Therefore, having encamped, they were considering how they might drive away the attacking Turks who were sacking the towns. 2.4 But so much for them. But since the Frank Roussel was chafing under them, being of the company of Crispin and commander of his phalanx, now that Crispin had paid the debt of nature, he was seeking to find a plausible pretext to bring into the open the revolt he had long been planning, since it happened that one of the phalanx had greatly wronged one of the natives, and the latter came to the general and cried out about the injustice, and the general sought for the wrongdoer to be brought into their midst, this became a pretext for Roussel for his revolt, and he encamped outside the camp, promising to return to the army on the morrow, but around midnight, he took up the phalanx of the Celts, ran away and marched straight for Sebasteia. When the flight became known to Isaac Comnenus around dawn, he judged it necessary to entrust part of the army to his brother Alexius and to send him in pursuit of Roussel. But while the plan was still in suspense and the army was being gathered, it was announced by the scouts that a great multitude of Turks was advancing against the Romans and was encamped somewhere near. Isaac Comnenus therefore, having halted the pursuit of Roussel, prepared for war, and he urged his brother to remain within the palisade and hold the army together; but he bore the command heavily and promised him that he would persevere if only he would later send him out against the Turks, leading many of the Roman phalanxes. 2.5 He therefore, being persuaded, remained at the camp, but the other took up the forces and marched against the Turks. Therefore, he met them near the borders of Cappadocia and when battle was joined, the Romans were routed, but he fought nobly and, having been surrounded by the enemy, when his horse was wounded and threw its rider along with itself, he was captured. And with the Roman army scattered, the Turks proceeded to the camp; and with the Turks pressing on, Alexius tried to help with the few who were with him, and indeed he did help and saved almost all of them; but he himself, having undertaken the danger on behalf of all, was almost captured. For having thrust himself into the midst of the enemy and having struck with his spear the one who first attacked and immediately shown him to be a corpse, when he was surrounded by them and arrows were being sent against him from all sides, he himself was kept unharmed by the right hand from above, but the horse he was riding received most of the arrows and fell to the ground with its rider; but those around him, loving him as one worthy of love, leaping down from their horses and fighting nobly with him, rescued him from the danger; but there being fifteen in all, only five were saved with him into the camp, and of the rest some were slain, and others were captured. But having been saved and returned to the camp he did not rest, but running round the palisade he strengthened the morale of the soldiers, saying that they had done nothing unworthy of Roman nobility. Therefore, as long as it was day, they held fast and, admiring the nobility of the young man, they praised him and stretching up their suppliant hands they called him savior and benefactor, "well done," they said, "o youth, savior, pilot, rescuer of this surviving Roman army, well done, you who are almost incorporeal in a body; may we benefit from your valiant deeds and may you be preserved for us for long years as a common good." Strengthening with these words the noble spirit of the young general, they remained in the camp, while he ran out from the palisade and slew many of the attacking enemies, and drove others away. But when night fell, since he saw them all making preparations, he rejoiced as was natural, thinking that they were preparing for battle, and he shared what was being done with his attendants. 2.6 The others therefore were silent, but one of them being brave of hand and by experience of

γοῦν στρατοπεδευσάμενοι διεσκοποῦντο ὅπως ἂν ἐπιόντας τοὺς Τούρκους καὶ τὰς κωμοπόλεις πορθοῦντας ἀποσοβήσαιεν. 2.4 Ἀλλ' οὕτω μὲν οὗτοι. Ἐπεὶ δὲ συνετρίβετο τούτοις καὶ ὁ Φράγγος Οὐρσέλιος, τῆς ἑταιρείας ὢν τοῦ Κρισπίνου καὶ τῆς ἐκείνου κατάρχων φάλαγγος, ἅτε ἐκείνου τὸ χρεὼν ἀποτίσαντος, ἐζήτει δὲ πρόφασιν εὑρεῖν εὐλογοφανῆ ὥστε ἣν πάλαι ὤδινεν ἀποστασίαν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἀγαγεῖν, ἐπειδὴ ξυνέβη τῶν τινα τῆς φάλαγγος ἀδικῆσαι μεγάλως τῶν ἐγχωρίων τινά, ὁ δὲ τῷ στρατηγῷ προσελθὼν τὰ τῆς ἀδικίας κατεβοᾶτο καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐζήτει τὸν ἀδικήσαντα ἐν μέσῳ ἀχθῆναι, τοῦτο πρόφασις τῷ Οὐρσελίῳ τῆς ἀποστάσεως γίνεται, καὶ στρατοπεδεύει μὲν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐπαγγελλόμενος εἰς νέωτα φοιτῆσαι πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον, περὶ δὲ μέσας νύκτας ἄρας τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν Κελτῶν, ἀπεδίδρασκε καὶ εὐθὺ Σεβαστείας ἐχώρει. Γνωσθέντος δὲ τοῦ δρασμοῦ περὶ τὴν ἕω τῷ Κομνηνῷ Ἰσαακίῳ, δεῖν ἔκρινε τῷ ἀδελφῷ Ἀλεξίῳ μέρος τῆς στρατιᾶς πιστεύειν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Οὐρσελίου ἐκπέμψαι δίωξιν. Ἐν μετεώρῳ δὲ ἔτι τοῦ σκέμματος ὄντος καὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ συναθροιζομένου, ἠγγέλλετο δὲ παρὰ τῶν σκοπῶν Τούρκων πλῆθος πολὺ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων χωρεῖν καὶ ἀγχοῦ που τούτου στρατοπεδεύειν. Ἐπισχὼν οὖν τὴν τοῦ Οὐρσελίου δίωξιν ὁ Κομνηνὸς Ἰσαάκιος παρεσκευάζετο πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, παρεκάλει δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἐντὸς τοῦ χάρακος μένειν καὶ συνέχειν τὸ στρατόπεδον· ὁ δὲ βαρέως τὸ κελευόμενον ἔφερε κἀκείνῳ ὑπισχνεῖτο ἐγκαρτερήσειν εἰ μόνον ἐξαποστείλειεν ὕστερον κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων, πολλὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπαγόμενον φάλαγγας. 2.5 Ὁ μὲν οὖν πεισθεὶς ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κατέμεινεν, ὁ δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις ἄρας ἐχώρει κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων. Ὑπαντιάζει γοῦν τούτους κατὰ τὰ Καππαδοκῶν ὅρια καὶ συμβολῆς γενομένης τρέπονται μὲν Ῥωμαῖοι, ὁ δὲ γενναίως τε ἀγωνίζεται καὶ κυκλωθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἐναντίων, τοῦ ἵππου αὐτοῦ τρωθέντος καὶ τὸν ἐπιβάτην αὐτῷ συγκαταβαλόντος, ἁλίσκεται. Τοῦ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατεύματος διασκεδασθέντος, ἐχώρουν οἱ Τοῦρκοι πρὸς τὸ στρατόπεδον· τῶν Τούρκων δὲ ἐπικειμένων, βοηθεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο Ἀλέξιος μετ' ὀλίγων τῶν ξυνόντων αὐτῷ καὶ μέντοι καὶ βεβοήθηκε καὶ σέσωκε μικροῦ δεῖν ἅπαντας· αὐτὸς δὲ τὸν ὑπὲρ πάντων ἀναδεξάμενος κίνδυνον παρὰ μικρὸν ἑάλω. Ἐς μέσους γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὠθήσας τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ τῷ δόρατι πλήξας τὸν ἐπιόντα πρώτως καὶ νεκρὸν εὐθὺς ὑποδείξας, ἐπειδὴ ὑπὸ τούτων κεκύκλωτο καὶ τὰ βέλη πανταχόθεν ἐπέμπετο κατ' αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς ἀσινὴς ὑπὸ τῆς ἄνωθεν τετήρητο δεξιᾶς, ὁ δὲ ἵππος ᾧ ἐπωχεῖτο τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν βελῶν ὑπεδέχετο καὶ εἰς γῆν σὺν τῷ ἐπιβάτῃ κατέπεσεν· ἀλλ' οἱ περὶ αὐτόν, φιλοῦντες αὐτὸν οἷα φιλήσεως ἄξιον, τῶν ἵππων καταπηδήσαντες καὶ γενναίως ξὺν ἐκείνῳ ἀγωνισάμενοι τοῦ κινδύνου τοῦτον ἐρρύσαντο· πεντεκαίδεκα δ' ὄντων ξυμπάντων πέντε μόνοι εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ξὺν αὐτῷ διεσώθησαν, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν ἀνῃρέθησαν, οἱ δὲ ἑάλωσαν. ∆ιασωθεὶς δὲ εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον οὐκ ἠρέμησεν, ἀλλὰ κύκλῳ περιθέων τοῦ χάρακος τὰ φρονήματα τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπερρώννυεν ὡς μηδέν τι τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς γενναιότητος ἀνάξιον πεπραχέναι. Ἕως μὲν οὖν ἡμέρα ἦν, ἐκαρτέρουν καὶ τὸ γενναῖον τοῦ νέου θαυμάζοντες ἐπῄνουν καὶ χεῖρας ἱκέτιδας ἀνατείνοντες σωτῆρα καὶ εὐεργέτην ἐκάλουν, "εὖγε", λέγοντες, "ὦ νεανία, ὁ σωτήρ, ὁ κυβερνήτης, ὁ τῆς περισωθείσης τῆσδε Ῥωμαϊκῆς στρατιᾶς ῥύστης, εὖγε ὁ ἀσώματος μικροῦ δεῖν ἐν σώματι· ὀναίμεθά σου τῶν ἀνδραγαθημάτων καὶ τηρηθείης ἡμῖν εἰς χρόνους μακροὺς κοινὸν ὄφελος". Τούτοις ἐπιρρωννύντες τοῦ νέου στρατηγοῦ τὸ γενναῖον ἔμενον ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, ἐκείνου τοῦ χάρακος προεκθέοντος καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν ἐπιόντων πολεμίων ἀναιροῦντος, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἀποσοβοῦντος. Τῆς νυκτὸς δὲ καταλαβούσης, ἐπεὶ ἑώρα ξύμπαντας εὐτρεπιζομένους, ἔχαιρέ τε ὡς εἰκός, οἰόμενος ὡς πρὸς μάχην αὐτοὺς εὐτρεπίζεσθαι, καὶ τοῖς θεράπουσιν ἐκοινοῦτο τὰ δρώμενα. 2.6 Οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι ἐσίγων, εἷς δέ τις τούτων γενναῖος ὢν κατὰ χεῖρα καὶ πείρᾳ τῶν