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having sent, he took to his side the parakoimomenos, Constantine and Anastasios the Gongylioi, who were brothers, and Constantine of Maleas, persuading all to take up arms on behalf of the emperor Constantine. But Romanos, having composed a chrysobull containing a refutation of Phokas's pretext, and having confirmed this with the emperor's 2.294 hand and seal, sent it out into the camp of Leo with a certain courtesan woman, whom, on account of such service, they later called Basilike, and he sent other things with a certain cleric Michael, corrupting the commanders of the tagmata and the people with promises of honors and gifts. But this Michael, having been caught by Phokas and mercilessly blinded, had his ears cut off; but the woman escaped notice, distributing in the army what she was carrying. So first Constantine, son of Michael Barys, commander of the tagma of the Hikanatoi, leaving Leo, went over to Romanos; whom Balantios and the one called Atzmoros, both being tourmarchai, also followed. But Leo Phokas nevertheless, having seized Chrysopolis, and having drawn up his army opposite the stone heifer that stands on the column on the other side, terrified those in the city. But Romanos, with a dromon, sent Symeon, the epi tou kanikleiou, to the apostate's army and entrusted to him a chrysobull signed by the emperor, and instructed him to make every effort to read this out to the army. The sense of the chrysobull was as follows. "My Majesty, having found no one among my subjects more watchful and more faithful a guardian for itself than Romanos, has entrusted its protection to him after God, and considers him as a father, as he shows paternal affection towards it. But as for Leo Phokas, who is always warring against and plotting against it, and has now revealed his hidden wickedness, my Majesty neither wishes him to be 2.295 domestic, nor considers him one of its subjects, but an apostate and a tyrant, who has contrived such a rebellion without my counsel, in order that he might draw the power of the empire to himself. Therefore, O my people, knowing this, be willing to understand what is right, and recognizing your ancestral lord, withdraw from this bitter tyranny." And when Symeon had come to the camp and had openly dispatched the chrysobull to the army, when they read this and understood its meaning, they all began to withdraw and to flock to the Basileopator Romanos. But Phokas, having first tried to prevent the reading of the chrysobull and not being able to, then seeing his own power draining away little by little, gave up all hope and sought safety in flight, and with a few of his most faithful men he seized the fortress of Ateous. But having been repulsed from there, he arrived at a certain place which was named Goeleontos, which also clearly signified woe to Leo; and there he is captured by Michael Barys and many others who had banded together against him. Therefore John Toubakis and Leo Pastelas are sent to bring him into the queen city. But those who seized him blinded him, as some say, having received a secret order from Romanos, but as those around Romanos insisted, of their own judgment and choice; for indeed Romanos appeared to be vexed that the deed had been done against his will. Thus the rebellion of Leo had such an end. 2.296 And another plot was formed against Romanos, by a certain Constantine Ktematenos, David Koumoulianos and Michael, curator of the Mangana; for these men, having armed some youths, instructed them to kill Romanos when he went out on a hunt. When these things became known, the ringleaders of the plot were arrested, had their eyes put out and were paraded through the middle of the forum. Accompanying this shameful procession was also Leo Phokas, riding on a mule. And Zoe the

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ἀποστείλας προσελάβετο μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν παρακοιμώμενον, Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ Ἀναστάσιον τοὺς Γογγυλίους καὶ αὐταδέλφους, καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν τῆς Μαλε λίας, πληροφορῶν ἅπαντας ὑπὲρ τοῦ βασιλέως τὰ ὅπλα Κων σταντίνου αἴρειν. Ῥωμανὸς δὲ χρυσόβουλλον ἐκθέμενος ἀνατρο πὴν ἔχοντα τῆς τοῦ Φωκᾶ προφάσεως, καὶ τῇ χειρὶ τοῦ βασιλέως 2.294 καὶ τῇ σφραγῖδι ταῦτ' ἐμπεδώσας μετά τινος γυναικὸς ἑταιρίδος, ἣν διὰ τὴν τοιαύτην ὑπηρεσίαν καὶ Βασιλικὴν ὕστερον προσηγό ρευσαν, ἐν τῷ τοῦ Λέοντος στρατοπέδῳ ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ ἕτερα δὲ μετά τινος κληρικοῦ Μιχαὴλ ὑποσχέσεσι τιμῶν καὶ δωρεῶν δια φθείροντα τοὺς τῶν ταγμάτων ἐξάρχους καὶ τὸν λαόν. ἀλλ' οὗ τος μὲν ὁ Μιχαὴλ φωραθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ Φωκᾶ καὶ τυφθεὶς ἀνηλεῶς ἀπετμήθη τὰ ὦτα· ἔλαθε δ' ἡ γυνὴ ἐν τῷ στρατῷ διασπείρασα ἃ ἐπήγετο. πρῶτον οὖν ὁ τοῦ Βαρέος Μιχαὴλ υἱὸς Κωνσταντῖ νος, τοῦ τάγματος ἄρχων τῶν ἱκανάτων, καταλιπὼν τὸν Λέοντα τῷ Ῥωμανῷ προσεχώρησεν· ᾧ τινὶ καὶ ὁ Βαλάντιος καὶ ὁ λεγό μενος Ἄτζμωρος, τουρμάρχαι καὶ ἄμφω ὄντες, ἐπηκολούθησαν. Λέων δὲ ὅμως ὁ Φωκᾶς τὴν Χρυσόπολιν καταλαβών, καὶ τὸν λαὸν παρατάξας κατὰ τὴν ἀντιπέραν ἐν τῷ κίονι ἱσταμένην λιθί νην δάμαλιν, ἐξεφόβει τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει. Ῥωμανὸς δὲ μετὰ δρό μωνος τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου Συμεὼν ἐκπέμψας πρὸς τὸν τοῦ ἀπο στάτου λαὸν καὶ χρυσόβουλλον ἐνσεσημασμένον παρὰ τοῦ βασι λέως ἐνεχείρισεν αὐτῷ, καὶ παρηγγύησε πάντα τρόπον σπουδάσαι τῷ λαῷ τοῦτο ὑπαναγνῶναι. ὁ δὲ τοῦ χρυσοβούλλου νοῦς εἶχεν οὕτως. "ἡ βασιλεία μου φύλακα αὐτῆς ἐγρηγορώτατον καὶ πιστό τατον οὐδένα τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα ἢ Ῥωμανὸν εὑροῦσα, τούτῳ μετὰ θεὸν τὴν ἑαυτῆς φυλακὴν κατεπίστευσε, καὶ ἀντὶ πατρὸς αὐτὸν κρίνει, σπλάγχνα πατρικὰ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐνδεικνύμενον. Λέοντα δὲ τὸν Φωκᾶν ἀεὶ ταύτῃ προσπολεμοῦντα καὶ ἐπιβουλεύοντα, καὶ νῦν τὴν κρυπτομένην αὐτοῦ πονηρίαν φανερώσαντα, οὔτε δομέ 2.295 στικον εἶναι βούλεται οὔθ' ἕνα κρίνει τῶν ὑπηκόων, ἀλλ' ἀπο στάτην καὶ τύραννον, καὶ χωρὶς ἐμῆς βουλῆς τὴν τοιαύτην ἀν ταρσίαν συστήσαντα, ἵν' εἰς ἑαυτὸν τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπισπάσηται κράτος. τοῦτο οὖν εἰδὼς ὁ ἐμὸς λαὸς τὸ δέον συνιέναι θέλησον, καὶ τὸν προγονικὸν ἐπιγνοὺς δεσπότην τῆς πικρᾶς τυραννίδος ἀπό στηθι." τοῦ δὲ Συμεὼν γενομένου κατὰ τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ τὸ χρυσοβούλλιον φανερῶς ἐκπέμψαντος τῷ λαῷ, ὡς τοῦτο ἀνέγνω σαν καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ νοῦν κατενόησαν, ἤρξαντο πάντες ἀναχωρεῖν καὶ τῷ βασιλεοπάτορι προσρύεσθαι Ῥωμανῷ. ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς πρῶ τον μὲν πειραθεὶς τὴν ἀνάγνωσιν κωλῦσαι τοῦ χρυσοβουλλίου καὶ μὴ δυνηθείς, εἶτα καὶ ὑπορρέουσαν κατὰ μικρὸν τὴν αὐτοῦ βλέ πων δύναμιν, τοῖς ὅλοις ἀπειρηκὼς φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπραγμα τεύετο, καὶ μετά τινων ὀλίγων τῶν πιστοτάτων τὸ φρούριον κατ έλαβεν Ἀτεούς. ἀποκρουσθεὶς δ' ἐκεῖθεν ἔν τινι χωρίῳ κατήντησεν ὃ κατωνομάζετο Γοηλήοντος, ὃ καὶ φανερῶς ἐδήλου ὠὴ Λέοντι· κἀκεῖσε παρὰ Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Βαρέος καί τινων ἄλλων πλείστων ἐπ' αὐτὸν συστάντων συλλαμβάνεται. στέλλεται τοίνυν Ἰωάννης ὁ Τουβάκις καὶ Λέων ὁ Παστηλᾶς εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν βασι λεύουσαν. οἱ δὲ τοῦτον κρατήσαντες ἀπετύφλωσαν, ὡς μὲν ἔνιοι λέγουσιν ἐντολὴν λαθραίαν λαβόντες ἐκ Ῥωμανοῦ, ὡς δ' οἱ περὶ τὸν Ῥωμανὸν διενίσταντο, αὐθαιρέτῳ γνώμῃ καὶ προαιρέσει· καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ ἐδόκει ἀγανακτεῖν ὁ Ῥωμανὸς ὡς παρὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θέ λησιν γεγονότος τοῦ ἔργου. ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Λέοντος ἀποστασία τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τὸ τέλος. 2.296 Συνέστη δὲ καὶ ἑτέρα ἐπιβουλὴ κατὰ Ῥωμανοῦ, παρά τινος Κωνσταντίνου Κτηματηνοῦ, ∆αβὶδ τοῦ Κουμουλιανοῦ καὶ Μιχαὴλ κουράτωρος τῶν μαγγάνων· οὗτοι γὰρ νεανίας τινὰς καθοπλίσαν τες κατὰ τὸ κυνήγιον ἐξελθόντα τὸν Ῥωμανὸν ἐπετρέψαντο διαχει ρίσασθαι. ὧν γνωσθέντων, καὶ συλληφθέντες οἱ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς πρωτουργοὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐπηρώθησαν καὶ διὰ μέσης τῆς ἀγο ρᾶς περιήχθησαν. συνῆν δὲ ταύτῃ τῇ ἀτίμῳ περιαγωγῇ καὶ Λέων ὁ Φωκᾶς, ἡμιόνῳ ἐφεζόμενος. Κατηγορήθη δὲ καὶ Ζωὴ ἡ