being cast down. And when this domestic misfortune was also reported to the emperor and the Frank’s arrival astonished everyone, a great despondency and anxiety seized both him and all the rest. So Roussel, having completed the journey from there, bringing with him both the Caesar and Basil Maleses, who had just been released from his captivity with Diogenes, encamped at Chrysopolis and set fire to the houses there and stirred up much shouting and wailing among the inhabitants. And the emperor, hastening to soften the 159 barbarian’s audacity, promised to give him the dignity of kouropalates, and also sent his wife and children. And he secretly summoned Turks against him, persuading them with many promises to defeat Roussel. But he, seeing himself weak against so great a multitude, released the Caesar from his bonds and proclaimed him emperor, establishing his power with magnificent and piercing acclamations. But before the rumor had spread or the proclamation of the Caesar had become widely known, and for this reason before any soldiers had come over to him, suddenly near Mount Sophon a Turkish multitude appeared, estimated at five or even six thousand. And immediately Roussel prepared for war. But both the Caesar and some of the more prominent men checked his charge, so that they might first ascertain the size of the multitude that had appeared. But not bearing it, and considering it the utmost disgrace if Roussel were to hesitate against six or ten thousand, with great force he attacked the enemy with the Franks. Therefore many of the Turks fell, with no Frank’s spear having been idle, and the rest turned to flight. And when the pursuit had continued for a long time, contrary to their custom, and this through pathless and impassable mountains, he unwittingly left most of his men behind, while he himself was left with a few men and the Caesar on horses exhausted by the continuous and intense pursuit. And while he was in this state, another countless multitude of Turks appeared, estimated to number a hundred thousand. Surrounded, therefore, on all sides, he charged them unwillingly with the very few men around him. The Turks therefore held their ground, but many fell then too. Nevertheless, surrounded by so 160 great a multitude, and having lost their horses to far-shooting missiles and all being left on foot, not even so did they give in. Nevertheless, many fell, and ten times as many Turks. And both the Caesar and Roussel and those with him were captured. And the remaining Franks, fleeing together to the fortress of Metabole with Roussel’s wife, took care of its guard and maintenance. But the Turks, having secured Roussel in a foot-shackle, held the Caesar unbound and treated him with his proper honor. And when the ransom for the captured was demanded, the emperor hastened to buy them; for Maleses also arrived, having just been released by the Caesar, and was immediately sent into exile and subjected to confiscation, having exchanged captivity for captivity, that with Diogenes for that of Roussel, and for these confiscation and exile. But Roussel’s wife ransomed her own husband with great haste. Whence those sent by the emperor returned, having ransomed only the Caesar. And when he was in the Propontis, fearing lest he should suffer some base and irreparable harm, being considered suspect and a rebel, casting off his worldly garment he cut his hair and put on monastic robes, and thus in a humble habit he approached the palace. From all these things the right-minded concluded that there was divine wrath, and how the divinity was at war with them because of their neglect and violation of the divine commands and ordinances, which although they were conscious of, they led the Roman forces into great wars and dangers, without first propitiating God, and suffering badly and
βαλλόμενον. Ὡς δὲ προσηγγέλθη καὶ τοῦτο δὴ τὸ οἰκειακὸν ἀτύχημα τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ ἡ τοῦ Φράγκου ἐπιδημία τοὺς πάντας ἐξέπληξε, πολλή τις ἀθυμία καὶ μέριμνα κατέσχεν αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἅπαντας. Τὴν ἐξ ἐκείνου οὖν ὁδοιπορίαν διηνυκὼς ὁ Ῥουσέλιος, ἐπαγόμενος μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τόν τε καίσαρα καὶ τὸν Μαλέσην Βασίλειον, ἄρτι τῆς σὺν τῷ ∆ιογένει αἰχμαλωσίας ἀπολυθέντα, κατασκηνοῖ ἐν Χρυσοπόλει καὶ ταῖς ἐκεῖσε οἰκίαις ἐνῆκε τὸ πῦρ καὶ πολλὴν ἀνήγειρε τοῖς ἐποίκοις τὴν βοὴν καὶ τὸν κωκυτόν. Καταμαλάξαι δὲ σπεύδων ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν τοῦ 159 βαρβάρου θρασύτητα ἀξίωμά τε ὑπισχνεῖται κουροπαλάτου δοῦναι αὐτῷ, προσεπιπέμπει δὲ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα. Μεταπέμπεται δὲ καὶ Τούρκους κατ' αὐτοῦ λαθραίως, πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσι πείθων τὸν Ῥουσέλιον καταγωνίσασθαι. Ὁ δὲ ὁρῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀσθενῆ πρὸς τοσαύτην πληθύν, ἀπολύσας τῶν δεσμῶν τὸν καίσαρα ἀναγορεύει βασιλέα, εὐφημίαις μεγαλοπρεπέσι καὶ διατόροις τὸ κράτος αὐτῷ συγκαταστησάμενος. Μήπω δὲ τῆς φήμης ἁπλωθείσης μηδὲ πλατυνθείσης τῆς τοῦ καίσαρος ἀναρρήσεως, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μήτε στρατιωτῶν προσχωρησάντων, ἐξαίφνης περὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸν Σόφωνα πληθὺς τουρκικὴ παραφαίνεται, πέντε ἢ καὶ ἓξ χιλιάσιν εἰκαζομένη. Καὶ αὐτίκα ὁ Ῥουσέλιος ἐξήρτυε τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον. Ἀνέστελλον δὲ τὴν ὁρμὴν αὐτοῦ ὅ τε καῖσαρ καί τινες τῶν ἐξοχωτέρων, ὡς ἂν διαγνοῖεν πρότερον τὴν πληθὺν ὁπόση τις εἴη τῶν ἐπιφανέντων. Μὴ ἐνεγκὼν δέ, ἀλλ' ἀδοξίαν ἄκραν ἡγούμενος εἰ πρὸς ἓξ ἢ δέκα χιλιάδας ἀμφιγνωμονεῖ ὁ Ῥουσέλιος, σὺν πολλῇ ῥύμῃ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπῆλθε μετὰ τῶν Φράγκων. Ἔπεσον οὖν τῶν Τούρκων πολλοί, μηδενὸς τῶν Φράγκων κενὸν τὸ δόρυ ἐσχηκότος, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν. Τῆς διώξεως δὲ ἐπὶ πολὺ γενομένης παρὰ τὸ εἰθισμένον αὐτοῖς, καὶ ταῦτα δι' ὀρέων ἀβάτων καὶ δυσδιεξιτήτων, ἔλαθε τοὺς πλείστους τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ ἀπολιπὼν ὀπίσω, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ βραχέων τινῶν ἀπολειφθεὶς καὶ τοῦ καίσαρος ἐν ἵπποις κεκμηκόσι τῷ συνεχεῖ τῆς διώξεως καὶ ἐπιτεταμένῳ. Οὕτω δὲ ἔχοντι ἀνεφάνη πλῆθος ἕτερον Τούρκων ἄπειρον, εἰς ἑκατὸν χιλιάδας ποσοῦσθαι στοχαζόμενον. Περιστοιχηθεὶς οὖν πανταχόθεν, καὶ ἄκων αὐτοῖς προσρήγνυται μετ' ὀλίγων πάνυ τῶν περὶ αὐτόν. Ἀντέσχον μὲν οὖν οἱ Τοῦρκοι, ἔπεσον δὲ καὶ τότε πολλοί. Ὅμως κυκλωθέντες ὑπὸ το 160 σούτου πλήθους ἑκηβόλοις τε βέλεσιν ἀποβαλόντες τοὺς ἵππους καὶ πεζοὶ ὑπολειφθέντες σύμπαντες οὐδ' οὕτως ἐνέδωκαν. Πίπτουσι δ' ὅμως πολλοὶ καὶ Τοῦρκοι δὲ δεκάκις τοσοῦτοι. Ἁλίσκεται δὲ ὅ τε καῖσαρ καὶ ὁ Ῥουσέλιος καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ. Οἱ δ' ὑπολειφθέντες τῶν Φράγκων εἰς τὸ τῆς Μεταβολῆς φρούριον συμφυγόντες μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Ῥουσελίου γυναικὸς δι' ἐπιμελείας ἐποιοῦντο τὴν τούτου φυλακὴν καὶ συντήρησιν. Οἱ δὲ Τοῦρκοι τὸν μὲν Ῥουσέλιον ποδοκάκῃ ἀσφαλισάμενοι, τὸν καίσαρα ἄνετον εἶχον καὶ ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἦγον τιμῇ. Τοῦ δὲ τιμήματος τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἐπιζητουμένου ἔσπευδε μὲν ὠνήσασθαι τούτους ὁ βασιλεύς· ἐπικατέλαβε γὰρ καὶ ὁ Μαλέσης, ἄρτι ἀπολυθεὶς παρὰ τοῦ καίσαρος, καὶ αὐτίκα εἰς ὑπερορίαν στέλλεται καὶ δημεύσει καθυποβάλλεται, αἰχμαλωσίας αἰχμαλωσίαν, τῆς σὺν τῷ ∆ιογένει τὴν τοῦ Ῥουσελίου, καὶ δήμευσιν καὶ ἐξορίαν τούτων ἀνταλλαξάμενος. Ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ Ῥουσελίου γυνὴ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἄνδρα σπουδῇ πολλῇ ἐλυτρώσατο. Ὅθεν οἱ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως σταλέντες τὸν καίσαρα μόνον λυτρωσάμενοι ἀνθυπέστρεψαν. Ἐν δὲ τῇ Προποντίδι γενόμενος, εὐλαβηθεὶς μή πως ὡς ὕποπτος καὶ ἀποστάτης νομισθεὶς πάθῃ τι φλαῦρον καὶ ἀνήκεστον, τὴν κοσμικὴν ἀποβαλλόμενος ἐσθῆτα τὴν τρίχα κείρεται καὶ τὰ μοναχῶν ἀμφιέννυται, καὶ οὕτως ἐν εὐτελεῖ τῷ σχήματι τοῖς βασιλείοις παρέβαλεν. Ἐξ ὧν ἁπάντων οἱ εὖ φρονοῦντες τὴν θεομηνίαν συνελογίζοντο, καὶ ὅπως αὐτοῖς τὸ θεῖον ἐκπεπολέμηται διὰ τὴν τῶν θείων ἐντολῶν καὶ ἐνταλμάτων παρόρασιν καὶ ἀθέτησιν, ἃς καίπερ ἑαυτοῖς συνεπιστάμενοι εἰς πολέμους μεγάλους καὶ κινδύνους, μὴ πρότερον τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεωσάμενοι, τὰς ῥωμαϊκὰς δυνάμεις εἰσάγουσι, καὶ πάσχοντες κακῶς καὶ