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daily and every evening according to ancient custom he would come and sit in the Phiale (for because of this he was also called protospatharios of the Phiale), and he judged the disputes among the rowers of both the agrarioi and the dromonioi, who were under his authority, and according to justice he both passed sentence and administered. And whenever he found someone acting improperly, or doing wrong to someone, or neglecting his own service, he would punish this man with harsh blows from the manglavia. And in the manner described, all the rowers of the dromonioi and those of the emperor's agrarioi, both the reds and the blacks, were under the hand and supervision of the protospatharios of the Phiale. But the agraria of the Augusta, both the red and black ones, were under the hand and supervision of the [official] of the Augusta's table, with the [official] of the table, of course, making the account for these agraria not to the Augusta, but to the emperor. In the time of Leo, the renowned and most wise emperor, the protospatharios of the Phiale was the protospatharios John, whose surname was Thalasson, and after him came the protospatharios Podaron, and after him the protospatharios Leo the Armenian, the father of the protospatharios and manglavites Arsenios. And these men, both the protospatharios Podaron and the protospatharios Leo the Armenian, had become protelatai of the patrikios Nasar, the droungarios of the Fleet, and in the time of Basil, the Christ-loving master, they were promoted from the fleet, and became protelatai of the emperor's agrarion, and during the reign of Leo, the renowned and most wise emperor, when he also built the dromonia, because of their courage and experience of the sea he made them protokaravoi. And when a crisis arose, the emperor transferred the rowers of the two dromonia along with the two protokaravoi of the first dromonion into naval chelandia, giving them much necessary equipment, such as shields, spears, the finest cuirasses and other things, as many as naval soldiers need to carry, and the patrikios Eustathios, droungarios of the Fleet, took them on board with the imperial fleet, and went against the enemy. The emperor did all this because the patrikios Eustathios, droungarios of the Fleet, was anticipating war with the enemy. And in their place, Michael the elder and that wise Michael steered the imperial dromonion, they being at that time protelatai. And those rowing in the dromonia until the arrival of the imperial rowers were Stenites from the estates of the Stenos. But when they returned from the expedition, they were again in their own service, just as they had been before. Then the emperor, as if showing favor to the protospatharios Podaron because he had acted bravely and distinguished himself above all in the war and because it was testified by the patrikios Eustathios, droungarios of the Fleet, that there was no other such man in the fleet for courage and alertness and the other virtues and especially for his goodwill toward the emperor and right faith, gave him also the authority of protospatharios of the Phiale. But because he was illiterate, by order of the emperor a judge from the Hippodrome would come and would sit with him in the Phiale, and would judge the rowers. But the Augustan agraria, as was said before, the [official] of the Augusta's table controlled. After this the emperor appointed both Podaron and Leo the Armenian as topoteretai of the imperial fleet, and as protokaravoi of his dromonion he appointed that Michael the elder, being at that time protelates of the dromonion, and having been deuterelates of the agrarion of Basil, the Christ-loving master, and the other Michael, whose surname was Barkalas, who was formerly in the fleet a protelates of the droungarios and patrikios Eustathios, when he ferried over the Turks, and made war against Symeon, the ruler of Bulgaria.

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ἡμέραν καὶ καθ' ἑκάστην δείλην ἀπὸ παλαιοῦ τύπου κατήρχετο καὶ ἐκαθέζετο ἐν τῇ φιάλῃ (διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ἐλέγετο πρωτοσπαθάριος τῆς φιάλης), καὶ τὰς ἀναμεταξὺ δίκας τῶν ἐλατῶν τῶν τε ἀγραρίων καὶ τῶν δρομωνίων, τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐξουσιαζομένων, ἔκρινεν καὶ κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον ἐδίκαζέν τε καὶ ἐδιοίκει. Καὶ ἡνίκα παρὰ τὸ δέον εὕρισκέν τινα ἢ ἐργαζόμενον ἤ τινα ἀδικοῦντα ἢ εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν δουλείαν βαγεύοντα, τοῦτον διὰ μαγγλαβίων σφοδρῶν ἐπεξήρχετο. Καὶ καθ' ὃν εἴρηται τρόπον, πάντες οἱ τῶν δρομωνίων ἐλάται καὶ οἱ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγραρίων, τῶν τε ῥουσίων καὶ τῶν μαύρων, ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ τὴν ἐφορείαν ὑπῆρχον τοῦ πρωτοσπαθαρίου τῆς φιάλης. Τὰ δὲ τῆς αὐγούστης ἀγράρια, τά τε ῥούσια καὶ μαῦρα, ὑπὸ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ τὴν ἐφορείαν ὑπῆρχον τοῦ τῆς τραπέζης τῆς αὐγούστης, δηλονότι τὸν λόγον τῶν ἀγραρίων τούτων ποιοῦντος τοῦ τῆς τραπέζης οὐχὶ πρὸς τὴν αὐγοῦσταν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. Ἐπὶ δὲ Λέοντος, τοῦ ἀοιδίμου καὶ σοφωτάτου βασιλέως, ἦν πρωτοσπαθάριος τῆς φιάλης ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος Ἰωάννης, οὗ τὸ ἐπίκλην ὁ Θαλάσσων, καὶ μετ' αὐτὸν γέγονεν ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος ὁ Ποδάρων, καὶ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος Λέων ὁ Ἀρμένης, ὁ τοῦ πρωτοσπαθαρίου Ἀρσενίου καὶ μαγγλαβίτου πατήρ. Οὗτοι δέ, ὅ τε ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος ὁ Ποδάρων καὶ ὁ πρωτοσπαθάριος Λέων ὁ Ἀρμένης, πρωτελάται γεγόνασιν τοῦ πατρικίου Νάσαρ καὶ δρουγγαρίου τοῦ πλωΐμου, καὶ ἐπὶ Βασιλείου, τοῦ φιλοχρίστου δεσπότου, ἀνῆξαν ἀπὸ τοῦ πλωΐμου, καὶ γεγόνασιν πρωτελάται τοῦ ἀγραρίου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς βασιλείας Λέοντος, τοῦ ἀοιδίμου καὶ σοφωτάτου βασιλέως, ἡνίκα καὶ τὰ δρομώνια ἐποίησεν, διὰ τὴν ἀνδρείαν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἐμπειρίαν τῆς θαλάσσης ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς πρωτοκαράβους. Καὶ περιστάσεως γενομένης, εἰσήγαγεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν δύο δρομωνίων τοὺς ἐλάτας μετὰ τῶν δύο πρωτοκαράβων τοῦ πρώτου δρομωνίου εἰς χελάνδια πλώϊμα, δοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐξόπλισιν πολλὴν καὶ ἀναγκαίαν, οἷον σκουτάρια, δόρκας, κλιβάνια κάλλιστα καὶ ἄλλα, ὅσα ἐπιδέονται πλώϊμοι στρατιῶται ἐπιφέρεσθαι, καὶ ἀνελάβετο αὐτοὺς ὁ πατρίκιος Εὐστάθιος καὶ δρουγγάριος τοῦ πλωΐμου μετὰ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ στόλου, καὶ ἀπῄει κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων. Τοῦτο δὲ ὅλον ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὸ ἀποβλέπειν τὸν πατρίκιον Εὐστάθιον καὶ δρουγγάριον τοῦ πλωΐμου πρὸς πόλεμον τῶν ἐναντίων. Καὶ ἀντ' ἐκείνων ἐκυβέρνα τὸ βασιλικὸν δρομώνιον Μιχαὴλ ὁ γέρων καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ συνετὸς ἐκεῖνος, ὄντων αὐτῶν τῷ τότε καιρῷ πρωτελατῶν. Οἱ δὲ ἐλαύνοντες εἰς τὰ δρομώνια ἕως τῆς ἐλεύσεως τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐλατῶν ὑπῆρχον Στενῖται ἐκ τῶν οὐσιῶν τοῦ Στενοῦ. Ὅτε δὲ ὑπέστρεψαν ἐκ τοῦ ταξιδίου, πάλιν ἦσαν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν δουλείαν, καθὼς καὶ προϋπῆρχον. Τότε οἱονεὶ φιλοτιμούμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν πρωτοσπαθάριον τὸν Ποδάρωνα διὰ τὸ ἀνδραγαθῆσαι αὐτὸν καὶ εὐδοκιμῆσαι ὑπὲρ πάντας εἰς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ μαρτυρηθῆναι καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατρικίου Εὐσταθίου καὶ δρουγγαρίου τοῦ πλωΐμου ἕτερον τοιοῦτον μὴ εἶναι εἰς τὸ πλώϊμον ἐπί τε ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ διεγέρσει καὶ ταῖς λοιπαῖς ἀρεταῖς καὶ μάλιστα τῇ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα εὐνοίᾳ καὶ ὀρθῇ πίστει, δέδωκεν αὐτῷ καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ πρωτοσπαθαρίου τῆς φιάλης. ∆ιὰ δὲ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἀγράμματον προστάξει τοῦ βασιλέως κατήρχετο κριτὴς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱπποδρόμου, καὶ συνεκαθέζετο μετὰ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ φιάλῃ, καὶ ἔκρινεν τοὺς ἐλάτας. Τὰ δὲ αὐγουστιατικὰ ἀγράρια, καθὼς προείρηται, ἐπεκράτει ὁ τῆς τραπέζης τῆς αὐγούστης. Μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ προεβάλετο ὁ βασιλεὺς τόν τε Ποδάρωνα καὶ τὸν Λέοντα τὸν Ἀρμένην τοποτηρητὰς τοῦ βασιλικοῦ πλωΐμου, πρωτοκαράβους δὲ τοῦ δρομωνίου αὐτοῦ προεβάλετο τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐκεῖνον τὸν γέροντα, πρωτελάτην τῷ τότε καιρῷ τοῦ δρομωνίου τυγχάνοντα, δευτεροελάτην δὲ γεγονότα τοῦ ἀγραρίου Βασιλείου, τοῦ φιλοχρίστου δεσπότου, καὶ τὸν ἕτερον Μιχαηλ, οὗ τὸ ἐπίκλην ὁ Βαρκαλᾶς, ὅστις ἦν πρότερον εἰς τὸ πλώϊμον πρωτελάτης τοῦ δρουγγαρίου Εὐσταθίου καὶ πατρικίου, ὅτε ἐπέρασεν τοὺς Τούρκους, καὶ κατεπολέμησεν τὸν Συμεών, τὸν ἄρχοντα Βουλγαρίας.