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by Nikephoros, and having allowed this man to go home, he regretted it, and he considered it a terrible thing that, having the prey within his nets, he had foolishly let it go unnoticed. He was worried, therefore, how and by what device he might be freed from this concern. And it seemed most expedient to him to write to John Tzimiskes the *magistros*, a man who was high-spirited and active and, after Phokas, the most distinguished among the generals of the Romans, being at that time general of the eastern troops, and also to send letters to Romanos Kourkouas the *magistros*, himself a very famous and distinguished commander of the east, and with promises of distinctions and gifts and honors to stir these men up for the deposition of Phokas. The letters were written, and the meaning of what was written was this. If, rising up, they should depose Phokas and tonsure him as a monk or remove him in some other way, John would receive the very great office of the Domestic of the Schools of the East, 2.348 and Romanos that of the Domestic of the West. When the letters, therefore, were brought to the aforementioned men, since they were on friendly terms with Phokas, they immediately read the letters to him, and they urged Phokas to rise up to arms and to devise something noble and bold. But as he hesitated and held back, they threatened to dispatch him with their own hands. And so, shrinking from the danger of death, he accepted the challenge. And on the second of the month of July, of the same 9th indiction, with all the armies in the East incited by Tzimiskes, he is proclaimed emperor of the Romans. And one story is told thus, but another, which seems truer, is that for a long time he was in travail with the desire for the empire, and the love for it did not inflame him so much as that for the empress Theophano, having met her when he was in the capital, and having often sent his most intimate servant Michael to her. For Bringas, having detected this, was suspicious toward him. When, therefore, his proclamation was rumored in Constantinople, and with affairs being in a state of confusion, Joseph, who was charged with the care of everything, was distressed and greatly perplexed as to what he should do, because he was not even well-disposed to the citizens on account of his inaccessibility.

When Nikephoros Phokas came down to Chrysopolis with the entire 2.349 army amidst acclamations, Bringas decided to put forward a certain emperor, thinking by this to slacken the impetus of the army's charge. Meanwhile, when the proclamation of Phokas had occurred, as we said, Bardas his father (for he happened to be staying in the capital) entered the great church as a suppliant, and Leo his brother, although he was being guarded closely, escaped secretly and was united with his own kinsman. When this happened, Bringas lost heart and fell into complete helplessness and fear. For he was also unfit in difficult times to flatter a crowd and win over a multitude; for though it was necessary to soothe the impulse of the multitude with affable and coaxing words, he instead exasperated and enraged them. For with everyone running together in the great church, he, trying to frighten the multitude, let fly arrogant and harsh words, saying, "I will put a stop to your rashness and shamelessness; for I will make those who buy grain for a *nomisma* carry it away in their lap." A whole day had not yet passed since he said this (for it was Sunday, the ninth of the month of August), and in the evening of that same day Basil the *parakoimomenos* of the emperor Constantine, who was hostile and a great enemy to Joseph, combined his own 2.350 servants with his friends and kinsmen and sent them throughout many parts of the city to the houses of those who were opposing him. And from the first hour of the second day until the sixth they destroyed and

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ὑπὸ τοῦ Νικη φόρου, καὶ τοῦτον ἐάσας οἴκαδε ἀπελθεῖν, μετεμέλετο, καὶ ἐν δεινῷ ἐποιεῖτο ὅτιπερ ἐντὸς ἀρκύων ἔχων τὸ θήραμα ἔλαθε τοῦτο φρενοβλαβῶς προηκάμενος. ἐμερίμνα γοῦν πῶς καὶ ποίᾳ μηχανῇ τῆς ἀπὸ τούτων ἀπολυθείη φροντίδος. καὶ ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ λυσιτε λέστατον εἶναι πρὸς Ἰωάννην μάγιστρον γράψαι τὸν Τζιμισκῆν, ἄνδρα θυμοειδῆ καὶ δραστήριον ὄντα καὶ μετὰ τὸν Φωκᾶν ἐν τοῖς Ῥωμαίων ἐπισημότατον στρατηγοῖς, στρατηγὸν τηνικαῦτα τῶν ἀνατολικῶν ὑπάρχοντα, ἔτι δὲ πρὸς τὸν μάγιστρον Ῥωμανὸν τὸν Κουρκούαν, φανερώτατον καὶ ἐπίσημον καὶ αὐτὸν στρατηλάτην ὄντα τῆς ἀνατολῆς, γράμματα πέμψαι, καὶ φιλοτιμιῶν ὑποσχέ σεσι καὶ δωρεῶν καὶ τιμῶν διεγεῖραι τούτους πρὸς καθαίρεσιν τοῦ Φωκᾶ. ἐγένοντο τὰ γράμματα, καὶ ὁ νοῦς τῶν γεγραμμένων ὑπῆρχεν οὗτος. εἰ διαναστάντες καθαιρήσουσι τὸν Φωκᾶν καὶ μοναχὸν ἀποκείρουσιν ἢ τρόπον ἄλλον ἐκ μέσου ποιήσουσι, τὴν μὲν τοῦ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς μεγίστην ἀρχὴν 2.348 λήψεται ὁ Ἰωάννης, τὴν δὲ τοῦ δομεστίκου τῆς δύσεως ὁ Ῥωμανός. κομισθέντων οὖν τῶν γραμμάτων τοῖς δηλωθεῖσιν ἀν δράσιν, ἐπείπερ σχετικῶς ἐκεῖνοι εἶχον πρὸς τὸν Φωκᾶν, ὑπανα γινώσκουσί τε αὐτῷ εὐθέως τὰ γράμματα, καὶ διαναστῆναι πρὸς ἀλκὴν τὸν Φωκᾶν καὶ γενναῖόν τι καὶ νεανικὸν ἐννοήσασθαι παρε κάλουν. ὀκνοῦντα δὲ καὶ ἀναδυόμενον καὶ αὐτοχείρως ἠπείλουν διαχειρίσασθαι. διὸ καὶ πρὸς τὸν τοῦ θανάτου ἀποδειλιάσας κίνδυνον τὴν πρόκλησιν ὑπεδέξατο. καὶ δευτέρᾳ τοῦ Ἰουλίου μηνός, τῆς αὐτῆς ʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ ἑῴᾳ στρατευμάτων ἁπάντων παρακεκινημένων ὑπὸ τοῦ Τζιμισκῆ Ῥωμαίων ἀναγο ρεύεται βασιλεύς. Καὶ εἷς μὲν λόγος φέρεται οὕτως, ἕτερος δέ, ὁ καὶ δοκῶν ἀληθέστερος, ὡς πολὺν ὤδινε χρόνον τὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ οὐ τοσοῦτον αὐτὸν ὁ ταύτης ἔρως ἐξέφλεγεν ὅσον ὁ τῆς βασι λίδος Θεοφανοῦς, ἐντυχόντα τε αὐτῇ ὅτε τῇ βασιλευούσῃ διῆγε, καὶ πολλάκις πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐκπέμψαντα τὸν οἰκειότατον ὑπηρέτην αὐτοῦ Μιχαήλ. τοῦτο γὰρ καταφωράσας ὁ Βρίγγας ὑπόπτως διέκειτο πρὸς αὐτόν. Τῆς τοίνυν ἀναρρήσεως αὐτοῦ φημισθείσης ἐν Κωνσταν τινουπόλει, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐν ταραχῇ καθεστώτων, ὁ τὴν φροντίδα τῶν ὅλων ἀνεζωσμένος Ἰωσὴφ ἠγωνία καὶ διηπορεῖτο σφοδρῶς ὅ τι καὶ δράσειεν, ὅτι μηδὲ τοῖς πολίταις εὔνους ἦν διὰ τὸ δυσέντευκτον.

Κατελθόντος δὲ ἐν Χρυσουπόλει μετὰ παντὸς 2.349 τοῦ στρατοῦ Νικηφόρου τοῦ Φωκᾶ μετ' εὐφημιῶν, ἐβουλεύσατο ὁ Βρίγγας βασιλέα τινὰ προβαλέσθαι, διὰ τούτου οἰόμενος τὸν τόνον ἐκλῦσαι τῆς ὁρμῆς τοῦ στρατοῦ. τέως δὲ τῆς ἀναρρήσεως, ὡς εἴπομεν, τοῦ Φωκᾶ γενομένης Βάρδας μὲν ὁ τούτου πατὴρ (ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐνδημῶν τῇ βασιλίδι) ἱκέτης εἰσέρχεται πρὸς τὴν με γάλην ἐκκλησίαν, Λέων δὲ ὁ ἐκείνου ἀδελφός, καίπερ φυλαττό μενος ἀκριβῶς, λαθὼν ἀπέδρα καὶ τῷ οἰκείῳ ἡνώθη ὁμαίμονι. οὗ γενομένου παρείθη τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀμηχανίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ κατέστη ὁ Βρίγγας. ἦν γὰρ καὶ ἀνεπιτήδειος ἐν καιροῖς δυσκό λοις ὄχλον κολακεῦσαι καὶ καταδημαγωγῆσαι πλῆθος· δέον γὰρ προσηνέσι λόγοις καὶ θωπευτικοῖς τὴν τοῦ πλήθους καταμαλάξαι ὁρμήν, ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον ἐξετράχυνε καὶ ἠγρίωσε. πάντων γὰρ ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ συντρεχόντων ἐκκλησίᾳ, αὐτὸς τὸ πλῆθος ἐκδειματῶν λόγους ἐπαφῆκεν ὑπερηφάνους τε καὶ τραχεῖς, "ἐγὼ" φήσας "καταπαύσω ὑμῶν τὴν ἰταμότητα καὶ ἀναισχυντίαν· ποιήσω γὰρ τὸν τοῦ νομίσματος ὠνουμένους σῖτον ἀποφέρεσθαι ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ." Οὔπω παρῆλθεν ὁλόκληρος ἡμέρᾳ ἀφ' οὗ τοῦτο εἴρηκε (κυριακὴ γὰρ ἦν, ἐννάτην ἄγοντος τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνός), καὶ τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας Βασίλειος ὁ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βα σιλέως παρακοιμώμενος, δυσμενὴς καὶ ἔχθιστος ὢν τῷ Ἰωσήφ, τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ φίλοις καὶ συγγενέσι τοὺς οἰκείους συμμίξας θεράπον 2.350 τας κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τῆς πόλεως πέπομφεν εἰς τοὺς οἴκους τῶν ἀντιπραττόντων αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀπὸ πρώτης ὥρας τῆς δευτέρας ἡμέ ρας μέχρις ἕκτης κατέστρεψαν καὶ