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seeing her delaying, losing heart, they wrote some libels and threw them into the emperor's tent (those who threw these were not yet manifest; the word *famosa* denotes certain written slanders) advising the emperor to continue the journey forward, but the Augusta to return to Byzantium. Which the law punishes with the heaviest penalties, consuming the documents themselves with fire, and subjecting those who dare such things to the most blood-stained punishments. For missing their mark, they fell into the nonsense of libels. 13.1.7 For after the emperor had lunched and the many had withdrawn, with only Romanus the former Manichean, and Basil the eunuch, Psyllus, and Theodore the brother of Aaron happening to be there, again a libel was found thrown upon the emperor's couch, containing much invective against the empress, as to why she was accompanying the emperor and not returning more quickly to the imperial city. For this was their aim, to have complete freedom. But the emperor, knowing who had thrown it and filled with anger, said: "Either I or you," gesturing towards the empress, "or one of those present threw this." And below it was written thus: "I, the monk, write these things; whom you, emperor, do not now know, but you will see me in dreams." 13.1.8 A certain Constantine, a eunuch, a paternal servant of the emperor at table, but at that time serving the empress, standing outside the tent around the third watch of the night and performing the customary hymnody, heard someone shouting: "If I do not come forward and report all that has been plotted by you and expose these very libels thrown by you, let no one count me among men." And he immediately ordered his own servant to search for the man who was shouting. And he went off, and recognizing Aaron's servant Strategius, he took him and brought him to the one in charge of the table. And at once he came forward and reported all that he knew. And this man, taking him along, went to the emperor. 13.1.9 The sovereigns were sleeping at that time. But encountering Basil the eunuch, he compelled him to report what was said concerning Strategius, Aaron's man. And he immediately went in and brought in Strategius himself. Who, once he had come for questioning, clearly revealed the whole drama of the nonsensical libels, the orchestrator of the murder, and that very man who had been prepared for the slaughter of the emperor. "For my master," he said, "Aaron, with others whom your majesty has not been entirely ignorant of, having plotted against your life, emperor, sent against you an assassin, Demetrius, my own fellow slave, a man Scythian by race, but most murderous in disposition, strong in his arms, most daring in any undertaking, and bestial and most savage in soul. Handing him a two-edged sword, they gave him this inhuman command, that coming to close quarters with unrestrained boldness, he should plunge the sword into the imperial entrails." 13.1.10 But the emperor (for he was not one to believe such things easily): "Do not," he said, "out of some enmity towards your masters and towards your own fellow slave weave this accusation, but swear to all that is true and whatever you know. But if you are caught lying, the matter of the accusation will not turn out well for you." But he, insisting that he was telling the truth, was handed over to the eunuch Basil so that he might for the time being give him the nonsensical papers. And he, taking him and going away, entered Aaron's tent, while everyone was sleeping, and taking from there a certain soldier's bag full of such letters, he gave it to Basil. And when day was already dawning, the emperor, seeing such letters and understanding the murder being plotted against him, ordered Aaron's mother to those administering public affairs in the city

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ἐμβραδύνουσαν ὁρῶντες, ἐκκακήσαντες φάμουσά τινα γράφοντες κατὰ τὴν τοῦ βασι λέως ἔρριπτον σκηνήν (οἱ δὲ ταῦτα ῥίπτοντες ἔκδηλοι τέως οὐκ ἦσαν· δηλοῖ δὲ ἡ λέξις τὰ φάμουσα λοιδορήματά τινα ἔγγραφα) τῷ αὐτοκράτορι τὴν πρόσω πορείαν ξυμβουλεύ οντα, τῇ δέ γε Αὐγούστῃ τὴν πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον. Ἅπερ καὶ ὁ νόμος τιμωρίαις βαρυτάταις κολάζει, αὐτὰ μὲν ἀνα λίσκων πυρί, τοὺς δὲ ταῦτα τολμῶντας ποιναῖς καθυποβάλ λων παλαμναιοτάταις. Ἀστοχοῦντες γὰρ τοῦ σκοποῦ εἰς τὴν τῶν φαμούσων φλυαρίαν κατέπιπτον. 13.1.7 Μετὰ γὰρ τὸ ἀριστῆσαι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τῶν πολλῶν ὑποχωρησάντων, μόνου δὲ τῷ τότε τυχόντος τοῦ τε Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ ἐκ Μανι χαίων καὶ Βασιλείου ἐκτομίου τοῦ Ψύλλου καὶ Θεοδώρου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Ἀαρών, εὑρέθη αὖθις φάμουσον ὑπερριμμένον τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως κλίνῃ πολλὴν τὴν κατὰ τῆς βασιλίδος περιέχον καταδρομήν, ὅτου χάριν συνέπεται τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ μὴ τάχιον πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπαναστρέφοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ σκοπούμενον, ἄδειαν πᾶσαν ἐσχηκέναι. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ γνοὺς τὸν ῥίψαντα καὶ θυμοῦ πλησθεὶς ἔφη· «Τοῦτο ἐγὼ ἢ σύ», πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα ἀπονεύσας, «ἤ τις τῶν παρόντων ἔρριψε». Κάτωθεν δὲ οὕτως ἐπε γέγραπτο· «Ταῦτα ὁ μοναχὸς ἐγὼ γράφω· ὃν σύ, βασιλεῦ, τὸ παρὸν οὐ γινώσκεις, ὄψει δέ με ἐν ὀνείροις». 13.1.8 Κων σταντῖνος δέ τις ἐκτομίας ἐπὶ τραπέζης πατρῷος τοῦ βασιλέως θεράπων, τῇ δὲ βασιλίδι τηνικαῦτα ὑπηρετῶν, περὶ τρίτην φυλακὴν τῆς νυκτὸς ἔξω τῆς σκηνῆς ἱστάμε νος καὶ τὴν συνήθη τελῶν ὑμνῳδίαν, ἀκούει τινὸς βοῶντος· «Εἰ ἐγὼ οὐ προσελθὼν ἀπαγγείλω τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν βεβουλευ μένα ἅπαντα καὶ αὐτὰ δὴ τὰ παρ' ὑμῶν ῥιπτόμενα φάμουσα φαυλίσω, μηδείς με μετ' ἀνθρώπων λογιζέσθω». Ὁ δ' εὐθὺς τὸν ἴδιον οἰκέτην ἐπέταξε τὸν φωνοῦντα ἄνθρωπον ἀναζητῆσαι. Καὶ ὃς ἀπελθὼν καὶ τὸν τοῦ Ἀαρὼν οἰκέτην γνωρίσας Στρατήγιον αὐτὸν συμπαραλαβὼν ἄγει πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης. Καὶ παραχρῆμα προσελθὼν ἀπαγγέλλει ὅσαπερ σύνοιδεν. Οὗτος δὲ συμπαραλαβὼν αὐτὸν ἀπῆλθε πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. 13.1.9 Ὕπνωττον δὲ τηνικαῦτα οἱ βασιλεῖς. Ἐντυχὼν δὲ Βασιλείῳ τῷ ἐκτομίᾳ κατηνάγκαζεν ἀπαγγεῖλαι τὰ περὶ τοῦ Στρατηγίου τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ῥηθέντα. Ὁ δ' εὐθὺς εἰσελθὼν καὶ αὐτὸν εἰσάγει τὸν Στρατήγιον. Ὃς ἐπειδὴ καθάπαξ εἰς ἐρωτήσεις ἐλή λυθεν, ἅπαν τὸ δρᾶμα τῶν φλυάρων φαμούσων, τὸν τοῦ φόνου δραματουργὸν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον τὸν εἰς σφαγὴν τοῦ βασιλέως παρεσκευασμένον σαφῶς ἀνεκάλυψεν. «Ὁ γὰρ ἐμός, φησί, δεσπότης Ἀαρὼν μεθ' ἑτέρων, οὓς οὐδὲ ἡ σὴ βασιλεία παντάπασιν ἠγνόησε, κατὰ τῆς σῆς, βασιλεῦ, ζωῆς μελετήσαντες καθῆκάν σοι φονέα ∆ημήτριον, τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ σύνδουλον, ἄνδρα Σκύθην μὲν τὸ γένος, φονικώ τατον δὲ τὴν γνώμην, τοὺς βραχίονας καρτερόν, πρὸς πᾶν ὁτιοῦν τολμηρότατον καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν θηριώδη καὶ ὠμότατον. Τούτῳ ξίφος ἐγχειρίσαντες ἄμφηκες παρήγγειλαν παραγ γελίαν ταύτην ἀπάνθρωπον, ὡς ὁμόσε προσελθόντα μετὰ θράσους ἀκατασχέτου ἐμβάψαι τοῖς βασιλικοῖς σπλάγχνοις τὸ ξίφος.» 13.1.10 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς (καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἦν εὔκολος τοῖς τοιούτοις πιστεύειν)· «Μὴ διά τινά, φησιν, ἀπέχθειαν πρὸς τοὺς σοὺς δεσπότας καὶ πρὸς τὸν σεαυτοῦ ὁμόδουλον τὴν κατηγορίαν ταύτην συμπλέκῃς, ἀλλὰ τἀληθῆ πάντα καὶ ὅσα σύνοιδας ἐξορχοῦ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἁλοίης ψευδόμενος, οὐκ εἰς καλὸν τὰ τῆς κατηγορίας σοι ἀπαντήσεται.» Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἐνιστάμενος ἀληθῆ λέγειν παραδίδοται πρὸς τὸν ἐκτο μίαν Βασίλειον ἵνα τέως τοὺς φλυάρους χάρτας ἐπιδοίη πρὸς αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ παραλαβὼν τοῦτον καὶ ἀπελθὼν εἰσάγει εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Ἀαρών, πάντων κοιμωμένων, καὶ ἀνα λαβόμενος ἐκεῖθεν πήραν τινὰ στρατιωτικὴν μεστὴν τοι ούτων γραμμάτων δίδωσι τῷ Βασιλείῳ. Αὐγαζούσης δὲ ἤδη τῆς ἡμέρας, θεασάμενος τὰ τοιαῦτα γράμματα ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ διαγνοὺς τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ μελετώμενον φόνον, τὴν μὲν μητέρα τοῦ Ἀαρὼν προσέταξε τοῖς τὰ τῶν κοινῶν διοικοῦ σιν ἐν τῇ πόλει