Josephus Genesius, On the reigns of the emperors

and he says: let it be known to you, Amer, that Petronas, who is related to the emperor and holds an honorable position, has vowed to make war upon you; wherefore he has ordered him to command the entire army. With him the whole army of the themes has been gathered and armed, preparing for the battle against you. Then Amer revealed what had been heard to the taxiarchs under him, inquiring what should be done about this. And they said to him with one mind: The brave deed done by us, O Amer, against the Roman empire, no one before us has accomplished. It needs no further effort, but only to take the road to our country, by which we shall arrive. And if Petronas should overtake us in pursuit, then we will draw up for battle against him; but if this should not happen, we will in any case depart to our own lands. But Amer himself, being as conceited and arrogant as anyone, said: In no way will I carry out what has been advised by you, so that he might not attribute cowardice and flight to me; therefore I will go to oppose him in battle. And having traveled from Aminsus about 100 miles, he arrives at the Abysianus, which is on the border of both Paphlagonia and the Armeniakon theme, to the place which has been named Porsonta, in which there is a mountain, on which Amer encamped, that is on one side of the mountain, and Petronas on the other. And when night fell, he sends out distinguished generals, to ascend the mountain and take control of it, so that the enemy might not take possession of it. Amer also did this very same thing. And as they met each other on the ascent of the mountain, God gave strength to his people and boldly brought down those who had ascended; whereupon Petronas also ascended with all the people under him. And when an engagement of both sides took place, God who looks upon the humble and the meek and those who tremble at his words, who opposes the proud, strengthened the one, and shattered the other; and immediately Amer was slain by the sword, and when he was killed, all the people under him were scattered and became the work of the sword, and almost all perished, except for his son who crossed the Halys river with a hundred men; whom the merarch Machairas, so-called, being positioned to meet him in the Charsianon theme, seized him and those with him, so that, by a narrow margin, as God worked wonders with a high arm, not one of them was left to report what had happened to the Saracens remaining in their city. When this was reported to the emperor, abundant joy spread through the state, and Petronas is honored with the glory of the magistri. And as some say, that Bardas also, together with his brother, having routed the enemies, was then granted the acclamation of caesar, in the days of Easter, in the 10th indiction. 4.16 Therefore the leader of the Bulgars, having learned of this and being overwhelmed by such a fortunate event, inclines toward a peaceful settlement, although before he had been audacious, but also because those around him were pressed by famine, whence they naturally considered the Homeric saying for themselves: all deaths are hateful to wretched mortals, but to die of hunger and meet one's fate is most pitiful, and so much so, that all were obediently deemed worthy of Christian baptism, and their leader chose to be named Michael after the emperor's name, when certain renowned high priests were sent there to establish the articles of the Christian faith. 4.17 And wisdom was highly esteemed by Caesar Bardas, even if for many it was a matter of display. He gathers wise men at the Magnaura, of whom he appointed some who laid claim to philosophy <and> geometry, others to astronomy, and others to grammar, and <urged> them to teach those who came to them for free. And so much was accomplished by his care in this, that he appointed Leo the great philosopher as teacher of philosophy, and his student Theodore in geometry, and Theodegius in astronomy, and in

καὶ φησίν· γνωστὸν ἔστω σοι, Ἄμερ, Πετρωνᾶς ἐκεῖνος ὁ πρὸς γένους τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ αἰδέσιμον ἔχων ἐπηύχησε περιθέσθαι σοι πόλεμον· ὅθεν αὐτὸν ἁπάσης τῆς στρατιᾶς ἡγεμονεύειν προσέταξεν. παρ' ᾧ συνήθροισται πᾶς ὁ τῶν θεμάτων στρατὸς καὶ ἐξώπλισται, τὴν κατὰ σοῦ μάχην πραγματευόμενος. τότε Ἄμερ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ταξιάρχαις τὸ ἀκουσθὲν παρεγύμνου, τί δρᾶν χρὴ πρὸς τοῦτο διερευνώμενος. οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁμοφρόνως εἶπον· τὸ παρ' ἡμῶν γεγονός, ὦ Ἄμερ, κατὰ τῆς ἐπικρατείας Ῥωμαίων ἀνδραγάθημα οὐδεὶς τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν ἐξειργάσατο. οὐ χρείαν ἔχει πλείονος ἐργασίας, ἀλλ' ἢ παρεῖναι ὁδὸν τὴν πρὸς τὴν χώραν ἡμῶν, δι' ἧς ἀφιξόμεθα. καὶ εἰ μὲν ὁ Πετρωνᾶς διώκων ἡμᾶς καταλάβοι, τηνικαῦτα τούτῳ παραταξόμεθα· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ συναντήσοι, ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις πάντως ἀπελευσόμεθα. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἄμερ ὡς εἴ τις ἄλλος οἰηματίας τελῶν καὶ ὑπέροπλος ἔφη· οὐδαμῶς τὸ παρ' ὑμῶν βουλευθὲν διαπράξομαι, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐκεῖνος ἐμοὶ δειλίαν καὶ δρασμὸν ἐπιγράψοιτο· διὸ ἄπειμι πρὸς ἀντιπαράταξιν αὐτοῦ. διοδεύσας δὲ ἀπὸ Ἀμινσοῦ ὡσεὶ μίλια ρʹ τῷ Ἀβυσιανῷ καταντᾷ, κατὰ συνορίαν τελοῦντι τῆς τε Παφλαγονίας καὶ τοῦ Ἀρμενιακῶν θέματος, εἰς τὸν χῶρον, ὃς κατωνόμασται Πόρσοντα, ἐν ᾧ ὄρος καθέστηκεν, καθ' ὃ ὁ Ἄμερ ἐσκήνωσεν, ἤτοι τοῦ ὄρους ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ὁ Πετρωνᾶς ἔνθεν. νυκτὸς δὲ καταλαβούσης στρατηγοὺς ἐκπέμπει τῶν εὐδοκίμων, ἐπαναβεβηκέναι τοῦ ὄρους καὶ ἐγκρατῆσαι αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ τούτου ἐν κατασχέσει γένωνται οἱ πολέμιοι. ταὐτὸ δὴ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἄμερ εἰργάσατο. πρὸς τῇ ἀναβάσει δὲ τοῦ ὄρους συνηντηκότων ἀλλήλοις ὑπερίσχυσεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἀναβεβηκότας εὐθαρσῶς κατεβίβασεν· ἐφ' ὃ καὶ ὁ Πετρωνᾶς μετὰ τοῦ ὑπ' αὐτὸν παντὸς λαοῦ ἀναβέβηκεν. συμβολῆς δὲ γενομένης τῶν ἑκατέρων μερῶν, ὁ ἐπιβλέπων θεὸς ἐπὶ ταπεινὸν καὶ πρᾶον καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ τρέμοντα λόγους, ὁ τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντιτασσόμενος, τὸν μὲν ἐκραταίωσε, τὸν δὲ ἐσάθρωσεν· καὶ παραυτίκα ὁ Ἄμερ μαχαίρᾳ πεποινηλάτητο, οὗπερ ἀναιρεθέντος ὁ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἅπας λαὸς διεσκέδαστο καὶ ξίφους ἐγχείρημα γέγονεν, καὶ σχεδὸν ἅπας ἀπώλετο, δίχα τοῦ τούτου υἱοῦ μετὰ ἑκατοντάδος ἀνδρῶν διαπεραιωσαμένου Ἅλυν τὸν ποταμόν· οὗ κατὰ συνάντησιν καθεστὼς ἐν τῷ Χαρσιανοῦ θέματι μεράρχης ὁ Μαχαιρᾶς οὕτω καλούμενος κατέσχεν αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ, ὥστε παρὰ μικρόν, τοῦ θεοῦ θαυματουργήσαντος ὑψηλῷ ἐν βραχίονι, μὴ περιλειφθῆναί τινα ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ περὶ τῶν συμβεβηκότων ἀπαγγεῖλαι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν περιοῦσι Σαρακηνοῖς. περὶ τούτου διαγγελθέντος τῷ βασιλεῖ κατὰ τὴν πολιτείαν χαρμονὴ δαψιλὴς διακέχυται, καὶ ὁ Πετρωνᾶς τῇ τῶν μαγίστρων εὐκλείᾳ σεμνύνεται. ὡς δέ τινες, ὅτι καὶ Βάρδας σὺν τῷ ὁμαίμονι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τροπωσάμενος τὴν τοῦ καίσαρος τότε κληροῦται ἀνάρρησιν, ἐν ἡμέραις τοῦ Πάσχα, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιʹ. 4.16 Ὁ οὖν καθηγεμὼν Βουλγάρων περὶ τούτου ἐπεγνωκὼς καὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ κατατροπωθεὶς εὐτυχήματι πρὸς εἰρηναίαν κατάστασιν ὑποκλίνεται, εἰ καὶ πρὶν ἐθρασύνετο, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ λιμῷ οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν πιεζόμενοι, ὅθεν καὶ τὸ Ὁμηρικὸν καθ' ἑαυτούς, ὡς εἰκός, διενενόηντο λόγιον· πάντες μὲν στυγεροὶ θάνατοι δειλοῖσι βροτοῖσι, λιμῷ δ' οἴκτιστον θανέειν καὶ πότμον ἐπισπεῖν, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὥστε καὶ τοῦ Χριστιανῶν εὐπειθῶς καταξιωθῆναι βαπτίσματος ἅπαντας, τὸν δὲ αὐτῶν ἀρχηγὸν αἱρετίσασθαι Μιχαὴλ ὠνομάσθαι ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλέως ὀνόματι, ἐκπεμφθέντων ἐκεῖσε ἀρχιερέων τινῶν ἐλλογίμων τὰ τῆς Χριστιανικῆς πίστεως ἐγκρατύνασθαι. 4.17 Περὶ πολλοῦ δὲ τῷ καίσαρι Βάρδᾳ ἡ σοφία πεφιλοτίμητο, κἂν τῶν πολλῶν πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν ἐμεμέλητο. συναθροίζει σοφοὺς κατὰ τὴν Μαγναύραν, ὧν τοὺς μὲν φιλοσοφίας <καὶ> γεωμετρίας, τοὺς δὲ ἑτέρους ἀστρονομίας, ἄλλους γραμματικῆς ἀντιποιουμένους ἐγκαταστήσας προῖκα διδάσκειν τοὺς προσιόντας <παρεκελεύσατο>. καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἐπιμελείας ἐν τούτῳ διείργαστο, ὡς Λέοντα τὸν πάνυ φιλόσοφον κατὰ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐντάξαι διδάσκαλον, καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ φοιτητὴν ἐν γεωμετρίᾳ Θεόδωρον, καὶ ἐν ἀστρονομίᾳ Θεοδήγιον, ἔν τε