457

refusing, and with Constantine delaying, Scleros himself was compelled to go to Chosroes with all his companions. When the rout of Scleros and his withdrawal to Babylon was announced to the emperor through letters from Phocas, the emperor received this man and honored him worthily, but to Chosroes, the amermoumnes of Babylon, he sent out as ambassador the bestes Nikephoros Ouranos, imploring him to deem the apostate worthy of no consideration, nor to wish to set a bad example for posterity, by neglecting a wronged emperor, being a king himself, and siding with an unjust usurper and apostate. He also entrusted him with sealed imperial letters, through which he offered complete amnesty for their crimes to Scleros and those with him, if, learning what was proper, they would acknowledge their own 2.434 master and return to their homes. But when Ouranos arrived safely at Chosroes' court and the imperial letters were revealed, Chosroes, suspecting the ambassador and Scleros and all the Romans with him, handed them over to a guard. And the guard held these men, but of the rebels who had not gone up with Scleros, Leo the Captive and the sons of doux Andronikos Lydos, Christophoros Epeiktes and Bardas Mongos (for their father had already died), having seized Armakourion and Plateia Petra and certain other strong forts located in the theme of the Thrakesians, held out until the eighth indiction, and making raids from these, they troubled the emperor's lands; and they did not stop plundering the countryside until they had received an amnesty for their crimes through Nikephoros Parsakoutenos the patrikios and went over to the emperor. Then indeed Antony the patriarch, having renounced the priesthood during the rebellion of Scleros, died; and Nicholas, with the surname Chrysoberges, was ordained patriarch, the church having remained without a shepherd for four and a half years. And there was also an eclipse of the sun around the middle of the day, so that stars appeared. But when the Bulgarians rebelled at the death of the emperor John, four brothers were chosen to rule them, David, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, being the sons of one of the counts who had been very powerful among the Bulgarians, and 2.435 for this reason they were called Cometopuli. For of those related by birth to Peter, the others were cut off by death, but Boris and Romanos, his sons, having been brought into the City, as has been said before, remained in it, the one honored as magistros by the emperor John, and Romanos having had his private parts cut off by the former parakoimomenos Joseph. And when it happened that emperor John died, they escaped from there, and hastened to reach Bulgaria. And Boris, struck by an arrow while passing through a certain thicket by a certain Bulgarian who thought he was a Roman (for he was wearing Roman dress), was killed, but Romanos was saved, and later returned again to the imperial city, as will be said in its proper place. Of these four brothers, David died immediately, killed between Kastoria and Prespa and the so-called Fair Oaks by some Vlach wayfarers, and Moses, while besieging Serres, was struck by a stone from the wall and died; and Aaron, who, as it is said, was sympathetic to the Romans or was usurping the rule for himself, his brother Samuel killed with his whole family, on the 14th of the month of July, in the locality of Rametanitza, with only Vladislav, also called John, his son, being saved by Radomir, also called Romanos, the son of Samuel. And Samuel was established as sole ruler of all Bulgaria.

This man, being a warlike person and never knowing how to rest, having found an opportunity while the Roman armies were occupied with the battles against Scleros 2.436

457

ἀπαναινομένου, καὶ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου χρονοτρι βοῦντος, ἠναγκάσθη καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Σκληρὸς μετὰ τῶν συνόντων ἁπάντων πρὸς Χοσρόην φοιτῆσαι. Τῆς δὲ τοῦ Σκληροῦ τροπῆς ἀγγελθείσης τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ γραμμάτων τοῦ Φωκᾶ, καὶ τῆς εἰς Βαβυλῶνα ἀναχωρήσεως, τοῦτον μὲν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀποδεξάμενος ἀξίως ἐτίμησε, πρὸς δὲ Χοσρόην τὸν τῆς Βαβυλῶνος ἀμερμουμνῆν πρεσβευτὴν ἐκπέμπει τὸν Βέστην Νικηφόρον τὸν Οὐρανόν, ἱκετεύων μηδεμιᾶς ἐπιστρο φῆς ἀξιῶσαι τὸν ἀποστάτην, μηδὲ θελῆσαι παράδειγμα γενέσθαι τοῖς ὀψιγόνοις φαῦλον, ἀμελήσας μὲν βασιλέως ἀδικουμένου βα σιλεὺς καὶ αὐτὸς ὤν, προσθέμενος δὲ τυράννῳ ἀδίκῳ καὶ ἀπο στάτῃ. ἐνεχείρισε δὲ καὶ γράμματα βασιλικὰ ἐνσεσημασμένα, δι' ὧν συμπαθείας ἁπάσης κακῶν ἠξίου τὸν Σκληρὸν καὶ τοὺς συνόν τας αὐτῷ, εἰ μεταμαθόντες τὸ δέον τόν τε ἑαυτῶν ἐπιγνῶσι δε 2.434 σπότην καὶ πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα ὑπονοστήσουσι. διασωθέντος δὲ πρὸς Χοσρόην τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν φωραθέντων γραμμά των, ὁ Χοσρόης καὶ τὸν πρεσβευτὴν καὶ τὸν Σκληρὸν καὶ πάντας τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίους ὑπονοήσας φρουρᾷ παραδίδωσι. καὶ τούτους μὲν εἶχεν ἡ φρουρά, τῶν δὲ μὴ συνανελθόντων ἀποστα τῶν τῷ Σκληρῷ Λέων μὲν ὁ αἰχμάλωτος καὶ οἱ τοῦ δοῦκα Ἀνδρο νίκου τοῦ Λυδοῦ παῖδες Χριστοφόρος ὁ Ἐπείκτης καὶ Βάρδας ὁ Μογγὸς (ἔφθη γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ἀποθανεῖν) τὸ Ἀρμακούριον καὶ τὴν Πλατεῖαν πέτραν καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ φρούρια ἐρυμνὰ ἐν τῷ θέματι κείμενα τῶν Θρᾳκησίων κατεσχηκότες ἀντεῖχον ἕως ὀγδόης ἰνδι κτιῶνος, καὶ ἐπεκδρομὰς ἐκ τούτων ποιούμενοι τὰ βασιλέως ἐλύ πουν· καὶ οὐ πρὶν ἐπαύσαντο τὰς χώρας λεηλατοῦντες, πρὶν ἂν ἀμνηστίαν εἰληφότες κακῶν διὰ Νικηφόρου πατρικίου τοῦ Παρσακουτηνοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσεχώρησαν. Τότε δὴ καὶ Ἀντώνιος ὁ πατριάρχης, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Σκλη ροῦ ἀποταξάμενος ἀποστασίαν τῇ ἱερατείᾳ, ἀπεβίω· καὶ χειροτο νεῖται πατριάρχης Νικόλαος ὁ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν Χρυσοβέργιος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποιμάντου διατελεσάσης ἐπὶ ἔτη τέσσαρα πρὸς τῷ ἡμί σει. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἔκλειψις ἡλίου περὶ μέσην ἡμέραν, ὡς καὶ ἀστέρας φανῆναι. τῶν δὲ Βουλγάρων ἅμα τῇ τελευτῇ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου ἀποστατησάντων, ἄρχειν αὐτῶν προχειρίζονται τέσσαρες ἀδελφοί, ∆αβὶδ Μωϋσῆς Ἀαρὼν καὶ Σαμουήλ, ἑνὸς τῶν παρὰ Βουλγάροις μέγα δυνηθέντων κόμητος ὄντες παῖδες καὶ 2.435 διὰ τοῦτο κομητόπουλοι κατονομαζόμενοι. τῶν γὰρ κατὰ γένος προσηκόντων τῷ Πέτρῳ οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι θανάτῳ διεκόπησαν, Βορίσης δὲ καὶ Ῥωμανὸς οἱ τούτου υἱοὶ εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσαχθέντες, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, ἔμενον ἐν αὐτῇ, ὁ μὲν μάγιστρος παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως τιμηθεὶς Ἰωάννου, ὁ δὲ Ῥωμανὸς ἐκτμηθεὶς τὰ παιδουργὰ μόρια παρὰ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου πρότερον Ἰωσήφ. καὶ ἐπεὶ συνέβη τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωάννην ἀποθανεῖν, ἐκεῖθεν ἀποδι δράσκουσι, καὶ τὴν Βουλγαρίαν φθάσαι ἠπείγοντο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Βορίσης τόξῳ βληθεὶς ἐν τῷ διιέναι κατά τινα λόχμην παρά τινος Βουλγάρου νομίσαντος αὐτὸν Ῥωμαῖον εἶναι (ἐνεδέδυτο γὰρ στολὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν) ἀπόλλυται, Ῥωμανὸς δὲ διασώζεται, καὶ χρόνῳ ὕστερον ἐπάνεισι πάλιν εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα, ὡς ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τόπῳ λε λέξεται. τούτων δὲ τῶν τεσσάρων ἀδελφῶν ∆αβὶδ μὲν εὐθὺς ἀπεβίω ἀναιρεθεὶς μέσον Καστορίας καὶ Πρέσπας καὶ τὰς λεγομέ νας Καλὰς δρῦς παρά τινων Βλαχῶν ὁδιτῶν, Μωϋσῆς δὲ τὰς Σέρρας πολιορκῶν λίθῳ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους βληθεὶς ἐτελεύτησε· καὶ τὸν Ἀαρὼν δὲ τὰ Ῥωμαίων, ὡς λέγεται, φρονοῦντα ἢ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς ἑαυτὸν σφετεριζόμενον ἀνεῖλεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σαμουὴλ παγγενεί, κατὰ τὴν ιδʹ τοῦ Ἰουλίου μηνός, ἐν τῇ τοποθεσίᾳ τῆς Ῥαμετανίτζας, μόνου Βλαδοσθλάβου τοῦ καὶ Ἰωάννου διασωθέντος, τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, παρὰ Ῥαδομηροῦ τοῦ καὶ Ῥωμανοῦ, τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Σαμουήλ. καὶ καθίσταται μόναρχος Βουλγαρίας ἁπάσης ὁ Σα μουήλ.

Οὗτος πολεμικὸς ἄνθρωπος ὢν καὶ μηδέποτε εἰδὼς ἠρε μεῖν, τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων ταῖς πρὸς τὸν Σκληρὸν μάχαις 2.436 ἀσχολουμένων ἀδείας τυχὼν