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and the churches were desolated. And some were killed as martyrs, while others took refuge in Cyprus and from there in Byzantium, whom Michael, the pious emperor, and Nikephoros, the most holy patriarch, hospitably received. For to those who came to the city he presented a distinguished monastery, and to the monks and laymen who remained in Cyprus he sent a talent of gold, and in every way he took care of them. Michael was therefore kind and considerate to all, but ungoverned concerning the administration of affairs, being enslaved to Theoktistos the magistros and the 500 other rulers. And in the month of February, two Christians having fled from Bulgaria, they informed the emperor that Krumm was hastening to ambush those in Thrace all at once. And on the 15th of the month the emperor went out of the city, and by the providence of God, Krumm returned unsuccessful, having lost not a few men. The emperor, having reached Adrianople and set its affairs in order, returned with joy, and going up to the monastery of Saint Tarasios the patriarch and celebrating his memorial rites together with Procopia the augusta, he clothed his sacred tomb with a silver plaque of 5 pounds. And after the capture of Mesembria, the emperor, having rejected peace terms from Krumm, having levied troops from all the themes, ordered them to cross over to Thrace before spring; so that all were vexed, especially the Cappadocians and Armeniacs. And when the emperor went out with the tagmata in the month of May, Procopia the augusta again went out with him as far as the Aqueduct near Heracleia. And the multitudes, being vexed at this, turned to slander and reviling against Michael. And on the 4th of the month of May an eclipse of the sun occurred at about the 12th degree of Taurus as the sun was rising in the horoscope; and great fear fell upon the crowds. But the emperor was patrolling Thrace with the generals and the armies, neither going against Mesembria, nor doing anything else that was required for the destruction of the enemies, but only obeying the vain words of his unwarlike counselors who said that the enemy would not dare to come against him while he was sitting in his own country. And the multitude of our own people was more grievous than a barbarian attack, being in want of necessary supplies and harming the inhabitants with robberies and assaults. And around the beginning of the month of June, Krumm, the leader of the Bulgars, went forth with his own armies, suspecting the Christians' forces to be very numerous. And having encamped at Versinikia, about 30 stades from the imperial army, Leo, the patrikios and strategos of the 501 Anatolics, and John, patrikios and strategos of Macedonia, Aplakes, though very eager to fight them, were prevented by the emperor on account of his evil counselors. And while the city was holding a procession with the archbishop in the church of the Holy Apostles, some of the impious men of the abominable heresy of the God-hated Constantine, having pried open the gate of the imperial tombs, while no one was paying attention due to the crush of the crowd, caused it to open suddenly with a certain crash, as if by some divine miracle; and leaping inside, they fell down at the monument of the deceiver, invoking him and not God, saying, "Arise, and help the perishing state;" spreading the rumor that he who dwells in Tartarus with demons had risen on horseback and was going forth to fight the Bulgars. The eparch of the city, having arrested these men, at first they falsely claimed that the gates of the tombs had opened automatically by divine will; but having been brought before the eparch's tribunal and having hesitated in their testimony, they confessed the act of prying it open before any punishment; whom he, having worthily flogged them, sent through a public procession proclaiming the reason for their punishment; for thus the devil, the inventor of wickedness, taught those who serve him, so as not to blame the

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καὶ αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ἠρημώθησαν. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀνῃρέθησαν μαρτυρικῶς, οἱ δὲ τὴν Κύπρον κατέλαβον καὶ ἐκ ταύτης τὸ Βυζάντιον, οὓς Μιχαήλ, ὁ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεύς, καὶ Νικηφόρος, ὁ ἁγιώτατος πατριάρχης, φιλοφρόνως ἐξένισαν. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ἐλθοῦσιν ἐν τῇ πόλει μοναστήριον ἐπίσημον ἐδωρήσατο, τοῖς δὲ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον ἐναπομείνασι μοναχοῖς τε καὶ λαϊκοῖς τάλαντον χρυσίου ἀπέστειλεν, καὶ παντοίως τούτους ἐθεράπευσεν. ἦν μὲν οὖν Μιχαὴλ εἰς πάντας χρηστὸς καὶ ἐπιεικής, περὶ δὲ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων διοι500 κήσεως ἀκυβέρνητος, δεδουλωμένος Θεοκτίστῳ μαγίστρῳ καὶ τοῖς 500 λοιποῖς ἄρχουσιν. τῷ δὲ Φεβρουαρίῳ μηνὶ δύο Χριστιανῶν ἐκ Βουλγαρίας φυγόντων, ἐμήνυσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ Κροῦμμον λοχῆσαι σπεύδοντα τοὺς ἐν τῇ Θρᾴκῃ ἀθρόως. καὶ τῇ ιεʹ τοῦ μηνὸς ἐξῆλθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς πόλεως, καὶ θεοῦ προνοίᾳ ἄπρακτος ἀνέστρεψε Κροῦμμος οὐκ ὀλίγους ἀποβαλών. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν καταλαβὼν καὶ διευθετήσας τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἀνέστρεψε μετὰ χαρᾶς, καὶ ἀνελθὼν εἰς τὴν μονὴν τοῦ ἁγίου Ταρασίου τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ ἐπιτελέσας αὐτοῦ τὰ μνημόσυνα ἅμα Προκοπίᾳ τῇ αὐγούστῃ, ἀργυρῷ πετάλῳ λιτρῶν εʹ τὸν ἱερὸν αὐτοῦ τάφον ἠμφίασεν. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἅλωσιν Μεσημβρίας ἀπειπὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην Κρούμμου, ἐκ πάντων τῶν θεμάτων στρατολογήσας πρὸ τοῦ ἔαρος εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην περαιοῦσθαι ἐκέλευσεν· ὥστε πάντας δυσχεραίνειν, μάλιστα τοὺς Καππάδοκας καὶ Ἀρμενιάκους. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἐξελθόντος μετὰ τῶν ταγμάτων μηνὶ Μαΐῳ συνεξῆλθε πάλιν καὶ Προκοπία ἡ αὐγούστα ἕως τῶν Ἀκεδούκτου πλησίον Ἡρακλείας. τὰ δὲ πλήθη ἐπὶ τούτῳ δυσχεραίνοντα εἰς δυσφημίαν καὶ λοιδορίαν ἐτράπησαν κατὰ Μιχαήλ. τῇ δὲ δʹ τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς ἔκλειψις ἡλίου γέγονε περὶ τὴν ιβʹ μοῖραν τοῦ Ταύρου κατὰ τὸν ὡροσκόπον ἀνατέλλοντος τοῦ ἡλίου· καὶ πολὺς φόβος ἐπέπεσε τοῖς ὄχλοις. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς περιεπόλευε τὴν Θρᾴκην σὺν τοῖς στρατηγοῖς καὶ τοῖς στρατεύμασιν, μήτε κατὰ Μεσημβρίας ἀπερχόμενος, μηδ' ἄλλο τι τῶν ὀφειλόντων εἰς καθαίρεσιν ἐχθρῶν διαπραττόμενος, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον πειθόμενος λόγοις ματαίοις τῶν ἀπειροπολέμων αὐτοῦ συμβούλων φασκόντων μὴ τολμᾷν τὸν ἐχθρὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ χώρᾳ καθεζομένου. καὶ ἦν βαρβαρικῆς ἐφόδου βαρυτέρα ἡ τῶν ὁμοφύλων πληθὺς ἀπορουμένων εἰς τὰς ἀναγκαίας χρείας καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς καὶ ἐπιβάσεσι λυμαινομένων τοὺς ἐγχωρίους. περὶ δὲ τὰς ἀρχὰς τοῦ Ἰουνίου μηνὸς ἐξῆλθε Κροῦμμος, ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχηγός, σὺν τοῖς ἰδίοις στρατεύμασιν, ὑφορώμενος τὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν πολλὰ εἶναι σφόδρα. στρατοπεδεύσας δὲ εἰς Βερσινικίαν ὡς ἀπὸ σημείων λʹ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ φωσάτου, Λέων, ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς τῶν ἀνα501 τολικῶν, καὶ Ἰωάννης, πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς Μακεδονίας, ὁ Ἀπλάκης, πολλὰ προθυμούμενοι τούτους πολεμῆσαι ἐκωλύθησαν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως διὰ τῶν κακῶν συμβούλων. τῆς δὲ πόλεως λιτανευούσης μετὰ τοῦ ἀρχιερέως ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων, τινὲς τῶν δυσσεβῶν τῆς μιαρᾶς αἱρέσεως τοῦ θεοστυγοῦς Κωνσταντίνου μοχλεύσαντες τὴν πύλην τῶν βασιλικῶν τάφων, μηδενὸς προσέχοντος διὰ τὴν συνοχὴν τοῦ ὄχλου, ἀθρόως ἀνοιχθῆναι μετά τινος κτύπου παρεσκεύασαν, ὡς ἐκ θείας τινὸς τερατουργίας· καὶ ἔνδον εἰσπηδήσαντες προσέπιπτον τῷ τοῦ πλάνου μνήματι τοῦτον ἐπικαλούμενοι καὶ οὐ θεόν, "ἀνάστηθι," λέγοντες, "καὶ βοήθησον τῇ πολιτείᾳ ἀπολλυμένῃ·" διαφημίσαντες, ὅτι ἀνέστη ἔφιππος καὶ πορεύεται πολεμῆσαι Βουλγάρους ὁ τάρταρον οἰκῶν μετὰ δαιμόνων. τούτους συλλαβόμενος ὁ τῆς πόλεως ἔπαρχος, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐψεύδοντο θεόθεν αὐτομάτως τὰς τῶν τάφων πύλας ἀνεῷχθαι· παραστάντες δὲ τῷ ἐπαρχικῷ βήματι καὶ περὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν ὀκλάσαντες τὸ τῆς μοχλεύσεως δρᾶμα πρὸ πάσης ἐξεῖπον τιμωρίας· οὓς ἀξίως μοχλεύσας πομπῇ δημοσίᾳ παρέπεμψεν ἀναβοῶντας τῆς τιμωρίας τὴν πρόφασιν· οὕτω γὰρ ὁ τῆς κακίας εὑρετὴς διάβολος τοὺς στρατευομένους ἐξεπαίδευσεν, ὡς μὴ αἰτιᾶσθαι τὰς