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of exhortation either to vote for or to appoint a bishop. And when a bishop died, sending an imperial official, he ordered him to make a measured inventory of his estate, and the surplus was taken up. And he issued certain other 2.369 decrees, exceeding every form of necessity, which to recount in detail requires a magniloquent mind and tongue. And he was eager to enact a law that soldiers who die in wars be deemed worthy of the honors of martyrs, placing the salvation of the soul in war alone and in nothing else. And he pressed the patriarch and the bishops to agree to the dogma; but some of them, resisting nobly, prevented him from his purpose, putting forward the canon of Basil the Great, which says that those who have killed an enemy in any war are to be excommunicated for a period of three years. He also debased the coinage, having devised the so-called tetarteron. Since the coinage from that time on was twofold, the collection of public taxes demanded the heavier coin, while in expenditures the lesser one was disbursed. And while it was law and custom for the stamp of any emperor to have equal value, unless it was deficient in weight, he legislated that his own be preferred, devaluing those of the others. For which reason he oppressed the populace not a little in the so-called exchanges. And what was worst, because of such a reason the commonwealth being hard-pressed, purchased goods experienced no cheapness. But the building of the palace wall annoyed the people more than the other things, although they were exceedingly grievous. For having destroyed many works around the palace, which had been wrought 2.370 for beauty and size, he made an acropolis and a tyrant's fortress against the wretched citizens, having constructed within it storerooms and granaries, and ovens and furnaces, and having filled them with provisions. For it had been prophesied to him that he would die within the palace, but he was ignorant, as it seems, that "unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." For when the wall of the palace was being constructed, one night someone sailing by on the sea cried out, "O emperor, you raise the walls high, even if you reach the heavens, the evil is within, the city is easily captured." And though much sought after, the one who said this was not found. For when the wall was finished, it happened that he also died on that very day, at the moment when the one entrusted with the care of it brought and handed the keys to him. And another thing was added to what has been said, which further stirred up the hatred against him. When a brawl occurred during the very festival of holy Pascha between sailors and Armenians, a great slaughter of people occurred, and the magister Sisinnios and the eparch nearly died. And a rumor spread from this that Nikephoros, being angry with the citizens as being perhaps the cause of the disorder, intended on the day of the horse-races to round up the populace and punish them. And indeed, a short time later, when horse-races were being held, Nikephoros, wishing to show the citizens what a battle clash is like, and perhaps also to frighten them, ordered certain men 2.371, having taken up drawn swords, to play as if in the guise of enemies, perhaps for the entertainment of the spectators. And when this was done, the spectators, not understanding the intention of those they were watching, and suspecting that the prevailing rumor was now coming to pass, rushed to the exits, which were steep and treacherous, and being trampled by one another, they died. And they all would have perished, being trampled by one another, if the emperor had not been seen sitting on the throne fearless and unmoved; seeing him not stirred, and understanding that what had happened occurred against his will, the populace stopped their flight.

And when Nikephoros made a public procession at Pege on the feast of the Ascension of Christ our God, and was returning, the relatives of those who had perished in the hippodrome receiving him in the bakers' market hurled insults

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προτροπῆς ἐπίσκοπον ἢ ψηφίζεσθαι ἢ προχειρίζεσθαι. ἐπισκόπου τε τεθνη κότος βασιλικὸν ἐκπέμπων ἄνθρωπον ἐσταθμημένην ποιεῖν τὴν ἔξοδον προσέταττε, καὶ τὰ περιττὰ ἀνελαμβάνετο. καὶ ἄλλα 2.369 τινὰ διατάγματα διετίθει πᾶσαν ἰδέαν ἀνάγκης ὑπερεκπίπτοντα, ἃ κατὰ μέρος διεξιέναι μεγαληγόρου δεῖται καὶ φρενὸς καὶ γλώτ της. ἐσπούδασε δὲ καὶ νόμον θεῖναι τοὺς ἐν πολέμοις ἀποθνήσκοντας στρατιώτας μαρτυρικῶν ἀξιοῦσθαι γερῶν, ἐν μόνῳ τῷ πολέμῳ τιθέμενος καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἄλλῳ τινὶ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν. κατήπειγε δὲ καὶ τὸν πατριάρχην καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπους συνθέσθαι τῷ δόγματι· ἀλλά τινες τούτων γενναίως ἀντιστάντες ἀπεῖρξαν αὐτὸν τοῦ σκοποῦ, προθέντες εἰς μέσον τὸν τοῦ μεγάλου Βασι λείου κανόνα, ἐπὶ τριετίαν ἀκοινωνήτους εἶναι λέγοντα τοὺς πολέ μιον ἔν τινι πολέμῳ ἀνῃρηκότας. ἠλάττωσε δὲ καὶ τὸ νόμισμα, τὸ λεγόμενον τεταρτηρὸν ἐπινοήσας. διπλοῦ δὲ τοῦ νομίσματος ἔκτοτε γεγονότος, ἡ μὲν εἴσπραξις τῶν δημοσίων φόρων τὸ βαρύ τερον ἀπῄτει, ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἐξόδοις τὸ μικρὸν ἐσκορπίζετο. νόμου δὲ καὶ ἔθους ὄντων παντὸς χαρακτῆρα βασιλέως, εἰ μὴ τῷ σταθμῷ ἐλαττοῖτο, δύναμιν ἔχειν ἰσότιμον, ὁ δὲ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ προκεκρίσθαι ἐνομοθέτησεν, ὑποβιβάσας τοὺς τῶν ἄλλων. ἐξ ἧς αἰτίας οὐ μικρῶς ἔθλιψε τὸ ὑπήκοον ἐν τοῖς λεγομένοις ἀλλα γίοις. καὶ τὸ δὴ χείριστον, ἐκ τῆς τοιαύτης αἰτίας τοῦ πολι τεύματος πιεζομένου οὐδεμίαν εὐθηνίαν ἐδέξαντο τὰ ὠνούμενα. πλέον δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἠνίασε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καίπερ λίαν ὄντων χαλεπωτάτων, ἡ τοῦ τείχους κτίσις τῶν παλατίων. πολλὰ γὰρ ἔργα κύκλῳ ὄντα τοῦ παλατίου, εἰς κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος ἐξειρ 2.370 γασμένα, καταστρεψάμενος ἀκρόπολιν καὶ τυραννεῖον κατὰ τῶν ἀθλίων πολιτῶν ἀπειργάσατο, ἀποθήκας καὶ σιτοβολῶνας ἔνδο θεν καὶ ἰπνοὺς καὶ κλιβάνους ἐργασάμενος καὶ πληρώσας εἰδῶν. προτεθέσπιστο γὰρ αὐτῷ ἔνδοθεν τοῦ παλατίου ἀποθανεῖν, ἠγνόει δ', ὡς ἔοικεν, ὡς εἰ μὴ κύριος φυλάξει πόλιν, εἰς μάτην ἠγρύ πνησεν ὁ φυλάσσων. ὅτε γὰρ τὸ τεῖχος τοῦ παλατίου κατεσκευάζετο, μιᾷ τῶν νυκτῶν ἀνὰ τὴν θάλασσαν ὑποπλέων τις ἐξεβόησεν "ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὑψοῖς τὰ τείχη, κἂν μέχρι πόλου φθάσῃς, ἔνδον τὸ κακόν, εὐάλωτος ἡ πόλις." πολλὰ δὲ ἀναζητηθεὶς ὁ τοῦτο εἰπὼν οὐχ εὑρέθη. τοῦ τείχους γὰρ τελειωθέντος, τότε συνέβη καὶ αὐ τὸν κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἡμέραν ἀποθανεῖν, ὁπηνίκα τὰς κλεῖς ὁ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ἐπιτετραμμένος φέρων αὐτῷ ἐνεχείρισε. Προσεγένετο δὲ τοῖς εἰρημένοις καὶ ἕτερον, ὅπερ ἐπὶ πλέον ἐξῆρε τὸ κατ' αὐτοῦ μῖσος. συμβολῆς γενομένης κατ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἑορτὴν τοῦ ἁγίου πάσχα μέσον πλωΐμων καὶ Ἀρμενίων πολὺς ἀν θρώπων ἐγένετο φθόρος, μικροῦ δ' ἂν ἀπεβίω καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Σισίνιος καὶ ἔπαρχος. διεδέδοτο δὲ φήμη ἐκ τούτου ὡς χαλεπαί νων τοῖς πολίταις ὁ Νικηφόρος, ὡς αἰτίοις τάχα τῆς ἀταξίας, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἱπποδρομίας μέλλει σαγηνεύσας τὸν δῆμον τιμωρήσασθαι. καὶ δὴ μετὰ μικρὸν ἱπποδρομίας τελουμένης βουλόμενος ὁ Νικη φόρος ἐνδείξασθαι τοῖς πολίταις καὶ τὴν τοῦ πολέμου συμβολὴν ὁποία ἐστί, τάχα δ' ἴσως καὶ ἐκφοβῆσαι, ξίφη γυμνὰ λαβόντας 2.371 τινὰς προσέταξεν ὡς ἐν προσχήματι πολεμίων παῖξαι, εἰς ἑστίασιν τάχα τῶν θεατῶν. τούτου δὲ γενομένου, τὸν νοῦν τῶν βλεπο μένων ἀγνοήσαντες οἱ θεωροί, καὶ τὴν κρατοῦσαν φήμην τέλος ἤδη λαμβάνειν ὑποτοπάσαντες, δρομαῖοι ἐπὶ τὰς ἐξόδους ἐχώρουν κρημνώδεις οὔσας καὶ σφαλεράς, καὶ ὑπ' ἀλλήλων συμπατούμενοι ἀπέθνησκον. καὶ ἀπώλοντο ἂν ἅπαντες ὑπ' ἀλλήλων καταπα τούμενοι, εἰ μὴ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡράθη ἐπὶ τοῦ θώκου καθήμενος ἀδεής τε καὶ ἄτρεπτος· ὃν ἰδὼν ὁ δῆμος μὴ παρακινηθέντα, καὶ κατανοήσαντες ὡς ἄκοντος αὐτοῦ γέγονε τὸ γενόμενον, ἔστησαν τῆς φυγῆς.

Πρόοδον δὲ δημοσίαν ποιήσαντα τὸν Νικηφόρον ἐν τῇ Πηγῇ κατὰ τὴν ἑορτὴν τῆς ἀναλήψεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὑποστρέφοντα οἱ συγγενεῖς τῶν ἐν τῷ ἱπποδρόμῳ ἀπολωλότων δεξάμενοι ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀρτοπρατῶν ἀγορᾷ ὕβρεις ἠφίεσαν