he had done everything for the empress, who was considered most temperate towards her husband and most exact in raising her children and most capable in managing public affairs. And the emperor died, being sixty years of age and a little more. And he was accustomed to say concerning those who plotted against him that he would not deprive them of honor and money, but he would treat them as slaves bought for silver instead of as free men; "and it was not I who took away their freedom, but the laws which made them outcasts from the state." And being especially devoted to letters, he would say, "Would that I were known from these rather than from the empire." And being noble in spirit, to someone who said that he himself would gladly 119 in battle put his own body forward for him, he said, "Speak well," and "if you should wish, when I have fallen, inflict a blow yourself as well." And to one who was scrutinizing the laws for the purpose of wishing to do wrong, he said, "these laws have destroyed us." And both his wife and his children held the scepters of the empire. And the Turks, overrunning the east, were again lying in wait for those in Mesopotamia, and especially for the Roman armies encamped around Melitene, who, being short of pay and deprived of the rations usually provided to them, were in want and in low spirits, and in addition to these things, also angry on account of the want, so that they were unwilling to join with the native soldiers and cross the Euphrates with them. Therefore, as the Turks were advancing, the Melitenes alone stood against them without the others and were easily ravaged and wounded by the barbarians as if by archers, but they themselves remained unscathed, until being forced, they both fled to the river and stood for battle even unwillingly and were compelled to turn their backs. And when a rout occurred many of them fell, and some were even taken prisoner by the barbarians, but the rest were saved in the city of Melitene. But the barbarians, scorning these men as already overthrown and weak, run out as far as Caesarea, plundering everything and destroying and setting fire to them. And rushing into the sanctuary of the Great and renowned Basil, they destroy everything and plunder the sacred things, but having dashed against the holy reliquary, they were in no way able to do any harm to his holy relic; for it had been previously secured and walled around with strong structures requiring much time for demolition. 120 And the small doors surrounding the openings, wrought with gold and pearls and stones, they remove and having gathered the whole adornment together, they carry it away from there, having given over many of the Caesareans to slaughter and having defiled the church. And returning from there they pass through the narrow passages leading to Cilicia, with no one having foreseen their attack, and appearing unexpectedly to the Cilicians they made them fearful, causing great slaughter of those who fell in their way. And having spent time in the country and ravaged it and filled themselves with spoils and much booty and captives, they depart for Aleppo, having been guided there by a certain deserter called Amertikes, who was hostilely disposed towards the Romans, who in the time of the elder Michael had deserted and received great gifts and honors and receptions, but was accused before the emperor Constantine Doukas of intending to dispatch him with a sword and for this reason was condemned to perpetual exile, but then again having received a recall and been sent against the Turks, at that time, on account of a lack of necessities, both joined the Turks and treated the country most evilly. At any rate, the Turks and the Aleppines, having become one and having given an agreement to each other, were treating Antioch in Syria and its environs badly, slaughtering, setting on fire, enslaving, plundering, taking captive and doing everything, if anything, that was worst. For a considerable army was gathered against them, with Nikephoros Botaneiates being doux in this place, but stinginess and miserliness fruitless

βασιλίδι τὰ πάντα πεποίηκε, σωφρονεστάτῃ τε νομιζομένῃ τἀνδρὶ καὶ παιδοτροφῆσαι ἀκριβεστάτῃ καὶ πρὸς τὸ τὰ κοινὰ διοικεῖν ἱκανωτάτῃ. Τελευτᾷ δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐτῶν ὢν ἑξήκοντα καὶ μικρόν τι πρός. Εἴθιστο δὲ λέγειν περὶ τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων αὐτῷ ὡς τιμῆς μὲν καὶ χρημάτων οὐκ ἀποστερήσοι τούτους, ἀντ' ἐλευθέρων δὲ ὡς ἀργυρωνήτοις χρήσαιτο· ἀφειλόμην δὲ οὐκ ἐγὼ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν αὐτούς, ἀλλ' οἱ νόμοι ἐκπτώτους αὐτοὺς τῆς πολιτείας ποιήσαντες. Τοῖς δὲ λόγοις ἐξόχως προσκείμενος ὤφελον ἔλεγεν ἐκ τούτων ἢ τῆς βασιλείας ἐγνωριζόμην. Γενναῖος δὲ ὢν τὴν ψυχὴν πρός τινα εἰρηκότα ὡς αὐτὸς ἂν ἡδέως 119 μαχόμενος ἐκείνου τὸ ἴδιον σῶμα προβάλλοιτο, εὐφήμει εἶπε καὶ εἰ βούλοιό γε πεσόντι ἐπένεγκε πληγὴν καὶ αὐτός. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν τοὺς νόμους ἐξακριβούμενον ἐπὶ τῷ βούλεσθαι ἀδικεῖν, οὗτοι ἔφησεν οἱ νόμοι ἡμᾶς ἀπολωλέκασι. Κατέσχον δὲ τὰ σκῆπτρα τῆς βασιλείας ἥ τε σύζυγος αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ παῖδες. Οἱ δὲ τὴν ἑῴαν κατατρέχοντες Τοῦρκοι πάλιν τοῖς περὶ Μεσοποταμίαν ἐφήδρευον καὶ μάλιστα τοῖς περὶ τὴν Μελιτηνὴν ἐστρατοπεδευμένοις ῥωμαϊκοῖς στρατεύμασιν, οἵπερ τοῦ ὀψωνιασμοῦ ἐνδεήσαντες καὶ τῶν συνήθως παρεχομένων αὐτοῖς σιτηρεσίων στερούμενοι ἐνδεῶς εἶχον καὶ ταπεινῶς, πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ ὀργίλως διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν, ὡς μὴ τοῖς ἰθαγενέσι στρατιώταις βούλεσθαι συνελθεῖν καὶ τὸν Εὐφράτην σὺν αὐτοῖς περαιώσασθαι. Ἐπερχομένων οὖν τῶν Τούρκων μόνοι οἱ Μελιτηνοὶ ἀντιστάντες ἄτερ αὐτῶν εὐμαρῶς ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ὡς ἑκηβόλων ἐλυμαίνοντο καὶ κατετιτρώσκοντο, αὐτοὶ δ' ἀπαθεῖς διέμενον, ἕως ἀναγκασθέντες εἰς τὸν ποταμόν τε ἔφυγον καὶ πρὸς μάχην καὶ ἄκοντες ἔστησαν καὶ νῶτα δοῦναι παρεβιάσθησαν. Καὶ τροπῆς γενομένης ἔπεσον συχνοὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ζωγρίαι ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐλήφθησαν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῷ ἄστει τῆς Μελιτηνῆς ἀνεσώθησαν. Περιφρονήσαντες δὲ τούτους οἱ βάρβαροι ὡς ἤδη καταστραφέντας καὶ ἀσθενεῖς, ἐκτρέχουσιν ἄχρι Καισαρείας, καταληιζόμενοι πάντα καὶ καταστρέφοντες καὶ πῦρ αὐτοῖς ὑπανάπτοντες. Καὶ τῷ σηκῷ τοῦ Μεγάλου καὶ περιωνύμου Βασιλείου εἰσπηδήσαντες δῃοῦσι μὲν ἅπαντα καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ διαρπάζουσι, προσραγέντες δὲ καὶ τῇ τοῦ ἁγίου σορῷ τῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ λειψάνῳ δρᾶσαί τι πονηρὸν οὐδαμῶς ἠδυνήθησαν· προκατησφάλιστο γὰρ καὶ περιεδεδόμητο κτίσμασιν ὀχυροῖς καὶ χρόνου δεομένοις πολλοῦ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν. 120 Τὰ δὲ τὰς ὀπὰς περιστέλλοντα θύρια, χρυσῷ καὶ μαργάροις ἐξειργασμένα καὶ λίθοις, ἐξαίρουσι καὶ τὸν ὅλον κόσμον ὁμοῦ συμφορήσαντες αἴρουσιν ἐκεῖθεν, παραδόντες πολλοὺς τῶν Καισαρέων σφαγῇ καὶ τὸν ναὸν καταχράναντες. Κἀκεῖθεν ὑποστρέψαντες διέρχονται τοὺς εἰς Κιλικίαν ἄγοντας στενωπούς, μηδενὸς προγνόντος τὴν τούτων ἔφοδον, καὶ τοῖς Κίλιξιν ἐπιφανέντες ἐκπλήκτως ἐμφόβους εἰργάσαντο, φόνον πολὺν ποιοῦντες τῶν παρεμπιπτόντων αὐτοῖς. Χρονίσαντες δὲ τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ ταύτην λυμηνάμενοι καὶ λαφύρων ἑαυτοὺς ἐμπλήσαντες καὶ λείας καὶ αἰχμαλωσίας πολλῆς ἀπίασι πρὸς τὸ Χάλεπ, παρά τινος αὐτομόλου Ἀμερτικῆ λεγομένου ὁδηγηθέντες ἐκεῖσε, δυσμενῶς τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις διακειμένου, ἐπὶ τοῦ γέροντος μὲν Μιχαὴλ αὐτομολήσαντος καὶ τυχόντος μεγάλων δωρεῶν καὶ τιμῶν καὶ δεξιώσεων, κατηγορηθέντος δὲ παρὰ τῷ βασιλεῖ Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ ∆ούκᾳ ὡς μέλλοντος αὐτὸν μαχαίρᾳ διαχειρίσασθαι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατακριθέντος φυγὴν διηνεκῆ, πάλιν δέ γε τυχόντος ἀνακλήσεως καὶ ἀποσταλέντος κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων, τηνικαῦτα δὲ διὰ σπάνιν τῶν ἀναγκαίων προσθεμένου τε τοῖς Τούρκοις καὶ τὴν χώραν διατιθέντος κάκιστα. Γενόμενοι γοῦν ἓν οἵ τε Τοῦρκοι καὶ οἱ Χαλεπῖται, καὶ ὁμολογίαν δόντες ἀλλήλοις, τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ Ἀντιόχειαν καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν κακῶς διετίθεσαν σφάττοντες, πυρπολοῦντες, ἀνδραποδίζοντες, λεηλατοῦντες, αἰχμαλωτίζοντες καὶ πᾶν, εἴ τι χείριστον, διαπραττόμενοι. Συνηθροίσθη μὲν γὰρ στράτευμα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἀξιόλογον, Νικηφόρου ὄντος τοῦ Βοτανειάτου ἐν ταύτῃ δουκός, ἡ δὲ φειδωλία καὶ ἡ γλισχρότης ἄπρακτα