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to serve Constantine Doukas. He was skilled in the management of affairs and conversant in speeches, 708 but he had a character that was insidious and full of cunning. To this man, therefore, he entrusted the reins of the empire, naming him logothete. From then on, the man from Side was pushed aside, and the Caesar became an object of suspicion, and the entire administration of the empire came under the logothete, and the emperor was led by him like a slave. And there was nothing that was not done through the logothete, and many were deprived of their properties, with various pretexts being brought against them, and there was crushing affliction and misery for the people and no one to turn this around. For the emperor was occupied with childish pursuits, with the consul of the philosophers and hypertimos Michael Psellos seemingly instructing and teaching him with words, now the art of grammar and meters and dialects, now how to discourse like the orators, now habituating him to histories, and at other times preparing him to listen to the theorems of philosophers; but he had no natural aptitude for any of it. And so the emperor of the Romans, devoted to these things, placed the governance of public affairs under another man, and a single one at that, and whatever seemed good to the logothete was law. The affairs of the state were thus in a bad way, but matters in 709 the east were worse than before. For the sultan, having learned what had happened to Diogenes, and that the man whom he had taken captive by the spear, honored, and released to go to his own kingdom, his own countrymen had mercilessly delivered over to a most pitiable death, and that the treaties of truce with him had remained unfulfilled, was greatly grieved and incited his own forces to move against the Roman lands; therefore, they no longer went into the lands as raiders, but as ones who would occupy and master them, since the one who restrained them was not present. And while they were doing these things, the emperor, having raised a force, appointed Isaac Komnenos as its general, joining with him also the Latin Roussel, a commander of four hundred men of his own race. But when the army had reached the vicinity of Ikonion, for some reason Roussel revolted, and taking his countrymen with him, he was on his own, at one time joining with the Turks, at another ravaging the Roman lands. And Isaac Komnenos, with the remainder of the army, attacked the Turks and was defeated, and many fell and others were taken 710 alive, including the general himself, and the camp was plundered. Komnenos, therefore, purchased his freedom for a great sum of money, and the emperor appointed his uncle, the Caesar, as general for the war. Learning this, Roussel, before the Caesar could cross the Sangarios, met him and encamped opposite him; and the Caesar promised him amnesty for his offense, if he would come over to the emperor. But he, snorting barbarously, had no thought of yielding. Therefore a battle broke out, and the Caesar's men were defeated and he himself was captured along with many others, while Botaneiates, who was co-general with the Caesar, fled with a few men. Roussel, however, hastened towards Byzantium, leading the Caesar as a prisoner and Basil Maleses, recently freed from his captivity with Diogenes, and Chrysopolis held the apostate, who immediately set fire to the houses there. The emperor promised him the dignity of Kouropalates, if he would lay down his arms, and sent out his wife to him with their children; but the barbarian was untamable. Therefore, the emperor summoned Turks for hire against 711 Roussel; but he, not being a match for the war, releases the Caesar from his bonds and acclaims him royally, thinking that many would be added to his side. But when the Turks suddenly appeared, Roussel moved against them rashly with barbaric audacity, and the Franks struck down many of the Turks, put the rest to flight, and pursued them without restraint. The majority, therefore, were left behind somewhere, as their horses were not strong enough for the long pursuit; the

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Κωνσταντίνῳ τῷ ∆ούκᾳ ὑπηρετήσασθαι. ἦν δὲ περὶ πραγμάτων μεταχείρισιν δεξιὸς καὶ λόγοις ὡμιληκώς, 708 τὸ δὲ ἦθος ἔχων ὑποκαθήμενον καὶ γέμον δεινότητος. τούτῳ γοῦν ἐγχειρίζει τὰς ἡνίας τῆς βασιλείας, λογοθέτην ὀνομάσας αὐτόν. ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Σίδης παραγκωνίζεται, καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ καθίσταται ὕποπτος, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τῆς βασιλείας διοίκησις ὑπὸ τὸν λογοθέτην ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀνδράποδον ἤγετο. καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὃ μὴ διὰ τοῦ λογοθέτου ἐγίνετο, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν περιουσιῶν ἐστερήθησαν, ἄλλοις ἄλλων ἐπενηνεγμένων λαβῶν, καὶ ἦν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σύντριμμα καὶ ταλαιπωρία καὶ ὁ τοῦτο ἐπιστρεφόμενος οὐδαμοῦ. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς παιδαριώδεσιν ἐσχόλαζε πράξεσι, τοῦ ὑπάτου τῶν φιλοσόφων καὶ ὑπερτίμου Μιχαὴλ τοῦ Ψελλοῦ λόγοις τῷ δοκεῖν αὐτὸν ἐμβιβάζοντος καὶ διδάσκοντος νῦν μὲν τὴν γραμματικὴν τέχνην καὶ μέτρα καὶ διαλέκτους, νῦν δ' ἵνα κατὰ ῥήτορας διαλέγοιτο, νῦν δ' ἱστορίαις αὐτὸν προσεθίζοντος, ἄλλοτε δὲ φιλοσόφων θεωρημάτων ἀκροᾶσθαι παρασκευάζοντος· ὁ δὲ πρὸς οὐδὲν ἐπεφύκει. τούτοις οὖν ὁ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοκράτωρ προστετηκὼς ὑφ' ἕτερον, καὶ τοῦτον ἕνα, τὴν τῶν κοινῶν κυβέρνησιν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ νόμος ἦν τὸ τῷ λογοθέτῃ δοκοῦν. Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς πολιτείας οὕτως εἶχον κακῶς, τὰ δὲ κατὰ 709 τὴν ἕω χεῖρον ἔσχον ἢ πρότερον. ὁ γὰρ σουλτὰν τὰ κατὰ τὸν ∆ιογένη μαθὼν καὶ ὅτι ὃν ἐκεῖνος λαβὼν δορυάλωτον ἐτίμησε καὶ ἀφῆκεν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπελευσόμενον βασιλείαν, τοῦτον οἱ συμφυλέται ἀπηνῶς οἰκτίστῳ θανάτῳ παρέδωκαν, καὶ αἱ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον περὶ σπονδῶν συνθῆκαι ἄπρακτοι μεμενήκασιν, ὑπερήλγησε καὶ τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χωρῶν χωρεῖν ἐξηρέθισεν· οὐκέτι τοίνυν ὡς ληιζόμενοι ταῖς χώραις ἐπῄεσαν, ἀλλ' ὡς ταύτας καθέξοντές τε καὶ κυριεύσοντες, τοῦ σφᾶς ἀνείργοντος μὴ παρόντος. Καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα ἐποίουν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς δύναμιν ἀγείρας στρατάρχην ταύτης τὸν Κομνηνὸν προβάλλεται Ἰσαάκιον, συζεύξας αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν Λατῖνον Ῥουσέλιον, ὁμογενῶν ἄρχοντα τετρακοσίων ἀνδρῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ περὶ τὸ Ἰκόνιον ἐγεγόνει τὸ στράτευμα, ἐξ αἰτίας τινὸς ἀποστατεῖ ὁ Ῥουσέλιος καὶ τοὺς ὁμοφύλους παραλαβὼν καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἦν καὶ πῇ μὲν τοῖς Τούρκοις προσέμισγε, πῇ δὲ τὰς χώρας τὰς Ῥωμαϊκὰς ἐκεράϊζεν. ὁ δὲ Κομνηνὸς Ἰσαάκιος μετὰ τοῦ περιλοίπου στρατεύματος τοῖς Τούρκοις προσβαλὼν ἥττητο, καὶ ἔπεσον μὲν πολλοὶ καὶ ἐζω710 γρήθησαν ἕτεροι καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ στρατάρχης, καὶ διήρπαστο ἡ παρεμβολή. ὁ μὲν οὖν Κομνηνὸς πολλῶν χρημάτων τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ὠνήσατο, ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τὸν θεῖον τὸν Καίσαρα τῷ πολέμῳ στρατάρχην ἐφίστησι. τοῦτο μαθὼν ὁ Ῥουσέλιος, πρὸ τοῦ τὸν Σαγγάριον τὸν Καίσαρα διαβῆναι καταλαβών, ἀντεστρατοπεδεύσατο αὐτῷ· καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ ἀμνηστίαν αὐτῷ τοῦ πταίσματος ἐπηγγέλλετο, εἰ προσχωρήσει τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος βαρβαρικῶς φρυαττόμενος οὐδὲν ἐφρόνει ἐνδόσιμον. συρρήγνυται τοίνυν πόλεμος, καὶ ἡττήθησαν οἱ περὶ τὸν Καίσαρα καὶ αὐτὸς ἑάλω σὺν πλείοσιν ἄλλοις, τοῦ Βοτανειάτου, ὃς συνεστρατήγει τῷ Καίσαρι, μετ' ὀλίγων φυγόντος. ὁ μέντοι Ῥουσέλιος πρὸς τὸ Βυζάντιον ἵετο ἄγων τὸν Καίσαρα δέσμιον καὶ τὸν Μαλέσην Βασίλειον, ἄρτι τῆς μετὰ τοῦ ∆ιογένους λελυμένον αἰχμαλωσίας, καὶ ἡ Χρυσόπολις εἶχε τὸν ἀποστάτην, καὶ αὐτίκα πῦρ ταῖς ἐκεῖσε οἰκίαις ἐνῆκεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἀξίωμά τε κουροπαλάτου αὐτῷ ἐπηγγέλλετο, εἰ τὰ ὅπλα κατάθοιτο, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτῷ μετὰ τῶν τέκνων ἐξέπεμψεν· ἀλλ' ὁ βάρβαρος ἀτίθασσος ἦν. μετεπέμψατο τοίνυν ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ 711 τοῦ Ῥουσελίου Τούρκους ἐπὶ μισθῷ· ὁ δὲ μὴ ἀξιόχρεως ὢν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον λύει τὸν Καίσαρα τῶν δεσμῶν καὶ εὐφημίαις ἀναγορεύει βασιλικῶς, οἰόμενος προσθήσεσθαί οἱ πολλούς. αἴφνης δὲ Τούρκων ἀναφανέντων ὁ Ῥουσέλιος κατ' αὐτῶν βαρβαρικῇ θρασύτητι ἀπερισκέπτως ἐχώρησε, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν οἱ Φράγγοι τῶν Τούρκων κατέβαλον, τοὺς δ' ἄλλους ἐτρέψαντο εἰς φυγὴν καὶ ἀκρατῶς ἐδίωκον. οἱ μὲν οὖν πλείους ὀπίσω που ἀπελείφθησαν, τῶν ἵππων σφίσι μὴ εὐτονούντων πρὸς τὸ πολὺ τῆς διώξεως· ὁ