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to them; but the emperor dissuaded them from the attempt. But many different men, mixed from different regiments, went up and attacked the Celts; but they immediately rushed against them and killed up to five hundred. Then the emperor, having surmised the place through which Bohemond was about to pass, and having sent noble soldiers with some Turks and with Migidenus leading, as soon as he came near, Bohemond immediately rushed against them and defeated them, pursuing them as far as the river.

5.7.1 On the next day, as it was already dawning, he passed by the aforementioned river with the counts accompanying him and Bryennius himself, and when he saw a marshy place in the parts of Larissa, finding a wooded plain between two hills that ended in a narrow strait (they call this a *klisura*), called the palace of Domenicus, entering through this he pitched his camp there. On the next day, around early dawn, the phalanx-commander Michael Doukas, my uncle on my mother’s side, reached him with the entire army, a man renowned for his prudence, and distinguished in beauty and size of body not only from those of that time, but also from those who had ever been (for amazement held all who saw the man), and most formidable and incomparable at perceiving the future, detecting the present, and accomplishing things. 5.7.2 The emperor instructed him that not all should enter within the mouth of the pass, but that the forces should stand outside in squadrons, and that he should select a few Turks and Sauromatae skilled in archery and allow them entry, instructing them to use no other weapon but arrows. And when they had entered and were making cavalry attacks against the Latins, those standing outside, struggling, were arguing with each other over who might enter the pass. For Bohemond, being full of strategic knowledge, ordered his men to stand with shields locked and to remain still, fencing themselves in with their shields. But the protostrator, seeing his men little by little flowing out and entering through the mouth of the pass, entered himself as well. But Bohemond, seeing them, "rejoiced like a lion chancing upon a great carcass," one might say in Homeric fashion; so too did he, seeing them and the protostrator Michael right before his eyes, rush against them with irresistible force with his whole army; and they immediately gave him their backs. 5.7.3 But Ouzas, having received his surname from his race, renowned for his courage, knowing how "to wield to the right and to the left the dry ox-hide shield," as Homer says, as he was exiting the mouth of the pass, veered to the right and, turning swiftly, struck the Latin who met him; and he straightaway lay headlong on the ground. And Bohemond pursued them as far as the river Salabria. And while fleeing, the aforementioned Ouzas struck the man holding Bohemond's standard with his spear, and snatching the standard from his hands, he spun it around a little and inclined it downwards. So the Latins, seeing the standard lowered from its upright position, fell into confusion and turned to another path, by which they also reached Trikala, which had already been pre-occupied by some of those with Bohemond who were fleeing toward Lykostomion. And there for a time they bivouacked, having gotten inside these walls; and from there they reached Kastoria. 5.7.4 And the emperor, having returned from Larissa and reached Thessalonica, being such as he was in these matters, very quickly sent to the counts with Bohemond and made many promises, if they would demand their pay from Bohemond, just as he had promised them; and since he did not have it to give, they would persuade him to go down to the sea and seek these things from his own

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λεῖν αὐτοῖς· ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀπῆγε τούτους τοῦ ἐγχειρή ματος. Ἐκ διαφόρων δὲ πολλοὶ καὶ διάφοροι ξυμμιγέντες ταγμάτων ἀνελθόντες προσέβαλον τοῖς Κελτοῖς· οἱ δὲ παραχρῆμα κατ' αὐτῶν ὡρμηκότες ἀναιροῦσιν ἄχρι τῶν πεντακοσίων. Εἶτα τοῦ βασιλέως στοχασαμένου τοῦ τόπου δι' οὗ ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος ἔμελλε διελθεῖν, καὶ ἀποστείλαντος γενναίους στρατιώτας μετὰ καὶ Τούρκων καὶ τοῦ Μιγιδη νοῦ προεξάρχοντος, ἅμα τῷ πλησίον γενέσθαι εὐθὺς ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος ὁρμήσας κατ' αὐτῶν ἥττησε τούτους μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ διώξας.

5.7.1 Τῇ δὲ μετ' αὐτὴν αὐγαζούσης ἤδη τῆς ἡμέρας παραδραμὼν τὸν ἤδη ῥηθέντα ποταμὸν μετὰ τῶν συνεφε πομένων αὐτῷ κομήτων καὶ αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ Βρυεννίου, ἐπεὶ ἑλώδη τόπον ἐν τοῖς τῆς Λαρίσσης μέρεσιν ἐθεάσατο, ἀναμεταξὺ δύο βουνῶν πεδιάδα ἀλσώδη εὑρὼν ἀποτε λευτῶσαν εἰς στενωπὸν ὀξύν (κλεισούραν τοῦτον καλοῦσι), τὴν λεγομένην ∆ομενίκου παλάτιον, διὰ τούτου εἰσελθὼν ἐκεῖ τὸν χάρακα ἐπήξατο. Τῇ δὲ μετ' αὐτὴν κατὰ τὸ περίορθρον καταλαμβάνει αὐτὸν ὁ φαλαγγάρχης Μιχαὴλ ὁ ∆ούκας, ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς ἐμὸς θεῖος, μετὰ τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ παντός, ἀνήρ τις ἐπὶ φρονήσει διαβεβοημένος, ὥρᾳ δὲ καὶ μεγέθει σώματος διαφέρων οὐ τῶν τότε καιροῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πώποτε γεγενημένων (θάμβος γὰρ εἶχεν ἅπαντας τοὺς ὁρῶντας τὸν ἄνδρα), συνιδεῖν δὲ τὸ μέλλον καὶ φωρᾶσαι τὸ ἐνεστὸς καὶ καταπράξασθαι δεινότατός τε καὶ ἀπαρά μιλλος. 5.7.2 Τούτῳ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐπέσκηψε μὴ πάντας ἐντὸς τοῦ στομίου τῆς κλεισούρας εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰς μὲν δυνάμεις ἔξωθεν ἵστασθαι ἰλαδόν, ὀλίγους δὲ διελεῖν Τούρκων καὶ Σαυροματῶν τῆς τοξείας εἰδήμονας καὶ τούτοις παραχωρῆσαι τῆς εἰσόδου, ἐπισκῆψαι δὲ τούτοις μηδενὶ ἑτέρῳ ξίφει πλὴν ὀϊστοῖς χρήσασθαι. Εἰσελθόντων δὲ καὶ ἱππασίας ποιουμένων κατὰ τῶν Λατίνων οἱ ἔξωθεν ἱστάμενοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους σφαδᾴζοντες ἤριζον, ὁποῖος ἂν τὸ στόμιον εἰσέλθοι. Ὁ γὰρ Βαϊμοῦντος πλήρης ὢν στρα τηγικῆς ἐπιστήμης τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἐκέλευε συνησπικότας ἵστασθαι καὶ ταῖς ἀσπίσιν ἑαυτοὺς περιφράττοντας ἀτρε μεῖν. Ὁ δέ γε πρωτοστράτωρ θεασάμενος τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐκρέοντας καὶ εἰσερχομένους διὰ τοῦ στομίου εἰσῆλθε καὶ αὐτός. Ὁ δὲ Βαϊμοῦντος τούτους θεασάμενος, «ὥσπερ λέων ἐχάρη μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ σώματι κύρσας,» εἶπεν ἄν τις ὁμηρικῶς, ὣς καὶ οὗτος ἰδὼν ἐν αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖσι τού τους καὶ τὸν πρωτοστράτορα Μιχαὴλ ἀσχέτῳ ῥύμῃ πανσυδὶ κατ' αὐτῶν ἵεται· οἱ δὲ παραχρῆμα νῶτα τούτῳ διδόασιν. 5.7.3 Οὐζᾶς δὲ τὴν κλῆσιν φερώνυμον ἐκ τοῦ γένους λαχών, ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ διαβεβοημένος, εἰδὼς ἠδ' «ἐπὶ δεξιὰ ἠδ' ἐπ' ἀριστερὰ νωμῆσαι βῶν ἀζαλέην» καθ' Ὅμηρον ἐν τῷ τοῦ στομίου ἐξέρχεσθαι δεξιὰ παρεκκλίνας γοργῶς ἐπιστραφεὶς παίει τὸν αὐτῷ ὑπαντιάσαντα Λατῖνον· ὁ δ' εὐθὺς κύμβαχος κατὰ γῆς ἔκειτο. Ὁ δὲ Βαϊμοῦντος ἐδίωκε τούτους μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ Σαλαβρία. Ἐν δὲ τῷ φεύγειν ὁ ἤδη ῥηθεὶς Οὐζᾶς παίει τὸν τὴν σημαίαν τοῦ Βαϊμούντου κατέχοντα διὰ τοῦ δόρατος καὶ τὴν σημαίαν τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀφαρπάσας μικρὸν περιδινεῖ καὶ κλίνει πρὸς τὸ πρανές. Οἱ γοῦν Λατῖνοι τὴν σημαίαν ἐξ ὀρθίου σχήματος κατα κλιθεῖσαν ἑωρακότες ἐν συγχύσει γεγόνασι καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἐτράποντο ἀτραπόν, δι' ἧς καὶ τὰ Τρίκαλα καταλαμβάνου σιν ἤδη προκατασχεθέντα παρά τινων τῶν μετὰ τοῦ Βαϊ μούντου πρὸς τὸ Λυκοστόμιον φευγόντων. Κἀκεῖσε τέως αὐλίζονται εἴσω τούτων γεγονότες· ἐκεῖθεν δὲ καταλαμ βάνουσι τὴν Καστορίαν. 5.7.4 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ὑποστρέψας ἀπὸ Λαρίσσης καὶ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καταλαβών, ὁποῖος ἐκεῖνος περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, ταχὺ μάλα πρὸς τοὺς σὺν τῷ Βαϊμούντῳ κόμητας ἀποστείλας πολλὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἐπε ποίητο, εἰ τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον τοὺς μισθοὺς ἀπαιτήσουσιν, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς καὶ ὑπέσχετο· τοῦ δὲ μὴ ἔχοντος ἀποδοῦναι παραπείσουσι τοῦτον κατελθεῖν εἰς θάλασσαν καὶ ἀναζη τῆσαι ταῦτα ἀπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου