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he might suddenly dissolve it by recanting, when the time that would seek these things came again, lest the whole thing become impossible; and that in any case the affairs of the church were moving towards a change, with Joseph having been appointed; that he himself was indeed entirely peaceful, and he believed that nothing irreparable would come from him, but nevertheless it was necessary that those who would cause trouble should also appear. And he said these things not merely out of suspicion, but the event that had happened before this, while he was staying along the Sangarius, made the emperor fearful about the whole situation, lest he might dissolve the agreements as being precarious.

31. Concerning the testaments of the patriarch Joseph. For Joseph, being expected to die, was drawing up his testaments; and it was necessary to make mention of the emperor and of the prayer for him. And he did make mention and pray, but he did not add the word "holy," which emperors were accustomed to have as being anointed with myrrh. But the emperor, when it was sent, saw that it was so and was displeased; and he wrote to the patriarch, and he also wrote to the one entrusted with the city, asking to learn how this had been done by him and for what reason he was curtailing the "holy" from his imperial title. "Perhaps," he says, "judging me unworthy of holiness, he writes thus?" And concerning these things he also wrote to the patriarch of Antioch, the Princeps. They also sent and inquired the reason for his writing so, as the emperor also wished to know. And he shifted the blame for this onto the monks around him and brought forward another testament that was the same in all respects, except that the "holiness" was also added there. Presenting this one, at any rate, he said that he had written the former one, but since those around him were scandalized, he had subsequently rewritten this one that had come into the emperor's hands. So peaceful was he in all matters. But the emperor, suspecting those around him, and at the same time not wanting to seem to be establishing the accusation against himself, as if having made it in mockery and not in truth, for the time being deferred the matter to subsequent times. 641

32. How the events concerning Belagrada occurred. 641

While the emperor was engaged in these matters, the events concerning Belagrada were also reported. But we must take it up from a little earlier. The Illyrians, therefore, having revolted from the emperor, were on their own; and taking possession of the city of Dyrrhachium, deserted from the previous earthquake, they both rebuilt it and settled some of their fellow rebels there. And with King Charles, from the nearby neighborhood of Kanina, they were on friendly terms and were at peace according to treaties. Kanina, however, had formerly belonged to the admiral Philip, a most powerful man, whom the despot Michael feared, especially after he had prevailed against Manfred, the son of Charles, so as to kill him and take his command with the great alliance of the church, and he made him a relative by marriage, and he sent and joined to him the woman who had formerly married Sphrantzes, being the sister of his own wife, who was widowed from him, having ceded to him both Kanina and Koryphos. But when he had treacherously killed him, sending men to shoot him down from hiding, and the deed was done and the admiral was dead, he wished to seize and hold Kanina, but the Italians found in those parts were an obstacle, who, having also gone through the time of defeat with him, again inclined towards Charles. Charles sent men and fortified the fortress and, as if using it as his own, wished to send forth his men from there against the land of the Romans. At that time, therefore, the revolt of the Illyrians encouraged him; and holding a grudge from the beginning, as having been thwarted by the emperor's contrivances from his expedition against the city, he transported a considerable force from Brundisium, both cavalry and infantry, amounting to about three thousand, across the Ionian Sea; who indeed seized Kanina and, having equipped themselves as best they could, sallied forth from there in such a way that some thought, with their daring, that they would engage in battle on foot as far as the city of Thessalonica, and even the City itself. To such an extent did they trust in their own power

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ἐξαπιναίως λύοι παλινῳδῶν, ἐπιστάντος καὶ αὖθις καιροῦ τοῦ 639 ταῦτα ζητήσοντος, μὴ ἂν ἀνυστὰ γενέσθαι τὸ σύνολον· χωρεῖν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως καὶ εἰς μεταβολὴν τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πράγματα, τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπικαταστάντος· αὐτὸν μὲν οὖν καὶ εἰρηνικὸν εἰς ἅπαν εἶναι, καὶ μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ πιστεύειν τῶν ἀνηκέστων γίνεσθαι, οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' ἀνάγκην εἶναι φανῆναι καὶ τοὺς κινήσοντας. Καὶ ταῦτ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ὑποπτεύων ἔλεγεν, ἀλλά γε τὸ πρὸ τούτων συμβάν, ἀνὰ τὸν Σάγγαριν διατρίβοντος, δειλιᾶν ἐποίει περὶ τῶν ὅλων τὸν βασιλέα, εἴ πως ὡς ἐπισφαλῆ τὰ συγκείμενα διαλύσειεν.

λαʹ. Περὶ τῶν διαθηκῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου Ἰωσήφ. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Ἰωσήφ, προσδοκήσιμος ὢν ἐπὶ τῷ θανεῖν, τὰς διαθήκας ἐξήνυτεν· ἦν δὲ χρεία μεμνῆσθαι καὶ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου εὐχῆς. Καὶ ἐμέμνητό γε καὶ ηὔχετο, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ προσετίθει τὸ ἅγιος, ὃ σύνηθες ἔχειν ὡς χρισθέντας μύρῳ τοὺς βασιλεῖς. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πεμφθείσης ἰδὼν οὕτως ἐκείνην ἔχουσαν ἐδυσχέραινε· καὶ γράφει μὲν πατριάρχῃ, γράφει δὲ καὶ τῷ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτετραμμένῳ, μανθάνειν ἐρωτῶντας πῶς τοῦτο πέπρακταί οἱ καὶ ἐφ' ὅ τι τῆς βασιλείας κολούει τὸ ἅγιος. «Μήπως ὡς ἀνάξιον, φησί, μὲ κρίνων τῆς ἁγιστείας οὕτω γράφει;» Γέγραπται δ' ὑπὲρ τούτων καὶ τῷ τῆς Ἀντιοχείας πατριάρχῃ τῷ Πρίγκιπι. Οἳ καὶ πέμψαντες ἐπυνθάνοντο τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ οὕτω γράφειν, ὡς θέλοντος γνῶναι καὶ βασιλέως. Καὶ ὃς μετε τίθει τὴν τούτων αἰτίαν εἰς τοὺς ἀμφ' αὑτὸν μοναχοὺς καὶ εἰς πίστιν ἄλλην προῆγεν οὕτως ἔχουσαν ἐπὶ πᾶσι, πλὴν προσκειμένης ἐκεῖ καὶ τῆς ἁγιότη τος. Ταύτην γοῦν ἐμφανίζων, ἔλεγε γράφειν τὸ πρότερον, ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν σκανδαλίζοιντο, μετεγγράφειν ἐσαῦθις τὴν ἐς χεῖρας ταύτην γεγονυῖαν τῷ βασιλεῖ. Οὕτως ἦν ἐκεῖνος εἰρηνικὸς ἐφ' ἅπασιν. Ἀλλὰ τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν ὑποπτεύων ὁ βασιλεύς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοῦ μὴ δόξαι συνιστᾶν τὴν καθ' αὑτοῦ κατηγορίαν, ὡς κατὰ χλεύην καὶ οὐ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ποιησάμενος, τὰ περὶ τούτων τοῖς ἐφεξῆς καιροῖς τῷ τέως ἀνήρτα. 641

λβʹ. Ὅπως συνέβη τὰ κατὰ Βελλάγραδα. 641 Ἐν τούτοις δ' ὄντος τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὰ Βελλάγραδα διηγγέλ λοντο. Ἀλλ' ἀναληπτέον μικρὸν ἄνωθεν. Ἰλλυριοὶ μὲν οὖν, βασιλέως ἀποστατήσαντες, καθ' αὑτοὺς ἦσαν· περισχόντες δ' ἐρήμην πόλιν τὴν ∆υρραχίου ἐκ τοῦ προγεγονότος σεισμοῦ, ἀνακτίζουσί τε καί τινας συναποστάτας σφίσιν ἐκεῖ κατοικίζουσι. Τῷ ῥηγὶ δὲ Καρούλῳ, ἐξ ἐγγίονος γειτονήματος τοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν Κανίνων, φιλίως εἶχον καὶ κατὰ συνθήκας εἰρήνευον. Τὰ μέντοι γε Κάνινα πάλαι μὲν ἦσαν τοῦ Φιλίππου ἀμηραλῆ, ἀνδρὸς δυναμένου πλεῖστα, ὃν καὶ Μιχαὴλ δεδιὼς ὁ δεσπότης, καὶ μᾶλλον ἰσχύσαντος καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Μαφρὲ τοῦ Καρούλου, ὡς καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκείνου λαβεῖν συμ μαχίᾳ πλείστῃ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, κήδει εἰσποιεῖται, καὶ τὴν πάλαι τῷ Σφραντζῇ συνοικήσασαν, ἀδελφήν γε οὖσαν τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικός, κεχηρωμένην ἐκείνου, πέμψας συναρμόζει οἱ, ἐκχωρήσας αὐτῷ καὶ Κανίνων καὶ Κορυφοῦς. Ὡς δὲ δόλῳ κακῶς ἀπεκτόνει, πέμψας τοὺς ἐξ ἀδήλων κατοϊστεύσοντας, καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα ἠνύετο καὶ ὁ ἀμηραλῆς ἐτεθνήκει, ἠβούλετο μὲν κατασχὼν Κάνινα ἔχειν, ἐμποδὼν δ' ἦσαν οἱ ἐν ἐκείνοις εὑρισκόμενοι Ἰταλοί, οἳ καὶ τὸν τῆς ἥττης συνδιαγαγόντες καιρόν, αὖθις ἀπέκλιναν πρὸς τὸν Κάρουλον. Κάρουλος δὲ πέμψας κατωχύρου τε τὸ φρούριον καί, ὡς ἰδίῳ χρώμενος, ἐκεῖθεν ἐξορμᾶν τοὺς αὐτοῦ κατὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἠβούλετο. Τότε τοίνυν ἐθάρρυνε μὲν ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἡ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἀποστασία· ἔχων δὲ καὶ τὸν κότον ἀρχῆθεν, ὡς ἐκκρουσθεὶς ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως μηχαναῖς τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐκπλοίας, λαὸν ἱκανὸν ἐκ Βρεντησίου ἅμα μὲν ἱππότην, ἅμα δὲ καὶ πεζόν, ὡς εἰς τρεῖς χιλιάδας ποσούμενον, διαπεραιοῖ τὸν Ἰόνιον· οἳ δὴ καὶ καταλαβόντες τὰ Κάνινα καί, ὡς εἶχον ἐνσκευασάμενοι, οὕτως ἐκεῖθεν ἐξώρμων ὡς τῇ κατὰ σφᾶς τόλμῃ οἴεσθαί τινας μέχρι καὶ πόλεως Θεσσαλονίκης, ἔτι δὲ καὶ πόλεως αὐτῆς, πεζῇ ξυμβαλεῖν. Ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δ' ἐθάρρουν τῇ κατ' αὐτοὺς δυνάμει