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of Thessaloniki was honored by Phlandras, taking also for a wife the aforementioned Maria from Hungary, who was previously betrothed to the emperor Isaac. By her, as I said, the emperor Alexios was received. But a short time later, having been detected by those there to be plotting a revolution, he was driven out together with his wife and his daughter Eudokia, whom, upon arriving in Corinth, he married to the local ruler of the country, Sgouros; for this Sgouros had also, after the capture of Constantinople, instigated a revolt on his own and was ruler of Corinth and the regions around it, just as others were of other places. And having spent a little time there too, learning from some that he was about to be captured, he fled. But having encountered some men from Lombardy, he is captured, while making his moves towards his first cousin Michael; for he was at that time ruler of a certain part of old Epirus and was causing much trouble for the Italians who had arrived in those parts. And he was the potentate of such a country; for he ruled Ioannina and Arta and as far as Naupaktos. So when the emperor Alexios was captured by the Lombards, he was sold by them along with his wife to the aforementioned Michael, who gave much gold to his captors. But after staying a short time with Michael, the emperor Alexios wishes to go away to the sultan of Iconium, whom they called Iathatines; for he was familiar with him. For the said Iathatines, having escaped the hands of his brother Azatines, who was then ruler of the Muslims, went as a fugitive to Constantinople and was received by the emperor Alexios, and was baptized by him and adopted as his son; who also fled with the emperor Alexios when he fled from Constantinople. But not many days had passed, and a man came to him secretly, informing him of his brother's death; who, dressed in poor rags, arrives with him, and having been made known to his own people, is proclaimed ruler of the Persians. Who also proved useful to the emperor Theodore when he was in difficulties at certain times, giving him an alliance and making a treaty for peace; for he used to call the empress Anna sister.

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To him was all the haste of the emperor Alexios to arrive; for he was reluctant to come to the emperor and his son-in-law Theodore. So, setting out with provisions from the land of Michael and using a favorable wind, he put in at Attalia. So he was most gladly received by the sultan. But the emperor Theodore was staying in Nicaea, and an embassy from the sultan came to him, announcing the arrival of the emperor and his father-in-law, and how he was unjust, having seized a foreign rule. So the emperor was disturbed at these words, and no small fear came upon him. For the sultan had the emperor Alexios as a pretext, but in truth his aim was to overrun and plunder all the land of the Romans, or even to bring it under his hand; and matters were, as they say, on a razor's edge for the emperor Theodore. Therefore, having gathered his men, he tested them, whether they would support him or his father-in-law, the emperor Alexios. And they all with one voice, as from one mind, had said they would either live with him or perish with him. So the emperor, emboldened by the words of his subjects, went out from Nicaea, having the sultan's ambassador with him. And moving more swiftly, he arrived at Philadelphia. And the sultan, taking with him also the emperor Alexios, whom he was carrying about as bait, made his attack on Antioch; and this is a city presiding over the region of the Maeander. His purpose was to take it; for this reason he also set up city-takers and was storming the city, and it was indeed on the verge of being captured. Which the emperor Theodore indeed feared—for it was true that if the sultan captured this, nothing would have prevented him from subjugating all the land of the Romans—and as if staking the war on a throw of the dice or rather, to speak more truly, trusting in the Lord Christ, whose

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Θεσσαλονίκης παρὰ τοῦ Φλάντρα τετίμητο, προσλαβό μενος καὶ γυναῖκα τὴν δηλωθεῖσαν Μαρίαν τὴν ἐξ Οὐγ γρίας, πρότερον προσηρμοσμένην Ἰσαακίῳ τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὑπὸ ταύτης, ὡς ἔφην, ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπεδέχθη Ἀλέξιος. μετὰ μι κρὸν δὲ φωραθεὶς τοῖς ἐκεῖσε νεωτερίζεσθαι ἀπεδιώχθη συνάμα τῇ γυναικὶ καὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ Εὐδοκίᾳ, ἣν καὶ ἐς Κόρινθον ἀφικόμενος τῷ ἐκεῖσε τῆς χώρας κατάρχοντι συν εζεύξατο Σγουρῷ· ἦν γὰρ καὶ ὁ Σγουρὸς οὗτος μετὰ τὴν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἅλωσιν νεωτερίσας καθ' ἑαυτὸν καὶ Κορίνθου ἄρχων καὶ τῶν περὶ ταύτην χωρῶν, ὡς καὶ ἑτέρων ἕτεροι. μικρὸν δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε προσδιατρίψας, γνοὺς παρά τινων ὡς ἁλίσκεσθαι μέλλει, ἀπέδρα. ἐκ Λογγιβαρ δίας δέ τισι ξυντυχὼν ἁλίσκεται, πρὸς τὸν πρωτεξάδελφον αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ τὰς κινήσεις ποιούμενος· ἦν γὰρ οὗτος τῷ τότε μέρους τινὸς τῆς παλαιᾶς Ἠπείρου κρατήσας καὶ πολλὰ τοῖς πρὸς τὰ ἐκεῖσε μέρη ἀφιγμένοις Ἰταλοῖς παρέχων πράγματα. καὶ ἦν οὗτος δυναστεύων τῆς τοιαύτης χώρας· Ἰωαννίνων γὰρ ἦρχε καὶ Ἄρτης καὶ μέχρι Ναυπάκτου. ὡς γοῦν ἑάλω παρὰ τῶν Λογγιβάρδων ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος, ἀπεμπολεῖτο παρ' αὐτῶν συνάμα τῇ γυναικὶ εἰς τὸν δηλω θέντα Μιχαὴλ χρυσίον συχνὸν τοῖς κατέχουσι διδόντα. μικρὸν δὲ μετὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ προσκαρτερήσας ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος βούλεται πρὸς τὸν τοῦ Ἰκονίου σουλτὰν ἀπελθεῖν, ὃν Ἰαθατίνην ὠνόμαζον· ἦν γὰρ τούτῳ συνήθης. ὁ γὰρ εἰρη μένος Ἰαθατίνης τὰς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ χεῖρας ἀποδρὰς Ἀζατίνη κατάρχοντος τῷ τότε τῶν Μουσουλμάνων, φυγὰς παρὰ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου ᾤχετο καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ ὑποδέδεκται Ἀλεξίῳ, βαπτίζεταί τε παρ' αὐτοῦ καὶ υἱοθετεῖται· ὃς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀλεξίῳ συναπέδρα ἀποδράντι τῆς Κωνσταντίνου. ἀλλ' οὔπω συχναὶ παρῆλθον ἡμέραι, καὶ ἀφικνεῖται πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀνὴρ κρύφα μηνύων αὐτῷ τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ μόρον· ὃς καὶ ῥάκεσι πενιχροῖς ἐσταλμένος μετ' αὐτοῦ ἀφικνεῖται, καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῦ καταστὰς γνώριμος περσάρχης ἐπιφημίζεται. ὃς καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Θεοδώρῳ ἔν τισι καιροῖς στενοχωρηθέντι χρήσιμος ἀνεφάνη, συμμαχίαν δοὺς καὶ τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην σπεισάμενος· ὡς ἀδελφὴν γὰρ τὴν βασιλίδα Ἄνναν ὠνόμαζε.

9 Πρὸς τοῦτον ἡ πᾶσα σπουδὴ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἀλεξίου ἀφικέσθαι προσῆν· ἐδυσανασχέτει γὰρ ἐλθεῖν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα καὶ γαμβρὸν Θεόδωρον. ἐφοδίοις γοῦν ἀπάρας τῆς τοῦ Μιχαὴλ γῆς καὶ φορῷ χρησάμενος πνεύματι τῇ τῆς Ἀττάλου προσώρμισεν. ἀσμενέστατα γοῦν παρὰ τοῦ σουλτὰν προσδέδεκται. ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Θεόδωρος διῆγεν ἐν τῇ Νικαίᾳ, καὶ πρεσβεία πρὸς τοῦ σουλτὰν παρ' αὐτὸν ἀφικνεῖ ται τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ πενθεροῦ γνωρίζουσα ἄφιξιν, καὶ ὡς ἄδικος εἴη ξένης ἐπειλημμένος ἀρχῆς. ἐταράχθη γοῦν ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ δέος αὐτῷ ἐπεισῄει οὐχὶ σμικρόν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ σουλτὰν πρόφασιν εἶχε τὸν βασιλέα Ἀλέξιον, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ σκοπὸς ἦν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν τὴν Ῥωμαίων καταδρα μεῖν καὶ καταληΐσασθαι ἢ καὶ ὑπὸ χεῖρα ποιήσασθαι· καὶ ἦν ἐπὶ ξυροῦ, ὅ φασι, τῷ βασιλεῖ Θεοδώρῳ τὰ πράγματα. συναγαγὼν οὖν τοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπειρᾶτο τούτων, εἴτε αὐτῷ προσανέχοντες ἂν εἶεν εἴτε τῷ πενθερῷ αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἀλεξίῳ. οἱ δὲ πανσυδὶ μιᾷ φωνῇ, ὡς ἐκ γνώμης μιᾶς, ἢ συζῆν αὐτῷ ἢ συναπολέσθαι εἰρήκεισαν. θαρσαλέος γοῦν ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῖς τῶν ὑπὸ χεῖρα λόγοις γενόμενος τῆς Νικαίας ἐξῄει, ἔχων καὶ τὸν τοῦ σουλτὰν πρέσβιν μεθ' ἑαυ τοῦ. ταχύτερον δὲ τῷ δρόμῳ χρησάμενος ἀφικνεῖται τῇ Φιλαδέλφου. ὁ δὲ σουλτὰν ἐπάρας μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ὃν ὡς δέλεαρ ἐπεφέρετο βασιλέα Ἀλέξιον, τὴν ἔφοδον ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ πεποίηται· πόλις δὲ αὕτη χώρας προκαθημένη Μαι άνδρου. κρατεῖν δέ οἱ ταύτης ἦν ὁ σκοπός· διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἑλεπόλεις ἐστήσατο καὶ ἐπόρθει τὴν πόλιν, καὶ ἦν γε αὕτη ἐν χρῷ τοῦ ἁλῶναι. ὃ δὴ καὶ δεδιὼς ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεό δωρος-ἦν γὰρ καὶ ἀληθὲς ὡς εἰ ταύτης ἐκράτησεν ὁ σουλτάν, οὐδὲν ἂν ἦν αὐτῷ ἐμποδὼν τοῦ μὴ πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων χειρώσασθαι-καὶ οἷον ἐπὶ κύβου τὸν πό λεμον θεὶς ἢ μᾶλλον ἀληθῶς εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ δεσπότῃ θαρ ρήσας Χριστῷ, οὗ τὴν