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leading the entire army 2.444 with him, he comes down to Abydos, hoping that with the straits thus held the citizens, pressed by want, would submit. But the emperor, having urged Delphinas many times to withdraw from Chrysopolis and not to make his camp opposite the imperial city, since he did not persuade him, having prepared ships by night and having embarked Rus' on them (for he happened to have summoned an alliance from them, and made their ruler Vladimir his kinsman by marriage to his own sister Anna), having crossed over with them foolishly attacks the enemy and easily overcomes them. Therefore he hangs Delphinas on a gibbet at that very place where he had pitched his tent, and he hands over Nikephoros the brother of Phokas, the blind one, to a guard, and having imposed fitting punishments on the rest of the captives, he returned to the imperial city. And Phokas, having taken Abydos, was carefully besieging it, with those inside also stoutly withstanding the siege, as Kyriakos the drungary of the fleet had been sent ahead by the emperor and was encouraging those inside. A little later Constantine, the emperor's brother, also crossed over, and afterwards the emperor himself arrived. When they had crossed over, Phokas ordered part of the army to press on with the siege of Abydos, while he himself with the rest of the army drew up in opposition to the emperors. And when the battle was now about to begin, Phokas, nobly preferring to die bravely than to live ignobly, seeing the emperor from afar riding here and there and arranging the ranks of his own 2.445 men and encouraging them, and reasoning with himself that if he succeeded against him, he would more easily defeat the rest, spurred his horse and came furiously against him, cutting through the enemy phalanxes and appearing irresistible to all. But when he was already approaching the emperor, he immediately turns back and goes up a certain hill, and dismounting from his horse and stretching himself on the ground, he departed this life, either having been struck a fatal blow by one of the soldiers while charging disorderly, or otherwise overcome by some physical disorder; however, no wound at all was found on his body, and for this reason the story saying that he was killed by poison prevails. For it is said that Symeon, the most faithful of his servants, having been persuaded by gifts from the emperor, killed him with a drug. For Phokas was accustomed in war to taste cold water before the engagement; which he also did in this encounter and unwittingly swallowed the poison along with the water. And while Phokas lay on the hill for a long time, everyone thought that he had given himself over to a short rest on account of some physical weakness. But as he remained lying for some time, and someone approached and found him dead and speechless, and his death became known to all, the rebels immediately took to flight, and the emperor's troops were strengthened, and pursued without turning back, and Leo and Theognostos Melissenos, Theodosios Mesanyktes and many others were taken alive. These the emperor brought with him into 2.446 the city and paraded in triumph through the middle of the forum, seated on donkeys, sparing only Leo Melissenos. For it is said that he, on the battle line, to his own brother Theognostos, who was mocking the emperors and hurling unseemly insults at them, both rebuked him with many tears, and urged him to cease his foul-mouthed talk and not to insult his own masters shamelessly, and since he did not persuade him, he even took up his whip and gave him many blows, so that the emperor, being a spectator of what was happening, said to those present, "Behold, O men, from one piece of wood both a cross and a shovel." Therefore, for this reason, it is said, Leo was excused from the triumph. And Phokas having just died in the month of April of the second indiction of the year #22υζʹ, and his rebellion having been dissolved,

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ἅπαν τῆς στρα 2.444 τιᾶς ἄγων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ κάτεισιν εἰς Ἄβυδον, ἐλπίσας οὕτω κατ εχομένων τῶν στενῶν πεπιεσμένους ἐνδείᾳ παραστήσεσθαι τοὺς πολίτας. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πολλὰ παρακαλέσας τὸν ∆ελφινᾶν ἀπανα στῆναι τῆς Χρυσοπόλεως καὶ μὴ ἀντιμέτωπον τῇ βασιλίδι ποιεῖ σθαι στρατοπεδείαν, ὡς οὐκ ἔπειθε, πλοῖα παρασκευάσας νυκτὸς καὶ τούτοις ἐμβιβάσας Ῥώς (ἔτυχε γὰρ συμμαχίαν προσκαλεσά μενος ἐξ αὐτῶν, καὶ κηδεστὴν ποιησάμενος τὸν ἄρχοντα τούτων Βλαδιμηρὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφῇ Ἄννῃ), περαιωθεὶς μετ' αὐτῶν ἀνοήτως ἐπιτίθεται τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ ῥᾷον χειροῦται. τὸν μὲν οὖν ∆ελφινᾶν ἐπὶ ξύλου κρεμᾷ κατ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν τόπον ἔνθαπερ εἶχε τὴν σκηνὴν πεπηγμένην, τὸν δὲ ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Φωκᾶ Νικηφόρον τὸν τυφλὸν φρουρᾷ παραδίδωσι, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἁλοῦσι ποινὰς ἐπιθεὶς τὰς δοκούσας ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν βασιλίδα. Ὁ δὲ Φωκᾶς τὴν Ἄβυδον καταλαβὼν ἐπιμελῶς ἐπολιόρκει, ῥωμαλέως ὑφισταμένων καὶ τῶν ἔνδον τὴν πολιορκίαν, τοῦ δρουγ γαρίου τῶν πλωΐμων Κυριακοῦ προεκπεμφθέντος παρὰ τοῦ βασι λέως καὶ τοὺς ἔνδον παραθαρρύνοντος. μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ ἐπεραιώθη καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφός, κατόπιν δ' ἀφίκετο καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ βασιλεύς· ὧν περαιωθέντων ὁ Φωκᾶς μέρος μὲν τῆς στρατιᾶς προσεδρεύειν ἐπέταξε τῇ τῆς Ἀβύδου πολιορκίᾳ, αὐτὸς δὲ τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀντιπαρατάττεται τοῖς βασιλεῦσι. καὶ μελλούσης ἤδη ἀρχὴν λαμβάνειν τῆς μάχης ὁ Φωκᾶς τοῦ ζῆν ἀγεννῶς τὸ γενναίως ἀποθανεῖν εὐγενῶς προκρίνας, τὸν βασιλέα θεασάμενος πόρρωθεν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε καθιππαζόμενον καὶ τὰς τῶν 2.445 οἰκείων διακοσμοῦντα τάξεις καὶ παραθαρρύνοντα, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυ τὸν λογισάμενος ὡς εἰ τούτου ἐπιτυχὴς γένηται, ῥᾷον ἂν καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς καταγωνιεῖται, τὸν ἵππον μυωπίσας ῥαγδαίως ἵκετο κατ' αὐτοῦ, τὰς ἐναντίας φάλαγγας διακόπτων καὶ ἀνυπόστατος τοῖς πᾶσι φαινόμενος. ἤδη δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσεγγίζων εὐθὺς ὑποστρέ φει καὶ εἴς τινα λόφον ἄνεισι, καὶ τοῦ ἵππου ἀποβὰς καὶ πρὸς γῆν ἐκτείνας ἑαυτὸν ἀπέλιπε τὴν ζωήν, εἴτε παρά του τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐν τῷ ἀτάκτως φέρεσθαι καιρίαν τυπείς, εἴτε καὶ ἄλλως ἀπὸ σω ματικῆς ἀταξίας κατεργασθείς· πληγὴν μέντοι οὐδ' ὅλως εὑρέθη ἐν τῷ σώματι ἔχων, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὁ λέγων λόγος δηλητηρίῳ αὐ τὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι κρατεῖ. φέρεται γὰρ ὅτι Συμεὼν ὁ πιστικώτα τος τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ, δώροις ὑπὸ βασιλέως ἀναπεισθείς, φαρμάκῳ τοῦτον ἀπέκτεινεν. εἰώθει γὰρ ὁ Φωκᾶς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ὕδατος ψυχροῦ πρὸ τῆς συμπλοκῆς ἀπογεύεσθαι· ὃ κἀν ταύτῃ τῇ συμβολῇ ποιήσας ἔλαθε συγκαταπιὼν τῷ ὕδατι καὶ τὸ δηλητή ριον. ἐπὶ πολὺν δὲ χρόνον ἐν τῷ λόφῳ κειμένου τοῦ Φωκᾶ ᾤοντο πάντες διά τινα σωματικὴν μαλακίαν ἀναπαύσει μικρᾷ ἑαυτὸν ἐκ δεδωκέναι· ὡς δὲ ἐχρόνιζε κείμενος καὶ προσελθών τις νεκρὸν αὐ τὸν εὗρε καὶ ἄναυδον καὶ διεγνώσθη τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ τούτου θάνατος, οἱ μὲν ἀποστάται εὐθὺς εἰς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν, τὰ δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπερρώσθη στρατεύματα, καὶ ἐδίωκον ἀμεταστρεπτί, καὶ ζω γροῦνται μὲν Λέων καὶ Θεόγνωστος οἱ Μελισσηνοί, Θεοδόσιος ὁ Μεσανύκτης καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοί. οὓς μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς 2.446 τὴν πόλιν εἰσαγαγὼν διὰ μέσης ἐθριάμβευσε τῆς ἀγορᾶς ὄνοις ἐφεζομένους, μόνου φεισάμενος Λέοντος τοῦ Μελισσηνοῦ. λέγε ται γὰρ οὗτος ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως τῷ οἰκείῳ ἀδελφῷ Θεογνώστῳ, ἐπιχλευάζοντι τοὺς βασιλεῖς καὶ ὕβρεις ἀπρεπεῖς ἐς αὐτοὺς ἀπορ ριπτοῦντι, ἐπιτιμῆσαί τε μετὰ δακρύων πολλά, καὶ παρακαλέσαι παύσασθαι τῆς ἀθυροστομίας καὶ μὴ ἀναιδῶς ἐνυβρίζειν εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους δεσπότας, ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ ἔπειθε, καὶ τὸν σειρομάστην ἐκ τείνας δοῦναι τούτῳ πολλάς, ὥστε καὶ τὸν βασιλέα θεωρὸν ὄντα τῶν γινομένων ἀνειπεῖν πρὸς τοὺς παρόντας "ἴδετε, ὦ οὗτοι, ἀφ' ἑνὸς ξύλου καὶ σταυρὸν καὶ πτύον." διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν λέγεται τῷ Λέοντι συγχωρηθῆναι τὸν θρίαμβον. Ἄρτι δὲ τοῦ Φωκᾶ ἀποθανόντος κατὰ τὸν Ἀπρίλλιον μῆνα τῆς δευτέρας ἰνδικτιῶνος τοῦ #22υζʹ ἔτους, καὶ τῆς κατ' αὐτὸν ἀποστασίας διαλυθείσης,