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he received him with rivalry and attended to him with fitting gifts, often calling him benefactor and savior. 25 But envy prevailed against him, and he who had acted bravely against many and so many myriads and had saved the emperor from his enemies was overthrown by a few of his own household. whence, being accused unreasonably of treason and conspiracy out of slander, and perceiving that the envy against him was great, since he learned through a certain faithful person, who was formerly a slave of Manuel but was then by favor serving as wine-pourer to Theophilos and ministering to him, that he was about to blind him and make him without eyes, he dared an apostasy and went over to the Hagarenes, appearing great among them and being honored with the greatest honors. Indeed, he pressed hard against their neighboring enemies, who are thus called Chormatoi, and he won no ordinary victories, since he surpassed many in both experience and intelligence. And what is indeed beyond telling, he accomplished these things with the Roman captives who were confined in prisons, having given them his word on their behalf that they would not flee; at which time it is said he also seized Chorasan and subjected it to the amermoumnes not only by surpassing them in bravery, but also by appearing to them in a way that was somehow new and strange; for both the change of formations and the unexpected alteration of cries forced the enemies to fall into 119 cowardice. And not only this, but also having freed them from many untamed beasts that were preying upon and harming them, and having become the cause of great goods for them, he was exceptionally beloved by both their ruler and his council. 26 But since these things, when the emperor heard them, caused him regret and became the cause of much grief, it seemed good to him to move every rope so that he might recall the man and cause him to return. Whence some say that he made peace treaties through the monk Ioannes, at the time of the truce regarding the prisons, and brought him back to his own lands, at which time he also sent to him a chrysobull and oaths of immunity through him and many other former men. But others say that it was through this Ioannes, yet not in this way through an open interview and meeting, but a secret one and unknown to many, which having removed Ioannes from us by the will of Theophilos and having disguised him and having made him like and mixed him in with the ragged Iberians and monks who travel with prayer to Jerusalem, placed him in the house where Manuel was living in Baghdad, pretending to be a beggar and teaching him of the emperor's repentance. And as witnesses of what was said he gave both the emperor's enkolpion and the chrysobull, announcing sympathy and a complete amnesty for his misdeeds; which Manuel took in his hands, and as if his soul was rekindled, he planned his return home. Since, therefore, both from the passage of time 120 and from his deeds against the enemy previously mentioned by us, the trust in him received not a decrease but a certain increase each day, he informs the amermoumnes that he has a desire both to march against the Romans and to take revenge on his enemies, who had spoken against him to the emperor, and who had their dwellings in Cappadocia; and he asked that the amermoumnes' son be sent with him for greater security against suspicions. Ismael consented to his requests, and sent him out against those whom he desired. And when they were somewhere near the borders of the Romans, he makes his situation clear to the strategos of Cappadocia and his subsequent return to the Romans, and at the same time he taught that it was necessary for a certain ambush and trap to be set at such-and-such a place, so that when I get there, having made the Saracen raiding parties ride out to some other place, I may join the ambush and I myself may run back to Roman territory. Which also happened; for he had just drawn near to that place, and having embraced the son of Ismael many times, "go away"

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ἐφα- μίλλως ἐδεξιοῦτο καὶ πρεπούσαις δωρεαῖς ἐθεράπευεν, εὐεργέτην καὶ σωτῆρα πολλάκις ἀποκαλῶν. 25 ̓Αλλ' ὁ φθόνος ισχυσε κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ κατὰ πολ- λῶν καὶ τοσούτων μυριάδων ἀνδραγαθήσας καὶ τῶν ἐχθρῶν δια- σώσας τὸν βασιλέα ὑπ' ὀλίγων οἰκείων κατεπαλαίετο. οθεν εἰς καθοσίωσιν καὶ ἐπιβουλὴν παραλόγως ἐκ λοιδορίας ἐγκληθείς, καὶ πολὺν ειναι τὸν φθόνον τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐνιδών, ἐπεὶ διά τινος πιστοῦ ἀνεμάνθανεν, δούλου μὲν πρότερον οντος τοῦ Μανουήλ, τότε δὲ ἐκ χαρίσματος οἰνοχοοῦντος τῷ Θεοφίλῳ καὶ ἐξυπηρετοῦν- τος, ὡς μέλλοι τοῦτον ἀποτυφλοῦν καὶ ὀφθαλμῶν ποιῆσαι χωρίς, ἀποστασίαν τολμᾷ καὶ πρὸς ̓Αγαρηνοὺς μετατίθεται, μέγας παρ' αὐτοῖς ὀφθεὶς καὶ τιμαῖς ταῖς μεγάλαις τιμώμενος. ἐνέκειτο γοῦν κατὰ τῶν πλησιαζόντων αὐτοῖς ἐχθρῶν, οι  ουτω δὴ Κορμάτοι καλοῦνται, πολύς, καὶ νίκας οὐ τὰς τυχούσας ἐποίει ατε δὴ καὶ πείρᾳ καὶ συνέσει διαφέρων πολλῶν. καὶ τὸ δὴ κρεῖττον λόγου, οτι μετὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ̔Ρωμαίων καὶ καθειργνυμένων ἐν φυλα- καῖς ταῦτα εἰργάζετο, πίστιν αὐτοῖς δοὺς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ὡς οὐ φεύ- ξονται· οτε καὶ τὸ Χορασὰν λέγεται κατασχεῖν καὶ τῷ ἀμεραμνου- νῇ ὑποτάξαι οὐ τῷ διαφέρειν μόνον εἰς ἀνδρίαν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ καινῶς πως καὶ παρηλλαγμένως ὀφθῆναι αὐτοῖς· η τε γὰρ τῶν σχημάτων μεταβολὴ καὶ ἡ τῶν φωνῶν παρὰ δόξαν μεταλλαγὴ εἰς 119 δειλίαν ἐμπίπτειν ἠνάγκαζε τοὺς πολεμίους. οὐ μὴν δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῶν ἀτιθάσσων θηρίων κατασινομένων αὐτοὺς καὶ βλαπτόντων ἐλευθερώσας, καὶ μεγάλων αιτιος καλῶν αὐτοῖς γεγονώς, διαφε- ρόντως ἠγαπήθη αὐτῷ τε τῷ αρχοντι καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ. 26 ̓Αλλ' ἐπεὶ μετάμελον τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐνεποίησε ταῦτα δια- κούοντι καὶ λύπης αιτιος κατέστη πολλῆς, πάντα κάλων ἐδόκει τούτῳ κινεῖν ὡς αν τὸν ανδρα μετακαλέσοιτο καὶ παλινδρομῆσαι ποιήσειεν. οθεν οἱ μὲν εἰρηνικὰς σπονδὰς διὰ τοῦ μοναχοῦ ποιῆ- σαι τοῦτόν φασιν ̓Ιαννοῦ, πρὸς καιρὸν τοῦ κατὰ τὰς φυλακὰς διαλλαγίου, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ιδια μεταγαγεῖν, οτε καὶ χρυσοβούλλιον τούτῳ καὶ ορκους ἀπαθείας δι' αὐτοῦ τε καὶ ἑτέρων προτέρων πολλῶν ἐξαπέστειλεν. οἱ δὲ δι' αὐτοῦ μὲν τοῦ ̓Ιαννοῦ, οὐ μὴν ουτως διὰ φανερᾶς ἐντεύξεως καὶ συντυχίας, κρυπτῆς δὲ καὶ ἀδή- λου πολλοῖς, η  τὸν ̓Ιαννὴν γνώμῃ τοῦ Θεοφίλου ἀφ' ἡμῶν μετα- στήσασα καὶ μεταμφιάσασα καὶ τοῖς ῥακοδυτοῦσινΙβηρσι καὶ μοναχοῖς τοῖς πρὸς τὰ ̔Ιεροσόλυμα μετὰ λιτῆς φοιτῶσιν ἐξομοιώ- σασά τε καὶ συγκαταμίξασα τῷ ἐν ῳ  διῃτᾶτο οικῳ ὁ Μανουὴλ κατὰ τὸ Βαγδᾶ ἐγκατέστησεν ἐπαιτεῖν τε προσποιησάμενον καὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως μετάνοιαν ἀναδιδάσκοντα. καὶ μάρτυρας τῶν εἰρη- μένων τό τε τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγκόλπιον καὶ τὸ χρυσοβούλλιον ἐδίδου, συμπάθειάν τε καὶ παντελῆ τῶν κακῶν ἀμνηστίαν εὐαγγελιζόμενα· α  καὶ λαβὼν εἰς χεῖρας ὁ Μανουήλ, καὶ οἱονεὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀνα- καείς, τὴν οικαδε ἐμελέτα ἐπάνοδον. ἐπεὶ γοῦν εκ τε τοῦ χρόνου 120 καὶ τῶν πρότερον ἡμῖν εἰρημένων αὐτοῦ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων εργων ἡ πρὸς αὐτὸν πίστις οὐ μείωσιν αυξησιν δέ τινα καθ' ἑκάστην ἐλάμβανεν, μηνύει τῷ ἀμεραμνουνῇ ὡς ἐφέσεως εχοι καὶ κατὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων στρατεῦσαι, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς, οι  κατεῖπον αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, ἀμύνασθαι, καὶ κατὰ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν τὰς οἰκή- σεις εχοντας· καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἠξίου πέμπεσθαι τὸν ἀμεραμνουνῆ εἰς πλείονα τῶν ὑπονοουμένων ἀσφάλειαν. κατανεύει τοῖς αἰτηθεῖσιν ὁ ̓Ισμαήλ, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ων ἐπεθύμει ἐξέπεμπεν. ὡς δὲ πλησίον που τοῖς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ὁρίοις ἐγίνοντο, δῆλα ποιεῖ- ται τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν τῷ Καππαδοκίας στρατηγῷ καὶ τὴν εἰσαῦθις πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους ἐπάνοδον, καὶ αμα ἐδίδασκεν ὡς χρὴ κατὰ τὸν δεῖνα τόπον λόχον τινὰ καὶ ἐνέδραν γενέσθαι, ιν' οταν ἐκεῖσε δὴ γένωμαι, τὰ μὲν Σαρακηνῶν κοῦρσα ἐπ' αλλον δή τινα τόπον ἐξ- ελαύνειν ποιήσας μετὰ τοῦ λόχου δὴ γένωμαι καὶ πρὸς τὰ ̔Ρωμαίων ηθη ἐπαναδράμω αὐτός. ο  καὶ γέγονεν· αρτι γὰρ ἐκεῖσε δή που ἐπλησίαζεν, καὶ πολλὰ τὸν τοῦ ̓Ισμαὴλ υἱὸν κατασπασάμενος "απιθι"