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the scheme had such a meaning, that if the betrayal of such men should come to Bohemond's ears and how they, having been cut off from him in spirit, had gone over to the imperial party, he himself would at once be disturbed and would revert to his barbaric nature, and after mistreating the men, he would force them to break away from him, and, a thing which had not occurred to them, they would, by Alexios's contrivance, rise in revolt against him. For the general knew, I think, that any opposing force is strong when it is united and holds together, but when it is in sedition and divided into many parts, it becomes weaker and thus an easy prey for its enemies. This is precisely what he worked on deeply, and the letters held the trick submerged. 13.4.7 And Alexios handled the matter in some such way as this. For he sent the forged letters to them, instructing that each be delivered to each man. And those letters that were sent contained not only thanks, but also promised payments and imperial gifts and extraordinary promises; and it was attracting them also for the future to be and to appear loyal, and to hide none of the secrets. And after them he sends one of his most trusted men to follow them unobserved, and when he should see them approaching, to ride past and get ahead of their arrival and, upon reaching Bohemond, both to pretend to be a deserter and to say that he had come over to him because he hated his stay with the emperor, and feigning friendship for the tyrant and some kind of goodwill, to denounce very clearly those men to whom the letters were addressed, saying that so-and-so and so-and-so, listing them by name, having renounced their allegiance to him, have become friends and loyal to the emperor and support his cause, and that he must see to it that they did not plot something terrible against him, suddenly and long premeditated. 13.4.8 But this also must be arranged, that Bohemond might not do something terrible to these letter-carriers. For the emperor also took care of this, that he might keep these spies unharmed, but throw Bohemond's affairs into confusion. And he did not just say these things and give advice, but it was done; but the said man, having approached and received on oath a promise of safety for the letter-carriers, reported everything according to the autocrator's instructions. And being asked where he guessed they had arrived, he said that they had passed through Petroula. 13.4.9 And sending men he seized the letter-carriers, and having unrolled the letters, and being filled with dizziness, he almost fell down, considering them to be true. He therefore arranged for them to be kept under guard, but he himself was unapproachable in his tents for six days, debating what he should do, turning over many thoughts in his mind, whether he should summon the constables and tell his brother Guy about the preconceived notion given against him, and whether he should summon them after the investigation or without investigation, and in addition to this, whom he should make constables in their place. And suspecting that, as such men were noble, great harm would result from their removal, having arranged matters concerning them as far as possible, and I think also suspecting the hidden meaning of the letters, he skillfully won them over and, taking courage, allowed them to remain in the same position.

13.5.1 And the autocrator, since he had proactively placed a considerable force in all the mountain passes with picked leaders, he again blocked off every path for the Celts by means of what are called abatis. For Avlon, Jericho, and Kanina immediately had as their sleepless guard Michael Kekaumenos, while Petroula had Alexander Kavasilas with a mixed force of foot soldiers, a man

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δὲ νοῦν τοιοῦτον τὸ δρα ματούργημα, ὡς εἴπερ εἰς ἀκοὰς εἰσέλθοι Βαϊμούντου ἡ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοιούτων προδοσία καὶ ὡς ἐκεῖνοι ἐκεῖθεν ἀπο κοπέντες τῇ γνώμῃ τῷ μέρει τῷ βασιλικῷ προσεχώρησαν, αὐτὸς μὲν εὐθὺς ταραχθήσεται καὶ πρὸς τὴν βαρβαρικὴν φύσιν ἐπανελεύσεται, κακώσας δὲ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀπορραγῆ ναι τούτου καταναγκάσειε, καί, ὅπερ εἰς νοῦν οὐκ ἦλθεν αὐτοῖς, ἐκ τῆς κατασκευῆς Ἀλεξίου ποιήσειαν πρὸς αὐτὸν στασιάσαντες. Ἤιδει γάρ, οἶμαι, ὁ στρατηγὸς ὡς τὸ ἀντί παλον ἅπαν φῦλον ξυγκροτούμενον μὲν καὶ ἀλληλουχούμε νον ἔρρωται, στασιάζον δὲ καὶ εἰς πολλὰ μεριζόμενον ἀδρα νέστερον γίνεται καὶ οὕτω τοῖς πολεμοῦσιν εὐχείρωτον. Ὅπερ καὶ βαθέως ἐπραγματεύετο καὶ τὸν δόλον ὑποβρύ χιον εἶχε τὰ γράμματα. 13.4.7 Μεταχειρίζεται δὲ τὸ πρᾶγμα οὑτωσί πως ὁ Ἀλέξιος. Πέμπει μὲν γὰρ τὰ πεπλασμένα γράμματα πρὸς ἐκείνους παραγγείλας ἐπιδοῦναι ἑκάστῳ ἕκαστον. Εἶχε δὲ τὰ πεμπόμενα βιβλία ἐκεῖνα οὐ μόνον εὐχαριστίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δόσεις κατεπηγγέλλετο καὶ βασιλικὰς δωρεὰς καὶ ὑποσχέσεις ὑπερφυεῖς· ἐφεῖλκε δὲ τούτους καὶ εἰς τὸ μετέπειτα εἶναί τε εὔνους καὶ φαίνεσθαι, καὶ μηδὲν ἀποκρύπτειν τῶν ἀπορρήτων. Κατόπιν δὲ τῶν πιστοτάτων αὐτῷ ἄνθρωπον ἀποστέλλει ἀνεπιφωράτως τούτοις παρέ πεσθαι, καὶ ἐπειδὰν πλησιάσαντας ἴδοι, παρελάσαντα προ φθῆναι τούτων τὴν ἔφοδον καὶ καταλαβόντα τὸν Βαϊμοῦν τον τόν τε αὐτόμολον ὑποκριθῆναι καὶ εἰπεῖν, ὡς αὐτῷ προσχωρήσειε μισήσας τὴν μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως διατριβήν, φιλίαν δὲ πρὸς τὸν τύραννον προσποιούμενον καὶ ὡς δή τινα εὔνοιαν, κατειπεῖν ἀριδήλως τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων ἐφ' οὓς τὰ γράμματα, ὡς ἄρα ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ὀνομαστὶ τούτους καταριθμήσας, ἐξομοσάμενοι τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πίστιν, βασιλεῖ φίλοι καὶ εὖνοι γεγόνασι καὶ τὰ ἐκείνου φρονοῦσι, καὶ ὁρᾶν δεῖ μή τι κατ' αὐτοῦ δεινὸν μελετή σειαν ἐξ ὑπογύου καὶ πάλαι προεσκεμμένον. 13.4.8 Ἀλλὰ δεῖ καὶ τοῦτο πεπραγματεῦσθαι, ἵνα μή τι δεινὸν τοῖς γραμματοκομισταῖς τούτοις ὁ Βαϊμοῦντος ἐργάσηται. Ἐμέλησε γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο τῷ βασιλεῖ, ὅπως τοὺς μὲν καθέ τους τούτους ἄνδρας ἀβλαβεῖς διατηρήσειε, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον πράγματα συνταράξειε. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε μὲν ταῦτα καὶ συμβεβούλευκεν, οὐ γέγονε δέ, ἀλλὰ προσελθὼν καὶ δι' ὅρκου λαβὼν τὸ ἀφρόντιστον τῶν γραμματοκομιστῶν ὁ εἰρημένος ἀνὴρ ἀπαγγέλλει πάντα κατὰ τὰς ὑποθημοσύνας τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος. Ἐρωτηθεὶς δὲ ὅπη τούτους στοχάζεται ἐφθακέναι, τὴν Πέτρουλαν αὐτοὺς ἔλεγε διελθεῖν. 13.4.9 Καὶ ἀποστείλας κατέσχε τοὺς γραμματοκομιστάς, καὶ τὰ γράμ ματα ἀναπτύξας, ἰλίγγου τε πλήρης γεγονώς, μικροῦ κατέ πιπτε πιστὰ λογισάμενος εἶναι. Ἐκείνους μὲν οὖν παρα φυλάττεσθαι ᾠκονόμησεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπρόιτος ταῖς σκηναῖς ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις ἦν, γνωσιμαχῶν τὸ τί ἂν χρὴ ποιῆσαι, πολ λοὺς παρ' ἑαυτῷ ἀνελίττων λογισμούς, εἰ χρὴ παραστῆναι τοὺς κονοσταύλους καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ Γίδον ἐξειπεῖν τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ δοθεῖσαν πρόληψιν, καὶ εἰ μετὰ τὸν ἔλεγχον παραστῆναι χρὴ ἢ ἄτερ ἐλέγχου, πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὸ τίνας ἀντ' αὐτῶν κονοσταύλους ποιήσειε. Γεν ναίους δὲ ὄντας τοὺς τοιούτους κἀντεῦθεν πολλὴν τὴν βλάβην ἐσομένην παρασταλέντων ὑπονοῶν, κατὰ τὸ ἐγχω ροῦν τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς οἰκονομήσας, οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν κρυπ τόμενον νοῦν τῶν γραμμάτων ὑποτοπάσας, μετεληλυθὼς εὐφυῶς τούτους καὶ θαρσήσας ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ μεμενηκέναι τούτους ξυνεχώρησεν.

13.5.1 Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ, ἐπεὶ προφθάσας ἀξιόμαχον δύνα μιν ἐν πάσαις ταῖς κλεισούραις κατέθετο μετ' ἐκκρίτων ἡγεμόνων, πᾶσάν γε ἀτραπὸν διὰ τῶν καλουμένων ξυλο κλασιῶν αὖθις τοῖς Κελτοῖς ἀπετάφρευσεν. Εἶχε μὲν γὰρ εὐθὺς ὁ Αὐλών, ἡ Ἱεριχὼ καὶ τὰ Κάνινα ἀνύστακτον φύλακα Μιχαὴλ τὸν Κεκαυμένον, ἡ δὲ Πέτρουλα Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Καβάσιλαν μετὰ συμμίκτων πεζῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἄνδρα