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saying it was a burden to gird himself with so many affairs; and he yielded power to the patrician Leo the Armenian, a man who seemed high-spirited and energetic, and who at that time was commander of the eastern army, even though that man did not wish to accept it when offered, calling himself unworthy of the royal throne. Instead, he urged Michael to take up the rule as being fitting for him, and he himself promised to be a servant for life and a most faithful and most active minister, and he secured his promises with the most dreadful oaths. And so, with Michael having taken up the reins of the empire even against his own intention, and with Krum, the ruler of the Bulgarians, being elated by his previous successes, and the Bulgarians being emboldened by their victories, 2.44 they set fire to and plundered the western regions. It seemed best then to Emperor Michael to march out against them and, as far as possible, to check and halt the Bulgarian raids. And so, edicts were quickly sent out everywhere, and the armies were quickly assembled. And Krum, upon learning of the emperor’s movement, recalled his people from their raiding, and gathering them into one force, he pitched a very strong camp and awaited the approaching emperor. And when he arrived and encamped opposite Krum, who was bivouacked somewhere near Adrianople, there were continuous skirmishes and fighting at long range, and in all of these the Romans appeared to have the upper hand, so that on this account the soldiers were puffed up and were eager and twitching for close combat and a general engagement. But as the emperor held back and delayed, whether through cowardice, as it was said, or because he was seeking the right moment, the multitude turned to insolence, and they shouted against the emperor to his face, and threatened that if he did not lead them out, they would break down the rampart themselves and clash with the enemy. Broken by these words, the emperor opened the gates of the camp and drew up for battle. Krum did the same thing, and having drawn up his own people, he stood in opposition to the emperor. And after each man, the one and the other, had encouraged his own people at length, and had spoken persuasive words and exhortations 2.45 able to summon them to valor, finally, having signaled for battle with the trumpets, they clashed with each other. As the Romans stoutly withstood the enemy, fighting heroically and bravely, the Bulgarians were being worn down, and would have faced complete subjugation (for Krum himself was already growing weary, riding everywhere and rallying his hard-pressed troops), had not Leo, the general of the eastern forces, who coveted the empire and had corrupted the regiments under him, abandoned his post with them and taken flight without cause. Seeing this, the rest of the army was panic-stricken and their manly vigor slackened. And the Bulgarians, who had been on the verge of flight, took heart and attacked the Romans with a shout, and turned the victory around. For the Romans, their spirits broken by what had happened, did not withstand the Bulgarians' assault, but immediately turned to flight. Thus, many of the soldiers perished, and not a few of the generals fell, among them Michael Lachanodrasius, the magister. The emperor, however, with a certain unbroken contingent, was saved with difficulty at Arcadiopolis, and from there he reached the capital city, having left the aforementioned Leo with his men in Thrace to wait for and cut off the plundering and raids of the Bulgarians. But he, having now come into his own, brought to light the rebellion he had been secretly travailing with. For having conferred with his 2.46 partisans, and having declared that the time was right to fulfill their aim, and through them having sown rumors throughout the whole army that through the emperor's simplicity and his [disposition] towards the

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εἶναι λέγων ὄγκον τοσού των πραγμάτων προσαναζώσασθαι· τῷ πατρικίῳ δὲ Λέοντι τῷ ἐξ Ἀρμενίων, ἀνδρὶ θυμοειδεῖ δοκοῦντι καὶ δραστηρίῳ καὶ τοῦ στρα τεύματος τῶν ἀνατολικῶν ἄρχοντι τηνικαῦτα, παρεχώρει τῆς ἐξ ουσίας, κἂν ἐκεῖνος διδομένην λαβεῖν οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἀνάξιον ἑαυ τὸν ἀποκαλῶν τοῦ βασιλικοῦ θρόνου. προυτρέπετο δὲ μᾶλλον τὸν Μιχαὴλ ὡς αὐτῷ πρέπον ἀναδέξασθαι τὸ κράτος, καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπι σχνεῖτο οἰκέτης ἔσεσθαι διὰ βίου καὶ λειτουργὸς πιστότατός τε καὶ δραστικώτατος, καὶ ὅρκοις φρικωδεστάτοις ἐνεπέδου τὰς ὑποσχέ σεις. οὕτω δὲ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ καὶ παρὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον σκοπὸν τὰς ἡνίας ἀναδεξαμένου τῆς βασιλείας, Κρούμου τε τοῦ Βουλγάρων ἄρχον 2.44 τος ταῖς ἔμπροσθεν εὐτυχίαις ἐπαρθέντος, καὶ τῶν Βουλγάρων φρονηματισθέντων ταῖς νίκαις, τὰ τῆς δύσεως ἐπυρπόλουν τε καὶ ἐληΐζοντο. ἔδοξεν οὖν τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ ἐκστρατεῦσαι κατ' αὐτῶν καὶ καθ' ὅσον οἷόν τε ἐπισχεῖν καὶ ἀναχαιτίσαι τὰς Βουλγαρικὰς προνομάς. ταχύ τε οὖν διατάγματα ἐπέμποντο πανταχοῦ καὶ ταχὺ τὰ στρατεύματα συνηθροίζοντο. καὶ ὁ Κροῦμος δὲ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως πυθόμενος κίνησιν, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λαὸν ἐκ τῆς προνο μῆς ἀνακαλεσάμενος καὶ ὑφ' ἓν συναθροίσας, στρατόπεδόν τε καρτερὸν μάλα ἐπήξατο καὶ ἐπιόντα προσέμενε τὸν βασιλέα. ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἀφίκετο καὶ παρεστρατοπέδευσε τῷ Κρούμῳ ἀγχοῦ που τῆς Ἀδριανουπόλεως αὐλιζομένῳ, ἀκροβολισμοὶ μὲν ἐγίνοντο συν εχεῖς καὶ ὅσον ἐν ἑκηβολίαις μάχη, καὶ ἐν πάσαις αὐταῖς ἐπικρα τέστερα τὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐφαίνετο, ὡς καὶ φυσηθέντας διὰ τοῦτο τοὺς στρατιώτας ὁρμᾶν καὶ σφαδάζειν πρὸς ἀγχέμαχον καὶ καθο λικὴν συμπλοκήν. ἐπέχοντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ διατρίβοντος, εἴτε διὰ δειλίαν, ὥσπερ ἐλέγετο, εἴτε καὶ καιρὸν ζητοῦντος τὸν ἐπιτήδειον, εἰς ἀναισχυντίαν τὸ πλῆθος ἐτράπη, καὶ κατεβόων εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ εἰ μὴ ἐξάξει, ἠπείλουν αὐτοί τε διαρρῆξαι τὸν χάρακα καὶ συρράξαι τοῖς ἐναντίοις. τούτοις κατα κλασθεὶς τοῖς λόγοις ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀνοίγνυσί τε τὰς πύλας τοῦ στρα τοπέδου καὶ πρὸς παράταξιν ἵστατο. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Κροῦμος εἰργάσατο, καὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ συντάξας λαὸν ἀντίρροπος ἔστη τῷ βασιλεῖ. πολλὰ δ' οὗτός τε κἀκεῖνος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἕκαστος παρακαλέσας λαόν, καὶ λόγους ἐπαγωγοὺς καὶ παραινέσεις εἰπόν 2.45 τες παρακαλέσαι δυναμένας πρὸς ἀλκήν, τέλος τὸ πολεμικὸν ταῖς σάλπιγξι σημηνάμενοι ἀλλήλοις προσέρραξαν. εὐρώστως δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑποστάντων τοὺς πολεμίους, ἡρωϊκῶς τε καὶ ἀνδρείως ἀγωνιζομένων, ἐδαπανᾶτο τὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων, καὶ εἰς παντελῆ ἂν ἀπεῖδεν ὑπαγωγήν (ἤδη γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κροῦμος ἀπέκαμεν ἁπανταχοῦ ἐξιππαζόμενος καὶ τὰ πονοῦντα τῶν στρατευμάτων ἀναλαμβάνων), εἰ μὴ Λέων ὁ τῶν ἀνατολικῶν στρατηγὸς τῆς βα σιλείας ἐρῶν καὶ τὰ ὑπ' αὐτὸν διαφθείρας τάγματα, σὺν αὐτοῖς τὴν τάξιν ἀπολιπὼν ᾤχετο φεύγων αἰτίας χωρίς. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ λοιπὸς στρατὸς κατιδὼν ἐξεπλάγη καὶ τὸν τόνον τῆς ἀνδρίας ἐχαύ νωσε. καὶ οἱ Βούλγαροι ὅσον οὐδέπω φυγεῖν ἐπίδοξοι ὄντες, ἀνα θαρρήσαντες ἐπῆλθον μετ' ἀλαλαγμοῦ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις καὶ παλίν τροπον τὴν νίκην εἰργάσαντο. τῷ συμβάντι γὰρ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι κατα βληθέντες τὰς ψυχὰς τὴν τῶν Βουλγάρων οὐκ ἐδέξαντο προσβο λήν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς πρὸς φυγὴν ἐτράπησαν. ἀπώλοντο μὲν οὖν καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν πολλοί, πίπτουσι δὲ καὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν οὐκ ὀλί γοι, ἐν οἷς καὶ Μιχαὴλ μάγιστρος ὁ Λαχανοδράσιος. ὁ δὲ βα σιλεὺς μόλις μετά τινος μέρους ἀθραύστου εἰς Ἀρκαδιούπολιν ἀνασώζεται, ἐκεῖθέν τε τὴν βασιλίδα καταλαμβάνει, τὸν εἰρημέ νον Λέοντα μετὰ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν ἐν Θρᾴκῃ καταλιπών, ὥστε προσμένειν καὶ τὰς λεηλασίας τῶν Βουλγάρων καὶ τὰς ἐκδρομὰς ἀνακόπτειν. Ὁ δὲ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἄρτι γενόμενος, ἣν ὤδινεν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, εἰς φῶς ἐξάγει ἀποστασίαν. κοινωσάμενος γὰρ τοῖς αὐτοῦ θιασώ 2.46 ταις, καὶ καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἶναι φήσας εἰς τὸ πληρῶσαι τὸ σπου δαζόμενον, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν λόγους ὑποσπείρας ἅπαντι τῷ στρατῷ ὡς τῇ ἀφελείᾳ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὰς