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has been said, when they had lifted up their heel and shaken off Roman authority, the emperor will go out against them and will go as far as Damascus. And having recovered some by persuasion and reason, others by war and force, and having set everything in proper order, he set out for the queen of cities. And being near Anazarbus, and passing through Podandos and the other regions, and seeing what was around him, seeing both lavish properties and lands fertile and most productive, he inquired of those present whose these might be. And when he learned from those he asked that they all belonged to the parakoimomenos Basil, this one and that one having been recently acquired for the Romans 2.415 by the emperor Nikephoros, this one by such-and-such domestic of the schools, and this one by so-and-so, and this one and that one from you, and have been gifted to Basil, and he saw that nothing worthy of mention was left of the things acquired for the public treasury, becoming deeply grieved and groaning from the depths he said, "It is terrible, O you who are present, if public funds are being spent and Roman armies are toiling and emperors are undertaking labors beyond the borders, while the things acquired by so many toils and labors become the property of a single eunuch." And the emperor said these things, but one of those present conveyed the emperor's words to Basil and provoked him to anger. And from then on he sought an opportunity to get rid of the emperor. Therefore, having once beguiled with flatteries and deceived with gifts the one accustomed to pour the wine for the emperor, and having mixed a poison, not one of the most potent that bring on danger quickly, but of those that slowly and little by little consume the strength of the one who has drunk it, he mixes it for the emperor. And having drunk it and being gradually sickened and losing his own strength, and finally his shoulders having developed carbuncles, with much blood flowing from his eyes, he entered the queen of cities and ended his life, having reigned for 6 years and some months besides, leaving as successors to the empire Basil and Constantine, the sons of Romanos. 2.416 So the end of John came about in the aforesaid manner, and the power of the empire was transferred to Basil and Constantine, the sons of Romanos, in the year #22υπδʹ, the 4th indiction, in the month of December; of these, Basil was completing his 20th year of age, and Constantine was three years younger than he. So only the appearance and name were put upon the emperors, but the management of affairs was conducted by the proedros Basil on account of the youth of the emperors' age and the tenderness and not yet firm state of their mind. As soon as the power passed to the sons of Romanos, he at the same time sent out couriers and brings their mother from exile to the palace. And fearing uprisings against the empire, and more than others Bardas Skleros the magistros, who was always lying in wait for the throne and 2.417 continually in the throes of rebellion (for he had also been caught plotting during the reign of the emperor John, and having been condemned to have his eyes gouged out, he was saved from the punishment by him), fearing this man most of all, who at that time had been entrusted with the entire Roman army and who could easily lead and redeploy it wherever he wished (for he had been appointed stratelates of all the East), he considered it advantageous and safe for the empire to cut off much of his power and to render him weaker against the suspected rebellion. And so he removes him from the command of stratelates, and appoints him doux of the regiments in Mesopotamia, ordering him to be vigilant in guarding against the raids of the Saracens. He contrived the very same thing for Michael Bourtzes, who was also under suspicion, being eager to separate him from the company of Skleros (for he too was with him, commanding some military regiment); whom he honored with the dignity of the magistroi, as doux of the one by the

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ρηται, ἀραμένων πτέρναν καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἀποσεισαμένων ἐξου σίαν, ἔξεισι κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἄπεισιν ἄχρι ∆αμασκοῦ. καὶ τὰς μὲν πειθοῖ καὶ λόγῳ τὰς δὲ πολέμῳ καὶ βίᾳ ἀνακτησά μενος, καὶ πάντα κατὰ τὸ πρέπον καταστησάμενος, ἀνέζευξε πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα. γενόμενος δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἀνάζαρβον, καὶ τὸν Πο δανδὸν καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς παροδεύων χώρας, καὶ βλέπων τὰ ἐν ποσί, κτήσεις τε ὁρῶν πολυτελεῖς καὶ χωρία εὐφυῆ τε καὶ πάμφορα, διεπυνθάνετο τοὺς παρευρημένους τίνος ἂν καὶ εἶεν αὗται. ὡς δ' ἐμάνθανε παρὰ τῶν ἐρωτωμένων ὅτι περ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου εἰσὶ Βασιλείου πᾶσαι, αὕτη μὲν καὶ αὕτη Ῥωμαίοις προσκτηθεῖ 2.415 σαι ἔναγχος παρὰ Νικηφόρου τοῦ βασιλέως, αὕτη δὲ παρὰ τοῦδε τοῦ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν, καὶ αὕτη παρὰ τοῦ δεῖνος, καὶ αὕτη καὶ αὕτη παρὰ σοῦ, καὶ τῷ Βασιλείῳ δεδώρηνται, οὐδὲν δὲ ὅτι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον εἶδεν ὑπολελειμμένον τῶν προσκτηθέντων τῷ δημοσίῳ, γενόμενος περιαλγὴς καὶ βύθιον στενάξας "δεινόν, ὦ παρόντες," ἔφη "εἰ τὰ δημόσια καταναλίσκονται χρήματα καὶ τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ ταλαιπωροῦνται στρατεύματα καὶ οἱ βασιλεῖς ὑπερο ρίους ἀναδέχονται κόπους, τὰ δὲ ἐκ τοσούτων προσκτώμενα μό χθων καὶ κόπων ἑνὸς εὐνούχου γίνονται κτῆμα." καὶ ὁ μὲν βα σιλεὺς ταῦτα, τῶν τις δὲ παρόντων τῷ Βασιλείῳ τὸν τοῦ βασι λέως λόγον διαπορθμεύσας ἀνηρέθισε πρὸς ὀργήν. καὶ ἔκτοτε εὐκαιρίαν ἐζήτει τὸν βασιλέα ἀποσκευάσασθαι. θωπείαις οὖν ὑπελθών ποτε καὶ δώροις ἐξαπατήσας τὸν ἐγχεῖν εἰωθότα τὸν οἶνον τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ δηλητήριον κερασάμενος οὐ τῶν δραστικωτάτων καὶ ταχὺν ἐπιφερόντων τὸν κίνδυνον, ἀλλὰ τῶν σχολαίως καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἀναλισκόντων τὴν τοῦ πεπωκότος δύναμιν, κεράννυσι τῷ βασιλεῖ. καὶ πιὼν καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον νοσηλευόμενος καὶ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως ἀποπίπτων, τελευταῖον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὤμους ἀνθρακιάσας, αἵματος πολλοῦ ῥυέντος αὐτῷ διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, εἰσελθὼν ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι κατέλυσε τὴν ζωήν, βασιλεύσας ἔτη ʹ τοσούτους τε μῆνας καὶ πρός, διαδόχους καταλιπὼν τῆς βασιλείας Βασίλειον καὶ Κωνσταντῖνον τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ. 2.416 Τὸ μὲν οὖν Ἰωάννου τέλος τὸν εἰρημένον συνηνέχθη τρόπον, τὸ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας κράτος εἰς Βασίλειον μετήχθη καὶ Κωνσταν τῖνον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ῥωμανοῦ, κατὰ τὸ #22υπδʹ ἔτος, ἰνδικτιῶνος δʹ, μηνὶ ∆εκεμβρίῳ· ὧν ὁ μὲν Βασίλειος τὸν κʹ ἤνυε τῆς ἡλικίας χρό νον, ἔτεσι δὲ τρισὶ τούτου νεώτερος ἦν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος. σχῆμα μὲν οὖν καὶ ὄνομα μόνον τοῖς βασιλεῦσι περιετέθειτο, ἡ δὲ μετα χείρησις τῶν πραγμάτων παρὰ τοῦ προέδρου ἐνηργεῖτο Βασιλείου διὰ τὸ νεάζον τῆς ἡλικίας τῶν βασιλέων καὶ ἁπαλὸν καὶ μήπω βεβηκὸς τοῦ φρονήματος. ὃς ἅμα τε περιῆλθεν εἰς τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Ῥωμανοῦ τὸ κράτος, καὶ ἅμα ταχυδρόμους ἐκπέμψας ἄγει τὴν αὐτῶν μητέρα ἀπὸ τῆς ὑπερορίας εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. δεδιὼς δὲ καὶ τὰς κατὰ τῆς βασιλείας ἐπαναστάσεις, καὶ μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων Βάρδαν μάγιστρον τὸν Σκληρόν, ἀεὶ τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἐφεδρεύοντα καὶ 2.417 διὰ παντὸς τὴν ἀποστασίαν ὠδίνοντα (ἑάλω γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου ἐπιβουλεύων, καὶ καταδικασθεὶς ἐξορυχθῆναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξερρύσθη παρ' αὐτοῦ τῆς ποινῆς), τοῦτον μά λιστα δεδοικὼς πᾶσαν τηνικαῦτα τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν δύναμιν ἐγκεχει ρισμένον καὶ ὅπῃ καὶ βούλοιτο ῥᾳδίως ἄγοντα καὶ μετακυβεύοντα (ἦν γὰρ στρατηλάτης προβεβλημένος πάσης ἀνατολῆς) συμφέρον εἶναι τῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ ἀσφαλὲς ἐνόμισε τὸ πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀκρωτηριάσαι καὶ ἀσθενέστερον αὐτὸν ἀποφήνασθαι πρὸς τὴν ὑποπτευομένην ἀποστασίαν. καὶ γοῦν καὶ παραλύει τοῦτον τῆς τοῦ στρατηλάτου ἀρχῆς, δοῦκα δὲ ἀποδείκνυσι τῶν ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ ταγμάτων, ἐπαγρυπνεῖν κελεύσας τὰς ἐκδρομὰς τῶν Σα ρακηνῶν φυλάττοντα. τὸ δ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς Μιχαὴλ τὸν Βούρτζην ὕποπτον ὄντα ἐμηχανήσατο, διαστῆσαι τοῦτον τῆς τοῦ Σκληροῦ ἑταιρείας σπουδάσας (συνῆν γὰρ καὶ οὗτος αὐτῷ τάγμα τός τινος κατάρχων στρατιωτικοῦ)· ὅνπερ τῷ τῶν μαγίστρων τι μήσας ἀξιώματι δοῦκα τῆς παρὰ τῷ