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concerning the seizure of the remaining castles, to contend as far as was possible; which indeed he did, persuaded by the letters of the emperor. At any rate, after handing over the castles to those declared above, he departed for Antarados and took it without a fight. Having heard this, the Atabeg of Damascus gathered sufficient forces and marched against him. But since Isangeles did not have sufficient forces against so great a multitude, he devised a plan that was not so much brave as it was clever. For, trusting the locals, he said: "As the castle is very large, I will hide myself in a certain place; but you, whenever the Atabeg arrives, do not confess the truth, but assure him that I, having taken fright, have become a fugitive." 11.7.5 So the Atabeg, having arrived and asked about Isangeles, since he believed that he had run away, being weary from the journey, pitched his tent near the walls. And as the locals showed him every kindness, the Turks, taking courage and suspecting nothing hostile, loosed their own horses onto the plain. But Isangeles, at midday when the sun cast its rays from directly overhead, having armed himself strongly with those under him (they amounted to about four hundred), suddenly opened the gates and rushed through the middle of their camp. As many, therefore, as were accustomed to fighting eagerly, sparing not their own lives, stood with them and took up the fight; but the rest attempted to procure their own safety by flight. But the broadness of the plain and the fact that no marsh or hill or ravine lay nearby handed them all over to the hands of the Latins. Hence indeed they all became fodder for the swords; and a few were even captured. Having thus outgeneraled the Turks, he proceeds against Tripoli. 11.7.6 At any rate, he goes up directly and seizes in advance the ridge of the hill situated opposite Tripoli, being part of Lebanon, on which both to have this as a stronghold and to check the water flowing down from Lebanon to Tripoli through the slope of such a hill. At that time, having reported what had happened to the emperor, he asked that a very strong fortress be built before more forces arrived from Khorasan and overcame them. And the emperor entrusted the building of such a fort to the doux of Cyprus, instructing that through the fleet he should quickly dispatch all the necessary things and the men who would build such a fort at whatever place Isangeles should point out. This was done for the time being. 11.7.7 And Isangeles, encamped outside Tripoli, moving every rope, did not give up concerning its capture. But Bohemond, having learned of Tzintziloukes's entry into Laodicea, brought out into the open the enmity which he had long conceived against the emperor, and with sufficient force sends out his nephew Tancred against Laodicea to besiege it. And when the rumor about this ran as far as the ears of Isangeles, immediately, without delaying even a little, he reaches Laodicea and engages in talks with Tancred, advising him with all sorts of arguments to desist from the siege of the castle. But when, having conferred with him at length, he did not find him persuadable, but seemed to be singing outright to a deaf man, having returned from there he reaches Tripoli again. But that man did not desist from the siege at all. Therefore Tzintziloukes, seeing the impetus of Tancred and how his own affairs were driven into a tight spot, asked for help from there. But as those in Cyprus were slow, having come to a state of helplessness, pressed on the one hand by the siege and on the other by famine, he chose to betray the castle.

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περὶ τῆς τῶν λοιπῶν κάστρων κατασχέσεως ὡς ἐνὸν διαγωνιεῖσθαι· ὅπερ δὴ καὶ πεποίηκε τοῖς γράμμασι τοῦ βασιλέως πεισθείς. Μετὰ γοῦν τὸ παραδοῦναι τὰ κάστρα τοῖς ἀνωτέρω δηλω θεῖσιν ἀπῆλθεν εἰς Ἀντάραδον καὶ ταύτην ἀμαχητὶ ἐχειρώ σατο. Τοῦτο ἐνωτισθεὶς ὁ Ἀταπάκας τῆς ∆αμασκοῦ δυνά μεις συναθροίσας ἱκανὰς κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐστρατεύσατο. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ Ἰσαγγέλης ἀποχρώσας δυνάμεις πρὸς τοσοῦτον πλῆθος οὐκ εἶχε, βουλὴν ἐβουλεύσατο οὐ τοσοῦτον ἀνδρείαν ὁπόσον συνετήν. Θαρρήσας γὰρ τοῖς ἐντοπίοις ἔφη ὡς· «Ἐγὼ μὲν τοῦ κάστρου παμμεγέθους ὄντος ἔν τινι τόπῳ κρυβήσομαι· ὑμεῖς δέ, ὁπηνίκα ὁ Ἀταπάκας καταλάβῃ, τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς μὴ ὁμολογήσητε, πτοηθέντα δέ με φυγάδα γενέσθαι διαβε βαιώσατε». 11.7.5 Καταλαβὼν οὖν ὁ Ἀταπάκας καὶ ἐρωτή σας περὶ τοῦ Ἰσαγγέλη, ἐπεὶ ἀποδεδρακέναι τοῦτον ἐπί στευσε, κεκμηκὼς ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοιπορίας ἀγχοῦ τῶν τειχῶν τὴν σκηνὴν ἐπήξατο. Τῶν δὲ ἐντοπίων πᾶσαν φιλοφροσύ νην εἰς αὐτὸν ἐνδεικνυμένων, τεθαρρηκότες οἱ Τοῦρκοι καὶ μηδὲν ἐναντίον ὑποτοπάσαντες τοὺς ἰδίους ἵππους πρὸς τὸ πεδίον ἔλυσαν. Ὁ δὲ Ἰσαγγέλης μέσης ἡμέρας τοῦ ἡλίου κατὰ κορυφὴν τὰς ἀκτῖνας βάλλοντος καρτερῶς ὁπλισάμε νος μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτόν (εἰς τετρακοσίους δὲ περιίσταντο) αἴφνης τὰς πύλας ἀνοίξας διὰ μέσης τῆς αὐτῶν παρεμ βολῆς ὥρμησεν. Ὁπόσοι μὲν οὖν ἐκθύμως εἰώθασι μάχεσθαι, τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς ἀφειδήσαντες τὸν μετ' αὐτῶν ἱστάμενοι ἀνεδέξαντο πόλεμον· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ φυγαδείᾳ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀπεπειρῶντο πραγματεύσασθαι σωτηρίαν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ τῆς πεδιάδος εὐρὺ καὶ τὸ μή τι ἕλος παρακεῖσθαι ἢ βουνὸν ἢ φάραγγα ταῖς τῶν Λατίνων χερσὶν ἅπαντας παραδέδωκεν. Ἔνθεν τοι καὶ παρανάλωμα ξιφῶν πάντες γεγόνασιν· ὀλί γοι δὲ καὶ κατεσχέθησαν. Οὕτω γοῦν τῶν Τούρκων κατα στρατηγήσας κατὰ τῆς Τριπόλεως χωρεῖ. 11.7.6 Ἄνεισι γοῦν κατευθὺ καὶ προκαταλαμβάνει τὴν ἀκρολοφίαν τοῦ ἀντικρὺ Τριπόλεως διακειμένου βουνοῦ, μέρους ὄντος τοῦ Λιβάνου, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ὡς ὀχύρωμα τοῦτον ἔχειν καὶ τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Λιβάνου καταρρέον ὕδωρ εἰς Τρίπολιν διὰ τοῦ πρανοῦς τοῦ τοιούτου βουνοῦ ἐπισχεῖν. Τηνικαῦτα δὲ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὰ συμβάντα δηλώσας ᾐτεῖτο ἐρυμνότατόν τι ὀχύρωμα γενέσθαι πρὸ τοῦ καταλαβεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ Χοροσὰν δυνάμεις πλείονας καὶ καταγωνίσασθαι αὐτούς. Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῷ δουκὶ Κύπρου τὴν τοῦ τοιούτου πολιχνίου κτίσιν ἀνέθετο, ἐπισκήψας ἵνα διὰ τοῦ στόλου πάντα τὰ συνοίσοντα ταχέως ἐξαποστέλλῃ καὶ τοὺς τὸ τοιοῦτον πολίχνιον οἰκοδομήσον τας ἐφ' ὃν ἂν ὁ Ἰσαγγέλης ὑποδείξειε τόπον. Γέγονε τοῦτο τῷ τέως. 11.7.7 Καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἰσαγγέλης ἔξωθεν τῆς Τριπόλεως στρατοπεδευσάμενος πάντα κάλων κινῶν περὶ τὴν ταύτης ἅλωσιν οὐκ ἐνεδίδου. Ὁ δέ γε Βαϊμοῦντος τὴν τοῦ Τζιν τζιλούκη εἰσέλευσιν εἰς Λαοδίκειαν μεμαθηκὼς τὴν ἔχθραν, ἣν πάλαι κατὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐγκυμονήσας εἶχεν, εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἐξαγαγὼν μετὰ δυνάμεως ἀποχρώσης τὸν ἀνε ψιὸν αὐτοῦ Ταγγρὲ κατὰ τῆς Λαοδικείας ἐκπέμπει ταύτην πολιορκήσοντα. Τῆς δὲ περὶ τούτου φήμης μέχρι καὶ ἐς τὰς τοῦ Ἰσαγγέλη διαδραμούσης ἀκοάς, εὐθὺς μηδὲ μικρόν τι μελλήσας οὗτος καταλαμβάνει τὴν Λαοδίκειαν καὶ λόγους συνείρει πρὸς τὸν Ταγγρὲ διὰ παντοίων λόγων συμβουλεύων αὐτῷ τῆς τοῦ κάστρου πολιορκίας ἀποσχέσθαι. Ὡς δὲ πολλὰ μετ' αὐτοῦ κοινολογούμενος καταπειθῆ τοῦτον οὐχ εὕρισκεν, ἀλλ' ἄντικρυς ᾄδειν ἐδόκει παρὰ κωφῷ, ἐκεῖθεν παλινοστήσας καταλαμβάνει αὖθις τὴν Τρίπολιν. Ἐκεῖνος δὲ οὐδοπωσοῦν τῆς πολιορκίας ἀφίστατο. Ἰδὼν οὖν ὁ Τζιντζιλούκης τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ Ταγγρὲ καὶ ὡς ἐν στενῷ τὰ κατ' αὐτὸν συνελαύνεται, βοήθειαν ἐκεῖθεν ᾐτεῖτο. Βραδυ νόντων δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ Κύπρῳ, εἰς ἀμηχανίαν ἐλθὼν τὸ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς πολιορκίας, τὸ δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ πιεζόμενος, προδοῦναι τὸ κάστρον ᾑρετίσατο.