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to stop the combatants' attack against the emperor. But he himself with all the people, both the captured barbarians and the Christians who had come over, returns to the reigning city. 11.6.6 But the arch-satrap Ismael, having learned concerning the emperor that, having come out of Constantinople, he had committed great slaughter, and had utterly destroyed many towns on his passage, and having taken much booty and many captives, was returning to the reigning city, having left no work for him, so that he despaired of his prey, was in a state of helplessness, and having turned to another course, he decided to besiege Païpert, which that famous Theodore Gabras had seized and held a short time before, and having occupied the river flowing near it, he stationed all his soldiery there. Gabras, having learned this, considered falling upon him by night. But what end the affairs of Gabras had, and from where this man came, and what sort of man he was, let the account reserve for the appropriate place; for now let it stick to the subject at hand. 11.6.7 But the Latins, being terribly pressed both by famine and continuous siege, having gone to their bishop Peter, who had then been defeated at Helenopolis, as the narrative has already shown, asked for counsel from him. And he said to them: “Having promised,” he says, “to keep yourselves pure, until you should reach Jerusalem, you have transgressed, I think, your promise. For this reason God does not now help you as before. It is necessary, therefore, to turn to the Lord and to bewail your sins in sackcloth and ashes, showing repentance with hot tears and all-night prayers. Then indeed I myself also will devote myself on your behalf to propitiating the Deity.” They are persuaded by the exhortations of the high priest. And after some days, the high priest, moved by a divine voice, having summoned the magnates of the counts, instructed them to dig on the right side of the altar and to find there the holy nail. Therefore, having done what was commanded, since they did not find it, they returned with despondency and reported their failure to find what was sought. But he, having made his prayer more earnestly, ordered them to make the search for what was sought more carefully. And they again carried out what was commanded and, having found what was sought, they brought it swiftly to Peter, seized by joy and awe. 11.6.8 And from that time, in the battles, they entrusted the revered and divine nail to Isangeles, as to the purest of the others. On the day after it, at any rate, they sallied out from an unguarded gate against the Turks. Then indeed the one called Flandras asked the others that this one request be granted to him, for him to ride out against the Turks with only three men before the others. What was asked was granted to him; and when the phalanxes stood in formation on both sides and the joining of battle was prepared, he himself, having dismounted from his horse and having prostrated himself three times, prayed to God, asking for help from thence. And when all shouted, “God with us,” he gave full rein against Kourpagas himself, who was standing on a certain hill. Immediately therefore, striking with their spears those who met them to their front, they cast them to the ground. From this, therefore, the Turks, being terrified, were turned to flight before the battle was joined, a divine power altogether helping the Christians; and in fleeing, having lost their way, most of the barbarians, being caught in the eddies of the river currents, were drowned, so that the bodies of the drowned served as a bridge for those coming behind. 11.6.9 Therefore, having pursued the fugitives for a considerable distance, they returned to the Turkish camp, and there having found the barbarian baggage and all the booty which they had brought with them, they wished to take it up immediately, but as it was a great amount, they were scarcely able to bring it into the city of Antioch over a period of thirty days. For

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μαχομένους ἀναστέλλειν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἔφοδον. Αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν τε ἑαλωκότων βαρβάρων καὶ τῶν προσκεχωρηκότων Χριστιανῶν ἐπαναζεύ γνυσι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν. 11.6.6 Ὁ δέ γε ἀρχισατράπης Ἰσμαήλ, μεμαθηκὼς περὶ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὅτι τῆς Κων σταντίνου ἐξεληλυθὼς πολλὴν μὲν ἀνδροκτασίαν πεποιη κώς, πολλὰς δὲ καὶ κωμοπόλεις ἐν τῷ διέρχεσθαι παν τελῶς ἐρειπώσας, πολλήν τε λείαν καὶ δορυαλώτους ἀναλαβόμενος ἐπαναζεύγνυσι πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν μηδὲν ἔργον αὐτῷ καταλελοιπώς, ὡς τῆς ἄγρας ἀπέγνω, ἐν ἀμηχάνοις καθίστατο, καὶ ἐφ' ἑτέραν τραπόμενος τὸ Παΐπερτ πολιορκῆσαι ἐπέγνω, ὅπερ πρὸ μικροῦ κατασχὼν εἶχεν ὁ περίκλυτος ἐκεῖνος Γαβρᾶς Θεόδωρος, καὶ κατα λαβὼν τὸν ἀγχοῦ τούτου ῥέοντα ποταμὸν ἅπαν ἐκεῖ τὸ στρατιωτικὸν κατέθετο. Τοῦτο μεμαθηκὼς ὁ Γαβρᾶς διεσκοπεῖτο νυκτὸς ἐπεισπεσεῖν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλ' ὁποῖον μὲν πέρας τὰ κατὰ τὸν Γαβρᾶν ἔσχηκε καὶ ὅθεν οὗτος ὥρμητο καὶ ὁποῖος ἦν, ταμιευσάσθω ὁ λόγος ἐς τὸν προσήκοντα τόπον· τὰ νῦν δ' ἐχέσθω τοῦ προκειμένου. 11.6.7 Οἱ δέ γε Λατῖνοι, ὑπό τε λιμοῦ καὶ συνεχοῦς πολιορκίας δεινῶς πιεζόμενοι, προσεληλυθότες τῷ εἰς Ἑλενούπολιν τότε ἡττηθέντι Πέτρῳ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ αὐτῶν, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσεν, ᾐτοῦντο βουλὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· «Ἁγνούς, φησι, τηρῆσαι ἑαυτοὺς ὑποσχόμενοι, μέχρις ἂν τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καταλάβητε, παρέβητε, οἶμαι, τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο νῦν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐπαρήγει ὡς τὸ πρό τερον ὁ Θεός. ∆εῖ οὖν ἐπιστραφῆναι πρὸς τὸν Κύριον καὶ τὰς σφῶν ἀποκλαύσασθαι ἁμαρτίας ἐν σάκκῳ καὶ σποδῷ, καὶ δάκρυσι θερμοῖς τὴν μετάνοιαν ἐνδειξαμένους καὶ παννύχοις δεήσεσι. Τότε δὴ σχολάσω καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τὸ Θεῖον ἐξιλεούμενος.» Πείθονται ταῖς τοῦ ἀρχιερέως παραινέσεσι. Καὶ μεθ' ἡμέρας τινὰς ἐκ θείας ὀμφῆς κινηθεὶς ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς μεταπεμψάμενος τοὺς μεγι στᾶνας τῶν κομήτων παρηγγυᾶτο δεξιόθεν διορύξαι τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κἀκεῖσε τὸν ἅγιον εὑρηκέναι ἧλον. Τὸ ἐπι ταχθὲν οὖν πεποιηκότες, ἐπεὶ μὴ εὕρισκον, ἐπανα στρέψαντες μετὰ ἀθυμίας τὴν τοῦ ζητουμένου διαμαρτίαν ἀπήγγελλον. Ὁ δὲ ἐκτενέστερον τὴν δέησιν ποιησάμενος ἐπιμελέστερον τὴν τοῦ ζητουμένου ἀναψηλάφησιν ποιή σασθαι ἐπέταττεν. Οἱ δὲ καὶ αὖθις ἐπλήρουν τὸ κελευσθὲν καί, τὸν ζητούμενον εὑρηκότες, δρομαίως τῷ Πέτρῳ προσέφερον χαρᾷ καὶ φρίκῃ συνεχόμενοι. 11.6.8 Κἄκτοτε ὡς ἁγνοτέρῳ τῶν ἄλλων τῷ Ἰσαγγέλῃ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις τὸν σεπτὸν καὶ θεῖον ἐνεχείριζον ἧλον. Τῇ γοῦν μετ' αὐτὴν ἐξ ἀνυπόπτου πύλης κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων ἐξώρμησαν. Τότε δὴ ὁ καλούμενος Φλάντρας ᾐτήσατο τοὺς λοιποὺς μίαν ταύτην αἴτησιν παραχωρηθῆναί οἱ, μετὰ τριῶν μόνων κατὰ τῶν Τούρκων τῶν ἄλλων πρῶτον αὐτὸν ἐξιππά σασθαι. ∆έδοται δὴ τούτῳ τὸ αἰτηθέν· καὶ ὁπηνίκα αἱ φάλαγγες ἑκατέρωθεν ἰλαδὸν ἔστησαν καὶ ἡ τοῦ πολέμου σύναψις ηὐτρέπιστο, αὐτὸς τοῦ ἵππου ἀποβὰς καὶ προσ ουδίσας ἑαυτὸν τρισσάκις τῷ Θεῷ ἐπηύξατο ἐκεῖθεν τὴν βοήθειαν ἐξαιτούμενος. Βοησάντων δὲ πάντων· «Ὁ Θεὸς μεθ' ἡμῶν», ὅλους ῥυτῆρας κατ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ Κουρπαγᾶ ἐνέδωκεν ἐπί τινος λόφου ἱσταμένου. Εὐθὺς οὖν τοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν ὑπαντιάσαντας τοῖς δόρασι βαλόντες κατὰ γῆς ἔρριψαν. Ἐντεῦθεν οὖν ἐκδειματωθέντες οἱ Τοῦρκοι πρὸ τοῦ συρραγῆναι τὸν πόλεμον εἰς φυγὴν ἐτράπησαν, θείας πάντως δυνάμεως ἐπαρηγούσης τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς· κἀν τῷ φεύγειν παραπορήσαντες οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν βαρβάρων ταῖς δίναις τῶν ποταμίων συσχεθέντες ῥευμάτων ἀπεπνίγησαν, ὡς ἀντὶ γεφύρας χρηματίσαι τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀποπνιγέντων τοῖς ὄπισθεν ἐρχομένοις. 11.6.9 Ἐφ' ἱκανὸν οὖν καὶ τοὺς φεύγοντας διώξαντες πρὸς τὴν Τουρκικὴν ταφρείαν ὑπέστρεψαν, κἀκεῖσε τὰς βαρ βαρικὰς σκευὰς εὑρηκότες καὶ ἣν συνεπεφέροντο λείαν ἅπασαν, ἀναλαβέσθαι μὲν ἤθελον παραχρῆμα, πολλὴν δὲ οὖσαν διὰ τριακονθημέρου μόγις ταύτην εἰσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν Ἀντιόχου πόλιν ἐξίσχυσαν. Ἐπ'