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The Patzinaks, having crossed over, greatly ravaged Mysia and Thrace as far as Macedonia. And again a plague of locusts came upon the Thracian lands, and destroyed the crops. In the year #22φμδʹ, of the 14th indiction, during the spring, the Patzinaks made three incursions against the Romans and utterly 2.515 destroyed everything they encountered, killing all they caught, from the youth upwards, and subjecting the captives to unspeakable torments. And they also captured alive five generals: John Dermokaites, Bardas Petzes, Leo Chalkotoubes, Constantine Pterotos, and Michael Strabotrichares. The rulers of the Rus', Nosisthlabos and Hierosthlabos, also died, and Zinisthlabos, a relative of the deceased, was chosen to rule the Rus'. And Serbia, having cast off the yoke of the Romans after the death of the emperor Romanos, again made a treaty. But when Amer, the amermoumnes of Egypt, died, his wife, being a Christian, sent an embassy together with her son to the emperor concerning peace; and the emperor, having accepted her intention, made a thirty-year treaty with her. In the month of December, of the 15th indiction, in the year #22φμεʹ, on the 18th of the month, about the fourth hour of the night, there were three earthquakes, two small and one large. And when George Maniakes the patrikios was transferred from Edessa, as we have said, and Lepedrenos was appointed to rule in it, the Arabs inhabiting Mesopotamia, making common cause, came against Edessa and besieged the city. And it almost was captured, had not Constantine the emperor's brother, having sent sufficient aid from Antioch, rescued it beyond expectation; whom the emperor, approving of the deed, appointed domestic of the schools of the 2.516 east. And Antony Paches, a eunuch, was also appointed bishop of Nicomedia, related by family to the emperor, having nothing worthy of a bishop, but rather bearing an ox of speechlessness on his tongue. And when a drought occurred for a whole six months, so that no rain fell, the brothers of the emperor made a litany, with John carrying the holy Mandylion, the grand domestic the letter of Christ to Abgar, and the protovestiarios the holy swaddling clothes; and traveling on foot from the great palace, they arrived at the church of the most holy Theotokos of Blachernae. And the patriarch also made another litany with the clergy. But not only did it not rain, but a very large hail also poured down and shattered the trees and the roof tiles of the city. And when a grain shortage seized the city, John sent out and bought 100,000 measures of grain from the Peloponnese and Hellas, and with them he comforted the citizens. And in Sicily, when the two brothers were quarreling, as has been said, and Apolaphar was prevailing, the other of the brothers called the amir of Africa, Oumer, for assistance; and he promised to be an ally, if he should receive some possession on the island. And when the Sicilian readily agreed to this, he arrived, and having clashed with Apolaphar, while the force with George Maniakes the patrikios, which had been sent to be his ally, was still delayed, 2.517 he decisively routed him. But he, having fled to the ruler of Longobardia, Leo Opos, asked for aid; and he, having gathered what force he had for the occasion, crossed over to Sicily, and having often engaged with the leader of the Africans and having prevailed, he checked him from his unrestrained assault. Then learning that the brothers were making a truce and were about to unite to attack the Romans, he crossed over again to Italy, with about 15,000 Roman captives entering the ships along with him, going to Italy, and again crossing over to their homes. Therefore, seizing the opportunity, the Carthaginian pressed upon Sicily and with great impunity he plundered it. And matters in Sicily were thus. And as John was inordinately desiring the throne of Constantinople, Demetrios of Cyzicus, Antony of Nicomedia, the one of Side having conspired

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Πατζινάκαι περαιωθέντες οὐ μικρῶς τὴν Μυσίαν καὶ Θρᾴκην μέχρι Μακεδονίας ἐκάκωσαν. ἐπῆλθε δὲ πάλιν ἀκρὶς τοῖς Θρᾳκησίοις, καὶ κακῶς διέθετο τοὺς καρπούς. Τῷ #22φμδʹ ἔτει, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιδʹ, διὰ τοῦ ἔαρος τρεῖς εἰσβο λὰς ποιησάμενοι οἱ Πατζινάκαι κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἄρδην τὰ παρα 2.515 τυχόντα ἠφάνισαν, ἡβηδὸν τοὺς ἁλισκομένους ἀναιροῦντες καὶ τιμωρίαις τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ὑποβάλλοντες ἀνεκδιηγήτοις. εἷλον δὲ καὶ στρατηγοὺς πέντε ζωγρίας, Ἰωάννην τὸν ∆ερμοκαΐτην, Βάρδαν τὸν Πέτζην, Λέοντα τὸν Χαλκοτούβην, Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν Πτερωτὸν καὶ τὸν Στραβοτριχάρην Μιχαήλ. ἐτελεύτησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν Ῥὼς ἄρχοντες, Νοσισθλάβος καὶ Ἱεροσθλάβος, καὶ ἄρχειν προεκρίθη τῶν Ῥὼς συγγενὴς τῶν τελευτησάντων Ζινι σθλάβος. καὶ ἡ Σερβία Ῥωμαίων ἀφηνιάσασα μετὰ θάνατον Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως αὖθις ἐσπείσατο. Ἄμερ δὲ τοῦ τῆς Αἰγύ πτου ἀμερμουμνῆ τελευτήσαντος, ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ Χριστιανὴ οὖσα διαπρεσβεύεται ἅμα τῷ υἱῷ πρὸς βασιλέα περὶ εἰρήνης· ἧς ἀπο δεξάμενος τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁ βασιλεὺς σπονδὰς τριακοντούτεις ἔθετο μετ' αὐτῆς. ∆εκεμβρίῳ δὲ μηνί, ἰνδικτιῶνος ιεʹ, ἔτους #22φμεʹ, κατὰ τὴν ιηʹ τοῦ μηνός, περὶ τετάρτην ὥραν τῆς νυκτός, γεγόνασι σει σμοὶ τρεῖς, δύο μικροὶ καὶ εἷς μέγας. Γεωργίου δὲ πατρικίου τοῦ Μανιάκη ἐξ Ἐδέσσης, ὡς εἴπομεν, μετατεθέντος καὶ τοῦ Λε πενδρηνοῦ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄρχειν ταχθέντος, οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν Μεσο ποταμίαν Ἄραβες κοινοπραγίαν θέμενοι ἐπῆλθον τῇ Ἐδέσσῃ καὶ ἐπολιόρκουν τὴν πόλιν. καὶ μικροῦ δεῖν ἑάλω, εἰ μὴ Κωνσταν τῖνος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφὸς βοήθειαν ἀποχρῶσαν ἐξ Ἀντιοχείας πεπομφὼς ταύτην παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐρρύσατο· ὃν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ ἔργου ἀποδεξάμενος δομέστικον προβάλλεται τῶν σχολῶν τῆς ἀνα 2.516 τολῆς. προχειρίζεται δὲ καὶ Νικομηδείας ἐπίσκοπος Ἀντώνιος ὁ Πάχης εὐνοῦχος, κατὰ γένος προσήκων τῷ βασιλεῖ, μηδὲν ἄξιον ἔχων ἐπισκόπου, ἀλλὰ βοῦν ἀφωνίας ἐπὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ φέρων. αὐ χμοῦ δὲ γενομένου ὡς ἐπὶ μῆνας ὅλους ἓξ μὴ καταρραγῆναι ὑετόν, λιτανείαν ἐποιήσαντο οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀδελφοί, ὁ μὲν Ἰωάννης βαστάζων τὸ ἅγιον μανδύλιον, ὁ μέγας δομέστικος τὴν πρὸς Αὔ γαρον ἐπιστολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος τὰ ἅγια σπάργανα· καὶ πεζῇ ὁδεύσαντες ἀπὸ τοῦ μεγάλου παλατίου ἀφί κοντο ἄχρι τοῦ ναοῦ τῆς ὑπεραγίας θεοτόκου τῶν Βλαχερνῶν. ἐποίησε δὲ καὶ ἑτέραν λιτὴν ὁ πατριάρχης σὺν τῷ κλήρῳ. οὐ μόνον δὲ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ χάλαζα παμμεγέθης καταρραγεῖσα συν έτριψε τὰ δένδρα καὶ τοὺς κεράμους τῆς πόλεως. σιτοδείας δὲ κατασχούσης τὴν πόλιν ἀποστείλας ὁ Ἰωάννης ἐξωνήσατο ἀπὸ Πε λοποννήσου καὶ Ἑλλάδος σίτου χιλιάδας ρʹ, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τοὺς πολίτας παρεμυθήσατο. Ἐν δὲ Σικελίᾳ τῶν δύο ἀδελφῶν, ὡς εἴρηται, στασιαζόντων καὶ τοῦ Ἀπολάφαρ ὑπερισχύοντος, ἕτερος τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὸν τῆς Ἀφρικῆς ἄμερα Οὔμερ εἰς συνεργίαν καλεῖ· καὶ ὃς ὑπισχνεῖται συμμαχήσειν, εἰ κατάσχεσιν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ λάβῃ τινά. προθύμως δὲ τοῦ Σικελοῦ κατανεύσαντος εἰς τοῦτο ἀφικνεῖται, καὶ συμπλακεὶς τῷ Ἀπολάφαρ ἔτι δυνάμεως τῆς μετὰ τοῦ πατρικίου Γεωργίου ὑστερούσης τοῦ Μανιάκη τῆς εἰς συμμαχίαν τούτου πεμφθείσης, 2.517 τρέπεται τοῦτον κατὰ κράτος. ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα Λογγι βαρδίας καταφυγὼν Λέοντα τὸν Ὦπον ᾔτει βοήθειαν· καὶ ὃς ἣν εἶχε δύναμιν ἐκ τοῦ παρείκοντος συναθροίσας περαιοῦται εἰς Σι κελίαν, καὶ πολλάκις συμβαλὼν τῷ τῶν Ἄφρων ἀρχηγῷ καὶ ὑπερτερήσας ἀνέκοψε τοῦτον τῆς ἀσχέτου ὁρμῆς. εἶτα μαθὼν ὡς οἱ ἀδελφοὶ σπένδονται καὶ μέλλουσιν ἑνωθέντες ἐπιθέσθαι Ῥω μαίοις, διαπεραιοῦται πάλιν εἰς Ἰταλίαν, αἰχμαλώτων Ῥωμαίων ἀμφὶ τὰς ιεʹ χιλιάδας ἐν τοῖς πλοίοις συνεισελθόντων αὐτῷ καὶ ἀπελθόντων εἰς Ἰταλίαν καὶ αὖθις οἴκαδε διαπερασάντων. ἀδείας οὖν δραξάμενος ὁ Καρχηδόνιος ἐπέκειτο τῇ Σικελίᾳ καὶ κατὰ πολ λὴν ἄδειαν αὐτὴν ἐκεράϊζε. καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ Σικελίαν εἶχεν οὕτως. Ἐκτόπως δὲ τοῦ Ἰωάννου τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Κωνσταντινου πόλεως ἐρῶντος, κοινοπραγήσαντες ὁ τῆς Κυζίκου ∆ημήτριος, Ἀντώνιος ὁ Νικομηδείας, ὁ τῆς Σίδης