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he agreed to do as he was commanded; and standing before the wall, held as a prisoner, he said that he had both completed the embassy and that help would come very soon from the emperor; and while saying these things, he was cut to pieces by swords. But the sultan, despairing of capturing the city, withdrew. And the emir of Tarsus, Esman, with great ships, which are called koumparia by the descendants of Hagar, attacked the city of Euripos; but he accomplished nothing, but both he himself was killed by a fatal blow and the greater part of his army. But indeed also the ruler of Crete, Saet Apoaps, having prepared another fleet, put a certain Photios, an energetic man, in command of it, who was ravaging both the coasts of the Aegean and the islands. The Roman fleet, whose admiral was the drungary of the fleet, the patrician Niketas Ooryphas, met him and burned many of the enemy ships with Greek fire, along with those sailing in them, 430 and put many to the sword and made more sink beneath the waves. But as many as escaped this manifold danger, were saved by shamefully fleeing. They were not content, however, with being saved; but having prepared pirate ships, they were overrunning the Peloponnese and the islands there. But again the aforementioned drungary of the fleet went after them; for having anchored at the harbor of Kenchreai and having learned that the enemy ships were lingering around Methone and Pylos and Patras, he quickly dragged the triremes across the Isthmus of Corinth on dry land and attacked the enemy unexpectedly; and while they were astounded by the unexpected attack, he burned some of the pirate ships, and sank others with their crews, and the leader of the enemy, Photios himself, was killed. Thus, then, the fleet of the Cretans was also destroyed. But from Africa another sixty very large ships set out again, and they too ravaged the territory under the Romans and advanced as far as Kephalenia and Zakynthos. A navy was therefore sent out 431 against them, with Nasar as admiral. But with many of those toiling at the oar having deserted, the triremes were half-empty; for which reason the admiral did not judge it right to engage the enemy thus, but reported the event to the emperor, and the deserters were sought out and quickly apprehended. And so that he might instill fear in the navy and not punish any Christian, he ordered thirty of the Hagarenes guarded in prisons to be brought out at night, and to smear their faces with soot, so that they might not be recognized, and then to torture them and parade them through the agora and, having been led away to the Peloponnese, to be impaled. When this was done, the sailors of the fleet were terrified and thus went against the enemy by night and won a victory, some being destroyed, and others captured. Then they also crossed to Sicily and ravaged and sacked the cities there, as many as belonged to the Carthaginians. And the Arabs from the south, having learned that the Roman fleet was idle, sailed with ships to the coasts of Phoenicia and Syria and were ravaging 432 them. For the emperor, because he had killed Michael, the emperor before him, as if propitiating God, built new churches in many places of the queen of cities to the archistrategos Michael; and in the palace itself he built for him a magnificent and costly temple, which he also called the New Church. While the sailors were therefore occupied with these constructions, with their backs not leaving the heavy stones, and their hands slaving with the baskets, the fleet was idle; for which reason the Hagarenes, as has been said, plundered the coasts without fear and did not only ravage these but also sacked Syracuse. But the emperor wore out the navy of the fleet with building works, and he erected a church to the prophet Elijah the Tishbite; for he honored him exceedingly and thought that he would one day be taken up by him and be carried up together with him in the fiery chariot. Nevertheless, having learned of the capture and destruction of Syracuse, he sent men to oppose the wicked Hagarenes; but nothing was accomplished. Then Nikephoros Phokas with

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συνέθετο ποιήσειν ὡς ἐνετέλλετο· καὶ στὰς πρὸ τοῦ τείχους δέσμιος κατεχόμενος ἔφη καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἀνύσαι καὶ ἥξειν ὅσον ἤδη ἐκ βασιλέως βοήθειαν· καὶ ὁ μὲν ταῦτα λέγων τοῖς ξίφεσι κατετέτμητο. ὁ δὲ σουλδάνος τὴν τῆς πόλεως ἀπελπίσας ἅλωσιν ὑπεχώρησε. Καὶ ὁ τῆς Ταρσοῦ δὲ ἀμηρᾶς Ἐσμὰν μετὰ πλοίων μεγάλων, ἃ κουμπάρια τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Ἄγαρ ὠνόμασται, τῇ πόλει τοῦ Εὐρίπου προσέβαλεν· ἤνυσε δὲ οὐδέν, ἀλλ' αὐτός τε ἀπώλετο καιρίως πληγεὶς καὶ τὸ πλέον τῆς στρατιᾶς αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ ὁ τῆς Κρήτης κρατῶν Σαὴτ ὁ Ἀπόχαψ ἕτερον στόλον ἑτοιμασάμενος Φώτιόν τινα δραστήριον ἄνδρα τούτῳ ἐπέστησεν, ὃς τά τε παράλια τοῦ Αἰγαίου καὶ τὰς νήσους ἐκάκου. ᾧ συναντήσας ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στόλος, οὗ ναύαρχος ἦν ὁ τῶν πλωίμων δρουγγάριος ὁ πατρίκιος Νικήτας ὁ Ὠορύφας, πολλὰς μὲν τῶν πολεμίων νηῶν τῷ ὑγρῷ πυρὶ ἀπετέφρωσε καὶ τοὺς ταύ430 ταις ἐμπλέοντας, πολλοὺς δὲ μαχαίρας ἔθετο ἔργον καὶ πλείους ὑποβρυχίους ἐποίησεν. ὅσοι δὲ τὸν πολυειδῆ τοῦτον ἔφυγον κίνδυνον, αἰσχρῶς ἀποδράντες ἐσώθησαν. οὐκ ἠγάπων μέντοι σωζόμενοι· πειρατικὰς δὲ νῆας ἑτοιμασάμενοι τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖ κατέτρεχον νήσους. ἀλλ' αὖθις αὐτοῖς ὁ ῥηθεὶς τοῦ στόλου δρουγγάριος ἔπεισι· τῷ γὰρ λιμένι προσορμίσας τῶν Κεγχρεῶν καὶ τὰ πολέμια πλοῖα περὶ Μεθώνην καὶ Πύλον καὶ Πάτρας ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν ἐγνωκώς, διὰ τοῦ κατὰ Κόρινθον ἰσθμοῦ ταχέως διαγαγὼν τὰς τριήρεις ἐν τῇ ξηρᾷ ἐπιτίθεται τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀνωιστί· καὶ τῷ ἀνελπίστῳ ἐκπεπληγμένων αὐτῶν τὰς μὲν τῶν λῃστρικῶν νηῶν ἐπυρπόλησε, τὰς δὲ καὶ αὐτάνδρους κατέδυσε, καὶ αὐτοῦ τῶν πολεμίων ἐξηγουμένου Φωτίου ἀναιρεθέντος. οὕτω μὲν οὖν καὶ ὁ τῶν Κρητῶν ἀπώλετο στόλος. Ἐξ Ἀφρικῆς δ' ἕτεραι νῆες αὖθις ἑξήκοντα παμμεγέθεις ἐξώρμησαν καὶ τῇ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους καὶ αὐταὶ ἐλυμαίνοντο καὶ μέχρι Κεφαληνίας καὶ Ζακύνθου προήλθοσαν. στέλλεται τοίνυν 431 ναυτικὸν κατ' αὐτῶν, ναυαρχοῦντα τὸν Νάσαρ ἔχον. πολλῶν δ' ἐκ τῶν περὶ τὴν εἰρεσίαν πονούντων ἀποδρασάντων, αἱ τριήρεις ἦσαν ἡμίκενοι· διὸ καὶ ὁ ναύαρχος οὐκ ἔκρινε δεῖν οὕτω συμμίξαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἀλλ' ἀναφέρει τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ συμβάν, καὶ οἱ λειποτάκται ζητηθέντες ταχὺ κατεσχέθησαν. ἵνα δὲ καὶ φόβον ἐμποιήσῃ τῷ ναυτικῷ καὶ μηδένα κολάσῃ χριστιανόν, τριάκοντα τῶν ἐν εἱρκταῖς φρουρουμένων Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐκβληθῆναι κελεύει νυκτός, καὶ περιχρῖσαι μὲν ἀσβόλῃ τὰς ὄψεις αὐτῶν, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐπιγινώσκοιντο, εἶτα καὶ αἰκίσασθαι σφᾶς καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς περιαγαγεῖν ἀνασκολοπισθῆναί τε ἀπαχθέντας εἰς Πελοπόννησον. οὗ γενομένου οἱ τοῦ στόλου ναυτικοὶ ἐξεδειματώθησαν καὶ οὕτω τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπῆλθον νυκτὸς καὶ τρόπαιον ἤραντο, τῶν μὲν ἀπολομένων, τῶν δὲ ἑαλωκότων. εἶτα καὶ εἰς Σικελίαν διέβησαν καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖ πόλεις, ὅσαι τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις διέφερον, ἐκάκωσάν τε καὶ ἐξεπόρθησαν. Καὶ οἱ ἐκ μεσημβρίας δὲ Ἄραβες ἐσχολακέναι τὸν Ῥωμαϊκὸν μαθόντες στόλον, τὰ τῆς Φοινίκης καὶ τῆς Συρίας ναυσὶ 432 προσπλέοντες ἐκάκουν παράλια. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεύς, ὅτι Μιχαὴλ ἀνεῖλε τὸν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλεύοντα, οἷον ἐξιλασκόμενος τὸν θεόν, πολλαχοῦ τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων τῷ ἀρχιστρατήγῳ Μιχαὴλ ναοὺς ἐδείματο ἐκ καινῆς· καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ τοῖς ἀνακτόροις ἐδομήσατο τούτῳ πολυτελές τε καὶ πολυδάπανον τέμενος, ὃ καὶ Νέαν ἐκκλησίαν ἐκάλεσεν. ἐν τούτοις οὖν τοῖς δομήμασι τῶν πλωίμων ἀσχολουμένων, καὶ τῶν νώτων αὐτῶν οὐκ ἀφισταμένων ἀπὸ τῶν ἄρσεων, τῶν τε χειρῶν αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς κοφίνοις δουλευουσῶν, ὁ στόλος ἐσχόλασε· διὸ καὶ οἱ Ἀγαρηνοὶ ἀδεῶς, ὡς εἴρηται, τὰ παράλια ἐληίζοντο καὶ οὐ μόνα ταῦτα ἐκάκουν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Συράκουσαν ἐξεπόρθησαν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ταῖς οἰκοδομαῖς τὸ ναυτικὸν τοῦ στόλου κατέτρυχε, καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ Ἠλιοὺ τῷ Θεσβίτῃ ναὸν ἀνεγείρας· ἐτίμα γὰρ τοῦτον διαφερόντως καὶ ᾤετο προσληφθήσεσθαί ποτε παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ πυρίνῳ συνεπαρθήσεσθαι ἅρματι. ὅμως μέντοι τὴν ἅλωσιν καὶ κατασκαφὴν τῆς Συρακούσης μαθὼν ἔστειλε τοὺς ἀντικαταστησομένους τοῖς ἀλιτηρίοις Ἀγαρηνοῖς· ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἤνυστο. εἶτα τὸν Φωκᾶν Νικηφόρον μετὰ