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sufficient for one bridle they would see both armies rushing against each other, to advance together against the enemy. 7.3.8 Thus therefore, as the emperor was making preparations, the Scythians appeared from afar, coming with their wagons and women and children. And when the battle was joined, from morning until late evening a great slaughter took place, with many falling on both sides. At which time also Leo, the son of Diogenes, having charged too fiercely against the Scythians and having been drawn further than was proper towards the wagons, was struck by a mortal blow and fell. And Adrian, the brother of the ruler, who had also been entrusted at that time with the command of the Latins, seeing the irresistible charge of the Scythians, gave full rein and threw himself as far as the wagons, and then, having fought nobly, returned with only seven men, all the others having been slaughtered by the Scythians, or having been captured. And while the battle was still hanging in the balance, with both armies fighting eagerly, when some Scythian captains with thirty-six thousand appeared coming from afar, the Romans, no longer able to hold out against so many, thereupon turned their backs. 7.3.9 The emperor, however, had positioned himself in front of his own force and stood with sword in hand, while in the other of his hands, holding the omophorion of the Mother of the Word as a standard, he stood, having been left with twenty noble horsemen, I mean Nicephorus the son of Diogenes and Michael the protostrator, Doukas, and brother of the Augusta, with his paternal servants also present. But three Scythian foot soldiers, having rushed in, seized him, some from either side of the bridle, and one by the right leg. But he immediately cut off the hand of one, and raising his scimitar and shouting fiercely, made another retreat; and the one holding his leg he struck upon the helmet. But he delivered the blow of the sword more lightly, nor did he make the strike with his whole hand, fearing lest one of two things should happen to him from a more forceful blow—since swords for the most part slip—and he should either strike his own foot or the horse on which he was riding and thus become capturable by the enemy. For this reason he also swiftly delivered a second blow to him, making the movements of his hand with prudence. For in all his actions and words and movements he had reason presiding, being carried away neither by anger nor dragged down by desires. But the helmet having been knocked off by the first blow, the sword struck the Scythian's bare head; and he immediately lay speechless upon the ground. 7.3.10 The protostrator, therefore, seeing the immoderate flight of the regiments (for the phalanxes had already been broken, fleeing uncontrollably), said, "Why, O emperor, do you try to persevere here any longer? Why do you betray your life, having completely disregarded your own safety?" But he said it was better to die fighting nobly than to be saved having done something ignoble. And the protostrator said: "If you were one of the common soldiers saying these things, you would be worthy of praise; but if your death brings on a world-wide danger, why do you not choose the better course? For if you should be saved, you will fight again and be victorious." The emperor, therefore, seeing the danger already hanging over his head, with the Scythians attacking him shamelessly, and having despaired of any hopes of being saved, said, "It is now time, with God, to take thought for our own safety, but we must not go by the same route as the fugitives, so that those who are pursuing our men do not meet us on their way back, but it is necessary," pointing with his hand to the Scythians standing at the edge of the battle-line, "to charge against them as men born today and who will die today. And so, with God assisting, having gotten behind the Scythian battle-line, we shall proceed by another path." Having said these things and

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ἀποχρῶν πρὸς χαλινὸν ἕνα ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στρατευμάτων κατ' ἀλλήλων ἱεμένων θεάσοιντο, ὁμόσε κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων χωρῆσαι. 7.3.8 Οὕτω τοίνυν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἑτοιμαζομένου πόρρωθεν ἀνε φάνησαν οἱ Σκύθαι σὺν αὐταῖς ἁρμαμάξαις καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ παισὶν ἐρχόμενοι. Συρραγέντος δὲ τοῦ πολέμου ἀπὸ πρωΐας μέχρι δείλης ἑσπέρας ἀνδροκτασία γέγονε πολλὴ ἐξ ἑκατέρων τῶν μερῶν πιπτόντων συχνῶν. Ὁπηνίκα καὶ Λέων ὁ τοῦ ∆ιογένους υἱὸς σφοδρότερον κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐξιππασάμενος καὶ πλέον τοῦ δέοντος πρὸς τὰς ἁμάξας παρασυρεὶς καιρίαν πληγεὶς πέπτωκεν. Ἀδριανὸς δὲ ὁ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἀδελφός, ὁ καὶ τὴν τῶν Λατίνων ἡγεμο νίαν ἐμπεπιστευμένος τότε, τὴν τῶν Σκυθῶν ὁρμὴν ἀνύποιστον θεασάμενος ὅλους ῥυτῆρας ἐνδοὺς καὶ μέχρι τῶν ἁμαξῶν ἑαυτὸν ἐμβαλὼν ἔπειτα γενναίως ἀγωνισά μενος μετὰ ἑπτὰ καὶ μόνων ἐπανέστρεψε τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἀποσφαγέντων, τῶν δὲ κατα σχεθέντων. Τῆς δὲ μάχης ἐπὶ τρυτάνης ἱσταμένης ἔτι ἐκθύμως ἄμφω τῶν στρατευμάτων μαχομένων, ἐπεὶ λοχαγοί τινες τῶν Σκυθῶν μετὰ τριάκοντα πρὸς ταῖς ἓξ χιλιάδων πόρρωθεν ἐρχόμενοι ἀνεφάνησαν, οὐκέτι στέγειν πρὸς τοσούτους οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι ἔχοντες τὰ νῶτα τηνικαῦτα διδόασιν. 7.3.9 Ὁ μέντοι βασιλεὺς προβέβλητο τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως καὶ ξιφηφόρος εἱστήκει, τῇ ἑτέρᾳ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῆς τοῦ Λόγου μητρὸς τὸ ὠμόφορον σημαίαν κατέχων ἵστατο μεθ' ἱππέων γενναίων ἀνδρῶν εἴκοσι καταλειφθείς, Νικηφόρου φημὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ∆ιογένους καὶ Μιχαὴλ τοῦ πρωτοστράτορος τοῦ ∆ούκα καὶ ἀδελφοῦ τῆς Αὐγούστης, συμπαρόντων καὶ πατρῴων θεραπόντων. Εἰσπηδήσαντες δέ τινες πεζοὶ Σκύθαι τρεῖς οἱ μὲν αἱροῦσιν αὐτὸν ἑκατέ ρωθεν τοῦ χαλινοῦ, ὁ δ' ἀπὸ τῆς κνήμης τῆς δεξιᾶς. Ὁ δὲ τοῦ ἑνὸς τὴν χεῖρα εὐθὺς ἀποτέμνει, ἕτερον δὲ τὸν ἀκινάκην ἀνατείνας καὶ ἐμβριμησάμενος ὀπισθόρμητον ἐποί ησε· τὸν δὲ τῆς κνήμης τοῦτον κατέχοντα πλήττει κατὰ τῆς κόρυθος. Τὴν δὲ φορὰν τοῦ ξίφους ἐλαφροτέραν ἐπήνεγκεν, οὐδ' ὅλῃ χειρὶ τὴν πληγὴν ἐποίει πτοούμενος μὴ δυεῖν θάτερον αὐτῷ συμβαίη τῆς σφοδροτέρας φορᾶς τῶν ξιφῶν ὡς ἐπίπαν διολισθαινούσης καὶ ἢ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ πόδα πλήξῃ ἢ τὸν ἵππον ἐν ᾧ ἐπωχεῖτο καὶ οὕτως ἁλώ σιμος τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γένηται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ δευτέραν αὐτῷ γοργῶς ἐπάγει πληγὴν μετὰ νουνεχείας τὰς τῆς χειρὸς κινήσεις ποιούμενος. Ἐν πάσαις γὰρ ταῖς πράξεσι καὶ τοῖς λόγοις καὶ τοῖς κινήμασι τὸν λόγον εἶχεν ἐπιστα τοῦντα, οὔθ' ὑπὸ θυμοῦ ἐκφερόμενος οὔτ' ἐπιθυμίαις ὑπο συρόμενος. Τῆς κόρυθος δὲ προαναδραμούσης τῇ προτέρᾳ πληγῇ τῇ τοῦ Σκύθου κεφαλῇ ψιλῇ τὸ ξίφος προσέπαισεν· ὁ δ' εὐθὺς ἄφωνος κατὰ γῆς ἔκειτο. 7.3.10 Τὴν οὖν ἄμετρον φυγὴν τῶν ταγμάτων θεασάμενος ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ (αἱ φάλαγγες γὰρ ἤδη διεσπάσθησαν φευγόντων ἀκρατῶς), «Ἵνα τί», φησι, «βασιλεῦ, τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐνταῦθα ἐγκαρ τερεῖν πειρᾷ; Ἵνα τί τὴν ζωὴν προδίδως ἀφειδήσας παντάπασι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας»; Ὁ δὲ βέλτιον γεν ναίως μαχομένους ἀποθανεῖν ἔφη ἢ ἀγεννές τι πεποιη κότας σωθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ πρωτοστράτωρ· «Εἰ μὲν τῶν κοινῶν εἶς τις ὢν ταῦτ' ἔλεγες, ἐπαίνου ἦς ἄξιος· εἰ δὲ ὁ σὸς θάνατος κοσμικὸν ἐπάγει τὸν κίνδυνον, ἵνα τί μὴ τὸ βέλ τιον αἱρῇ; Εἰ γὰρ σωθείης, καὶ αὖθις πολεμήσων νική σεις». Τὸν οὖν κίνδυνον ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ἤδη ἱστάμενον ὁρῶν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἀναισχύντως τῶν Σκυθῶν αὐτῷ προσ βαλόντων καὶ τὰς σῳζούσας ἀπεγνωκὼς ἐλπίδας, «Καιρὸς ἤδη τῆς ἑαυτῶν σὺν Θεῷ πεφροντικέναι σωτηρίας», εἶπε «πλὴν ἀλλ' οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν τοῖς φεύγουσι πορεύεσθαι δεῖ, ὅπως μὴ οἱ τοὺς ἡμετέρους διώκοντες ἐν τῷ ἐπανέρ χεσθαι συναντῶσιν ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ χρή», ὑποδείξας τῇ χειρὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς παρατάξεως ἱσταμένους Σκύθας, «κατ' αὐτῶν ἐξιππάσασθαι ὡς σήμερον γεννηθέντας καὶ τεθνηξομένους. Καὶ οὕτως ὄπισθεν Θεοῦ ἐπαρήγοντος τῆς τῶν Σκυθῶν γεγονότες παρατάξεως ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἄτρα πον βαδιούμεθα». Ταῦτ' εἰπὼν καὶ