Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle I

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the outer garment, she placed both Michael and Osventslav on either side of her arms; and when the agreements were made, Osventslav was sent home, having been named a son of the despotess of the Bulgarians along with Michael. Not much time had measured out the adoption when the supposed mother, having acted deceitfully, kills the one who trusted he was being adopted. But Justice, not neglecting things as was often her custom, raises up the one who would seek vengeance for the blood of the unjustly murdered man. And the account wishes to recount the events of the narrative from the beginning.

3. The story of Lachanas from the beginning and how he murdered Constantine. There was a peasant there, herding swine for hire, named Kordokoubas; but the Greek tongue interprets the name as 'vegetable' (lachanon), and from this he is called Lachanas. This man, while caring diligently for his swine, neglected himself, busying himself neither with food nor with clothing, but living only on bread and wild vegetables, he was simple and artless also towards his companions, who were themselves like him, to whom he often recounted, it was clear, that he imagined great things for himself. But they no less laughed at him than they believed him. Thenceforth he, having raised himself up on such hopes from I know not where, paid attention to his own mind and offered prayers to God, as he was able; for where could he, living entirely in the fields and being artless, have any share in divine oracles, even in his mind, any more than the swine he herded? Therefore, spending most of his time in thought and considering nothing more important than his establishment in some kind of rule, he often recounted the same things to those peasants and swineherds, speaking of certain encounters with saints and the exhortations from them 551 to rise up and rule the nation. Recounting these things often, he came to be believed. And now they regarded him differently than it seemed; for he declared the appointed time for the uprising was near. So, saying that he had received the signal for the attack on a certain day, he immediately draws them to his service, and they follow him, hoping that they would accomplish something great. They go then into the country and proclaim the swineherd's name, that the signal to rule had come to him from God. And while speaking they persuaded, and more joined them each day. And he changed to a more seemly appearance, put on a tunic and girded on a sword, mounted a horse, and took courage for deeds greater than were his due. Since Constantine was of weak body—for having a broken leg, he was immobile, and if he ever had to go somewhere, he was carried on a wagon, an empty burden—many slighted him, and especially the neighboring Tocharoi, making raids every day and making the possessions of the Mysians truly Mysian plunder. Having encountered a phalanx of Tocharoi, Lachanas falls upon them with the men he brought and wins a decisive victory, and again another one, and so within not many days he was established in a greater position. Regions therefore were added to him and in him they firmly held a great hope of success, and Lachanas was much renowned everywhere; for not a day went by on which he did not have more men than before and did not perform bravely in attack. This greatly disturbed Constantine, and when it was reported, it also disturbed the emperor contrary to expectation; for they thought that what had come about so unworthily would not have come about unless for some very great purpose. Constantine, therefore, having only caused a disturbance in the region of the Zygos, turned his mind to what had unexpectedly appeared and as not only he, but no one else would ever have thought. And the emperor, wanting on the one hand to settle matters there, and on the other hand being greatly disturbed by what he had heard, was eager to get ahead and fortify the heights; and so, having departed from Constantinople, he marched upon Orestias at full speed. But having set out in winter and proceeding over ice, he suffers something incurable; for the emperor's horse, walking on the ice, slips, and its rider falling with it suffers a 553 terrible fall and tears his hands and face so badly that the entire duration of the campaign was not sufficient to efface the wounds, but still remnants of the injuries

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τὸν ἐπενδύτην, ἄμφω Μιχαὴλ καὶ Ὀσφεντίσθλαβον παρ' ἑκάτερα τῶν αὐτῆς ἀγκαλῶν ἐτίθει· καὶ συνθεσιῶν γενομένων, ἀπελύετο ἐπ' οἴκου υἱὸς κεκλημένος τῆς τῶν Βουλγάρων δεσποίνης μετὰ Μιχαὴλ Ὀσφεν τίσθλαβος. Οὔπω πολὺς χρόνος τὴν υἱοποιίαν παρεμέτρει, καὶ δολιευσαμένη κτείνει ἡ δῆθεν μήτηρ τὸν υἱοποιεῖσθαι πιστεύσαντα. Ἀλλ' ἡ ∆ίκη οὐχ ὥσπερ ἔθος αὐτῇ τὰ πολλὰ κατημέλει, ἀλλ' ἀνιστᾷ τὸν ἐκζητήσοντα τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδίκως πεφονευμένου. Καὶ ὁ λόγος ἄνωθεν βούλεται μετελθεῖν τὰ τῆς διηγήσεως.

γʹ. Τὰ κατὰ τὸν Λαχανᾶν ἀρχῆθεν καὶ ὅπως τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον πεφόνευκεν. Ἦν ἀγρότης ἐκεῖσε μισθοῦ βόσκων χοίρους, Κορδόκουβας κεκλημένος· τὸ δ' ὄνομα ἡ Ἑλλήνων γλῶσσα εἰς λάχανον ἐκλαμβάνει, καὶ Λαχανᾶς ἐντεῦθεν φημίζεται. Οὗτος, τῶν χοίρων ἐπιμελῶς ἔχων, ἑαυτοῦ κατημέλει, οὔτ' ἐπὶ τροφαῖς οὔτ' ἐπ' ἐνδύμασιν ἀσχολούμενος, μόνῳ δ' ἄρτῳ ἀποζῶν καὶ ἀγρίοις λαχάνοις, ἀπερίττως εἶχε καὶ ἀφελῶς καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους, καὶ αὐτοὺς κατ' ἐκεῖνον ὄντας, οἷς διεξῄει πολλάκις, δῆλος ἦν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μεγάλα τινὰ φανταζόμενος. Οἱ δὲ οὐχ ἧττον κατεγέλων ἢ μὴν ἐπίστευον. Ἐντεῦθεν ἐκεῖνος, τοιαύταις οὐκ οἶδ' ὁπόθεν ἐλπίσι μετεωρίσας, τὸν νοῦν ἑαυτῷ προσεῖχε καὶ εὐχὰς ἀπεδίδου Θεῷ, ὡς ἔχων ἔτυχε· ποῦ γὰρ ἐκείνῳ μετὸν καὶ θείων λογίων, κἂν ἐπὶ νοῦν, ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς ὅσα καὶ τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ βοσκομένοις χοίροις τὸ παράπαν ἐκδεδιῃτημένῳ καὶ ἀφελῶς ἔχοντι; Σύννους οὖν τὰ πολλὰ διάγων καὶ οὐδὲν προὔργου τιθέμενος τῆς πρὸς ἀρχήν τινα καταστάσεως, πολλάκις τὰ αὐτὰ διεξῄει τοῖς ἀγρόταις ἐκείνοις καὶ συφορβοῖς, ἁγίων τινὰς ἐντυχίας λέγων καὶ παρακινήσεις τὰς παρ' ἐκείνων 551 εἰς ὃ κινηθῆναι καὶ ἔθνους ἄρξαι. Ταῦτα πολλάκις διεξιὼν ἐπιστεύετο. Καὶ ἤδη ἄλλως προσεῖχον αὐτῷ ἢ ὡς ἐδόκει· τὴν γὰρ προθεσμίαν ἐγγὺς ἐδήλου τοῦ κινηθῆναι. Μιᾶς οὖν τὸ τῆς ὁρμῆς σύνθημα λέγων λαβεῖν, αὐτίκ' ἐκείνους ἐφέλκεται πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεραπείαν, κἀκείνῳ ἕπονται, ὡς μέγα τι ἐλπίζοντες πράξειν. Ἀπέρχονται γοῦν εἰς χώραν καὶ τὸ τοῦ συφορβοῦ κηρύτ τουσιν ὄνομα, ὡς θεόθεν ἧκέ οἱ τοῦ ἄρξαι σύνθημα. Καὶ ἅμα λέγοντες ἔπειθον καὶ προσεπετίθεντο πλείους ἑκάστης. Κἀκεῖνος πρὸς τὸ εὐσταλέστερον μετεβάλλετο, ἀμπεχόνην τ' ἐνεδιδύσκετο καὶ σπάθην περιεζώννυτο, ἵππου τ' ἐπέβαινε καὶ ἀνεθάρρει πρὸς ἔργα μείζω ἢ κατ' αὐτόν. Τοῦ γοῦν Κωνσταντίνου ἀσθενῶς τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντοςτὸ γὰρ σκέλος κατεαγὸς ἔχων, ἀκίνητος ἦν, κἄν που καὶ ἀπελθεῖν ἔδει, ἐφ' ἁμάξης ἐφέρετο φόρτος κενός, πολλοὶ κατωλιγώρουν, καὶ μᾶλλον οἱ πρόσοικοι Τόχαροι, ἐκδρομὰς ἑκάστης ποιοῦντες καὶ Μυσῶν ὄντως λείαν τὰ Μυσῶν τιθέντες. Φάλαγγι γοῦν Τοχάρων προσκρούσας, ὁ Λαχανᾶς ἐμπίπτει σφίσι μεθ' ὧν ἐπεφέρετο καὶ κατὰ κράτος νικᾷ καὶ αὖθις ἄλλῃ καὶ οὕτως πρὸς τὸ μεγαλειό τερον ἐπ' οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις καθίστατο. Χῶραι τοίνυν προσετίθεντό οἱ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πολὺν τὸν τοῦ εὖ πράξειν ἐλπισμὸν ἀραρότως εἶχον, καὶ ὁ Λαχανᾶς πολὺς ἦν φημιζόμενος πανταχοῦ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡμέρα ἐφίστατο καθ' ἣν οὐ πλείους τῶν προτέρων εἶχε καὶ ἠνδραγάθει προσβάλλων. Τοῦτο ἐθορύβησε μὲν καὶ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον τὰ πλεῖστα, ἀγγελθὲν δὲ παρὰ δόξαν καὶ αὐτὸν θορυβεῖ βασιλέα· τὸ γὰρ οὕτως ἐπελθὸν παρ' ἀξίαν οὐκ ἂν ἐπελθεῖν εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ μεγίστοις τισὶν ᾤοντο. Ὁ μὲν οὖν Κωνσταντῖνος, μόνον ταράξας τὰ κατὰ τὸν Ζυγόν, μετήνεγκε τὸν νοῦν πρὸς τὸ ἀπροσδοκήτως φανὲν καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἂν μὴ ὅτι γ' οὗτος, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἄλλος τις ᾠήθη ποτέ. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, τοῦτο μὲν καὶ τἀκεῖ καταστῆσαι θέλων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἀκουσθέντα διαταραχθείς, προλαβεῖν ἠπείγετο καὶ τὰς ἄκρας κατοχυροῦν· καὶ δὴ ἐξελθὼν τῆς Κων σταντίνου, ἐπ' Ὀρεστιάδος ἤλαυνεν ὅλῳ ῥυτῆρι. Χειμῶνος δ' ἐξελθὼν καὶ πάγοις ἐπιών, πάσχει τι καὶ τῶν ἀνηκέστων· συμποδίζεται γὰρ ὁ ἵππος ἐπὶ πάγων βαίνων τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ συμπεσὼν ἐκείνῳ ὁ ἐποχούμενος πτῶμα 553 δεινὸν χεῖράς τε καὶ πρόσωπον δρύπτεται οὕτω χαλεπῶς ὡς μηδ' ἀρκέσαι τὸν τῆς ἐκστρατείας ὅλον χρόνον ἀπαλεῖψαι τὰ τραύματα, ἀλλ' ἔτι λείψανα τῶν πληγῶν