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asking for an alliance. And he wrote to Liparites, who was the ruler of a part of the Iberians, to join the Romans and to assist against the Turks. But when the Turks had already arrived, the Romans did not decide to fight them, unless they were united with the Iberians according to the imperial command. And while the soldiers remained inactive, Alim, unable to engage them as they were positioned in a certain fortification, attacked Artze (this was a town, and a multitude dwelt in it, so to speak, exceeding number, and the people were merchants, and they had excessive wealth). So the barbarians hoped to take the unwalled town by assault, but they realized they were deceived in their hopes when they attacked it. For the inhabitants of this place, having brought wood to the passages and blocked them with it, threw missiles at the enemy from the rooftops and killed many, and this went on for six days. But when the Turkish general Alim realized that the people of Artze639 were resisting most vigorously and were not easily captured by siege, he decided to overcome the men with fire; immediately therefore it was kindled and set under the dwellings. And when a fire broke out everywhere, the inhabitants turned to flight, and the barbarians took control of the town and found in it much gold and other wealth, as much as had not been consumed by the fire. From there they again moved against the Roman army; and when Liparites had also arrived with the Iberians, an engagement of the armies took place around dusk. So Alim and Chorosanes (he was another general of the barbarians) with those under them turned and were inclined to flight, and the opposing Romans pursued them until late into the night. But Liparites, fighting on another wing, was captured by the enemy. And when the Romans ceased their pursuit, they waited for Liparites, not knowing what had happened to him. In the meantime, someone announced to them the capture of Liparites, and that his captors, having taken him, were departing with haste. So the Romans, having learned these things, were in despair; but the barbarians brought Lipa640rites to the sultan. The emperor, however, learning of the capture of Liparites, sent to the sultan, asking to grant freedom to Liparites, and sending a great ransom for him and gifts to the sultan, and seeking that a truce be made between the Romans and the Turks. But the sultan sent Liparites as a gift, and gave all the ransom back to the one for whom it had been sent, and enjoined him to no longer take up arms against the Turks. And he also sent an ambassador to the emperor, whom they called a *seriphes*. This is among them what among us was formerly the so-called *synkellos*; for just as the *synkellos* replaced the patriarch upon his death, so also the *seriphes* succeeded the caliph when he perished. So the *seriphes*, having entered the great city and come into an audience with the ruler and spoken arrogantly, demanding that tribute be paid to the sultan, was sent away. At this the sultan 641 became angry and he himself advanced against the Romans, and from then on the nation of the Turks, advancing, took control of the entire East and reached as far as the continent opposite Byzantium. Thus the affairs of the Turks proceeded in this manner; but the nation of the Patzinaks was again set in motion in the European region; a Scythian and populous nation, dwelling beyond the Ister. At that time the ruler of the nation was Tyrach, a man illustrious in lineage among the nation, but sluggish in character. But a certain other man called Kegenes, obscure as far as lineage was concerned, but being a man of action and energy and having often proved his valor in wars, was loved by the nation. For this reason he was also plotted against by Tyrach, who sought to kill him. Realizing this, he won over two of the tribes, there being thirteen in all, and with them he crossed the Ister and came to the borders of the Romans, saying he had come as a deserter to the emperor and would not be useless to him. These things were reported to Monomachos, and

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συμμαχίαν αἰτῶν. καὶ ὃς τῷ Λιπαρίτῃ δυνάστῃ μοίρας τῶν Ἰβήρων τυγχάνοντι ἐπέστειλε συνελθεῖν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις καὶ ἐπαρῆξαι κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων. τῶν Τούρκων δὲ ἐπιστάντων ἤδη, οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι πολεμῆσαι σφίσιν οὐκ ἔκριναν, εἰ μὴ ἑνωθεῖεν κατὰ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἐντολὴν καὶ τοῖς Ἴβηρσιν. ἀτρεμούντων δὲ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, μὴ δυνάμενος αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἀλὶμ συμβαλεῖν εἰς ὀχύρωμά τι προσκαθημένοις ἔπεισι τῷ Ἄρτζε (κωμόπολις δ' ἦν τοῦτο, πληθὺς δ' ἐνῴκει αὐτῷ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴποιμι, καὶ ἀριθμὸν ὑπερβαίνουσα, ἔμποροι δ' ἦσαν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ πλοῦτος ἦν αὐτοῖς περιττός). ὡς γοῦν ἀτείχιστον τὴν κωμόπολιν ἐξ ἐφόδου ἑλεῖν αὐτὴν οἱ βάρβαροι ἤλπιζον, ἀλλ' ἔγνωσαν παραβουκολούμενοι ταῖς ἐλπίσιν, ἐπείπερ ταύτῃ προσέβαλον. ταῖς γὰρ διόδοις ὕλας ἐπαγαγόντες οἱ ταύτης κάτοικοι καὶ ταύταις αὐτὰς ἀποφράξαντες, ἐκ τῶν δωμάτων ἔβαλλον τοὺς ἐναντίους καὶ ἀνῄρουν πολλούς, καὶ τοῦτο ἐφ' ἡμέραις ἐγίνετο ἕξ. ὡς δ' ἔγνω ὁ τῶν Τούρκων στρατηγὸς ὁ Ἀλὶμ ἐρρωμενέστατα τοὺς Ἀρτζη639 νοὺς ἀντεχομένους καὶ πολιορκίᾳ ῥᾷστα μὴ ἁλωτούς, πυρὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν περιγενέσθαι διέγνωκεν· αὐτίκα τοίνυν ἀνῆπτο τοῦτο καὶ τοῖς οἰκήμασιν ὑπεβάλλετο. ὡς δ' ἐξήφθη πανταχόθεν πυρκαϊά, τρέπονται μὲν οἱ ἐγχώριοι, οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι κρατοῦσι τῆς κωμοπόλεως καὶ πολὺν ἐν αὐτῇ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄλλον πλοῦτον εὑρήκασιν, ὅσος μὴ κατηνάλωτο τῷ πυρί. ἐντεῦθεν αὖθις κατὰ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ὡρμήκασι στρατιᾶς· ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοῦ Λιπαρίτου σὺν τοῖς Ἴβηρσι παραγεγονότος, συμβολὴ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐγένετο περὶ βουλυτόν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀλὶμ καὶ ὁ Χοροσάνης (ἕτερος δ' οὗτος ἦν στρατηγὸς τῶν βαρβάρων) μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοὺς τραπέντες ἐνέκλιναν εἰς φυγήν, καὶ σφᾶς οἱ ἀντιτεταγμένοι Ῥωμαῖοι μέχρι πόρρω νυκτῶν κατεδίωκον. ὁ δὲ Λιπαρίτης κατ' ἄλλο κέρας μαχόμενος ἑάλω τοῖς ἐναντίοις. ὡς δ' ἐπαύσαντο τῆς διώξεως οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, τὸν Λιπαρίτην προσέμενον, μὴ εἰδότες ὃ περὶ ἐκεῖνον συμβέβηκεν. ἐν τοσούτῳ δέ τις αὐτοῖς ἀγγέλλει τοῦ Λιπαρίτου τὴν ἅλωσιν, καὶ ὅτι λαβόντες αὐτὸν οἱ ἑλόντες ἀπίασι σὺν σπουδῇ. οἱ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαῖοι ταῦτα μαθόντες ἐν ἀθυμίαις ἦσαν· οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ τῷ σουλτὰν τὸν Λιπα640 ρίτην ἐκόμισαν. ὁ μέντοι βασιλεὺς μαθὼν τοῦ Λιπαρίτου τὴν ἅλωσιν, πέμπει πρὸς τὸν σουλτάνον, ἐλευθερίας ἀξιῶσαι τὸν Λιπαρίτην ζητῶν καὶ λύτρα τούτου πέμψας πολλὰ καὶ δῶρα δὲ τῷ σουλτὰν καὶ σπονδὰς μέσον Ῥωμαίων καὶ Τούρκων ζητῶν γενέσθαι. ὁ δὲ σουλτὰν τὸν μὲν Λιπαρίτην δῶρον στέλλει, τὰ δέ γε λύτρα πάντα τῷ ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐπεπόμφεισαν δέδωκε καὶ μηκέτι ὅπλα κατὰ Τούρκων ἄρασθαι παρηγγύησεν. ἐκπέπομφε δὲ κἀκεῖνος πρέσβυν πρὸς βασιλέα, ὃν ἐκάλουν ἐκεῖνοι σερίφην. οὗτος δ' ἐστὶ παρ' αὐτοῖς ὅπερ πάλαι ἦν παρ' ἡμῖν ὁ λεγόμενος σύγκελλος· ὡς γὰρ ὁ σύγκελλος τοῦ πατριάρχου θανόντος εἰς τὸν ἐκείνου τόπον ἀντικαθίστατο, οὕτω καὶ ὁ σερίφης τοῦ χαλιφᾶ φθαρέντος ἐκεῖνος τὸν τελευτήσαντα διεδέχετο. εἰσελθὼν οὖν εἰς τὴν μεγαλόπολιν ὁ σερίφης καὶ εἰς ὁμιλίαν τῷ κρατοῦντι ἐλθὼν καὶ ὁμιλήσας ὑπερηφάνως φόρους τε τελεῖν ἀπαιτῶν τῷ σουλτάν, ἀπεπέμφθη. ἐντεῦθεν βαρυθυμήσας ὁ σουλτὰν 641 αὐτὸς κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐχώρησε, καὶ ἔκτοτε προχωροῦν τὸ τῶν Τούρκων ἔθνος τῆς ἑῴας πάσης ἐκράτησε καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἀντιπόρθμου τῇ Βυζαντίδι ἠπείρου κατήντησε. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν Τούρκων τοῦτον ἔσχε τὸν τρόπον· τὸ δὲ τῶν Πατζινάκων ἔθνος αὖθις κατὰ τὴν Εὐρωπαίαν μοῖραν κεκίνητο· Σκυθικὸν δὲ τὸ ἔθνος καὶ πολυάνθρωπον, πέραν Ἴστρου νεμόμενον. ἦν δὲ τότε τοῦ ἔθνους ἄρχων Τυράχ, ἀνὴρ τὸ μὲν γένος παρὰ τὸ ἔθνος λαμπρός, τὸ δὲ ἦθος νωθής. ἕτερος δέ τις Κεγένης καλούμενος, ἄσημος μὲν ὅσον εἰς γένους ἀναφοράν, ἀνὴρ δὲ ῥέκτης τε καὶ δραστήριος ὢν καὶ πολλάκις ἐν πολέμοις ἀνδραγαθήσας, παρὰ τοῦ ἔθνους πεφίλητο. διὸ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ Τυρὰχ ἐλοχᾶτο, ζητοῦντος αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. ὃ γνοὺς ἐκεῖνος καὶ δύο τῶν φυλῶν προσεταιρισάμενος, οὐσῶν πασῶν δέκα ἐπὶ τρισί, σὺν αὐταῖς διέβη τὸν Ἴστρον καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ Ῥωμαίων ὅρια γέγονεν, αὐτόμολος ἥκειν λέγων τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ οὐκ ἔσεσθαί οἱ ἀσυντελής. ἐμηνύθη ταῦτα τῷ Μονομάχῳ, καὶ