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should come upon them. However, in such vessels do those of the Croats who wish to do so go and trade, travelling from city to city round Pagania and the gulf of Dalmatia, and as far as Venice. That the prince of Croatia from the beginning, that is, from the reign of the emperor Heraclius, has been in servitude and subject to the emperor of the Romans, and was never subject to the prince of Bulgaria. Nor has a Bulgar ever gone to war against the Croats, except for Michael, the prince of Bulgaria, the son of Boris, who went and fought them and, being unable to achieve anything, made peace with them, giving gifts of friendship to the Croats and receiving gifts of friendship from the Croats. But never yet have these Croats paid tribute to the Bulgars, though the two have often given gifts of friendship to one another. That in baptized Croatia there are inhabited cities: Nona, Belegradon, Belitzin, Skordona, Chlebena, Stolpon, Tenin, Kori, Klaboka. That baptized Croatia can produce a cavalry force up to 60,000, and an infantry force up to 100,000, and sagenae up to 80, and kondourae up to 100. And the sagenae carry 40 men each, and the kondourae 20 men each, and the smaller kondourae 10 men each. That Croatia possessed this great power and multitude of people until the time of prince Krasimer. But when he died, and his son, Miroslav, had ruled for four years and was killed by the ban Pribounias, and dissensions and numerous civil wars broke out in the country, both the cavalry and the infantry and the sagenae and the kondourae of the Croat domain were diminished. But at present it has 30 sagenae, large and small kondourae *** and cavalry *** and infantry ***. That great Croatia, also called 'white', remains unbaptized to this day, as do the Serbs who are its neighbours. They produce a smaller cavalry force and likewise infantry than baptized Croatia, because they are constantly plundered by the Franks and Turks and Patzinaks. Nor do they possess either sagenae or kondourae or trading vessels, because the sea is far away; for the journey from their lands to the sea is of 30 days. The sea which they reach in 30 days is that which is called dark. 32 On the Serbs and the country they now inhabit. Be it known that the Serbs are descended from the unbaptized Serbs, also called 'white', who live beyond Turkey in a place called by them Boiki, where their neighbour is Francia, as is also great Croatia, the unbaptized, also called 'white'; in this place, then, these Serbs also dwelt from the beginning. But when two brothers succeeded their father in the rule of Serbia, one of them, taking one half of the folk, fled to Heraclius, the emperor of the Romans, and the same emperor Heraclius received him and gave him a place to settle in the theme of Thessalonica, namely Serbia, which from that time has acquired this denomination. Now, 'Serbs' in the tongue of the Romans is the word for 'slaves', whence the common saying 'servula' for 'slaves' shoes', and 'tzerboulianoi' for those who wear cheap, poor-man's footwear. This name the Serbs acquired from their becoming slaves of the emperor of the Romans. After some time these same Serbs decided to depart to their own homes, and the emperor sent them off. But when they had crossed the river Danube, they changed their minds and sent a message to the emperor Heraclius, through the military governor who was then governing Belgrade, that he should give them other land to settle in. And since what is now Serbia and Pagania and the so-called country of the Zachlumoi and Terbounia and the country of the Kanalitai were under the dominion of the emperor of the Romans, and since these countries had been left desolate

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αὐτῶν ἐπέλθοι. Πλὴν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων πλοίων ἀπέρχονται οἱ βουλόμενοι τῶν Χρωβάτων διοικεῖν ἐμπόρια, ἀπὸ κάστρον εἰς κάστρον περιερχόμενοι τήν τε Παγανίαν καὶ τὸν κόλπον τῆς ∆ελματίας καὶ μέχρι Βενετίας. Ὅτι ὁ ἄρχων Χρωβατίας ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἤγουν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας Ἡρακλείου τοῦ βασιλέως, δουλικῶς ἐστιν ὑποτεταγμένος τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων, καὶ οὐδέποτε τῷ ἄρχοντι Βουλγαρίας καθυπετάγη. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ Βούλγαρος ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς πόλεμον κατὰ τῶν Χρωβάτων, εἰ μὴ Μιχαήλ, ὁ ἄρχων Βουλγαρίας, ὁ Βορίσης, ἀπελθὼν καὶ πολεμήσας αὐτοῖς καὶ μηδὲν ἀνύσαι δυνηθεὶς εἰρήνευσε μετ' αὐτῶν, ξενιάσας τοὺς Χρωβάτους καὶ ξενιασθεὶς παρὰ τῶν Χρωβάτων. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πώποτε οἱ Χρωβάτοι οὗτοι τοῖς Βουλγάροις πάκτον δεδώκασιν, εἰ μὴ πολλάκις ἀμφότεροι ξένιά τινα πρὸς ἀλλήλους παρέσχον φιλοφρονήσεως ἕνεκα. Ὅτι ἐν τῇ βαπτισμένῃ Χρωβατίᾳ εἰσὶν κάστρα οἰκούμενα· ἡ Νῶνα, τὸ Βελέγραδον, τὸ Βελίτζιν, τὸ Σκόρδονα, τὸ Χλεβένα, τὸ Στόλπον, τὸ Τενήν, τὸ Κόρι, τὸ Κλαβώκα. Ὅτι ἡ βαπτισμένη Χρωβατία ἐκβάλλει καβαλλαρικὸν ἕως τῶν ξʹ χιλιάδων, πεζικὸν δὲ ἕως χιλιάδων ρʹ καὶ σαγήνας μέχρι τῶν πʹ καὶ κονδούρας μέχρι τῶν ρʹ. Καὶ αἱ μὲν σαγῆναι ἔχουσιν ἀνὰ ἀνδρῶν μʹ, αἱ δὲ κονδοῦραι ἀνὰ ἀνδρῶν κʹ, αἱ δὲ μικρότεραι κονδοῦραι ἀνὰ ἀνδρῶν ιʹ. Ὅτι τὴν πολλὴν ταύτην δύναμιν καὶ τὸ τοῦ λαοῦ πλῆθος εἶχεν ἡ Χρωβατία μέχρι τοῦ ἄρχοντος Κρασημέρη. Κἀκείνου μὲν τελευτήσαντος, τοῦ δὲ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, Μιροσθλάβου ἄρξαντος ἔτη τέσσαρα καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Πριβουνία βοεάνου ἀναιρεθέντος, καὶ διχονοιῶν καὶ πολλῶν διχοστασιῶν εἰς τὴν χώραν γενομένων, ἠλάττωται καὶ τὸ καβαλλαρικὸν καὶ τὸ πεζικὸν καὶ αἱ σαγῆναι καὶ αἱ κονδοῦραι τῆς ἐξουσίας τῶν Χρωβάτων. Ἀρτίως δὲ ἔχει σαγήνας λʹ, κονδούρας μεγάλας καὶ μικρὰς *** καὶ καβαλλαρικὸν *** καὶ πεζικὸν ***. Ὅτι ἡ μεγάλη Χρωβατία, ἡ καὶ ἄσπρη ἐπονομαζομένη, ἀβάπτιστος τυγχάνει μέχρι τῆς σήμερον, καθὼς καὶ οἱ πλησιάζοντες αὐτὴν Σέρβλοι. Ὀλιγώτερον δὲ καβαλλαρικὸν ἐκβάλλουσιν, ὁμοίως καὶ πεζικὸν παρὰ τὴν βαπτισμένην Χρωβατίαν, ὡς συνεχέστερον πραιδευόμενοι παρά τε τῶν Φράγγων καὶ Τούρκων καὶ Πατζινακιτῶν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ σαγήνας κέκτηνται, οὔτε κονδούρας, οὔτε ἐμπορευτικὰ πλοῖα, ὡς μήκοθεν οὔσης τῆς θαλάσσης· ἀπὸ γὰρ τῶν ἐκεῖσε μέχρι τῆς θαλάσσης ὁδός ἐστιν ἡμερῶν λʹ. Ἡ δὲ θάλασσα, εἰς ἣν διὰ τῶν λʹ ἡμερῶν κατέρχονται, ἐστὶν ἡ λεγομένη σκοτεινή. 32 Περὶ τῶν Σέρβλων καὶ ἧς νῦν οἰκοῦσι χώρας. Ἰστέον, ὅτι οἱ Σέρβλοι ἀπὸ τῶν ἀβαπτίστων Σέρβλων, τῶν καὶ ἄσπρων ἐπονομαζομένων, κατάγονται, τῶν τῆς Τουρκίας ἐκεῖθεν κατοικούντων εἰς τὸν παρ' αὐτοῖς Βοΐκι τόπον ἐπονομαζόμενον, ἐν οἷς πλησιάζει καὶ ἡ Φραγγία, ὁμοίως καὶ ἡ μεγάλη Χρωβατία, ἡ ἀβάπτιστος, ἡ καὶ ἄσπρη προσαγορευομένη· ἐκεῖσε τοίνυν καὶ οὗτοι οἱ Σέρβλοι τὸ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς κατῴκουν. ∆ύο δὲ ἀδελφῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς Σερβλίας ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς διαδεξαμένων, ὁ εἷς αὐτῶν τὸ τοῦ λαοῦ ἀναλαβόμενος ἥμισυ, εἰς Ἡράκλειον, τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων, προσέφυγεν, ὃν καὶ προσδεξάμενος ὁ αὐτὸς Ἡράκλειος βασιλεύς, παρέσχεν τόπον εἰς κατασκήνωσιν ἐν τῷ θέματι Θεσσαλονίκης τὰ Σέρβλια, ἃ ἔκτοτε τὴν τοιαύτην προσηγορίαν ἀπείληφεν. Σέρβλοι δὲ τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων διαλέκτῳ "δοῦλοι" προσαγορεύονται, ὅθεν καὶ "σέρβυλα" ἡ κοινὴ συνήθεια τὰ δουλικά φησιν ὑποδήματα, καὶ "τζερβουλιανοὺς" τοὺς τὰ εὐτελῆ καὶ πενιχρὰ ὑποδήματα φοροῦντας. Ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἔσχον οἱ Σέρβλοι διὰ τὸ δοῦλοι γενέσθαι τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων. Μετὰ δὲ χρόνον τινὰ ἔδοξεν τοὺς αὐτοὺς Σέρβλους εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἀπελθεῖν, καὶ τούτους ἀπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεύς. Ὅτε δὲ διεπέρασαν τὸν ∆ανούβιν ποταμόν, μετάμελοι γενόμενοι ἐμήνυσαν Ἡρακλείῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ διὰ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, τοῦ τότε τὸ Βελέγραδον κρατοῦντος, δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἑτέραν γῆν εἰς κατασκήνωσιν. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ νῦν Σερβλία καὶ Παγανία καὶ ἡ ὀνομασθεῖσα Ζαχλούμων χώρα καὶ Τερβουνία καὶ ἡ τῶν Καναλιτῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων ὑπῆρχον, ἐγένοντο δὲ αἱ τοιαῦται χῶραι ἔρημοι