ἵνα μάθῃ ἡ ἡμετέρα μεγαλοπρε(πεστάτη) ἀδελφότης ὡς χθές, ἥτις ἦν τετάρτη τοῦ παρόντος μηνός, ἐδεξάμην γράμματα παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου μου τοῦ πανευφήμου δουκὸς διὰ Σεργίου τοῦ πεμφθέντος στρατιώτου χάριν τῶν φυγόντων καλαφάτων ὡς, εἰ εὑρεθείη παρεάσαντες ἕνα καὶ μόνον, ἵνα δώσατε νο(μίσματα) ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, καὶ κινδυνεύσατε εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν ὑμῶν. ἐάν δὲ εἰσὶν ξένοι καλαφάται εἰς τὴν παγαρχίαν ὑμῶν, καὶ τούτους κρατήσατε καὶ πέμψατε ὑπὸ ξυλομαγγάνον.
ἴσον σιγελλίου πεμφθέντος μοι παρὰ τοῦ δεσπότου μου τοῦ εὐκλεεστάτου ἀμιρᾶ· ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ἰορδάνης τοῖς ἅπασι παγάρχοις Θηβαίδος· ἐπειδὴ οἱ καλαφάται οἱ κάμνοντες εἰς τοὺς καράβους Βαβυλῶνος ἔφυγαν, καὶ ἐπετρέψαμεν τῷ ὑμετέρῳ τοποτηρητῇ μὴ ἐᾶσαι ἕνα καὶ μόνον καλαφάτην καὶ μὴ πέμψι τοῦτον πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ ὁ κρατῶν καλαφάτην ἢ κρύβων ἵνα δώσῃ νο(μίσματα), ἐὰν εὐπορεῖ, ἐπιτρέψαντες αὐτῷ ὑποδεῖξαι ὑμῖν τω παρὸν σιγέλλιν· λοιπὸν ὥσδεις οὐκ ἐκδίδῃ ἑαυτὸν καὶ πέμπει ὑμῖν ἕκαστον καλαφάτην ὄντα εἰς τὴν διοίκησιν αὐτοῦ μετὰ τω θεωρῆσαι καὶ ἀναγνωσθῆναι αὐτὸν τὸ τοιοῦτο σιγέλλιν, παρεάσας ἕνα καὶ μόνον, οὐ δεχόμεθα τὴν ὑπόστασιν αὐτοῦ ἀντὶ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. λοιπὸν, ὡς λέλεκται, τοὺς καλαφάτας συνάξατε καὶ εἰς τὰ ἐξαλεπτικὰ σκάφη ὑμῶν πέμψατε. καὶ πρὸς τω ὑμᾶς μὴ ἀμφιβάλαι τῷ παρόντι σιγελλίῳ ἐχρησάμην. κατόπιν δὲ τῶν παρόντων μου γραμμάτων ὑπέταξα τὸ πεμφθέν μοι σιγέλλιν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ εὐκλεστάτου ἀμιρᾶ διαδικ.
τῷ θεοφυλάκτῳ μου δεσπότῃ (καὶ) ἀδελφῷ Παπᾷ τῷ παγάρχῳ Ἀπόλλωνος Ἄνω Ἑλλάδιος
None extracted.
In order that our most magnificent brotherhood may learn as yesterday, which was the fourth of the current month, I received letters from my lord the most illustrious duke through Sergius the sent soldier for the sake of the fleeing calafates, as if one and only one should be found, that you may give coins for him, and risk your souls. But if there are foreign calafates in your jurisdiction, keep them and send them under the wood-mangler.
Equal to the sent sigellion from my lord the most illustrious amir: In the name of God, Jordan to all the governors of Thebes: since the calafates who were working have fled to the ships of Babylon, and we have permitted your steward not to allow one and only one calafate and not to send him to you, but the one who holds a calafate or hides in order to give coins, if he is able, having permitted him to show you the present sigellion; henceforth he does not deliver himself and sends you each calafate being into his administration after you have seen and recognized him as such sigellion, having presented one and only one, we do not accept his existence instead of his soul. Therefore, as it has been said, gather the calafates and send them into your exalting vessels. And do not doubt to the present sigellion I have used. After the present letters of mine, I have submitted the sigellion sent to me from the same most illustrious amir.
To my God-loving lord (and) brother Papa to the governor of Apollo Upper Hellas.