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Constantine is demoted, and he was proclaimed second emperor, 2.299 and Romanos first, alleging that only in this way was it possible for the plots to be quieted, for the sake of both temporary affairs and a corruptible and perishable empire, falling into perjury and becoming far from God.

And so things in the city were carried on in this way. But Symeon again sends out a heavy force against the Romans, having as commander a Chagan, one of those with great power under him, and Minikos, the first of the grooms, whom he had instructed to march against the city itself as quickly as possible. Learning of their attack, the emperor Romanos, and reasoning lest they, having come, might burn down the finest of the palaces and dwellings near the city, sends out John the Rector along with Leo and Pothos, the Argyroi, with a sufficient multitude from both the imperial Hetaireia and the tagmata, with whom were also the patrikios Alexios and the droungarios of the fleet, Mosele, with those under him. And during the fifth week of the fast, having drawn up the army in the plains of Pege, they waited. Then the Bulgarians appeared from there and, using a confused shout and charging violently against them, John the Rector fled, but Photinos the patrikios, the son of Platypous, fighting on his behalf, was slain, and not a few others. Therefore the rector, having with difficulty escaped, entered the dromon. Alexios the droungarios also wished to do this, but being unable to get up, 2.300 he fell by the gangway of the dromon into the sea along with his protomandator and was drowned. But Leo and Pothos, the Argyroi, escaping into the little fort, were saved. Of the remaining multitude, some, fleeing the hands of the enemy, were drowned; others became fodder for the sword; and others were captured by barbarian hands. The Bulgarians, in the complete absence of anyone to stop them, burned the palaces of Pege and set fire to the entire Stenon. On the twentieth of the month of February, in the 10th indiction, Theodora, the wife of Romanos, dies, and is buried in the Myrelaion; and Sophia, the wife of the emperor Christopher, was proclaimed Augusta. And the Kouropalates, the Iberian, also arrived from Iberia, and passing through the middle of the forum, which was splendidly decorated, he was received with great glory and honor; whom the emperor also sent to the Holy Wisdom of God, to behold its beauty and its size. Having gone, therefore, and being astounded at the beauty of the church and marvelling at its sumptuous adornment, and saying that this sacred place was truly a lodging of God, he returned to his own country. When the Bulgarians again made an invasion against the land of the Romans, and approached the palaces of the Empress Theodora, as there was no one to stand against them, they delivered these to the fire. And the emperor Romanos, having made a lavish breakfast, called together the commanders of the tagmata; and with them was also the one surnamed Saktikios, the commander of the tagma of the Exkoubitoi. And as the feast was gaining 2.301 momentum, talk was started about the Bulgarians. And when the emperor had said many persuasive things, rousing them to an enthusiastic impulse and exhorting them to go out courageously against the enemy and to fight for their own fatherland, all agreed to go out readily and to fight for the Christians. At dawn, therefore, Saktikios, having armed himself, getting behind the Bulgarians and entering their camp, while most of them were scattered throughout the country for the sake of plundering spoils, he slaughtered all who were found in the camp. Therefore the multitude of the Bulgarians, having learned what had happened from those who had escaped, returned to the camp. And when battle was joined, the Bulgarians, being fresh, fighting against weary men, and being vigorous against men already worn out by the preceding war, put Saktikios to flight with a few, the attack of the

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Κωνσταντῖνος ὑποβιβάζεται, καὶ δεύτερος ἀνηγορεύετο βασιλεύς, 2.299 πρῶτος δὲ ὁ Ῥωμανός, προφασισάμενος οὕτως μόνως δυνατὸν εἶναι κατευνασθῆναι τὰς ἐπιβουλάς, διά τε πράγματα πρόσκαιρα καὶ βασιλείαν φθαρτὴν καὶ ἐπίκηρον ἐπιορκίᾳ περιπεσὼν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ γενόμενος μήκοθεν.

Καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐφέρετο τῇδε. Ὁ δὲ Συμεὼν πάλιν δύναμιν βαρεῖαν ἐκπέμπει κατὰ Ῥω μαίων, ἔξαρχον ἔχουσαν Χαγάνον ἕνα τῶν παρ' αὐτῷ μέγα δυνα μένων καὶ Μινικὸν τῶν ἱπποκόμων τὸν πρῶτον, οἷς ἐπέσκηψεν κατ' αὐτῆς ὡς τάχιστα τῆς πόλεως ἐκστρατεῦσαι. ὧν τὴν ἔφοδον ἀναμαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανός, καὶ λογισάμενος μή πως ἐπελθόν τες τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν πλησιαζόντων τῇ πόλει παλατίων καὶ οἰκη μάτων πυρπολήσωσι, τὸν ῥαίκτωρα Ἰωάννην ἅμα Λέοντι καὶ Πόθῳ τοῖς Ἀργυροῖς ἐκπέμπει μετὰ πλήθους ἱκανοῦ ἔκ τε τῆς βασιλικῆς ἑταιρείας καὶ τῶν ταγματικῶν, οἷς συνῆν καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Ἀλέξιος καὶ δρουγγάριος τῶν πλωΐμων ὁ Μωσηλὲ μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτόν. κατὰ δὲ τὴν εʹ ἑβδομάδα τῶν νηστειῶν διατάξαντες τὸν λαὸν ἐν τοῖς πεδινοῖς τῶν Πηγῶν τόποις προσέμενον. ἐκεῖ θεν δὲ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀναφανέντων καὶ βοῇ χρησαμένων ἀσήμῳ καὶ σφοδρῶς ἐπελασάντων κατ' αὐτῶν, φεύγει μὲν ὁ ῥαίκτωρ Ἰωάννης, σφάττεται δὲ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ἀγωνιζόμενος Φωτεινὸς πα τρίκιος ὁ τοῦ Πλατύποδος υἱὸς καὶ ἄλλοι οὐκ ὀλίγοι. μόλις οὖν ὁ ῥαίκτωρ διασωθεὶς εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν δρόμωνα. τοῦτο καὶ Ἀλέ ξιος ὁ δρουγγάριος ποιῆσαι βουληθείς, καὶ μὴ δυνηθεὶς ἀνελθεῖν, 2.300 ἐν τῇ τοῦ δρόμωνος ὑποβάθρᾳ πεσὼν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ σὺν τῷ αὐ τοῦ πρωτομανδάτωρι ἀπεπνίγη. Λέων δὲ καὶ Πόθος οἱ Ἀργυροὶ ἐν τῷ καστελλίῳ διαφυγόντες ἐσώθησαν. τοῦ δὲ λοιποῦ πλήθους οἱ μὲν τὰς τῶν πολεμίων χεῖρας φεύγοντες ἀπεπνίγησαν, οἱ δὲ σιδήρου γεγόνασι παρανάλωμα, οἱ δὲ χερσὶ βαρβαρικαῖς συνελή φθησαν. οἱ δὲ Βούλγαροι κατὰ πολλὴν τοῦ κωλύσοντος ἐρημίαν τά τε τῶν Πηγῶν ἐνέπρησαν παλάτια καὶ ἅπαν τὸ Στενὸν ἐπυρπό λησαν. Εἰκοστῇ δὲ Φεβρουαρίου μηνός, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιʹ, θνήσκει Θεοδώρα ἡ σύμβιος Ῥωμανοῦ, καὶ θάπτεται ἐν τῷ Μυρελαίῳ· ἀνηγορεύθη δὲ Αὐγοῦστα ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοφόρου γυνὴ ἡ Σοφία. παρεγένετο δὲ καὶ ἐξ Ἰβηρίας ὁ κουροπαλάτης ὁ Ἴβηρ,καὶ διὰ μέσης τῆς ἀγορᾶς διελθὼν κεκοσμημένης λαμπρῶς μετὰ δόξης πολλῆς καὶ τιμῆς ὑπεδέχθη· ὃν καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίᾳ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεύς, τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς θεάσασθαι καὶ τὸ μέγεθος. ἀπελθὼν οὖν καὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τὴν καλλονὴν καταπλαγεὶς καὶ τὸν πολυτελῆ κόσμον ὑπερθαυμάσας, καὶ ἀληθῶς θεοῦ κατα γώγιον τὸν ἱερὸν τουτονὶ χῶρον εἰπών, ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὰ ἴδια. τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων πάλιν εἰσβολὴν ποιησαμένων κατὰ τῆς Ῥω μαίων χώρας, καὶ τοῖς παλατίοις τῆς βασιλίδος ἐγγισάντων Θεο δώρας, ὡς οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ προσιστάμενον, πυρὶ ταῦτα παρέδοσαν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς ἄριστον ποιησάμενος πολυτελὲς τοὺς τῶν ταγμάτων ἄρχοντας συνεκάλεσε· συνῆν δὲ τούτοις καὶ ὁ τὴν ἐπω νυμίαν Σακτίκιος, τοῦ τάγματος ἄρχων τῶν ἐξκουβίτων. ἐπίδο 2.301 σιν δὲ λαμβανούσης τῆς εὐωχίας λόγος ἐκινήθη περὶ τῶν Βουλγά ρων. καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπαγωγὰ πολλὰ εἰρηκότος, πρὸς ὁρμὴν ἐπανιστῶντα ἐνθουσιώδη καὶ παρακαλοῦντα εὐψύχως ἐξελθεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ τῆς σφῶν ὑπεραγωνίσασθαι πατρίδος, πάντες συνέθεντο ἑτοίμως ἐξελθεῖν καὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ὑπεραγω νίσασθαι. ἕωθεν οὖν καθοπλισθεὶς ὁ Σακτίκιος, ὄπισθεν τῶν Βουλγάρων γενόμενος καὶ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον αὐτῶν εἰσελθών, τῶν πλειόνων ἐπὶ διαρπαγὴν σκύλων σκεδασθέντων κατὰ τὴν χώ ραν, πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ εὑρεθέντας κατέσφαξε. μαθὸν οὖν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν Βουλγάρων ὑπὸ τῶν διαδράντων τὸ γεγονὸς ὑποστρέφουσιν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ. καὶ συμπλοκῆς γενομένης, ἀκμῆτες οἱ Βούλγαροι πρὸς κεκμηκότας μαχόμενοι καὶ ἀκραιφνεῖς πρὸς ἤδη τῷ προηγησαμένῳ πολέμῳ κεκακωμένους ἄνδρας τρέ πουσι τὸν Σακτίκιον σὺν ὀλίγοις τὴν προσβολὴν τῶν