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Bulgarians. And the emperor agreed to this. So a certain Theodore, a relative of Symeon, came with Choirosphaktes, and he had received them all.

The *basileopator* Zaoutzas was especially eager to make the domesticus Nikephoros Phokas, who was beloved by the emperor, his son-in-law. But when he refused this and suspected the emperor's anger, Zaoutzas became angry, and having fabricated a charge against him, removed him from his command, promoting in his place Katakalon Abydelas, the *magistros*. After being without a post for a short time, Nikephoros was appointed *strategos* of the Thrakesians. 2.257 And after accomplishing many feats of valor in all his commands, and setting up many trophies against the Hagarenes and other nations, he ended his life at a ripe old age, leaving behind two sons, Bardas and Leo. But the emperor, since Symeon was unwilling to fulfill the treaties, decided it was necessary to make war on him and deliver him to utter destruction. Therefore, having ordered all the *tagmata* and *themata* of the east to cross over, and having also prepared the western ones and no small number of other people, he sent them out against Symeon, appointing as their commander and leader the domesticus of the Schools, Katakalon, who had following with him the *patrikios* and *protovestiarios* Theodosios. Therefore, they met Symeon as he was approaching near Bulgarophygon, and when battle was joined, the Romans were routed, and there was a great slaughter, and the *protovestiarios* himself perished, while the domesticus was shamefully saved with a few men at Bulgarophygon. And when the emperor had departed to the so-called estates of Damianos with Zoe, the daughter of Zaoutzas, and had decided to remain there, Leo the son of Zaoutzas, Christopher Tzantzes, and some others formed a plot against him. But when Zoe overheard the disturbance, the emperor was awakened, and immediately boarding a ship, he crossed over from Pege to the palace. And he replaced John, the *droungarios* of the Watch, as being perhaps negligent concerning his own guard, and he turned away from Zaoutzas for a time, until Leo the *magistros*, 2.258 whose surname was Theodotakes, being a friend to both, reconciled them. When the Augusta Theophano died, the emperor Leo crowned Zoe, the daughter of Zaoutzas, and she is blessed by a certain cleric of the palace. And he was immediately deposed, while she, after her proclamation, lived for one year and eight months and then died. And when a coffin was being prepared so that her body might be placed in it, letters were found carved on it, which read thus: "O wretched daughter of Babylon." But Basileios, the emperor's *epeiktes*, who was a nephew of Zaoutzas, while plotting against the emperor, shared the secret with Samonas the *koubikoularios*, who was of Hagarene origin, having received pledges that he would keep the mystery unrevealed. Having given pledges, he revealed to him all that was being planned. But he immediately rode out and went to the emperor, and taking him aside privately said, "I wish to tell you something, O emperor, which for me is safe to say, but for you, if kept silent, will bring about death." And he recounted the entire plot of Basileios. But when the emperor disbelieved, Samonas, wishing to convince him, asked him to send two of his most trusted men to his house, requesting that they stand in a hidden place when Basileios should arrive to see him, and that when he arrived and they were speaking with each other, the things said by both should be 2.259 written down. The emperor gladly accepted the proposal, and he sent Christopher the *protovestiarios* and Chalokyros, one of his personal attendants, who, having gone to the lodging of Samonas and hidden themselves there, awaited what was to come. But when Basileios had been deceived and had come to Samonas, and as the conversation took place and the secrets were revealed to him, those sent by the emperor wrote down what was said, and finally them dining

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Βουλγάρους. ἐπένευσε δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο ὁ βασιλεύς. ἦλθεν οὖν μετὰ τοῦ Χοιροσφάκτου Θεόδω ρός τις οἰκεῖος ὢν τῷ Συμεών, καὶ παρειλήφει πάντας.

Ἐξόχως δὲ τὸν δομέστικον Νικηφόρον τὸν Φωκᾶν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγαπώμενον ὁ βασιλεοπάτωρ Ζαουτζᾶς γαμβρὸν ἐσπού δαζε ποιῆσαι. ἀπαναινομένου δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ ὀργὴν ὑποπτεύον τος ἐκ βασιλέως, θυμωθεὶς ὁ Ζαουτζᾶς καὶ αἰτίαν κατ' αὐτοῦ ῥάψας παρέλυσε τοῦτον τῆς ἀρχῆς, προβαλόμενος ἀντ' αὐτοῦ Κατακαλὼν μάγιστρον τὸν Ἀβίδηλαν. ἐπ' ὀλίγον δὲ σχολάσας ὁ Νικηφόρος στρατηγὸς τῶν Θρᾳκησίων προβάλλεται. ἀριστείας 2.257 δὲ πολλὰς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς αὐτοῦ ἀρχαῖς διαπραξάμενος, καὶ πολλὰ κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν καὶ ἄλλων ἐθνῶν στήσας τρόπαια, τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον ἐν γήρᾳ βαθεῖ, δύο παῖδας καταλιπὼν Βάρδαν καὶ Λέοντα. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς, μὴ θελήσαντος τοῦ Συμεὼν τὰς σπονδὰς ἐκπληρῶσαι, ἔγνω δεῖν αὐτὸν καταπολεμῆσαι καὶ τελείῳ ἀφανισμῷ παραδοῦναι. διορισάμενος τοίνυν πάντα περαιωθῆναι τὰ τῆς ἀνατολῆς τάγματά τε καὶ θέματα, παρασκευάσας δὲ καὶ τὰ δυτικὰ καὶ ἄλλον οὐκ ὀλίγον λαόν, ἐκπέμπει κατὰ τοῦ Συμεών, ἔξαρχον αὐτοῖς ἐπιστήσας καὶ ἡγεμόνα τὸν δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν Κατα καλών, συνεπόμενον ἔχοντα καὶ τὸν πατρίκιον Θεοδόσιον καὶ πρωτοβεστιάριον. ἐρχομένῳ τοίνυν τῷ Συμεὼν συναντῶσι κατὰ τὸ Βουλγαρόφυγον, καὶ πολέμου κροτηθέντος τρέπονται Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ πολὺς ἐγένετο φθόρος, ἀπώλετο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ πρωτοβεστιά ριος, αἰσχρῶς τοῦ δομεστίκου μετ' ὀλίγων τινῶν ἐν τῷ Βουλγα ροφύγῳ περισωθέντος. ἀπελθόντος δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν τοῖς λε γομένοις ἀγροῖς τοῦ ∆αμιανοῦ μετὰ Ζωῆς τῆς τοῦ Ζαουτζᾶ, καὶ δόξαν αὐτῷ μεῖναι ἐκεῖ, ἐπιβουλὴν συνεστήσαντο κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ τοῦ Ζαουτζᾶ υἱὸς Λέων, Χριστοφόρος ὁ Τζάντζης καί τινες ἄλλοι. τῆς δὲ Ζωῆς τὸν θόρυβον ἐνωτισθείσης ὁ βασιλεὺς διυ πνίσθη, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐν πλοίῳ εἰσελθὼν ἀπὸ τῶν Πηγῶν διεπέρασε κατὰ τὰ βασίλεια. καὶ Ἰωάννην μὲν τὸν τῆς βίγλας δρουγγάριον διεδέξατο ὡς ῥᾴθυμον τάχα περὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φυλακήν, τὸν δὲ Ζαουτζᾶν ἀπεστρέφετο μέχρι τινός, ἕως οὗ Λέων ὁ μάγιστρος, 2.258 ᾧ Θεοδοτάκης τὸ ἐπώνυμον, φίλος ὢν ἀμφοῖν τούτους κατήλ λαξε. Τῆς δὲ Αὐγούστης Θεοφανοῦς τελευτησάσης στέφει Λέων ὁ βασιλεὺς Ζωὴν τὴν θυγατέρα τοῦ Ζαουτζᾶ, καὶ εὐλογεῖται. παρά τινος κληρικοῦ τοῦ παλατίου. καὶ ὁ μὲν εὐθὺς καθῃρέθη, ἡ δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἀναγόρευσιν ἔτος ἓν καὶ μῆνας ὀκτὼ ζήσασα ἐτελεύ τησε. λάρνακος δὲ ἑτοιμαζομένης ὥστε τὸ ταύτης ἀποτεθῆναι σῶμα, γράμματα εὑρέθησαν ἐν αὐτῇ ἐγκεκολαμμένα οὑτωσὶ διεξιόντα "θυγάτηρ Βαβυλῶνος ἡ ταλαίπωρος." Βασίλειος δὲ ὁ ἐπείκτης τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀνεψιὸς ὢν τοῦ Ζαουτζᾶ, μελετῶν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἐκοινώσατο Σαμωνᾷ κουβικουλαρίῳ τῷ ἐξ Ἀγαρηνῶν, πίστεις λαβὼν ὡς ἀνέκφορον διαφυλάξει τὸ μυστήριον. δόντος δὲ πίστεις, ἐξέφηνεν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ βουλευόμενα. ὁ δὲ εὐθέως ἐξιππασάμενος ἄπεισι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ ἰδίᾳ παραλαβὼν αὐτὸν "θέλω τί σοι εἰπεῖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὅπερ ἐμοὶ μὲν ῥηθὲν ἀκίνδυνον, σοὶ δὲ σιωπηθὲν θά νατον προξενεῖ." καὶ διῆλθε πᾶσαν τὴν τοῦ Βασιλείου ἐπιβου λήν. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως διαπιστοῦντος, ὁ Σαμωνὰς πληροφορῆσαι τοῦτον βουλόμενος δύο τινὰς τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐξαποστεῖλαι πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ οἰκίαν ᾐτήσατο, ἀξιώσας ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ στῆναι τούτους ὁπηνίκα ὁ Βασίλειος ἀφίκηται πρὸς αὐτόν, κἀπειδὰν οὗτος παρα γένηται καὶ ὁμιλῶσιν ἀλλήλοις, τὰ λεγόμενα παρ' ἀμφοῖν ἀπο 2.259 γράφεσθαι. ἐδέξατο τὸν λόγον ἡδέως ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ πέμπει Χριστοφόρον τὸν πρωτοβεστιάριον καὶ Χαλοκυρὸν ἕνα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ προκοίτων, οἵπερ ἐν τῇ καταγωγῇ γενόμενοι τοῦ Σαμωνᾶ κἀκεῖσε κρυβέντες προσέμενον τὸ μέλλον. ἀπατηθέντος δὲ τοῦ Βασιλείου καὶ παραγενομένου πρὸς τὸν Σαμωνᾶν, τῆς διαλέξεώς τε χώραν λαμβανούσης, ἐκφανιζομένων δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπορρήτων αὐτῷ, οἱ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως πεμφθέντες τὰ λεγόμενα ἀπεγράφοντο, καὶ τελευταῖον ἐκείνους ἀριστῶντας