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and tried to be enrolled among the soldiers, he said to him, "You, man, being an old man, how are you eager to be enrolled among my soldiers?" But he, replying aptly, said, "I am much stronger now than when I was in my prime." And when he asked, "And how?" he said, "Because previously I used to load one nomisma's worth of grain on two mules, but during your reign I carry two nomismata's worth of grain lightly on my shoulders." Understanding the irony, therefore, he withdrew, not at all disturbed. But the Saracens, after the cities in Syria and Cilicia were captured, burned alive the high priest of Jerusalem, John, on the grounds that by his counsels Nicephorus was perhaps about to come against them, and they also set fire to the most beautiful church of the Lord's tomb. The Antiochenes also did this very thing, 2.375 killing their own high priest, Christopher. And the brothers Gregory and Pancratius came over to the emperor, having ceded to him their own land of Taron; whom he honored as patricians and kindly bestowed upon them properties with great revenues. There was also an eclipse of the sun on the 22nd of the month of December, around the third hour, such that even stars appeared. But the empress Theophano, turning away from her union with Nicephorus, having sent for one of Tzimisces' men, summoned him while he was at leisure in his own house; for the emperor had previously, because of some suspicion, relieved him of the office of domestic and ordered him to stay in his own house and not go out. The adulteress also managed to get letters permitting him to receive his return. And the one sent from there took him and arrived at Chalcedon.

And when the emperor was reminded whether he should enter the capital, and he allowed him to wait a little, she, on the night of the 11th of the month of December, of the 13th indiction, in the year #22υοηʹ, having sent for him, brought him by night to the man-made harbor below the palace, and drew him up in a basket with all those around him; and they were the patrician Michael Bourtzes and Leo Balantes the taxiarch and, of Tzimisces' most faithful men, Atzypotheodoros and two others. Who, having gone up and entered the emperor's bedchamber with swords, 2.376 when they did not find him in his usual bed, suspecting they had been discovered, almost threw themselves down, had they not found some little man from the women's quarters by whom they were guided. And they found him lying on the ground and having for bedding a scarlet-dyed felt and a bear's skin, which he had received from Michael Maleinos the monk, his uncle. As he had just turned to sleep, and was in no way aware of the arrival of those about to murder him, Tzimisces kicked him with his foot and woke him. And when he awoke and rested the elbow of his right hand on the ground and lifted up his head, Leo Abalantios delivered a mighty blow with his bare sword against his uncovered head (for his head covering had fallen off as he was getting up), and split his skull down the middle. Then, raising him from his bedding, they brought him to Tzimisces, who was sitting on the imperial bed, and after much drunken abuse and reproach and slander against him, who said nothing else but "Lord have mercy" and "Theotokos, help," finally, since they were discovered by the chamberlains of the palace and a crowd of defenders was gathering against them, they slaughtered him, and cutting off his head, they showed it through a window to those running to help. And so the one side was subdued, and to those around Tzimisces the opportunity was given to do everything fearlessly and with impunity. 2.377 It is said that ten days before his death the emperor found a written note, thrown into his bedchamber, and warning him to protect himself as he was being plotted against by Tzimisces. and they say that some cleric, on the evening of the murder, had given

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καὶ ἐπειρᾶτο συν αριθμηθῆναι τοῖς στρατιώταις, φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν "σὺ δέ, ὦ ἄν θρωπε, γέρων ὢν πῶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπείγῃ συναριθμη θῆναι;" ὁ δ' εὐστόχως ὑπολαβὼν "πολὺ δυνατώτερός εἰμι νῦν" ἔφη "ἢ ὅτε ἤκμαζον." αὐτοῦ δὲ "καὶ πῶς;" ἐρομένου "ὅτι περ" ἔφη "τὸν τοῦ νομίσματος σῖτον πρότερον δυσὶν ἡμιόνοις ἐπιφορ τίζων, ἐπὶ τῆς σῆς βασιλείας δύο νομισμάτων σῖτον ἀβαρῶς ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων φέρω." συνεὶς οὖν τὴν εἰρωνείαν ἀνεχώρησε, μηδὲν ταραχθείς. Οἱ δὲ Σαρακηνοὶ μετὰ τὸ ἁλῶναι τὰς ἐν Συρίᾳ καὶ Κιλικίᾳ πόλεις τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων Ἰωάννην ζῶντα κατέκαυσαν ὡς ταῖς ὑποθήκαις αὐτοῦ τάχα μέλλοντος τοῦ Νικηφόρου ἀφίξε σθαι πρὸς αὐτούς, ἐνέπρησαν δὲ καὶ τὸν περικαλλῆ ναὸν τοῦ κυριακοῦ τάφου. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο πεποιήκασι καὶ οἱ Ἀντιοχεῖς, 2.375 Χριστοφόρον τὸν αὐτῶν ἀνελόντες ἀρχιερέα. προσερρύησαν δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ Γρηγόριος καὶ Παγκράτιος οἱ αὐτάδελφοι, τῆς ἑαυτῶν παραχωρήσαντες αὐτῷ χώρας τοῦ Ταρών· οὓς πατρικίους τιμήσας καὶ κτήμασιν ἐφιλοφρονήσατο πολυπροσόδοις. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἡλίου ἔκλειψις τῇ κβʹ τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνός, περὶ τρίτην ὥραν, ὡς καὶ ἄστρα φανῆναι. Ἡ δὲ βασιλὶς Θεοφανὼ ἀποστρεφομένη τὴν συνουσίαν τοῦ Νικηφόρου, τινὰ τῶν τοῦ Τζιμισκῆ μεταπεμψαμένη εἰσκαλεῖται τοῦτον ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ οἴκῳ σχολάζοντα· ἔφθη γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς διά τινα ὑποψίαν παραλύσας τοῦτον τῆς τοῦ δομεστίκου ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ οἴκῳ ἀπρόϊτον εἶναι κελεύσας. διεπράξατο δὲ ἡ μοιχαλὶς καὶ γράμματα τοῦτον δέξασθαι τὴν κάθοδον ἐπιτρέποντα. καὶ ὁ πεμφθεὶς ἐκεῖθεν αὐτὸν ἀναλαβόμενος εἰς Χαλκηδόνα ἀφίκετο.

Καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπομνησθέντος εἰ δεῖ τοῦτον εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι, κἀκείνου προσμένειν μικρὸν ἐπιτρέψαντος, ἐκείνη νυ κτὸς ιαʹ τοῦ ∆εκεμβρίου μηνός, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιγʹ, ἔτους #22υοηʹ, ἀποστείλασα ἄγει τοῦτον πρὸς τὸν κάτωθεν τοῦ παλατίου χειρο ποίητον λιμένα νυκτός, καὶ κοφίνῳ ἀνιμήσατο μετὰ πάντων τῶν περὶ αὐτόν· ἦσαν δὲ ὁ πατρίκιος Μιχαὴλ ὁ Βούρτζης καὶ Λέων ταξιάρχης ὁ Βαλάντιος καὶ τῶν τοῦ Τζιμισκῆ πιστικωτάτων ὁ Ἀτζηποθεόδωρος καὶ ἕτεροι δύο. οἵτινες ἀνελθόντες καὶ ξιφή 2.376 ρεις εἰς τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως εἰσελθόντες κοιτῶνα, ἐπεὶ μὴ εὗρον αὐ τὸν ἐν τῇ συνήθει κλίνῃ, φωραθῆναι ὑπονοήσαντες μικροῦ δεῖν ἑαυτοὺς κατεκρήμνισαν, εἰ μή που ἀνδράριόν τι τῶν ἐκ τῆς γυναι κωνίτιδος εὑρηκότες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὁδηγοῦνται. καὶ καταλαμβάνουσιν αὐτὸν ἐπ' ἐδάφους κείμενον καὶ στρωμνὴν ἔχοντα πῖλον κοκκοβαφῆ καὶ ἄρκτου δέρμα, ὅπερ λαβὼν ἦν παρὰ Μιχαὴλ μοναχοῦ τοῦ Μαλεΐνου, τοῦ θείου αὐτοῦ. τοῦτον ἄρτι πρὸς ὕπνον τραπέντα, καὶ μηδαμῶς ἐπαισθόμενον τῆς ἀφίξεως τῶν μελλόντων αὐτὸν ἀναιρεῖν, ὁ Τζιμισκῆς τῷ ποδὶ νύξας ἐξύπνισεν. ἐξυπνισθέντα δὲ καὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς χειρὸς τὸν ἀγκῶνα τῇ γῇ προσερείσαντα καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀνακουφίσαντα, ἐπιφέρει γυμνῷ τῷ ξίφει κατὰ τῆς κορυ φῆς ἀσκεποῦς οὔσης (ἐπεπτώκει γὰρ ἐγειρομένου τὸ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ κάλυμμα) Λέων ὁ Ἀβαλάντιος γενναίαν πληγήν, καὶ διε λαύνει μέσον τὸ κρανίον. εἶτα τῆς στρωμνῆς αὐτὸν ἀναστήσαντες ἄγουσι πρὸς τὸν Τζιμισκῆν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς καθίσαντα κλίνης, καὶ πολλὰ παροινήσαντες καὶ κατονειδίσαντες καὶ δυσφημήσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν μηδὲν ἄλλο λέγοντα ἀλλ' ἢ "κύριε ἐλέησον" καὶ "θεο τόκε βοήθει," τελευταῖον ἐπεί περ κατεφωράθησαν παρὰ τῶν προκοίτων τοῦ παλατίου καὶ συνίστατο ἐπ' αὐτοὺς πλῆθος ἀμυνο μένων, ἀποσφάττουσι τοῦτον, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντες διά τινος θυρίδος τοῖς εἰς βοήθειαν συντρέχουσι δεικνύουσι. καὶ οἱ μὲν οὕτω κατεστορέθησαν, τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Τζιμισκῆν καιρὸς ἐδόθη ἀδεῶς καὶ μετ' ἀδείας πάντα ποιεῖν. 2.377 Λέγεται δὲ ὅτι πρὸ δέκα ἡμερῶν τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ ἔγγρα φον εὗρεν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐρριμμένον ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι αὐτοῦ καὶ μηνῦον ἀσφαλίσασθαι ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἐπιβουλευόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ Τζιμισκῆ. καί τινα δὲ κληρικόν φασι κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν τῆς ἀναιρέσεως δεδωκέναι