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they named. In this manner, therefore, all of Bulgaria was reformed toward godliness, and the west enjoyed the purest peace. And matters in the west were serene, and a stable piety was practiced. But the empress, exulting and delighting in what had happened, and striving as it were to increase the good, was eager to convert the Manichaeans in the east, whom common parlance knows to call Paulicians after their heresiarchs, to godliness, or if not this, to utterly exterminate and remove them from mankind. Which indeed filled the inhabited world with many calamities. For those who were sent out to 2.154 carry out the command (and they were Leo Argyros and Andronikos Doukas and Soudales), carrying out the order not moderately but savagely, hanged some on gibbets, delivered others to the sword, and sent others to their doom by other forms of evil, and by varied and all sorts of methods of punishment they destroyed as many as one hundred thousand men and confiscated their property, so that from this the remaining multitude was compelled to turn to apostasy. The beginning of the apostasy happened in this way. Theodotos Melissenos was strategos of the Anatolics, and serving him, filling the office of protomandator, was a certain man, Karbeas by name, who was held fast by the faith of the Manichaeans. This man, learning that his father had been crucified, and considering what had been done to be beyond terrible, went as a fugitive with five thousand other co-religionists to Amer, the emir of Melitene, and from there to the amermoumnes. Having been received by him with much honor, and having given and received words of security, after not long they went out against the land of the Romans, and they began to found cities, the one called Argaoun and Amara. And since they were growing in population with the constant influx of Manichaeans who had been in hiding because of fear, they added to these two cities a third, which they named Tephrike. Setting out from these places and joining with Amer, the emir of Melitene, and with Aleim of Tarsus, they did not cease from mercilessly over-2.155 running and ravaging the land of the Romans. But Aleim, having gone with his own army into a certain region of the Armenians, ended his life along with the entire army that followed him. And Amer, having fallen into a civil strife when his co-ruler rose up against him (this man was called a Skleros), had his mind on his own affairs and did not have the opportunity to make war on others, until he defeated his rival and obtained security. For then, having obtained a truce, and otherwise not knowing how to be at rest, he united with Karbeas and went out against the Romans with a great multitude. The empress's brother Petronas campaigned against them, administering the office of Domestic of the Schools, which in name belonged to his elder brother Bardas, but in practice was administered by him because the latter was not at leisure but was applying his mind to the regency of the emperor. This Petronas, therefore, being strategos of the Thrakesians, drew up his battle line against both Amer and Karbeas. But how he engaged in battle and what things he did, the history will declare in its proper place.

But the emperor Michael, having now passed his childhood and touching upon the age of manhood, desired to take charge of affairs himself, being incited to this by the regent and his uncle Bardas, the brother of the empress; for this man, having conceived a burning passion for the empire, was concerned with nothing other than what contributed to his ambition. But so that we may make the account clearer 2.156 for those who read it, let us take it further back. There arose then for Manuel a dispute with the logothete Theoktistos, while they were both regents of the emperor and living in the palace, which subjected Manuel to a charge of treason; which this man, being cautious of, and also fearing envy, thought it necessary to be outside the

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κατωνόμασαν. τοῦτον οὖν τὸν τρόπον ἡ πᾶσα Βουλγαρία μετερρυθμίσθη πρὸς θεοσέβειαν, καὶ ἡ δύσις εἰρήνης καθαρωτάτης ἀπήλαυσε. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν αἰθρία εἶχε, καὶ σταθηρὰ εὐσέβεια ἐπολιτεύετο. Ἀγαλλομένη δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι καὶ τερπομένη, καὶ οἷον ἐπαυξῆσαι τὸ καλὸν σπουδάζουσα, τοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἀνατο λὴν Μανιχαίους, οὓς δὴ καὶ Παυλικιάνους ἀπὸ τῶν αἱρεσιαρχῶν ἡ κοινολεξία οἶδε καλεῖν, μεταγαγεῖν ἐσπούδασε πρὸς θεοσέβειαν, ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο, ἐξᾶραι τελέως καὶ ἀπ' ἀνθρώπων ποιῆσαι. ὃ δὴ καὶ πολλῶν συμφορῶν τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐνέπλησεν. οἱ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ 2.154 πρᾶξαι τὸ πρόσταγμα ἐκπεμφθέντες (ὁ τοῦ Ἀργυροῦ δὲ ἦν Λέων καὶ ὁ τοῦ ∆οῦκα Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ ὁ Σούδαλις) μὴ μετρίως ἀλλ' ἀγρίως τῷ ἐπιτάγματι χρώμενοι τοὺς μὲν ξύλοις ἀνήρτων, τοὺς δὲ ξίφει παρεδίδοσαν, ἄλλους δὲ ἄλλαις κακῶν ἰδέαις παρέπεμπον, καὶ ποικίλοις καὶ παντοδαποῖς κολάσεων τρόποις ὡς δέκα μυριά δας ἀνδρῶν ἀπώλεσαν καὶ τὰς ὑπάρξεις αὐτῶν ἐδημοσίευσαν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν τὸ λοιπὸν ἐπαναγκασθὲν πλῆθος πρὸς ἀποστασίαν ἀπι δεῖν. ἡ δὲ ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀποστασίας γέγονε τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. ἐστρα τήγει τῶν ἀνατολικῶν Θεόδοτος ὁ Μελισσηνός, ὑπηρέτει δὲ τούτῳ τὴν τοῦ πρωτομανδάτορος πληρῶν ἀρχὴν ἀνήρ τις τὴν κλῆσιν Καρβέας, τῇ πίστει τῶν Μανιχαίων κατάσχετος. οὗτος τὸν ἑαυ τοῦ πατέρα ἀνεσκολοπίσθαι μαθών, καὶ πέρα δεινοῦ τὸ πραχθὲν ἡγησάμενος, φυγὰς μετὰ καὶ ἑτέρων ὁμοπίστων πεντασχιλίων πρὸς Ἄμερα παραγίνεται τὸν τῆς Μελιτηνῆς ἀμηρᾶν, κἀκεῖθεν πρὸς τὸν ἀμερμουμνῆν. παρ' ἐκείνου δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς ἀποδε χθέντες τιμῆς, καὶ λόγους ἀσφαλείας καὶ δόντες καὶ λαβόντες, ἐξέρχονται μετ' οὐ πολὺ κατὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων γῆς, πόλεις τε ἤρξαντο κτίζειν τὴν Ἀργαοῦν λεγομένην καὶ τὴν Ἄμαραν. καὶ ἐπεὶ πρὸς πολυανδρίαν ἐπεδίδοσαν ἀεὶ συρρεόντων τῶν διὰ τὸν φόβον ἀποκεκρυμμένων Μανιχαίων, προσέθεσαν ταῖς δυσὶ ταύ ταις πόλεσι καὶ τρίτην, ἣν Τεφρικὴν κατωνόμασαν. ἐξ ὧν ὁρ μώμενοι καὶ τῷ τῆς Μελιτηνῆς ἀμηρᾷ συμμιγνύμενοι Ἄμερι καὶ Ἀλεὶμ τῷ τῆς Ταρσοῦ, οὐκ ἔληγον ἀφειδῶς τὴν Ῥωμαίων κατα 2.155 τρέχοντες καὶ λυμαινόμενοι γῆν. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ἀλεὶμ ἔν τινι τῶν Ἀρμενίων χώρᾳ μετὰ τοῦ οἰκείου στρατοῦ ἀπελθὼν τὸν βίον κατέ λυσε σὺν παντὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἑπομένῳ στρατεύματι. καὶ ὁ Ἄμερ δὲ πρὸς ἐμφύλιον ἐμπεσὼν στάσιν τοῦ συνάρχοντος αὐτῷ ἐπαναστάν τος (ὁ τοῦ Σκληροῦ οὗτος ἐλέγετο) πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους εἶχε τὸν νοῦν καὶ ἑτέροις πολεμεῖν οὐκ ηὐκαίρει, μέχρις ἂν τὸν ἀντίπαλον καταγωνισάμενος ἀδείας ἔτυχε. τότε γὰρ ἐκεχειρίαν λαβών, καὶ ἄλλως οὐκ εἰδὼς ἠρεμεῖν, τῷ Καρβέᾳ τε ἥνωτο καὶ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἔξεισι παμπληθεί. ἀντιστρατεύει δὲ κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀδελφὸς Πετρωνᾶς, τὴν τοῦ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν ἀρχὴν διοικῶν, λόγῳ μὲν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ αὐτοῦ ἀδελφῷ προσή κουσαν Βάρδᾳ, ἔργῳ δὲ παρ' αὐτοῦ διοικουμένην τῷ μὴ ἐκεῖνον σχολάζειν ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν ἐπιτροπὴν τοῦ βασιλέως προσέχειν τὸν νοῦν. οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ Πετρωνᾶς στρατηγὸς τυγχάνων τῶν Θρᾳ κησίων ἀντιπαρατάττεται κατά τε Ἄμερ καὶ τοῦ Καρβέα. ὅπως δὲ συνεπλάκη καὶ οἷα ἔδρασε, κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον τόπον ἡ ἱστορία δηλώσει.

Ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Μιχαὴλ ἤδη τὴν παιδικὴν παραμείψας καὶ τῆς ἀνδρικῆς ἁπτόμενος ἡλικίας ἱμείρετο τῶν πραγμάτων δι' ἑαυ τοῦ ἀντέχεσθαι, παραθηγόμενος εἰς τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ ἐπιτρόπου καὶ θείου Βάρδα τοῦ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀδελφοῦ· οὗτος γὰρ ἔρωτα περικαῆ τῆς βασιλείας ἐσχηκὼς οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐπραγματεύετο ἀλλ' ἢ τὰ πρὸς τὸ σπουδαζόμενον συμβαλλόμενα. ἀλλ' ἵνα σαφέστερον 2.156 τὸν λόγον τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι θήσωμεν, πορρωτέρω τοῦτον ἀγά γωμεν. ἐγένετο δὴ τῷ Μανουὴλ πρὸς τὸν λογοθέτην Θεόκτιστον, καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρόποις οὖσι τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ εἰς τὰ ἀνάκτορα διαι τωμένοις, διαφορά τις, ἣ καθοσιώσεως ἐγκλήματι ὑπέβαλε τὸν Μανουήλ· ὅπερ οὗτος εὐλαβούμενος, δεδιὼς δὲ καὶ τὸν φθόνον, ᾠήθη ἔξω δεῖν τοῦ