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is joined together. To which all the others submitted, and with a voice of acclamation they extolled the new emperor; but only Constantine Dalassenos, the patrikios, who was staying at home, did not 2.507 bear the news calmly, but was also vexed at what was being rumored, and he marveled how, when there were many good men from illustrious houses and a distinguished family, a common and worthless man had been preferred above all others and proclaimed lord and emperor. And when John learned this, he was filled, as was likely, with tumult and confusion, and he considered and deliberated how he might get this man also into his net. And so one of the eunuchs, called Ergodotes, skilled in serving in such matters, is sent to him, in order to give and receive oaths and bring the man to the emperor. And while he went off to Dalassenos, John was winning over both the senate and the common people, and attracting the goodwill of the many, by raising the leading men of the senate to higher ranks of dignities, and by placating the common people with distributions of gifts and favors, and altogether making his subjects well-disposed to him. But that the things that had happened were not pleasing to God was clearly shown from the very beginning; for at the eleventh hour of the holy and great Sunday an unbearable and violent hail fell, so that not only fruit-bearing and fruitless trees were smashed, but indeed also houses and temples collapsed and the crops and the vines down to the ground, with the result that at this time a shortage of all kinds of fruits occurred. And there was also a shooting star on the Sunday after Easter, about the third hour of the night, which with the flash of its brilliance concealed all the stars, so as to give to the many the impression of a sunrise. And the emperor was also seized by a demon; which 2.508 those around him, speaking grandly, called a manic illness, and it remained until the end of his life, receiving healing neither from divine power nor from doctors, but he was pitiably tormented and tortured.

And when Ergodotes had just arrived at the house of Dalassenos, the latter did not wish to trust the oaths and go with him to Byzantium, but sending one of his most trusted men, he both demanded greater oaths that he would suffer no harm, and promised to go. Therefore Constantine Phagitzes the eunuch is sent, a Paphlagonian man and an intimate of the emperor, bringing with him the precious woods and the holy impression and the autograph letter to Abgar of our lord and God and savior Jesus Christ and an icon of the most holy Theotokos; who, having gone and given and received oaths with Constantine, comes with him to Byzantium. And when he arrived, the emperor received him kindly, and having honored him as proconsul and welcomed him with the greatest gifts, he ordered him to live without restraint and without fear in his house in the district of Kyros. At this time something else also happened that is worthy of narration. One of the Varangians who were dispersed for winter quarters in the theme of the Thrakesians, finding a local woman in a deserted place, attempted her chastity; and when he did not persuade her, and was now applying force, she drew the man's dagger and strikes the barbarian 2.509 in the heart and immediately kills him. And when the deed became known in the surrounding area, the Varangians, having assembled, both crown the woman, giving her also all the property of the would-be rapist, and cast him out unburied according to the law for those who die a violent death. And the armies of locusts, as we have already said before, which had been destroyed on the coastal sand in the Hellespont, were again produced spontaneously and again devoured the coastal region of the Hellespont, and for a whole three-year period they continued to ravage the theme of the Thrakesians, and having reached Pergamon they were destroyed, after one of those serving the bishop had previously seen a sight not in a dream but while awake. For he seemed to see a certain eunuch in white robes, his form flashing with light.

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συζεύγνυται. πρὸς ἅπερ πάντες μὲν ὑπεκλίνοντο οἱ ἄλλοι, καὶ δι' εὐφήμου φωνῆς τὸν νεὸν ἐμεγάλυνον βασιλέα· μόνος δὲ Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος ὁ ∆αλασσηνός, οἴκαδε διατρίβων, οὐκ 2.507 ἤνεγκε πράως τὴν ἀκοήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπεδυσπέτησε πρὸς τὰ φημι ζόμενα, καὶ διὰ θαύματος ἦγε πῶς πλείστων κἀγαθῶν ὄντων ἀν δρῶν ἐξ οἴκων λαμπρῶν καὶ ἐπισήμου γένους χυδαῖος καὶ τριω βολιμαῖος ἄνθρωπος τῶν ἄλλων προτετίμητο πάντων καὶ δεσπό της καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀνηγόρευτο. τοῦτο δὲ πυθόμενος ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐπλήσθη μέν, ὡς εἰκός, θορύβου καὶ ταραχῆς, ἐμελέτα δὲ καὶ ἐσκέπτετο πῶς ἂν καὶ τόνδε τὸν ἄνδρα ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θεῖτο σα γήνην. καὶ δὴ στέλλεται πρὸς αὐτὸν εἷς τῶν εὐνούχων ὁ λεγόμε νος Ἐργοδότης, ἐπιτήδειος ὑπηρετεῖν εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα, ἐφ' ᾧ ὅρκους δοῦναί τε καὶ λαβεῖν καὶ ἀγαγεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα ἐς βασιλέα. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἄπεισιν ἐς τὸν ∆αλασσηνόν, ὁ Ἰωάννης δὲ τήν τε σύγκλητον ὑπεποιεῖτο καὶ τὸ κοινόν, καὶ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἐπεσπᾶτο εὔνοιαν, βαθμοῖς μὲν αὖ τοὺς τῆς συγκλήτου προύχοντας ἀξιωμάτων ὑψῶν, δωρεῶν δὲ διανομαῖς καὶ χάρισι μειλισσόμενος τὸ κοινόν, καὶ καθάπαξ οἰκειούμενος τὸ ὑπήκοον. ὅτι δὲ μὴ ἀρεστὰ τὰ γεγονότα ἦν τῷ θεῷ, διεδείχθη τρανῶς ἐκ προοιμίων αὐτῶν· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν ιαʹ ὥραν τῆς ἁγίας καὶ μεγάλης κυριακῆς χάλαζα κατηνέχθη ἀφό ρητος καὶ ῥαγδαία, ὡς συντριβῆναι μὴ μόνον τὰ δένδρα κάρπιμά τε καὶ ἄκαρπα, ἀλλὰ δῆτα καὶ οἰκίας καταπεσεῖν καὶ ναοὺς καὶ τὰ λήϊα καὶ τὰς ἀμπέλους μέχρις ἐδάφους, ὡς ἐπισυμβῆναι κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον παντοίων καρπῶν ἀφορίαν γενέσθαι. γέγονε δὲ καὶ χύσις ἀστέρος κατὰ τὴν κυριακὴν τὴν μετὰ τὸ πάσχα, περὶ ὥραν τρίτην τῆς νυκτός, τῇ μαρμαρυγῇ τῆς λαμπρότητος τοὺς ἀστέρας πάντας καλύψαντος, ὡς καὶ δόκησιν παρασχεῖν τοῖς πολ λοῖς ἡλίου ἀνατολῆς. ἐλήφθη δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δαιμονίῳ· ὃ 2.508 σεμνολογοῦντες οἱ περὶ τοῦτον μανικὸν ἀπεκάλουν νόσημα, καὶ παρέμεινεν ἄχρι τέλους τῆς αὐτοῦ βιοτῆς, μήθ' ὑπὸ θείας δυνά μεως μήθ' ὑπὸ ἰατρῶν θεραπείαν λαβών, ἀλλ' ἐλεεινῶς κατατει νόμενος καὶ βασανιζόμενος.

Ἄρτι δὲ τοῦ Ἐργοδότου πρὸς τὸν ∆αλασσηνὸν ἀφικομένου, πιστεῦσαι μὲν οὗτος τοῖς ὅρκοις καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπελθεῖν οὐκ ἠθέ λησεν ἐν τῷ Βυζαντίῳ, τῶν τινὰ δὲ πέμψας πιστοτάτων αὐτῷ ὅρκους τε ἀπῄτησε μείζονας τοῦ μή τι παθεῖν χαλεπόν, καὶ ἀπελ θεῖν ἐπηγγείλατο. πέμπεται τοίνυν Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Φαγίτζης εὐνοῦχος, ἄνθρωπος Παφλαγὼν καὶ συνήθης τῷ βασιλεῖ, τά τε τίμια ἐπαγόμενος ξύλα καὶ τὸ ἅγιον ἐκμαγεῖον καὶ τὴν πρὸς Αὔ γαρον ἰδιόγραφον ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ κυρίου καὶ θεοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ εἰκόνα τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου· ὃς ἀπ ελθών, καὶ ὅρκους τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ δοὺς καὶ λαβών, ἔρχεται μετ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον. ἐλθόντα δὲ τοῦτον φιλοφρόνως ὁ βα σιλεὺς ὑπεδέξατο, καὶ ἀνθύπατον τιμήσας καὶ δώροις μεγίστοις δεξιωσάμενος ἀνέτως καὶ ἀδεῶς προσέταξε διάγειν ἐν τῷ ὄντι κατὰ τὰ Κύρου οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. Τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ ἄλλο τι συνέβη ἀξιαφήγητον. τῶν εἰς παραχειμασίαν ἐν τῷ θέματι τῶν Θρᾳκησίων διεσπαρμένων Βα ράγγων γυναῖκά τις ἐγχωρίαν εὑρὼν ἐπ' ἐρημίας ἀπεπειρᾶτο τῆς σωφροσύνης αὐτῆς· ὡς δὲ οὐκ ἔπειθε, καὶ βίαν ἤδη ἐπῆγεν, ἡ δὲ τὸν ἀκινάκην σπασαμένη τἀνδρὸς παίει κατὰ καρδίας τὸν βάρβα 2.509 ρον καὶ εὐθὺς ἀναιρεῖ. τοῦ δὲ ἔργου διαδοθέντος ἐν τῇ περιχώρῳ συναθροισθέντες οἱ Βάραγγοι τήν τε γυναῖκα στεφανοῦσι, διδόν τες αὐτῇ καὶ τὴν ἅπασαν οὐσίαν τοῦ βιαστοῦ, κἀκεῖνον ἄταφον ῥίπτουσι κατὰ τὸν τῶν βιοθανάτων νόμον. τὰ δὲ τῆς ἀκρίδος στρατόπεδα, ὡς ἤδη φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, κατὰ τὴν ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ αἰγιαλῖτιν ψάμμον διαφθαρέντα αὖθις ἀνεφύη αὐτομάτως καὶ τὴν παράλιον τῆς Ἑλλησπόντου πάλιν κατέμαρπτε, καὶ ἐπὶ τριε τίαν ὅλην διετέλεσε κεραΐζοντα τὸ θέμα τῶν Θρᾳκησίων, καὶ ἐν Περγάμῳ γενόμενα διεφθάρη, θεασαμένου δέ τινος πρότερον τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ θέαμα οὐκ ὄναρ ἀλλ' ὕπαρ. ἐδόκει γὰρ ὁρᾶν εὐνοῦχόν τινα λευχείμονα, ἐξαστράπτοντα τὴν μορφήν.