that campaign, being most experienced, and already seeing the imminent danger before his eyes, advised him to turn back. But he, receiving his words as nonsense, wished to wait, more from ignorance of what was necessary than from steadfastness, until, learning that the Turks had already arrived, he unwillingly and with shame retreated. 4.36 So again George Palaiologos, being a most experienced commander and noble in both hand and mind, speaking freely advised not to retreat at random, but with due order and discipline. He said this, and the other entrusted to him the command of the whole force. So, having arranged the army into ranks and having ordered cavalrymen to ride alongside, except for a few who were to lie in ambush and set an ambush, and having arranged the heavy infantry and foot soldiers behind, he ordered them to depart at a walking pace, while he himself, moving about with a few men, sometimes at the rear guard, sometimes at the right wing—for the left was in safety, having the lake to protect it—was driving away the advance riders of the Turks, until, having arrived near Basileia, they came to make camp. 4.37 But when there was somewhere there an open plain, surrounded by a low brick wall which had not many entrances, and the horsemen at once began to ride out so as to get past the entrances, the Turks following behind, seeing what was happening, charged with the loudest possible shout and rushed against the foot soldiers and began to shoot arrows at them from all sides; and they were turned to flight; in the flight, at any rate, the eunuch himself was left alone and, being seized by fear, was unable to flee. So when Kourtikios came upon him, he did not even deign to look at him, and also tried to prevent Palaiologos. But Palaiologos went to him and said: "This is the state you have brought us to; did we not tell you these things beforehand?" But he, pleading, said: "Have mercy on me and do not allow me to be handed over to the hands of the Hagarenes." So at once recovering him, he says: "Follow me from now on." But as a greater attack of the Turks came upon them, the eunuch immediately all but lost his senses. But Palaiologos then turned his reins and, meeting them, strikes one of those coming against him, and he was immediately thrown dead to the ground; seeing him, the rest withdrew a little. And turning around, when he saw the eunuch witless and speechless, he struck him on the cheek and says: "Do not be afraid." 4.38 But as the Turks were catching up to them, Palaiologos turned with a few horsemen—for the place was narrow—and he both encouraged the heavy infantry and himself rushed against the Turks with the horsemen, and immediately the barbarian force fled. So with many having fallen, the rest no longer advanced against the battle line, but stood at a distance. He therefore ordered the heavy infantry to depart and make camp; and he himself was last with the horsemen, until they had all crossed the low walls and encamped; but fighting nobly, since he had thrown off his helmet, he is struck by an arrow on the forehead; but completely ignoring the wound, when he saw the eunuch had become very thirsty and was unable to move his tongue, but was pleading with gestures to help him, he urged him to remain there, entrusting his protection to four of his own servants, while he himself went down to the slope to bring him water in his helmet; and he, having recovered moderately when he tasted the water, both called him another God and promised for the future, if he should be saved, to make him his son by choice, and he did not confirm his words with words alone, but that he would establish him as heir to all his possessions and would attend to his interests as if he were his own child. But Palaiologos says to him: "For my part, I have done everything in my power for your salvation, and it would be up to you henceforth to fulfill what you desire." 4.39 But when it then happened that a certain Isaac Kontostephanos slipped from his horse, he called out for Palaiologos by shouting; and when the latter became aware of this through someone, having entrusted the eunuch to his own men

ἐκείνην στράτευσιν, ἐμπειρότατος ὤν, καὶ τὸν ὑπόγυιον ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἤδη ὁρῶν κίνδυνον, συνεβούλευε τούτῳ παλινοστῆσαι. Ὁ δὲ τοὺς τούτου λόγους ὡς λῆρον δεξάμενος ἀγνοίᾳ τοῦ δέοντος μᾶλλον ἢ καρτερίᾳ προσμένειν ἐβούλετο, ἕως τοὺς Τούρκους ἥκειν ἤδη πυθόμενος ἄκων μετ' αἰσχύνης ἐπαναζεύγνυσι. 4.36 Πάλιν οὖν ὁ Παλαιολόγος Γεώργιος, ταγματάρχης ὢν ἐμπειρότατος καὶ κατὰ χεῖρα καὶ γνώμην γενναῖος, παρρησιασάμενος συνεβούλευε μὴ ὡς ἔτυχε παλινοστεῖν, ἀλλὰ σὺν τάξει καὶ κόσμῳ τῷ δέοντι. Ὁ μὲν τοῦτ' ἔλεγεν, ὁ δὲ τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἡγεμονίαν αὐτῷ ἐνεχείριζε. Καταστήσας οὖν εἰς τάξεις τὸ στράτευμα καὶ ἱππεῖς παρεδρεύειν ἐγκελευσάμενος, πλὴν ὀλίγων τῶν ἐνεδρεύειν καὶ λοχίζειν μελλόντων, τὸ δὲ ὁπλιτικὸν καὶ πεζικὸν τάξας ὄπισθεν βάδην ἐκέλευσεν ἀπιέναι, αὐτὸς δὲ περιιὼν σὺν ὀλίγοις ὁτὲ μὲν κατ' οὐραγίαν, ὁτὲ δὲ κατὰ τὸ κέρας τὸ δεξιόντὸ γὰρ εὐώνυμον ἦν ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ, τὴν λίμνην ἔχον ἐπαρήγουσαν, ἀπεσόβει τῶν Τούρκων τοὺς προεκτρέχοντας, ἕως πλησίον τῆς Βασιλείας φθάσαντες πρὸς τὸ στρατοπεδεύειν γένοιντο. 4.37 Ἐπεὶ δ' ἂν αὐτοῦ που θριγγίῳ πλινθίνῳ ἀναπεπταμένον πεδίον ἐστὶ κυκλούμενον οὐ πολλὰς εἰσόδους ἔχοντι καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς ἅμα ἐκτρέχειν ἤρξαντο ὡς παρὰ τὰς εἰσόδους γενέσθαι, οἱ Τοῦρκοι κατόπιν ἑπόμενοι καὶ τὰ δρώμενα θεασάμενοι μετὰ βοῆς ὅτι πλείστης ἐξελάσαντες κατὰ τῶν πεζῶν ἐξώρμησαν καὶ πανταχόθεν βάλλειν αὐτοὺς τοξεύμασιν ἐπεχείρουν· οἱ δὲ πρὸς φυγὴν ἐτράπησαν· ἐν γοῦν τῷ φεύγειν αὐτὸς μόνος ὁ εὐνοῦχος κατελείφθη καὶ τῷ φόβῳ συσχεθεὶς φυγεῖν οὐκ ἠδύνατο. Ἐντυχόντες οὖν αὐτῷ ὅ τε Κουρτίκιος οὐδὲ ἠξίωσεν αὐτὸν ὄψεως, ἐκώλυε δὲ καὶ τὸν Παλαιολόγον. Ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος ἀπελθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔφη· "Οὕτως ἡμᾶς κατέστησας· οὐ προείπομέν σοι ταῦτα;" Ὁ δὲ ἱκετεύων ἔλεγεν· "Ἐλέησόν με καὶ μὴ ταῖς Ἀγαρηνῶν χερσὶ παραδοθῆναι ἐάσῃς με". Εὐθὺς οὖν ἀνακτησάμενος τοῦτόν φησι· "Συνέπου μοι τὸ λοιπόν". Ἐπιβολῆς δὲ τῶν Τούρκων πλείονος αὐτοὺς καταλαβούσης, ὁ εὐνοῦχος εὐθὺς μικροῦ καὶ τὰς φρένας ἀπόλωλεν. Ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος τηνικαῦτα τὰς ἡνίας τρέψας καὶ συναντήσας παίει ἕνα τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐρχομένων, καὶ νεκρὸς εὐθὺς κατὰ γῆς ἔρριπτο, ὃν θεασάμενοι οἱ λοι ποὶ μικρὸν ἀνεχώρουν. Ἐπιστραφεὶς δέ, ὡς τὸν εὐνοῦχον ἄνουν καὶ ἄφωνον ἐθεάσατο, τύψας κατὰ τῆς παρειᾶς φησι· "Μὴ φοβοῦ". 4.38 Ἐφθακότων δὲ τούτους τῶν Τούρκων, ἐπιστραφεὶς ὁ Παλαιολόγος σὺν ἱππεῦσι μετρητοῖςκαὶ γὰρ ἦν στενὸν τὸ χωρίον, ἐπέρρωσέ τε τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν καὶ κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων αὐτὸς ἐξώρμα σὺν τοῖς ἱππεῦσι καὶ εὐθὺς τὸ βάρβαρον ἔφευγε. Πεσόντων οὖν συχνῶν, τὸ λοιπὸν οὐκέτι ἐχώρουν κατὰ τῆς παρατάξεως, ἀλλ' ἵσταντο πόρρωθεν. Ἐκέλευσεν οὖν ἐκεῖνος ἀπιέναι τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν καὶ στρατοπεδεύειν· αὐτὸς δ' ὕστατος μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων, ἕως τῶν θριγγῶν ὑπερβάντες ἐστρατοπέδευσαν ἅπαντες· γενναίως δ' ἀγωνιζόμενος, ἐπειδὴ τὴν κόρυθα ἀπεβάλλετο, πλήττεται βέλει κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον· ἀλογήσας δὲ τῆς πληγῆς παντάπασιν, ἐπεὶ τὸν εὐνοῦχον ἔκδιψον ἐθεάσατο γενόμενον καὶ μὴ δυνάμενον τὴν γλῶτταν κινῆσαι, νεύμασι δὲ ἱκετεύοντα συνεπιλαβέσθαι αὐτῷ, αὐτοῦ που μένειν τοῦτον παρεκελεύσατο τέσσαρσι τῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων τὴν αὐτοῦ φυλακὴν ἐμπιστευσάμενος, αὐτὸς δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὸ πρανὲς κάτεισι διὰ τῆς περικεφαλαίας ὕδωρ αὐτῷ κομίσων· ὁ δὲ μετρίως ἀνενεγκὼν ὡς τοῦ ὕδατος ἀπεγεύσατο, Θεόν τε αὐτὸν ἄλλον ἀπεκαλεῖτο καὶ υἱὸν τοῦ λοιποῦ, εἰ διασωθείη, ἐκ προαιρέσεως τοῦτον ποιήσασθαι ἐπηγέλλετο, οὐ μέχρι δὲ λόγου τὰ τοῦ λόγου ἐβεβαίου, ἀλλ' ὡς κληρονόμον αὐτὸν καταστῆσαι ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ὥσπερ οἰκείου παιδὸς σπουδάσειν. Ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος φησὶ πρὸς αὐτόν· "Ἐγὼ μὲν τὸ ἐμὸν ἅπαν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ τῇ σῇ ὡς ἐνὸν πεπλήρωκα, σὸν δ' ἂν εἴη λοιπὸν πληροῦν σοι τὸ βουλητόν". 4.39 Ἐπεὶ δὲ συνέβη τότε Κοντοστέφανόν τινα Ἰσαάκιον τοῦ ἵππου διολισθῆσαι, τὸν Παλαιολόγον φωνῶν ἀνεκαλεῖτο· ὡς δ' ἐν γνώσει ἐκεῖνος τούτου γέγονε διά τινος, τὸν εὐνοῦχον πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους πιστεύσας