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to carry out the dead, the emperor having taken much forethought as far as was possible for the winter and the famine through benefactions and all other kinds of assistance. And John, his brother, along with others who were very powerful in Bulgaria, plotted against Peter, the ruler of the Bulgarians. And having been detected, he himself was beaten and imprisoned, but all the rest were subjected to the ultimate penalties. And Peter made known to the emperor Romanos the things that had happened. Having learned this, he sent the monk John, the former raiktor, on the pretext of an exchange, but in truth to find John by various means and bring him to Constantinople. Which indeed happened; and the raiktor, having been able to steal John away, entering a ship from Mesembria, reached the imperial city with him. And not long after, casting off the monastic habit and having asked for a wife, he received one, and he also received a house and very many possessions. And Michael, the other brother of Peter, desiring to seize Bulgarian power, having seized a strong fortress, stirred up the affairs of the Bulgarians, and many flocked to him. But after a little while, when he died, those who had flocked to him, fearing the indignation of Peter, 2.313 invaded the Roman lands through Macedonia and Strymon and Hellas, seizing Nicopolis, plundering everything in their path and finally resting there; who were later variously warred down and became subject to the Romans. During these times a stone fell from the arch in the forum, which they are accustomed to call the kosmites, and it killed sixty men. And there was also a terrible fire very near the Most Holy Theotokos of the Forum, and the portico was burned as far as the so-called Psicha. And Christopher the emperor also died, in the month of August, the 14th indiction, and was buried in the monastery of his father. When the specified time which Tryphon the patriarch had set was completed, he was not willing to step down from the throne as he had promised, but sought judgments and accusations to be brought against him, for which he might be expelled from the church. And while the emperor was at a loss over this and did not know what to do, Theophanes of Caesarea, whom they indeed also called Choirinos, a chatterbox of a man, seeing the emperor distressed and not bearing the mockery and deceit, promised him to bring the desired matter to a conclusion. And when the emperor accepted the promise, he went about the patriarch with deceit, and approaching him said, "Great, O master, is the empire's attack against you, and it seeks accusations able to drag you from the throne, but though toiling much, it finds none; for how could an accusation touch the 2.314 blameless? But the proponents of your deposition bring forward one accusation, claiming that you do not know letters at all. If, therefore, we could turn this aside, those who plot against you will certainly appear as a wolf gaping in vain. If therefore you will be persuaded by me, in the presence of the whole synod, having written on a blank sheet of paper your name and the dignity of your priesthood, send it to the emperor, so that he may be fully informed and, having fallen from such a hope, may refrain from plotting against you." The advice seemed beneficial. Therefore, a synod was immediately gathered, and when it was gathered the patriarch said to it, "Those wishing to bring me down from the throne unjustly, O divine fellow-ministers, having set many schemes in motion so as to find a reasonable accusation and through it to ostracize me, have found none. So they attach this final accusation to me: they say I am illiterate. Now therefore in the sight of all of you I will inscribe these letters, so that the sycophants, having seen and been fully informed, may refrain from unjustly troubling me." He spoke, and having taken a blank sheet of paper, in the sight of all he signed thus: "Tryphon, by the mercy of God, archbishop of Constantinople, new Rome, and ecumenical patriarch." And having written this, he sent it through the protothronos to the emperor. Taking this into his hands, and having woven another blank sheet of paper above it,

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τοὺς τεθνεῶτας ἐκκομίζειν, τοῦ βασιλέως πολλὴν πρόνοιαν ποιησαμένου κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν καὶ τοῦ χειμῶνος καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ δι' εὐποιιῶν καὶ ἄλλων βοηθημάτων παντοδαπῶν. Πέτρῳ δὲ τῷ Βουλγάρων ἄρχοντι ἐπέθετο Ἰωάννης ὁ ἀδελ φὸς αὐτοῦ μεθ' ἑτέρων τῶν μέγα δυναμένων ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ. καὶ φωραθεὶς αὐτὸς μὲν τύπτεται καὶ καθείργνυται, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες ταῖς ἐσχάταις ὑπεβλήθησαν τιμωρίαις. δῆλα δὲ ἔθετο καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμανῷ Πέτρος τὰ γεγενημένα. ἅπερ μαθὼν οὗτος τὸν μοναχὸν Ἰωάννην τόν ποτε ῥαίκτωρα πέπομφε, προφάσει μὲν ἀλλαγίου, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ Ἰωάννην ποικιλοτρόπως εὑρεῖν καὶ εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἀγαγεῖν. ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε· καὶ δυνηθεὶς ὁ ῥαίκτωρ ἀποκλέψαι τὸν Ἰωάννην, ἐν πλοίῳ ἀπὸ Μεσημβρίας εἰσ ελθών, ἅμα αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλίδα κατέλαβε. καὶ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὸ μοναχικὸν ἀπορρίψας σχῆμα καὶ γυναῖκα αἰτήσας ἔλαβε, προσ έλαβε δὲ καὶ οἶκον καὶ κτήματα πάμπολλα. καὶ Μιχαὴλ δὲ ὁ τοῦ Πέτρου ἕτερος ἀδελφός, τὴν Βουλγαρικὴν ἱμειρόμενος κατασχεῖν ἐξουσίαν, φρούριον καταλαβὼν ἐρυμνὸν ἀνέσειε τὰ Βουλγάρων, καὶ πολλοὶ προσερρύησαν αὐτῷ. μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ τούτου ἀποθα νόντος δεδιότες οἱ προσρυέντες τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου ἀγανάκτησιν, 2.313 ἐπῆλθον ταῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς χώραις διὰ Μακεδονίας καὶ Στρυμόνος καὶ Ἑλλάδος, καταλαβόντες τὴν Νικόπολιν, πάντα τὰ ἐν ποσὶ ληϊσάμενοι καὶ τέλος ἐν αὐτῇ σαββατίσαντες· οἵτινες ὕστερον διαφόρως καταπολεμηθέντες ὑποχείριοι Ῥωμαίων ἐγένοντο. κατὰ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους ἔπεσε λίθος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν τῷ φόρῳ ἁψῖδος, ὃν κοσμίτην καλεῖν εἰώθασι, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν ἄνδρας ἑξήκοντα. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς φοβερὸς ἔγγιστα τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτό κου τοῦ φόρου, καὶ ἐπυρπολήθη ὁ ἔμβολος ἄχρι τῶν λεγομένων Ψιχῶν. ἐτελεύτησε δὲ καὶ Χριστοφόρος ὁ βασιλεύς, μηνὶ Αὐ γούστῳ, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιδʹ, καὶ ἐτάφη ἐν τῇ μονῇ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. Τοῦ ῥητοῦ δὲ χρόνου τελεσθέντος ὃν ἔθετο Τρύφων ὁ πα τριάρχης, οὐκ ἤθελε κατελθεῖν τοῦ θρόνου ὡς ὑπέσχετο, ἀλλὰ κρίσεις ἐζήτει καὶ αἰτιάματα κατ' αὐτοῦ προβληθῆναι δι' ἃ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐκβάλλεται. ἀμηχανοῦντος δ' ἐπὶ τούτῳ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ μὴ ἔχοντος ὅ τι καὶ χρήσαιτο, ὁ Καισαρείας Θεοφάνης, ὃν δὴ καὶ Χοιρινὸν ἐκάλουν, κωτίλος ἀνήρ, ἀλύοντα βλέπων τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὸν ἐμπαιγμὸν καὶ τὴν ἀπάτην μὴ φέροντα, ὑπέσχετο αὐτῷ εἰς τέλος ἄξαι τὸ σπουδαζόμενον. ἀποδεξαμένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, ἀπάτῃ περιέρχεται τὸν πατριάρχην, καὶ προσελθὼν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτὸν "πολλὴ μὲν ὦ δέσποτα ἡ κατὰ σοῦ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπίθεσις, καὶ αἰτιάσεις ζητεῖ δυναμένας σε κατασπάσαι τοῦ θρόνου, πολλὰ δὲ μοχθῶν οὐχ εὑρίσκει· πῶς γὰρ ἂν τοῦ 2.314 ἀναιτίου αἰτίασις ἅψαιτο; ἓν δὲ προφέρουσιν αἴτιον οἱ σπουδα σταὶ τῆς σῆς καθαιρέσεως, φάσκοντες μὴ ὅλως εἰδέναι σε γράμ ματα. εἰ οὖν τοῦτο ἀποτρέψασθαι δυνηθείημεν, λύκος πάντως χανὼν φανήσονται οἱ κατὰ σοῦ μελετῶντες. εἴ τι οὖν μοι πείθῃ, ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ πάσης τῆς συνόδου γράψας ἐν ἀγράφῳ χαρτίῳ τὸ σὸν ὄνομα καὶ τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίωμα πέμψον τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἂν πληροφορηθῇ καὶ τῆς τοιαύτης ἐλπίδος ἐκπεσὼν ἀπόσχηται τοῦ κατὰ σοῦ μελετᾶν." ἔδοξε λυσιτελὴς ἡ παραίνεσις. εὐθὺς οὖν συνηθροί ζετο σύνοδος, καὶ συναθροισθείσης φησὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν ὁ πατριάρχης "οἱ τοῦ θρόνου με καταγαγεῖν βουλόμενοι ἀδίκως, ὦ θεῖοι συλ λειτουργοί, πολλὰς μηχανὰς κεκινηκότες ὥστε εὔλογον αἰτίαν εὑ ρεῖν καὶ δι' αὐτῆς με ἐξοστρακίσαι, οὐχ εὗρον. τελευταίαν οὖν μοι προσάπτουσιν αἰτίαν ταύτην· φασί με ἀγράμματον εἶναι. νῦν οὖν ἐπ' ὄψει πάντων ὑμῶν τάδε χαράσσω τὰ γράμματα, ἵν' ἰδόν τες καὶ πληροφορηθέντες οἱ συκοφάνται ἀπόσχωνται τοῦ ἀδίκως μοι ἐνοχλεῖν." εἶπε, καὶ χάρτην ἄγραφον εἰληφὼς ἐπ' ὄψει πάντων ὑπέγραψεν οὕτως "Τρύφων ἐλέῳ θεοῦ ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, νέας Ῥώμης, καὶ οἰκουμενικὸς πατριάρχης." καὶ γράψας ἐκπέμπει διὰ τοῦ πρωτοθρόνου τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὅπερ λαβὼν ἐπὶ χεῖρας οὗτος, καὶ ἄγραφον ἕτερον χάρτην ἄνωθεν προσανυφάνας,