▁and ▁West ▁( ag ain st ▁the ▁Bulg ari ans ). ▁A ▁true ▁soldier - em peror , ▁Bas il ▁led ▁most ▁of ▁these ▁campaign s ▁himself , ▁something ▁reflected ▁in ▁his ▁ep it aph . ▁His ▁complete ▁sub j ug ation ▁of ▁the ▁Bulgar ian ▁state ▁earned ▁him ▁the ▁ep ith et ▁" B ul gar - S layer " ▁by ▁later ▁gener ations . ▁Initial ly , ▁he ▁was ▁to ▁be ▁buried ▁in ▁the ▁last ▁s arc oph ag us ▁available ▁in ▁the ▁rot unda ▁of ▁Const antine ▁I ▁in ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁the ▁Holy ▁Apost les ▁in ▁Constantin ople . ▁However , ▁Bas il ▁later ▁asked ▁his ▁brother ▁and ▁successor ▁Const antine ▁VIII ▁to ▁be ▁buried ▁in ▁the ▁Church ▁of ▁St . ▁John ▁the ▁The olog ian ▁( i . e . ▁the ▁Evangel ist ), ▁at ▁the ▁Heb dom on , ▁a ▁sub urb ▁outside ▁the ▁walls ▁of ▁Constantin ople ▁which ▁tradition ally ▁served ▁as ▁a ▁major ▁army ▁enc amp ment ▁and ▁para de ▁ground . ▁The ▁ep it aph ▁on ▁this ▁tomb ▁celebrated ▁Bas il ' s ▁campaign s ▁and ▁vict ories . ▁During ▁the ▁pill age ▁of ▁ 1 2 0 4 , ▁Bas il ' s ▁grave ▁was ▁rav aged ▁by ▁the ▁inv ading ▁Cr us aders , ▁and ▁his ▁cor pse ▁dump ed ▁into ▁the ▁street , ▁but ▁the ▁ep it aph ▁is ▁preserved ▁in ▁later ▁manuscript s . ▁The ▁text ▁surv ives ▁in ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁variants , ▁and ▁its ▁author ship ▁and ▁date