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in conversation seemed to entrust everything concerning Tzachas to the coming Doukas. But Tzachas seemed to be saying that Homeric verse "Night is now at hand, it is good to obey the night also." But when day dawned, he promised to bring many of the necessary things. But it was all trickery and deceit, and Dalassenos did not miss the mark. For at about dawn, Tzachas, having slipped away and come down to the shore of Chios, found a fair wind and seized Smyrna, in order to gather more forces and, returning again, to seize Chios. But Dalassenos was not found to be second to the devices of Tzachas. For entering the ships that happened to be there with those under him, he seized Bolissos; and having secured the ships and prepared other siege engines, and having rested the soldiers and taken more of them along, he returned again from whence he had come. And he joined in a fierce war with the barbarians and, pulling down the walls, he conquered the city while Tzachas was still wandering about Smyrna. And from there, having found the sea smooth with small waves, he sailed straight with his whole fleet and seized Mitylene.

7.9.1 So the emperor, having settled the matters concerning Tzachas, when he had learned that the Scythians were again seizing Rusion and had pitched their camp at Polyboton, went out from Constantinople as he was and seized Rusion. The deserter Neantzes also followed him, devising some terrible and profound plot against him; Kantzous and Katranes were also present, men mindful of wars and having a fervent longing for the emperor. Seeing a considerable portion of the Scythians from afar, he prepared for battle with them. Many of the Romans, then, fell in the fighting, and some, being captured by the Scythians, were killed, and a good number were brought as far as Rusion itself. 7.9.2 But these things were concerning the Scythian foragers; but the emperor, when the Latins called Maniakates arrived, took courage and planned on the next day to undertake a pitched battle with the Scythians. And since the space between the two armies happened to be not great, he did not shrink from sounding the war-trumpet, wishing to seize the advantage of the battle. Therefore, having sent for Constantine, who was occupied with the care of the imperial falcons, he ordered him to take up a drum in the evening and beat it throughout the entire night, going around the army and proclaiming that they should prepare themselves, because at dawn tomorrow the emperor wished to join battle with the Scythians without the trumpet-call. But the Scythians, departing from Polyboton, preoccupied a place called Hades and there pitched their camp. So then the emperor made preparations from that evening; and at daybreak, having divided the army and drawn it up into phalanxes, he charged against them. 7.9.3 But before the battle was joined, while each of the squadrons was still being drawn up, Neantzes went up a nearby ridge, so that he might scout the Scythian battle-lines, as he said, and bring back a report to the emperor of their disposition, but he did quite the opposite. And in his own dialect he then advised the Scythians to set up their wagons in a line, and not to fear the emperor, since he was already routed from the previous defeat and ready for flight, having a shortage of troops and allies. Having said these things, he came down to the emperor. But a certain half-barbarian, who was skilled in the Scythian dialect, understanding what was said to the Scythians by Neantzes, reported everything to the emperor. But when Neantzes became aware of this, he sought the accuser; but the half-barbarian shamelessly came into the midst and accused him. But he, suddenly drawing his sword, cut off the man's head

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τὸν Τζαχᾶν ὁμιλίᾳ τὸ πᾶν εἰς τὸν ἐρχόμενον ∆ούκαν ἐφαίνετο ἀνατιθέμενος. Ὁ δὲ Τζαχᾶς τὸ ὁμηρικὸν ἐκεῖνο ἔπος ἐδόκει λέγειν «Νὺξ ἤδη τελέθει, ἀγαθὸν καὶ νυκτὶ πιθέσ θαι.» Αὐγαζούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας πολλὰ τῶν χρειωδῶν κομίσαι ὑπέσχετο. Ἅπαντα δὲ δόλος ἦν καὶ ἀπάτη, καὶ ὁ ∆αλασσηνὸς οὐ πόρρω σκοποῦ ἔβαλλε. Κατὰ γὰρ τὸ περίορθρον λαθὼν ὁ Τζαχᾶς καὶ περὶ τὴν ᾐόνα τῆς Χίου κατεληλυθὼς οὐρίου τυχὼν πνεύματος τὴν Σμύρνην κατέ λαβεν ἐφ' ᾧ πλείονας συναγηοχέναι δυνάμεις καὶ αὖθις ἐπαναστρέψας ἐν Χίῳ καταλαβεῖν. Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὁ ∆αλασσηνὸς δεύτερος πρὸς τὰς τοῦ Τζαχᾶ μηχανὰς ἐφαίνετο. Εἰσελ θὼν γὰρ ἐν τοῖς παρατυχοῦσι πλοίοις μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν τὴν Βολισσὸν κατέλαβε· καὶ τάς τε ναῦς περιποιησάμενος καὶ ἑλεπόλεις ἑτέρας παρασκευασάμενος τούς τε στρατιώ τας διαναπαύσας καὶ πλείονας τούτων συμπαραλαβὼν αὖθις ὅθεν ἐξῄει ἐπανέστρεψε. Καὶ καρτερὸν μετὰ τῶν βαρβάρων συνήρασσε πόλεμον καὶ καθελὼν τὰ τείχη ἐχει ρώσατο τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Τζαχᾶ τὴν Σμύρνην ἔτι περινοστοῦν τος. Κἀκεῖθεν λειοκύμονα τὴν θάλασσαν εὑρηκὼς εὐθυπλοή σας μετὰ τοῦ στόλου παντὸς κατέλαβε τὴν Μιτυλήνην.

7.9.1 Οὕτω δὲ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Τζαχᾶν διαθέ μενος, ἐπεὶ τοὺς Σκύθας αὖθις τὸ Ῥούσιον καταλαμβάνειν μεμαθήκει καὶ κατὰ τὸ Πολυβοτὸν τὸν χάρακα πήξασθαι, ἐξεληλυθὼς ὡς εἶχε τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τὸ Ῥούσιον κατέ λαβε. Συνείπετο δὲ τούτῳ καὶ ὁ αὐτόμολος Νεάντζης δει νήν τινα καὶ βύθιον μελέτην κατ' αὐτοῦ τεκταινόμενος· συμπαρῆν δὲ καὶ ὁ Καντζοὺς καὶ ὁ Κατράνης ἄνδρες πολέ μων μεμνημένοι καὶ ζέοντα πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα πόθον ἔχοντες. Ἀπόμοιραν δὲ ἱκανὴν τῶν Σκυθῶν πόρρω θεασά μενος τὴν μετ' αὐτῶν ἐναποδύεται μάχην. Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐν τῷ μάχεσθαι πίπτουσι, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ζωγρηθέντες παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν κτείνονται, ἱκανοὶ δὲ καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ Ῥουσίου κομίζονται. 7.9.2 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ τοὺς προνομεῖς τῶν Σκυθῶν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῶν καλουμένων Μανιακατῶν Λατίνων καταλαβόντων θαρσήσας ἐβουλεύετο τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν τὸν μετὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν κατασυ στάδην ἀναδέξασθαι πόλεμον. Ἐπεὶ δ' οὐ πολὺ τὸ μεταίχ μιον ἀμφοῖν τοῖν στρατευμάτοιν ἔτυχεν ὄν, τὴν ἐνυάλιον οὐκ ἀπεθάρρησεν ἠχῆσαι σάλπιγγα θέλων προαρπάσαι τὴν μάχην. Μεταπεμψάμενος οὖν τὸν περὶ τὴν τῶν βασιλικῶν ἱεράκων θεραπείαν διαπονούμενον Κωνσταντῖνον προστάτ τει τύμπανον ἑσπέρας ἀναλαβόμενον τύπτειν δι' ὅλης νυκ τὸς περινοστοῦντα τὸ στράτευμα καὶ διακηρυκεύειν ἑτοι μάζεσθαι, ὅτιπερ αὐγαζούσης τῆς αὔριον ἀπερισαλπίγκτως τὸν μετὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ βούλεται συνάψαι πόλεμον. Οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι τοῦ Πολυβοτοῦ ἀπάραντες προκα ταλαμβάνουσι τόπον καλούμενον Ἅδην κἀκεῖθι τὸν χάρακα πήγνυνται. Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐξ ἑσπέρας αὐτῆς παρεσκευάζετο· αὐγαζούσης δὲ ἡμέρας διελὼν τὸ στρά τευμα καὶ εἰς φάλαγγας καταστήσας ἵεται κατ' αὐτῶν. 7.9.3 Οὔπω δὲ τῆς συμβολῆς τοῦ πολέμου γενομένης, ἀλλ' ἑκάσ του τῶν ταγμάτων ἔτι καθισταμένου ὁ Νεάντζης κατά τινα παρακειμένην ἀκρολοφίαν ἀνελθὼν ἐφ' ᾧ κατασκοπῆσαι μὲν τὰς Σκυθικὰς παρατάξεις, ὡς ἔλεγεν, ἀγγελίαν δὲ τῷ αὐτοκράτορι τῆς αὐτῶν καταστάσεως συγκομίσαι, ἅπαν τοὐναντίον ἐποίει. Καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ τοῖς Σκύθαις τηνικαῦτα συνεβούλευε τὰς ἁμάξας μὲν στοιχηδὸν κατα στῆσαι, αὐτοὺς δὲ μὴ δεδιέναι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα τετραμ μένον τε ὄντα ἤδη ἐκ τῆς προτεραίας ἥττης καὶ πρὸς φυγὴν ἕτοιμον σπάνιν τῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ τῶν συμμά χων ἔχοντα. Ταῦτ' εἰπὼν κάτεισι πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. Μιξοβάρβαρος δέ τις εἰδήμων τῆς Σκυθικῆς διαλέκτου συνεὶς τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Σκύθας παρὰ τοῦ Νεάντζη λεχθέντα ἀπαγγέλλει πάντα τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἐν αἰσθήσει δὲ τούτου γενόμενος ὁ Νεάντζης ἀνεζήτει τὸν ἔλεγχον· ἀναισχύντως δ' ὁ μιξοβάρβαρος ἐς μέσον ἐλθὼν ἤλεγχεν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἀθρόον τὸ ξίφος σπασάμενος ἀπέκοψε τἀνθρώπου τὴν κεφαλὴν