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a queen, bringing with her a great and royal retinue of men and women alike. For she brought many of those called *caballarii* and *scutarii* among the Latins, and of their other nobles; and in splendor she surpassed the queens who had come to the land of the Romans from foreign parts at other times. And she was likewise received by the emperor and father-in-law royally and magnificently and, as was fitting for the wife of an emperor and his son. And it happened that the young emperor was also staying in Byzantium at the same time. But Queen Anna, her body having suffered from the hardship of the voyage and the change of air, fell ill a few days after her arrival. And the young Andronikos, partly because of the queen's illness and partly because some unavoidable need called, went out to the cities in Thrace, and stayed there until autumn. At the beginning of October of the tenth indiction, he returned to Byzantium. And the wedding feast was celebrated, brilliant and renowned; and as is the custom for emperors, after the customary rites 1.205 for the wedding were completed, the emperor, her husband, also crowned Queen Anna. After the wedding feast was over, of the men and women who had come from Savoy with the queen, most returned to their own country; but a few remained with her, including one of the women, Zampaea, along with her sons, who surpassed the others in intelligence and was suited to dwell in the royal household because of her education and other abilities. However, not a few nobles from Savoy came to the land of the Romans and, for as long as they wished, they were with the emperor, being deemed worthy of much friendliness. For indeed they were not only brave and daring in battles, but also otherwise clever companions in games. For they also took part in hunts with the emperor, and they were the first to teach the Romans the so-called *giostra* and the tournaments, who had previously known nothing about such things. And when they departed for their own country, others came to the emperor as if in succession; and nearly always there were some from Savoy with the young emperor. Thus, out of ambition, not a few of the Romans practiced such things, but most of all the emperor, who even surpassed his teachers, so that not only those from Savoy admitted defeat, but also those from France and Germany and Burgundy, among whom such things are especially esteemed, admired the emperor's talent and confessed him to be better than those renowned for such things among 1.206 themselves. However, after the wedding, having spent a short time in the city of Constantine, the young emperor, taking leave of the emperor and his grandfather, departed from Byzantium with the queen, intending to arrive at Didymoteichon. But when he was in a place called Megale Karyes, near the mountain called of Lipes, it was reported that Persian foot soldiers were overrunning and plundering the local places. The soldiers, therefore, who were with the emperor, setting out on the road at dawn, proceeded on it as they were; but the emperor, along with the grand domestic and a few others, was left behind, hunting along the way. And when the attack of the barbarians was announced, he sent a messenger to the soldiers telling them to turn back to fight the barbarians. But he himself, along with the grand domestic, decided it was necessary to go with those accompanying them to the places where they had heard the Persians were, having reasoned in every way that they would be safe if they happened to encounter the barbarians. For if they should appear easy to attack, they would more easily accomplish the task, and if they should appear to far outnumber them, so that it would not be safe to engage in battle, being on horseback they would get away from the foot soldiers without danger. And sending some of them ahead to scout what was in front, they themselves followed behind, armed. But the barbarians completely avoided the well-trodden roads; and going through impassable places as if to attack some of the local inhabitants, they escaped the notice of the scouts

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βασιλὶς, πολλὴν ἐπαγομένη καὶ βασιλικὴν θεραπείαν ἔκ τε ἀνδρῶν ὁμοίως καὶ γυναικῶν. ἔκ τε γὰρ τῶν παρὰ Λατίνοις καβαλλαρίων καὶ σκουερίων λεγομένων ἦγε πολλοὺς καὶ τῶν ἄλλως παρ' αὐτοῖς εὐπατριδῶν· καὶ τὰς ἐν ἑτέροις χρόνοις εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐξ ἀλλοδαπῶν ἀφικνουμένας βασιλίδας ὑπερεῖχε πολυτελείᾳ. προσεδέχθη τε ὁμοίως παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ κηδεστοῦ βασιλικῶς τε καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς καὶ ὥσπερ ἦν εἰκὸς τὴν βασιλέως καὶ υἱοῦ γαμετήν. συμβέβηκε δὲ καὶ βασιλέα τὸν νέον τῷ Βυζαντίῳ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν ἐνδιατρίβειν. ἡ δὲ βασιλὶς Ἄννα τῇ τε κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν ταλαιπωρίᾳ καὶ τῇ τῶν ἀέρων ἐναλλαγῇ τὸ σῶμα πεπονηκυῖα, ἐνόσησεν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις ὕστερον τῆς ἀφίξεως αὐτῆς. ὅ, τε νέος Ἀνδρόνικος τοῦτο μὲν καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς βασιλίδος νόσον, τοῦτο δ', ὅτι καὶ χρεία τις ἀπαραίτητος ἐκάλει, πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἐξῄει πόλεις, καὶ διέτριψεν ἄχρι φθινοπώρου ἐν ἐκείναις. Ὀκτωβρίου δὲ ἱσταμένου τῆς δεκάτης ἰνδικτιῶνος, εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανῆκε. καὶ ἡ γαμήλιος ἐτελεῖτο ἑορτὴ λαμπρὰ καὶ περιφανής· ὥσπερ δὲ ἔθος τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, μετὰ τὸ ἐπὶ τοῖς 1.205 γάμοις τὰ νενομισμένα τελεσθῆναι, καὶ Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα βασιλεὺς ἔστεψεν ὁ ταύτης ἀνήρ. μετὰ δὲ τὸ τὴν τῶν γαμηλίων ἑορτὴν παραδραμεῖν τῶν μετὰ τῆς βασιλίδος ἐκ Σαβωΐας ἐλθόντων ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν οἱ πολλοὶ μὲν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐπανῆλθον· ἔμειναν δὲ μετ' αὐτῆς ὀλίγον τινὲς καὶ Ζαμπέα μία τῶν γυναικῶν ἅμα τοῖς υἱέσι, φρονήσει τε ὑπερέχουσα τὰς ἄλλας, καὶ βασιλικοῖς οἴκοις διά τε παιδείαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἐπιτηδειότητα πρέπουσα ἐνδιατρίβειν. ἐκ μέντοι Σαβωΐας οὐκ ὀλίγοι τῶν εὐπατριδῶν εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀφικνούμενοι, ἐφ' ὅσον ἐβούλοντο συνῆσαν τῷ βασιλεῖ, πολλῆς ἀξιούμενοι φιλοφροσύνης. ἦσαν γὰρ δὴ οὐκ ἀνδρεῖοι μόνον καὶ τολμητίαι κατὰ τὰς μάχας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλως ἐν ταῖς παιδιαῖς εὐφυεῖς συνεῖναι. κυνηγεσίων καὶ γὰρ συμμετεῖχον τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὴν λεγομένην τζουστρίαν καὶ τὰ τερνεμέντα αὐτοὶ πρῶτοι ἐδίδαξαν Ῥωμαίους οὔπω πρότερον περὶ τῶν τοιούτων εἰδότας οὐδέν. αὐτῶν δὲ ἀπερχομένων εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, ἕτεροι ὥσπερ ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἐφοίτων ὡς βασιλέα· καὶ σχεδὸν ἐκ Σαβωΐας ἀεὶ τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ συνῆσάν τινες. οὕτω δὲ ὑπὸ φιλοτιμίας περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐξησκήθησαν οὐκ ὀλίγοι Ῥωμαίων, μάλιστα δὲ πάντων ὁ βασιλεὺς, ὃς καὶ τοὺς διδάξαντας ὑπερέσχεν, ὡς μὴ τοὺς ἐκ Σαβωΐας μόνον τὴν ἧτταν ὁμολογεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ Φράντζας καὶ Ἀλαμανίας καὶ Μπουργουνίας, ἐν οἷς μάλιστα σπουδάζεται τὰ τοιαῦτα, τήν τε τοῦ βασιλέως θαυμάζειν εὐφυΐαν καὶ τῶν περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα παρ' 1.206 αὐτοῖς εὐδοκιμούντων κρείττω ὁμολογεῖν. μετὰ μέντοι τοὺς γάμους ὀλίγον τινὰ χρόνον τῇ Κωνσταντίνου ἐνδιατρίψας ὁ νέος βασιλεὺς, τῷ βασιλεῖ συνταξάμενος καὶ πάππῳ, ἅμα τῇ βασιλίδι ἐξῄει Βυζαντίου, ὡς εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἀφιξόμενος. γενομένῳ δὲ ἐν χωρίῳ Μεγάλην προσαγορευομένῳ Καρύαν, κατὰ τὸ τοῦ Λίπηκος λεγόμενον ὄρος, Πέρσας ἠγγέλθη πεζοὺς τὰ ἐκεῖ κατατρέχοντας χωρία δῃοῦν. οἱ μὲν οὖν τῷ βασιλεῖ συνόντες στρατιῶται ἅμα ἕῳ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐχόμενοι, ὡς εἶχον, ἤνυον αὐτήν· βασιλεὺς δ' ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ καί τισιν εὐαριθμήτοις ἑτέροις ὑπελίπετο κατόπιν, θηρεύων ἅμα μεταξὺ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας. ὡς δὲ ἡ ἔφοδος ἠγγέλθη τῶν βαρβάρων, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἔπεμψε τὸν ἐροῦντα ἀναστρέφειν ὡς μαχουμένους τοῖς βαρβάροις. αὐτὸς δ' ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ δεῖν ἔγνωσαν μετὰ τῶν συνόντων ἐν οἷς ἐπύθοντο τοὺς Πέρσας εἶναι χωρίοις γενέσθαι, ἑκατέρωθεν λογισάμενοι ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ ἔσεσθαι, ἐὰν αὐτοὺς συμβῇ τοῖς βαρβάροις συντυχεῖν. ἐάν τε γὰρ εὐεπιχείρητοι φανῶσι, ῥᾷον ἂν κατεργάσεσθαι τὸ ἔργον, ἐάν τε ὑπερέχοντες φαίνωνται πολὺ αὐτῶν ὡς μὴ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι καθίστασθαι εἰς μάχην, μετὰ ἀδείας ἀπαλλάξεσθαι αὐτῶν ἔφιπποι ὄντες πεζῶν. προπέμψαντες δὲ αὐτῶν τινας ὥστε τὰ ἔμπροσθεν σκοπεῖν, ἐβάδιζον αὐτοὶ κατόπιν ὡπλισμένοι. οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ τὰς μὲν τετριμμένας παντάπασι ἐξέκλιναν ὁδούς· δι' ἀβάτων δὲ χωρίων ἰόντες ὡς ἐπιθησόμενοί τισι τῶν αὐτόθι κατοικούντων, τοὺς μὲν σκοποὺς ἔλαθον