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his soul burning with the shame of his country. And Theophilos marched out against him towards Dorylaion, situated somewhere about a three days' journey away from Amorium. Therefore, with many advising that the people dwelling in Amorium should relocate and for the time being escape the unbearable onslaught of the Saracens (for he had grown great and was leading an incessant host), this seemed absurd and unmanly to Theophilos, but it seemed noble and conducive to valor to rather fortify it more strongly and to save it by the counsels of a noble general. This was Aetios, the *patrikios* and *strategos* of the Anatolics. And since it needed some manpower, Theophilos sent this too, as one who would resist from all sides and vanquish the enemy. In addition to these, he indeed gave leaders and commanders, those who would be martyred a short while after, both Theodore Krateros and Theophilos and Baboutzikos; who became leaders not only of that people but also of the company of the forty-two martyrs. 31 So when the leader of the Saracens arrived at Tarsus with pride and a host, it did not seem good to him, divining and taking counsel, to proceed to Amorium at once, but first to make a test of the Romans' strength through his son, who took a part of the army and marched against the emperor. "For if this one," he says, "should be victorious, victory will certainly follow for the father as well; but if not, it is good to remain quiet, with victory not attending me." So he took Amer, who was then 127 governing Melitene, and about ten thousand Turks, with all the army from the Armenians and the emir of emirs, and attacked at Dazimon. And Theophilos marched against him, having no ignoble army, composed of both Persians and westerners and those toward the rising sun. And when he was at the place thus called Anzen, he desired to see the gathering of the enemies before the attack. So Manuel, the Domestic of the Schools, taking him, led him up to a certain hill and a place surpassing the others, and somehow from a guess the multitude of the Saracens seemed smaller; but with Manuel not agreeing to this, the swarm of spears seemed equal. "But, O emperor," he says, "considering the strength, look through the reed-bed of spears on both sides." So since the army of the enemies, not his own, seemed somehow stronger, they needed to devise a bold plan; and this was proposed by both Manuel and Theophobos, to attack the enemy by night. But others argued that the daytime was better, whom the emperor also was persuaded by. So when the day dawned, and a fierce battle had taken place, with the imperial battalions fighting eagerly, the Ishmaelites turned to flight, abandoning the fight. But the Turks, using persistent archery, and having checked the Roman pursuit, persuaded the Saracens to stand and not to flee; whence they regrouped themselves again, 128 and shooting nobly with their bows from afar, they made the battle swing to the other side. As the army of the Romans was not able to approach them, nor even to look from afar because they were being shot at fiercely, they turned their backs and left the emperor. However, the commanders of the imperial battalions with the Persians did not dare to do or think this, but surrounding the emperor they wished to save him, as the enemy in a circle had surrounded them from all sides and was shooting at them. And they would have perished, every one, had not night come on and a light shower followed, which made the bowstrings slack with which the enemy were defending themselves and had the upper hand, and for them it created a respite from the arrows and barely granted opportunities for safety. (32) For when the night was already deep, as Manuel was occupied with the guards, he somehow overheard in the Saracen language the Persian crowd making a truce with them, and these agreeing again the army

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τῆς πατρίδος αἰσχύνῃ πυρπολούμενος τὴν ψυχήν. ἀντεπεξῄει δὲ καὶ ὁ Θεόφιλος κατὰ τὸ ∆ορύλαιον, τριῶν ἡμεροδρομιῶν πόρρω που τοῦ ̓Αμορίου διακείμενον. πολλῶν ουν συμβουλευόντων μετ- οικῆσαι τὸν ἐν ̓Αμορίῳ οἰκοῦντα λαὸν καὶ τέως ὑπεκδραμεῖν τὴν ασχετον φορὰν τῶν Σαρακηνῶν (πολὺς γὰρ ηυξητο καὶ λαὸν ἐπή- γετο αληκτον), ατοπον μὲν ἐφαίνετο τοῦτο τῷ Θεοφίλῳ καὶ αναν- δρον, καλὸν δὲ καὶ πρὸς ἀνδρίαν ευοδον τὸ μᾶλλον ἐποχυρῶσαι αὐτὸ καὶ στρατηγοῦ γενναίου διασῶσαι βουλαῖς. ̓Αέτιος ην ουτος ὁ πατρίκιος καὶ τῶν ̓Ανατολικῶν στρατηγός. ἐπεὶ δὲ καί τινος πολυχειρίας ἐδέετο, καὶ ταύτην ἀπέσταλκεν ὁ Θεόφιλος ὡς παντα- χόθεν ἀντιστησομένου καὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν ἐκνικήσοντος. ἐπὶ τούτοις ἐδίδου δὴ ἡγεμόνας καὶ αρχοντας τοὺς μετὰ βραχὺ μαρτυρήσον- τας, Θεόδωρόν τε τὸν Κρατερὸν καὶ Θεόφιλον καὶ τὸν Βαβούτζι- κον· οιτινες οὐ μόνον ἐκείνου τοῦ λαοῦ ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς φάλαγγος τῶν τεσσαράκοντα δύο μαρτύρων γεγόνασιν ἀρχηγοί. 31 ̓Επεὶ γοῦν κατὰ τὴν Ταρσὸν ὁ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν ἐπέ- στη μετὰ φρονήματος καὶ λαοῦ ἡγεμών, οὐκ ἀθρόως τούτῳ μαν- τευομένῳ καὶ συμβουλευομένῳ ἐφαίνετο καλὸν χωρεῖν πρὸς ̓Αμό- ριον, ἀπόπειραν δὲ πρότερον λαβεῖν τῆς τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων δυνάμεως διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ μέρος λαβόντος τοῦ στρατοῦ καὶ κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως χωρήσαντες. "εἰ γὰρ ουτος" φησι "νικήσειεν, εψεται πάντως ἡ νίκη καὶ τῷ πατρί· εἰ δὲ μή, καλὸν ἡσυχάζειν, οὐκ ἐπακολουθού- σης μοι τῆς νίκης." λαβόντος γοῦν αὐτοῦΑμερα τὸν τηνικαῦτα 127 διέποντα τὴν Μελιτηνὴν καὶ Τούρκους ὡσεὶ χιλιάδας δέκα, μετὰ πάσης τῆς ἐξ ̓Αρμενίων στρατιᾶς καὶ τοῦ αρχοντος τῶν ἀρχόντων, κατὰ τὸν ∆αζημόνα προσέβαλεν. ἀπῄει καὶ ὁ Θεόφιλος κατ' αὐ- τοῦ στρατόπεδον εχων οὐκ ἀγεννές, εκ τε Περσῶν καὶ τῶν δυτικῶν καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸν ἀνίσχοντα ηλιον συνιστάμενον. ὡς δὲ κατὰ τὸν ̓Ανζὴν ουτω χῶρον καλούμενον ἐγίνετο, ἰδεῖν ἐπεθύμει τὸ τῶν ἐναν- τίων αθροισμα πρὸ τῆς προσβολῆς. ἐπί τινα γοῦν λόφον καὶ τῶν αλλων ὑπερβεβηκότα χῶρον ὁ δομέστικος τῶν σχολῶν λαβὼν ἀνήνεγκεν Μανουήλ, καί πως ἐκ στοχασμοῦ βραχύτερον ἐδόκει τὸ τῶν Σαρακηνῶν πλῆθος· οὐ μὴν πρὸς τοῦτο συντιθεμένου τοῦ Μανουὴλ ὁ τῶν δοράτων ισος ἐδόκει ἐσμός. "ἀλλ' ω" φησι "βα- σιλεῦ, τὸ καρτερὸν στοχαζόμενος, τὸν ἐκ δοράτων καλαμῶνα ἀμ- φοτέρον διάθρει." ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἰσχυρότερός πως οὐκ ὁ ιδιος ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐδόκει στρατός, βουλὴν ἐδέοντο ἀρτύειν νεανικήν· ἡ δὲ ην εκ τε Μανουὴλ συνισταμένη καὶ Θεοφόβου, νυκτὸς ἐπιτε- θῆναι τοῖς πολεμίοις. ἀλλ' ετεροι κρεῖττον ειναι τὴν ἡμέραν ἀντ- έφησαν, οις καὶ ὁ βασιλεύων ἐπέπειστο. ὡς δ' ουν ελαμψεν ἡ ἡμέρα, μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης, ἐκθύμως τῶν βασιλικῶν ἀγω- νισαμένων ταγμάτων, οἱ ̓Ισμαηλῖται ἐνέκλιναν εἰς φυγήν, ἀφέντες τὸ πολεμεῖν. ἀλλ' οἱ Τοῦρκοι ἐπιμόνῳ χρώμενοι τοξείᾳ, καὶ τὸ καταδιῶκον τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ἀνακεκρουκότες, ἱστάναι ἀλλ' οὐ φεύ- γειν επεισαν τοὺς Σαρακηνούς· οθεν ἑαυτοὺς πάλιν συστησάμενοι, 128 καὶ τοῖς τόξοις δὴ γενναίως πόρρωθεν βάλλοντες, ἑτεραλκῆ τὴν μάχην ἐποίησαν. οις μὴ δυνάμενος ὁ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων προσεγγίσαι στρατός, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πόρρωθεν κατιδεῖν τῷ βάλλεσθαι καρτερᾶς, νῶτα κλίναντες τὸν βασιλέα κατέλιπον. οὐ μὴν οἱ τῶν βασιλικῶν ταγμάτων εξαρχοι μετὰ τῶν Περσῶν τοῦτο δρᾶσαι η  ἐννοῆσαι τε- τολμήκασιν, ἀλλὰ περιστάντες τῷ βασιλεῖ σώζειν ἐβούλοντο, κύκλῳ τῶν ἐχθρῶν πάντοθεν περιστοιχησάντων αὐτοὺς καὶ βαλλόντων αὐτούς. καν ἀπώλοντο πανδημεί, εἰ μὴ νὺξ ἐλθοῦσα καὶ βραχύς τις ομβρος ἐπιγενόμενος τὰς μὲν νευρὰς χαλαρὰς εἰργάσατο αις ἠμύνοντο καὶ τὸ κράτος ειχον οἱ ἐναντίοι, αὐτοῖς δὲ ανεσιν τὴν ἐκ βελῶν περιεποίησεν καὶ σωτηρίας μόλις ἐνέδωκεν ἀφορμάς. (32) βαθείας γὰρ ηδη τῆς νυκτὸς γενομένης, ὡς ἠσχόλητο περὶ τὰς φυλακὰς ὁ Μανουήλ, γλώττῃ πως τῇ Σαρακηνῶν τὸν Περσῶν ομιλον σπένδεσθαί πως πρὸς αὐτοὺς διήκουσε, καὶ συνθέσθαι τούτους αυθις τὸ στράτευμα