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having taken counsel, he himself rekindled the struggle from both sides, having ordered the phalanx in the front to remain still for the time being. So when the battle became hand-to-hand, those of the Roman army gave their backs to the Latins, no longer able to even face them, being already terrified because of their previous defeat. 5.4.7 And then there was confusion in the Roman battle-line, even though the emperor, remaining unshaken, bravely resisted with both hand and mind, wounding many, and in some cases being wounded himself. And when he saw that the whole army had already streamed away and that he himself was left with a few men, he considered it necessary not to risk danger by resisting irrationally. For when someone, after toiling much, does not have the strength to oppose the enemy, it would be foolish for him to thrust himself into obvious danger. So, when the right and left wings of the Roman phalanx had resorted to flight, the emperor, still holding firm with Bohemond's phalanx, fought back bravely, taking upon himself the whole war. But understanding the undeniable nature of the danger, he judged it necessary to save himself, so as to be able to fight again against his conqueror and to be a most steadfast adversary, and so that Bohemond would not carry off the whole victory. 5.4.8 For such a man was he, in defeat and in victory, fleeing and then pursuing again, and never cowering nor being caught in the snares of despair. For he also had the greatest faith in God and always brought Him into the midst of things, while completely abstaining from oaths. Therefore, being exhausted, as was said above, he himself also turned back, pursued by Bohemond and his chosen counts. In these circumstances, he said to Goules (this was his paternal servant) and to those with him, "How long shall we flee?" And turning the bridle and drawing his sword from its sheath, he struck the first man who met him across the face. The Celts, seeing this and realizing that he had despaired of his own safety, since they knew from of old that men of such a mind are invincible, drew back and ceased their pursuit. And thus being rid of his pursuers, he withdrew from the danger. And even in flight he had not collapsed at all, but some of the fugitives he was calling back, and others he was even mocking, although many pretended not to know him. So, having been saved from the danger, he entered the imperial city, in order to gather armies again and to march against Bohemond.

5.5.1 Since Robert had returned to Lombardy, Bohemond took up the fight against the emperor, using his father's instructions and continually stirring up battles and wars, he sent Peter of Alipha with Pounteses to conduct sieges in various places; whence indeed Peter of Alipha immediately seized the two Poloboi, and the aforementioned Pounteses took Skopia. But he himself, having been informed by the people of Achrida, quickly seized Achrida. And having held out for a short while, since Ariebes was guarding the fortress, he went away to Ostrovon without accomplishing anything, and being sent away empty-handed from there, he passed through Soskos and through Serbia and went to Beroia. And having attacked in many places and many times and not succeeding, through the lands of Bodin he seized Moglena and rebuilt a certain small castle that had been ruined some time before. Then, leaving a certain count there with a sufficient force, who was called Saracen by surname, he reached the Vardar at the place called Asprai Ekklesiai. And while he was spending a three-month period there, in the meantime three of the chosen counts, Pounteses, Renaldos, and a certain man called Gelielmos, were discovered to have made a conspiracy to desert to the emperor. And Pounteses, foreseeing this, ran away and went to the emperor, but the other two were seized and released according to the law of the Celts to

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βουλὴν αὐτὸς ἐξ ἑκατέρου μέρους τὸν μόθον μᾶλλον ἀνερρίπισε τὴν κατὰ μέτωπον φάλαγγα ἀτρεμεῖν τέως παρακελευσάμενος. Τῆς γοῦν μάχης ἀγχεμάχου γεγονυίας οἱ τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος τὰ νῶτα τοῖς Λατίνοις δεδώκασι μηδ' ἀντωπῆσαι τούτοις τοῦ λοιποῦ ἰσχύοντες προκατεπτοημένοι ὄντες διὰ τὴν προηγησαμένην ἧτταν. 5.4.7 Καὶ σύγχυσις τηνικαῦτα τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς παρατάξεως ἦν, κἂν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκλόνητος μένων γενναίως καὶ χειρὶ καὶ γνώμῃ ἀντικαθίστατο πολλοὺς μὲν τρώσας, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ τρωθείς. Καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸ ἅπαν ἐκρεῦσαν ἤδη στράτευμα ἐθεάσατο καὶ ἑαυτὸν μετ' ὀλίγων καταλειφθέντα, δέον ἐλογίσατο μὴ ἀλόγως ἀνθιστάμενος κινδυνεῦσαι. Ἐπὰν γάρ τις πολλὰ μογήσας μὴ πρὸς ἰσχύος ἔχοι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀντικαθίστασθαι, μάταιος ἂν ᾗ εἰς προὖπτον κίνδυνον ἑαυτὸν συνωθῶν. Τοῦ γοῦν δεξιοῦ καὶ εὐωνύμου κέρως τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος φυγαδείᾳ χρησαμένων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔτι ἐγκαρτερῶν μετὰ τῆς τοῦ Βαϊμούντου φάλαγγος γεν ναίως ἀπεμάχετο τὸν ὅλον αὐτὸς ἀναδεξάμενος πόλεμον. Τὸ δὲ ἀνατίρρητον συνιεὶς τοῦ κινδύνου δέον ἔκρινεν ἑαυτὸν περισῶσαι, ὡς αὖθις δύνασθαι μάχεσθαι πρὸς τὸν καταγωνισάμενον καὶ ἀντίπαλος ἔσεσθαι καρτερώτατος καὶ μὴ τὸ πᾶν τῆς νίκης ἄρασθαι τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον. 5.4.8 Τοιοῦτος γὰρ ἦν ἡττώμενος καὶ νικῶν, φεύγων καὶ αὖθις διώκων, καὶ μηδέποτε ὑποπτήσσων μήτε μὴ ἀνελπιστίας βρόχοις ἁλισκόμενος. Ἦν γὰρ καὶ εἰς Θεὸν μεγίστην ἔχων πίστιν καὶ τοῦτον μὲν ἐς μέσον διὰ παντὸς περιφέρων, ὅρκου δὲ παντάπασιν ἀπεχόμενος. Ἀπειρηκὼς οὖν, ὡς ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, ὀπισθόρμητος καὶ αὐτὸς γέγονε διωκό μενος παρὰ τοῦ Βαϊμούντου καὶ ἐκκρίτων κομήτων. Ἐν τούτοις δέ φησι πρὸς τὸν Γουλήν (οὗτος δὲ πατρῷος αὐτοῦ θεράπων) καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ «Μέχρι πόσου φευξό μεθα;» Καὶ στρέψας τὸν χαλινὸν καὶ τοῦ κουλεοῦ τὸ ξίφος ἐξαγαγὼν παίει τὸν πρώτως αὐτῷ συναντήσαντα κατὰ τῆς ὄψεως. Τοῦτο οἱ Κελτοὶ θεασάμενοι καὶ διαγνόν τες αὐτὸν τῆς ἰδίας ἀπεγνωκότα σωτηρίας, ἐπειδὴ τοὺς τοιαύτης γνώμης γεγονότας ἄνδρας ἀκαταμαχήτους πάλαι ἐγίνωσκον, ὑποσταλέντες τοῦ διώκειν ἐπαύσαντο. Καὶ οὕτω τῶν διωκόντων ἀπαλλαγεὶς ὑπεξῄει τοῦ κινδύνου. Οὐδὲ φεύγων δὲ ὅλως ἀνεπεπτώκει, ἀλλὰ τῶν φευγόντων τοὺς μὲν ἀνεκαλεῖτο, τοὺς δὲ καὶ ἐπέσκωπτε, κἂν οἱ πολλοὶ τὸν ἀγνοοῦντα ὑπεκρίνοντο. Οὕτω γοῦν τοῦ κινδύ νου σωθεὶς εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν, ἐφ' ᾧ συνα γαγεῖν αὖθις στρατεύματα καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Βαϊμούντου χωρῆσαι.

5.5.1 Ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦ Ῥομπέρτου πρὸς Λογγιβαρδίαν παλινοστήσαντος τὴν μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μάχην ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος ἀνεδέξατο ταῖς ἐκείνου ὑποθημοσύναις χρώμενος καὶ διὰ παντὸς μάχας καὶ πολέμους ἀναρριπίζων, τὸν μὲν Πέτρον τοῦ Ἀλίφα μετὰ τοῦ Πουντέση εἰς πολιορκίαν ἐν διαφόροις χώραις ἐξέπεμψεν· ἔνθεν τοι καὶ τοὺς μὲν δύο Πολόβους εὐθὺς ὁ Πέτρος τοῦ Ἀλίφα κατέσχε, τὰ δὲ Σκόπια ὁ προρρηθεὶς Πουντέσης. Αὐτὸς δὲ μηνυθεὶς παρὰ τῶν Ἀχριδιωτῶν ταχὺ τὰς Ἀχρίδας καταλαμβάνει. Καὶ πρὸς μικρὸν ἐγκαρτερήσας τοῦ Ἀριέβη φρουροῦντος τὸ κάστρον ἄπρακτος ἀπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν Ὀστροβὸν κἀκεῖθεν κενὸς ἀποπεμφθεὶς διῆλθε διὰ τοῦ Σοσκοῦ καὶ διὰ τῶν Σερβίων ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Βέροιαν. Καὶ προσβαλὼν ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ πολλάκις τόποις καὶ μὴ ἀνύσας διὰ τῶν Βοδινῶν καταλαμβάνει τὰ Μόγλενα καὶ ἀνεγείρει καστέλιόν τι πρὸ χρόνου ἐρειπωθέν. Εἶτα καταλιπὼν μεθ' ἱκανῶν ἐκεῖ κόμητά τινα Σαρακηνὸν ἐξ ἐπωνυμίας καλούμενον εἰς τὸν Βαρδάρην κατέλαβεν εἰς τὰς καλουμένας Ἄσπρας Ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ τριμηναῖον χρόνον διατρίβοντος ἐκεῖ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ ἔκκριτοι τρεῖς τῶν κομήτων, ὅ τε Πουντέσης, ὁ Ῥενάλδος καὶ Γελίελμός τις καλούμενος συνωμοσίαν πεποιηκότες αὐτομολῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐφωράθησαν. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Πουντέσης τοῦτο προγνοὺς ἀποδράσας προσῆλθε τῷ αὐτοκράτορι, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ δύο κατεσχέθησαν καὶ ἀπελύθησαν κατὰ τὸν νόμον τῶν Κελτῶν πρὸς