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The matters of the case were being reserved for the emperor for a suitable time. Then, at that time, the emperor had come for an examination of such things, and he set up a tribunal, seated judges, and assembled a splendid court. And the case was as follows. When Demetrios Tornikes died, while the megas domestikos was still in Thessaloniki, and his son Michael was in Melenikon and Serres, the latter, upon learning of Tornikes's death, became distressed and appeared sullen to those who met him; for Tornikes had as a wife the first cousin of the megas domestikos. As tends to happen in such situations, then, a certain man from Melenikon [the name] asked a certain other man [called], why Komnenos Michael was sullen. And he—for he knew the reason—said, "Demetrios Tornikes has died; and he was his relative and steward of their common affairs; and for his sake, then, he is grieved." But the other said, "It does not seem so to me; for he would not be so despondent and vexed on account of Tornikes; but as it seems, this has happened to one greater than he. And if this is so, alas for us; for our affairs will again be in turmoil and troubles, now that they have been well settled and have come into a state of tranquility." Then this one said, "But, my friend, even if something like that has happened, our affairs will still not be in a bad state. For the megas domestikos is in Thessaloniki, governing it, and here too is Komnenos Michael his son, who carries out the administration of our regions. Governed, then, by such great men, we would never see a political upheaval; and besides, if the sister of the Bulgarian ruler Kaliman, Thamar, being still unmarried, should enter into a marriage union with Komnenos Michael, there will be truces between us and the Bulgarians." These things indeed were said by them, with Komnenos Michael knowing nothing. So one of the two went to the aforementioned Manglabites and reported such things to him, and he reported them to the emperor. Therefore, both having been arrested, were questioned about what had been said. So the one accused, and the other defended himself. So he said that, "Indeed this man had spoken, for he heard it from me; but it was said by me without the knowledge of Komnenos, but I brought forth these words from myself." He was pressed, then, about this, but he denied completely that Komnenos Michael knew anything at all about this; but the accuser claimed that Komnenos Michael was aware of these things. Thereupon a certain military proof was prepared for them, since there were no witnesses: the trial by combat. So both were armed, they entered the stadium, they engaged one another, and the accused was defeated and was thrown from his horse, and the accuser held the victory. Having been captured alive, then—for he was not mortally wounded—he was questioned again, so that he might confess the truth. But he held to his former statement and testified that Komnenos Michael knew nothing at all. And since it seemed good to the emperor to learn the truth through more extensive torture, as he was one to make his examinations more precise, he brought upon the man the test by death. So the hands of the one condemned to become the work of the sword were bound behind him, and his eyes were covered with a linen cloth; for thus it was the custom for the condemned to be prepared and to receive the blow of execution. When, then, these things had been done in this way and the prisoner was ordered to bend his neck, so that he might receive the beheading, he was again questioned about the matters under investigation. But he affirmed with the most dreadful oaths that Komnenos Michael was in no way aware of these things. He, then, was spared the road to death and walked to prison, and a neck-iron and imprisonment held him; and the whole investigation came down to Komnenos Michael. And indeed those who had been assigned, perhaps, to judge him said to him that, "Since certain forbidden words have been spoken about you, it is necessary for you to refute them through some wonder-working." And this was

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ἐταμιεύετο τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ τῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐς ὥραν εὔθετον. τότε γοῦν εἰς ἐξέτασιν τῶν τοιούτων ἐγεγόνει ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ δικαστήριον ἔστησε καὶ κριτὰς ἐκάθισε καὶ λαμπρὸν κριτήριον συνεκρότησεν. ἡ δ' ὑπόθεσις ἦν τοιαύτη. ἐπεὶ ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ Τορνίκης ∆ημήτριος, ἔτι δὲ περιῆν ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος, ὁ δὲ τούτου υἱὸς Μιχαὴλ ἐς Μελενίκον καὶ Σέρρας, ὃς καὶ μαθὼν τὸν τοῦ Τορνίκη θάνατον ἐδυσφόρησε καὶ σκυθρωπὸς τοῖς ἐν τυγχάνουσιν ἐπεφαίνετο· ἦν γὰρ ὁ Τορνίκης σύζυγον ἔχων τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου πρωτεξαδέλφην. οἷα γοῦν φιλεῖ ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις γίνεσθαι, ἠρωτήκει τις τῶν ἐκ Μελενίκου [τοὔνομα] θάτερόν τινα [καλούμενον], ὅτου χάριν σκυθρω πάζει ὁ Κομνηνὸς Μιχαήλ. ὁ δέ-καὶ γὰρ ἠπίστατο τὴν αἰτίαν-»ὁ Τορνίκης» ἔφη «∆ημήτριος τέθνηκεν· ἦν δὲ προσγενὴς αὐτοῦ καὶ οἰκονόμος τῶν κοινῶν· καὶ τούτου γοῦν χάριν κἀκείνου λελύπηται.» ὁ δὲ «οὔ μοι δοκεῖ» φησιν· «οὐδὲ γὰρ διὰ Τορνίκην οὕτως ἂν ἠδημόνει καὶ ἤσχαλλεν· ἀλλ' ὡς ἔοικεν ἐπὶ τῷ κρείττονι ἐκείνου τοῦτο συμβέβηκε. καὶ εἰ τοῦτο, φεῦ ἡμῖν· ἐν γὰρ ταρα χαῖς καὶ ὀχλήσεσιν αὖθις γενήσονται τὰ ἡμέτερα, κατεστο ρεσμένα νῦν καλῶς καὶ εἰς ἀταραξίαν ἐληλυθότα.» εἶθ' οὗτος «ἀλλ' ὦ φίλος, καὶ εἰ τοιοῦτόν τι ξυνέβη, καὶ οὕτω δὴ οὐ κακῶς τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἕξουσι. καὶ γὰρ ὁ μέγας δο μέστικος ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ διάγει ἡγεμονεύων αὐτῆς, καὶ οὑ τοσὶ δὲ ὁ Κομνηνὸς Μιχαὴλ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς τὴν τῶν ἡμε τέρων χώρων διεξάγει κηδεμονίαν. ὑπὸ τοιούτων γοῦν μεγίστων ἀνδρῶν κυβερνώμενοι οὐκ ἄν ποτε κοσμικὸν κλυ δώνιον ἴδοιμεν· ἄλλως τε καὶ ἡ τοῦ βουλγαράρχου Καλι μάνου ἀδελφὴ Θάμαρ, ἄζυξ ἔτι τελοῦσα, εἰς γάμου κοινωνίαν συνέλθῃ τῷ Κομνηνῷ Μιχαήλ, καὶ γενήσονται σπονδαὶ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ Βουλγάρων.» ταῦτα δὴ λελάληνται παρ' αὐτῶν μηδὲν εἰδότος τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαήλ. Θάτερος οὖν τοῖν δυοῖν ἀπελθὼν πρὸς τὸν εἰρημένον Μαγκλαβίτην ἀνήγγειλεν αὐτῷ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὁ δὲ ἀνήνεγκε τῷ βασιλεῖ. κατασχεθέντες οὖν καὶ ἄμφω ἠρώτηνται περὶ τῶν λελεγμένων. ὁ μὲν οὖν κατηγόρει, θάτερος δὲ ὑπεραπελο γεῖτο. ἔφησεν οὖν ὡς «ἀληθῶς μὲν οὑτοσὶ εἰρήκει, παρ' ἐμοῦ γὰρ ἀκήκοεν· ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰδήσει μοι εἴρηται τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τοὺς λόγους τούτους προήνεγκα.» ἠναγκά ζετο γοῦν περὶ τούτου, ὁ δὲ ἠρνεῖτο καθάπαξ μὴ εἰδέναι τι περὶ τούτου τὸ σύνολον τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαήλ· ὁ δὲ κατηγορῶν ἔφασκε συνειδέναι ταῦτα τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαήλ. ἐντεῦθεν ηὐτρέπιστο τούτοις στρατιωτική τις ἀπόδειξις, ἐπεὶ μὴ ὑπῆρχον οἱ μαρτυροῦντες, ἡ διὰ μάχης διάπειρα. ὡπλίσθησαν οὖν καὶ ἄμφω, εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸ στάδιον, ξυνέ βαλον ἀλλήλοις, καὶ νενίκηται ὁ κατηγορούμενος ἀπερρίφη τε τοῦ ἵππου, καὶ τὴν νικῶσαν ὁ κατήγορος ἔσχηκε. συλ ληφθεὶς οὖν ζωός-οὐδὲ γὰρ καιρίαν τέτρωται-καὶ αὖθις ἠρώτηται, ὡς ἂν καθομολογήσειε τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ προτέρου λόγου ἀντείχετο καὶ μηδ' ὅλως εἰδέναι τι τὸν Κομνηνὸν διεμαρτύρετο Μιχαήλ. ἐπεὶ δὲ διὰ πλείονος βασάνου ἔδοξεν ἐπιγνῶναι τὸν βασιλέα τὸ ἀληθές, οἷος ἐκεῖνος τὰς ἐξετάσεις ἀκριβεστέρας ποιούμενος, τὸν διὰ θανάτου ἐπήγαγε τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἔλεγχον. ἐδέδεντο γοῦν αἱ χεῖρες ὄπισθεν τοῦ καταδικασθέντος ξίφους ἔργον γενέσθαι, οἱ δ' ὀφθαλμοὶ λινῷ ὑφάσματι ἐκαλύφθησαν· οὕτω γὰρ εἴωθε τοὺς κατακρίτους διασκευάζεσθαι καὶ τὴν πληγὴν λαμβάνειν τῆς ἀναιρέσεως. ὡς γοῦν καὶ ταῦτα οὑτωσὶ γέ νοιτο καὶ ὁ δεσμώτης κλῖναι τὸν αὐχένα προστέτακται, ἵνα δέξηται τῆς κάρας τὴν ἐκτομήν, καὶ πάλιν περὶ τῶν ζητουμένων ἠρώτηται. ὁ δὲ μεθ' ὅρκων φρικωδεστάτων διεβεβαιώσατο μηδέν τι ὅλως συνειδέναι ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μι χαήλ. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν τὴν πρὸς θάνατον εἰάθη ὁδεῦσαι, τὴν δὲ πρὸς εἱρκτὴν ἐβάδισε, καὶ εἶχον αὐτὸν κλοιοὶ καὶ κάθειρξις· ἡ ἐξέτασις δὲ πᾶσα πρὸς τὸν Κομνηνὸν κατήν τηκε Μιχαήλ. Καὶ δὴ ἔφασκον αὐτῷ οἱ τάχα κρίνειν τοῦτον λαχόντες ὡς «ἐπεὶ περὶ σοῦ ἀπειρημένοι τινὲς λελάληνται λόγοι, δεῖ σὲ διά τινος θαυματοποιίας τούτους ἀποσκευάσθαι.» τὸ δὲ ἦν