107

having approached the emperor, they too obtain what they desired. For this emperor was truly most priestly in virtue and speech, so to speak, the high priest of all piety. For he was a most excellent teacher of our dogma and apostolic in his purpose and his speech, wishing to bring within our faith not only these nomad Scythians, but also all Persia and as many barbarians as inhabit Egypt and Libya and celebrate the rites of Mohammed.

6.14.1 But enough of these matters; but wishing to narrate an assault on the empire of the Romans more terrible and greater than the preceding one, I set my account again at the beginning; for different things surged up after others. A certain Scythian race, being plundered daily by the Sauromatians, departed from their homes and came down to the Danube. And as it was necessary for them to make a treaty with those dwelling along the Danube, and since this was agreed upon by all, they came to a conference with the leading men, both Tatos, also called Chalês, and Sesthlabos and Satzas (for it is right to remember the names of their best men, even if the body of the history is defiled by them), the first holding Dristra, and the others Vitzina and the rest. Having made a treaty with them, therefore, they thenceforth crossed the Danube without fear and plundered the adjacent country, so as even to seize some small towns. And from there, having obtained a certain truce, they plowed and sowed millet and wheat. 6.14.2 But that Manichaean Traulos with his followers and the like-minded men who had seized the small town on the ridge of Beliatoba, about whom my account has already taught more fully, having learned the news concerning the Scythians, brought to light what they had long been travailing with and having seized the rough roads and narrow passes, they summoned the Scythians, and from there they plundered the entire land of the Romans. For the race of the Manichaeans is by nature most warlike and, like dogs, always eager to glut itself on human blood. 6.14.3 Having learned this, the emperor Alexios urged the Domestikos of the West, Pacourianos, knowing him to be most capable of managing an army and forming a phalanx and contriving a battle-line in the most varied ways, to take up the forces with Branas (and this man too was most warlike) and go against them. But finding the Scythians had passed through the narrow passes and had pitched their camp on this side of Beliatoba, and seeing them to be an innumerable multitude, he immediately grew numb towards a war with them, thinking it better for the present to save his own forces without a fight than to undertake a war with the Scythians and, being defeated, to have lost many men. But to Branas, being most fond of danger and rash, these things were not pleasing. But the Domestikos, so that no suspicion of cowardice might be cast upon him for postponing the war, gave in to the impulses of Branas and having ordered all to arm themselves and having drawn up a battle formation, he advanced against the Scythians, himself commanding the center of the phalanx. But since the Roman army did not amount to even a fraction of the multitude of the enemy arrayed against them, they all became terrified at the mere sight. But attacking the Scythians nonetheless, many were killed in the fighting, and Branas fell, struck by a mortal blow. And the Domestikos, fighting furiously and making violent cavalry charges against the enemy, struck an oak tree and was deprived of his life on the spot. The rest of the army was scattered, one here, another there. 6.14.4 Therefore, when the emperor learned these things, he mourned all the fallen, both individually and each one and all together; but at the death of the Domestikos, groaning greatly, he let flow streams of tears. For he loved him exceedingly

107

αὐτοκράτορος προσεληλυθότες καὶ αὐτοὶ τῶν ἱμειρομένων ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν. Ἦν γὰρ ὁ βασι λεὺς οὗτος ἄντικρυς ἱερατικώτατος καὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὸν λόγον, ὡς εἰπεῖν, εὐσεβείας ἁπάσης ἀρχιερεύς. ∆ιδασ καλικώτατός τε γὰρ ἦν τοῦ ἡμετέρου δόγματος καὶ ἀποστολικὸς τὴν προαίρεσιν καὶ τὸν λόγον καὶ εἴσω τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος οὐ μόνον τοὺς νομάδας τουτουσὶ Σκύθας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν Περσίδα πᾶσαν καὶ ὁπόσοι τὴν Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὴν Λιβύην νέμονται βάρ βαροι καὶ ταῖς τοῦ Μωάμεθ τελεταῖς ὀργιάζουσιν.

6.14.1 Ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἅλις· βουλομένη δὲ δεινο τέραν καὶ μείζονα τῆς προλαβούσης κατὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς ἔφοδον διηγήσασθαι εἰς ἀρχὴν αὖθις καθιστῶ τὸν λόγον· ἄλλα γὰρ ἐπ' ἄλλοις διεκυμάνθησαν. Γένος τι Σκυθικὸν παρὰ τῶν Σαυροματῶν καθ' ἑκάστην σκυλευόμενοι ἀπάραντες τῶν οἴκοι κατῆλθον πρὸς τὸν ∆άνουβιν. Ὡς δὲ πρὸς ἀνάγκης ἦν αὐτοῖς μετὰ τῶν κατὰ τὸν ∆άνουβιν οἰκούντων σπείσασθαι, τούτου συνδόξαντος πᾶσιν εἰς ὁμιλίαν ἦλθον μετὰ τῶν ἐκκρίτων, τοῦ τε Τατοῦ τοῦ καὶ Χαλῆ ὀνομαζομένου καὶ τοῦ Σεσθλάβου καὶ τοῦ Σατζᾶ (χρὴ γὰρ καὶ τῆς ἐπωνυμίας μεμνῆσθαι τῶν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν, εἰ καὶ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ἱστορίας τούτοις καταμιαίνεται), τοῦ μὲν τὴν ∆ρίστραν κατέχοντος, τῶν δὲ τὴν Βιτζίναν καὶ τἆλλα. Σπεισάμενοι γοῦν μετ' αὐτῶν ἀδεῶς τοῦ λοιποῦ διαπερῶντες τὸν ∆άνουβιν ἐλῄ ζοντο τὴν παρακειμένην χώραν, ὡς καὶ πολίχνιά τινα κατασχεῖν. Κἀντεῦθεν ἐκεχειρίαν τινὰ σχόντες ἀροτριῶντες ἔσπερον κέγχρους τε καὶ πυρούς. 6.14.2 Ὁ δὲ Τραυλὸς ἐκεῖνος Μανιχαῖος μετὰ τῶν συνεφεπομένων αὐτῷ καὶ οἱ τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἀκρολοφίαν τῆς Βελιατόβης πολίχνιον κατασχόντες ὁμόφρονες, περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος φθάσας πλα τύτερον ἐδίδαξε, τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Σκύθας μεμαθηκότες ὃ πάλαι ὤδινον εἰς φῶς ἐξήγαγον καὶ κατασχόντες τὰς τραχείας ὁδοὺς καὶ στενωποὺς μετεκαλοῦντο τοὺς Σκύθας, κἀντεῦθεν τὴν ἅπασαν Ῥωμαίων ἐλῄζοντο χώραν. Γένος γὰρ οἱ Μανιχαῖοι φύσει μαχιμώτατον καὶ αἵμασιν ἀνθρώ πων λαφύσσειν καθαπερεὶ κύνες ἀεὶ ἱμειρόμενον. 6.14.3 Ταῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος μεμαθηκὼς παρακελεύεται τῷ δομεστίκῳ τῆς ἑσπέρας Πακουριανῷ γινώσκων αὐτὸν ἱκανώτατον οἰκονομῆσαι στράτευμα καὶ κατὰ φάλαγγα στῆναι καὶ παράταξιν διαμηχανήσασθαι ποικιλώτατα σὺν αὐτῷ τῷ Βρανᾷ (ἀνὴρ δὲ καὶ οὗτος μαχιμώματος) τὰς δυνάμεις ἀναλαβόμενον κατ' αὐτῶν ἀπελθεῖν. Καταλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς Σκύθας διελθόντας τοὺς στενωποὺς καὶ τῆς Βελιατόβης ἔνθεν τὸν χάρακα πηξαμένους, πλῆθος ἀναρί θμητον τούτους θεασάμενος, πρὸς τὸν μετ' αὐτῶν εὐθὺς ἀπενάρκησε πόλεμον βέλτιον νομίζων τὰς ἰδίας τὸ παρὸν ἀμαχητὶ διασῶσαι δυνάμεις ἢ τὸν μετὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἀναδησάμενον πόλεμον καὶ ἡττηθέντα πολλοὺς ἀπολω λεκέναι. Ἀλλὰ τῷ Βρανᾷ φιλοκινδυνοτάτῳ τε καὶ θρασεῖ ὄντι ταῦτ' οὐκ ἤρεσκεν. Ὁ δέ γε δομέστικος, ἵνα μὴ δειλίας ὑποψία τις κατ' αὐτοῦ ἀναβαλλομένου τὸν πόλεμον δοθῇ, ἐνεδίδου ταῖς ὁρμαῖς τοῦ Βρανᾶ καὶ θωρήξασθαί τε ἅπασι κελεύσας καὶ πολέμου σχῆμα διατυπώσας κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐχώρησε τὸ μεσαίτατον αὐτὸς διέπων τῆς φάλαγ γος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐδὲ τὸ πολλοστὸν τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἀντι τεταγμένων τὸ ῥωμαϊκὸν ἔσῳζε στράτευμα, ἐκ μόνης ὄψεως περιδεεῖς ἐγεγόνεισαν ἅπαντες. Προσβαλόντες δ' ὅμως τοῖς Σκύθαις ἀναιροῦνται μὲν πολλοὶ ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι, πίπτει δὲ καιρίαν πληγεὶς ὁ Βρανᾶς. Ὁ δέ γε δομέστικος ἐκθύμως μαχόμενος καὶ σφοδρὰς τὰς κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἱππασίας ποιούμενος φηγῷ προσκεκρουκὼς ἀφῄρηται παρα χρῆμα τὴν ψυχήν. Τὸ δὲ ἐπίλοιπον τοῦ στρατοῦ ἄλλος ἀλλαχοῦ διεσπάρησαν. 6.14.4 Ταῦτ' οὖν μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτο κράτωρ ἐπένθει μὲν τοὺς πεπτωκότας ἅπαντας ἰδίᾳ καὶ καθ' ἕκαστον καὶ ὁμοῦ· ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ τοῦ δομεστίκου θανάτῳ μάλα στενάζων κρουνοὺς ἠφίει δακρύων. Ἐφίλει γὰρ ἐξόχως