A man who arrived in Byzantium as a barbarian did a service for Konstantinos IX, then insinuated himself among the senators. Psellos found his boasting insufferable. The man thought of becoming emperor, regarding Konstantinos' disregard for security as a godsend. Following a secret plan, he joined the rear of an imperial procession from the theatre to the palace, and so got inside the imperial quarters and lay in wait near the kitchens. Onlookers assumed he had been told to wait there. He later revealed that he planned to attack the emperor when sleeping, kill him with a concealed dagger and transfer power to himself. When the emperor went to bed, he set to work. But he lost his nerve, became dizzy and ran all over the place. The guards arrested him and woke the emperor, who was very angry. The next day, the emperor questioned him about co-conspirators, having him severely tortured when he did not reply. Under torture he denounced various magistrates as accomplices, implicating upright men in his barbarian madness. Konstantinos was overcome with remorse, kissed him and restored him to his previous position