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they come to the mouth of the Danube. And from the Danube they arrive at the Konopas, and from the Konopas to Constantia *** to the river Varnas, and from Varnas they come to the river Ditzina, all of which are land of Bulgaria. And from the Ditzina they arrive at the regions of Mesembria, and so up to this point their much-suffering and formidable, difficult and harsh voyage is completed. The winter and hard way of life of these same Rhos is as follows. When the month of November comes, their chiefs straightway go out with all the Rhos from Kiev, and they go off on the ‘polydia’, which is called ‘gyra’, that is, to the Slav lands of the Vervians and the Drougouvitai and the Krivitai and the Severioi and the rest of the Slavs, who are tributaries of the Rhos. And being maintained there throughout the whole winter, again, from the month of April, when the ice on the Dnieper river melts, they come down to Kiev. And then they take their monoxyla, as has been said before, and equip them, and come down to Romania. That the Uzes are able to make war on the Patzinaks. 10 Concerning Chazaria, how it must be warred against and by whom. That the Uzes are able to make war on the Chazars, as being their neighbors, and likewise the exousiokrator of Alania. That the nine regions of Chazaria are adjacent to Alania, and the Alan is able, if he so desires, to raid these and to cause great damage and want to the Chazars from them; for from these nine regions come all the livelihood and abundance of Chazaria. 11 Concerning the city of Cherson and the city of Bosporus. That if the exousiokrator of Alania is not at peace with the Chazars, but rather regards the friendship of the emperor of the Romans as more precious, if the Chazars do not wish to maintain friendship and peace with the emperor, he is able to do them great harm, by ambushing the roads and attacking them when they are off guard as they pass toward Sarkel and the regions and Cherson. And if this exousiokrator is zealous to hinder them, both Cherson and the regions enjoy great and profound peace; for the Chazars, fearing the attack of the Alans and not finding it safe to attack Cherson and the regions with an army, as they are not strong enough to make war on both at the same time, will be compelled to keep the peace. 12 Concerning Black Bulgaria and Chazaria. That so-called Black Bulgaria can also make war on the Chazars. 13 Concerning the nations neighboring the Turks. That the following nations are adjacent to the Turks: on their western side is Francia, on their northern side the Patzinaks, and on their southern side great Moravia, that is, the country of Sphendoplokos, which has been utterly devastated by these Turks and occupied by them. The Croats are adjacent to the Turks towards the mountains. That the Patzinaks can also attack the Turks and raid and damage them greatly, as has been said before in the chapter about the Patzinaks. Pay heed, my son, with the eye of your mind to my words, and learn what I enjoin upon you, and you will be able in due season to bring forth from your paternal treasures a wealth of prudence and display a torrent of understanding. Know, therefore, that for all the northern races a nature has been established, as it were, of greed for money, insatiable and never sated, wherefore they seek everything and desire everything, and they do not have their desires circumscribed by a limit, but always desire more, and for a small benefit wish to provide themselves great profits. Therefore, one must refute and repulse their untimely requests and bold demands with plausible, prudent, and wise arguments, which, as far as we have been able to comprehend from experience, to outline in brief, will be something like these. If ever they shall demand and ask either

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∆ανουβίου στόμιον ἔρχονται. Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ∆ανουβίου καταλαμβάνουσιν εἰς τὸν Κωνοπάν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κωνοπᾶ εἰς Κωνστάντιαν *** εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν Βάρνας, καὶ ἀπὸ Βάρνας ἔρχονται εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν τὴν ∆ιτζίναν, ἅπερ πάντα εἰσὶ γῆ τῆς Βουλγαρίας. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς ∆ιτζίνας εἰς τὰ τῆς Μεσημβρίας μέρη καταλαμβάνουσιν, καὶ οὕτως μέχρι τούτων ὁ πολυώδυνος αὐτῶν καὶ περίφοβος, δυσδιέξοδός τε καὶ χαλεπὸς ἀποπεραίνεται πλοῦς. Ἡ δὲ χειμέριος τῶν αὐτῶν Ῥῶς καὶ σκληρὰ διαγωγή ἐστιν αὕτη. Ἡνίκα ὁ Νοέμβριος μὴν εἰσέλθῃ, εὐθέως οἱ αὐτῶν ἐξέρχονται ἄρχοντες μετὰ πάντων τῶν Ῥῶς ἀπὸ τὸν Κίαβον, καὶ ἀπέρχονται εἰς τὰ πολύδια, ὃ λέγεται γύρα, ἤγουν εἰς τὰς Σκλαβηνίας τῶν τε Βερβιάνων καὶ τῶν ∆ρουγουβιτῶν καὶ Κριβιτζῶν καὶ τῶν Σεβερίων καὶ λοιπῶν Σκλάβων, οἵτινές εἰσιν πακτιῶται τῶν Ῥῶς. ∆ι' ὅλου δὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐκεῖσε διατρεφόμενοι, πάλιν ἀπὸ μηνὸς Ἀπριλίου, διαλυομένου τοῦ πάγους τοῦ ∆ανάπρεως ποταμοῦ, κατέρχονται πρὸς τὸν Κίαβον. Καὶ εἶθ' οὕτως ἀπολαμβάνονται τὰ αὐτῶν μονόξυλα, καθὼς προείρηται, καὶ ἐξοπλίζονται, καὶ πρὸς Ῥωμανίαν κατέρχονται. Ὅτι οἱ Οὖζοι δύνανται τοῖς Πατζινακίταις πολεμεῖν. 10 Περὶ τῆς Χαζαρίας, πῶς δεῖ πολεμεῖσθαι καὶ παρὰ τίνων. Ὅτι οἱ Οὖζοι δύνανται πολεμεῖν τοὺς Χαζάρους, ὡς αὐτοῖς πλησιάζοντες, ὁμοίως καὶ ὁ ἐξουσιοκράτωρ Ἀλανίας. Ὅτι τὰ ἐννέα κλίματα τῆς Χαζαρίας τῇ Ἀλανίᾳ παράκεινται, καὶ δύναται ὁ Ἀλανός, εἰ ἄρα καὶ βούλεται, ταῦτα πραιδεύειν καὶ μεγάλην βλάβην καὶ ἔνδειαν ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς Χαζάροις ποιεῖν· ἐκ γὰρ τῶν ἐννέα τούτων κλιμάτων ἡ πᾶσα ζωὴ καὶ ἀφθονία τῆς Χαζαρίας καθέστηκεν. 11 Περὶ τοῦ κάστρου Χερσῶνος καὶ τοῦ κάστρου Βοσπόρου. Ὅτι τοῦ ἐξουσιοκράτορος Ἀλανίας μετὰ τῶν Χαζάρων μὴ εἰρηνεύοντος, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον προτιμοτέραν τιθεμένου τὴν φιλίαν τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων, ἐὰν οἱ Χάζαροι οὐ βούλωνται τὴν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φιλίαν καὶ εἰρήνην τηρεῖν, δύναται μεγάλως αὐτοὺς κακοῦν, τάς τε ὁδοὺς ἐνεδρεύων καὶ ἀφυλάκτως αὐτοῖς ἐπιτιθέμενος ἐν τῷ διέρχεσθαι πρός τε τὸ Σάρκελ καὶ τὰ κλίματα καὶ τὴν Χερσῶνα. Καὶ εἰ ποιήσηται σπουδὴν ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐξουσιοκράτωρ τοῦ κωλύειν αὐτούς, μεγάλης καὶ βαθείας εἰρήνης μετέχουσιν ἥ τε Χερσὼν καὶ τὰ κλίματα· φοβούμενοι γὰρ οἱ Χάζαροι τὴν τῶν Ἀλανῶν ἐπίθεσιν καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκοντες ἄδειαν μετὰ φοσσάτου ἐπιτίθεσθαι τῇ Χερσῶνι καὶ τοῖς κλίμασιν, ὡς μὴ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους ἐν ταὐτῷ πολεμεῖν ἐξισχύοντες, εἰρηνεύειν ἀναγκασθήσονται. 12 Περὶ τῆς μαύρης Βουλγαρίας καὶ τῆς Χαζαρίας. Ὅτι καὶ ἡ μαύρη λεγομένη Βουλγαρία δύναται τοῖς Χαζάροις πολεμεῖν. 13 Περὶ τῶν πλησιαζόντων ἐθνῶν τοῖς Τούρκοις. Ὅτι τοῖς Τούρκοις τὰ τοιαῦτα ἔθνη παράκεινται· πρὸς μὲν τὸ δυτικώτερον μέρος αὐτῶν ἡ Φραγγία, πρὸς δὲ τὸ βορειότερον οἱ Πατζινακῖται, καὶ πρὸς τὸ μεσημβρινὸν μέρος ἡ μεγάλη Μοραβία, ἤτοι ἡ χώρα τοῦ Σφενδοπλόκου, ἥτις καὶ παντελῶς ἠφανίσθη παρὰ τῶν τοιούτων Τούρκων, καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν κατεσχέθη. Οἱ δὲ Χρωβάτοι πρὸς τὰ ὄρη τοῖς Τούρκοις παράκεινται. Ὅτι δύνανται καὶ οἱ Πατζινακῖται τοῖς Τούρκοις ἐπιτίθεσθαι καὶ μεγάλως πραιδεύειν καὶ παραβλάπτειν αὐτούς, καθὼς καὶ ἐν τῷ περὶ Πατζινακιτῶν κεφαλαίῳ προείρηται. Ἐπίστησον, υἱέ, διανοίας ὄμμα τῆς σῆς λόγοις ἐμοῖς, καὶ γνῶθι, ἅ σοι ἐντέλλομαι, καὶ ἕξεις ἐν καιρῷ ὡς ἐκ πατρικῶν θησαυρῶν προφέρειν πλοῦτον φρονήσεως καὶ ἐπιδείκνυσθαι χύμα συνέσεως. Ἴσθι οὖν, ὅτι τοῖς βορείοις ἅπασι γένεσι φύσις ὥσπερ καθέστηκεν τὸ ἐν χρήμασι λίχνον καὶ ἄπληστον καὶ μηδέποτε κορεννύμενον, ὅθεν πάντα ἐπιζητεῖ καὶ πάντων ἐφίεται, καὶ οὐκ ἔχει τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ὅρῳ περιγραφομένας, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τοῦ πλείονος ἐπιθυμεῖ, καὶ ἀντὶ μικρᾶς ὠφελείας μεγάλα κέρδη προσπορίζεσθαι βούλεται. ∆ιὸ δεῖ τὰς τούτων ἀκαίρους αἰτήσεις καὶ παρρησιαστικὰς ἀξιώσεις διὰ λόγων πιθανῶν καὶ φρονίμων καὶ συνετῶν ἀπολογιῶν ἀνατρέπειν καὶ ἀποκρούεσθαι, αἵτινες, ὅσον ἀπὸ τῆς πείρας ἡμεῖς καταλαβεῖν ἠδυνήθημεν, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ περιλαβεῖν, τοιαῦταί τινες ἔσονται. Εἰ ἀξιώσουσί ποτε καὶ αἰτήσονται εἴτε