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devising every means to win them back from such great wickedness. But they rejoiced at the good treatment they had received from the emperor, they who were formerly enemies and foes, the transgressors of the oaths and promises to him, considering his great forbearance toward them. 12.1.5 And after some days, summoning them, he said: “I give you leave for the future, so that you may remain with us in this city for as long as you wish. But whenever any one of you, remembering his own people, should wish to depart, he may without hindrance take the road leading home after taking leave of us, and so, well supplied with money and all other provisions, he may be properly set on his way. And in short, I wish you to have leave both to be present and to be absent, and to do what you will as free men according to your own judgment.” For a time, therefore, the counts were with the emperor, being deemed worthy of all kinds of care, as has been said, and were inseparable from him. But when Bohemond, having reached Lombardy, as the narrative has already shown, was hastening to gather more troops than before, he ran down the emperor much, going about every city and country and proclaiming him with a loud voice a pagan and one who assisted the pagans with all his mind, the emperor, having learned this, sent the said counts away to their homes, partly because they themselves were already eager to depart to their own lands, and partly for the refutation of the things being proclaimed against him by Bohemond, after bestowing lavish gifts upon them. 12.1.6 He himself set out with haste for the city of Thessalonica, partly to train the new recruits in military matters, and partly to deter Bohemond, by the report of his presence, from crossing over from Lombardy to our land. So when those counts had departed, they became the truest refutations of Bohemond, calling him an impostor and one who did not speak the truth even on a trivial matter, refuting him to his face many times and denouncing him in every city and country, presenting themselves as trustworthy witnesses.

12.2.1 When Bohemond's crossing was being reported everywhere and the emperor needed many forces and a comparable army to stand against the Celtic multitudes, he did not delay or hesitate, but summoned those in Coele-Syria, I mean Cantacuzenus and Monastras; for the one was garrisoning Laodicea, and the other Tarsus. Therefore, in summoning them from there, he did not leave the countries and cities garrisoned by them deserted; for to Laodicea he sent Petzeas with other forces, and to Tarsus and all the cities and countries under Monastras, he sent Aspietes. This was a man of noble birth, of Armenian descent, and one renowned for his courage, as report proclaimed at that time, even if the circumstances then proved him not to be quite such a man, at least as far as strategic ability was concerned. 12.2.2 For Tancred, who was governing Antioch, whom the previous narrative left in Syria, was secretly sending frequent reports that he would soon seize Cilicia in order to besiege it and take it from the emperor's hands, on the grounds that it was his own, having been wrested from the Turks by his spear. And not only did he send such reports everywhere, but he also threatened worse things than these in letters, which were handed to Aspietes every single day. And he not only threatened, but he also did and promised to do certain things as forerunners of his threats, having gathered forces from all sides, from both Armenians and Celts, and training them each day and preparing the army for battle arrays and fights. And at times he would also send them out for plunder, showing the smoke before the fire, and the siege engines

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παντοίως τῆς τοσαύτης κακότητος ἀνακτήσασθαι τούτους μηχανώμενος. Οἱ δὲ ἔχαιρον ἐφ' οἷς παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος εὖ πεπόνθασιν, οἱ πρὶν ἐχθροὶ καὶ πολέμιοι, οἱ παραβάται τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁρκίων καὶ ὑποσχέσεων, τὴν τοσαύτην ἐς αὐτοὺς κατα νοοῦντες ἀνεξικακίαν. 12.1.5 Ὁ δὲ μεθ' ἡμέρας μεταπεμψά μενος τούτους ἔφη· «Ἄδειαν ὑμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ δίδωμι, ἵνα ὁπόσον βούλεσθε κατὰ ταύτην τὴν πόλιν ἐγκαρτερήσητε μεθ' ἡμῶν. Ὁπηνίκα δέ τις τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιμνησθεὶς ἐθε λήσοι ἀναχωρεῖν, ἀκωλύτως καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ οἴκοι φερού σης ἅψαιτο συνταξάμενος ἡμῖν καὶ οὕτως διὰ χρημάτων καὶ παντοίας ἄλλης οἰκονομίας ἐφοδιασθεὶς καλῶς διευ θετηθείη. Καὶ ἁπλῶς καὶ παρεῖναι καὶ ἀπεῖναι ἄδειαν ἔχειν ὑμᾶς βούλομαι καὶ τὸ βουλητὸν ὡς ἐλευθέρους κατὰ τὴν οἰκείαν γνώμην πράττειν.» Ἦσαν μὲν οὖν τέως οἱ κόμητες μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος παντοίας, ὡς εἴρηται, θεραπείας ἀξιούμενοι καὶ δυσαποσπάστως αὐτοῦ ἔχοντες. Ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν Λογγιβαρδίαν ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος καταλαβών, ὡς ὁ λόγος φθάσας ἐδήλωσε, πλείω τῶν προτέρων στρατευμάτων σπεύδων συναγαγεῖν, πολλὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος κατέτρεχε κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ χώραν περιιὼν καὶ παγάνον αὐτὸν λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ ἀνακηρύττων καὶ τοῖς παγάνοις ὅλῃ γνώμῃ ἐπαρήγοντα, τοῦτο ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ μεμαθηκὼς τοὺς ῥηθέντας κόμητας, τὸ μέν τι καὶ αὐτῶν προθυμουμένων ἤδη πρὸς τὰς σφῶν ἀπιέναι χώρας, τὸ δέ τι καὶ πρὸς ἔλεγ χον τῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ παρὰ τοῦ Βαϊμούντου διακηρυκευομέ νων, δαψιλεῖς τὰς δωρεὰς ἐπιχορηγήσας αὐτοῖς οἴκαδε ἐξαπέστειλεν. 12.1.6 Αὐτὸς δὲ πρὸς τὴν Θετταλοῦ πόλιν σπουδαίως ἐξῄει, ἅμα μὲν καὶ τοὺς νεήλυδας τὰ στρατιω τικὰ παιδεύειν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον ἐκ τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ φήμης ἀπείργεσθαι τῆς ἀπὸ Λογγιβαρδίας πρὸς τὴν ἡμεδαπὴν διαπεραιώσεως. Ἀπελθόντες τοίνυν οἱ κόμητες ἐκεῖνοι ἔλεγχοι τοῦ Βαϊμούντου γεγόνασιν ἀψευδέστατοι, ἀπατεῶνα ἀποκαλοῦντες αὐτὸν καὶ μηδ' ἐπὶ τῷ τυχόντι ἐπαληθεύοντα, κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτὸν πολλάκις ἐλέγχοντες καὶ κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν καὶ χώραν ἀποκηρύττοντες, μάρτυ ρας αὐτοπίστους ἑαυτοὺς παριστῶντες.

12.2.1 Ἐπεὶ δ' ἡ τοῦ Βαϊμούντου διαπεραίωσις ἁπανταχῆ διεδίδοτο καὶ πολλῶν ἐδεῖτο ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ δυνάμεων καὶ ἀναλόγου στρατεύματος ἀντικαθισταμένου πρὸς τὰ κελτικὰ πλήθη, οὐκ ἔμελλεν οὐδ' ἀνεδύετο, ἀλλὰ τοὺς περὶ τὴν Κοίλην Συρίαν μετεπέμπετο, τὸν Καντακουζηνόν φημι καὶ τὸν Μοναστρᾶν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὴν Λαοδίκειαν ἐφρούρει, ὁ δὲ τὴν Ταρσόν. Τούτους οὖν ἐκεῖθεν μεταπεμπόμενος οὐκ ἐρήμους τὰς ὑπ' αὐτῶν φρουρουμένας χώρας καὶ πόλεις κατέλιπεν· ἐς μὲν γὰρ τὴν Λαοδίκειαν τὸν Πετζέαν μεθ' ἑτέρων ἐκπέμπει δυνάμεων, ἐς δέ γε Ταρσὸν καὶ ἁπάσας τὰς ὑπὸ τὸν Μοναστρᾶν πόλεις καὶ χώρας τὸν Ἀσπιέτην. Ἀνὴρ δὲ οὗτος εὐγενὴς ἐξ Ἀρμενίων ὁρμώμενος καὶ τῶν ἐπ' ἀνδρείᾳ διαβεβοημένων, ὡς ἡ φήμη τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐκήρυττε, κἂν ὁ τότε καιρὸς οὐ πάνυ τοιοῦτον ὄντα ἐξήλεγ ξεν ὅσον γε τὰ εἰς στρατηγικὴν δύναμιν. 12.2.2 Ὁ μὲν γὰρ τῆς Ἀντιόχου ἐπιτροπεύων Ταγγρέ, ὃν ὁ λόγος φθάσας καταλέλοιπεν ἐν Συρίᾳ, φήμας τε ὑπεπέμπετο πυκνάς, ὡς ἄρα ταχὺ καταλάβοι τὴν Κιλικίαν ἐφ' ᾧ πολιορκήσειν αὐτὴν καὶ τῶν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀφελέσθαι χειρῶν, ἅτε ἰδίαν οὖσαν καὶ τῷ δόρατι τούτου τῶν Τούρκων ἀφαιρεθεῖσαν. Καὶ οὐ μόνον φήμας τοιαύτας πανταχόσε κατέπεμπεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ γραμμάτων ἠπείλει τὰ χείρω τούτων, ἃ καὶ τῷ Ἀσπιέτῃ καθ' ἡμέραν ἑκάστην ἐνεχειρίζετο. Καὶ οὐκ ἠπείλει μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀπειλῶν πρόδρομά τινα καὶ ἐποίει καὶ καθυ πισχνεῖτο ποιεῖν, δυνάμεις τε συναγηοχὼς ἁπανταχόθεν ἐξ Ἀρμενίων τε καὶ Κελτῶν καὶ τούτους καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν γυμνάζων καὶ πρὸς παρατάξεις καὶ μάχας ἐξομαλίζων τὸ στράτευμα. Καὶ ἔστιν οὗ καὶ εἰς προνομὰς ἀποστέλλων καὶ τὸν καπνὸν πρὸ τοῦ πυρὸς παρεμφαίνων, τά τε πολιορκη τικὰ