Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

to suffer some irreparable harm from the emperor, but also to find benefactions. When those around Chortatzes heard these things, they debated for a very long time, and took counsel as to how they might secure their own safety. And it was thus: if, when they had constrained the general, he himself should proceed even to greater things, so as to yield to the title and the usual insignia, then they too, having received pledges, would share the danger with him as one who would hold out to the end 225; but if he were not willing to do these things, they would try to escape the shared danger by every means, turning the risks upon him and him alone. Since, therefore, by speaking they did not persuade him, but saw him boasting about those who were about to appear and assailing with insults the one who was heard to be drawn up against him, as if he would immediately despoil him (for by these things he seemed to be encouraging their impulses, and was willing to undertake nothing more), they, supposing that these things were under consideration and that he wished for them to be postponed for a time of repentance, which perhaps would be advantageous for him, but would put them alone into danger, backed water, as the saying goes, and inclined their opinions instead toward the protovestiarios, and having at once received and given pledges with oaths full of terror and also with exchanges of sacred icons, that they would indeed hand this man over into his hands 226 when he appeared without a struggle and only with his regiments (for there was a fear that the Persian contingent, in which he had more confidence, might join the perilous struggle if it burst in), having done these things in secret, they waited, avoiding suspicion by every means as best they could.

11. But the appointed day arrived; and it was the next day. And the one who had gathered his forces from Lydia approached Nymphaion, where the rebels were staying; but the other, occupying the tower there, which the porphyrogennetos had built while staying in this place, having shut up and secured his wife and child and possessions there, first, hearing of his arrival, was placed in the greatest wonder, how he would dare to advance against so many and such men. Nevertheless, confident in all things, that as soon as he appeared he would accomplish everything, having ordered the others also to arm themselves, he armed himself with all speed and, having uttered many boasts against the one who had appeared, went out. And indeed, when the forces had been positioned on each side, and were on the very point of engaging, so that skirmishes were occurring from both sides, the Cretans did not neglect the signal, 227 but when the protovestiarios appeared, who was still afraid for everything, lest those who had recently promised to betray him were using some deceit and trickery, those around Chortatzes immediately, just as they were, on horseback and armed, all together from different sides surrounding the leader, some held his reins and others his sword, while others more sternly ordered him to dismount from his horse. But he, recognizing the plot at once, trusting in the Persians, attempted to defend himself, but being quickly overpowered he gave up entirely, and having been seized, they handed him over to those around the protovestiarios as ready prey, the formerly swaggering man now humble, and the one who had said much now speechless. But they, charging out from the surprise attack, since they held the rebel in an inescapable position, pursued without turning back those around him, who were already scattering and looking only for how each might be saved. The Persian contingent, seeing for the first time just then the change of affairs, and the man who until then seemed great and terrible now a pitiful captive in an inescapable position, did not know which way to turn. Whence being able neither to resist nor to flee, they remained and were slaughtered. And one man seizing this one, another that one, and a third another, they did as seemed best to each of them, killing, binding, torturing, blinding, confiscating their properties. 228 It seemed safe to the Persians to proceed from there to their homes, and some fled as they were able, while the rest were being killed. But those around the protovestiarios and all the more a godsend the departure

παθεῖν τι πρὸς βασιλέως τῶν ἀνηκέ στων, ἀλλὰ καὶ εὐεργεσίας εὑρεῖν. ταῦτα τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Χορ τάτζην ἀκούσαντας ἐπὶ πλεῖστόν τε γνωσιμαχῆσαι, καὶ ἐς βου λὴν θέσθαι ἐς ὃ τὸ ἀκίνδυνον ἑαυτοῖς σφίσι περιποιεῖν. τὸ δ' ἦν ὡς εἰ μὲν βιασαμένων ἐκείνων τὸν στρατηγὸν αὐτὸς χωροίη καὶ ἐς τὰ μείζω, ὥστε καὶ ὀνόματι εἶξαι καὶ παρασήμοις συνή θεσι, τότε καὶ αὐτοὺς τὰ πιστὰ λαβόντας ὡς εἰς τέλος ἀνθεξο 225 μένῳ παρακινδυνεύειν· εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλοιτο ταῦτα πράττειν, αὐ τοὺς τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν παντὶ τρόπῳ διεκφυγεῖν πειρᾶσθαι, ἐπ' αὐτῷ καὶ μόνῳ τὰ τοῦ κινδύνου τρέψαντας. ὡς λέγοντες τοίνυν οὐκ ἔπειθον, ἀλλ' ἑώρων τοῦτον καταλαζονευόμενον τῶν φανησομένων καὶ ὕβρεσι πλύνοντα τὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀντιπαρατάτ τεσθαι ἀκουόμενον ὡς αὐτίκα κατ' ἐκείνου λαφύξοντα (τούτοις καὶ γὰρ παραθαρρύνειν ἐδόκει τὰς ἐκείνων ὁρμάς, οὐδὲν πλέον ἤθελεν ἀναδέχεσθαι), ὑπολαβόντες ἐκεῖνοι ἐν σκέψει γίνεσθαι ταῦτα καὶ εἰς καιρὸν μεταγνώσεως ἀποκεῖσθαί οἱ βούλεσθαι, ὅ γε καὶ αὐτῷ μὲν ἴσως ξυνοίσει, σφίσι δὲ περιστήσεται μόνοις εἰς κίνδυνον, πρύμναν τε κρούονται, τὸ τοῦ λόγου, καὶ πρὸς τὸν πρωτοβεστιαρίτην τὰς γνώμας ἀνταποκλίνουσι, καὶ πίστεις λα βόντες ἅμα καὶ δόντες ἐξ ὅρκων φρίκης μεστῶν καί γε καὶ ἀντι δόσεσιν ἱερῶν ἐγκολπίων, ἦ μὴν παραδοῦναι τοῦτον ἐς χεῖρας 226 ἐκείνῳ ἀκονιτὶ φανέντι καὶ μόνον μετὰ τῶν συντάξεων (δέος γὰρ μή τι καὶ παρακινδυνευθείη τοῦ Περσικοῦ, οἷς καὶ μᾶλλον ἐθάρ ρει, ἐπεισπεσόντος), ταῦτ' ἐν ἀπορρήτοις πράξαντες ἐκαρτέ ρουν, τὴν ὑποψίαν ἐξ ἅπαντος ὡς εἶχον ἐκκλίνοντες.

11. Ἀλλ' ἐπέστη καὶ ἡ κυρία· ἡ δ' ἦν ὑστεραία. καὶ ὁ μὲν συνηθροικὼς τὰς περὶ αὐτὸν δυνάμεις ἐκ Λυδίας ἐφίσταται τῷ Νυμφαίῳ, ὅπου καὶ οἱ ἀποστατοῦντες διῆγον· ὁ δὲ τὸν αὐ τόθι πύργον, ὃν ὁ πορφυρογέννητος τῇδε διάγων ᾠκοδομήσατο, τοῦτον τοίνυν κατέχων καὶ γυναῖκα καὶ παῖδα καὶ πράγματα ἐκεῖ συγκλείσας τε καὶ ἀσφαλισάμενος, πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ἐκείνου ἀκούων ἄφιξιν καὶ λίαν ἐν θαύματι τῷ μεγίστῳ ἐτίθει, πῶς ἂν καὶ τολμῴη χωρεῖν ὁμόσε τοσούτοις τε καὶ τοιούτοις. ὅμως θαρ ρῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὅλοις, ὡς αὐτίκα φανεὶς τὸ πᾶν ἐργάσαιτο, παραγ γείλας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ὁπλίζεσθαι, αὐτὸς τὴν ταχίστην ἐξοπλι σθεὶς καὶ κατὰ τοῦ φανέντος τὰ πλεῖστα νεανιευσάμενος ἔξεισι. καὶ δὴ ἀφ' ἑκατέρου μέρους σταθεισῶν τῶν δυνάμεων, καὶ ὅσον οὔπω μελλουσῶν συμπλέκεσθαι, ὥστε καὶ ἀκροβολισμοὺς ἀμφο τέρωθεν γίνεσθαι, οἱ Κρητικοὶ τοῦ συνθήματος οὐκ ἠμέλουν, 227 ἀλλὰ φανέντος τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίτου, δεδιότος καὶ ἔτι περὶ τοῖς ὅλοις, μή πως ἀπάτῃ καὶ δόλῳ χρήσαιντο οἱ τέως καθυπισχού μενοι προδιδόναι, οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Χορτάτζην αὐτίκα, οὕτως ὡς εἶ χον ἔφιπποί τε καὶ ὡπλισμένοι, ἀθρόως ἄλλοθεν ἄλλος περι στάντες τὸν ἡγεμόνα, οἱ μὲν ῥυτῆρας οἱ δὲ καὶ σπάθην ἐπέχου σιν, οἱ δ' ἐμβριθέστερον ἀποβαίνειν τοῦ ἵππου ἐκέλευον. ὁ δὲ γνοὺς τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτίκα, θαρρῶν τοῖς Πέρσαις ἐπεχείρει μὲν ἀμύνεσθαι, καταταχούμενος δὲ τὸ παράπαν ἀπηύδα, καὶ συσχε θέντα τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν πρωτοβεστιαρίτην ἕτοιμον θήραμα, ταπει νὸν τὸν σοβοῦντα πρὸ τοῦ καὶ ἄφωνον τὸν πολλὰ λέγοντα, παρε δίδουν. οἱ δ' ἐκδραμόντες ἐκ τοῦ ἐξαίφνης, ἐπεὶ τὸν ἀποστα τοῦντα ἐν ἀφύκτοις εἶχον, τοὺς περὶ ἐκεῖνον διασκεδαννυμένους ἤδη καὶ μόνον ὅπῃ σωθήσεται ἕκαστος ἀφορῶντας ἀμεταστρεπτὶ κατεδίωκον. τὸ δὲ Περσικὸν ἄρτι πρώτως μεταβολὴν πραγμά των ἰδόν, καὶ τὸν ἕως τότε μέγαν δοκοῦντα καὶ φοβερὸν ἐν ἀφύκτοις ἐλεεινὸν δέσμιον, οὐκ εἶχον πῇ τράπωνται. ὅθεν μήτ' ἀνθίστασθαι μήτε φεύγειν οἷοί τ' ὄντες, μένοντες κατεκτείνοντο. ἄλλος δὲ τοῦτον ἄλλος ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἕτερος ἄλλον καταλαμβάνων, καθότι καὶ δόξειεν ἐκείνῳ ἑκάστῳ, ἔπραττον, κτείνοντες δε σμεύοντες αἰκιζόμενοι ἐκτυφλοῦντες, τὰς οὐσίας δημεύοντες. 228 ἐδόκει ἀσφαλὲς τοῖς Πέρσαις αὐτόθεν χωρεῖν πρὸς τὰ οἴκοι, καὶ ἀπεδίδρασκόν τινες ὡς ἠδύναντο, τῶν λοιπῶν κτεινομένων. οἱ δ' ἀμφὶ τὸν πρωτοβεστιαρίτην καὶ μᾶλλον ἕρμαιον τὴν ἀποχώ