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circling around, and the life-giving wood of the cross being carried forth, and the robe of the all-holy Mother of God, he fell into great despair about the situation and became of all sorts of opinions. But not knowing what to do, and moreover trusting in so great a multitude, he was eager for the whole matter to be decided by battle. Whence, on the 2.82 next day at dawn, having sounded the battle-signal, he led his men out. And to his son he entrusted the war against the land wall, but he himself, having the greater part of the force and the strong siege-engines and machines, made his attack against the towers of the Blachernae, both bringing ladders to the walls proportionate to the height, and in one place tortoises and in another battering-rams; and using arrows and stone-throwers from every side, he hastened, appearing in every way, to terrify the citizens and seize the city, having also surrounded the remaining walls with his naval force, terrifying them with fire and arrows. But so great a force and display accomplished nothing to his advantage. For an adverse wind, immediately blowing upon the fleet, both broke it up and caused the ships to be scattered here and there, since it was also an extraordinary winter; and on land, with those from the city fighting nobly and rendering his machines useless, being at a loss in all things, he withdrew, and the besieged city took courage, and attacked the apostate's forces so much more manfully that some, opening the postern gates from within the city, went out and engaged with the enemy. So the apostate decided, on account of the Thracian winter, to turn to winter quarters and to disperse the army in warmer places. And having done this, when spring was already dawning, he again decided to attack the city of Constantine from both sides, by land and by sea. But now he found Michael, not 2.83 as before, but having just gathered some military force and another naval one at sea. So he went again armed to that part where he had been before, the bay of the Blachernae, and having given the battle signal, he was active in bringing up the machines and trying to shake down the walls. And while these things were being done, Michael entered into discussions with some of those serving the apostate, both promising them an amnesty for their evils and undertaking to give many good things, if only they would change sides and refrain from being stained with civil blood. But he accomplished nothing, but made those who heard bolder, because they were being entreated, and having freed them from the restraint of fear, he made them more steadfast to the apostate. But having despaired of such an attempt, and having much exhorted the men with him to be brave and not to surrender their freedom to an accursed tyrant, suddenly going out from many postern gates he unexpectedly attacks the enemy; and having terrified the opponents with the unexpectedness, he put them to flight, having wrought considerable destruction and having won a brilliant victory. And the naval forces of the apostate also fared badly; for when the imperial triremes were putting to sea and were about to engage, the enemy fleet being struck with some fears and noises, the ships backed water and were brought to land, and some of the men deserted to the emperor, while others fled to their own camp on land. And 2.84 thus indeed the tyrant's fleet was dispersed without a struggle. Wherefore also Gregory, the nephew of the emperor Leo, having perceived that Thomas was contemptible (and he suspected that he would become even more so as time went on), having communicated with the emperor through a certain monk from the monastery of Stoudios, having taken a certain portion of the regiment under his command, he devises a breach and gets behind the tyrant, at once terrifying him, and also propitiating the emperor, and also for his wife and children (for they happened to have been imprisoned when he went over to Thomas) salvation

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περικυκλοῦντα, τό τε ζῳοποιὸν τοῦ σταυροῦ ξύλον ἐπιφερό μενον καὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα τῆς πανάγνου θεοτόκου, εἰς πολλὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ἐνέπιπτε δυσελπιστίαν καὶ παντοῖος ταῖς γνώμαις ἐγί νετο. οὐκ ἔχων δ' ὅ τι καὶ πράξειεν, ἄλλως τε δὲ καὶ ὄχλῳ τοσούτῳ θαρρῶν τὸ ὅλον διὰ μάχης κριθῆναι ἠπείγετο. ὅθεν τῇ 2.82 ἑξῆς ἅμα φωτὶ σημάνας τὸ ἐνυάλιον τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐξῆγε. καὶ τῷ μὲν υἱῷ τὸν κατὰ τὸ χερσαῖον τεῖχος ἐπέτρεψε πόλεμον, αὐτὸς δὲ τὸ πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως ἔχων καὶ τὰς καρτερὰς ἑλεπόλεις καὶ μη χανὰς κατὰ τοὺς τῶν Βλαχερνῶν πύργους ἐποιεῖτο τὴν προσβολήν, κλίμακάς τε προσφέρων τοῖς τείχεσιν ἀναλόγους τῷ ὕψει, καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ μὲν χελώνας ἀλλαχοῦ δὲ κριούς· τοξεύμασι δὲ καὶ πετρο βόλοις πανταχόθεν χρώμενος ἠπείγετο παντοῖος φαινόμενος κατα πλῆξαι μὲν τοὺς πολίτας κρατῆσαι δὲ τῆς πόλεως, περιστοιχίσας καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τείχη τῇ ναυτικῇ δυνάμει, πυρί τε καὶ τοξεύμασιν ἐκφοβῶν. ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τῶν εἰς ὄνησιν φερόντων αὐτῷ ἡ τοσαύτη δύναμις καὶ φαντασία κατεπράξατο. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ναυτικὸν εὐθύς τις ἐπιπνεύσας ἐναντίος ἄνεμος διέλυσέ τε καὶ ἄλλην ἄλλῃ διασπα ρῆναι ἐποίησε τῶν σκαφῶν ἅτε καὶ χειμῶνος ἐξαισίου ὑπάρχοντος· κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἤπειρον γενναίως τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀγωνιζομένων καὶ ἀχρήστους αὐτῷ ποιούντων τὰς μηχανάς, διαπορηθεὶς τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀνέζευξε, καὶ ἡ πολιορκουμένη πόλις ἀνεθάρσησε, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἀνδρικώτερον ἐπετίθετο τοῖς τοῦ ἀποστάτου ὡς καί τινας τῶν ἔνδον πυλίδας ἀνοιγνύντας τῆς πόλεως ἐξιέναι καὶ τοῖς πολε μίοις συμπλέκεσθαι. ἔγνω οὖν ὁ ἀποστάτης διὰ τὸ τῆς Θρᾴκης χειμέριον ἐπὶ παραχειμασίαν τραπῆναι καὶ τὸν λαὸν σκεδάσαι ἐν ἀλεεινοτέροις χωρίοις. ὃ δὴ καὶ ποιήσας, ὡς ἤδη τὸ ἔαρ ἐπέ λαμπεν, ἀμφοτέρωθεν αὖθις κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ θάλασσαν ἔκρινε προσβάλλειν τῇ Κωνσταντίνου. ἀλλ' ἤδη καὶ τὸν Μιχαὴλ οὐχ 2.83 ὡς τὸ πρότερον, ἄρτι δὲ στρατιωτικήν τινα δύναμιν εὕρισκε συλ λεξάμενον καὶ ἑτέραν κατὰ θάλασσαν ναυτικήν. κατ' ἐκεῖνο γοῦν πάλιν ᾔει τὸ μέρος ὁπλισάμενος ᾗ καὶ πρότερον, τὸν κόλπον τῶν Βλαχερνῶν, καὶ σύνθημα δοὺς τὸ πολεμικὸν ἐνεργὸς ἦν τὰς μη χανὰς προσάγων καὶ τὰ τείχη κατασείειν πειρώμενος. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, εἰς λόγους ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἦλθέ τισι τῶν στρατευο μένων τῷ ἀποστάτῃ, ἀμνηστίαν τε κακῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγελλόμενος καὶ καθυπισχνούμενος δώσειν ἀγαθὰ πολλά, εἰ μόνον δὴ μετατά ξαιντο καὶ αἵμασιν ἐμφυλίοις ἀπόσχοιντο χραίνεσθαι. ἐπέραινε δὲ οὐδέν, ἀλλὰ θαρραλεωτέρους, ὅτι δὴ καὶ παρακαλοῖντο, τοὺς ἀκούοντας ἐποίει, καὶ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ φόβου συστάσεως λελυμένους καὶ βεβαιοτέρους τῷ ἀποστάτῃ εἰργάσατο. τῆς τοιαύτης δὲ πείρας ἀπεγνωκώς, καὶ πολλὰ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ παρακαλέσας ἄνδρας ἀγα θοὺς γενέσθαι καὶ μὴ προέσθαι ἀλάστορι τυράννῳ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἄφνω ἐκ πολλῶν πυλίδων ἐξελθὼν ἀπροσδοκήτως ἐπιτίθεται τοῖς ἐναντίοις· καὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ καταπληξάμενος τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμέ νους ἐτρέψατο, φθόρον ἱκανὸν ἐργασάμενος καὶ νίκην λαμπρὰν ἐνεγκάμενος. καὶ τὰ ναυτικὰ δὲ κακῶς ἠνέχθη τοῦ ἀποστάτου· ὡς γὰρ αἱ βασιλικαὶ τριήρεις ἀνήγοντο καὶ ἤδη συμπλέκεσθαι ἔμελλον, δείμασί τισι καὶ θορύβοις περικτυπηθέντος τοῦ ἐναντίου στόλου πρύμναν αἱ νῆες ἐκρούσαντο καὶ πρὸς τὴν χέρσον κατή γοντο, καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν ἀνδρῶν ηὐτομόλουν πρὸς βασιλέα, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον στρατόπεδον τὸ κατὰ γῆν ἀπεδίδρασκον. καὶ 2.84 οὕτω μὲν ἀπονητὶ διελύθη τοῦ τυράννου τὸ ναυτικόν. ὅθεν καὶ Γρηγόριος, ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφιδοῦς Λέοντος, συνεωρακὼς εὐκαταφρόνητον ὄντα τὸν Θωμᾶν (ὑπετόπαζε δὲ καὶ προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου γενησόμενον ἐπὶ πλέον), διά τινος μοναχοῦ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μονῆς τῶν Στουδίου κοινολογησάμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ, μοῖράν τινα τοῦ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν τάγματος εἰληφὼς ῥῆξιν ἐννοεῖ καὶ κατὰ νώτου γίνεται τῷ τυράννῳ, ὁμοῦ μὲν τοῦτον ἐκδειματῶν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἐξιλασκόμενος, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις (ἔτυχον γὰρ καθειργμένοι τούτου τῷ Θωμᾷ προσχωρήσαντος) σωτηρίαν