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Since the fortunes of war stood for them on a razor's edge -for the Tacharioi, having plundered the greater part of the land of the Muslims, had encamped around Axara, and it was of absolute necessity for the Persians to stand against the Tacharioi in battle- the Persians appointed Michael Komnenos to be the leader of the Christian forces. But he, since he happened to be in a foreign land, considered it abominable to be an ally to Muslims, lest ever, as he used to say, in the fall of battle pious blood should be mixed with unholy and impious blood, but recovering his strength by divine grace and taking up a noble spirit, he set out for the battle. And so, the part of the army commanded by Michael Komnenos utterly defeated the Tacharioi arrayed against him, with Michael himself first striking the leader of the army beside the breast with a spear, who, just as those who knew said, died shortly after from the blow. And so the Tacharioi had been thoroughly defeated by the victorious part of Komnenos' force and were already turning to flight. But a certain man among the renowned Persians, with the rank of amyrachoures—and this is a great thing among the Persians—who had long been pregnant with treachery toward his own race, at that time gave birth to it, and taking the entire army under his command he went over to the Tacharioi. And from that point on the opposite was to be seen; for those who shortly before were pursuing were fleeing and giving their backs to be struck by the enemy. Indeed many Persians fell, struck by the missiles of the Tacharioi. And so the victors made their pursuit over long distances. So Michael Komnenos, having thus met with the greatest general of the Persian armies, whom the Persians are accustomed to call peklarpakes, went along the road with him, and they traveled for very many days with the enemy following them and fighting hour by hour. But since the house of the so-called peklarpakes happened to be around Kastamon, they hurried and arrived there. And the race of the Tacharioi overran all the land under the Muslims. But here let the account of these things pause, and let it take up the former things, so that the matters of the history may proceed in sequence.

66 And so the emperor Theodore, when he learned about the things that had happened in the land of the Muslims, not having more concern for these things than for his own -for he suspected that no small danger was befalling the Roman territories- hastened to return to the east; and indeed, taking the entire Roman army with him, he took the road leading to the east. And he had left behind in Thessalonica and the western parts, for the supposed guarding of the land, his maternal uncle Michael Laskaris, giving him a small and easily surveyed force from Paphlagonia and from the Scythians about three hundred in number, and of Prilep and the forces around it, the shield-bearer whom he had, named Xyleas, who, by Themis, had a name befitting him, and for Velesos and the areas around it Theodore Kalampakes, whom they also called tatas of the court, and he appointed Constantine Chabaron to the command of Albanon, and having appointed me praetor over all of them, he left me in charge. This, I think, he did, so that in my rather long absence from him I might come to a forgetfulness of what I had suffered. For he never saw me speaking freely after the blows and using more cheerful words to him as I was accustomed. Therefore, so that through this prolonged stay the gloom of my soul might be dispelled, he did this, and perhaps also because he was annoyed, being burdened by my company; for I often offended him over matters which I knew he wished to transact not according to reason nor according to justice.

67 The emperor, therefore, was departing for the east, and I was left behind in the west. And so going out from Thessalonica I arrived near Berroia; for there

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Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἀκμῆς τὰ τῆς μάχης σφίσιν ἐφίστατο -οἵ τε γὰρ Ταχάριοι τὰ πλείω τῆς χώρας τῶν Μουσουλ μάνων ληϊσάμενοι περὶ τὰ Ἄξαρα ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, πᾶσα δὲ ἀνάγκη ἦν καὶ πρὸς μάχην τοὺς Πέρσας ἀντιστῆναι τοῖς Ταχαρίοις-τὸν μὲν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαὴλ εἰς ἡγεμόνα τῶν Χριστιανικῶν στρατευμάτων οἱ Πέρσαι εἶναι διετάξαντο. ὁ δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ ἐτύγχανεν ὤν, συμμαχεῖν μὲν Μου σουλμάνοις ἀπευκταῖον ἡγεῖτο, μή ποτε, ὡς ἔφασκεν οὗτος, ἐν μάχῃ πεσόντος εὐσεβὲς αἷμα αἵμασι συγκραθείη ἀνοσίοις καὶ ἀσεβέσι, χάριτι δὲ θείᾳ ἀναρρωσθεὶς καὶ γενναῖον ἀνα λαβὼν φρόνημα πρὸς τὴν μάχην ἐξώρμησε. τὸ μὲν οὖν μέρος τοῦ στρατεύματος τὸ παρὰ τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαὴλ τεταγμένον τοὺς ἀντιτεταγμένους αὐτῷ Ταχαρίους κατὰ κράτος νενίκηκε, τοῦ Μιχαὴλ αὐτοῦ πρώτως δόρατι παρὰ μαζὸν βαλόντος τὸν τοῦ στρατεύματος προηγούμενον, ὅς, καθάπερ ἔφησαν οἱ γινώσκοντες, μετὰ μικρὸν ἐκ τῆς βολῆς ἐτεθνήκει. καὶ ἦσαν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ κρατουμένου μέρους τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ ἐκνενικημένοι οἱ Ταχάριοι καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ἤδη ἐχώρουν. ἀνὴρ δέ τις τῶν ἐν Πέρσαις περιωνύμων, τὴν ἀξίαν ἀμυραχούρης-μέγα δὲ τοῦτο παρὰ Πέρσαις- ἀπιστίαν περὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ γένος ἐγκυμονῶν ἐκ μακροῦ τότε ταύτην ἐξώδινε, καὶ τὸ ὑφ' αὑτὸν ἅπαν συλλαβὼν στρά τευμα τοῖς Ταχαρίοις προσώρμησε. καὶ τὸ ἐντεῦθεν τἀναν τία ἦν ἰδεῖν· οἱ γὰρ πρὸ μικροῦ διώκοντες ἔφευγον καὶ νῶτα ἐδίδουν τοῖς ἐναντίοις πλήττεσθαι. ἔπιπτον γοῦν οἱ Πέρσαι συχνοὶ τοῖς τῶν Ταχαρίων πληττόμενοι βέλεσι. μέχρι μὲν οὖν μακρῶν διαστημάτων τὴν δίωξιν οἱ νενικη κότες πεποίηνται. ὁ γοῦν Κομνηνὸς Μιχαὴλ συμβὰν οὕτω τῷ μεγίστῳ στρατοπεδάρχῃ τῶν Περσικῶν στρατευμάτων, ὃν πεκλάρπακιν οἴδασιν οἱ Πέρσαι καλεῖν, ξυνῄει κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, καὶ ἐπορεύοντο πάνυ πλείους ἡμέρας ἐφεπομένους ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς πολεμίους ἔχοντες καὶ καθ' ὥραν μαχόμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τοῦ λεγομένου οἰκία πεκλάρπακι περὶ τὴν Καστά μοναν ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα, ἐκεῖσε σπεύσαντες ἐγεγόνεισαν. τὸ δὲ Ταχαρίων γένος πᾶσαν τὴν ὑπὸ τοὺς Μουσουλμάνους κατέδραμε χώραν. ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα μὲν ὁ περὶ τούτων λό γος ἀναμεινάτω, ἐχέσθω δὲ τῶν προτέρων, ἵνα καὶ καθ' εἱρμὸν τὰ τῆς ἱστορίας προΐοι.

66 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρος ἐπεὶ περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων ἐν τῇ τῶν Μουσουλμάνων ἐπύθετο χώρᾳ, οὐ περὶ τούτων μᾶλλον ἔχων φροντίδα ἢ περὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ -κίνδυνον γὰρ οὐ σμικρὸν τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοῖς ἐπισυμβαίνειν ὑπετόπασε χώροις- ἔσπευσε πρὸς τὴν ἕω παλινοστῆσαι· καὶ δὴ πᾶσαν τῆν Ῥωμαϊκὴν στρατιὰν μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ προσ λαβὼν τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἕω φερούσης ἐφήπτετο. καταλελοίπει δὲ ἔν τε τῇ Θεσσαλονίκῃ καὶ τοῖς κατὰ δυσμὴν μέρεσιν ὡς πρὸς φύλαξιν δῆθεν τῆς χώρας τὸν πρὸς πάππου θεῖον αὐτοῦ τὸν Λάσκαριν Μιχαήλ, μικρόν τι καὶ εὐσύνοπτον ἐκ Παφλαγόνων στράτευμα ἐπιδοὺς αὐτῷ κἀκ τοῦ Σκυθικοῦ ὅσον εἰς τριακοσίους ἠριθμημένον, τοῦ δὲ Πριλάπου καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν στρατευμάτων τὸν ὃν εἶχε σκουτέριον Ξυλέαν ὠνομασμένον, φερωνύμως τὴν κλῆσιν νὴ τὴν Θέμιν ἔχοντα, εἰς δὲ τὸν Βελεσὸν καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Καλαμ πάκην Θεόδωρον, ὃν καὶ τατᾶν τῆς αὐλῆς κατωνόμαζον, τὸν δὲ Χαβάρωνα Κωνσταντῖνον εἰς ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ Ἀλβάνου κατέστησεν, ἐμὲ δὲ πραίτορα χειροτονήσας πάντων αὐτῶν ἀφῆκε προΐστασθαι. τοῦτο δέ, ὡς οἶμαι, πεποίηκεν, ἵνα τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ μακροτέρᾳ ἀποδημίᾳ εἰς λήθην ὧν ἐπεπόνθειν γενοίμην. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶδέ με πώποτε μετὰ τὰς πληγὰς ἐλευθεριάσαντα καὶ λόγοις χαροπωτέροις ὡς εἰώθειν πρὸς αὐτὸν χρήσασθαι. ἵνα γοῦν τῇ χρονίῳ ταύτῃ διατριβῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ σκυθρωπότης διαλυθείη μοι, πέπραχε τοῦτο, τάχα δὲ καὶ ὡς δυσχεραίνων ἦν τὴν ξυναυλίαν μου βαρυνόμενος· προσέκρουον γὰρ αὐτῷ πολλάκις ἐφ' οἷς ᾔδειν οὐ κατὰ λόγον οὐδὲ κατὰ δίκαιον διαπράττεσθαι θέλοντα.

67 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὴν ἕω ἀπῄει, ἐγὼ δὲ καταλελείμμην τοῖς ἐν δυσμῇ. τῆς γοῦν Θεσσαλονίκης ἐξιὼν ἀφικόμην περὶ τὴν Βέρροιαν· ἐκεῖσε γὰρ