19

Bertha according to the name of her grandmother, that is of the great Bertha, who after the death of Adelbertus, her husband, reigned for *** years, and was renamed Eudocia after the name of both the grandmother and sister of Constantine, the Christ-loving master. 27 Concerning the theme of Longobardia and of the principalities and lordships within it. It must be known that in the olden times the whole authority of Italy, both Naples and Capua and Beneventum, and Salerno and Amalfi and Gaeta and all Longobardia, was controlled by the Romans, that is, when Rome was the seat of empire. But after the empire removed to Constantinople, all these were divided into two commands, wherefore also two patricians used to be sent out by the emperor in Constantinople; and the one patrician controlled Sicily and Calabria and Naples and Amalfi, while the other patrician was seated at Beneventum, and controlled Pavia and Capua and all the rest. And they paid the customary dues annually to the emperor for the public treasury. And all these aforesaid countries were inhabited by Romans. But in the time of the empress Irene the patrician Narses was sent out and controlled Beneventum and Pavia; and Zacharias, the pope, an Athenian, controlled Rome. And it happened that wars broke out in the parts of Pavia, and the patrician Narses expended on the army the tribute-monies being brought in for the public treasury, and the customary remittance was not sent by him. And Narses reported back, saying: "I am rather expecting money to be sent me from you there, since I have consumed the entire remittance collected from here on the wars which have broken out, and you are rather looking for remittances from here." When the empress Irene heard this, she grew angry and sent him a spindle and a distaff, writing to him that: "Take these, which are suitable for you; for we have judged it more righteous for you to spin, than to vindicate and direct and champion the Romans with arms like a man." When the patrician Narses heard this, he wrote back to the empress that: "Since I am thought by you to be fit for carding and spinning, like a woman, I shall spin with the spindle and the distaff such a thread that, as long as the Romans live, they will not be able to weave it up." The Longobards at that time were dwelling in Pannonia, where the Turks now dwell. And the patrician Narses sent to them all sorts of fruits, and made clear to them, that: "Come here and behold a land flowing, as it is said, with milk and honey, of which, I think, God has none better; and if it is pleasing to you, dwell in it, so that for ages of ages you may bless me". When the Longobards heard this, they were persuaded, and taking up their families, came to Beneventum. But the people of the fortress of Beneventum did not allow them to enter inside the fortress, and they dwelt outside the fortress near the wall by the river, building there a small fortress, whence also it is named Civitanova, that is, new-fortress, which stands to this day. And they used to enter inside the fortress and into the church, and by a stratagem they overcame the inhabitants of the fortress of Beneventum, killed them all and seized the fortress. For, carrying swords inside their staves and making a return attack in the church at the same time, they killed all, as has been said. And from then on they marched out and subjugated all that land of the theme of Longobardia and of Calabria and up to Pavia, except for Hydruntum and Callipolis and Rossano and Naples and Gaeta and Sorrento and Amalfi. The first fortress was the ancient and great Capua, the second Naples, the third Beneventum, the fourth Gaeta, the fifth Amalfi. But Salerno was founded in the time of Sicardus, when the Longobards divided the principalities. And there are until this day, which is the 7th indiction, 4457 years from the creation of the world, since the was divided

19

Βέρτα κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς μάμμης αὐτῆς, ἤγουν τῆς μεγάλης Βέρτας, ἥτις μετὰ θάνατον τοῦ Ἀδελβέρτου, ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς, ἐβασίλευσεν ἔτη ***, μετωνομάσθη δὲ Εὐδοκία κατὰ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς τε μάμμης καὶ ἀδελφῆς Κωνσταντίνου, τοῦ φιλοχρίστου δεσπότου. 27 Περὶ τοῦ θέματος Λαγουβαρδίας καὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ πριγκιπάτων καὶ ἀρχοντιῶν. Ἰστέον, ὅτι ἐν τοῖς παλαιοῖς χρόνοις κατεκρατεῖτο ἡ πᾶσα ἐξουσία Ἰταλίας, ἥ τε Νεάπολις καὶ Κάπυα καὶ ἡ Βενεβενδός, τό τε Σαλερινὸν καὶ ἡ Ἀμάλφη καὶ Γαϊτὴ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ Λαγουβαρδία παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, δηλονότι βασιλευομένης τῆς Ῥώμης. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ἀνελθεῖν τὸ βασίλειον ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει διεμερίσθησαν ταῦτα πάντα εἰς ἀρχὰς δύο, ἐξ οὗ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος ἐν Κωνσταντινουπόλει ἀπεστέλλοντο πατρίκιοι δύο· καὶ ὁ μὲν εἷς πατρίκιος ἐκράτει τὴν Σικελίαν καὶ τὴν Καλαβρίαν καὶ τὴν Νεάπολιν καὶ Ἀμάλφην, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος πατρίκιος ἐκαθέζετο εἰς Βενεβενδόν, καὶ ἐκράτει τὴν Πάπιαν καὶ τὴν Κάπυαν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα. Καὶ ἐτέλουν κατ' ἔτος τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ νενομισμένα τῷ δημοσίῳ. Αὗται δὲ πᾶσαι αἱ προρρηθεῖσαι χῶραι κατῳκοῦντο παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς καιροῖς Εἰρήνης τῆς βασιλίδος ἀποσταλεὶς ὁ πατρίκιος Ναρσῆς ἐκράτει τὴν Βενεβενδὸν καὶ τὴν Πάπιαν· καὶ Ζαχαρίας, ὁ πάπας Ἀθηναῖος, ἐκράτει τὴν Ῥώμην. Συνέβη δὲ πολέμους γενέσθαι εἰς τὰ τῆς Παπίας μέρη, καὶ ἐξωδίασεν ὁ πατρίκιος Ναρσῆς εἰς τὸν στρατὸν τὰ εἰσκομιζόμενα πάκτα τῷ δημοσίῳ, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεστάλη ἡ κατὰ τύπον εἰσκομιδὴ παρ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ Ναρσῆς ἀντεμήνυσεν, ὅτι· "Ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτόθι μᾶλλον ἐλπίζω ἀποσταλῆναί μοι χρήματα, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ὧδε εἰσκομιζομένην εἰσκομιδὴν εἰς τοὺς ἀνακύψαντας πολέμους κατηνάλωσα, καὶ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ὧδε ἐπιζητεῖτε εἰσκομιδάς." Ταῦτα ἀκούσασα ἡ βασίλισσα Εἰρήνη καὶ ὀργισθεῖσα, ἀπέστειλεν αὐτῷ ἄτρακτον καὶ ἠλακάτην, γράψασα πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι· "Λάβε ταῦτα, ἃ καὶ ἁρμόζει σοι· νήθειν σε γὰρ μᾶλλον ἐκρίναμεν δίκαιον, ἢ μετὰ ὅπλων ὡς ἄνδρα διεκδικεῖν καὶ διευθύνειν καὶ ὑπερπολεμεῖν Ῥωμαίων." Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ πατρίκιος Ναρσῆς ἀντέγραψε πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα, ὅτι· "Ἐπεὶ οὕτως παρ' ὑμῖν ἐνομίσθην νήθειν καὶ κλώθειν, καθάπερ γυνή, κλῶσαι ἔχω νήματα μετὰ τῆς ἀτράκτου καὶ ἠλακάτης, ἵνα, μέχρις ἂν ζῶσιν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, μὴ δυνηθῶσιν ἐξυφᾶναι ταῦτα." Οἱ δὲ Λαγούβαρδοι τῷ τότε καιρῷ κατῴκουν εἰς Παννονίαν, ἔνθα ἀρτίως οἰκοῦσιν οἱ Τοῦρκοι. Καὶ ἀποστείλας ὁ πατρίκιος Ναρσῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὀπώρας παντοίας, ἐδηλοποίησεν αὐτοῖς, ὅτι· "∆εῦτε ἐνταῦθα καὶ θεάσασθε γῆν ῥέουσαν κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον μέλι καὶ γάλα, ἧς, ὡς οἶμαι, ὁ Θεὸς κρείττονα οὐκ ἔχει· καὶ εἰ ἔστιν ὑμῖν ἀρεστόν, κατοικήσατε ἐν αὐτῇ, ὅπως εἰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων μακαρίζητέ με". Ταῦτα δὲ ἀκούσαντες οἱ Λαγούβαρδοι καὶ πεισθέντες, ἀναλαβόμενοι τὰς φαμιλίας αὐτῶν, ἦλθον εἰς Βενεβενδόν. Οἱ δὲ τοῦ κάστρου Βενεβενδοῦ οὐκ εἴασαν αὐτοὺς ἔνδον τοῦ κάστρου εἰσελθεῖν, ᾤκησαν δὲ ἔξωθεν τοῦ κάστρου πλησίον τοῦ τείχους εἰς τὸν ποταμόν, οἰκοδομήσαντες ἐκεῖσε κάστρον μικρόν, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ὀνομάζεται Τζιβιτανόβα, τουτέστιν νεόκαστρον, ὃ καὶ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον συνίσταται. Εἰσήρχοντο δὲ καὶ ἔνδοθεν τοῦ κάστρου καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ διὰ μηχανῆς κυριεύσαντες τοὺς οἰκήτορας τοῦ κάστρου Βενεβενδοῦ, ἀνεῖλον πάντας καὶ κατέσχον τὸ κάστρον. Ἔσωθεν γὰρ τῶν ῥάβδων αὐτῶν σπαθία βαστάζοντες καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ὑπότροπον ποιήσαντες ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ μάχην, πάντας, ὡς εἴρηται, ἀπέκτειναν. Καὶ ἔκτοτε ἐκστρατεύσαν τες πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην ὑπέταξαν τοῦ τε θέματος Λαγουβαρδίας καὶ Καλαβρίας καὶ ἕως Παπίας ἄνευ τῆς Ὑδρεντοῦ καὶ Καλλιπόλεως καὶ τοῦ Ῥουσιάνου καὶ τῆς Νεαπόλεως καὶ τῆς Γαϊτῆς καὶ Συρεντοῦ καὶ Ἀμάλφης. Πρῶτον δὲ κάστρον ὑπῆρχεν ἀρχαῖον καὶ μέγα ἡ Κάπυα, δεύτερον ἡ Νεάπολις, τρίτον ἡ Βενεβενδός, τέταρτον ἡ Γαϊτή, πέμπτον ἡ Ἀμάλφη. Τὸ δὲ Σαλερινὸν ᾠκίσθη ἐπὶ τοῦ Σικάρδου, ὅτε διεμέρισαν οἱ Λαγούβαρδοι τὰ πριγκιπᾶτα. Εἰσὶ δὲ μέχρι τῆς σήμερον, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἰνδικτιὼν ζʹ, ἔτη ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου υνζʹ, ἀφ' οὗ ἐμερίσθη ἡ