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to the Romans and to be joined and connected by marriage, having caused many of them to be distinguished with imperial dignities. But he also enrolled them in the military registers, and established a corps so-called Persian, and ordered them to be numbered among the Romans going out to war against the Hagarenes. 22 Theophilos, therefore, being emboldened by these things, since he also knew them to be otherwise valiant, went out to war against the Hagarenes, when Ibrahim, as has been said, marched against us. 113 Since therefore both the leader of the Saracens and Theophilos had come near each other, and there was need of counsel, Manuel for his part said that it was not right for the emperor of the Romans to fight against the amermoumnes, but for someone, taking a part of the troops, to go out against the face of the enemy, and to do this by day, but Theophobos wanted the emperor to be in the battle line, but to attack them by night with the Persian infantry, and when again it should be necessary, for the cavalry to encircle them. But he did not persuade the emperor, with many saying that Theophobos was usurping the glory of the Romans and for this reason wanted to fight at night; however it was decided to join battle openly by day. And Ibrahim, for his part, whether being otherwise boastful or indeed being surrounded by fear of the emperor, taking a part of the army withdrew, but Abouchazar he sent forth for the war against the emperor with eighty thousand men, who, after both sides had fought very bravely for a long time, finally forced the scholae along with the domesticus to give way and turn to flight. Whence the emperor with the imperial phalanx and two thousand Persians, with Theophobos also being present with these, was saved on a certain hill, seeing the danger for his life. And until evening the battle around him was great, with some hoping to take him into their hands, and others fighting back and persevering not to betray him. 114 Therefore, when night had just fallen, those with the emperor used the clapping of hands and shouts, pretending to rejoice, and with both kitharas and strings and otherwise with the sounds of trumpets they made the air vibrate, wishing to create no ordinary hopes for the enemy. And so it happened; for it came to be that they withdrew six miles backwards, fearing some attack and encirclement. Whence having obtained a little security, those around the emperor, late in the night having resorted to flight, worked out their salvation, and were saved by reaching the army that had betrayed him and given its back to the enemy. Therefore, the emperor subjected the treacherous army to many reproaches, but he exceptionally rewarded those around Theophobos with favors and honors. Whence the Persians were kindled with a fiery love for Theophobos, and being encouraged by a certain ineffable gladness, they besought to undertake the war against the Hagarenes with him, and affirmed that they would rout them with invincible force; wherefore the emperor also wanted Theophobos to lead them. 23 In the following year Theophilos went out again with a force, and in the Charsianon theme, as the Ishmaelites were being greatly insolent and boastful from their previous victory, engaging with these, he both captured many of them, and took booty up to twenty-five thousand, and with a splendid victory returned to the reigning city. Now it happened that a certain Hagarene, one of those famous for skill of hands, was taken captive. To this man, 115 the commander of the scholae testified to his great virtues in war through written encomia, and affirmed that he was both skilled in horsemanship and noble in the strength of his body, and that using two spears in horsemanship he proceeds very artfully and skillfully against those who oppose him. Since, therefore, in the hippodrome the triumph of the domesticus was being celebrated, and this man went before, in the size of his body and in the stature of his soul, the

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τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις καὶ κατ' ἐπιγαμίαν απτεσθαί τε καὶ συν- είρεσθαι, πολλοὺς τούτων τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἐμπρέπειν ἀξιώμασι πεποιηκώς. ἀλλὰ καὶ κώδιξι στρατιωτικοῖς αὐτοὺς ἀναγράφεται, καὶ τάγμα ουτως καλούμενον Περσικὸν ἐγκατέστησε, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ πόλεμον ἐξιοῦσι ̔Ρωμαίοις κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐναριθμεῖ-σθαι προσέταξε. 22 Τούτοις γοῦν τεθαρρηκὼς ὁ Θεόφιλος, ἐπεὶ καὶ αλ- λως ῃδει τούτους ἀνδραγαθιζομένους, εἰς πόλεμον κατὰ τῶν ̓Αγα- ρηνῶν εξεισι καὶ τοῦ ̓Ιβραὴμ καθ' ἡμῶν, ὡς ειρηται, ἐκστρατεύσαν- 113 τος. ἐπείπερ γοῦν ἐγγὺς ἀλλήλων ο τε τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἀρχηγὸς ἐγεγόνει καὶ ὁ Θεόφιλος, εδει δὲ καὶ βουλῆς, ὁ μὲν Μανουὴλ οὐ δίκαιον εφησε βασιλέα ̔Ρωμαίων πρὸς ἀμεραμνουνῆ πολεμεῖν, ἀλλά τινα μέρος λαβόντα τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ἐξιέναι κατὰ πρόσω- πον τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καὶ αμα μεθ' ἡμέραν τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὁ Θεόφοβος δὲ ειναι μὲν ἐπὶ παρατάξεως τὸν βασιλέα ἐβούλετο, νύκτωρ δὲ ἐπι- τεθῆναι αὐτοῖς μετὰ τοῦ τῶν Περσῶν πεζικοῦ, καὶ οτε πάλιν δεή- σειεν, ἐπικυκλῶσαι τὸ ἱππικόν. ἀλλ' οὐκ επεισε τὸν βασιλέα, εἰπόντων πολλῶν, σφετεριζομένου τοῦ Θεοφόβου τὴν τῶν ̔Ρω- μαίων δόξαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βουλομένου ἐν νυκτὶ πολεμεῖν· πλὴν εδοξεν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς μεθ' ἡμέραν συρρῆξαι τὸν πόλεμον. καὶ ὁ μὲν ̓Ιβραήμ, ειτ' αλλως καταλαζονευόμενος ειτε δὴ καὶ φόβῳ βασιλέως περιστοιχιζόμενος, μέρος λαβὼν τοῦ στρατοῦ ἀνεχώρη- σεν, ̓Αβουχάζαρ δὲ πρὸς τὸν κατὰ βασιλέως πόλεμον μετὰ μυριά- δων ὀκτὼ ἐξαπέστειλεν, οι  καὶ καρτερῶς αγαν ἀνδρισαμένων ἀμ- φοτέρων ἐπὶ πολύ, τέλος ἐνδοῦναι τὰς σχολὰς μετὰ τοῦ δομεστί- κου καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν τραπῆναι ἐξεβιάσαντο. οθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς φάλαγγος καὶ δύο χιλιάδων Περσῶν, προσόντος τούτοις καὶ τοῦ Θεοφόβου, ἐπί τινος βουνοῦ σέσωστο, τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς κίνδυνον ὑφορώμενος. καὶ αχρι μὲν ἑσπέρας πολὺς ην ὁ περὶ αὐτὸν πόλεμος, τῶν μὲν ἐλπιζόντων τοῦτον ἐπὶ χεῖρας λαβεῖν, τῶν δὲ ἀνταμυνόντων καὶ μὴ προδοῦναι τοῦτον διακαρτερούντων. 114 διὸ νυκτὸς αρτι γενομένης κρότοις χειρῶν τε καὶ ἀλαλαγμοῖς ἐχρῶντο οἱ μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, χαίρειν προσποιούμενοι, κιννύραις τε καὶ χορδαῖς καὶ αλλως βουκίνων φωναῖς τὸν αἰθέρα περιεδό- νουν, ἐλπίδας οὐ τὰς τυχούσας τοῖς ἐχθροῖς θέλοντες περιποιῆσαι. ο  καὶ συνέβη· μίλια γὰρ εξ ὑποχωρῆσαι τούτους εἰς τοὐπίσω τινὰ κατορρωδοῦσι προσβολήν τε καὶ κύκλωσιν προσεγένετο. οθεν ἀδείας τυχόντες μικρᾶς οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα, πόρρω που νυκτῶν φυγῇ χρησάμενοι τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπραγματεύσαντο, καὶ πρὸς τῷ καταπροδόντι τοῦτον στρατεύματι καὶ τὰ νῶτα δόντι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς διεσώθησαν. μέμψεσι μὲν ουν πολλαῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ προδεδωκὸς στράτευμα καθυπέβαλεν, χάρισι δὲ καὶ τιμαῖς διαφερόντως τοὺς περὶ τὸν Θεόφοβον ἐγέραιρεν. οθεν οἱ Πέρσαι ερωτι διαπύρῳ πρὸς τὸν Θεόφοβον ἐξεκαίοντο, καὶ θυμηδίᾳ τινὶ ἀρρήτῳ ἀναθαρ- ρυνόμενοι μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν κατ' ̓Αγαρηνῶν ὑποδύεσθαι πόλεμον ἐλιτάνευον, καὶ τρέπειν τούτους ἐξ ἀηττήτου δυνάμεως ἐβεβαίουν· διὸ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡγεμονεύειν αὐτῶν ἐβούλετο τὸν Θεόφοβον. 23 Τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἐνιαυτῷ εξεισι πάλιν μετὰ δυνάμεως ὁ Θεόφιλος, καὶ κατὰ τὸ Χαρσιανὸν πολλὰ ἐκ τῆς προτέρας νίκης τῶν ̓Ισμαηλιτῶν ἀπαυθαδιαζομένων καὶ ἀλαζονευομένων, τούτοις συμπλακεὶς πολλούς τε χειροῦται τούτων, καὶ λείαν λαμβάνει ὡς τῶν πέντε καὶ εικοσι αχρι χιλιάδων, καὶ μετὰ νίκης λαμπρᾶς πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπανέρχεται. ετυχε γοῦν τις τῶν ἐπὶ χειρῶν εὐφυΐᾳ ὀνομαστῶν αἰχμάλωτον ληφθῆναι ̓Αγαρηνῶν. τούτῳ με- 115 γάλας τὰς κατὰ πόλεμον ἀρετὰς δι' ἐγγράφων ἐγκωμίων ὁ τῶν σχολῶν προεστὼς ἐμαρτύρει, καὶ ἐβεβαίου ὡς ειη τε δεξιὸς περὶ τὴν ἱππασίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ῥώμην γενναῖος, καὶ οτι δυσὶ δόρασι χρώμενος περὶ τὴν ἱππασίαν [μὲν] ἐντέχνως αγαν καὶ εὐ- φυῶς πρὸς τοὺς κατ' αὐτοῦ διαβαίνει. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἐν τῷ τῶν ιπ- πων ἁμιλλητηρίῳ ὁ τοῦ δομεστίκου θρίαμβος ἐτελεῖτο, προηγεῖτο δὲ ουτος τῷ τοῦ σώματος μεγέθει καὶ τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναστήματι τοὺς