hurrying to reach Iberia, when he also became a spectator of the bodies of those who had fallen with the curopalates Manuel Comnenus. And from there, proceeding at a leisurely pace and on foot he reached Theodosioupolis, which had formerly been neglected, but since Artze had been besieged had been rebuilt and fortified. From there having proclaimed that each man should carry two months' provisions, as they were about to march through an uninhabited and desolate land, and when everyone had done what was commanded, he dispatched the mercenary force of the Ouzes and the Franks with Rousselios, a noble and warlike man, against Chliat for a raid. And he had done this before. But he, marching behind, arrived at Manzikert, a Roman city, but one that had some time ago been subdued by the sultan and had Turks dwelling in it. Disdaining these as being few, he separated another not inconsiderable portion of the army and handed it over to the magistros Joseph Tarchaneiotes, adding also a not contemptible company of foot soldiers, or rather the elite and most warlike of the cavalry who always risked themselves first and fought in the vanguard in wars. And Tarchaneiotes departed to Chliat to assist the Ouzes and the Franks and all the mercenaries; for the emperor had heard that a multitude of ten thousand was being brought against them. For the emperor divided the army, expecting to quickly subdue Manzikert himself, which indeed happened, and to join those in Chliat; and if any necessity urged, to summon them quickly, 145 as the armies were encamped nearby; for he heard that the sultan was hurrying against him. And indeed the division of the armies was not unreasonable and not without the most strategic calculations, had it not been fated; or rather, divine wrath or a reason more ineffable to us turned the outcome to the contrary and at the completion of the task and on the very day of the armies' reunion it set the sultan upon the Turks without a herald and prevented what had been planned from being accomplished. For when the emperor had taken Manzikert, the Turks being astounded and terrified at his approach and having asked for and received pledges of safety, where it also happened that a certain Roman had his nose cut off for the sake of the oath which the emperor had sworn to them, as he had stolen a Turkish donkey, though he put forward the Theotokos and Christ and all the saints as intercessors. And while these things were being arranged by the emperor, a Turkish multitude attacked the Roman soldiers who had gone out for plunder. The emperor therefore, thinking that some commander of the sultan had arrived with some force and was harassing the scattered troops of the imperial army, sent against them the magistros Nikephoros Bryennios with a sufficient force, who, engaging them, did not give way, but many of those with him were wounded, and not a few of them even fell, since the enemy appeared stronger in comparison with their previous habits; for attacking more boldly they resisted with hand-to-hand weapons. Wherefore, seized with fear, he sought a force from the emperor. But he, condemning his cowardice—for he was ignorant of the truth—having convened an assembly, harangued them about the war, and in the middle also used harsher words. And at that moment the priest announced the reading of the Gospel. And the Gospel contained, to omit the rest, "If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my word, they will keep yours also," up to "think that he is offering service to God"; which the more discerning, noting, thought to be unfailing and a divine prophecy. As the war 146 was raging, the emperor also sent Nikephoros Basilakios, magistros and doux of Theodosioupolis, with the native soldiers. Therefore, having been added to Bryennios, for some time with skirmishing the battle was evenly matched and contested. And when the soldiers agreed to follow behind the generals, he himself promised to lead the charge, and immediately rushing out, as the enemies turned their backs, he pursued. But of the
Ἰβηρίαν καταλαβεῖν ἐπειγόμενος, ὅτε καὶ τῶν σὺν τῷ κουροπαλάτῃ Μανουὴλ τῷ Κομνηνῷ πεσόντων θεατὴς τῶν πτωμάτων ἐγένετο. Κἀκεῖθεν σχολῇ καὶ βάδην ἰὼν καταλαμβάνει τὴν Θεοδοσιούπολιν, πρώην μὲν ἀμεληθεῖσαν, ἐξ ὅτου δὲ ἐπολιορκήθη τὸ Ἄρτζε ἀνοικοδομηθεῖσαν καὶ κατοχυρωθεῖσαν. Ἐντεῦθεν διμήνου τροφὴν ἑκάστῳ φέρειν ἐπικηρυκευσάμενος, ὡς δι' ἀοικήτου καὶ ἠρημωμένης χώρας βαδίζειν μέλλουσι, πάντων δὲ τὸ προσταχθὲν ποιησαμένων τὸ μισθοφορικὸν τῶν Οὔζων καὶ τοὺς Φράγκους σὺν Ῥουσελίῳ, ἀνδρὶ γενναίῳ καὶ πολεμικῷ, διαφίησι κατὰ τοῦ Χλίατ εἰς προνομήν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ πρότερον ἐποιήσατο. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ κατόπιν ἐλαύνων εἰς τὸ Μαντζικίερτ παρεγένετο, πόλιν ῥωμαϊκὴν μέν, χειρωθεῖσαν δὲ πρό του τῷ σουλτάνῳ καὶ Τούρκους ἐγκαθημένους ἔχουσαν. Καταφρονήσας δὲ τούτων ὡς ὀλιγοστῶν, ἑτέραν μοῖραν οὐκ ἐλαχίστην ἀποτεμόμενος τοῦ στρατοῦ Ἰωσὴφ μαγίστρῳ τῷ Τραχανειώτῃ παραδίδωσι, προσεπιδοὺς καὶ στῖφος πεζῶν οὐκ εὐκαταφρόνητον, μᾶλλον δὲ τῶν ἱπποτῶν τὸ ἔκκριτόν τε καὶ μαχιμώτατον κἀν τοῖς πολέμοις προκινδυνεῦον ἀεὶ καὶ προμαχόμενον. Ἄρας δὲ ὁ Τραχανειώτης ἄπεισιν εἰς τὸ Χλίατ βοηθήσων τοῖς Οὔζοις καὶ τοῖς Φράγκοις καὶ παντὶ τῷ μισθοφορικῷ· ἠκηκόει γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς πλῆθος μυρίανδρον κατ' αὐτῶν φέρεσθαι. ∆ιεῖλε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν στρατὸν ἐλπίζων αὐτὸς ταχὺ τὸ Μαντζικίερτ παραστήσασθαι ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονε καὶ ἐπιδημῆσαι τοῖς ἐν τῷ Χλίατ· εἰ δέ τις ἀνάγκη κατεπείξει, ταχέως αὐτοὺς προσκαλέσασθαι, 145 πλησίον ἐσκηνωμένων τῶν στρατευμάτων· ἤκουε γὰρ τὸν σουλτάνον ἐπείγεσθαι κατ' αὐτοῦ. Καί γε ἦν οὐκ ἄλογος ἡ διαίρεσις τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ λογισμῶν οὐκ ἄπο στρατηγικωτάτων, εἰ μὴ πεπρωμένη· μᾶλλον δὲ θεῖος χόλος ἢ λόγος ἡμῖν ἀπορρητότερος τὴν ἔκβασιν εἰς τοὐναντίον περιέτρεψε καὶ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ ἔργου καὶ τῇ αὐθημερινῇ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἑνώσει καὶ τὸν σουλτάνον ἀκηρυκτὶ τοῖς Τούρκοις ἐπέστησε καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντα τελεσθῆναι διακεκώλυκε. Παραλαβὼν γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ Μαντζικίερτ, καταπλαγέντων καὶ ὀρρωδησάντων τῶν Τούρκων τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐπέλευσιν καὶ πίστιν αἰτησαμένων καὶ λαβόντων, οὗ καὶ συνέβη ῥινοτμηθῆναι Ῥωμαῖόν τινα εὐορκίας χάριν ἧς ὀμωμόκει τούτοις ὁ βασιλεύς, ὀνάριον τουρκικὸν ὑφελόμενον, τὴν Θεοτόκον καὶ τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους πάντας μεσίτας προβαλλόμενον. Ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταυτὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ διετάττετο, τοῖς εἰς τὴν λείαν ἐξελθοῦσι στρατιώταις Ῥωμαίοις πληθὺς τουρκικὴ ἐπιτίθεται. Οἰηθεὶς οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡγεμόνα τινὰ τοῦ σουλτάνου μετά τινος ἀφῖχθαι δυνάμεως καὶ διακλονεῖν τοὺς σποράδας τοῦ βασιλικοῦ στρατοῦ, ἀπέστειλεν ἐπ' αὐτοὺς Νικηφόρον μάγιστρον τὸν Βρυέννιον μετὰ τῆς ἀρκούσης δυνάμεως, ὃς καὶ συμβαλὼν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐνέδωκε μέν, ἐτραυματίσθησαν δὲ πολλοὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ τούτων καὶ ἔπεσον, ῥωμαλεωτέρων φανέντων ἐκ τῆς συγκρίσεως τῶν πρώην ἐθάδων· θρασύτερον γὰρ προσρηγνύμενοι ἀγχεμάχοις ὅπλοις ἀντικαθίσαντο. Ὅθεν καὶ φόβῳ κατασεισθεὶς δύναμιν ἐζήτει παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως. Ὁ δὲ καταγνοὺς αὐτοῦ δειλίαν-ἠγνόει γὰρ τὸ ἀληθές ἐκκλησίαν συστησάμενος ἐδημηγόρησε τὰ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου, ἐν δὲ τῷ μέσῳ καὶ τραχυτέρων ἥψατο λόγων. Καὶ ἐν τοσούτῳ ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπεφώνησε τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ἀνάγνωσιν. Εἶχε δὲ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἵνα τἆλλα παρῶ , εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν, ἕως τοῦ δόξῃ λατρείαν προσφέρειν τῷ Θεῷ· ὃ καὶ ἐπισημηνάμενοι οἱ συνετώτεροι ἔδοξαν ἀψευδὲς τοῦτο καὶ θεοπρόπιον. Ζέοντος 146 δὲ τοῦ πολέμου ἐπαπέστειλεν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ Νικηφόρον μάγιστρον καὶ δοῦκα Θεοδοσιουπόλεως , τὸν Βασιλάκιον, μετὰ τῶν ἰθαγενῶν στρατιωτῶν. Προστεθέντος οὖν τῷ Βρυεννίῳ μέχρι τινὸς ἀκροβολισμοῖς ἰσοπαλὴς καὶ ἀμφήριστος ἦν ἡ μάχη. Συνθεμένων δὲ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀκολουθεῖν ὄπισθεν τῶν στρατηγῶν πρωταγωνιστεῖν αὐτὸς καθυπέσχετο, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξορμήσας, νῶτα δεδωκότων τῶν ἐναντίων, ἐδίωκε. Τοῦ δὲ