History
And what i have accurately ascertained from those who saw it, these things i will also commit to writing. 2. just now in the month of november, of the
He commanded that the triremes and the other transport ships should all be brought to anchor in a good harbor, and that they should control the sea, a
War. therefore, having gone around and seen that it was by nature difficult to enter and hard to approach for on the one side it had the sea as a saf
They would be frustrated. and having gone out of the camp, and having overrun a part of the country, when he learned from those who had been taken ali
It was easy to attack by assault, being raised to the greatest possible height, and girded with two trenches dug to a corresponding depth), and the de
Having divided his phalanx into three parts by night, he went against the scythians, and falling upon them suddenly, in a brief moment of time he wrou
Meet them, when i give the signal with the trumpets. such was the exhortation that the general delivered and the army shouted 22 and applauded, and w
6. but nikephoros phokas, the colleague of the aforementioned leo (for it is necessary, having summarized the account, to proceed with the history in
The general, having seen this, spurred his horse, quickened his pace, rode in and restrained the soldiers' onslaught, persuading them not to kill the
Having drawn up an irresistible battle-line, went through the land of the hagarenes. to them, having heard of the attack of nikephoros, it did not see
Was dignified by his rank), was hostilely disposed towards nicephorus. 11. he decided, therefore, to attempt a revolution at once but not having at h
, to proclaim him supreme commander, and to entrust the forces of asia to him, so that he might defend and check the assault of the foreigners. for th
He said, if you are persuaded to take up the rule of the east, i shall quickly declare you emperor, and restore you to the imperial thrones. speak wel
For he was gently nursing his little body), then, recovering again, he said, “speak, most brave one, what need is there to consider this?” but he said
I have assumed the imperial office, but compelled by the necessity of you, the army, and you yourselves bear witness for me that i was both shunning s
Before the report of his proclamation could fly abroad, to seize in advance the straits and passages of the sea. for thus he thought that matters woul
Numbering over three thousand, attacked the house of joseph and his collaborators along with the people. and having subjected these to plunder and pil
Especially the monks), they did not allow the man to persist in what he had decided, but urged him both to embrace marriage and not to shun meat-eatin
Makes it flood in a single hour) emboldened by these things, the barbarians mocked the emperor and insolently hurled insults at him, and making sorti
Having fallen upon it, accomplishing nothing noble or vigorous. and he considered the matter an outright disgrace and insult, and an indelible reproac
Having come to the region around tarsus, there he encamped and having pitched a palisade round about, he ordered the crops and the meadows, luxuriant
Having recovered the standards, which, crafted from gold and stones, the tarsians had captured in various battles while routing the roman force, and h
Of the spectacle, turned to flight and ran back to their own houses. and from the pushing and disorderly rush, no little slaughter occurred, with very
To blow favorably upon them, but blowing against them strongly and fiercely, it has sunk their affairs. but the account will now clearly reveal these
To those acting against the divine ordinance, if somehow at least in this way people, being afraid, would abstain from evil deeds, and would cling to
He had taken a fortress, and having crossed mount lebanon transversely, he turned his attention to tripoli, which he saw was fortified and exceptional
Being obliged to drive them away, and to guard the flocks from harm, they, in addition to not driving them away, themselves cut them down and tear the
Having come, and having been befriended by the ruler of the tauroi, and having corrupted him with gifts and bewitched him with persuasive words (for t
Reconciliation and friendship might be secured. the mysians gladly received the embassy, and putting daughters of the royal blood 80 on wagons (for it
They might do. but as they were already considering rushing to their defense, and to stoutly resist the enemy in close combat, as dawn was brightly br
Boasting to all about his brave deeds in wars. 6. having approached the emperor with these words and, 85 as was likely, having bewitched him (for he s
Having lowered from above, one by one they first pulled up all the conspirators, and then john himself. having come up, therefore, beyond all human su
The vengeance for these things, and to those who were slipping he seemed relentless and burdensome, and oppressive to those wishing to lead an indiffe
At the end of the month of december, during the thirteenth indiction of the six thousand four hundred and seventy-eighth year, a throng of select men,
Having captured him, confines him to amaseia. having therefore from this secured sufficient safety for himself and for his affairs, and having purged
To make amends for what nikephoros had improperly introduced. for nikephoros, whether wishing to correct divine matters that were being disturbed by s
And having found him not very accurately versed in secular education, but most diligently trained in divine and our own, he anoints him patriarch of a
The bosporus, but to pass by moesia, which belongs to the romans, and has from of old been a part of macedonia. for it is said that the moesians, bein
To make replies. for we trust in christ, the immortal god, that if you do not depart from this land, you will be driven from it by us even against you
A disgrace by the raids of the scythians to send out bilingual men dressed in scythian attire into the homesteads and customs of the enemy, so that t
The romans on the one hand shouted for joy, and were strengthened for valor but the scythians, growing cowardly at the new and strange nature of the
2. the emperor, when he learned of such a revolt, was disturbed, as was likely, and having brought up bishop stephen from abydos with wingless speed,
He saw that murders along with the ensuing conspirators were proceeding harshly and inhumanely, he decided to no longer delay or be slothful, so that
Considering into what fortunes the unholy and blood-guilty john has enclosed my family, having mercilessly slain the emperor and my uncle, who was his
Eye, and to learn that these things were red, just as they had been from of old. phocas, considering this prodigy a second evil omen, and seeing also
Immediately, lest it be some ill-omened thing, and destruction befall the pursuing mysians but learning they were fleeing at full speed, he both purs
The russian minds were lifted up in audacity and boldness. therefore, the emperor, not enduring their overweening arrogance and their blatant insolenc
Being given out, and going under the earth by the inscrutable wisdom of the creator and again from the 130 celtic mountains gushing up, and winding t
Should set a phalanx against us, things will not end well for us, but in dreadful perplexity and helplessness. therefore, having strengthened your spi
Is called drista) lingering with his whole force. but in this way kalokyres escaped, and night coming on stopped the romans from battle. and just on t
And they killed up to one hundred and fifty vigorous men. but the emperor, learning of such an event, quickly mounted his horse and urged his follower
But the rest of the multitude he bound in fetters and shut up in prisons. he himself, having gathered the entire host of the tauro-scythians, numberin
1. and just as day was dawning, the emperor fortified the camp with a strong palisade in this manner. a certain low hill of dorystolon rises at a dist
He was courting them with gifts and toasts, encouraging them to proceed vigorously to the wars. 3. while these matters were in suspense, and the battl
He flees to a divine and great sanctuary, seen as a pitiful supplicant instead of a haughty and boastful tyrant. whom the men of the drungarius dragge
Having drowned. for it is said that, being possessed by greek 150 orgies, they perform sacrifices and libations for the dead in the greek manner, havi
On the next day (it was the sixth day of the week, and the twenty-fourth day of the month of july), when the sun was setting, the tauro-scythians, hav
Was being concluded. 10. but the romans, following the divine man who went before, 155 engage with the enemy, and a fierce battle having commenced, th
With purity. at any rate, having conferred a few things about a truce with the emperor, seated beside the rowing-bench of the skiff, he departed. but
Was crossed over. this is the greatest of the rivers cutting through asia, 161 and one of those that flow from eden, as we have learned from the divin
The emperor, as one who abused the power of his leadership for certain powerful men, and did not direct the affairs of the church as was established b
Having assembled forces, and having meticulously armed them, departing from the reigning city, he advanced through palestine, a prosperous land, flowi
The mainland is enclosed by strongholds, stretching upon a certain steep hill on the other side it is surrounded by the sea, putting forth a well-hav
Before until fire-bearing ships were secretly sent out from byzantium by those in power. which bardas parsakoutenos the magistros was leading, and ha
I would have been destroyed, if some divine providence had not led me out of that very danger, which caused me to ride out with speed, before the ravi
Furthermore, the star rising in the west at the setting of the morning star, which, making its risings in the evening, kept no fixed position at one c
Of the city, but already becoming feeble, and suffering from a deep and intractable panting. and having just come to the royal hearth, he was shown to
having divided his phalanx into three parts by night, he went against the Scythians, and falling upon them suddenly, in a brief moment of time he wrought so great a slaughter, that only a few out of the countless multitude escaped. This general, Leo, the emperor Romanos had transported to Asia, if somehow he might check the incursions of the barbarians, and repulse the shamelessly dared attacks. But the general, when he had departed from Europe and reached Asia, and heard of the audacity and stubbornness of Chambdas, and saw temples and villages burned, and fortresses demolished, and the desolation of the inhabitants and their violent abduction, decided not to lead the army into obvious danger, nor to draw up in open battle against the barbarian multitude, which had won many victories, was vaunting in its unexpected successes, and was bringing forth phalanxes of ten thousand men and precisely armed; and especially since he himself was leading an army that was small 20 in number and not sufficient, and was cowering at the successes of the Agarenes and their daily trophies; but rather to occupy the most strategic and precipitous places and to set ambushes there, and to watch the passes; and to meet the barbarians in the dangerous and uncertain parts of the paths, and to fight stoutly, whenever they might be passing through. 3. So then it occurred to the general Leo, having thus judged and resolved, both to encourage the army with words and to strengthen it with exhortations, to advance against the barbarians when it was necessary, and to make it more courageous for the war. Rising therefore before the multitude and pausing for a little, he began such an exhortation: Knowing that your entire contingent is excellent, O fellow soldiers, and experienced in the arts of war, and filled with tactical expertise, the common master and emperor of us both has transported it to Asia, which is already weary and brought to its knees by the raids and plunderings of Chambdas, entrusting the command of leadership to me. Therefore I exhort and advise, not that you should oppose the enemy nobly (for I think that you, who have practiced manliness with daring from your youth, do not need words to urge you to courage); but that having deliberated best you might vanquish the enemy. For war is not accustomed to be won so much by the might of an adversary, as by the foresight of good counsel and by the timely and easy bringing about of victories. Now then, 21 you know clearly the battle array of the enemy, how great it is that has poured out over the plains here, how it is both numerous and surpasses counting; but as for the army under your command, I myself declare it to be noble and vigorous in both strength and spirit; but in multitude and in phalanxes one would not say it is a worthy match. It is necessary, therefore, since we are Romans, to have contrived and deliberated as is fitting, to find what is advantageous in difficult situations, and to choose what is profitable before what is terrible. Let us not therefore, with an unreasoning rush and reckless daring, go over to manifest destruction. For unbridled daring is accustomed to thrust one into danger, but delay with calculation knows how to save those who use it. 4. I advise, therefore, men, not to risk battle against the barbarians in the plains with unchecked assaults, but lying in wait in the fortified places here to await their arrival and passage; and then to attack them more vigorously and to resist them nobly. For in this way I think (with God's help, I say) we will both overcome the enemy, and recover to ourselves all the booty of our countrymen. For matters of war are accustomed to be subdued by the unexpectedness of attacks, and by sudden sallies the over-proud and arrogant spirits are wont to be broken. Therefore preserving your youthful valor and the nobility that has grown with you for contests, against the enemies
νυκτῶν τριχῇ διαιρήσας τὴν φάλαγγα, ἐπῄει τοῖς Σκύθαις, καὶ τοσοῦτον φόνον αἰφνίδιον εἰσπεσὼν ἐν μικρᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἀπειργάσατο,
ὡς εὐαριθμήτους ἐκ τοῦ ἀμυθήτου πλήθους διαφυγεῖν. τοῦτον τὸν στρατηγὸν Λέοντα Ῥωμανὸς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν διεβιβάσατο,
εἴ πως ἀλλὰ τάς τε τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπιδρομὰς ἀναστείλειε, καὶ τὰς ἀναίδην τολμωμένας ἀναχαιτίσοι ἐπαγωγάς. ὁ δὲ στρατηγὸς, ἐπεὶ
τῆς Εὐρώπης ἀπάρας τὴν Ἀσίαν κατείληφε, καὶ τὸ αὔθαδες καὶ ἀτέραμνον τοῦ Χαμβδᾶν ἠνωτίζετο, καὶ νεὼς καὶ κώμας πεπυρπολημένας
ἑώρα, καὶ φρουρίων κατασκαφὰς, ἐρημίαν τε τῶν κατοίκων καὶ βιαίαν ἀπαγωγὴν, ἔγνω, μὴ ἐς προῦπτον κίνδυνον ἐνιέναι τὴν στρατιὰν,
μηδὲ τῷ βαρβαρικῷ εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἀντιπαρατάττεσθαι πλήθει, πολλὰς μὲν ἐπανῃρημένῳ νίκας, ταῖς δὲ παρ' ἐλπίδα γαυριῶντι τύχαις,
μυριανθρώπους τε καὶ ἐς τὸ ἀκριβὲς καθωπλισμένας ἐπιφερομένῳ τὰς φάλαγγας· καὶ μάλιστα εὐ 20 αρίθμητόν τε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ
οὐκ ἀξιόχρεων αὐτὸς ἐπαγόμενος, κατεπτηχυῖάν τε τὰς τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν εὐημερίας καὶ τὰ καθ' ἑκάστην τρόπαια· κατειληφέναι δὲ μᾶλλον
τὰ ἐπικαιρότατα καὶ κρημνώδη τῶν χώρων καὶ προλοχίζειν κατὰ ταῦτα, καὶ τὰς διεξόδους ὑποτηρεῖν· ὑπαντιάζειν τε τοῖς βαρβάροις
ἐν τοῖς ἐπισφαλέσι καὶ ἀμφιταλάντοις τῶν ἀταρπιτῶν, καὶ καρτερῶς ἀγωνίζεσθαι, ὁπηνίκα καὶ διοδεύοιεν. γʹ. Οὕτω δὴ γνωσιμαχήσαντι
καὶ βουλευσαμένῳ τῷ στρατηγῷ Λέοντι ἐπῆλθε, καὶ λόγοις ὑπαλεῖψαι τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ παραινέσεσιν ἐπιῤῥῶσαι, κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων
ἡνίκα δέοι χωρεῖν, καὶ θαῤῥαλεωτέραν ἐργάσασθαι πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον. ∆ιαναστὰς οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν, τοιαύτην
εἰσηγεῖτο παραίνεσιν· Ἅπαν μὲν τὸ καθ' ὑμᾶς στῖφος εἰδὼς ἄριστον, ὦ συστρατιῶται, αὐτουργόν τε τὰ πολέμια, καὶ τακτικῆς ἐμπειρίας
ὑπόπλεον, ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ὁ κοινὸς ἀμφοτέρων δεσπότης καὶ βασιλεὺς, κάμνουσαν ἤδη καὶ ἐπὶ γόνυ κεκλιμένην ταῖς τοῦ Χαμβδᾶν καταδρομαῖς
τε καὶ προνομαῖς, ἐμοὶ τὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἐγχειρίσας ἀρχὴν, διεβίβασε. παραινῶ τοίνυν καὶ συμβουλεύω, οὐχ ὅπως γενναίως ἀντιτάξοισθε
τοῖς ἐχθροῖς (οἶμαι γὰρ μὴ δεῖσθαι λόγων ὑμᾶς ἐναγόντων ἐς εὐτολμίαν, οἷς ἐξ ἁπαλῶν ἀνδρία μετὰ τόλμης ἐξήσκηται)· ἀλλ' ὡς
ἂν ἄριστα βουλευσάμενοι καταγωνίσοισθε τὸν ἐχθρόν. πόλεμος γὰρ οὐ τοσοῦτον ἐξ ἀντιπάλου κατορθοῦσθαι ῥοπῆς εἴωθεν, ὅσον εὐβουλίας
προνοίᾳ καὶ τροπαίων ἐπαγωγῇ ῥᾳδιουργουμένῃ κατὰ καιρόν. τὴν μὲν οὖν 21 παράταξιν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἴστε σαφῶς, ὅση διὰ τῶν τῇδε
πεδίων ἐκκέχυται, ὡς πολλή τέ ἐστι καὶ ἀριθμὸν ὑπερβαίνουσα· τὴν δὲ καθ' ὑμᾶς στρατιὰν γενναίαν μὲν καὶ νεανικὴν τῇ τε ῥώμῃ
καὶ τοῖς φρονήμασι καὶ αὐτὸς εἶναί φημι· πλήθει δὲ καὶ ταῖς φάλαγξιν οὐκ ἂν φαίη τις ἀξιόμαχον. δεῖ οὖν Ῥωμαίους ὄντας μεμηχανῆσθαί
τε καὶ βεβουλεῦσθαι δεόντως, ἐν τοῖς ἀπόροις ἐξευρίσκειν τὰ πρόσφορα, αἱρεῖσθαί τε πρὸ τῶν δεινῶν τὰ ξυμφέροντα. μὴ οὖν ἀλογίστῳ
φορᾷ καὶ παραβόλοις τολμήμασιν εἰς προῦπτον αὐτομολήσωμεν ὄλεθρον. τόλμα γὰρ ἀχαλίνωτος ἐς κίνδυνον εἴωθε συνωθεῖν, ἡ δὲ μετὰ
λογισμοῦ μέλλησις διασώζειν οἶδε τοὺς κεχρημένους αὐτῇ. δʹ. Παραινῶ τοιγαροῦν, ἄνδρες, μὴ διακινδυνεύειν πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους
ἐπὶ τόπων τῶν πεδεινῶν ἀκαθέκτοις ὁρμήμασιν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ἐρυμνῶν ἐλλοχῶντας τουτωνὶ χωρίων τὴν ἐκείνων ὑπομένειν ἄφιξιν καὶ
διάβασιν· τηνικαῦτα δὲ τούτοις ἐῤῥωμενέστερον ἐπιτίθεσθαι καὶ γενναίως ἀντικαθίστασθαι. ταύτῃ γὰρ οἶμαι (σὺν Θεῷ φάναι) κρατήσειν
τε τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ τὴν λείαν ἅπασαν τῶν ὁμοφύλων πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀνασώσασθαι. τῷ γὰρ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ τῶν ἐπιδρομῶν δουλοῦσθαι εἴωθε
τὰ πολέμια, καὶ ταῖς αἰφνιδίοις ὑπεξελάσεσι τὰ ὑπέραυχα καὶ ἀλαζονικὰ πέφυκε φρονήματα θραύεσθαι. τήν τε οὖν ἡλικιῶτιν ἀρετὴν
διατηροῦντες καὶ τὴν σύντροφον πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας εὐγένειαν, τοῖς ἐναντίοις
