123

He also sent another army, which was commanded by Tagaris Manuel the grand stratopedarch, to oppose the barbarians with them. And a strong battle having taken place for a long time on both sides, many of the Roman horses were wounded, but few soldiers were wounded, and one died; but fifty of the Persians fell in the battle. But Orchanes, while the battle was being joined, drew up in line the whole army which he had, for a large part of it had previously been hidden in ambushes, so as to be visible to both Romans and barbarians, thinking that this would inspire eagerness in the latter and terror in the Romans. But when he saw that he gained nothing from his plan, for the Romans fought with no less courage and were already prevailing over the enemy, he ordered his brother Pazarloun to engage the Romans with the entire army; and he himself, descending a little from the hill, stood again with a few men, watching to see what would happen. But the emperor, when he saw the barbarians rushing into battle with their entire army, ordered all the other divisions to remain motionless, but he himself took three battalions and advanced to the battle. The grand domestic was stationed on the right wing, while his cousin John Angelos held the left 1.350, and the emperor commanded the center. And engaging the barbarians, they routed them decisively, as they were not even able to withstand the first charge, and having overcome all the difficult terrain, they pursued them up to the summit of the hill, where Orchanes was standing. In the battle one hundred and fifty Persians fell, but not a single Roman, nor was either soldier or horse wounded. The emperor then withdrew from there, not thinking it advantageous to force his way up the hill, and coming to the plain, he ordered each man to keep the position he held from the beginning. And the barbarians took their stand at the foot of the mountain, not thinking it advantageous to advance further. 7. But the emperor, seeing that the barbarians no longer intended to come to blows with them, took counsel with his officers as to what they should do. And the grand domestic came forward and gave this counsel: “Our affairs, just as we ourselves planned from the beginning, have also come to a good end. For we ourselves came and drew up for battle first, so that we might not seem to be retreating in fear of the barbarians, and the enemy did not dare to openly oppose us, clearly testifying that they did not consider themselves a match for us, and yet they did not refrain from making a test of their entire force. For if Orchanes himself had not also come to the battle, so that some hope 1.351 might still be left for us that he would be able to do something more by his presence, yet it has become clear to us from the events themselves, that there would be no advantage with him present. Since, therefore, he himself has openly avoided coming to blows with us, and in the partial engagements we have always had the advantage—for with over four hundred barbarians having fallen, only one Roman has died—what greater and more manifest proof could one seek that the barbarians are inferior to us both in spirit and in body? And one might adduce this as the greatest proof that the barbarians consider us stronger than themselves: for although the servants of the army were gathering fodder for the horses near them throughout the whole day, the barbarians did not even attempt to prevent them, even though in other respects they are more warlike and rapacious than is proper; and since the sun is now all but setting, it seems best to me that we should go to the camp and pass the night, and on the next day, at dawn, bearing arms, march in an orderly fashion to Byzantium. And if the barbarians, leaving the difficult terrain, should wish to fight it out with us on the plain, it will be in God's care to which side he grants the victory. But if, remaining on the hill, they abstain from battle—which I am more inclined to believe, considering that we intend to march through the plain—our return will be accomplished in the best possible formation, having the victory on both sides, both from what on the

123

ἔπεμπε καὶ στρατιὰν ἑτέραν, ἧς ἦρχε Τάγαρις Μανουὴλ ὁ μέγας στρατοπεδάρχης, ὡς σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀντιστησομένην τοῖς βαρβάροις. καὶ γενομένης ἐπιπολὺ μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς ἐξ ἑκατέρων τῶν μερῶν, τῶν μὲν Ῥωμαίων ἵππων ἐτρώθησαν πολλοὶ, στρατιῶται δὲ ἐγένοντο ὀλίγοι τραυματίαι, τέθνηκε δὲ εἷς· Περσῶν δὲ ἔπεσον πεντήκοντα παρὰ τὴν μάχην. Ὀρχάνης δὲ ἐν ᾧ ἡ μάχη συνεκροτεῖτο, τὴν στρατιὰν, ἣν εἶχε, πᾶσαν ἔστησεν ἐπὶ μετώπου, πρότερον γὰρ μέρος τι αὐτῆς πολὺ ἐν ταῖς ἐνέδραις κεκρυμμένον ἦν, ὡς εἶναι καταφανῆ καὶ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ βαρβάροις, οἰόμενος ἐκείνοις τε προθυμίαν καὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἔκπληξιν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐμποιήσειν. ὡς δὲ ἑώρα τῆς ἐπινοίας ἀπονάμενος οὐδὲν, οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι γὰρ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐμάχοντο εὐψύχως καὶ ἤδη περιεγίνοντο τῶν πολεμίων, Παζαρλοῦν τὸν ἀδελφὸν πανστρατιᾷ ἐκέλευσε τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις συμβαλεῖν· μικρὸν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ λόφου καταβὰς, πάλιν ἔστη μετ' ὀλίγων ὅ, τι ἂν ἀποβαίη σκοπῶν. βασιλεὺς δ' ἐπεὶ ἑώρα πανστρατιᾷ πρὸς τὴν μάχην τοὺς βαρβάρους ὡρμημένους, τὰς μὲν ἄλλας ἐκέλευε τάξεις μένειν πάσας ἀτρεμούσας, αὐτὸς δὲ τρία τέλη ἀναλαβὼν, ἐχώρει πρὸς τὴν μάχην. ἐτέτακτο δὲ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρως ὁ μέγας δομέστικος, τὸ ἀριστερὸν 1.350 δὲ εἶχεν ὁ Ἄγγελος Ἰωάννης ἐξάδελφος αὐτῷ, βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεῖχε τὸ μέσον. καὶ συμβαλόντες τοῖς βαρβάροις, ἐτρέψαντό τε κατὰ κράτος, μηδὲ ἀντισχεῖν τὴν πρώτην δυνηθέντας ὁρμὴν καὶ τὰς δυσχωρίας πάσας ὑπερβάντες, ἄχρι τῶν ἄκρων κατεδίωξαν τοῦ λόφου, ἔνθα καὶ Ὀρχάνης ἦν ἑστώς. ἔπεσον δὲ παρὰ τὴν μάχην Περσῶν μὲν πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν, Ῥωμαίων δὲ οὐδεὶς, ἀλλ' οὔτε ἐτρώθη, οὔτε στρατιώτης οὔτε ἵππος. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖθεν, τὸ βιάζεσθαι πρὸς τὸν λόφον οὐχ ἡγούμενος λυσιτελεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ πεδίον ἐλθὼν, ἐκέλευεν ἕκαστον τὴν ἣν εἶχεν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τάξιν φυλάττειν. οἱ βάρβαροί τε ἐπὶ τοὺς πρόποδας ἔστησαν τοῦ ὄρους, τὸ περαιτέρω προβαίνειν οὐχ ἡγούμενοι λυσιτελεῖν. ζʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁρῶν τοὺς βαρβάρους οὐκέτι διανοουμένους εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἰέναι, ἐβουλεύετο μετὰ τῶν ἐν τέλει ὅ, τι δέοι ποιεῖν αὐτούς. παρελθὼν δὲ ὁ μέγας δομέστικος, ἐβουλεύετο τοιάδε· «τὰ μὲν πράγματα ἡμῖν ᾗ αὐτοί τε ἐβουλευσάμεθα ἐξ ἀρχῆς, καὶ πρὸς πέρας ἐχώρησεν ἀγαθόν. παρεταξάμεθά τε γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἐλθόντες ὡς πρὸς μάχην πρῶτοι, ὡς ἂν μὴ δοκοίημεν τῷ δέει τῶν βαρβάρων ἀναχωρεῖν, οἵ τε πολέμιοι φανερῶς μὲν ἀντιτάξασθαι οὐκ ἐτόλμησαν ἡμῖν, μαρτυρήσαντες ἐναργῶς, ὡς οὐκ ἀξιομάχους ἑαυτοὺς ἐνόμισαν ἡμῖν, οὐκέτι δὲ ἀπέσχοντο τοῦ μὴ καὶ πεῖραν λαβεῖν συμπάσης τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῶν. εἰ γὰρ μὴ καὶ Ὀρχάνης αὐτὸς παρεγένετο πρὸς τὴν μάχην ὅπως τινὰ ἡμῖν ἔτι ὑπολίποιτο ἐλ 1.351 πίδα τοῦ δυνήσεσθαί τι πλέον αὐτὸς παρὼν, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν γε δῆλον ἐξ αὐτῶν κατέστη τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς οὐδὲν ἂν ἔσοιτο πλέον αὐτοῦ παρόντος. ὅτε τοίνυν τὸ μὲν εἰς χεῖρας ἡμῖν ἰέναι φανερῶς ἐξέκλινεν αὐτὸς, ἐν δὲ ταῖς κατὰ μέρος συμπλοκαῖς ἀεὶ τὸ πλέον ἔσχομεν ἡμεῖς, ὑπὲρ τετρακοσίους γὰρ πεσόντων βαρβάρων, Ῥωμαίων τέθνηκε μόνος εἷς, ποίαν ἄν τις ἀπόδειξιν ζητοίη μείζονα καὶ περιφανεστέραν τοῦ καὶ ταῖς γνώμαις τοὺς βαρβάρους καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ἡμῶν ἡσσῆσθαι; κἀκεῖνο δέ τις μέγιστον ἂν τεκμήριον τιθείη τοῦ οἴεσθαι ἡμᾶς τοὺς βαρβάρους δυνατωτέρους ἑαυτῶν· τοῦ γὰρ ὑπηρετικοῦ τῆς στρατιᾶς διὰ πάσης τῆς ἡμέρας ἐγγὺς αὐτῶν τροφὴν τοῖς ἵπποις συλλεγόντων, οὐδὲ ἐπεχείρησαν οἱ βάρβαροι κωλῦσαι, καίτοι γε τὰ ἄλλα ὄντες τοῦ δέοντος μᾶλλον φιλοπόλεμοι καὶ φιλοκερδεῖς· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὅσον οὔπω καὶ ὁ ἥλιός ἐστι πρὸς δυσμὰς, ἄριστον εἶναί μοι δοκεῖ, εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐλθόντας αὐλίσασθαι τὴν νύκτα, καὶ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἅμα πρωῒ τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντας, τεταγμένως τὴν ἐς Βυζάντιον ἰέναι. κἂν μὲν οἱ βάρβαροι τῆς δυσχωρίας ἀποστάντες ἐπὶ τοῦ πεδίου ἐθελήσωσι διαγωνίσασθαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς, θεῷ μελήσει τὴν νίκην ὁποτέροις ἂν παράσχοι. ἂν δ' ἐπὶ τοῦ λόφου μένοντες, ἀπόσχωνται τῆς μάχης, ᾧ καί μοι μᾶλλον ἔπεισι πείθεσθαι, ὡς διὰ πεδίου μέλλομεν ἰέναι ἐνθυμουμένῳ, μετὰ βελτίστου τοῦ σχήματος ἡ ἐπάνοδος κείσεται ἡμῖν, ἀμφοτέρωθεν ἔχουσι τὴν νίκην, ἔκ τε ὧν τῇ