509

to Vaspurakan (for Stephen the patrician, son of Constantine Leichoudes who was the chief minister to the emperor, sent by the emperor, was ruling that land at the time) he sends envoys to him, asking to be permitted to pass through unhindered, 2.571 promising with the most fearful oaths to keep the country untouched and unharmed. But he, having received the envoys and suspecting the request to be cowardice, gathered the local army and marched out against the Turks as if for war. But Qutlumush became very distressed at what was happening (for all the people with him, as they were returning from a rout, were on foot and unarmed), nevertheless, though unwilling, he was forced to draw up for battle. And when the engagement took place, Stephen's men were routed, and he himself was also taken captive along with many others. And passing through Tabriz, he sold him to the local ruler of the land, but he himself, having returned to the sultan and defending himself concerning the rout, transferred the blame to others, and promised that if he again took a force and campaigned against Karbesios, he would more easily subdue Arabia for him. And in passing he also related concerning Vaspurakan, that it was a very fertile country, but was held by women, alluding to the soldiers who had fought against him. But the sultan, angered by the shame of the defeat, was planning to seize and kill him, but he shrank from taking up arms against the Romans, fearing and shuddering from mere repute at the heroic deeds of the three preceding emperors, Nikephoros, John and Basil, and suspecting that the same valor and power still belonged to the Romans. Nevertheless, he was wavering and of two minds, and was pondering what should be done. But Qutlumush, 2.572 having learned of the plot, fled with those with him, and having seized a very strong city situated in Khwarazm, which is called Pasar, became a rival to the sultan. But he, for the time being, did not see fit to wage war against this man, but gathering all his forces he went away against the Arabs, and when a battle took place, he himself was again routed. But returning from the rout, and not bearing the shame and the reproach from Qutlumush, he himself took the greatest multitude and departed to Pasar, and for a long time continued to wage war against his own cousin, who was confident in the strength of the city and often threw open the gates and came out and inflicted no small harm on the sultan's men. And against the Romans he sent another force, about 20 thousand, having appointed as its general his nephew Asan, called the deaf, instructing him to arrive as quickly as possible and, if he should succeed, to acquire Media for him. And these things were done in Persia. But Pankratios, the ruler of Iberia, an intemperate man, having debauched Liparites's marriage-bed (Liparites was the son of Oratios Liparites who was killed in the time of Emperor Basil in the war against George, and was famed for his intelligence and courage and was very powerful among the Iberians after Pankratios), forced him, being indignant at what had happened, to take up arms against him. And having routed him in war, he drives him away to the Caucasus and inner Abasgia, and having arrived at the 2.573 palace he has intercourse by force with his own mistress, the mother of Pankratios, and becomes master of all the affairs of Iberia. And having sent letters to the emperor he asks to become a friend and ally of the Romans; whose embassy this one received, he made common cause with him. And after some time Pankratios too, having journeyed by way of the river Phasis and the Suani and Colchians, comes to Trebizond, and from there sends messengers to the emperor, declaring that he has a desire to enter the capital and meet him.

Having been ordered, therefore, he enters, and having met the emperor first reproaches him greatly that being an emperor and with the ruler of no small country of Abasgia, treaties

509

Βαασπρακὰν (ἦρχε δὲ τότε τῆς τοιαύτης χώρας ἐκ βασιλέως πεμφθεὶς Στέφανος πατρίκιος ὁ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ παραδυνα στεύοντος τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς Λειχουδίας υἱὸς) στέλλει πρὸς αὐτὸν πρεσβευτάς, ἀξιῶν συγχωρηθῆναι διελθεῖν ἀκωλύτως, ὑπισχνού 2.571 μενος μεθ' ὅρκων φρικωδεστάτων ἄψαυστον καὶ ἀσινῆ διατηρῆσαι τὴν χώραν. ὁ δὲ τοὺς πρέσβεις δεξάμενος καὶ τὴν παράκλησιν δειλίαν εἶναι ὑποτοπάσας, τὸν ἐγχώριον ἀθροίσας στρατὸν ὡς εἰς πόλεμον ὑπαντιάζει τοῖς Τούρκοις. ὁ δὲ Κουτλουμοῦς περιαλγὴς μὲν ἐπὶ τοῖς πραττομένοις ἐγένετο (ἦν γὰρ ὁ κατ' αὐτὸν λαὸς ἅπας, ὡς ἐκ τροπῆς ἐπανήκων, πεζὸς καὶ ἄοπλος), ὅμως δὲ καὶ ἄκων ἠναγκάσθη ἀντιπαρατάξασθαι. καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης τρέπονται οἱ περὶ τὸν Στέφανον, ἁλίσκεται δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς αἰχμά λωτος σὺν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς. καὶ τοῦτον μὲν διερχόμενος κατὰ τὸ Ταβρέζιον ἀπεμπολεῖ τῷ τοπάρχῃ τῆς χώρας, αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς τὸν σουλτάνον ἐπανελθὼν καὶ περὶ τῆς τροπῆς ἀπολογούμενος μετε τίθει τὰς αἰτίας εἰς ἄλλους, καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο, εἰ αὖθις δύναμιν λαβὼν ἐκστρατεύσει κατὰ τοῦ Καρβεσίου, ῥᾷον αὐτῷ παρα στήσειν τὴν Ἀραβίαν. ὡς ἐν παρόδῳ δὲ ἀφηγεῖτο καὶ περὶ τοῦ Βαασπρακάν, ὡς εἴη μὲν χώρα πάμφορος, κατέχεται δὲ ὑπὸ γυναικῶν, τοὺς πεπολεμηκότας πρὸς αὐτὸν στρατιώτας ὑπαινιτ τόμενος. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνον μὲν ὁ σουλτάνος κατασχεῖν ἐμελέτα διὰ τὸ αἶσχος μηνίσας τῆς ἥττης καὶ ἀποκτεῖναι, πρὸς δὲ Ῥωμαίους ὅπλα κινῆσαι ἀπεδειλία, δεδιὼς καὶ φρίττων ἐκ μόνης τῆς φήμης τὰ τῶν προηγησαμένων τριῶν βασιλέων ἀνδραγαθήματα, Νικηφόρου Ἰωάννου καὶ Βασιλείου, καὶ ὑποπτεύων τὴν αὐτὴν ἀρετὴν ἔτι καὶ δύναμιν προσεῖναι Ῥωμαίοις. ὅμως ἀμφίρροπος ἦν καὶ διχογνώμων, καὶ ἐμελέτα τὸ ποιητέον. Κουτλουμοῦς δὲ γνοὺς 2.572 τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν φεύγει μετὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ, καὶ πόλιν ὀχυρωτάτην κατασχὼν ἐν Χωρασμίοις κειμένην, ἥτις Πάσαρ ὠνόμασται, ἀν τίπαλος γίνεται τῷ σουλτάνῳ. ὁ δὲ τὸ νῦν ἔχον πρὸς τοῦτον μὲν διαπολεμεῖν οὐκ ἐδοκίμασε, πάσας δὲ τὰς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεις ἀθροί σας ἄπεισι κατὰ τῶν Ἀράβων, καὶ μάχης γενομένης πάλιν τρέπεται καὶ αὐτός. ἐπανελθὼν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς τροπῆς, καὶ μὴ φέρων τὴν αἰσχύνην καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Κουτλουμοῦς ὄνειδος, αὐτὸς μὲν τὸ πλεῖστον πλῆθος ἀναλαβὼν ἄπεισιν εἰς τὸ Πάσαρ, καὶ διετέλεσε προσπολεμῶν μέχρι πολλοῦ τῷ οἰκείῳ ἀνεψιῷ, τῇ ὀχυρότητι τῆς πόλεως θαρροῦντι καὶ πολλάκις ἀναπεταννύντι τὰς πύλας καὶ ἐξερχομένῳ καὶ οὐ μικρῶς τοὺς περὶ τὸν σουλτάνον βλάπτοντι. κατὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίων δύναμιν ἐκπέμπει ἑτέραν, ἀμφὶ τὰς κʹ χιλιά δας, στρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσας αὐτῇ ἀδελφόπαιδα Ἀσὰν τὸν λεγόμενον κωφόν, ἐπισκήψας τὴν ταχίστην ἀφικέσθαι καὶ εἰ προχωροίη προσκτήσασθαι αὐτῷ τὴν Μηδίαν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράττετο ἐν Περσίδι. Παγκράτιος δὲ ὁ τῆς Ἰβηρίας ἀρχηγός, ἀκόλαστος ἄνθρω πος, ἐς τοῦ Λιπαρίτου τὴν κοίτην ἐξυβρίσας (ἦν δὲ ὁ Λιπαρίτης υἱὸς τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Βασιλείου ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸν Γεώργιον πολέμῳ ἀναιρεθέντος Ὁρατίου τοῦ Λιπαρίτου, ἐπὶ συνέσει τε καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ βεβοημένος καὶ μεγάλα μετὰ τὸν Παγκράτιον δυνάμενος ἐν τοῖς Ἴβηρσιν) ἠνάγκασε τοῦτον ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι δεινοπαθή σαντα ὅπλα κατ' αὐτοῦ κινῆσαι. καὶ πολέμῳ τοῦτον τρεψάμενος εἰς τὰ Καυκάσια καὶ τὴν ἔνδον ἀπελαύνει Ἀβασγίαν, ἐν τοῖς βα 2.573 σιλείοις τε γενόμενος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ μίγνυται πρὸς βίαν δεσποίνῃ, τῇ μητρὶ τοῦ Παγκρατίου, καὶ τῶν ὅλων τῆς Ἰβηρίας πραγμάτων κύριος γίνεται. γράμματά τε εἰς τὸν βασιλέα πέμψας φίλος καὶ σύμμαχος ἐξαιτεῖ γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίων· οὗ τὴν πρεσβείαν δεξάμενος οὗτος κοινοπραγεῖται μετ' αὐτοῦ. μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον καὶ ὁ Παγκράτιος διὰ τοῦ Φάσιδος ποταμοῦ καὶ Σουάνων καὶ Κόλχων ὁδοιπορήσας ἔρχεται εἰς Τραπεζοῦντα, κἀκεῖθεν ἀγγέλους ἐκπέμ πει πρὸς βασιλέα, δηλῶν ὡς ἔφεσιν ἔχει εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι καὶ αὐτῷ ἐντυχεῖν.

Προσταχθεὶς οὖν εἴσεισι, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν τυχὼν πρῶτον μὲν ὀνειδίζει πολλὰ ὅτιπερ βασιλεὺς ὢν καὶ πρὸς ἀρχηγὸν οὐ μικρᾶς χώρας τῆς Ἀβασγίας σπονδὰς