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they send and bring Romans into their own country. And Muhammad, campaigning against them, kills many, and subjects Armenia to the Saracens, and he burned the magnates of the Armenians alive in one place. In this year, Azar campaigned against Cilicia with ten thousand, and Heraclius, the brother of the emperor, encountering them, killed the greater part, and sent the rest as prisoners to the emperor.
In the 6th year, Azidas son of Chunei campaigned against Cilicia, and besieging the fortress of Sision, he captured it; whom the emperor's brother overtook and, fighting, killed twelve thousand Arabs. And while Justinian was staying in Cherson and saying that he would be emperor again, the inhabitants there, fearing the danger from the emperor, decided to kill him or send him to the emperor. But he, having found this out, was able to escape, and coming to Daras, he asked to see the Khagan of the Khazars. And he received him with honor, and gave him 1.779 Theodora his sister as a wife. And after a short time, at the urging of the Khagan, he went down to Phanagoria, and there he stayed with Theodora. Apsimaros, hearing these things, sends to the Khagan promising him many gifts, if he would send Justinian to him alive, or even his head. When the Khagan yielded, he sent him a guard, ostensibly so that he would not be plotted against by his own people, having instructed his men that when it was revealed to them, they should do away with Justinian. But when these things were revealed to Theodora by a servant of the Khagan and made known to Justinian, he summoned these guards from the Khagan and murdered them. And immediately he sends Theodora away to Khazaria. And fleeing from Phanagoria, he went down to the mouth, and embarking on a ship, he comes as far as Symbolon, near Cherson, and sending secretly, he takes on board Basbakourion and his brother and Stephen and Metropaulos; and sailing away with them, he passed the lighthouse of Cherson and the Nekropyla and the mouth of the Dnieper and the Dniester. And when a storm arose, they all despaired of their own safety. But Myakes, his household man, said to him, "Behold we are dying, master. Make a vow to God for your safety, that if God restores your kingdom to you, you will not avenge yourself on your enemy." But he answering him says in anger, "If I spare any one of them, may God drown me right here." And entering the Danube river, he sends Stephen to Tervel, the 1.780 ruler of Bulgaria, to give him assistance, so that he might take hold of his ancestral kingdom, promising many gifts and his own daughter in marriage. And when he promised with oaths to do everything, he stirs up all the people of the Bulgars and Slavs, and having armed themselves, they come against the imperial city along with Justinian. And they encamped at the Gate of Charisius and as far as Blachernae. And for three days, speaking to those in the city, he was rather insulted. But Justinian with a few Romans entered the city through the aqueduct, and raising a din of digging, he pitched camp for a short while in the palace of Blachernae. When Apsimaros learned this, he arrived at Apollonias as a fugitive, taking with him very much money. And Justinian recovered the empire. And Callinicus held the patriarchal throne. Justinian for the second time, for 6 years. Having taken over the empire, having given many gifts to Tervel and royal vessels and having cut off a region of the Roman land, now called Zagoria, he dismissed him in peace. But Apsimaros, having fled to Apollonias, is captured and brought to Justinian, and likewise also Heraclius from Thrace with certain other commanders; and he dragged them all at the wall. And having also sent to all the inland parts, finding more of them as far as
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πέμπουσι καὶ Ῥωμαίους εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν χώραν φέρουσιν. ὁ δὲ Μωάμεδ ἐπιστρατεύσας κατ' αὐτῶν πολλοὺς κτείνει, καὶ τὴν Ἀρμενίαν Σαρακηνοῖς ὑποτάσσει, τοὺς δὲ μεγι στᾶνας τῶν Ἀρμενίων ζωοκαύστους ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ ἐποίησε. τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει ἐπεστράτευσεν Ἀζὰρ τὴν Κιλικίαν μετὰ χιλιάδων δέκα, καὶ περιτυχὼν αὐτοῖς Ἡράκλειος ὁ ἀδελφὸς τοῦ βασιλέως τοὺς πλείονας ἀπέκτεινε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς δεσμίους τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξαπέ στειλε.
Τῷ ςʹ ἔτει Ἄζιδας ὁ τοῦ Χουνέϊ ἐπεστράτευε τὴν Κιλικίαν, καὶ πολιορκήσας τὸ Σίσιον κάστρον κατέβαλεν· ὃν ἐπιφθάσας ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφὸς καὶ πολεμήσας κτείνει δώδεκα χιλιάδας Ἀράβων. τοῦ Ἰουστινιανοῦ δὲ ἐν Χερσῶνι διάγοντος καὶ λέγοντος πάλιν ἑαυτὸν βασιλεύειν, οἱ τῶν ἐκεῖσε οἰκήτορες τὸν ἐκ τοῦ βα σιλέως κίνδυνον φοβηθέντες ἐβουλεύσαντο τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν ἢ τῷ βασιλεῖ παραπέμψαι. αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦτο διεγνωκὼς ἠδυνήθη ἐκφυ γεῖν, καὶ εἰς τὸ ∆αρὰς ἐλθὼν ᾐτήσατο τὸν τῶν Χαζάρων χαγά νον ἰδεῖν. καὶ ὃς ἐδέξατο αὐτὸν μετὰ τιμῆς, καὶ ἐξέδοτο αὐτῷ 1.779 εἰς γυναῖκα Θεοδώραν τὴν ἀδελφὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον χρό νον προτροπῇ τοῦ χαγάνου κατῆλθεν εἰς Φαναγουρίαν, κἀκεῖ διέτριβε μετὰ Θεοδώρας. ταῦτα ἀκούσας Ἀψίμαρος πέμπει πρὸς τὸν χαγάνον ὑποσχόμενος αὐτῷ δῶρα πολλά, εἰ τὸν Ἰουστινιανὸν ζῶντα αὐτῷ παραπέμψει, ἢ κἂν τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ. εἴξαντος δὲ τοῦ χαγάνου, παραφυλακὴν αὐτῷ δῆθεν ἔπεμψε διὰ τὸ μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ἐπιβουλευθῆναι, ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἵν' ὅταν δηλωθῇ αὐτοῖς, ἀνέλωσιν Ἰουστινιανόν. τούτων δὲ δι' οἰκέ του τοῦ χαγάνου τῇ Θεοδώρᾳ μηνυθέντων καὶ τῷ Ἰουστινιανῷ γνωσθέντων, προσκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἐκ χαγάνου φύλακας τούτους ἐφόνευσεν. εὐθέως δὲ ἀποστέλλει Θεοδώραν εἰς Χαζαρίαν. ἀπὸ δὲ Φαναγουρίας αὐτὸς δραπετεύσας εἰς τὸ στόμιον κατῆλθε, καὶ πλοίῳ ἐπιβὰς ἔρχεται μέχρι Συμβόλου, πλησίον Χερσῶνος, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἐν αὐτῷ κρυπτῶς ἀναλαμβάνεται Βασβακούριον καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν Στέφανον καὶ τὸν Μητρόπαυλον· καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀποπλεύσας διέβη τὸν φάρον Χερσῶνος καὶ τὰ Νεκρό πυλα τὸ στόμιόν τε τοῦ ∆άναπρι καὶ τοῦ ∆άναστρι. καὶ κλύδω νος γεγονότος ἀπέγνωσαν πάντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίαν. Μυάκης δὲ ὁ οἰκειακὸς αὐτοῦ ἄνθρωπος ἔφη αὐτῷ "ἰδοὺ ἀποθνήσκομεν, δέσποτα. τάξαι τῷ θεῷ περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας σου, ἵνα, ἐὰν ὁ θεὸς ἀποδώσει σοι τὴν βασιλείαν σου, μηδὲν ἀμύνῃ τῷ ἐχθρῷ σου." ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς αὐτῷ λέγει ἐν θυμῷ "ἐὰν φείσομαί τινος ἐξ αὐτῶν, ὁ θεὸς ἐνταῦθά με καταποντίσει." καὶ εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν ∆άνουβιν ποταμὸν ἀποστέλλει Στέφανον πρὸς Τέρβελιν τὸν 1.780 ἄρχοντα Βουλγαρίας ἐπὶ τῷ δοῦναι αὐτῷ σύναρσιν, ὅπως κρατήσῃ τῆς προγονικῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας, ὑποσχόμενος δῶρα πολλὰ καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρα εἰς γυναῖκα. αὐτοῦ δὲ πάντα ποιεῖν μεθ' ὅρκων ὑποσχομένου, συγκινεῖ πάντα τὸν λαὸν τῶν Βουλγάρων καὶ Σθλάβων, καὶ ὁπλισθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλίδα ἔρχονται ἅμα τῷ Ἰουστινιανῷ. ἠπλήκευσαν δὲ εἰς τὴν Χαρσίου πόρταν καὶ ἕως τῶν Βλαχερνῶν. καὶ ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις προσλαλῶν τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει μᾶλλον ὑβρίζετο. ὁ δὲ Ἰουστινιανὸς μετ' ὀλίγων Ῥωμαίων διὰ τοῦ ἀγωγοῦ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ θόρυβον ἀνασκαφῆς βαλὼν πρὸς βραχὺ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ Βλαχερνῶν. ὅπερ μαθὼν Ἀψίμαρος φυγὰς εἰς Ἀπολλωνιάδα ἀφίκετο, ἄγων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ χρήματα πάμπολλα. Ἰουστινιανὸς δὲ ἀπέλαβε τὴν βασι λείαν. τὸν δὲ τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης θρόνον κατεῖχε Καλλίνικος. Ἰουστινιανὸς τὸ δεύτερον ἔτη ʹ. παραλαβὼν τὴν βασι λείαν, δῶρα πολλὰ δοὺς τῷ Τέρβελι καὶ βασιλικὰ σκεύη καὶ χώ ραν τῆς Ῥωμαίων γῆς κόψας τὰ νῦν λεγόμενα Ζαγόρια, ἀπέλυσεν αὐτὸν ἐν εἰρήνῃ. Ἀψίμαρος δὲ φυγὼν εἰς Ἀπολλωνιάδα συλλαμβάνεται καὶ πρὸς Ἰουστινιανὸν ἄγεται, ὡσαύτως δὲ καὶ Ἡράκλειος ἀπὸ Θρᾴκης μετά τινων ἑτέρων ἀρχόντων· καὶ ἐν τῷ τείχει πάν τας ἐφούλκισεν. ἀποστείλας δὲ καὶ εἰς τὰ μεσόγεια πάντα, πλείους ἐξ αὐτῶν εὑρὼν ἕως