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they said: "When the Saracens attacked, they returned to Romanía. But we, being unable to go to Romanía, were coming to Alania." And he said to them: "What do we do now?" And they said, "It is impossible for us to pass through this land." But the spatharios said: "It is not possible to get out by another road." So there was a fortress there, called Sideron, in which was a topoteretes, one named Pharasmanios, being under the Saracens and having peace with the Armenians. So the spatharios sent a message, making it clear to him, "Since you have peace with the Armenians, be at peace with me too; and come under 394 the empire, and give us assistance to go down to the sea and cross over to Trapezous." But when he did not choose to do this, the spatharios sends some of his men and Armenians, having ordered them to set an ambush; "and when they come out of the fortress for labor, capture as many of them as you can, and hold the gates from the outside, until we also arrive." And when they had gone and set the ambush, and the people had come out for labor, suddenly attacking, they seized the gate and took many captive. With Pharasmanios remaining in the fortress with a few men, the spatharios also arrived and, speaking to Pharasmanios to open the gates in peace, he was not willing, but made war. And since the fortress was strong, they were not able to take it. But Marinos, the first of the Apsilians, learning that the fortress was being besieged, was seized with fear, thinking that a great host was with the spatharios; and taking three hundred men with him, he went to the spatharios saying, "I will get you safely to the coast." But Pharasmanios, seeing the situation, said to the spatharios: "Take my child as a hostage, and I profess to serve the empire." But he, having taken his child, says to him: "What sort of servant of the empire do you call yourself, that being shut up you speak to us? It is impossible for us to withdraw, until we take over the fortress." Then Pharasmanios says: "Give me your word." And the spatharios gave him his word to do him no harm, but to enter the fortress with only thirty men. But as he did not keep his word, he ordered the thirty who were entering with him, "When we enter, hold the gates, and let everyone enter." And when this was done, he allowed fire to be thrown into the fortress. And when a great fire had broken out, the families came out, snatching whatever they could carry from their belongings; and having spent another three days, he demolished the walls to the ground and setting out, went down into Apsilia along with Marinos, their chief, having been received by the Apsilians with great honor. and from there 395 having gone down to the coast, he crossed over and came to Justinian. And when Justinian was killed, and Philippikos was blinded, Artemios becomes emperor and appoints him strategos of the Anatolics. And when Theodosios became emperor, and Artemios was driven out, and the Roman state being in confusion both from barbarian invasion and from the bloody murders of Justinian and the unholy deeds of Philippikos, this aforementioned Leo championed Artemios, opposing Theodosios. And he had agreeing with him and assisting him Artavasdos, the strategos of the Armeniacs, whom also, after he became emperor, he made his son-in-law to his daughter Anna, appointing him also kouropalates. But Masalmas, having wintered in Asia, was awaiting the promises of Leo; but having received nothing from Leo and knowing that he had been tricked by him, having come to Abydos he transported a sufficient host across to Thrace and set out for the reigning city, having also written to Suleiman the protosymboulos to arrive with the prepared fleet. and on the 15th of the month of August he laid siege to the city

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δὲ εἶπον· "τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἐπιπεσόντων, ἐπὶ Ῥωμανίαν ὑπέστρεψαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ δυνηθέντες ἐπὶ Ῥωμανίαν ἀπελθεῖν ἐπὶ Ἀλανίαν ἠρχόμεθα." καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· "τί ποιοῦμεν ἄρτι;" οἱ δὲ εἶπον, ὅτι "διὰ τῆς χώρας ταύτης ἀδύνατόν ἐστι διελθεῖν ἡμᾶς." ὁ δὲ σπαθάριος ἔφη· "οὐκ ἔστι δυνατὸν δι' ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἐξελθεῖν." κάστρον οὖν ὑπῆρχεν ἐκεῖσε, ἐπιλεγόμενον Σιδηρόν, ἐν ᾧ ἦν τοποτηρητὴς Φαρασμάνιός τις τοὔνομα ὑπὸ τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς τυγχάνων καὶ εἰρήνην ἔχων μετὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων. πέμψας οὖν ὁ σπαθάριος δηλοῖ αὐτῷ, ὅτι "ἐφ' ὅσον εἰρήνην ἔχεις μετὰ τῶν Ἀρμενίων, εἰρήνευσον καὶ μετ' ἐμοῦ· καὶ γενοῦ ὑπὸ 394 τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ δὸς ἡμῖν σύναρσιν τοῦ κατελθεῖν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ καὶ περᾶσαι εἰς Τραπεζοῦντα." τοῦ δὲ μὴ ἑλομένου τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, πέμπει ὁ σπαθάριος ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων αὐτοῦ καὶ Ἀρμενίους, παραγγείλας αὐτοῖς ποιῆσαι ἔγκρυμμα· "καὶ ὅτε ἐξέρχονται ἐκ τοῦ κάστρου εἰς τὸν κάματον, χειρώσασθε ἐξ αὐτῶν ὅσους δύνασθε, καὶ τὰς πόρτας κρατήσατε ἐκ τῶν ἔξω, ἕως ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς φθάσωμεν." τῶν δὲ ἀπελθόντων καὶ ποιησάντων τὸ ἔγκρυμμα, καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἐξελθόντος εἰς τὸν κάματον, ἄφνω ἐπιπεσόντες τήν τε πόρταν ἐκράτησαν καὶ πολλοὺς ἐζώγρησαν. τοῦ δὲ Φαρασμανίου ἐν τῷ κάστρῳ μετ' ὀλίγων μείναντος, κατέλαβε καὶ ὁ σπαθάριος καὶ προσλαλήσας τῷ Φαρασμανίῳ, ὅπως ἀνοίξῃ τὰς πόρτας μετ' εἰρήνης, οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, ἀλλ' ἐκρότησε πόλεμον. τοῦ δὲ κάστρου ὀχυροῦ ὄντος, λαβεῖν αὐτὸ οὐκ ἠδύναντο. Μαρῖνος δέ, ὁ πρῶτος τῶν Ἀψιλῶν, μαθὼν πολιορκεῖσθαι τὸ κάστρον φόβῳ συνεσχέθη, νομίσας πολὺν λαὸν εἶναι σὺν τῷ σπαθαρίῳ· καὶ λαβὼν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τριακοσίους ἀπῆλθε πρὸς τὸν σπαθάριον λέγων, ὅτι "ἐγώ σε διασώζω ἕως τῆς παραθαλασσίας." ὁ δὲ Φαρασμάνιος ἑωρακὼς τὴν περίστασιν ἔφη πρὸς τὸν σπαθάριον· "λάβε τὸ τέκνον μου ὄψιδα, καὶ ὁμολογῶ δουλεύειν τῇ βασιλείᾳ." ὁ δὲ λαβὼν τὸ τέκνον αὐτοῦ λέγει αὐτῷ· "ποῖον δοῦλον ἑαυτὸν τῆς βασιλείας καλεῖς, ὅτι ἐναπόκλειστος ὢν λαλεῖς ἡμῖν; ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἡμῖν ἀναχωρῆσαι, μέχρις ἂν παραλάβωμεν τὸ κάστρον." τότε λέγει ὁ Φαρασμάνιος· "δός μοι λόγον." ὁ δὲ σπαθάριος ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ λόγον μηδὲν αὐτὸν ἀδικῆσαι, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τριάκοντα ὀνομάτων μόνον εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῷ κάστρῳ. τούτου δὲ τὸν λόγον μὴ φυλάξαντος, παρήγγειλε τοῖς συνεισερχομένοις αὐτῷ τριάκοντα, ὅτι "ἐν τῷ εἰσελθεῖν ἡμᾶς κρατήσατε τὰς πόρτας, καὶ ἂς εἰσέλθωσι πάντες." καὶ τούτου γενομένου, ἐπέτρεψε βληθῆναι πῦρ εἰς τὸ κάστρον. γενομένης δὲ πυρκαϊᾶς μεγάλης, ἐξῆλθον αἱ φαμιλίαι ἁρπάζουσαι εἴ τι ἠδύναντο βαστάσαι ἐκ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῶν· καὶ ποιήσας ἄλλας τρεῖς ἡμέρας κατέλυσε τὰ τείχη ἕως τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀποκινήσας κατῆλθεν ἐν Ἀψιλίᾳ μετὰ καὶ Μαρίνου, τοῦ πρώτου αὐτῶν, ὑποδεχθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀψιλῶν μετὰ μεγάλης τιμῆς. κἀκεῖθεν 395 κατελθὼν ἐν τῇ παραθαλασσίᾳ ἀντεπέρασε καὶ ἦλθε πρὸς Ἰουστινιανόν. τοῦ δὲ Ἰουστινιανοῦ ἀναιρεθέντος, καὶ τοῦ Φιλιππικοῦ τυφλωθέντος, βασιλεύει ὁ Ἀρτέμιος καὶ προβάλλεται αὐτὸν στρατηγὸν εἰς ἀνατολικούς. τοῦ δὲ Θεοδοσίου βασιλεύσαντος, καὶ τοῦ Ἀρτεμίου ἐκδιωχθέντος, καὶ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων πολιτείας συγκεχυμένης οὔσης ἔκ τε βαρβάρων ἐπιδρομῆς καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ Ἰουστινιανοῦ μιαιφονιῶν καὶ τῶν τοῦ Φιλιππικοῦ ἀνοσιουργιῶν, οὗτος ὁ εἰρημένος Λέων ὑπερεμάχει τῷ Ἀρτεμίῳ, ἐναντιούμενος Θεοδοσίῳ. εἶχε δὲ συμφωνοῦντα αὐτῷ καὶ συντρέχοντα Ἀρτάυασδον, τὸν τῶν Ἀρμενιάκων στρατηγόν, ὃν καὶ γαμβρὸν μετὰ τὸ βασιλεῦσαι αὐτὸν εἰς Ἄνναν τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ πεποίηκεν, προβαλλόμενος αὐτὸν καὶ κουροπαλάτην. Μασαλμᾶς δὲ χειμάσας ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ἐξεδέχετο τὰς τοῦ Λέοντος ὑποσχέσεις· μηδὲν δὲ παρὰ Λέοντος δεξάμενος καὶ γνοὺς ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ, ἐλθὼν εἰς τὴν Ἄβυδον ἀντεπέρασε λαὸν ἱκανὸν εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλεύουσαν πόλιν ἀπεκίνησεν, γράψας καὶ πρὸς Σουλεϊμὰν τὸν πρωτοσύμβουλον καταλαβεῖν μετὰ τοῦ προετοιμασθέντος στόλου. τῇ δὲ ιεʹ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνὸς παρεκάθισε τὴν πόλιν ὁ