Anna Komnena, Alexias

he orders her, having left the holy church of God, to be confined with both her daughters and daughters-in-law in the women's monastery of the Petrion, situated near the Sidera. He also summons her co-mother-in-law, the daughter-in-law of the Caesar John (she held the rank of protovestiaria), from the sanctuary in Blachernae, which was built in the name of our lady, the Theotokos, and orders her also to be in the said monastery of the Petrion. And he commands that their wine-jars and granaries and all their store-rooms be guarded and not moved. 2.5.9 So every morning, both of them, approaching their guards, would inquire if they had learned anything from their children. And they, behaving rather simply towards them, reported everything they had heard. But the protovestiaria, being free with both hand and mind and wishing to win over the guards, ordered them to take for their own use as much of the food as they wanted; for they were allowed to have what they needed brought in unhindered. From this, the guards became more eager in their reports, and from then on, since they reported everything, nothing escaped the women's notice.

2.6.1 Such then were the affairs concerning the women; but the rebels, having reached the gate standing near the arm of the Blachernae and having broken the locks, went out fearlessly into the imperial stables. And some of the horses they leave there, first cutting off their hind legs from the very thighs with a sword, but taking others, as many as seemed more useful to them, they quickly from there reach the monastery near the great city, which is named Cosmidion. For, to make a slight digression so that our narrative may proceed more clearly, having found the aforementioned protovestiaria there, before the emperor summoned her, as the account has already indicated, they both conferred with her about leaving from there and persuaded George Palaiologos to join them and compelled him to depart with them. 2.6.2 For they had not yet revealed their plans to the man because of a well-founded suspicion; for this George's father was extremely loyal to the emperor, and the disclosure of the rebellion to him was not without danger. At first, then, Palaiologos was not compliant towards them, both arguing much against them and reproaching them for their mistrust of him and because later, as the proverb goes, they had come to their senses and were summoning him. But since the protovestiaria, Palaiologos' mother-in-law, also pressed him hard to leave with them and threatened him with the most terrible things, he became more compliant. 2.6.3 From that point he was concerned about the women, both his wife Anna and his mother-in-law Maria, who was of the first rank of the Bulgarian race, and possessed so much beauty and harmony of limbs and features that no one at that time appeared more lovely than her. Therefore, matters concerning her were not without concern to Palaiologos and Alexios. For this reason, Alexios' party held the opinion that they should take them from there and lead them away, some to a certain fortress, but Palaiologos to the sanctuary of the Theotokos in Blachernae. And George's opinion prevailed. So, immediately going with them, they entrusted them to the all-pure mother of the Word who holds all things together. But they, having returned to where they had come from, considered what indeed they should do. But Palaiologos said, "It is necessary for you to depart; I will catch up with you more quickly, bringing with me the money I have on hand." For it happened that he had all his visible movable property stored there. Therefore, not delaying, they immediately took to the proposed journey; but he with the monks' beasts of burden

τοῦ Θεοῦ ἁγίας ἐκκλησίας ἐξελθοῦσαν περιορισθῆναι παρακελεύει μετά τε τῶν θυγατέρων καὶ τῶν νυμφῶν αὐτῆς εἰς τὴν ἀγχοῦ τῆς Σιδηρᾶς διακειμένην γυναικείαν μονὴν τῶν Πετρίων. Μετάκλητον δὲ ποιεῖται καὶ τὴν συμπενθέραν αὐτῆς τὴν τοῦ καίσαρος Ἰωάννου νύμφην (πρωτοβεστιαρία δὲ ἦν αὐτὴ τὸ ἀξίωμα) ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐν Βλαχέρναις τεμένους, ὃ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τῆς δεσπότιδος ἡμῶν θεομήτορος ᾠκοδόμητο, καὶ εἰς τὴν ῥηθεῖσαν μονὴν τῶν Πετρίων καὶ αὐτὴν εἶναι παρακελεύεται. Καὶ προστάττει τούς τε πιθῶνας καὶ σιτῶνας αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα τὰ ταμεῖα τηρεῖσθαι ἀμειαγώ γητα. 2.5.9 Καθ' ἑκάστην οὖν πρωΐαν ἄμφω τοῖς φυλάτ τουσι προσερχόμεναι ἐπυνθάνοντο, εἴ τι ἀπὸ τῶν παίδων αὐτῶν μεμαθήκεσαν. Οἱ δὲ ἁπλοϊκώτερον αὐταῖς προσφε ρόμενοι ἀπήγγελλον ἅπαν τὸ ἀκουσθέν. Ἡ δὲ πρωτοβε στιαρία ἐλευθέρα καὶ χεῖρα καὶ γνώμην οὖσα βουλομένη τε τοὺς φυλάσσοντας σφετερίσασθαι ἐπέταττεν αὐτοῖς ἀναλαμβάνεσθαι ἀπὸ τῶν βρωσίμων εἰς ἰδίαν χρῆσιν ὁπόσα καὶ βούλοιντο· ἐφεῖτο γὰρ αὐταῖς ἀπαραποδίστως εἰσά γεσθαι τὰ πρὸς χρείαν. Ἐντεῦθεν προθυμότεροι πρὸς τὰς ἀπαγγελίας οἱ φύλακες ἐγεγόνεισαν, κἄκτοτε ἔκφορα πάντα ποιούντων ἐκείνων οὐδὲν αὐτὰς διελάνθανε.

2.6.1 Τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὰς γυναῖκας τοιαῦτα· οἱ δέ γε ἀποστάται φθάσαντες τὴν περὶ τὸ βραχιόνιον τῶν Βλα χερνῶν ἱσταμένην πύλην καὶ τὰς κλεῖς κατεάξαντες ἀδεῶς ἐξεληλύθεισαν εἰς τοὺς βασιλικοὺς ἱπποστάθμους. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν τῶν ἵππων αὐτοῦ που καταλιμπάνουσι πρό τερον τοὺς ὄπισθεν πόδας ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν μηρῶν τῷ ξίφει ἀποτεμόντες, τοὺς δ' ἀναλαβόμενοι, ὅσοι τούτοις ἔδοξαν χρησιμώτεροι, ἐκεῖθεν ταχέως τὸ ἀγχοῦ που τῆς μεγαλο πόλεως μοναστήριον, ὃ Κοσμίδιον ἐπωνόμασται, καταλαμβά νουσι. Καὶ γάρ, ἵνα μεταξύ πως ἐπιδιηγησαίμην καὶ σαφέστερος ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος προίῃ, τὴν εἰρημένην ἄνωθεν πρωτοβεστιαρίαν, πρὶν ἢ τὸν βασιλέα ταύτην μετακα λέσασθαι, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσε, κεῖθι καταλαβόντες ταύτῃ τε συνετάττοντο ἐπὶ τῷ ἐξελαύνειν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ Γεώργιον τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἀνέπειθον μεθ' ἑαυτῶν συλλα βεῖν καὶ συναπαίρειν αὐτοῖς κατηνάγκαζον. 2.6.2 Οὔπω γὰρ ἦσαν ἔκφορα τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς θέμενοι πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα δι' ὑποψίαν εὐπρόσωπον· ἦν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Γεωργίου του τουῒ τῷ βασιλεῖ εὐνούστατος ἐς τὰ μάλιστα, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἀποστασίας πρὸς τοῦτον ἀπογύμνωσις οὐκ ἀκίνδυνος. Τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα ὁ Παλαιολόγος πρὸς τούτους οὐκ εἶχεν εὐαγώγως πολλά τε ἀντιτεινόμενος καὶ κατονειδίζων τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τούτων διαπιστίαν καὶ ὅτι ὕστερον, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πεπαροιμιασμένον, νοῦν οἴσαντες καὶ τοῦτον ἀνακα λοῦνται. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ πρωτοβεστιαρία ἡ τοῦ Παλαιολόγου πενθερὰ βαρεῖα ἐνέκειτο τούτῳ συνεξελθεῖν καὶ ἀπειλοῦσα αὐτῷ τὰ δεινότατα, μαλακώτερος γίνεται. 2.6.3 Φροντίζει δὲ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν περὶ τῶν γυναικῶν, τῆς τε αὐτοῦ γαμετῆς Ἄννης καὶ Μαρίας τῆς πενθερᾶς αὐτοῦ, τὰ πρῶτα τοῦ γένους ἐκ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἐχούσης, κάλλους δὲ τοσοῦτον ἐπισυρομένης καὶ εὐαρμοστίας μελῶν καὶ μερῶν, ὥστε μηδεμίαν φανῆναι κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ τὴν ταύτης ὡραιο τέραν. Οὐκ ἄνευ οὖν φροντίδος ἦσαν τὰ κατ' αὐτὴν τῷ Παλαιολόγῳ καὶ Ἀλεξίῳ. Ταύτῃ τοι καὶ γνώμην ἔσχον οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἀλέξιον ἐκεῖθεν ἀνελόμενοι ταύτας οἱ μὲν εἴς τι φρούριον ἀπαγαγεῖν, ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος εἰς τὸ ἐν Βλαχέρναις τέμενος τῆς θεομήτορος. Καὶ κρατεῖ ἡ τοῦ Γεωργίου γνώμη. Εὐθὺς οὖν ἀπελθόντες μετ' αὐτῶν παρέ θεντο ταύτας τῇ πανάγνῳ μητρὶ τοῦ τὰ πάντα συνέχοντος Λόγου. Αὐτοὶ δὲ παλινοστήσαντες, ὅθεν ἐξῄεσαν, ἐσκόπουν ὅ τι δὴ καὶ ποιήσαιεν. Ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος «ὑμᾶς μέν» φησιν «ἀπέρχεσθαι χρή· ἐγὼ δὲ τάχιον ὑμᾶς καταλήψομαι τὰ προσόντα μοι χρήματα συνεπιφερόμενος». Ἔτυχε γὰρ πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν κινητοῖς αὐτοῦ θεωρουμένην περιουσίαν ἔχων ἐγκειμένην ἐκεῖσε. Μὴ μελλήσαντες οὖν εὐθὺς τῆς προκειμένης ὁδοιπορίας εἴχοντο· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοῖς τῶν μοναχῶν ὑποζυγίοις