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having come to be under his protection, they did not persuade Theophilos to surrender this man, but rather because of this Theophilos raised him to the rank of patrician and married him to his own sister, and he 2.121 legislated that each of the Persians was to be joined to the Romans through intermarriage. And having made many of them distinguished in imperial offices, he enrolled them in the military registers, calling them the Persian corps, and ordered them to be numbered with the Romans who marched out against the Agarenes. Therefore Theophilos, taking courage from these two, both Manuel and Theophobos, went out against the Agarenes. And when the armies came near each other, 2.122 there was need of counsel. And Manuel said it was not right for the emperor of the Romans to fight against the amermoumnes, but for one of the generals, taking a part of the army, to go out against the face of the enemy; but Theophobos wanted the emperor himself to be on the battle line, and advised to attack the enemy by night with the infantry, and that the cavalry would join the attack when needed. But he did not persuade the emperor, since many said that Theophobos was appropriating the glory of the Romans and for this reason wanted to fight at night. It was decided therefore to join battle openly by day. The amermoumnes Imbrael, therefore, whether otherwise boasting or indeed fearing the emperor, took part of his army and withdrew, but he dispatched a certain Abouzachar, one of his generals, with eighty thousand men for the war against the emperor. And when the armies approached and an engagement took place and many were falling on both sides, finally the Scholae with the domesticus gave way and began to withdraw. But the emperor with the imperial phalanx and two thousand Persians, Theophobos also being with them, went up a certain hill, which the Saracens surrounded. And until evening the battle raged around them, the one side hoping to take him captive, the other defending themselves and not enduring to betray the emperor. Therefore when night fell, 2.123 Theophobos outwitted the Saracens, urging the soldiers to make noises and shouts with lyres and strings and the sounds of trumpets, as if other reinforcements were arriving for them. For the Saracens, suspecting this, withdrew six miles backwards, fearing an encirclement. Wherefore those around the emperor, having gained a little security, took to flight and worked out their salvation and were saved by reaching the camp that had fled. The emperor therefore, only blaming the army that had betrayed him, but doing nothing more unpleasant, honored those around Theophobos with favors and distinguished honors. Wherefore the Persians kindled a greater affection for Theophobos, and they begged to undertake the war against the Agarenes alone with him, and they assured the emperor that they would rout them. Therefore the emperor, being charmed by their words, wished no one else but Theophobos to lead them.

In the following year the emperor again went out with his forces, and engaging the Agarenes near Charsianon, he routed them and captured not a few, taking up to twenty-five thousand captives, and with a brilliant victory he returned to the reigning city. And a certain captive of the Saracens was taken, noble in hand-to-hand combat and renowned for the skill of his hands, who was known to the domesticus of the Scholae and was testified by him 2.124 to be skilled in horsemanship and that in riding he, using two spears with exceeding art and skill, strikes down his opponents. And since it was necessary for the domesticus to perform the victory triumph in the hippodrome, and this man was leading the triumph, the emperor, seeing him and being carried away by the praises, commanded him both to mount a horse, and taking spears

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σχόμενοι δι' αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, οὐκ ἔπεισαν τὸν Θεόφιλον τοῦτον ἐκδοῦναι, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον διὰ τοῦτο ἀνάγει αὐτὸν ὁ Θεόφιλος εἰς τὴν τῶν πατρικίων τιμὴν καὶ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφῇ συνοικίζει, ἕκα 2.121 στόν τε τῶν Περσῶν νομοθετεῖ κατ' ἐπιγαμίαν συνάπτεσθαι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. πολλοὺς δὲ ἐκ τούτων ἐμπρέπειν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς ἀξιώμασι πεποιηκὼς κώδιξι στρατιωτικοῖς ἀναγράφεται, τάγμα Περσικὸν τούτους ὀνομάσας, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐξιοῦσι Ῥωμαίοις συναριθμεῖσθαι προσέταξε. τούτοις τοίνυν τοῖς δυσὶ θαρρήσας Θεόφιλος, τῷ τε Μανουὴλ καὶ τῷ Θεοφόβῳ, ἔξεισι κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν. ἐγγὺς δὲ γενομένων ἀλλήλοις τῶν στρα 2.122 τευμάτων ἐδέησε βουλῆς. καὶ ὁ μὲν Μανουὴλ οὐ δίκαιον ἔλεγε βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων πρὸς ἀμερμουμνῆν πολεμεῖν, ἀλλά τινα μέρος λαβόντα τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐξιέναι κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν ἐχθρῶν· ὁ Θεόφοβος δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ παρατάξεως εἶναι τὸν βασιλέα ἐβού λετο, καὶ νύκτωρ ἐπιθήσεσθαι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μετὰ τοῦ πεζικοῦ συνεβούλευε, συνεπιθήσεσθαι δέ, ὅτε δεήσει, καὶ τὸ ἱππικόν. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπεισε τὸν βασιλέα, πολλῶν εἰπόντων σφετερίζεσθαι τὸν Θεόφοβον τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων δόξαν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο βούλεσθαι ἐν νυκτὶ πολεμεῖν. ἔδοξεν οὖν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς μεθ' ἡμέραν συρράξαι τὸν πόλεμον. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀμερμουμνῆς Ἰμπραήλ, εἴτε ἄλλως καταλαζονευόμενος εἴτε δὴ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα κατορρωδήσας, μέρος τῆς στρατιᾶς αὐτοῦ λαβὼν ἀνεχώρησεν, Ἀβουζάχαρ δέ τινα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ στρατηγῶν πρὸς τὸν κατὰ βασιλέως πόλεμον μετὰ μυριά δων ὀκτὼ ἐξαπέστειλεν. ἐγγισάντων δὲ τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ συμπλοκῆς γενομένης καὶ πολλῶν ἑκατέρωθεν πιπτόντων, τέλος ἔκλιναν αἱ σχολαὶ μετὰ τοῦ δομεστίκου καὶ πρὸς ὑπαγωγὴν ἐκινή θησαν. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ μετὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς φάλαγγος καὶ δύο χιλιάδων Περσῶν, προσόντος αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῦ Θεοφόβου, ἐπί τινα βουνὸν ἄνεισι, περιστοιχισάντων τοῦτον τῶν Σαρακηνῶν. καὶ ἄχρι μὲν ἑσπέρας πολὺς ἦν ὁ περὶ αὐτῶν πόλεμος, τῶν μὲν ἐλπι ζόντων αἰχμάλωτον τοῦτον λαβεῖν, τῶν δὲ ἀμυνομένων καὶ μὴ προδοῦναι τὸν βασιλέα ἀνεχομένων. διὸ νυκτὸς ἐπιγενομένης 2.123 κατεσοφίσατο τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς ὁ Θεόφοβος, τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐγκελευσάμενος κρότοις τε καὶ ἀλαλαγμοῖς χρῆσθαι κιννύραις τε καὶ χορδαῖς καὶ σαλπίγγων φωναῖς ὡς τάχα βοηθείας ἑτέρας προσ γινομένης αὐτοῖς. τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ καὶ ὑποτοπάσαντες οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ μίλια ἓξ ὑπεχώρησαν εἰς τοὐπίσω, κύκλωσιν κατορρωδήσαντες. ὅθεν ἀδείας τυχόντες μικρᾶς οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα φυγῇ χρησά μενοι τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπραγματεύσαντο καὶ πρὸς τὸ διαπεφευγὸς στρατόπεδον διεσώθησαν. μεμψάμενος οὖν τὸ προδεδωκὸς στρά τευμα μόνον ὁ βασιλεύς, οὐδὲν δὲ πλέον ἄχαρι πράξας, χάρισι καὶ διαφερούσαις τιμαῖς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Θεόφοβον ἐγέραιρεν. ὅθεν οἱ Πέρσαι πλείονα τὸν πόθον πρὸς τὸν Θεόφοβον ἀνῆπτον, καὶ μόνοι μετ' αὐτοῦ τὸν κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ὑποδύεσθαι πόλεμον καθικέτευον, καὶ τρέπεσθαι τούτους διεβεβαιοῦντο τὸν βασιλέα. διὸ καὶ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτῶν κατακηλούμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐδένα ἄλλον αὐτοῖς ἀλλὰ τὸν Θεόφοβον ἡγεμονεύειν ἐβούλετο.

Τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἐνιαυτῷ ἔξεισι πάλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς μετὰ τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ κατὰ τὸ Χαρσιανὸν συμπλακεὶς τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς τρέπεται τούτους καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγους χειροῦται, αἰχμαλώτους κατα σχὼν ἄχρι τῶν εἰκοσιπέντε χιλιάδων, καὶ μετὰ νίκης λαμπρᾶς ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν. ἐλήφθη δέ τις αἰχμάλωτος τῶν Σαρακηνῶν κατὰ χεῖρά τε γενναῖος καὶ χειρῶν εὐφυΐᾳ ὀνομαστός, ὃς γνωστὸς ἦν τῷ τῶν σχολῶν δομεστίκῳ καὶ ἐμαρτυρεῖτο παρ' 2.124 αὐτοῦ ὡς εἴη τε δεξιὸς περὶ τὴν ἱππασίαν καὶ ὡς ἐν τῷ ἱππάζεσθαι δυσὶ δόρασι χρώμενος ἐντέχνως ἄγαν καὶ εὐφυῶς καταβάλλει τοὺς ἐναντίους. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει ἐν τῇ ἱπποδρομίᾳ τὸν τῆς νίκης θρίαμβον ἐκτελεῖν τὸν δομέστικον, προηγεῖτο δὲ οὗτος τοῦ θριάμβου, θεα σάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς ἐπαίνοις κλαπεὶς ἵππου τε ἐπιβῆναι ἐκέλευσε, καὶ δόρατα λαβόντα