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danger but were ignobly running away, a certain eunuch of the imperial chamberlains, seeing his own baggage and servants being carried off, and not bearing the suffering with moderation, spurred his horse this way and that and attacked the Saracens with a violent charge, and drawing his bow, he shot one and put the others to flight, and having recovered his possessions, he returned rejoicing. And the emperor, having come close to being captured, was saved and escaped to Antioch, as the imperial companions fought eagerly and saved both themselves and the emperor. 2.494 At that time, when George Maniakes was strategos of the theme of Telouch, eight hundred Arabs, having returned from the rout with an arrogant spirit, and coming to him, they ordered him to yield at once and to abandon the city, since the emperor had been captured and the entire Roman army utterly destroyed, and not to give himself over to manifest danger; for when day dawned, he and those with him would be surrounded and miserably perish. But he, seeming to accept the advice and being suspected of doing what was commanded, sent out to them sufficient food and drink and ordered them to rest themselves, saying that at daybreak he himself with his companions would depart, and would make them masters of the city of Telouch and of all the Roman goods. But they, deceived by both his words and deeds, and supposing that on the morrow they would likely take everything, turned to drinking and drunkenness and passed the night in complete security and carelessness. But around midnight he attacked them while they were drunk and sleeping carelessly, and he slaughtered all of them, and he also seized two hundred and eighty loaded camels, full of all sorts of Roman goods. And cutting off the noses and ears of the fallen, he brought them to the emperor in Cappadocia, who, after his flight, had already reached the house of Phokas and was staying in it. The emperor, approving of his deed, appointed him katepano of Lower Media. 2.495 Departing from Syria, he appointed as domestic of the schools Symeon, the servant of his father-in-law Constantine, and as governor of Antioch, Niketas from Mistheia. To these he gave orders to attempt as best they could the fortress built by Mousaraph, whose name was Menikos, to see if they could somehow rid Syria of the raids from Mousaraph. But as they unskillfully and ignorantly attempted the siege, Mousaraph slipped out of the fortress by night, set fire to the siege engines, and shamefully drove them from there. When the emperor learned this, and not bearing the insult, he sent against Syria Theoktistos the protospatharios, one of his most trusted ministers and who was at that time serving as megas hetaireiarches, with a strong force of both Romans and foreigners, appointing him strategos autokrator, and instructing him to join with Pinzarach, the emir of Tripoli, and with him to ravage the lands of the Arabs; for this Pinzarach had happened, due to some offense, shortly before to have revolted from the amermoumnes of the Egyptians and to have taken up arms against him. And when the Egyptian had sent the Turk Tousper, who was commander of his regiments, with a considerable force for the overthrow of Pinzarach, as the latter perceived that he himself on his own was not a match to engage with the force of the Egyptians, he had recourse to the emperor of the Romans and asked for an alliance. Romanos, not ignoring his request, sent out Theoktistos with a considerable multitude, 2.496 ordering him both to provide an alliance to Pinzarach and on the way to lay claim to the fortress of Menikos; who departed and, having joined with Pinzarach, set to the task. And the Egyptian commander-in-chief, Tousper, astounded by the suddenness of the attack and by the multitude, returned home; nor did Mousaraph endure the attack of the enemies, but leaving Menikos he fled and, being detained near the borders of Tripoli

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κίνδυνον ἀλλ' ἀγεννῶς ἀποδιδρασκόντων, εὐνοῦχός τις τῶν βασιλικῶν θα λαμηπόλων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ φερομένην ἰδὼν ἀποσκευὴν καὶ τοὺς ὑπη ρέτας, καὶ μὴ ἐνεγκὼν μετρίως τὸ πάθος, τὸν ἵππον τῇδε κἀκεῖσε συνταράξας ἔπεισι μετὰ σφοδρᾶς ὁρμῆς κατὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν, καὶ τόξον ἐντείνας βάλλει μὲν ἕνα τρέπει δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἑλὼν ὑπέστρεψε γεγηθώς. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐγγὺς ἐλθὼν τοῦ ἁλῶναι περισώζεται εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, ἐκθύμως ἀγωνισαμένων τῶν βασιλικῶν ἑταίρων καὶ διασωσάντων ἑαυτούς τε καὶ τὸν βα σιλέα. 2.494 Τότε δὴ Γεωργίου τοῦ Μανιάκη τοῦ θέματος στρατηγοῦν τος Τελούχ, Ἄραβες ὀκτακόσιοι μετὰ γαύρου τοῦ φρονήματος ὑποστρέψαντες ἀπὸ τῆς τροπῆς καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν παραγενόμενοι εἴκειν τὴν ταχίστην ἐκέλευον καὶ τὴν πόλιν καταλιπεῖν τοῦ βασι λέως ἑαλωκότος καὶ παντὸς τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος ἄρδην ἀπολωλότος, καὶ μὴ ἑαυτὸν προφανεῖ κινδύνῳ ἐκδεδωκέναι· ἡμέ ρας γὰρ διαλαμπούσης οἰκτρῶς αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπο λοῦνται περιστοιχισθέντες. ὁ δὲ δέχεσθαι τάχα τὴν παραίνεσιν δόξας καὶ ποιήσειν τὸ κελευόμενον ὑποπτευθείς, σῖτά τε καὶ ποτὰ τούτοις ἀποχρώντως ἐκπέμψας διαναπαύειν ἐκέλευεν ἑαυτούς, ὡς ἅμ' ἡμέρᾳ αὐτὸς μὲν σὺν τοῖς συνοῦσιν αὐτῷ ἀπαλλαγήσεται, αὐτοὺς δὲ κυρίους καταστήσει τῆς πόλεως Τελοὺχ καὶ πάντων τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χρημάτων. οἱ δὲ τοῖς τε λόγοις καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις φενα κισθέντες, καὶ ὡς αὔριον τάχα ἀπολήψεσθαι τὰ πάντα ὑπειληφό τες, πρὸς πότους καὶ μέθας ἐτράπησαν καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀδείᾳ καὶ ἀμεριμνίᾳ διενυκτέρευον. ὁ δὲ περὶ μέσας νύκτας οἰνωμένοις αὐ τοῖς καὶ ἀφροντίστως κοιμωμένοις ἐπιτίθεται, καὶ τούτους μὲν πάντας ἀπέσφαξεν, ὑφείλετο δὲ καὶ διακοσίας ὀγδοήκοντα καμή λους πεφορτωμένας καὶ πλήρεις ἀγαθῶν παντοίων Ῥωμαϊκῶν. τὰς δὲ ῥῖνας καὶ τὰ ὦτα τῶν πεσόντων ἀποτεμὼν διεκόμισεν ἐν Καπ παδοκίᾳ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἤδη ἀπὸ τῆς φυγῆς κατειληφότι τὸν τοῦ Φωκᾶ οἶκον καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ διατρίβοντι. ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἔργου ἀποδεξάμενος κατεπάνω τῆς κάτω Μηδίας ἀποδείκνυσιν. 2.495 Ἀπαίρων δὲ τῆς Συρίας δομέστικον μὲν τῶν σχολῶν ἀπο δείκνυσι Συμεὼν τὸν τοῦ πενθεροῦ αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντίνου θερά ποντα, ἡγεμόνα δὲ Ἀντιοχείας Νικήταν τὸν ἐκ Μισθείας. τού τοις ἐνετείλατο κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἀποπειρᾶσθαι τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Μουσάραφ κτισθέντος φρουρίου, ᾧ Μενῖκος ὄνομα, εἴ πως δυνηθεῖεν ἀπαλλάξαι Συρίαν τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Μουσάραφ ἐπιδρομῶν. ἀφυῶς δὲ τούτων καὶ ἀμαθῶς ἐπιχειρησάντων τῇ πολιορκίᾳ, νυ κτὸς ὁ Μουσάραφ ὑπεκδραμὼν τοῦ φρουρίου τάς τε ἑλεπόλεις ἐνέπρησε καὶ τούτους ἐκεῖθεν αἰσχρῶς ἀπεδίωξεν. ὅπερ πυθό μενος ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ μὴ φέρων τὴν ὕβριν, Θεόκτιστον πρωτο σπαθάριον, ἕνα τῶν πιστικωτάτων αὐτῷ ὑπάρχοντα διακόνων καὶ μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην τῷ τότε χρηματίζοντα, μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ ἐθνικῶν κατὰ Συρίας ἐκπέμπει, στρατηγὸν αὐ τοκράτορα τοῦτον προχειρισάμενος, καὶ ἐπισκήψας τῷ Τριπόλεως συμμῖξαι ἀμηρᾷ Πινζαρὰχ καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ τὰ τῶν Ἀράβων λυ μαίνεσθαι· ἔτυχε γὰρ οὗτος ὁ Πινζαρὰχ διά τι πρόσκρουμα πρὸ μικροῦ ἀποστατῆσαι τοῦ Αἰγυπτίων ἀμερμουμνῆ καὶ ὅπλα κινῆσαι κατ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου τὸν Τοῦρκον Τοῦσπερ, ἄρχοντα τυγχάνοντα τῶν αὐτοῦ ταγμάτων, μετὰ χειρὸς ἀξιολόγου ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τοῦ Πινζαρὰχ πεπομφότος, ὡς οὗτος ᾔσθετο μὴ ἀξιό μαχος εἶναι αὐτὸς καθ' ἑαυτὸν τῇ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων συμπλακῆναι δυνάμει, τῷ βασιλεῖ Ῥωμαίων προσρύεται καὶ ὁμαιχμίαν αἰτεῖ. οὗ τὴν αἴτησιν μὴ παριδὼν ὁ Ῥωμανὸς τὸν Θεόκτιστον μετὰ πλή θους ἀξιολόγου ἐξέπεμψε, συμμαχίαν τε παρασχεῖν τῷ Πινζαρὰχ 2.496 κελεύσας, καὶ ἐκ παρόδου τοῦ φρουρίου Μενίκου ἀντιποιεῖσθαι· ὃς ἀπελθὼν καὶ συμμίξας τῷ Πινζαρὰχ ἔργου εἴχετο. καὶ ὁ μὲν Αἰγυπτίων ἀρχιστράτηγος Τοῦσπερ τῷ αἰφνιδίῳ τῆς ἐφόδου καὶ τῷ πλήθει καταπλαγεὶς οἴκαδε ὑπενόστησεν· οὐδὲ ἤνεγκε δὲ οὐδ' ὁ Μουσάραφ τὴν ἐπέλευσιν τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλὰ τὸν Μενῖκον ἀφεὶς ἔφυγε καὶ περὶ τὰ ὅρια Τριπόλεως συσχεθεὶς