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the murderers receiving pity; for the entire populace nurtured such wrath against them, that they even cut them limb from limb, or rather joint by joint, or even dividing their flesh into small pieces, each man, holding his own portion, was sated in his desire. And standing around the tomb of the emperor Theodore, they assailed him also with reproachful words, because he had entrusted the rule of the Romans and its affairs to loathsome manikins and worthless little men, who had been raised on theatrical melodies and delighted in flutes and strings and had practiced plucking the lyre, and, to use the Homeric expression, "liars and dancers, champions of the chorus," and had forsaken noble men and skillful generals, who had served the emperor and father well and pleasingly. And so these things happened in this manner.

76 But those of the Roman populace, both those in authority and those of the military ranks, together with those also of the sacred list—for the patriarch was present with them and some of the more illustrious high priests—were holding a consultation concerning the common affairs, as to who might be worthy to receive the management of these and to direct them better than others. For they did not judge it fitting that the Roman dominion, being so great, should be directed by a late-summer infant or one playing at knucklebones, but they judged it necessary for one who was able to save the Roman merchant ship to sit at the royal tillers, while many contrary winds were blowing against her, and successive waves were roaring against and troubling her, and, to put it simply, finding herself in a great surge and in need of a noble helmsman in order to rise above the terrible things that had come upon her. For immediately the regions bordering the Persians were being thrown into confusion by the raids of the Tachars coming against the Persians; for they had not yet been restored to complete peace nor had they come to firm compromises and agreements. And the regions in the west as far as the river Naxeius itself, which the common people also call the Vardarius, the apostate Michael had brought under his own control, and had subjected the towns and fortresses in it, and ruled these without fear and was their master without danger. Moreover, another expectation was troubling the many, or rather the prudent, I mean the marriage alliances of the apostate Michael; for he had joined Manfred, the king of Sicily, as we have said before, to his own daughter Helen, and he had made another alliance through his daughter Anna with the prince of Achaia. And in Constantinople there was also the race of the Latins, being itself hostile to the Romans, among whom Baldwin also happened to be reigning. Thus, then, the Roman rule was in a difficult state of affairs, and so the leading men were seeking one who would preside over them well. And the eyes of all were looking toward Michael Komnenos, whom this account has often mentioned. But since it was necessary also for questions to be put to the people, so that they might have a test of their own will and know the inclination each one has for a certain person, the inquiries were made according to races and according to ranks. And first the Romans were asked, and all together with one accord, as from one mouth, said they wished Michael Komnenos to be guardian and caretaker of their affairs, and to have him as their own master. And the Latin race, when asked, did not require much of an answer, but immediately these too sought Michael Komnenos to be the leader of all. And when they also asked the Scythian race, they did not answer barbarously but both in a Greek and intelligent manner, and insisted they knew no one better for ruling all than Michael Komnenos. Moreover, the sacred list also, since it saw Michael Komnenos not a little displeased at taking up the cause of the Romans, but rather hesitating

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οἶκτον λαβόντων τῶν φονευτῶν· τοιοῦτον γὰρ τὸν θυμὸν ὁ λαὸς ἅπας ἐπέτρεφε κατ' αὐτῶν, ὥστε καὶ μεληδὸν διατε μόντες αὐτούς, μᾶλλον δὲ κατὰ ἄρθρα, ἢ καὶ σμικρὰ τῶν σαρκῶν διελόντες τεμμάχια ἕκαστος τὸ οἰκεῖον τμῆμα κρα τῶν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐνεφορήθησαν. κἀν τῷ τάφῳ δὲ περι στάντες τοῦ βασιλέως Θεοδώρου ὀνειδιστικοῖς καὶ αὐτὸν ἔβαλλον λόγοις, ὅτιπερ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν καὶ τὰ αὐ τῆς πράγματα ἀνδραρίοις βδελυροῖς καὶ ἀνθρωπίσκοις οὐτι δανοῖς ἐμπεπίστευκε, τοῖς ἐκ θυμέλης μελωδήμασιν ἀνατε θραμμένοις καὶ αὐλοῖς χαίρουσι καὶ χορδαῖς καὶ πρὸς λύραν ψαλλάττειν ἐκμελετήσασι, καὶ τὸ ὁμηρικὸν ἐξειπεῖν ψεύσταις τ' ὀρχησταῖς τε καὶ ἀρίστοις χοροτυπίῃσι, καταλελοίπει δὲ ἄνδρας γενναίους καὶ περιδεξίους στρατηγούς, καλῶς τε καὶ εὐαρέστως τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ πατρὶ ἐξυπηρετήσαντας. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τὸν τρόπον.

76 Οἱ δὲ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ πλήθους οἵ τε τῶν ἐν τέλει καὶ οἱ τῶν στρατιωτικῶν ταγμάτων, σὺν τοῖς καὶ οἱ τοῦ ἱεροῦ καταλόγου-συμπαρῆν γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ ὁ πατρι άρχης καὶ τῶν ἐπιφανεστέρων ἀρχιερέων τινές-σκέψιν ἐπεποίηντο περὶ τῶν κοινῶν πραγμάτων, τίς ἂν εἴη ἄξιος τὴν τούτων οἰκονομίαν λαβεῖν καὶ κρειττόνως τῶν ἄλλων διευθετήσασθαι. οὐ γὰρ προσῆκον ἔκριναν τὴν τῶν Ῥω μαίων ἀρχὴν τοσαύτην οὖσαν ὑπὸ βρεφυλλίου ὀπωριζομένου ἢ καὶ ἀστραγαλίζοντος διευθύνεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἔκριναν χρεὼν εἶναι τὸν δυνάμενον τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων σώζειν ὁλκάδα ἐπὶ τῶν οἰάκων καθῆσθαι τῶν βασιλείων, πολλῶν μὲν ἐναντίων πνευμάτων καταπνεόντων αὐτῇ, ἀλλεπαλλήλων δὲ κυμάτων καταβομβούντων καὶ ταραττόντων, καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἐπὶ μεγάλου τυγχάνουσαν κλύδωνος καὶ κυβερνήτου δεδεημένην γενναίου πρὸς τὸ ὑπεράνω γενέσθαι τῶν ἐπελθόντων ταύτῃ δεινῶν. αὐτίκα γὰρ τὰ μὲν ὁμοροῦντα τοῖς Πέρσαις ταῖς ἐφόδοις ἐθορυβοῦντο τῶν ἐπερχομένων κατὰ Περσῶν Ταχαρίων· οὔπω γὰρ εἰς τελείαν εἰρήνην ἀποκατέστησαν οὐδὲ εἰς ξυμβιβάσεις καὶ συμφωνίας βεβαίας συνῄεσαν. καὶ τὰ ἐν δυσμῇ μέχρι καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ναξειοῦ ποταμοῦ, ὃν καὶ Βαρδάρειον ὁ πολὺς καλεῖ λαός, ὁ ἀποστάτης Μιχαὴλ ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ πολίχνιά τε καὶ φρούρια παρεστήσατο, καὶ ἀφόβως τούτων ἦρχε καὶ ἀκινδύνως ἐδέσποζεν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑτέρα τις προσδοκία τοὺς πολλούς, μᾶλλον δὲ τοὺς ἐχέφρονας ἔθραττε, τὰς ἐπιγαμ βρίας φημὶ τοῦ ἀποστάτου Μιχαήλ· τόν τε γὰρ ῥῆγα Σικε λίας Μαφρέ, καθὼς προειρήκειμεν, τῇ ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρὶ Ἑλένῃ συνέζευξε, καὶ κῆδος δὲ ἄλλο ἐπὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ αὐτοῦ Ἄννῃ μετὰ τοῦ τῆς Ἀχαΐας πρίγκιπος ἐπεποίητο. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντινουπόλει τὸ τῶν Λατίνων γένος, ἐχ θρὸν καὶ αὐτὸ τυγχάνον Ῥωμαίοις, ἐν οἷς καὶ βασιλεύων ὁ Βαλδουῖνος ἐτύγχανεν. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τῶν πραγμάτων δυσχερῶς εἶχεν ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχή, ἐζήτουν δὲ ἄρα οἱ προύχοντες τὸν καλῶς αὐτῶν προστησόμενον. ξυμπάντων δὲ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ πρὸς τὸν Κομ νηνὸν Μιχαὴλ ἀφεώρων, οὗ πολλάκις ὁ λόγος ἀπεμνημόνευσεν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔδει καὶ ἐρωτήσεις γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν λαόν, ἵνα σχοῖεν σφῶν αὐτῶν ἀπόπειραν τῆς βουλήσεως καὶ γνοῖεν ἑκάστου πρὸς ὃν ἔχει οὗτος ῥοπήν, αἱ πεύσεις κατὰ γένη καὶ κατὰ τάξεις ἐγένοντο. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἠρωτοῦντο Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ ἁπαξάπαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ὡς ἐξ ἑνὸς στόματος τὸν Κομνη νὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐθέλειν εἶναι ἔλεγον τῶν πραγμάτων κηδεμόνα καὶ φροντιστήν, καὶ ὡς οἰκεῖον δεσπότην ἔχειν αὐτόν. καὶ τὸ Λατινικὸν δὲ φῦλον ἐρωτηθὲν οὐ πολλῆς ἐδεήθη τῆς ἀποκρίσεως, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐζήτουν καὶ οὗτοι ἀρχηγὸν ἁπάντων τελεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τὸ Σκυθικὸν ἤροντο γένος, οὐ βαρβαρικῶς ἀπεκρίνοντο ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἑλλη νικῶς τε καὶ συνετῶς, καὶ οὐ κρείττονα ἄλλον εἰδέναι διισχυρίζοντο εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν ἁπάντων τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαήλ. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἱερὸς κατάλογος, ἐπεὶ τὸν Κομνηνὸν ἑώρα Μιχαὴλ πρὸς τὸ ἀντιλαβέσθαι τῶν Ῥωμαίων οὐ μι κρῶς δυσχεραίνοντα, ἀλλ' οἷον κατοκνοῦντα