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passing by—for their purpose was to get to the city of Prilepus, in order to save it—having arrived there, each scattered to his own home, and it was resolved to run for his life, as best he could. And the apostate Michael, with his son Nikephoros and certain other men of moderate rank to whom he was accustomed to entrust his affairs, mounted their horses by night and fled, knowing the roads well. But at dawn, when day had already broken, as the men of the armies learned that Michael had fled, they too turned to flight. The Roman army, therefore, and the better men among its commanders and the illegitimate son of the apostate, John, went over to the sebastokrator John and gave him their hands and rendered their oaths to the emperor, but the Prince of Achaia and those with him were scattered, one in one direction, another in another. And the prince was captured near Kastoria, having hidden under a certain haystack and having been recognized by a certain soldier from his teeth—for he had large front teeth that protruded from their sockets—and he was led as a prisoner to the emperor; and the more important men of his battalions and kinsmen, both Asel de Tousi, Jofre of Karytaina, and many other notable men, were captured, some near Platamon and others in another place, and were led away together as prisoners to the emperor. And the allied army, which had been sent to the apostate from Mafre, the king of Sicily, numbering around four hundred, as we have said, were captured with their very arms and horses by four men, of whom one was the megas domestikos Alexios Strategopoulos, and another Nikephoros Rhypsas, drawing his lineage from the Turks, but having become a most orthodox Christian; and the other two were of the unknown. And so these men they sent as prisoners to the emperor. Such a victory, therefore, our men achieved by the imperial counsels that its fame went around to all the ends of the earth; for the sun has seen few such victories. At that time, then, our men brought all the cities and all the country under their own control.

82 The sebastokrator John, therefore, having passed through Thessaly and having fortified the cities and fortresses in it, encamped near Neopatras, having with him also the illegitimate son of the apostate Michael, John. And the megas domestikos Alexios Strategopoulos and John Raoul, having crossed the Pindus mountains, advanced towards Arta, leaving behind in Ioannina a portion of the army for the siege of the city. They therefore took Arta. And there indeed I myself had met with them; with whom I also conversed for a few days and then, indeed, taking my leave, I departed from Arta, leaving the people there no longer well-disposed towards our men; for the men of the armies did not treat them well. For these reasons also that most glorious victory which had shone upon the Romans in not much time turned to the contrary. I went, therefore, directly to the sebastokrator John, the emperor's brother, who was staying near Neopatras, and after remaining with him for some days, I took the road leading to the emperor. Now, the illegitimate son of the apostate Michael, John, being with the sebastokrator, was planning a rebellion with certain others. And when the sebastokrator John advanced against the Latins and, passing by Livadeia, plundered Thebes, this man brought out into the open the faithlessness with which he was travailing and, having fled with certain others, he went off to the apostate Michael, his father. He, therefore, being disturbed by the suddenness of the event, did not know where on earth to stand, but embarking in small boats, both he and his son Nikephoros and his wife and some of his men spent their time on the sea and had the surrounding islands as a refuge, namely Leukas and those of the

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παραμείψαντες-σκοπὸς γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς εἰς τὸ τοῦ Πριλάπου ἄστυ γενέσθαι, ὅπως αὐτὸ διασώσειαν -ἐκεῖσε γεγονότες εἰς οἰκείαν ἕκαστος διασκεδασθέντες βουλὴν τὸν περὶ ψυχῆς τρέχειν, ὅπως ἂν εἶχεν ἰσχύος, βεβούλευται. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀποστάτης Μιχαὴλ μετὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρου καί τινων ἄλλων μετρίων ἀν δρῶν, οἷς καὶ εἴωθεν ἐμπιστεύειν τὰς αὐτοῦ πράξεις, νυκτὸς τοῖς ἵπποις ἐποχηθέντες ἀπέδρασαν, καλῶς τὰ τῶν ὁδῶν ἐπιστάμενοι. ἕωθεν δὲ ἡμέρας ἤδη γεγενημένης, ὡς οἱ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἐγνώκασι τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἀποδράντα, ἤδη καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ἐτράποντο. τὸ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαϊκὸν στράτευμα καὶ οἱ κρείττους τῶν ἐπικρατούντων αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ νόθος τοῦ ἀποστάτου υἱὸς Ἰωάννης τῷ σεβαστοκράτορι Ἰωάννῃ προσῆλθον καὶ χεῖρας αὐτῷ δεδώκασι καὶ τῷ βασι λεῖ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀπέδοντο, ὁ δὲ πρίγκιψ Ἀχαΐας καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἄλλος ἀλλαχοῦ διεσπάρησαν. καὶ ὁ μὲν πρίγκιψ κατὰ τὴν Καστορίαν ἑάλω, ὑπὸ ἀχυρμιᾷ τινι κρυβεὶς κἀκ τῶν ὀδόντων τῶν τινι στρατιωτῶν γνωρισθείς-εἶχε γὰρ τοὺς ἐμπροσθίους εὐμεγέθεις καὶ προβεβλημένους τῶν φατνωμάτων-καὶ δέσμιος ἀπήχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ· οἱ δὲ κρείττους τῶν ταγμάτων αὐτοῦ καὶ προσγενεῖς, ὅ τε Ἀσὲλ δε Τουσί, ὁ τῆς Καριτάνας Ἰοφρὲ καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν ὀνομαστῶν πλείους, οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Πλαταμῶνα οἱ δὲ κατὰ ἄλλο μέρος ἑάλωσαν καὶ δεσμῶται τῷ βασιλεῖ συναπήχθησαν. καὶ τὸ συμμαχικὸν δὲ στράτευμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ ῥηγὸς Σικελίας τοῦ Μαφρὲ τῷ ἀποστάτῃ ἀποσταλέν, ὡς εἰς τετρακοσίους, ὡς εἰρήκαμεν, ἠριθμημένον, αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις, αὐτοῖς ἵπποις ὑπὸ τεττάρων ἀνδρῶν κατεσχέθησαν, ἀφ' ὧν ὁ μὲν εἷς ἦν ὁ μέγας δομέστικος ὁ Στρατηγόπουλος Ἀλέξιος, ἅτερος δὲ ὁ Ῥιμψᾶς Νικηφόρος, ἐκ Τούρκων ἕλκων τὸ γένος, ὀρθό τατος δὲ γεγενημένος Χριστιανός· οἱ δὲ δύο τῶν ἀνωνύμων ὑπῆρχον. καὶ τούτους γοῦν δεσμώτας πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐξέπεμψαν. τοιαύτην γοῦν νίκην οἱ τῶν ἡμετέρων ταῖς βασιλικαῖς συμβουλαῖς κατωρθώσαντο ὥστε τὴν αὐτῆς φήμην εἰς πάντα τῆς γῆς περιιέναι τὰ πέρατα· ὀλίγας γὰρ τοιαύ τας νίκας εἶδεν ὁ ἥλιος. τηνικαῦτα γοῦν πάντα τε ἄστη καὶ πᾶσαν χώραν ὑφ' ἑαυτοὺς πεποίηνται οἱ ἡμέτεροι.

82 Ὁ μὲν οὖν σεβαστοκράτωρ Ἰωάννης τὴν Θετταλίαν παραμείψας καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄστη τε καὶ φρούρια ὀχυρωσάμενος, περὶ τὴν Νέαν Πάτραν ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο, ἔχων μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸν νόθον υἱὸν τοῦ ἀποστάτου Μιχαὴλ Ἰωάννην. ὁ δὲ μέγας δομέστικος ὁ Στρατηγόπουλος Ἀλέξιος καὶ ὁ Ῥαοὺλ Ἰωάννης τὰ Πυρρηναῖα ὑπερβάντες ὄρη περὶ τὴν Ἄρταν ἐχώρουν, καταλιπόντες ἐν τοῖς Ἰωαννίνοις στράτευμα μερικὸν εἰς πολιορκίαν τοῦ ἄστεος. κατέλαβον οὖν οὗτοι τὴν Ἄρταν. Κἀκεῖσε γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς τούτοις ξυντετυχήκειν· οἷς καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ξυνομιλήσας κᾆτα δὴ συνταξάμενος τῆς Ἄρτης ἐξῄειν, καταλιπὼν τὸν ἐκεῖσε λαὸν οὐκέτι εὐνοϊκῶς πρὸς τοὺς ἡμετέρους διακείμενον· οὐ γὰρ καλῶς οἱ τῶν στρατευμάτων τούτοις ἐχρήσαντο. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἡ περιφανεστάτη ἐκείνη νίκη ἡ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιλάμψασα ἐν οὐ πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ πρὸς τοὐναντίον κεχώρηκεν. ἀπῄειν οὖν ἐξ ὀρθοῦ πρὸς τὸν σεβαστοκράτορα Ἰωάννην τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτάδελφον περὶ τὴν Νέαν Πάτραν διάγοντα, καί τινας ἡμέρας μετ' αὐ τοῦ διακαρτερήσας τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φερούσης ἡψάμην. Ὁ μὲν οὖν νόθος υἱὸς τοῦ ἀποστάτου Μιχαὴλ Ἰωάννης τῷ σεβαστοκράτορι ξυνὼν ἀποστασίαν μετὰ καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ἐμελέτα. καὶ ἐπεὶ ὁ σεβαστοκράτωρ Ἰωάννης κατὰ τῶν Λατίνων κεχώρηκε καὶ τὴν Λεβαδίαν παραμείψας τὰς Θήβας ἐσκύλευσε, τὴν ἣν ὤδινεν οὗτος ἀπιστίαν εἰς προὖπτον προύφηνε καὶ μετὰ καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν ἀποδρὰς περὶ τὸν ἀποστάτην Μιχαὴλ τὸν πατέρα τούτου ἀπῄει. ἐκεῖ νος μὲν οὖν τῷ ἀθρόῳ τοῦ πράγματος ταραχθεὶς οὐκ εἶχεν ὅπῃ γῆς σταίη, ἀλλ' ἐν πλοιαρίοις ἐμβάντες αὐτός τε καὶ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρος καὶ ἡ σύζυγος τούτου καί τινες τῶν αὐτοῦ τὰς διατριβὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐποίουν τάς τε νήσους τὰς πέριξ καταγώγιον εἶχον, Λευκάδα δη λαδὴ καὶ τὰς τῶν