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waiting. But so overpowering was the irrepressible onslaught of the Scythians that those wishing to visit the martyr did not dare even to open the gates of Byzantium because of the massive attacks of the Scythians. 8.3.2 But these were the terrible things that befell the emperor from the western mainland; yet indeed matters at sea were not at ease, but were also extremely perilous, with Tzachas once again having acquired a fleet and raiding all the coastal regions. Therefore, the emperor was vexed and distressed by these things, being assailed on all sides by anxieties. When it was reported to him that Tzachas, having already acquired a larger fleet from the coastal regions and having sacked the remaining islands which he had previously seized, had begun to plan against the western lands and, sending messengers to the Scythians, was advising them to seize the Chersonese; nor indeed did the mercenary force that had come to the emperor from the east—I mean the Turks—allow him to keep his treaties with him inviolate, as Tzachas enticed them with goodly promises, if they would abandon the emperor and go over to him, whenever he should seize the barley harvests. 8.3.3 The emperor, knowing these things, since matters both at sea and on land were going very badly for him and a severe winter was setting in and closing off all exits completely, so that not even the doors of the houses could be opened because of the weight of the snow (for it happened then that much snow fell, more than anyone had ever known before), hastened as best he could through letters to summon mercenary forces from all quarters. 8.3.4 But as the sun was just reaching the spring solstice, since both the threatening war from the clouds was gone and the sea had changed from its fury, he reasoned that with enemies pressing from both sides, he ought to seize matters at sea first, so that he might both easily oppose the seafaring enemies and fight readily against those from the mainland. Immediately, therefore, having sent for the Caesar Nikephoros Melissenos, he summoned him to occupy Ainos faster than words can tell. For he had already instructed him by letters to gather as many men as he could, not from those already in service (for he had previously dispersed those men to the cities throughout the west in order to garrison the most important of the towns), but by enrolling new recruits in turn, both as many as were from the Bulgarians and as many as had chosen the nomadic life (the common dialect knows to call these Vlachs) and the horsemen and foot soldiers coming from elsewhere from all the lands. 8.3.5 And he himself, having summoned the five hundred Celts of Phlantras from Nicomedia, went out from Byzantium with his kinsmen and quickly occupied Ainos. And then, entering a place washed on both sides and running past the position of the whole river and having surveyed its entire bed on both sides and determined where it was better to station the army, he returned. And during the night, having gathered the chosen men of the army, he described the area around the river and its two sides and said, "It is necessary tomorrow that you too, having crossed over, survey the whole plain. And perhaps the place which I myself will point out to you, where we must pitch our tents, will not seem unsuitable." And since this seemed good to all, at daybreak he himself first occupied the opposite bank, and then the entire army followed him. And having again scouted the banks of the river and the plain lying above it with his chosen men, and having pointed out to them the place that pleased him (it was near a certain small town locally named Choirenoi, having the river on one side and being swampy on the other), since it seemed a sufficient fortification to all the soldiers together, he quickly dug a trench and stationed the entire army there. And he himself again with

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προσμένοντες. Ἀλλὰ τοσοῦτον ὑπερίσχυσεν ἡ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἀκάθεκτος ὁρμὴ ὡς μηδὲ τὰς πύλας ὑπανοῖξαι τοῦ Βυζαν τίου τολμᾶν τοὺς εἰς τὸν μάρτυρα φοιτᾶν βουλομένους διὰ τὰς ἀθρόας ἐφόδους τῶν Σκυθῶν. 8.3.2 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ ἐξ ἠπείρου τῆς ἑσπέρας προσπεσόντα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι δεινά· οὐ μέντοι γε οὐδὲ τὰ κατὰ θάλατταν ἀνέτως εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ λίαν ἐπικινδύνως τοῦ Τζαχᾶ αὖθις στόλον κτησα μένου καὶ τὰ παρὰ θάλατταν ἅπαντα κατατρέχοντος. Ἐπὶ τούτοις οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠνιᾶτο καὶ ἤσχαλλεν ἁπανταχόθεν βαλλόμενος ταῖς φροντίσιν. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἀνηγγέλη τούτῳ ὡς ἤδη καὶ πλείονα στόλον ἐκ τῶν παραλίων κτησάμενος ὁ Τζαχᾶς καὶ τὰς ἐπιλοίπους, ὧν προφθάσας κατέσχε νήσων, πορθήσας καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἑσπερίων χωρῶν διανοεῖσ θαι ἐπικεχείρηκε καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Σκύθας διαπεμπόμενος συνεβούλευε τὴν Χερρόνησον καταλαβεῖν· οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἑῴας προσεληλυθὸς τῷ αὐτοκράτορι μισθοφορικόν, τῶν Τούρκων φημί, συνεχώρει τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν σπονδὰς ἀρραγεῖς τηρεῖν ὑποσχέσεσι χρησταῖς ὑποσαίνων, εἰ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα καταλιπόντες αὐτῷ προσχωρήσαιεν, ὁπηνίκα τὰς κριθὰς καταλάβοι. 8.3.3 Ταῦτα γνοὺς ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐπεὶ τά τε κατὰ θάλατταν τά τε κατὰ τὴν ἤπειρον λίαν κακῶς αὐτῷ διετίθετο καὶ ὁ χειμὼν σφοδρὸς ἐπικείμενος τὰς ἐξόδους παντάπασιν ἔκλειεν, ὥστε μηδ' ἀποζυγοῦσθαι τὰς τῶν οἰκημάτων θύρας διὰ τὸ τῆς χιόνος ἐπιβριθές (συνέβη γὰρ τότε πολλὴν ἐπιφορηθῆναι καὶ ὅσην οὐδείς πω πρότε ρον ἔγνωκεν), ὡς ἐνὸν διὰ γραμμάτων ἁπανταχόθεν ἔσπευδε μισθοφορικὸν μετακαλέσασθαι. 8.3.4 Τοῦ ἡλίου δὲ τὴν ἐαρι νὴν τροπὴν ἀπάρτι καταλαμβάνοντος, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ ἐκ τῶν νεφῶν ἀπειλούμενος πόλεμος ᾤχετο καὶ ἡ θάλαττα τοῦ θυμοῦ μετεβέβλητο, δεῖν ἐλογίσατο ἑκατέρωθεν τῶν ἐναν τίων ἐπικειμένων τὰ κατὰ θάλατταν μᾶλλον καταλαβεῖν, ἵν' ὁμοῦ καὶ τοῖς ναυσιπόροις ἐχθροῖς ῥᾳδίως ἔχοι ἀντικα θίστασθαι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἠπείρου εὐχερῶς μάχεσθαι. Παραχρῆμα τοίνυν τὸν καίσαρα Νικηφόρον τὸν Μελισση νὸν ἀποστείλας μετεκαλεῖτο θᾶττον ἢ λόγος τὴν Αἶνον καταλαβεῖν. Ἔφθασε γὰρ διὰ γραμμάτων δηλώσας συλλέ ξασθαι ὁπόσους ἂν δυνηθείη οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἤδη ἐστρατευ μένων (ἐκείνους γὰρ φθάσας εἰς τὰς πόλεις ἁπανταχῇ τῆς ἑσπέρας διέσπειρεν ἐφ' ᾧ φρουρεῖν τὰ κυριώτερα τῶν πολιχνίων), ἀλλὰ κατὰ μέρος νεολέκτους καταλέγων, ὁπό σοι τε ἐκ Βουλγάρων καὶ ὁπόσοι τὸν νομάδα βίον εἵλοντο (Βλάχους τούτους ἡ κοινὴ καλεῖν οἶδε διάλεκτος) καὶ τοὺς ἄλλοθεν ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν χωρῶν ἐρχομένους ἱππέας τε καὶ πεζούς. 8.3.5 Αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς τοῦ Φλάντρα πεντακοσίους Κελτοὺς ἐκ Νικομηδείας μεταπεμψάμενος μετὰ τῶν συγ γενῶν αὐτοῦ ἐξεληλυθὼς τῆς Βυζαντίδος θᾶττον τὴν Αἶνον καταλαμβάνει. Καὶ τηνικαῦτα ἐν ἀμφιρύκῳ εἰσελθὼν καὶ παραδραμὼν τὴν τοῦ ὅλου ποταμοῦ θέσιν καὶ τὴν ὅλην αὐτοῦ κοίτην κατασκεψάμενος ἑκατέρωθεν καὶ διαγνούς, ὅποι τὸ στρατιωτικὸν καταθεῖναι βέλτιον, ὑπέστρεψε. Καὶ διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς τοὺς λογάδας συναγαγὼν τοῦ στρατεύματος τὰ κατὰ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὰ τούτου παρ' ἑκάτερα διηγεῖτο καὶ ὡς «Χρὴ τὴν αὔριον διαπεράσαντας καὶ ὑμᾶς τὴν ὅλην περιαθρῆσαι πεδιάδα. Καὶ ἴσως οὐκ ἀδόκιμος ὃν αὐτὸς ὑμῖν ὑποδείξω τόπον φανεῖται, οὗ χρὴ τὰς σκηνὰς πήξα σθαι.» Τούτου δὲ πᾶσι συνδόξαντος αὐγαζούσης ἡμέρας πρῶτος αὐτὸς τὴν περαίαν κατέλαβε κᾆθ' οὕτως ἅπαν αὐτῷ συνείπετο τὸ στρατιωτικόν. Καὶ μετὰ τῶν λογάδων αὖθις κατασκοπήσας τὰς ὄχθας τοῦ ποταμοῦ καὶ τὴν ὑπερκειμένην πεδιάδα καὶ τὸν ἀρέσκοντα τόπον αὐτῷ ὑπο δείξας αὐτοῖς (ἀγχοῦ δὲ ἦν πολιχνίου τινὸς τοῦ οὑτωσὶ Χοιρηνοὺς ἐγχωρίως ἐπονομαζομένου ἐξ ἑνὸς μὲν μέρους ἔχων τὸν ποταμόν, ἐξ ἑτέρου δὲ βαλτώδης ὤν), ἐπεὶ ἱκα νὸν ὀχύρωμα καὶ πᾶσιν ὁμοῦ τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐφαίνετο, θᾶττον τάφρον διορύξας ἅπαν ἐκεῖ τὸ στράτευμα κατατί θησιν. Αὐτὸς δὲ αὖθις μεθ'