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by the counsel and good advice of the *parakoimomenos* Joseph, it seemed good to gather ships and warships from every place, with liquid fire and a select army of Thracians, Macedonians, and Sclavenians, and send them to Crete. But some of the senate, his own servants, were vexed concerning the expedition to Crete, reminding the ruler of the expeditions and innovations of past emperors, and of the boundless sums of money that had been spent to accomplish nothing, especially under the emperor Leo, of pious and divine memory, and of Constantine Porphyrogennetos, how much money and how many people had been expended and lost, fearing the danger of the sea and the great alliance of the neighboring Saracens and the fleet of the Spanish and Africans and the current rumor, that he by whom Crete should be sacked will reign 475 and hold the scepters of the Roman empire. (9) But the *parakoimomenos* Joseph, the good and upright and sleepless mind, standing in the midst said, "We, master, all know how many terrible things have happened to the Romans at the hands of the deniers of Christ against us; and it is just to consider the slaughters and the defilements of virgins and the destructions of churches and the captivities of the coastal themes, and it is fitting to fight on behalf of the Christians and our kinsmen, and not to fear the length of the journey and the seas of the ocean and the uncertainty of victory and the impossibility of the rumor. And it is especially necessary for us to be obedient to your God-assisted counsel and command, as this thought is from God to you. For the heart of a king is in the hand of God; especially because the upright and faithful servant, the Domestic of the Schools, is being sent by your God-governed majesty." (10) Hearing these things, the emperor could no longer restrain his intention; and having equipped and paid the army, and having given money to the *magistros*, he set out with Michael the *koitonites* and supervisor, in the month of July, the fifth indiction. For there were two thousand ships with liquid fire, one thousand dromons, and three hundred and seven transport ships having provisions and weapons of war. But the Domestic Nikephoros, having departed from the capital, arrived at Phygela, and took care that the whole fleet should be together and anchor. And the prudent man, beforehand, having sent 476 fast galleys, ordered them to scout and capture a tongue. And when these had arrived and made a capture, they brought him to the *magistros*. And having examined them more searchingly, and learning that the emir of Crete and the leaders of the fortress were outside in their own suburbs, he immediately arrived with speed and haste and anchored. And disembarking from the ships he constructed a palisade and a deep trench, and proceeded to raid, and he exhorted everyone to be together and not to ride out, until they should know his strength. And proceeding towards the fortress, he shut inside with fear all the Cretans who were outside the fortress. From then on many deserted each day to the *magistros*. But Nikephoros, learning that those shut out of the fortress had fled to the narrow passes and defiles and streams and marshes and mountains, therefore, having arranged an army and horse-archers and Rus' and Anatolic commanders and Thracians and Macedonians, he sent them out, but he himself, the prudent and brave Domestic, remained behind Saka; and everyone, by the good counsel of the man, considered themselves to be in their own land. But those who had occupied and overrun the area where the possessions and the cattle and their property was hidden and where they themselves were encamped, having plundered everything, returned with joy and victory. And from then on the Romans were encamped without fear and dread where there were the transparent springs and the abundance 477 of all kinds of fruits, and each had his hut among fruit trees, and with the fruits flowing and all enjoying them

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συμβουλῇ καὶ εὐβουλίᾳ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου ̓Ιωσήφ, ἐκ παν- τὸς τόπου ναῦς καὶ πλοῖα πολεμικὰ συναθροίσας μετὰ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς καὶ ἐπιλέκτου στρατοπέδου Θρᾳκικῶν Μακεδονικῶν καὶ Σθλαβησιάνων εἰς Κρήτην ἐκπέμψαι εδοξεν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς συγκλή- του οἰκείων δούλων αὐτοῦ ἐδυσχέραινον περὶ τῆς ἐκστρατείας τῆς Κρήτης, ἀναμιμνήσκοντες τὸν ανακτα τῶν ἐπὶ τῶν παρελθόντων βασιλέων ἐξόδων καὶ καινοτομιῶν καὶ χρημάτων ἀπείρων κατα- κενωθέντων καὶ μηδὲν ἀνυσάντων, μάλιστα ἐπὶ τοῦ εὐσεβοῦς τῇ θείᾳ λήξει Λέοντος βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου Κωνσταν- τίνου, οσα χρήματα καὶ λαὸς ἀνήλωτο καὶ ἀπώλετο, δεδοικότες τὸν κίνδυνον τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τὴν μεγάλην συμμαχίαν τῶν ὁμο- ρούντων Σαρακηνῶν καὶ τὸν στόλον τῶν Σπάνων καὶ ̓Αφρικῶν καὶ τὴν διατρέχουσαν φήμην, οτι δι' ου ἡ Κρήτη πορθηθῇ βασιλεύ- 475 σει καὶ τῶν σκήπτρων καθέξει τῆς ̔Ρωμαϊκῆς ἀρχῆς. (9) ὁ δὲ παρακοιμώμενος ̓Ιωσήφ, ὁ χρηστὸς καὶ ὀρθὸς καὶ αϋπνος νοῦς, εἰς μέσον σταθεὶς εφη "ἡμεῖς μέν, δέσποτα, ισμεν πάντες οσα δεινὰ ̔Ρωμαίοις συνέβησαν παρὰ τῶν ἀρνητῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς· καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστι λογίσασθαι τὰς σφαγὰς καὶ τὰς τῶν παρ- θένων φθορὰς καὶ τὰς τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καταστροφὰς καὶ τὰς τῶν παραλίων θεμάτων αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ πρέπον ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ τῶν Χρι- στιανῶν καὶ ὁμοφύλων ἀγωνίσασθαι, καὶ μὴ δεδιέναι τῆς ὁδοῦ τὸ μῆκος καὶ τὰ τῆς θαλάσσης πελάγη καὶ τῆς νίκης τὸ αδηλον καὶ τῆς φήμης τὸ ἀδύνατον. καὶ χρὴ μάλιστα τῇ θεοσυνεργήτῳ βουλῇ καὶ προστάξει σου πειθαρχεῖν ἡμᾶς, ὡς ἐκ θεοῦ σοι τοῦτο τὸ ἐνθύμημα. καὶ γὰρ καρδία βασιλέως ἐν χειρὶ θεοῦ· μάλιστα διὰ τὸν ὀρθὸν καὶ πιστὸν δοῦλον στέλλεσθαι τὸν δομέστικον τῶν σχολῶν παρὰ τῆς θεοκυβερνήτου βασιλείας σου." (10) ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ κατέχειν τὴν διάνοιαν οὐκέτι ἠδύνατο· καὶ ἐξοπλίσας καὶ ῥογεύσας τὸν στρατόν, καὶ τῷ μαγίστρῳ χρήματα δούς, ἀπεκίνησεν μετὰ τοῦ κοιτωνίτου Μιχαὴλ τοῦ ἐπιστάτου, μηνὶ ̓Ιουλίῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος πέμπτης. νῆες γὰρ ὑπῆρχον μετὰ ὑγροῦ πυρὸς δισχίλιαι, δρόμωνες χίλιοι, καράβια καματηρὰ σιτήσεις εχοντα καὶ οπλα πολεμικὰ τριακόσια ἑπτά. ὁ δὲ δομέστι- κος Νικηφόρος ἀπάρας τῆς βασιλίδος ἐν Φυγέλοις κατέλαβεν, καὶ τοῦτο ἐφρόντιζεν οπως ὁ σύμπας πλοῦς ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ειναι καὶ προσ- ορμίζοιτο. εμπροσθεν δὲ ὁ συνετὸς ταχυδρόμους γαλέας ἀπο- 476 στείλας κατασκοπῆσαι καὶ κρατῆσαι γλῶσσαν προσέταξεν. καὶ τούτων ἀφικομένων καὶ κρατησάντων, ηγαγον πρὸς τὸν μάγιστρον. καὶ ζητητικώτερον τούτους ἐξετάσας, μαθὼν τὸν ἀμηρᾶν τῆς Κρήτης καὶ τοὺς πρώτους τοῦ κάστρου εξω ειναι εἰς τὰ οἰκεῖα προάστεια, εὐθὺς τῷ δρόμῳ καὶ τῇ σπουδῇ κατέλαβεν καὶ προσ- ώρμισεν. καὶ ἀποβὰς τῶν νηῶν χάρακα καὶ τάφρον βαθεῖαν κατεσκεύασεν, καὶ πρὸς κοῦρσον ἐχώρει, καὶ πάντας παρῄνει ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ειναι καὶ μὴ ἐξελαύνειν, πρὶν αν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ γνώσωνται. πρὸς δὲ κάστρον χωρήσας πάντας τοὺς Κρητικοὺς τοὺς εξω οντας τοῦ κάστρου μετὰ φόβου εσω ἐπέκλεισεν. εκτοτε δὲ πολλοὶ καθ' ἑκάστην ηὐτομόλουν πρὸς τὸν μάγιστρον. μαθὼν δὲ ὁ Νικηφόρος οτι οἱ εξω τοῦ κάστρου ἀποκλεισθέντες εἰς τὰ στενώματα καὶ κλεισούρας καὶ ῥυάκια καὶ ελη καὶ ορη προσέφυγον, διακοσμήσας ουν στρατὸν καὶ ἱπποτοξότας καὶ ̔Ρὼς καὶ ̓Ανατολι-κοὺς αρχοντας καὶ Θρᾳκικοὺς καὶ Μακεδονικοὺς ἀπέστειλεν, αὐ- τὸς δὲ ὁ συνετὸς καὶ ἀνδρεῖος δομέστικος οπισθεν Σάκα κατελεί- φθη· καὶ πάντες τῇ εὐβουλίᾳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὡς ἐν οἰκείῳ χώρῳ ἐλο- γίζοντο ειναι. οἱ δὲ καταλαβόντες καὶ καταδραμόντες ἐν ῳ τὰ κτήνη καὶ τὰ θρέμματα καὶ ἡ υπαρξις αὐτῶν κατεκρύπτετο καὶ αὐτοὶ ηὐλίζοντο, πάντα ληϊσάμενοι μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ νίκης ὑπενό- στησαν. εκτοτε δὲ οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι ἀδεῶς καὶ ἀφόβως ἡπλίκευον ἐν ῳ ησαν αἱ διειδεῖς κρῆναι καὶ τῶν παντοδαπῶν ὀπωρῶν τὸ πλῆ- 477 θος, καὶ εκαστος τὴν καλύβην αὐτοῦ ἐν δένδροις ὀπώρας ειχον, καὶ τῶν καρπῶν ῥεόντων καὶ πάντων ἀπολαυόντων