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6.4.1 In these circumstances, a plot which was being devised against the emperor by the leading men of the senate and the chiefs of the army came to light and was at that time reported to the emperor. And the accusers came forward and convicted the conspirators of this plot. When the plot had now become manifest and a heavy penalty according to the laws was coming upon them, the emperor was not at all inclined to inflict punishment on them, but decreed only confiscation and banishment against the ringleaders and brought the prosecution of such a conspiracy to a halt at this point. But let the narrative run back again to where it flowed from. 6.4.2 When the emperor was raised to the rank of domestic by Nicephorus Botaneiates, he took a certain Manichaean named Travlos and enrolled him among his genuine servants, and having deemed him worthy of holy baptism, he joined him in marriage to one of the empress's maids. This man, then, having four sisters, when he saw them imprisoned and carried away with the rest at that time, and stripped of all their possessions, was vexed and could not bear it, but considered how he might release himself from the emperor's hand. His wife, having become aware of these things and seeing him running away, reported it to the one who at that time had been entrusted with the administration of the Manichaeans. 6.4.3 This did not escape Travlos's notice, and at that time he summoned to himself in the evening all those to whom he had managed to reveal the secret. And as many as were related to him by kinship, having gathered to him, seized Beliatoba; this is a small town situated on the ridge of the valley by this Beliatoba. Finding this uninhabited, as if considering it their own lot, they made their dwellings in it, then making daily raids from there and reaching as far as our city of Philippopolis, they would return taking much booty. 6.4.4 But Travlos, not content with these things, made treaties with the Scythians who inhabited Paristrion, winning over the leaders around Glabinitza and Dristra and the areas adjacent to them, having at the same time arranged a marriage for himself with the daughter of one of the Scythian chiefs, eager to vex the emperor with all his might through an invasion of the Scythians. But the emperor, learning these things daily, in order to provide for the future, hastened to win this man over through letters and promises, being suspicious of the evil that would be born from him. But he also sent out to him a golden bull decreeing immunity and complete freedom. But the crab did not learn to walk straight; he was the same as yesterday and the day before, winning over the Scythians and summoning more from their own lands and plundering all the neighboring areas.

6.5.1 Then the emperor, having made the matter of the Manichaeans a side-task of his journey, had them again as tributaries. But Bohemond was still spending time around Aulon; for let the narrative be brought back to him again. And having learned the things concerning Bryennius and the other counts, of whom some chose to serve the emperor, while others were scattered elsewhere, he sought out the ship that brought him and crossed over to Longibardia; and he finds his own father Robert at Salernum, as the narrative has already shown, and saying many things against the emperor, he incited him against him. When Robert saw him bearing that terrible news on his face and those many hopes which he had for him turned like a potsherd to the contrary, he stood speechless for a considerable time as if struck by a thunderbolt. Having inquired about everything and learned of the unexpected things that had befallen him, he was seized with despondency. Still, nothing ignoble even so

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6.4.1 Ἐν τούτοις ἐπιστᾶσα βουλὴ ἀνεφάνη κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μελετωμένη παρά τε τῶν τῆς συγκλήτου λογάδων καὶ τῶν τοῦ στρατοῦ κορυφαίων καὶ διεμηνύθη τηνικαῦτα τῷ αὐτοκράτορι. Καὶ οἱ κατήγοροι παρέστησαν καὶ τοὺς συνίστορας τῆς τοιαύτης βουλῆς ἐξήλεγχον. Ἐκδήλου δὲ τῆς μελέτης ἤδη γεγονυίας καὶ τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν νόμων ποινῆς κατ' αὐτῶν βαρείας ἐπερχομένης ὁ αὐτοκρά τωρ ποινὴν μὲν οὐδαμῶς αὐτοῖς ἐπενεγκεῖν προτεθύμητο, δήμευσιν δὲ μόνον καὶ περιορισμὸν κατὰ τῶν πρωταιτίων ἀπεφήνατο καὶ μέχρι τούτου τὴν τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπιβουλῆς ἐπεξέλευσιν ἔστησεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἀνατρεχέτω αὖθις ὅθεν ἀπερρύη. 6.4.2 Ὁπηνίκα ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ εἰς τὴν τοῦ δομεστικάτου ἀξίαν παρὰ Νικηφόρου τοῦ Βοτανειάτου ἀνηνέχθη, Τραυλόν τινα Μανιχαῖον προσλαβόμενος μετὰ τῶν γνησίων αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων συγκατέλεξε καὶ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος ἀξιώσας μιᾷ τῶν τῆς βασιλίδος θεραπαινίδων συνέζευξεν. Οὗτος οὖν τέσσαρας ἀδελφὰς ἔχων, ὡς ταύ τας ἐμφρούρους μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν τότε συναπαχθείσας ἐθεάσατο τά τε προσόντα ἀφαιρεθείσας ἅπαντα, ἤχθετο καὶ φέρειν οὐκ εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ διεσκοπεῖτο ὅπως ἑαυτὸν τῆς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος χειρὸς ἀπαλλάξειεν. Ἐν γνώσει δὲ τούτων ἡ αὐτοῦ ὁμευνέτις ἤδη γεγονυῖα καὶ ἀποδιδράσ κοντα τοῦτον ὁρῶσα δηλοῖ τῷ τηνικαῦτα τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῶν Μανιχαίων ἐμπεπιστευμένῳ. 6.4.3 Οὐ διέλαθε τοῦτο τὸν Τραυλὸν καὶ τηνικαῦτα ὁπόσοις φθάσας τὸ ἀπόρρητον ἀνεκάλυψε, πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑσπέρας μεταπέμπεται. Καὶ ὁπόσοι δὲ ἐκ συγγενείας ἦσαν αὐτῷ προσήκοντες, ἐς αὐτὸν συνεληλυθότες, καταλαμβάνουσι τὴν Βελιάτοβαν· πολίχνιον δὲ τοῦτο διακείμενον κατὰ τὴν ἀκρολοφίαν τοῦ κατὰ ταυ τηνὶ τὴν Βελιάτοβαν τέμπους. Ἄοικον δὲ τοῦτο ἐφευρη κότες ὥσπερ ἴδιόν τι λάχος λογισάμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ τὰς οἰκήσεις ἐποιοῦντο, εἶτα τὰς καθ' ἑκάστην ἐκεῖθεν ἐκδρο μὰς ποιούμενοι καὶ μέχρι τῆς σφετέρας φθάνοντες πόλεως Φιλίππου λείαν πολλὴν ἀναλαμβανόμενοι ἐπανέστρεφον. 6.4.4 Ὁ δὲ Τραυλὸς τούτοις μὴ ἀρκούμενος σπονδὰς μετὰ τῶν τὸ Παρίστριον νεμομένων Σκυθῶν ἐποιεῖτο τοὺς περὶ τὴν Γλαβινίτζαν καὶ ∆ρίστραν ἡγεμόνας καὶ τὰ ταύταις παρακείμενα ὑποποιούμενος, μνηστευσάμενος ἅμα ἑαυτῷ καὶ τῶν λογάδων Σκυθῶν ἑνὸς θυγατέρα, σπεύδων ὅλῃ χειρὶ λυπῆσαι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα διὰ τῆς τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐπελεύ σεως. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καθ' ἑκάστην μανθάνων τὸ μέλλον προμηθευσόμενος ἔσπευδεν ὑποποιεῖσθαι τοῦτον διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ ὑποσχέσεων ὑφορώμενος τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τεχ θησόμενον κακόν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ χρυσόβουλλον λόγον ἀπαθείας καὶ πάσης ἐλευθερίας ἐκθέμενος ἐκπέπομφε πρὸς αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' ὁ καρκίνος ὀρθὰ βαδίζειν οὐκ ἐμάνθανεν· ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ ἦν ὁ χθὲς καὶ πρότριτα τούς τε Σκύθας ὑποποιούμενος καὶ πλείονας ἐκ τῶν σφετέρων μεταπεμπόμενος χωρῶν καὶ λῃζόμενος τὰ παρακείμενα ἅπαντα.

6.5.1 Εἶτα ὁ μὲν αὐτοκράτωρ ὁδοῦ πάρεργον καὶ τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Μανιχαίους ποιησάμενος ὑποσπόνδους αὖθις εἶχεν. Ὁ δέ γε Βαϊμοῦντος κατὰ τὸν Αὐλῶνα ἔτι χρονοτριβῶν ἦν· ἐπαναγέσθω γὰρ πρὸς αὐτὸν αὖθις ὁ λόγος. Καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Βρυέννιον μεμαθηκὼς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κόμητας, ὧν οἱ μὲν θητεῦσαι τῷ αὐτοκράτορι προείλοντο, ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλοσε διεσπάρησαν, τὴν ἐνεγκαμένην ἀναζητήσας διαπερᾷ εἰς Λογγιβαρδίαν· καὶ καταλαμβάνει τὸν ἴδιον πατέρα Ῥομπέρτον εἰς τὸ Σαλερηνόν, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσε, καὶ πολλὰ κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰπὼν ἠρέθιζε κατ' αὐτοῦ. Ὃν θεασάμενος ὁ Ῥομπέρτος τὴν δεινὴν ἐκείνην ἀγγελίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ προσώπου φέροντα καὶ τὰς πολλὰς ἐκείνας ἃς ἐπ' αὐτῷ εἶχεν ἐλπίδας ὀστράκου δίκην εἰς τοὐναντίον μετα πεσούσας αὖος ἐφ' ἱκανὸν εἱστήκει ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κεραυνοῦ βληθείς. Περὶ πάντων δὲ πυθόμενος καὶ μαθὼν τὰ παρ' ἐλπίδας αὐτῷ συμπεσόντα ἀθυμίᾳ κατεσχέθη. Ἀγεννὲς μὲν οὖν οὐδ' οὕτω τι