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him, and adorns Basil with the honor and glory and anointing of kingship, on the sacred and holy day of Pentecost, in the renowned temple of the Wisdom of God, having made a public procession, and places the imperial crown upon Basil, on the twenty-sixth of the month of May of the 14th indiction.

When Symbatios learned this, he did not bear it with moderation, but having taken as a collaborator the patrician Peganes (who was the strategos of the Opsikion), they looked toward revolt, acclaiming Michael the emperor, so that by this they might win over the crowds and not seem to be raising their hands against the emperor, but defaming Basil and washing him with countless insults. And these things were done in the summer; but winter, coming on, dissolved their conspiracies, as the leaders of the folly sought their safety in flight. Symbatios therefore entered Plateia Petra (this is a strong and impregnable fortress 2.201 located in Asia), while Peganes seized Kotyaion. But after a short time, having been overcome in battle, they are brought as prisoners to the emperor himself; who, having been blinded in their eyes, and in addition to this, Symbatios having had his right hand cut off and Peganes his nose, were sent into exile. But all the subjects of the Roman empire rejoiced at the proclamation of Basil, longing to see a man seated at the helm of the empire who had experienced a private station and was not ignorant of what the humbler sort suffer at the hands of the more powerful. For the rule of the emperor Michael grieved them, being extremely lax and dissolute, and having no other business but revels and drunken bouts, and extravagant hippodrome races and jesters and the other degenerate practices, of which the account above made brief mention in passing, emptying the imperial treasuries with whole pitchforks upon catamites and sambuca players and dancing girls and a whole multitude of licentious people. As a result of which the affairs of the Romans were distressed, and he himself, being distressed by his want, and not having anything he might do, devised unjust revenues for the relief, perhaps, of his need, and laid unholy hands on things that in no way at all belonged to him. And he would mock even sacred things with petty and wanton androgynes; and there was no unspeakable deed which was not said and done by him 2.202 and the others otherwise kept by him. Basil, wishing to turn him away from such lawless deeds, though he tried many times, not only was not able enough, but rather even provoked him to anger, and moved him to plot wicked and strange things against him, as has been said before. And Basil, terrified by the continuous plots and designs against him, struggled to act rather than to suffer; therefore, having made preparations with some of his household and relatives and of the palace guards, he slays the emperor in the palace of the holy great martyr Mamas. And so Michael, having lived so dissolutely and softly, received such an end, and Basil is immediately proclaimed sole ruler first by the conspirators, then also by the senatorial council and the imperial tagmata and all the army and the populace of the city. And as soon as he had come to the rule of all things, immediately summoning the senate and the preeminent men in office, he opened the imperial treasury, and nothing else was found out of so great a multitude of money except, as has been said before, only three centenaria. The emperor therefore, having sought the register of expenditures, and having found it with a certain old eunuch, and having learned where these things went, he put the matter before the nobles for counsel. And when a vote was given by all that those who had wrongly taken these things should return what was taken to the public treasury, the emperor, yielding somewhat to the excessive

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αὐτόν, καὶ βασιλείας τιμῇ καὶ δόξῃ καὶ χρίσματι κατακοσμεῖ τὸν Βασίλειον, κατὰ τὴν ἱερὰν καὶ ἁγίαν ἡμέραν τῆς πεντηκοστῆς, ἐν τῷ περιωνύμῳ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας ναῷ, δημοσίαν πρόοδον ποιη σάμενος, καὶ τὸν βασίλειον τῷ Βασιλείῳ περιτίθησι στέφανον, ἕκτην πρὸς εἴκοσιν ἄγοντος τοῦ Μαΐου μηνὸς τῆς ιδʹ ἐπινεμή σεως.

Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Συμβάτιος μετρίως οὐκ ἤνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ συνεργὸν εἰληφὼς καὶ τὸν πατρίκιον Πηγάνην (στρατηγέτης δὲ οὗτος τοῦ Ὀψικίου ἐτύγχανε) πρὸς ἀπόστασιν εἶδον, Μιχαὴλ μὲν εὐφημοῦντες τὸν βασιλέα, ὡς ἂν ἐκ τούτου τὰ πλήθη ἐπάγοιντο καὶ μὴ δοκοῖεν χεῖρας αἴρειν κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, δυσφη μοῦντες δὲ τὸν Βασίλειον καὶ μυρίαις πλύνοντες ὕβρεσι. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράττετο θέρους· χειμὼν δ' ἐπιστὰς τὰς συστάσεις τούτων διέλυσε, τῶν ἀρχηγῶν τῆς ἀπονοίας φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν πραγμα τευσαμένων. ὁ μὲν οὖν Συμβάτιος τὴν Πλατεῖαν πέτραν (φρού 2.201 ριον δὲ τοῦτο ἐρυμνὸν καὶ δυσάλωτον κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν διακείμενον) ἐπεισέρχεται, ὁ δὲ Πηγάνης κατέσχε τὸ Κοτυάειον. ἀλλὰ μετὰ μικρὸν καταπολεμηθέντες δέσμιοι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρονται τὸν βασιλέα· οἳ καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς πηρωθέντες, καὶ προσέτι τού των τὴν μὲν δεξιὰν ὁ Συμβάτιος τὴν ῥῖνα δὲ ὁ Πηγάνης ἀποτμη θείς, ἐξορίαις παραπέμπονται. Πάντες δ' ηὐφράνθησαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναρρήσει τοῦ Βασιλείου οἱ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας ὑπήκοοι, γλιχόμενοι ἄνδρα θεάσασθαι ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων τῆς βασιλείας καθήμενον ἰδιωτικῆς τε τύχης πε πειραμένον καὶ μὴ ἀγνοοῦντα οἷα πάσχουσιν ὑπὸ τῶν δυνατωτέ ρων οἱ ταπεινότεροι. ἐλύπει γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως Μι χαὴλ ἀρχὴ λίαν ὑγρὰ καὶ ἐκδεδιῃτημένη ὑπάρχουσα, καὶ μηδὲν ἄλλο ἔργον ἔχουσα ἀλλ' ἢ κώμους καὶ μέθας, καὶ εὐθηνοῦσαν ἱπποδρομίαν καὶ γελωτοποιοὺς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τὰς παρεξηυλημένας τῶν πράξεων, ὧν ὡς ἐν παρόδῳ μνείαν ἄνωθεν ὁ λόγος διὰ βρα χέων ἔθετο, τοὺς βασιλικοὺς θησαυροὺς κιναίδοις καὶ σαμβυκι στρίαις καὶ ὀρχηστρίσι καὶ ἀκολάστων ὅλων πληθύϊ δικράνοις ὅλοις ἀποκενοῦντος. ἀφ' ὧν τὰ μὲν Ῥωμαίων ἐστενοχωρεῖτο πρά γματα, αὐτὸς δὲ στενοχωρούμενος ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνδείας, καὶ μὴ ἔχων ὅ τι καὶ δράσειεν, ἀδίκους πόρους ἐπενοεῖτο εἰς θεραπείαν τάχα τῆς χρείας, καὶ χεῖρας ἀνοσίους ἐπέβαλλε τοῖς κατὰ μηδὲν ὅλως αὐτῷ προσήκουσι. κατέπαιζε δὲ καὶ τῶν θείων μετὰ μικρῶν καὶ ἀσελγῶν ἀνδρογύνων· καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ἀρρητούργημα ὃ μὴ δι' αὐτοῦ 2.202 καὶ τῶν ἄλλως παρατρεφομένων αὐτῷ καὶ ἐλέγετο καὶ ἐπράττετο. ἀποτρέπειν δὲ τῶν τοιούτων ἀθεμίτων ἔργων τοῦτον βουλόμενος ὁ Βασίλειος πολλάκις πειραθεὶς οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἴσχυσε, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ πρὸς ὀργὴν ἀνηρέθισε, καὶ μελετᾶν κατ' αὐτοῦ σκαιὰ καὶ ἄτοπα ἀνεκίνησε, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται. ταῖς δὲ κατ' αὐτοῦ συνεχέσιν ἐπιβουλαῖς καὶ μελέταις ἐκδειματωθεὶς ὁ Βασί λειος δρᾶσαί τι μᾶλλον πρὸ τοῦ παθεῖν ἠγωνίσατο· οὐκοῦν καὶ παρασκευασάμενος μετά τινων οἰκείων τε καὶ συγγενῶν καὶ τῶν παρακοίτων ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις στρατιωτῶν ἀναιρεῖ τὸν βασιλέα ἐν τοῖς παλατίοις τοῦ ἁγίου μεγάλου μάρτυρος Μάμαντος. Καὶ Μιχαὴλ μὲν οὕτω βιοὺς ἀνειμένως καὶ μαλθακῶς τοιοῦ τον καὶ τὸ τέλος ἐδέξατο, ἀναγορεύεται δὲ μόναρχος εὐθὺς ὁ Βα σίλειος παρά τε τῶν συνωμοτῶν πρῶτον, εἶτα καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν ταγμάτων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύμα τος καὶ τῆς πληθύος τῆς ἀστικῆς. ἅμα δὲ τῷ παρελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχήν, προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτίκα τὴν γερουσίαν καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀξιώμασι προύχοντας, τὸν βασιλικὸν ἠνέῳξε θησαυρόν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἐκ τοσούτου τῶν χρημάτων πλήθους εὑρέθη εἰ μή, ὡς καὶ πρόσθεν εἴρηται, τρία μόνα κεντηνάρια. ζητήσας οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν τῆς ἐξόδου ἀπογραφήν, καὶ ταύτην εὑρὼν παρά τινι γέροντι εὐνούχῳ, καὶ μαθὼν ὅπῃ ταῦτα ἐχώρησε, βουλὴν περὶ τούτου προύθετο τοῖς ἀρίστοις. ψήφου δὲ παρὰ πάντων δοθεί σης ἐκείνους τοὺς κακῶς ταῦτα λαβόντας ἀντιστρέψαι τὰ ληφθέν τα πρὸς τὸ δημόσιον, ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἄγαν ὑπενδιδοὺς τὰ