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is summoned by name) with his entire army. But not yet having met with the emperor, nor having learned for what reason he had been summoned, he is plotted against on that very night by three Pechenegs who came upon him with swords as he was sleeping and inflicted blows upon him, not, however, fatal ones; for, having been immediately discovered by his bodyguards, they inflict weak blows, and rushing to flee, they are caught as the multitude rushed to help along with Baltzar, son of Kegen. Therefore at dawn, Baltzar, having placed his own father on a four-wheeled wagon and dragging the conspirators in chains behind the wagon (for he dared not do anything more to them as they were crying out for the emperor), 2.595 along with the entire mounted army, he himself on foot with his brother Goulinos, following the wagon drawn by two horses, comes to the emperor. And having arrived at the hippodrome, he stops the wagon there, while he himself goes in to the emperor, as rumor had run ahead and prepared the way for his entrance. When he was brought in, the emperor asked why he had not immediately become the avenger of his father's murderers; and when he said that they were continuously calling upon your name, the emperor fell into strange suspicions, and quicker than a word, sending out, he brings the prisoners to himself, and inquired the reason for which they had attempted to kill the patrikios. And when they said that he was ill-disposed to your empire and to the city, planning to enter at dawn and to slaughter all those within, and to plunder the city and to run back to the Pechenegs, although it was necessary to investigate what was said and find the truth, he did not do this, but trusting in unauthorized and unfounded slanders, he brings Kegen to the palace and under the pretext, forsooth, of care and medical treatment imprisons him in the Elephantine, and separates his sons from him in different places. And he received the multitude of the Pechenegs with all kinds of food and drink in order to appear well-disposed, hastening, if it were possible, to strip them of their weapons and their horses and to seize and guard them, having ordered those who had committed the murder to live without restraint and freely, wherever and however they wished. 2.596 And having done these things he thought to escape notice, but he did not escape the notice of the Pecheneg people. For they did not consider the seizure of their leader and the separation of his sons a good omen, and they considered the freedom of the conspirators a clear sign of ill-will. Wherefore they both received what was sent with thanks, and acclaimed the emperor, and by their actions they seemed to approve of what had been done; but when night came on, with no one suspecting, they departed from the camp and, having marched strenuously through the whole night, on the third day crossed the Haemus and were themselves united with the main body of the Pechenegs. So, having all been united under one command, and now also having procured sufficient weapons, they cross the Haemus, and pitch their camp near Aule (Aule is a fortress situated at the foothills of the Haemus and not very far from Adrianople) and they turn to plundering and raiding. When Constantine Arianites, the magistros and commander of the west, learned this, and he himself having his forces prepared, he set out from Adrianople and went against them. And encountering some scattered groups on his way out, he was successful; then also near the fortress called Diampolis, having met the main body and having attacked, he is defeated, with not a few Macedonians and Thracians falling in the war, and Theodore 2.597 Strabomytes and Polos being killed, men of illustrious family who had become notable for their disloyalty to Tornikios. The magistros therefore returned to Adrianople, and by means of letters becomes the messenger of the misfortune to the emperor, and he also makes clear that a new army is needed; for with the present forces it is impossible to be arrayed against such a great

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κατονομάζεται) σὺν ἅπαντι τῷ στρατῷ. μήπω δὲ ἐντυχὼν τῷ βασιλεῖ, μηδ' ὅτου μετεκλήθη χάριν μαθών, ἐπιβουλεύεται ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ὑπὸ Πατζινάκων τριῶν μετὰ ξιφῶν ἐπελθόντων κοιμωμένῳ καὶ πληγὰς ἐπενεγκόν των αὐτῷ, μὴ μέντοι καιρίας· γνωσθέντες γὰρ εὐθὺς ὑπὸ τῶν σωματοφυλακούντων τάς τε πληγὰς ἀσθενεῖς ἐπιφέρουσι, καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ὁρμήσαντες βοηδρομήσαντος τοῦ πλήθους μετὰ Βαλτζὰρ υἱοῦ τοῦ Κεγένους ἁλίσκονται. ἕωθεν οὖν ὁ Βαλτζὰρ ἐφ' ἁμά ξης τετρατρόχου τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πατέρα θείς, καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβουλεύ σαντας ὄπισθεν τῆς ἁμάξης ἕλκων πεπεδημένους (οὐδὲν γὰρ εἰς αὐτοὺς διαπράξασθαι πλέον ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιβοωμένους τὸν βασιλέα), 2.595 ἅμα παντὶ ἐφίππῳ τῷ στρατῷ, αὐτὸς πεζὸς σὺν τῷ ἀδελφῷ Γου λίνῳ ἑπόμενος τῇ ἁμάξῃ ὑπὸ δυοῖν ἑλκομένῃ ἵππων, ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἱπποδρόμιον γενόμενος ταύτην μὲν ἵστησιν ἐκεῖσε, αὐτὸς δὲ εἴσεισι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, τῆς φήμης προδραμούσης καὶ προοδοποιησάσης αὐτῷ τὴν εἴσοδον. ὃν εἰσ αχθέντα ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπήρετο διὰ τί μὴ εὐθὺς τιμωρὸς ἐγένετο τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς φονέων· τοῦ δὲ φήσαντος ὅτιπερ τὸ σὸν ἐπεκαλοῦντο συνεχῶς ὄνομα, εἰς ὑποψίας ἀτόπους ἐνέπεσεν ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ λόγου θᾶττον ἐκπέμψας ἄγει τοὺς δεσμίους πρὸς ἑαυτόν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπυνθάνετο δι' ἥνπερ ἐπεχείρησαν τὸν πατρίκιον ἀνελεῖν. τῶν δὲ φησάντων ὅτιπερ κακόνους ἦν τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου καὶ τῇ πό λει, ὄρθρου μελετῶν εἰσελθεῖν καὶ πάντας μὲν κατασφάξαι τοὺς ἔνδον, λαφυραγωγῆσαι δὲ καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Πατζινά κας ἐπαναδραμεῖν, δέον ἐξετάσαι τὰ λεχθέντα καὶ εὑρεῖν τὴν ἀλή θειαν, ὁ δὲ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, ἀλλ' ἀδεσπότοις πιστεύσας συκοφαντίαις καὶ ἀσυστάτοις τὸν μὲν Κεγένην ἄγει πρὸς τὰ βασί λεια καὶ ἐν προσχήματι τάχα θεραπείας καὶ ἰατρείας ἐν τῇ ἐλε φαντίνῃ καθείργνυσι, τοὺς δὲ τούτου υἱοὺς ἐν ἑτέρῳ καὶ ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ διίστησιν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. τὸ δὲ πλῆθος τῶν Πατζινάκων βρώ μασι καὶ πόμασι παντοίοις πρὸς τὸ δοκεῖν εὐνοεῖν ἀνελάμβανε, σπεύδων, εἰ οἷόν τε, τῶν ἁρμάτων τούτους ἀπογυμνῶσαι καὶ τῶν ἵππων καὶ κατασχεῖν καὶ φρουρῆσαι, τοὺς ἐπιθεμένους τῷ φόνῳ ἀνέτως καὶ ἐλευθερίως, ὅπῃ καὶ ὡς βούλονται, διάγειν κελεύσας. 2.596 καὶ ἐδόκει μὲν ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος λανθάνειν, ἀλλὰ τὸν δῆμον οὐκ ἔλαθε τῶν Πατζινάκων. τήν τε γὰρ τοῦ αὐτῶν καθηγεμόνος κατάσχεσιν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκείνου υἱῶν διάζευξιν οὐ χρηστὸν οἰωνὸν ἐλογίζοντο, καὶ σημεῖον κακονοίας προφανὲς ἐνόμιζον τὴν τῶν ἐπιβούλων ἐλευθερίαν. διὸ καὶ τὰ μὲν πεμφθέντα ἐδέξαντο μετ' εὐχαριστίας, καὶ τὸν βασιλέα εὐφήμησαν, καὶ δι' ὧν ἐποίουν ἀποδεχομένοις ἐῴκεσαν τὰ πραχθέντα· νυκτὸς δὲ ἐπι γενομένης, μηδενὸς ὑποτοπάσαντος ἄραντες ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς καὶ συντόνῳ δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς χρησάμενοι τῇ ὁδοιπορίᾳ, τριταῖοι τὸν Αἷμον διαβάντες ἑνοῦνται καὶ αὐτοὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν Πατζι νάκων. γενόμενοι γοῦν ἅπαντες ὑφ' ἕν, ἤδη δὲ καὶ ὅπλων ἀπο χρώντως ηὐπορηκότες διαπερῶσι τὸν Αἷμον, καὶ παρεμβολὴν μὲν πηγνύουσι κατὰ τὴν Αὐλὴν (φρούριον δὲ ἡ Αὐλὴ κατὰ τὰς ὑπωρείας [κειμένη] τοῦ Αἵμου καὶ οὐ πάνυ πόρρω κείμενον Ἀδριανου πόλεως) καὶ πρὸς λεηλασίαν καὶ λείαν τρέπονται. Ὅπερ μαθὼν ὁ τῆς δύσεως ἄρχων Κωνσταντῖνος μάγιστρος ὁ Ἀριανίτης, καὶ αὐτὸς παρεσκευασμένας ἔχων τὰς ἀμφ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεις, ἄρας ἐξ Ἀδριανουπόλεως ἔρχεται κατ' αὐτῶν. καὶ σποράσι μέν τισιν ἐν τῷ ἀπιέναι περιτυχὼν εὐτύχησεν· εἶτα καὶ παρὰ τὸ λεγόμενον ∆άμπολιν φρούριον συναντήσας τῷ πλήθει καὶ προσβαλὼν ἡττᾶται, πεσόντων ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ Μακεδόνων καὶ Θρᾳκῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων, ἀναιρεθέντων δὲ καὶ Θεοδώρου τοῦ Στρα 2.597 βομύτου καὶ τοῦ Πολῦ, ἀνδρῶν ἐκ γένους λαμπροῦ καὶ ἐπισήμων γενομένων ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὸν Τορνίκιον ἀπιστίας. ὁ μὲν οὖν μάγι στρος ὑπέστρεψεν ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει, τῷ βασιλεῖ δὲ διὰ γραμμά των ἄγγελος τοῦ ἀτυχήματος γίνεται, δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ὡς δεῖ στρατοῦ νεαλοῦς· μετὰ γὰρ τῶν παρόντων ἀδύνατον ἀντιπαρατάξασθαι πρὸς τοσαύτην