27

The Turks living a nomadic life. And the Dalmatians, departing year by year, often saw from there across the river both the cattle and the people. Therefore, it seemed good to them at a certain time to cross over and investigate who were those having their dwelling there. So, having crossed over, they found the women of the Avars and the children alone, but the men and those of fighting age on an expedition. Therefore, falling upon them suddenly, they took them captive, and returned without trouble, carrying off such booty to Salona. So when the Avars returned from their expedition and learned what had happened from those who had suffered it, they were troubled, but they did not know from where such a blow had befallen them. Therefore it seemed good to them to watch for the opportunity and to learn everything from it. Therefore, when as was customary the soldiers were again sent from Salona, but they were not the same ones, but others, these too planned the same things as those before them. So they crossed over against them, but encountering them gathered together, not scattered as before, not only did they accomplish nothing, but they also suffered the most terrible of all things. For some of them were slaughtered, and the rest were captured alive, and no one escaped their hands. And having examined them, who they were and from where, and having learned that it was from them that they had suffered the aforesaid blow, and having also inquired about the quality of their land, and being as pleased as they were by the report, they held the living as prisoners, and put on their garments, just as they did, and indeed mounted their horses, taking in their hands both the standards and the other insignia, which they carried with them, they all set out in battle array and rushed upon Salona. Therefore, having inquired and learned the time at which the soldiers were returning from the Danube (it was the great and holy Sabbath), they came on that very day. And the main body, when they were near the host, hid themselves, but up to a thousand, who had the horses and the uniforms for the deception of the Dalmatians, rode forth. And the people of the fort, recognizing both their insignia and their dress, but also the day, as it was their custom to return on it, opened the gates, and received them with great joy. But they, as soon as they entered, seized the gates, and having made their action clear to the army by a signal, they prepared for them to run in and enter together. Therefore they slaughtered all those of the city, and from that time they took control of the whole country of Dalmatia, and settled in it. Only the small towns by the sea they did not surrender to them, but were held by the Romans because their livelihood was from the sea. Therefore the Avars, seeing that this land was most beautiful, settled in it. But the Croats at that time dwelt beyond Bagibareia, where the White Croats are now. But one family having separated from them, that is, five brothers, Kloukas and Lobelos and Kosentzes and Mouchlo and Chrobatos, and two sisters, Touga and Bouga, came with their people to Dalmatia, and found the Avars occupying that land. So for some years they warred against one another, and the Croats prevailed, and some of the Avars they slaughtered, and the rest they forced to be subject to them. From that time, therefore, that country was possessed by the Croats, and there are still in Croatia some from {the} of the Avars, and they are recognized as being Avars. And the rest of the Croats remained towards Francia, and are now called White Croats, that is, white Croats, having their own ruler; they are subject to Otto, the great king of Francia, which is also Saxony, and they happen to be unbaptized, having marriage connections and friendships with the Turks. And from the Croats who came into Dalmatia, a certain part separated and took possession of Illyricum and Pannonia; they too had an independent ruler, sending messages only to the ruler of Croatia on a friendly basis.

27

οἱ Τοῦρκοι νομάδα βίον ζῶντες. Ἀπερχόμενοι δὲ οἱ ∆ελματίας κατ' ἔτος ἔβλεπον πολλάκις ἐκεῖθεν τοῦ ποταμοῦ τά τε κτήνη καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς κατά τινα χρόνον διαπερᾶσαι καὶ ἐρευνῆσαι, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ ἐκεῖσε τὴν δίαιταν ἔχοντες. Περάσαντες οὖν εὗρον τὰς γυναῖκας τῶν Ἀβάρων καὶ τὰ παιδία μόνα, τοὺς ἄνδρας δὲ καὶ τὴν ἀκμάζουσαν ἡλικίαν ἐν ταξιδίῳ. Ἄφνω οὖν ἐπιπέσαντες ᾐχμαλώτευσαν αὐτούς, καὶ ὑπέστρεψαν ἀταλαιπώρως, ἀποκομίσαντες τὴν τοιαύτην πραῖδαν εἰς Σαλῶνα. Ὡς οὖν ὑπέστρεψαν οἱ Ἄβαρεις ἐκ τοῦ ταξιδίου καὶ τὸ γενόμενον, ἀφ' ὧν ἔπαθον, ἔμαθον, ἐταράχθησαν μέν, ἠγνόουν δέ, ὁπόθεν αὐτοῖς ἡ τοιαύτη πληγὴ προσεγένετο. Ἔδοξεν οὖν παραφυλάξαι αὐτοῖς τὸν καιρὸν καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ πᾶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν κατὰ τὸ σύνηθες αὖθις οἱ ταξεῶται ἀπεστάλησαν ἀπὸ Σαλῶνος, ἦσαν δὲ οὐκ ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλ' ἕτεροι, ταὐτὰ ἐκείνοις καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ βουλὰς ἔθεντο. ∆ιεπέρασαν οὖν κατ' αὐτῶν, ἐντυχόντες δὲ αὐτοῖς συνηγμένοις ὁμοῦ, οὐχ, ὡς τὸ πρότερον, ἐσκορπισμένοις, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πάντων δεινότατα ἔπαθον. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐσφάγησαν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ἐχειρώθησαν ζῶντες, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐκείνων τῶν χειρῶν ἐξέφυγεν. Ἐξετάσαντες δὲ αὐτούς, τίνες τε καὶ ὅθεν εἰσίν, καὶ ἀναμαθόντες, ὅτι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἔπαθον τὴν εἰρημένην πληγήν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ποιότητος τοῦ τόπου αὐτῶν ἐρευνήσαντες, καὶ ὅσον ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἀρεσθέντες, ἐκράτησαν τοὺς ζῶντας δεσμίους, καὶ ἐνεδύσαντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καθὰ ἐκεῖνοι, καὶ δὴ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναβάντες, λαβόντες ἐπὶ χεῖρας τά τε φλάμμουλα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ σημεῖα, ἃ ἐπεφέροντο μετ' αὐτῶν, ἀπῆραν πάντες φοσσατικῶς καὶ κατὰ τῆς Σαλῶνος ὥρμησαν. Ὡς οὖν καὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἔμαθον ζητήσαντες, καθ' ὃν οἱ ταξεῶται ἐκ τοῦ ∆ανουβίου ὑπέστρεφον (ἦν δὲ τὸ μέγα καὶ ἅγιον σάββατον), ἦλθον καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος, ὅτε δήπου πλησίον ἐγένοντο, τοῦ φοσσάτου ἀπεκρύβη, μέχρι δὲ τῶν χιλίων, οἵτινες τούς τε ἵππους καὶ τὰς στολὰς εἰς ἀπάτην ἐκέκτηντο τῶν ∆ελματινῶν, ἐξήλασαν. Ἀναγνωρίσαντες δὲ οἱ τοῦ κάστρου τά τε σημεῖα καὶ τὴν ἀμφίασιν αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν, ὡς ἔθους ὄντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὑποστρέφειν ἐν αὐτῇ, ἤνοιξαν τὰς πόρτας, καὶ ὑπεδέξαντο αὐτοὺς μετὰ περιχαρείας. Ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἅμα τῷ εἰσελθεῖν τάς τε πόρτας ἐκράτησαν, καὶ δήλην διὰ σημείου τὴν πρᾶξιν τῷ φοσσάτῳ πεποιηκότες, συνεισδραμεῖν καὶ συνεισελθεῖν παρεσκεύασαν. Κατέσφαξαν οὖν πάντας τοὺς τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἔκτοτε κατεκράτησαν πᾶσαν τὴν χώραν ∆ελματίας, καὶ κατεσκήνωσαν ἐν αὐτῇ. Μόνα δὲ τὰ πρὸς θάλασσαν πολίχνια οὐ συνέδωκαν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ κατείχοντο παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν πόρον τῆς ζωῆς αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης. Ἰδόντες οὖν οἱ Ἄβαρεις καλλίστην οὖσαν τὴν τοιαύτην γῆν, κατεσκήνωσαν ἐν αὐτῇ. Οἱ δὲ Χρωβάτοι κατῴκουν τηνικαῦτα ἐκεῖθεν Βαγιβαρείας, ἔνθα εἰσὶν ἀρτίως οἱ Βελοχρωβάτοι. Μία δὲ γενεὰ διαχωρισθεῖσα ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἤγουν ἀδελφοὶ πέντε, ὅ τε Κλουκᾶς καὶ ὁ Λόβελος καὶ ὁ Κοσέντζης καὶ ὁ Μουχλὼ καὶ ὁ Χρωβάτος καὶ ἀδελφαὶ δύο, ἡ Τουγὰ καὶ ἡ Βουγά, μετὰ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτῶν ἦλθον εἰς ∆ελματίαν, καὶ εὗρον τοὺς Ἄβαρεις κατέχοντας τὴν τοιαύτην γῆν. Ἐπί τινας οὖν χρόνους πολεμοῦντες ἀλλήλους, ὑπερίσχυσαν οἱ Χρωβάτοι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῶν Ἀβάρων κατέσφαξαν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ὑποταγῆναι κατηνάγκασαν. Ἔκτοτε οὖν κατεκρατήθη ἡ τοιαύτη χώρα παρὰ τῶν Χρωβάτων, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀκμὴν ἐν Χρωβατίᾳ ἐκ {τοὺς} τῶν Ἀβάρων, καὶ γινώσκονται Ἄβαρεις ὄντες. Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ Χρωβάτοι ἔμειναν πρὸς Φραγγίαν, καὶ λέγονται ἀρτίως Βελοχρωβάτοι, ἤγουν ἄσπροι Χρωβάτοι, ἔχοντες ἴδιον ἄρχοντα· ὑπόκεινται δὲ Ὤτῳ, τῷ μεγάλῳ ῥηγὶ Φραγγίας, τῆς καὶ Σαξίας, καὶ ἀβάπτιστοι τυγχάνουσιν, συμπενθερίας μετὰ τοὺς Τούρκους καὶ ἀγάπας ἔχοντες. Ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν Χρωβάτων, τῶν ἐλθόντων ἐν ∆ελματίᾳ, διεχωρίσθη μέρος τι, καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν καὶ τὴν Παννονίαν· εἶχον δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄρχοντα αὐτεξούσιον, διαπεμπόμενον καὶ μόνον πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα Χρωβατίας κατὰ φιλίαν.