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the head and swiftly brought it to the emperor Constantine. That such a fate would befall him was known beforehand to the regents from another cause as well. A certain Nicholas, a tax-collector of the revenues in Chaldia, having squandered the contributions and not having the means to repay the public debt, went as a fugitive to Syria, having renounced our pious religion, and took up astrology. This man, having written letters on a black cloth, had sent it to Thomas the logothete, and when the cloth was washed with water the letters became visible. And the meaning of the 2.281 written words was thus: "Do not be afraid of the red cock of Doukas; for he will rebel foolishly, and immediately will be destroyed." With the rebellion having met such an end, immediately the magistros Gregorios, the father-in-law of Doukas, along with Leo Choirosphaktes the patrikios, fled to the sacred precinct of the Wisdom of God; whom the regents, having dragged them from there, tonsured as monks in the monastery of Stoudios. And Constantine Eladikos the patrikios, after beating him mercilessly with ox-hide whips, they paraded through the middle of the city and confined in the monastery of Dalmatios. And having blinded Leo Katakalitzes the patrikios and Abessalom Arotres the patrikios, they sent them into exile. And Constantine, the son of Eulampos, and others with him, Philotheos the eparch beheaded in the sphendone of the Hippodrome. But Niketas the asekretis and Constantine Lips, although searched for extensively, were not found. And the patrikios Aegides, renowned for his courage, and with him certain not-insignificant generals, they impaled from the Heifer in Chrysopolis as far as the place called Leukaktion. And many others of the senators perished at the hands of the so-called regents mercilessly and without cause, until some of the judges, speaking freely, checked their unjust impulse, saying that since the emperor was a child and did not 2.282 understand what was being done, how do you dare to do such things without his command? And the regents, having also tonsured the wife of Doukas, sent her away to her house in Paphlagonia. And they also castrated her son Stephen. But while these things were being done in the city, Symeon, the ruler of Bulgaria, made an invasion against the Romans with a heavy force, and reaching the imperial city, he set up a stockade around it from Blachernae as far as the so-called Golden Gate, and he was high in his hopes of easily taking it. But having perceived the strength of the walls and the multitude of the wall-defenders and the abundance of stone-throwing and arrow-shooting machines, abandoning his hopes he returned to the Hebdomon, requesting a peace treaty. And when the regents most gladly received the proposal, Symeon sent his own magistros, Theodore, to speak about peace; and when he arrived and many words had been exchanged, the patriarch along with the other regents, taking the emperor, came to the palace of Blachernae, and giving worthy hostages they brought Symeon into the palace, and he dined with the emperor, with Symeon bowing his head to the patriarch and receiving a prayer from him, who placed, as they say, on the barbarian's head his own epirriptarion instead of a crown. And after the feast, since they could not agree concerning the peace, both Symeon and his sons, having been honored with gifts, departed to their own country. And these things were done in this way. 2.283 And as the emperor Constantine was continually lamenting and calling for his own mother (for Alexander had already brought her down from the palace), they brought her up again, even unwillingly. Therefore, having come up and having gained control of the empire, she takes on the parakoimomenos Constantine and Anastasios and Constantine, the brothers with the surname Gongylios. And at the advice also of John Eladas

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κεφαλὴν καὶ δρομαίως τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀπήνεγκε Κωνσταντίνῳ. τὸ δὲ τοιαύτην αὐτὸν καταλήψεσθαι τύχην προε γνωσμένον ἦν τοῖς ἐπιτρόποις καὶ ἐξ ἑτέρας αἰτίας. Νικόλαός τις δημοσιώνης τῶν ἐν Χαλδίᾳ εἰσπράξεων, τὰς συντελείας κατασπα θήσας καὶ μὴ ἔχων ὅθεν ἀποδῷ τὸ δημόσιον ὄφλημα, φυγὰς εἰς Συρίαν ᾤχετο, ἐξομοσάμενος τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς εὐσεβῆ θρησκείαν, καὶ ἀστρολογίας ἀντεποιεῖτο. οὗτος ἐν ὀθόνῃ μελαίνῃ γράμματα γράψας ἀπεστάλκει τῷ λογοθέτῃ Θωμᾷ, καὶ τῆς ὀθόνης ῥυφθεί σης δι' ὕδατος φανερὰ τὰ γράμματα γέγονεν. ἦν δὲ ὁ νοῦς τῶν 2.281 γεγραμμένων τοιοῦτος "μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τοῦ πυρροῦ πετεινοῦ τοῦ ∆ουκός· νεωτερισθήσεται γὰρ ἀφρόνως, καὶ εὐθέως ὀλο θρευθήσεται." Τοιοῦτον δὲ τέλος λαβούσης τῆς ἀποστάσεως, παραυτίκα μὲν ὁ μάγιστρος Γρηγορᾶς καὶ πενθερὸς τοῦ ∆ουκὸς μετὰ Λέον τος πατρικίου τοῦ Χοιροσφάκτου τῷ θείῳ τεμένει τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίας προσέδραμον· οὓς ἐκεῖθεν ἀποσπάσαντες οἱ ἐπίτροποι ἀπέ κειραν μοναχοὺς ἐν τῇ τοῦ Στουδίου μονῇ. Κωνσταντῖνον δὲ τὸν πατρίκιον τὸν Ἐλαδικὸν βουνεύροις τύψαντες ἀφειδῶς διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως ἐθριάμβευσαν καὶ ἐν τῇ μονῇ τῶν ∆αλμάτου ἀπέκλει σαν. Λέοντα δὲ πατρίκιον τὸν Κατακαλίτζην καὶ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ πατρίκιον τὸν τοῦ Ἀροτρᾶ ἐκτυφλώσαντες ἐν ἐξορίᾳ παρέπεμψαν. Κωνσταντῖνον δὲ τὸν τοῦ Εὐλαμπίου καὶ ἑτέρους σὺν αὐτῷ Φιλό θεος ὁ ἔπαρχος ἐν τῇ ἱππικῇ σφενδόνῃ ἀπέτεμε. Νικήτας δὲ ὁ ἀσηκρῆτις καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Λίψ, καίπερ ἀναζητηθέντες πολλά, οὐχ εὑρέθησαν. τὸν δὲ πατρίκιον Αἰγίδην τὸν ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ περι βόητον, καὶ τινὰς σὺν αὐτῷ στρατηγοὺς οὐκ ἀσήμους, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν Χρυσοπόλει δαμάλεως καὶ μέχρι τοῦ τόπου τοῦ λεγομένου Λευ κακτίου ἀνεσκολόπισαν. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι ἀπωλώλεισαν τῶν συγκλητικῶν παρὰ τῶν λεγομένων ἐπιτρόπων ἀνηλεῶς τε καὶ ἀναι τίως, εἰ μή τινες παρρησιασάμενοι τῶν δικαστῶν τῆς ἀδίκου ὁρ μῆς ἀνεχαίτισαν, φάμενοι ὡς παιδὸς ὄντος τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ μὴ 2.282 νοοῦντος τὰ πεπραγμένα πῶς ἄνευ τῆς αὐτοῦ κελεύσεως τολμᾶτε τὰ τοιαῦτα διαπράττεσθαι; οἱ δὲ ἐπίτροποι καὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆οῦκα ἀποκείραντες γυναῖκα εἰς τὸν ἐν τῇ Παφλαγονίᾳ οἶκον αὐτῆς ἐξ απέστειλαν. ἐξέτεμον δὲ καὶ Στέφανον τὸν ταύτης υἱόν. Ἀλλὰ τούτων κατὰ τὴν πόλιν πραττομένων, Συμεὼν ὁ Βουλγαρίας ἄρχων μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως εἰσβολὴν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐποιήσατο, καὶ τὴν βασιλίδα φθάσας χάρακα περιέβαλεν ἀπό τε Βλαχερνῶν καὶ μέχρι τῆς λεγομένης χρυσῆς πόρτης, καὶ μετέω ρος ἦν ταῖς ἐλπίσι ῥᾳδίως ταύτην ἑλεῖν. καταμαθὼν δὲ τὴν ὀχυρό τητα τῶν τειχῶν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν τειχοφυλακούντων καὶ τὴν τῶν πετροβόλων καὶ τοξοβόλων ὀργάνων δαψίλειαν, ἀφέμενος τῶν ἐλπί δων ἐν τῷ Ἑβδόμῳ ὑπέστρεψεν, εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς ἐξαιτούμενος. τῶν δ' ἐπιτρόπων ἀσμενέστατα δεξαμένων τὸν λόγον, ἀποστέλλει ὁ Συμεὼν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ μάγιστρον Θεόδωρον ὁμιλῆσαι περὶ εἰρήνης· οὗ παραγενομένου καὶ λόγων κινηθέντων πολλῶν, ὁ πατριάρχης ἅμα τοῖς λοιποῖς ἐπιτρόποις ἀναλαβόντες τὸν βασιλέα ἐν τῷ παλα τίῳ ἦλθον τῶν Βλαχερνῶν, καὶ ὁμήρους δόντες ἀξιολόγους εἰσή γαγον τὸν Συμεὼν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ, καὶ συνειστιάθη τῷ βασιλεῖ, τοῦ Συμεὼν ὑποκλίναντος τῷ πατριάρχῃ τὴν κεφαλὴν καὶ εὐχὴν δεξαμένου παρ' αὐτοῦ, ἐπιθέντος, ὥς φασι, τῇ τοῦ βαρβάρου κεφαλῇ ἀντὶ στεφάνου τὸ ἴδιον ἐπιρριπτάριον. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἑστία σιν, ἀσυμβάτων γενομένων περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης, δώροις ὅ τε Συμεὼν καὶ οἱ τούτου παῖδες φιλοφρονηθέντες εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπηλλάγησαν χώραν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράττετο τῇδε. 2.283 Τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου διὰ παντὸς ὀδυρομένου καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀνακαλουμένου μητέρα (ἤδη γὰρ αὐτὴν κατήγαγε τοῦ παλατίου Ἀλέξανδρος) ἀναβιβάζουσι καὶ ἄκοντες πάλιν αὐτήν. ἀνελθοῦσα οὖν καὶ ἐγκρατὴς γενομένη τῆς βασιλείας προσλαμβά νεται τὸν παρακοιμώμενον Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ Ἀναστάσιον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς τοὺς τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν Γογγυλίους. συμβουλεύσαντος δὲ καὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Ἐλαδᾶ