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prisoners; and the Scythian will also enter, not even reaching the buttock of that gigantic Celt, leading this one as a prisoner. At once, then, great laughter arose from all. And a guard took charge of the remaining counts .....

13.7.1 The emperor had not yet even smiled a little at the success of Cantacuzenus, when another ill-omened message arrived, announcing an untold slaughter of the Roman regiments with Camytzes and Cavasilas. The emperor, however, was in no way cast down, although he was deeply stung in his heart and grieved, groaning for the fallen, and at times even weeping over the details. But summoning Constantine Gabras, a man dear to Ares and breathing fire against his enemies, he sent him to the so-called Petroula to investigate from where the Celts, having fallen upon the passes, had wrought such great slaughter, and to trench off the passage to them for the future. But as Gabras was displeased and, as it were, shrinking from the enterprise (for the man was conceited and aspired to undertake great matters), he immediately sends Marianus Maurocatacalon, the brother-in-law of my Caesar, a warlike man who had demonstrated this through many valiant deeds and was much loved by the emperor, with a thousand of the noblest men. To whom he also added many of those who served the Porphyrogeniti and my Caesar, who were straining for battle, and sent them out. He too, however, was afraid of this, but nevertheless went to his own tent to consider it. 13.7.2 But around the middle watch of the night, letters arrived from Landulf, who was then with Isaac Contostephanus, the admiral, denouncing them, the Contostephani, both Isaac and his brother Stephen and the Euphorbenus, as being negligent in guarding the strait of Lombardy and sometimes going out onto the mainland for the sake of ease, with the addition to the letters that: "Even if you, O emperor, were preventing the forays and raids of the Celts with all your might and mind, yet because these men are relaxed and still drowsing in their guarding of the strait of Lombardy, those who are sailing across to Bohemond and bringing supplies of necessity have leisure. For those from Lombardy, having set sail for Bohemond a short time ago, watching for a favorable wind blowing for them (for broad southerly winds are favorable for those sailing from Lombardy to Illyricum, but the northerly winds are the opposite), winging their ships with their sails, then dared the voyage to Illyricum. But the south wind blowing strongly did not at all allow them to moor at Dyrrachium, but forced them to sail past the shore of Dyrrachium and reach Aulon. There, having moored the transports of ten-thousand-burthen, bringing with them many forces of horsemen and infantry, they have brought all the life-sustaining supplies to Bohemond. And from there they held many festivals, so that the Celts from that place might more abundantly procure things for their maintenance." 13.7.3 But the emperor, filled with anger, blamed Isaac much and, having threatened him if he did not set things right, persuaded him to be sleeplessly vigilant. But since things were not being accomplished according to Contostephanus's mind (for having tried once and twice to prevent those from there crossing to Illyricum, he missed his mark; for occupying the middle of the strait, when he saw the Celts sailing with a fair wind, having unfurled their sails and making their voyage swiftly, he was not able to fight against the Celts and the winds at the same time, with the wind standing against his prow. For they say not even Heracles against two; therefore by the force of the wind he was turned back), on these matters the

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δεσμώτας· εἴσεισι δὲ καὶ ὁ Σκύθης μηδ' ἄ χρι γλουτοῦ φθάνων τοῦ γιγαντιαίου ἐκείνου Κελτοῦ δέσμιον τοῦτον ἐπαγόμενος. Εὐθὺς οὖν γέλως πάντων ὦρτο πολύς. Καὶ τοὺς μὲν λοιποὺς κόμητας φρουρὰ διεδέξατο .....

13.7.1 Οὔπω μικρὸν ἐπιμειδιάσαντος τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ κατορθώματι, ἑτέρα τις ἀπόφημος κατέλαβεν ἀγγελία, φόνον ἀμύθητον τῶν μετὰ τοῦ Καμύτζη καὶ τοῦ Καβασίλα ῥωμαϊκῶν ταγμάτων μηνύουσα. Κατέπιπτε μὲν οὖν οὐδαμῶς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ, καίτοι σφόδρα δηχθεὶς τὴν καρδίαν καὶ ἀνιώμενος ἐπιστε νάζων τε τοῖς πεσοῦσιν, ἔστιν οὗ καὶ δακρύων τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον. Ἀλλὰ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν Γαβρᾶν, ἄνδρα ἀρηΐ φιλον καὶ πῦρ κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων πνέοντα, μεταπεμψά μενος εἰς τὴν οὕτω καλουμένην Πέτρουλαν ἀπέστειλε κατασκεψόμενον, ὅθεν οἱ Κελτοὶ εἰς τὰ τέμπη ἐμπεσόντες τὸν τοσοῦτον φόνον εἰργάσαντο, καὶ ἀποταφρεῦσαι τοῦ λοιποῦ τούτοις τὴν δίοδον. ∆υσχεραίνοντος δὲ τοῦ Γαβρᾶ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν οἷον ἀποκναίοντος (οἰηματίας γὰρ ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ μεγάλοις ἐγχειρεῖν ἐφιέμενος πράγμασι) Μαριανὸν τὸν Μαυροκτακαλὼν παραχρῆμα, τὸν ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβρὸν τοὐμοῦ καίσαρος, ἄνδρα ἀρειμάνιον καὶ διὰ πολλῶν ἀνδραγαθημάτων τοῦτο παραστησάμενον φιλού μενόν τε λίαν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μετὰ χιλίων γενναιο τάτων ἀνδρῶν ἐκπέμπει. Οἷς καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν τοῖς πορφυρογεννήτοις καὶ τᾠμῷ καίσαρι ἐξυπηρετουμένων σφαδάζοντας πρὸς μάχην συγκαταλέξας ἐξέπεμψεν. Ἐδε δίει μέντοι πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος, ἀλλ' ὅμως σκοπήσων εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπῄει σκηνήν. 13.7.2 Περὶ μέσας δὲ φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς γράμματα τοῦ Λαντούλφου κατέλαβε ξυνόντος τῷ τότε μετὰ Ἰσαακίου τοῦ Κοντοστεφάνου θαλασσοκράτορος τυγχάνοντος, κατατρέχοντα αὐτῶν τε τῶν Κοντοστεφάνων τοῦ τε Ἰσαακίου καὶ τοῦ αὐταδέλφου αὐτοῦ Στεφάνου καὶ τοῦ Εὐφορβηνοῦ ὡς καταρρᾳθυμούντων τοῦ πορθμοῦ Λογ γιβαρδίας καὶ ἐξερχομένων ἐνίοτε περὶ τὴν ἤπειρον χάριν ῥᾳστώνης, προσκειμένου τοῖς γράμμασιν ὅτι· «Κἂν σύ, βασιλεῦ, τὰς προνομὰς καὶ ἐκδρομὰς τῶν Κελτῶν ὅλῃ χειρὶ καὶ γνώμῃ κωλύων ἦσθα, ἀλλὰ τούτων ἀναπεπτωκότων καὶ ἐπινυσταζόντων ἔτι περὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ πορθμοῦ Λογγι βαρδίας, σχολὴν ἐξ ἀνάγκης οἱ πρὸς τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον διαπλῳζόμενοι καὶ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν κομίζοντες ἔχουσιν. Οἱ γὰρ ἀπὸ Λογγιβαρδίας πρὸ μικροῦ πρὸς τὸν Βαϊμοῦντον τὸν ἀπόπλουν ποιησάμενοι, τὸν ἐπιπνέοντα τούτοις εὔθε τον ἐπιτηρήσαντες ἄνεμον (καὶ γὰρ νότοι μὲν εὐρεῖς εὔθετοι τοῖς ἀπὸ Λογγιβαρδίας πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν δια πλέουσίν εἰσιν, οἱ δέ γε βορεῖς ἀνάπαλιν), πτερώσαντες τὰς ναῦς τοῖς λαίφεσι τὸν πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν ἀπόπλουν τότε ἐθάρρησαν. Σφοδρῶς δὲ ὁ νότος ἐπιπνέων προσορμί σαι μὲν εἰς τὸ ∆υρράχιον οὐδαμῶς παρεχώρει, παρα πλεῦσαι δὲ τὴν ᾐόνα ∆υρραχίου καὶ τὸν Αὐλῶνα καταλαβεῖν ἠνάγκασε. Κεῖθι δὲ τὰς μυριοφόρους ὁλκάδας προσορμί σαντες δυνάμεις τε πολλὰς ἐξ ἱππέων καὶ πεζῶν συνεπα γόμενοι καὶ τὰ ζωαρκῆ ἅπαντα τῷ Βαϊμούντῳ προσαγηό χασι. Κἀντεῦθεν πανηγύρεις πολλὰς συνεστήσαντο, ὡς ἀφθονώτερον ἐκεῖθεν οἱ Κελτοὶ τὰ πρὸς διοίκησιν ἐμπο ρεύωνται». 13.7.3 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς θυμοῦ πλησθεὶς τὸν Ἰσαάκιον πολλὰ κατεμέμψατο καὶ ἀπειλησάμενος, εἰ μὴ διορθώσοιτο, ἀνυστάκτως ἐγρηγορέναι ἀνέπεισεν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ τὰ κατὰ γνώμην τῷ Κοντοστεφάνῳ ἐπεραίνετο (καὶ γὰρ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς ἐπιχειρήσας τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν πρὸς τὸ Ἰλλυρικὸν διαπερῶντας ἀπεῖρξαι ἡμάρτανε τοῦ σκοποῦ· μέσον γὰρ τοῦ πορθμοῦ καταλαμβάνων, ἐπεὶ τοὺς Κελτοὺς ἐξ οὐρίας πλέοντας ἑώρα τά θ' ἱστία ἀναπετάσαντας καὶ σφοδρὸν τὸν ἀπόπλουν ποιουμένους, οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν πρὸς τοὺς Κελτοὺς ἅμα καὶ τοὺς ἀνέμους ἀπομάχεσθαι κατὰ πρώραν τοῦ πνεύματος ἱσταμένου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸν Ἡρακλέα πρὸς δύο φασί· τῇ βίᾳ τοίνυν τοῦ πνεύματος παλίνορσος ἐγί νετο), ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ