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or some imperial agent, and let him be seated in the castle of Ketzeon, and let him observe." And they received by order, that: "What use is it to send either a tourmarch or an imperial agent? In any case if he should enter, whether a tourmarch or an imperial agent, he must enter with ten or twelve men, and must be settled in the camp which he receives from you; and since there are many roads leading into the castle of Theodosioupolis, he is not able from the castle to see the caravans entering the castle of Theodosioupolis; for caravans can enter into Theodosioupolis at night, with those men understanding nothing." But therefore, because the Iberians did not wish Theodosioupolis to be sacked, but rather to be supplied with grain, for this reason they did not obey, and they gave the castle of Ketzeon, although also receiving a written oath that after Theodosioupolis was taken, that very castle would be returned to them. That the Iberians never wished to plunder or take captive the areas around the castle of Theodosioupolis or its villages, or into the castle of Abnikion or the villages around it, or into the castle of Manzikert and into its domain. That as the kouropalates makes a claim concerning the villages of Phasiane, seeking all of Phasiane and the castle of Abnikos, alleging that he has chrysobulls of the blessed emperor, the lord Romanos, and of our majesty, copies of which he also sent to us through Zourbaneles the protospatharios, his azat, having examined these we found that he had no support. For the chrysobull of our father-in-law contains the promise of the same kouropalates, as he confirmed by an oath written in his own hand, to remain in allegiance to our majesty and to fight against our enemies, and to defend our friends and to make the east tributary to our majesty and to subdue castles and to perform great deeds in our service, and it was promised to him by our father-in-law, that, if he should keep such faithful servitude and loyalty, he should remain undisturbed, both he and those of his family, in his rule and authority; and He would not alter the borders of his lands, but would uphold the agreements of former emperors, and would not transgress further, and that He would not hinder him from overthrowing Theodosioupolis and the other castles of the enemies, whether they should be besieged by him alone, or by our army. These are the main points the chrysobulls contain, from which the kouropalates has no support; for that of our father-in-law declares, that we will not displace him from the ancient borders of his country, and that, if he is able, either alone, or with our army, he shall besiege and overthrow Theodosioupolis and the other castles of the enemies, but not to possess them in complete dominion and lordship; while that of our majesty contains, that, whatever places he and his nephew, the magistros Adranase, may be able by his own power to subjugate from the Hagarenes, or shall from now on subjugate, he may hold in dominion and lordship. And since he overthrew Theodosioupolis neither by his own power, nor Abnikion, nor Mastaton, he ought not to possess these, as they are on this side of the river Araxes, that is, the Phasis, because the castle of Abnikos was until now independent and self-governing, having its own amir, and many times the people of our majesty have plundered it, but also the protospatharios John and general the Arrhabonites and the patrikios Theophilos and recently the general of Theodosioupolis, and the other generals worked great plunder and captivity in it, burning its villages, with the kouropalates never having plundered it. And when its villages were destroyed by our majesty, the Iberians entered stealthily, and seized them, attempting from this to take the castle. But he

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ἢ βασιλικόν τινα, καὶ ἂς καθέζηται εἰς τὸ κάστρον τοῦ Κετζέου, καὶ ἂς θεωρῇ." Καὶ ἐδέξαντο διὰ κελεύσεως, ὅτι· "Τί ὄφελος ἢ τουρμάρχην ἢ βασιλικὸν ἀποστεῖλαι; Πάντως ἐὰν εἰσέλθῃ εἴτε τουρμάρχης, εἴτε βασιλικός, μετὰ δέκα ἢ δώδεκα ἀνθρώπων ἔχει εἰσελθεῖν, καὶ καθέζεσθαι ἔχει εἰς τὸ ἀπλίκτον, ὃ παρ' ὑμῶν λάβῃ· καὶ ἐπεὶ πολλαί εἰσιν ὁδοί, αἱ εἰσάγουσαι εἰς τὸ κάστρον Θεοδοσιουπόλεως, οὐ δύναται ἀπὸ τοῦ κάστρου βλέπειν τὰ εἰσερχόμενα καρβάνια εἰς τὸ κάστρον Θεοδοσιουπόλεως· δύνανται δὲ εἰσέρχεσθαι καρβάνια ἐν Θεοδοσιουπόλει τῇ νυκτί, ἐκείνων μηδὲν νοούντων." Ἀλλ' οὖν διὰ τὸ μὴ θέλειν τοὺς Ἴβηρας πορθηθῆναι τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον σιταρ χεῖσθαι, τούτου ἕνεκα οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν, καὶ δέδωκαν τὸ κάστρον τὸ Κετζέον, καίτοι καὶ ὅρκον ἔγγραφον δεχόμενοι τοῦμετὰ τὸ παραληφθῆναι τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολινἀποστραφῆναι αὐτοῖς τὸ τοιοῦτον κάστρον. Ὅτι οὐδέποτε ἠβουλήθησαν οἱ Ἴβηρες πραιδεῦσαι ἢ αἰχμαλωτίσαι τὰ πέριξ τοῦ κάστρου Θεοδοσιουπόλεως ἢ τὰ χωρία αὐτοῦ ἢ εἰς τὸ κάστρον τοῦ Ἀβνικίου ἢ τὰ περὶ αὐτὸ χωρία ἢ εἰς τὸ κάστρον Μανζικίερτ καὶ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπικράτειαν. Ὅτι καθὼς ἐνίσταται ὁ κουροπαλάτης περὶ τῶν χωρίων τῆς Φασιανῆς, ἐπιζητῶν ὅλην τὴν Φασιανὴν καὶ τὸ κάστρον τοῦ Ἀβνίκου, προφασιζόμενος χρυσοβούλλια ἔχειν τοῦ μακαρίου βασιλέως, τοῦ κυροῦ Ῥωμανοῦ καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας βασιλείας, ὧν καὶ τὰ ἶσα πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπέστειλεν διὰ τοῦ Ζουρβανέλη πρωτοσπαθαρίου, τοῦ ἀζάτου αὐτοῦ, ταῦτα ἐπισκεψάμενοι εὕρομεν αὐτὸν μηδεμίαν βοήθειαν ἔχοντα. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ χρυσοβούλλιον τοῦ πενθεροῦ ἡμῶν περιέχει ὑποσχέσθαι τὸν αὐτὸν κουροπαλάτην, ὡς δι' ὅρκου ἐβεβαίωσεν αὐτὸν οἰκείᾳ χειρὶ ἐγγραψάμενος, τοῦ διαμεῖναι ἐν τῇ πίστει τῆς ἡμετέρας βασιλείας καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἐχθροῖς ἡμῶν ἀντιμάχεσθαι, τοὺς δὲ φίλους ὑπερασπίζεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἀνατολὴν ὑπόσπονδον ποιῆσαι τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἡμῶν καὶ κάστρα χειρώσασθαι καὶ μεγάλα πρὸς θεραπείαν ἡμῶν ἔργα ποιήσασθαι, καὶ ὑπεσχέθη αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πενθεροῦ ἡμῶν, ἵνα, ἐὰν φυλάξῃ τὴν τοιαύτην πιστὴν δούλωσιν καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνην, διαμείνῃ ἀμετασάλευτος καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ τούτου ἀρχῇ καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ· καὶ οὐ μεταστήσει τὰ ὅρια τῶν τόπων αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τῶν πρώην βασιλέων τὰ σύμφωνα στέρξει, καὶ οὐχὶ περαιτέρω ὑπερβήσεται, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ κωλύσει αὐτὸν καταστρέψαι τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολιν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κάστρα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, κἄν τε δι' αὐτοῦ μόνου πολιορκηθήσονται, κἄν τε δι' αὐτοῦ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἡμῶν. Ταῦτα μὲν τὰ κεφάλαια περιέχουσιν τὰ χρυσοβούλλια, ἐξ ὧν οὐδεμίαν βοήθειαν ὁ κουροπαλάτης ἔχει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πενθεροῦ ἡμῶν διαγορεύει, ὅτι οὐ παρασαλεύσομεν αὐτὸν ἐκ τῶν παλαιῶν ὁρίων τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅτι, ἐὰν δυνηθῇ εἴτε καὶ μόνος, εἴτε καὶ μετὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἡμῶν, πολιορκήσει καὶ καταστρέψει τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολιν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ κάστρα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐχὶ δὲ κατασχεῖν αὐτὰ εἰς τελείαν δεσποτείαν καὶ κυριότητα· τὸ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῶν περιέχει, ἵνα, ὅσους ἂν τόπους δυνηθῇ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ ἀνεψιὸς αὐτοῦ, ὁ μάγιστρος Ἀδρανασέ, ἐξ οἰκείας δυνάμεως καθυποτάξαι τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν, ἢ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καθυποτάξει, κατέχει ἐπὶ δεσποτείᾳ καὶ κυριότητι. Καὶ ἐπεὶ οὔτε ἐξ οἰκείας δυνάμεως τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολιν κατεστρέψατο, οὔτε τὸ Ἀβνίκιον, οὔτε τὸ Μαστάτον, οὐκ ὀφείλει ταῦτα κατέχειν, ὡς ὄντα ἔνθεν τοῦ Ἔραξ ποταμοῦ, ἤτοι τοῦ Φάσιδος, διότι τὸ μὲν κάστρον τοῦ Ἀβνίκου μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἦν αὐτεξούσιον καὶ αὐτοδέσποτον, ἔχον ἴδιον ἀμηρᾶν, καὶ πολλάκις ὁ λαὸς τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῶν ἐπραίδευσεν αὐτό, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος Ἰωάννης καὶ στρατηγὸς ὁ Ἀρραβωνίτης καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Θεόφιλος καὶ ἀρτίως στρατηγὸς Θεοδοσιουπόλεως, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ στρατηγοὶ μεγάλην πραῖδαν καὶ αἰχμαλωσίαν εἰς αὐτὸ ἠργάσαντο, κατακαύσαντες τὰ χωρία αὐτοῦ, μηδέποτε τοῦ κουροπαλάτου πραιδεύσαντος αὐτό. Καὶ ἡνίκα ἠφανίσθησαν τὰ τούτου χωρία παρὰ τῆς βασιλείας ἡμῶν, ὑπεισῆλθον οἱ Ἴβηρες, καὶ κατεκράτησαν αὐτά, πειρώμενοι ἐκ τούτου τὸ κάστρον κρατῆσαι. Ὁ δὲ