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to frighten those plundering and overrunning the coasts of the Roman land and to check their unrestrained impulse, having gathered as large an army as possible and having prepared a not ignoble fleet, he sends it out against the island, having appointed as general over all Constantine the patrician, Gongyles, an effeminate man, raised in the shade, inexperienced in war, and one of the palace chamberlains; who, having crossed over to the island and having accomplished nothing worthy of a general, neither having pitched a secure camp, nor having posted lookouts and spies and through them guarded against the barbarian raids, falls into the greatest danger. For the islanders, having perceived the inexperience and negligence of the general, seeking a suitable opportunity, suddenly attack the army, and they easily rout it, so that many of the Romans were divided between captivity and the sword, and they also captured the camp itself, with the Romans fleeing most shamefully. And Gongyles himself would nearly have been captured, had not his attendants, forming a shield-wall, rescued him from captivity and, putting him on the flagship, saved him. But Romanos, the son of the emperor Constantine, having now 2.337 reached a more mature age, and not bearing to see affairs managed by his father, decided to get rid of him with poison, with the knowledge also of his wife, the innkeeper's daughter. For when Constantine was about to take a purgative drink, they secretly mixed poison in it for him, and they persuaded Niketas, the one in charge of the table, to pour this for the emperor. But when he was about to take it, as it lay before the holy icons, whether by some chance or intentionally slipping, he spilled most of it. And the remainder, having been drunk by Constantine, appeared inert and ineffective, having lost its proper power on account of its small quantity. Nevertheless, even so Constantine was scarcely able to survive, as the poison attacked his side and afflicted him badly. In the 15th year of his reign, in the month of September of the 3rd indiction, in the cosmic year 6468, the emperor Constantine went out to Mount Olympos, on the pretext of being fortified by the prayers of the fathers there and of campaigning with them against the Saracens in Syria, but in truth to unite with Theodore, the presiding bishop of Cyzicus, who was then spending his time there, and to deliberate with him concerning the deposition of Polyeuktos. Having arrived there, whether through bodily ailment or again being poisoned by his son, he departed in pain, and bedridden at the end of October he reached the capital city, and on the 9th of the month of November he died, leaving his plans unaccomplished, having lived the entire time of his life 2.338 54 years and 2 months, having co-reigned with his father and Alexander his uncle and his mother for 13 years, and again with the usurper Romanos for 20 years, and after the latter's fall from the throne, having reigned alone for 15 years. When he died he was buried with his own father, angry with Polyeuktos until his last breath and imagining his deposition. But some days before his death, for a considerable time, as evening fell, stones sent from above and falling within his apartments with a great rushing sound made extraordinary noises. Thinking that these were being thrown from the upper rooms of the Magnaura, he appointed guards for many nights, to see if he might catch anyone daring to do this. But he labored in vain without realizing it; for what was happening was not accomplished by men but by a higher power. After Constantine had passed away and crossed over to the state beyond, his son Romanos becomes master of the empire. And appointing rulers loyal and pleasing to him, and strengthening his reign as much as possible, during the festival of Easter of the same 3rd indiction he also crowns his son emperor, by the hands of Polyeuktos the patriarch, in the great

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παράλια τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς γῆς δῃοῦντας καὶ κατατρέχοντας ἐκφοβῆσαι καὶ τῆς ἀσχέτου ἀνακόψαι ὁρμῆς, στρατὸν ὅτι πλεῖστον συλλέξας καὶ στόλον εὐτρεπίσας οὐκ ἀγεννῆ ἐκπέμπει κατὰ τῆς νήσου, στρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσας τοῖς πᾶσι Κων σταντῖνον πατρίκιον τὸν Γογγύλην, θηλυδρίαν ἄνθρωπον καὶ σκια τραφῆ καὶ ἀπειροπόλεμον καὶ ἕνα τῶν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ θαλαμηπό λων· ὃς εἰς τὴν νῆσον περαιωθεὶς καὶ μηδὲν ἄξιον διαπραξάμενος στρατηγοῦ, μήτε στρατοπεδείαν πηξάμενος ἀσφαλῆ, μήτε σκο ποὺς ἐπιστήσας καὶ κατοπτῆρας καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τὰς βαρβαρικὰς φυλαξάμενος ἐφόδους, κινδύνῳ μεγίστῳ περιπίπτει. οἱ γὰρ νη σιῶται τὴν ἀπειρίαν καὶ τὴν ἀμέλειαν κατανενοηκότες τοῦ στρατη γοῦ, καιρὸν ἐπιζητήσαντες ἐπιτήδειον ἐξαίφνης ἐπιτίθενται τῷ στρατεύματι, καὶ τρέπονται μὲν τοῦτο ῥᾳδίως, ὡς πολλοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων αἰχμαλωσίᾳ καὶ σιδήρῳ διαμερισθῆναι, κατέσχον δὲ καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον αὐτό, τῶν Ῥωμαίων αἰσχίστως ἀποφυγόντων. μικροῦ δ' ἂν ἑάλω καὶ ὁ Γογγύλιος, εἰ μὴ συνασπίσαντες οἱ θε ράποντες ἐξερρύσαντο αὐτὸν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας καὶ εἰς τὴν ναυαρ χίδα ἐμβιβάσαντες διεσώσαντο. Ῥωμανὸς δὲ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως Κωνσταντίνου υἱὸς τελεωτέρας 2.337 ἤδη ἁψάμενος ἡλικίας, καὶ μὴ φέρων ὁρᾶν τὰ πράγματα ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ διοικούμενα, φαρμάκῳ τοῦτον ἐκποδὼν ποιήσασθαι ἐβουλεύσατο, εἰδήσει καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ γαμετῆς τῆς καπηλίδος. μέλλοντος γὰρ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου καθαρτήριον πόμα λαβεῖν, λα θόντες οὗτοι δηλητήριον τούτῳ ἐκέρασαν, καὶ Νικήταν τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης παρέπεισαν ἐγχέαι τοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ. μέλλων δὲ ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸ λαβεῖν κείμενον ἔμπροσθεν τῶν σεπτῶν εἰκόνων, εἴτε τύχῃ τινὶ εἴτε καὶ ἑκουσίως ὀλισθήσας τὸ πλέον ἐξέχεε. τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ποθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἀργὸν ἐφάνη καὶ ἄπρακτον, διὰ τὴν ὀλιγότητα τὴν οἰκείαν ἀποβαλὸν ἐνέργειαν. πλὴν καὶ οὕτως ὁ Κων σταντῖνος μόλις περιγενέσθαι ἴσχυσεν, ἐπισκήψαντος δὴ τοῦ δη λητηρίου ἐν τῇ πλευρᾷ αὐτοῦ καὶ κακῶς διαθεμένου αὐτόν. ιεʹ δὲ χρόνῳ τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, κατὰ τὸν Σεπτέμβριον μῆνα τῆς γʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἐν ἔτει κοσμικῷ #22υξηʹ, ἔξεισι Κωνσταν τῖνος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ τοῦ Ὀλύμπου ὄρει, τῷ μὲν δοκεῖν ταῖς τῶν ἐκεῖσε πατέρων εὐχαῖς θωρακισθῆναι καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν κατὰ Σαρακηνῶν ἐν Συρίᾳ ἐκστρατεῦσαι, ἀληθεῖ δὲ λόγῳ ἑνωθῆναι Θεοδώρῳ τῷ τῆς Κυζίκου προεδρεύοντι, ἐκεῖσε τότε τὰς διατρι βὰς ποιουμένῳ, καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς καθαιρέσεως τοῦ Πολυ εύκτου βουλεύσασθαι. ἐκεῖσε γοῦν γενόμενος, εἴτε σωματικῇ πλημμελείᾳ εἴτε πάλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ παιδὸς φαρμαχθείς, ὀδυνώμενος ἀνεχώρησε, κλινοπετής τε κατὰ τὸ τέλος τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου τὴν βα σιλίδα κατέλαβε, καὶ τῇ θʹ τοῦ Νοεμβρίου μηνὸς τελευτᾷ, ἄπρα κτα τὰ βεβουλευμένα λιπών, ζήσας ἅπαντα τὸν τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ 2.338 χρόνον ἔτη νδʹ καὶ μῆνας βʹ, συμβασιλεύσας μὲν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ θείῳ καὶ τῇ αὐτοῦ μητρὶ ἔτη ιγʹ, αὖθις δὲ τῷ Ῥωμανῷ τυραννήσαντι ἔτη κʹ, καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τῆς βασιλείας ἔκπτωσιν μονοκρατήσας ἔτη ιεʹ. θάπτεται δὲ θανὼν σὺν τῷ οἰκείῳ πατρί, μέχρι τελευταίας ἀναπνοῆς ἐγκοτῶν τῷ Πολυεύκτῳ καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ καθαίρεσιν φανταζόμενος. πρὸ δέ τινων ἡμερῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς, ἐπί τινα χρόνον συχνόν, ἑσπέρας καταλαμβανούσης λίθοι ἄνωθεν ἐκπεμπόμενδι καὶ ἐντὸς τῶν αὐτοῦ διαιτημάτων σὺν πολλῷ ῥοίζῳ πίπτοντες ἐξαισίους ἀπετέλουν κτύπους. δόξας δ' ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς Μαγναύρας ὑπερῴων τούτους φέρεσθαι φύλακας ἐπὶ πολλαῖς νυξὶν ἀφώρισεν, εἴ πού τινα λάβῃ τῶν τοῦτο τολμών των. ἀλλ' ἔλαθε μάτην πονῶν· ἦν γὰρ τὸ γινόμενον οὐκ ἐξ ἀν θρώπων ἀλλ' ἐξ ὑπερτέρας τελούμενον δυνάμεως. Μεταστάντος δὲ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν διαβάντος κατάστασιν, Ῥωμανὸς ὁ τούτου υἱὸς ἐγκρατὴς γίνεται τῆς ἀρχῆς. καὶ ἄρχοντας προβαλλόμενος εὐνοϊκοὺς αὐτῷ καὶ θυμήρεις, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ὡς ἐνῆν κρατυνόμενος, κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ πάσχα τῆς αὐτῆς γʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος στέφει καὶ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ βασιλέα, διὰ τῶν χειρῶν Πολυεύκτου τοῦ πατριάρχου, ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ