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the orphan-master and brother of the emperor Michael, having cast himself from the wall and broken his neck, died, thrown down with the murderers. And the bishops were sent to 2.499 the emperor at Mesanakta, and from there they were freed. On the 28th of the month of July, on the second day, at the second hour of the night, a shower of stars occurred from south to north, illuminating the whole earth. and after a short time the misfortunes that befell the Romans were announced: the Arabs having plundered Mesopotamia as far as Melitene, the Patzinaks having crossed the Ister and ravaged Mysia, and the Saracens having raided the coast of Illyricum as far as Kerkyra and set it on fire. But while the others returned home unharmed by evils, the Saracens suffered badly at the hands of both the Ragusans and the strategos in Nauplion, Nikephoros the patrikios, the son of Karantenos, having been defeated in battle and having lost most of their ships. And the survivors, having killed the Roman captives they held, while returning home encountered a shipwreck around the Sicilian sea and were destroyed. In this year both famine and plague overran Cappadocia, Paphlagonia, Armeniakon, and Honoriada, so that even the inhabitants of the themes themselves, abandoning their homelands, sought to emigrate; whom the emperor, having met as he was entering the capital from Mesanakta, and not being ignorant of the cause of their exodus, forced to return home, supporting them with gold and with the other necessities for life. And Michael, 2.500 then steering the church of Ankyra, showed worthy works of virtue, sparing nothing that tended toward the salvation of those wounded by the famine and plague. On the 13th of the month of August, on Sunday, at the 1st hour of the night, in the year 6540, there was a great earthquake. And the emperor also entered the capital, and when his former wife Helena died, he made great distributions on her behalf. In this year, on the 28th of the month of February, a star also passed from north to south with a sound and a crash; and it was visible until the 15th of March, having a bow above it. On the 2nd of March, on the third day, there was an earthquake. At this time there also occurred a raid of African Saracens, of a thousand ships, having ten thousand warriors, who greatly ravaged the islands and coastal regions. Having engaged a certain part of them, Nikephoros Karantenos routed them, and sent five hundred shackled Saracens to the emperor. In this year also, Georgios Maniakes the protospatharios, the son of Goudelios Maniakes, one of the strategoi of the cities along the Euphrates and having his dwellings in Samosata, made an attempt on the city of Edessa in Osroene. For Salaman the Turk, having command of it—it having been entrusted to him by the emir of Martyropolis, that is, Miyafarikin—and having been corrupted by gifts and promises and honors, hands it over to Maniakes in the dead of night, who, having seized three 2.501 very strong towers, courageously defended against the besiegers, calling for help from outside. And Apomermanes, the emir of Miyafarikin, learning of the capture and appearing swiftly with a not insignificant force, attempted the siege of the towers, but having been repulsed by Georgios's brave resistance and not having anything he could do, having stripped the finest of the buildings and having destroyed the adornment of the city and of the great church itself, and having placed the finest things on camels, and having given the rest of the city over to fire, withdrew to Martyropolis. And Maniakes, having found security, having seized the fortress situated in the middle of the city on a rocky hill, and having summoned a force from outside, held the city securely.

And having found also the autograph letter of our master and lord Jesus Christ, the one sent to Abgar, he sent it to the emperor in Byzantium.

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ὀρφανοτρόφου καὶ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ βεβασι λευκότος Μιχαήλ, ἑαυτὸν ἀποκρημνίσας τοῦ τείχους καὶ ἐκτραχη λισθεὶς ἀπέθανε ῥιφεὶς μετὰ τῶν αὐτοφόνων, οἱ δὲ ἐπίσκοποι ὡς 2.499 τὸν βασιλέα πρὸς τὰ Μεσάνακτα ἐξεπέμφθησαν κἀκεῖθεν ἠλευθε ρώθησαν. Εἰκάδι δὲ ηʹ Ἰουλίου μηνός, ἡμέρᾳ ʹ, ὥρᾳ βʹ τῆς νυκτός, ἀστέρος ἐγένετο χύσις ἐκ μεσημβρίας πρὸς ἄρκτον, πᾶσαν περια στράψαντος τὴν γῆν. καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν ἀγγέλλονται τὰ κατα σχόντα τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀτυχήματα, Ἄραβες μὲν ληϊσάμενοι Μεσοποταμίαν ἄχρι Μελιτηνῆς, Πατζινάκαι δὲ τὸν Ἴστρον διαβάντες καὶ τὴν Μυσίαν κακῶς διαθέμενοι, Σαρακηνοὶ δὲ τὴν παράλιον καταδραμόντες τοῦ Ἰλλυρικοῦ μέχρι Κερκύρας καὶ αὐτὴν πυρπο λήσαντες. ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι ἀπήμονες κακῶν οἴκαδε ὑπενόστη σαν, Σαρακηνοὶ δὲ ὑπό τε Ῥαουσαίων καὶ τοῦ στρατηγοῦντος ἐν Ναυπλίῳ Νικηφόρου πατρικίου τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Καραντηνοῦ κακῶς ἔπαθον, καταπολεμηθέντες καὶ τὰ πλείω ἀποβαλόντες τῶν σκα φῶν. οἱ δὲ περισωθέντες, οὓς εἶχον Ῥωμαίους αἰχμαλώτους ἀποκτείναντες, ἐν τῷ οἴκαδε ὑποστρέφειν ναυαγίῳ περιπεσόντες περὶ τὸ Σικελικὸν πέλαγος διεφθάρησαν. Τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει καὶ λιμὸς καὶ λοιμὸς ἐπέδραμε Καππαδοκίαν Παφλαγονίαν Ἀρμενιακὸν καὶ Ὁνωριάδα, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺςτῶν θεμάτων ἐποίκους καταλιπόντας τὰς πατρίδας μετοικίαν ζη τεῖν· οἷς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ ἀπὸ τῶν Μεσανάκτων εἰσιέναι πρὸς τὴν βασιλίδα συνηντηκώς, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀπαναστάσεως μὴ ἀγνοήσας, ὑποστρέφειν οἴκαδε κατηνάγκαζε, χρυσίῳ ἀναλαμβά νων καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀναγκαίοις. καὶ Μιχαὴλ δὲ 2.500 ὁ τῆς Ἀγκύρας τότε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν πηδαλιουχῶν ἔργα ἀρετῆς ἐπε δείξατο ἄξια, μηδενὸς φεισάμενος τῶν τεινόντων εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ λοιμοῦ τραυμάτων. Τῆς ιγʹ δὲ τοῦ Αὐγούστου μηνός, ἡμέρᾳ κυριακῇ, ὥρᾳ αʹ τῆς νυκτός, ἐν ἔτει τῷ #22φμʹ, γέγονε σεισμὸς μέγας. εἰσῆλθε δὲ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι, καὶ τῆς προτέρας αὐτοῦ γυναικὸς Ἑλένης ἀποθανούσης μεγάλας διαδόσεις ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἐποιήσατο. τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει κατὰ τὴν κηʹ τοῦ Φεβρουαρίου μηνὸς καὶ ἀστὴρ διῆξεν ἀπὸ βορρᾶ πρὸς μεσημβρίαν μετ' ἤχου καὶ κτύπου· ἐφαί νετο δὲ ἄχρι τῆς ιεʹ Μαρτίου, τόξον ὕπερθεν ἔχων. Μαρτίῳ δὲ ʹ, ἡμέρᾳ γʹ, γέγονε σεισμός. Ἐγένετο δὲ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ ἐκδρομὴ Ἄφρων Σαρακηνῶν, πλοίων χιλίων, πολεμιστὰς ἔχοντα μυρίους, οἵτινες πολλὰ τὰς νήσους καὶ παραλίους ἐκάκωσαν. ὧν μέρει τινὶ συμ πλακεὶς Νικηφόρος ὁ Καραντηνὸς ἐτρέψατο, καὶ πεντακοσίους πεπεδημένους Σαρακηνοὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐξαπέστειλε. τούτῳ τῷ ἔτει καὶ Γεώργιος πρωτοσπαθάριος ὁ Μανιάκης, ὁ Γουδελίου τοῦ Μανιάκη υἱός, τῶν παρευφρατιδίων στρατηγῶν πόλεων καὶ ἐν Σαμοσάτοις τὰς οἰκήσεις ἔχων τῆς παρὰ τῇ Ὀσροηνῇ πόλει ἀπεπειράθη Ἐδέσσης· ταύτης γὰρ τὴν ἐπιστασίαν Σαλαμάνης ἔχων ὁ Τοῦρκος, παρὰ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ Μαρτυρουπόλεως ἤτοι Μιεφερκεὶμ ἐπιτετραμμένης αὐτῷ, καὶ δώροις καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι καὶ τιμαῖς δια φθαρεὶς παραδίδωσι τῷ Μανιάκῃ ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν, ὃς τρεῖς 2.501 πύργους λίαν ὀχυρωτάτους κατασχὼν εὐψύχως τοὺς πολιορκοῦν τας ἠμύνετο, βοήθειαν ἔξωθεν ἐπικαλούμενος. Ἀπομερμάνης δὲ ὁ τῶν Μιεφερκεὶμ ἀμηρᾶς, τὴν ἅλωσιν μαθὼν καὶ ὀξὺς ἐπιφανεὶς μετὰ δυνάμεως οὐκ ὀλίγης ἐπεχείρησε μὲν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ τῶν πύργων, γενναίως δὲ ὑποστάντος τοῦ Γεωργίου ἀποκρουσθεὶς καὶ μὴ ἔχων ὅ τι καὶ δράσειεν, ἀποκείρας τὰ κάλλιστα τῶν οἰκημάτων καὶ διαφθείρας τὸν τῆς πόλεως κόσμον καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς μεγάλης ἐκ κλησίας, καὶ καμήλοις ἐπιθεὶς τὰ κάλλιστα, καὶ τὰ περίλοιπα τῆς πόλεως πυρὶ παραδούς, ὑπεχώρησεν εἰς Μαρτυρούπολιν. ἀδείας δὲ τυχὼν ὁ Μανιάκης, τὸ ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πόλεως κείμενον φρούριον ἐν λοφώδει πέτρᾳ κατασχών, δύναμίν τε ἔξωθεν προσ καλεσάμενος, ἀσφαλῶς τὴν πόλιν κατέσχεν.

Εὑρὼν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἰδιόγραφον ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τὴν πρὸς Αὔγαρον πεμφθεῖσαν, τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ ἀπέστειλεν.