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some of the superfluous and shallow, for whom it was not possible at all to know the affairs of the church of the Italians, nor indeed to understand upon hearing, how long ago they were among the first united more than the others and something that occurred broke the bond, yet nevertheless the mysteries of Christianity remain again unbroken for us and for them, so that some dared to tamper with nothing regarding the rite of baptism and priesthood 587 and marriage and the monastic state and the other things with which indeed the one catholic church completes its nurslings, but as if they were from oak or from stone from the beginning, knowing none of the things belonging to Christians and for this reason turning away from them inordinately, and they abominated the holy things among our people and gave the sacred objects to cliffs and rivers and mountains, as if they were nothing, and thence they mutilated the things of the faith, the emperor takes up zeal and summons all bishops and monks, and in some cases also some of the schismatics, though with security, prominent men, of whom one was Akakios in Phryganoi and his disciple Germanos and many others, and stands in their midst and beseeches them, from the parables of the Tracker, that those who are attacking not get the better of those who are idle, so that many remember, beginning with a suitable preface, not to overlook religion in danger, nor, being betrayed by the pretense of piety, to consider the sacred things as nothing, but to defend in every way the canons of the church; for it is a great affliction, if because of something unusual that has crept in by dispensation, necessity having arisen, they themselves, defecting from the church, should not only keep to themselves what they do not approve, but should also dare to violate the laws of the church, for whose audacious acts only one evil is lacking, that of not confessing to be Christians, so that, this being the case, those who would restrain them might have strength in the bond of the church, on which account either they themselves, seized by fear, might refrain from thrusting the sword against their own bowels, or indeed those whom they intend to persuade to do impious things would be paralyzed. These were the things then put forth by the emperor, not to excommunicate men taking precautions, certainly not, but to check a wickedness advancing beyond what is reasonable, since many of those who were displeased with that peace were present there and voted together for the curse on those who insult the sacred things. A proof of what is said is that of the many and great men who were present and filled that assembly, no one hesitated, no one spoke against, no one drew back, nor indeed showed any inclination of hesitation; but it was certainly necessary, if Christians were thus 589 to be excommunicated with impunity. But in truth that which was done was a problem of piety, that everything not be dared from what first occurred to some, but that the curse also be certainly a consideration for those who approach the sacred things piously. But these things so far.

19. Again, the affairs concerning Lachanas and how he was killed by Nogai. In the same year, since it was not possible for Lachanas to be at peace, having been deprived of both Ternovos and his wife, having gathered a sufficient force, he besieged the people of Ternovos. And while Asan was still inside, having with him the protostrator Tzasimpaxes, whom the emperor had also honored with the same office, formerly well-disposed to Asan, he inflicted the worst on the Roman forces. For first, having encamped at Diabaina, against about ten thousand men who were allying from outside with those within, whom the protovestiarios Mourinos was leading, Lachanas with a few men attacks many and on the seventeenth of the month of Anthesterion, joining battle with them, wins a decisive victory and works a great slaughter, some in battle, and others he himself captured and later cruelly slaughtered. And again after a short time on the fifteenth of Poseideon, falling upon the forces of the protovestiarios Aprenos at the Exo Zygon, as he was leading about five thousand fighting men, he completely defeated some, and made the other the work of the sword. And then, raging in battle, he accomplished many things. But later,

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τινες τῶν περιττῶν καὶ εὐκόλων, οἷς οὐδ' ἦν τὸ παράπαν εἰδέναι τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῶν Ἰταλῶν, οὔτε μὴν καὶ ἀκούουσι ξυνιέναι, ὡς πάλαι ποτ' ἦσαν ἐν πρώτοις ἡνωμένοι τῶν ἄλλων πλέον καί τι ξυμπεσὸν παρέλυσε τὸν δεσμόν, ὅμως δὲ πάλιν ἀπαράθραυστα μένουσιν ἡμῖν τε κἀκείνοις τὰ τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ μυστήρια, ὡς μηδὲν παρεγχειρεῖν τολμᾶν τινας ἐπὶ τελεσμῷ βαπτίσματος καὶ ἱερωσύνῃ 587 καὶ γάμῳ καὶ τῇ μοναχικῇ καταστάσει καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς οἷς ἄρα καὶ ἡ καθολικὴ καὶ μία ἐκκλησία τοὺς αὐτῆς ἐπιτελεῖ τροφίμους, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἂν ἐκ δρυὸς ἢ ἀπὸ πέτρης ἀρχῆθεν ἦσαν, μηδὲν τῶν τοῖς χριστιανοῖς ἀνη κόντων εἰδότες καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἐκείνους ἐκτόπως ἀποστρεφόμενοι, καὶ τὰ παρὰ τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἐβδελύσσοντο ἅγια καὶ κρημνοῖς καὶ ποταμοῖς καὶ ὄρεσιν ἐδίδουν, ὡς μηδὲν ὄντα, τὰ τίμια κἀντεῦθεν ἐκόλουον τὰ τῆς πίστεως, ἀναλαμβάνει ζῆλον ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ πάντας ἐπισκόπους προσκαλεῖται καὶ μοναχούς, ἔστι δ' οὗ καί τινας τῶν σχιζομένων, πλὴν ἐπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ, περι φανεῖς, ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐν Φρυγανοῖς Ἀκάκιος καὶ ὁ μαθητὴς αὐτοῦ Γερμανὸς καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ πλεῖστοι, καὶ μέσον αὐτῶν ἵσταται καὶ καθικετεύει, ἐκ τῶν Ἰχνηλάτου παραβολικῶν, τοῦ μὴ προλαβεῖν τοὺς ἐπιτιθεμένους ἀργούντων, ὡς καὶ πολλοὺς μνημονεύειν, κατὰ τὸ πρόσφορον προοιμιασάμενος, μὴ παριδεῖν κινδυνεύουσαν τὴν θρησκείαν, μηδέ, σχήματι εὐσεβείας προδιδόμενα, τὰ τίμια παρ' οὐδὲν τίθεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀμύνειν παντὶ τρόπῳ τοῖς τῆς ἐκκλησίας θεσμοῖς· εἶναι γὰρ μεγάλην ἀνίαν, ἢν διά τι παρεισφρῆσαν κατ' οἰκονομίαν τῶν μὴ συνήθων, ἀνάγκης παραπεσούσης, αὐτοί, τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποστα τοῦντες, οὐχ ὅπως τὸ μὴ δοκοῦν φυλάττοιντο σφίσι καθ' ἑαυτούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ νόμους ἐκκλησίας παραλύειν τολμῷεν, ὧν τοῖς τολμήμασιν ἓν μόνον κακὸν λείπει, τὸ μὴ χριστιανίζειν ὁμολογεῖν, ὥστε, παρόντος τούτου, ἰσχὺν τοὺς ἀναχαιτίσοντας ἔχειν τῷ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας δεσμῷ, ἐφ' ᾧ ἢ καὶ αὐτοί, δέει ληφθέντες, ἀπόσχοιντο τοῦ κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων σπλάγχνων τὸ ξίφος ὠθεῖν, ἢ μὴν ἀποναρκᾶν εἴη οὓς μέλλουσιν πείθειν πράττειν ἀνόσια. Ταῦτ' ἦσαν τότε τὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ προβαλλόμενα, μὴ ἀνθρώπους ἐκκηρύττειν ἀσφαλιζομένους, οὐμενοῦν, ἀλλὰ κακίαν ἀναστέλλειν παρὰ τὸ εἰκὸς προ βαίνουσαν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πολλοί γε τῶν τὴν εἰρήνην ἐκείνην δυσχεραινόντων παρῆσαν ἐκεῖ καὶ συγκατεψηφίζοντο τὴν κατάραν τοῖς τὰ τίμια καθυβρί ζουσι. Μαρτύριον τῶν λεγομένων τὸ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ὄντων καὶ συμπλη ρούντων τὸν ἐκεῖ σύλλογον μηδένα διστάσαι, μὴ ἀντειπεῖν, μὴ ἀποσκιρτῆσαι, μήτε μὴν ἐνδείξασθαί τινα ῥοπὴν ὑπολογισμοῦ· ἐχρῆν δὲ πάντως, εἰ οὕτως 589 ἀνέδην χριστιανοὶ ἐκκηρύττοιντο. Ἀλλ' ἦν ταῖς ἀληθείαις πρόβλημα εὐλα βείας τὸ πραχθὲν ἐκεῖνο τοῦ μὴ πάντα τολμᾶσθαι ἐκ τοῦ πρώτως παρα στάντος τισίν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κατάραν εἰς ὑπολογισμὸν εἶναι πάντως τοῖς εὐλαβῶς μετιοῦσι τὰ τίμια. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐς τοσοῦτον.

ιθʹ. Πάλιν τὰ κατὰ τὸν Λαχανᾶν καὶ ὅπως παρὰ τοῦ Νογᾶ πεφόνευται. Τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ ἔτους, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἦν τὸν Λαχανᾶν ἠρεμεῖν, ἀφαιρεθέντα καὶ Τερνόβου καὶ συνοικούσης, λαὸν συναθροίσας τὸν ἱκανόν, τοῖς Τερνοβίταις περιεκάθητο. Καὶ ἔτι μὲν τοῦ Ἀσὰν ἐντὸς ὄντος, ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ Τζασίμπα ξιν πρωτοστράτορα, ὃν καὶ βασιλεὺς ἐτίμα τῷ αὐτῷ ὀφφικίῳ, Ἀσὰν εὐνο οῦντα τὸ πρότερον, τὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις ἔδρα τὰ χείριστα. Καὶ γὰρ πρῶτον μὲν περὶ δέκα χιλιάδας οὔσας καὶ συμμαχούσας ἔξωθεν τοῖς ἐντός, ἃς ὁ πρωτοβεστιαρίτης Μουρῖνος ἦγε, ἐπὶ τῷ ∆ιαβαινᾷ στρατοπεδευσάμενος, Λαχανᾶς πολλοῖς μετ' ὀλίγων προσβάλλει καὶ ἑπτακαιδεκάτῃ μηνὸς ἀνθε στηριῶνος, συρράξας πόλεμον σφίσι, κατὰ κράτος νικᾷ καὶ πολὺν φόνον ἐργάζεται, οὓς μὲν κατὰ πόλεμον, οὓς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς κατασχὼν ἀπηνῶς ὕστερον κατασφάξας. Καὶ αὖθις μετ' ὀλίγον ποσειδεῶνος πεντεκαιδεκάτῃ τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀπρηνὸν πρωτοβεστιαρίτην ἐπεισπεσὼν κατὰ τὸν Ἔξω Ζυγόν, ὡσεὶ πέντε χιλιάδας μαχίμων ἄγοντα, τοὺς μὲν εἰς τέλος κατηγωνί σατο, τὸν δ' ἔργον δεικνύει μαχαίρας. Καὶ πολλὰ τότε λυσσομαχῶν κατειρ γάζετο. Ὕστερον δέ,