473

giving thanks for the victory to the Mother of God, and having adorned the temple with many splendid and costly offerings, he returned to the city of Constantine. And through the great gates of the Golden Port, crowned with a golden crown that had a crest upon it, he celebrated a triumph, with Maria the wife of Vladislav and the daughters of Samuel and the rest of the Bulgarians preceding him. It was the 2nd indiction, the year 6527. And so having entered the great church with trophies and victory, and having sung hymns of thanksgiving to God, he departed to the palace. The patriarch Sergius strongly implored him, having entered with victory, to abolish the allelengyon (for he had promised to do this, if he should prevail over the Bulgarians), but he did not persuade him. He, having shepherded the church of God for twenty whole years, in the month of July, of the 2nd indiction, in the year 2.476 6527, departed to the Lord. And Eustathius was appointed patriarch, being the first of the presbyters of the church in the palace. And to the emperor, with Bulgaria having been subjugated by him, also came over the neighboring nations of the Croats, who had two brothers as rulers, and with them having come over and received dignities and sufficient possessions, their nations also became subject. But only Sermon, the ruler of Sirmium, the brother of Nestongos, was unwilling to submit; to him Constantine Diogenes, the ruler of the parts there, pretending friendship, sends an ambassador, declaring with oaths that he had a desire to unite with him and confer about necessary matters. And if any fear beset him, that he should take only three attendants, and meet him in the middle of the river flowing by, as he would likewise arrive with three attendants. Being persuaded, therefore, that man comes to the river and meets with Diogenes. But while they were about to converse, Diogenes, carrying a dagger in his bosom, and suddenly drawing it, strikes him in the side and immediately kills him. And when those with him had taken to flight, Diogenes, having gathered the neighboring troops with a sufficient force, comes to Sirmium, and having terrified the wife of the dead man and softened her with great promises, persuaded her to surrender and hand over Sirmium to the emperor; she was sent up to Byzantium and was married to one of the magnates in the city, and Diogenes was appointed to rule the newly-acquired country.

2.477 And the emperor also restored the aqueduct of the emperor Valentinian, so that the citizens might have an abundance of water. But when George, the ruler of Abasgia, broke the treaties with the Romans and was overrunning the borderlands, the emperor went out against him with the whole army, leaving behind Nikephoros Xiphias the patrician and Nikephoros the patrician, son of Bardas Phokas. And they, being not a little indignant at having been left behind from the campaign, having gathered people as they could from Cappadocia and Rhodandos and the surrounding regions, started a rebellion. When this was announced to the emperor, confusion and anxiety seized the camp, which feared lest, being caught between the Abasgians and the rebels (for a report had also spread that those with Xiphias had negotiated about this with the ruler of Abasgia), they might suffer some irreparable harm. But the emperor, having written letters to both Xiphias and Phokas, sent them out, ordering the one who took them to strive in every way to be unseen and to give the letter to each one without fail. And when he had done as he was ordered and had delivered the letters secretly, Phokas immediately read his own to Xiphias, but the other, having hidden his own and denying having received a letter at all, on one of the days calls him for a conference, and when he came, having ambushes prepared beforehand, he kills him. And the conspiracy of the rebels was immediately scattered. And when the death of Phokas became known to the emperor

473

τῆς νίκης εὐχαριστήρια τῇ θεοτόκῳ δούς, καὶ ἀναθήμασι πολλοῖς λαμπροῖς καὶ πολυτελέσι κοσμήσας τὸν ναόν, ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς Κωνσταντινού πολιν. καὶ διὰ τῶν μεγάλων πυλῶν τῆς χρυσῆς πόρτης στεφάνῳ χρυσῷ λόφον ἐφύπερθεν ἔχοντι ἐθριάμβευσεν ἐστεφανωμένος, προηγουμένης Μαρίας τῆς τοῦ Βλαδισθλάβου γυναικὸς καὶ τῶν τοῦ Σαμουὴλ θυγατέρων καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν Βουλγάρων. ἰνδικτιὼν ἦν βʹ, ἔτος #22φκζʹ. καὶ οὕτω μετὰ τροπαίων καὶ νίκης ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ εἰσελθών, καὶ τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστηρίους ᾄσας ᾠδάς, ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὰ βασίλεια. ὃν ὁ πατριάρχης Σέργιος μετὰ νίκης εἰσελθόντα πολλὰ κατελιπάρει σβέσαι τὸ ἀλληλέγγυον (ἦν γὰρ ὑποσχόμενος ποιῆσαι τοῦτο, εἰ τῶν Βουλγάρων ὑπερισχύσειεν), ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπεισεν. ὃς ἐπὶ εἴκοσιν ὅλους ἐνιαυτοὺς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ ποιμάνας ἐκκλησίαν Ἰουλίῳ μηνί, ἰνδικτιῶνος βʹ, ἐν ἔτει τῷ 2.476 #22φκζʹ, πρὸς κύριον ἐξεδήμησε. καὶ προεβλήθη πατριάρχης Εὐ στάθιος, πρῶτος ὢν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ναοῦ. Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ προσερρύησαν, τῆς Βουλγαρίας δουλωθείσης αὐτῷ, καὶ τὰ ὅμορα ἔθνη τῶν Χορβατῶν, ἄρχοντας ἔχοντες δύο ἀδελφούς, ὧν προσρυέντων καὶ ἀξιώματα λαβόντων καὶ κτήσεις ἱκανὰς ὑπήκοα γέγονε καὶ τὰ ἔθνη. μόνος δὲ ὁ τοῦ Σιρμίου κρα τῶν ἀδελφὸς τοῦ Νεστόγγου Σέρμων πιθῆσαι οὐκ ἤθελε· πρὸς ὃν Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ ∆ιογένης, τῶν ἐκεῖσε μερῶν ἄρχων, φιλίαν ὑπο κρινόμενος πρεσβευτὴν ἐκπέμπει, δηλῶν μεθ' ὅρκων ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχειν ἑνωθῆναι αὐτῷ καὶ περὶ ἀναγκαίων κοινολογήσασθαι. εἰ δέ τις αὐτὸν ὑποτρέχει φόβος, τρεῖς ὑπηρέτας εἰληφέναι μόνους, καὶ κατὰ τὸ μέσον τοῦ παραρρέοντος ποταμοῦ συμμῖξαι αὐτῷ μετὰ τριῶν ὑπηρετῶν ὁμοίως ἀφίξεσθαι μέλλοντι. πεισθεὶς οὖν ἐκεῖ νος ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τῷ ∆ιογένει ἑνοῦται. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ἔμελλον διαλέγεσθαι, ὁ ∆ιογένης ἐγκόλπιον φέρων μάχαιραν καὶ ταύτην αἰφνιδίως ἑλκύσας παίει τοῦτον κατὰ τῆς πλευρᾶς καὶ εὐ θὺς ἀναιρεῖ. τῶν δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ φυγῇ χρησαμένων, τοὺς πλη σιάζοντας ὁ ∆ιογένης συναθροίσας στρατοὺς μετὰ χειρὸς ἱκανῆς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ Σίρμιον, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ τεθνεῶτος κατα πληξάμενος καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι μεγάλαις καταμαλάξας ἔπεισε προσχω ρῆσαι καὶ τὸ Σίρμιον παραδοῦναι τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἥτις καὶ εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἀνεπέμφθη, καὶ ἀνδρὶ συνεζεύχθη ἑνὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει μεγιστάνων, καὶ ὁ ∆ιογένης ἄρχειν ἐτάχθη τῆς νεοκτήτου χώρας.

2.477 Ἀνεκαίνισε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸν ἀγωγὸν Οὐαλεντινιανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν οἱ ἀστοὶ ἀφθονίαν ὕδατος. Γεωργίου δὲ τοῦ ἄρχοντος Ἀβασγίας τὰς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἀθετήσαντος συνθήκας καὶ τὰ ὅμορα κατατρέχοντος, ἔξεισι κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς πανστρατί, κατόπιν λιπὼν Νικηφόρον πατρίκιον τὸν Ξιφίαν καὶ Νικηφόρον πατρίκιον τὸν υἱὸν Βάρδα τοῦ Φωκᾶ. οἱ δὲ διὰ τὸ τῆς στρατείας ἀπολελεῖφθαι δεινοπαθήσαντες οὐ μικρῶς, λαὸν ὡς ἔτυχεν ἠθροικότες ἀπό τε Καππαδοκίας καὶ Ῥοδάντου καὶ τῶν πέριξ χωρίων, ἀποστασίαν κινοῦσιν. οὗπερ ἀγγελθέντος τῷ βα σιλεῖ ταραχὴ κατεῖχε τὴν παρεμβολὴν καὶ ἀγωνία, δεδοικυῖαν μή πως ἐν μέσῳ Ἀβασγῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἀποστατῶν συνειλημμένοι (διε δέδοτο γὰρ καὶ λόγος ὡς οἱ περὶ τὸν Ξιφίαν διεκηρυκεύσαντο περὶ τούτου πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα Ἀβασγίας) ἀνήκεστόν τι πάθωσιν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς γράμματα γράψας πρός τε τὸν Ξιφίαν καὶ τὸν Φω κᾶν ἐξέπεμψε, παραγγείλας τῷ λαβόντι σπουδάσαι πάντα τρόπον λαθεῖν καὶ ἑκάστῳ ἀσυγγνώστως δεδωκέναι τὸ γράμμα. τοῦ δὲ ὡς ἐκελεύσθη ποιήσαντος καὶ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς ἐγχειρίσαντος λελη θότως, ὁ μὲν Φωκᾶς εὐθὺς ἐπανέγνω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τῷ Ξιφίᾳ, ἐκεῖ νος δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀποκρύψας καὶ γράμμα δέξασθαι ὅλως ἀπαρνη σάμενος ἐν μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν καλεῖ τοῦτον ἐπὶ κοινολογίαν, καὶ ἐλθόντα, λόχους ἔχων προευτρεπισμένους, ἀποκτίννυσι. καὶ ἡ ἐπισύστασις τῶν ἀποστατῶν εὐθὺς διεσκεδάσθη. τοῦ δὲ θανάτου τοῦ Φωκᾶ γνωσθέντος τῷ βασιλεῖ