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distinguished, all beautiful and good in appearance and having driven virtue to the highest peak. And Theodora, having died, left behind such a generation. The whole administration of public affairs devolved upon Bardas alone, and he was exceptionally beloved by the emperor. Whence he also received the dignity of kouropalates, a reward perhaps for the deposition of his own sister. He decided, therefore, along with the emperor to campaign against the Ishmaelites and Amer, the emir of Melitene, who was just reaching manhood from beardless youth. So when they entered the enemy's land and came to Samosata (Samosata is a city on the Euphrates, 2.162 abounding in might and strength), they attempted to besiege it. But since the Saracens feigned cowardice and had shut themselves inside, and no one was leaping from the wall, perhaps out of fear of the imperial force, the Romans were conducting themselves carelessly and without guards. On the third day of the siege (it was the Lord's day and the first of the week) as the bloodless sacrifice was being celebrated, in which they were about to partake of the divine mysteries, the Saracens threw open the gates and, leaping out with their weapons, attacked the Romans from all sides. And they, struck with astonishment at the unexpectedness of the attack, immediately turned to flight. There Michael the emperor, with great difficulty mounting his horse, was saved with effort, while all the baggage of the emperor and the soldiers was taken by the enemy, as Karbeas, the leader of the Manichaeans, distinguished himself more than the others, striking down not only many of the obscure soldiers of the army, but also taking not a few of the distinguished men prisoner, no fewer than one hundred strategoi and tourmarchai, of whom the others were released after paying a ransom, but Sion the strategos alone died in prison. After two years had passed, Amer again campaigned against the Romans, leading an army of not less than thirty thousand. Michael, wishing to avenge the previous defeat, himself also gathered an army from the Thracians and Macedonians of about forty-five thousand, and went out against him. When Amer learned this, he made his march through certain difficult but shortcut regions, 2.163 and falling upon him suddenly, he utterly routed the emperor and forced him to look to flight. And he would have been captured, had not Manuel the domestic of the schools cut through the phalanx and rescued him, while all the others were scattered, as each managed to escape. Again a second year passed after this war, and again Amer, campaigning with forty thousand, made an incursion against the Romans, sacking and plundering both the Armeniac theme and the region toward the sea, at which time they say he suffered an experience similar to Xerxes, who ordered the sea to be beaten with whips because it did not allow him to proceed further. Michael, distressed at these events, and not daring to campaign against him again himself, ordered his mother's brother Petronas, who was governing the Thrakesion theme, to take the Roman forces and march against him with all his strength. He happened to be staying at that time near Ephesus. Upon receiving the letters, he fell into the greatest anxiety. Therefore, riding out at once, he went away into Mount Latros to the monk John, who was practicing asceticism there and was at that time renowned for his virtue, and inquired about the matter. And he, without any delay in his response to the question, said, 'Go, child, against the Saracens; for you will have God going before you.' Armed with his prayers, he went away to the place called Lalakaon, and he set up ambushes on all sides 2.164 and challenged Amer to battle. Amer, therefore, having been surrounded on all sides like a wild beast, and being anxious about the outcome, called one of the Roman prisoners and inquired about both the name of the region and of the place in which he happened to be encamped, and of the

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διαπρέποντι, αἱ πᾶσαι καλαὶ καὶ ἀγαθαὶ τὰς ὄψεις καὶ ἀρετῆς ἐλάσασαι πρὸς ἀκρώρειαν. καὶ ἡ μὲν Θεοδώρα θανοῦσα τοιαύτην ἀπολέλοιπε τὴν γενεάν. Ἡ πᾶσα δὲ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων διοίκησις εἰς μόνον ἐξε κυλίσθη τὸν Βάρδαν, ἐστέργετό τε διαφερόντως παρὰ τοῦ βασι λέως. ἔνθεν καὶ τὴν τοῦ κουροπαλάτου ἀναλαμβάνει τιμήν, ἆθλον τάχα τῆς καθαιρέσεως τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀδελφῆς. ἔκρινε γοῦν ἅμα τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ κατὰ τῶν Ἰσμαηλιτῶν ἐκστρατεῦσαι καὶ τοῦ τῆς Με λιτηνῆς ἀμηρεύοντος Ἄμερ, ἄρτι εἰς ἄνδρας τελοῦντι ἐξ ἀγενείων. ὡς δ' οὖν τῆς τῶν ἐναντίων ἐπέβησαν γῆς καὶ κατὰ τὰ Σαμόσατα ἐγένοντο (πόλις δὲ τὰ Σαμόσατα τῶν παρευφρατείων, δυνάμει τε 2.162 βρίθουσα καὶ ἰσχύϊ), ταύτην ἐπεχείρουν πολιορκεῖν. ἐμποιησα μένων δὲ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν δειλίαν καὶ συγκεκλεικότων αὑτοὺς ἔν δον, καὶ μηδενὸς ἐκπηδῶντος τοῦ τείχους τάχα διὰ δειλίαν τῆς βασιλικῆς δυνάμεως, ἀμελῶς καὶ ἀφυλάκτως οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι διῆγον. κατὰ δὲ τὴν τρίτην τῆς ἐφεδρείας ἡμέραν (ἡ κυρία δὲ ἦν καὶ πρώτη τῶν ἡμερῶν) τῆς ἀναιμάκτου θυσίας ἐπιτελουμένης, ἐν ᾗ τῶν θείων ἔμελλον μετασχεῖν μυστηρίων, τὰς πύλας οἱ Σαρα κηνοὶ διαπετάσαντες καὶ μεθ' ὅπλων ἐκπεπηδηκότες πάντοθεν ἐπε τίθεντο τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. οἱ δὲ τῷ ἀδοκήτῳ καταπλαγέντες τῆς ἐπιθέσεως εὐθὺς πρὸς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν. ἔνθα καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ βα σιλεὺς μόλις που τὸν ἵππον ἀναβὰς ἐργωδῶς διεσώθη, τῆς ἀπο σκευῆς πάσης τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ληφθείσης παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων, τοῦ τῶν Μανιχαίων ἐξηγουμένου Καρβέα μᾶλλον τῶν ἄλλων ἀριστεύσαντος, καὶ καταβαλόντος οὐ μόνον πολλοὺς τῶν ἀφανῶν τῆς στρατιᾶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωγρίας λαβόντος οὐκ ὀλί γους τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, στρατηγοὺς καὶ τουρμάρχας οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν ἑκατόν, ὧν οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι λύτρα δόντες ἀπελύθησαν, μόνος δὲ Σηὼν ὁ στρατηγὸς τῇ φυλακῇ ἐναπέψυξε. Χρόνων δὲ δύο παραδραμόντων πάλιν ὁ Ἄμερ στρατὸν ἐπα γόμενος, οὐκ ἔλαττον τρισμυρίων, ἐκστρατεύει κατὰ Ῥωμαίων. ὁ Μιχαὴλ δὲ τὴν προτέραν ἧτταν ἀνακαλέσασθαι βουλόμενος, στρατὸν καὶ αὐτὸς συναγηοχὼς ἔκ τε Θρᾳκῶν καὶ Μακεδόνων περὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἥμισυ μυριάδας, ἔξεισι κατ' αὐτοῦ. ὅπερ μαθὼν Ἄμερ, διά τινων χωρίων δυσχώρων ἐπιτόμων δὲ τὴν πορείαν ποιη 2.163 σάμενος καὶ αἰφνίδιον προσπεσών, ἐτρέψατο κατὰ κράτος τὸν βα σιλέα καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ἠνάγκασεν ἀπιδεῖν. μικροῦ δ' ἂν καὶ ἥλω αἰχμάλωτος, εἰ μὴ Μανουὴλ ὁ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν τὴν φά λαγγα διακόψας αὐτὸν διεσώσατο, τῶν ἄλλων πάντων, ὥσπερ ἔτυχεν ἕκαστος δυνηθείς, διασπαρέντων. ∆εύτερος πάλιν μετὰ τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον διῆλθεν ἐνιαυτός, καὶ πάλιν ὁ Ἄμερ μετὰ τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδων ἐκστρατεύσας εἰσ βολὴν ἐποιήσατο κατὰ Ῥωμαίων, ὁμοῦ μὲν καὶ τὴν Ἀρμενιακὴν ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ τὴν πρὸς θάλασσαν ἐκπορθῶν καὶ δῃούμενος, ὅτε φασὶν αὐτὸν παραπλησίως τῷ Ξέρξῃ πάθος παθεῖν, μάστιξι κε λεύσαντος παίειν τὴν θάλασσαν, ὅτι μὴ περαιτέρω προήκατο τοῦ τον χωρεῖν. ἐφ' οἷς ἀσχάλλων ὁ Μιχαήλ, καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸς ἀντι στρατεῦσαι πρὸς αὐτὸν μὴ τολμῶν, τὸν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μητρὸς ἀδελ φὸν Πετρωνᾶν, τῶν Θρᾳκησίων διέποντα τὴν ἀρχήν, τὰς Ῥωμαϊ κὰς δυνάμεις ἐκέλευσε λαβεῖν καὶ παντὶ σθένει χωρεῖν κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἔτυχε δ' οὗτος διατρίβων τότε κατὰ τὴν Ἔφεσον. δεξάμενος δὲ τὰ γράμματα εἰς ἀγωνίαν ἐμπίπτει μεγίστην. εὐθὺς οὖν ἐξιππα σάμενος ἄπεισιν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τῷ Λάτρει πρὸς τὸν ἐκεῖσε ἀσκούμενον μοναχὸν Ἰωάννην, ἐπ' ἀρετῇ ὄντα τῷ τότε διαβόητον, καὶ περὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπυνθάνετο. ὁ δὲ μηδαμῶς ἐμβραδύνας πρὸς τὴν ἐρώτησιν "ἄπιθι τέκνον" ἔφη "κατὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν· θεὸν γὰρ ἕξεις προπορευόμενον." τούτου καθοπλισθεὶς ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἄπεισι κατὰ τὸν λεγόμενον Λαλακαίωνα τόπον, καὶ λόχους πανταχόθεν 2.164 ἐπέστησε, καὶ πρὸς συμπλοκὴν ἐξεκαλεῖτο τὸν Ἄμερ. πάντοθεν οὖν ὡς θηρίον περικλεισθεὶς ὁ Ἄμερ, καὶ περὶ τοῦ τέλους ἀγω νιῶν, τῶν αἰχμαλώτων τινὰ Ῥωμαίων προσκαλεσάμενος ἐπυνθά νετο τήν τε τῆς χώρας προσωνυμίαν καὶ τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧ ἔτυχεν ἐστρατοπεδευκώς, καὶ τοῦ