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having urged on the others, he himself was the first to rush like fire against the Scythians and strikes the one he met; and he was immediately thrown from his seat. And thus, with the Scythian shield-wall broken, with those around him he took up the position behind the Scythians. 7.3.11 So much for the emperor; but as for the protostrator, it happened that he was thrown when his horse slipped; and one of his attendants immediately gives him his own horse. Having caught up with the emperor, he is no longer separated from him, not even a foot's pace, desiring him exceedingly. And there being much confusion with some fleeing and others pursuing, other Scythians again catch up with the emperor. And he, immediately turning, strikes the pursuer, and not only him, but he also killed others, as those present at the time insisted. And a certain Scythian, having caught up with Nikephoros Diogenes from behind, was about to strike him, whom the emperor, seeing, called out to Diogenes, "Look behind you too, Nikephoros." And he, turning swiftly, strikes him in the face. And as we heard the emperor recounting in later times, he had never seen such speed or dexterity in a man. And how, he says, "If I had not been holding the standard on that day, I would have struck and killed more Scythians than the hairs on my own head," not boasting. For who has driven so far to the extremity of humility? But the account and the nature of the events forced him sometimes to relate the things concerning himself to us his intimates around him, and this after much urging from us; but to outsiders, no one at all heard the emperor recount anything boastful. 7.3.12 But with a strong wind blowing and the Patzinaks attacking, he could no longer hold the standard firmly. And when a certain Scythian, wielding a long spear with both hands, struck him on the buttock, he did not pierce the skin at all, but inflicted an incurable pain, which remained with him for many years. For this reason, being so hard pressed, he furled the standard and deposits it in one of the dwarf oaks, so that it could no longer be seen by anyone; and he himself escaped through the night to Goloë. And after some days, having reached Beroë, he waited, wishing to ransom the captives.

7.4.1 But Palaiologos, while fleeing as the regiments were defeated on that day, being thrown from his horse, lost it. And being at a loss and seeing the danger standing over his head, having looked around to see if he might spot it anywhere, he sees Leo, the prelate of Chalcedon, about whom we have spoken above, dressed in his priestly vestments, giving a horse to him, on which mounting he took to flight; but that venerable man he never saw again. For this man was bold in spirit and showed the true character of a high priest, though of a simpler mind and sometimes displaying zeal not according to knowledge, nor did he have precise knowledge of the sacred canons. Therefore the sorrowful things mentioned above had befallen him and he was deposed from his throne. But Palaiologos always clung to the man and honored him exceedingly on account of his surpassing virtue. Whether, then, on account of his most fervent faith in this man Palaiologos chanced upon a divine epiphany, or whether the apparition concerning this high priest was some other secret of Providence, I cannot say. 7.4.2 And being pursued by the Patzinaks, entering a marshy and overgrown place, he comes upon soldiers to the number of one hundred and fifty. And with the Scythians surrounding them, since they saw that their situation was desperate as they were not strong enough to hold out against so many, they depended on the counsel of Palaiologos, having long known his nobility and unshakable judgment. But he advised them to charge against the Scythians of their own

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τοὺς ἄλλους ἐποτρύνας πρῶτος αὐτὸς ὡς πῦρ κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἵεται καὶ τὸν συναντήσαντα παίει· ὁ δ' εὐθὺς ἐξεκυλίσθη τῆς ἕδρας. Καὶ οὕτω τοῦ Σκυθικοῦ συνασπισμοῦ διασχισθέντος μετὰ τῶν ἀμφ' αὐτὸν τὴν ὄπισθεν τῶν Σκυθῶν κατέλαβε χώραν. 7.3.11 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ὁ βασιλεύς· τὸν δὲ πρωτοστράτορα ὀλισθήσαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ ἵππου κατενεχθῆναι συμβέβηκεν· εἶς δέ τις τῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπόντων παραχρῆμα τὸν ἴδιον αὐτῷ δίδωσιν ἵππον. Ἐφθακὼς δὲ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα οὐκέτι αὐτοῦ χωρίζεται οὐδὲ βῆμα ποδὸς ἐξόχως τοῦτον ποθῶν. Συγχύσεως δὲ πολλῆς οὔσης τῶν μὲν φευγόντων, τῶν δὲ διωκόντων φθάνουσιν αὖθις ἕτεροι Σκύθαι τὸν βασιλέα. Καὶ ὃς παραχρῆμα ἐπιστραφεὶς πλήττει τὸν διώκοντα, οὐκ αὐτὸν δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλους, ὡς οἱ τότε συμπα ρόντες διενίσταντο, ἀνεῖλεν. Εἷς δέ τις Σκύθης Νικηφό ρον τὸν ∆ιογένην ἐξ ὀπισθίων φθάσας πλήττειν ἔμελλεν, ὃν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ θεασάμενος πρὸς τὸν ∆ιογένην ἐφώνει «Ὅρα καὶ ὄπισθεν, Νικηφόρε». Ὁ δὲ γοργῶς ἐπιστραφεὶς πλήττει αὐτὸν κατὰ τῆς ὄψεως. Καὶ ὡς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν ὑστέροις χρόνοις διηγουμένου ἠκηκόειμεν, οὐδέποτε τάχος τοιοῦτον ἢ περιδεξιότητα ἀνδρὸς ἐθεάσατο. Καὶ ὡς, «Εἰ μή» φησιν «ἐγὼ τὴν σημαίαν κατεῖχον κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, ὑπὲρ τὰς ἰδίας τρίχας πλήξας ἂν Σκύθας ἀνεῖ λον» οὐ περιαυτολογῶν. Τίς γὰρ τοσοῦτον εἰς ἔσχατον ταπεινότητος ἤλασεν; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁ λόγος καὶ τῶν πραγ μάτων ἡ φύσις αὐτὸν ἠνάγκαζε καὶ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν πρὸς ἡμᾶς κυκλόθεν τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτῷ ἐνίοτε ἐκλαλεῖν καὶ ταῦτα παρ' ἡμῶν πολλὰ βιαζόμενον· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἔξωθεν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἁπάντων ἤκουσεν ὑπέρκομπόν τι τὸν αὐτοκρά τορα διηγούμενον. 7.3.12 Ἀνέμου δὲ σφοδροῦ πνεύσαντος καὶ τῶν Πατζινάκων προσβαλλόντων οὐκέτι εὐτόνως εἶχε τὴν σημαίαν κατέχειν. Ἐπεὶ δέ τις Σκύθης μεταχειρι σάσμενος δόρυ μακρὸν δι' ἀμφοτέρων τῶν χειρῶν ἔπληξεν αὐτὸν κατὰ τοῦ γλουτοῦ, διέτρησε μὲν τὸν χρῶτα οὐδαμῶς, ὀδύνην δὲ ἐνεποίησεν ἀνήκεστον, ἥτις καὶ ἐπὶ πολλοῖς διέμεινεν αὐτῷ ἔτεσι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον βιασθεὶς τὴν σημαίαν περιστείλας ἔν τινι τῶν χαμαιδρύων κατατί θησιν, ὡς μηκέτι ὁρᾶσθαι παρά του· αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τῆς νυκτὸς διεσώθη εἰς Γολόην. Καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας καταλαβὼν τὴν Βερόην διεκαρτέρει πρίασθαι τοὺς δορυαλώτους ἐθέλων.

7.4.1 Ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος ἐν τῷ φεύγειν τῶν ταγμάτων ἡττηθέντων κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην κατενεχθεὶς τοῦ ἵππου ἀπώλεσε τοῦτον. Ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ δὲ ὢν καὶ τὸν κίνδυ νον ἱστάμενον ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς ὁρῶν περιαθρήσας εἴ που γένοιτό οἱ τοῦτον θεάσασθαι, ὁρᾷ τὸν τῆς Χαλκηδόνος πρόεδρον Λέοντα, περὶ οὗ ἄνωθεν ἐμνήσθημεν, τὴν ἱερα τικὴν στολὴν ἠμφιεσμένον ἵππον ἐπιδιδόντα αὐτῷ, ἐν ᾧ ἐπιβὰς εἴχετο τῆς φυγῆς· τὸν δὲ ἱεροπρεπῆ ἐκεῖνον ἄνδρα οὐκέτι τεθέαται. Ἦν δ' ἄρα οὗτος παρρησιαστικὸς τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ἀληθῆ χαρακτῆρα ἐμφαίνων ἀρχιερέως, φρονή ματος μέντοι ἁπλουστέρου καὶ τὸν ζῆλον ἔστιν οὗ οὐ κατ' ἐπίγνωσιν ἐνδεικνύμενος καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἱερῶν κανόνων ἀκριβῆ γνῶσιν εἶχε. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἅπερ ἄνωθεν εἴρηται συνε πεπτώκει αὐτῷ λυπηρὰ καὶ τοῦ θρόνου ἐξέπεσεν. Ἐξεί χετο δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὁ Παλαιολόγος ἀεὶ καὶ διαφερόντως ἐτίμα διὰ τὸ περιὸν αὐτῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς. Εἴτε οὖν διὰ τὴν θερμοτάτην πίστιν τὴν εἰς τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ὁ Παλαιολό γος θείας ἔτυχεν ἐπιφανείας, εἴτ' ἄλλο τι ἦν τῆς προνοίας ἀπόρρητον κατὰ τουτονὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα τὸ φαινόμενον, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν. 7.4.2 ∆ιωκόμενος δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν Πατζινάκων εἰς ἑλώδη τόπον καὶ συνηρεφῆ εἰσελθὼν περιτυγχάνει στρα τιώταις τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἑκατὸν πρὸς τοῖς πεντήκοντα. Περι κυκλούντων δὲ αὐτοὺς τῶν Σκυθῶν, ὡς ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἑώρων πρὸς τοσούτους ἀντέχειν μὴ ἐξισχύον τες, τῆς τοῦ Παλαιολόγου ἐξήρτηντο γνώμης πάλαι τού του τὸ γενναῖον καὶ ἀκατάσειστον τῆς γνώμης γινώσκοντες. Αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ὁρμῆσαι συνεβούλευε τῆς κατ' αὐτοὺς