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A certain plot and conspiracy was formed against him, with the patricians George and Symbatios leading the scheme. When the crime was discovered, and the proofs became manifest, these men had their eyes put out as the primary instigators of the plot, while the entire remaining multitude of the conspirators were paraded and exiled. And checking the plots of those aspiring to the throne, he crowns Constantine and Leo, his own sons. In the 2.206 third year of his sole reign, he proclaims also his son Alexander. His youngest son Stephen he consecrates and enrolls in the church of God. Since he also had four daughters, he consecrated them as well in the holy convent of the all-glorious martyr Euphemia. Having thus, as he thought, arranged his domestic affairs well, he hastened to march out against those arrayed against Romania. And indeed, having replenished the military rolls, which had been depleted under the former emperor Michael because their stipends and grain rations had been cut off, by a new levy, he marched with his phalanxes against the barbarians, and first against Tephrike, which Chrysocheir led, who seemed to excel in manliness and intelligence and was severely raiding and plundering Roman lands. Against this man and his city the emperor marches out. But since he did not withstand the attack but remained within the walls, the emperor, having overrun and plundered all the land under him, pitched his camp at the very wall of Tephrike, thinking to take the fortress by a long siege. But when he perceived it to be fortified on all sides, and that it was hopeless for it to be taken by siege (for already all the provisions in the country had been consumed), he lifted the siege, having sacked the forts neighboring Tephrike, 2.207 Abara, Koptos, Spathe and many others. And having gathered the army from there, he returned with splendid trophies and spoils. While the entire country around Tephrike was being plundered and sacked, the neighboring city of the Ishmaelites named Taurus, which had a military alliance and common cause with Tephrike, fearing the danger, sent ambassadors asking to obtain peace and to be enrolled in the alliances of the Romans; and indeed they succeeded, with the emperor receiving the embassy graciously. Kouterios also came over, an Armenian by race, who held Lokana and was continually sacking and ravaging the Roman frontiers, surrendering himself to the emperor along with his city and the people subject to him. While these things were being done, the emperor sent a force of select warriors against Samosata and the so-called Zapetra and was successful, as the army passed through the narrow passes on a raid and suddenly fell upon the city itself; for the city was taken by surprise, and a great multitude was slain, and countless captives were taken, and Roman prisoners were freed from long-term bonds. And having overrun and burned the adjacent parts of the country, the dispatched force sacked Samosata, and crossing the Euphrates with like impetus and taking the entire far bank captive, and having collected much booty 2.208 and spoil, it returned unharmed to the emperor, who had his camp at the Atzarnouk river. From there the emperor set out with the whole army and proceeded along the road leading to Melitene. And approaching the Euphrates, and finding it flooding like a sea in the summer season and completely impassable, he bridged the river and crossed over. And having ravaged and subdued much of the country, and having taken also the fort which is called Rapsakion, he sent out part of the army and ordered it to overrun the land between the Arsanas and the Euphrates, who, having run through it all with wingless speed, captured and sacked Karkinion, Glaschon, Aman, Mourex, and Abdela. But he himself, having attacked Melitene, which was at that time populous and abounding in men

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ἐπιβουλὴ καὶ συσκευή τις ἐγένετο κατ' αὐτοῦ, ἐξαρχόντων τῆς μελέτης Γεωργίου καὶ Συμβατίου τῶν πατρικίων. φωραθέντος δὲ τοῦ κακουργήματος, προφανῶν δὲ γενομένων καὶ τῶν ἐλέγχων, οὗτοι μὲν ἐκκόπτονται τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς αἴτιοι πρωτουργοὶ τῆς συμ βουλῆς, τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἅπαν πλῆθος τῶν συνωμοτῶν πομπευθέντες ἐξωρίσθησαν. ἀνακόπτων δὲ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς τῶν βασιλειώντων, στέφει Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ Λέοντα τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτοῦ υἱούς. τῷ 2.206 δὲ τρίτῳ ἔτει τῆς μοναρχίας ἀναγορεύει καὶ Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν υἱόν. τὸν δὲ νεώτερον πάντων Στέφανον ἱεροῖ καὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ καταλέγει ἐκκλησίᾳ. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τέσσαρες ἦσαν αὐτῷ θυγατέρες, ἐν τῷ θείῳ σεμνείῳ τῆς πανευφήμου μάρτυρος Εὐφημίας καὶ ταύτας καθιεροῖ. Οὕτω δ' ὡς ἐδόκει εὖ διαθεὶς τὰ οἰκεῖα, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀν τιτασσομένων τῇ Ῥωμανίᾳ ἔσπευσεν ἐκστρατεῦσαι. καὶ δὴ τοὺς στρατιωτικοὺς καταλόγους ἐλαττωθέντας παρὰ τοῦ πρῴην βεβασι λευκότος Μιχαὴλ ἐκ τοῦ διακοπῆναι τὰς ῥόγας αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ σι τηρέσια, διὰ νέων συλλογῆς ἀναπληρώσας τὰς φάλαγγας κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐστράτευσε, καὶ πρότερον μὲν κατὰ τῆς Τεφρικῆς, ἧς ὁ Χρυσόχειρ ἡγεῖτο, ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ συνέσει διαφέρειν δοκῶν καὶ σφόδρα τὰ Ῥωμαίων κατατρέχων καὶ ληϊζόμενος. κατὰ τούτου καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐκστρατεύει ὁ βασιλεύς. τοῦ δὲ μὴ ὑποστάντος τὴν ἐπέλευσιν ἀλλ' εἴσω τειχῶν γενομένου, καταδραμὼν τὴν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἅπασαν χώραν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ληϊσάμενος, καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ τείχει τῆς Τεφρικῆς ἔθετο τὴν παρεμβολήν, διὰ προσεδρείας μακρᾶς ἑλεῖν τὸ ἔρυμα οἰηθείς. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατενόησε πάντοθεν κατωχυρωμένον αὐτό, καὶ ἀνέλπιστον ἦν ἁλωθῆναι πολιορκίᾳ (ἤδη γὰρ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἀναγκαῖα κατεδήδοτο), ἔλυσε τὴν πολιορκίαν, τὰ πλησιάζοντα τῇ Τεφρικῇ φρούρια ἐκπορθήσας, 2.207 τὴν Ἄβαραν, τὸν Κοπτόν, τὴν Σπάθην καὶ ἄλλα πολλά. ἀγείρας δὲ τὸν στρατὸν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανῄει μετὰ λαμπρῶν τῶν τροπαίων τε καὶ λαφύρων. Ληϊζομένης δὲ τῆς περὶ τὴν Τεφρικὴν χώρας ἁπάσης καὶ ἐκπορθουμένης, ἡ γειτονοῦσα ταύτῃ πόλις τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν ᾗ Ταύρας ἡ ἐπωνυμία, ὁμαιχμίαν ἔχουσα καὶ κοινοπραγίαν μετὰ τῆς Τεφρικῆς, ὀρρωδήσασα τὸν κίνδυνον, πρέσβεις πέμψασα εἰρήνης ἠξίου τυχεῖν καὶ ταῖς συμμαχίσιν ἐγγραφῆναι Ῥωμαίων· καὶ δὴ ἔτυχε τοῦ βασιλέως μετὰ προσηνείας δεξαμένου τὴν πρεσ βείαν. προσερρύη δὲ καὶ ὁ Κουρτέριος, γένος ὢν Ἀρμένιος, ὃς κατεῖχε τὴν Λόκαναν καὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων συνεχῶς ἐπόρθει καὶ κατεστρέφετο, ἑαυτὸν παραδοὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸν ὑπείκοντα αὐτῷ λαόν. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐπράττετο, λαὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ Σαμοσάτων καὶ τῆς λεγομένης Ζαπέτρας ἐπιλέκτων πολεμιστῶν ἐκπέμψας εὐτύχησεν, ἐξ ἐφόδου τὰ στενὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ διελθόντος αὐτῇ τε τῇ πόλει ἐξαίφνης ἐπεισπεσόντος· κατεσχέθη τε γὰρ ἡ πόλις τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ, καὶ λαὸς ἀπεσφάγη πολύς, καὶ αἰχμαλωσία ἐλήφθη ἄπειρος, καὶ δέσμιοι Ῥωμαῖοι χρονίων δεσμῶν ἠλευθερώθησαν. καταδραμὼν δὲ καὶ πυρπολή σας ὁ πεμφθεὶς λαὸς τὰ συμπαρακείμενα τῆς χώρας καὶ τὰ Σαμό σατα ἐξεπόρθησε, καὶ ὁμοίᾳ ῥύμῃ περαιωθεὶς τὸν Εὐφράτην καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν περαίαν αἰχμαλωτίσας, καὶ πολλὴν συλλέξας αἰχμα 2.208 λωσίαν καὶ λάφυρα, ὑπέστρεψεν ἀσινὴς πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, πρὸς τῷ Ἀτζαρνοὺκ ποταμῷ τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἔχοντα. Ἐντεῦθεν ἄρας ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ Μελιτηνὴν ἄγουσαν ὥδευε. προσπελάσας δὲ τῷ Εὐφράτῃ, καὶ ὥρᾳ θέρους πελαγίζοντα τοῦτον εὑρὼν καὶ παντελῶς ἄβατον, γεφυρώσας τὸν ποταμὸν διεπέρασε. καὶ πολλὰ τῆς χώρας λυμη νάμενος καὶ καταστρεψάμενος, ἑλὼν δὲ καὶ τὸ φρούριον ὃ Ῥαψά κιον λέγεται, μέρος δὲ τοῦ στρατοῦ τῇ μεταξὺ Ἀρσίνου τε καὶ Εὐφράτου χώρᾳ ἐκπέμψας καταδραμεῖν προσέταξεν, οἳ πᾶσαν αὐ τὴν ἀπτέρῳ τάχει διαδραμόντες, τό τε λεγόμενον Καρκίνιον καὶ τὸ Γλασχὼν καὶ τὸ Ἄμαν καὶ τὸ Μουρὴξ καὶ τὸ Ἄβδηλα εἷλον καὶ ἐξεπόρθησαν. αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ Μελιτηνῇ προσβαλὼν εὐανδρούσῃ τότε καὶ πληθύϊ