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that man, the nephew of the late Emperor Isaac Komnenos and this man's cousin (and this was a man of distinction both in family and rank), seeing Roussel bearing the tokens of his blinding and being led by the hand by someone, sighed deeply and, shedding tears for Roussel, had accused the general of cruelty. And he brought a charge against him, crying out against him for having deprived of his eyes such a man, noble and a true hero, whom he ought to have kept unharmed. But that man then said, "You shall hear the reasons for the blinding hereafter, my dearest friend," and after a short while, leading both him and Roussel into a small chamber, he uncovered his face and showed Roussel's eyes flashing like fire. When he saw this, Dokeianos was astonished and amazed, and did not know what to make of the greatness of the wonder. And often he put his hands to his eyes, in case what he was seeing was a dream, or some magical illusion, or something else of that sort newly created for the first time. But when he understood his cousin's humanity towards the man, and with the humanity, his artifice, he became overjoyed, and embraced him and kissed his face many times, turning the wonder into delight. The same thing happened to him and to those around the Emperor Michael, and the emperor himself, and everyone.

1.4.1 From there he was again sent to the West by the Emperor Nikephoros, who had already seized the sceptres of the Romans, against Nikephoros Bryennios who was shaking the whole West and had placed the diadem on his own head and was proclaiming himself emperor of the Romans. For just as the Emperor Michael Doukas had been deposed from the throne and instead of the fillet and crown had put on the ankle-length tunic and the episcopal omophorion, Botaneiates, having seated himself upon the imperial throne and having betrothed the Empress Maria, as the narrative will show more clearly as it proceeds, was directing the affairs of the empire. 1.4.2 But Nikephoros Bryennios, girt with the ducal authority of Dyrrachium under the Emperor Michael and before Nikephoros became emperor, both began to reign and plotted a rebellion against Michael. From where and how, it is not necessary for us to relate; for the history of the Caesar suffices to recount the cause of the rebellion. But that from there, as from a kind of base of operations at the city of Dyrrachium, he overran all the western parts and brought them under his control, and how he was captured, this is one of the most necessary things to narrate briefly. For he who wishes to learn the precise details of the history, we refer to the Caesar. 1.4.3 For the man was most excellent in matters of war, and at the same time being of a most distinguished family, and adorned by the stature of his body and the beauty of his face, and by the gravity of his mind and the strength of his arms, surpassing the men of his time, the fellow was worthy of empire. And he was so powerful in persuasion and able to attract everyone at first sight and meeting, that everyone, all the people, both soldiers and civilians, conceded the primacy to him and deemed him worthy to rule over every eastern and western province. For as he advanced, all the cities received him with open arms, and one city sent him on to another with applause. These things troubled Botaneiates, threw the army around him into confusion, and cast the whole empire into helplessness. 1.4.4 Therefore they decided to send my father, Alexios Komnenos, who had recently been appointed Domestic of the Schools, against Bryennios with the forces at hand. For in this respect the empire of the Romans had come to the last extremity. For the eastern armies were scattered, some here, some there, since the Turks had spread out and had seized almost everything that is between the Euxine Sea and the Hellespont and

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ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τοῦ προβεβασι λευκότος Ἰσαακίου Κομνηνοῦ ἀδελφιδοῦς καὶ τούτου ἐξά δελφος (ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος τῶν ἐπιδόξων καὶ γένει καὶ ἀξιώ ματι) τὸν Οὐρσέλιον τὰ τῆς τυφλώσεως σύμβολα φέροντα καὶ ὑπό του χειραγωγούμενον, βύθιόν τι στενάξας καὶ ἐπι δακρύσας τῷ Οὐρσελίῳ ὠμότητα κατηγορήκει τοῦ στρατη γοῦ. Καὶ μέμψιν αὐτῷ ἐπῆγε τούτου καταβοώμενος ὡς τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα γεννάδαν τε καὶ ἄντικρυς ἥρωα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀφελομένου, ὃν ἐχρῆν ἀτιμώρητον διασώσασθαι· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος τότε μὲν «τὰς αἰτίας τῆς ἀποτυφλώσεως εἰσαῦθις ἐπακούσειας» ἐπειπὼν «φίλτατέ μοι», μετὰ βραχὺ εἰς οἰκίσκον ἀγαγὼν αὐτόν τε καὶ τὸν Οὐρσέλιον ἀνακαλύ πτει τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ δείκνυσιν Οὐρσελίου τοὺς ὀφθαλ μοὺς πυρωπὸν ἀπαστράπτοντας. Ἐξεπλάγη ταῦτα ὡς ἐθεάσατο καὶ ἐθαύμασεν ὁ ∆οκειανὸς καὶ οὐκ εἶχεν ὅ τι καὶ χρήσαιτο τῷ πλήθει τοῦ θαύματος. Καὶ θαμὰ μὲν ταῖς ὄψεσι τὰς χεῖρας ἐπέβαλε, μή που καὶ ὄναρ ἐστὶ τὸ θεώ μενον ἤ τις μαγικὴ τερατεία ἢ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον ἄρτι πρώ τως καινοτομούμενον. Ὡς δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ φιλαν θρωπίαν τοῦ ἐξαδέλφου κατεμάνθανε καὶ μετὰ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας τὴν τέχνην, περιχαρὴς γεγονὼς ἐνηγκαλί ζετό τε αὐτὸν καὶ κατεφίλει πολλάκις τὸ πρόσωπον εἰς ἡδονὴν τὸ θαῦμα μεταβαλών. Ταὐτὸ δὲ τούτῳ πεπόνθασι καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν βασιλέα Μιχαὴλ καὶ βασιλεὺς αὐτὸς καὶ πάντες.

1.4.1 Ἐντεῦθεν πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν πέμπεται παρὰ Νικηφόρου τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἤδη τὰ Ῥωμαίων σκῆπτρα κατεσχηκότος κατὰ Νικηφόρου τοῦ Βρυεννίου τὴν δύσιν ὅλην κλονοῦντος καὶ τὸ διάδημα ἑαυτῷ περιθεμένου καὶ βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀνακηρύττοντος. Ἄρτι γὰρ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Μιχαὴλ τοῦ ∆ούκα τοῦ θρόνου καθαιρεθέντος καὶ ἀντὶ ταινίας τε καὶ στέμματος τὸν ποδήρη καὶ τὴν ἐπω μίδα τὴν ἀρχιερατικὴν ἐνδεδυμένου, ὁ Βοτανειάτης ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλείου θρόνου καθίσας καὶ τὴν βασιλίδα Μαρίαν, ὡς προϊὼν ὁ λόγος σαφέστερον παραστήσειε, μνηστευσάμενος τὰ τῆς βασιλείας διίθυνε πράγματα. 1.4.2 Ἀλλ' ὁ Νικηφόρος Βρυέννιος τὴν δουκικὴν περιεζωσμένος ἀρχὴν ∆υρραχίου ἐπὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ βασιλεῦσαι τὸν Νικηφόρον βασιλειᾶν τε ἤρξατο καὶ ἀποστασίαν κατὰ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐμελέτησε. Τὸ μὲν ὅθεν καὶ ὅπως, οὐκ ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν ἡμῖν διηγεῖσθαι· φθάνει γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Καίσαρος ξυγγραφὴ τὸ αἴτιον τῆς ἀποστασίας ἐξιστορῆσαι. Τὸ δ' ὅτι ἐκεῖθεν ὥσπερ ἐξ ὁρμητηρίου τινὸς τῆς πόλεως ∆υρραχίου πάντα τὰ τῆς ἑσπέρας κατέδραμε καὶ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποίησε καὶ ὅπως οὗτος ἑάλω, τοῦτο τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων ἐστὶν ἐν βραχεῖ διηγήσασθαι. Τὸ γὰρ ἀκριβὲς τῆς ἱστορίας τὸν βουλό μενον μαθεῖν ἐς τὸν Καίσαρα παραπέμπομεν. 1.4.3 Κρά τιστος γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ τὰ πολέμια καὶ ἅμα καὶ γένους ὢν τῶν ἐπισημοτάτων καὶ ἀναδρομῇ σώματος καὶ κάλλει προσ ώπου κοσμούμενος καὶ ἐμβριθείᾳ φρονήματος καὶ βρα χιόνων δυνάμει τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν διαφέρων ἀνδρῶν ἐπάξιον ἦν βασιλείας τὸ χρῆμα. Καὶ τοσοῦτος ἦν εἰς πειθὼ δυνατὸς καὶ πάντας ἐφέλκειν καὶ ἐκ πρώτης ὄψεως καὶ ὁμιλίας δυνάμενος, ὥστε πάντες πανδημεὶ καὶ στρατιῶται καὶ ἰδιῶται τῶν πρωτείων αὐτῷ ξυνεχώρουν καὶ βασιλεύειν ἠξίουν ἁπάσης ἑῴας καὶ ἑσπερίας λήξεως. Καὶ γὰρ ἐπιόντα τοῦτον αἱ πόλεις ἅπασαι ὑπτίαις χερσὶν ὑπεδέ χοντο καὶ ἄλλη πρὸς ἄλλην πόλιν μετὰ κρότου παρέπεμπε. Ταῦτα ἐτάραττε μὲν τὸν Βοτανειάτην, ἐξεκύκα δὲ καὶ τὸ περὶ αὐτὸν στράτευμα καὶ εἰς ἀμηχανίαν τὴν βασιλείαν ὅλην ἐνέβαλλε. 1.4.4 Πέμπειν οὖν διεγνώκεισαν τὸν ἐμὸν πατέρα τὸν Κομνηνὸν Ἀλέξιον κατὰ τοῦ Βρυεννίου δομέ στικον τῶν σχολῶν ἄρτι προχειρισθέντα μετὰ τῶν ἐνουσῶν δυνάμεων. Εἰς γὰρ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο ἡ βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων εἰς τοὔσχατον ἐληλύθει. Τά τε γὰρ ἑῷα τῶν στρατευμάτων ἄλλο ἀλλαχοῦ διεσκέδαστο τῶν Τούρκων ὑφαπλωθέντων καὶ πάντα σχεδὸν περισχόντων, ὅσα Εὐξείνου πόντου ἐστὶ μεταξὺ καὶ Ἑλλησπόντου καὶ