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he found no one drawn up against him; for all were destitute of aid, since the entire fleet that was accustomed to guard them was campaigning with Thomas. Therefore, he also reaped great benefits from all the islands at which he put in. He came at one point also to Crete, and having raided it and enslaved as many men as possible, and having learned the excellence and charm of the island, he said this to his subjects, "Behold a land flowing with milk and honey." And at that time he said nothing more, but having filled the fleet with all sorts of goods, he was mindful of the return home. But as the winter was ending and the spring was dawning, having manned forty ships with fighting men and having watched for a favorable wind, he sailed away to Crete, passing by the other islands with forbearance. And having reached the island, he put in at the promontory called Charax. And as nothing hostile appeared to him, neither during the disembarkation nor during the landing, having pitched a fortified camp, 2.93 he sent out suitable men for plunder, while he himself, with the rest, just as the wind was picking up, and when they were ten or even fifteen stades away, setting fire to the ships, burned them all, sparing none at all. But the army (for they returned immediately, terrified, struck with amazement by the unexpected sight of the event) inquired the reason and entered into rebellious talk. But when they heard what they had long been in travail with, "You yourselves are the cause of these things, seeking a colony and a good land, and to me none has been considered better than this one, I have come to this course of action, both doing what is pleasing to you and freeing myself from your annoyance." But when they mentioned their wives and children, "Here too are wives," said Apochaps, "our captives, and soon children from them." Silenced by these words, and judging what was said to be worthy of acceptance, they first raised a deep ditch, and having fixed stakes in it, whence the place, having taken its name, preserves the designation even now, being called Chandax, they passed the night there. Not much time flowed by, and rumor taught the emperor what was being done. And he entrusted all the affairs of Crete to the protospatharios Photeinos, the strategos of the Anatolics. This man, having arrived there and learned everything, informed the emperor of what was being done, and requested that a force be sent that would drive the enemy away from there.

Accordingly, 2.94 a certain Damian, who was count of the imperial stable and protospatharios, was sent by the emperor with a large force and preparation to the aid of the strategos Photeinos, who, having united, armed themselves against the Hagarenes. But the outcome for them was in no way useful; for Damian himself, having been struck by a fatal blow in the first assault and having died, also became the cause of a rout for the rest, and Photeinos barely escaped in a dromon and became the messenger to the emperor of what had been done. But this man, since he was held in honor by the emperor in every way, exchanged the strategia of Crete for that of Sicily; but to the Saracens, who were still living in confusion and anxiety, a certain monk, having come down from the mountains of the island, said that they were making a mistake, if they thought they would be safe established in this place, and as he spoke he pointed out Chandax to them, a favorable and suitable place for every kind of prosperity. In this place, having founded a city and a sort of acropolis for the whole island, and setting out from it, they overran the whole island and the others. They enslaved the natives and the cities in Crete, except for one. Then indeed Cyril, the bishop of Gortyn, was perfected with the martyr's crown, not having been willing to deny Christ. And Crete was captured in this manner. But Emperor Michael, having been freed from the civil wars, did not ascribe the victory to God but to his own wisdom and generalship; wherefore, puffed up by pride, he was unrestrained

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οὐδένα εὕρισκε τὸν ἀντιπαραταττόμενον· ἐχήρευον γὰρ πᾶσαι βοηθείας, τοῦ εἰωθότος φυλάττειν στόλου παντὸς συστρατευομένου τῷ Θωμᾷ. διὸ καὶ μεγάλας ὠφελείας ἐκ πασῶν, αἷς καὶ προσώρμιζεν, ἐκαρποῦτο. ἧκε δέ ποτε καὶ εἰς Κρήτην, καὶ ταύτην καταδραμὼν καὶ ἀνδρα ποδισάμενος ὡς ἐνῆν, καὶ τὴν τῆς νήσου καταμαθὼν ἀρετὴν καὶ χάριν, τοῦτο ἔφη πρὸς τοὺς ὑπηκόους, "ἰδοὺ γῆ ῥέουσα γάλα καὶ μέλι." καὶ τότε μὲν ἔφη πλέον οὐδέν, παντοίων δὲ τὸν στόλον ἐμπεπληκὼς ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐπ' οἶκον νόστων ἐμέμνητο. ὡς δ' ὁ χειμὼν ὑπέληγε καὶ τὸ ἔαρ ἐπέλαμπε, τεσσαράκοντα ναῦς πλη ρώσας ἀνδρῶν μαχίμων καὶ οὔριον ἄνεμον ἐπιτηρήσας πρὸς Κρή την ἀπέπλει, τὰς ἄλλας τῶν νήσων παρατρέχων ἐπιεικῶς. κατα λαβὼν δὲ τὴν νῆσον τῷ ἀκρωτηρίῳ τῷ λεγομένῳ Χάρακι προσορ μίζεται. ὡς δ' οὐδὲν αὐτῷ οὔτε κατὰ τὴν ἀπόβασιν οὔτε κατὰ τὴν καταγωγὴν ἐφάνη πολέμιον, παρεμβολὴν πηξάμενος ὀχυρὰν 2.93 τοὺς μὲν ἐπιτηδείους εἰς προνομὴν ἐξαπέστειλεν, αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἔχων ἄρτι δὴ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπακμάζοντος, κἀκείνων πορρωτέρω σταδίων δέκα ἢ καὶ ιεʹ γενομένων, πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν ταῖς ναυσὶ τὰς πάσας κατέφλεξε, φεισάμενος τὸ παράπαν οὐδεμιᾶς. ὁ δὲ στρατὸς (καὶ γὰρ ἐπαλινόστουν εὐθέως ἐκδειματωθέντες, τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ θεαθέντος πράγματος καταπλαγέντες) τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπυνθάνοντο καὶ εἰς λόγους ἦλθον νεωτερικούς. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤκουον ἃ πάλαι ὤδινον, ὡς αὐτοί τε τούτων ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι, ἀποικίαν ζη τοῦντες καὶ γῆν ἀγαθήν, ἐμοὶ δὲ ταύτης οὐδετέρα νενόμισται κρείττων, εἰς ταύτην ἦλθον τὴν ὁδόν, τὰ ὑμῖν τε θυμήρη πράτ των καὶ ἐμαυτὸν τῆς ἐξ ὑμῶν ἀπαλλάττων ὀχλήσεως. ὡς δὲ καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ παίδων ἐμέμνηντο, "καὶ γυναῖκες" ἔφη ὁ Ἀπόχαψ "ὧδε, ἡμέτεραι αἰχμάλωτοι, καὶ παῖδες μετὰ μικρὸν ἐξ αὐτῶν." τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις κατασιγασθέντες, καὶ ἀποδοχῆς ἄξια κρίναν τες τὰ λεγόμενα, τάφρον μὲν ἤγειραν πρῶτον βαθεῖαν, καὶ χάρα κας ἐν ταύτῃ καταπήξαντες, ἔνθα καὶ νῦν λαβὼν τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ὁ τόπος σώζει τὴν προσηγορίαν, Χάνδαξ ὀνομαζόμενος, ἐκεῖσε διενυκτέρευον. χρόνος οὐκ ἐρρύη πολύς, καὶ τὰ πραττόμενα ἡ φήμη τὸν βασιλέα ἐδίδασκε. καὶ ὃς τῷ πρωτοσπαθαρίῳ Φω τεινῷ τῶν ἀνατολικῶν στρατηγοῦντι τὰ τῆς Κρήτης ἅπαντα ἀνα τίθησιν. οὗτος ἐκεῖσε παραγενόμενος καὶ τὰ πάντα καταμαθὼν τὸν βασιλέα ἀνεδίδασκε τὰ πραττόμενα, καὶ δύναμιν ἠξίου πέμ πειν τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἀποσοβήσουσαν τοὺς ἐχθρούς.

∆αμιανὸν γοῦν 2.94 τινὰ ὄντα κόμητα τοῦ βασιλικοῦ ἱπποστασίου καὶ πρωτοσπαθάριον μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως καὶ παρασκευῆς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλεν εἰς βοήθειαν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ Φωτεινοῦ, οἳ καὶ ἑνωθέντες κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ὡπλίζοντο. εἰς οὐδὲν δὲ χρήσιμον αὐτοῖς τὸ τέλος ἐνε περάνθη· αὐτός τε γὰρ ὁ ∆αμιανὸς κατὰ τὴν πρώτην προσβολὴν καιρίαν πληγεὶς καὶ θανὼν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς τροπῆς γέγονεν αἴτιος, καὶ ὁ Φωτεινὸς μόλις ἐν δρόμωνι διασώζεται καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν πραχθέντων αὐτάγγελος γίνεται. ἀλλ' οὗτος μέν, ἐπεὶ διὰ τιμῆς ἤγετο τῷ βασιλεῖ πάντως, τὴν τῆς Σικελίας στρατηγίαν αὖθις τῆς Κρήτης ἀλλάσσεται· τοῖς δὲ Σαρακηνοῖς ἐν ταραχῇ καὶ μερίμνῃ διάγουσιν ἔτι μοναχός τις ἐκ τῶν ὀρέων τῆς νήσου ἐπικαταβὰς ἁμαρτάνειν ἔφησεν, εἰ ἀσφαλῶς οἴονται ἕξειν ἱδρυθέντες ἐν τῷδε τῷ τόπῳ, καὶ ἅμα λέγων τὸν Χάνδακα τούτοις ὑπέδειξε, δεξιὸν τόπον καὶ εὐφυῆ πρὸς πᾶσαν εὐετηρίαν. ἐν τούτῳ πόλιν ἱδρύ σαντες καὶ οἷόν τινα πάσης ἀκρόπολιν τῆς νήσου, καὶ ἐκ ταύτης ὁρμώμενοι τὴν ὅλην κατέτρεχον νῆσον καὶ τὰς λοιπάς. ἐδουλώ σαντο δὲ τοὺς αὐτόχθονας καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ πόλεις πλὴν μιᾶς. τότε δὴ καὶ ὁ Κύριλλος ὁ Γορτύνης πρόεδρος στέφει τελειοῦται μαρτυρικῷ, μὴ θελήσας ἀρνήσασθαι τὸν Χριστόν. καὶ Κρήτη μὲν ἑάλω τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. Τῶν ἐμφυλίων δὲ πολέμων ἀπαλλαγεὶς ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ οὐ τῷ θεῷ τὴν νίκην ἐπέγραψεν ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ φρονήσει καὶ στρατηγίᾳ· διὸ καὶ ὑπὸ φρονήματος φυσηθεὶς ἀκάθεκτος ἦν