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completed. But Dalassenos held to the road leading to Abydos with the forces under him, for the man was most fond of danger and most courageous. But the sultan Kilij Arslan, having received the messages conveyed from the emperor, immediately took to the road leading to Tzachas, setting out with his entire army. For such is the entire barbarian race, ready for slaughter and wars. 9.3.4 And when he had come very near, since he saw the enemy approaching from land and sea, and since not a single ship of the vessels being prepared by him had yet been completed, nor did he have sufficient forces against both the Roman army and that of his kinsman-by-marriage, sultan Kilij Arslan, he was in a state of helplessness. And fearing the inhabitants and soldiers of Abydos, he thought it necessary to go to the sultan, unaware of the trap laid for him by the emperor. But the sultan, upon seeing him, immediately showed a cheerful countenance and received him gladly. Therefore, having prepared a table as was custom and dining with him, he compelled Tzachas to drink more unmixed wine. And when he perceived that he was filled with wine, he drew his sword and thrust it into his side. And he lay there dead; but the sultan for the future sent an embassy to the emperor concerning peace, and indeed he did not miss his mark. For the emperor accepted his request, and when the peace treaties had been concluded as was custom, the coastal boundaries were in a settled state.

9.4.1 Not yet being relieved of so many cares nor cleansed from the evils resulting from this (for even if he himself was not present in some places, yet by his management and cares he was both present and taking part), he was hurried again into another contest. For Bolkanos (a man who held the entire rule of the Dalmatians, skilled in speaking and skilled in acting), two years after the destruction of the Scythians, had gone out from his own borders and was plundering the adjacent cities and lands, and seizing Lipenion itself, he set fire to it and burned it down. 9.4.2 When the emperor learned these things, he could no longer bear it, but having gathered sufficient forces, he marched against the Serbs straight for Lipenion (this is a small town near the foothills of the Zygos which divides Dalmatia from our country) in order to oppose Bolkanos, if it chanced, and to join a fierce battle, and, if God should give him the victory, to rebuild both Lipenion and all the rest and restore them to their former state. 9.4.3 But Bolkanos, having learned of the emperor's arrival, departed from there and occupied Sphentzanion; this is a small town situated above the already mentioned Zygos, in the middle ground between the Roman borders and Dalmatia. When the emperor had taken Skopia, Bolkanos sent messengers and arranged matters concerning peace, at the same time absolving himself of the blame for the evil deeds and attributing the entire fault to the satraps of the Romans, saying, "They, not wishing to remain within their own borders, by making various raids inflicted no small harm on Serbia. I for my part will no longer do such a thing in the future, but will return and send hostages from my kinsmen to your majesty and will not cross my own borders." To this the emperor consented, and leaving there those who were to rebuild the ruined cities and to receive the hostages, he returned to the capital. 9.4.4 But Bolkanos, when the hostages were demanded, did not give them, but put it off from day to day, and before a whole year had passed, he had again gone out to plunder the Roman lands. And having received various letters from the emperor reminding him of the

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ἀπαρτισθεῖσαι. Ὁ δέ γε ∆αλασσηνὸς εἴχετο μὲν μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεων τῆς πρὸς Ἄβυδον φερούσης, φιλοκινδυνότατος καὶ εὐψυχότατος ὢν ὁ ἀνήρ. Ὁ δὲ σουλ τὰν Κλιτζιασθλὰν δεξάμενος τὰ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δια μηνυθέντα ἔργου εὐθὺς εἴχετο τῆς πρὸς τὸν Τζαχᾶν φερούσης ἁψάμενος σὺν παντὶ τῷ στρατεύματι. Τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸ βάρβαρον ἅπαν ἕτοιμον πρὸς σφαγὰς καὶ πολέμους. 9.3.4 Ἔγγιστα δὲ τούτου γενομένου, ἐπεὶ ἐξ ἠπείρου καὶ θαλάττης τοὺς πολεμίους ἑώρα ἐπιόντας, πλοῖον δὲ οὐδα μοῦ μήπω τῶν παρ' αὐτοῦ ἑτοιμαζομένων νηῶν ἀπαρτισ θεισῶν μήτε δυνάμεις ἀποχρώσας ἔχων πρός τε τὸ ῥωμαϊ κὸν καὶ τὸ τοῦ κηδεστοῦ αὐτοῦ σουλτὰν Κλιτζιασθλὰν στράτευμα, ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ καθειστήκει. Πτοούμενος δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐποίκους καὶ στρατιώτας Ἀβύδου δεῖν ἐλογίσατο προσεληλυθέναι τῷ σουλτὰν ἀγνοῶν τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κατ' αὐτοῦ κατασκευασθεῖσαν τυρείαν. Ὁ δὲ σουλτὰν τοῦ τον θεασάμενος ἱλαρὸν εὐθὺς ἐδείκνυ βλέμμα καὶ ἀσπασίως ἐδέχετο. Τράπεζαν τοίνυν ὡς ἔθος ἑτοιμάσας καὶ συνδει πνῶν μετ' αὐτοῦ ζωρότερον πίνειν τὸν Τζαχᾶν κατηνάγκα ζεν. Ὁπηνίκα δὲ τοῦτον ἐμφορηθέντα οἴνου διέγνω, σπασάμενος ξίφος κατὰ τῶν λαγόνων ὦσεν αὐτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς μὲν αὐτοῦ που νεκρὸς ἔκειτο· ὁ δέ γε σουλτὰν τὰ περὶ εἰρήνης τοῦ λοιποῦ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα διαπρεσ βεύεται, καὶ δὴ τοῦ σκοποῦ οὐ διήμαρτε. ∆έχεται γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὴν αἴτησιν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, καὶ τῶν εἰρηνικῶν σπον δῶν ὡς ἔθος τελεσθεισῶν ἐν καταστάσει τὰ παρὰ θάλασσαν ἧσαν ὅρια.

9.4.1 Μήπω δὲ τοσούτων φροντίδων ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀπαλ λαγεὶς μηδὲ τῶν ἀπὸ τούτου κακώσεων καθαριεύσας (εἰ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς μὴ παρῆν ἔν τισιν, ἀλλά γε ταῖς οἰκονομίαις καὶ ταῖς φροντίσι καὶ συμπαρῆν καὶ συνέπραττεν) εἰς ἕτε ρον ἀγῶνα αὖθις ἠπείγετο. Ὁ γὰρ Βολκάνος (ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν ∆αλματῶν φέρων, δεινὸς μὲν εἰπεῖν, δεινὸς δὲ καταπράξασθαι) μετὰ διττὴν ἡλίου περι φορὰν τῆς τῶν Σκυθῶν καταλύσεως τῶν ἰδίων ὅρων ἐξεληλυ θὼς τὰς παρακειμένας ἐλῄζετο πόλεις καὶ χώρας καὶ αὐτὸ δὴ τὸ Λιπένιον κατασχὼν πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν ἐνέπρησε. 9.4.2 Ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς μεμαθηκὼς οὐκέτ' ἀνεκτῶς εἶχεν, ἀλλ' ἀποχρώ σας δυνάμεις συναγηοχὼς κατὰ τῶν Σέρβων κατευθὺ τοῦ Λιπενίου ἤλαυνε (τοῦτο δὲ πολίχνιόν τι μικρὸν περὶ τοὺς πρόποδας τοῦ Ζυγοῦ τοῦ διαιροῦντος τὴν ∆αλματίαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμεδαπῆς χώρας) ἐφ' ᾧ τῷ Βολκάνῳ εἰ τύχοι ἀντικα ταστῆναι καὶ πόλεμον συνάψαι καρτερὸν καί, εἰ τὴν νίκην δοίη αὐτῷ Θεός, τό τε Λιπένιον καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἅπαντα ἀνεγεῖραι καὶ εἰς τὸ πρότερον ἀποκαταστῆσαι σχῆμα. 9.4.3 Ὁ δὲ Βολκάνος τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μεμαθηκὼς ἔλευσιν ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν καταλαμβάνει τὸ Σφεντζάνιον· πολίχνιον δὲ τοῦτο ἄνωθεν τοῦ ἤδη ῥηθέντος Ζυγοῦ διακείμενον ἐν μεσαιχμίῳ τῶν τε ῥωμαϊκῶν ὁρίων καὶ τῆς ∆αλματίας. Ὁπηνίκα δὲ τὰ Σκόπια ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ κατειλήφει, ἀπο στείλας ὁ Βολκάνος διετίθετο τὰ περὶ εἰρήνης καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἅμα τῆς αἰτίας τῶν κακῶς γεγονότων ἀπολύων καὶ τὸ αἴτιον ὅλον τοῖς σατράπαις τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀνατιθεὶς λέγων ὡς «Ἐκεῖνοι μὴ τοῖς οἰκείοις ὅροις ἐμμένειν βουλόμενοι διαφόρους ἐκδρομὰς ποιούμενοι οὐ μικρὰν τὴν βλάβην τῇ Σερβίᾳ προσῆξαν. Ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκέτι τοιοῦτον τοῦ λοιποῦ διαπράξομαι, ἀλλ' ἐπαναστρέψας καὶ ὁμήρους ἀποστελῶ τῶν ἐμῶν συγγενῶν τῇ σῇ βασιλείᾳ καὶ τῶν οἰκείων ὅρων οὐχ ὑπερβήσομαι.» Πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς κατένευσε, καὶ καταλείψας ἐκεῖσε τοὺς μέλλοντας τὰς ἐριπωθείσας πόλεις ἀνεγεῖραι καὶ ὁμήρους ἀναλαβέσθαι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ἐπανέζευξεν. 9.4.4 Ὁ δὲ Βολκάνος τοὺς ὁμήρους ἀπαιτού μενος οὐκ ἐδίδου τούτους, ἀλλ' ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας ὑπερετί θετο, ἐνιαυτοῦ τε μήπω παρῳχηκότος ὅλου αὖθις εἰς προ νομὴν τῶν ῥωμαϊκῶν χωρῶν ἐξεληλύθει. Καὶ διαφόρους γραφὰς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος δεξάμενος ἀναμιμνήσκοντος αὐτὸν τῶν