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of Bulgaria. And so there came to be two factions of Bulgarians, the one proclaiming Delyan, the other Tihomir. But Delyan, having written friendly letters to Tihomir and having called him to a joint enterprise, persuaded him to come. And when the two systems of the Bulgarians were united, Delyan, having called them all together, exhorted them that if they were fully convinced that he drew his lineage from Samuel and they chose to be ruled by him, they should do away with Tihomir; but if this was repugnant to them, they should get rid of him, and be ruled by Tihomir; "for," he said, "one thicket does not feed two robins, nor will one country prosper governed by two leaders." When he said these things, a great clamor was raised, and they said they wished to have him alone as their autocratic leader. And at once with this counsel, they picked up stones and stoned 2.529 the wretched Tihomir. And so he who had seemed to rule as in a dream, lost his life along with his rule, and all authority passed to Delyan. He, having raised all his forces, went away towards Thessalonica against the emperor. When the latter learned this, he departed in disorder for Byzantium, leaving behind all the baggage, and the tent, and whatever gold there was and silver and fabrics, which Manuel Ivatzes, who was intimate with the emperor, having been ordered to take away and follow, took and went over to Delyan with a certain Koitonites, one of the eunuch chamberlains. There was also a drought at this time, so that the abundant springs and the ever-flowing rivers almost dried up. There was also a fire in the Dockyard, on the 10th of the month of August, and all the triremes stationed there were burned along with their equipment. But Delyan, having gotten rid of Tihomir, as we said, and having become master of all affairs, nobly led the operations. And first, having sent a large force with a general called Kavkan, he took Dyrrachium. He also sent another army into Hellas, commanded by Anthimus; whom Alakasseus, having met and engaged in battle at Thebes, puts to flight, and a great multitude of the Thebans is slain. Then indeed the theme of the Nicopolitans, except for Naupactus, went over to the Bulgarians for a reason that is about to be told. For a certain man from Byzantium, John by name, Koutzomytes by surname, having been sent as a prak- 2.530 tor of the public taxes there and having behaved harshly to the locals, both procured his own destruction and became the cause of the revolt for the Nicopolitans; for not bearing his greed, they revolted, and cut him into parts and limbs, and they themselves, having reviled the emperor of the Romans, joined the Bulgarians. They did not rebel and throw off the Roman yoke so much because of their affection for Delyan as because of the insatiable greed of the orphanotrophos and his excess in tax collections.

For when the emperor Basil subdued the Bulgarians, he did not wish to make any innovations at all nor to change things, but for them to remain in the same state and be administered as Samuel had decreed, and for a Bulgarian who had a yoke of oxen to give to the state one modios of grain and as much of millet and one stamnos of wine; the orphanotrophos decreed that coinage be given instead of the goods. Since the locals could not easily bear this, and having found an opportune moment in the appearance of Delyan, they shook off Roman dominion and returned to their ancient custom. At this time there was also a plot of usurpation against the emperor, having as leaders Michael called Keroularios and John Makrembolites and not a few others of the citizens, who, after their property was confiscated, were exiled. And another conspiracy also occurred against Constantine the Grand Domestic in 2.531 Mesanakta; which having been reported

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Βουλγαρίας. καὶ λοι πὸν γεγόνασι δύο στάσεις Βουλγάρων, ἡ μὲν τὸν ∆ελεάνον ἀνευ φημοῦσα, θατέρα δὲ τὸν Τειχομηρόν. ἀλλ' ὁ ∆ελεάνος γράμ ματα φιλικὰ πρὸς τὸν Τειχομηρὸν γράψας καὶ ἐπὶ κοινοπραγίαν καλέσας ἔπεισεν ἐλθεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡνώθη τὰ δύο συστήματα τῶν Βουλγάρων, συγκαλεσάμενος ἅπαντας ὁ ∆ελεάνος παρεκάλει, εἰ μὲν πεπληροφόρηνται ἀπὸ τοῦ Σαμουὴλ ἕλκειν αὐτὸν τὴν σειρὰν καὶ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ αἱροῦνται βασιλεύεσθαι, ἐκποδὼν ποιήσασθαι τὸν Τειχομηρόν, εἰ δ' ἀπότροπον αὐτοῖς τοῦτο, αὐτὸν μὲν ἀποσκευά σασθαι, ἄρχεσθαι δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Τειχομηροῦ· "δύο γάρ" φησιν "ἐριθακοὺς μία λόχμη οὐ τρέφει, οὔτε μία χώρα εὐοδωθήσεται ὑπὸ δύο κυβερνωμένη ἀρχηγῶν." ταῦτα δὲ εἰπόντος αὐτοῦ θόρυ βός τε ἤρθη πολύς, καὶ μόνον αὐτὸν βούλονται ἔχειν ἔφασαν αὐ τοκράτορα ἀρχηγόν. καὶ ἅμα τῇ βουλῇ λίθους ἄραντες λιθολευ 2.529 στοῦσι τὸν ἄθλιον Τειχομηρόν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ὡς ἐν ὀνείρῳ δόξας ἄρξαι σὺν τῇ ἀρχῇ καταστρέφει καὶ τὴν ζωήν, πᾶσα δὲ ἡ ἐξουσία μεθίσταται εἰς τὸν ∆ελεάνον. οὗτος δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις ἄρας ἁπά σας ἀπῄει πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως. ὅπερ μαθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἀσυντάκτως ᾤχετο εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον, καταλιπὼν πᾶσαν τὴν ἀποσκευὴν καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ ὅσον χρυσίον ἦν καὶ ἄργυρος καὶ ὑφάσματα, ἅπερ Μανουὴλ ὁ Ἰβάτζης, ᾠκειωμένος ὢν τῷ βασιλεῖ, προσταχθεὶς ἀφελέσθαι καὶ ἐπακολουθεῖν, ἀναλαβόμενος προσε χώρησε τῷ ∆ελεάνῳ μετὰ καί τινος Κοιτωνίτου, ἑνὸς τῶν θαλα μηπόλων εὐνούχων. Γέγονε δὲ καὶ αὐχμὸς κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, ὡς σχεδὸν ἀποξηρανθῆναι τὰς ἀφθόνους πηγὰς καὶ τοὺς ἀεννάους ποταμούς. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ ἐμπρησμὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐξαρτήσει, κατὰ τὴν ʹ τοῦ Αὐ γούστου μηνός, καὶ ἐνεπρήσθησαν αἱ ἐκεῖσε ἱστάμεναι πᾶσαι τριήρεις μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν παρασκευῆς. Ὁ δὲ ∆ελεάνος ἀποσκευασάμενος, ὡς εἴπομεν, τὸν Τειχό μηρον καὶ πάντων τῶν πραγμάτων κύριος καταστὰς γενναίως ἐξη γεῖτο τῶν ἔργων. καὶ πρότερον μὲν ἀποστείλας πλῆθος στρατηγὸν ἔχον τὸν λεγόμενον Καυκάνον εἷλε τὸ ∆υρράχιον. ἀπέστειλε δὲ καὶ στρατιὰν ἑτέραν ἐν Ἑλλάδι, στρατηγουμένην ὑπ' Ἀνθίμου· ᾗ τινὶ ὑπαντιάσας ὁ Ἀλλακασσεὺς καὶ συμμίξας ἐν Θήβαις τρέπε ται, καὶ ἀναιρεῖται πλῆθος τῶν Θηβαίων πολύ. τότε δὴ καὶ τὸ θέμα τῶν Νικοπολιτῶν, πλὴν Ναυπάκτου, προσερρύη Βουλγά ροις δι' αἰτίαν τὴν ῥηθήσεσθαι μέλλουσαν. Βυζάντιος γάρ τις ἄνθρωπος Ἰωάννης τοὔνομα, Κουτζομύτης τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν, πρά 2.530 κτωρ τῶν ἐκεῖσε δημοσίων φόρων πεμφθεὶς καὶ βαρέως προσενη νεγμένος τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις ἑαυτῷ τε ὄλεθρον προεξένησε καὶ ἀποστά σεως αἴτιος γέγονε τοῖς Νικοπολίταις· μὴ φέροντες γὰρ τὴν αὐτοῦ πλεονεξίαν ἀποστατοῦσι, καὶ αὐτὸν μὲν εἰς μέρη καὶ μέλη κατέτε μον, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν βασιλέα δυσφημήσαντες Ῥωμαίων τοῖς Βουλ γάροις προσέθεντο. οὐ τοσοῦτον δὲ διὰ τὸ πρὸς τὸν ∆ελεάνον φίλτρον ἀφηνίασαν καὶ τὸν Ῥωμαϊκὸν ζυγὸν ἀπέρριψαν ὅσον διὰ τὴν τοῦ ὀρφανοτρόφου ἀπληστίαν καὶ πρὸς τὰς εἰσπράξεις ὑπερ βολήν.

Βασιλείου γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως, ὁπηνίκα Βουλγάρους ἐχειρώσατο, μὴ νεοχμῶσαι θελήσαντος ὅλως μηδὲ τὰ πράγματα με τακινῆσαι, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς μένειν καταστάσεως καὶ οὕτω διεξ άγεσθαι καθώς που ὁ Σαμουὴλ διωρίσατο, καὶ διδόναι τὸν ζεῦ γος βοῶν ἔχοντα Βούλγαρον εἰς τὸ κοινὸν σίτου μόδιον ἕνα καὶ κέγχρου τοσοῦτον καὶ οἴνου στάμνον ἕνα, ὁ ὀρφανοτρόφος ἀντὶ τῶν εἰδῶν νομίσματα δίδοσθαι διωρίσατο. ὅπερ μὴ εὐφόρως οἱ ἐγχώριοι φέροντες, εὑρόντες δὲ καὶ καιρὸν εὔκαιρον τὴν τοῦ ∆ε λεάνου ἐπιφάνειαν, τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἀπεσείσαντο ἡγεμονίαν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπανέδραμον ἔθος. Ἐγένετο δὲ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν μελέτη τυραννίδος κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, ἔξαρχον ἔχουσα Μιχαὴλ τὸν λεγόμενον Κηρουλά ριον καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Μακρεμβολίτην καὶ ἄλλους οὐκ ὀλίγους τῶν πολιτῶν, οἳ καὶ δημευθέντες ἐξωρίσθησαν. καὶ ἑτέρα δέ τις ἐπι σύστασις γέγονε κατὰ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου ἐν 2.531 Μεσανάκτοις· ἧς μηνυθείσης