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to the armies. And he had his illegitimate son John, who contributed the most with his own people; for he, already on his own, being with the daughter of Taronas, and having an exceptional force, was able to command and acquire on his own; for the ancient Greeks, whom Achilles led, calling them Megalovlachites, he brought with him, so that he did not even allow Palaeologus and the Grand Domestic John, Alexius Strategopoulos, and thirdly John Raoul to advance beyond Beroia, although they had numerous forces with them. Then therefore the despot, gathering all the aforementioned men, and having as many of his own as possible, turned over in his mind to first clash with the generals and, having joined battle, as he thought, to attack Thessalonica and overrun the western regions and even to make an attempt on Constantinople itself; for this also happened to be opportune for him, because Manfred, from his father Theudericus, had as a sort of inheritance to be an apostate from the church, so that it was not strange for Germans to fight with the 119 Italians in the city; and indeed the prince was on his own, having been allotted all the lands around Achaia and the Morea. When therefore the forces came together and were already preparing for war—for not even the generals could remain quiet, having learned that so great an Italian force had been gathered, but they themselves were also making preparations on the other side—so that, as the despot's men were about to join battle and attack, that fabled Eris, who threw the apple among the three goddesses to incite rivalry over beauty, she fell upon these men as well. And the cause was nearly similar.

31. How the prince of Achaia was captured by the Romans. For it is said that the magnates around the prince, whom they call *caballarii*, some of them were looking with lustful eyes at the wife of Doukas John, whom the account also showed to be the daughter of Taronas. This was indeed a manifest insult and contempt to her husband; and indeed, feeling insulted by this, he reacted terribly and threatened to retaliate against the insolent men. And there was a strong quarrel on both sides, and it was escalating into war, and those called to arms were rising up against one another. Then it is said that the prince himself, seeing the fight, was indignant, and could not rebuke his own men, but he mocked and jeered at Doukas exceedingly and reproached him very publicly about his birth, as he was illegitimate, and said, pointing to Nikephoros, "this is my brother, but you are a bastard and not only not free, but also his slave." When the prince had said these things with gravity, John became another Achilles in his wrath. Then, wishing to show that he himself was the entirety of the army and that whichever side he joined would be victorious, he sent secretly by night to the generals and communicated that he would be with them 121 and that he would attack the Italians with him, who were lazy and soft, if only they would advance. However, in establishing oaths with them, he kept faith with those around his father and his brother Nikephoros, so that, keeping them unharmed, they should advance together against the rest, who were Italians, and especially against the prince's men. When they had agreed to these things and exchanged sacred amulets for oaths, a very great battle broke out, on the one side the Romans with Persians and a great many Scythians, and on the other the Italians of the prince; for by threatening them with terrible things, he made his father and brother and their men numb to the battle, and not only to put off the fight, but also to retreat on foot, while he himself, attacking the Italians from the rear, wrought havoc. And then the Italians knew they had been betrayed and they fled; but they did not escape the danger, but many, being overtaken by the Scythian army, fell, wounded by frequent arrows, and others were captured by the Persians. And finally the prince himself, having slipped into a certain bush, hoped to hide there, but he did not succeed at all; for coming upon him

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τοῖς στρατεύμασιν. Εἶχε δὲ καὶ τὸν ἐκ νοθείας υἱὸν Ἰωάννην, μετὰ τοῦ οἰκείου λαοῦ τὰ μέγιστα συναιρόμενον· ἐκεῖνος καὶ γὰρ ἤδη καθ' αὑτόν, τῇ τοῦ Ταρωνᾶ θυγατρὶ συνών, λαὸν ἔξαιτον ἔχων, δυνατὸς ἦν καὶ μόνος στρατηγεῖν καὶ προσκτᾶσθαι· τοὺς γὰρ τὸ παλαιὸν Ἕλληνας, οὓς Ἀχιλλεὺς ἦγε, Μεγαλοβλαχίτας καλῶν, ἐπεφέρετο, ὥστε μηδ' ἔξω προ βαίνειν εἴα Βερροίας τὸν Παλαιολόγον καὶ μέγαν δομέστικον Ἰωάννην, τὸν Στρατηγόπουλον Ἀλέξιον καὶ τρίτον τὸν Ῥαοὺλ Ἰωάννην, συχνὰς δυνάμειπερὶ αὐτοὺς ἔχοντας. Τότε τοίνυν συναγαγὼν πάντας ὁ δεσπότης τοὺς εἰρημένους, ἔχων καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ ἐς ὅτι πλείστους, προσκροῦσαι μὲν τὰ πρῶτα τοῖς στρατηγοῖς καὶ συρρήξας, ὡς ᾤετο, προσβαλεῖν Θεσσαλονίκῃ καὶ τὰ κατὰ δύσιν καταδραμεῖν καὶ αὐτῆς δὴ πειραθῆναι Κωνσταντινου πόλεως ἐπὶ νοῦν ἔστρεφεν· εὔκαιρον γὰρ καὶ τοῦτό οἱ ξυνέπιπτεν, ἐξ αἰτίας τῆς ὅτι καὶ ὁ Μαφρὲ παρὰ πατρὸς Θευδερίχου ὡς κλῆρόν τινα εἶχε τὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀποστατεῖν, ὥστε μὴ ξένον εἶναι τὸ Γερμανοὺς τοῖς ἐν 119 τῇ πόλει Ἰταλοῖς μάχεσθαι· καί γε ὁ πρίγκιψ καθ' αὑτὸν ἦν, τὰ περί τε τὴν Ἀχαΐαν πᾶσαν καὶ τὸν Μορέαν προσκεκληρωμένος. Ἐπεὶ οὖν εἰς ταὐτὸν αἱ δυνάμεις συνῆσαν καὶ ἤδη πρὸς πόλεμον ἡτοιμάζοντοοὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' οἱ στρατηγοὶ ἠρεμεῖν εἶχον, τόσον συνηθροῖσθαι τὸ Ἰταλικὸν πυνθα νόμενοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἑτέρωθεν ηὐτρεπίζοντο, ὡς γοῦν ὅσον οὔπω ὁμαιχμήσαντες οἱ τοῦ δεσπότου ἔμελλον προσβαλεῖν, ἡ μυθευομένη Ἔρις ἐκείνη, ἡ μεταξὺ τῶν τριῶν θεαινῶν τὸ μῆλον ῥίψασα πρὸς φιλονεικίαν τὴν περὶ κάλλους, ἐκείνη καὶ τούτοις ἐμπίπτει. Καὶ ἡ αἰτία παρὰ μικρὸν ἐμφερής.

λαʹ. Ὅπως ὁ τῆς Ἀχαΐας πρίγκιψ Ῥωμαίοις ἑάλω. Λέγεται γὰρ τοὺς περὶ τὸν πρίγκιπα μεγιστᾶνας, οὓς ἐκεῖνοι καβαλλαρίους λέγουσι, τούτων τινὰς ἐποφθαλμίζειν κατ' ἔρωτας τῇ τοῦ ∆ούκα Ἰωάννου συζύγῳ, ἣν καὶ τοῦ Ταρωνᾶ θυγατέρα ὁ λόγος ἐδείκνυ. Τοῦτο δ' ἦν ἄρα τῷ ἐκείνης ἀνδρὶ εἰς προφανῆ τινα ὕβριν καὶ καταφρόνησιν· καὶ δὴ ὑβριοπαθῶν ἐκεῖνος ἐν τούτοις δεινὰ ἐποίει καὶ τοῖς ὑβρίσασιν ἀνταμύνεσθαι κατηπείλει. Καὶ ἔρις ἦν ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἰσχυρά, καὶ εἰς πόλεμον ἐκορύσσετο, καὶ οἱ εἰς ὁμαιχμίαν κληθέντες κατ' ἀλλήλων συνίσταντο. Τότε λέγεται καὶ αὐτὸν πρίγκιπα, ὁρῶντα τὴν μάχην, ἀγανακτεῖν, καὶ τοῖς μὲν σφετέροις μὴ ἔχειν ἐπιπλήττειν, τῷ δέ γε ∆ούκᾳ καὶ λίαν ἐπιμωκησάμενον χλευάσαι καὶ τὰ εἰς γένος, ὡς νόθος, μάλα λαμπρῶς ὀνειδίσαι, καὶ ὡς οὗτος εἴη φάναι, τὸν Νικηφόρον δείξας, ὁ ἐμὸς ἀδελφός, σὺ δὲ σκότιος καὶ οὐχ ὅπως ἐλεύθερος, ἀλλὰ καὶ δοῦλος αὐτοῦ. Ταῦτα μετ' ἐμβριθείας εἰπόντος τοῦ πρίγκιπος, Ἀχιλλεὺς ἦν ἄλλος ὁ Ἰωάννης μηνίσας. Τότε θέλων δεῖξαι αὐτὸς ὢν τὸ πᾶν τοῦ στρατοῦ καί, οἷς ἂν προσκέοιτο, ἐκείνους νικῶντας, πέμψας δι' ἀπορρήτων νυκτὸς τοῖς στρατηγοῖς διαμηνύεται ὡς αὐτὸς μετ' αὐτῶν 121 ἔσται καὶ ὡς ἐπιθήσεται τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ Ἰταλοῖς, βλαξὶ καὶ τρυφεροῖς οὖσιν, εἰ μόνον ἐκεῖνοι ὁρμῷεν. Πλὴν καθιστῶν πρὸς ἐκείνους τοὺς ὅρκους, τὰ πιστὰ ἐτήρει τοῖς περὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφὸν Νικηφόρον, ὥστε, ἀλωβήτους αὐτοὺς διατηρήσαντας, τοῖς λοιποῖς, Ἰταλοῖς οὖσι, καὶ διαφε ρόντως τοῖς τοῦ πρίγκιπος, ὁμόσε χωρεῖν. Ταῦτα συνθεμένων ἐκείνων καὶ ἀνταλλαξάντων εἰς ὅρκους τὰ ἱερὰ περιάμματα, συρρήγνυται μάχη μεγίστη ἔνθεν μὲν Ῥωμαίοις σὺν Πέρσαις καὶ Σκυθικῷ πλείστῳ, ἐκεῖθεν δὲ τοῖς τοῦ πρίγκιπος Ἰταλοῖς· τὸν γὰρ πατέρα καὶ ἀδελφὸν σὺν τοῖς περὶ ἐκείνους, σφίσι τὰ δεινὰ ἐπισείσας, ἀποναρκᾶν πρὸς τὴν μάχην ἐποίει καὶ οὐχ ὅπως τὸν πόλεμον ἀναβάλλεσθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ πόδα ἀναχωρεῖν, αὐτὸς δέ, κατὰ νώτου τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς προσ επιτιθέμενος, δεινὰ ἐποίει. Καὶ τότε ἔγνωσαν Ἰταλοὶ παραδεδομένοι καὶ ἀπεδίδρασκον· οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον ὑπεξέφυγον, ἀλλὰ πολλοί, τῷ Σκυθικῷ στρατεύματι συγκαταλαμβανόμενοι, συχνοῖς τοῖς ὀϊστοῖς τιτρωσκό μενοι ἔπιπτον, ἄλλοι δὲ τοῖς Πέρσαις ἡλίσκοντο. Καὶ τέλος αὐτὸς ὁ πρίγκιψ, θάμνῳ τινὶ παρεισδύς, ἐκεῖθεν ἐθάρρει λαθεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἤνυε τὸ παράπαν· ἐπιστάντες γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν