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the first ship put out, where the protostrator Philanthropenos was and the imperial standard had been raised, as was customary, and indeed, having clashed, they started a mighty battle. But it was not possible for one to bear it, since many burst in; wherefore they also prevailed, attacking the combatants, slaughtering those who held out, striking down those who resisted. Then many became the work of swords, and many, slipping into the waters, died in them, while others again, having been wounded, held out to the end. And they struck the protostrator with many arrows 431 and, since it was not possible to reach him when he fell armored, inserting their swords inside his armor, they mutilated him. This, apart from the danger to themselves, plunged the remaining ships into incurable cowardice. But the despotes, standing on the shore, stretched out his hands and implored them most earnestly, both crying out and lamenting, that he himself was the despotes and could send reinforcements, and that it was the time for them to retrieve their error, if only they would pay attention. He stretched out his hands from the shore to those within and gave signs of his eagerness, as though he would send help from there. But they fought bravely beyond what was expected and were slaughtered like wild boars. And he sent fresh men in the available fishing boats and brought aid, and with shouts and gestures urged them to the defense, so that matters there might not also fail. But as their danger stood on a razor's edge, he decided to urge them otherwise and to supplicate them fervently in that very humble manner; for from the terrible resistance on both sides, many were falling, and the sea ran with blood. 32. How at sea the protostrator Philanthropenos decisively defeats the Italians, with the despotes John also assisting from the shore. And already the lead ship was being overcome and was already being led away by the enemy, on which was the commander of the ships and the imperial standards and the picked fighting men. And then, to increase their eagerness, he throws his headdress to the ground and sprinkles himself with dust and with tears supplicates them very pitifully not to abandon the standards as they were being carried away. Thus, beseeching them at length both with words and gestures and with a humble demeanor, and sending in many men from the shore, so that the depleted ranks were replenished, he roused the fighters and encouraged them; and they became insensible to falling, appearing steadfast even beyond what was necessary, and in the end they prevailed over the enemy with much toil and labor; and indeed, with two or three having escaped, the rest are captured by force. And some, being slaughtered and having fallen into the sea, were dearer to the fish than to their wives and children; but the others, shut up each in the belly of his own ship, 433 were brought up to the city wretched, taking what little comfort they could for the previous disasters of their defeated comrades. But the despotes and those with him, being destitute of everything, having put in at Kerameas of Achridoi, a truly pitiful sight and worthy of tears, are clothed as is fitting by him with what was found and are cared for as well as possible. Then the despotes, having suffered exceedingly and been greatly grieved by the disaster, shunning the manner of a despotes as far as its symbols were concerned—he who had been in danger of falling into servitude or had even fallen into it in respect to the rest and his entire force—he puts aside those symbols of his despotate, such as are in the headdress and shoes and indeed in the saddle-cloths of horses and bridles and in the signature in purple, having thus decided to appear before the emperor, I know not whether out of his own grief or to appease him. And being dressed in other common clothes and a dark woolen headdress, he thus went forward to appear before the emperor. And indeed, when he appeared, he quelled the great part of the anger by the change of his symbols, and from the sight alone he seemed pitiful to him who had previously been greatly enraged.

{FIFTH OF THE HISTORICAL NARRATIVES}.

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πρώτη προώρμα, ὅπου καὶ ὁ Φιλανθρωπηνὸς πρωτοστράτωρ ἦν καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν ἀνεγήγερτο σκῆπτρον, ὡς σύνηθες, καὶ δὴ συμπεσοῦσαι μάχην ἤγειραν κρατεράν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν μίαν, ἐπεισφρησάντων πολλῶν, ἐνεγκεῖν· ὅθεν καὶ περιῆσαν, ἐπιθέμενοι μαχομένοις, σφάττοντες ἀντεχομένους, καταβάλλοντες ἀνθισταμέ νους. Τότε πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ μαχαίρας ἔργον ἐγένοντο, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ὀλισθαίνοντες ἐναπέθνῃσκον, ἄλλοι δ' αὖ τραυματίαι γεγονότες ἐς τέλος ἀντεῖχον. Τὸν δέ γε πρωτοστράτορα καὶ πολλαῖς ἔβαλλον ταῖς ἀκίσι 431 καί, ἐπεὶ καθικέσθαι οὐκ ἦν ὡπλισμένου πεσόντος, τὰς μαχαίρας ἐμβάλ λοντες τῶν ὅπλων ἐντός, ᾐκίζοντο. Τοῦτο ταῖς λοιπαῖς ναυσί, δίχα καὶ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὰς κινδύνου, εἰς δειλίαν ἀνήκεστον περιίστατο. Ὁ δέ γε δεσπότης, τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς ἐφιστάμενος, ὤρεγε χεῖρας καὶ κατηντι βόλει τὰ μέγιστα, φωνῶν τε καὶ ποτνιώμενος, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ δεσπότης εἴη καὶ προσεπιβοηθεῖν ἔχοι καὶ ὡς ὁ καιρὸς ἀνακληθῆναι σφίσι τὸ σφάλμα, εἰ μόνον προσέχοιεν. Ὤρεγέ τε χεῖρας ἔξωθεν τοῖς ἐντὸς καὶ προθυμίας παρεῖχε σύμβολα, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν πέμψων βοήθειαν. Οἱ δὲ καὶ παρὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἠνδρίζοντο καὶ δίκην ἀγρίων συῶν κατεσφάττοντο. Ὁ δὲ ταῖς παρατυχούσαις ἁλιάσιν ἀκμῆτα λαὸν προσέπεμπε καὶ προσεβοήθει καὶ φωναῖς καὶ σχήμασι πρὸς ἄμυναν παρεκάλει, ἐφ' ᾧ μὴ σφαλείη καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖ. Ὡς δ' ἐπὶ ξυροῦ ἐκείνοις ὁ κίνδυνος ἵστατο, ἄλλως ἔγνω παρακαλεῖν καὶ θερμῶς ἱκετεύειν αὐτῷ δὴ τῷ ταπεινῷ σχήματι· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς δεινῆς ἑκατέρωθεν ἀντιστάσεως πολλοὶ τῶν πιπτόντων ἦσαν, καὶ θάλασσα ῥέεν αἵματι. λβʹ. Ὅπως κατὰ θάλασσαν ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ Φιλανθρωπηνὸς νικᾷ τοὺς Ἰταλοὺς κατὰ κράτος, συνεργοῦντος ἔξωθεν καὶ τοῦ δεσπότου Ἰωάννου. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ πρωτοτακτοῦσα κατεδικάζετο ναῦς καὶ ἤδη τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἀπήγετο, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ὁ τῶν νηῶν ἔξαρχος ἦν καὶ αἱ βασιλικαὶ σημαῖαι καὶ οἱ τῶν μαχίμων ἀνδρῶν πρόκριτοι. Καὶ τότε, τὰς προθυμίας ἐκείνων ἐπαύξων, ῥιπτεῖ κατὰ γῆς τὴν καλύπτραν τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ κόνιν πάττεται καὶ δάκρυσιν ἱκετεύει λίαν ἐλεεινῶς μὴ καταπροέσθαι τῶν συμβόλων ἀπαγο μένων. Οὕτω τὰ πολλὰ καταλιτανεύων καὶ λόγοις καὶ σχήμασι καὶ τῷ τοῦ τρόπου ταπεινῷ, πολλούς τε ὄντας προσεπιβάλλων τοὺς ἔξωθεν, ὡς ἀναπληροῦσθαι τοὺς λείποντας, ἀνήγειρέ τε τοὺς μαχομένους καὶ παρε θάρρυνε· καὶ ἀνῃσθήτουν πίπτοντες, καρτερικοί τινες καὶ παρὰ τὸ δέον φαινόμενοι, καὶ τέλος περιγίνονται τῶν ἐχθρῶν σὺν πόνῳ πολλῷ καὶ μόχθῳ· καὶ δή, δυοῖν ἢ καὶ τριῶν ἀποδρασασῶν, αἱ λοιπαὶ κατὰ κράτος ἁλίσκονται. Καὶ οἱ μέν, σφαγέντες, πεσόντες εἰς θάλασσαν, ἰχθύσι μᾶλλον ἢ ἀλόχοις καὶ τέκνοις ἦσαν φίλτατοι· οἱ δ' ἄλλοι, συγκλεισθέντες γαστέρι νηὸς ἰδίας 433 ἕκαστοι, πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἀνήγοντο δείλαιοι, μικρὰν ὅσην παραμυθίαν ἐπὶ τοῖς προλαβοῦσι δεινοῖς τοῖς σφαλεῖσι θέμενοι. Ὁ δὲ δεσπότης καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, γυμνοὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ὄντες, παραβαλόντες τῷ Ἀχριδῶν Κεραμέᾳ, θέα ὄντως ἐλεεινὴ καὶ δακρύων ἀξία, περιστέλλονταί τε ὡς εἰκὸς παρ' ἐκείνου τοῖς εὑρεθεῖσι καὶ ὡς οἷόν τε θεραπεύονται. Τότε δ' ὑπερπαθήσας καὶ ὁ δεσπότης καὶ περιαλγήσας τῇ συμφορᾷ, δεσπόσυνον τρόπον φεύγων ὅσον ἐκ τῶν συμβόλων, ὁ δουλείας ἐντὸς παρὰ μικρὸν κινδυνεύσας ἐλθεῖν ἢ καὶ ἐλθὼν τό γε μέρος τῶν ἄλλων καὶ τῆς συνόλης δυνάμεως, σύμβολά τε τῆς δεσποτείας ἐκεῖνα, ὅσα ἐν καλύπτρᾳ καὶ ὑπο δήμασι καί γε ἐφεστρίσιν ἵππων καὶ χαλινοῖς καὶ τῇ ἐκ πορφύρας ὑπογραφῇ, ἀποτίθεται, οὕτω δικαιώσας ὀφθῆναι τῷ βασιλεῖ, οὐκ οἶδα κατὰ λύπην σφετέραν ἢ καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου ἐκμείλιξιν. Ἄλλοις δὲ κοινοῖς καὶ καλύπτρᾳ ἐξ ἐρίων καταίτυγι στολισθείς, οὕτως ἤιεν εἰς τὸ πρόσω τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐμφανισθη σόμενος. Καί γ' ἐμφανισθεὶς τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὀργῆς καταπαύει τῇ τῶν συμβόλων μεταμφιάσει, κἀκ μόνης τῆς θέας δόξας ἐλεεινὸς τῷ πρὸ τοῦ ὠργισμένῳ τὰ μέγιστα.

435 {ΣΥΓΓΡΑΦΙΚΩΝ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ ΠΕΜΠΤΗ}.