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towards him, some by the hope of plundering spoils, and others by their hatred for Michael; for he happened to be hated by all on account of his boorishness, and for being a devotee of the heresy of the Athinganoi, and for the lisp of his tongue, and for his unmanliness and effeminacy, they were persuaded to campaign with him. For Thomas, although one of his feet was maimed and he was a barbarian by race, was nevertheless venerable for his grey hair and possessed an affable and urbane manner, which the common soldier loves, and in nobility of body he also seemed second to none. This Thomas, therefore, having taken over all the East, and having placed the public tax collectors under his own authority, and having employed great-mindedness and extreme generosity, 2.77 from being small became great, and from weak, strong; for some he led by persuasion and friendship, those in whom was a desire for new things and a love of wealth; but others he subdued by necessity and force, those by whom the evils of civil strife were hated. From there, the civil wars breaking out, and being carried along like some cataracts of a river, flooded the earth not with waters but with blood. All of Asia, therefore, being sacked and plundered, suffered a miserable death, with some of the cities in it joining Thomas out of fear, and those which kept faith with the emperor being pillaged and enslaved. And all of Asia became subject to the apostate, with the exception of the theme of Opsikion (for Katakylas, being its strategos, maintained loyalty to the emperor until the end), and also that of the Armeniacs; for Olbianos, being its strategos, also maintained loyalty to the emperor. To these men the emperor, allotting rewards, gifted the public tax brought into the imperial treasury, which they are accustomed to call the *kapnikon*. And when the Hagarenes learned of the civil strife, it came upon them to rejoice and leap for joy; for seizing the opportunity, they fearlessly overran every island and land. Therefore Thomas, fearing that his soldiers, terrified by the Hagarene attack—as they were making booty, as has been said, of everything in their path and taking captive whatever they came across—would abandon him and depart, deemed it necessary for the time being to check their assault by his 2.78 appearance, and to astound them with the multitude of his following forces and to summon them to peace. Which also happened; for just as the Saracens were plundering the East, appearing suddenly he struck them with terror, and entering into discussions he made a treaty, promising to betray to them the borders of the Romans, and to place their empire subject to them. And being freed from the fear of them, he proclaimed himself emperor and placed a diadem upon his head, and is proclaimed autocrator in Antioch by Job, who at that time was shepherding the church there.

And he both gathers a great force himself and receives one from the Hagarenes, not only from those neighboring us but also from those beyond: Egyptians, Indians, Persians, Assyrians, Armenians, Chaldeans, Iberians, Zichs, and Kabirs. Having been fortified by all these and having hedged himself in, he thought it best to take on a helper and collaborator for his rule, both to change his own name and to adopt a son. Setting out from there, he was ravaging and sacking all the East. Which the reigning emperor, having heard, also prepared himself for battle. And he sends against him an army and a general who were not a worthy match, with which Thomas, having clashed, utterly destroyed it, slaying one part of the force, and turning the other to flight. And henceforth, having obtained security, he arranged his own affairs more strongly, equipping warships and other grain- and horse-transports. And he also becomes 2.79 master of the imperial fleet, and gathers the entire navy at Lesbos. And he himself, leading an army of eighty thousand, comes to Abydos, intending to cross from there to the opposite shore, having overrun everything on his way, and having reduced to ashes not the insignificant things

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πρὸς αὐτόν, ὃν δὲ καὶ ἐλπίδι διαρπαγῆς λαφύρων, ὃν δὲ καὶ τῷ πρὸς τὸν Μιχαὴλ μίσει· ἐτύγχανε γὰρ οὗτος ὑπὸ πάντων διὰ σκαιοτροπίαν μισούμενος, καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς τῶν Ἀθιγ γάνων θιασώτην εἶναι αἱρέσεως, καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς γλώττης τραυ λότητα, καὶ δι' ἀνανδρίαν καὶ μαλακίαν συμπεισθέντων αὐτῷ συστρατεύεσθαι. ὁ Θωμᾶς γὰρ εἰ καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ποδῶν εἶχε πεπηρωμένον καὶ τὸ γένος βάρβαρος ἦν, ἀλλ' οὖν τῇ γε πολιᾷ αἰδέσιμος ἐτύγχανεν ὢν καὶ τὸ εὐπροσήγορον καὶ ἀστεῖον εἶχεν, ἅπερ φιλεῖ ὁ στρατιώτης λαός, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν κατὰ γενναιότητα σώματος οὔ τινος ἐφαίνετο δεύτερος. οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Θωμᾶς πᾶ σαν τὴν ἕω παραλαβών, καὶ τοὺς τῶν δημοσίων πράκτορας φόρων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ποιησάμενος, καὶ μεγαλοφροσύνῃ καὶ ἐπιδόσει ἄκρᾳ 2.77 χρησάμενος, πολὺς ἐκ μικροῦ γέγονε καὶ ἐξ ἀσθενοῦς ἰσχυρός· τοὺς μὲν γὰρ ἦγε πειθοῖ καὶ φιλίᾳ, ὁπόσοις ὁ τῶν καινῶν πραγμά των καὶ τοῦ φιλοπλουτεῖν ἔρως ἐνῆν, τοὺς δὲ ἀνάγκῃ καὶ βίᾳ ὑπήγετο, ὅσοις δὴ τὰ τῶν ἐμφυλίων στάσεων κακὰ ἐμισεῖτο. ἐν τεῦθεν οἱ ἐμφύλιοι ἀναρρηγνύμενοι πόλεμοι, καὶ οἷόν τινες ποτα μοῦ καταρράκται φερόμενοι, οὐχ ὕδασιν ἀλλ' αἵμασι τὴν γῆν κατέκλυζον. πᾶσα μὲν οὖν ἡ Ἀσία πορθουμένη καὶ ληϊζομένη ἐδυσθανάτα, τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πόλεων τῶν μὲν προστιθεμένων τῷ Θωμᾷ διὰ τὸν φόβον, τῶν δ' ὅσαι τὰ πιστὰ τῷ κρατοῦντι ἐτή ρουν λεηλατουμένων καὶ ἀνδραποδιζομένων. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς Ἀσίας ἅπαντα ὑπήκοα γέγονε τῷ ἀποστάτῃ, ἐξῃρημένου τοῦ θέ ματος τοῦ Ὀψικίου (τούτου γὰρ στρατηγῶν ὁ Κατάκηλας διετή ρησεν ἄχρι τέλους τῷ βασιλεῖ εὔνοιαν), ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦ τῶν Ἀρ μενιακῶν· καὶ τούτου γὰρ στρατηγὸς ὢν ὁ Ὀλβιανὸς εὔνοιαν ἐτή ρησε τῷ βασιλεῖ. οἷς τισὶν ἀπονέμων ἀμοιβὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ εἰς τὸ βασιλικὸν ταμιεῖον εἰσαγόμενον δημόσιον τέλος, ὃ καπνικὸν καλεῖν εἰώθασιν, ἐδωρήσατο. μανθάνουσι δὲ τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς τὴν ἐμφύλιον στάσιν χαίρειν ἐπῄει καὶ σκιρτᾶν· καιροῦ γὰρ λα βόμενοι πᾶσαν νῆσον καὶ χώραν κατέτρεχον ἀδεῶς. δείσας οὖν ὁ Θωμᾶς ὡς μὴ πτοηθέντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιῶται τὴν τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἔφοδον, λείαν, ὡς εἴρηται, ποιουμένων πάντα τὰ ἐν ποσὶ καὶ αἰχμαλωτιζόντων τὰ προστυχόντα, καταλιπόντες αὐτὸν οἰχή σονται, δέον ἐγνώκει τέως ἀναχαιτίσαι τὴν αὐτῶν ὁρμὴν δι' ἐπι 2.78 φανείας αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἑπομένων δυνάμεων ἐκπλῆξαί τε καὶ πρὸς εἰρήνην αὐτοὺς ἐκκαλέσασθαι. ὃ καὶ συνέβη· ἄρτι γὰρ τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς τὴν ἕω ληϊζομένοις αἰφνίδιος ἐπιφανεὶς ἐξέ πληξε, καὶ εἰς λόγους ἐλθὼν ἐσπείσατο, ὑποσχόμενος προδοῦναι τούτοις τὰ Ῥωμαίων ὅρια, καὶ τὴν αὐτῶν αὐτοῖς ὑποχείριον θέ σθαι ἀρχήν. ἀπαλλαγεὶς δὲ τοῦ ἀπὸ τούτων δέους βασιλέα ἑαυ τὸν ἀνεῖπε καὶ διάδημα τῇ κεφαλῇ περιέθετο, καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ ἀναγορεύεται παρὰ τοῦ τηνικαῦτα τὴν ἐκεῖσε ποιμαίνον τος ἐκκλησίαν Ἰώβ.

Χεῖρα δὲ πολλὴν αὐτός τε συλλέγει καὶ παρὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν λαμβάνει, οὐ μόνον δὲ τῶν προσοίκων ἡμῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς περαίας Αἰγυπτίων Ἰνδῶν Περσῶν Ἀσσυρίων Ἀρμενίων Χαλδαίων Ἰβήρων Ζικχῶν καὶ Καβήρων. τούτοις ἅπασι κατοχυρωθεὶς καὶ ἑαυτὸν περιφράξας ἄριστον ἐνόμισεν εἶναι καὶ βοηθὸν καὶ συνεργὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς προσλαβέσθαι, τήν τε ἑαυτοῦ κλῆσιν ἀλλάξασθαι καὶ υἱὸν εἰσποιήσασθαι. ἐκεῖθεν ὁρμηθεὶς ἅπασαν ἐδῄου καὶ ἐπόρθει τὴν ἀνατολήν. ἃ δὴ ὁ βασιλεύων ἀκηκοὼς καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς ἀντιπαράταξιν ηὐτρεπίσθη. καὶ στρα τιὰν καὶ στρατηγὸν οὐκ ἀξιόμαχον πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποστέλλει, ᾗ τινὶ συρραγεὶς ὁ Θωμᾶς ἄρδην ἠφάνισε, μέρος μὲν τῆς δυνάμεως ἀνελών, τὸ δ' ἄλλο τρεψάμενος εἰς φυγήν. καὶ λοιπὸν ἀδείας τυχὼν διετίθετο τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν κραταιότερον, ναῦς ἐξαρτύων πολεμικὰς καὶ ἑτέρας σιταγωγοὺς καὶ ἱππαγωγούς. γίνεται δὲ καὶ 2.79 τοῦ βασιλικοῦ στόλου κύριος, καὶ πρὸς τὴν Λέσβον ἅπαν ἀθροίζει τὸ ναυτικόν. αὐτὸς δὲ ὀκτὼ μυριάδων ἄρχων στρατοῦ ἐπὶ Ἄβυ δον ἥκει ὡς ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν περαίαν διαβησόμενος, πάντα τὰ ἐν παρόδῳ καταδραμών, καὶ σποδὸν ποιήσας οὐ τὰ ταπεινὰ