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through neglect of military exercises, the Roman multitudes were destroyed and the ancient glory and fame of the Romans was gone, and thus having corrupted the soldiers who were just then returning scattered from the rout, on foot and unarmed, and mingling with the army that was with him, he persuades them to look to rebellion. For with one impulse, surrounding his tent, they hurled improper and shameless words at the emperor, calling him a coward and unmanly, and one who through simplicity was destroying the Roman armies and rendering useless the renown and glory of the empire, but they openly acclaimed him and proclaimed him emperor of the Romans. And as he was being coy and shaking off the rule, Michael of Amorium, the stammerer, who was himself also leading a certain Roman regiment, drawing his sword, and having allowed the others who were partners in the deed to do this as well, threatened to kill him, if he did not willingly accept the rule. And this man thus both puts on the diadem and is proclaimed emperor of the Romans. But before these things happened, as the emperor Michael was returning from the rout and had come very near the queen of cities, John Hexaboulios met him and advised him to bear his misfortune nobly and magnanimously, and inquired whom he had left leading the army. And he 2.47 said Leo, the general of the Anatolics, a most sagacious man and loyal to the empire. Having heard this, Hexaboulios said, "It seems to me, O emperor, that you are much mistaken about the man's intention." And he said these things, but the emperor had not yet managed to reach the palace, when the acclamation of Leo was announced. And as the emperor was disturbed by the news and considering what was to be done, some advised him to hold on to power by all means and to oppose the usurper as much as possible; but he, being a peaceable sort of man, and not wanting to throw himself into matters having an uncertain outcome, rebuked those who spoke thus, not to provoke him to proceed to civil slaughter, and he sent one of his closest associates to Leo, carrying the symbols of imperial power, the diadem, the purple robe, and the scarlet-dyed sandals, he himself promising to yield the throne to him, and judging it better even to give up his own life than to see a small drop of Christian blood shed, and for him to come and take over the palace, having put aside all fear and hesitation. But the empress Procopia, opposing what was being done, and saying that the empire was a fine burial shroud, since she could not persuade him, said as a last word that it was terrible and beyond terrible if the usurper's wife should put on the imperial modiolos, and jeering at her name and calling her Barca, she considered how she might arrange her own affairs. And while the emperor's party were occupied with these things, the usurper 2.48, acclaimed by the army, the people, and the senate, came through the Golden Gate to the church of the Forerunner in Stoudios, and from there, with a bodyguard, he took possession of the palace. And as he was about to offer a prayer of entry to God in the golden triclinium, taking off the garment he happened to be wearing, he gave it to Michael who was serving as his groom. And when the latter immediately put it on, the event seemed an omen to the onlookers that after Leo he himself would ascend to the throne. And when the emperor had put on another garment and was going to the church in the palace, Michael, following behind and walking carelessly and rashly, stepped on the hem of the imperial robe; Leo considered this a bad omen, and suspected that a revolution would come from him. Nevertheless, when the usurper had entered the palace and had taken possession of the empire, which was being given to him without a struggle, with no small trouble and disturbance, the emperor Michael and his wife Procopia with their children to the church of the Theotokos which is called Pharos

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στρατηγικὰς μελέτας ἀνασκησίᾳ τά τε Ῥωμαϊκὰ ἠφανίσθη πλήθη καὶ ἡ παλαιὰ δόξα καὶ εὔκλεια ᾤχετο τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ οὕτω διαφθείρας τοὺς στρατιώτας ἄρτι σποράδας ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ἐπανερχομένους πεζοὺς καὶ γυμνοὺς καὶ μιγνυμένους τῷ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατεύματι, πείθει πρὸς ἀνταρσίαν ἰδεῖν. ἐκ μιᾶς γὰρ ὁρμῆς τὴν σκηνὴν τούτου περιστοιχήσαντες λόγους μὲν ἀπρεπεῖς καὶ ἀναισχύντους ἀπερρί πτουν εἰς βασιλέα, δειλὸν αὐτὸν ἀποκαλοῦντες καὶ ἄνανδρον καὶ ἐξ ἀφελείας τά τε Ῥωμαϊκὰ ἀπολλύντα στρατεύματα καὶ τὸ κλέος καὶ τὴν δόξαν ἀχρειοῦντα τῆς βασιλείας, αὐτὸν δὲ ἀναφανδὸν εὐφήμουν καὶ βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἐκήρυττον. θρυπτομένου δὲ τούτου καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποσειομένου, Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἐξ Ἀμωρίου ὁ τραυλός, τάγματός τινος καὶ αὐτὸς Ῥωμαϊκοῦ ἐξηγούμενος, τὸ ξίφος σπασάμενος, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις τοῖς τοῦ ἔργου μετόχοις ποιεῖν ἐπιτρέψας, ἀναιρήσειν ἠπείλει, εἰ μὴ ἑκουσίως προσδέξοιτο τὴν ἀρχήν. καὶ οὗτος μὲν οὕτως διάδημά τε περιτίθεται καὶ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων ἀναγορεύεται. πρὶν ἢ δὲ ταῦτα γενέσθαι, ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ἐπανήκοντι τῷ βασιλεῖ Μιχαὴλ καὶ γενομένῳ τῆς βα σιλίδος ἄγχιστα Ἰωάννης ὁ Ἐξαβούλιος συναντήσας αὐτῷ τό τε ἀτύχημα εὐγενῶς φέρειν καὶ μεγαλοψύχως παρῄνει, καὶ ἐπυνθά νετο τίνα εἴη καταλιπὼν τοῦ στρατεύματος ἐξηγούμενον. ὁ δὲ 2.47 Λέοντα εἶπε, τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν ἀνατολικῶν, ἄνδρα τε ἀγχινού στατον καὶ εὔνουν τῇ βασιλείᾳ. ὅπερ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἐξαβούλιος "φαίνῃ μοι, ὦ βασιλεῦ" ἔφη, "πολὺ διαμαρτάνειν τῆς τοῦ ἀν δρὸς διανοίας." καὶ ὁ μὲν εἶπε ταῦτα, οὔπω δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔφθη τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐπιβῆναι, καὶ ἡ τοῦ Λέοντος ἀνάρρησις κατηγγέλ λετο. διαταραχθέντος δὲ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος πρὸς τὴν ἀκοὴν καὶ σκοπουμένου τὸ ποιητέον, τινὲς μὲν παρῄνουν πᾶσι τρόποις ἔχε σθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῷ τυράννῳ ὡς ἀνυστὸν ἀντικαθίστασθαι· οὗτος δὲ εἰρηνικός τις ἄνθρωπος ὤν, καὶ πράγμασιν ἑαυτὸν ἐπιρ ρῖψαι μὴ θέλων ἄδηλον ἔχουσιν ἀποτέλεσμα, τοῖς μὲν οὕτω λέ γουσιν ἐπετίμα, μὴ ἐρεθίζειν αὐτὸν πρὸς ἐμφύλιον χωρῆσαι μιαι φονίαν, τῶν τινὰ δὲ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐξέπεμψε πρὸς τὸν Λέοντα, τὰ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπαγόμενον σύμβολα, τὸ διάδημα, τὴν ἁλουρ γίδα καὶ τὰ κοκκοβαφῆ πέδιλα, αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπισχνούμενος παρα χωρῆσαι τούτῳ τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ βέλτιον εἶναι κρίνων καὶ αὐτὴν προήκασθαι τὴν ζωὴν ἢ χεομένην ἰδεῖν ῥανίδα μικρὰν αἵματος Χριστιανικοῦ, αὐτὸν δὲ πᾶσαν ἀποθέμενον πτοίαν καὶ δισταγμὸν ἐλθεῖν καὶ παραλήψεσθαι τὰ βασίλεια. Προκοπία δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς ἀντιπράττουσα τοῖς δρωμένοις, καὶ καλὸν ἐντάφιον τὴν βασιλείαν λέγουσα εἶναι, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔπειθεν, ἔσχατον ἐπειποῦσα λόγον ὅτι δει νὸν καὶ πέρα δεινοῦ εἴπερ ἡ τοῦ τυράννου σύζυγος περιβάλοιτο τὸν βασιλικὸν μοδίολον, ἐπισκώψασα καὶ πρὸς τὸ ταύτης ὄνομα καὶ Βάρκαν αὐτὴν ὀνομάσασα, ἐσκέπτετο πῶς ἂν διάθοιτο τὰ κατ' αὐτήν. καὶ οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐν τούτοις ἦσαν, ὁ δὲ τύ 2.48 ραννος διὰ τῆς χρυσῆς πόρτης εὐφημούμενος ὑπό τε τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου ἦλθεν εἰς τὸν ἐν τοῖς Στουδίου τοῦ προδρόμου ναόν, κἀκεῖθεν δορυφορούμενος κατέλαβε τὰ βα σίλεια. μέλλων δὲ ἐπιβατήριον εὐχὴν ἐν τῷ χρυσῷ τρικλίνῳ ἀπο δοῦναι τῷ θεῷ, ἐκδυσάμενος ἣν ἔτυχε φορῶν ἐσθῆτα παρέσχετο τῷ τῶν ἱπποκόμων στρατεύοντι Μιχαήλ. τούτου δὲ αὐτὴν ἐξ αὐ τῆς ἀμφιασαμένου, οἰωνὸς ἔδοξε τὸ γεγονὸς τοῖς θεασαμένοις ὡς μετὰ Λέοντα τῆς βασιλείας αὐτὸς ἐπιβήσεται. ἑτέραν δὲ μετα λαβόντος ἐσθῆτα τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἀπιόντος εἰς τὸν ἐν τῷ παλα τίῳ νεών, ὄπισθεν ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἑπόμενος καὶ ἀπροσέκτως βαίνων καὶ προπετῶς τὸ ἄκρον τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐσθῆτος ἐπάτησε· τοῦτο κακὸν οἰωνὸν ὁ Λέων ἡγήσατο, καὶ νεωτερισμὸν ἔσεσθαι ἐξ αὐτοῦ καθυπώπτευσεν. Εἰσελθόντος δὲ ὅμως τοῦ τυράννου εἰς τὰ βασίλεια καὶ τὴν ἀπραγμόνως διδομένην αὐτῷ βασιλείαν μετὰ πραγμάτων καὶ τα ραχῆς οὐ μικρᾶς κατεσχηκότος, Μιχαὴλ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἡ σύνευ νος Προκοπία σὺν τοῖς σφετέροις παισὶν εἰς τὸν τῆς θεοτόκου ναὸν ὃς Φάρος κατονομάζεται