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11.6.1 While he indeed had not yet returned, but was fighting against the Turks, the emperor, having prepared to reach the Celts around Antioch to aid them, when he captured Philomelion with all his forces, having killed many barbarians in the meantime, and having ravaged many cities previously occupied by them, at that time William of Grandmesnil and Stephen, count of Francia, and Peter of Alipha came to him from Antioch, having been let down by ropes over the battlements of Antioch and having arrived by way of Tarsus; they were affirming that the Celts were driven into a very tight spot, and were swearing to their utter ruin. 11.6.2 But the emperor for this reason considered all the more to hasten to their aid, even though everyone tried to check him from such an impulse. But since an attack of countless barbarians against him was proclaimed everywhere to be overtaking him now (for the sultan of Khorasan, having learned of the emperor’s departure on behalf of the Celts, had sent his own son, Ismael by name, against him, after gathering innumerable forces both from Khorasan and from the more distant parts and stoutly arming them all, having commanded him to overtake the emperor quickly before he reached Antioch), indeed the impulse of the emperor, which he had for the salvation of the Celts, and his eagerness to destroy the Turks raging against them and their leader Kourpagan himself, was checked by the reports both from the Franks who had come and from those who announced the arrival of Ismael against him. And making a reasonable calculation about the future, that it would be an impossible thing to save a city just now captured by the Celts, but still unsettled and immediately besieged from outside by the Hagarenes, with the Celts having despaired of their hopes of salvation and planning to abandon the deserted wall to the enemy, and to save only themselves by flight. 11.6.3 For the Celtic race is, among other things, both independent and unwilling to take advice, never using strategic order and knowledge, but whenever battle and war should arise, with their anger boiling over they are uncontrollable, not only the soldiery, but also the leaders themselves, so that they are unbearable as they fall into the midst of the enemy's phalanxes, if the opposing force should give way at all; but if the enemy should often set up ambushes with military experience and pursue them skillfully, all their boldness is turned to the contrary. For, to speak generally, in the first charge the Celts are irresistible, but after this they are very easy to handle on account of both the weight of their arms and the passionate and irrational nature of their temper. 11.6.4 For these reasons, having neither sufficient forces against so great a multitude, nor being able to change the minds of the Celts nor to bring them over to a better plan for their own advantage, he considered it necessary not to proceed further, lest while hastening to the aid of Antioch he should also lose Constantinople. And being alarmed lest, as countless Turkish peoples were now overtaking him, the inhabitants of the regions of Philomelion should become the prey of the barbarian sword, he took it into his head to proclaim everywhere the attack of the Hagarenes; and it was immediately proclaimed that each man or woman should depart before their arrival, saving their own bodies and whatever possessions they could carry. 11.6.5 Therefore all at once chose to follow the emperor, not only the men, but also the women themselves ..... Thus indeed were the affairs of the captives managed by the emperor. And cutting off a part of the army and dividing this into many sections, he sent it out in many parts against the Hagarenes, in case they should find the Turks making any raids, both to engage them and stoutly

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11.6.1 Τούτου γοῦν μήπω ἐπανεληλυθότος, ἀλλ' ἀγωνιζο μένου κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων, ὁ βασιλεὺς ἑτοιμασθεὶς εἰς ἀρω γὴν τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν φθάσαι Κελτῶν, ἐπεὶ τὸ Φιλομήλιον κατέλαβε σὺν ὅλαις δυνάμεσι πολλοὺς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ κτείνας βαρβάρους, πολλὰς δὲ καὶ πόλεις δῃωσά μενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν πρὶν κατεχομένας, φθάνει τηνικαῦτα τοῦτον ἐξ Ἀντιοχείας Γελίελμος ὁ Γραντεμανῆ καὶ Στέφανος κόμης Φραγγίας καὶ Πέτρος ὁ τοῦ Ἀλίφα, χαλασθέντες καλῳδίοις διὰ τῶν κρηδέμνων Ἀντιοχείας καὶ διὰ τῆς Ταρσοῦ ἀφικόμενοι διαβεβαιοῦντο εἰς στενὸν κομιδῆ συνελαθῆναι τοὺς Κελτούς, καὶ ἐπομνύμενοι τὴν αὐτῶν παντελῆ πτῶσιν. 11.6.2 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μᾶλλον εἰς βοήθειαν αὐτῶν ἐσκόπει ταχῦναι, κἂν ἅπαντες αὐτὸν τῆς τοιαύτης ὁρμῆς ἀνέκοπτον. Ἐπεὶ δὲ βαρβάρων κατ' αὐτοῦ ἔφοδος ἀμυθήτων ἁπανταχῆ διεκηρυκεύετο ἐπικαταλαμβάνειν αὐτὸν ἤδη (καὶ γὰρ ὁ τοῦ Χοροσὰν σουλτάν, τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὑπὲρ τῶν Κελτῶν μεμαθη κὼς ἀπέλευσιν τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν Ἰσμαὴλ τὴν κλῆσιν ἀπείρους δυνάμεις ἀπό τε τοῦ Χοροσὰν ἀπό τε τῶν πορρωτέρων μερῶν συναγαγὼν καὶ καρτερῶς ἐξοπλίσας ἅπαντας κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεμψεν, ἐντειλάμενος τάχος τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἐφθακέναι πρὸ τοῦ τὴν Ἀντιόχειαν καταλαβεῖν), τὴν μὲν δὴ ὁρμὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος, ἣν εἶχεν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Κελτῶν σωτηρίας, διαχρήσασθαί τε σπεύδων τοὺς κατ' αὐτῶν λυττῶντας Τούρκους καὶ αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν τούτων ἡγεμόνα Κουρπαγάν, ἐπέσχε τὰ διαμηνυθέντα ὑπό τε τῶν ἐληλυθότων Φράγγων ὑπό τε τῶν τὴν τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ κατ' αὐτοῦ μηνυσάντων ἔλευσιν. Λογισμὸν δὲ τὸν εἰκότα περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος λαμβάνων, ὡς ἀμήχανον εἴη πρᾶγμα σῶσαι πόλιν ἄρτι μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν Κελτῶν ἁλοῦσαν, ἀστατοῦσαν δ' ἔ τι κἀκ τῶν ἔξωθεν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν αὐτίκα πολιορ κουμένην, τῶν Κελτῶν τὰς σῳζούσας ἀπεγνωκότων ἐλπί δας καὶ βουλευομένων τοῦ μὲν τείχους ἐρήμου παραχωρῆ σαι τοῖς πολεμίοις, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ μόνους περισῶσαι διὰ φυγῆς. 11.6.3 Ἔστι μὲν γὰρ τὸ τῶν Κελτῶν γένος μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτόνομόν τε καὶ ἀξύμβουλον, στρατηγικῇ δὲ εὐταξίᾳ καὶ ἐπιστήμῃ μηδέποτε χρώμενον, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὰν μάχη καὶ πόλεμος παρασταίη, περιυλακτοῦντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θυμοῦ ἀκάθεκτοί τέ εἰσιν οὐ τὸ στρατιωτικὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἡγεμόνες, ὡς ἐς μέσας φάλαγγας τῶν πολεμίων εἰσπίπτοντες ἀφόρητοι, εἰ ὅλως τὸ ἀντικαθιστάμενον ὑπο χαλάσειεν· εἰ δὲ στρατιωτικαῖς ἐμπειρίαις λόχους οἱ πολέ μιοι πολλάκις καταστήσαιεν καὶ τεχνικῶς αὐτοὺς μετελεύ σονται, εἰς τοὐναντίον πᾶν τὸ θράσος αὐτοῖς περιίσταται. Τὸ γὰρ ὅλον εἰπεῖν, εἰς πρώτους ῥυτῆρας ἀνύποιστοί εἰσιν οἱ Κελτοί, τὸ δέ γε μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ λίαν εὐχείρωτοι διά τε τὸ τῶν ὅπλων βάρος καὶ τὸ τῆς γνώμης θυμοειδὲς καὶ ἀλόγιστον. 11.6.4 ∆ιὰ ταῦτα μήτε ἀποχρώσας πρὸς τοσαῦτα πλήθη δυνάμεις ἔχων μήτε τὰς τῶν Κελτῶν γνώμας μετα βαλεῖν μήτε ξυμβουλῇ τούτους βελτίονι εἰς τὸ ξυμφέρον μετενεγκεῖν δυνάμενος, δέον ἐλογίζετο μὴ προσωτέρω χωρεῖν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς τὴν τῆς Ἀντιοχείας ἀρωγὴν ἐπειγό μενος καὶ τὴν Κωνσταντίνου προσαπολέσειε. Πτοηθεὶς δὲ μὴ ἐπικαταλαμβανόντων αὐτὸν ἤδη Τουρκικῶν ἀμυθήτων λαῶν οἱ ἔποικοι τῶν μερῶν Φιλομηλίου παρανάλωμα βαρ βαρικῆς γένωνται μαχαίρας, εἰς νοῦν βάλλεται διακη ρυκεῦσαι μὲν ἁπανταχῆ τὴν τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἔφοδον· καὶ παραυτίκα διεκηρυκεύετο καὶ ὅτι ἕκαστος ἢ ἑκάστη προεξελ θέτω τῆς τούτων ἐλεύσεως, τὰ σώματα αὐτὰ καὶ τὰ χρήματα ὁπόσα φέρειν δύνανται διασῴζοντες. 11.6.5 Εἵλοντο μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς ἅπαντες συνέψεσθαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, οὐκ ἄνδρες μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐταὶ γυναῖκες ..... Οὕτω μὲν οὖν τὰ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ᾠκονόμητο τῷ βασιλεῖ. Μέρος δὲ τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ ἀποτεμόμενος καὶ τοῦτο εἰς πολλὰ διελών, ἐν πολλοῖς μέρεσι κατὰ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἐξαπέ στειλεν, εἴ που προεκδρομάς τινας ποιουμένους τοὺς Τούρκους εὕροιεν, ξυμμίγνυσθαί τε αὐτοῖς καὶ καρτερῶς