having left him by night, he fled to Constantinople, having learned beforehand of the plots being stitched together there. For John the Caesar and his sons and as many of the senate as were of the same mind, sent the empress into exile to the monastery founded by her, called Piperoudion, having tonsured her even against her will, and having proclaimed Michael sole monarch and autokrator, they wrote everywhere not to receive the returning emperor nor to honor him as emperor. And the first to begin the proclamation of deposition was the consul of the philosophers, Psellos, as he himself boasts in one of his own writings. And it is said that the empress herself was of the same mind, so as not to receive Diogenes on his return. But Diogenes, learning this with wingless speed, and being informed that he had been publicly deposed, seized a certain fortress, named Dokeia, and encamped there. The Caesar, strengthening the affairs of the empire as best he saw fit, 153 sends the proedros Constantine, the younger of his sons, with a strong force against Diogenes, who, having joined battle with him at Dokeia, showed cowardice in the war. But Diogenes, seeing that he was superior to Constantine, departed from there and arrived in Cappadocia. Meanwhile a multitude of Franks joined Constantine, and Crispin himself with his countrymen, whom Diogenes had previously confined at Abydos on his way up. He therefore sends the proedros Theodore Alyates, a brave and distinguished man, most admirable in size and appearance, against them. But when Constantine's men vigorously arrayed themselves against them, Alyates' men were defeated, and he himself was captured and had his eyes gouged out with theatrical irons. Diogenes, being greatly distressed at what had happened, entered Cappadocia, summoning the military from all quarters. And he himself was staying in Tyropoion, a very strong and precipitous fortress. So Constantine, having also summoned the doux of Antioch, Khatatourios, as an ally against Diogenes, did not find him obedient; for he had sided with Diogenes. And taking him with him, he comes to Cilicia, where he was also waiting patiently for aid from the sultan, and at the same time spending the winter there, knowing Cilicia to be warmer, and again he occupied himself with gathering an army. But Constantine, after Diogenes withdrew, returned to Byzantium. And in his place is sent against Diogenes the proedros Andronikos, the son of the Caesar. And having distributed rations to the soldiers, through the pass of Podandos he arrives in Cilicia, where Khatatourios meets him, whom Andronikos' men kill after he had fought for a short while. And when the others fled together to Adana, where Diogenes was also staying, Andronikos took the city by siege. And when terms were made on the condition that Diogenes should lay aside the imperial power and, having had his hair cut, live as a private citizen, he comes out of the castle wearing black 154 and bewailing his circumstances. Andronikos immediately thinks of returning and drags Diogenes with him, wearing black, riding on a humble beast of burden through those villages and regions in which he was formerly known as equal to a god. And having made the journey painfully as far as Kotyaeion—for he was suffering from an abdominal complaint from hemlock given to him to drink beforehand as the result of a plot—he was detained there, until what was to be done to him should be determined by the emperor. But some days later the decision came against the one suffering misfortune in vain, decreeing that his eyes be gouged out. And immediately they are gouged out, while the high priests, who had been sent for the purpose of giving an account of sympathy, helped him not at all; these were the one of Chalcedon, the one of Heraclea, and Theophilos of Koloneia, whom he reminded both of their oaths and of the divine retributions. But they, although wishing to help, were weak and powerless as savage and harsh men seized him and his eyes

νύκτωρ αὐτὸν καταλιπὼν εἰς Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἀπέδρα, προμαθὼν τὰ ἐκεῖσε καττυόμενα. Ἰωάννης γὰρ ὁ καῖσαρ καὶ οἱ τούτου υἱεῖς καὶ τῆς συγκλήτου ὅσοι τὰ αὐτὰ ἐφρόνουν, τὴν μὲν βασιλίδα ὑπερόριον τίθενται εἰς τὸ παρ' αὐτῆς συστὰν φροντιστήριον, Πιπερούδιον οὕτω καλούμενον, ἀποκείραντες καὶ μὴ βουλομένην, τὸν δὲ Μιχαὴλ μόναρχον ἀναγορεύσαντες αὐτοκράτορα ἔγραψαν ἁπανταχοῦ ἐπανιόντα τὸν βασιλέα μὴ ὑποδέξασθαι μήτε ὡς βασιλέα τιμῆσαι. Ἤρξατο δὲ τῆς ἀποκηρύξεως πρῶτος ὁ τῶν φιλοσόφων ὕπατος, ὁ Ψελλός, καθὼς καὶ αὐτὸς ἔν τινι τῶν ἰδίων συγγραμμάτων μεγαλαυχεῖ. Λέγεται δὲ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ βασιλὶς τοῦ αὐτοῦ σκοποῦ ἦν, ὥστε μὴ προσδέξασθαι τὸν ∆ιογένην ἐπανιόντα. Ἀπτέρῳ δὲ τάχει μαθὼν τοῦτο ὁ ∆ιογένης, καὶ πληροφορηθεὶς ὅτι κοινῶς ἀποκεκήρυκται, φρούριόν τι κατασχών, ∆όκειαν ὀνομαζόμενον, ἐκεῖσε ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. Ὁ δὲ καῖσαρ τὰ τῆς βασιλείας, ὡς ἐδόκει, ἄριστα κρατυνόμενος, 153 τὸν πρόεδρον Κωνσταντῖνον, τὸν βραχύτερον τῶν υἱέων, μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς κατὰ τοῦ ∆ιογένους ἀφίησιν, ὃς καὶ ἑνωθεὶς αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ∆οκείᾳ ἀπεδειλία τὸν πόλεμον. Ὁρῶν δὲ ὁ ∆ιογένης ὑπερτεροῦντα τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου ἑαυτόν, ἄρας ἐκεῖθεν ἀφικνεῖται εἰς Καππαδοκίαν. Ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ πλῆθος Φράγκων τῷ Κωνσταντίνῳ προσγίνεται, καὶ Κρισπῖνος αὐτὸς μετὰ τῶν ὁμογενῶν, ὃν ἀνιὼν ὁ ∆ιογένης ἐν Ἀβύδῳ περιώρισε πρότερον. Θεόδωρον οὖν πρόεδρον τὸν Ἀλυάτην, ἄνδρα γενναῖον καὶ ἐπιφανῆ, μεγέθει τε καὶ θέᾳ θαυμασιώτατον, στέλλει κατ' αὐτῶν. Ἐρρωμένως δ' ἀντιταξαμένων τῶν περὶ τὸν Κωνσταντῖνον ἡττῶνται οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀλυάτην, ἁλίσκεται δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξορύττεται σκηνικοῖς σιδήροις. Περιώδυνος δὲ ὁ ∆ιογένης ἐπὶ τοῖς συμβεβηκόσι γεγονὼς εἰς τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἐνέβαλε, πανταχόθεν τὸ στρατιωτικὸν προσκαλούμενος. Αὐτὸς δὲ διῆγεν ἐν τῷ Τυροποιῷ, φρούριον δὲ τοῦτο λίαν ἰσχυρὸν καὶ ἀπόκρημνον. Προσκαλεσάμενος οὖν ὁ Κωνσταντῖνος καὶ τὸν Ἀντιοχείας δοῦκα, τὸν Χατατούριον, σύμμαχον κατὰ τοῦ ∆ιογένους οὐκ ἔσχεν ὑπακούοντα· προσέθετο γὰρ τῷ ∆ιογένει. Καὶ τοῦτον παραλαβὼν παραγίνεται εἰς Κιλικίαν, ἔνθα καὶ προσεκαρτέρει τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σουλτάνου ἀναμένων βοήθειαν, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸν χειμῶνα διάγων ἐκεῖσε, ἀλεεινοτέραν τὴν Κιλικίαν ἐπιστάμενος, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς συλλογὴν στρατοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἀπησχόλει. Ὁ δέ γε Κωνσταντῖνος μετὰ τὸ τὸν ∆ιογένην ὑποχωρῆσαι ὑπέστρεψεν εἰς τὸ Βυζάντιον. Ἀντ' ἐκείνου δὲ στέλλεται κατὰ τοῦ ∆ιογένους ὁ πρόεδρος Ἀνδρόνικος, ὁ τοῦ καίσαρος υἱός. ∆ιανείμας δὲ τοῖς στρατιώταις σιτηρέσια, διὰ τῆς κλεισούρας τοῦ Ποδανδοῦ ἀφικνεῖται εἰς Κιλικίαν , ἔνθα συναντᾷ αὐτῷ ὁ Χατατούριος, ὃν καὶ πρὸς βραχὺ μαχεσάμενον ἀναιροῦσιν οἱ τοῦ Ἀνδρονίκου. Τῶν δὲ ἄλλων συμφυγόντων εἰς Ἄδαναν, ἔνθα καὶ ὁ ∆ιογένης διέτριβε, πολιορκίᾳ τὴν πόλιν διέλαβεν ὁ Ἀνδρόνικος. Συνθηκῶν δὲ γενομένων ἐφ' ᾧ τὸν ∆ιογένην ἀποθέσθαι τὴν βασιλείαν τὴν τρίχα τε καρέντα διάγειν ἰδιωτικῶς , ἔξεισι τοῦ κάστρου μελανειμο 154 νῶν καὶ τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἀποκλαιόμενος. Νόστου δὲ εὐθὺς μιμνήσκεται ὁ Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ τὸν ∆ιογένην μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐφελκόμενος μελανειμονοῦντα, ἐν εὐτελεῖ ὑποζυγίῳ ὀχούμενον δι' ἐκείνων τῶν κωμῶν καὶ τῶν χωρῶν αἷς τὸ πρὶν ἰσόθεος ἐγνωρίζετο. Μέχρι δὲ τοῦ Κοτυαείου τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ὀδυνηρῶς ποιησάμενος ἦν γὰρ νοσηλευόμενος ἀπὸ κοιλιακῆς διαθέσεως ἐκ κωνείου προποθέντος αὐτῷ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ἐπιγενομένης-ἐκεῖσε κατεσχέθη, ἄχρις ἂν ἐκ βασιλέως τὸ ποιητέον αὐτῷ ὁρισθῇ. Ἀλλ' ἧκεν ἡμέραις ὕστερον ἡ κατὰ τοῦ μάτην δυστυχοῦντος ἀπόφασις διοριζομένη τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ διορυγῆναι. Οὓς καὶ παραυτίκα ἐξορύττεται τῶν ἀρχιερέων, τῶν ἐπὶ τῷ δοῦναι λόγον συμπαθείας ἐσταλμένων, μηδόλως ἐπαρηξάντων αὐτῷ· οἵτινες ἦσαν ὅ τε Χαλκηδόνος, ὁ Ἡρακλείας καὶ ὁ Κολωνείας Θεόφιλος, οὓς καὶ τῶν ὅρκων ὑπεμίμνησκε καὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ θείου νεμέσεων. Οἱ δέ, καίπερ βοηθῆσαι προαιρούμενοι, ἀσθενῶς εἶχον καὶ ἀδυνάτως ἀνδρῶν ὠμηστῶν καὶ ἀπηνῶν ἀναρπασάντων αὐτὸν καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς