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in their souls became eager and courageous and for the engagement were exceedingly restless. And when the armies came into sight of each other, and with words of encouragement both the emperor and Sviatoslav had strengthened their own men and had urged what was suitable for the occasion, as the trumpets sounded the battle-charge, the multitudes clashed with each other, having the same eagerness. And indeed in the first assault the Romans, having attacked with a violent rush and having struck down many, shook the barbarian ranks; yet there was no withdrawal of the enemy nor a glorious pursuit by the Romans, but the Scythians, strengthening themselves again, once more came on against the Romans with a war-cry. And for a time the contest was evenly balanced, but when it was now late afternoon, the Romans, having encouraged one another and in a way having steeled themselves with exhortations, bore down upon the left wing of the Scythians, and with the irresistible force of their charge struck down many.

And as the Rus rallied around the part that was hard-pressed, the emperor sent some of those around him to their aid, and he himself followed behind with the imperial insignia uncovered, his spear couched, and frequently spurring his horse and rousing the soldiers with his shout. And a fierce contest having taken place and the battle having undergone many shifts of fortune (for he says the contest underwent twelve turns 2.400), with difficulty the Rus, exhausted by the dangers, scattered in disorderly flight towards the plain; whom the Romans followed and destroyed those they caught. Therefore many fell, and more were taken captive. But as many as were able to escape the danger, were saved in Dorostolon. But the emperor, having offered sacrifices of victory to the gloriously triumphant martyr George (for he had engaged the enemy on the day of his commemoration), on the following day also set out for Dorostolon, and having arrived there pitched a fortified camp. He did not, however, begin a siege, fearing that if the river happened to be unguarded the Rus might be able to escape with their ships, but having encamped he awaited the Roman fleet. And in the meantime Sviatoslav secured the Bulgarian captives whom he held, numbering about 20 thousand, with iron fetters and other bonds, fearing a revolt, and prepared himself to receive the siege. And when the fleet had now arrived the emperor began the assault on the walls, and many times put to flight the Scythians who sortied out. And on one of the days when the Romans had dispersed for their midday meal late in the afternoon, the barbarians, having been divided into two parts, horsemen and foot-soldiers, from two gates of the city, both the one on the east, which Peter the stratopedarch with Thracians and Macedonians had been ordered to guard, and the one to the west, where 2.401 Bardas Skleros with the eastern forces had been entrusted with the guard, went out drawn up for battle, appearing then for the first time on horseback; for they had fought the preceding battles on foot. whom the Romans received robustly and fought eagerly; and for a long time the contest was evenly poised. But in the end by their own valor the Romans routed the barbarians and shut them up against the wall, with many having fallen also in this contest, and especially horsemen, but with none of the Romans having been wounded, except for only three horses having fallen. And so the barbarians, having been crushed and driven inside the wall, when night came on spent the night sleepless, and they mourned those who had fallen in the battle with savage and horrible lamentations, so that to those who heard them they seemed to be the roarings and howlings of wild beasts, and not the dirges and wailings of men. And as day was just dawning they recalled to Dorostolon all those who had been scattered in certain forts as a garrison, and having been summoned they came quickly. And the emperor also, having gathered his whole force, came to the plain before the city,

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τὰς ψυχὰς πρό θυμοι καὶ θαρραλέοι ἐγίνοντο καὶ πρὸς τὴν συμπλοκὴν λίαν ἐσφά δαζον. εἰς ὄψιν δὲ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἀλλήλοις γενομένων, καὶ λόγοις παρακλητικοῖς τοῦ τε βασιλέως καὶ τοῦ Σφενδοσθλάβου τοὺς οἰκείους ἐπιρρωσάντων καὶ τὰ τῷ καιρῷ πρόσφορα παρακε λευσαμένων, ὡς αἱ σάλπιγγες τὸ ἐνυάλιον ἤχησαν, συρρήγνυται ἀλλήλοις τὰ πλήθη τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντα προθυμίαν. καὶ κατὰ μὲν τὴν πρώτην προσβολὴν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι μετὰ ῥύμης ἐπενεχθέντες σφο δρᾶς καὶ πολλοὺς καταβαλόντες τὰς βαρβαρικὰς τάξεις κατέσεισαν· οὐ μήν γε καὶ ὑπαγωγὴ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐγένετο οὔτε τῶν Ῥωμαίων λαμπρὸς διωγμός, ἀλλ' ἐπιρρώσαντες πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς οἱ Σκύθαι αὖθις ἐπῆλθον μετ' ἀλαλαγμοῦ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις. καὶ μέχρι μέν τινος ἰσοπαλὴς ἦν ὁ ἀγών, ἤδη δὲ περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν τῆς ἡμέρας οὔσης οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι παρακαλέσαντες ἀλλήλους καὶ τρόπον τινὰ στο μώσαντες ταῖς παραινέσεσιν ἐπέβρισαν τῷ εὐωνύμῳ κέρατι τῶν Σκυθῶν, καὶ πολλοὺς τῷ ἀνυποστάτῳ κατέβαλον τῆς ὁρμῆς.

Συνισταμένων δὲ τῶν Ῥὼς ἐπὶ τὸ πεπονηκός, τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς ἐπικουρίαν ἐκπέμπει τινάς, κατόπιν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς εἵπετο ἀνακεκαλυμμένοις τοῖς παρασήμοις τῆς βασιλείας, τὸ δόρυ διηγκωνισμένος, τόν τε ἵππον κεντρίζων θαμὰ καὶ τῇ βοῇ διεγεί ρων τοὺς στρατιώτας. ἀγῶνος δὲ καρτεροῦ συστάντος καὶ πολλὰς μετακλίσεις δεξαμένης τῆς μάχης (δυοκαίδεκα γάρ φησι τροπὰς 2.400 δέξασθαι τὸν ἀγῶνα) μόλις οἱ Ῥὼς ἀπειρηκότες πρὸς τοὺς κινδύ νους ἀκόσμῳ φυγῇ πρὸς τὸ πεδίον ἐσκίδναντο· οἷς οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἑπόμενοι τοὺς καταλαμβανομένους ἀνήλισκον. ἔπεσον οὖν πολλοί, καὶ πλείους ἑάλωσαν. ὅσοι δὲ διαδρᾶναι τὸν κίνδυνον ἴσχυσαν, εἰς τὸ ∆ορόστολον διασώζονται. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὰ ἐπινίκια θύσας τῷ καλλινίκῳ μάρτυρι Γεωργίῳ (ἦν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς αὐτοῦ μνήμης συρράξας τοῖς πολεμίοις) τῇ ἐπιούσῃ καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς πρὸς τὸ ∆ορόστολον ἥψατο, ἐκεῖσέ τε γενόμενος στρατοπεδείαν ἐπήξατο ὀχυράν. οὐ μέντοι γε καὶ πολιορκίας ἥψατο, δεδιὼς μή πως ἀφυλάκτου τοῦ ποταμοῦ τυγχάνοντος ἀποδρᾶσαι μετὰ τῶν νηῶν δυνηθεῖεν οἱ Ῥώς, αὐλισάμενος δὲ προσέμενε τὸν Ῥωμαϊκὸν στόλον. ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ δὲ ὁ Σφενδοσθλάβος οὓς κατεῖχε ζωγρίας Βουλγάρους, ἀμφὶ τὰς κʹ χιλιάδας ἀριθμουμένους, σιδηροπέδαις καὶ ἄλλοις δεσμοῖς ἠσφαλίσατο, ἐπανάστασιν φοβηθείς, καὶ πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν ηὐτρεπίζετο τῆς πολιορκίας. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τοῦ στόλου καταλαβόντος ἐπεχείρει τῇ τειχομαχίᾳ ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ πολλάκις ἐπεκδραμόντας τοὺς Σκύθας ἐτρέψατο. μιᾷ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν σκεδασθεῖσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις εἰς ἄριστον περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν οἱ βάρβαροι, εἰς δύο διαι ρεθέντες μέρη, ἱππεῖς καὶ πεζοὶ ἐκ πυλίδων δύο τῆς πόλεως, τῆς τε κατὰ ἀνατολάς, ἣν φρουρεῖν ἐτέτακτο Πέτρος ὁ στρατοπεδάρ χης μετὰ Θρᾳκῶν καὶ Μακεδόνων, καὶ τῆς πρὸς δύσιν, ὅπου 2.401 Βάρδας ὁ Σκληρὸς μετὰ τῶν ἑῴων δυνάμεων τὴν φυλακὴν ἐπετέ τραπτο, ἐξῆλθον παραταξάμενοι, τότε πρῶτον φανέντες ἔφιπποι· τὰς γὰρ προηγησαμένας μάχας πεζοὶ διηγωνίσαντο. οὓς εὐρώ στως οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι δεξάμενοι ἐκθύμως ἐμάχοντο· καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ ἰσοτάλαντος ἦν ὁ ἀγών. τέλος δὲ τῇ σφετέρᾳ ἀρετῇ Ῥωμαῖοι τρέ πουσι τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ πρὸς τεῖχος συγκλείουσι, πολλῶν κἀν τῷ ἀγῶνι τῷδε πεσόντων, καὶ μᾶλλον ἱππέων, μηδενὸς δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων τραυματισθέντος, ἀλλ' ἢ μόνων ἵππων πεσόντων τριῶν. οὕτω δὲ θραυσθέντες οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ εἴσω τείχους συνελαθέντες νυκτὸς ἐπιγενομένης διενυκτέρευον ἄγρυπνοι, καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πεσόντας ἀπωλοφύροντο ἀγρίοις καὶ φρικώδεσιν ὀδυρμοῖς, ὡς δο κεῖν τοὺς ἀκούοντας θηρίων εἶναι βρυχηθμοὺς καὶ ὠρυγάς, ἀλλ' οὐ θρήνους ἀνθρώπων καὶ οἰμωγάς. ἡμέρας δὲ ἄρτι διαγελώσης πάντας τοὺς ἔν τισι φρουρίοις εἰς φυλακὴν ἐσκεδασμένους ἀνεκα λοῦντο ἐς τὸ ∆ορόστολον, καὶ ταχέως ἧκον μετακληθέντες. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀνειληφὼς ὅλην τὴν δύναμιν ἦλθεν εἰς τὸ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως πεδίον,