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returns to Aenus with sufficient peltasts in order to check the attacks of the Scythians coming against us from there.

8.4.1 But those who were at the entrenchment made at Choereni, having learned of the arrival of countless Scythian armies, report about these things to the emperor while he was still staying near Aenus. But he immediately, embarking on a bireme and sailing along the river, having passed through its mouth, was united with the whole army. And seeing his own forces not amounting to even the smallest fraction of the Scythian army, he was in helplessness and fear, having no one to help him, humanly speaking. Nevertheless, he did not give up nor did he grow soft, but he had many surging thoughts within himself. 8.4.2 So after the fourth day, from the other side he sees from afar a Coman army of about forty thousand already arriving. And considering lest they too, having joined the Scythians, should make a terrible war against him (and nothing else was to be expected from this but utter destruction), he reckoned it necessary to win them over; for he had already sent for them. Of the Coman army there were many other leaders, but the foremost of all were Togortak, Maniak and other most warlike men. Seeing the multitude of the Comans already arriving, he was afraid, knowing from of old the fickle nature of their disposition, lest his allies, becoming foes and enemies, might cause him the greatest harm. 8.4.3 But reckoning it safer to depart from there with all the heavy-armed troops to cross the river again, he reckoned it necessary first to summon the leaders of the Comans. And they immediately came to the emperor, including Maniak himself, even if later than the others, having put it off at first. He therefore ordered the cooks to set a lavish table before them. After they had feasted well, therefore, he treated them kindly and deemed them worthy of all kinds of gifts, and he asked for an oath and hostages from them, suspecting the easily deceived nature of their disposition. And they readily fulfilled what was commanded, giving their pledges, and asking to be allowed to join the war with the Patzinaks for three days; and they promised that if God should give them the victory, having divided all the booty that fell to them in two, they would set aside one part for the emperor. But he had given them permission not for three days only, but for ten whole days to pursue the Scythians as they wished, and he granted them all the booty to be taken from there, if indeed God in the meantime granted them the victory. 8.4.4 So for the time being the Scythian and Coman armies remained in the same place, with the Comans testing the Scythian army by skirmishes. But before three days had passed, the emperor, sending for Antiochus (this man was one of the nobles and distinguished from the many by the activity of his mind), instructs him to construct a bridge. And when a bridge was constructed more quickly by boats yoked together with very long timbers, sending for both the protostrator Michael Doukas, his brother-in-law, and his own brother Adrianos, the megas domestikos, he urged them to stand by the bank of the river and not to allow foot soldiers and cavalry to cross mixed together, but for the foot soldiers to be separated from the horsemen first, and the wagons with the baggage and the pack-mules. When the foot soldiers had crossed, therefore, fearing the forces of the Scythians and Comans and suspecting their secret attacks, faster than words can tell, having made a trench, he led them all inside it, then he also urged the horsemen to cross. And he himself, standing by the bank of the river, watched them crossing. 8.4.5 But Melissenos, according to which, having arrived, he had received

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ἱκανῶν πελταστῶν πρὸς τὴν Αἶνον ἐπάνεισιν ἐφ' ᾧ τὰς τῶν Σκυθῶν ὁρμὰς ἐς ἡμᾶς ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχομένων ἀναστέλλειν.

8.4.1 Πυθόμενοι δὲ οἱ κατὰ τὴν γενομένην εἰς Χοιρηνοὺς ταφρείαν ἀμυθήτων Σκυθικῶν στρατευμάτων ἔλευσιν δηλοῦσι περὶ τούτων τῷ αὐτοκράτορι περὶ τὴν Αἶνον ἔτι ἐνδιατρίβοντι. Ὁ δὲ παραχρῆμα ἐν ἀμφιρύκῳ πλοίῳ εἰσελ θὼν καὶ παραπλεύσας τὸν ποταμὸν διὰ τοῦ στομίου διελ θὼν ἡνώθη μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στρατεύματος. Τὰς δὲ ἰδίας ὁρῶν δυνάμεις μηδὲ τὸ πολλοστημόριον τοῦ Σκυθικοῦ σῳζούσας στρατεύματος ἐν ἀμηχανίᾳ καὶ φόβῳ ἦν μὴ ἔχων τὸν ἐπαρήγοντα κατὰ ἄνθρωπον. Οὐκ ἀνέπιπτε δὲ ὅμως οὐδὲ ἐμαλακίζετο, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς τοὺς παρ' ἑαυτῷ κυμαι νομένους εἶχε λογισμούς. 8.4.2 Μετὰ γοῦν τετάρτην ἡμέραν ἐκ τοῦ ἑτέρου μέρους πόρρωθεν ὁρᾷ Κομανικὸν στράτευμα ὡσεὶ τεσσαράκοντα χιλιάδας ἐπικαταλαμβάνον ἤδη. Σκεψά μενος δὲ μὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ τοῖς Σκύθαις προστεθέντες δεινὸν τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ ποιήσωνται πόλεμον (καὶ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐντεῦ θεν τὸ ἐλπιζόμενον ἢ πανωλεθρία) δεῖν ἐλογίσατο ὑποποιή σασθαι αὐτούς· καὶ γὰρ προέφθη τούτους μετακαλέσασθαι. Τοῦ δὲ Κομανικοῦ στρατεύματος πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι ἡγεμόνες κατέστησαν, προαγοὶ δὲ πάντων ὁ Τογορτάκ, ὁ Μανιὰκ καὶ ἕτεροι ἄνδρες μαχιμώτατοι. Τὴν δὲ πληθὺν τῶν ἐπικαταλαμβανόντων ἤδη Κομάνων ὁρῶν ἐδεδίει τὸ εὐάγωγον πάλαι γινώσκων τῆς αὐτῶν γνώμης, μὴ οἱ σύμ μαχοι ἐχθροὶ καὶ πολέμιοι γεγονότες μεγίστην βλάβην αὐτῷ προξενήσειαν. 8.4.3 Ἀσφαλέστερον δὲ λογισάμενος ἐκεῖθεν ἀπάραντα μετὰ τοῦ ὁπλιτικοῦ παντὸς διαπερᾶσαι αὖθις τὸν ποταμὸν δεῖν ἐλογίσατο πρότερον τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τῶν Κομάνων μετακαλέσασθαι. Οἱ δὲ παραχρῆμα προσέρ χονται τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Μανιὰκ κἂν ὀψιαίτερον τῶν ἄλλων, πρότερον ἀναβαλλόμενος. ∆αψιλῆ τοίνυν τράπεζαν αὐτοῖς παρατεθῆναι τοῖς ὀψοποιοῖς ἐπέταξε. Καλῶς οὖν εὐωχηθέντας μετὰ ταῦτα φιλοφρονησάμενος αὐτοὺς καὶ παντοίων δωρεῶν ἀξιώσας ὅρκον καὶ ὁμήρους ἐξ αὐτῶν ᾐτεῖτο ὑποπτεύων τὸ τῆς αὐτῶν γνώμης εὐεξαπάτητον. Οἱ δ' ἑτοίμως τὸ προσταχθὲν ἐπλήρουν τὰς πίστεις παρασχόμενοι, αἰτησάμενοι παραχωρηθῆναι τὸν μετὰ τῶν Πατζινάκων πόλεμον συνάψασθαι ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις· καὶ εἰ τὴν νίκην αὐτοῖς δοίη Θεός, διχῆ τὴν ἐπιλαχοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἅπασαν λείαν διελόντας θάτερον μέρος ἀφορίσαι τῷ βασι λεῖ ὑπισχνοῦντο. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ τρισὶ μόναις ἡμέραις, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ ὅλαις δέκα μετελεύσεσθαι τοὺς Σκύθας κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῖς βουλητὸν ἄδειαν ἐδεδώκει καὶ τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἅπασαν ἀφαιρε θησομένην λείαν, εἴ γε τέως τὴν νίκην αὐτοῖς παρέσχε Θεός, ἀποχαρισάμενος. 8.4.4 Ἦσαν μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ τέως μένοντα τὰ σκυθικὰ καὶ κομανικὰ στρατεύματα τῶν Κομάνων δι' ἀκροβολισμῶν πειρωμένων τῆς σκυθικῆς στρα τιᾶς. Τριῶν δὲ ἡμερῶν οὔπω διελθουσῶν μεταπεμψάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν Ἀντίοχον (ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος τῶν εὐγενῶν καὶ δραστηριότητι γνώμης τῶν πολλῶν διαφέρων) ἐπισκήπτει αὐτῷ γέφυραν κατασκευάσαι. Θᾶττον δὲ διὰ πλοίων ἐπι ζευχθέντων μακροτάτοις ξύλοις κατασκευασθείσης γεφύρας μεταπεμψάμενος τόν τε πρωτοστράτορα Μιχαὴλ τὸν ∆ού καν καὶ γυναικάδελφον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν ἴδιον ἀδελφὸν Ἀδρια νὸν καὶ μέγαν δομέστικον παρεκελεύσατο παρὰ τῷ χείλει τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἑστάναι καὶ μὴ συγχωρεῖν συμμίγδην διαπε ρᾶν πεζούς τε καὶ ἱππότας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς πεζοὺς τῶν ἱππέων πρότερον διακρινομένους καὶ τὰς ἁμάξας μετὰ τῶν σκευῶν καὶ τὰς φορταγωγοὺς ἡμιόνους. ∆ιαπερασάντων οὖν τῶν πεζῶν δεδιὼς τὰς Σκυθῶν καὶ Κομάνων δυνάμεις καὶ τὰς λαθραίας τούτων ὑποπτεύων ἐφόδους θᾶττον ἢ λόγος τάφρον πεποιηκὼς ἐντὸς τούτου εἰσήγαγεν ἅπαντας, εἶτα καὶ τοὺς ἱππότας παρεκελεύσατο διαπερᾶν. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ παρὰ τῷ χείλει τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἱστάμενος τοὺς διαπερῶντας ἑώρα. 8.4.5 Ὁ δὲ Μελισσηνὸς καθ' ἣν φθάσας ἐδέξατο