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they entrusted to them the matters of the alliance, until they should hand over, not only Isaac Melik, but also their own leader Tachatziaris, who privately led the Turcopoles, and not only that, but also a third, the very brother of Isaac Melik, as those who had evidently attached themselves to him. When these were betrayed, they dispatched Isaac with a block and sword, not only him but also his brother, having placed their heads one over the other on the ground during the execution so that the beheading of both would happen at the same time. Then, having stripped him, they found the imperial chrysobull addressed to him hanging from his armpit, which, having read, they also found among other 633 of the leaders of the Persians in the west, with great promises if they should revolt, and the name of Tachatziaris; on account of which, they, being brought to their defense, fabricated pretexts that would benefit them. For this reason, they suspended the execution, but gave them over to the most secure guards. And so, when, having again received and given pledges with the Persians, they were about to march out against Tzurulum, the Turcopoles were not willing to advance with them on any other condition, unless their leader Tachatziaris should be released from prison. And this was done, since all, as it seemed, were of one mind, at which time, when they had decided to march straight for the city, again those outside were gathering their baggage, whom the need for plowing urged to remain. But they, having arrived at Tzurulum, found themselves in want, as those inside held out. But Tachatziaris at night, together with very many of the Turcopoles, rode at full speed towards Tzarapes at Aprus, and they were received when they arrived, the agreements for their desertion having been previously arranged through messages. However, those of the Persians left behind at Tzurulum, having learned what had happened, immediately fled with all their might to the shores in order to cross over by using the ships of the Italians. And not only that, 634 but the Italians too, unable to bear the mockery, pursued them. And these things seemed good to the Romans, (30) and all the more so because Pharenta was also expected to incline towards the emperor on account of great promises. But he, while already pretending to come over, with Birgerius suddenly arriving on a very large ship and carrying many of the horsemen on it, became weaker in his impulses, because from Sicily there were frequent and very great promises from Theudericus to them, if they should hold out. Nevertheless, however, he was not clearly annulling what had been previously arranged with the emperor. And sending ahead, he reported all kinds of terrible things about the emperor's sister, Asanina, announcing that she, sending her servant Cannaburius to them, was inciting them against the emperor out of her long-standing wrath on behalf of the Caesar. The emperor, having learned this and investigated, and having in part understood what he understood, became angry with his sister and sending for her, confined her in the palace, postponing the matters concerning her for a more complete investigation. But he sent asking, as it were, for men to convey him to the emperor, and two triremes were dispatched for this purpose. Who, upon arriving, rushed 635 towards Birgerius's ship, as if to capture it. But Tzimes, sending a message, protected the ship, saying that the people on it were his own; and that they should not at the first make war on those with whom they were beginning to be reconciled, but that they could attack at dawn, if they wished, after his own men had departed. Saying these things, he deceived them, and sending chests with some bedding, as if his own treasures, he gave credence to his words by what he was supposedly doing. But during the night, when the ship had been supplied with more commanders, from that point on, our men's plan against it was in vain, and they did not attempt it at all, and he himself showed that he was not sound in his pledges. And for these reasons, being suspicious about the chests as well, they opened them, and found the trickery manifest; for sand and rocks were the contents, and there was no doubt at all that everything he said and did was a sham. Whence also they returned empty-handed to the emperor. And another of them, Pharentzanezas, the full brother

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αὐτοῖς ἐνεπίστευον τὰ τῆς συμμαχίας, πρὶν ἂν παραδοῖεν, οὐχ ὅπως τὸν Ἰσαὰκ Μελήκ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν σφῶν ἐξηγούμενον Ταχαγτζιάριν, ὃς ἰδίως ἦγε τοὺς Τουρκοπού λους, οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ τρίτον αὐτὸν τὸν αὐτάδελφον τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ Μελήκ, ὡς φανέντι οἱ προστεθέντας. ὧν καὶ προδοθέντων τὸν μὲν Ἰσαὰκ φιτρῷ καὶ ξίφει διεχειρίσαντο, οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν αὐτάδελφον, τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ φονεύειν κατὰ γῆς ἐπαλλάξαντες ὡς ἅμα τὴν τομὴν γενέσθαι καὶ ἀμφοτέρων. εἶτα δὲ περιδύσαντες τὸ βασιλικὸν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον χρυσόβουλλον ἐπὶ μάλης εὗρον ἐξηρτημένον, ὅπερ ἀναγνόντες σύναμα καὶ ἄλλοις 633 τοῖς τῶν κατὰ δύσιν ἐξηγουμένοις Περσῶν εὕρισκον, καθ' ὑπο σχέσεις εἰ ἀποστατοῖεν μεγάλας, καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ταχαγτζιάρι ὄνομα· ἐφ' οἷς ἐκεῖνοι εἰς ἀπόλογον καταστάντες προφάσεις ἐπλάττοντο τὰς σφᾶς ὠφελούσας. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ τὸν φόνον μὲν ἀνεῖχον, φυ λακαῖς δ' ἐδίδουν ταῖς ἀσφαλεστάταις. ὡς γοῦν καὶ αὖθις τὰ πιστὰ πρὸς Πέρσας λαβόντες καὶ δόντες ἔμελλον ἐπὶ Τζουρουλοῦ ἐξελαύνειν, οὐκ ἄλλως συμπροάγειν σφίσιν ἤθελον οἱ Τουρκόπου λοι, εἰ μή γε τῆς εἱρκτῆς ὁ σφῶν ἐξηγούμενος Ταχαγτζιάρις ἀπο λυθείη. καὶ γέγονε τοῦτο, μιᾶς γνώμης συνόλων, ὡς ἐῴκει, γινομένων, ὅτε καὶ δοξάντων εὐθὺ τῆς πόλεως ἐλαύνειν καὶ αὖ θις οἱ ἐκτὸς ἐσκευαγώγουν, οὓς ἡ ἀρότου χρεία παραμένειν κα τήπειγεν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνοι Τζουρουλῷ προβαλόντες ἐπὶ τοῦ ὑστερή ματος ἐγεγόνεισαν, τῶν ἐντὸς ἀντεχόντων. Ταχαγτζιάρις δὲ νυ κτὸς συνάμα πλείστοις τῶν Τουρκοπούλων ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ἤλαυνον πρὸς Τζαράπην ἐπὶ Ἄπρῳ, καὶ προσεδέχθησαν ἐπιστάντες προϋ πηργμένων ἐκ μηνυμάτων τῶν ὁμολογιῶν τῆς αὐτομολήσεως. οἱ μέντοι γε τῶν Περσῶν ἀπολειφθέντες ἐν Τζουρουλῷ, μαθόντες τὸ δρᾶμα, εὐθὺς ἀνὰ κράτος ἐπ' αἰγιαλοὺς ὡς διαπεραιωθησό μενοι φεύγουσι τῷ ταῖς ναυσὶ τῶν Ἰταλῶν χρήσασθαι. οὐ μὴν 634 δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰταλοὶ τὴν χλεύην μὴ ἐνεγκόντες κατόπιν διώ κουσι. Καὶ ἔδοξαν ἀγαθὰ ταῦτα Ῥωμαίοις, (30) καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι καὶ Φαρέντα προσδόκιμος ἦν ἀποκλίνειν πρὸς βασιλέα ἐπὶ με γάλαις ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος ἤδη προσποιούμενος τὴν προσχώρησιν, Μπυριγερίου ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνηδὸν ἐπιστάντος ἐπὶ με γίστου καράβου καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἱππέων ἐν αὐτῷ φέροντος, ἀσθενέστερος μὲν ἐγίνετο ταῖς ὁρμαῖς, ὅτι γε καὶ ἐκ Σικελίας ἐπαγγελίαι πρὸς Θευδερίχου συχναί τε καὶ μέγισται πρὸς ἐκείνους ἦσαν, εἰ ἐπιμένοιεν. ὅμως γε μέντοι οὐ δῆλος ἦν τὰ πρὸς βα σιλέα προϋπηργμένα ἐξαθετῶν. καὶ πέμπων προηγουμένως μὲν περὶ τῆς ἀδελφῆς τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς Ἀσανίνης τὰ πάνδεινα διε μήνυε, προσαγγέλλων ὡς αὐτὴ πρὸς αὐτοὺς πέμπουσα τὸν οἰ κεῖον αὐτῇ Κανναβούριον ἐξοτρύνει κατὰ βασιλέως ἐκ τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Καίσαρος μηνιμάτων πάλαι. ὃ δὴ μαθὼν βασιλεὺς καὶ ζη τήσας, καὶ ἐκ μέρους καταλαβὼν ὃ κατέλαβεν, δι' ὀργῆς ἐποιεῖτο τὴν αὐταδέλφην καὶ πέμψας ἐγκαθείργνυ τοῖς ἀνακτόροις, εἰς ἐντελεστέραν ἐξέτασιν τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν ἀναρτῶν. ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοὺς ἀνακομίσοντας αὐτὸν πρὸς βασιλέα πέμπων ὡς δῆθεν ἐζήτει, καὶ δύο ἐπὶ τούτῳ τριήρεις ἐξαπελύοντο. οἳ καὶ ἐπιστάντες ὥρμησαν 635 ἐπὶ τὸν τοῦ Μπυριγερίου κάραβον ὡς αἱρήσοντες. ἀλλ' ὁ Τζιμῆς πέμψας περιεποιεῖτο τὴν ναῦν, ἴδιον λέγων εἶναι τὸν ἐν τούτῳ λαόν· μὴ χρῆναι δὲ πολεμεῖν τὴν πρώτην οἷς καταλλάττεσθαι ἄρχονται, ἀλλὰ σφῶν ἐξελθόντων προσβαλεῖν, εἰ θέλοιεν, ἕω θεν. ταῦτ' εἰπὼν ἐξηπάτα, καὶ χηλοὺς ὡς οἰκείους θησαυροὺς μετά τινος στιβαδίου ἐξαποστέλλων τὰ πιστὰ ἐδίδου τοῖς λόγοις ἐξ ὧν ἔπραττε δῆθεν. ἀλλὰ νυκτὸς ἱκανωθέντος πλείοσι πολε μάρχοις τοῦ καράβου, τὸ μὲν ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ σκέμμα τῶν ἡμετέρων μάταιον ἐντεῦθεν ἦν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπεχείρουν τὸ σύνολον, αὐτὸς δὲ ἔδειξε μὴ ὑγιὴς ὢν τὰς πίστεις. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ὑπόπτως καὶ περὶ τῶν χηλῶν ἔχοντες ἀνοιγνύουσι, καὶ τὸν δόλον εὑρίσκουσι φανερόν· ἄμμος γὰρ καὶ πέτραι τὰ πληρώματα ἦσαν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ παράπαν ἀμφίβολον τοῦ μὴ φενάκην εἶναι τὸ πᾶν ὃ ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγέ τε καὶ ἔπραττεν. ὅθεν καὶ κενοὶ πρὸς βασιλέα ὑπέστρεφον. Ἄλλος δέ τις ἐκείνων Φαρεντζανέζας, αὐτάδελφος