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encamps. And the emperor Michael, having gathered the western forces, 660 and any of the eastern forces that were left behind, not having been led away with Komnenos, appoints over them as commander-in-chief the domestic of the east, the eunuch Theodore, the servant of the empress Theodora, joining with him as co-commander the magistros Aaron, who was a kinsman of the wife of Komnenos. who, having encamped against the enemy, join battle at a certain place called Hades by the locals, and the left wing of the imperial forces defeated the right wing around Komnenos and captured alive Romanos Skleros, its commander. But the enemy's left wing, which Kekaumenos commanded, routed the right wing of the imperial forces and entered their very camp and tore down their tents and threw them to the ground. This instilled the greatest courage in those around Komnenos, but it broke the spirits of their opponents and persuaded them to flee. Thus a great slaughter of the imperial forces occurred, not only of common soldiers but also of generals, and even more were taken prisoner. And victory openly smiled upon Komnenos. Learning this, the emperor Michael despaired of the war and wished to lay down his rule, but to those around him 661 this was unwelcome, wherefore he was not permitted to carry out his wish. Therefore, men from the elite of the senate council were sent to Komnenos as ambassadors; they were the proedros Constantine Leichoudes, the proedros Leo Alopos and Michael Psellos, who was consul of the philosophers. The terms announced by them were the adoption of Komnenos, who was to be made a son to the emperor, and elevation to the rank of Caesar, and for those who had joined in the usurpation, a pardon and amnesty for their crime. They therefore announced these things to Komnenos in the hearing of the multitude, but it grew tumultuous, saying that it did not wish to see its leader in another guise nor to tolerate his divesting himself of the imperial robe, which he had already put on. Most of them said these things not because they thought so, but to flatter the usurper. But when the assembly was dismissed, Komnenos took the ambassadors aside privately and said, "If you will inform me that you will convey some secret messages 662 for me to the emperor, I will tell you all that is hidden in my heart." And when they had agreed to keep every secret unrevealed, he said that for now he was content with the rank of Caesar and did not seek the imperial one, but he asked for an assurance from the ruler, "that he will never give the supreme power to another and that he will confirm for each of those with me, whatever honor has been bestowed on them by me, and that he will now also grant me some imperial authority, so that I may honor some with lesser dignities and appoint some to military commands, and if these things are fulfilled for me, I will make a truce and will come. And since these things are indeed displeasing to the multitude, I will draft two letters to the ruler, and in one I will appease the soldiery, and in the other I will write the secret matters." In addition to these things, he also asked that the one managing public affairs be removed from the administration, as being ill-disposed to him and those with him. So, having said these things and having handed the letters to them, he urged them to depart. And they returned to the aged emperor, both bringing the letters and reporting by living voice all that Komnenos had told them in secret. 663 Therefore the emperor, pleased at these things, promised to fulfill all that he had asked and added that "Just as he revealed secret thoughts to me through you, so in turn I entrust more mysterious things to him through you same people. Therefore, swear to the man that the interval will not be long and I will make him a partner in the empire, but for now I postpone this for certain reasons." At this the ambassadors departed again, and Komnenos gladly received the messages, and to the others the news did not seem unwelcome and

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στρατοπεδεύεται. Καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς δὲ Μιχαὴλ τὰς δυτικὰς ἀγείρας δυνάμεις, 660 καὶ εἴ τινές που τῶν ἑῴων περιελείφθησαν, μὴ συναπαχθεῖσαι τῷ Κομνηνῷ, ἐφιστᾷ τούτοις στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα τὸν δομέστικον τῆς ἀνατολῆς τὸν ἐκτομίαν Θεόδωρον, τὸν τῆς βασιλίσσης Θεοδώρας θεράποντα, συζεύξας αὐτῷ συνάρχοντα καὶ τὸν μάγιστρον Ἀαρών, σύγγονον ὄντα τῆς συνοικούσης τῷ Κομνηνῷ. οἳ τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντιστρατοπεδευσάμενοι συγκροτοῦσι καὶ πόλεμον κατά τινα τόπον Ἅιδην τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις καλούμενον, καὶ τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον κέρας τῶν βασιλικῶν ἥττησε τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας τὸ περὶ τὸν Κομνηνὸν καὶ τὸν ἐφεστηκότα τούτῳ Ῥωμανὸν τὸν Σκληρὸν συνέσχε ζῶντα. τὸ δέ γε τῶν ἐναντίων εὐώνυμον, οὗ κατῆρχεν ὁ Κεκαυμένος, τὸ δεξιὸν ἐτρέψατο τῶν βασιλικῶν καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ στρατόπεδον εἰσῆλθεν αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς διέρρηξε καὶ ἔρριψε κατὰ γῆς. τοῦτο τοῖς περὶ τὸν Κομνηνὸν θάρσος ὡς μάλιστα ἐνεποίησε, τοῖς δ' ἀντιπολεμοῦσι κατέβαλε τὰ φρονήματα καὶ φεύγειν ἀνέπεισε. γίνεται τοίνυν τῶν βασιλικῶν φόνος πολύς, οὐ κοινῶν μόνον στρατιωτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ στραταρχῶν, καὶ πλείους δὲ ἐζωγρήθησαν. καὶ ἡ νίκη ἀναφανδὸν τῷ Κομνηνῷ ἐπεμειδία. Τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ ἀπεγνώκει τὰ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀποθέσθαι ἠβούλετο, ἀλλὰ τοῖς περὶ ἐκεῖνον 661 τοῦτο ἀβούλητον, ὅθεν οὐδ' εἰς ἔργον ἀγαγεῖν συνεχωρήθη τὸ βούλημα. στέλλονται τοίνυν πρὸς τὸν Κομνηνὸν πρεσβεύσοντες ἄνδρες τῶν ἐκκρίτων τῆς συγκλήτου βουλῆς· οἱ δ' ἦσαν ὁ πρόεδρος Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Λειχούδης, ὁ πρόεδρος Λέων ὁ Ἀλωπὸς καὶ Μιχαὴλ ὁ Ψελλός, τῶν φιλοσόφων ὢν ὕπατος. τὰ δὲ παρὰ τούτων καταγγελλόμενα υἱοθέτησις ἦν τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ, εἰσποιηθησομένου τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ ἀναγωγὴ πρὸς τὴν τιμὴν τὴν τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ τοῖς τὴν τυραννίδα συμμελετήσασιν ἄφεσίς τε καὶ ἀμνηστία τοῦ πλημμελήματος. οἱ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα τῷ Κομνηνῷ ἀπηγγέλκασιν ἐν ἐπηκόῳ τοῦ πλήθους, τὸ δὲ ἐθορύβει, μὴ βούλεσθαι λέγον ἐν ἄλλῳ σχήματι τὸν αὐτῶν προεστηκότα θεάσασθαι μηδ' ἀποδύσασθαι ἀνασχέσθαι αὐτὸν τὴν στολὴν τὴν βασίλειον, ἣν ἤδη ἐνδέδυται. ἔλεγον δὲ ταῦτα οἱ πλείους οὐχ οὕτω φρονοῦντες, ἀλλὰ τὸν τυραννοῦντα θωπεύοντες. ἐπεὶ δὲ διελύθη ὁ σύλλογος, ἰδίᾳ, τοὺς πρέσβεις ὁ Κομνηνὸς προσλαβόμενος "εἴ τινά μοι" φησίν "ἀπόρρητα διαπορθμεῦσαι πλη662 ροφορήσετε πρὸς τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, ἐρῶ ὑμῖν ὅσα μοι κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν ἐγκέκρυπται." τῶν δὲ καταθεμένων ἀνέκφορον τηρήσειν ἅπαν ἀπόρρητον, ἔφη ἀρκεῖσθαι νῦν τῷ σχήματι τῷ τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ μὴ ζητεῖν τὸ βασίλειον, αἰτεῖν δὲ πληροφορίαν ἐκ τοῦ κρατοῦντος, "ὡς οὐχ ἑτέρῳ δώσει τὴν αὐταρχίαν ποτὲ καὶ ὡς συντηρήσει ἑκάστῳ τῶν σὺν ἐμοί, εἴ τι τούτοις πεφιλοτίμηται παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὡς καί τινος μεταδώσει μοι νῦν ἐξουσίας βασιλικῆς, ἵν' ἔχω τινὰς τιμᾶν τοῖς τῶν ἀξιωμάτων ἐλάττοσι καὶ εἰς ἀρχὰς ἐνίους στρατηγικὰς προχειρίζεσθαι, καὶ εἴ μοι ταῦτα ἐπιτελῆ γίνοιτο, σπείσομαι καὶ ἀφίξομαι. ὅτι δὲ τοῖς πλήθεσι ταῦτα δὴ ἀπαρέσκουσι, διττὰς πρὸς τὸν κρατοῦντα ἐγχαράξω ἐπιστολὰς καὶ τῇ μὲν καταδημαγωγήσω τὸ στρατιωτικόν, τῇ δ' ἐγγράψομαι τὰ ἀπόρρητα." ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ τὸν τὰ κοινὰ μεταχειριζόμενον ᾔτει μεταστῆναι τῆς διοικήσεως, ὡς δύσνουν αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς αὐτοῖς ἐγχειρίσας, ἀπελθεῖν προετρέπετο. οἱ δ' ἐπανῆλθον ἐπὶ τὸν γηραιὸν αὐτοκράτορα, τὰς ἐπιστολάς τε φέροντες καὶ ὅσα ὁ Κομνηνὸς αὐτοῖς ἐν ἀπορρήτοις ἔφη διὰ ζώσης φωνῆς ἀπαγγέλλοντες. 663 ἡσθεὶς οὖν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς πάντα πληρῶσαι ὅσα ἐκεῖνος ᾔτησεν ἐπηγγείλατο καὶ προσεπήγαγεν ὅτι "ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἀπορρήτους μοι γνώμας ἐδήλωσε δι' ὑμῶν, οὕτως αὖθις κἀγὼ μυστικώτερά τινα ἐκείνῳ διὰ τῶν αὐτῶν ὑμῶν ἀνατίθεμαι. διόμνυσθε τοίνυν τἀνδρὶ ὅτι οὐ μακρὸν ἂν εἴη τὸ μέσον διάστημα καὶ συμμέτοχον αὐτὸν τοῦ κράτους ποιήσομαι, νῦν δ' ἀναβάλλομαι τοῦτο διά τινα αἴτια." ἐπὶ τούτοις ἀπῆλθον αὖθις οἱ πρεσβευταί, καὶ ὁ Κομνηνὸς ἄσμενος τὰς ἀγγελίας ἐδέξατο, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις οὐκ ἀποθύμια τὰ μηνύματα ἔδοξαν καὶ