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how those who appeared to be Scythians deceived the real Scythians, as the preceding account has shown, and so the emperor at that time also used the Scythian equipment for the deception and trickery of our own people, so that those who encountered them first might be terrified as if they were falling in with Scythians, our own soldiers, and at the same time it would provide a strategic and gentle laughter mixed with fear; for before they could be clearly frightened, they took courage seeing the emperor behind them. Thus the emperor fearlessly terrified those he met. 8.2.4 But while for the others the fear was from their appearance, Palaiologos, surpassing all in his great experience and knowing how resourceful Alexios is in contrivances, recognized at once that this was a stratagem of Alexios, and persuaded himself to be confident and ordered the others to do so. And already the whole crowd behind had gathered, composed of his kinsmen and blood relatives. For they were hurrying, as they thought, to reach the emperor according to the arrangements made with him. For they had arranged to reach him after the Meat-fare Sunday, as was said before, on Cheese-fare week. However, they had not yet come out of the city when the emperor returned as a trophy-bearer. And meeting him at this point, they would not have been persuaded that it was the emperor himself bearing the trophy, having achieved the victory so swiftly, if they had not seen the heads of the Scythians fixed on the tips of spears, and the rest, whom the sword had not yet cut down, led as prisoners with their elbows bound, and led and dragged one after another. 8.2.5 For the swiftness of the strategy caused the astonishment; however, I learn this much about George Palaiologos (for those present with us related it), that he was indignant and blamed himself for being late for the war and for not being with the emperor who had won such glory for the unexpected victory over these barbarians. For he too very much wanted to share in such great glory. But concerning the emperor, one might then have spoken that song of Deuteronomy, both fulfilled and seen: “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight”? For at that very time, the emperor Alexios, having set himself against such a multitude of barbarians, well managed the whole burden of the war up to the victory itself. For if one were to count his companions, how many they were and of what sort, and then compare the emperor's contrivances and his resourcefulness along with his strength and courage against the entire barbarian multitude and might, one would find that he alone accomplished the deeds of victory.

8.3.1 Thus, then, at that time God gave this unexpected victory to the ruler. And seeing him enter, the Byzantines rejoiced, astonished at the speed, the daring, the dexterity of the enterprise and the immediate trophy; they sang paeans, they leaped, they praised God as a savior and benefactor for having given them such a one. But Nikephoros Melissenos, being stung by these things and not bearing it, as is human nature, said: “This victory is a joy without profit, and a sorrow without loss.” The Scythians, however, being boundless in number, scattered throughout all the western lands and plundered everything, and nothing at all of what had happened to them checked their unstoppable audacity. And in some places of the west they even held some small towns, sparing not even the towns and villages near the queen of cities, arriving even as far as the so-called Bathys Rhyax, in which is established the sanctuary in the name of the greatest among martyrs, Theodore. For many also would go there every day for the sake of prayer to the saint; but when Sunday arrived, the pious made a general procession to this holy sanctuary for all-night and all-day vigils, in a circle and around the pronaos and opisthodomos of the temple

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ὡς φαινόμενοι Σκύθαι τοὺς ὄντως Σκύθας ἐξηπατήκασιν, ὡς φθάσας ὁ λόγος ἐδήλωσε, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀπεχρήσατο τηνικαῦτα ὁ βασιλεὺς τῇ σκευῇ τῶν Σκυθῶν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἡμεδαπῶν ἐξαπάτην τε καὶ φενάκην, ἵνα οἱ προεντυγχάνοντες αὐτοῖς ὀρρωδοῖεν ὥσπερ Σκύθαις τοῖς στρατιώταις ἡμῶν ἐμπίπτοντες καὶ ἅμα παρέχοι στρατηγικόν τε καὶ ἤπιον γέλωτα φόβῳ ξυμμεμιγμένον· πρὶν ἢ γὰρ φοβηθῆναι σαφῶς, ἐθάρρουν τὸν βασιλέα κατόπιν θεώμενοι. Οὕτως ἀφόβως ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τοὺς ὑπαντῶντας ἐμορμολύττετο. 8.2.4 Ἀλλὰ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἄλλους ὁ φόβος ἦν ἐκ τῶν φαινομένων, ὁ δέ γε Παλαιο λόγος πολυπειρίᾳ τοὺς ἅπαντας ὑπερβάλλων καὶ εἰδώς, ὁποῖός ἐστιν Ἀλέξιος περὶ τὰς μηχανὰς ποριμώτατος, ἐγνώρισεν αὐτίκα ὅτι Ἀλεξίου τοῦτο μηχάνημα, καὶ ἑαυ τόν τε θαρρεῖν ἀνέπειθε καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐκέλευεν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος ἅπαν τὸ κατόπιν συνέρρωγεν ἐκ τῶν συγγενῶν καὶ τῶν καθ' αἷμα προσηκόντων ξυγκείμενον. Ἔσπευδον γάρ, ὡς ᾤοντο, φθάσαι τὸν αὐτοκράτορα κατὰ τὰ πρὸς τοῦτον συγκείμενα. Φθάσαι γὰρ τοῦτον συνέθεντο μετὰ τὴν ἀπόκρεω, καθάπερ εἴρηται πρότερον, ἐν τῇ τυροφάγῳ. Οὐ μὴν ἔφθησαν ἐκεῖνοι ἐξεληλυθότες τῆς πόλεως καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τροπαιοῦχος ἐπάνεισι. Καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο συμμίξαντες αὐτῷ, οὐκ ἂν ἐπείσθησαν ὅτι ὁ βασι λεὺς αὐτός ἐστι τροπαιοφορῶν οὕτω τὴν νίκην ὀξέως ἐξερ γασάμενος, εἰ μὴ τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐμπεπηγμένας ἑώρων ἐπ' ἄκρων δοράτων καὶ τοὺς ἐπιλοίπους, οὓς τὸ ξίφος οὔπω ἐξέτεμε, δεσμώτας ἠγμένους καὶ ἐξηγκωνι σμένους καὶ ἄλλον ἐπ' ἄλλῳ ἀγόμενον καὶ συρόμενον. 8.2.5 Τὸ γὰρ τάχος τῆς στρατηγίας τὸ θαῦμα ἐποίει· πλὴν τοσοῦ τον μανθάνω περὶ Γεωργίου τοῦ Παλαιολόγου (οἱ γὰρ συμπαρόντες ἡμῖν διηγοῦντο), ὡς ἐσχετλίαζέ τε καὶ τοῦ καθυστερῆσαι τοῦ πολέμου ἑαυτὸν ἐμέμφετο καὶ ὅτι μὴ συμπαρῆν τῷ αὐτοκράτορι κλέος τοσοῦτον ἀραμένῳ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ νίκῃ τῶν βαρβάρων τούτων. Συμμετα σχεῖν γὰρ κἀκεῖνος εὐκλείας τοσαύτης καὶ πάνυ ἐβούλετο. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐκεῖνο ἄν τις εἴποι τὸ ᾆσμα τοῦ ∆ευτερονομίου τότε καὶ τελούμενον καὶ ὁρώμενον· «Πῶς διώξεται εἶς χιλίους καὶ δύο μετακινήσουσι μυριά δας»; Μονονουχὶ γὰρ κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἀλέξιος πρὸς τοσοῦτον βαρβάρων πλῆθος ἑαυτὸν ἀντι καταστήσας τὸ βάρος ὅλον τοῦ πολέμου μέχρι καὶ τῆς νίκης αὐτῆς καλῶς διῳκονομήσατο. Εἰ γάρ τις τοὺς συνόντας λογίσαιτο ὁπόσοι τε ἦσαν καὶ ποδαποί, κᾆθ' οὕτως ἀντιπαραβάλοι τὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μηχανήματα καὶ τὸ τούτου πολύτροπον μετὰ τῆς ῥώμης καὶ τῆς τόλμης πρὸς τὸ βαρβαρικὸν ἅπαν πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ἰσχύν, μόνον ἂν ἐφεύροι τοῦτον τὰ τῆς νίκης καταπραξάμενον.

8.3.1 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τηνικαῦτα Θεὸς τὴν παράδοξον ταύ την τῷ κρατοῦντι δέδωκε νίκην. Εἰσερχόμενον δὲ αὐτὸν ὁρῶντες οἱ Βυζάντιοι ἔχαιρον ἐκπληττόμενοι τὸ τάχος, τὴν τόλμαν, τὴν περιδεξιότητα τοῦ ἐπιχειρήματος καὶ τὸ ἐξ ὑπογύου τρόπαιον, ἐπαιάνιζον, ἐσκίρτων, Θεὸν ἀνύμ νουν σωτῆρα καὶ εὐεργέτην τοιοῦτον αὐτοῖς δεδωκότα. Ὁ δὲ Μελισσηνὸς Νικηφόρος δακνόμενος ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ μὴ φέρων, ὁποῖα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, ἔφη· «Ἡ νίκη αὕτη χαρὰ μὲν ἀκερδής, λύπη δὲ ἀζήμιος». Οἱ μέντοι Σκύθαι ἀπειροπλη θεῖς ὄντες ἁπανταχοῦ τῆς ἑσπέρας διασπαρέντες ἐλῄζοντο ἅπαντα καὶ οὐδὲν τὸ παράπαν τῶν συμπεσόντων αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀκάθεκτον ἀνέκοπτε τόλμαν. Ἐνιαχοῦ δὲ τῆς ἑσπέρας καὶ πολίχνιά τινα κατεῖχον μηδὲ τῶν ἀγχοῦ τῆς βασιλίδος τῶν πόλεων κωμοπόλεων φειδόμενοι, παραγενό μενοι καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ οὕτω καλουμένου Βαθέος ῥύακος, ἐν ᾧ καὶ τὸ ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ ἐν μάρτυσι μεγίστου Θεοδώρου τέμενος ἵδρυται. Πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐφοίτων ἐντεύξεως τοῦ ἁγίου χάριν καθ' ἑκάστην· ὁπηνίκα δ' ἡ κυριακὴ παρῆν, πάνδημον οἱ εὐσεβεῖς ἐποιοῦντο τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτο τέμενος ἔλευσιν παννύχιοι καὶ πανημέριοι κύκλῳ τε καὶ κατὰ τὸν πρόδομον καὶ ὀπισθόδομον τοῦ νεὼ