Very many sea-battles took place each day, the war being joined from the springtime until the autumn season. And when winter came on, the fleet of the Saracens, having crossed over, wintered at Cyzicus, and again at the beginning of spring, having set sail from there, it likewise engaged in the war by sea. Therefore, with the war having lasted for seven years, the fleet of the Saracens in the end accomplished nothing more, but having lost many fighting men and having been terribly wounded and grievously defeated, they returned, putting in at their own lands. And having come to the waters near Syllaion, being overtaken by harsh winds and a sea surge, they were destroyed with their entire force. And the king of the Saracens, having heard of the fleet's misfortune, sends envoys to Constantine to make a truce with him on the basis of annual payments. And he, having received them and heard what was declared, sent with them John the patrician, surnamed Pitzigaudios, distinguished 33 for his great experience and wisdom, in order to discuss the terms of peace; who, having gone to the lands of the Saracens, made an agreement with them, confirming the peace with oaths for thirty years, on the condition that there be provided to the Romans by the Saracens annually a quantity of gold of three thousand, and fifty captive men and fifty horses. Having heard these things, those also dwelling in the western parts, that is, the leader of the Avars and the rulers beyond of the nations situated to the west, sending gifts to the emperor through envoys, sought peace; on which terms the emperor having yielded, peace and calm were henceforth awarded in both the eastern and the western regions. And these things were thus. But it is now necessary to speak about the origin and establishment of the so-called Huns and Bulgars. Around the Maeotian lake, by the Kouphis river, is established what was of old called great Bulgaria and the so-called Kotragoi, these also being of the same tribe. And in the times of Constantine who died in the west, a certain man named Kobratos, having become lord of these tribes, departed this life, leaving behind five sons, to whom he enjoined that they should in no way be separated from living with one another, so that through their goodwill towards each other their dominion might be preserved. These men, having cared little for their father's advice, after a short time had passed, separated from one another, each cutting off for himself a private portion of the people. Of these, the first, called the son Baianos, according to what was enjoined upon him by his father, remained in the ancestral land until now, and the second, called Kotragos, having crossed 34 the Tanais river, dwelt opposite these, and the fourth, having crossed the Ister river, dwells in Pannonia, which is now subject to the Avars, having become a tributary to the native nation, and the fifth, having established himself in the Pentapolis of Ravenna, became a tributary to the Romans. Of these, the remaining third brother, Asparoukh by name, having crossed the Danapris and the Danastris rivers, settled around the Ister, occupying a place suitable for habitation, called Oglos in their language, being both difficult and impregnable for enemies; for it is secure, being in front difficult of access and marshy; and behind, it is fortified by impassable cliffs. Thus, therefore, with the nation being divided and scattered, the tribe of the Khazars from the interior of the land called Berylia, as dwelling near the Sarmatians, with the greatest freedom from fear, overran from there. They overran all such regions of the land beyond the Euxine Pontus and crossed the sea; among whom they also made Baianos subject and brought him into the payment of tribute. And Constantine, when he learned how the nation that encamped by the Ister attempted to destroy by overrunning the neighboring regions under Roman rule, having transported an army of hoplites to the land of Thrace, and having also equipped a fleet, 35 went against the nation to defend himself. And the Bulgars of both the cavalry and

πλεῖσται ναυμαχίαι ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ἐγίνοντο, τοῦ πολέμου συγκροτουμένου ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐαρινοῦ μέχρι φθινοπωρινοῦ καιροῦ. χειμῶνος δὲ ἐπιγινομένου ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν στόλος διαπεραιωθεὶς ἐν Κυζίκῳ διεχείμαζε, καὶ πάλιν ἔαρος ἀρχομένου ἐκεῖθεν ἀνταναχθεὶς ὡσαύτως τοῦ διὰ θαλάσσης πολέμου εἴχετο. ἑπτὰ οὖν ἔτεσι τοῦ πολέμου διαρκέσαντος τέλος οὐδὲν πλέον ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἤνυσε στόλος, ἀλλὰ πολλούς τε ἄνδρας μαχίμους ἀποβαλόντες καὶ δεινῶς τραυματισθέντες καὶ χαλεπῶς ἡττημένοι ὑπενόστουν πρὸς τὰ οἰκεῖα καταίροντες. πρὸς δὲ τοῖς πελάζουσι τοῦ Συλλαίου γενόμενοι ὑπὸ σκληρῶν πνευμάτων καὶ θαλασσίου κλύδωνος καταληφθέντες πανστρατιᾷ διώλοντο. ὁ δὲ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν βασιλεὺς τὸ τοῦ στόλου ἀκούσας δυστύχημα πρέσβεις ἀποστέλλει πρὸς Κωνσταντῖνον ὡς σπεισόμενος πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τελέσμασιν ἐνιαυσίοις. ὁ δὲ τούτους δεξάμενος καὶ τὰ δηλωθέντα ἀκηκοὼς συνεκπέμπει αὐτοῖς Ἰωάννην τὸν πατρίκιον, τὸ ἐπίκλην Πιτζιγαύδιον, πολυπειρίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει δια 33 φέροντα, ὡς τὰ ἐπὶ τῇ εἰρήνῃ διαλεχθησόμενον· ὃς πρὸς τὰ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν γενόμενος ἤθη συμβαίνει τε αὐτοῖς ὅρκοις τὴν εἰρήνην βεβαιωσάμενος ἐπὶ τριάκοντα ἔτεσιν, ὥστε παρέχεσθαι Ῥωμαίοις ὑπὸ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἀνὰ ἔτος ποσότητα χρυσίου τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἄνδρας τε αἰχμαλώτους πεντήκοντα καὶ ἵππους πεντήκοντα. ταῦτα ἀκηκοότες καὶ οἱ πρὸς τὰ ἑσπέρια οἰκοῦντες μέρη, τουτέστιν ὁ τῶν Ἀβάρων ἡγεμὼν καὶ οἱ ἐπέκεινα ἄρχοντες τῶν πρὸς δύσιν παρακειμένων ἐθνῶν διὰ πρέσβεων δῶρα τῷ βασιλεῖ στείλαντες εἰρήνην ἐζήτησαν· ἐφ' οἷς εἴξαντος τοῦ βασιλέως εἰρήνη τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ γαλήνη ἔν τε τοῖς ἑῴοις ἔν τε τοῖς ἑσπερίοις ἐβραβεύετο. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως ἔσχε. Λεκτέον δὲ ἤδη περὶ τῆς τῶν λεγομένων Οὔννων καὶ Βουλγάρων ἀρχῆς καὶ καταστάσεως αὐτῶν. περὶ τὴν Μαιῶτιν λίμνην κατὰ τὸν Κώφινα ποταμὸν καθίσταται ἡ πάλαι καλουμένη μεγάλη Βουλγαρία καὶ οἱ λεγόμενοι Κότραγοι, ὁμόφυλοι αὐτῶν καὶ οὗτοι τυγχάνοντες. ἐν δὲ τοῖς Κωνσταντίνου χρόνοις ὃς κατὰ τὴν δύσιν ἐτελεύτα, Κοβρᾶτός τις ὄνομα κύριος γενόμενος τῶν φύλων τούτων τὸν βίον μεταλλάξας πέντε καταλιμπάνει υἱούς, ἐφ' οἷς διατίθεται μηδαμῶς τῆς ἀλλήλων ἀποχωρισθῆναι διαίτης, ὡς ἂν διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους εὐνοίας τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν διασώζοιτο. οὗτοι μικρὰ τῆς πατρικῆς φροντίσαντες παραινέσεως ὀλίγου παρῳχηκότος χρόνου διέστησαν ἀλλήλων, ἕκαστος αὐτῶν τοῦ λαοῦ ἴδιον μέρος ἀποτεμνόμενος. ὧν ὁ μὲν πρῶτος Βαϊανὸς υἱὸς λεγόμενος κατὰ τὰ ἐνταλθέντα αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν τῇ προγονικῇ γῇ διέμεινε μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ὁ δὲ δεύτερος λεγόμενος Κότραγος τὸν Τάναϊν 34 περαιωθεὶς ποταμὸν ᾤκησε τούτων ἀντικρύ, ὁ δὲ τέταρτος τὸν Ἴστρον ποταμὸν διαβὰς ἐν Παννωνίᾳ τῇ νῦν ὑπὸ Ἀβάροις κειμένῃ αὐλίζεται ὑπόσπονδος τῷ ἐγχωρίῳ ἔθνει γενόμενος, ὁ δὲ πέμπτος κατὰ τὴν Ῥαβεννησίαν πεντάπολιν ἱδρυσάμενος ὑπόφορος Ῥωμαίοις ἐγένετο. τούτων ὁ λοιπὸς τρίτος ἀδελφὸς ὄνομα Ἀσπαροὺχ τὸν ∆άναπριν καὶ τὸν ∆άναστριν ποταμὸν περαιωθεὶς περὶ τὸν Ἴστρον οἰκίζεται, τόπον πρὸς οἴκησιν ἐπιτήδειον, Ὄγλον τῇ σφῶν καλούμενον φωνῇ, καταλαβόμενος, δυσχερῆ τε καὶ ἀνάλωτον πολεμίοις ὑπάρχοντα· ἀσφαλής τέ ἐστι τὰ μὲν ἔμπροσθεν τῇ τε δυσχωρίᾳ καὶ τῷ τελματώδης εἶναι τυγχάνων· τὰ δ' οὖν ὄπισθεν κρημνοῖς ἀβάτοις τετειχισμένα. οὕτω τοίνυν τοῦ ἔθνους διαιρεθέντος καὶ σκεδασθέντος, τὸ τῶν Χαζάρων φῦλον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐνδοτέρου τῆς Βερυλίας λεγομένης χώρας ὡς πλησίον τῶν Σαρματῶν ᾠκημένον πλείστης ἀδείας ἐντεῦθεν ἐπέτρεχον. τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα κατέδραμον χωρία τῆς ὑπὲρ Πόντου τὸν Εὔξεινον γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἐπέρασε· μεθ' ὧν καὶ Βαϊανὸν ὑπεξούσιον ποιησάμενος εἰς ὑπαγωγὴν φόρων κατέστησε. Κωνσταντῖνος δὲ ἐπειδὴ ἔγνω ὡς τὸ σκηνῶσαν τὸν Ἴστρον ἔθνος τὰ πλησιάζοντα τῆς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς χωρία καταθέον διαφθείρειν ἐπεχείρει, στρατὸν ὁπλίτην ἐπὶ τὴν Θρᾳκῴαν διαβιβάσας χώραν, ἔτι τε καὶ στόλον ὁπλίσας 35 κατὰ τοῦ ἔθνους ὡς ἀμυνόμενος ᾤχετο. οἱ δὲ Βούλγαροι τῶν τε ἱππικῶν καὶ