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having fled from Byzantium; and being asked the reason why he had not accomplished what he had promised, he would always say that he was trying, but had never found the opportunity, as the emperor was on his guard, as if he were aware of his designs, and that he feared lest, being discovered, he should perish. 2.563 He was, however, received most gladly by the empress and appointed governor of the cities in Thrace which had revolted with Batatzes. And after a short while Paraspondylos, having also been detected plotting against the emperor, fled to the empress, and those within acting for the emperor, when the plot was revealed, being afraid, they too fled to the emperor. But the emperor, since the operation within had been discovered, and there was nothing outside to trouble the Byzantines, departed for Selymbria. And there, having made preparations and having three hundred chosen soldiers, he arrived by night at Hieron, the city situated at the mouth of the Pontus, also bringing ladders. None of those within, however, were cooperating with them, but on their own they attempted the capture of the city. And having escaped the notice of those inside, they set the ladders against the walls and not a few of them climbed up. But when they were inside, they ruined the victory through their folly. For they neither took positions on the walls, providing security for the others to ascend, nor, when they came down inside from the walls, did they hasten to open the gates for the other soldiers, but having neglected all that was necessary they turned to plunder, thinking that they already surely held the city. But those inside, when they perceived that the raiders were few, took courage and defended themselves, and climbing upon the walls, they dismantled the ladders, smashing them, and being more numerous attacking the few, and being locals against 2.564 strangers, they placed them in extreme danger. Nevertheless, the emperor's men, defending themselves vigorously, forced the men of Hieron back towards the ascent and escaped from the walls, each one risking it wherever he could, and the city was saved in this manner; and of the imperial troops one fell fighting inside, while another, escaping with the others, died having shattered his leg; but all the others were saved. But the emperor, since the city had escaped, having come so close to being captured, turned back from there and returned to Adrianople. 2. And it now seemed fitting for him to be crowned in the manner of emperors, since the patriarch of Jerusalem was present with him, as well as not a few other bishops. And having commanded goldsmiths to make crowns, and all the other things appropriate for the ceremony, when everything had now been prepared, he was crowned by Lazarus the patriarch of Jerusalem in the month of May, at the time when the commemoration of Constantine the Great and his mother Helen, the sovereigns equal-to-the-apostles, takes place. He also himself, according to custom, crowned Empress Irene his wife, and everything that was customary was performed as much as was possible. For bundles of silver and gold were thrown, and drinking feasts and toasts were held for many days. And while the bishops were gathered there for the festival and a discussion arose concerning Patriarch John, as to whether it was right for them to be in communion in the priesthood with one 2.565 who dared such things, since they had also previously been directed by the bishops in Byzantium, who remained in their houses without going out, to abstain from his communion; since it seemed good to all to withdraw from him and the emperor also cast his vote in favor, they removed his commemoration from all the sacred rites, and it was forbidden for all to consider him patriarch, and likewise his commemoration was cast out from the imperial court. After this, all the officials and the leaders of the army, and at the same time the army, approaching the emperor, begged him also to proclaim his son Matthew emperor, so that if anything should befall him, and in some way he should depart from mankind, they might be ruled by him; for they did not trust their enemies, who from the beginning had displayed no ordinary hostility toward them, and to this day maintained the same disposition. But the emperor for their good will towards him acknowledged his gratitude,

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Βυζάντιον ἀποδράς· ἐρωτώμενος δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν, δι' ἣν οὐ τελέσειε τὰ ὑπεσχημένα, ἀεὶ μὲν ἔφασκεν ἐπιχειρεῖν, καιροῦ δὲ οὐδέποτε τετυχηκέναι, φυλαττομένου βασιλέως, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ συνῄδει αὐτῷ τοὺς λογισμοὺς, καὶ δεδοικέναι μὴ κατάφωρος γενόμενος ἀπόληται. 2.563 ἐδέχθη μέντοι παρὰ βασιλίδος μάλιστα ἡδέως καὶ τῶν κατὰ Θρᾴκην πόλεων, αἳ Βατάτζῃ συναπέστησαν, ἄρχων ἀπεδείχθη. μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ φωραθεὶς καὶ Παρασπόνδυλος ἐπιβουλεύων βασιλεῖ, ἀπεδίδρασκε πρὸς βασιλίδα, καὶ οἱ τὰ βασιλέως ἔνδον πράσσοντες, μηνυθείσης τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς, δείσαντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀπεδίδρασκον πρὸς βασιλέα. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἥ τε ἔνδον πεφώρατο ἐργασία, καὶ ἐκτὸς οὐδὲν ἦν, ὅ, τι λυπήσει Βυζαντίους, ἀνεζεύγνυεν εἰς Σηλυμβρίαν. ἐκεῖσε δὲ παρασκευασάμενος καὶ στρατιώτας τριακοσίους ἔχων ἐπιλέκτους, νυκτὸς ἀφῖκτο πρὸς Ἱερὸν, τὴν κατὰ τὸ στόμα τοῦ Πόντου κειμένην πόλιν, ἐπαγόμενος καὶ κλίμακας. τῶν ἔνδον μέντοι οὐδεὶς συνέπραττεν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἐπεχείρουν τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς πόλεως. λαθόντες δὲ τοὺς ἔνδον, τάς τε κλίμακας προσήρειδον τοῖς τείχεσι καὶ αὐτῶν ἀνέβαινον οὐκ ὀλίγοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔνδον ἦσαν, τὴν νίκην διέφθειραν ὑπ' ἀβουλίας. οὔτε γὰρ ἐφίσταντο τοῖς τείχεσιν, ἄδειαν παρεχόμενοι καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναβαίνειν, οὔτ' ἐπεὶ κατέβαινον ἔνδον ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν, διανοιγνύναι τὰς πύλας καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις στρατιώταις ἔθεντο διὰ σπουδῆς, ἀλλὰ πάντων τῶν δεόντων ἀμελήσαντες ἐτρέποντο ἐφ' ἁρπαγὰς, οἰόμενοι βεβαίως ἤδη τὴν πόλιν ἔχειν. οἱ ἔνδον δὲ, ἐπεὶ ᾐσθάνοντο τοὺς πορθοῦντας ὀλίγους ὄντας, ἠμύνοντο ἀναθαρσήσαντες καὶ ἀναβάντες ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν, τάς τε κλίμακας ἀπεσκευάζοντο συνθλῶντες, πλείους τε ὀλίγοις ἐπιόντες καὶ ἐγχώριοι πρὸς 2.564 ξένους, κατέστησαν ἐν χρῷ κινδύνου. ὅμως οἱ βασιλέως εὐρώστως ἀμυνόμενοι, ἐβιάσαντό τε τοὺς Ἱερείους πρὸς τὴν ἄνοδον καὶ διεξέπιπτον ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν, ᾗ ἕκαστος συντύχοι διακινδυνεύοντες, καὶ ἡ πόλις μὲν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον διεσώθη· τῶν βασιλικῶν δὲ εἷς μὲν ἔνδον ἔπεσε μαχόμενος, ἕτερος δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις συνεκπεσὼν, τὸ σκέλος ἐτελεύτησε συνθλάσας· οἱ δ' ἄλλοι πάντες διεσώθησαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ, ἐπεὶ διέφυγεν ἡ πόλις, οὕτως ἐγγὺς ἁλῶναι γενομένη, ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστρέψας ἐπανῆκεν εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν. βʹ. Ἐδόκει δὲ ἤδη καὶ τὸν τῶν βασιλέων τρόπον στέφεσθαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ πατριάρχης ὁ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων παρῆν αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ἄλλοι οὐκ ὀλίγοι. καὶ χρυσοχόοις ἐπιτρέψας στέμματα κατασκευάζειν, καὶ τἄλλα ὅσα ἐπιτήδεια πρὸς τὴν τελετὴν, ἐπεὶ πάντα ἦσαν ἤδη παρεσκευασμένα, ἐστέφετο ὑπὸ Λαζάρου τοῦ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πατριάρχου κατὰ μῆνα Μάϊον, ἡνίκα καὶ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου καὶ Ἑλένης τῆς μητρὸς τῶν ἰσαποστόλων βασιλέων ἡ μνήμη γίνεται. ἔστεφε δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ τὸ ἔθος Εἰρήνην βασιλίδα τὴν γαμετὴν, καὶ πάντα ὅσα εἴωθεν ἐτελεῖτο ὅσον μάλιστα ἐξῆν. ἀπόδεσμοί τε γὰρ ἐῤῥίπτοντο ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ, καὶ πότοι καὶ φιλοτησίαι ἐπὶ πλείστας ἡμέρας ἐτελοῦντο. ὄντων δ' ἐκεῖ διὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν συνειλεγμένων τῶν ἀρχιερέων καὶ λόγου περὶ πατριάρχου τοῦ Ἰωάννου γεγενημένου, εἰ χρὴ αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν ἱερωσύνην εἶναι κοινωνοὺς τοι 2.565 αῦτα τολμῶντι, ἐπεὶ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀρχιερέων, οἳ ἐν ταῖς οἰκίαις ἀπρόϊτοι διῆγον, ἐπετρέποντο πρότερον ἀποσχέσθαι τῆς ἐκείνου κοινωνίας· ἐπεὶ ἐδόκει πᾶσι καλῶς ἔχειν ἀφίστασθαι ἐκείνου καὶ ἐπεψηφίζετο καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς, τῶν ἱερῶν ἁπάντων ἐξῆγον τὴν ἐκείνου μνήμην, καὶ πᾶσιν ἀπείρητο ἐκεῖνον ἡγεῖσθαι πατριάρχην, καὶ ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων ὁμοίως ἡ ἐκείνου μνήμη ἐξεβάλλετο. μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ οἱ ἐν τέλει πάντες καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς οἱ ἡγεμόνες, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ, προσελθόντες βασιλεῖ, ἐδέοντο καὶ Ματθαῖον τὸν υἱὸν ἀποδεικνύναι βασιλέα, ἵν' εἴτι περὶ αὐτὸν συμβαίη, καὶ τρόπῳ δή τινι ἐξ ἀνθρώπων γένοιτο, βασιλεύοιντο ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· τοῖς γὰρ πολεμίοις οὐ θαῤῥεῖν, ἐξαρχῆς τε πρὸς αὐτοὺς δυσμένειαν οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἐπιδεδειγμένοις, καὶ μέχρι νῦν τὴν ἴσην γνώμην διατηροῦσι. βασιλεὺς δὲ αὐτοῖς τῆς μὲν εὐνοίας ἕνεκα τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν χάριν ὡμολόγει,