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of the fortresses along the Ister and the races were mingled with each other, having found him lying among the dead and while stripping him, when, after turning him over onto his back, he recognized him by his face and 2.600 found him still breathing, he put him on a horse (for he lay speechless because he had received mortal wounds, one to his bare skull, his helmet having fallen off, running from the top of his head to his eyebrows, and another from his neck, where the tongue is rooted, which had severed the windpipe and fallen into his mouth, and he had become bloodless) and led him away to his own tent, and having deemed him worthy of care and attention, he took care of him. And the Patzinaks, having thus easily repulsed the attacking force, from this point on plundered the land of the Romans without fear; but the emperor, learning of the misfortune from the fugitives, was grieved, as was natural, and he was again gathering forces, and he was also recruiting the fallen, and he was eager to reverse the defeat that had occurred in the coming year. And when the third indiction of the year #22φνηʹ had arrived, the emperor, having appointed the Hetaeriarch Constantine as strategos autokrator, sends him out against the Patzinaks. And he, having taken up the forces newly brought over from the east and gathered those wintering in the west, comes to Adrianople, and having pitched a deep palisaded camp there, he remained, considering with his best men from where he might make his advance. But while he was considering this, suddenly on the eighth of the month of June the Patzinaks, having crossed the Haemus, appear at Adrianople. And when their approach was reported to Constantine by the scouts, a council was held as to whether they should be fought or not. 2.601 But while the best men were deliberating in the Hetaeriarch's tent about what should be done, Samuel Bourtzes the patrician, an arrogant and rash man, then being commander of the infantry forces and having been entrusted with the entire supervision of the camp, not waiting for the commander's signal, left his post and broke down the palisade, went out with the infantry and attacked the Patzinaks. Since they attacked fiercely, the infantry began to weary. Therefore Samuel, sending frequently to the Hetaeriarch, sought help, so that the latter was compelled, even unwillingly, to give the signal for war. So when the whole army came out at the so-called Basilikē Libas, and a general engagement had been joined, because of the suddenness and disorder, and because the infantry had been defeated beforehand while the Patzinaks had gained courage, a rout of the Romans occurs, and the slaughter among them was not great, but they were shut up most shamefully in the camp, and Michael Dokeianos the patrician fell, and Constantine Arianites the magistros received a mortal wound in the bowels, and died on the third day. A few other insignificant men also fell. But the entire rest of the army, ignobly shut up in the camp, was besieged by the Patzinaks, who were filling in the ditch with stones and branches, and pressing to take the camp by force. And perhaps this would have happened, if Soultzous had not been struck by a catapult bolt and pierced through along with his horse 2.602 and brought great astonishment to the Patzinaks who saw it. And Niketas Glabas the prōtospatharios, being topotērētēs of the tagma of the Scholai, also came out from Adrianople to help; and seeing him, and expecting Basil the synkellos to arrive with the Bulgarian forces (for he too was expected to come), the Patzinaks became afraid and, scattered, fleeing one here and another there, they withdrew, and the army of the Romans would have been utterly destroyed. At this time there also arose an accusation of tyranny against certain leading citizens, whose ringleaders happened to be Nikephoros and Michael, the sons of Euthymios, and some others related to the same family. But all the others were saved, and only

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τῶν παρὰ τῷ Ἴστρῳ φρουρίων καὶ ἀνεμίγνυντο ἀλλήλοις τὰ γένη, εὑρὼν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς νεκροῖς κείμενον καὶ σκυλεύων, ἐπεὶ περιστρέψας αὐτὸν ἐς τὸ ὕπτιον ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου ἐγνώρισε καὶ 2.600 κατέλαβεν ἔτι ἐμπνέοντα, ἐπιθεὶς εἰς ἵππον (ἔκειτο γὰρ ἄφωνος διὰ τὸ καιρίας λαβεῖν πληγάς, μίαν μὲν κατὰ γυμνοῦ τοῦ κρανίου, πεσόντος τοῦ κράνους αὐτοῦ, διήκουσαν ἀπὸ κορυφῆς ἄχρι τῶν ὀφρύων, ἑτέραν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ τραχήλου, ἔνθα περ ἡ γλῶσσα ἐρρί ζωται, καὶ διατεμοῦσαν τὸν τράχηλον καὶ εἰς τὸ στόμα πεσοῦσαν, καὶ ἔξαιμος γενέσθαι) ἀπήγαγεν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκηνήν, καὶ ἐπι μελείας καὶ φροντίδος ἀξιώσας περιεποίησε. καὶ οἱ μὲν Πατζι νάκοι οὕτω ῥᾳδίως τὴν ἐπελθοῦσαν ἀποσκευασάμενοι δύναμιν, ἀδεῶς τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦδε τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐληΐζοντο· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διὰ τῶν φυγόντων μαθὼν τὸ ἀτύχημα ἤλγησε μὲν ὡς εἰκός, ἤθροιζε δὲ πάλιν δυνάμεις, ἀνελάμβανε δὲ καὶ τὰς πεσούσας, καὶ εἰς τὸ ἐπιὸν ἔτος τὴν γενομένην ἧτταν ἐπανορθώσασθαι ἔσπευδε. τῆς δὲ τρίτης ἰνδικτιῶνος ἐπιστάσης τοῦ #22φνηʹ ἔτους, τὸν ἑταιρειάρχην Κωνσταντῖνον στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα προχει ρισάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκπέμπει κατὰ τῶν Πατζινάκων. καὶ ὃς τάς τε νεωστὶ περαιωθείσας ἐξ ἑῴας δυνάμεις ἀνειληφὼς καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ ἑσπέρᾳ παραχειμαζούσας ἀθροίσας ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει γίνε ται, κἀκεῖσε χάρακα πηξάμενος βαθὺν ἔκειτο διασκοπούμενος μετὰ τῶν ἀρίστων πόθεν ἂν ποιήσηται τὴν εἰς τὸ πρόσω πορείαν. ἐν ᾧ δὲ οὗτος διενοεῖτο, αἰφνίδιον κατὰ τὴν ὀγδόην τοῦ Ἰουνίου μηνὸς οἱ Πατζινάκοι τὸν Αἷμον διαβάντες ἐπιφαίνονται τῇ Ἀδρια νουπόλει. καὶ διὰ τῶν σκοπῶν μηνυθείσης τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ τῆς τούτων ἐφόδου, βουλὴ προετέθη εἰ πολεμητέον αὐτοῖς εἴτε μή. 2.601 ἀλλὰ τῶν ἀρίστων ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ τοῦ ἑταιρειάρχου περὶ τῶν πρα κτέων βουλευομένων, Σαμουὴλ πατρίκιος ὁ Βούρτζης, ἀνὴρ αὐθάδης καὶ θρασύς, ἄρχων τότε τῶν πεζικῶν ὑπάρχων δυνά μεων καὶ τὴν τοῦ χάρακος ἐπιστασίαν πᾶσαν ἐπιτετραμμένος, μὴ προσδεξάμενος τὸ τοῦ ἄρχοντος σύνθημα, τὴν τάξιν λιπὼν καὶ διαλύσας τὸν χάρακα ἔξεισι μετὰ τῶν πεζῶν καὶ τοῖς Πατζινάκοις προσρήγνυται. ὧν ῥαγδαίως ἐπιβρισάντων ἤρξαντο κάμνειν οἱ πεζοί. διὸ καὶ θαμὰ πέμπων πρὸς τὸν ἑταιρειάρχην ὁ Σαμουὴλ βοήθειαν ἐζήτει, ὡς ἐπαναγκασθέντα τοῦτον καὶ ἀκουσίως δοῦναι τὸ σύνθημα τοῦ πολέμου. ἐξελθόντος οὖν παντὸς τοῦ στρατοῦ κατὰ τὴν λεγομένην βασιλικὴν Λιβάδα, καὶ καθολικῆς συμπλοκῆς κροτηθείσης, διὰ τὸ αἰφνίδιον καὶ ἀσύντακτον καὶ τὸ προηττῆσθαι τοὺς πεζοὺς ἀναθαρσῆσαι δὲ τοὺς Πατζινάκους γίνεται τροπὴ τῶν Ῥωμαίων, καὶ φόνος ἐγένετο οὐ πολὺς αὐτῶν, συνεκλείσθησαν δὲ αἰσχίστως εἰς τὸν χάρακα, ἔπεσέ τε Μιχαὴλ πατρίκιος ὁ ∆οκειανός, ἔλαβε δὲ καιρίαν κατὰ τῶν σπλάγχνων καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Ἀριανίτης, καὶ τριταῖος ἀπέθανε. πεπτώκασι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν ἀσήμων ὀλιγοστοί. τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν ἅπαν στράτευμα συγκλεισθὲν ἀγεννῶς εἰς τὸν χάρακα ἐπολιορκεῖτο παρὰ τῶν Πατζι νάκων, χωννύντων τὴν τάφρον λίθοις καὶ κλάδοις, καὶ πρὸς βίαν ἑλεῖν ἐπειγομένων τὸν χάρακα. καὶ τάχα ἂν ἐγένετο τοῦτο, εἰ μὴ καταπελτικῷ βέλει βληθεὶς ὁ Σουλτζοῦς διεπεραιώθη σὺν τῷ ἵππῳ 2.602 καὶ εἰς ἔκπληξιν μεγάλην ἤγαγε τοὺς θεασαμένους Πατζινάκους. ἐξῆλθε δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἀδριανουπόλεως Νικήτας πρωτοσπαθάριος ὁ Γλαβᾶς, τοποτηρητὴς ὢν τοῦ τάγματος τῶν σχολῶν, εἰς βοή θειαν· καὶ ἰδόντες τοῦτον, καὶ προσδοκήσαντες τὸν σύγκελλον Βασίλειον μετὰ τῶν Βουλγαρικῶν ἀφικέσθαι δυνάμεων (προσεδο κᾶτο γὰρ καὶ οὗτος ἐλθεῖν) καὶ δειλιάσαντες οἱ Πατζινάκοι σπο ράδες ἄλλος ἀλλαχοῦ φεύγοντες ὑπεχώρησαν, καὶ πανσυδὶ ἂν ἀπολώλει ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατός. Ἐγένετο δὲ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον καὶ τυραννίδος διαβολὴ κατά τινων ἀρχόντων πολιτῶν, ὧν ἔξαρχοι ἐτύγχανον Νικηφόρος καὶ Μιχαὴλ οἱ παῖδες τοῦ Εὐθυμίου καὶ ἄλλοι τινὲς τῶν εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ γένος ἀναφερόντων. ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες διεσώθησαν, μόνος δὲ