Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

having trod on his neck, orders him to be deprived of both hands and feet, and in addition to this, to be hoisted on a pole. But the wretch, being punished thus, cried out loudly: Have mercy on me, true emperor. And when the emperor asked him, if any were secretly privy to his madness, he would perhaps have falsely denounced many of the emperor's friends; but John, a man surnamed Hexaboulios, holding the rank of patrician, stopped the tyrant from speaking, saying to the emperor, that it was not right to believe enemies against friends. But the tyrant thus unhappily ended his life when the month of October was already halfway through; and straightway the men from Byza also, when they learned that the apostate had been slain, bound Anastasius' hands and feet and brought him to the emperor, whom indeed he condemns to the same punishment as his falsely-named father. 2.9 And since some of the tyrant's men, having seized the city called Panion, just as he had perished, decided to set themselves to war against the emperor, to which Emperor Michael came and, proposing peaceful terms, by no means persuaded them to lay down their arms, a certain sign from God indeed happened to them; for a violent earthquake both threw down the wall and gave the emperor's men passage into the city; which for the earthquake-interpreters is a sign of defeat for the place where this has occurred. But indeed also Heraclea, formerly called Perinthus, being sorely afflicted with the tyrant's cause, resisted the cure through the emperor's words; wherefore indeed, having experienced an assault by the emperor's soldiers from the sea-ward part of the wall, it is both captured and is delivered from the tyrannical sickness, having been taken by the enemy altogether without bloodshed. Thence indeed the emperor, having brought everything under his subjection, returns to the queen of cities, and having held a horse race, he does nothing irreparable to the rebels, except for making them walk through the middle of the hippodrome with their hands bound behind their backs, and immediately exiling some of them. And thus he celebrates the victory in a triumph. 2.10 And during the time in which the rebellion of Thomas was proceeding, Saracens from Spain fearlessly ravaged the Roman land with ten swift ships, or according to some, 20, in the following manner. They were vexed with their own country because it was not very rich and fertile, and they said to their leader Abu Hafs: "Take us from here and lead us to a fertile place, and let us live well there." Encouraged by their words, he prepared a fleet of noble and well-armed men, by which he conquered all the islands, even Crete itself; for this island he assaulted with a nimble force and took captive, and he carried off much plunder, and having carefully learned the area, he returned. And in the following season, Abu Hafs, having fitted out 40 ships, landed on it, and he attacked its promontory and moored at Charax. And he ordered the people under him, that they should leave twenty men for each of the ships, and all the rest should proceed to plunder the island for 12 days. And when the people had departed for this undertaking, he set fire to these and burned them completely. And having found them covered in soot, they dared to mutiny against their leader. And he made his defense to them, "that on the previous day you were grumbling against me, O fellow tribesmen, because I was unwilling for you to migrate to a life of ease; and for this reason I have brought you here, where there is a stream of milk and honey." But they replied to him: "And where indeed shall we find our children and wives?" And he to them: "You know that you have brought for yourselves very many captives; from these, therefore, take wives for yourselves." And this speech seemed pleasing to them, and they were calmed from their mutiny, and they surrounded themselves with a stockade of thick stakes for their own protection to suffice in it; from which the place is called Charax to this day. But a certain monk afterwards, coming to the island, said to them, "If you wish to dominate the island at all, follow me; and wherever, upon consideration, I shall show you a suitable place for building, there a city

κατ' αὐχένα πατήσας αὐτὸν χειρῶν ἄμφω καὶ ποδῶν στερηθῆναι κελεύει, ἐπὶ κοντοῦ τε ἀναρτᾶσθαι πρὸς τούτῳ. ποινηλατούμενος δὲ ὁ δείλαιος οὕτως ἐβόα μέγα· ἐλέησόν με, ἀληθῶς βασιλεῦ. ἐρομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτόν, εἴ τινες εἶεν κρυφίως συνεγνωκότες τῆς ἀπονοίας αὐτῷ, τάχα ἂν πολλῶν κατεῖπεν ψευδῶς τῶν βασιλικῶν φίλων· ἀλλ' Ἰωάννης ἀνὴρ ἐπίκλησιν Ἐξαβούλιος, ἐν πατρικίοις τελῶν, τὸν τύραννον ἐπέσχεν εἰπεῖν, φήσας τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὡς οὐ δέον κατὰ φίλων πιστεύειν ἐχθροῖς. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τύραννος οὕτως δυστυχῶς καταστρέφει τὸν βίον μηνὸς Ὀκτωβρίου μεσοῦντος ἤδη· εὐθὺς δὲ καὶ Ἀναστάσιον <οἱ> ἐκ Βύζης, ἐπειδὴ τὸν ἀποστάτην ἔμαθον ἀνῃρῆσθαι, πεδήσαντες χεῖρας καὶ πόδας πρὸς βασιλέα κομίζουσιν, ὅντινα δὴ τῇ αὐτῇ τοῦ ψευδωνύμου πατρὸς καταδικάζει ποινῇ. 2.9 Ἐπεὶ δέ τινες τῶν τοῦ τυράννου τὴν καλουμένην Πάνιον κατασχόντες πόλιν, ἄρτι μὲν τούτου ἀπεφθορότος, εἰς τὸ πολεμεῖν βασιλεῖ διέγνωσαν καταστῆναι, πρὸς ἣν ἐλθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ καὶ λόγους εἰρηνικοὺς προτεινόμενος οὐδαμῶς πείθει καταθέσθαι τὰ ὅπλα, γίνεται δή τι θεόθεν σημεῖον αὐτοῖς· σεισμὸς γὰρ σφοδρὸς τό τε τεῖχος κατέβαλεν καὶ τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν εἰς πόλιν δέδωκεν πάροδον· ὃ τοῖς σεισμοσκόποις σημεῖον ἥττης, ὅθεν γεγένηται τοῦτο. ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ Ἡράκλεια ἡ πάλαι Πέρινθος καλουμένη, τὰ τοῦ τυράννου λίαν νοσοῦσα, πρὸς τὴν διὰ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως λόγων θεραπείαν ἀντέσχεν· ὅθεν δὴ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ θαλαττίου μέρους τοῦ τείχους ἐπιδρομῆς τῶν βασιλικῶν πειραθεῖσα στρατιωτῶν ἁλίσκεταί τε καὶ τῆς τυραννικῆς ἀπαλλάττεται νόσου ἀναιμωτὶ καθάπαξ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων ληφθεῖσα. ἐντεῦθεν δὴ βασιλεὺς πάντα κατήκοα λαβὼν ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν ὑπονοστεῖ, καὶ ἱππικὴν ἐπιτελέσας ἁμίλλησιν οὐδὲν ἀνήκεστον τοῖς στασιώταις ποιεῖται, πλὴν τοῦ διὰ μέσης τῆς ἱπποδρομίας εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω δεδεμένους τὰς χεῖρας ἰέναι, καί τινας εὐθὺς φυγαδεῦσαι αὐτῶν. καὶ οὕτω θριαμβεύει τὴν νίκην. 2.10 Ἐπὶ χρόνου δὲ ἐν ᾧ ἀποστασία προβεβήκει ἡ Θωμᾶ, ἀδεῶς ἀπὸ Ἱσπανίας Ἀγαρηνοὶ ἐδῄουν τὴν Ῥωμαΐτιδα γῆν σὺν δέκα περικαμπέσι ναυσί, κατὰ δέ τινας κʹ, τρόπῳ τοιῷδε. προσώχθισαν τῇ χώρᾳ αὐτῶν διὰ τὸ μὴ πιοτάτην ὑπάρχειν καὶ εὔφορον, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῶν εἶπον Ἀπόχαψ· ἆρον ἡμᾶς τῶν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἀπάγαγε εἰς εὔγειον τόπον, καὶ εὐζωῶμεν ἐκεῖσε. ὧν τοῖς λόγοις παρακληθεὶς γενναίων ἀνδρῶν καὶ εὐόπλων στόλον εὐτρέπισεν, ἐξ ὧν πασῶν νήσων ἐκράτησεν, ὥστε καὶ τῆς Κρήτης αὐτῆς· ταύτην γὰρ λαῷ εὐζώνῳ ἐπηρεάσας ἐξῃχμαλώτισεν καὶ πολλὴν λαφυραγωγίαν εἰσεποιήσατο, καὶ ἀκριβῶς ἀναμεμαθηκὼς τὸν χῶρον ἐπαλινόστησεν. τῷ δὲ ἐπιόντι καιρῷ μʹ ναῦς ὁ Ἀπόχαψ ἐπισκευασάμενος ἐν ταύτῃ κατῆρεν, καὶ τῷ ἀκρωτηρίῳ ταύτης προσέβαλεν καὶ προσωρμίσθη τῷ Χάρακι. διωρίσατο δὲ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λαῷ, ὅπως ἑκάστῳ τῶν πλοίων ἀνὰ εἴκοσι ἀνδρῶν καταλίποιεν, οἱ δὲ πάντες ἄλλοι εἰς τὸ τὴν νῆσον ληΐζεσθαι προσχωρήσειαν ἐπὶ ἡμέρας γε ιβʹ. ἀποκινήσαντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ πρὸς τὴν τοιαύτην ἐγχείρησιν, ταύταις ἐνέβαλε πῦρ καὶ ὁλικῶς ἐπυρπόλησεν. ἐφευρηκότες δὲ ταύτας ᾐθαλωμένας στασιάζειν κατὰ τοῦ ἀρχηγοῦ αὐτῶν τετολμήκασιν. καὶ ἀπολελόγητο πρὸς αὐτοὺς, ὅτι τῇ προτεραίᾳ κατεγογγύζετέ μου, ὦ ἄνδρες ὁμόφυλοι, μὴ μεταναστεύειν ὑμᾶς πρὸς εὐζωΐαν βεβουλημένου· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἤγαγον ὑμᾶς ἐνταυθοῖ, ἐν ᾧ γάλακτος καὶ μέλιτός ἐστιν ἀπορρώξ. οἱ δὲ ἀντεῖπον αὐτῷ· καὶ ποῦ δὴ τέκνα ἡμῶν καὶ γυναῖκας εὑρήσομεν; ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· ἴστε, ὅτι αἰχμαλωσίαν ἑαυτοῖς πλείστην ἠνέγκατε· ἐκ ταύτης οὖν ὑμῖν γυναῖκας ἁρμόσασθε. καὶ οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἀρεστὸς ἐφάνη αὐτοῖς, καὶ τοῦ στασιασμοῦ κατευνάσθησαν, καὶ πυκνοῖς σκόλοψι χάρακα περιέθεντο πρὸς ὀχυρότητα ἑαυτῶν διαρκεῖν ἐν αὐτῷ· ἀφ' οὗ ὁ τόπος μέχρι τῆς δεῦρο Χάραξ προσονομάζεται. μοναστὴς δέ τις μετέπειτα προσφοιτήσας τῇ νήσῳ ἔφη αὐτοῖς, ὅτι εἴπερ ὅλως ἐθέλοιτε καταδυναστεῦσαι τῆς νήσου, ἀκολουθήσατέ μοι· καὶ ὅποι στοχασάμενος παραδείξω ὑμῖν ἐπιτηδειότητα κτίσεως, ἐκεῖσε πόλιν