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pressed by want. But he, having fitted out some warships, and embarking no small force from these very men, for the time being for piracy, keeping his intention secret, turned toward the islands lying to the east which happened to be ours, at once both fulfilling their desire and sating them with the property of others, and at the same time looking to see if any of the islands was so fertile and rich for their resettlement. Since, therefore, in approaching many of the islands he found no one drawn up against him with small or large ship (for they were all destitute of their own defense, having just set out against Constantinople and sailed with Thomas), and he reaped and took great benefits from all those at which he put in, he came also to the Cretans, and having raided them and taken booty and enslaved them, as was possible, and having learned from all sides the quality of the land, and how it was fertile for every grace and abundance of good things, "This," he said, "is no other land than that flowing with milk and honey." And then, having obtained all sorts of goods, 75 he departed for home, and with every hand and power he equipped a fleet; and when the winter was over and the spring began to dawn, having manned forty ships with fighting men and watched for a favorable wind, he set out, sailing straight for Crete, considering the other islands as nothing. He was just now approaching, and he both put in and anchored at the promontory called Charax. And since nothing untoward appeared to them either during the landing or during the disembarkation, but also their assault and enterprise was easily accomplished for plunder and for pillage, he sent the able-bodied men on the usual foraging raids to enslave the enemy, while he himself, with the rest, just as the wind was blowing strongly and as they had got more than ten or fifteen stades away, set fire to the ships and burned them all down, sparing none at all. For a time, then, the whole army, struck with astonishment at the unexpectedness of the deed (for they were returning immediately), being terrified, began to inquire the reason and entered into rebellious discussions. But when they heard what they had long been travailing for, 'Since you yourselves are seeking a colony from these things and a good land, and to me neither is considered better than this, I have come on this path both to procure good things for you and to relieve myself of the trouble from you.' And when they mentioned their wives and were not unmindful of their children, "Here too," he said, "are your wives, the captive women, 76 and soon, children from them." Wherefore, being silenced by such words, and judging what was said to be worthy of acceptance, they first raised a deep trench, and having fixed a stockade in it, where even now the place, taking its name, preserves the appellation, being called Chandax, they spent the night there, setting the appropriate watches and storing up their gains there. (22) And not much time flowed by, and fame taught the emperor everything. And so he appointed the protospatharios Photeinos, who happened to be the great-grandfather of Zoe, the God-crowned Augusta of blessed memory, and who was at that time strategos of the Anatolics, to administer all the affairs of Crete; who, having arrived there, and having become a spectator of some things and a hearer of others, more clearly informed Michael of what was being done, and asked that some force be sent to drive away the enemy from there. The emperor therefore sent Damian, who was count of the imperial stable and protospatharios, with a large force and preparation to the aid of the strategos Photeinos; who, having united, set up the war against the Hagarenes, but the end resulted in nothing useful. For the aforesaid Damian himself, having fallen wounded right at the outset of the battle and been given over to slaughter, caused the rest not to conquer and remain but to flee

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σπάνει πιεζομένοις. ὁ δὲ πλοῖά τινα ἐπισκευάσας μακρά, καὶ δύναμιν οὐκ ὀλίγην ἐξ αὐτῶν τούτων ἐμβιβάσας, ἐπὶ λῃστείαν τέως, λανθάνουσαν εχων τὴν εννοιαν, τῶν πρὸς τῇ εῳ κειμένων νήσων καὶ ἡμετέρων τυγχανόν- των ἐτράπετο, ὁμοῦ μὲν τὸ αὐτοῖς ἐπιθυμούμενον ἐκπληρῶν καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων τούτους προσκορεννύς, ὁμοῦ δὲ κατασκεψόμενος ει τις εστιν ουτως ευφορος τῶν νήσων καὶ λιπαρὰ εἰς μετοικίαν αὐτῶν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν πολλαῖς τῶν νήσων πλησιάζων τὸν ἀντιπαρα- ταττόμενον μικρῷ η  μεγάλῳ πλοίῳ οὐχ ευρισκεν (ἐχηροῦντο γὰρ πᾶσαι τῆς αὐτῶν βοηθείας, αρτι κατὰ τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως ἐκβοηθουσῶν καὶ πλεουσῶν μετὰ τοῦ Θωμᾷ), μεγάλας δὲ ὠφε- λείας ἐκ πασῶν, αις καὶ προσώρμιζεν, ἐκαρποῦτό τε καὶ ἐλάμ- βανεν, ηκε καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Κρηταιεῖς, καὶ τούτους καταδραμὼν καὶ λείαν ποιήσας καὶ ἀνδραποδισάμενος, ὡς ἐνῆν, καὶ πάντοθεν καταμαθὼν τὴν τῆς γῆς ἀρετήν, καὶ πῶς ειη πρὸς πᾶσαν χάριν καὶ ἀγαθῶν ευφορος ἀφθονίαν, "τοῦτο" εφη "γῆ οὐκ αλλη η  ἡ ῥέουσα μέλι καὶ γάλα." καὶ τότε μὲν παντοίων γενόμενος ἀγαθῶν 75 ἀπῄει τὴν οικαδε, καὶ πάσῃ χειρὶ καὶ δυνάμει ναυτικὸν ἐξήρτυεν· ὡς δ' ὁ χειμὼν ἐτετελείωτο καὶ τὸ εαρ ὑπέλαμπεν, τεσσαράκοντα πληρώσας ναῦς ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων καὶ ἐπιτήδειον ανεμον ἐπιτηρή- σας τὴν ἐπὶ Κρήτην ἐστέλλετο εὐθυπορῶν, τὰς αλλας τῶν νήσων θέμενος εἰς οὐδέν. αρτι γοῦν ἐπλησίαζε, καὶ τῷ ἀκρωτηρίῳ τῷ Χάρακι καλουμένῳ κατήγετό τε καὶ προσωρμίζετο. ὡς δ' οὐδὲν ουτε κατὰ τὴν καταγωγὴν ουτε κατὰ τὴν ἀπόβασιν ἐφάνη τούτοις τῶν ἀπευκτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς λείας χωροῦσι καὶ πρὸς ἁρπαγὰς εὐχερῶς τὰ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τε καὶ ἐπιχειρήσεως ἐπεραίνετο, τοὺς μὲν ἐπιτηδείους εἰς τὰς συνήθεις προνομὰς ἀπέστελλε δουλαγωγήσον- τας τοὺς ἐχθρούς, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς εχων, αρτι δὴ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπακμάζοντος κἀκείνων αμα πορρωτέρω σταδίων δέκα η  δεκαπέντε γενομένων, πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν ταῖς ναυσὶν ἁπάσας κατέ- φλεξε, φεισάμενος τὸ παράπαν οὐδεμιᾶς. τέως μὲν ουν τῷ παρα- δόξῳ τοῦ πράγματος καταπλαγέντες απας δὴ ὁ στρατὸς (καὶ γὰρ ἐπαλινόστουν εὐθέως) ἐκδειματούμενοι τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπυνθάνοντο καὶ εἰς λόγους ηλθον νεωτερικούς. ἐπεὶ δὲ κατήκουσαν α  πάλαι ὠδίνοντο, ὡς αὐτοί τε τούτων ὑμεῖς ἀποικίαν ζητοῦντες καὶ γῆν ἀγαθήν, ἐμοί τε ταύτης οὐδετέρα κρείττων νενόμισται, εἰς ταύ- την ηλθον ὁδὸν ὑμῖν τε ἀγαθὰ προξενῶν καὶ ἐμὲ τῆς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπαλλάττων ὀχλήσεως. ὡς δὲ καὶ γυναικῶν ἐμέμνηντο καὶ παί- δων οὐκ ὠλιγώρουν, "καὶ γυναῖκες" εφη "ωδε ὑμέτεραι αἱ αἰχμα- 76 λωτιζόμεναι, καὶ παῖδες οὐ μετὰ μικρὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν." οθεν τοῖς τοιούτοις κατασιγασθέντες λόγοις, καὶ ἀποδοχῆς αξια κρίναντες τὰ λεγόμενα, τάφρον μὲν ηγειραν πρῶτον βαθεῖαν, καὶ χάρακα ἐν ταύτῃ καταπήξαντες, ενθα καὶ νῦν λαβὼν τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ὁ τό- πος σώζει τὴν προσηγορίαν, Χάνδαξ ὀνομαζόμενος, ἐκεῖσε διε- νυκτέρευον, φυλακάς τε τὰς προσηκούσας ποιούμενοι καὶ τὰς ὡφελείας αὐτῶν ἐκεῖσε ἀποθησαυρίζοντες. (22) χρόνος δὲ ἐρρύη πολὺς οὐδαμῶς, καὶ πάντα τὸν βασιλέα ἡ φήμη ἐδίδαξε. καὶ δὴ τὸν πρωτοσπαθάριον Φωτεινόν, πρόπαππον μὲν Ζωῆς τῆς ἐν μα- καρίᾳ τῇ λήξει θεοστέπτου Αὐγούστης τυγχάνοντα, στρατηγοῦντα δὲ τηνικαῦτα τῶν ̓Ανατολικῶν, τὰ τῆς Κρήτης απαντα διοικεῖν προεβάλετο· ος ἐκεῖσε παραγενόμενος, καὶ τῶν μὲν γενόμενος θεατὴς τῶν δὲ καὶ ἀκροατής, τρανότερον ἀνεδίδασκε τὸν Μιχαὴλ τὰ πραττόμενα, καὶ δύναμίν τινα ἠξίου ἐκπέμπειν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀποσοβήσουσαν τοὺς ἐχθρούς. ∆αμιανὸν γοῦν κόμητα οντα τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἱπποστασίου καὶ πρωτοσπαθάριον μετὰ πολλῆς δυνά- μεως καὶ παρασκευῆς ὁ βασιλεύων ἀπέστειλεν εἰς βοήθειαν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ Φωτεινοῦ· οι  καὶ ἑνωθέντες τὸν μὲν κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρη- νῶν πόλεμον εστησαν, εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ χρήσιμον τὸ τέλος ἐνέσκηψεν. αὐτός τε γὰρ ὁ προρρηθεὶς ∆αμιανὸς κατὰ τὴν εἰσβολὴν τῆς μά- χης εὐθὺς τραυματίας πεσὼν καὶ σφαγῇ παραδοθεὶς τοὺς λοιποὺς οὐ νικᾶν καὶ μένειν ἀλλὰ φεύγειν ἐποίησεν