143

marching. And when the space between the two armies was now narrowing, a certain detachment of Rhapsomates' men, numbering about one hundred, having been separated as if, forsooth, they were giving full rein against the Doux, turned the points of their spears backwards and went over to him. 9.2.3 When Rhapsomates saw this, he immediately turned his back and loosening all reins into flight, having set his course for Nemesos, in case he might somehow, upon reaching it, find a ship, by which he might anchor at Syria and secure his own safety. But Manuel Boutoumites pursued and drove him from behind. But he, being hard pressed by him and having failed in his hope, withdrew to the mountain on the other side, having fled for refuge to the church long ago erected in the name of the Holy Cross. But Boutoumites (for the pursuit of him had been entrusted to him by the Doux) having overtaken him there, gives him a promise of immunity and taking him along, brings him to the megas doux. And from there they all reached Leukousia, and from there, having brought the whole island under their own hand, they secured it as far as was possible, reporting all that had happened to the emperor by letter. 9.2.4 And the emperor, approving of their struggle, decided it was necessary to secure the affairs of Cyprus. He therefore at that time appointed Kallipparios as judge and arbitrator; this man was not one of the notables, but he brought with him much testimony of his just dealing, lack of avarice, and humility. And since the island needed someone to guard it, he appointed Eumathios Philokales as stratopedarch, entrusting the guard of it to him, having given him warships and cavalry so that the affairs of Cyprus might be secured by both sea and land. Boutoumites, however, taking Rhapsomates and the Immortals who had rebelled with him, returns to the Doux, and thus enters the reigning city.

9.3.1 Such, then, were the events concerning the islands, I mean Cyprus and Crete. But Tzachas, being a warlike man with an active spirit, was not willing to remain quiet, but after not long, he attacked and seized Smyrna. And again he diligently constructed pirate ships, both dromons and biremes and triremes and some other of the lighter ships, holding to the same purpose. When the emperor learned these things, he did not give up again nor did he procrastinate, but he hastened to fight him down by sea and by land. He therefore at that time appointed Constantine Dalassenos as master of the sea and sent him out with the entire navy against Tzachas. 9.3.2 And it seemed expedient to stir up the sultan against him by means of a letter; and the letter ran thus: "You know, most glorious sultan Kilij Arslan, that the dignity of the sultanate belongs to you by right of your father. But your son-in-law Tzachas, although he is apparently arming himself against the empire of the Romans, calling himself emperor, yet this is a manifest pretense. For it has not escaped his notice, having much experience and knowing accurately, that the empire of the Romans does not belong to him and that it is impossible to seize such a rule. But the whole machination is directed against you. Therefore, one must not tolerate him nor indeed be idle, but rather be vigilant, lest you be deprived of your rule. I, for my part, will drive him from the borders under the empire of the Romans, with God's help; but out of concern for you, I recommend that you yourself also take thought for your own rule and authority and partly with peace, but partly, if he should not welcome this, you should hasten to subdue him with the sword." 9.3.3 When these things had been thus arranged by the emperor, Tzachas seized Abydos from the mainland with the forces under him and was besieging it with city-takers and all kinds of stone-throwing engines. For pirate ships were not yet available to him, not yet

143

στείχων. Ὡς δὲ τὸ μεσαίχμιον ἀμφοῖν τοῖν στρατοπέδοιν ἀπεστενοῦτο ἤδη, ἀπόμοιρά τις τῶν τοῦ Ῥαψομάτου εἰς ἑκατὸν ποσουμένη τὸν ἀριθμὸν διακριθεῖσα ὡς τάχα κατὰ τοῦ ∆ούκα τὰς ἡνίας ὅλας ἐνδόντες, τὰς ἀκωκὰς τῶν δοράτων ὄπισθεν στρέψαντες προσχωροῦσιν αὐτῷ. 9.2.3 Τοῦτο θεασάμενος ὁ Ῥαψομάτης τὰ νῶτα παραχρῆμα δίδωσιν ὅλας ἡνίας εἰς φυγὴν χαλάσας ὡς πρὸς τὴν Νεμεσὸν ἀπονενευκώς, εἴ που γένοιτό οἱ ταύτην κατα λαβόντι πλοίῳ ἐντυχεῖν, δι' οὗ τῇ Συρίᾳ προσορμίσας τὴν σωτηρίαν ἑαυτῷ περιποιήσαιτο. Μανουὴλ δὲ ὁ Βουτουμί της ἐξ ὀπισθίων αὐτοῦ διώκων ἤλαυνεν. Ὁ δὲ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατεπειγόμενος καὶ τῆς ἐλπίδος διημαρτηκὼς τῷ ἐπὶ θάτερα προσεχώρησεν ὄρει εἰς τὸν ἐπ' ὀνόματι τοῦ Τιμίου Σταυροῦ ἀνεγερθέντα πάλαι νεὼν προσπεφευγώς. Ὁ δὲ Βουτουμίτης (οὗτος γὰρ τὴν αὐτοῦ διωκὴν παρὰ τοῦ ∆ούκα ἐπετέτραπτο) τοῦτον αὐτοῦ που καταλαβὼν λόγον ἀπαθείας αὐτῷ δίδωσι καὶ συμπαραλαβὼν ἄγει πρὸς τὸν μέγαν δοῦκα. Κἀντεῦθεν πάντες τὴν Λευκουσίαν καταλαμ βάνουσι κἀκεῖθεν τὴν ὅλην νῆσον ὑπὸ τὴν ἰδίαν χεῖρα ποιησάμενοι ἠσφαλίσαντο κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν τῷ αὐτοκρά τορι τὰ συμπεσόντα ἅπαντα διὰ γραμμάτων δηλώσαντες. 9.2.4 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτῶν τὸν ἀγῶνα δεῖν ἔγνω τὰ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον ἀσφαλίσασθαι. Κριτὴν μὲν οὖν τηνικαῦτα καὶ ἐξισωτὴν τὸν Καλλιππάριον προὐβάλλετο· ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος οὐ τῶν ἐπισήμων, μαρτυρίαν δὲ πολλὴν δικαιοπραγίας τε καὶ ἀφιλοχρηματίας καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνης συνεπαγόμενος. Ἐπεὶ δὲ καί τινος ἡ νῆσος ἐδεῖτο τοῦ ταύτην φρουρήσοντος, τὸν Φιλοκάλην Εὐμάθιον τὴν ταύ της ἀναθέμενος φρουρὰν στρατοπεδάρχην προεχειρίσατο ναῦς πολεμικὰς δεδωκὼς αὐτῷ καὶ ἱππότας ἐφ' ᾧ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον διά τε θαλάττης καὶ ἠπείρου ἀσφαλίζεσθαι. Ὁ μέντοι Βουτουμίτης ἀναλαβόμενος τὸν Ῥαψομάτην καὶ τοὺς συναποστατήσαντας αὐτῷ ἀθανάτους ἐπάνεισι πρὸς τὸν ∆ούκαν, καὶ οὕτως εἴσεισι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν.

9.3.1 Τοιαῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ κατὰ τὰς νήσους, τὴν Κύπρον φημὶ καὶ Κρήτην. Ὁ δέ γε Τζαχᾶς ἀνὴρ ὢν φιλοπόλεμος δραστηριότητι γνώμης οὐκ ἤθελεν ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ μετ' οὐ πολὺ τὴν Σμύρνην ἐπελθὼν κατέλαβε. Καὶ αὖθις λῃστρικὰς ἐπιμελῶς κατεσκεύαζε ναῦς, δρόμωνάς τε καὶ διήρεις καὶ τριήρεις καὶ ἄλλα τινὰ τῶν κουφοτέρων νηῶν, τοῦ αὐτοῦ σκοποῦ ἐχόμενος. Ταῦτα μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ οὐκ ἀνέπιπτεν αὖθις οὐδ' ἀνεβάλλετο, ἀλλ' ἐκ θαλάττης καὶ ἠπείρου ἔσπευδε τοῦτον καταγωνίσασθαι. Τὸν μὲν οὖν Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν ∆αλασσηνὸν θαλασσοκράτορα προχει ρισάμενος τηνικαῦτα μετὰ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ παντὸς ἐξέπεμψε κατὰ τοῦ Τζαχᾶ. 9.3.2 Τὸν δέ γε σουλτάνον συνοῖσον ἐδό κει διὰ γραμμάτων ἐρεθίσαι κατ' αὐτοῦ· εἶχε δ' οὕτω τὰ γράμματα· «Οἶδας, μεγαλοδοξότατε σουλτὰν Κλιτζιασθλάν, ὅτι τὸ σουλτανικὸν ἀξίωμά σοι πατρόθεν προσήκει. Ὁ δὲ σὸς γαμβρὸς ὁ Τζαχᾶς κἂν κατὰ τῆς βασιλείας Ῥωμαίων τῷ φαινομένῳ ὁπλίζηται βασιλέα ἑαυτὸν ἀποκαλῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο πρόδηλος σκῆψίς ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ λέληθεν αὐτὸν πολυ πειρίαν ἔχοντα καὶ ἀκριβῶς γινώσκοντα ὡς οὐ προσήκει τούτῳ ἡ βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἀδύνατον τοιαύτης ἀρχῆς ἐπιδράξασθαι. Τὸ δὲ πᾶν σκαιώρημα κατὰ σοῦ ἐξαρτύεται. Οὐ χρὴ τοιγαροῦν ἀνέχεσθαι αὐτοῦ οὔτε μὴν ἀναπεπτω κέναι, ἀλλ' ἐγρηγορέναι μᾶλλον, ἵνα μὴ τῆς ἀρχῆς παραλυθῇς. Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν τοῦτον τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν Ῥωμαίων ὁρίων ἀπελάσω Θεοῦ ἀρήγοντος· κηδόμενος δὲ σοῦ, παρεγγυῶμαι ὡς ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς ἰδίας φροντίσῃς ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ πὴ μὲν μετ' εἰρήνης, πὴ δέ, εἰ μὴ ταύτην ἀσπάζοιτο, μετὰ ξίφους σπεύσῃς αὐτὸν καθυποτάξαι.» 9.3.3 Τούτων οὕτω παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως οἰκονομηθέντων καταλαμβάνει τὴν Ἄβυ δον ὁ Τζαχᾶς μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν δυνάμεων ἐξ ἠπείρου καὶ ἐπολιόρκει ταύτην δι' ἑλεπόλεων καὶ παντοίων πετροβόλων ὀργάνων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ παρῆσαν τούτῳ ἔτι λῃστρικαὶ νῆες μήπω