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Germanikeia to Palestine. In the same year, Lachanodrakon, imitating his teacher, gathered every monk and nun who were under the theme of the Thrakesians to Ephesos, and having led them out to a field called the Tzykanisterion, he said to them, that "Whoever wishes to obey the emperor and us, let him put on a white garment and take a wife at this hour, but those who do not do this will be blinded and exiled to Cyprus." And at the same time as the word, the deed was accomplished, and many martyrs were revealed on that day, and many who deserted also perished, whom Drakon also made his own. In the same 9th indiction, on the 14th of the month of January, a son was born to the emperor Leo and Irene, and he was named Constantine, while Constantine his grandfather was still living. 31. 17. 2. . In this year Banakas campaigned against Romanía and having come down from Isauria he besieged the fortress of Syke. And when the emperor heard, he wrote to Michael, the strategos of the Anatolics, and to Manes, of the Boukellarioi and Bardanes of the Armeniacs. And having come, they held their exit, which was a very difficult pass. And the fleet of the Kibyrrhaiotai, having arrived with Petronas their [proto]spatharios and strategos, rushed into the harbor of the fortress. And Banakas, seeing and despairing of himself, encourages and heartens his own men, and having gone up against the cavalry themes he raised a war-cry and routed them, and having killed many and taken all those surrounding regions captive he returned with much plunder. In the same year the strategos of the Thrakesians, Michael Lachanodrakon, having sent Leo his notarios, nicknamed Kouloukes, and Leo from the abbots, Koutzodaktylos, sold 446 all the monasteries, both male and female, and all the sacred vessels and books and livestock, and whatever was for their subsistence, and brought the proceeds from these to the emperor. Whatever monastic and patristic books he found, he burned in fire. And if anyone was found anywhere having a relic of a saint as an amulet, he handed this also over to the fire, and punished the one having it as being impious. And he destroyed many of the monks by scourging, and some by the sword, and he blinded countless numbers. And anointing some of their beards with wax-oil he set them on fire and thus burned both their faces and their heads, and others he sent into exile after many tortures. And finally he did not permit in the whole theme under him a single person clad in the monastic habit. And when the hater-of-good emperor learned this, he wrote thanks to him, saying, "I have found you a man after my own heart, who does all my will." Therefore, the rest, imitating him, did similar things. 32. 18. 3. 7. In this year Abdelas sent Moualabitos to Africa with a large army, and Alphadal Badinar entered Romanía and took five hundred captives. But the Mopsuestians, having met and fought them, killed a thousand of the Arabs. And Abdelas, having gone to Jerusalem, imposed a registration and ordered the Christians and the Jews to be marked on their hands. And many of the Christians fled by sea to Romanía. And Kourikos Sergios was captured outside Syke, and Lacherbaphos [Sergios] in Cyprus, being the person in charge there. 33. 19. 4. 8. In this year, in the month of May, of the 12th indiction, Constantine moved a fleet of 2,000 chelandia against Bulgaria, and having himself also embarked on the rousia chelandia he set out to enter the Danube river, also leaving the strategoi of the cavalry themes outside the passes, to see if somehow they might be able, while the Bulgarians 447 were occupied with him, to enter into Bulgaria. But when he came as far as Varna, he became afraid and contemplated turning back. But the Bulgars, seeing and being afraid, sent a boila and Tzigatos, asking for peace

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Γερμανίκεια εἰς Παλαιστίνην. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει μιμησάμενος ὁ Λαχανοδράκων τὸν διδάσκαλον αὐτοῦ πάντα μοναχὸν καὶ μονάστριαν τοὺς ὑπὸ τὸ θέμα τῶν Θρᾳκησίων ὄντας συνῆξεν εἰς Ἔφεσον καὶ ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτοὺς εἰς πεδίον λεγόμενον Τζουκανιστῆριν ἔφη πρὸς αὐτούς, ὅτι "ὁ μὲν βουλόμενος τῷ βασιλεῖ πειθαρχεῖν καὶ ἡμῖν ἐνδυσάσθω στολὴν λευκὴν καὶ λαβέτω γυναῖκα τῇ ὥρᾳ ταύτῃ, οἱ δὲ τοῦτο μὴ ποιοῦντες τυφλούμενοι εἰς Κύπρον ἐξορισθήσονται." καὶ ἅμα τῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἔργον ἐτελέσθη, καὶ πολλοὶ μάρτυρες ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἀνεδείχθησαν, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ λειποτακτήσαντες ἀπώλοντο, οὓς καὶ ᾠκειοῦτο ὁ ∆ράκων. τῇ δὲ αὐτῇ θʹ ἰνδικτιῶνι, Ἰαννουαρίῳ μηνὶ ιδʹ, ἐτέχθη Λέοντι τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ Εἰρήνῃ υἱός, καὶ ὠνομάσθη Κωνσταντῖνος, ζῶντος ἔτι Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ πάππου αὐτοῦ. λαʹ. ιζʹ. βʹ. ʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσε Βανάκας τὴν Ῥωμανίαν καὶ κατελθὼν ἀπὸ Ἰσαυρίας εἰς τὸ κάστρον Συκῆς παρεκάθισεν αὐτό. ἀκούσας δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔγραψε πρὸς Μιχαήλ, τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν ἀνατολικῶν, καὶ πρὸς Μάνην, τὸν τῶν Βουκελλαρίων καὶ Βαρδάνην τὸν τῶν Ἀρμενιάκων. καὶ ἐλθόντες ἐκράτησαν τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτῶν κλεισοῦραν οὖσαν δύσβατον πάνυ. ὁ δὲ στόλος τῶν Κιβυραιωτῶν καταλαβὼν μετὰ Πετρωνᾶ [πρωτο]σπαθαρίου καὶ στρατηγοῦ αὐτῶν ὥρμησεν ἐν τῷ λιμένι τοῦ κάστρου. ὁ δὲ Βανάκας ἰδὼν καὶ ἀπογνοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παραθαρρύνει καὶ προθυμοποιεῖ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ ἀνελθὼν πρὸς τὰ καβαλλαρικὰ θέματα ἠλάλαξε καὶ τρέπει αὐτούς, καὶ ἀποκτείνας πολλοὺς καὶ αἰχμαλωτεύσας πάντα τὰ περίχωρα ἐκεῖνα ὑπέστρεψε μετὰ σκύλων πολλῶν. Τῷ δ' αὐτῷ ἔτει ὁ τῶν Θρᾳκησίων στρατηγὸς Μιχαὴλ ὁ Λαχανοδράκων ἀποστείλας Λέοντα τὸν νοτάριον αὐτοῦ, τὸν ἐπιλεγόμενον Κουλούκην, καὶ Λέοντα ἀπὸ ἀββάδων τὸν Κουτζοδάκτυλον, ἔπρασε 446 πάντα τὰ μοναστήρια ἀνδρεῖά τε καὶ γυναικεῖα καὶ πάντα τὰ ἱερὰ σκεύη καὶ βιβλία καὶ κτήνη, καὶ ὅσα ἦν εἰς ὑπόστασιν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς τούτων τιμὰς εἰσεκόμισε τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὅσα δὲ εὗρε μοναχικὰ καὶ πατερικὰ βιβλία πυρὶ κατέκαυσεν. καὶ εἴ που λείψανον ἁγίου ἐφάνη τις ἔχων εἰς φυλακτήριον, καὶ τοῦτο τῷ πυρὶ παρέδωκεν, τὸν δὲ ἔχοντα αὐτὸ ὡς ἀσεβοῦντα ἐκόλαζεν. καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν μοναχῶν διὰ μαστίγων ἀνήλωσεν, ἔστι δὲ οὓς διὰ ξίφους, ἀναριθμήτους δὲ ἐτύφλωσεν. καὶ τῶν μὲν τὰς ὑπήνας κηρελαίῳ ἀλείφων ὑφῆπτε πῦρ καὶ οὕτω τά τε πρόσωπα αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς κεφαλὰς κατέκαιεν, τοὺς δὲ μετὰ πολλὰς βασάνους ταῖς ἐξορίαις παρέπεμπεν. καὶ τέλος οὐκ εἴασεν εἰς ὅλον τὸ ὑπ' αὐτὸν θέμα ἕνα ἄνθρωπον μοναδικὸν περιβεβλημένον σχῆμα. ὃ καὶ μαθὼν ὁ μισάγαθος βασιλεὺς ἔγραψεν αὐτῷ εὐχαριστίας λέγων, ὅτι "εὗρόν σε ἄνδρα κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν μου, ὃς ποιεῖς πάντα τὰ θελήματά μου." τοῦτον οὖν μιμησάμενοι καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τὰ ὅμοια διεπράττοντο. λβʹ. ιηʹ. γʹ. ζʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἀπέστειλεν ὁ Ἀβδελᾶς εἰς Ἀφρικὴν τὸν Μουαλάβιτον μετὰ πολλοῦ στρατοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἀλφαδὰλ Βαδινὰρ εἰς Ῥωμανίαν καὶ ἔλαβεν αἰχμαλώτους πεντακοσίους. οἱ δὲ Μομψουεστεῖς συναντηθέντες αὐτοῖς καὶ πολεμήσαντες ἀπέκτειναν ἐκ τῶν Ἀράβων χιλίους. ὁ δὲ Ἀβδελᾶς ἀπελθὼν εἰς τὰ Ἱεροσόλυμα ἐπενήστευσε καὶ ἐπέτρεψε γραφῆναι τοὺς Χριστιανοὺς καὶ τοὺς Ἑβραίους εἰς τὰς χεῖρας. καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν Χριστιανῶν διὰ θαλάσσης ἔφυγον εἰς Ῥωμανίαν. ἐκρατήθη δὲ ὁ Κούρικος Σέργιος ἔξωθεν Συκῆς, καὶ ὁ Λαχέρβαφος [Σέργιος] εἰς Κύπρον ἐκ προσώπου ὢν τῶν ἐκεῖσε. λγʹ. ιθʹ. δʹ. ηʹ. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει μηνὶ Μαΐῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος ιβʹ ἐκίνησε Κωνσταντῖνος στόλον χελανδίων β κατὰ Βουλγαρίας καὶ εἰσελθὼν καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς τὰ Ῥούσια χελάνδια ἀπεκίνησε πρὸς τὸ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὸν ∆ανοῦβιν ποταμὸν καταλιπὼν καὶ τοὺς τῶν καβαλλαρικῶν θεμάτων στρατηγοὺς ἔξω τῶν κλεισουρῶν, εἴ πως δυνηθῶσι τῶν Βουλγάρων 447 εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσχολουμένων εἰσελθεῖν εἰς Βουλγαρίαν. ἐλθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἕως τῆς Βάρνας, ἐδειλίασε καὶ ἐμελέτα ὑποστρέψαι. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ Βούλγαροι καὶ δειλιάσαντες ἀπέστειλαν βοϊλᾶν καὶ Τζιγάτον, αἰτούμενοι εἰρήνην