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church. In the following year, another son was born to him again 2.339 in the palace of Pege, whom he named Constantine after his father. Being young and having given himself over to pleasures, he entrusted the cares of the empire to Joseph the praepositus and parakoimomenos, whose surname was Bringas. He himself had no other concern than to pursue dissolute activities with profligate and profane men, and lewd women, and mimes, and jesters. Accordingly, a certain cleric named John, a eunuch, who for some indecent acts had been threatened by the emperor Constantine and had put on the monastic habit and hidden himself until his death, as soon as he took power, he stripped him of the monastic habit, dressed him again in clerical robes, and enrolled him among his own chamberlains. But Polyeuktos, filled with zeal, was insistent and annoyed the emperor to expel this man from his service as one who had renounced the monastic profession. But when he refused, and declared that he had not in truth put on the habit or received the prayer from any of the priests, but had only feigned the monastic life for fear of the emperor, Polyeuktos was deceived and let him go, with Joseph also having made great effort. And he continued until the death of Romanos living as a layman and in an innovative way; but when he died, he put on the habit of the monks again, but he did not change his mind. 2.340 In this year, he sent Nikephoros the magistros, the son of Phokas, who had already been appointed domestic of the schools of the East by the emperor Constantine, and had erected many trophies against the eastern Saracens, and had utterly humbled Karamon the amir of Tarsus and Chabdas of Chaleb and Izeth of Tripolis, against the Saracens in Crete, giving him a multitude of chosen soldiers and a well-equipped fleet. Having crossed over to the island, and in the first landing having clashed with the Hagarenes who were present and trying to prevent him and having routed them, he himself disembarked safely and landed the army without danger. He therefore pitched a strong camp, fortifying it with a deep ditch and with palisades and stakes, and anchored the fleet in very calm harbors, and having arranged everything securely, he actively took up the siege of the cities on the island, and through seven whole months, using every device of siege engines and destroying the walls, he captured both the cities and the fortresses. On the 7th of the month of March, of the 14th indiction, having sacked also the most fortified city of all, which they locally called Chandax, and having taken captive the amir of the island, Kouroupes by name, and Anemas, who was chief after him on the island, and having enslaved the whole island, he intended to remain for a longer time and to settle 2.341 its affairs, but as a rumor prevailed that the Roman man who was to capture it would by necessity become emperor of the Romans, as soon as the capture of the island became known, Romanos, persuaded by the suggestions of Joseph, summoned Nikephoros from there. While Nikephoros was still staying in Crete, so that the Arabs of the East, and especially Chabdas the amir of Chaleb, who was warlike and more active than the others, might not overrun the East, Romanos, having honored Leo Phokas the brother of Nikephoros as magistros, sent him to administer the service of the domestic. And he, having crossed over and met Chabdas in a certain place called Andrassos, routed him completely and delivered him to destruction, with those who fell in the attack being unable even to be put to a number, while of those captured and sent to the city the multitude was so great as to fill with slaves both the city houses and the fields. Only their leader Chabdas with very few the danger

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ἐκκλησίᾳ. τῷ δ' ἐπιόντι ἔτει τίκτεται πάλιν αὐτῷ 2.339 ἕτερος υἱὸς ἐν τοῖς τῶν Πηγῶν παλατίοις, ὃν ἐπὶ τῷ πατρὶ Κωνσταντῖνον ὠνόμασε. νέος δ' ὢν καὶ εὐπαθείαις ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδεδω κὼς τὰς τῶν ὅλων φροντίδας Ἰωσὴφ ἐνεχείρισε τῷ πραιποσίτῳ καὶ παρακοιμωμένῳ, ᾧ Βρίγγας ἡ ἐπωνυμία. αὐτὸς δὲ οὐδὲν ἄλλο διὰ φροντίδος εἶχεν ἢ τὸ μεθ' ἡταιρηκότων καὶ βεβήλων ἀνδραρίων καὶ μαχλάδων καὶ μίμων καὶ γελοτοποιῶν τὰς ἐκδεδιῃ τημένας μεταδιώκειν τῶν πράξεων. τοίνυν καὶ κληρικόν τινα Ἰωάννην ἐκτομίαν ὄντα, διά τινας ἀσέμνους πράξεις ὑπὸ Κων σταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπειληθέντα καὶ μοναχικὸν ἀμφιασάμενον σχῆμα καὶ μέχρι τῆς ἐκείνου κρυπτόμενον τελευτῆς, ὡς ἤδη ἐπε λάβετο τῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῦ τῶν μοναχῶν ἀποδύσας σχήματος καὶ τὰ τῶν κληρικῶν μεταμφιάσας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ θαλαμηπόλοις κατέταξε. ζήλου δὲ πλησθεὶς ὁ Πολύευκτος πολὺς ἦν ἐγκείμενος καὶ τῷ βα σιλεῖ παρενοχλῶν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεραπείας τοῦτον ἀπώσασθαι ὡς ἐξομοσάμενον τὸ τῶν μοναζόντων ἐπάγγελμα. ἐκείνου δὲ παραι τουμένου, καὶ μὴ ταῖς ἀληθείαις φάσκοντος ἐνδεδύσθαι τοῦτον τὸ σχῆμα ἢ εὐχὴν παρά τινος τῶν ἱερέων λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ μόνον ὑποκρίνασθαι τὸν μονάδα βίον διὰ τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως φόβον, ἐξα πατηθεὶς ὁ Πολύευκτος ἀφῆκε τοῦτον, πολλὰ καὶ τοὺ Ἰωσὴφ σπουδάσαντος. καὶ διῆγε μέχρι τῆς τελευτῆς Ῥωμανοῦ κοσμικῶς ζῶν καὶ νεωτερικῶς· ἐκείνου δὲ τελευτήσαντος τὸ μὲν σχῆμα τῶν μοναστῶν ἀμφιέννυται αὖθις, τὴν δέ γε γνώμην αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἠλ λοίωσε. 2.340 Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει Νικηφόρον μάγιστρον τὸν Φωκᾶν, δομέ στικον ἤδη προβεβλημένον τῶν σχολῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς παρὰ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ πολλὰ τρόπαια στήσαντα κατὰ τῶν ἑῴων Σαρακηνῶν, καὶ τόν τε τῆς Ταρσοῦ ἀμηρᾶν Καραμόνην καὶ Χαβδᾶν τὸν τοῦ Χάλεπ καὶ τὸν Τριπόλεως Ἰζὴθ ὁλοσχερῶς ταπεινώσαντα, πέμπει κατὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ Σαρακηνῶν, πλῆ θος ἐπιλέκτων στρατιωτῶν ἐπιδοὺς αὐτῷ καὶ στόλον κατηρτισμένον καλῶς. ἐν τῇ νήσῳ δ' οὗτος περαιωθείς, καὶ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην ἀπόβασιν παροῦσι καὶ κωλύουσι συμπλακεὶς τοῖς Ἀγαρηνοῖς καὶ τούτους τρεψάμενος, αὐτός τε ἀσφαλῶς ἀπέβη καὶ τὸν στρατὸν ἀπεβίβασεν ἀκινδύνως. χάρακά τε οὖν ἐπήξατο καρτερόν, τάφρῳ βαθείᾳ καὶ σταυρώμασι καὶ πασσάλοις τοῦτον κατοχυρώσας, καὶ τὸν στόλον ἐν ὅρμοις γαληνοτάτοις ὁρμίσας καὶ πάντα καταστη σάμενος κατὰ τὸ ἀσφαλὲς ἐνεργῶς ἥπτετο τῆς πολιορκίας τῶν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πόλεων, καὶ δι' ὅλων ζʹ μηνῶν πάσαις μηχαναῖς πολιορ κητικῶν ὀργάνων χρησάμενος καὶ τὰ τείχη καταστρέφων τάς τε πόλεις καὶ τὰ φρούρια ἐχειρώσατο. τῇ ζʹ δὲ τοῦ Μαρτίου μηνός, τῆς ιδʹ ἰνδικτιῶνος, καὶ τὴν πασῶν ὀχυρωτέραν πόλιν, ἣν ἐγχω ρίως Χάνδακα ἐκάλουν, πεπορθηκώς, καὶ τὸν ἀμηρεύοντα τῆς νήσου Κουρούπην ὄνομα λαβὼν αἰχμάλωτον καὶ Ἀνεμᾶν τὸν μετ' αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πρωτεύοντα, καὶ τὴν νῆσον ὅλην δουλωσάμενος, ἔμελλε μὲν ἐπὶ πλείονα ἐμμεῖναι χρόνον καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν κατα 2.341 στήσεσθαι, φήμης δὲ κρατούσης ὡς ὁ μέλλων κατασχεῖν αὐτὴν Ῥωμαῖος ἀνὴρ ἐξ ἀνάγκης βασιλεύσει Ῥωμαίων, ἅμα τῷ γνωσθῆναι τὴν τῆς νήσου κατάσχεσιν ταῖς τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὑποθήκαις πεισθεὶς ὁ Ῥωμανὸς προσεκαλέσατο τὸν Νικηφόρον ἐκεῖθεν. ἔτι δὲ τοῦ Νικηφόρου τῇ Κρήτῃ ἐνδιατρίβοντος, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἑῴαν κατατρέχοιεν οἱ τῆς ἀνατολῆς Ἄραβες καὶ μᾶλλον ὁ Χαβδᾶν ὁ τοῦ Χάλεπ ἀμηρᾶς, πολεμικὸς ὢν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δραστηριώτερος, Λέοντα τὸν Φωκᾶν τὸν τοῦ Νικηφόρου ἀδελφὸν μάγιστρον τιμή σας ὁ Ῥωμανὸς τὴν τοῦ δομεστίκου διακονίαν διέπειν ἀπέστειλεν. οὗτος δὲ διαπεράσας καὶ τῷ Χαβδᾶν συναντήσας ἔν τινι χωρίῳ Ἀνδρασσῷ λεγομένῳ τρέπεται τοῦτον κατὰ κράτος καὶ ἀφανισμῷ παραδίδωσι, τῶν μὲν ἐν τῇ προσβολῇ πεσόντων οὐδ' ἀριθμῷ καθυποβληθῆναι δυναμένων, τῶν δὲ ἁλόντων καὶ ἐν τῇ πόλει πεμφθέντων τοσοῦτον ἦν τὸ πλῆθος ὡς πληρῶσαι δούλων καὶ τὰς ἀστικὰς οἰκίας καὶ τοὺς ἀγρούς. μόνος δὲ ὁ τούτων ἀρχηγὸς Χαβδᾶν σὺν ὀλίγοις λίαν τὸν κίνδυνον