fitting, they were attacking the towns of Armeniakon to plunder them, he took up his forces and proceeded against the Turks and, encountering them scattered as they were going out for plunder, he easily routed them. And having come very near the camp of the Turks in the pursuit and having fallen into ambushes set for him, and having resisted for a long time and fought bravely, since he was no longer able to hold out, the Roman phalanx having been turned to flight and scattered, he himself also rushed to flee, but being surrounded by the Turks he is captured along with his two brothers-in-law, Melissenos and Taronites; and a few of the other Romans also fell. Therefore, having been led away to Chrysoskoulos, he thought it a terrible thing not to do something worthy of his family, and indeed he performed a deed worthy of narration. For having discerned that the one who had defeated him was a rebel against the sultan and coveted the Persian dynasty, he thought it necessary to make an attempt on him. And approaching him alone and examining his circumstances, since he perceived the man to be in great fear—for he was at a loss for a force worthy of fighting the sultan—he began with gentle words to him and indeed having softened his hard-heartedness, he used the stronger medicines of words for the second attempt. And these were that since he desired the kingdom of the Persians and was unable to draw up in battle against the one ruling it, since he lacked a considerable force, things would never turn out for him according to his plan, unless he should desert to the emperor of the Romans and have him as an ally and a co-worker for the matter at hand. And he, using him both as a counselor and a guide, quickly reached the queen of cities with him, and the one who had conquered with arms was captured by the cleverness of words. This deed brought great glory to the curopalates, for it was indeed worthy of praise. Therefore the emperor received them both kindly and honored them with great gifts. 1.12 And at the beginning of spring he marched against the Turks, taking Chrysoskoulos with him; and when he was in Bithynia, the curopalates was afflicted with an earache and died, leaving great grief for the emperor; for he greatly loved the man. And Chrysoskoulos almost went away with him; so overcome was he by grief that he wished to give up life itself. But so much for them; but the mother of the curopalates, living in the queen of cities, when she heard about her son's illness, suspecting that it was some terrible and intractable one, crossed over quickly and reached the metropolis of the Bithynians. And learning that the illness of her child was progressing for the worse, having crossed the mountain which is locally named Azalas, she found him at its foothills in a certain monastery in the name of the Theometor—Alypos was the name of the monastery—hastening toward his departure. And when a cry arose at her entrance among those around the curopalates, since he saw his mother had come, he jumped up eagerly from the bed and embracing her, kissed her, being able to utter nothing else, but only asking her that they both be deemed worthy of a common burial. He, therefore, lying back down again, died shortly after. And the noble and great-souled mother, having fulfilled her due piety to her son and having mourned as much as was fitting for one who had lost such a child, both a soldier and a general, recovering herself a little from her grief, sends the famous Alexios to campaign with the emperor. And he, taking leave of his mother and letting loose floods of tears, was divided between two emotions, motherly affection and a desire for the campaign, for he was, if anyone else was, both a lover of war and a lover of his mother. Setting out, therefore, from there, he took the road leading to the emperor and indeed reached him as he was encamped around Dorylaion and had gathered the army. And he, seeing him and being reminded of the grief, began to weep and inquired about his mother and finally compelled him to return to his mother, saying this: "How it is not good for her in so great a

προσηκούσης, ἐπίασι τὰς τοῦ Ἀρμενιακοῦ κωμοπόλεις πορθήσοντες, τὰς δυνάμεις ἀναλαβὼν ἐχώρει κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων καὶ διεσκεδασμένοις αὐτοῖς ἐντυχὼν ὡς εἰς προνομὴν ἐξιοῦσι ῥᾳδίως τούτους ἐτρέψατο. Ἔγγιστα δὲ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τῶν Τούρκων ἐν τῷ διώκειν γενόμενος καὶ λόχοις αὐτομάτοις περιπεσὼν καὶ ἐπιπολὺ ἀντισχὼν καὶ γενναίως ἀγωνισάμενος, ἐπεὶ μὴ οἷός τε ἦν καρτερεῖν ἔτι, τῆς Ῥωμαίων φάλαγγος εἰς φυγὴν τραπείσης καὶ διασκεδασθείσης, ὥρμησε καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς φυγήν, κυκλωθεὶς δ' ὑπὸ τῶν Τούρκων ἁλίσκεται ἅμα τοῖς δυσὶν αὐτοῦ γαμβροῖς τῷ τε Μελισσηνῷ καὶ Ταρωνίτῃ· ἔπεσον δὲ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν Ῥωμαίων ὀλίγοι. Ἀπαχθεὶς οὖν πρὸς τὸν Χρυσόσκουλον, δεινὸν ᾤετο μὴ δρᾶσαί τι τοῦ γένους ἐπάξιον, καὶ μέντοι καὶ δέδρακεν ἔργον ἀξιαφήγητον. ∆ιαγνοὺς γὰρ ὡς ἀποστάτης ἐστὶ τοῦ σουλτάνου ὁ τοῦτον νικήσας καὶ τῆς Περσῶν ἐφίεται δυναστείας, δεῖν ᾠήθη ἀπόπειραν ποιήσασθαι τούτου. Καὶ προσελθὼν αὐτῷ καταμόνας καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν ἐξετάζων, ἐπείπερ ἔγνω τὸν ἄνδρα ἐν φόβῳ πολλῷ καθεστῶτα ἠπόρει γὰρ ὡς πρὸς τὸν σουλτάνον ἀξιομάχου δυνάμεως, ἠπίων ἥπτετο λόγων πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ δὴ μαλάξας τὸ τούτου σκληρόγνωμον δραστικωτέρων ἐχρῆτο λόγων φαρμάκοις πρὸς τὴν δευτέραν ἀπόπειραν. Τὰ δὲ ἦν ὡς ἐπείπερ τῆς βασιλείας ἐρᾷ Περσῶν καὶ πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα ταύτην ἀδυνατεῖ παρατάξασθαι, ἅτε σπανίζων ἀξιολόγου δυνάμεως, οὐκ ἄν ποτ' αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ σκοπὸν ἀποβαίη, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων αὐτομολήσειε κἀκεῖνον ξύμμαχον σχοίη καὶ πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον συνεργόν. Ὁ δὲ ξυμβούλῳ τε ἅμα τούτῳ καὶ ὁδηγῷ χρησάμενος ἅμ' αὐτῷ ταχέως τὴν βασιλίδα κατέλαβε καὶ ὁ τοῖς ὅπλοις κρατήσας ἑάλω λόγων δεινότητι. Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον εἰς μέγα κλέος τὸν κουροπαλάτην ἀνήγαγεν, καὶ γὰρ ἦν ὄντως ἀξιεπαίνετον. Φιλοφρόνως οὖν καὶ ἄμφω ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπεδέξατο καὶ δωρεαῖς μεγάλαις τετίμηκεν. 1.12 Ἦρος δὲ ἀρχομένου κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων ἐστράτευσεν ἐπαγόμενος ξὺν αὐτῷ τὸν Χρυσόσκουλον· γενομένου δὲ τούτου κατὰ τὴν Βιθυνίαν, ὁ κουροπαλάτης ὠταλγίᾳ συσχεθεὶς τετελεύτηκε, μέγα πένθος τῷ βασιλεῖ καταλιπών· μάλα γὰρ ἐφίλει τὸν ἄνδρα. Ὁ δὲ Χρυσόσκουλος μικροῦ δεῖν καὶ συναπῆλθεν αὐτῷ· οὕτως ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους νενίκητο ὡς προέσθαι βούλεσθαι καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν ζωήν. Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὗτοι· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κουροπαλάτου μήτηρ ἐν τῇ βασιλίδι τῶν πόλεων διατρίβουσα, ἐπεὶ περὶ τῆς νόσου τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐπέπυστο, ὡς δεινή τις καὶ δυσαπάλλακτος αὕτης ὑποτοπάσασα, διαπεραιωθεῖσα ταχέως τὴν Βιθυνῶν καταλαμβάνει μητρόπολιν. Μαθοῦσα δ' ὅτι πρὸς τὸ κάκιον προσχωροίη τῷ παιδὶ τὰ τῆς νόσου, τὸ ὄρος ὑπερβᾶσα ὅπερ ἐγχωρίως Ἀζαλὰς ὠνόμασται, εὗρε τοῦτον περὶ τὰς ὑπωρείας τούτου ἔν τινι φροντιστηρίῳ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς ΘεομήτοροςἌλυπος ὄνομα τῇ μονῇ πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον ἐπειγόμενον. Βοῆς δ' ἐπὶ τῇ ταύτης εἰσελεύσει γενομένης τοῖς περὶ τὸν κουροπαλάτην, ἐπείπερ ἑώρακεν οὗτος τὴν μητέρα φοιτήσασαν, ἀνήλατό τε σπουδαίως τῆς κλίνης καὶ ταύτην περιπλακεὶς κατησπάζετο, μηδέν τι φθέγξασθαι δυνηθεὶς ἕτερον, μόνον δὲ αἰτησάμενος ταύτην κοινῆς ἄμφω ἀξιωθῆναι ταφῆς. Ὁ μὲν οὖν αὖθις ἀνακλιθεὶς τετελευτήκει μετὰ βραχύ. Ἡ δὲ γενναία μήτηρ καὶ μεγαλόψυχος τὴν ὀφειλομένην ὁσίαν ἀποπληρώσασα τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τοσοῦτον πενθήσασα ὅσον εἰκὸς τὴν τοιοῦτον παῖδα ἀποβαλοῦσαν στρατιώτην τε ἅμα καὶ στρατηγόν, βραχύ τι τοῦ πάθους ἑαυτὴν ἀνενεγκοῦσα τὸν κλεινὸν ἐκπέμπει Ἀλέξιον συστρατευσόμενον τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ὁ δὲ τῇ μητρὶ συνταξάμενος καὶ δακρύων κρουνοὺς ἀφιεὶς ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἐμερίζετο πάθεσι, σπλάγχνῳ τε μητρικῷ καὶ στρατείας ἐπιθυμίᾳ, καὶ γὰρ ἦν εἴπερ τις ἄλλος φιλοπόλεμός τε καὶ φιλομήτωρ. Ἀπάρας οὖν ἐκεῖθεν τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φερούσης ἥπτετο καὶ δὴ φθάνει τοῦτον περὶ τὸ ∆ορύλαιον σκηνοῦντα καὶ τὸν στρατὸν συναγείραντα. Ὁ δὲ τοῦτον ἰδὼν καὶ ἐν ἀναμνήσει τοῦ πάθους γενόμενος δακρύειν τε ἤρξατο καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐκείνου μητρὸς ἐπυνθάνετο καὶ τέλος βιάζεται τοῦτον πρὸς τὴν μητέρα παλινοστῆσαι, τοῦτο φράσας· "Ὡς οὐ καλόν ἐστι ταύτην ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ