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he brought under control, which was previously held by the deniers of Christ as far as the castle of Charsianon and Hypsela and the river Halys. But the faithful and zealous John, domestikos of the scholae, for emperor Romanos, established the borders of the Romans as far as the Euphrates and the Tigris, and brought dowry and gifts to Romania, and the emperor acquired from there people and an army, and ordained that many taxes be received annually, and he carried off from there much spoil and chariots and Agarene captives. For having committed himself to the greatest struggles, he sacked the cities of the deniers of Christ; and who could tell by name these cities which John Kourkouas, the domestikos of the scholae, having subdued, [made?] tributary to the Romans? in twenty-two years he brought almost a thousand cities and more under control and added them to Romania; and it was possible to see the sleepless John Kourkouas in battle array using persuasive speeches and exhortations to the Romans, and to compare and name this man another Trajan or Belisarius. And if one compares the man to these, he will find the deeds of valor and prowess of Kourkouas to be greater. But those keenly desiring and wishing to learn of the great deeds of John Kour- 428 kouas will find the writings set forth in eight books by Manuel, protospatharios and judge. 42 And it is worthy to narrate also the great deeds and valorous acts of the brother of the magistros and domestikos of the scholae John, Theophilos, the patrikios and strategos of Chaldia. This man, having become sole general in Chaldia, did not give himself up, as many do, to luxury and waste and pleasure; but having given himself to toils and hardships, in order to plunder the villages and lands of the Agarenes, so that he caused the Agarenes dwelling in the most valiant and all-wonderful fortress of Theodosiopolis and the fortresses around it to be led away captive and to pay tribute and be subject to the magistros John. But also in Mesopotamia he appeared an excellent general, and not only did he appear so but he was also proven to be, and he appeared and was known as another Solomon who was in the time of Justinian. who also for later times left behind his descendant John called Tzimiskes; and for the intelligence, courage, and tirelessness of the man, having been honored as patrikios and strategos of various themes, then also under Nikephoros the Victorious, the emperor called Phokas, he appeared as magistros and domestikos of the scholae. But these things must also be narrated in their proper sequence and order; likewise also concerning Romanos, patrikios and strategos of various themes, the son 429 of the magistros John called Kourkouas, who himself also appeared excellent and brave. 43 While these men were thus flourishing and holding out and fighting for the faith of the Christians and bringing cities and lands and villages to the empire of the Romans, and making the deniers of Christ tributary to the emperor Romanos, Belial, who always fights the race of the faithful and upright servants, not bearing the great and infinite thanksgiving of the Christians, instigated certain people, who slandered the magistros domestikos John to the emperor Romanos, alleging that he was aspiring to the empire of the Romans and had a people prepared for rebellion, and that he had committed very many injustices and seizures of places and lands. But Romanos, having sent men and investigated, found nothing, and restored him to his command. But as such accusations were stirred up against him by the rest out of envy, he falls from his command, and Pantherios, a relative of the emperor Romanos, is appointed domestikos in his place. 44 But the emperor Romanos paid off all the debts of the city, of rich magnates and of the poor and needy alike, as many as were openly proven; as some say that he gave centenaria

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κατεστήσατο, πρότερον ουσαν καὶ κατεχομένην ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρνητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μέχρι τοῦ Χαρσιανοῦ κά- στρου καὶ τῆς ̔Υψηλῆς καὶ τοῦ Αλυ ποταμοῦ. ὁ δὲ πιστὸς καὶ σπουδαῖος πρὸς ̔Ρωμανὸν αὐτοκράτορα ̓Ιωάννης δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν μέχρι τοῦ Εὐφράτου καὶ τοῦ Τίγρη τὰ ορια τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐστήσατο καὶ προῖκα καὶ δῶρα τῇ ̔Ρωμανίᾳ προσήνεγκεν, καὶ λαὸν καὶ στρατὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖθεν προσεκτήσατο, καὶ φόρους πολλοὺς ἐτησίως λαμβάνειν ἐτύπωσεν, καὶ πολλῶν λαφύρων καὶ ἁρμάτων καὶ αἰχμαλώτων ̓Αγαρηνῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀπήνεγκεν. μεγίστοις γὰρ ἀγῶσιν ἑαυτὸν παραθεὶς τὰς πόλεις τῶν ἀρνητῶν Χριστοῖ ἐπόρθησεν· καὶ τίς αν ἐξείπῃ κατ' ονομα ταύτας ας χειρωσάμενος ὑποφόρους τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις ̓Ιωάννης ὁ Κουρκούας καὶ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν [ἐποιήσατο;] τοῖς εικοσι καὶ δύο χρόνοις πόλεις χιλίας σχεδὸν καὶ πλέον κατεστήσατο καὶ τῇ ̔Ρωμανίᾳ προσήγαγεν· καὶ ην ἰδεῖν τὸν αγρυπνον ̓Ιωάννην τὸν Κουρκούαν ἐπὶ παρατάξεως πολεμικῆς διαλαλιαῖς καὶ παραινέσεσι πιθαναῖς τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις χρώμενον, καὶ αλλον Τραϊανὸν η Βελισάριον εἰκάσαι καὶ ὀνομάσαι τοῦτον. καὶ ει τις πρὸς τούτους παραθήσει τὸν ανδρα, εὑρήσει πλείονας τὰς τοῦ Κουρκούα ἀνδραγαθίας καὶ ἀριστείας. οἱ δὲ λαμπρῶς ποθοῦντες καὶ θέλοντες μαθεῖν τὰς τοῦ ̓Ιωάννου Κουρ- 428 κούα ἀριστείας καὶ συγγραφὰς εὑρήσουσιν ἐν ὀκτὼ βιβλίοις ἐκτε- θείσας παρὰ Μανουὴλ πρωτοσπαθαρίου καὶ κριτοῦ. 42 Αξιον δὲ διηγήσασθαι καὶ τὰς τοῦ αὐταδέλφου μα- γίστρου καὶ δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν ̓Ιωάννου τοῦ πατρικίου καὶ στρατηγοῦ Χαλδίας Θεοφίλου ἀριστείας καὶ ἀνδραγαθίας. ουτος εἰς Χαλδίαν μονοστράτηγος γεγονὼς οὐκ ἐνέδωκεν αὐτόν, οια οἱ πολλοὶ τῇ τρυφῇ καὶ σπατάλῃ καὶ ἡδυπαθείᾳ χρῶνται· ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκδοὺς πρὸς κόπους καὶ σκληρότητας, πρὸς τὸ τὰς κώμας καὶ χώρας τῶν ̓Αγαρηνῶν ληΐζεσθαι, ωστε καὶ τοὺς οἰκοῦντας ̓Αγαρηνοὺς εἰς τὸ κάστρον τὸ ἀνδρειότατον καὶ πανθαύμαστον Θεοδοσιόπολιν καὶ τὰ πέριξ αὐτοῦ κάστρα αἰχμαλώτους ἀγαγέσθαι καὶ τῷ μαγίστρῳ ̓Ιωάννῃ φορολογῆσαι καὶ ὑποτάξαι ἐποίησεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ αριστος στρατηγὸς ἀνε- φαίνετο, καὶ οὐκ ἐφαίνετο μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐδείκνυτο καὶ αλλος Σολομὼν ὁ ἐπὶ ̓Ιουστινιανοῦ ἀνεφαίνετο καὶ ἐγνωρίζετο. ος καὶ τοῖς μετέπειτα καταλιπὼν τὸν εκγονον αὐτοῦ ̓Ιωάννην τὸν λεγόμε- νον Τζιμισκήν· καὶ τῇ εὐφυΐᾳ καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ ἀοκνίᾳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πατρίκιος καὶ στρατηγὸς διαφόρων θεμάτων τιμηθείς, επειτα καὶ ἐπὶ Νικηφόρου τοῦ Νικητοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ λεγομένου Φωκᾶ μάγιστρος καὶ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν ἀνεφάνη. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ ῥυθμῷ καὶ τῇ τάξει αὐτῶν διηγητέα· ὡσαύτως καὶ περὶ ̔Ρωμανοῦ πατρικίου καὶ στρατηγοῦ διαφόρων θεμάτων, τοῦ υἱοῦ 429 τοῦ μαγίστρου ̓Ιωάννου τοῦ λεγομένου Κουρκούα, ος καὶ αὐτὸς αριστος καὶ ἀνδρεῖος ἀνεφαίνετο. 43 Τούτων ουτως ἀκμαζόντων καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Χριστια- νῶν πίστεως ἀντεχομένων καὶ μαχομένων καὶ πόλεις καὶ χώρας καὶ κώμας τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων προσαγόντων, καὶ ὑποφό- ρους τοὺς ἀρνητὰς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ ̔Ρωμανῷ ποιοῦντες, ὁ ἀεὶ τὸ γένος τῶν πιστῶν καὶ ὀρθῶν δούλων μαχόμενος Βελίαρ, μὴ φέρων τὴν πολλὴν καὶ απειρον εὐχαριστίαν τῶν Χριστιανῶν, ὑπέβαλέ τισι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ̔Ρωμανὸν καὶ τῷ μαγίστρῳ δομεστίκῳ ̓Ιωάννῃ διέβαλλον, ὡς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἐφιέμενος καὶ λαὸν ἐμπαράσκευον εχων, καὶ οτι πλείστας ἀδικίας καὶ ἁρπαγὰς ἐποιήσατο τοπίων καὶ χωρίων. ὁ δὲ ̔Ρωμανὸς ἀποστείλας καὶ ζητήσας οὐδὲν ἐφεῦρεν, καὶ μεταδοὺς τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀπο- κατέστησεν. φθόνῳ δὲ αὐτῷ τῶν τοιούτων ὑποθέσεων παρὰ τῶν λοιπῶν κινηθέντων, ἐκπίπτει τῆς ἀρχῆς, καὶ δομέστικος ἀντ' αὐ- τοῦ προχειρίζεται Πανθήριος, συγγενὴς τοῦ βασιλέως ̔Ρωμανοῦ. 44 ̔Ο δὲ βασιλεὺς ̔Ρωμανὸς πάντα τὰ χρέη τῆς πόλεως ἀπό τε πλουσίων μεγιστάνων πτωχῶν καὶ πενήτων, οσα αν ἐν φανερῷ ἀπεδείκνυντο, ἀπέδωκεν· ως φασί τινες οτι δέδωκεν κεν- τηνάρια