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might frighten the man, knowing for a long time that he was most cowardly toward every kind of warfare. This Solomon, therefore, as the very chief of the others, they embraced. Scleros was also brought into their plot, as was Xeros, who at that time administered the province of Constantina. 12.5.6 Solomon, however, being of a rather frivolous mind, as has been said above, and understanding nothing of what was being planned by Exazenos and Hyaleas and the Anemades themselves, thinking that he already held the Roman empire in his hands, was associating with some people and winning them over with promises of gifts and dignities. Once when the leader of the drama, Michael Anemas, came to him and saw him speaking with someone, he inquired what was being said. And Solomon, with his usual simplicity, said that "Having asked us for a dignity and received the promise, he agreed to be a partner with us in the whole plan." But he, condemning this man's foolishness and becoming very fearful, realizing that he was by nature completely unable to keep a secret, no longer visited him as before.

12.6.1 The soldiers, therefore, I mean the Anemades and the Antiochoi and their fellow conspirators, were making an attempt on the emperor's person, so that, whenever they should find a suitable opportunity, they might straightway put into action the murder planned against the emperor. But when no permission was given to them by Providence and time flowed by, fearing lest they be discovered, they thought they had found the opportunity they were seeking. For since the emperor, after waking up in the early evening, wishing to sweeten the bitterness that arose from his many cares, sometimes had some of his relatives as playmates, playing zatrikion (a game devised from the luxury of the Assyrians and having come to us from there), those who had armed their tyrannical hand were about to proceed through the imperial bedchamber to the emperor, being in labor with the murder. 12.6.2 Now this imperial bedchamber, where the emperors happened to sleep, is situated on the left side of the sanctuary erected in the name of the Theometor in the palace, even though many inscribed upon it the name of the great martyr Demetrios. And on the right was a courtyard, paved with marble, and the gate of the sanctuary leading to this was open to all who wished. Therefore, from there they planned to enter inside the sanctuary and to break down the gates that closed off the imperial bedchamber, and thus having entered, to kill the emperor with a sword. 12.6.3 But these things those murderous men were plotting against one who had done no wrong; but God thwarted their plan. And when the plot was revealed to the emperor by someone, they were all immediately summoned. First, then, the emperor allowed John Solomon and George Basilakios to be brought into the palace, having come closer to the chamber in which he himself happened to be with his relatives around him, in order that he might question them through certain people, knowing them for a long time to be of a simpler mind and thinking that from this he would easily learn what had been plotted. But when, being questioned many times, they denied it, the sebastokrator Isaac went out and, turning to Solomon, said: "You surely know, Solomon, the goodness of my brother and emperor. If you report all that has been plotted, you will immediately be deemed worthy of sympathy, but if not, you will be handed over to incurable tortures." And he, looking intently and seeing the barbarians surrounding the sebastokrator brandishing the single-edged swords on their shoulders, became terrified and immediately reported everything, confessing who the conspirators were, but insisting that he knew nothing about the murder. Then, having been handed over to the guard

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καταπτοήσαιεν τὸν ἄνδρα, πάλαι τοῦτον εἰδότες πρὸς ἅπαν εἶδος πολέμου δειλότατον. Τοῦτον τοίνυν τὸν Σολομῶντα ὥσπερ δὴ κορυφαιότατον. τῶν ἄλλων ἐνηγκαλίσαντο. Συνυπήχθησαν δὲ τῇ τούτων βουλῇ καὶ ὁ Σκληρὸς καὶ ὁ τὴν ἐπαρχίαν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τῷ τότε διηνυκὼς Ξηρός. 12.5.6 Ὁ μέντοι Σολομῶν κουφο τέρας ὢν γνώμης, καθάπερ ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ἐξαζηνοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ὑαλέα καὶ αὐτῶν δὴ τῶν Ἀνεμάδων μελετωμένων συνείς, ἐν χερσὶν ἤδη τὴν βασι λείαν Ῥωμαίων κατέχειν οἰόμενος, προσωμίλει τισὶ καὶ ὑπεποιεῖτο ὑποσχέσεσι δωρεῶν καὶ ἀξιωμάτων τούτους ὑπαγόμενος. Φοιτήσας δέ ποτε πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ τοῦ δράματος κορυφαῖος Μιχαὴλ ὁ Ἀνεμᾶς καὶ θεασάμενος ὁμιλοῦντά τινι ἐπυνθάνετο, τί ἂν εἴη τὸ λεγόμενον. Ὁ δὲ Σολομῶν μετὰ τῆς συνήθους ἁπλότητος φησιν ὡς «Ἀξίωμα αἰτή σας ἡμᾶς καὶ λαβὼν τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν συνέθετο κοινωνὸς ἡμῖν τῆς βουλῆς τῶν πάντων ἔσεσθαι». Ὁ δὲ μωρίαν τούτου καταψηφισάμενος καὶ περίφοβος γεγονώς, ὡς μηδ' ὅλως ἐχεμυθεῖν πεφυκότα διαγνούς, οὐκέθ' ὡς τὸ πρότερον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐφοίτα.

12.6.1 Οἱ μὲν οὖν στρατιῶται, τοὺς Ἀνεμάδας φημὶ καὶ Ἀντιόχους καὶ τοὺς τούτων συνωμότας, κατὰ τοῦ βασιλι κοῦ τὴν σκαιωρίαν ἐποιοῦντο σώματος, ἵν', ὁπηνίκα καιροῦ εὐθέτου τύχοιεν, παρευθὺ τὸν μελετώμενον κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος φόνον εἰς ἔργον προάξωσιν. Ὡς δὲ παρὰ τῆς Προνοίας ἄδεια οὐδεμία τούτοις ἐδίδοτο καὶ ὁ καιρὸς παρερρύετο, πτοηθέντες μὴ κατάφωροι γένωνται, ὃν ἐπεζή τουν καιρὸν ἔδοξαν εὑρηκέναι. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ μετὰ τὸ διυπνισθῆναι κατὰ δείλην ἑῴαν τὴν ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν φροντίδων ἐγγινομένην ἅλμην καταγλυκαίνειν ἐθέλων ἐνίοτε συμπαίστορας εἶχε τῶν συγγενέων τινὰς παίζων τὸ ζατρί κιον (παιδιὰ δὲ τοῦτο ἐκ τῆς τῶν Ἀσσυρίων τρυφῆς ἐξευ ρημένον καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν ἐληλυθός), οἱ τὴν τυραννικὴν ἐξοπλίσαντες χεῖρα διὰ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτωνίσκου ἔμελλον ὡς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα χωρῆσαι τὸν φόνον ὠδίνοντες. 12.6.2 Ὁ δέ τοι βασιλικὸς κοιτωνίσκος οὗτος, οὗπερ οἱ βασιλεῖς ἔτυχον εὐναζόμενοι, κατὰ τὴν εὐώνυμον κεῖται πλευρὰν τοῦ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς Θεομήτορος ἀνεγηγερμένου τεμένους κατὰ τὰ ἀνάκτορα, κἂν οἱ πολλοὶ τὸ τοῦ μεγαλομάρτυρος ∆ημητρίου ὄνομα ταύτῃ ἐπέγραφον. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν δεξιὰν αἴθριον ἔδαφος ἦν ὑπὸ μαρμάρων κατεστρωμένον, καὶ ἡ πρὸς τοῦτο ἐξάγουσα πύλη τοῦ τεμένους ἄνετος πᾶσι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἦν. Ἐκεῖθεν οὖν ἐσκέψαντο εἰσελθεῖν εἴσω τοῦ τεμένους καὶ τὰς τὸν βασιλικὸν κοιτωνίσκον ἀποκλειούσας κατεάξαι πύλας κᾆθ' οὕτως εἰσελθόντες ἀνελεῖν διὰ ξίφους τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. 12.6.3 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν οἱ μιαιφόνοι ἐκεῖ νοι ἄνδρες κατὰ τοῦ μηδὲν ἠδικηκότος διεσκοποῦντο· ἔσφηλε δὲ τὴν τούτων βουλὴν ὁ Θεός. ∆ηλωθέντος δὲ τοῦ δράματος διά τινος τῷ αὐτοκράτορι παραχρῆμα μετεπέμ ποντο ἅπαντες. Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννην τὸν Σολομῶντα καὶ Γεώργιον τὸν Βασιλάκιον εἰς τὰ ἀνάκτορα εἰσαχθῆναι ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπέτρεψεν ἐγγυτέρω γενομένους τοῦ οἰκίσκου, ἐν ᾧπερ αὐτὸς ἐτύγχανεν ὢν μετὰ τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν συγγε νείας, ἵνα διά τινων ἐξερωτῴη αὐτούς, ἁπλουστέρου φρονήματος τούτους πάλαι γινώσκων κἀκ τούτου ῥᾳδίως τὰ βεβουλευμένα μεμαθηκέναι οἰόμενος. Ὡς δὲ πολλάκις ἐρω τώμενοι ἔξαρνοι ἦσαν, ἔξεισιν ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ Ἰσαάκιος καὶ πρὸς τὸν Σολομῶντα ἀπονεύσας ἔφη· «Οἶσθα πάντως, Σολομῶν, τὴν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ βασιλέως ἀγαθότητα. Εἰ μὲν τὰ βεβουλευμένα πάντα ἀπαγγείλῃς, συμπαθείας παραχρῆμα ἀξιωθήσῃ, εἰ δ' οὐκ, ἀνηκέστοις βασάνοις παρα δοθήσῃ». Ὁ δὲ ἐνατενίσας καὶ τοὺς περικυκλοῦντας τὸν σεβαστοκράτορα βαρβάρους θεασάμενος ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων τὰ ἑτερόστομα ξίφη κραδαίνοντας, ἔντρομος γεγονώς, παρα χρῆμα ἅπαντα ἀπαγγέλλει τούς τε συνίστορας ὁμολογήσας, μηδὲν δὲ περὶ τοῦ φόνου εἰδέναι διισχυριζόμενος. Εἶτα παραδοθέντες τοῖς τὴν φυλακὴν