with many he lay on the ground dishonorably and in great pain, overwhelmed by countless waves of sorrows. On the next day, when the capture of the emperor was announced to the sultan, an insatiable joy and disbelief seized him, thinking <that it was truly something great and exceedingly large>, as indeed it was, after the victory over so great and so large an army, to take the emperor himself captive and under his power. But nevertheless, considering the event in a human way and bearing the victory with moderation and taking the fortunate event as a cause for restraint rather and a sign of a good soul and of manners full of nobility, he attributed the whole thing to God, as having achieved a trophy greater than his own strength could accomplish. For this reason, also, when Axan, the emperor of the Romans, was brought before the sultan in humble and military dress, he was at a loss and seeking testimony about this. But when he was informed by the ambassadors and by Basilakios, who had fallen before his feet, and had let out a piteous and lamentable cry, immediately as if frenzied he leapt from his throne and stood 151 upright. However, when he was placed before his feet, having stepped on him, as was the custom, and having raised him up and embraced him, he said, "Do not be afraid, O emperor, but be of good hope above all things, that you will encounter no bodily danger, but you will be honored worthily of the pre-eminence of your rule." For that man is considered foolish by me, who does not consider and beware of the reversal of unexpected fortunes. Therefore, having ordered a tent to be set aside for him and fitting attendance, he then made him his dinner-companion and table-companion, not seating him in a subordinate place, but sharing his throne with him in the directness of the distinguished order and making him equal in honor. Twice a day meeting with him and conversing with and encouraging him with consolations, for up to eight days he shared with him the same words and salt, not having behaved insolently toward him even with the slightest word, but reminding him of some apparent mistakes in the deployment of the army. And on one of the days when the sultan asked the emperor, "What would you have done, if you had me in your power?" without hypocrisy and without flattery the emperor answered, "Know that I would have consumed your body with many blows." "But I," says the sultan, "will not imitate your severity and harshness. Moreover, I hear that your Christ also legislates peace for you and amnesty of evils and opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." After this, therefore, having made libations and perpetual peace treaties and having arranged a marriage alliance for their children and having established the rights of each dominion, which existed from the beginning, they also <agreed> to associate with each other in a friendly manner, that no more plundering of the Roman dominion by any of the Turks should occur, and that all who had ever been sent against the Romans should return, and all the captives, and especially the prominent and chosen of the Romans, the emperor having agreed to a handsome payment to the sultan. And then 152 were slain Leo, the one in charge of petitions, and the magistros Eustratios, and the protasecretis Choirosphaktes. And the protovestiarios Basil Maleses was also captured. And after these things were thus done and agreed upon, the sultan released the emperor with much embracing and farewell honor, having also given him ambassadors from his own household. But Manzikert was being held by the Romans. But when the emperor, having been released, returned, those men, setting out by another road, fled by night, and encountering enemies, they were in danger. And the emperor, having arrived at Theodosiopolis in Turkish sultanic dress, was received generously. And he remained there for some days, tending to his hand and recovering himself and re-adjusting again to a more Roman manner, as was possible. And departing from there, he went through the Iberian villages; and the ambassadors from the sultan were with him. And from there he rode on as far as Koloneia itself. And when he was in Melissopetrion, Paulos the proedros, the katepano of Edessa,
πολλοῖς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀτίμως καὶ περιωδύνως κατέδαρθε, μυρίοις περικλυζόμενος λυπηρῶν κύμασι. Τῇ δ' ἐπαύριον ἀγγελθείσης τῷ σουλτάνῳ καὶ τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως ἁλώσεως χαρά τις ἄπληστος καὶ ἀπιστία κατέσχεν αὐτὸν οἰόμενον <ὡς ἀληθῶς μέγα τι καὶ ὑπερμέγεθες εἶναι>, ὥσπερ καὶ ἦν, μετὰ νίκην τοσούτου καὶ τηλικούτου στρατοῦ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα ἁλώσιμον λαβεῖν καὶ ὑποχείριον. Ἀνθρωπίνως δὲ ὅμως τὸ γεγονὸς λογισάμενος καὶ τὴν νίκην μετριοφρόνως ἐνεγκὼν καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς εὐτύχημα συστολὴν μᾶλλον καὶ ψυχῆς ἀγαθῆς ἔνδειξιν καὶ τρόπων καλοκαγαθίας μεστῶν θέμενος, Θεῷ τὸ πᾶν ἀνετίθει, ὡς μεῖζον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἰσχὺν ἀποτελέσας τρόπαιον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ προσαχθέντος τῷ σουλτάνῳ Ἀξὰν τοῦ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων ἐν εὐτελεῖ καὶ στρατιωτικῇ ἀμπεχόνῃ διαπορῶν ἦν καὶ περὶ τούτου μαρτυρίαν ζητῶν. Ὡς δ' ἐπληροφορήθη παρὰ τῶν πρέσβεων καὶ τοῦ Βασιλακίου, πεσόντος μὲν πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, οἰκτρὸν δέ τι καὶ γοερὸν ἀνοιμώξαντος, εὐθὺς ὥσπερ ἐμμανὴς ἀνέθορε τοῦ θρόνου καὶ ἔστη 151 ὀρθός. Τεθέντα τοῦν ὅμως πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ, πατήσας, ὥσπερ ἔθος, καὶ ἀναστήσας καὶ περιπτυξάμενος μὴ δέδιθι ἔφη ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἀλλ' εὔελπις ἔσο πρὸ πάντων, ὡς οὐδενὶ προσομιλήσεις κινδύνῳ σωματικῷ, τιμηθήσῃ δ' ἀξίως τῆς τοῦ κράτους ὑπεροχῆς. Ἄφρων γὰρ ἐμοὶ λογίζεται ἐκεῖνος, ὁ μὴ τὰς ἀπροόπτους τύχας ἐξ ἀντεπιφορᾶς λογιζόμενός τε καὶ εὐλαβούμενος. Ἐπιτάξας οὖν αὐτῷ σκηνὴν ἀποταχθῆναι καὶ θεραπείαν ἁρμόζουσαν, σύνδειπνον αὐτὸν τηνικαῦτα καὶ ὁμοδίαιτον ἀπειργάσατο, μὴ παρὰ μέρος καθίσας, ἀλλὰ σύνθρονον ἐν εὐθύτητι τῆς ἐκκρίτου τάξεως καὶ ὁμόδοξον κατὰ τὴν τιμὴν ποιησάμενος. ∆ὶς τῆς ἡμέρας συνερχόμενος αὐτῷ καὶ συλλαλῶν καὶ παρακλήσεσιν ἀνακτώμενος, μέχρις ἡμερῶν ὀκτὼ τῶν ὁμοίων ἐκοινώνει αὐτῷ λόγων τε καὶ ἁλῶν μηδ' ἄχρι καὶ βραχυτάτου λόγου πρὸς τοῦτον πεπαρῳνηκώς, περί τινων δὲ δοκούντων σφαλμάτων ἐν τῇ ἐλάσει τῆς στρατιᾶς ὑπομνήσας. ∆ιερωτήσαντος δὲ μιᾷ τῶν ἡμερῶν τοῦ σουλτάνου τὸν βασιλέα τί ἂν ἔδρασας, εἰ ἔσχες ἐμὲ ὑποχείριον; ἀνυποκρίτως καὶ ἀθωπεύτως ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπεκρίνατο ὅτι πολλαῖς ταῖς πληγαῖς κατεδαπάνησα ἄν σου τὸ σῶμα γίνωσκε. Ἀλλ' ἐγὼ φησὶν ὁ σουλτάνος οὐ μιμήσομαί σου τὸ αὐστηρὸν καὶ ἀπότομον. Πλὴν ἀκούω ὅτι καὶ ὁ ὑμέτερος Χριστὸς εἰρήνην ὑμῖν νομοθετεῖ καὶ ἀμνηστίαν κακῶν καὶ τοῖς ὑπερηφάνοις ἀντικαθίσταται, τοῖς ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν. Μετὰ τοῦτο γοῦν σπονδὰς ποιησάμενοι καὶ συνθήκας εἰρηνικὰς διηνεκεῖς καὶ κῆδος ἐπὶ τοῖς παισὶ συστησάμενοι καὶ τὰ δίκαια ἑκάστης ἐπικρατείας, ἃ ἦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς, θέμενοι, φιλίως τε ἀλλήλοις <ὡμολόγησαν> προσμίγνυσθαι, μηκέτι δὲ λεηλασίας τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπικρατείας παρ' οὑτινοσοῦν τῶν Τούρκων γίνεσθαι ὑποστραφῆναί τε πάντας τοὺς ὅσοι ποτὲ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐστάλησαν καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἅπασαν καὶ μάλιστα τὸ προέχον τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἔκκριτον, δεξίωσιν ἁδρὰν τοῦ βασιλέως προσομολογήσαντος τῷ σουλτάνῳ. Ἐσφάγησαν δὲ τηνι 152 καῦτα Λέων ὁ ἐπὶ τῶν δεήσεων καὶ ὁ μάγιστρος Εὐστράτιος καὶ πρωτασηκρῆτις ὁ Χοιροσφάκτης, ἑάλω δὲ καὶ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος Βασίλειος ὁ Μαλέσης. Μετὰ δὲ τὸ ταῦτα οὕτω πραχθῆναί τε καὶ συμφωνηθῆναι ἀπέλυσεν ὁ σουλτάνος τὸν βασιλέα σὺν πολλῇ περιπλοκῇ καὶ συντακτηρίῳ τιμῇ προσεπιδοὺς καὶ τῶν οἰκείων πρέσβεις. Κατείχετο δὲ τὸ Μαντζικίερτ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων. Ὡς δ' ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπολυθεὶς ἐπανῆλθε, δι' ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀφέντες ἐκεῖνοι νυκτὸς ἔφυγον, περιτυχόντες δὲ πολεμίοις ἐκινδύνευσαν. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κατηντηκὼς εἰς Θεοδοσιούπολιν μετὰ τουρκικῆς σουλτανικῆς στολῆς ὑπεδέχθη φιλοτίμως. Ἡμέρας δέ τινας ἐκεῖσε διεκαρτέρησε τὴν χεῖρα θεραπευόμενος καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀνακτώμενος καὶ πάλιν μεθαρμόζων πρὸς τὸ ῥωμαϊκώτερον, ὡς ἐνῆν. Ἄρας δ' ἐκεῖθεν διῄει τὰς ἰβηρικὰς κώμας· συνῆσαν δ' αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τοῦ σουλτάνου πρέσβεις. Κἀκεῖθεν προσελαύνει μέχρι Κολωνείας αὐτῆς. Γενομένου δὲ ἐν τῷ Μελισσοπετρίῳ Παῦλος πρόεδρος, ὁ τῆς Ἐδέσσης κατεπάνω,