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in the son of the emperor and emperor they were instilling much755 despondency and casting him into anguish; but even in this state, he endured. But the account, as it proceeds, will set forth the things concerning these matters, but now let it narrate what it has omitted. During the times of this emperor's sole rule, many fires have occurred in different parts of the city, and the fire consumed and ruined many parts of it. And once while he was ruling, there blew a strong and most violent wind, it being the spring season, by which many other accidents happened and the statue set up on the round and very great porphyry pillar that stood in the place called the Plakoton was brought down and killed many of those who happened to be there. The statue was very great in size, and marvelous in beauty, which, having fallen, was both shattered and was cut into many pieces. And at another time a most violent rain burst forth on the very day of the commemoration of the chief disciples of Christ, Peter and Paul, which, having begun around late afternoon, lasted without ceasing until the same hour of the following day. when many houses collapsed from the rush of the waters, and the valleys, being fill756 ed with water, differed in no way from seas, and the loss of not a few men and many animals occurred. These things then thus happened; and it was reported once to the emperor that an army of Turks was being assembled, intending to attack the lands under the Romans and to plunder them. And he happened at that time to be suffering pain in his feet, the rheum having flowed more strongly and afflicting him with extreme pains and most sharp aches. Since therefore he was not able to campaign against the barbarians by himself, he sends out a phalanx of soldiers against them, having appointed over them as commander Eustathios Kamytzes, a man ranked among the first of the generals. And he, having encountered a not insignificant portion of the enemy, attacks them, but having attacked, was defeated, and he himself was captured, and of those under him some fell, and others, fleeing, were saved. And when these things were reported to the emperor, he was no longer to be restrained but went forth, and he encountered Turks nowhere (for having learned of the emperor's charge against them, giving their horses the reins, they fled without turning back), and Kamytzes was also able to escape their hands, having persuaded those guarding him with great promises to flee with him and to come over to the emperor. And he came to the emperor, bringing his guards also as deserters. And the ruler 757 saw him gladly, and those who had freed him he received with money, and he returned to Byzantium. Not much time passed and the emperor went out again against these barbarians, and departed to Philomelion. And he found this city empty of armed men; for all, having learned of the emperor's attack against them, had left behind their dearest things, and they had withdrawn. The city therefore was taken without a struggle, but indeed also certain forts and caves, which are called refuges by the locals, were surrendered to the emperor by those holding them, and those in them were resettled, the emperor having judged this to be expedient. Taking them with him, he returned, since he did not encounter enemies. And of those being resettled, as many as were in their prime or also young, made the journey by themselves, but for those whose old age made their feet slow for walking, to these the ruler provided beasts of burden. And if any had their bodies weakened either by sicknesses or other afflictions or by long-standing and wretched old age, these he placed on long shields and he ordered strong young men, able to carry burdens, to carry the shields, and he himself going around, if he found any of those being thus carried either suffering from thirst or desiring food 758 or otherwise distressed, he restored the one suffering as was possible. And as he was thus journeying and had encamped, Turks also appeared toward evening, saying that their leader wished to make a treaty with the Romans. And this did not seem displeasing to the emperor. In the morning therefore came the ruler of the barbarians; and he was not a satrap, but from

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βασιλέως υἱῷ τε καὶ βασιλεῖ πολ755 λὴν τὴν ἀθυμίαν ἐνέσταζον καὶ εἰς ἀγωνίαν ἐνέβαλλον· ὁ δὲ καὶ οὕτως ἔχων ἐκαρτέρει. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν περὶ τούτων προϊὼν ὁ λόγος ἐκθήσεται, ἄρτι δὲ διηγησάσθω ἃ παραλέλοιπε. πολλοὶ κατὰ τοὺς τῆς αὐταρχίας χρόνους τοῦ βασιλέως τούτου γεγόνασιν ἐμπρησμοὶ ἐν διαφόροις τῆς πόλεως μέρεσι, καὶ πολλὰ ταύτης κατενεμήθη τὸ πῦρ καὶ ἠρείπωσεν. ἔπνευσε δέ ποτε τούτου κρατοῦντος καὶ ἄνεμος σφοδρός τε καὶ βιαιότατος ὥρας οὔσης ἐαρινῆς, ὑφ' οὗ πολλά τε ἄλλα συνέβη συμπτώματα καὶ ἡ ἐν τῷ κυκλοτερεῖ καὶ μεγίστῳ πορφυρέῳ κίονι τῷ κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον Πλακωτὸν ἑστῶτι ἱδρυμένη στήλη κατήνεκτο καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλε τῶν παρατυχόντων ἐκεῖ. ἦν δὲ τὸ ἄγαλμα μεγέθει μὲν πάμμεγα, κάλλει δὲ θαυμάσιον, ὃ καὶ πεσὸν συντέθραυστό τε καὶ εἰς πολλὰ διετέτμητο. καὶ ὑετὸς δ' ἐν ἄλλῳ χρόνῳ κατερράγη σφοδρότατος κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς μνήμης τῶν κορυφαίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητῶν Πέτρου καὶ Παύλου, ὃς περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν ἠργμένος διήρκεσεν ἄχρι τῆς αὐτῆς ὥρας τῆς ἐπιούσης ἡμέρας ἀνένδοτος γεγονώς. ὅτε πολλαί τε τῇ φορᾷ τῶν ὑδάτων οἰκίαι κατέπεσον, καὶ αἱ κοιλάδες ὑδάτων πλη756 σθεῖσαι οὐδὲν διέφερον θαλασσῶν, καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ὀλίγων καὶ ζῴων πολλῶν συμβεβήκει ἀπώλεια. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν οὕτω συνήνεκτο· ἀπηγγέλη δέ ποτε τῷ βασιλεῖ Τούρκων ἀθροίζεσθαι στρατιὰν βουλομένην ἐπελθεῖν ταῖς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους χώραις καὶ ταύτας ληίσασθαι. ἔτυχε δὲ τότε τοὺς πόδας ἀλγῶν, τοῦ ῥεύματος σφοδρότερον ἐπιρρεύσαντος καὶ περιωδυνίαις αὐτὸν καὶ ἀλγηδόσιν ὀξυτάταις πιέζοντος. ἐπεὶ γοῦν οὐκ εἶχε δι' ἑαυτοῦ κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων στρατεύσασθαι, φάλαγγα κατ' αὐτῶν ἐκπέμπει στρατιωτῶν, φαλάγγαρχον ἐπιστήσας αὐτοῖς τὸν Καμύτζην Εὐστάθιον, ἄνδρα τοῖς πρώτοις τεταγμένον τῶν στρατηγῶν. ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐλαχίστῃ τῶν πολεμίων μοίρᾳ περιτυχὼν προσβάλλει τούτοις, ἡττήθη δὲ προσβαλών, καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν ἑάλω, οἱ δ' ὑπ' αὐτὸν οἱ μὲν ἔπεσον, οἱ δὲ φυγόντες ἐσώθησαν. ὡς δὲ ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ κατηγγέλθησαν, οὐκέτι καθεκτὸς ἦν ἐκεῖνος ἀλλ' ἔξεισι, καὶ Τούρκοις μὲν ἐνέτυχεν οὐδαμοῦ (μαθόντες γὰρ τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ὁρμὴν τοῖς ἵπποις ἐνδόντες τοὺς χαλινοὺς ἔφευγον ἀμεταστρεπτί), ἴσχυσε δὲ καὶ ὁ Καμύτζης τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐκφυγεῖν, τοὺς αὐτὸν φρουροῦντας μεγάλαις ὑποσχέσεσι πείσας συναποδρᾶναι αὐτῷ καὶ προσεληλυθέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ ὁ μὲν πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἦλθε προσάγων καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ φύλακας αὐτομόλους. ὁ δὲ κρατῶν ἐκεῖνον 757 μὲν ἡδέως εἶδε, τοὺς δ' ἐκεῖνον λελυκότας ἐδεξιώσατο χρήμασι καὶ ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον. Οὐ πολὺς παρερρύη καιρὸς καὶ ἔξεισιν αὖθις κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων τούτων ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, καὶ ἄπεισιν εἰς τὸ Φιλομήλιον. εὗρε δὲ τὸ ἄστυ τοῦτο κενὸν ὁπλιτῶν· πάντες γὰρ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐγνωκότες κατ' αὐτῶν ἔφοδον τὰ μὲν φίλτατα καταλελοίπασιν, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἀνεχώρησαν. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἄστυ ἀπόνως ἐλήφθη, ἀλλὰ μέντοι καί τινα φρούρια καὶ σπήλαια, ἃ καταφύγια τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ὠνόμασται, παρὰ τῶν κατεχόντων αὐτὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ παρεδόθησαν, καὶ οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς μετῳκίσθησαν, τοῦτο συμφέρον τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κρίναντος. οὓς μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ λαβὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐπανῄει, ἐπεὶ μὴ πολεμίοις ἐνέτυχε. τῶν δὲ μετοικιζομένων ὅσοι μὲν ἀκμάζοντες ἦσαν ἢ καὶ νεάζοντες, δι' ἑαυτῶν τὴν πορείαν πεποίηντο, οἷς δὲ τὸ γῆρας βραδεῖς ἐτίθει τοὺς πόδας εἰς βάδισιν, τούτοις παρεῖχεν ὁ κρατῶν ὑποζύγια. εἰ δέ τινες ἢ νόσοις ἢ πάθεσιν ἄλλοις εἶχον παρειμένα τὰ σώματα ἢ γήρᾳ μακροχρονίῳ τε καὶ λυγρῷ, τούτους ἀσπίσιν ἐπετίθει μακραῖς καὶ τὰς ἀσπίδας νέους φέρειν ἐπέταττε σθεναρούς, δεδυνημένους ἀχθοφορεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ περιιών, εἴ τινα τῶν οὕτω κομιζομένων ἢ δίψει κάμνοντα εὕρισκεν ἢ τροφῆς 758 ὀρεγόμενον ἢ ἄλλως ταλαιπωρούμενον, ὡς ἐνὸν ἀνεκτᾶτο τὸν κάμνοντα. οὕτω δὲ ὁδοιπορήσαντί τε καὶ καταλύσαντι καὶ Τοῦρκοι πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐφάνησαν, σπονδὰς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους λέγοντες ἐθέλειν θέσθαι τὸν σφέτερον ἀρχηγόν. τοῦτο δὲ οὐδὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἔδοξεν ἀποθύμιον. ἕωθεν οὖν ἧκεν ὁ τῶν βαρβάρων κρατῶν· ὁ δὲ ἦν οὐ σατράπης, ἀλλ' ἐκ