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of Byzantium, but also that he was about to lose not a few of his friends. Nevertheless, 2.606 not completely despairing of his hopes, he proceeded towards Byzantium by night. And the traitors, themselves also having been prevented by some necessity from attempting the walls at the appointed time, on the next day, on which the synod against the patriarch was being convened in the palace, were digging through the Golden Gate, having come together, being themselves also in great confusion and turmoil. For they feared that the emperor, having come on the previous night and having found none of the agreements accomplished, had himself withdrawn again, while they, betrayed by their own actions, would be destroyed. Nevertheless, not even they, despairing of the hopes of being saved, were digging through the gate; for they were a not ignoble contingent of both infantry and cavalry, and they had confidence in themselves, as men who would defend themselves, if anyone should attack. And if, having dug through, they did not find the emperor present, they would withdraw to him. They, therefore, were digging with such an intention. But the synod in the palace, since from many proofs it was shown that the patriarch both himself held unsound views concerning the right doctrines of the church and was compelling others to agree with him, by common consent they vote for his deposition. And indeed for these reasons especially it later seemed that both the emperor and those contriving the capture were prevented from coming together at the appointed time, so that he might not seem to be deposing him from the throne out of spite; but that the accountability might be strictly for the perversion of the right doctrines. The bishops therefore, when they had done these things, and with the absent bishops, who were under suspicion, ar 2.607 also voting in agreement, each withdrew to his dwelling, now late in the night. But when the emperor was present, with those inside who were working for him having dug through the Golden Gate, he rode in with no one resisting, but with all the people leading him with acclamations, and he forbade the soldiers from proceeding to plunder; and he restrained the people as much as possible. Whence not even was there any disturbance against those who seemed to have chosen the empress's side, except that in some places their neighbors fined some of them. And a few of the soldiers, without the emperor's knowledge, having attacked the houses of their enemies, carried out some moderate plunder. But the emperor, having advanced as far as the house called Porphyrogennetos, first ordered no one to proceed against the palace, but to remain quiet, as he himself was going to arrange the matters concerning the empress in the way that seemed best. And when day was now dawning, he walked through the middle of the forum to the shrine of the Hodegetria of the Mother of God, to render the due veneration and thanksgiving for the victory to the Mother of God. And again, returning by the same way, he lodged at the house of the Porphyrogennetos. And the empress, as best she could, was securing the palace, entrusting the guard to her household and those who seemed most loyal. And from those in Galata she summoned help. And they were immediately under arms and rushed eagerly to help; and having manned the triremes, as many as there were, at once and having equipped boats, they were crossing over towards 2.608 the palace. But some of the soldiers with the emperor, drawn up against them, with the people also coming to their aid, did not allow them to approach the land, but sent them away, shooting with frequent arrows. And they too, seeing that they would not hold out against so many (for previously they thought the people also would join them on behalf of the empress), both withdrew and no longer offered help later. But the emperor, having neither done nor said anything further on that day, on the next day, having summoned the bishops, as many as were in Byzantium, and those of the clergy of the church who were most esteemed, first discoursed about the events of the war, how he had neither chosen it from the beginning, nor plotted against the emperor's children, as he was being accused by slanderers, but since they, moved by envy, plotted against him, of necessity he defended himself for the sake of his own safety and that of his companions. And having come to a point of necessity, he had also used barbarian allies, Mysians and Triballians, since they themselves were bringing in those barbarians.

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Βυζαντίου, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ τῶν φίλων ἔμελλεν οὐκ ὀλίγους ἀπολεῖν. ὅμως δὲ 2.606 οὐ παντάπασι τῶν ἐλπίδων ἀπογνοὺς ἐχώρει ἐπὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον νυκτός. οἱ προδιδόντες δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ὑπό τινος ἀνάγκης κωλυθέντες τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐπιχειρεῖν κατὰ τὴν προθεσμίαν, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν, καθ' ἣν ἐν βασιλείοις ἡ κατὰ πατριάρχου σύνοδος συνεκροτεῖτο, διώρυττον τὴν χρυσῆν πύλην συνελθόντες ἐν πολλῇ ταραχῇ καὶ σάλῳ ὄντες καὶ αὐτοί. ἐδεδίεσαν γὰρ, μὴ τῇ προγεγενημένῃ νυκτὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τῶν συντεθειμένων ἠνυσμένων εὑρηκὼς μηδὲν, αὐτὸς μὲν αὖθις ἀνεχώρησεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν καταπροδοθέντες διαφθαρῶσιν. ὅμως οὐδ' αὐτοὶ τὰς τοῦ σώζεσθαι ἐλπίδας ἀπογνόντες διώρυττον τὴν πύλην· ἦσαν γὰρ σύστημα οὐκ ἀγεννὲς ἐκ πεζῶν τε καὶ ἱππέων, καὶ ἐθάῤῥουν σφίσιν ἑαυτοῖς, ὡς ἀμυνουμένοις, ἄν τις ἐπίῃ. κἂν διορύξαντες μὴ εὕρωσι παρόντα τὸν βασιλέα, πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀποχωρεῖν. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν τοιαύτῃ γνώμῃ διώρυττον. ἡ δὲ ἐν βασιλείοις σύνοδος, ἐπεὶ ἐκ πολλῶν ἀπεδείκνυ πατριάρχην αὐτόν τε περὶ τὰ ὀρθὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας δόγματα ἔχοντα οὐχ ὑγιῶς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀναγκάζοντα ἐκείνῳ συμφρονεῖν, γνώμῃ κοινῇ καθαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ καταψηφίζονται. δι' ἃ δὴ καὶ μάλιστα ἔδοξεν ὕστερον βασιλεύς τε καὶ οἱ πράττοντες τὴν ἅλωσιν συνελθεῖν κατὰ τὴν προθεσμίαν κωλυθῆναι, ἵνα μὴ μνησικακῶν αὐτὸς δοκοίη τῶν θρόνων καθαιρεῖν· ἀλλ' ἀκριβῶς εἴη τῶν ὀρθῶν δογμάτων τῆς διαστροφῆς εὐθύνη. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀρχιερεῖς, ἐπεὶ ταῦτα ἔπραξαν, καὶ τῶν ἀπόντων διὰ τὸ ὑποπτεύεσθαι ἀρ 2.607 χιερέων συνεπιψηφισαμένων, ἀνεχώρουν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὰς οἰκήσεις ἤδη πόῤῥω νυκτῶν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ παρῆν, τῶν ἔνδον τὰ ἐκείνου πραττόντων τὴν χρυσῆν διορυξάντων πύλην, εἰσήλαυνεν οὐδενὸς ἀνθισταμένου, ἀλλὰ δι' εὐφημίας αὐτὸν ἀγόντων παντὸς τοῦ δήμου, καὶ τοῖς τε στρατιώταις ἀπεῖπε μὴ χωρεῖν πρὸς ἁρπαγάς· καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἐκώλυεν ὅσα δυνατά. ὅθεν οὐδὲ ἐγένετό τις κίνησις ἐπὶ τοὺς δοκοῦντας ᾑρῆσθαι τὰ βασιλίδος, πλὴν εἴπου τινὰς αὐτῶν ἐζημίωσαν οἱ γείτονες. καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν δὲ ὀλίγοι ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας τῶν πολεμίων, βασιλέως μὴ εἰδότος, ἐπελθόντες ἐποιήσαντό τινα μετρίαν ἁρπαγήν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἄχρι τῆς Πορφυρογεννήτου καλουμένης οἰκίας προελθὼν, πρῶτα μὲν ἐκέλευε μηδένα χωρεῖν κατὰ τῶν βασιλείων, ἀλλὰ ἀτρεμεῖν, ὡς αὐτὸς διαθησόμενος τὰ κατὰ βασιλίδα ᾗ δοκεῖ ἔχειν ἄριστα. ἐπεὶ δὲ διέφαινεν ἤδη ἡμέρα, διὰ μέσης τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἐβάδιζεν ἐπὶ θεομήτορος τὸ τῆς Ὁδηγητρίας τέμενος, τὴν ὀφειλομένην προσκύνησιν καὶ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν τῆς νίκης ἀποδώσων τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. αὖθις δὲ διὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπανήκων ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ Πορφυρογεννήτου κατέλυσεν οἰκίαν. βασιλὶς δὲ ὡς εἶχε τά τε βασίλεια ἠσφαλίζετο, τοῖς οἰκείοις καὶ μάλιστα δοκοῦσιν εὔνοις ἐπιτρέπουσα τὴν φυλακήν. καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἐν Γαλατᾷ βοήθειαν μετεκαλεῖτο. οἱ δὲ αὐτίκα ἦσαν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ ὥρμηντο προθύμως βοηθεῖν· τριήρεις τε πληρώσαντες, ὅσαι ἦσαν, αὐθωρὸν καὶ λέμβους ἐφοπλίσαντες πρὸς 2.608 τὰ βασίλεια ἐπεραιοῦντο. ἀντιταξάμενοι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν μετὰ βασιλέως στρατιωτῶν τινες, ἅμα καὶ τοῦ δήμου προσεπιβοηθοῦντος, οὐκ εἴων τῇ γῇ προσχεῖν, ἀλλ' ἀπεπέμποντο βάλλοντες συχνοῖς τοῖς βέλεσιν. ὁρῶντες δὲ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι, ὡς οὐκ ἀντισχήσουσι πρὸς τοσούτους, πρότερον γὰρ ᾤοντο ὑπὲρ βασιλίδος αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸν δῆμον συμπροσθήσεσθαι, ἀνεχώρουν τε καὶ οὐκέτι ὕστερον ἐπεβοήθουν. βασιλεὺς δὲ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν μηδὲν πλέον μήτε πράξας, μήτε εἰπὼν, εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν τούς τε ἐπισκόπους, ὅσοι ἦσαν, μεταπεμψάμενος ἐν Βυζαντίῳ καὶ τῶν τῷ κλήρῳ κατειλεγμένων τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοὺς μάλιστα ἐν λόγῳ, πρῶτον μὲν περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον συμβεβηκότων διειλέχθη, ὡς οὔτε ἐξαρχῆς ἕλοιτο αὐτὸς, οὔτε τοῖς βασιλέως ἐπιβουλεύσειε παισὶν, ὥσπερ ὑπὸ τῶν συκοφαντῶν κατηγορεῖτο, ἀλλ' ὑπ' ἐκείνων διὰ φθόνον κεκινημένου ἐπιβουλευσάντων, ἀναγκαίως τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν συνόντων σωτηρίας ἕνεκα ἠμύνετο. εἰς ἀνάγκην δὲ ἐλθὼν καὶ βαρβάροις χρήσαιτο συμμάχοις, Μυσοὺς καὶ Τριβαλοὺς καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκείνων ἐπαγόντων.