Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

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tones, as was the common pra&ice of his nation, Ba-
filius fent againft him one Nicephorus Uranus at the
head of a powerful army. Uranus, leaving his bag¬
gage at Lariffa, reached by long marches the Sper-
cbius, and encamped with his whole army over againft
the enemy, who lay on the oppofite bank. As the ri¬
ver was greatly fwelled with the heavy rains that had
lately fallen, Samuel, not imagining the Romans would
attempt to pafs it, fuftered his troops to roam in large
parties about the country in queft of booty. But Ura¬
nus having at length found out a place where the river
was fordable, paifed it in the dead of the night with¬
out being perceived. He then fell upon the Bulgari¬
ans who were left in the camp, and lay for the moft
part alleep j cut great numbers of them in pieces j
took, a great number of prifoners, with all their bag¬
gage 5 and made himfelf mafter of their camp. Sa¬
muel and his fon were dangeroully wounded; and
would have been taken, had they not all that day con¬
cealed themfelves among the dead. The next night
they Itole away to the mountains of Aitolia, and from
thence made their efcape into Bulgaria. The follow¬
ing year the emperor entered Bulgaria at the head of
a numerous and well-difciplined army; defeated Sa-
muel in a pitched battle, and took feveral ftrong ci¬
ties. The emperor himfelf, however, at laft, nar¬
rowly efcaped being cut off with his whole army j be¬
ing unexpectedly attacked by the Bulgarians in a nar¬
row pafs. From this danger he was relieved by the
arrival of Nicephorus Xiphias, governor of Philippopo-
lis, with a confiderable body of troops ; who falling
upon the enemies rear, put them to flight. Bafilius
purfued them clofe -} and having taken an incredible
number of captives, caufed their eyes to be pulled out,
leaving to every hundred a guide with one eye, that
he might conduct them to Simuel. This fliocking
fpeftacle fo affeCted the unhappy king, that he fell in¬
to a deep fwoon, and died two days after. The Ro¬
man emperor purfued his conquefts, and in the fpace
of two years made himfelf mafter of moft of the ene¬
mies ftrong holds. He defeated alfo the fucceffor of
Samuel in feveral engagements ; and having at lait
killed him in battle, the Bulgarians fubmitted them¬
felves without referve. The vaft treafures of their
princes were by Bafilius diitributed among his fol-
diers by way of donative. Soon after, the widow
of the late king, with her fix daughters and three of
her fons, furrendered themfelves to the Roman empe¬
ror, by whom they were received with the utmoft civi¬
lity and refpeCf. This obliging behaviour encouraged
the three other fons of the late king, and moft of the
princes of the blood, who had taken fhelter in the
mountains, to fubmit, and throw themfelves in the
emperor’s mercy.
Ibatzes, however, a perfon nearly allied to the royal
family, who had diftinguifhed himfelf in a very emi¬
nent manner during the whole courfe of the war, re-
fufed to fubmit, and fled to a deep and craggy moun<
tain with a defign to defend himfelf there to the laft
extremity. Bafilius endeavoured, to caufe him fubmit
by fair means, but he equally defpifed both threats and
promifes. At laft Euftathius Daphnomeius, whom
Bafilius had lately appointed governor of Achridus,
the chief city of Bulgaria, undertook to fecure him
by a moft defperate and improbable fcheme. Without
] - con;
communicating his defign to any, he repaired, with Conftan-
two perfons in whom he could confide, to the moun- ltan
tain on which Ibatzes had fortified himfelf. He ho-1 T°ry ■»
ped to pafs undifcovered among the many ftrangers
who flocked thither to celebrate the approaching feaft
of the Virgin Mary, for whom Ibatzes had a particu¬
lar veneration. In this he found himfelf miftaken j for
he was known by the guards, and carried before the
prince. To him he pretended to have fomething ef im¬
portance to communicate j but as foon as Ibatzes had
retired with him into a remote place, Daphnomeius
threw himfelf fuddenly upon him, and with the aflift-
ance of the two men whom he had brought with him,
pulled out both his eyes, and got fafe to an abandoned
caftle on the top of the hill. Here they were imme¬
diately furrounded by the troops of Ibatzes; but
Daphnomeius exhorting them now to fubmit to the
emperor, by whom he affured them they would be well
received, they congratulated Daphnomelus cn his fuc-
cefs, and fullered him to conduct the unhappy Ibatzes
a prifoner to Bafilius. The emperor was no lefs fur-
prifed than pleafed at the fuccefs of the bold attempt ;
and rewarded Daphnomeius with the government of
Dyrrhachium, and all the rich moveables of his pri¬
foner. After this, having accomplifhed the entire re-
dudlion of Bulgaria, he returned to Conftantinople
with an incredible number of captives, where he was
received by the fenate and people with all poffibie de-
monftrations of joy. IXI
All this time the Saracens had at intervals invaded The em-
the Roman diminions, and even attempted to makePhe mva-
themfelves mailers of Conftantinople. Their internalt^e‘
divifiuns, however, rendered them now much lefs for- ■ Iia
midable enemies than they had formerly been ; fo that Account of
feme provinces were even recovered for a time out oUh®111"
their hands 5 though the weak and diftradted ftate of
the empire rendered it impoffible to preferve fuchxon-
quefts. But in 1041, the empire was invaded by an
enemy, not very powerful at that time indeed, but rvho
by degrees gathered ftrength fufficient to overthrow
both the Roman and Saracen empires. Thefe were the
Turks 5 who having quitted their ancient habitations
in the neighbourhood of Mount Caucafus, and paffed
the Cafpian ftraits, fettled in Armenia Major, about
the year 844. There they continued an unknown and
defpicable people, till the inteftine wars of the Saracens
gave them an opportunity of aggrandizing themfelves,, .
About-the year 1030, Mohammed the fon of Sambrael
fultan of Perfia, not finding himfelf a match for Pila¬
ris fultan of Babylon, with whom he was at war, had
recourfe to the Turks, who fent him 3000 men under
the command of Tangrolipix, a leading man amorrg
them. By their afliftance Mohammed defeated his ad-
verfary j but when the Turks defired leave to return
home, he refufed to part with them. Upon this they
withdrew without his confent to a neighbouring de-
fert ; and being there joined by fcveral difeontented
Perfians, began to make frequent inroads into the
fultan’s territories. Againft them Mohammed imme¬
diately difpatched an army of 20,000 men ; who be¬
ing furprifed in the night, were utterly defeated by
Tangrolipix. The fame of this victory drew multi¬
tudes to him from all parts j fo that in a ftiort time
Tangrolipix law himfelf at the head of 50,000 men;
Upon this Mphammed marched againft them in per-
foa.