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they are easily routed. But when another fresh force fell upon them, they withstood this one also easily and more manfully, and a fierce battle took place, lasting for a long time, and the Bulgarians were routed, but Nicholas, the son of the Doux, was slain, having fought heroically and having been the cause of victory for the Romans. And so it happened that events concerning the war occurred thus. But matters in the city were grievously sick, with many and most powerful men raging for the imperial power and burning with desire for it, of whom the leader was Phokas. For he, being the brother-in-law of the *parakoimomenos* Constantine, one of the eunuchs then holding great power in the palace, and trusting greatly in him, thought he would easily seize the power of the empire. Therefore he was much talked of, and he laid claim to it not secretly but openly, as if it were a paternal 2.289 possession and belonging to him from his ancestors, and he imagined that it would soon come to him as a legal succession. Theodore, the tutor of the emperor Constantine, fearing his irrepressible ambition, and afraid that the emperor might suffer some harm, suggested to the emperor Constantine that he secretly take on the patrician Romanos, *droungarios* of the fleet, who was a paternal servant and always loyal to his interests, so that he might be with him and protect him, and, if need be, have him as an ally and helper. When a meeting was first held concerning this, Romanos refused, and when Theodore and his associates tried again and many times, he refused. But when the emperor wrote a note in his own hand, and signing it with purple letters, sent it, he yielded upon taking this in his hands, and promised to prevent, as far as possible, the attack of the *parakoimomenos* Constantine and his relatives. So the things that were spoken and agreed upon proceeded thus, and were whispered about through the forum and the main streets and the alleys. But the *parakoimomenos*, although not unaware of the plots against him, was contemptuous, thinking that no one would ever dare to make an attempt against him. So, having gone out and made the customary distribution of the salary to the fleet, and urging Romanos to sail out more quickly, he fell into the trap. 2.290 For Romanos, meeting him in the guise of a servant, and promising to eagerly do what was commanded, quietly and little by little led him into the ambush. Since the *parakoimomenos* was unable to perceive any of the plots, but was conversing guilelessly and without suspicion, and as he was approaching even nearer, and asking if he had handsome and noble men suitable for rowing the imperial trireme, and when he said that he both had them and that they were nearby, and when he had nodded with his head for some of the more handsome ones to come near, Constantine, having seen them and perhaps approved, was eager to depart. But Romanos, walking very near to him, when they came near the flagship trireme, seized Constantine, and saying nothing more than only, "Take this man," he himself stood still, but those who were prepared for the task brought him into the flagship and held him in safety, with none of those accompanying him daring to defend him, but all of them were immediately scattered. When the rumor therefore spread, a disturbance seized the whole city, which, as was likely, considered it an attempt at tyranny. When the news therefore reached even the empress Zoe, the officials also fell into perplexity. So the empress summoned the patriarch Nicholas and the leading men of the senate; and having conferred with them, she sent to Romanos, wishing to learn the cause of what had happened. But when those who had been sent arrived where the triremes 2.291 were moored, and were about to make an inquiry into the seizure of the *parakoimomenos*, the unruly mob of the fleet, rising up, drove them out with stones. In the morning, therefore, the empress went out around the

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τρέπονται εὐπετῶς. ἀκραιφνοῦς δὲ πάλιν ἑτέρας ἐπεισπεσούσης, ὑφίστανται καὶ ταύτην ῥᾳδίως τε καὶ ἀν δρικώτερον, καὶ γίνεται μάχη καρτερὰ καὶ ἐπὶ πολὺν διαρκέσασα χρόνον, καὶ τρέπονται μὲν οἱ Βούλγαροι, ἐσφάγη δὲ Νικόλαος ὁ τοῦ ∆οῦκα υἱός, ἡρωϊκῶς ἀγωνισάμενος καὶ αἴτιος τῆς νίκης Ῥω μαίοις γενόμενος. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον συνηνέχθη γενέ σθαι οὕτως. Τὰ δὲ κατὰ πόλιν ἐνόσει δεινῶς, πολλῶν καὶ μεγίστων ἐπι μαινομένων τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ τῷ ταύτης ἔρωτι φλεγομένων, ὧν κο ρυφαῖος ἦν ὁ Φωκᾶς. ὑπάρχων γὰρ οὗτος ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβρὸς τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Κωνσταντίνου, μεγάλα τότε τῶν ἐν τοῖς βα σιλείοις δυναμένου εὐνούχων, καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ πλεῖστα θαρρῶν ῥᾳ δίως ᾤετο τὸ τῆς βασιλείας καθέξειν κράτος. διὸ καὶ πολὺς ἐφέ 2.289 ρετο, καὶ οὐ κρύβδην ἀλλὰ φανερῶς ταύτης ἀντεποιεῖτο ὡσπερεὶ πατρῴου πράγματος καὶ προγονόθεν αὐτῷ ἀνήκοντος, καὶ ὅσον οὔπω ἥξειν εἰς αὐτὸν ὡς εἰς νόμιμον διαδοχὴν ἐφαντάζετο. οὗ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀκατάσχετον οὖσαν φοβηθεὶς ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταν τίνου παιδαγωγὸς Θεόδωρος, καὶ μή τι πάθῃ δείσας ὁ βασιλεύς, ὑπέθετο τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ λαθραίως προσλαβέσθαι τὸν πατρίκιον Ῥωμανὸν καὶ δρουγγάριον τῶν πλωΐμων, πατρικὸν ὄντα δοῦλον καὶ τὰ αὐτοῦ φρονοῦντα διὰ παντός, ὥστε συνεῖναι καὶ διαφυλάττειν αὐτόν, καὶ εἰ δεήσει, σύμμαχον ἔχειν καὶ βοηθόν. ἐντυχίας οὖν πρῶτον περὶ τούτου γενομένης ὁ Ῥωμανὸς ἀπείπατο, καὶ πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις πειρασθέντων τῶν ἀμφὶ τὸν Θεόδωρον ἀπείπατο. ἐπεὶ δὲ γραμμάτιον αὐτόχειρον χαράξας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ φοινικοῖς ὑποσημάνας γράμμασιν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτό, εἶξέ τε ἐπὶ χεῖρας τοῦτο λαβών, καὶ καθυπέσχετο τὴν τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου Κωνσταντίνου καὶ τῶν συγγενῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπίθεσιν κωλῦσαι κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν. τὰ μὲν οὖν λαληθέντα καὶ στοιχηθέντα οὕτω προέβη, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς καὶ τῶν λεωφόρων καὶ τῶν στενωπῶν ὑπεψι θυρίζετο· ὁ δὲ παρακοιμώμενος, καίπερ οὐκ ἀνήκοος ὢν τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ μελετωμένων, κατεφρόνει, μὴ ἄν ποτε οἰηθεὶς τολμῆσαί τινα ἐπιχείρησιν κατ' αὐτοῦ ποιήσασθαι. ἐξελθὼν οὖν καὶ τὴν συνήθη διανομὴν τῆς ῥόγας ποιησάμενος τῶν πλωΐμων, καὶ τὸν Ῥωμανὸν ἐπισπεύδων τάχιον ἐκπλεῦσαι, περιπίπτει τῷ λόχῳ. 2.290 δουλικῷ γὰρ ἐν σχήματι προσυπαντήσας ὁ Ῥωμανὸς αὐτῷ, καὶ προθύμως ποιήσειν τὸ κελευσθὲν ἐπαγγελλόμενος, ἠρέμα καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἦγεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἐνέδραν. μηδὲν δὲ ἐπαισθέσθαι τῶν μελετωμένων τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου δυνηθέντος, ἀλλ' ἀκάκως καὶ χωρὶς ὑπονοίας διαλεγομένου, καὶ μᾶλλον ἔγγιστα προσιόντος αὐτοῦ, καὶ πυθομένου εἰ ἔχει ἄνδρας εὐειδεῖς καὶ γενναίους καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐρέττειν ἐπιτηδείους τριήρη, τοῦ δὲ καὶ ἔχειν καὶ ἐγγὺς παρεῖναι τούτους εἰρηκότος, καὶ τῇ κεφαλῇ νεύσαντος ἥκειν τινὰς πλησίον τῶν εὐειδεστέρων, ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος θεασάμενος τού τους καὶ τάχα ἀποδεξάμενος ἀπαίρειν ἠπείγετο. ὁ δὲ Ῥωμανὸς ἔγγιστα τούτου περιπατῶν, ὡς πλησίον ἐγένοντο τῇ στρατηγίδι τριήρει, κατασχὼν τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον, καὶ μηδὲν πλέον εἰπὼν ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον "ἄρατε τοῦτον," αὐτὸς μὲν ἔστη, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἔργον ὄντες ηὐτρεπισμένοι εἰσήγαγον εἰς τὴν ναυαρχίδα καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ κατεῖχον, μηδενὸς ἐπαμῦναι τοῦτον τολμήσαντος τῶν συνεπομένων αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ πάντων παραυτίκα διασπαρέντων. τῆς φήμης οὖν ἐξαρθείσης ταραχὴ κατέσχε πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν, τυραννί δος ὡς εἰκὸς ἐπίθεσιν λογισαμένην. φθάσαντος οὖν τοῦ λόγου καὶ μέχρι τῆς βασιλίδος Ζωῆς, εἰς ἀμηχανίαν καὶ οἱ ἐν τέλει ἐνέ πιπτον. προσκαλεῖται γοῦν ἡ βασιλὶς τὸν πατριάρχην Νικόλαον καὶ τοὺς τῆς συγκλήτου λογάδας· κοινολογισαμένη δὲ μετ' αὐτῶν ἐκπέμπει πρὸς Ῥωμανόν, τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ γεγονότος μαθεῖν ἐθέ λουσα. τῶν δὲ πεμφθέντων γενομένων ἔνθα προσώρμουν αἱ τριή 2.291 ρεις, καὶ μελλόντων ζήτησιν ποιεῖσθαι τῆς τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου κατασχέσεως, ὁ τῶν πλωΐμων διαναστὰς ἀκόλαστος ὄχλος λίθοις αὐτοὺς ἐξήλασαν. ἕωθεν οὖν ἡ βασιλὶς ἐξελθοῦσα περὶ τὸν