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the king's command. And the Scythian horsemen had suddenly charged with a barbarian war-cry against our battle line, all of whom were advancing against them on foot and at a walking pace, with only the emperor on horseback going down with them. But they, according to the artifice of the emperor Alexius, having slightly changed from knee to knee and as if retreating, were split from each other, as one would not have expected, as if opening a very wide door for the barbarians to enter. And at the same time the Scythians had come within the mouth of the phalanxes on either side, while the wheels, brought down with a certain whirring and rush, each one leaping more than a cubit from the wall, since the convexities of each wheel were repelled from the wall and as if slung out, rolled into the midst of the barbarian horsemen, having gained a more violent momentum. Partly from the sudden descent, obeying their natural weight, and partly having gained an irresistible impetus from the slope of the place, they fell violently upon the barbarians and from all sides pressed in upon them, mowing down the legs of the horses as if reaping, and cutting through both from the front and rear parts on either side, they forced the horses to crouch down on the parts where they received the blow, and to throw down the riders with them. As they fell one after another and frequently, and as the soldiers rushed against them from either side and a terrible battle pressed the Scythians from all sides, some were killed by the arrows being sent, others were struck by spears, and of the rest, the majority, pushed together by the wheels rushing violently down, were drowned in the current of the river. 7.11.5 On the next day, since he saw the remaining Scythians rushing to war again, perceiving that all those under him were emboldened, he urged them to arm themselves. And having put on his own armor and drawn up a battle formation, he went down to the sloping ground. Then indeed, having turned his phalanxes, he stood face to face with the Scythians in order to join battle with them as was possible. He himself, therefore, held the middle position of the regiments; and when a fierce battle took place, the Roman phalanxes, contrary to expectations, had the upper hand and pursued them uncontrollably. But when the emperor saw them pursuing for a considerable distance, fearing lest some men in ambush, suddenly falling upon the Romans, might cause the flight of the Scythians to turn back, and that the fugitives, joining them, might bring a great disaster upon the Roman army, making frequent cavalry maneuvers, he ordered the soldiers to pull back the reins and rest the horses. 7.11.6 Thus, at any rate, on that day the two armies separated. For the one side were fugitives, but he, the brilliant victor, returned rejoicing to his own camp. And the Scythians, having been utterly defeated, pitched their tents between Bulgarophygon and little Nicaea. And as winter had already set in, the emperor decided it was necessary to return to the capital city in order to recover both himself and the greater part of the army from their many struggles. Therefore, having divided the forces and having selected for the opposing portion as many as were the most courageous of the whole army, he appointed as their leaders both Ioannakes and Nicholas Mavrokatakalon, about whom the narrative has already often spoken, instructing them to bring sufficient soldiers into each of the small towns for their garrison, and to levy infantry from the entire country with wagons and the oxen that pull them. For wishing, when spring arrived, to engage more stoutly in the battle against the Scythians, he both prepared beforehand and arranged what was expedient. Thus, at any rate, having arranged everything, he returns to Byzantium.

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τοῦ βασιλέως παράγγελμα. Καὶ ἀθρόοι μὲν ἐπαρράξαν τες ἦσαν οἱ Σκύθαι σὺν ἀλαλαγμῷ βαρβαρικῷ ἱππόται κατὰ τῆς ἡμεδαπῆς παρατάξεως πεζῇ καὶ βάδην ἱεμένων πάντων κατ' αὐτῶν, μόνου δὲ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐπόχου συγκα τιόντος αὐτοῖς. Οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος Ἀλεξίου τέχνην ὀλίγον γόνυ γουνὸς ἀμείψαντες καὶ οἶον ἀναπο δίσαντες διεσχίσθησαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων, ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἤλπισεν, ὥσπερ θύραν τοῖς βαρβάροις πλατυτάτην εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον ἀνοίξαντες. Καὶ ἅμα οἱ μὲν Σκύθαι εἴσω τοῦ στομίου τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν φαλάγγων ἐγεγόνεισαν, οἱ δὲ τροχοὶ μετά τινος ῥοίζου καὶ καταφορᾶς ἐνεχθέντες ὑπὲρ πῆχυν ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ἕκαστος ἐφαλλόμενοι ἅτε τῶν κυρτοτήτων ἑκάστου τροχοῦ ἀποκρουσθεισῶν ἐκ τοῦ τείχους καὶ οἷον ἀποσφεν δονηθεισῶν εἰς μέσους τοὺς τῶν βαρβάρων ἱππότας ἐξεκυ λίσθησαν ῥύμην λαβόντες σφοδροτέραν. Τὸ μὲν καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀθρόας καταφορᾶς τῷ φυσικῷ πειθόμενοι βάρει, τὸ δὲ καὶ ῥοπὴν λαβόντες ἀκάθεκτον ἀπὸ τοῦ κατάντους τοῦ τόπου σφοδρῶς τε τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐνέπιπτον καὶ πανταχόθεν αὐτοὺς περιέθλιβον τὰ σκέλη τῶν ἵππων ὥσπερ θερίζοντες καὶ ἀμφότερα ἑκατέρωθεν ἀπό τε τῶν ἐμπροσθίων καὶ ὀπισ θίων μερῶν διατεμόμενοι ὀκλάσαι τοὺς ἵππους, ἐφ' ἃ μέρη τὴν πληγὴν ἐδέξαντο, κατηνάγκασαν καὶ τοὺς ἱππό τας συγκαταβαλεῖν. Ὧν ἐπαλλήλων καὶ συχνῶν πιπτόν των, ἐξ ἑκατέρου δὲ καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατ' αὐτῶν ἱεμένων καὶ δεινῆς τῆς μάχης τοῖς Σκύθαις πανταχόθεν ἐφισταμένης οἱ μὲν τοῖς πεμπομένοις ἀνῃροῦντο βέλεσιν, οἱ δὲ διὰ τῶν δοράτων ἐπλήττοντο, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ πλείους ὑπὸ τῶν τροχῶν σφοδρῶς καταφερομένων συνω θούμενοι πρὸς τὸ ῥεῦμα τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἀπεπνίγησαν. 7.11.5 Τῇ δὲ μετ' αὐτήν, ἐπεὶ πάλιν τοὺς καταλειφθέντας Σκύ θας πρὸς πόλεμον ὁρμῶντας ἑώρα, τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἅπαν τας τεθαρρηκότας κατανοήσας ὁπλίσασθαι παρεκελεύσατο. Σιδηροφορήσας δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ πολέμου σχῆμα διατυ πώσας πρὸς τὸ πρανὲς κάτεισιν. Εἶτα δὴ τὰς φάλαγγας ἐπιστρέψας κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῖς Σκύθαις ἵστατο ἐφ' ᾧ τὸν μετ' αὐτῶν ὡς ἐνὸν συνάψαι πόλεμον. Αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν τὴν μέσην τῶν ταγμάτων εἶχε χώραν· μάχης δὲ καρτερᾶς γενομένης τὴν νικῶσαν τηνικαῦτα παρ' ἐλπίδας αἱ ῥωμαϊ καὶ εἶχον φάλαγγες καὶ ἐδίωκον τούτους ἀκρατῶς. Ἐπεὶ δ' ἱκανὸν διάστημα τούτους ἑώρα διώκοντας ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, δεδιὼς μὴ λοχῶντές τινες αἰφνιδίως ἐπεισπεσόντες τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις παλίντροπον τὴν τῶν Σκυθῶν φυγὴν ἀπεργά σωνται καὶ προστεθέντες τούτοις καὶ οἱ φεύγοντες μέγα τὸ δεινὸν τῇ ῥωμαϊκῇ στρατιᾷ ἐπάξωσιν, ἱππασίας πυκ νὰς ποιούμενος ἀνασειράζειν τοὺς χαλινοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἀναψύχειν τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐκέλευεν. 7.11.6 Οὕτω γοῦν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἄμφω διαστήτην τὰ στρα τεύματα. Οἱ μὲν γὰρ φυγάδες, ὁ δὲ λαμπρὸς νικητὴς χαί ρων πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν παρεμβολὴν ἐπάνεισιν. Οἱ δὲ Σκύθαι κατὰ κράτος ἡττηθέντες μεταξὺ τοῦ Βουλγαροφύγου καὶ τῆς μικρᾶς Νικαίας τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπήγνυντο. Χειμῶνος δὲ ἤδη ἐπικαταλαβόντος δεῖν ἔγνω ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ εἰς τὴν βασι λεύουσαν ἐπανελθεῖν ἐφ' ᾧ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ τὸ πλέον τοῦ στρατοπέδου τῶν πολλῶν ἀγώνων ἐπανακτήσασθαι. ∆ιελό μενος οὖν τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ εἰς ἀντίπαλον μοῖραν ἀποκρί νας ὁπόσοι εὐψυχότεροι τοῦ παντὸς ἧσαν στρατεύματος, ἡγεμόνας τούτων τόν τε Ἰωαννάκην καὶ τὸν Μαυροκατα καλὼν Νικόλαον προὐβάλετο, περὶ ὧν πολλάκις φθάσας ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσεν, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτοῖς ἐν ἑκάστῳ μὲν τῶν πολιχνίων ἀποχρῶντας εἰσαγαγεῖν στρατιώτας εἰς τὴν αὐτῶν φρουράν, πεζοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς χώρας μετὰ ἁμαξῶν καὶ τῶν ταύτας ἑλκόντων βοῶν ἐξελάσαι. Βουλό μενος γὰρ ἔαρος ἐφισταμένου τῆς κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν καρ τερώτερον ἀνθέξεσθαι μάχης προεμελέτα τε καὶ ηὐτρέπιζε τὰ συνοίσοντα. Οὕτω γοῦν ἅπαντα διαθέμενος ἐπανέρ χεται πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον.