285

to the emperor, protesting and calling upon God as the avenger of these things. But when the emperor did not deign even to hear these things, but rather was hastening to battle, they hung the written treaty of peace on a standard and, carrying it before them, rushed against the Romans, 1.773 having Mohamed as general; and at first the Arabs were defeated, but Mohamed, having sent to the general of the Slavs a quiver full of coins, and having deceived him with many promises, persuaded him to desert to him with twenty thousand Slavs, and thus he brought about the rout of the Romans. Wherefore Justinian destroyed the remainder of these, with their wives and children, at Leucacte near Nicomedia. In the 8th year, Sabatius the Armenian, having learned of the Romans' defeat, handed Armenia over to the Arabs. And inner Persia, called Khorasan, was also subjugated to them. In the 9th year there was an eclipse of the sun, such that the stars appeared. In the same year Mohamed campaigned against the land of the Romans, having with him the Slavic deserters as men experienced in the country, and he took many captives. But Justinian, caring for buildings, built the so-called triclinium of Justinian and the surrounding walls of the palace. And he placed over these Stephen the Persian, who was a sacellarius and chief eunuch, a lord and master, being exceedingly bloodthirsty and harsh, and he mercilessly beat and stoned the contractors. And when the emperor was away, he flogged his mother Anastasia the Augusta with whips. Likewise also the abbas Theodotus, once a recluse, having been appointed general logothete, punished many of the prominent officials without cause and subjected them to confiscation and 1.774 hanging them by ropes head down, he smoked them with straw. But also the eparch by imperial command imprisoned many. All these things increased the people's hatred toward the emperor. And wishing to build seats for the Blues and a phiale near the palace for the saxideximon to be performed there, since there was a church of the most holy Theotokos of the Metropolitans, he demanded that Callinicus the patriarch make a prayer, so that he might demolish such a church. But the patriarch said that 'We have a prayer for the founding of a church, but for its demolition we have not received one.' But being compelled, the patriarch said with tears, "Glory to God who endures all things now and forever and unto the ages of ages." Having heard this, they demolished the church and made the phiale. And he made a church in the Petrion, which he called 'of the Metropolitans.' In the 10th year Mohamed campaigned against the fourth Armenia, and after taking many captives, he returned. And in the same year Justinian was driven from the throne in the following manner. He ordered Stephen the patrician and general, the Rousios, to kill the people of Constantinople by night, and to begin with the patriarchs. But Leontius, having become patrician and general of the Anatolics, having distinguished himself in war and been accused, was shut up in prison for a period of three years. And being suddenly recalled, he was appointed general of Hellas, and was ordered to embark on dromons and depart from the city the same day. And that night, in the 1.775 harbor of Sophia, having moored in order to set sail, he was conferring with his friends. Among whom also those who genuinely loved him were giving him an oracle, both Paul the monk and astronomer of the Callistrati, and Gregory the Cappadocian, the kleisourarch, monk, and abbot of Florus. So Leontius says to them, "You assured me in prison concerning the empire, and now my life is ending in misery; for at any hour I expect my death." But they said, "Do not you hesitate, and behold, this is being fulfilled." And Leontius, taking his men with arms, went up to the praetorium in silence, and having knocked on the gate, they gave the pretext that the emperor was arriving to give orders to some of those who were there. But when it was announced of the

285

τῷ βασιλεῖ, μαρτυρόμενοι καὶ τὸν θεὸν ἐκδικητὴν τούτων προκαλούμενοι. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως μηδὲ ἀκοῇ δέξασθαι ταῦτα ἀνασχομένου, ἀλλὰ πρὸς μάχην μᾶλλον κατεπείγοντος, τὸν τῆς εἰρήνης ἔγγραφον χάρτην ἐπὶ φλαμου λίου κρεμάσαντες καὶ προάγοντες κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὥρμησαν, 1.773 Μωάμεδ στρατηγὸν ἔχοντες καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἡττήθησαν Ἄρα βες, ὁ δὲ Μωάμεδ τῷ στρατηγῷ τῶν Σθλάβων κούκουρον γέ μοντα νομισμάτων πέμψας, καὶ πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσι τοῦτον ἀπα τήσας, πείθει προσφυγεῖν αὐτῷ μετὰ εἴκοσι χιλιάδων Σθλάβων, καὶ οὕτω Ῥωμαίοις τὴν τροπὴν περιεποιήσατο. ὅθεν Ἰουστινιανὸς τὸ τούτων ἐγκατάλειμμα ἀνεῖλε σὺν γυναιξὶ καὶ τέκνοις ἐν τῷ πρὸς Νικομήδειαν Λευκάκτῃ. Τῷ ηʹ ἔτει Σαββάτιος ὁ Ἀρμένιος μαθὼν τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἧτταν, τὴν Ἀρμενίαν παρέδωκε τοῖς Ἄραψιν. ὑπετάγη δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡ ἔσω Περσὶς ἡ λεγομένη Χοροσάν. Τῷ θʹ ἔτει γέγονεν ἔκλειψις ἡλίου ὡς ἀστέρας φανῆναι. τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσε Μωάμεδ τῇ Ῥωμαίων γῇ, ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς πρόσφυγας Σθλάβους ὡς ἐμπείρους τῆς χώρας, καὶ πολλοὺς ᾐχμαλώτευσεν. Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ τῶν κτισμάτων ἐπιμε λούμενος κτίζει τὸ Ἰουστινιανοῦ λεγόμενον τρικλίνιον καὶ τὰ τοῦ παλατίου περιτειχίσματα. ἐπέστησε δὲ τούτοις Στέφανον τὸν Πέρσην, σακελλάριον ὄντα καὶ πρωτευνοῦχον, κύριον καὶ ἐξου σιαστήν, λίαν ὄντα αἱμοβόρον καὶ ἀπηνῆ, καὶ ἀνηλεῶς ἔτυπτε τοὺς ἐργολάβους καὶ ἐλιθοβόλει. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀποδημή σαντος καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ Ἀναστασίαν τὴν Αὐγοῦσταν δι' ἁβηνῶν ἐμαστίγωσεν. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀββᾶς Θεόδοτος ὅ ποτε ἔγκλειστος, γενικὸς λογοθέτης κατασταθείς, πολλοὺς τῶν ἐμφα νῶν ἀρχόντων ἀναιτίως ἐτιμωρεῖτο καὶ δημεύσει ὑπέβαλλε καὶ 1.774 σχοινίοις κρεμῶν κατὰ κεφαλῆς ἀχύροις ἐκάπνιζεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἔπαρχος βασιλικῇ κελεύσει πλείστους ἐναποκλείστους ἐποίει. ταῦτα πάντα ηὔξησε τὸ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα μῖσος τοῦ λαοῦ. πλησίον δὲ τοῦ παλατίου βουλόμενος βάθρα τῶν Βενέτων καὶ φιάλην κτίσαι εἰς τὸ τελεῖσθαι ἐκεῖ τὸ σαξιμοδέξιμον, ἐπεὶ ναὸς ἦν τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου τῶν μητροπολιτῶν, ἀπῄτει Καλλίνικον τὸν πατριάρχην ποιῆσαι εὐχήν, ἵνα καταλύσῃ τὴν τοιαύτην ἐκκλησίαν. ὁ δὲ πα τριάρχης ἔλεγεν ὅτι εὐχὴν ἐπὶ συστάσει ἐκκλησίας ἔχομεν, ἐπὶ δὲ καταλύσει οὐ παρελάβομεν. βιασθεὶς δὲ εἶπεν ὁ πατριάρχης μετὰ δακρύων "δόξα τῷ θεῷ τῷ ἀνεχομένῳ πάντα νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων." τοῦτο ἀκούσαντες κατέλυσαν τὴν ἐκ κλησίαν καὶ ἐποίησαν τὴν φιάλην. ἐποίησε δὲ εἰς τὸ Πετρὶν ἐκ κλησίαν, ἣν ἔλεγε τῶν μητροπολιτῶν. Τῷ ιʹ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσε Μωάμεδ τὴν τετάρτην Ἀρμενίαν, καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύσας πολλοὺς ἀνέστρεψεν. ἐν αὐτῷ δὲ τῷ ἔτει Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐξεβλήθη τῆς βασιλείας τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ἐκέλευσε Στεφάνῳ πατρικίῳ καὶ στρατηγῷ τῷ Ῥουσίῳ νυκτὸς ἀποκτεῖναι τὸν δῆμον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ἄρξασθαι δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν πατριαρ χῶν. Λεόντιος δὲ πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς τῶν ἀνατολικῶν γε νόμενος, ἐν πολέμῳ εὐδοκιμήσας καὶ κατηγορηθείς, ἐν φρουρᾷ κατεκλείσθη ἐπὶ τριετῆ χρόνον. ἐξάπινα δὲ ἀνακληθεὶς στρατη γὸς Ἑλλάδος προεβλήθη, ἐκελεύσθη δὲ ἐμβληθῆναι δρόμωνας καὶ αὐθημερὸν ἀποκινῆσαι τῆς πόλεως. ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ ἐν τῷ 1.775 τῶν Σοφιῶν λιμένι πρὸς τὸ ἐκπλωΐσαι προσορμίσας συνετάσ σετο τοῖς φίλοις αὐτοῦ. ἐν οἷς καὶ οἱ γνησίως αὐτὸν φιλοῦντες χρησμῳδίαν αὐτῷ ἐδίδουν, ὅ τε Παῦλος μοναχὸς καὶ ἀστρονόμος τῶν Καλλιστράτων, καὶ Γρηγόριος Καππαδόκης ὁ κλεισουριάρχης μοναχὸς καὶ ἡγούμενος τῶν Φλώρου. λέγει οὖν ὁ Λεόντιος πρὸς αὐτούς "ὑμεῖς διεβεβαιοῦσθέ με ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ περὶ βασιλείας, καὶ νῦν ἡ ζωή μου ἐν κακοῖς τελειοῦται· καθ' ὥραν γὰρ τὸν θά νατόν μου ἐκδέχομαι." οἱ δὲ εἶπον "σὺ μὴ ὀκνήσῃς, καὶ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ πληροῦται." καὶ λαβὼν ὁ Λεόντιος τοὺς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ μετὰ ἁρμάτων ἀνῆλθον εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον μετὰ σιγῆς, καὶ κρού σαντες τὴν πύλην προεφασίσαντο τὸν βασιλέα παραγενέσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ διοικῆσαί τινας τῶν ἐκεῖσε ὄντων. μηνυθέντος δὲ τοῦ