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was fitting on account of the purity of his conscience. Saying these things, he too used counter-ploys, and carrying the icon of the martyr, he acclaimed the emperors. And so their undertaking was fruitless, and it seemed not at all safe to associate with them. Therefore, leaving aside all trouble, he runs to the emperor who was residing in the populous city of Thessalonica. But these things later, at which time the things he had labored on as general for the sake of the successful management of affairs there, being studiously disregarded and counted as nothing by those who were sent afterward, allowed much ruin to occur, with the soldiers' wages from those collecting money in the east falling into arrears, and most of it being lacking from its misappropriation by the leading men, and military actions, as was likely, being neglected as a result.

26. Now concerning the northern Tochars (for those in the east had Kazan, or as they would say, Khan, who traced his lineage from Chalaus and Apaga), it is worthwhile to recount their story from the beginning. Nogas, then, about whom it was spoken before, 263 being sent from the beginning by the hereditary rulers, not being a ruler but their subordinate commander, was sent therefore with the largest possible force to the northern frontier, in order to overrun various nations which long ago were subject to the Romans, but later, after the capture of Constantinople, were independent and divided into certain local lordships, as if they were deserted, he subdued them by the fear he inspired alone and subjected to the Tochars those who were previously autonomous. So at once they ruled so many nations, and at the same time, seeing a populous place and a land excellent for all necessities, they appropriated the territories for themselves and were on their own. And when the upper Tochars, whose right it was to rule, attacked and sought power, he prevailed through his intelligence and his personal multitude, and for the rest of the time they were freely autonomous and enjoyed the region of the upper Euxine like rulers. These things went on for some time, and Nogas was glorified by his marriage-alliance with the emperor. But since many of those whose right it was to rule by birth were out of the way, Touktaïs was left, and he set upon the already-aged Nogas, and after a fierce 264 invasion occurred, he was completely victorious and Nogas fell. The events that took place in the region as a result of the ensuing wars and confusion, and how the entire country was devastated and people were destroyed, and how from there the survivors migrated to these parts, and how entire shiploads and cargoes were made up of people, requires its own history and no ordinary tongue to report it. Meanwhile Touktaïs, having been victorious, became master of the regions, and the Tocharic people came under him, with a few remaining loyal to the son of Nogas from Alakka, Tzaka by name, with whom he confidently attacked the land of the Bulgarians. For Terteres, having himself fled from the threat of Nogas, went over to the emperor and was staying somewhere around Adrianople, with the emperor feigning rejection of his supplication, so that if Nogas should send for him, he, by protecting him as a refugee, as was right, would not provoke the wrath of Nogas. So his son Tzaka, with Nogas out of the way, relying on the Bulgarians around him, made his move, yet not without a pretext, but having the daughter of Terteres as his wife. He also takes her brother Osventisthlavos, and with him he wanted to 265 enslave the Bulgarians. But he, being poor, met a certain Pantoleon, a man rich from business—a nobleman who, though a private citizen, had received from the emperor the daughter of a certain Mankous at Enkona, who had long ago become the goddaughter of Nogas's Euphrosyne through holy baptism—and he marries into the family on account of its wealth. And having won over the minds of the Bulgarians with gifts, and using Tzaka as his lord, he takes possession of Ternovos with him. A short time after, and Osventisthlavos, finding an opportunity, being a Bulgarian on his mother's side (for his father Terteres was from the Cumans), for the time being at least in most respects in a friendly manner

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προσῆκον διὰ τὴν τῆς συνειδήσεως καθαρότητα. ταῦτα λέγων ἀντετεχνᾶτο κἀκεῖνος, καὶ τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ μάρτυρος φέρων ἐπευφήμει τοὺς βασιλεῖς. καὶ λοιπὸν ἄπρακτον μὲν ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐγχείρημα, συνεῖναι δ' ἐκείνοις ἥκιστα ἀσφαλὲς ἐδόκει. ὅθεν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀφεὶς ἐνοχὴν προστρέχει τῷ βασιλεῖ τῇ πολυαν δρούσῃ πόλει Θεσσαλονίκῃ ἐνδιατρίβοντι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστε ρον, καθ' ὃν καιρὸν τά οἱ στρατηγοῦντι πεπονημένα ἐσπουδα σμένως τῆς τῶν ἐκεῖ πραγμάτων κατορθώσεως χάριν ἀθετηθέντα καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθέντα παρὰ τῶν ἐσαῦθις πεμπομένων πολλὴν τὴν λύμην ἐνέδοσαν γίνεσθαι, ὑπερημέρων μὲν καὶ τῶν μισθο φοριῶν γινομένων στρατιώταις παρὰ τῶν κατ' ἀνατολὴν συλλε γόντων χρήματα, ἐλλελειμμένων δὲ καὶ τῶν πλείστων ἐκ τῆς τῶν προυχόντων περὶ αὐτὰ σφετερίσεως, καὶ τῶν πολεμικῶν ἐντεῦθεν ἀμελουμένων κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς πράξεων.

26. Περὶ δέ γε τῶν βορείων Τοχάρων (οἱ γὰρ κατ' ἀνα τολὴν τὸν Καζάνην εἶχον, ὡς αὐτοὶ φαῖεν ἄν, Κάνιν, ὃς δὴ καὶ ἐκ Χαλαοῦ τε καὶ Ἀπαγᾶ τὸ γένος κατῆγε) περὶ γοῦν ἐκείνων ἄξιον ἄνωθεν διελθεῖν. ὁ τοίνυν Νογᾶς, περὶ οὗ καὶ πρότερον 263 ἐρρέθη, πεμφθεὶς ἀρχῆθεν παρὰ τῶν ἐκ γένους ἀρχόντων, οὐκ ἄρχων ὢν ἀλλ' ὑποστράτηγος σφῶν, πεμφθεὶς οὖν μεθ' ὅτι πλείστης δυνάμεως ἐπὶ τῆς κατὰ βορρᾶν περαίας, ἵνα καὶ διά φορα ἔθνη πάλαι μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ὑπήκοα, ὕστερον δ' ἁλούσης τῆς Κωνσταντίνου καθ' αὑτὰ ὄντα καὶ τοπαρχίαις τισὶ μεριζόμενα, ὡς ἐρήμων καταδραμούμενος, ἐπιστὰς τῷ κατὰ σφᾶς δέει μόνῳ χειροῦται καὶ ὑποκλίνει Τοχάροις αὐτονομούμενα πρότερον. ἅμα γοῦν τοσούτων ἐθνῶν ἦρξαν, καὶ ἅμα πολυανδροῦντα τόπον ἰδόντες καὶ ἀρετῶσαν γῆν πρὸς πάντα τὰ ἀναγκαῖα, ἑαυτοῖς ὑπο ποιοῦνται τὰς χώρας καὶ καθ' αὑτοὺς ἦσαν. ὡς δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄνω Τοχάρων, οἷς καὶ ἦν ἄρχειν, ἐπιόντων καὶ τὸ κράτος ζητούντων ἐκεῖνος συνέσει τε καὶ τῷ καθ' αὑτὸν πλήθει περιεγένετο, τοῦ λοι ποῦ ἀνέδην ηὐτονομοῦντο καὶ τὸν ἄνω Εὐξείνου τόπον ἀρχοντι κῶς ἐκαρπίζοντο. ἦν γοῦν ταῦτα ἐπὶ καιροῖς, καὶ τῷ τοῦ βασι λέως κήδει ὁ Νογᾶς ἠγλαΐζετο. ἐπεὶ δὲ πολλῶν ἐκποδὼν γεγο νότων οἷς δὴ καὶ τὸ ἄρχειν ἐκ γένους προσῆν, ὁ Τουκτάϊς ἐγκα ταλέλειπτο καὶ ἤδη γεγηρακότι τῷ Νογᾷ ἐφειστήκει καὶ εἰσβολῆς 264 στερρᾶς γεγονυίας περιῆν κατὰ κράτος καὶ ὁ Νογᾶς ἔπιπτε, τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν τόπον γεγονότα ἐκ τῶν ἐνεστώτων πολέμων καὶ τῆς συγχύσεως, καὶ ὡς ἠρήμωτο μὲν χώρα πᾶσα καὶ ἄνθρωποι διε φθείροντο, ἐκεῖθεν δ' οἱ λελειμμένοι πρὸς τὰ ὧδε μετῳκίζοντο, καὶ ὅλα νηῶν πληρώματα καὶ φορτία ἄνθρωποι ἐγεγόνεισαν, ἰδίας ἱστορίας χρῄζει καὶ οὐ τῆς τυχούσης πρὸς ἀγγελίαν γλώττης. τέως δὲ περιγεγονὼς ὁ Τουκτάϊς κύριος τῶν τόπων κατέστη, καὶ τὸ Τοχαρικὸν ὑπ' ἐκείνῳ γίνεται, ὀλίγων τινῶν προσμεινάντων τῷ ἐκ τῆς Ἀλάκκης τοῦ Νογᾶ υἱεῖ Τζακᾷ τοὔνομα, οἷς δὴ καὶ ἐθάρρει ἐκεῖνος ἐπιὼν τὴν Βουλγάρων. ὁ γὰρ Τερτερῆς καὶ αὐ τὸς ἐκ τῆς ἀπειλῆς τοῦ Νογᾶ φυγὼν προσεχώρει τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ περί που τὴν Ἀνδριανοῦ διῆγε, τοῦ βασιλέως ἀποπροσποιουμέ νου τὴν ἱκετείαν, ὡς ἂν μὴ πέμψαντος τοῦ Νογᾶ αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνον κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ὡς προσφυγόντα περιποιούμενος τὰς τοῦ Νογᾶ ὀρ γὰς ἐρεθίσειεν. ὁ γοῦν ἐκείνου υἱὸς Τζακᾶς, τοῦ Νογᾶ ἐκποδὼν γεγονότος, θαρρῶν τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν Βουλγάροις ἐπέχρα, πλὴν οὐ δίχα προφάσεως, ἄλλ' ἔχων τὴν τοῦ Τερτερῆ θυγατέρα εἰς σύζυγον ἑαυτῷ. προσλαμβάνει τε καὶ τὸν ταύτης ἀδελφὸν Ὀσφεντίσθλαβον, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Βουλγάρους δουλαγωγεῖν ἤθε 265 λεν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος πένης ὢν ἀφνειῷ τινὶ ἀπὸ πραγματειῶν ἀνδρὶ Παντολέοντι προστυχών, εὐγενὴς ὢν καὶ ἐκ βασιλέως τυχόντι καὶ ἰδιώτῃ ἐπ' Ἐγκόνῃ Μαγκούσου τινὸς θυγατρί, τεκνοποιη θείσῃ πάλαι τῇ τοῦ Νογᾶ Εὐφροσύνῃ ἐκ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος, διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον ἐπιγαμβρεύεται. καὶ τοῖς μὲν Βουλγάροις δό μασι τὰς γνώμας καταδουλώσας, τῷ Τζακᾷ δὲ ὡς κυρίῳ χρώμε νος, τῆς Τερνόβου σὺν ἐκείνῳ ἐπιλαμβάνεται. ὀλίγον τὸ με ταξύ, καὶ ἐνευκαιρήσας Ὀσφεντίσθλαβος, Βούλγαρος ὢν ἐκ μη τρὸς (ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ Τερτερῆς ἐκ Κομάνων ἦν), τέως δέ γε τὰ πλεῖστα οἰκείως