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who have also been preferred. So, during the attack that happened on the following day, the Ishmaelites were overcome by a rout, whence the Turks, using archery persistently, filled the Ishmaelites with courage and strength, and turned the Romans to flight; and only the commanders of the tagmata remained with the emperor, along with Manuel and the Persians, whom the men of Hagar, having surrounded them in a circle, held by force, even though the Turks were prevented from shooting arrows when rain occurred and the bowstrings were slackened by the wetness. Indeed, as the Roman troops were being harmed, Manuel overheard the Persians, in the Saracen tongue, as if making a truce with them in conversation, and says to Theophilos: “I think, O emperor, that the present distress of the Romans will cause the emir to win over the Persians to betray you to him, since they previously revolted from him. Therefore, agree with me, as I give you good counsel. I will gather from our army the elite corps, by which I will bring your might out from the enemy.” But the emperor [said]: “And if this is done, O Manuel, what will happen to the people?” “O emperor, to you will be granted salvation from God, and the people, I think, will themselves also be provided for from on high.” So when the emperor with difficulty got away from the enemy and arrived at Chiliokomon, the generals, their conscience burdened by desertion, kneel there before Theophilos and laying down their swords, condemn themselves to death; to whom the emperor, being compassionately disposed, replied in just lamentation: “Since I, O men, even though you turned aside <out of> desertion, have been shown mercy by the compassionate God, I also pity you.” The protosymboulos, therefore, having learned of the Roman feat of arms, immediately assembles an <army> against Amorion; but the emperor remained near Nicaea and Dorylaion, awaiting what was to come for his fatherland; for the two camps of the emir and of his son were united at Amorion. But when the misfortune concerning this was heard, he becomes possessed by a heartfelt inflammation, so that when snow-cold water was brought to him, he considered it to be lukewarm; from the drinking of which an occasion for him to get dysentery arose. 3.15 But a certain Hagarene woman, possessed by a spirit of divination, who, once captured with Hagarene booty, the emperor learned could prophesy, having summoned her, he inquired whose reign would last for many years, she declared: “That of the Martinakioi.” And for this reason the emperor sought to inflict harm on Martinakios (for the affairs of the empire were vigorously examined and busily managed by him as by no other emperor ever) and to attack his very own kinsmen. But he was foiled of this by divine providence, even though in the lecanomancy through John he had seen Basil as the successor to his reign. On the confirmation, then, of such a prophecy being signified to him, he condemned the man of the clan, Martinakios, to the monastic life, having converted his house into a monastery for monks. Thence he escapes the abuse being intensified by the emperor. But as the woman was spoken of by many mouths and was divining in all matters, Constantine Triphyllios, who was fortunate in his calling and prided himself on the honors from the emperor through embassy, addresses the woman to tell him also the things to come. But she loudly reveals the future, that you yourself and your children will be tonsured, to be ordained to the rank of clergy, under Emperor Basil. Which also came to pass completely; for when imperial displeasure befell him the matters of the prophecy were brought to an end, along with the end of his life. Similarly, therefore, also to Niketas his son, who was head of the special secretariate, when the emperor grumbled. And not least also to George, who was entrusted with the military rolls, from which things, to be killed by the sword on the sphendone of the hippodrome contest and all his property to the imperial treasury

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οἳ μᾶλλον καὶ προτετίμηνται. κατὰ γοῦν τὸ πρὸς αὔριον γεγονυίας προσβολῆς οἱ Ἰσμαηλῖται τροπῇ συνεσχέθησαν, ὅθεν οἱ Τοῦρκοι ἐπιμόνως τοξείᾳ χρησάμενοι τοὺς Ἰσμαηλίτας θαρσαλεότητος καὶ ἰσχύος ἐπλήρωσαν, τοὺς δὲ Ῥωμαίους πρὸς φυγαδείαν ἐτρέψαντο· καὶ μόνοι τῷ βασιλεῖ οἱ ἀρχηγοὶ τῶν ταγμάτων προσεκαρτέρησαν μετὰ Μανουὴλ καὶ Περσῶν, οὓς κύκλῳ περιστοιχήσαντες οἱ ἐξ Ἄγαρ βιαίως συνεῖχον, κἂν οἱ Τοῦρκοι τὸ τοξάζειν κεκώλυντο ὑετοῦ γε συμβάντος τῶν τε νευρῶν τῶν τόξων χαυνωθεισῶν τῇ ὑγρότητι. ἀμέλει τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων πημαινομένων ὁ Μανουὴλ διηκούτιστο τῇ Σαρακηνικῇ γλώττῃ πρὸς αὐτοὺς τῶν Περσῶν καθ' ὁμιλίαν οἱονεὶ σπενδομένων, καὶ τῷ Θεοφίλῳ φησίν· οἶμαι, ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὅτι ἡ Ῥωμαϊκὴ νῦν δυσφορία τῷ ἀμεραμνουνῆ τοὺς Πέρσας περιποιήσεται εἰς τὸ προδοῦναί σε αὐτῷ, τὸ πρὶν ἀποστάντας αὐτοῦ. οὐκοῦν καλῶς συμβουλευομένῳ μοι σύνθοιο. συναγερῶ ἐκ τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς στρατεύματος τὸ κατ' ἐκλογὴν σύστημα, δι' οὗ τὸ σὸν κράτος ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων ἐξοίσομαι. ὁ δὲ βασιλεύς· καὶ τούτου γινομένου, ὦ Μανουήλ, τῷ λαῷ τί συμβήσεται; ὦ βασιλεῦ, σοὶ μὲν θεόθεν παρέσται τὸ σῴζεσθαι, ὁ δέ γε λαὸς καὶ αὐτὸς ὑψόθεν, οἶμαι, προνοηθήσεται. τοῦ γοῦν βασιλέως μόγις τῶν πολεμίων ἐκστάντος, κατὰ δὲ τὸν Χιλιόκωμον παραγεναμένου, οἱ τῶν στρατηγετῶν τὸ συνειδὸς λιποταξίᾳ πιέζοντες ἐκεῖσε τῷ Θεοφίλῳ γονυπετοῦσι καὶ τὰς σπάθας αὐτῶν ἀποθέμενοι ἑαυτοὺς θανάτῳ ψηφίζονται· πρὸς οὓς ὁ βασιλεὺς φιλοικτιρμόνως διατεθεὶς ἐν ὀδυρμῷ δικαίῳ ἀπολελόγητο· ἐπεὶ ἐγώ, ὦ ἄνδρες, κἂν <ἐκ> λιποταξίας ἐνεκλίνασθε, παρὰ θεοῦ τοῦ οἰκτίρμονος ἠλέημαι, καὶ ὑμᾶς οἰκτερῶ. ὁ οὖν πρωτοσύμβουλος τὸ κατὰ Ῥωμαίων μαθὼν ἀνδραγάθημα εὐθέως κατὰ τοῦ Ἀμορίου συντίθεται <στράτευμα>· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς πρός τε Νίκαιαν καὶ τὸ ∆ορύλαον διεκαρτέρει, τῇ αὐτοῦ πατρίδι τὸ μέλλον ἀπεκδεχόμενος· τὰ γὰρ δύο στρατόπεδα τοῦ τε ἀμεραμνουνῆ καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὸ Ἀμόριον ἥνωντο. ὡς δὲ τὸ περὶ ταύτης δυστύχημα διενώτιστο, ἐγκαρδίῳ φλογώσει κάτοχος γίνεται, ὥστε ταύτῃ τοῦ χιονώδους ὕδατος προσιόντος χλιαρὸν τοῦτο λογίζεσθαι· οὗ γ' ἐ<κ> τῆς πόσεως ἀφορμὴ τοῦ δυσεντεριάσαι αὐτῷ γέγονεν. 3.15 Ἀγαρηνὸν δέ τι γύναιον πνεύματι πύθωνος ἐγκατάληπτον, ὃ μετὰ λείας ποτὲ Ἀγαρηνῆς συλληφθὲν ἀναμαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκμαντεύεσθαι, μετακαλεσάμενος αὐτό, ἐκπυνθάνεται, ἡ βασιλεία τίνος ἐν πολλοῖς διαρκέσειεν ἔτεσιν, ἐξεῖπεν· ἡ τῶν Μαρτηνακίων. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο διερευνᾶτο κάκωσιν ἐπαγαγεῖν τῷ Μαρτηνακίῳ ὁ βασιλεύς (ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ δραστηρίως τὰ τῆς βασιλείας ὡς οὐκ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν πώποτε βασιλέων ἐξεταζόμενά τε καὶ πολυπραγμονούμενα) καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἀγχιστευόντων κατεπιτίθεσθαι. ἀλλὰ τῆς θείας προνοίας οὗτος ἀπέσφαλτο, κἂν ἐν λεκανομαντείᾳ τῇ διὰ τοῦ Ἰωάννου τὸν αὐτοῦ τῆς βασιλείας διάδοχον ἑωράκει Βασίλειον. κατὰ πληροφορίαν δὴ τῆς τοιαύτης προφάσεως ἐν αὐτῷ σημανθείσης, τῷ μονήρει βίῳ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ γένους ἄνδρα κατέκρινε Μαρτηνάκιον, τὸν αὐτοῦ οἶκον μεταποιήσας εἰς μοναχῶν φροντιστήριον. ἐντεῦθεν διαδιδράσκει τὴν ἐκ βασιλέως ἐπιτεινομένην ἐπήρειαν. πολλοῖς δὲ στόμασι τοῦ γυναίου διαλαλουμένου καὶ ἀποθειαζομένου ἐν ἅπασι, Κωνσταντῖνος Τριφύλλιος ὁ τὴν κλῆσιν ἐπευμοιρῶν καὶ ταῖς ἐκ βασιλέως κατὰ πρεσβείαν τιμαῖς ἁβρυνόμενος, προσφθέγγεται τῷ γυναίῳ ἐρεῖν καὶ αὐτῷ τὰ ἐσόμενα. τὸ δὲ διαπρυσίως τὸ μέλλον ἀποφοι βάζεται, ὅτι περ αὐτὸς σὺ καὶ τὰ σὰ τέκνα ἀποκαρήσεσθε ἱερωθησόμενοι κληρικῶν καταστήματι ἐπὶ αὐτοκράτορος Βασιλείου. ὃ καὶ πάντως ἐκβέβηκεν· προσοχθίσεως γὰρ βασιλικῆς αὐτῷ προστριψάσης τὰ τῆς προφητείας σὺν τῇ τοῦ βίου τελευτῇ πεπεράτωτο. παραπλησίως οὖν καὶ Νικήτᾳ υἱῷ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ τοῦ εἰδικοῦ σεκρέτου καθηγουμένῳ, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιγογγύσαντος. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Γεωργίῳ τῷ τὰς στρατιωτικὰς δέλτους πεπιστευμένῳ, ἐξ ὧν ἀπεκτάνθαι τῷ ξίφει ἐπὶ σφενδόνῃ τῇ κατὰ τοῦ ἱππικοῦ ἀγωνίσματος καὶ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ ὕπαρξιν ταμείῳ τῷ βασιλικῷ