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standing by as defenders, then putting forward whatever pretext they might find, to become the bitterest of enemies? And if, as I have heard, you will also demand wages, it is a shame even to say it. For what efforts and labors? Fine deeds against the Romans, fine and just deeds to draw great wages. At any rate, while acknowledging that these actions are hostile, will you demand wages for them as allies? And what excess of ingratitude will you not then surpass? For what we thought had been done by you on behalf of the Romans, you would find, if you consider it, has been paid for even beyond what is just; but for what has been done against them, it is as just to draw wages as you would be considered just to suffer punishment for them. It is necessary, therefore, having deliberated most thoroughly on what seems must be done, to choose that course, since from now on we have 572 no more to say to you, if in any way you should decide otherwise than as pleases us." So the envoys said this much, but the others, having received their words, made no reply that seemed conducive to peaceful treaties, but uttered words full of Italian arrogance. And in the end they said, "If it is the emperor's wish that we depart under treaty, he must provide the wages for which we have served, and release our men, both those elsewhere and those in the city, them and their ships, having persuaded the Genoese, and he must also buy our horses for a just price, and furthermore our spoils and captives at hand. And so, ceasing to make war on you, we shall depart as quickly as possible. For it is no small shame and labor for us not to exchange our life for virtue, if the choice between the two is offered." Having said these things, and having sent away the embassy at once, they were exceedingly lovers of strange deeds.

3. And something also happened that was especially to their advantage, which I shall now proceed to relate. The Persians with them, having become sharers of the spoils with them, were deprived of an equal share and were deemed entitled to receive one part for two, though the agreements had them receiving equal shares in all things. But the Italian horsemen compared themselves to 573 those foot soldiers who were the majority, and making some other justifications, while the others considered it a terrible thing to be deprived of equal shares, they were exceedingly neglectful. Whence it seemed good to some of them to cross to the other side, and meeting with a certain one of the Romans, they agreed with formal covenants and oaths that they would give a worthy fare for the passage, and he would ferry them across without treachery. But as they were crossing suddenly, Andreas Mouriskos fell upon them, and meeting them in the middle of the strait, he spared the Romans, but put the Persians to the sword, as he himself was not under oath. When this became known to the Persians, it greatly hindered their return to their own lands, and so turning again to the Italians they overran the lands of Thrace with them. But Mouriskos, having gone to the emperor, and at the same time the triremes having been released from their duties at the strait, he received the rank of admiral from the ruler; but the Italians and Persians, since none of the imperial triremes was anchored thereabouts, having taken pledges at the fortress of Kallion, leaving a few men on guard, with all their force they plundered whatever they came upon, killing men, pitilessly enslaving 574 women of age and children and collecting countless treasures, while the animals themselves and cheap goods were overlooked. Countless crops and stacks of sheaves, some bristled with ears past their prime, while others were seen lying neglected.

4. Moreover, neither for the Alans on the other side, nor for the newly Christian Tourkopouloi, who indeed not long before had come to the emperor from the northern regions, was the treaty kept inviolate for them, but being of one mind in revolting, and each group having seized the strongest positions, they destroyed everything they overran. And the Tourkopouloi fortified their settlements elsewhere, from which, running out as from a base of operations, they wrought terrible things upon the Romans; for the Alans

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ἐφισταμένους ἀμύντορας, ἔπειτα ἐπίκλημ' ὅ τι τύχοι προ βεβλημένους ἐχθρῶν καθίστασθαι τὰ πικρότατα; εἰ δὲ καὶ μι σθοφορίας, ὡς πέπυσμαι, προτενεῖτε, αἰδὼς καὶ μόνον τὸ λέ γειν. τίνων σπουδασμάτων χάριν καὶ πόνων; καλά γε ἐς Ῥω μαίους, καλὰ καὶ δίκαια μεγάλους ἐφέλκειν μισθούς. τὸ πράτ τειν γοῦν ταῦτα ὁμολογοῦντες ἐχθρῶδες εἶναι τοὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων μισθοὺς ὡς σύμμαχοι ἀπαιτήσετε; καὶ ποίαν ἄρα ἀγνωμοσύνης οὐχ ὑπερβαλεῖσθε ὑπερβολήν; ἃ γὰρ ὑπὲρ Ῥωμαίων πεπρᾶχθαι σφίσιν ἡμῖν ἔδοξε, καὶ ὑπὲρ τὸ δίκαιον ἔμμισθ' ἂν εὕροιτ' ἂν σκοπούμενοι· τὰ δὲ κατ' αὐτῶν πεπραγμένα τόσον ἐφέλκειν μι σθοὺς δίκαιά εἰσιν ὅσα καὶ δίκας αὐτῶν ὑποσχεῖν δίκαιοι ἂν λο γισθείητε. χρεὼν οὖν ἐντελεχέστατα βουλευσαμένοις ὅπῃ δοκεῖ ποιητέα εἶναι, ταῦθ' ἑλέσθαι, ὡς ἡμῖν γε τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε λόγος 572 οὐδεὶς πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἤν πῄ γε ἄλλως ἢ ὡς ἡμῖν ἁνδάνῃ γνοίητε." οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις τοσαῦτα εἶπον, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τοὺς λόγους ἐνδε ξάμενοι οὐδὲν ὅ τι πρὸς εἰρηνικὰς ἐδόκει σπονδὰς ὑπεκρίνοντο, ἀλλὰ πλήρεις κορύζης Ἰταλικῆς λόγους ἐξέφερον. καὶ τέλος "ἢν βουλομένῳ βασιλεῖ εἴη" ἔφασκον "ἐνσπόνδους ἡμᾶς ἀπαλλάσ σεσθαι, παρεκτέα μὲν τοὺς μισθοὺς ὧν δεδουλεύκαμεν, ἀπολυ τέα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἡμετέρους, τούς τ' ἀλλαχοῦ καὶ τοὺς κατὰ πό λιν, αὐτούς τε καὶ νῆας, Γεννουΐτας πείσαντι, ἐξωνητέα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἵππους τιμῆς δικαίας, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ ἀνὰ χεῖρας σκῦλα καὶ αἰχμαλώτους. καὶ οὕτως ἀφέντες ὑμῖν πολεμεῖν τὴν ταχίστην ἀπαλλαξόμεθα. ὡς ἡμῖν μὴ οὐχὶ τοῦ βίου τὴν ἀρετὴν ἀνταλ λάττεσθαι, ἢν αἵρεσις ἀμφοῖν κέηται, αἰδὼς καὶ πόνος οὐχὶ μι κρός." ταῦτ' εἰπόντες, καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀποπέμ ψαντες, ἐρασταὶ πραγμάτων ἀτόπων ἐκτόπως ἦσαν.

3. Ξυνηνέχθη δὲ καί τι ἐπὶ τῷ σφῶν ἐς μάλιστα ἀγαθῷ, ὃ καὶ αὐτίκα ὡς λέξων ἔρχομαι. οἱ μὲν οὖν μετ' αὐτῶν Πέρσαι μερῖται τῶν σκύλων ἐκείνοις γενόμενοι τῆς ἴσης ἠτέμβοντο καὶ παρὰ δύο ἓν λαμβάνειν ἐδικαιοῦντο, τὰς ἐπ' ἴσων ἐν πᾶσι μερί δας τὰ συγκείμενα ἔχοντες. Ἰταλοὶ δὲ ἱππεῖς σφᾶς αὐτοὺς παρὰ 573 πεζοὺς ἐκείνους τοὺς πλείστους συνέκρινον, καὶ ἄλλ' ἄττα δι καιολογούμενοι, δεινὰ ποιούντων ἐκείνων εἰ τῶν ἴσων στεροῖντο, ἠμέλουν ἐς ἄγαν. ὅθεν καί τισιν ἐκείνων ἀντιπερᾶν ἐδόκει, καὶ τῶν τινὶ Ῥωμαίων προστυχόντες ἐν ῥηταῖς ὁμολογίαις καὶ ὅρκοις συνεφώνουν αὐτοὶ μὲν διδόναι ἄξιον τὸ πορθμεῖον, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀκακουργήτως διαπερᾶν. ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνηδὸν περαιουμένοις ὁ Ἀνδρέας Μουρίσκος ἐφίσταται, καὶ μέσον τοῦ πορθμοῦ προστυ χὼν τοὺς μὲν Ῥωμαίους περιποιεῖται, Πέρσας δὲ ὡς ἂν μὴ ὢν αὐτὸς ἐπώμοτος ἔργον μαχαίρας ποιεῖται. τοῦτο γνωσθὲν Πέρ σαις τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἤθη ἀφίξεως καὶ λίαν ἀνείργει, καὶ οὕτως ἐσαῦθις πρὸς Ἰταλοὺς κλίναντες σὺν αὐτοῖς τὰς Θρᾳκικὰς κατα τρέχουσι χώρας. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Μουρίσκος βασιλεῖ παραγεγονώς, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῶν τριήρεων τῆς ἐπὶ τῷ πορθμῷ ἀσχολίας ἀπαλλα γεισῶν, ἐκεῖνος μὲν τὴν τοῦ ἀμηραλῆ ἀξίαν παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦν τος λαμβάνει· Ἰταλοὶ δὲ καὶ Πέρσαι, ἐπεὶ οὐδεμία τῶν βασι λικῶν τριήρεων ἐκεῖσέ πῃ προσεκώχευε, τὰ πιστὰ ἐπὶ τῷ φρου ρίῳ τῷ τῆς Καλλίου σχόντες, ὀλίγους τινὰς κατὰ φυλακὴν ἀφέν τες ὅλαις ὁρμαῖς τὰ προστυγχάνοντα ἐξεληΐζοντο, ἄνδρας κτεί νοντες, τὰς δ' ἐν ἡλικίᾳ γυναῖκας καὶ παῖδας ἀνοικτὶ ἐξανδραπο 574 διζόμενοι καὶ χρήματα μυρία συλλέγοντες, ζώων αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν εὐώνων πραγμάτων παρορωμένων. λήϊα δὲ καὶ θημονίαι μυ ρίαι, τὰ μὲν παρηβηκυίαις ἔφριττον ταῖς ἀθέραις, αἱ δὲ ἀτη μελημέναι κείμεναι καθωρῶντο.

4. Οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ Ἀλανοῖς ἑτέρωθεν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ὑπογύου Χριστιανοῖς Τουρκοπούλοις, οἳ δὴ καὶ οὐ πολλῷ πρό τερον χρόνῳ ἐκ τῶν βορείων βασιλεῖ προσεφοίτησαν, οὐδ' αὐ τοῖς ἀλώβητον διετηρεῖτο τὸ ἔνσπονδον, ἀλλὰ μίαν μὲν εἶχον τὴν γνώμην ἀποστατοῦντες, ἑκάτεροι δὲ τὰ ὀχυρώτατα κατασχόντες, οὐδὲν ὅπερ οὐ καταθέοντες ἐξηφάνιζον. καὶ οἱ μὲν Τουρκόπου λοι ἄλλῃ πῃ ὠχύρουν τὰς μετοικίας, ὁπόθεν ὡς ἐξ ὁρμητηρίου ἐκθέοντες δεινὰ Ῥωμαίους εἰργάζοντο· Ἀλανοῖς