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their strength in that they campaign against the Romans. For the Pechenegs, being both bound by friendship to the emperor and persuaded by him through letters and gifts, are able easily to come against the country of both the Rus and the Turks and carry off into slavery their women and children and plunder their country. 5 Concerning the Pechenegs and the Bulgarians. That the emperor of the Romans would seem more formidable also to the Bulgarians, and is able to impose upon them the necessity of keeping the peace by being at peace with the Pechenegs, since the said Pechenegs are neighbors to these same Bulgarians, and whenever they wish, either for their own gain or as a favor to the emperor of the Romans, they are easily able to campaign against Bulgaria and by their superior numbers and strength overcome and defeat them. For this reason the Bulgarians too are ever striving and zealous to be at peace and of one mind with the Pechenegs. For from having been often warred against and plundered by them they have learned by experience that it is good and advantageous to be always at peace with them. 6 Concerning the Pechenegs and the Chersonites. That another group of these Pechenegs are adjacent to the district of Cherson, who both trade with the Chersonites, and perform services for them and for the emperor both in Russia and in Khazaria and in Zichia and in all the parts beyond, to wit, receiving from the Chersonites the pre-agreed payment for such a service according to the worth of the service and their labor, such as purple cloth, ribbons, cloths, filaments, pepper, genuine Parthian leathers and other goods sought by them, according as each Chersonite in agreeing persuades each Pecheneg, or is persuaded. For being free and, as it were, autonomous, these Pechenegs never perform any service without payment. 7 Concerning the imperial agents sent from Cherson to Pechenegia. That whenever an imperial agent crosses over to Cherson on such a service, he must at once send to Pechenegia and demand from them hostages and escorts, and when they come, he is to leave the hostages held in the fortress of Cherson, and himself depart with the escorts to Pechenegia and carry out his instructions. And these Pechenegs, being insatiable and keen desirers of things that are rare among them, shamelessly demand considerable presents, the hostages, on the one hand, some on their own account and others on account of their wives, and the escorts, on the other hand, some for their own trouble, and others for the trouble of their horses. Then, when the imperial agent enters their country, they first demand the emperor's gifts, and again, when they have sated their own men, they demand those of their wives and their parents. But also all who come down with him to escort him on his return to Cherson demand to be salaried by him for the trouble of themselves and their horses. 8 Concerning the imperial agents sent from the God-guarded City with chelandia by way of the Danube and Dnieper and Dniester rivers to Pechenegia. That a group of Pechenegs is also settled in the district of Bulgaria, in the district of the Dnieper and the Dniester and the other rivers that are there. And when an imperial agent is sent from here with chelandia, he is able, even without going to Cherson, to find these same Pechenegs here shortly and quickly, whom, when he has found them, the imperial agent sends word through one of his men, remaining inside the chelandia and bringing with him and guarding in the chelandia the imperial effects. And they come down to him, and when they have come down, the imperial agent gives to them his own men as hostages, and he himself also takes other hostages from these Pechenegs, and holds them in the chelandia, and then he makes an agreement with them; and when the

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αὐτῶν ἰσχὺν ἐν τῷ ἐκείνους κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐκστρατεύειν. Οἱ γὰρ Πατζινακῖται, καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φιλίᾳ συνδούμενοι καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ δώρων ἀναπειθόμενοι, δύνανται ῥᾳδίως κατὰ τῆς χώρας τῶν τε Ῥῶς καὶ τῶν Τούρκων ἐπέρχεσθαι καὶ ἐξανδραποδίζεσθαι τὰ τούτων γύναια καὶ παιδάρια καὶ ληΐζεσθαι τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν. 5 Περὶ τῶν Πατζινακιτῶν καὶ τῶν Βουλγάρων. Ὅτι καὶ τοῖς Βουλγάροις φοβερώτερος ἂν εἶναι δόξειεν ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεύς, καὶ ἀνάγκην ἡσυχίας ἐπιτιθέναι τούτοις δύναται ἐκ τοῦ μετὰ τῶν Πατζινακιτῶν εἰρηνεύειν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τοὺς Βουλγάρους οἱ εἰρημένοι Πατζινακῖται πλησιάζουσιν, καὶ ἡνίκα βουληθῶσιν, ἢ δι' οἰκεῖον κέρδος ἢ τῇ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων χάριτι εὐχερῶς δύνανται κατὰ Βουλγαρίας ἐκστρατεύειν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ περιόντος πλήθους καὶ τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτῶν ὑπερνικᾶν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἡττᾶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ Βούλγαροι ἀγῶνα καὶ σπουδὴν διηνεκῶς ἔχουσι τοῦ εἰρηνεύειν καὶ ὁμονοεῖν μετὰ τῶν Πατζινακιτῶν. Ἐκ τοῦ γὰρ πολλάκις ὑπ' αὐτῶν καταπολεμηθῆναι καὶ πραιδευθῆναι τῇ πείρᾳ ἐγνώκασι καλὸν καὶ συμφέρον εἶναι τὸ εἰρηνεύειν ἀεὶ πρὸς αὐτούς. 6 Περὶ τῶν Πατζινακιτῶν καὶ Χερσωνιτῶν. Ὅτι καὶ ἕτερος λαὸς τῶν τοιούτων Πατζινακιτῶν τῷ μέρει τῆς Χερσῶνος παράκεινται, οἵτινες καὶ πραγματεύονται μετὰ τῶν Χερσωνιτῶν, καὶ ποιοῦσι τὰς δουλείας αὐτῶν τε καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως εἴς τε τὴν Ῥωσίαν καὶ Χαζαρίαν καὶ τὴν Ζιχίαν καὶ εἰς πάντα τὰ ἐκεῖθεν μέρη, δηλονότι λαμβάνοντες παρὰ τῶν Χερσωνιτῶν τὸν προσυμπεφωνημένον μισθὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοιαύτης διακονίας κατὰ τὸ ἀνῆκον τῆς δουλείας καὶ τοῦ κόπου αὐτῶν, οἷον βλαττία, πράνδια, χαρέρια, σημέντα, πέπεριν, δερμάτια ἀληθινὰ Πάρθικα καὶ ἕτερα εἴδη τὰ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐπιζητούμενα, καθὼς ἂν ἕκαστος Χερσωνίτης ἕκαστον Πατζινακίτην πείσῃ συμφωνῶν ἢ πεισθῇ. Ἐλεύθεροι γὰρ ὄντες καὶ οἷον αὐτόνομοι οἱ τοιοῦτοι Πατζινακῖται οὐδεμίαν δουλείαν ἄνευ μισθοῦ ποιοῦσί ποτε. 7 Περὶ τῶν ἀπὸ Χερσῶνος ἀποστελλομένων βασιλικῶν ἐν Πατζινακίᾳ. Ὅτι ἡνίκα περάσῃ βασιλικὸς εἰς Χερσῶνα ἕνεκα τῆς τοιαύτης διακονίας, ὀφείλει εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλειν εἰς Πατζινακίαν καὶ ἐπιζητεῖν ὄψιδας παρ' αὐτῶν καὶ διασώστας, καὶ ἐρχομένων αὐτῶν, τοὺς μὲν ὄψιδας εἰς τὸ κάστρον Χερσῶνος κρατουμένους καταλιμπάνειν, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῶν διασωστῶν πρὸς Πατζινακίαν ἀπέρχεσθαι καὶ τὰ ἐντεταλμένα ἐπιτελεῖν. Οἱ δὲ τοιοῦτοι Πατζινακῖται ἄπληστοι ὄντες καὶ τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς σπανίων ὀξεῖς ἐπιθυμηταὶ ἀνέδην ἐπιζητοῦσιν ξενάλια ἱκανά, οἱ μὲν ὄψιδες ἄλλα μὲν λόγῳ αὐτῶν καὶ ἄλλα λόγῳ τῶν αὐτῶν γυναικῶν, οἱ δὲ ἀποσῶσται τὰ μὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόπου αὐτῶν, τὰ δὲ ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόπου τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτῶν. Εἶτα, εἰσερχομένου τοῦ βασιλικοῦ εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν, ζητοῦσι πρότερον τὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δῶρα, καὶ πάλιν, ὅτε κορέσουσι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους αὐτῶν, ζητοῦσι τὰ τῶν γυναικῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν γονέων αὐτῶν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσοι ἐν τῷ ἀποσώζειν αὐτὸν ὑποστρέφοντα πρὸς Χερσῶνα κατέλθωσι μετ' αὐτοῦ, ζητοῦσι παρ' αὐτοῦ ῥογευθῆναι διὰ τὸν κόπον αὐτῶν τε καὶ τῶν ἀλόγων αὐτῶν. 8 Περὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς θεοφυλάκτου πόλεως ἀποστελλομένων βασιλικῶν μετὰ χελανδίων διά τε τοῦ ∆ανουβίου καὶ ∆άναπρι καὶ ∆άναστρι ποταμοῦ ἐν Πατζινακίᾳ. Ὅτι καὶ εἰς τὸ μέρος τῆς Βουλγαρίας καθέζεται λαὸς τῶν Πατζινακιτῶν, ἐπὶ τὸ μέρος τοῦ ∆άναπρι καὶ τοῦ ∆άναστρι καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων τῶν ἐκεῖσε ὄντων ποταμῶν. Καὶ βασιλικοῦ ἀποστελλομένου ἐντεῦθεν μετὰ χελανδίων, δύναται καὶ χωρὶς τοῦ εἰς Χερσῶνα ἀπελθεῖν ἐνταῦθα συντόμως καὶ ταχέως εὑρίσκειν τοὺς αὐτοὺς Πατζινακίτας, οὓς καὶ εὑρὼν μηνύει διὰ ἀνθρώπου αὐτοῦ ὁ βασιλικός, ἐντὸς τῶν χελανδίων μένων καὶ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὰ βασιλικὰ ἐπιφερόμενος καὶ φυλάττων ἐν τοῖς χελανδίοις πράγματα. Καὶ κατέρχονται πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ὅτε κατέλθωσιν, δίδωσι πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ βασιλικὸς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ ὄψιδας, καὶ λαμβάνει καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν τοιούτων Πατζινακιτῶν ἑτέρους ὄψιδας, καὶ κρατεῖ αὐτοὺς εἰς τὰ χελάνδια, καὶ τότε συμφωνεῖ μετ' αὐτῶν· καὶ ὅτε ποιήσουσιν οἱ