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having departed, and the Vlach contingent and whatever else was composed of volunteers, he also organized in a suitable manner around the grand hetaireiarch, who was not in the rear guard, he himself together with Constantine, his brother and despot, and with the pinkernes Senachereim Angelos. For he too did not choose to lead troops, but wished to attend to the sovereign and take great care for his safety. Thus he, having arranged the divisions, taking with him all his own and most warlike men, 550 filled out the last contingent. And the Roman forces amounted to about five major divisions, while those of the opponents to four, of which one was that of the Persians; for the Catalans had also called in a Persian contingent. And indeed when the battle became fierce and hand-to-hand, the Alans from one side and the Turcopoles from the other rushed out together and attacked the leading division of the Catalans. And at once they were a tower, yielding in nothing to anyone; for, being securely armed and confident in those shooting from either side, they held out stoutly. But those who had rushed forward did not continue to hold firm after breaking in, but immediately swerving to the other side they gave the appearance of a rout, in what was apparent and to those who saw them, as if having given up on the battle, but in a deeper sense and to those who suspected them, willingly being written down for desertion, because they were not satisfied with their pay, and were slack in military practice. But there are those who say that the message from Toqtaï to the emperor about their return had also become known to them (for it was clear that Toqtaï, sending an embassy to the sovereign, demanded them as his own and as being from the beginning of the band of the Tochars); for these reasons, their spirits slackening, they had weaker 551 impulses and swerved aside. But this struck cowardice into those coming up behind, and they were unenthusiastic for the battle. When the emperor, who was in the rearguard, saw this, and feared for the whole affair as was likely, he was forced to fight in his own person, and indeed was ready to be channeled into the battle. But his horse for this purpose, from some demonic event and for a reason no one knew, having been let loose from its bridle, left the reins in the hands of the groom, and itself, just as it was, galloping across the plain, went over to the enemy. So, mounting another and taking a javelin in his hands, with all his force, along with the few Almogavars around him, he charged and showed martial courage, at once taking part in the war himself. And in that first charge, one man was enough, being pierced by the javelin and falling, and a second became the victim of his sword. At the same time, as two men with shields rushed straight at the emperor, coming close to wounding him, the pinkernes received one from one side, and a certain youth from the imperial squires received the other from the other side, and they saved the emperor's life; for many, since the emperor was revealed by his insignia, rushed in and wounded him, so that the blows even reached his body, although the emperor was making swift turns, since with the others shunning the fight, he himself with a few men was in unavoidable danger and, being urged, he turned back. 552 But those pursuing him did not let up, and he, having withdrawn a little from the tumult, shed tears from his eyes, as the story goes of Agamemnon, and he tore his hair from his head by the roots, pitying the affairs of the Romans, and he writhed to turn back, although he had no means at all. But then there was the mercy of God, and a certain thought entered the minds of the opponents, that they were withdrawing as a trick and that others were lying in ambush, and so they were restrained from the pursuit. Whence these men halted their forward rush, and the others, scattered each in a different direction, were saved. The emperor, however, with difficulty reached Pamphylos. And indeed, when the rumor spread, there was not one of the farmers, and this at the height of summer, who was left outside Constantinople, but at once from all sides, like a swarm of ants, they were moving their goods on wagons, bidding farewell to harvests and sheaves and heaps of grain. So for the enemies, even if they halted their attacks then because of some suspicion of ambushes, but nevertheless

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ἀπῃρκότας, τὸ Βλα χικὸν δὲ καὶ ὅσον ἄλλο ἐκ θεληματαρίων συγκροτούμενον ἦν, καὶ αὐτὸ κατὰ τρόπον περὶ τὸν μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην συνταξάμενος οὐ ραγοῦν, αὐτὸς συνάμα καὶ Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ αὐταδέλφῳ τε καὶ δεσπότῃ, καὶ τῷ πιγκέρνῃ Σεναχηρεὶμ τῷ Ἀγγέλῳ· οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδ' αὐτὸς λαὸν ἄγειν ᾑρεῖτο, ἀλλ' ἀμφιπονεῖσθαι περὶ τὸν ἄνα κτα καί οἱ πολυωρεῖν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἤθελεν. οὕτως ἐκεῖνος τὰς συντάξεις ἀποτάξας, τὸ οἰκεῖον ἅπαν καὶ μαχιμώτατον προσλα 550 βών, τὸν ὕστατον ἀνεπλήρου σύλλογον. καὶ αἱ μὲν Ῥωμαϊκαὶ δυνάμεις εἰς πέντε που τέλη τὰ μείζω συνεποσοῦντο, αἱ δὲ τῶν ἀντιπάλων εἰς τέσσαρα, ὧν ἓν ἦν τὸ τῶν Περσῶν· προσεκάλεσαν γὰρ καὶ Περσικὸν οἱ Κατελάνοι. καὶ δὴ καρτερᾶς γενομένης τῆς μάχης καὶ ἐκ χειρός, ἔνθεν μὲν Ἀλανοὶ ἐκεῖθεν δὲ Τουρκόπουλοι συνεκθέουσι καὶ τῇ προηγουμένῃ συντάξει τῶν Κατελάνων προσ βάλλουσι. καὶ εὐθὺς πύργος ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι, μηδὲν μηδενὶ καθυ πείκοντες· ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ γὰρ ὡπλισμένοι καὶ τοῖς παρ' ἑκάτερα βάλλουσι πίσυνοι καρτερῶς ἀντεῖχον. οὐ μὴν καὶ εἰσβάλλοντες οἱ προσδραμόντες τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκαρτέρουν, ἀλλ' εὐθὺς παρεκκλί ναντες ἐπὶ θάτερα δόξαν παρέσχον τροπῆς, τῷ μὲν φαινομένῳ καὶ οἷς ἑωρῶντο, ὡς δῆθεν ἀπογνόντες τὴν μάχην, τῷ δὲ βαθυ τέρῳ καὶ οἷς ὑπωπτεύοντο, λειποταξίου ἑκόντες εἶναι γραφόμε νοι, οἷς ὅτι μὴ τοὺς μισθοὺς ἱκανούμενοι μελέτης ἐρραθύμουν πολεμικῆς. εἰσὶ δ' οἳ λέγουσιν ὅτι καὶ ἀνάπυστον γεγονὸς ἐκεί νοις τὸ ἀπὸ τοῦ Τουκτάϊ πρὸς βασιλέα μήνυμα περὶ τῆς αὐτῶν ἀνθυποστροφῆς (δῆλον γὰρ ἦν ὡς ὁ Τουκτάϊς ἐκείνους ὡς ἰδίους καὶ τῆς τῶν Τοχάρων ἀρχῆθεν χειρὸς ἀπῄτει παρὰ τὸν ἄνακτα πρεσβευόμενος) διὰ ταῦτα καθυφέντες τὰς ὁρμὰς ἀρρωστοτέρας 551 εἶχον καὶ ἐδοχμίαζον. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τοῖς κατόπιν ἰοῦσι δειλίαν ἐμ βάλλει, καὶ ἀπροθύμως εἶχον περὶ τὴν μάχην. ὅπερ ὁ βασιλεὺς οὐραγῶν θεασάμενος, καὶ περὶ τοῖς ὅλοις ὡς εἰκὸς δείσας, αὐτὸς ἠναγκάζετο πολεμεῖν οἰκείῳ σώματι, καὶ γοῦν ἕτοιμος ἦν μετο χετεύεσθαι πρὸς τὴν μάχην. ἀλλ' ὁ πρὸς τοῦτο ἵππος ἔκ τινος δαιμονίου συμβάματος καὶ ἧς οὐδεὶς αἰτίας ᾔδει, τῶν χαλινῶν ἀνεθείς, ῥυτῆρας μὲν εἰς χεῖρας τοῦ ἡνιόχου ἀφίησιν, αὐτὸς δ' ὡς εἶχε κατὰ πεδίου κροαίνων τῶν ἐχθρῶν γίνεται. ἐπιβὰς γοῦν ἄλλου καὶ λαβὼν ἀνὰ χεῖρας ὑσσὸν ὅλαις ὁρμαῖς σὺν ὀλίγοις τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν Ἀμογαβάροις ἐπέρραξε καὶ ἀρεϊκὸν θάρρος ἔδειξε, παραυτίκα τὸν πόλεμον αὐτουργῶν. καὶ κατὰ πρώτην εἰσβολὴν ἐκείνην εἷς ἤρκεσε τῷ ὑσσῷ προσπαρεὶς καὶ πεσών, καὶ δεύτερος σπάθης γίνεται παρανάλωμα. ἐν ταὐτῷ δὲ δυοῖν ὁρμησάντοιν μετὰ γέρρων εὐθὺ βασιλέως, ἐγγὺς τοῦ ἐν χρῷ γενέσθαι, τὸν μὲν ἔνθεν ὁ πιγκέρνης, τὸν δ' ἔνθεν νέος τις καὶ τῶν βασιλικῶν παιδαρίσκων δέχονται καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν περιποιοῦνται ζωήν· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἅτε βασιλέως ἐκ τῶν σημείων φανέντος ἐπεισφρήσαν τες οὔταζον, ὥστ' ἐξικνεῖσθαι καὶ κατὰ τοῦ σώματος τὰς πλη γάς, κἂν καὶ βασιλεὺς ἀγχιστρόφους ἐποίει τὰς μετακλίσεις, εἰ 552 μὴ τῶν ἄλλων φυγομαχούντων αὐτὸς σὺν ὀλίγοις ἐν ἀναγκαίῳ κινδύνῳ ἦν καὶ παρακληθεὶς ὑπέστρεφεν. ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν ἐπισπό μενοι οὐκ ἀνῆκαν ἔτι, ὁ δὲ μικρὸν ἀναχωρήσας τοῦ κυδοιμοῦ δά κρυά τε τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, οἷα λόγος τὸν Ἀγαμέμνονα, ἔρρει, ἕλ κετο δ' ἐκ κεφαλῆς προθελύμνους τὰς τρίχας, τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐποικτιζόμενος πράγμασι, καὶ ὑποστρέφειν ἐσφάδαζε, κἂν οὐκ εἶχεν ὅλως. ἔλεος δ' ἦν ἐντεῦθεν θεοῦ, καὶ ἔννοιά τις εἰσῄει τοὺς ἀντιπάλους ὡς κατ' ἀπάτην ἀναχωροῦσι καὶ ὡς ἐνέδραις προλοχίζουσιν ἄλλοι, καὶ οὕτως ἀνείργονται τῆς διώξεως. ὅθεν καὶ οὗτοι μὲν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσω φορᾶς ἵστανται, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ ἄλλος ἀλλαχοῦ διασπαρέντες περισώζονται. ὁ μέντοι γε βασιλεὺς κα ταλαμβάνει μόλις τὸ Πάμφυλον. καὶ δὴ τῆς φήμης διαδοθείσης οὐκ ἦν ὅστις τῶν γεωργῶν, ἐν ἀκμῇ καὶ ταῦτα τοῦ θέρους, ἔξω τῆς Κωνσταντίνου ἐναπολέλειπτο, ἀλλ' ἅμα πάντοθεν μυρμη κιὰν μιμούμενοι ἐσκευαγώγουν ἐφ' ἁμαξῶν, θέρη καὶ δράγματα καὶ σωροὺς χαίρειν ἐῶντες. τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἐναντίοις, κἂν ἵστων τὰ ὁρμήματα τότε κατά τινα ἐνεδρῶν ὑποψίαν, ἀλλ' οὖν