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when the plans were revealed by certain conspirators, Theophanes was exiled with his 2.328 collaborators, while those who supported Stephen were blinded, their property confiscated, their noses cut off, and they were exiled. And the Turks did not cease making incursions into the land of the Romans and ravaging it, until Bulcsú, their leader, pretending to embrace the Christian faith, reached Constantinople; and having been baptized with Emperor Constantine as his sponsor, he was honored with the rank of patrician and made master of much money, and then returned home again. Not long after, Gyula, who was also a ruler of the Turks, came to the imperial city and was baptized, he too being deemed worthy of the same benefactions and honors. He took with him a certain monk named Hierotheos, who had a reputation for piety and was ordained bishop of Turkey by Theophylact, who, upon arriving there, brought back many from barbaric error to Christianity. But Gyula remained in the faith, neither himself ever making an attack against the Romans, nor leaving captured Christians uncared for, but ransoming them, deeming them worthy of care, and setting them free. But Bulcsú, having broken his covenants with God, frequently marched out with his whole nation against the Romans. Intending to do the very same thing against the Franks, and having been captured, he was impaled by John, their king.

2.329 And the wife of the ruler of the Rus who had once sailed against the Romans, Olga by name, after her husband had died, came to Constantinople. And having been baptized and having shown a disposition of sincere faith, she was honored in a manner worthy of her disposition and returned home. But when the girl married to Romanos, the daughter of Hugh's child, died, as we said, a virgin, the emperor and father marries another wife to him, not one of the distinguished women, but one born of the common people and an innkeeper by trade, called Anastasia, but renamed Theophano by him. And when the emir of Tarsus made an expedition against the Romans, and in the village of Herakles had sent people for plunder, a certain priest named Themel, while celebrating the bloodless liturgy, when he learned of the Saracens' attack, leaving the sacred service and going out just as he was dressed, and taking in his hands the semantron of the church, with this he defended himself against the attackers, and he wounded many, killed a good number, and put the rest to flight. But being barred by the bishop from the sacred service, since he could not persuade him to be forgiven, he went over to the Hagarenes and renounced Christianity, and going out with them he ravaged not only Cappadocia and the themes near it, but indeed even reached as far as so-called Asia Minor. 2.330 As for the terrible things he did, it is not even right for us to write them. Now, as we have said, having already been appointed Domestic of the Schools, Bardas Phokas accomplished nothing at all worthy of mention; for whenever he was placed under others, he appeared a wonderful general, but when the authority over all the armies depended on his own judgment, he helped the Roman empire little or not at all. For, being sick with greed, he was out of his mind. Whence also on one occasion, having unexpectedly encountered the forces of Hamdan, when all, as they say, had abandoned him, he had nearly become a captive, if his retainers had not shielded him and rescued him from captivity. And he was wounded on the forehead with a noble and deep wound, so that until his death he carried a large scar. But Nikephoros and Leo, his sons, being above all shameful gain and treating their subjects as their own true sons, greatly benefited the Roman empire. And as for the accomplishments of Nikephoros, so that the continuity of the history may not be interrupted, in the sections concerning him

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ὑπό τινων συνωμοτῶν μηνυ θέντων τῶν βουλευμάτων ὁ μὲν Θεοφάνης ἐξωρίσθη σὺν τοῖς αὐ 2.328 τοῦ συνεργοῖς, οἱ δὲ τοῦ Στεφάνου ἀντιποιούμενοι τυφθέντες καὶ δημευθέντες καὶ τὰς ῥῖνας τμηθέντες ἐξωρίσθησαν. Οὐ διέλιπον δὲ καὶ οἱ Τοῦρκοι εἰσβολὰς εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ποιούμενοι καὶ ταύτην δῃοῦντες, μέχρις οὗ Βουλοσουδὴς ὁ τού των ἀρχηγὸς τὴν τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστιν ἀσπάζεσθαι ὑποκριθεὶς κατειλήφει τὴν Κωνσταντίνου· καὶ βαπτισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀναδέχεται Κωνσταντίνου, τῇ τῶν πατρικίων ἀξίᾳ τιμηθεὶς καὶ πλείστων χρημάτων ὑπάρξας κύριος, εἶτ' αὖθις οἴκαδε ὑποστρέ ψας. μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ καὶ Γυλᾶς, ἄρχων ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς τῶν Τούρκων, εἴσεισιν εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα καὶ βαπτίζεται, τῶν ἴσων ἀξιωθεὶς καὶ αὐτὸς εὐεργεσιῶν καὶ τιμῶν. ἀνελάβετο δὲ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καί τινα μοναχὸν Ἱερόθεον τοὔνομα, δόξαν εὐλαβείας ἔχοντα, ἐπίσκοπον Τουρκίας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοφυλάκτου χειροτονη θέντα, ὃς ἐκεῖσε γενόμενος πολλοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς βαρβαρικῆς πλάνης εἰς τὸν χριστιανισμὸν ἐπανήγαγεν. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Γυλᾶς ἐνέμεινε τῇ πίστει, μήτ' αὐτὸς ἔφοδόν ποτε κατὰ Ῥωμαίων πεποιηκώς, μήτε τοὺς ἁλισκομένους Χριστιανοὺς ἀτημελήτους ἐῶν, ἀλλ' ἐξωνού μενος καὶ ἐπιμελείας ἀξιῶν καὶ ἐλευθερῶν. Βουλοσουδὴς δὲ τὰς πρὸς θεὸν συνθήκας ἠθετηκὼς πολλάκις σὺν παντὶ τῷ ἔθνει κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐξήλασε. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ κατὰ Φράγγων ποιῆσαι διανοηθεὶς καὶ ἁλοὺς ἀνεσκολοπίσθη ὑπὸ Ἰωάννου τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν.

2.329 Καὶ ἡ τοῦ ποτὲ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκπλεύσαντος ἄρχοντος τῶν Ῥὼς γαμετή, Ἔλγα τοὔνομα, τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἀποθανόντος παρεγένετο ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει. καὶ βαπτισθεῖσα καὶ προαί ρεσιν εἰλικρινοῦς ἐνδειξαμένη πίστεως, ἀξίως τιμηθεῖσα τῆς προ αιρέσεως ἐπ' οἴκου ἀνέδραμε. Τῆς δὲ τῷ Ῥωμανῷ νυμφευθείσης κόρης τῆς Οὔγωνος παι δὸς ἀποθανούσης, ὡς εἴπομεν, παρθένου, νυμφεύεται αὐτῷ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πατὴρ ἑτέραν γυναῖκα, οὔ τινα τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, ἀλλ' ἐκ χυδαίων φυεῖσαν καὶ τὴν τέχνην καπήλων, Ἀναστασίαν καλου μένην, Θεοφανὼ δ' ὑπ' ἐκείνου μετονομασθεῖσαν. Τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ δὲ τῆς Ταρσοῦ ἐκστρατείαν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ποιη σαμένου, ἐν τῇ κώμῃ δὲ τῇ Ἡρακλέος λαὸν πεπομφότος εἰς προ νομήν, πρεσβύτερός τις Θέμελ ὀνομαζόμενος τὴν ἀναίμακτον ἐπι τελῶν λειτουργίαν, ὡς ἔγνω τὴν τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἔφοδον, λιπὼν τὴν ἱερουργίαν καὶ ὡς εἶχε στολῆς ἐξελθών, λαβόμενός τε ταῖς χερσὶ τοῦ σημαντῆρος τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἐν τούτῳ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἠμύνετο, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἐτραυμάτισεν, ἀπέκτεινε δὲ καὶ ἱκα νούς, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐτρέψατο εἰς φυγήν. ἀποκλεισθεὶς δὲ παρὰ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου τῆς ἱερουργίας, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἔπειθε συγχωρηθῆναι, τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς προσερρύη καὶ τὸν χριστιανισμὸν ἐξωμόσατο, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐξιὼν οὐ μόνον Καππαδοκίαν καὶ τὰ ἐγγίζοντα ταύτῃ ἐδῄου θέματα, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ μέχρι τῆς μικρᾶς λεγομένης Ἀσίας 2.330 ἔφθασεν. ὅσα δὲ δεινὰ διεπράξατο, οὐδὲ γράφειν ἡμῖν θε μιτόν. Ἤδη δέ, ὡς εἴπομεν, προχειρισθεὶς δομέστικος τῶν σχο λῶν Βάρδας ὁ Φωκᾶς οὐδὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον ἀπειργάσατο· ὁπότε μὲν γὰρ ὑφ' ἑτέρους ἐτάττετο, στρατηγὸς θαυμαστὸς ἀνε φαίνετο, ὁπηνίκα δὲ ἡ ἐξουσία τῶν στρατευμάτων ἁπάντων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γνώμης ἐξήρτητο, ὀλίγα ἢ οὐδὲν ὤνησε τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχήν. νοσήσας γὰρ τὴν πλεονεξίαν ἐξέστη τῶν ἑαυτοῦ λογισμῶν. ὅθεν καί ποτε τοῖς τοῦ Χαβδᾶν ἀπροσδοκήτως περιπεσών, πάντων, ὥς φασι, καταλελοιπότων αὐτόν, μικροῦ δεῖν αἰχμάλωτος ἐγεγόνει, εἰ μὴ συνασπίσαντες οἱ θεράποντες τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας αὐτὸν ἐλυ τρώσαντο. ἐτρώθη δὲ κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον γενναίῳ καὶ βαθεῖ τῷ τραύματι, ὡς καὶ μέχρι τελευτῆς ἁδρὰν τὴν οὐλὴν περιφέρειν. Νικηφόρος δὲ καὶ Λέων οἱ τούτου υἱεῖς, ἐφύπερθεν ὄντες παντὸς αἰσχροῦ λήμματος καὶ τοὺς ὑπηκόους ὡς γνησίους υἱοὺς περιέποντες, μεγάλα τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν ὠφέλησαν. καὶ τὰ μὲν τοῦ Νικηφόρου προτερήματα, ἵνα μὴ τὸ τῆς ἱστορίας συνεχὲς διακόπτηται, ἐν τοῖς περὶ ἐκείνου