239

But the Bulgars, learning of the sedition of the armies, and that they, fearing the 496 war and the tax-collector, were in disorder, gained the upper hand over Thrace and Macedonia. Then the Christians abandoned Anchialos and Beroia and fled, though no one pursued them, and Nicaea and the fortress of Probaton and certain other strongholds, likewise also Philippopolis and Philippi; and the settlers who lived on the Strymon, seizing the opportunity, fled and returned to their own lands. And this was a divine wrath, rebuking the madness of Nikephoros, because of which his seeming successes, in which he gloried, most quickly fell apart. And leaving aside the many false beliefs to blame the multiplying God-fighting heresies of the Paulicians and Athinganoi, Iconoclasts and Tetradites (for I omit to speak of adulteries and fornications, and debaucheries and perjuries, and hatred of brethren and greediness,) and the other transgressions, they set their tongues in motion against the divine and holy icons and the monastic habit, calling Constantine, the God-abhorred and thrice-wretched, blessed as one who had excelled against the Bulgars because of the piety which, as those wretches impiously said, he possessed. But those in the queen city armed themselves to overthrow the orthodox faith after an ecumenical council, desiring the blind to rule without God; those maimed in their souls wished to steal by night the sons of Constantine the God-fighter, who were under guard on the island of Panormos, and to bring them to the army; but the Lord put them to shame by raising up the most pious Michael for the vindication of the truth. For having spoken appropriately to the people about the faith without hypocrisy, he set out for the ruling city, and having wisely devised it, he terrified the many rebels with a few blows, exiling also the blind sons of Constantine to Aphousia. And one of the roaming pseudo-hermits, a fellow-sorcerer of Nikolaos Hexakionites, who had scraped and dishonored an icon of the all-holy Theotokos, he punished by cutting out his tongue; who also died in soul and in body. And his like-minded Nikolaos, who promised to repent 497 before all, he made a public spectacle of, confessing his own evils; and he delivered him to a monastery so that he would not live of his own will. And having spoken to the people at a silentium in the Magnaura, he made known the dogmas of his pious mind according to God. And having confiscated the property of the Athinganoi, he handed them over for exile through Leo, the general of the anatolikoi. And in the month of August of the 5th indiction, Thabith campaigned against the Christians. Leo, the general of the anatolikoi, engaged him and was successful, slaying two thousand and capturing horses and chariots. And Muḥammad, the first son of Hārūn, holding the rule of the nation, engaged his brother ‘Abdallāh in inner Persia and was defeated; and fleeing to Baghdad he took control of it. And another tyrant seized Damascus, and two divided Egypt and Africa, and another plundered Palestine like a brigand. 4. 85. 2. 17. 8. In this year Krum, the leader of the Bulgars, again sent an embassy through Dargameros to the emperor Michael concerning peace, seeking the treaties made under Theodosios of Adramyttion and Germanos the patriarch with Kormesios, the ruler of Bulgaria at that time; which contained the borders from Meleona of Thrace, and garments and red hides up to the value of 30 litrai of gold; and in addition to these, that the refugees of both sides be returned to each, even if they happened to be plotting against the authorities, and that those trading in either country be identified by sigils and seals, and that from those not having seals their possessions be taken away and brought into the public accounts. He also wrote condemnations to the emperor, that: "if you do not hasten toward peace, by your judgment I will array myself against

239

οἱ δὲ Βούλγαροι τὰ τῆς στάσεως μαθόντες τῶν στρατευμάτων, καὶ ὅτι πτοούμενοι τὸν 496 πόλεμον καὶ τὸν ταξατιῶνα ἀτακτοῦσιν, πλέον κατίσχυσαν Θρᾴκης καὶ Μακεδονίας. τότε καὶ Ἀγχίαλον καὶ Βέροιαν ἀφέντες Χριστιανοὶ ἔφυγον, μηδενὸς διώκοντος, Νίκαιάν τε καὶ τὸ Προβάτου κάστρον καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ ὀχυρώματα, ὡσαύτως καὶ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν καὶ Φιλίππους· καὶ οἱ τὸν Στρυμῶνα οἰκοῦντες μέτοικοι προφάσεως δραξάμενοι ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις φεύγοντες ἐπανῆλθον. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν θεομηνία τὴν τοῦ Νικηφόρου μανίαν ἐλέγχουσα, δι' ἣν τὰ δοκοῦντα κατορθώματα αὐτοῦ, ἐφ' οἷς ηὔχει, τάχιστα διαπέπτωκεν. καὶ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν κακοδοξίας οἱ τὰς θεομάχους αἱρέσεις πλεοναζούσας Παυλικιάνων καὶ Ἀθιγγάνων, Εἰκονοκλαστῶν καὶ Τετραδιτῶν ἀφέντες αἰτιᾶσθαι (ἀφῶ γὰρ λέγειν μοιχείας καὶ πορνείας, ἀσελγείας τε καὶ ἐπιορκίας, μισαδελφίας τε καὶ πλεονεξίας,) καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν παρανομιῶν, κατὰ τῶν θείων καὶ σεπτῶν εἰκόνων καὶ τοῦ μοναδικοῦ σχήματος ἐκίνουν τὰς γλώσσας, μακαρίζοντες Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν θεοβδέλυκτον καὶ τρισάθλιον ὡς κατὰ Βουλγάρων ἀριστεύσαντα δι' ἥν, ὡς ἐκεῖνοι ἀσεβῶς ἔλεγον οἱ τάλανες, εἶχεν εὐσέβειαν. οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν ὡπλίζοντο τὴν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν μετὰ σύνοδον οἰκουμενικὴν ἀνατρέπειν, τυφλοὺς βουλόμενοι βασιλεύειν χωρὶς θεοῦ οἱ πεπηρωμένοι τὰς ψυχὰς τοὺς υἱοὺς Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ θεομάχου φρουρουμένους ἐν τῇ Πανόρμῳ νήσῳ κλέψαι διὰ νυκτὸς ἠβουλήθησαν καὶ ἀγαγεῖν εἰς τὸ στράτευμα· ἀλλὰ κύριος τούτους κατῄσχυνε διεγείρας Μιχαὴλ τὸν εὐσεβέστατον εἰς ἐκδίκησιν τῆς ἀληθείας. διαλεχθεὶς γὰρ τὰ εἰκότα περὶ πίστεως τοῖς λαοῖς ἀνυποκρίτως ἀνέζευξεν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν, καὶ σοφὸν διανοηθεὶς τοὺς πολλοὺς τῶν νεωτεριστῶν δι' ὀλίγων πληγῶν κατεπτόησεν, ἐξορίσας καὶ τοὺς Κωνσταντίνου τυφλοὺς παῖδας εἰς Ἀφουσίαν. ἕνα δὲ τῶν ἐμπεριάκτων ψευδερημίτην, Νικολάου τοῦ Ἑξακιονίτου συγγόητα, εἰκόνα τῆς παναγίας θεοτόκου ξέσαντα καὶ ἀτιμάσαντα ἐγλωσσοτόμησεν, ὅστις καὶ τέθνηκε σὺν τῇ ψυχῇ καὶ τῷ σώματι· τὸν δὲ τούτου σύμφρονα Νικόλαον ἐπαγγειλάμενον μετα497 νοεῖν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐθριάμβευσεν, ἐξομολογούμενον τὰ ἑαυτοῦ κακά· καὶ παρέδωκεν αὐτὸν ἐν μοναστηρίῳ πρὸς τὸ μὴ αὐτεξουσίως διάγειν. τοῖς δὲ λαοῖς σιλεντιακῶς ἐπὶ τῆς Μαγναύρας διαλεχθεὶς τὰ τῆς κατὰ θεὸν αὐτοῦ εὐσεβοῦς γνώμης ἐφανέρωσε δόγματα. τοὺς δὲ Ἀθιγγάνους δημεύσας ἐξορίᾳ παραδέδωκε διὰ Λέοντος, τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τῶν ἀνατολικῶν. τῷ δὲ Αὐγούστῳ μηνὶ τῆς εʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος Θεβὶθ κατὰ Χριστιανῶν ἐπεστράτευσεν. τούτῳ συμβαλὼν Λέων, ὁ τῶν ἀνατολικῶν στρατηγός, εὐδοκίμησε δισχιλίους κατασφάξας καὶ ἵππους καὶ ἄρματα συλλαβόμενος. Μουάμεδ δέ, ὁ πρῶτος υἱὸς Ἀαρών, κρατῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ ἔθνους, συμβαλὼν τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ Ἀβδελᾷ κατὰ τὴν ἐνδοτέραν Περσικὴν ἡττήθη· καὶ καταφυγὼν εἰς τὸ Βάγδα τοῦτο ἐκράτησεν. τὴν δὲ ∆αμασκὸν ἄλλος κατέσχε τύραννος, καὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ Ἀφρικὴν δύο κατεμερίσαντο, καὶ τὴν Παλαιστίνην ἕτερος λῃστρικῶς κατενέμετο. τεʹ. ωεʹ. βʹ. ιζʹ. ηʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Κροῦμμος, ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχηγός, διὰ ∆αργαμηροῦ τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης αὖθις πρὸς Μιχαὴλ τὸν βασιλέα ἐπρεσβεύσατο, ζητῶν τὰς ἐπὶ Θεοδοσίου τοῦ Ἀδραμυτινοῦ στοιχηθείσας καὶ Γερμανοῦ τοῦ πατριάρχου σπονδὰς πρὸς Κορμέσιον, τὸν κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ κύριον Βουλγαρίας· αἳ τοὺς ὅρους περιεῖχον ἀπὸ Μηλεώνων τῆς Θρᾴκης, ἐσθῆτάς τε καὶ κόκκινα δέρματα ἕως τιμῆς λʹ λιτρῶν χρυσίου· καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις τοὺς πρόσφυγας ἑκατέρων ἀποστρέφεσθαι πρὸς ἑκάτερον, κἂν τύχωσιν ἐπιβουλεύοντες ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, τοὺς δὲ ἐμπορευομένους εἰς ἑκατέρας χώρας διὰ σιγιλλίων καὶ σφραγίδων συνίστασθαι, τοῖς δὲ σφραγῖδας μὴ ἔχουσιν ἀφαιρεῖσθαι τὰ προσόντα αὐτοῖς καὶ εἰσκομίζεσθαι τοῖς δημοσίοις λόγοις. ἔγραψε δὲ καὶ κατακρίσεις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ὅτι· "εἰ μὴ σπεύσῃ πρὸς τὴν εἰρήνην τῷ κρίματί σου παρατάσσομαι κατὰ