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to make him a friend and ally from an enemy. But when he at first refused, Cosmas, being a prudent and intelligent man, said to Dandulf, "It was my duty to give saving counsel to my friend. But if you yourself are unwilling to be persuaded by me as I give you advantageous advice, you will then know that you have greatly strayed from the truth, when, having subjected both yourself and the entire nation to the greatest dangers, you will despair, being unable to oppose so great and strong a power." Therefore, Dandulf, understanding that the 2.356 patrician was giving necessary advice, accepted his counsel and made a truce, advising also the rulers of the revolted themes to return to their former allegiance and acknowledge their own emperor. When they were persuaded, a deep peace again held sway over affairs in Italy and Lombardy. But the leader of the Bulgarians, Symeon, having set up many trophies against the Romans and being puffed up by these, also dreamed of the empire of the Romans. Therefore, sending to Fatlum the ruler of the Africans, he urged him to lead a fleet against the queen of cities, and he himself promised to come through Thrace bringing a great and heavy army, and when their forces were united by land and sea, to besiege the imperial city, and to divide its wealth equally, and that he himself would return home, but leave the other in Constantinople. The Bulgarians therefore sailed to Africa unnoticed, and since Symeon seemed to give useful advice, they took certain notable Saracens so as to confirm what had been decided. But on their return they fell in with the Calabrians and were sent up to Byzantium with the Saracens. When the emperor saw them (it was Romanus the elder) and learned precisely of the joint enterprise, and understood that if this should happen he would be subjected to no small anxieties, he thought it necessary to check the Saracens from their present course with magnanimity and beneficence. The 2.357 Bulgarians he therefore put in prison, but having honored the Saracens with lavish gifts, and having also sent very valuable presents to their lord, he sent them away unharmed by evils, telling them to report to their master that this is how the emperors of the Romans know how to repay their enemies. He also made an accounting concerning the annual tribute, that it was not delayed by postponement and deferment, but because of the disturbance prevailing at that time in the region. Therefore, when the Saracens returned to their own ruler, and recounted what they had experienced at the hands of the emperor and extolled his courtesies toward them, and also delivered the gifts they were bringing to him, Fatlum was pleased with all that he heard, and he forgave the Romans half of the tribute owed to him, and from the twenty-two thousand he struck off eleven. These were therefore given to the Saracens from that time until the proclamation of Nicephorus. But when the rulers happened to be moderate and just to the lands, the subjects themselves led a life and existence without grief, and the tribute was paid to the Saracens without trouble. But whenever the rule was entrusted to unjust and greedy men, the subject population was mistreated and the treaties with the Saracens were shaken. For indeed from the Porphyrogenitus, Crinites, having become strategos of Chaldia in Calabria, through his own 2.358 greed saved the Saracens in Africa and Sicily who were about to be utterly destroyed by the famine and the war with the Saracens in Cyrene, and he mistreated those under his authority not moderately; for he bought all the means of living cheaply from the locals and sold them for a high price to the Saracens, who paid the prices without trouble because they had an abundance of gold due to the hardship from the famine and the wars. However, Crinites was relieved of his office by Constantine, his money was taken away with shame, and growing old he died; but during the time of the war, Carthaginian fugitives

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πολεμίου φίλον αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι καὶ σύμμαχον. ἀπαναινομένου δὲ τούτου τὸ πρῶτον, ὁ Κοσμᾶς ἀνὴρ φρόνιμος ὢν καὶ συνετὸς "ἐμοὶ μὲν" εἶπε πρὸς τὸν ∆ανδοῦλφον "χρέος ἦν τὰ σωτήρια συμβουλεῦσαι τῷ φίλῳ. εἰ δ' αὐτὸς πεισθῆναί μοι οὐ θέλεις τὰ λυσιτελῆ συμ βουλεύοντι, τότε γνώσῃ τῆς ἀληθείας διαμαρτήσας κατὰ πολύ, ὅταν σεαυτόν τε καὶ τὸ ἔθνος ἅπαν τοῖς μεγίστοις ὑποβαλὼν κιν δύνοις ἀπαγορεύσεις, μὴ δυνάμενος πρὸς οὕτω μεγάλην καὶ ἰσχυ ρὰν ἀντιτάττεσθαι δυναστείαν." συνεὶς οὖν ὁ ∆ανδοῦλφος τὰ 2.356 δέοντα συμβουλεύειν τὸν πατρίκιον, ἐδέξατο τὴν παραίνεσιν καὶ ἐσπείσατο, νουθετήσας καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν ἀποστάντων θεμά των τῇ προτέρᾳ προσδραμεῖν ἀρχῇ καὶ τὸν σφῶν ἐπιγνῶναι βασι λέα, ὧν πεισθέντων εἰρήνη βαθεῖα πάλιν κατεῖχε τὰ ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ καὶ Λογγιβαρδίᾳ πράγματα. Ὁ δὲ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχηγὸς Συμεὼν πολλὰ κατὰ Ῥω μαίων στήσας τρόπαια καὶ φρονηματισθεὶς ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ὠνειροπόλει βασιλείαν. τοίνυν πρὸς Φατλοῦν τὸν δυ νάστην τῶν Ἄφρων ἐκπέμψας προετρέπετο στόλον κατὰ τῆς βα σιλίδος ἀναγαγεῖν, ὑπισχνεῖτο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ Θρᾴκης ἐλθεῖν πολὺν καὶ βαρὺν στρατὸν ἐπαγόμενος, καὶ γενομένων ὑφ' ἓν τῶν στρατευμάτων διά τε γῆς καὶ θαλάσσης ἐκπολιορκῆσαι τὴν βασι λεύουσαν, καὶ τὸν ταύτης πλοῦτον διανείμασθαι ἐπ' ἴσης, καὶ αὐτὸν μὲν ἐπ' οἴκου ὑπονοστῆσαι, τοῦτον δὲ τῇ Κωνσταντινου πόλει καταλιπεῖν. ἔλαθον οὖν οἱ Βούλγαροι πρὸς τὴν Ἀφρικὴν ἀποπλεύσαντες, καὶ δόξαντος τοῦ Συμεὼν ὠφέλιμα παραινεῖν εἰλήφασί τινας Σαρακηνοὺς ἐλλογίμους ὥστε ἐμπεδῶσαι τὰ δε δογμένα. ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν δὲ περιπίπτουσι τοῖς Καλαβροῖς καὶ πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἀναπέμπονται μετὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν. οὓς ἰδὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς (Ῥωμανὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ γέρων) καὶ τὴν κοινοπραγίαν μαθὼν ἀκριβῶς, καὶ ὡς εἰ τοῦτο γένηται κατανοήσας οὐ μικραῖς φροντίσιν ὑποπεσεῖται, δεῖν ᾠήθη μεγαλοφροσύνῃ καὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς ἀναχαιτίσαι τῆς παρούσης ὁρμῆς. τοὺς μὲν οὖν 2.357 Βουλγάρους ἔθετο ἐν φυλακῇ, δώροις δὲ τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς ἁδροῖς φιλοτιμησάμενος, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ξένια τῷ αὐτῶν ἐκπέμψας δεσπότῃ πολύτιμα, ἀπαθεῖς κακῶν ἐξαπέστειλε, φράζειν εἰπὼν τῷ κυρίῳ αὐτῶν ὡς οὕτως ἀμείβειν οἴδασιν οἱ βασιλεῖς Ῥωμαίων τοὺς ἑαυ τῶν πολεμίους. ἀπελογίσατο δὲ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐτησίου δασμοφο ρίας, ὡς οὐκ ἀναβολῇ τοῦτο καὶ ὑπερθέσει ὑστέρησεν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἐπικρατοῦσαν τηνικαῦτα κατὰ τὸν τόπον ταραχήν. ἐπαναδρα μόντων οὖν πρὸς τὸν οἰκεῖον δυνάστην τῶν Σαρακηνῶν, καὶ ἅ τε πάθοιεν πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως διηγησαμένων καὶ τὰς εἰς αὐτοὺς φιλο φροσύνας ἐξυμνησάντων, ἀποδεδωκότων δὲ καὶ ἅπερ ἐπήγοντο πρὸς ἐκεῖνον δῶρα, ἡσθεὶς ὁ Φατλοὺμ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἤκουσε, τῶν τε ὀφειλομένων αὐτῷ φόρων τὰ ἡμίση Ῥωμαίοις ἐχαρίσατο καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν εἴκοσι καὶ δύο χιλιάδων τὰς ἕνδεκα ἐκκέκοφεν. ἐδίδοντο οὖν ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Νικηφόρου ἀναρρήσεως τοῖς Σαρακη νοῖς ταῦτα. ἀλλὰ σωφρονούντων μὲν ἀρχόντων καὶ δικαίων ταῖς χώραις τυγχανόντων, αὐτοί τε οἱ ἀρχόμενοι ἄλυπον ἦγον βίον καὶ ζωήν, καὶ ὁ δασμὸς ἀπεδίδοτο τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς ἀπραγμόνως. ὁπηνίκα δ' ἡ ἀρχὴ ἀδίκοις καὶ πλεονέκταις ἐνεπιστεύετο, καὶ τὸ ὑπήκοον ἐκακοῦτο καὶ αἱ πρὸς τοὺς Σαρακηνοὺς σπονδαὶ διε σείοντο. καὶ γὰρ δὴ παρὰ τοῦ πορφυρογεννήτου ὁ Κρηνίτης Χαλδίας τῆς Καλαβρίας γενόμενος στρατηγὸς τοὺς ἐν Ἀφρικῇ καὶ Σικελίᾳ Σαρακηνοὺς μέλλοντας ἄρδην ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ τοῦ πολέμου τῶν ἐν Κυρήνῃ Σαρακηνῶν ἀπολωλέναι, δι' οἰκείαν 2.358 πλεονεξίαν ἀνεκτήσατο καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα οὐ μετρίως ἐκάκωσε· πάσας γὰρ τὰς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀφορμὰς εὐώνως ἀπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ὠνούμενος πολλοῦ τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς ἐπίπρασκεν, ἀπραγμόνως παρέ χουσι τὰς τιμὰς τῷ εὐπόρως ἔχειν χρυσίου διὰ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ τῶν πολέμων στενοχωρίαν. πλὴν ὁ μὲν Κρηνίτης ὑπὸ τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου παραλυθεὶς τῆς ἀρχῆς τά τε χρήματα ἀφῃρέθη μετ' αἰσχύνης καὶ καταγηράσας ἀπέθανε· κατὰ δὲ τὸν τοῦ πολέ μου καιρὸν φυγάδας Καρχηδονίους