409

holding power alongside him; For John the rhaiktor, having already been slandered before the emperor, left the palace and had his worldly hair cut off in his own monastery. Therefore, when they came to Symeon and were about to initiate talks concerning peace, he sent them away, but he sought to see the emperor Romanos himself; for he had been fully informed that he was a wise and true man. And Romanos gladly accepted this. So he sent men and constructed on the shore of Cosmidium a very strong pier in the sea, so that the imperial trireme, sailing through, could moor at it, having fenced it in on all sides with partitions. And he ordered a barrier to be made in the middle, where they were to speak with one another. But Symeon sent men and burned the church of the most holy Theotokos at the Spring, which the emperor Justinian had built, and he also burned all the surrounding area, and from this it was clear that he was not seeking peace. But the emperor, having gone into the church of Blachernae together with the patriarch, and having entered the holy reliquary and offered 2.305 supplicatory hymns to God, took the omophorion of the Theotokos and went out of the church, protecting himself with secure weapons. Therefore, having splendidly arrayed the fleet with him, he occupied the designated place. It was the ninth of the month of November when these things happened. And Symeon also arrived, bringing with him a multitude divided into many battle-lines and types; for some had golden shields and held golden spears, others had silver shields, others bronze shields, and others were adorned with another color, as it seemed best to each. These men, having placed Symeon in their midst, acclaimed him as emperor in the Roman tongue. And all the officials and the city populace watched the proceedings from the walls. So the emperor Romanos was the first to occupy the aforementioned pier and awaited Symeon. And having given hostages to one another, and after the Bulgarians had carefully searched the pier, lest any deceit or ambush might be hidden, they then urged Symeon to dismount his horse and go in to the emperor. So they greeted one another, and began to converse about peace. And so they say that Romanos said to Symeon: "I have heard that you are a Christian man and God-fearing, but I see that your deeds in no way agree with your words. For if you are truly a Christian, stop at once the unjust slaughters and the shedding of unholy blood, and make a truce with us Christians, being and being called a Christian yourself, and do not wish to pollute the right hands of Christians with the blood of fellow-believing Christians. You yourself are also a man, expecting death and resurrection and judgment and retribution for the things 2.306 you have done in your life. Today you exist, and tomorrow you will be dissolved into dust. If you do these things out of a desire for wealth, I will fill you with it to satiety. Only embrace peace and love concord, so that you yourself may live a peaceful and bloodless life, and that Christians may at last cease taking up arms against one another."

And the emperor said these things, and Symeon, respecting his humility, promised to make peace. And having greeted one another they parted, with the emperor having honored Symeon with magnificent gifts. And a prodigious thing happened then, which is worthy of being narrated. They say that two eagles flew over them from above while the emperors were speaking, and shrieked and came together with each other and immediately separated, and one went towards the city, and the other flew away towards Thrace. And those skilled in augury from birds were alarmed and did not judge this a favorable omen; for they said that both would be irreconcilably separated over the peace. And Symeon, having returned, explained to his own rulers the emperor's moderation and his generosity and liberality concerning money. But during the feast of Christmas, in the 2nd indiction, the emperor Romanos crowns his two sons

409

παραδυναστεύων· ἤδη γὰρ Ἰωάννης ὁ ῥαίκτωρ διαβληθεὶς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, κατελθὼν τοῦ παλατίου, ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ μονῇ τὴν κοσμικὴν ἀπεκείρατο τρίχα. ἀφικομένους οὖν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν Συμεὼν καὶ μέλλοντας κινεῖν λόγους περὶ εἰρήνης, τούτους μὲν ἀπεπέμψατο, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμανὸν ἐπεζήτει θεάσασθαι· πεπληροφόρητο γὰρ ἄν δρα συνετὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι καὶ ἀληθῆ. ἀσπασίως δὲ ὁ Ῥωμανὸς ἐδέξατο τοῦτο. ἀποστείλας οὖν ἐν τῷ τοῦ Κοσμιδίου αἰγιαλῷ κατεσκεύασεν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὀχυρωτάτην ἀπόβασιν, ὥστε τὴν βασιλικὴν τριήρη διεκπλέουσαν ἐν αὐτῇ προσορμίζεσθαι, περι φράξας αὐτὴν πάντοθεν διατειχίσμασι. μέσον δὲ θριγκίον γενέσθαι προσέταξεν, ἔνθα ἀλλήλοις ἔμελλον ὁμιλεῖν. ὁ δὲ Συμεὼν ἀπο στείλας ἐνέπρησε τὸν τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου ναὸν τὸν ἐν τῇ πηγῇ, ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰουστινιανὸς ἐδομήσατο, ἐπυρπόλησε δὲ καὶ τὰ κύκλῳ σύμπαντα, καὶ δῆλος ἦν ἐκ τούτου μὴ εἰρήνην ζητῶν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ ναῷ γενόμενος τῶν Βλαχερνῶν ἅμα τῷ πα τριάρχῃ, καὶ ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ σορῷ εἰσελθὼν καὶ ἱκετηρίας ᾠδὰς ἀπο 2.305 δοὺς τῷ θεῷ, τὸ ὠμοφόριον τῆς θεοτόκου λαβὼν ἐξῄει τοῦ ναοῦ, ὅπλοις ἀσφαλέσι φραξάμενος. τὸν σὺν αὐτῷ οὖν στόλον κοσμή σας ἀριπρεπῶς τὸν ὡρισμένον κατείληφε τόπον. ἐννάτη τοῦ Νοεμ βρίου μηνὸς ἦν ὅτε ταῦτα ἐγίνετο. παρεγένετο δὲ καὶ ὁ Συμεών, πλῆθος ἐπαγόμενος εἰς πολλὰς διῃρημένον τὰς παρατάξεις καὶ τὰς ἰδέας· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν χρυσάσπιδες καὶ χρυσᾶ δόρατα ἔχοντες, οἱ δὲ ἀργυράσπιδες, οἱ δὲ χαλκάσπιδες, οἱ δὲ ἄλλῃ χροίᾳ, ὥς πῃ ἑκάστῳ ἐδόκει, ἐκεκόσμηντο. οἵτινες μέσον αὐτὸν εἰληφότες τὸν Συμεὼν ὡς βασιλέα εὐφήμουν Ῥωμαϊκῇ τῇ φωνῇ. πάντες δὲ οἱ ἐν τέλει καὶ ὁ ἀστικὸς δῆμος ἐκ τῶν τειχῶν ἐθεῶντο τὰ δρώμενα. πρῶτος οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ῥωμανὸς τὴν εἰρημένην ἀποβάθραν κατα λαβὼν τὸν Συμεὼν ἐξεδέχετο. ὅμηρα δὲ δόντες ἀλλήλοις, καὶ τὴν ἀποβάθραν οἱ Βούλγαροι διερευνήσαντες ἀκριβῶς, μή πού τις δόλος ἢ ἐνέδρα κρύπτηται, τότε κατελθεῖν τὸν Συμεὼν τοῦ ἵππου προετρέψαντο καὶ εἰσελθεῖν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ἠσπάσαντο γοῦν ἀλλήλους, καὶ περὶ εἰρήνης ἤρξαντο διαλέγεσθαι. φασὶ δ' οὖν εἰπεῖν τὸν Ῥωμανὸν πρὸς τὸν Συμεὼν "ἀκήκοά σε Χριστιανὸν ἄν θρωπον καὶ θεοσεβῆ, βλέπω δὲ τὰ ἔργα μηδαμῶς τοῖς λόγοις συμβαίνοντα. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀληθῶς Χριστιανὸς ὑπάρχεις, στῆσόν ποτε τὰς ἀδίκους σφαγὰς καὶ τὰς χύσεις τῶν ἀνοσίων αἱμάτων, καὶ σπεῖσαι μεθ' ἡμῶν τῶν Χριστιανῶν Χριστιανὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν καὶ ὀνομαζόμενος, καὶ μὴ θέλε μολύνεσθαι Χριστιανῶν δεξιὰς αἵμασιν ὁμοπίστων Χριστιανῶν. ἄνθρωπος εἶ καὶ αὐτός, θάνα τον προσδοκῶν καὶ ἀνάστασιν καὶ κρίσιν καὶ ἀνταπόδοσιν τῶν βε 2.306 βιωμένων. σήμερον ὑπάρχεις, καὶ αὔριον εἰς κόνιν διαλυθήσῃ. εἰ πλούτου ἐρῶν ταῦτα ποιεῖς, ἐγώ σε τούτου ἐμπλήσω εἰς κόρον. μόνον ἄσπασαι τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ ἀγάπησον τὴν ὁμόνοιαν, ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς βίον ζήσεις εἰρηνικὸν καὶ ἀναίμακτον, καὶ οἱ Χριστιανοὶ παύσωνταί ποτε κατ' ἀλλήλων ὅπλα κινοῦντες."

Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεύς, αἰδεσθεὶς δὲ ὁ Συμεὼν τὴν τούτου ταπείνωσιν ὑπέσχετο τὴν εἰρήνην ποιήσασθαι. καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι ἀλλήλους διεχωρίσθησαν, τοῦ βασιλέως δώροις μεγαλοπρεπέσι δεξιωσαμένου τὸν Συμεών. συμβέβηκε δέ τι τεράστιον τότε, ὡς ἄξιον εἶναι καὶ διηγήσασθαι. δύο φασὶν ἀετοὺς τῶν βασιλέων ὁμιλούντων ἄνω θεν αὐτῶν ὑπερπτῆναι, κλάγξαι τε καὶ ἀλλήλοις συμμῖξαι καὶ παραυτίκα διαζευχθῆναι, καὶ τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐλθεῖν, τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην ἀποπτῆναι. τοῦτο δὲ οἱ περὶ τὰς ὀρνιθοσκο πίας ἐπτοημένοι οὐκ αἴσιον ἔκριναν οἰωνόν· ἀσυμβάτους γὰρ δια λυθήσεσθαι ἐπὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ ἀμφοτέρους ἔφησαν. ὁ δὲ Συμεὼν ὑποστρέψας τοῖς οἰκείοις ἄρχουσι τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξηγεῖτο με τριότητα καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὰ χρήματα προετικόν τε καὶ ἐλευθέριον. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἑορτὴν τῶν Χριστουγέννων, ἰνδικτιῶνος βʹ, Ῥωμανὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς στέφει τοὺς δύο υἱοὺς