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end. 2.227 But another fleet was again raised from Crete. For while Sa’il, son of Apokhaps, was ruler of Crete, a certain man, Photios, a warrior and an active man, was sent by him against the Romans with twenty-seven koumparia, which they are accustomed to call galleys, who, setting out from Crete, plundered the islands in the Aegean and the coastal regions, and reached as far as Proikonnesos in the Hellespont, enslaving and destroying whatever he came upon. The patrikios Niketas Ooryphas, droungarios of the fleet, who had been appointed to command the Roman fleet, encountered him with the Roman fleet near the mouth of the Aegean by Kardia, and joining in a fierce battle, immediately burned down twenty of the Cretan vessels with liquid fire, and the barbarians in them were divided between the sword, fire, and water. But as many as escaped the danger from the sea-battle and from the sea, sought their safety in flight. But even though so terribly crushed, the Cretans were not content to remain quiet, but again took up affairs at sea, and equipping pirate ships, they troubled the Peloponnese and the islands below it, having the aforementioned Photios as their admiral. The commander of the Roman fleet, the patrikios Niketas Ooryphas, set out against them too, and using a favorable and auspicious wind, in a few days he reached the Peloponnese and put in at the harbor of Cenchreae. And learning that the enemy vessels were plundering the western parts of the Peloponnese 2.228, Methone and Pylos and Patras and the regions near Corinth, he devised a clever and wise plan. For, shrinking from sailing around the Peloponnese via Taenarum and Malea and pointlessly covering a distance of a thousand miles and missing the opportune moment, as he was, he immediately during the night, using a multitude of hands, transported the ships overland across the isthmus at Corinth to the sea on the other side. And embarking the men in them, he set to work. And thus he fell suddenly upon the enemy, who had heard nothing about him, and confounding and disturbing their minds with unexpected terror, he did not even allow them to make a stand or think of resistance, but to look at once to flight. So then, having burned some and sunk others of the enemy ships, and of the barbarians having killed some with the sword and made others sink to the depths, and having killed the commander of the ships, he forced the rest to be scattered throughout the island. But he himself later, netting and capturing them alive, subjected them to various punishments, from some taking the skin of their flesh, and especially those who had denied the baptism of Christ, saying he was taking this from them and nothing of his own, and from others pulling out thongs from the nape of the neck to the ankles with pain, hanging others with ropes, then lowering them into cauldrons full of bubbling pitch, and subjecting others to all other sorts of evils. And having done these things, he struck fear into them, and made them more reluc 2.229 tant to send out expeditions against the Roman empire.

And another naval force, like some hurricane or storm from the west, drove against Roman territory. For the ruler of Africa, having prepared sixty ships of immense size, set out against the Roman empire, and plundering the regions in between and taking many people captive, he arrived as far as the islands of Cephalonia and Zakynthos. Immediately, therefore, the one who commanded the naval forces after Niketas (this was Nasar) was sent out with a strong force of triremes and other fast-sailing ships. And this man, having made a swift departure, and using a favorable wind, reached Methone in a short time. But he was prevented from attacking the enemy more quickly by the

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πέρας. 2.227 Ἕτερος δὲ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῆς Κρήτης ἀντηγείρετο στόλος. Σαὴλ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀπόχαψ ἀρχηγοῦ τῆς Κρήτης ὑπάρχοντος, Φώτιός τις ἀνὴρ πολεμιστὴς καὶ δραστήριος παρ' αὐτοῦ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐστέλ λετο μετὰ ἑπτὰ καὶ εἴκοσι κουμπαρίων, ἃς δὴ γαλέας κατονομά ζειν εἰώθασιν, ὃς ἐξορμήσας ἐκ Κρήτης τὰς ἐν τῷ Αἰγαίῳ νήσους καὶ τὰς παραλίους κατεληΐζετο, καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐν Ἑλλησπόντῳ Προικοννήσου κατέλαβε, τὰ παρατυχόντα ἀνδραποδιζόμενός τε καὶ διαφθείρων. τούτῳ συναντήσας μετὰ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου ὁ πατρίκιος Νικήτας καὶ δρουγγάριος πλωΐμων ὁ Ὠορύφας, καὶ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου κατάρχειν λαχών, περὶ τὸ στόμιον τοῦ Αἰγαίου παρὰ τὴν Καρδίαν, καὶ μάχην καρτερὰν συστησάμενος, εὐθὺς τὰ μὲν εἴκοσι τῶν Κρητικῶν σκαφῶν τῷ ὑγρῷ πυρὶ συγκατ έφλεξε, καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς βαρβάρους μάχαιρα καὶ πῦρ καὶ ὕδωρ διεμερίσαντο· ὅσα δὲ τὸν ἐκ τῆς ναυμαχίας καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῆς θαλάσ σης διέφυγον κίνδυνον, φυγῇ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἐπραγματεύσαντο. ἀλλὰ καίπερ οὕτω δεινῶς θραυσθέντες οἱ Κρῆτες οὐκ ἠγάπησαν ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάλιν τῶν κατὰ θάλασσαν ἀντείχοντο πραγμάτων, καὶ λῃστρίδας ἐξαρτυσάμενοι ναῦς τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ τὰς κάτωθεν αὐτῆς νήσους ἐλύπουν, τὸν ἄνωθεν ῥηθέντα Φώτιον ναύαρχον ἔχοντες. ἐξορμᾷ καὶ κατὰ τούτων ὁ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου ἐξηγούμενος Νικήτας πατρίκιος ὁ Ὠορύφας, ἐπιφόρῳ δὲ καὶ αἰσίῳ χρησάμενος πνεύματι δι' ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν καταλαμβάνει τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ τῷ λιμένι προσίσχει τῶν Κεγχρεῶν. μαθὼν δὲ ὅτι τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν σκάφη τὰ δυτικώτερα μέρη Πελοποννήσου 2.228 ληΐζεται, Μοθώνην καὶ Πύλον καὶ Πάτρας καὶ τὰ προσεχῆ Κο ρίνθῳ χωρία, βουλὴν βουλεύεται συνετὴν καὶ σοφήν. ἰλιγγιάσας γὰρ περιοδεῦσαι τὴν Πελοπόννησον διά τε Ταινάρου καὶ Μαλέου καὶ χιλίων μιλίων μῆκος τηνάλλως ἀναμετρήσασθαι καὶ τοῦ προσ ήκοντος ὑστερῆσαι καιροῦ, ὡς εἶχεν, εὐθὺς ἐν νυκτὶ διὰ τοῦ κατὰ Κόρινθον ἰσθμοῦ, πολυχειρίᾳ χρησάμενος, πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν θά λασσαν κατὰ τὸ ξηρὸν διαβιβάζει τὰς ναῦς. ἐμβιβάσας δὲ τὸν λαὸν ἐν αὐταῖς ἔργου εἴχετο. καὶ οὕτω μηδὲν πεπυσμένοις περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῖς πολεμίοις αἰφνίδιον ἐπιτίθεται, καὶ τῷ παρ' ἐλπίδας δέει συγχέας καὶ συνταράξας αὐτῶν τοὺς λογισμοὺς οὐδὲ συστῆναι καὶ ἀλκῆς μνησθῆναι συνεχώρησεν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἰδεῖν πρὸς φυγήν. τὰς μὲν οὖν πυρπολήσας τὰς δὲ καταποντώσας τῶν πολεμίων νεῶν, καὶ τῶν βαρβάρων τοὺς μὲν ἀνελὼν τῷ ξίφει τοὺς δὲ ὑποβρυχίους τῷ βυθῷ ποιησάμενος, καὶ τὸν τῶν νεῶν ἀρχηγὸν ἀνελών, τοὺς λοιποὺς διασκεδασθῆναι κατὰ τὴν νῆσον ἠνάγκασεν. αὐτὸς δὲ σαγηνεύων ὕστερον καὶ ζωγρῶν διαφόροις τιμωρίαις ὑπέβαλε, τοὺς μὲν τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς δορὰν ἀφαιρούμενος, καὶ μᾶλλον τοὺς ἀρνησαμένους τὸ βάπτισμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦτο παρ' αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεῖσθαι λέγων καὶ οὐδὲν ἴδιον, ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἱμάντας ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰνίου ἄχρι τῶν σφυρῶν μετ' ὀδύνης ἐξέλκων, ἄλλους σχοίνοις αἰωρῶν, εἶτα πρὸς λέβητας πίσσης καχλαζούσης μεστοὺς καθ ιμῶν, καὶ ἄλλους παντοίαις ἄλλαις κακῶν καθυποβάλλων ἰδέαις. καὶ ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος δέος εἰς αὐτοὺς ἐνέβαλε, καὶ ὀκνηροτέ 2.229 ρους ἐποίησε μὴ κατὰ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐπικρατείας ἐκστρατείας ἐκ πέμπειν.

Καὶ ἄλλη δὲ δύναμις ναυτικὴ ὥσπερ τις λαῖλαψ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἢ καταιγὶς κατὰ τῆς Ῥωμανίας ἐπήλασεν· ὁ γὰρ τῆς Ἀφρικῆς ἡγεμὼν παμμεγέθεις ναῦς ἑξήκοντα τὸν ἀριθμὸν κατα σκευασάμενος κατὰ τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐπικρατείας ἐξώρμησε, καὶ τὰ μεταξὺ ληϊζόμενος καὶ πολλὰ σώματα λαμβάνων αἰχμάλωτα ἄχρι Κεφαληνίας καὶ Ζακύνθου ἀφίκετο τῶν νήσων. εὐθὺς οὖν ὁ μετὰ τὸν Νικήταν τῶν ναυτικῶν κατάρχων δυνάμεων (Νάσαρ δὲ οὗτος ἦν) μετὰ δυνάμεως ἐκπέμπεται ἁδρᾶς τριήρων καὶ ἄλλων νεῶν ταχυναυτουσῶν. σύντομον δὲ τὸν ἔκπλουν ποιησάμενος οὗτος, καὶ οὐρίῳ χρησάμενος πνεύματι, δι' ὀλίγου χρόνου τὴν Μεθώνην κατέλαβε. θᾶττον δὲ ἐπιθέσθαι τοῖς πολεμίοις διεκωλύθη ἀπὸ τῆς