so that, if enemy multitudes should attack those in the ambush, the night, having fallen and having broken off the battle, you may keep the people under you unharmed. 19. On the organization and equipping and training of an army 19.1 But if they dare to send out a raiding party, you must cleverly deal with them, by sending one of your men, adorned with courage and experience, with an armed and sufficient force to run down the scattered enemies and kill them and make them captives. But let your battle line never be broken, so that, if you happen to encounter enemy divisions having a multitude of men, that is, following along to guard the enemies who are raiding, having your own battle line ready for war, engaging with their divisions strategically and expertly, as we have set forth, you may overcome them and deliver them to complete annihilation. 19.2 But we have recommended these things be observed for your own safety, O general, and for the protection of your people, if indeed the army under you is small and easy to count and much smaller than that of the enemies. But if your fighting force numbers around six or five thousand, be eager rather to set yourself against the enemies face to face. And thus through clever stratagems and devices, and, if need be, unexpected attacks against them, and if you contrive the war against them well and expertly, having the invincible aid of Christ our God fighting alongside, you will achieve great trophies of victory against the enemies. 19.3 It is not possible for you to be prepared for war strategically and expertly in any other way, unless you first train and educate the army under you, accustoming and exercising it both in the handling of weapons, and to endure the harsh and painful nature of toils and hardships; and not to give themselves over entirely to indolence and sloth, drunkenness and luxury and other dissipations. 19.4 It is fitting, moreover, that they receive both their pay and rations without fail, and other gifts and benefactions more than the customary and prescribed ones, so that, having what they need, from these they may be able to acquire the finest horses and their other full suits of armor, and with a rejoicing and willing soul and an exulting heart they may choose to face danger for our holy emperors and the entire Christian commonwealth. 19.5 But the best and most necessary thing of all, which rouses their enthusiasm and increases their courage and provokes them to dare things undared, is for them to have complete freedom for their own households and the soldiers serving them and all those around them. For this from the beginning and from of old was both preserved and guarded for them; and you will find this enacted by the holy and blessed emperors of old and written in their tactical books. 19.6 In addition to freedom, they must also enjoy due honor and not be despised and dishonored; for I am ashamed to say, even be beaten, such men as these, who do not prefer their own life to the service of the holy emperors and the freedom and vindication of the Christians; and this at the hands of wretched tax-collectors who provide no benefit to the common good, but only squeeze and grind down the poor and from injustice and much blood of the poor gather for themselves many talents of gold. 19.7 And they must not be dishonored by the thematic judges either, and dragged about and flogged like slaves, and have the bonds and collars of misfortune placed on them, these vindicators and, after God, saviors of Christians, and who die, so to speak, every day for the holy emperors, since the law itself commands each commander to have authority over his own people and to judge them. 19.8 And to whom else, pray, does the people of the theme properly belong, if not only to the general whom the holy emperor shall appoint over it? For on this account also from the most ancient Romans and the law his own

ἵνα, ἐὰν πλήθη τῶν πολεμίων ἐπίθωνται τοῖς ἐν τῇ ἐνέδρᾳ, ἡ νὺξ καταλαβοῦσα καὶ τὸν πόλεμον διαλύσασα, ἀβλαβῆ τὸν ὑπὸ σὲ λαὸν διατηρήσῃς. 19.τ Περὶ καταστάσεως καὶ ἐξοπλίσεως καὶ γυμνασίας στρατοῦ 19.1 Εἰ δέ γε θαρρήσουσι κοῦρσον διαχωρίσαι, εὐφυῶς δεῖ σε τούτους ἐπιτηδεύσασθαι, ἀποστέλλων τῶν ὑπὸ σέ τινα ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ κεκοσμημένον μετὰ καθωπλισμένου λαοῦ καὶ ἐξαρκοῦντος τοὺς διεσκεδασμένους τῶν πολεμίων κατατρέχειν καὶ ἀναιρεῖν καὶ δεσμώτας ποιεῖν. Σοῦ δὲ μηδέποτε καταλυέτω ἡ παράταξις, ἵνα, εἰ συμβῇ φούλκοις πολεμίων περιτυχεῖν πλῆθος ἔχουσι λαοῦ, πρὸς φυλακὴν δηλαδὴ τῶν ἐξελαυνόντων πολεμίων ἐπακολουθοῦσι, τὴν ἰδίαν ἔχων παράταξιν συνισταμένην πόλεμον, μετὰ τῶν φούλκων συνάπτων στρατηγικῶς καὶ ἐμπείρως, ὡς ἐξεθέμεθα, καταγωνίσῃ τούτους καὶ τελείῳ παραδώσεις ἀφανισμῷ. 19.2 Ταῦτα δὲ εἰς σὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ὦ στρατηγέ, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ φυλάττεσθαι ὑπεμνήσαμεν, εἴγε ὀλιγοστόν ἐστι τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ στράτευμα καὶ εὐαρίθμητον καὶ τοῦ τῶν πολεμίων κατὰ πολὺ ἐλαττούμενον. Εἰ δὲ περὶ τὰς ἓξ ἢ πέντε χιλιάδας ἀπαριθμεῖται τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ μάχιμον, μᾶλλον κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀντιτάξασθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπείχθητι. Καὶ οὕτως διὰ μηχανικῶν στρατηγημάτων καὶ ἐπιτηδεύσεων, εἰ χρὴ καὶ ἀδοκήτων κατ' αὐτῶν ἐπιθέσεων, καὶ εἰ καλῶς καὶ ἐμπείρως τὸν κατ' αὐτῶν μηχανήσῃ πόλεμον, ἔχων τὴν Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀκαταμάχητον βοήθειαν συνεπαμύνουσαν, μεγάλα κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν νίκης ἐργάσῃ τρόπαια. 19.3 Οὐκ ἐνὸν δὲ ἄλλως στρατηγικῶς καὶ ἐμπείρως πρὸς πόλεμον παρασκευασθῆναί σε, εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἐξασκήσεις καὶ ἐκπαιδεύσεις τὸ ὑπὸ σὲ στράτευμα, ἐθίζων αὐτὸ καὶ ἐγγυμνάζων εἴς τε τὴν τῶν ὅπλων μεταχείρισιν, καὶ πόνων καὶ ταλαιπωριῶν τὸ δριμύ τε καὶ ἐπίπονον καρτερεῖν· καὶ μὴ χαυνότητι καὶ ῥᾳθυμίᾳ μέθῃ τε καὶ τρυφαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἀσωτίαις τὸ ἑαυτῶν πᾶν ἐπιτρέπειν. 19.4 Προσήκει γε μὴν τάς τε ῥόγας αὐτῶν καὶ σιτηρέσια ἀνελλιπῶς τούτους λαμβάνειν ἄλλας τε δωρεὰς καὶ εὐεργεσίας πλείους τῶν ἐθίμων καὶ διατετυπωμένων, ἵνα, τὸ ἀνενδεὲς ἔχοντες, ἐκ τούτων δύνωνται καὶ ἵππου καλλίστους ἐπικτᾶσθαι καὶ τὰς ἄλλας αὐτῶν πανοπλίας, καὶ χαιρούσῃ ψυχῇ καὶ προθύμῳ καὶ ἀγαλλομένῃ καρδίᾳ προκινδυνεύειν αἱρῶνται τῶν βασιλέων ἡμῶν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ χριστιανικοῦ πληρώματος. 19.5 Τὸ δὲ κρεῖττον πάντων καὶ ἀναγκαιότερον, ὅπερ τὸ πρόθυμον αὐτῶν διεγείρει καὶ τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὔξει καὶ τῶν ἀτολμήτων ἐρεθίζει κατατολμᾶν, τὸ τελείαν ἔχειν ἐλευθερίαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν οἰκίας καὶ τῶν ὑπηρετουμένων αὐτοῖς στρατιωτῶν καὶ τοὺς περὶ αὐτοὺς ἅπαντας. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀρχῆθεν καὶ ἀπὸ παλαιοῦ εἰς αὐτοὺς καὶ συνετηρεῖτο καὶ διεφυλάττετο· καὶ εὑρήσεις τοῦτο νενομοθετημένον παρὰ τῶν πάλαι ἁγίων καὶ μακαρίων βασιλέων καὶ ἐν τοῖς τακτικοῖς βιβλίοις αὐτῶν ἐγγεγραμμένον. 19.6 Πρὸς δέ γε τῇ ἐλευθερίᾳ χρὴ αὐτοὺς καὶ τῆς δεούσης ἀπολαύειν τιμῆς καὶ μὴ καταφρονεῖσθαι καὶ ἀτιμοῦσθαι· αἰσχύνομαι γὰρ εἰπεῖν καὶ τύπτεσθαι τοὺς τοιούτους ἄνδρας, τοὺς μὴ προτιμῶντας τῆς ἰδίας ζωῆς ὑπὲρ θεραπείας τῶν ἁγίων βασιλέων καὶ τῆς τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐλευθερίας καὶ ἐκδικήσεως· καὶ ταῦτα παρὰ φορολόγων ἀνθρωπαρίων καὶ μηδεμίαν τῷ κοινῷ προξενούντων ὠφέλειαν, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνον ἐκπιεζόντων καὶ ἐκτριβόντων τοὺς πένητας καὶ ἐξ ἀδικίας καὶ πολλῶν αἱμάτων πενήτων ἑαυτοῖς πολλὰ τάλαντα χρυσίου ἐπισυναγόντων. 19.7 ∆εῖ δὲ αὐτοὺς μηδὲ παρὰ τῶν θεματικῶν κριτῶν ἀτιμοῦσθαι καὶ ὡς ἀνδράποδα κατασύρεσθαι καὶ μαστίζεσθαι, δεσμά τε καὶ κλοιάὢ τῆς συμφορᾶςπεριτίθεσθαι τοὺς ἐκδίκους καὶ μετὰ Θεὸν σωτῆρας Χριστιανῶν καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁγίων βασιλέων καθ' ἑκάστην, ὡς εἰπεῖν, ἀποθνήσκοντας, αὐτοῦ τοῦ νόμου παρακελεύοντος ἕκαστον ἄρχοντα τοῦ ἰδίου λαοῦ ἐξουσιάζειν καὶ τούτους κρίνειν. 19.8 Καὶ τίνος ἑτέρου ἆρα λαὸς οἰκεῖος ὁ τοῦ θέματος, εἰ μὴ μόνου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ ἅγιος ἐν αὐτῷ προχειρίσεται; διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀρχαιοτάτων Ῥωμαίων καὶ τοῦ νόμου τὴν τοῦ ἰδίου