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you said in the presence of a great crowd that you would send him out and gouge out his eyes. He learned these things and heard them from the many who spoke of them, and he was stung to the soul and dreaded the punishment and hastened to escape the penalty.” “And why,” said the emperor, “did he not remain in our lands, and if he were to suffer these terrible things, preferring misfortune among his own people to prosperity in a foreign land?” “This is not of the human soul,” I said, “O emperor. For some might appear capable of suffering terrible things and falling into misfortune, having been born of a sterner spirit and, so to speak, dispassionate in the affairs of life; but to fear for life itself and to expect the mutilation of the most vital parts of the body, surely no one, it seems, would persist in these circumstances, but running for his life, he flees from the terrible things with all his strength.” Having said these things, we fell silent. And after a short while, “What do you think,” the emperor said, “he will do?” And I said, “I suppose that after waiting a little while with the Persian ruler, he will send to be deemed worthy of sympathy from your majesty, having the Persian ruler also mediating in the matter, and he will ask you for an oath as a confirmation of the truth, without which it no longer seems to me he will come to you.” At this the emperor was troubled, finding the matters to be in doubt. And when after a few days letters were sent to the emperor from the commanders in Bithynia and Mesothynia—and the letters were from the great constable to them, having a summary thus—for he had written to each one of them—that “I, having fear of the emperor in my heart and afraid that I might suffer something terrible, took to flight; but you, wisely and manfully, hold to your military affairs, and let the guards of the towns and cities be secure, and let the care and preservation of the entire country be done by you as is customary, and as you did with me, so do again.” And the signature signified the great constable. The emperor, having seen these letters, was cheerfully disposed toward the matter and had come to trust my words.

65 Having come to this point in the account, we expand on the matters of the history, as is fitting; for the things that happened during the flight of Michael Komnenos are worthy of many words. For when he arrived at the dwellings of the Turkomans—this is a nation that lies in wait on the outermost borders of the Persians, and it employs an implacable hatred against the Romans and rejoices in plunder from them and is gladdened by the spoils of war, and then all the more, when the affairs of the Persians were in turmoil and were being disturbed by the inroads of the Tacharians—some, happening upon Michael Komnenos as upon a godsend and casting a covetous eye on his possessions, plundered all his things, gold, silver, horses, fabrics, and even the very clothes which his men were wearing. And having divided up all those who followed him, each one led the captive man into his own servitude. But Michael Komnenos, having with difficulty escaped their hands and been saved by the providence of God, arrived stripped of everything before the Persian ruler. But he did not receive him as a newly-arrived fugitive, but welcomed him very gladly. For he had learned of the man's noble birth, and all the magnates with the Persian ruler marveled at his appearance and his spirit, and as one of the ancients says, they judged him worthy of rule. For by engaging him in a few words, from a few things they recognized the man’s steadfastness; for they inferred his military skill and his precision in wars and that he would not be unskilled in the things required in battles. Therefore, on account of his plundered possessions and his scattered servants, letters from the sultan were written, even if in vain, so that everything and everyone might be gathered together and brought back to him.

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πλήθει παρόντι πολλῷ ἔφασκες ἐκπέμψαι καὶ ἐξορύξαι οἱ τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς. ταῦτ' ἐκεῖνος ἐμάνθανε καὶ παρὰ πολλῶν τῶν λεγομένων ἤκουε, καὶ ἐδάκνετο τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἐδειλία τὴν τιμωρίαν καὶ ἀποφυγεῖν ἐπέσπευσε τὴν ποινήν.» «καὶ διὰ τί,» ἔφη ὁ βασιλεύς, «οὐκ ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις προσεκαρτέρει, καὶ εἰ παθεῖν ἔμελλε τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα, τῆς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀλλοδα πῆς εὐπραγίας τὴν ἐν τοῖς ἰθαγενέσι προτιμῶν δυσπραγίαν;» «οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο ψυχῆς ἀνθρωπίνης,» ἔφην, «ὦ βασιλεῦ. δεινὰ μὲν γὰρ παθεῖν καὶ περιπεσεῖν συμφοραῖς ἔνιοι ἂν ἱκανοὶ φανῶσι, στερροτέρου γεγενημένοι φρονήματος καὶ οἷον εἰπεῖν ἀπροσπαθοῦς ἐν τοῖς τοῦ βίου πράγμασι· τὸ δὲ περὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ζωῇ δεδιέναι καὶ ἀκρωτηριασμὸν τῶν και ριωτέρων σωματικῶν μερῶν προσδοκᾶν, οὐμενοῦν δοκεῖ τινα ἐν τούτοις προσκαρτερεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς τρέχων ἀποφυγγάνει τῶν δεινῶν ὅση δύναμις.» ταῦτ' εἰπόντες σεσιωπήκαμεν. καὶ μετὰ βραχὺ «τί δὲ οἴει» ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔφη «τοῦτον ποιῆσαι;» ἐγὼ δὲ ἔφην ὡς «μικρὸν ὑπολαμβάνω παρὰ τὸν περσάρχην προσκαρτερήσας ἀποστελεῖ συμπαθείας πρὸς τοῦ σοῦ κράτους ἀξιωθῆναι, ἔχων καὶ τὸν περσάρχην ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποθέσει μεσολαβοῦντα, ζητήσει δέ σε ὅρκον εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας βεβαίωσιν, οὗ ἄνευ οὐκέτι μοι δοκεῖ παρὰ σὲ ἀφικέσθαι.» ἐν τούτοις ἦν τεταραγμένος ὁ βασι λεύς, ἐν ἀμφιβόλοις τυγχάνων τοῖς πράγμασιν. ὡς δὲ μετ' ὀλίγας τινὰς ἡμέρας γραφαὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπέμφθησαν πρὸς τῶν στραταρχούντων ἐν Βιθυνίᾳ καὶ Μεσοθυνίᾳ- αἱ δὲ γραφαὶ τοῦ μεγάλου κονοστάβλου ἐτύγχανον πρὸς αὐτούς, περιλήψεως ἔχουσαι οὕτως-πρὸς ἕνα δὲ ἕκαστον τῶν τοιούτων ἐγεγραφήκει-ὡς «ἐγὼ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ βασιλέως φόβον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου σχὼν καὶ δεδιὼς μή πού τι πάθω δεινόν, φυγῇ ἐχρησάμην· ὑμεῖς δὲ φρονίμως καὶ ἀνδρικῶς τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ὑμῖν πραγμάτων ἀντέχεσθε, καὶ αἱ φυλα καὶ τῶν πολιχνίων καὶ ἄστεων ἀσφαλεῖς ἔστωσαν, καὶ ἡ τῆς ἁπάσης χώρας προσοχὴ καὶ συντήρησις παρ' ὑμῶν ὡς ἔθος γινέσθω, καὶ καθὼς ἐπράττετε μετ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ αὖ θις ποιεῖτε.» καὶ ἡ ἐπιγραφὴ τὸν μέγαν κονοστάβλον ἐσήμαινε. ταύτας ὁ βασιλεὺς θεασάμενος τὰς γραφὰς ἱλα ρῶς διετέθη πρὸς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν καὶ τοῖς λόγοις μου ἐμπε πίστευκεν.

65 Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τοῦ λόγου γενόμενοι τὰ τῆς ἱστορίας, ὡς δέον ἐστίν, ἐμπλατύνομεν· πολλῶν γὰρ λόγων ἄξια τὰ ἐν τῇ φυγῇ γεγενημένα τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαήλ. ἐπεὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐν τοῖς οἰκήμασι τῶν Τουρκομάνων ἀφίκετο-ἔθνος δὲ τοῦτο τοῖς ἄκροις ὁρίοις τῶν Περσῶν ἐφεδρεῦον, καὶ ἀσπόνδῳ μίσει κατὰ Ῥωμαίων χρώμενον καὶ ἁρπαγαῖς ταῖς ἐκ τούτων χαῖρον καὶ τοῖς ἐκ πολέμων σκύλοις εὐφραι νόμενον, καὶ τότε δὴ μᾶλλον, ὁπότε τὰ τῶν Περσῶν ἐκυ μαίνετο καὶ ταῖς ἐκ τῶν Ταχαρίων ἐφόδοις συνεταράττετο -τῷ Κομνηνῷ Μιχαὴλ ὡς ἑρμαίῳ ἐντυχόντες τινὲς καὶ λίχνον ὄμμα τοῖς αὐτοῦ ἐπιβαλόντες πράγμασι, πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ διηρπάκασι, χρυσὸν ἄργυρον ἵππους ὑφάσματα καὶ αὐτὰ δὴ τὰ ἐνδύματα, οἷς οἱ αὐτοῦ ἐνεδέδυντο. διαμερί σαντες δὲ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἐφεπομένους αὐτῷ, ἕκαστος τὸν κατισχημένον εἰς οἰκείαν δουλείαν ἠγάγετο. ὁ δὲ Κομνη νὸς Μιχαὴλ μόγις τὰς χεῖρας τούτων διεκφυγὼν καὶ θεοῦ προνοίᾳ διασωθεὶς γυμνὸς ἁπάντων παρὰ τὸν περσάρχην ἀφίκετο. ὁ δὲ οὐ κατὰ νέηλυν φυγάδα τοῦτον ἐδέξατο, ἀλλ' ἀσμένως λίαν προσήκατο. τό τε γὰρ εὐγενὲς τοῦ ἀν δρὸς ἐμεμαθήκει, καὶ πάντες οἱ μετὰ τοῦ περσάρχου μεγι στᾶνες τελοῦντες τὸ εἶδος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ φρόνημα τεθαυ μάκασι, καὶ ὅ φησί τις τῶν παλαιῶν, τυραννίδος ἄξιον ἔκριναν. εἰς ὀλίγους γὰρ αὐτῷ ξυνιόντες λόγους ἐκ βρα χέων τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπεγνώκεισαν σταθηρότητα· τήν τε γὰρ αὐτοῦ στρατιωτικὴν ἐτεκμήραντο τέχνην καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις ἀκρίβειαν καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἀδαὴς ἂν εἴη τῶν προσηκόντων ἐν μάχαις. χάριν μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐσκυλευμέ νων αὐτῷ πραγμάτων καὶ τῶν διαμεμερισμένων ὑπηρετῶν γραφαὶ τοῦ σουλτάνου, εἰ καὶ εἰς μάτην, γεγένηνται, ἵν' ἐπισυναχθεῖεν τὰ πάντα καὶ πάντες καὶ ἐπικομισθεῖεν αὐτῷ.