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with the head preceding on top of a spear, and the apostates riding on donkeys, he himself followed behind, mounted on a white horse. And so the affairs concerning Maniakes came to such an end. But there was also another revolt in Cyprus at this time, which had Theophilos Erotikos as its originator; for he, being strategos of the island and always desirous of new things, when he learned of the downfall of Kalaphates and the confusion that had seized affairs, thinking he had found a suitable opportunity for what he was eager to do, he then incited the entire nation of the Cypriots, and arranged to kill the judge and collector of public taxes, the protospatharios Theophylaktos, bringing against him the charge that he was making the collection of taxes burdensome. But against this man Monomachos did not need a longer 2.550 delay; for he was captured by the commander of the fleet who was sent out, the patrikios Constantine Chage, after he had won over the entire nation of the Cypriots, and he brought him to the emperor. Having been brought, the emperor dressed him in women's clothing and, after parading him in triumph in the Hippodrome while the horse races were being held and stripping him of his possessions, released him. On the 20th of the month of February, of the 11th indiction, Alexios the patriarch ended his life, and Michael Keroularios was raised to his throne, on the day of the Annunciation, having been a monk from the time the orphanotrophos had exiled him for conspiracy. And it was reported to the emperor that gold was also stored up in Alexios' monastery, and sending men he took it, amounting to 25 centenaria. On the second of May, of the same indiction, the orphanotrophos was also blinded in the place called the village of the Marykatou, as some say, by Theodora against the emperor's will, but as the story of the many prevails, by this man himself, being angry with him because of his exiles, and on the 13th of the same month he died. In the month of July of the same indiction, Stephen the sebastophoros was also accused of plotting against the emperor and wanting to make Leo, the patrikios and strategos of Melitene, son of Lampros, emperor; and Stephen, stripped of his possessions and tonsured a monk, was exiled, but Lampros, having been cruelly tortured and blinded in his eyes and paraded through the forum, died shortly after.

2.551 And in the month of June of the same indiction, there also occurred the movement of the nation of the Rus' against the imperial city. For these people, having until now cooperated with the Romans and being at peace with them, both mingled with one another without fear and sent merchants to one another. But at this time, a quarrel having occurred in Byzantium with some Scythian merchants, and a brawl having followed from it and a certain distinguished Scythian having been killed, the then-ruler of this people, Vladimir, an impetuous man and for the most part indulging his anger, having learned what happened and being indignant and giving no delay or time to the movement, having gathered as many fighting men as were under him, and having recruited no small allied force from the nations inhabiting the northern islands of the Ocean, and having assembled a multitude, as they say, of about one hundred thousand, and having embarked them on their native boats called monoxyla, he set out against the city. Learning this, the emperor sent ambassadors, demanding that they lay down their arms and promising to make amends if indeed anything untoward had happened, and not to be willing for a small matter to dissolve the long-established peace and to incite the nations against one another; but since he himself, having received the letters, dishonorably drove away the ambassadors and gave arrogant and haughty replies, the emperor, despairing of peace, himself prepared for battle as best he could. And the Scythian merchants residing in the imperial city, and also 2.552 those present as allies, he dispersed

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προηγουμένης τῆς κεφαλῆς ἄνω θεν δόρατος, καὶ τῶν ἀποστατῶν ὄνοις ἐποχουμένων, αὐτὸς ὄπι σθεν εἵπετο, ἵππῳ λευκῷ ἐφεζόμενος. καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸν Μα νιάκην τοιοῦτον εἴληφε τέλος. Γέγονε δέ τις καὶ ἄλλη ἀποστασία ἐν Κύπρῳ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, πρωτουργὸν ἔχουσα Θεόφιλον τὸν Ἐρωτικόν· οὗτος γὰρ τῆς νήσου στρατηγῶν καὶ νεωτέρων ἀεὶ πραγμάτων ἐφιέμενος, ἐπείπερ ἐπύθετο τὴν τοῦ Καλαφάτου καταστροφὴν καὶ τὴν κατα σχοῦσαν τὰ πράγματα σύγχυσιν, καιρὸν εὔθετον εὑρεῖν οἰηθεὶς πρὸς τὸ σπουδαζόμενον, τότε τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν τῶν Κυπρίων ἀνά πτει, καὶ τὸν δικαστὴν καὶ πράκτορα τῶν δημοσίων φόρων τὸν πρωτοσπαθάριον Θεοφύλακτον ἀνελεῖν παρασκευάζει, ἔγκλημα τούτῳ ἐπενεγκὼν ὡς βαρείας τὰς τῶν συντελειῶν ποιουμένῳ εἰσ πράξεις. ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοῦτον οὐκ ἐδέησε τῷ Μονομάχῳ μακροτέρας 2.550 τριβῆς· χειροῦται γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐκπεμφθεὶς ὅ [τε] τοῦ στόλου κατάρ χων Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος ὁ Χαγέ, τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν τῶν Κυ πρίων ὑποποιησάμενος, καὶ εἰς βασιλέα ἄγει. ἀχθέντα δὲ θῆλυν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐνδύσας στολὴν καὶ ἐν τῷ ἱππικῷ ἱπποδρομίας ἀγομέ νης θριαμβεύσας καὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ψιλώσας ἀπέλυσε. Τῇ δὲ κʹ τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνός, τῆς ιαʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, κατέλυσε τὴν ζωὴν Ἀλέξιος ὁ πατριάρχης, καὶ ἀνάγεται εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ θρόνον Μιχαὴλ ὁ Κηρουλάριος, κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ εὐαγγελισμοῦ, μοναχὸς ὢν ἐξ οὗπερ ὁ ὀρφανοτρόφος αὐτὸν διὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν ἐξώρισε. προσαγγέλλεται δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ χρυ σίον ἀποτεθησαυρισμένον ἐν τῇ τοῦ Ἀλεξίου μονῇ, καὶ πέμψας ἀναλαμβάνεται τοῦτο, εἰς κεντηνάρια ποσούμενον κεʹ. Μαΐου δὲ δευτέρας, τῆς αὐτῆς ἰνδικτιῶνος, ἐκτυφλοῦται καὶ ὁ ὀρφανο τρόφος ἐν τῷ λεγομένῳ χωρίῳ τῶν Μαρυκάτου, ὡς μέν τινες φασίν, ὑπὸ Θεοδώρας ἄκοντος τοῦ βασιλέως, ὡς δὲ ὁ τῶν πολ λῶν κρατεῖ λόγος, παρ' αὐτοῦ τούτου ἐγκοτῶντος αὐτῷ διὰ τὰς ὑπερορίας, καὶ τῇ ιγʹ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς ἀποθνήσκει. Ἰουλίῳ δὲ μηνὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἰνδικτιῶνος κατηγορήθη καὶ Στέφανος ὁ σεβαστο φόρος ὡς ἐπιβουλεύων τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ βασιλέα βουλόμενος ποιῆ σαι Λέοντα πατρίκιον καὶ στρατηγὸν Μελιτηνῆς, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ Λαμπροῦ· καὶ ὁ μὲν Στέφανος τῶν ὑπαρχόντων γυμνωθεὶς καὶ μοναχὸς ἀποκαρεὶς ἐξωρίσθη, ὁ δὲ Λαμπρὸς ἀπηνῶς ἐτασθεὶς καὶ τὰς ὄψεις πηρωθεὶς καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς πομπευθεὶς μετὰ μι κρὸν ἀπέθανεν.

2.551 Ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἰούνιον μῆνα τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπινεμήσεως καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἔθνους τῶν Ῥὼς κίνησις κατὰ τῆς βασιλίδος. οὗτοι γὰρ κοινοπραγοῦντες μέχρι τοῦδε Ῥωμαίοις καὶ εἰρηνεύοντες μετ' αὐτῶν, ἀδεῶς τε ἀλλήλοις ἐπεμίγνυντο καὶ ἐμπόρους ἐς ἀλλήλους ἔπεμπον. κατὰ δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον φιλονεικίας γενομένης ἐν Βυζαντίῳ μετά τινων ἐμπόρων Σκυθῶν, συμπληγάδος τε ἐξ αὐ τοῦ ἐπακολουθησάσης καί τινος Σκύθου φονευθέντος ἐπιφανοῦς, ὁ τότε κατάρχων τοῦ γένους τούτων Βλαδιμηρός, ἀνὴρ ὁρμητίας καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῷ θυμῷ χαριζόμενος, πυθόμενος τὸ συμβὰν καὶ δεινοπαθήσας καὶ μὴ δοὺς ἀναβολὴν ἢ καιρὸν τῷ κινήματι, τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἀγείρας ὅσον μάχιμον, προσεταιρισάμενος δὲ καὶ συμ μαχικὸν οὐκ ὀλίγον ἀπὸ τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν ταῖς προσαρκτίοις τοῦ Ὠκεανοῦ νήσοις ἐθνῶν, καὶ πλῆθος ἀθροίσας, ὥς φασι, περὶ τὰς ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας, καὶ πλοίοις ἐγχωρίοις τοῖς λεγομένοις μονοξύλοις ἐμβαλὼν κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐξορμᾷ. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς πέμπει μὲν πρεσβευτάς, ἐξαιτῶν καταθέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα καὶ ὑπισχνούμενος ἐξιάσασθαι εἴ τι δὴ καὶ γέγονεν ἄτοπον, καὶ μὴ διὰ μικρὸν ἐθελῆσαι πρᾶγμα τὴν ἐκ μακροῦ παγιωθεῖσαν δια λῦσαι εἰρήνην καὶ τὰ ἔθνη κατ' ἀλλήλων ἀνάψαι· ἐπεὶ δὲ δεξά μενος αὐτὸς τὰ γράμματα τούς τε πρέσβεις ἀτίμως ἐδίωξε καὶ ὑπερηφάνους καὶ σοβαρὰς ἀπέδωκεν ἀπολογίας, ἀπεγνωκὼς ὁ βα σιλεὺς τὴν εἰρήνην καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς ἐνῆν ἀντιπαρετάττετο. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐνδημοῦντας τῇ βασιλίδι ἐμπόρους τῶν Σκυθῶν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ 2.552 τοὺς κατὰ συμμαχίαν παρόντας διασκορπίσας