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the extremity of the Cuman battle line ... a part of the Roman phalanx having shouted out ... they routed, having pursued them as far as the sea itself. The emperor, having seen this and having forces not sufficient against so great a multitude and not being able to oppose them, ordered that for the future all should stand with shields locked and that no one should run ahead of the battle line. And the Cumans, having drawn up in battle order, themselves also stood in front of the Roman phalanx, but nevertheless they themselves also did not attack. And this was done for three days from morning until evening, since both the nature of the place kept them from wanting to fight and since no one from the Roman phalanx ran out against them. 10.3.3 The fortress of Anchialus happened to have such a position. On the right it had the Pontic sea, and on the left a certain rough and difficult place, covered with vines and not providing an easy path for horsemen. What then? The barbarians, having seen the emperor's endurance and despairing of their plans, turned to another path, the one toward Adrianople, with the pretender deceiving them and saying: 'When Nicephorus Bryennius hears that I have reached Adrianople, he will open the gates and receive me with great joy, he will offer me money and will deem me worthy of every kindness. For even if not by nature, at least by choice he had a brotherly disposition toward my father. And when the fortress is handed over to us, then we will take the road leading onward and to the queen of cities.' And he called Bryennius uncle, having some misapprehension of a true matter. For Romanus Diogenes, who had reigned long ago, knowing this man Bryennius as surpassing all men of that time in prudence and upright in judgment and truthful for the most part in words and deeds, knowing him precisely thus, wished to adopt him as a brother; and indeed the deed was accomplished, with both agreeing to it. But these things are true and are known to be so by all; but the pretender was so shameless as to actually call him uncle. 10.3.4 Such, then, were the schemes of the pretender; but the Cumans, being barbarians and possessing fickleness and changeability as a natural trait, were persuaded by his words and, reaching Adrianople, they encamped outside this city. And for forty-eight days, with battles being joined each day (for the younger men, eager for war, went out daily and joined frequent battles with the barbarians), Nicephorus Bryennius, since he was being sought from below by the pretender, leaning out from a tower, said, judging as much as he could from the man's voice, that he did not recognize him as the son of Romanus Diogenes, who had become his brother by choice, as has been said, as often tends to happen, and that his true son was killed in Antioch. Having said these things, he sent the impostor away with shame. 10.3.5 And since those inside, as time was prolonged, were now in distress, they requested help from the emperor by a letter. And he immediately commanded Constantine Euphorbenus to select a sufficient force from the counts under him and by night to enter Adrianople with them through the quarter of the Kalathades. And Katakalon immediately took the road leading toward Orestias, with good hopes, thinking he would escape the notice of the Cumans. But he missed his aim. For, having perceived him, many times their number then rode out and, attacking, they both drove him back and pursued him swiftly. At which time also his son Nicephorus, who later became my brother-in-law by marriage to my sister, the porphyrogenita Maria, grasping a long spear in his arms and turning about to meet the

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τὸ ἄκρον τῆς Κομανικῆς παρατάξεως ... ἐγκεκραγότος μέρους τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος ... ἐτρέψαντο μέχρις αὐτῆς θαλάττης διώξαντες. Τοῦτο ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ θεασάμενος καὶ πρὸς τοσαῦτα πλήθη μὴ ἐξαρκούσας ἔχων δυνάμεις μήτε ἀντι καταστῆναι δυνάμενος ἐκέλευσε τοῦ λοιποῦ συνησπικότας ἅπαντας ἵστασθαι καὶ μηδένα προθέειν τῆς παρατάξεως. Οἱ δὲ Κόμανοι παραταξάμενοι ἵσταντο καὶ αὐτοὶ προμε τώπιοι τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος, μὴ προσβάλλοντες δὲ ὅμως μηδὲ αὐτοί. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐτελεῖτο ἐπὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐκ πρωΐας μέχρις ἑσπέρας, τῆς τε τοῦ τόπου θέσεως ἀπειρ γούσης τούτους ἐθέλοντας μάχεσθαι καὶ τοῦ μηδένα τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς φάλαγγος προεκτρέχειν κατ' αὐτῶν. 10.3.3 Τὸ δὲ κάστρον ἡ Ἀγχίαλος τοιαύτης ἔτυχε θέσεως. ∆εξιόθεν μὲν τὴν Ποντηρὰν εἶχε θάλασσαν, ἐξ εὐωνύμου δὲ τραχύν τινα τόπον καὶ δύσβατον καὶ ὑπάμπελον καὶ τοῖς ἱππόταις εὔοδον τὸν δρόμον μὴ παρέχοντα. Τί τὸ ἐπὶ τούτοις; Τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως θεασάμενοι καρτερίαν οἱ βάρβαροι καὶ τὰ βεβουλευμένα ἀπηλπικότες ἐφ' ἑτέραν ἀτραπὸν τὴν πρὸς Ἀδριανούπολιν ἐτράποντο, ἐξαπατῶντος αὐτοὺς τοῦ ψευ δωνύμου καὶ λέγοντος ὡς «Ὁπηνίκα με τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν καταλαβόντα ὁ Βρυέννιος Νικηφόρος ἀκούσει, ἀνοίξας τὰς πύλας μετὰ περιχαρείας ὑποδέξεται χρήματά τε παρέξει καὶ παντοίας φιλοφροσύνης ἀξιώσει. Κἂν γὰρ μὴ ἐκ φύσεως, ἀλλά γε ἐκ προαιρέσεως τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἐμὸν πατέρα ἀδελφικὴν ἔσχε διάθεσιν. Ἐπὰν δὲ τὸ κάστρον ἡμῖν παραδοθῇ, οὕτω τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν καὶ πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν φερούσης ἁψόμεθα.» Θεῖον δὲ τὸν Βρυέν νιον ὠνόμαζε παράκουσμά τι ἔχων ἀληθοῦς ὑποθέσεως. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ πάλαι βεβασιλευκὼς Ῥωμανὸς ὁ ∆ιογένης ἄνδρα τουτονὶ τὸν Βρυέννιον γινώσκων φρονήσει τε ὑπερέχοντα ἁπάντων τῶν τότε εὐθῆ τε τὴν γνώμην καὶ ἐπαληθεύοντα ὡς ἐπίπαν ἐν λόγοις καὶ πράξεσι τοῦτον ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστά μενος ἀδελφὸν εἰσποιήσασθαι ἠβουλήθη· καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸ ἔργον τετέλεστο ἀμφοῖν τούτου συνδόξαντος. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἀληθῆ καὶ παρὰ πάντων οὕτω γινώσκεται, ὁ δέ γε ψευδώνυμος τοσοῦτον ἀπηναισχύντησεν, ὡς καὶ θεῖον ἐπ' ἀληθείας τοῦτον κατονομάζειν. 10.3.4 Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τὰ τοῦ ψευδωνύμου τεχνάσματα· οἱ δὲ Κόμανοι ὡς βάρβαροι τὸ κοῦφον καὶ εὐμετάβλητον ὡς φυσικόν τι παρακολούθημα κεκτημένοι πείθονται τοῖς αὐτοῦ λόγοις καὶ καταλαβόντες τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν ἔξωθεν τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ηὐλίσαντο. Ἐπὶ δὲ τεσσαράκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἡμέραις καθ' ἑκάστην πολέμων συγκροτουμένων (καὶ γὰρ οἱ νεώτεροι καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον σφαδᾴζοντες καθ' ἡμέραν ἐξερχόμενοι πολέμους συχνοὺς μετὰ τῶν βαρβάρων συνεκρότουν) Νικηφόρος ὁ Βρυέννιος, ἐπεὶ κάτωθεν παρὰ τοῦ ψευδωνύμου ἐζητεῖτο, πυργόθεν προκύψας, ὅσα γε ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τεκμαιρόμενος ἔλεγε μήτε υἱὸν αὐτὸν ἐπιγινώσκειν Ῥωμα νοῦ τοῦ ∆ιογένους, τοῦ ἐκ προαιρέσεως ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ χρηματίσαντος, ὡς εἴρηται, ὁποῖα φιλεῖ πολλάκις γίνεσθαι, καὶ ὅτι ὁ ἐπ' ἀληθείᾳ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν ἀνῃρέθη. Ταῦτα εἰπὼν μετ' αἰσχύνης τὸν ὑποκριτὴν ἀπεπέμψατο. 10.3.5 Ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ ἐντὸς παρεκτεινομένου τοῦ καιροῦ ἐστε νοῦντο ἤδη, διὰ γραφῆς ᾐτήσαντο βοήθειαν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτο κράτορος. Ὁ δὲ παρευθὺ παρακελεύεται Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ Εὐφορβηνῷ ἀποχρῶσαν ἀποδιελέσθαι δύναμιν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὸν κομήτων καὶ διὰ νυκτὸς μετ' αὐτῶν εἰς Ἀδριανού πολιν διὰ τοῦ μέρους τῶν Καλαθάδων εἰσελθεῖν. Καὶ ὁ Κατακαλὼν παραχρῆμα τῆς πρὸς τὴν Ὀρεστιάδα φερούσης εἴχετο μετ' ἀγαθῶν τῶν ἐλπίδων λήσεσθαι τοὺς Κομάνους οἰόμενος. Ἀλλὰ διημάρτανε τοῦ σκοποῦ. Αἰσθόμενοι γὰρ τούτου πολλαπλάσιοι τηνικαῦτα ἐξιππασάμενοι καὶ προσβα λόντες ἀπώσαντό τε εἰς τοὐπίσω καὶ ὀξέως ἐδίωκον. Ὁπη νίκα καὶ ὁ τούτου υἱὸς Νικηφόρος καὶ ἐμὸς ἐν ὑστέροις χρηματίσας γαμβρὸς ἐπὶ τῇ μετ' ἐμὲ ἀδελφῇ τῇ πορφυρο γεννήτῳ Μαρίᾳ δόρυ μακρὸν ἐναγκαλισάμενος καὶ συναν τήσας ἐξ ὑποστροφῆς τὸν