103

6.11.1 And Poursuch, a fearsome man with a force, as was expected, having arrived, was besieging Nicaea, just as the one who had approached Taticius at night was then saying, and besieging it for three months, he did not give up. Seeing their situation in very dire straits, those inside and Apelchasem himself, and being unable to hold out any longer against Poursuch, sending to the emperor, they asked to receive his help, saying they considered it better to be called his servants than to surrender to Poursuch. And he, at once dividing the elite from those at hand, and giving them banners and silver-studded scepters, sends them out as an aid. 6.11.2 For he was not sending an army to help Apelchasem outright, but this assistance, according to the mind of the emperor, turned out to be for the overthrow of Apelchasem. For with two enemies of the Roman dominion fighting one another, it was necessary to side with the weaker, not so that he might become stronger, but so that he might repel the one, and then take the city from the other and make his own what was previously not under his domain, and little by little, taking another and yet another from this base, he might make the Roman empire wider, which had become very narrow, and more so since the Turkish spear had become more powerful. 6.11.3 For there was a time when the boundaries of the Roman dominion were both Pillars, marking the east and the west, from the west, those called the Pillars of Heracles, and from the dawn, those standing somewhere near the Indian border, the Pillars of Dionysus. For in breadth, it is not possible to say how great was the power of the Roman kingdom: Egypt and Meroe and all of Troglodytica and the regions near the torrid zone, and on the other side the much-fabled Thule and all the nations the Northern clime nourishes, over whose head stands the North pole. But at that time, from the east the neighboring Bosphorus was the boundary of the Roman scepters, and from the west, the city of Adrianople was established. But the emperor Alexios, striking as if with both hands the barbarians attacking from either side, and as if being hemmed in from the center of Byzantium, was widening the circle of his empire, and from the west he set the Adriatic sea as a boundary, and from the east the Euphrates and Tigris. And he would have renewed the empire to its former prosperity, had not the successive struggles and the frequent labors and dangers (for the emperor was both greatly endangered and frequently endangered) dissuaded him from his impulse. 6.11.4 But as I was saying from the beginning, in sending an army to the tyrant of Nicaea, Apelchasem, he had the intention not of rescuing him from danger, but of securing the victory for himself; however, fortune did not favor him in this. For this is how things turned out for them. For those sent out seized the little town called that of lord George; and the Turks at once opened the gates to them. And they, having gone up above the eastern gate near the battlements of the wall, set up the banners and scepters troop by troop, shouting war-cries and continuously sounding the war-song. At which, those outside, terrified, departed from there during the night, thinking that the emperor himself had arrived; and the Roman forces returned again to the ruling city. For they were not a force sufficient to fight a Persian assault expected to come again from the depths of the Turkish dominion.

6.12.1 And the sultan, awaiting the return of Siaous, since he saw him delaying, and had learned what had happened to him, how he had driven Charatikes from Sinope with skill, how he had received holy baptism and had been sent by the emperor to the west with the ducal authority of Anchialus

103

6.11.1 Ὁ δὲ Προσοὺχ δεινὸς μετὰ δυνάμεως, ὡς ἠλπίζετο, καταλαβὼν ἐπολιόρκει τὴν Νίκαιαν, καθὼς ὁ τῷ Τατικίῳ νυκτὸς προσεληλυθὼς τότε ἔλεγε, καὶ ἐπὶ τρισὶ μησὶ πολιορκῶν ταύτην οὐκ ἐνεδίδου. Ἐν στενῷ δὲ κομιδῇ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς οἱ ἐντὸς καὶ αὐτὸς δὴ ὁ Ἀπελχασὴμ ἑωρακό τες καὶ μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον ἀντέχειν πρὸς τὸν Προσοὺχ δυνά μενοι διαπεμψάμενοι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ᾐτοῦντο τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ βοηθείας τυχεῖν κρεῖττον λέγοντες ἡγεῖσθαι δούλους αὐτοῦ ὀνομάζεσθαι ἢ τῷ Προσοὺχ δοῦναι χεῖρας. Ὁ δὲ παραχρῆμα τοὺς τῶν παρατυχόντων ἐκκρίτους διελὼν σημαίας τε καὶ σκῆπτρα ἀργυρόηλα ἐπιδοὺς εἰς ἀρωγὴν τούτους ἐκπέμπει. 6.11.2 Οὐ γὰρ ἄντικρυς βοηθῶν τῷ Ἀπελ χασὴμ στρατιὰν ἔπεμπεν, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῆς βοηθείας ἐντεῦθεν κατὰ τὸν νοῦν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος εἰς κατάλυσιν τοῦ Ἀπελ χασὴμ περιΐστατο. ∆ύο γὰρ πρὸς ἀλλήλους μαχομένων ἐχθρῶν τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἔδει τῷ ἀσθενεστέρῳ συνθέσθαι, οὐχ ἵν' ἐπικρατέστερος γένηται, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸν μὲν ἀποκρούσηται, ἀφ' οὗ δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐξέληται καὶ τὴν τέως μὴ οὖσαν ὑπὸ τὸν κύκλον αὐτοῦ ἰδίαν ποιήσηται, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐκ ταύτης ἑτέραν καὶ μάλα ἄλλην ἑλόμενος τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν πλατυτέραν ποιήσηται εἰς στενὸν κομιδῆ καταστᾶσαν καὶ μᾶλλον, ἐξ ὅτου τὸ τῶν Τούρκων δόρυ ἐπικρατέστερον γέγονεν. 6.11.3 Ἦν μὲν γὰρ ὅτε οἱ ὅροι τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας αἱ ἀμφότεραι στῆλαι ἦσαν ἀνατολὴν καὶ δύσιν περιορίζουσαι, ἐξ ἑσπέρας μὲν αἱ τοῦ Ἡρακλέους ὀνομαζόμεναι, ἐξ ἕω δὲ αἱ ἀγχοῦ που ἱστάμεναι τοῦ Ἰνδικοῦ πέρατος αἱ τοῦ ∆ιονύσου. Κατὰ γὰρ πλάτος οὐκ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὅσον ἦν τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασι λείας τὸ κράτος Αἴγυπτος καὶ Μερόη καὶ Τρωγλοδυτικὴ πᾶσα καὶ τὰ ἐγγύθεν τῆς διακεκαυμένης καὶ τὰ ἐξ ἑτέρου μέρους ἡ περιθρύλλητος Θούλη καὶ ὅσα ἔθνη βόσκει τὸ κλίμα τὸ Βόρειον, οἷς κατὰ κορυφὴν ὁ Βόρειος ἵσταται πόλος. Ἀλλ' ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ γε τοῦ καιροῦ ἐκ μὲν ἀνατολῆς ὁ γείτων Βόσπορος ὅριον τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν σκήπτρων, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἑσπέρας ἡ Ἀδριανοῦ καθίστατο πόλις. Ἀλλ' ὅ γε βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος ἀμφοτέραις ὥσπερ παίων χερσὶ τοὺς ἑκατέ ρωθεν ἐπιτιθεμένους βαρβάρους καὶ καθάπερ ἀπὸ κέντρου τῆς Βυζαντίδος περιορχούμενος ηὐρύνετο τὸν κύκλον τῆς βασιλείας καὶ ἐκ μὲν ἑσπέρας τὸν Ἀδρίαντος πόντον ἔθετο ὅριον, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἀνατολῆς Εὐφράτην καὶ Τίγρητα. Καὶ ἂν εἰς τὴν προτέραν εὐδαιμονίαν τὴν βασιλείαν ἀνενεώσατο, εἰ μή γε οἱ ἐπάλληλοι ἀγῶνες καὶ οἱ πυκνοὶ πόνοι καὶ κίν δυνοι (ἦν γὰρ καὶ ἀμφότερα ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ μεγαλοκίνδυνός τε καὶ πυκνοκίνδυνος) τοῦτον ἀπέστησαν τοῦ ὁρμήματος. 6.11.4 Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἔλεγον, ὅτι στρατιὰν ἀποστέλλων τῷ τῆς Νικαίας τυράννῳ Ἀπελχασὴμ γνώμης εἶχεν οὐχ ἵν' ἐκεῖνον ἐξέληται τοῦ κινδύνου, ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν ἑαυτῷ τὴν νίκην περιποιήσηται· οὐ μὴν ἡ τύχη τούτῳ συνέπνευσεν. Ἔσχε γὰρ οὕτως τὰ κατ' αὐτούς. Οἱ γὰρ ἀποσταλέντες τὸ τοῦ κυρίου Γεωργίου ὀνομαζόμενον κατέλαβον πολίχνιον· οἱ δὲ Τοῦρκοι παραχρῆμα τὰς πύλας αὐτοῖς ἀνεπέτασαν. Οἱ δὲ ἄνωθεν τῆς ἀνατολικῆς πόρτης περὶ τὰ κρήδεμνα τοῦ τείχους ἀνελθόντες τὰς σημαίας καὶ τὰ σκῆπτρα ἰλα δὸν κατέστησαν ἀλαλάζοντες ἅμα καὶ τὸ ἐνυάλιον συνεχῶς ἐνηχοῦντες. Ὑφ' ὧν οἱ μὲν ἔξωθεν ἐκδειματωθέντες διὰ νυκτὸς ἐκεῖθεν ᾤχοντο αὐτὸν ἐληλυθέναι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα νομίσαντες· αἱ δὲ ῥωμαϊκαὶ δυνάμεις αὖθις πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ὑπέστρεψαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν ἀξιόμαχον πλῆθος πρὸς ἔφοδον Περσικὴν ἐλπιζομένην ἐκ τοῦ βάθους τῆς Τουρκικῆς ἐξουσίας αὖθις ἐλεύσεσθαι.

6.12.1 Τὴν δὲ τοῦ Σιαοὺς ὑποστροφὴν ὁ σουλτὰν ἀπεκ δεχόμενος, ἐπεὶ ἑώρα τοῦτον ἐμβραδύνοντα, μεμαθήκοι δὲ καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτόν, ὡς τὸν Χαρατικῆν μετὰ τρόπου τῆς Σινώπης ἀπήλασεν, ὡς τετυχήκει τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀπεστάλη τὴν δουκικὴν ἐξουσίαν Ἀγχιάλου