥωμαίων. ὁ δὲ Λεόντιος λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· "ὑμεῖς διεβεβαιώσασθέ με ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ περὶ βασιλείας· καὶ νῦν ἡ ζωή 369 μου ἐν κακοῖς τελειοῦται. ὄπισθεν γάρ μου ἔσομαι κατὰ πᾶσαν ὥραν ἐκδεχόμενος τὸν θάνατον." οἱ δὲ εἶπον· "αὐτὸς μὴ ὀκνήσῃς, καὶ τοῦτο εὐθέως πληροῦται. ἐπάκουσον ἡμῖν μόνον, καὶ ἀκολούθησον ἡμῖν." καὶ λαβὼν ὁ Λεόντιος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἄρματα, ὅσα εἶχεν, ἀνῆλθεν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον σιγῇ πολλῇ, καὶ κρούσαντες τὴν πύλην προεφασίσαντο τὸν βασιλέα παραγεγονέναι ἐπὶ τὸ διοικῆσαί τινας τῶν ἐκεῖσε ὄντων. μηνυθέντος δὲ τοῦ τηνικαῦτα ὑπάρχου καὶ συντόμως ἐλθόντος καὶ τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξαντος, χειροῦται ὑπὸ Λεοντίου καὶ ῥαπισθεὶς ἐπεδήθη χεῖρας καὶ πόδας. εἰσελθὼν δὲ ὁ Λεόντιος καὶ τὰς φυλακὰς ἀνοίξας λύσας