of Orthodoxy, having distributed on the day before it the annual donative to both the army and the senate, not all of it in gold, but having made up the deficit with silk fabrics. And as he was crossing over, a certain dove, not entirely white, but showing for the most part its darker side, flying from somewhere, flew around the trireme carrying the emperor, until, alighting upon him himself, it nestled in his hands. And he sent this to the empress, who had remained in the palace contrary to custom on account of some womanish airs and coyness. Therefore the dove seemed a symbol of no good outcome, both for him who had caught it and for her to whom it was sent. But she, having suddenly gotten over her coyness, and regretting it, came to the emperor to bid him farewell and to send him off on the expedition. Therefore, departing from there, the emperor did not put in at Neakome nor at certain consular <or> imperial estates, but at Helenopolis, which the locals more rustically call Eleeinopolis, which itself also seemed an unfavorable omen. And something else happened: for the very large pole holding up the imperial tent broke and caused it to fall suddenly. Nevertheless, the folly of men and, so to speak, their poor condition and the faithlessness and obtuseness in their supposed faith, was willing to consider none of these things, with fate standing in the way everywhere and not even granting awareness to the very one upon whom [these things] were about to descend. So the emperor proceeded and advanced further into the east, until he entered the province of the Anatolics, being gripped by an uncharacteristic parsimony toward all 143. But understanding, as it seems, that the succession of previous signs would descend upon him, he made his camp not in a tent nor in the plains, but on hills and in small houses. And there, indeed, something happened that was no lesser an omen of misfortune. For a fire, brought from somewhere, consumed the buildings in which the emperor was quartered, in which were also burned up the imperial horses and saddles and bridles much superior to the others, and in a short time they became the fuel for the fire. And the horses, being seen half-burned, appeared a pitiful sight to the army. And having crossed the Sangarius, by which these things happened, by way of the so-called bridge of Tzoumpou he began to gather his own forces, which had been scattered because of the attack of the barbarians. Having therefore enrolled from these as many as he wished, he sent away the rest of the soldiers and captains, the soldiers, as having been worn out by the previous defeats, and the captains, being afraid himself to take them with him as they belonged to the faction of the reserves. If only, then, he had done this to all; and if it were not possible to transgress the divine decree and to flee the mixed cup, at least he would have appeared to have acted safely. But having driven away Nicephorus Botaneiates and certain such men as suspicious, he took with him those full of treachery and malice, as the narrative will show as it proceeds. And he himself, thus proceeding, unaware of the evils that were about to befall him, crossed the river called the Halys, although he himself, staying behind, encamped in a certain newly-built fortress, which owed its construction to him. And after this, having crossed over, he arranged the division into his own properties. And having passed by Caesarea, he came to the so-called Krya Pege; for the place was well-suited for the reception of an army, abounding with all necessities, known as a city-village and a country-city on account of its mixed abundance. But as the country was being ravaged and laid waste by the soldiers 144, some of those from the tagma of the Nemitzes were treated more harshly. But those who were stung defected. And when this became known, the emperor, mounting a horse and calling the army together, intimidated these foreign-born soldiers and again brought them under a truce, imposing this one penalty on them: to be ranked in the last place instead of their former proximity and bodyguard duty. From there he proceeds to Sebasteia the

Ὀρθοδοξίας, τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἡμέρᾳ τὴν ἐτησίαν ῥόγαν τῷ τε στρατῷ καὶ τῇ συγκλήτῳ διανειμάμενος, οὐ διὰ χρυσίου πᾶσαν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐνδέον σηρικοῖς ὑφάσμασιν ἀναπληρωσάμενος. ∆ιαπεραιουμένου δ' αὐτοῦ περιστερά τις οὐ πάνυ λευκή, πρὸς τὸ μέλαν δὲ τὸ πλεῖστον αὑτῆς ὑποφαίνουσα, ποθὲν ἱπταμένη τὴν φέρουσαν τὸν βασιλέα τριήρη περιεπέτετο, ἕως εἰς αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον καθεσθεῖσα χερσὶ ταῖς αὐτοῦ προσερρύη. Κἀκεῖνος ταύτην τῇ βασιλίδι ἀνέπεμψεν ἐν τοῖς ἀνακτόροις παρὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς ἀπομεινάσῃ διά τινας θρύψεις γυναικείας καὶ ἀκκισμούς. Ἔδοξεν οὖν ἡ περιστερὰ σύμβολον οὐ χρηστῆς ἀποβάσεως αὐτῷ τε τῷ λαβόντι καὶ πρὸς ἣν ἔσταλτο. Ἀλλ' ἐκείνη περιπετῶς σχοῦσα τῆς θρύψεως, μεταμεληθεῖσα πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκετο τὸν συντακτήριον ἀποδώσουσα καὶ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκστρατείαν προπέμψουσα. Ἐκεῖθεν οὖν ἀπάρας ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἐν Νεακώμῃ οὐδὲ ἐν ὑπατίοις χωρίοις τισὶ <ἢ> βασιλικοῖς προσωρμίσατο, ἀλλ' ἐν Ἑλενοπόλει, ἣν οἱ ἐγχώριοι ἀγροικικώτερον κικλήσκουσιν Ἐλεεινόπολιν, ὃ καὶ αὐτὸ οἰωνὸς οὐ χρηστὸς ἔδοξε. Συνέβη δὲ καί τι ἕτερον· τὸ γὰρ συνέχον τὴν βασιλικὴν σκηνὴν μέγιστον ξύλον κατεαγὲν πεσεῖν αὐτὴν αἰφνηδὸν παρεσκεύασεν. Ὅμως δ' οὖν οὐδὲ πρὸς ἓν τούτων ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀβελτηρία καὶ οἷον εἰπεῖν καχεξία καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ δοκούσῃ πίστει ἄπιστον καὶ ἀσύμβλητον διαβλέψαι ἠθέλησε, τοῦ χρεὼν ἐμποδίζοντος πανταχοῦ καὶ μηδ' αὐτῷ παρεχομένου συναίσθησιν πρὸς ὃν ἀποσκήπτειν ἔμελλον. Προῄει τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τῆς ἑῴας προσωτέρω προήρχετο, ἕως τῇ τῶν Ἀνατολικῶν ἐπαρχίᾳ προσέβαλε φειδωλίᾳ παρὰ τὸ εἰκὸς πρὸς πάντας 143 συνεχόμενος. Συνεὶς δέ, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸ συνεχὲς τῶν προγεγονότων σημείων εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποσκῆψον, οὐκ ἐν σκηνῇ οὐδ' ἐν πεδίοις, ἀλλ' ἐν γηλόφοις καὶ δωματίοις τὴν κατασκήνωσιν ἐποιήσατο. Ἔνθα δή τι καὶ συνέβη οὐκ ἔλαττον εἰς κακοδαιμονίαν οἰώνισμα. Πῦρ γάρ ποθεν ἐνεχθὲν τοὺς δόμους, ἐν οἷς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐσκήνωτο, κατενεμήσατο, οἷς καὶ συγκατεκαύθησαν ἵπποι τε καὶ ἐφεστρίδες βασιλικαὶ καὶ χαλινὰ τῶν ἄλλων πολὺ διαφέροντα καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς δι' ὀλίγου γεγόνασι παρανάλωμα. Οἱ δὲ ἵπποι ἡμίφλεκτοι καθορώμενοι τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἐλεεινὸν διεφαίνοντο θέαμα. Τὸν δὲ Σαγγάριον διαπεραιωθείς, παρ' ᾧ ταῦτα γέγονε, διὰ τῆς τοῦ Τζούμπου λεγομένης γεφύρας τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις ἀθροίζειν ἤρξατο, διασκεδασθείσας διὰ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπίθεσιν. Καταλέξας δ' οὖν ἐκ τούτων ὅσον ἠβούλετο, τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπεπέμψατο στρατιωτῶν τε καὶ λοχαγῶν, τοὺς μὲν στρατιώτας ὡς προκατειργασμένους ταῖς προβεβηκυίαις ἥτταις, τοὺς δὲ λοχαγοὺς αὐτὸς δειλιῶν ἐπάγεσθαι σὺν αὑτῷ ὡς τῷ μέρει τῶν ἐφέδρων προσανέχοντας. Εἴθε μὲν οὖν αὐτὸ εἰς πάντας ἐπέπρακτο· καὶ εἰ μὴ δυνατὸν ἦν τὸν θεῖον ὅρον παρελθεῖν καὶ τὸ κεκερασμένον ποτήριον ἐκφυγεῖν, τέως δ' οὖν ἀσφαλῶς πράξας ἐφάνη ἄν. Τὸν Βοτανειάτην δὲ Νικηφόρον καὶ τοιούτους τινὰς ὡς ὑπόπτους διωσάμενος, τοὺς δόλου καὶ κακοηθείας μεστοὺς συνεπήγετο, ὡς προϊὼν ὁ λόγος δηλώσει. Αὐτὸς δὲ οὕτως ἰών, τῶν καταληψόντων αὐτὸν κακῶν ἀνεπαίσθητος, ἐπεραιώθη τὸν Ἅλυν λεγόμενον ποταμόν, εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπομείνας εἴς τι νεοπαγὲς φρούριον, πρὸς αὐτοῦ τὴν οἰκοδομίαν λαχόν, ἐσκηνώσατο. Μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ περαιωθεὶς τὴν διαίρεσιν εἰς οἰκείας κτήσεις συνδιεγράψατο. Τὴν δὲ Καισαρέων παρελθὼν εἰς τὴν λεγομένην κατήντησε Κρύαν Πηγήν· ἦν γὰρ ὁ τόπος πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν στρατοῦ εὔθετος πᾶσι βρίθων τοῖς χρησίμοις, ἀστυκώμη καὶ ἀγρόπολις διὰ τῆς συμμιγοῦς ποριμότητος γνωριζόμενος. Κειρομένης δὲ τῆς χώρας καὶ ἐρημουμένης παρὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν 144 ἀπηνέστερον προσηνέχθη τισὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ τάγματος τῶν Νεμίτζων. Ἀλλ' οἵ γε δηχθέντες ἀποστατοῦσι. Γνωσθέντος δὲ τούτου ἵππου ἐπιβὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ στρατιωτικὸν συγκαλεσάμενος τοὺς ἰδιοξένους τούτους κατέπληξε καὶ αὖθις ὑποσπόνδους κατέστησεν, ἐν τούτῳ μόνῳ τὸ πρόστιμον ὁρίσας αὐτοῖς, ἐν τῷ ἐσχάτοις τετάχθαι ἀντὶ τῆς πρώην ἐγγύτητος καὶ σωματοφυλακίας. Ἐκεῖθεν χωρεῖ εἰς Σεβάστειαν τὴν