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Spondyles, not understanding the trickery, released him from his fetters, and built the fortress as he had ordered, and entrusted its guard to him, having stationed in it a thousand Roman guards. But Musaraf, having obtained the opportunity for which he had prayed, secretly conferred with the emir of Tripoli and Tusber, the commander-in-chief of the Egyptian, and having received an army sent by them, he kills the thousand and hands over the fortress to them. And from that time, having the upper hand, the Saracens did not cease to destroy and ravage the Roman subject territories in Syria.

But Romanos removed this man from his command, sending as his successor his brother-in-law Constantine Karantenos, and he himself also prepared to go after the Saracens. And when he had already reached Philomelion, ambassadors came from Beroea with very many gifts, asking to obtain sympathy and to take up their former servitude again and to loyally offer the yearly tribute. But though many good soldiers campaigning with him, one of whom was also the patrikios John Chaldas, urged him to accept the proposal and not to march against Syria in summertime, when water is scarce there and the Arab nation is irresistible, as 2.492 being accustomed to bearing nobly the local heat and the scorching flames and the burning heat, while the Romans, being in full armor, do not have the endurance for the season, paying no heed to anyone, but having in mind the heroic deeds of the emperors before him, and being eager to display some manly exploits himself, he departs into Syria. And having pitched his camp in a certain fortress two days' journey distant from Beroea (the name of the fortress was Azazion), he was considering the future. While encamped there, he sends out the commander of the Excubitors, the patrikios Leo Choirosphaktes, with his own regiment on reconnaissance, to see if any Arabs were approaching and where indeed it might be advantageous to move the camp. But the Arabs who were lying in ambush and guarding the plains in between, having watched for an opportunity and having attacked suddenly, captured him, and scattered the people with him. And they proceeded to such a degree of boldness and shamelessness as to openly cut off the Romans' foraging and collection of other necessities. And they harassed them even more at the watering places; for the Romans and their horses and baggage animals, being hard-pressed by the necessity of thirst, were thrusting themselves into manifest danger, and those who were captured were also killed. Then indeed also the patrikios Constantine Dalassenos was sent out to check the advancing Arabs and to accomplish something manly and noble, but having engaged them and fled in disorder, he filled the Roman 2.493 affairs and the emperor himself with great turmoil and confusion; for when he returned in a state of alarm and filled the whole camp with turmoil and disorder, there was no longer any talk of battle, but each man, as far as he was able, was contriving his own safety. Therefore, a council having been held, it was decided at dawn to break down the trench and to set out again for Antioch. And so on the tenth of the month of August, in the 13th indiction, in the year #226538, in accordance with what had been decided, having opened the gates of the camp, they set out everywhere on the road to Antioch, the greater part being worn out by a stomach ailment, and the greater part also being worn out by the necessity of thirst. As they were coming out of the camp, the Arabs attack with force. And since they did not withstand the assault at all, a most dreadful rout occurred, and some were trampled and killed by one another, while others were taken captive. At this point something amusing also happened to occur; for of the generals, who had a great name for bravery, and of the soldiers, none daring to withstand the

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ῥᾳδιουργίας μὴ συνεὶς ὁ Σπονδύλης τῶν τε κλοιῶν ἀφῆκεν αὐ τόν, καὶ τὸ φρούριον ὡς ἐκέλευσεν ἐδομήσατο, καὶ αὐτῷ τὴν φυ λακὴν ἐπετρέψατο, χιλίους φρουροὺς ἐγκαταστήσας ἐν τούτῳ Ῥω μαίους. ὁ δὲ Μουσάραφ τυχὼν οὗπερ ηὔχετο καιροῦ, λάθρᾳ τῷ Τριπόλεως ἀμηρᾷ καὶ Τούσβερ τῷ ἀρχιστρατηγῷ τοῦ Αἰγυ πτίου προσδιαλεχθείς, λαὸν ὑπ' αὐτῶν πεμφθέντα δεξάμενος τούς τε χιλίους ἀναιρεῖ καὶ τὸ φρούριον αὐτοῖς παραδίδωσι. καὶ οὐ διέλιπον ἐξ ἐκείνου ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων φερόμενοι οἱ Σαρακηνοὶ δια φθείρειν τὰ ἐν Συρίᾳ Ῥωμαίοις ὑπήκοα καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι.

Ἀλλὰ τοῦτον μὲν ὁ Ῥωμανὸς μεθίστησι τῆς ἀρχῆς, διά δοχον αὐτῷ πέμψας τὸν ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβρὸν αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν Καραντηνόν, ηὐτρεπίζετο δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς κατόπιν ἀπελθεῖν τῶν Σαρακηνῶν. ἤδη δὲ τὸ Φιλομίλιον καταλαβόντος αὐτοῦ ἦλθον πρέσβεις ἐκ Βερροίας μετὰ δώρων ὅτι πολλῶν, παρακαλοῦντες συμπαθείας τυχεῖν καὶ τὴν πρὶν δουλείαν ἐπαναδέξασθαι καὶ τοὺς ἐτησίους εὐγνωμόνως προσφέρειν φόρους. πολλῶν δὲ κἀγαθῶν στρατιωτῶν συστρατευομένων αὐτῷ παρακαλούντων τὴν πρόκλησιν δέξασθαι, ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Ἰωάννης ὁ Χάλδας, καὶ μὴ ἐκστρατεῦσαι κατὰ Συρίας ἐν καιρῷ θέρους, ὁπότε τό τε ὕδωρ ἐν αὐτῇ σπανίζει καὶ τὸ μὲν Ἀράβων ἔθνος ἀνυπόστατόν ἐστιν οἷα 2.492 ἐνειθισμένον φέρειν γενναίως τὰ ἐγχώρια θάλπη καὶ τοὺς φλογμοὺς καὶ τοὺς καύσωνας, οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι πανοπλῖται τυγχάνοντες οὐ τληπαθῶς ἔχουσι πρὸς τὴν ὥραν, μηδενὸς ἐπιστροφὴν ποιησάμε νος, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὑπογύου τὰ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ βασιλέων ἔχων ἀνδραγα θήματα, καὶ σπεύδων καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνδρῷά τινα ἐπιδείξασθαι, ἄπει σιν ἐν Συρίᾳ. καὶ στρατοπεδείαν πηξάμενος ἔν τινι φρουρίῳ δύο ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν Βερροίας ἀπέχοντι (Ἀζάζιον ὄνομα τῷ φρουρίῳ) ἐσκόπει τὸ μέλλον. ἐν ᾧ κατεσκηνωμένος τὸν τῶν ἐξκουβίτων ἄρχοντα τὸν πατρίκιον Λέοντα τὸν Χοιροσφάκτην μετὰ τοῦ οἰκείου τάγματος ἐπὶ κατασκοπῇ στέλλει, εἴ τινές τε ἐπίοιεν κατοψόμενον Ἄραβες, καὶ ὅπῃ δὴ λυσιτελὲς μεταθεῖναι τὴν στρατοπεδείαν. ἀλλὰ τοῦτον οἱ ἐνεδρεύοντες καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ πεδία φυλάσσον τες Ἄραβες καιροσκοπήσαντες καὶ αἰφνίδιον ἐπιθέμενοι κατέσχον, τὸν δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ λαὸν διεσκέδασαν. ἐς τοσοῦτον δὲ προῆλθον τόλμης καὶ ἀναιδείας ὡς ἀναφανδὸν ἐπικόπτειν Ῥωμαίοις τὴν χορτολογίαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἀναγκαίων συλλογήν. πλέον δ' αὐτοὺς ἐκάκουν ἐν τοῖς ὕδασι· πιεζόμενοι γὰρ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ τούτων ἵπποι καὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ δίψους εἰς προφανῆ ἑαυτοὺς συνώθουν τὸν κίνδυνον, καὶ οἱ ἁλισκόμενοι προσαπώλοντο. τότε δὴ καὶ Κωνσταντῖνος πατρίκιος ὁ ∆αλασση νὸς ἐκπεμφθεὶς ἀνακόψαι τοὺς ἐπεμβαίνοντας Ἄραβας καὶ ἀνδρι κόν τι καὶ γενναῖον διαπράξασθαι, καὶ τούτοις συμπλακεὶς καὶ ἀκόσμως φυγών, μεγάλης ταραχῆς καὶ συγχύσεως τὰ Ῥωμαίων 2.493 ἐνέπλησε καὶ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτόν· ἐπανελθόντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ τεθο ρυβημένου καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἅπαν ταραχῆς ἐμφορήσαντος καὶ ἀκοσμίας, οὐκέτι τοῦ λοιποῦ μάχης λόγος ἐτύγχανεν, ἀλλ' ἕκα στος, ὥς πῃ δυνατὸν ἦν, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἐπραγματεύετο. βουλῆς οὖν προτεθείσης ἔδοξεν ἕωθεν διαλύσαντας τὴν τάφρον ἐπαναζευγνύειν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν. καὶ δὴ κατὰ τὴν δεκάτην τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνός, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιγʹ, ἔτους #22φληʹ, κατὰ τὰ βεβου λευμένα τὰς τῆς στρατοπεδείας ἀνοίξαντες πύλας ἁπανταχῇ τῆς ἐπ' Ἀντιόχειαν εἴχοντο, οἱ πλείους μὲν κοιλιακῷ κατειργασμένοι νοσήματι, οἱ πλείους δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ δίψους κατειρ γασμένοι. οἷς ἐξελθοῦσι τῆς παρεμβολῆς μετὰ ῥύμης οἱ Ἄραβες ἐπιτίθενται. τῶν δὲ μηδ' ὅλως ὑποστάντων τὴν ὁρμὴν γίνεται τροπὴ φρικωδεστάτη, καὶ οἱ μὲν ὑπ' ἀλλήλων ἐπατοῦντο καὶ διε φθείροντο, οἱ δὲ ζωγρίαι ἡλίσκοντο. ἔνθα τι καὶ συνέβη χάριεν γενέσθαι· τῶν γὰρ στρατηγῶν, οἷς ἐπ' ἀνδρίᾳ μέγα ὄνομα ἦν, καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν μηδενὸς ὑποστῆναι τολμώντων τὸν