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he often conversed; indeed, also the father of Palaeologus, Nicephorus, and others of the illustrious. For Zacharias is struck a mortal blow on the chest and gives up his soul with the blow, and Aspietes and many of the picked men. 4.6.8 But as the battle was not being broken off, since they saw the emperor 4.6.8 still resisting, three of the Latins were chosen, of whom one was the already mentioned Amicetes, another Peter, son of Aliphas, as he himself used to say, and the third in no way inferior to these; giving full rein to their horses and embracing long spears, they rushed at him. And Amicetes missed the emperor as the horse swerved a little; but the emperor, pushing aside the spear of the other with his sword and strengthening his hand, strikes him on the collarbone and cuts off his hand from the rest of his body. The third man strikes him immediately on the forehead, but he, being of sound mind and steadfast in spirit, not at all confused, with swiftness of judgment in an unthinking moment grasping what was needed, at the moment of the blow threw himself backward as if onto the horse's tail. And immediately the edge of the sword, lightly grazing the skin of his body and being deflected by the point of the helmet, broke the strap holding it under his chin and pushed it to the ground. Then that Celt rode past, the one he thought he had thrown from his horse, but he, having immediately righted himself, sat firmly in the saddle, having lost none of his weapons. But holding his naked sword in his right hand, stained with the gore of his own blood, and with his head uncovered and his tawny, sun-like hair blowing about his eyes and troubling him (for the horse, being agitated and champing at its bit and snorting, caused his locks to fall more disorderly on his face), yet even so, pulling himself together as best he could, he stood against his enemies. 4.6.9 But when he saw the Turks fleeing and Bodin himself withdrawing without a fight; for he too was armed and, having drawn up his army in battle formation, he stood on that day as if to come to the aid of the emperor, according to the treaties made with him. But he was waiting, as it seems, so that if he should see the tide of victory given to the emperor, he himself would also attack the Celts, but if the opposite, he would remain still and retreat. Pondering these things, as is clear from what he did, and having now recognized that the Celts held the victory, he had run back home, altogether without tasting battle. The emperor, seeing these things and perceiving that no one was defending him, then himself turned his back to the enemy. And so the Latins pursued the Roman army.

4.7.1 But Robert, having occupied the precinct of Saint Nicholas, where the imperial tent and all the baggage of the Roman army were, sent out as many strong men as he had to pursue the emperor, while he himself remained there, imagining the capture of the emperor. For such thoughts were kindling his excessive pride. And they pursued him very bravely as far as a certain place called by the locals Kakē Pleura. This is its location: a river flowing below called the Charzanes, and on the other side a high, overhanging rock. And between these, his pursuers reach him, who strike him on the left side with their spears (nine of them in all) and make him lean to the other side. And he would perhaps have fallen, if the sword which he held in his right hand had not managed to be propped against the ground. Indeed, the spur of his left foot, catching the edge of the saddle-cloth, which they call an *hypostroma*, made the rider steadier. And he himself, grabbing the mane of the horse with his left hand, held himself up. He is aided, however, by some divine power, which paradoxically brings him salvation from his enemies. For it brings forth

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πολλάκις ὡμίλει· ναὶ μὴν καὶ ὁ τοῦ Παλαιολόγου πατὴρ Νικηφόρος καὶ ἕτεροι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν. Πλήττεται γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ζαχαρίας καιρίαν κατὰ τοῦ στέρνου καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἅμα τῇ πληγῇ ἐπαφίησι καὶ ὁ Ἀσπιέτης καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν λογάδων. 4.6.8 Τῆς δὲ μάχης μὴ διαλυομένης, ἐπεὶ τὸν βασιλέα ἑώρων 4.6.8 ἔτι ἀνθιστάμενον, ἀποκριθέντες τινὲς τῶν Λατίνων τρεῖς, ἀφ' ὧν εἷς ὁ ἤδη ῥηθεὶς Ἀμικέτης ἦν, ὁ δὲ Πέτρος τοῦ Ἀλίφα, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ἔλεγεν, ὁ δὲ τρίτος κατ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἐλάττων, ὅλους ῥυτῆρας ἐνδόντες τοῖς ἵπποις δόρατα μακρὰ ἐναγκαλισάμενοι κατ' αὐτοῦ ἵενται. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀμικέτης διημαρτήκει τοῦ βασιλέως μικρὸν παρεκκλί ναντος τοῦ ἵππου· τοῦ δ' ἄλλου τὸ δόρυ διὰ τοῦ ξίφους ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπωσάμενος καὶ τονώσας τὴν χεῖρα παίει τοῦτον κατὰ τὴν κλεῖδα καὶ τὴν χεῖρα τοῦ λοιποῦ ἀποτέμνει σώματος. Ὁ δέ γε τρίτος πλήττει τοῦτον εὐθὺς κατὰ τὸ μέτωπον, ὁ δὲ φρενήρης τε ὢν καὶ ἑδραῖος τὸν νοῦν μηδὲν ὅλως συγχυθείς, γοργότητι γνώμης ἐν ἀσκέπτῳ χρόνῳ τὸ δέον συνείς, ὕπτιον ἅμα τῇ πληγῇ ἑαυτὸν ὡς ἐπ' οὐρὰν τοῦ ἵππου ἔθετο. Καὶ εὐθὺς τὸν χρῶτα τοῦ σώματος μικρὸν παραξέσασα ἡ τοῦ ξίφους ἀκμὴ περὶ τὴν ἀκωκὴν παρα ποδισθεῖσα τῆς κόρυθος καὶ τὸν συνέχοντα ταύτην ὑπὸ τὴν γένυν ἱμάντα διασπάσασα ὦσε ταύτην εἰς γῆν. Τηνικαῦτα δὲ ὁ μὲν Κελτὸς ἐκεῖνος παραθέει, ὃν ᾤετο κατακρημνίσαι τοῦ ἵππου, ὁ δ' εὐθὺς ὀρθωθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐφεστρίδος ἑδραῖος ἐκάθητο μηδὲν τῶν ὅπλων ἀποβαλών. Ἀλλὰ καὶ γυμνὸν τὸ ξίφος κατέχων τῇ δεξιᾷ, τῷ δὲ λύθρῳ τοῦ ἰδίου πεφοι νιγμένος αἵματος καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπερικάλυπτον ἔχων καὶ τὴν πυρσὴν καὶ ἡλιῶσαν κόμην περιπλανωμένην ταῖς ὄψεσι καὶ διοχλοῦσαν αὐτόν (ὁ γὰρ ἵππος ταραττόμενος καὶ ἀποπτύων τοὺς χαλινοὺς καὶ φριμάσσων ἀτακτότερον ἐμπίπτειν τῷ προσώπῳ τοὺς βοστρύχους παρεσκεύαζεν), ἀλλὰ καὶ ὣς ἑαυτὸν ἀνακαλεσάμενος, ὡς ἐνῆν, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντικαθίστατο. 4.6.9 Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς Τούρ κους φεύγοντας ἑώρα καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Βοδῖνον ἀπολέ μητον ὑποχωροῦντα· ὥπλιστο γὰρ καὶ οὗτος καὶ εἰς πολέμου τύπον τὸ αὐτοῦ διατυπώσας στράτευμα κατὰ ταυτηνὶ τὴν ἡμέραν ἵστατο ὡς ἐπαρήξων τάχα τῷ αὐτο κράτορι κατὰ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν γεγενημένας συνθήκας. Ἐκαραδόκει δέ, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἵνα, εἰ μὲν τὴν ῥοπὴν τῆς νίκης τῷ αὐτοκράτορι δοθεῖσαν γνοίη, ἐπιτεθείη καὶ αὐτὸς τοῖς Κελτοῖς, εἰ δὲ τοὐναντίον, ἀτρεμήσῃ τε καὶ ὀπισθόπους γένηται. Ταῦτα διαλογιζόμενος, ὡς ἐξ ὧν ἐπεπράχει δῆλον, καὶ τὴν νικῶσαν ἀπάρτι τοὺς Κελτοὺς ἐγνωκὼς ἔχοντας ἄγευστος πολέμου τὸ παράπαν οἴκαδε ἐπαναδε δραμήκει. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ταῦτα θεασάμενος καὶ ὡς μηδένα τὸν αὐτῷ ἐπαμύνοντα βλέπων τὰ μετάφρενα καὶ αὐτὸς τηνικαῦτα δίδωσι τοῖς ἐναντίοις. Καὶ οὕτως ἐδίωκον οἱ Λατῖνοι τὸ Ῥωμαϊκὸν στράτευμα.

4.7.1 Ὁ δὲ Ῥομπέρτος καταλαβὼν τὸ τέμενος τοῦ ἁγίου Νικολάου, ὅπου καὶ ἡ βασιλικὴ σκηνὴ καὶ ἅπασα ἡ σκευὴ τοῦ Ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος, ὁπόσους εὐσθενεῖς εἶχε, τὸν βασιλέα διώκειν ἐκπέπομφεν αὐτοῦ που αὐτὸς ἐγκαρτερῶν φανταζόμενος τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κατά σχεσιν. Τοιοῦτοι γὰρ λογισμοὶ τούτου τὸ ὑπέρογκον ἐξέ καιον φρόνημα. Οἱ δὲ εὐψύχως μάλα τοῦτον ἐδίωκον μέχρι τόπου τινὸς παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων καλουμένου Κακὴ Πλευρά. Ἥδε τούτου θέσις· ποταμὸς ῥέων κάτωθεν ὁ Χαρζάνης καλούμενος, ἔνθεν δὲ ὑπερκειμένη πέτρα ὑψηλή. Ἀναμε ταξὺ δὲ τούτων φθάνουσιν αὐτὸν οἱ διώκοντες, οἳ καὶ παίουσιν αὐτὸν κατὰ τὴν ἀριστερὰν πλευρὰν διὰ τῶν δοράτων (ἐννέα δὲ ξύμπαντες) καὶ ἐπὶ θάτερα κλίνουσι. Τάχα δ' ἂν καὶ ἐπεπτώκει, εἰ μὴ τὸ ξίφος, ὃ τῇ δεξιᾷ κατεῖχε χειρί, ἔφθασεν ἐναπερεισθῆναι τῇ γῇ. Ναὶ μὴν καὶ ἡ τοῦ μύωπος ἀκμὴ τοῦ ἀριστεροῦ ποδὸς ἐνδακοῦσα τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ἐφεστρίδος, ὃ ὑπόστρωμα λέγουσιν, ἀκλινέ στερον τὸν ἱππότην ἐποίει. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τῇ λαιᾷ τῆς χαίτης δραξάμενος τοῦ ἵππου ἀνεῖχεν ἑαυτόν. Βοηθεῖται μέντοι ἐκ θείας τινὸς δυνάμεως σωτηρίαν παρ' ἐχθρῶν αὐτῷ κομιζούσης παραδόξως. Ἀναφύει γὰρ