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promising to appoint him general. But he also told the people under him he would fit- tingly reward them with both money and expenses, if only he might receive pledges that they were well-disposed to the affairs of the empire. He promised to reward them immediately upon crossing 507 to the east with twenty thousand gold pieces and three hundred thou- sand local modioi of grain, and for the future to relax nothing and again reward them fittingly. These things many messengers were sent to declare, and they communicated most of this to the emperor’s sister, who was still present there, and all the more so because reports about Philadelphia told that they had resorted even to the dead from want and from being besieged. Nothing else was heard from there but the demands for pay, and that as the multitude was ungovernable he himself was not able to restrain and control it, and that if what was demanded were not given, he himself would not be safe, and all the more so as he was proud of his honors. In saying these things, it was clear he was siding with them, and was more difficult to handle than a wild beast, if anyone should try to persuade him, because the source of his thinking was certainly not yet seasoned into the order befitting a subordinate. As, therefore, many were sent for these matters, and it was necessary for messengers to be sent from there 508 as well, there was no one else for this but Kannabourios, who was intimately serv- ing Asan, who, after he had often from there come here and from here gone there, finally said he was permitted to seek secure pledges on the terms the emperor commanded, and that he himself should provide the counter-oath in the presence of the one who had sent him, and that the swearing of oaths should also take place in the presence of the ven- erable icon of the Mother of God. The emperor at once con- sented to these terms, and all the more so because the brother of Theuderic by an illegitimate union was reported to be sailing around in thirteen ships and some were raiding the islands and doing harm by force, and sending and receiving messages to and from them in turn, oaths were completed, (17) and Theodore Choumnos was also sent, bear- ing the very symbols of a Caesar and the golden-sealed pled- ges and thirty thousand gold coins. The grain had been prepared in advance from a collection, as was hoped. But if not, it was also decreed that the remainder be collected so that upon receiving it they might cross to the east. Choumnos, however, was dis- trustful of how the one being promoted to Caesar would behave toward him, 509 and especially because he was the brother of the keeper of the inkstand, against whom that man, as was heard, was laboring with many things, if he could, on the grounds that while he himself was so well off, the soldiery under that man of so many of its just wages was being deprived. With some forethought, to the emperor’s sister he sent Kanabourios ahead, both to declare what was being done, and in turn to make clear to her the disposition of affairs there. He himself at a slow pace rode behind. But he had not yet reached Brachialion, when there were report- ed to him from there messages of the greatest suspicion, that per- haps the Italian would not accept the dignity on account of the anger from those being led suspected, unless they were satisfied with their wages, And if he should by all means appear bringing gold, there was a fear that he might immediately take this away and also do some harm to the one bringing it. For these reasons, having learned these words, as quickly as he could, into the fortress of Tzimpe he plunged. And spending days there, since nothing pleasant was heard from them, but rather he was afraid that some of them might fall upon him and, besides doing him every terri- ble thing, take away the gold, taking back what he was carrying, without hav- ing accomplished anything he returns to the emperor. 510 And so he returned with all speed, but the other, first learning about Chios (for he was concerned for the island, as he was hoping to have this too) learning therefore that Persians, using ships, about thirty, were devastating the place, sending men to de- fend it he hastened. And the Chians, except for those who had taken refuge in the fortress there, perished in great numbers. And others on forty cargo ships having put on board children and women and wealth and sail- ing somewhere around Scyros were shipwrecked.

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στρατηγὸν καθιστᾶν ὑπισχνούμενος. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτὸν λαῷ τὰ εἰκότα ἔλεγε πο λυωρεῖν καὶ χρήμασι καὶ δαπάναις, εἰ μόνον τὰ πιστὰ σχοίη ὡς εὐνοοῖεν τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας πράγμασιν. αὐτίκα δὲ διαπεραιου 507 μένους ἐπ' ἀνατολῆς εἴκοσι χιλιάσι χρυσίου καὶ τριακοσίοις χιλιά δων μοδίοις τοπικοῖς σίτου δωρεῖσθαι καθυπισχνεῖτο, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ μηδὲν ἀνεῖναι καὶ αὖθις τὰ εἰκότα πολυωρεῖν. ταῦτα συχνοὶ πεμπόμενοι παρεδήλουν, καὶ τούτων προσανετίθουν τὰ πλεῖστα τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφῇ ἐκεῖσε καὶ ἔτι παρούσῃ, καὶ μᾶλ λον ὅτι καὶ αἱ περὶ Φιλαδελφείας πύστεις μέχρι καὶ τῶν νεκρῶν ἐξ ἐνδείας καὶ τοῦ πολιορκεῖσθαι ἅψασθαι κατηγγέλλοντο. οὐδὲν δ' ἐκεῖθεν ἄλλο ἠκούετο ἢ αἱ μισθοφορίαι, καὶ ὡς τὸ πλῆθος ἀκάθεκτον ὂν αὐτὸς κατέχειν καὶ ἄγχειν οὐ δύναται, καὶ ὡς εἰ μὴ δοθείη τὸ ἀπαιτούμενον, οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ ἔσται, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅσῳ τοῖς ἀξιώμασιν ὑπερηφανεύοιτο. ταῦτα λέγων δῆλος ἦν ἐκείνοις προσκείμενος, καὶ θηρίου δυσμεταχειριστότερον ἔχων, ἤν τις μεταπείθειν ἐπιχειροίη, διὰ τὴν πηγὴν τοῦ φρονεῖν πάντως μήπω κατηρτυμένην εἰς ὑπηκόοις πρέπουσαν τάξιν. ὡς γοῦν συ χνοὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐπέμποντο, ἔδει δὲ κἀκεῖθεν τοὺς μηνύτορας 508 πέμπεσθαι, οὐδεὶς ἦν πρὸς ταῦθ' ἕτερος εἰ μὴ ὁ οἰκείως ἐξυπη ρετῶν τῇ τοῦ Ἀσὰν Κανναβούριος, ὃς καὶ ἐπεὶ πολλάκις ἐκεῖθεν ὧδε κἀντεῦθεν ἐκεῖ παραγένοιτο, τέλος ἀσφαλεῖς ἐφ' οἷς προσέ ταττε βασιλεὺς τὰς πίστεις ζητεῖν ἐφειμένον ἔλεγεν ἔχειν, αὐτὸν δ' ἐκεῖνον τὴν ἀντωμοσίαν παρέχειν ἐπὶ προσώπου τοῦ ἀποστεί λαντος, γενέσθαι δὲ καὶ τὰς ὁρκωμοσίας ἐπὶ παρουσίᾳ τῆς τι μίας εἰκόνος τῆς θεομήτορος. ἐφ' οἷς αὐτίκα τοῦ βασιλέως κα τανεύσαντος, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ ὁ τοῦ Θευδερίχου ἀδελφὸς ἐκ νοθείας ἐν ναυσὶ τρεισκαίδεκα περιπλέειν ἠγγέλλετο καί τινας κα τατρέχειν τῶν νήσων καὶ ἀνὰ κράτος κακοῦν, πέμπειν τε καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους καὶ αὖθις παρ' ἐκείνων λαμβάνειν μηνύματα, τελοῦνται μὲν ὅρκοι, (17) πέμπεται δὲ καὶ ὁ Χοῦμνος Θεόδωρος, αὐτά τε τὰ τοῦ Καίσαρος σύμβολα φέρων καὶ τὰς χρυσοβουλλείους πί στεις καὶ νομίσματα χρυσίνων χιλιάδας τριάκοντα. τὰ δὲ τοῦ σίτου προηυτρεπισμένα ἦν, ὡς ἠλπίζετο, ἐκ συναγωγῆς. εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ λεῖπον συνάγεσθαι ὥριστο ἐπὶ τῷ ἅμα σφᾶς δεξαμένους περᾶν κατ' ἀνατολήν. ὁ μέντοι γε Χοῦμνος διαπι στῶν ὅπως αὐτῷ προσενεχθείη ὁ εἰς Καίσαρα προβαλλόμενος, 509 καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι ἀδελφὸς ἦν τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ κανικλείου, καθ' οὗ πόλλ' ἄττα ἐκεῖνος, εἰ δύναιτο, ὤδινεν, ὡς ἠκούετο, εἰ αὐτοῦ τόσων εὐποροῦντος καὶ τόσων τὸ ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον στρατιωτικὸν τῶν δικαίων μισθωμάτων στερίσκοιτο, κατά τινα πρόνοιαν πρὸς τὴν αὐτα δέλφην τοῦ βασιλέως προαποστέλλει τὸν Καναβούριον, ἅμα μὲν δηλώσοντα τὰ πραττόμενα, ἅμα δ' αὖθις δηλοποιήσοντά οἱ τὴν τῶν ἐκεῖ πραγμάτων διάθεσιν. αὐτὸς δὲ σχολαίῳ ποδὶ κατόπιν προσήλαυνεν. οὔπω δὲ τὸ Βραγχιάλιον πεφθάκει, καὶ δηλοῦ ταί οἱ ἐκεῖθεν μέγιστ' ἄττα ὑποψιῶν μηνύματα, ὡς μὴ προση σομένου τάχα τοῦ Ἰταλοῦ τὸ ἀξίωμα διὰ τὸν ἐκ τῶν ἀγομένων ὑπονοούμενον, ἢν μή γε τοῖς μισθώμασιν ἱκανοῖντο, παροργι σμόν. κἂν φανείη πάντως οὗτος χρυσίον ἐπιφερόμενος, δέος μὴ ἀφελόμενος αὐτίκα τοῦτο κακόν τι καὶ τὸν ἄγοντα δράσειε. διὰ ταῦτα μαθὼν τοὺς λόγους, ᾗ τάχους εἶχε, τῷ φρουρίῳ τῇ Τζίμπῃ ἐγκαταβύεται. καὶ ἐφ' ἡμέραις ἐκεῖ διάγων, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲν προσηνὲς ἀπ' ἐκείνων ἠκούετο, μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ δέος οἱ ἦν μὴ ἐπεισπεσόντες τινὲς ἐκείνων, πρὸς τῷ δρᾶσαι τοῦτον τὰ πάν δεινα, τὸ χρυσίον ἀφέλωνται, λαβὼν αὖθις ἐπιφερόμενα ἄπρα κτος πρὸς βασιλέα ὑποστρέφει. 510 Καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτω τὴν ταχίστην ἐπάνεισιν, ἐκεῖνος δὲ πρῶ τον μὲν μαθὼν περὶ τῆς Χίου (ἔμελε γάρ οἱ τῆς νήσου ὡς καὶ ταύτην ἔχειν ἐλπίζοντι) μαθὼν τοίνυν ὡς Πέρσαι ναυσὶ χρησάμε νοι περί που τριάκοντα τὸν τόπον ἠρήμουν, πέμψας προσαμύ νειν ἠπείγετο. καὶ Χῖοι, πλὴν τῶν παραβυσθέντων τῷ ἐκεῖ φρουρίῳ, παμπληθεῖς ἀπώλοντο. καὶ ἄλλοι φορτηγοῖς τεσσα ράκοντα παῖδας καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ πλοῦτον ἐνθέμενοι καὶ περί που τὴν Σκῦρον πλέοντες ἐναυάγησαν.