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to come under Roman dominion; but by the emperor's persistent prayers to God and his wise dispositions and the necessary handling of affairs, the victory came to the Romans, and those of Hagar suffered a dishonorable defeat. For the emir of Tarsus, whose name was Isman, equipping a fleet of thirty of the largest ships, which are called koumbaria, armed himself against the fortress of Euripos. And when the strategos of Hellas (this was Oiniates), by imperial command, had brought in a sufficient force from all of Hellas for the defense of the fortress and had prepared the appropriate defensive works on the walls, when those from the fortress saw the ships approaching the walls and the barbarians with frequent volleys of arrows trying to check and drive back those within from the walls, becoming full of spirit and eagerness, they fought back nobly, and using stone-throwing engines and crossbows and the hurling of stones by hand, they were destroying many of the barbarians each day. Not only that, but with a favorable wind blowing, they also burned most of the ships with liquid fire. The barbarian, therefore, being at a loss and disheartened, and knowing that many willingly die for the desire of money, placed a large shield before the palisade and having filled it with gold said, "This prize and award of valor I give, along with one hundred select maidens, to the one who first mounts the wall of the city and secures for his countrymen the 299 victory." When those from the city saw this, and understanding the meaning of what was being done, they encouraged themselves with exhorting words, and under one signal, the gates being thrown open for them, they bravely rushed out against the barbarians. And with many being slain, and the emir also receiving a mortal blow and falling, the rest were routed and, with their pursuers pressing on, were slaughtered all the way to their remaining ships, and a great slaughter of the barbarians occurred. For the survivors, having manned a few of the ships, fled with shame to their own lands. Thus the barbarian fleet, without a naval force of the Romans, by the emperor's prayers and the valor of those arrayed against them, was manifestly defeated and ignominiously withdrew. 60 So with the cloud from Tarsus having been dispersed, storms from Crete were stirred up again. For while that Saet Apocaps was emir of that island, and having a certain Photios as his colleague, a warlike and energetic man, twenty-seven koumbaria were assembled at Crete. And there was with them accordingly a multitude of myoparones and pentekontors, which very many are accustomed to call saktourai and galleys. With which, going out against the Roman dominion and plundering the whole Aegean, and often even making their raids as far as Proconnesus in the Hellespont, they enslaved and destroyed many people. But the aforementioned patrikios Niketas, who had been appointed to command the Roman triremes, attacking at that time such a fleet of the 300 Cretans, and having joined a fierce battle with them, immediately burned twenty of the Cretan vessels with liquid fire, and the barbarians on them were divided among sword and fire and water; and the rest secured their safety by flight, as many as escaped the peril from the sea. 61 But although the Cretans were thus diminished and had returned in misfortune, they were not content to remain quiet, but again took to their affairs at sea, and harassed and plundered the places farther from the capital—I mean the Peloponnese and the islands below it—having the aforementioned Photios as their admiral. Therefore Niketas, who commanded these well—I mean Ooryphas—was sent against him with the Roman triremes; who, having a favorable voyage, reached the Peloponnese in a few days. And to the

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̔Ρωμαϊκῆς ἐπικρατείας ἐλθεῖν· ἀλλὰ ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιμόνοις δεήσεσι πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ταῖς εμφροσι δια- τάξεσι καὶ τῇ δεούσῃ τῶν πραγμάτων μεταχειρίσει μετὰ τῶν ̔Ρω- μαίων ἡ νίκη ἐγένετο καὶ δυσκλεᾶ τὴν ητταν οἱ ἐκ τῆς Αγαρ ἠνέγ- καντο. ὁ γὰρ τῆς Ταρσοῦ ἀμηρᾶς, ος ̓Εσμὰν ὠνομάζετο, τριά- κοντα πλοίων μεγίστων, α κομβάρια λέγεται, στόλον ἐξαρτυσά- μενος κατὰ τοῦ κάστρου Εὐρίπου ὁπλίζεται. τοῦ δὲ στρατηγοῦ ̔Ελλάδος (ὁ Οἰνιάτης ουτος ην) κελεύσει βασιλικῇ τὸν ἱκανὸν εἰς φυλακὴν τοῦ κάστρου λαὸν ἀπὸ πάσης ̔Ελλάδος εἰσαγαγόντος καὶ τοῖς τείχεσι τὰ ἁρμόζοντα παρασκευασαμένου ἀμυντήρια, ὡς ει- δον οἱ ἐκ τοῦ κάστρου τὰ πλοῖα τοῖς τείχεσι πλησιάζοντα καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους βελῶν ἀφέσει συχνῶν ἀναστέλλειν καὶ ἀπωθεῖν πειρω- μένους τοὺς ενδον ἐκ τῶν τειχῶν, θυμοῦ καὶ προθυμίας πλήρεις γενόμενοι γενναίως ἀντηγωνίζοντο, καὶ τοῖς πετροβόλοις ὀργάνοις καὶ τοξοβαλλίστραις καὶ ταῖς ἐκ χειρῶν τῶν λίθων ἀφέσεσι χρώμε- νοι συχνοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων καθ' ἑκάστην ἀνήλισκον. οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν νεῶν τὰς πλείστας ἐπιφόρου γενομένου τοῦ πνεύ- ματος τῷ ὑγρῷ πυρὶ κατενέπρησαν. ἀπορῶν ουν καὶ δυσθυμῶν ὁ βάρβαρος, καὶ εἰδὼς ἐφέσει χρημάτων ἑκόντας τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀποθνήσκοντας, ἀσπίδα μεγάλην πρὸ τοῦ χάρακος θεὶς καὶ χρυ- σίου ταύτην πεπληρωκὼς "τοῦτο γέρας" εφη "καὶ ἀριστεῖον ἐγὼ δίδωμι, μετὰ καὶ παρθένων ἐπιλέκτων τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἑκατόν, τῷ πρώτως ἐπιβάντι τοῦ αστεος καὶ τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις βραβεύσαντι τὸ 299 νικᾶν." οπερ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως θεασάμενοι, καὶ τὸν νοῦν τοῦ πραττομένου κατανοήσαντες, τοῖς παρακλητικοῖς τῶν λόγων ἑαυ- τοὺς παρεθάρρυνον, καὶ ὑφ' εν σύνθημα τῶν πυλῶν αὐτοῖς ἀνα- ζυγεισῶν ἀνδρείως κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐξώρμησαν. καὶ πολλῶν ἀναιρουμένων, δεξαμένου δὲ καὶ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ καιρίαν πληγὴν καὶ πεσόντος, ἐτράπησαν οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ τῶν διωκόντων ἐπικειμένων μέχρι τῶν ὑπολοίπων νεῶν κατεσφάττοντο, καὶ φόνος ἐγένετο τῶν βαρβάρων πολύς. οἱ γὰρ περιλιπεῖς ὀλίγας πληρώσαντες τῶν νεῶν μετ' αἰσχύνης ἀπέφυγον πρὸς τὰ ιδια. ουτως ὁ βαρβαρικὸς στό- λος δίχα ναυτικῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως, ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως εὐχαῖς καὶ ταῖς τῶν ἀντιπαραταξαμένων ἀλκαῖς, περιφανῶς ἡτ- τήθη καὶ δυσκλεῶς ἀνεχώρησεν. 60 Ουτω δὲ τοῦ ἀπὸ Ταρσοῦ διασκεδασθέντος νέφους, αἱ ἀπὸ Κρήτης αυθις ἀντηγείροντο θύελλαι. τοῦ γὰρ Σαὴτ ἐκεί- νου τοῦ ̓Αποχὰψ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀμηρεύοντος νήσου, εχοντος δὲ καὶ Φώτιόν τινα συνεργόν, ανδρα πολεμιστὴν καὶ δραστήριον, ἑπτὰ καὶ εικοσι κομβάρια κατὰ Κρήτην ἐγένετο. προσῆν δὲ αὐτοῖς ἀναλόγως καὶ πλῆθος μυοπαρώνων καὶ πεντηκοντόρων, ας σα- κτούρας καὶ γαλέας ὀνομάζειν εἰώθασι πάμπολλοι. μεθ' ων κατὰ τῆς ̔Ρωμαίων ἐξιόντες ἐπικρατείας καὶ πάντα τὸν Αἰγαῖον κατα- ληϊζόμενοι, πολλάκις δὲ καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐν ̔Ελλησπόντῳ Προικον- νήσου ποιούμενοι τὴν ἐπέλευσιν, πολλοὺς ἠνδραποδίζοντο καὶ διέ- φθειρον. προσβαλὼν δὲ τῷ τηνικαῦτα τῷ τοιούτῳ ναυτικῷ τῶν 300 Κρητῶν ὁ προμνημονευθεὶς Νικήτας πατρίκιος, ὁ τῶν ̔Ρωμαϊκῶν τριήρεων αρχειν λαχών, καὶ μάχην μετ' αὐτῶν καρτερὰν συστη- σάμενος, εὐθὺς τὰ μὲν εικοσι τῶν Κρητικῶν σκαφῶν τῷ ὑγρῷ πυρὶ συγκατέφλεξε, καὶ τοὺς ἐπ' αὐτῶν βαρβάρους μάχαιρα καὶ πῦρ καὶ υδωρ διεμερίσαντο· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν, οσα τὸν ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης διέφυγον κίνδυνον, ἐπορίσαντο. 61 ̓Αλλὰ καίπερ ουτως οἱ Κρῆτες ἐλαττωθέντες καὶ δυσ- τυχῶς ὑποστρέψαντες οὐκ ἠγάπησαν ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν τῶν κατὰ θάλασσαν πραγμάτων ἀντείχοντο, καὶ τὰ μᾶλλον τῆς βασι- λίδος ἀπέχοντα, τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ τὰς κάτωθεν ταύτης νή- σους φημί, παρελύπουν καὶ ἐληΐζοντο, τὸν ἀνωτέρω μνημονευ- θέντα Φώτιον ναύαρχον εχοντες. ἀποστέλλεται τοίνυν καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαϊκῶν τριήρων ὁ τούτων καλῶς ἀφηγούμενος Νικήτας, τὸν ̓Ωορύφαν φημί, ος αἰσίως χρησάμενος πλῷ δι' ὀλί-γων ἡμερῶν καταλαμβάνει τὴν Πελοπόννησον. καὶ τῷ