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to lead all the soldiers from Adrianople except for Branas and Mougdouphês and Phrangopoulos, who were the first to begin the sedition there and had corrupted many of those loyal to the emperor. His purpose was that he might not seem to be drawing them on randomly and in vain out of fear; for they were completely untrained for campaigns and in no better condition than those who do not even know what weapons are. The emperor, therefore, having such an opinion, ordered Paraspondylos to bring none of those three; but he, as he said, not knowing why he was brought to this, forced Phrangopoulos to accompany him, although he was suffering from a terrible disease, for it was erysipelas. When the emperor saw him lingering in the camp of Paraspondylos, he angrily accused him not only of disobedience but also of cruelty, for bringing a man so terribly sick to the camp, although he had been ordered not to trouble him at all. He both confessed his disobedience and begged to receive pardon; for he did not even know, he said, what had moved him to such an action, compelling someone to follow who was begging earnestly to be released from the campaign. But the emperor, pitying Phrangopoulos for his disease, ordered the accompanying physicians to take care of him, and he himself, having come to the bridge of Kamelos, again encamped and conversed secretly with his friends in Byzan 2.558 tium, if they could hand over the city to him, and they themselves promised to bring him in by digging through the so-called Xylokerkos gate, which had been walled up for many years. And as time was being spent thus, Phrangopoulos, seeing a certain acquaintance from Byzantium lingering in the camp, asked the reason for which he had come, and if much time had passed since he had left Byzantium. And he, knowing beforehand Phrangopoulos's enmity toward the emperor and his friendship toward himself, and thinking that he would most eagerly assist him in the enterprise, immediately revealed the secret, and said that he had been persuaded by the rulers in Byzantium to come here, as they had promised to do him great favors; and that he had poison, so that, if he could, he might get close and kill the emperor. And that for a sixth month now he had been toiling at this but had never found the opportunity. But now his attendance and persistence, having placed him among the emperor's cooks, afforded him the opportunity to accomplish his objective. Wherefore he was also especially pleased with him, that by such a fortunate meeting he would cooperate with him, so that he too might receive equal benefits from the rulers. And he said he was prepared to mix the drugs in the emperor's dinner this very evening. And at the same time he wanted to flee to Byzantium, and advised him also to accompany him. So he spoke the secret, thinking that Phrangopoulos was hostile to the emperor; but he pretended to be pleased with the 2.559 deed and to be willing to cooperate; and he asked him to show him the drugs. And he showed them immediately, suspecting nothing evil about him. But when Phrangopoulos had the drugs in his hands, he did not give them back when asked; and the other, realizing that he had been deceived, as was the case, and fearing lest he be caught, immediately fled. But Phrangopoulos, having the drugs, came to the emperor and both showed them and related what had happened concerning the matter, and he claimed that, being occupied with the drugs, he had allowed the plotter to escape. And the emperor, marveling at God's care for him, that even what Paraspondylos seemed to have done in disobedience, this was ordained by God on account of His providence for him, and having acknowledged many thanks for his salvation, ordered the drugs to be buried, so that no harm might befall men or beasts from it. And he rewarded Phrangopoulos by bestowing benefits worthy of his loyalty. αʹ. Now Hierax was always ill-disposed toward the emperor, and at that time, having been entrusted with the guarding of the camp, since he was spending the night near Byzantium with the company under his command, he left the other soldiers to keep watch, but he himself, having one of his servants who knew his secrets, got inside Byzantium and, having conversed with the rulers and promised to kill the emperor, again

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τοὺς στρατευομένους κατὰ τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ πάντας ἄγειν πλὴν Βράνου καὶ Μουγδουφῆ καὶ Φραγγοπούλου, οἳ τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ στάσεως ἦρξαν πρώτως καὶ πολλοὺς διέφθειραν τῶν προσεχόντων βασιλεῖ. σκοπὸς δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ, ἵνα μὴ δοκοίη διὰ φόβον ἐφέλκεσθαι εἰκῇ καὶ μάτην· πρὸς γὰρ στρατείας παντάπασιν ἀνάσκητοι ἐκεῖνοι ἦσαν καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄμεινον διακείμενοι τῶν οὐδὲ ὅ,τι ποτέ εἰσιν εἰδότων ὅπλα. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν τοιαύτην γνώμην ἔχων, ἐκέλευε Παρασπονδύλῳ μηδένα τῶν τριῶν ἐκείνων ἄγειν· ἐκεῖνος δὲ, ὡς ἔλεγεν, ἀγνοῶν ὅθεν εἰς τοῦτο ἐναχθείη, τὸν Φραγγόπουλον, καίτοι νοσοῦντα νόσον δεινὴν, ἐρυσίπελας γὰρ ἦν, ἠνάγκασε συνέπεσθαι· ὃν ἰδὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐνδιατρίβοντα τῷ στρατοπέδῳ Παρασπονδύλου, κατηγόρει πρὸς ὀργὴν οὐκ ἀπείθειαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὠμότητα, ὅτι νοσοῦντα ἄνθρωπον οὕτω δεινῶς ἄγει πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον, καίτοι κελευσθεὶς μηδὲν παρενοχλεῖν. ὁ δὲ τήν τε ἀπείθειαν ὡμολόγει καὶ συγγνώμης τυχεῖν ἐδεῖτο· μηδὲ γὰρ εἰδέναι, ὅθεν κινηθείη πρὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον· καίτοι τῆς στρατείας ἀφεθῆναι πολλὰ δεόμενον, ἕπεσθαι καταναγκάζειν. βασιλεὺς δὲ τῆς νόσου τὸν Φραγγόπουλον οἰκτείρας, ἐκέλευε τοῖς συνοῦσιν ἰατροῖς πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι, αὐτὸς δὲ παρὰ τὴν τῆς Καμήλου γέφυραν ἐλθὼν, αὖθις ἐστρατοπεδεύετο καὶ διελέγετο κρύφα τοῖς ἐν Βυζαν 2.558 τίῳ φίλοις, εἰ δύναιντο τὴν πόλιν αὐτῷ παραδιδόναι, ἐπηγγέλλοντό τε καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν τῆς Ξυλοκέρκου λεγομένην πύλην ἐκ πολλῶν ἐτῶν ἀπῳκοδομημένην διορύξαντες εἰσάγειν. οὕτω δὲ τοῦ χρόνου τριβομένου, τινὰ τῶν ἐκ Βυζαντίου γνωρίμων ὁ Φραγγόπουλος ἰδὼν ἐν στρατοπέδῳ διατρίβοντα ἠρώτα τὴν αἰτίαν, καθ' ἣν ἀφίκοιτο, καὶ εἰ πολὺς εἴη χρόνος, ὅσος ἀποσταίη Βυζαντίου. ὁ δὲ τό,τε πρὸς βασιλέα ἔχθος Φραγγοπούλου πρότερον εἰδὼς καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν, καὶ νομίσας προθυμότατα συναγωνιεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν αὐτῷ, ἀπεκάλυπτεν αὐτίκα τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, καὶ παρὰ μὲν τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἔλεγεν ἀρχόντων πεπεῖσθαι ἐνθάδε ἥκειν μεγάλα εὖ ποιήσειν ἐπαγγειλαμένων· δηλητήριον δὲ ἔχειν, ἵν' εἰ δύναιτο, ἀνέλοι βασιλέα προσαγαγών. ἕκτον δὲ ἤδη μῆνα ἐπὶ τούτῳ προσταλαιπωροῦντα μηδέποτε καιροῦ ἐπιτυχεῖν. νυνὶ δὲ αὐτὸν ἡ προσεδρία καὶ ἡ καρτερία τοῖς μαγείροις ἐντάξασα τοῦ βασιλέως καιρὸν παρέχειν τὸ σπουδαζόμενον ἀνύειν. διὸ καὶ μάλιστα συνήδεσθαι αὐτῷ, ὅτι οὕτω συντυχὸν συγκατεργάσεται αὐτῷ, ἵνα καὶ τῶν ἴσων εὐεργετημάτων τύχῃ παρὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων. ἔλεγέ τε παρεσκευασμένος εἶναι ὡς τῆς ἑσπέρας ἤδη ταύτης τῷ βασιλέως δείπνῳ τὰ φάρμακα κεράσων. ἅμα δὲ βούλεσθαι καὶ πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἀποδιδράσκειν, παρῄνει τε συνέπεσθαι καὶ αὐτόν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἐξεῖπε τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, ἐχθραίνειν οἰηθεὶς Φραγγόπουλον τῷ βασιλεῖ· ὁ δὲ ἐδόκει πρὸς τὴν 2.559 πρᾶξιν ἥδεσθαι καὶ βούλεσθαι καὶ συνεργεῖν· ἐδεῖτό τε καὶ αὐτῷ τὰ φάρμακα ἐπιδεικύναι. ὁ δ' ἐπεδείκνυεν αὐτίκα, οὐδὲν περὶ ἐκείνου φαῦλον ὑπωπτευκώς. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἶχεν ἐν χερσὶν ὁ Φραγγόπουλος τὰ φάρμακα, οὐκ ἀπεδίδου ἀπαιτοῦντι· νομίσας δὲ, ὅπερ ἦν, ἐξηπατῆσθαι καὶ δείσας, μὴ ἁλῷ, ἀπεδίδρασκεν αὐτίκα. Φραγγόπουλος δὲ τὰ φάρμακα ἔχων, ἧκε πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ ἐπεδείκνυέ τε καὶ διηγεῖτο, οἷα περὶ τοῦ πράγματος συμβαίη, ἰσχυρίζετό τε, ὡς ἀσχοληθεὶς περὶ τὰ φάρμακα τὸν ἐπιβουλεύοντα ἐῴη διαδρᾶναι. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν κηδεμονίαν τοῦ θεοῦ θαυμάσας, ὅτι καὶ ἃ ἐδόκει Παρασπόνδυλος δεδρακέναι ἀπειθῶν, ταῦθ' ὑπὸ θεοῦ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν ἕνεκα προνοίας ᾠκονόμητο, καὶ πολλὰς τῆς σωτηρίας χάριτας ὁμολογήσας, τὰ φάρμακα μὲν ἐκέλευε κατορύττειν, ἵνα μή τις ἀνθρώποις ἢ κτήνεσιν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βλάβη προστριβείη. Φραγγόπουλον δὲ ἠμείβετο εὐεργετήσας ἀξίως τῆς εὐνοίας. αʹ. Ἱέραξ δὲ ἦν μὲν ἀεὶ δύσνους βασιλεῖ, τότε δὲ τὴν στρατοπέδου ἐπιτετραμμένος φυλακὴν, ἐπεὶ μετὰ τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λόχου ἐγγὺς διενυκτέρευε Βυζαντίου, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἀφῆκε στρατιώτας φυλάττειν ἀγρυπνοῦντας· αὐτὸς δὲ ἕνα τῶν οἰκετῶν ἔχων, ὅστις τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα αὐτῷ συνῄδει, Βυζαντίου τε ἐγένετο ἐντὸς καὶ διαλεχθεὶς τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ἀποκτείνειν βασιλέα, αὖθις