the children's cots lay there. And when they saw the cot of the one who had escaped was empty, immediately each one, just as he was, beat the pedagogue and asked to learn what had become of the child with the pedagogue; but he bore the blows nobly and reported none of their plans. The barbarians proceeded to such a degree of cruelty as even to crush his legs with clubs, and it was possible to see the endurance of a eunuch, weak in body, but noble, as he showed, in soul, worthy of praise and beyond description. So the barbarians, giving up hope, prepared their horses and sent pursuers. But they did so, while the good guide, bringing a guide, as it seems, the one who guides Joseph as if he were a sheep, taking the new Joseph along with the most prudent pedagogue, turned far from the road, and climbing up a certain overgrown mountain, they watched the pursuers, seeing, but not being seen. And when those men, having crossed the Sophon and gone as far as the vale of Nicomedia, were returning, the fugitives, seeing them returning, came out of the mountains at night and at the very crack of dawn reached Nicomedia, and thus it happened that one of the hostage grandchildren of the caesar was saved, but these things later. 2.17 But the emperor Michael, when he had learned of the defeat of the Roman army and that both the divine caesar and his son, Andronikos, the commander of the armies, had been captured, was cast into the greatest anxieties and sent for Constantine Doukas, the last of the caesar's sons, whom the account mentioned before, a daring and noble man, and ordered him to cross the Propontis and to take command of what was left of the army from the battle. But he, unable to bear what had happened to his father and brother, gnashed his teeth like a lion and was clearly undertaking the task eagerly; and having taken leave of the emperor around evening, he went home to make preparations, but when a pain came upon him in the ... around the middle of the night and a certain unspeakable distress, the best of the physicians were summoned; but when their art was in no way able to help the one who was sick, he died at dawn; this became an addition to the caesar's misfortunes. But the barbarian, seizing the opportunity, devised a profound plan, even if not from the Lord; and it was to proclaim the caesar emperor of the Romans and thus to go around the cities and make them subject to himself; for he thought that in this way he would attract the goodwill of the powerful men in the queen of cities. But the renowned caesar at first was distressed and vexed and moved every rope, as they say, so as to escape the drama. But when the barbarian pushed him, even unwilling, into the middle of the affair, he began to take hold of matters more nobly and sent messages secretly to those in the city and drew almost everyone's opinions to himself. For the man was beloved by all, as he abounded in all good qualities and surpassed all of his time in virtue; if, at least, the divine will had not appeared to oppose it, he would easily have become master of the imperial scepter. But this, having moved the eunuch Nikephoros to take hold of matters more earnestly, rendered their plans ineffective. For, despairing of help from the Roman armies, he sent an embassy to the Turks and persuaded Artouch, who was then dwelling in the regions of the east, to undertake the war against them, encouraging him with gifts of money and with promises; and he—for he was a formidable general—set out against them with the greatest possible force. 2.18 But those around the caesar and Ourselios, having learned of the Turks' attack and that Artouch was coming against them bringing an unspeakable multitude of Turks, having crossed the hill where the fortress is situated, which is somewhere near the caesar's palace—the name of the fortress is Metabole—finding an oblong plain stretched out at the foothills of the Sophon, encamped in it. For fearing that they might be surrounded by the enemy, being few in number

τῶν παίδων κατέκειντο σκίμποδες. Ἐπεὶ δὲ κενὸν ἐθεώρουν τοῦ διαδράντος τὸν σκίμποδα, εὐθὺς ὡς εἶχεν ἕκαστος ἔτυπτε τὸν παιδαγωγὸν καὶ ἐπηρώτων μανθάνειν ὅ τι καὶ γένοιτο τὸ παιδίον ξὺν τῷ παιδαγωγῷ· ὁ δὲ ἔφερέ τε τὰς πληγὰς γενναίως καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν βουλευμάτων ἀπήγγειλεν. Ἐς τοσοῦτον δ' ἀπηνείας προῆλθον οἱ βάρβαροι ὡς καὶ τὰ σκέλη τούτου καταθλᾶσθαι ῥοπάλοις καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν ὑπομονὴν ἀνδρὸς ἐκτομίου, ἀσθενοῦς μὲν τῷ σώματι, γενναίου δέ, ὡς ἔδειξε, τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπαίνων ἀξίαν καὶ λόγου κρείττονα. Ἀπογνόντες οὖν οἱ βάρβαροι τούς τε ἵππους ηὐτρέπιζον καὶ τοὺς διώξοντας ἔπεμπον. Ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν οὕτω, ὁ δὲ καλὸς ὁδηγὸς ὁδηγὸν φέρων, ὡς ἔοικε, τὸν ὡσεὶ πρόβατον ὁδηγοῦντα τὸν Ἰωσήφ, τὸν νέον λαβὼν Ἰωσὴφ ἅμα τῷ νουνεχεστάτῳ παιδαγωγῷ πόρρω ἀπένευσε τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ πρός τι ὄρος συνηρεφὲς ἀνιόντες τοὺς διώκοντας κατεσκόπουν, ὁρῶντες μέν, οὐχ ὁρώμενοι δέ. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἐκεῖνοι τὸν Σόφωνα ὑπερβάντες καὶ μέχρι τῶν τῆς Νικομήδους τεμπῶν γενόμενοι ἐπανέστρεφον, ἰδόντες τούτους παλινοστοῦντας οἱ φεύγοντες ἐξῆλθον νυκτὸς ἐκ τῶν ὀρῶν καὶ ἤδη μειδιώσης ἡμέρας τὴν Νικομήδους κατέλαβον καὶ οὕτως συνέβη σωθῆναι τὸν ἕνα τῶν ὁμηρευόντων ἐκγόνων τοῦ καίσαρος, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὕστερον. 2.17 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Μιχαήλ, ἐπειδὴ μεμαθήκει τὴν τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος ἧτταν καὶ ὡς ἑάλωσαν ἄμφω ὅ τε θεῖος καῖσαρ καὶ ὁ τούτου υἱός, ὁ τῶν στρατευμάτων κατάρχων Ἀνδρόνικος, φροντίσι μεγίσταις ἐβάλλετο καὶ τὸν ∆ούκα μετεπέμπετο Κωνσταντῖνον, τὸν ὕστατον τῶν υἱέων τοῦ καίσαρος, οὗ πρόσθεν ὁ λόγος ἐμνήσθη, ἄνδρα τολμηρὸν καὶ γενναῖον καὶ διαπερᾶν τὴν Προποντίδα ἐκέλευε καὶ τὸ περισωθὲν ἐκ τῆς μάχης τοῦ στρατεύματος ἀναλαμβάνειν. Ὁ δὲ μὴ φέρων τὰ ξυμβάντα τῷ πατρί τε καὶ τἀδελφῷ ἔβρυχέ τε καθάπερ λέων καὶ δῆλος ἦν προθύμως τοῦ ἔργου ἁπτόμενος· συνταξάμενος δὲ περὶ ἑσπέραν τῷ βασιλεῖ οἴκαδε ἐχώρει παρασκευασθησόμενος, ἀλλ' ἀλγήματος αὐτῷ γεγονότος κατὰ τὴν ... περὶ μέσην νύκτα καὶ ἀρρήτου τινὸς δυσφορίας, οἱ τῶν ἀκεστόρων μετεκαλοῦντο ἄριστοι· κατ' οὐδὲν δὲ τῆς τέχνης ἰσχυσάσης βοηθῆσαι τὸν κάμνοντα, ἕωθεν ἐτελεύτα· τοῦτο προσθήκη τῶν συμφορῶν ἐγεγόνει καίσαρι. Ὁ δὲ βάρβαρος ἀδείας δραξάμενος, βουλὴν ἐβουλεύσατο βαθεῖαν, εἰ καὶ μὴ παρὰ Κυρίου· ἡ δὲ ᾖν βασιλέα τὸν καίσαρα ἀνειπεῖν Ῥωμαίων καὶ οὕτω περιέρχεσθαι τὰς πόλεις καὶ ὑποχειρίους ποιεῖν ἑαυτῷ· ἑλκύσαι γὰρ καὶ τῶν ἐν βασιλίδι τῶν πόλεων δυναμένων τὴν εὔνοιαν οὕτως ᾤετο. Ὁ δὲ κλεινὸς καῖσαρ πρῶτον μὲν ἐδυσφόρει καὶ ἤσχαλλε καὶ πάντα κάλων, ὅ φασιν, ἐκίνει ὥστε διαδρᾶναι τὸ δρᾶμα. Ἐπεὶ δ' εἰς μέσον τοῦ ἔργου αὐτὸν ὁ βάρβαρος καὶ ἄκοντα ὤθησε, γενναιότερον ἤρξατο τῶν πραγμάτων ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει διεπέμπετο λάθρᾳ καὶ πάντων μικροῦ δεῖν τὰς γνώμας πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐφειλκύσατο. Πᾶσι γὰρ ἦν ἐπέραστος ὁ ἀνὴρ ὡς πᾶσι κομῶν τοῖς καλοῖς καὶ καλοκαγαθίᾳ πάντων ὑπερέχων τῶν τότε· εἰ μὴ γοῦν τὸ θεῖον ἀντιπρᾶττον ἐφάνη, ῥᾳδίως ἂν τῶν βασιλείων σκήπτρων γέγονεν ἐγκρατής. Ἀλλὰ κινῆσαν τοῦτο τὸν ἐκτομίαν Νικηφόρον σπουδαιότερον τῶν πραγμάτων ἀντιλαβέσθαι τὰς ἐκείνων βουλὰς ἀπράκτους ἀποδέδειχεν. Ἀπογνοὺς γὰρ τῆς ἐκ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων βοηθείας πρὸς τοὺς Τούρκους διεπρεσβεύσατο καὶ τὸν Ἀρτοὺχ τοῖς τῆς ἑῴας τηνικαῦτα μέρεσιν ἐπιχωριάζοντα τὸν κατ' ἐκείνων πόλεμον ἀναδέξασθαι πέπεικε, δώροις τε χρημάτων καὶ ὑποσχέσεσι τοῦτον παραθαρρύνας· ὁ δέκαὶ γὰρ ἦν δεινὸς στρατηγόςμετὰ πλείστης ὅτι δυνάμεως κατ' ἐκείνων ἐξώρμα. 2.18 Οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν καίσαρά τε καὶ τὸν Οὐρσέλιον πυθόμενοι τῶν Τούρκων τὴν ἔφοδον καὶ ὡς ὁ Ἀρτοὺχ πλῆθος ἀμύθητον ἐπιφερόμενον Τούρκων κατ' αὐτῶν ἔπεισιν, ὑπερβάντες τὸν λόφον, ἵναπερ τὸ φρούριον ἵδρυται τὸ ἀγχοῦ που τῶν βασιλείων τοῦ καίσαρος ὄνΜεταβολὴ τῷ φρουρίῳ τὸ ὄνομα, πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ Σόφωνος πρόποδας πεδίον ἐφηπλωμένον ἐπίμηκες εὑρόντες ἐν τούτῳ στρατοπεδεύουσι. ∆είσαντες γὰρ μὴ κυκλωθῶσιν ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ὀλίγοι ὄντες