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they killed. When the emperor heard this at daybreak, he immediately suspected Synesius. Therefore he summoned him at once, and accusing him vehemently he threatened him, saying: "This is your work." But when he swore he did not know, he ordered him to be bound and detained; "Let him learn," he said, "what an evil thing even just bondage is, so that he may no longer make such judgments against men." And perhaps he would even have punished him, if the magnates related to the emperor by blood and by marriage had not come forward and made a common supplication on behalf of Synesius. 8.6.3 But the majority of the Cumans, having become frightened, lest the emperor should plot something terrible against them as well by night, took up all the booty and departed by night, traveling the road leading to the Danube. But he himself, at daybreak, fleeing the stench of the dead bodies, departed from there and came to a certain place called Kala Dendra, eighteen stadia distant from Choirinoi. Melissenos overtook him as he was going there. For he had not managed to arrive in time for the battle, being busy with sending that crowd of new recruits to the emperor. Therefore, having greeted each other and rejoiced together, as was natural, for the rest of the journey they conversed about the events following the defeat of the Scythians. 8.6.4 But when the emperor learned, when he reached Kala Dendra, of the flight of the Cumans, he loaded on mules as much as belonged to them according to their agreement and sent it to them, having instructed his men to hasten to overtake them, even beyond the Danube if they could, and to give them what was sent. For it was always grievous to him not only to lie, but even to seem to lie, for one who made many a speech to everyone about falsehood. But so much for the fugitives; as for the rest who followed him, he feasted them lavishly for the rest of the day. And he considered it necessary not to give them the wages due them then, but to let those who had turned to sleep digest the wine and so, having collected their senses, come to a realization of what was being done. Therefore, on the next day, having summoned them all, he gave them not only what had been previously promised, but even much more. But considering, since he wanted to send them home, lest while departing, having scattered for plunder, they should inflict no small harm on the towns lying along the road, he took hostages from them. And when they themselves also asked for security for their journey, he gave them Ioannakes (a man distinguished for his courage and prudence), entrusting to him the management of all affairs and the directing of the Cumans all the way to the Zygos itself. 8.6.5 Such then were the deeds of the emperor, surely by divine providence. At any rate, having accomplished everything completely, as victor himself and trophy-bearer, he returned to Byzantium in the passing month of May. But let the affairs of the Scythians have an end here, even if few things out of many have been told by me, who touched the Adriatic sea with the tip of a finger. For the emperor's brilliant victories, the partial defeats of the enemies, his individual deeds of valor, the events happening in the meantime in those times, and how he adapted to everything and through every kind of method resolved the terrible events that occurred—not even another Demosthenes or even the entire chorus of orators, nor even if the whole Academy and the Stoa had come together for the same purpose and made the deeds of Alexios their foremost task, would they have had the strength to do them justice.

8.7.1 Not many days had passed since the emperor's entry into the palace, when Ariebes the Armenian and Humbertopoulos the Celt (these were select men, from the distinguished and warlike), having plotted against the emperor, were discovered, having drawn a not insignificant number to this plan. And the proofs

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ἀπέκτειναν. Τοῦτο ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐγα ζούσης ἡμέρας ἀκηκοὼς ὕποπτον εὐθὺς τὸν Συνέσιον εἶχε. Μετακαλεῖται τοίνυν παραχρῆμα τοῦτον, καὶ αἰτιώμενος σφοδρῶς ἠπειλεῖτο λέγων· «Τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον σόν». Τοῦ δὲ ἐπομνυμένου μὴ εἰδέναι ἐπέταξε δεσμηθέντα τοῦτον κατασχεθῆναι· «Γνώτω», λέγων, «ὁποῖον καὶ, μόνον ὁ δεσμὸς κακόν ἐστιν, ὡς μηκέτι κατὰ ἀνθρώπων τοιαύτας ἀποφάσεις ποιεῖσθαι». Τάχα δὲ ἂν καὶ ἐκόλασε τοῦτον, εἰ μὴ προσελ θόντες οἱ καθ' αἷμα καὶ ἐξ ἀγχιστείας προσήκοντες τῷ αὐτοκράτορι μεγιστᾶνες κοινὴν τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Συνεσίου ἱκετηρίαν ἐποιοῦντο. 8.6.3 Τῶν δὲ Κομάνων οἱ πλείους πτοηθέντες, μή τι δεινὸν καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ νυκτὸς μελετήσειε, τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν ἀναλαβόμενοι νυκτὸς ᾤχοντο τὴν πρὸς τὸν ∆άνουβιν φέρουσαν ὁδεύοντες. Αὐτὸς δὲ αὐγαζούσης ἡμέρας φεύγων τὴν τῶν νεκρῶν σωμάτων δυσωδίαν ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν ἔρχεται ἐπί τινα τόπον Καλὰ ∆ένδρα καλούμενον σταδίους δέκα πρὸς τοῖς ὀκτὼ ἀπέχοντα τῶν Χοιρηνῶν. Ἀπερχόμενον δὲ ἐκεῖσε κατέλα βεν ὁ Μελισσηνός. Οὐ γὰρ ἔφθασε παραγενέσθαι ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς μάχης ἀσχολούμενος τὴν πληθὺν ἐκείνην τῶν νεολέκτων ἀποστεῖλαι πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα. Ἀλλήλους τοίνυν ἀσπασάμενοι καὶ συγχαρέντες, ὡς εἰκός, τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ὁδοιπορίας περὶ τῶν συμπεσόντων ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἥττῃ ὡμίλουν. 8.6.4 Μεμαθηκὼς δὲ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, ὁπηνίκα τὰ Καλὰ ∆ένδρα κατέλαβε, τὸν δρασμὸν τῶν Κομάνων, ὁπόσα τούτοις ἀνῆκε πρὸς λόγον τῶν συμφωνηθέντων αὐτοῖς, ἐπισάξας ἐν ἡμιόνοις ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐντειλάμενος σπεῦσαι καταλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ πέραθεν εἰ δυνηθεῖεν ∆ανούβεως καὶ δοῦναι τὰ ἀποσταλέντα. Βαρὺ γὰρ ἦν αὐτῷ διὰ παντὸς μὴ μόνον ψεύσασθαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ δόξαι ψεύ σασθαι ὁμιλίαν ἱκανὴν πρὸς ἅπαντας περὶ ψεύδους ποιου μένῳ. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ τῶν πεφευγότων· τοὺς δέ γε λοιποὺς ἐφεπομένους αὐτῷ εἱστία τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς ἡμέρας δαψιλῶς. ∆έον δὲ ἐλογίσατο μὴ τηνικαῦτα τοὺς ἀνήκοντας δοῦναι μισθούς, ἀλλὰ μεθεῖναι τοὺς εἰς ὕπνον τραπέντας καταπέψαι τὸν οἶνον καὶ οὕτω τὸ φρονοῦν τῆς ψυχῆς συλ λεξαμένους ἐν ἐπιγνώσει γενέσθαι τοῦ πραττομένου. Τῇ μετ' αὐτὴν οὖν μετακαλεσάμενος ἅπαντας οὐ τὰ προϋ πεσχημένα δίδωσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείονα. Σκεψά μενος δέ, ἐπεὶ ἀπολύειν τούτους οἴκαδε ἐβούλετο, μὴ ἐν τῷ ἀπιέναι εἰς προνομὴν σκεδασθέντες οὐ μικρὰν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν παρακειμέναις κωμοπόλεσι τὴν βλάβην ἐπάξωσιν, ὁμήρους ἐξ αὐτῶν λαμβάνει. Αἰτησαμένων δὲ καὶ αὐτῶν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῖς ἀσφαλίσασθαι δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἰωαννάκην (ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ φρονήσει διαφέρων) τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων οἰκονομίαν ἀναθέμενος καὶ τὴν μέχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ζυγοῦ τῶν Κομάνων εὐθέτησιν. 8.6.5 Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος θείᾳ πάντως προ νοίᾳ. Πάντα γοῦν κατὰ τὸ πλῆρες τελέσας τροπαιοφόρος αὐτὸς νικητὴς πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἐπανέρχεται Μαΐου παριππεύοντος μηνός. Ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν τῶν Σκυθῶν ὧδέ πῃ πέρας ἐχέτω, κἂν ἐκ πολλῶν ὀλίγα μοι εἴρηται ἄκρῳ δακ τύλῳ. τοῦ Ἀδριαντικοῦ ἁψαμένῃ πελάγους. Τὰς γὰρ λαμ πρὰς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος νίκας, τὰς μερικὰς τῶν πολεμίων ἥττας, τὰς καθ' ἕνα τούτου ἀνδραγαθίας, τὰ ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ συμπίπτοντα τοῖς τότε καιροῖς καὶ ὅπως πρὸς ἅπαντα ἐποικίλλετό τε καὶ διὰ παντοίας μεθόδου διέλυε τὰ συμ πίπτοντα δεινά, οὐδ' ἂν ∆ημοσθένης ἄλλος ἢ καὶ ὁ ἅπας τῶν ῥητόρων χορός, οὐδ' ἂν ἡ Ἀκαδημία πᾶσα καὶ ἡ Στοὰ εἰς ταὐτὸν συνεληλυθέτην καὶ προὔργου παντὸς τὰς Ἀλε ξίου πράξεις ἐποιήσαντο, τούτων ἐφικέσθαι ἐξίσχυσαν.

8.7.1 Οὐ πολλαὶ διῆλθον ἡμέραι τῆς τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τὰ ἀνάκτορα εἰσελεύσεως, καὶ ὁ Ἀριέβης Ἀρμένιος καὶ ὁ Κελτὸς Οὐμπερτόπουλος (λογάδες οὗτοι ἄνδρες τῶν ἐπιφανῶν ἀρειμάνιοι) κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μελετήσαντες ἐφωρά θησαν πλῆθος οὐκ ἀγεννὲς πρὸς ταυτηνὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἐπισυ ρόμενοι. Καὶ οἱ ἔλεγχοι