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build, by which you might rule the island. And he brought them to a place called Chandax, in which their city is established; and this they surrounded with a ditch. Of which Apochaps was the leader, and he enslaved twenty-nine Cretan cities, with only one not being captured except by agreement, remaining unbesieged until now, which contributed to it being so called, its inhabitants having freedom to practice the customs of the Christians. Of whose raid and capture Thomas was the cause. Apochaps [...], whose son was Saipes, and of Saipes, Babdel, who in the Peloponnese by some sea surge was dashed against the land with his own ship, in the days of the blessed emperor Leo, while the wise Constantine was strategos, was captured, whose surname was Tessarakontapechys; Of this Babdel, Zerkounes was a kinsman, who ruled before the current chief of Crete. 2.11 And on this island, Cyril the wondrous, who was bishop of the city of Gortyn, was slaughtered for Christ like a spotless victim. Whose precious blood, as some say, has been preserved unblotted in a certain place until this day; to which the pious go and, wiping this up with a sponge, draw from it a divine myrrh and in no way alter the color of the blood. Moreover, the seven venerable foster-children of hers, along with many others, were consigned to the grave, having been slain for their unwavering and sincere faith in Christ. 2.12 And indeed, from that time the islands would have been under the control of the Hagarenes, if emperor Michael of Amorion had not more contentiously resolved to free them; and indeed, after much persistent concern, he commanded Krateros the strategos of the Kibyrrhaiotai to prepare all the ships under him and set sail for Crete and with all haste to destroy its Saracen inhabitants. Who, having arrived there with 70 ships, waged war against them from the rising of the sun until its setting, and he prevailed over them so much, that he wished to kill them all. But evil leaders with him ill-advisedly restrained him, saying: "If we press them all, they will certainly not dare to oppose us in the future. Now night is at hand, according to the poet: 'It is good also to obey the night.' For the army is hard-pressed. Let us go to our tents and at the shining of dawn we shall arrive and seize them." And indeed, deceived in his mind by their words, he returned with them to their tents. And having in no way taken thought for the securities for their safety, but having lain down on their backs, and wretchedly laid to rest by much toil, they slept the sleep of death, for the enemies came upon them by night and brought upon them an iron sleep; not one of the tourmarchs or commanders present there was able to board a warship, only the strategos himself boarded a merchant ship and sailed away. Learning about this, the chief of the Hagarenes put men on two transport ships and pursued him, and seized him at the island of Kos (alas for the misfortune!) and on it hangs him on a gibbet. Hence from of old and until today the island of Crete has been held by the Hagarenes, from which they make incursions into Roman territory. 2.13 Then a very wise man is found, whose surname was Ooryphas, and by imperial command through his proposal a most noble naval levy is gathered, to whom forty gold coins are given each, and they declared that this would not otherwise be done, unless they received these. Who, having briskly embarked on transports and having him as their admiral, granted freedom to many <islands>; whom what was received named the "Tessarakontarioi." 2.14 But Michael the emperor, at the beginning of his reign, beautifying himself with utter boorishness rather than with the scepter, publicly spoke concerning the divine icons that each should do what seemed best to him; but acting irrationally after this, turning to duplicity, Euphrosyne, of Constantine

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οἰκοδομήσατε, δι' ἧς τῆς νήσου ἐξουσιάσοιτε. καὶ ἀπήνεγκεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τόπον καλούμενον Χάνδακα, ἐν ᾧ ἡ πόλις τούτων καθίδρυται· καὶ ταύτην πέριξ ἐτάφρωσαν. ἧς ὁ Ἀπόχαψ καθηγεμόνευσεν, καὶ θʹ καὶ κʹ Κρήσσας πόλεις ἠνδραποδίσατο, μιᾶς μόνης μὴ ἁλωθείσης ἀλλ' ἢ λόγῳ, ἀπολιορκήτου μεινάσης ἕως ἄρτι, ὃ καὶ κεκλῆσθαι ταύτῃ συνέδραμεν, ἐχόντων τῶν οἰκητόρων αὐτῆς σὺν ἐλευθερίᾳ ποιεῖν τὰ Χριστιανῶν εἰθισμένα. ὧν τῆς ἐπιδρομῆς ὁ Θωμᾶς καὶ ἁλώσεως αἴτιος. Ἀπόχαψ δὲ [...], οὗ παῖς μὲν Σαΐπης ἐτύγχανεν, Σαΐπου δὲ Βάβδελ, ὃς ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ κατά τι θαλάσσης κλυδώνιον πρὸς γῆν σὺν νηῒ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ προσσπαρείς, ἐν ἡμέραις τοῦ μακαρίτου Λέοντος βασιλέως, τηνικαῦτα δὲ στρατηγοῦντος Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ συνετόφρονος, ἐκεκράτητο, ᾧ Τεσσαρακοντάπηχυς τὸ ἐπώνυμον· οὗτινος Βάβδελ ἐτέλει ὁ Ζερκουνῆς σύγγονος, ὁ πρὸ τοῦ νῦν ἀρχηγοῦ τῆς Κρήτης καθηγησάμενος. 2.11 Ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ νήσῳ Κύριλλος ὁ θαυμάσιος, ὁ Γορτύνης ἐπισκοπήσας τῆς πόλεως, ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ὡς ἱερεῖον ἄμωμον ἐσφαγίαστο. οὗ τὸ τίμιον αἷμα μέχρι τῆς δεῦρο κατά τινα χῶρον, καθώς τινές φασιν, ἀνεξάλειπτον συντετήρηται· καθ' ὃν οἱ εὐσεβεῖς φοιτῶντες καὶ τοῦτο σπόγ γῳ ἐναπομάττοντες δι' αὐτοῦ γε θεῖον μύρον ὑδρεύονται καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν ἀλλοιοῦσι τὸ χρῶμα τοῦ αἵματος. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἡ τῶν τροφίμων σεβαστῶν παίδων αὐτῆς ἑβδομὰς μετὰ πολλῶν ἄλλων ταφῇ ἀφιέρωται, ἀναιρεθέντων ὑπὲρ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀδιστάκτου καὶ εἰλικρινοῦς πίστεως. 2.12 Καὶ δὴ ἔκτοτε κατακεκράτηντο ἂν παρ' Ἀγαρηνῶν αἱ νῆσοι, εἰ μὴ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ ὁ ἐξ Ἀμορίου ἔσχεν φιλονεικότερον ἐλευθεριάσειν αὐτάς· καὶ δὴ πολυωρήσας ἐνδελεχῶς Κρατερῷ τῷ στρατηγέτῃ Κιβυρραιωτῶν ἐνετείλατο πάσας τὰς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ναῦς παρετοιμάσασθαι καὶ ἀπᾶραι εἰς Κρήτην καὶ σπουδῇ πάσῃ τοὺς ταύτης οἰκήτορας Σαρακηνοὺς ὀλοθρεῦσαι. ὃς ἐκεῖσε παραγενόμενος σὺν ναυσὶν οʹ κατ' αὐτῶν πόλεμον ἦρεν ἐξ ἀνατολῆς ἡλίου μέχρι τῆς δύσεως, καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτῶν ἐκυρίευσεν, ὥστε πάντας καὶ ἀναιρήσειν βεβούλητο. ἀλλὰ κακοὶ ἀρχηγοὶ συνόντες αὐτῷ οὐκ εὐβούλως ἀνέστειλαν εἰρηκότες· ἡμεῖς γε πάντας ὑποπιέσαντες, οὐκέτι πάντως οὗτοι τολμήσειαν τοῦ λοιποῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀντιτάξασθαι. ἤδη νὺξ τελέθει, κατὰ τὸν ποιητήν· ἀγαθὸν καὶ νυκτὶ πιθέσθαι. δυσπεφόρηκε γὰρ ὁ λαός. ἄγωμεν εἰς τὰς ἡμετέρας σκηνὰς καὶ πρωΐας ἐπιλαμπούσης ἀφιξόμεθα καὶ κατάσχωμεν αὐτούς. καὶ δὴ τοῖς ῥήμασιν αὐτῶν φρεναπατηθεὶς πρὸς τὰς σκηνὰς αὐτῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐπανέλυσεν. μηδαμῶς δὲ πεφροντικότες τῶν πρὸς σωτηρίαν ἀσφαλειῶν, ἀλλ' ὑπτιάσαντες δυστυχῶς πολλῷ τε κόπῳ κατευνασθέντες καὶ θανάτου ὕπνον ὑπνώσαντες, ἐπελθόντες νυκτὸς οἱ ἐχθροὶ σιδήρειον ὕπνον τούτοις ἐπήγαγον· οὐδ' εἷς τῶν ἐκεῖσε παρόντων τουρμαρχῶν ἢ ἀρχόντων πολεμικοῦ ἐπιβῆναι πλοίου δεδύνητο, μόνου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐμπορικῷ ἐπιβάντος καὶ ἀποπλεύσαντος. περὶ οὗ μεμαθηκὼς ὁ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἀρχηγὸς δυσὶν ὁλκάσι λαὸν ἐπεβίβασεν καὶ αὐτοῦ κατεδίωξεν ὄπισθεν, καὶ πρὸς νῆσον τὴν Κῶ τοῦτον κατέσχεν (φεῦ συμφορᾶς) καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ ξύλῳ κρεμάννυσιν. ὅθεν ἀνέκαθεν καὶ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον ἡ τῆς Κρήτης νῆσος κεκράτηται παρὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν, ἐξ ἧς τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοῖς ὅροις ἐπισυρρέουσιν. 2.13 Εἶτα εὑρίσκεταί τις πολύφρων ἀνήρ, ᾧτινι Ὠορυφᾶς τὸ ἐπώνυμον, καὶ προστάξει βασιλικῇ διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ εἰσηγήσεως ἀθροίζεται ναυτικὸν στρατολόγημα γενναιότατον, οἷς ἀνὰ μʹ χρυσοῦ ἐπιδίδοται νομίσματα, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλως γένοιτο τόδε, εἰ μὴ ταῦτα κομίσοιντο, διηγόρευον. οἳ ὁλκάσιν εὐζώνως ἐπιβατεύσαντες καὶ ναύαρχον αὐτὸν κεκτημένοι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν πολλαῖς <νήσοις> ἐχορήγησαν· οὓς τεσσαρακονταρίους τὸ ληφθὲν προσωνόμασεν. 2.14 Μιχαὴλ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας παντελεῖ ἀγροικίᾳ ἢ τῇ σκηπτουχίᾳ καλλωπιζόμενος περὶ τῶν θείων εἰκόνων ἐδημηγόρησεν τὸ ἑκάστῳ δοκοῦν ἀπεργάζεσθαι· ἀλογιστεύων δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς διπλόην ἀποτραπείς, Εὐφροσύνην, Κωνσταντίνου