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ruling, but he was commanded to go to the east with the entire army. For Chabdan, recovering from his previous defeat, began to rally again, and having gathered a formidable army was expected to attack the rulers and affairs of the Romans. But Phocas, arriving in Syria, routed him in a pitched battle, defeated him decisively and drove him into the interior of Syria, sacked the city of Beroea, except for the acropolis, and took much wealth, booty and captives, also freeing the Christians held as prisoners there and sending them home. On the 15th of the month of March, of the 2nd indiction, in the year #22υοαʹ, 2.345 the emperor Romanos died, being 24 years of age, having reigned for 13 years, 4 months and 5 days, according to some, having prematurely wasted his own flesh by the most shameful and pleasure-loving practices, but as another account has it, having been killed by poison. His sons Basil and Constantine succeeded to his reign, with their mother Theophano, a daughter also having been born to him two days before his death, whom they named Anna. Romanos was tall in stature, although he was shorter than his father, having a gentle and mild character and a moderate spirit. Although he was young, he was sagacious and sharp and most capable of managing political affairs, if indeed it had been permitted by his servants. But his closest associates, having given him over to the impulses of youth, in order that they, by administering public affairs, might treasure up unspeakable wealth, rendered him ineffective and unsuitable. In the month of April, of the same 2nd indiction, Nikephoros Phokas entered Constantinople at the command of the empress, with Joseph, as before, trying to prevent him; and from the spoils from Crete and from Beroea he celebrated a triumph in the Hippodrome, bringing also a part of the garment of John the Baptist, which he found deposited in Beroea. Bringas feared him and held him in suspicion; but the latter, dissembling deceitfully, was able to deceive him in the following way. Taking 2.346 one of his shield-bearers, Phokas went away to the house of Joseph around the time of the midday meal, and knocking on the door, he commanded the doorkeeper to announce who he was. When he announced him, being invited, he went in, and taking Joseph aside in private, he showed him a hair-shirt which he was wearing under his clothes, and with oaths he assured him that, embracing the monastic way of life, he would have long ago put on the habit and removed himself from worldly cares, if the affection of the emperors Constantine and Romanos had not restrained him, and that he was about to fulfill his own purpose very soon; and he implored him not to be suspected in vain. Seeing this, Joseph immediately fell at his feet, begging for forgiveness, and assuring him that he would never believe anyone speaking against him. Bringas also suspected the emperor Stephen, who was until then counted among the living and happened to be in exile in Methymna, and he constantly took care that he should be under a stricter guard. But he, on the feast of Holy Saturday, after partaking of the divine mysteries, suddenly died at once, with no preceding cause, but with Theophano, although she was settled far away, having brought it about. And Peter the king of the Bulgars, perhaps renewing the peace after his wife died, made a treaty with the emperors, giving as hostages his own two sons 2.347 Boris and Romanos; and a little later he passed away. But his sons were sent to Bulgaria after this in order to take up their paternal kingdom, and to prevent the Cometopuli from advancing further. For David and Moses and Aaron and Samuel, being sons of one of the comites who had been very powerful in Bulgaria, were looking to rebellion and were stirring up the affairs of the Bulgars. And these things happened thus. But Bringas, having been deceived in the way we have said

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σιλεύουσαν, ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ ἐκελεύσθη παραγενέσθαι μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ. ἀναλαμβάνων γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τῆς προτέρας ἥττης ὁ Χαβδᾶν ἀναφέρειν ἤρξατο πάλιν, καὶ στρατὸν ἀξιόμαχον ἠθροικὼς προσδόκιμος ἦν ἐπιθήσεσθαι τοῖς Ῥωμαίων ἄρχουσί τε καὶ πράγμασιν. ἀλλ' ἐν Συρίᾳ γενόμενος ὁ Φωκᾶς, καὶ σταδαίᾳ μάχῃ τοῦτον τρεψάμενος καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἡττήσας καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐνδότερα τῆς Συρίας ἀπελάσας, τὴν πόλιν Βέρροιαν ἐξεπόρθησε δίχα τῆς ἀκροπόλεως, καὶ πολὺν πλοῦτον λείαν καὶ αἰχμαλώτους ἔλαβεν, ἐλευθερώσας καὶ τοὺς ἐκεῖσε δεσμίους κατεχομένους Χρι στιανοὺς καὶ ἐπ' οἴκου ἐκπέμψας. ιεʹ δὲ Μαρτίου μηνός, τῆς ʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἐν ἔτει #22υοαʹ, 2.345 ἐτελεύτησε Ῥωμανὸς ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐτῶν ὑπάρχων κδʹ, βασιλεύσας ἔτη ιγʹ μῆνας δʹ καὶ ἡμέρας εʹ, ὡς μέν τινες, τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σαρκίον προκαταναλώσας ταῖς αἰσχίσταις καὶ φιληδόνοις πράξεσιν, ὡς δ' ἕτερος ἔχει λόγος, φαρμάκοις ἀναιρεθείς. διαδέχονται δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν Βασίλειος καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος οἱ παῖδες αὐτοῦ σὺν Θεοφανοῖ τῇ μητρί, τεχθείσης αὐτῷ καὶ θυγατρὸς πρὸ δύο ἡμε ρῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ τελευτῆς, ἣν Ἄνναν ὠνόμασαν. ἦν δὲ ὁ Ῥωμανὸς μέγας τὴν ἡλικίαν, εἰ καὶ ἐλάττων ἦν τοῦ πατρός, τὸ ἦθος ἥμερον ἔχων καὶ πρᾶον καὶ τὸ φρόνημα μέτριον. καίπερ δὲ νέος ὤν, ἀγχίνους ἦν καὶ ὀξὺς καὶ τὰ πολιτικὰ κυβερνᾶν ἱκανώτατος, εἴπερ ἄρα συνεχωρεῖτο παρὰ τῶν θεραπόντων. ἀλλὰ τοῦτον οἱ οἰκειό τατοι ταῖς τῆς νεότητος ἐκδεδωκότες ὁρμαῖς, ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι τὰ κοινὰ μετιόντες πλοῦτον ἄφατον ἀποθησαυρίσωσιν, ἀνενέργητον καὶ ἀνεπιτήδειον ἀπεφήναντο. Ἀπριλλίῳ δὲ μηνί, τῆς αὐτῆς ʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, εἴσεισιν ὁ Φωκᾶς Νικηφόρος τῇ τῆς δεσποίνης κελεύσει, τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ καθάπερ καὶ πάλαι κωλύοντος, ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει· καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς Κρήτης λαφύρων καὶ τῆς Βερροίας ἐθριάμβευσεν ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρόμῳ, κομίσας καὶ μέρος τι τοῦ ἱματίου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ Ἰωάννου, ὅπερ εὗρεν ἐν τῇ Βερροίᾳ ἐναποκείμενον. τοῦτον δὲ ἐδεδίει καὶ δι' ὑποψίας εἶχεν ὁ Βρίγγας· ἀλλ' ὑπούλως οὗτος ὑποκρινάμενος ἐξαπατῆσαι τοῦτον ἴσχυσε τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. ἕνα 2.346 τινὰ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν εἰληφὼς ὁ Φωκᾶς περὶ ὥραν ἀρίστου εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἄπεισι τοῦ Ἰωσήφ, καὶ κόψας τὴν θύραν ὅστις εἴη μηνύειν ἐκέλευσε τῷ θυρωρῷ. μηνύσαντος δὲ κελευσθεὶς ἐπείσ εισι, καὶ κατ' ἰδίαν παραλαβὼν τὸν Ἰωσὴφ δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ τρί χινον ἔνδυμα, ὅπερ ἔνδοθεν τῶν ἱματίων ἠμφίεστο, καὶ μεθ' ὅρκων ἐπληροφόρησεν ὡς τὴν τῶν μοναχῶν ἀσπαζόμενος πολιτείαν πάλαι ἂν περιεβάλετο τὸ σχῆμα καὶ τῶν βιωτικῶν ὑπεξήγαγεν ἑαυτὸν φροντίδων, εἰ μὴ ἐπέσχεν αὐτὸν ἡ τῶν βασιλέων προσπά θεια Κωνσταντίνου καὶ Ῥωμανοῦ, καὶ μέλλειν ὅσον οὔπω τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐκπληρῶσαι σκοπόν· καὶ μὴ μάτην ὑποπτεύεσθαι καθικέ τευσε. τοῦτο θεασάμενος ὁ Ἰωσὴφ πίπτει εὐθέως πρὸς τοὺς πό δας αὐτοῦ, μετάνοιαν ἐκζητῶν, καὶ ὡς οὐ πιστεύσει τινὶ πληρο φορῶν λέγοντί ποτε κατ' αὐτοῦ. ὑφεωρᾶτο δὲ ὁ Βρίγγας καὶ Στέφανον τὸν βασιλέα, τοῖς ζῶσι μέχρι τότε συναριθμούμενον καὶ ἐξόριστον ἐν Μηθύμνῃ τυγχάνοντα, καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἐφρόντιζεν ὑπὸ ἀκριβεστέραν αὐτὸν εἶναι φυλακήν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ μεγάλου σαββάτου τῶν θείων μετεσχηκὼς μυστηρίων αἰφνιδίως εὐθὺς τέθνηκε, μηδεμιᾶς προηγησαμένης αἰτίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς Θεοφανοῦς, εἰ καὶ πόρρωθεν κατῴκιστο, κατεργασαμένης αὐτόν. Πέτρος δὲ ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων βασιλεὺς τὴν εἰρήνην τάχα ἀνανεούμενος ἀποθανούσης τῆς αὐτοῦ γυναικός, σπονδὰς πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἔθετο, ὁμήρους δοὺς καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους δύο υἱοὺς 2.347 Βορίσην καὶ Ῥωμανόν· καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν ἀπεβίω. οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ αὐ τοῦ ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ ἐπέμφθησαν μετὰ ταῦτα ἐφ' ᾧ τῆς πατρῴας ἀντισχέσθαι βασιλείας, καὶ τοὺς κομητοπούλους ἀπείρξουσι τῆς πρόσω φορᾶς. ∆αβὶδ γὰρ καὶ Μωϋσῆς καὶ Ἀαρὼν καὶ Σαμουήλ, ἑνὸς ὄντες παῖδες τῶν μέγα δυνηθέντων ἐν Βουλγαρίᾳ κομήτων, πρὸς ἀποστασίαν ἀπεῖδον καὶ τὰ Βουλγάρων ἀνέσειον. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν συνηνέχθη ὧδε. Ὁ δὲ Βρίγγας ὃν εἴπομεν τρόπον ἀπατηθεὶς