Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

their own men at night, and because of the enemy, in winter, this having so happened. Therefore, as many as were lightly armed and prepared for flight, then, gathered together with the army, on foot and marching, men together with women and infants, ran beside horsemen fleeing in haste, and as many as were vigorous, as they were able, purchased their own lives with running and toil, but the rest, some out of exhaustion, gave up both their toil and their running, others, being pushed along beyond their strength, fell in the midst of the crowd, and some perished from the winter, and others were trampled. And then there was grievous suffering, with the enemy camped nearby, revealed by their blazing fires, and ready to attack if they wished, while others were endangered, some by want and lack of strength, others by the winter, others by fear, and in some cases even by being trampled by one another; and many being captured from behind in the assault. 318 These things happened, and about a hundred souls, as the report had it, happened to be in peril. But they themselves, hurrying with difficulty and in disorder, reached Pergamon that very night with the greatest toil.

21. However, because of the necessity and the evils that beset those beyond Pergamon from the Persians attacking them unchecked, there was no one among them who sat hopeful about his own affairs, but as soon as the necessity fell upon them, all thought of departure, some as far as Pergamon itself and further in, around the region of Atramyttion, others near the sea around Lampsakos; but the majority reached the opposite shore, crossing the Hellespont. Others had gone even further, because they were shaken by the greatest fears and had completely despaired of returning. And they set out beforehand, every delay being suspected of a danger greater than any security. And the worst of it was that those who occupied the livelihoods of those who departed first, turning to flight second, were no less destitute, being deprived of their own property. And the situation seemed like the 319 flow of a river, which is neither allowed to have its own place by those coming after it, and what it has occupied for the time being, it quickly leaves, being pushed out, and finally, being unstable, it is carried everywhere and remains nowhere, falling upon all and contained by none. And those possessions and houses, the works of industrious men, were counted for nothing, where indeed, despising even their own necessities and the things required for life, destitute and naked and homeless, they retreated with all speed wherever it seemed safe for each one's salvation, measuring their own affairs only by the stars. 22. Then it was decided that the Alans, having been released from their service in the campaign, since the agreed time had elapsed, should cross the strait at Kallion, although the emperor from there with great haste both sent donatives and tried to stand in the way of their crossing, so that he also sent a sufficient force along with the megas domestikos Alexios Raoul, whom, being in the prime of his life, the Despot Michael had taken as a son-in-law, the Despoina Theodora making the match exceptionally desirable, the emperor, having sent him out with a very large force, first ordered him to prevent the crossing, but 320 if he could not persuade them by speaking and by sending forth those who would refuse, then at least to take away their horses and arms as they were crossing; for it was not at all just for those who disobeyed the emperors' orders, and were unwilling to remain with the emperor, whom he had brought for this very purpose, to ride horses and use arms which he had taken from his own men and given to them, and which he himself provided, sufficiently arming them when they were naked and unarmed. So the emperor ordered this, and he who was sent for this purpose sent men to say this; but they, having once become unruly, and weaving excuses that having toiled for a long time they were not able to remain any longer, but having given themselves a moderate rest, they would turn back again, offering these defenses to those men, the strait

ἰδίους νυκτί, διὰ δὲ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς χειμῶνι, οὕτω ξυμπεσόν. ὅσοι τοιγαροῦν εὔζωνοί τε καὶ πρὸς τὸ φεύγειν προητοιμάσθησαν, τότε συνειλούμενοι τῷ στρατῷ πεζῇ καὶ βά δην, ἄνδρες συνάμα γυναιξὶ καὶ νηπίοις, παρ' ἱππεῖς ἐσπουδα σμένως φεύγοντας ἔτρεχον, καὶ ὅσον μὲν τὸ εὐτονοῦν ἦν, ὡς εἶ χον, δρόμῳ καὶ πόνῳ τὴν σφετέραν ὠνοῦντο ζωήν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ οἱ μὲν ἐξαπορούμενοι καθυφίεσαν καὶ πόνου καὶ δρόμου, οἱ δὲ παρὰ δύναμιν συνωθούμενοι ἔπιπτον ἐν τῷ μεταξύ, καὶ οἱ μὲν τῷ χειμῶνι ἐναπέψυχον, οἱ δὲ καὶ συνεπατοῦντο. καὶ ἦν τότε πόνος ἀλεγεινός, τῶν μὲν ἐχθρῶν ἐγγύθεν προσκαθημένων καὶ ἡμμέναις ταῖς παρ' αὐτοῖς πυραῖς δήλων ὄντων καὶ ἐπιδραμου μένων, εἰ θέλοιεν, ἄλλων δὲ τῶν μὲν ἀπορίᾳ καὶ ἰσχύος ἐνδείᾳ, τῶν δὲ χειμῶνι, τῶν δὲ καὶ φόβῳ, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ ταῖς παρ' ἀλ λήλων συμπατήσεσι κινδυνευόντων; πολλῶν δὲ καὶ ἐξ ἐφόδου με 318 τόπισθεν κατασχεθέντων. γέγονε ταῦτα, καὶ περί που ψυχὰς ἑκατόν, ὡς ἡ πίστις εἶχε, συνέβη κινδυνεῦσαι. αὐτοὶ δὲ μόλις καὶ ἀσυντάκτως σπεύδοντες τὴν Πέργαμον αὐτονυχεὶ ἐν πλείστῳ πόνῳ καταλαμβάνουσιν.

21. Ὑπὸ μέντοι χρείας καὶ κακῶν ὅσα τοῖς ἀνωτέρω Περ γάμου ἐφίστατο ἀνέδην ἐπιόντων σφίσι Περσῶν, οὐδεὶς ἦν ἐκεί νων ὅστις εὔελπις ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις καθῆστο, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς ἀνάγκης ἐπιπεσούσης ἀπάρσεως ἐμέμνηντο πάντες, οἱ μὲν μέχρι καὶ αὐ τῆς Περγάμου καὶ ἐνδοτέρω περί που τὴν τοῦ Ἀτραμυτίου περί χωρον, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐγγὺς θαλάσσης περὶ τὴν Λάμψακον· οἱ δὲ πλείους τὴν ἀντιπεραίαν κατελάμβανον, διαπεραιούμενοι τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον. ἄλλοι δὲ καὶ περαιτέρω προεληλύθεισαν διὰ τὸ φό βοις κατασεισθῆναι μεγίστοις καὶ τὴν ὑποστροφὴν ἀπεγνωκέναι τέλεον. καὶ προαπανίσταντο παντὸς βράδους εἰς κίνδυνον ὑπο νοουμένου μείζω πάσης ἀσφαλείας. καὶ τὸ χείριστον, ὅτι τοὺς τῶν προαπαιρόντων βίους οἱ ἐκ παρόδου καταλαμβάνοντες, δεύ τεροι τούτων εἰς φυγὴν τρεπόμενοι, οὐδὲν ἧττον καὶ ἀπόρως εἶ χον τῶν ἰδίων στερούμενοι. καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ποταμῶν ἔδοξεν 319 ῥεῦμα, ὃ οὔτε τὸν ἴδιον ἔχειν τόπον παρὰ τῶν ἐπιόντων συγχω ρεῖται, καὶ ὃ τέως κατείληφε, ταχέως ἀφίησιν ἐξωθούμενον, καὶ τέλος ἀστατοῦν καὶ πανταχοῦ φέρεται καὶ οὐδαμοῦ μεμένηκε, πᾶσιν ἐπιβάλλον καὶ οὐδέ τισι περικλειόμενον. κτήσεις δ' ἐκεῖναι καὶ οἰκίαι, ἔργα σπουδαίων ἀνδρῶν, εἰς οὐδὲν ἐλογίζοντο, ὅπου γε καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων καὶ κατὰ χρείαν ζωῆς ἀναγκαίας καὶ τούτων κατολιγωροῦντες, ἄποροι καὶ γυμνοὶ καὶ ἀνέστιοι, ὅπῃ ἑκάστῳ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἔδοξεν ἀσφαλές, ὅλῳ ποδὶ ἀνεχώρουν, μόνοις ἄστρασι τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐκμετρούμενοι. 22. Τότε καὶ Ἀλανοῖς ἀφεμένοις τῆς περὶ τὴν στρατείαν ὑπηρεσίας, τοῦ συγκειμένου διανυσθέντος καιροῦ, διαπεραιοῦ σθαι τὸν κατὰ τὴν Καλλίου πορθμὸν ἔδοξε, καίτοι βασιλέως ἐν τεῦθεν κατὰ πολλὴν σπουδὴν καὶ πέμποντος τὰ φιλοτιμήματα καὶ πειρωμένου ἐμποδὼν ταῖς διαπεραιώσεσιν ἵστασθαι, ὥστε καὶ ἱκανὸν λαὸν προσαποστείλας ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ Ῥαοὺλ Ἀλεξίῳ, ὃν ἐν ἀκμῇ ἡλικίας ὄντα ὁ δεσπότης Μιχαὴλ γαμβρὸν ἠγάγετο, τῆς δεσποίνης Θεοδώρας ζηλωτὸν ἐκτόπως ποιούσης τὸ κῆδος, τοῦτον ἐξαποστείλας ὁ βασιλεὺς σὺν δυνάμει πλείστῃ πρῶτον μὲν κωλύειν προσέταττε τὴν διαπεραίωσιν, εἰ 320 δ' οὐ πείθοι λέγων καὶ τοὺς ἀπεροῦντας προσαποστέλλων, ἀλλ' οὖν διαπεραιουμένους καὶ ἵππους ἀφαιρεῖσθαι καὶ ὅπλα· μηδὲ γὰρ δίκαιον εἶναι συνόλως πρὸς τὰς τῶν βασιλέων διαπειθοῦντας προστάξεις, καὶ μὴ θέλοντας συμπαρεῖναι βασιλεῖ, οὓς ἐπ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ προσηγάγετο, ἵππων ἐπιβαίνειν καὶ ὅπλοις χρῆσθαι οὕς τε τοὺς οἰκείους ἀφελόμενος σφίσιν ἐδίδου, καὶ ἃ παρέχων αὐτὸς γυμνοὺς καὶ ἀνόπλους ὄντας ἱκανῶς ὥπλιζεν. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς οὕτως ἐκέλευε, καὶ ὁ ἐπὶ τούτῳ σταλεὶς οὕτω τοὺς τοῦτ' ἐροῦντας ἀπέστελλεν· οἱ δὲ ἅπαξ ἀφηνιάσαντες, συμπλέ κοντες καὶ προφάσεις ὡς ἐπὶ χρόνον ταλαιπωρήσαντες οὐχ οἷοί τ' εἰσὶ παραμένειν καὶ ἔτι, ἀλλ' ἀνέσει δόντες μετρίᾳ πάλιν ἀπο στραφήσονται, ταῦτ' ἀπολογούμενοι πρὸς ἐκείνους τὸν πορθμὸν