244

troubling and he looked upon a deep peace and from .... until the end of the age we led a life of peace. But indeed all better things sank with the emperor, and his zeal became fruitless for him after his passing through the folly of those who succeeded to the scepters.

14.4.1 But the leaders of the Frankish fleet, having been assured by those saved from the five dromons about the matters of the Roman fleet, as has been said, and that the emperor, having prepared the fleet, was tarrying around the Chersonese awaiting their attack, they abandoned their former purpose, not wishing to approach the regions of Romania at all. The emperor, therefore, wintered in Calliopolis with the empress (for she accompanied him because of the pain in his feet, as has often been related) and having waited for the time when the Latin fleet usually sailed away, he returned to the reigning city. Not much time had passed by when an attack of the Turks was announced from all the regions of the east and from Khorasan itself, numbering up to fifty thousand. For not even for a short time did he partake of rest during the entire time of his reign, with one enemy after another continually springing up. Therefore, he summoned all the soldiery from all quarters, and aiming for the season when it was customary for the barbarians to make their raids against the Christians, he crossed the strait between Byzantium and Damalis. 14.4.2 And not even the severe pain in his feet that came upon him kept him from the task. This had never happened to any of his ancestors, so that one might think the disease descended to him from seminal principles, nor from a delicate diet, such as is accustomed to happen to those who lead a dissolute and pleasure-loving life. But how the condition of his feet afflicted him I shall relate. He was once playing polo while exercising, having Tatikios, about whom I have often spoken, playing with him. Who, being carried along by his horse, fell against the emperor; and from this, having hurt the cap of his knee and his whole foot on account of the very heavy fall, being most patient of pain he did not show that he was hurt, however, having received some small treatment and gradually becoming free from pain, he kept to his usual activities. This was the first cause of the emperor's foot pain; for the pains of those places drew the humors to themselves. 14.4.3 A second and clearer cause, and the mother of the whole pain, was of this sort. Who does not know of those countless multitudes of Celts that had taken the queenly city, when rising up from their own lands from all directions they rushed towards us? For then he, having fallen into a vast sea of cares, having long since perceived that they coveted the Roman empire, and seeing their multitude was beyond the sand and the stars, and that all the Roman forces were not equal to even a very small fraction of these, even if they were joined into one, much more so with the majority being dispersed, some guarding the passes around Serbia and Dalmatia, others guarding the regions around the Ister against the raids of the Cumans and Dacians, and many also being entrusted with the guard of Dyrrachium so that it might not be captured by the Celts again, perceiving these things, the emperor became wholly concerned with the Celts, putting all other things in second place. 14.4.4 And the stirring barbarian element all around, which had not yet burst forth into open hostility, he restrained with honors and gifts, while checking the desire of the Celts with all kinds of methods, and suspecting sedition at home no less, if not even more, he hastened to be on guard in every way, skillfully thwarting their plans. But who will be able to recount the medley of evils that befell him? Of all kinds

244

ἐνοχλοῦντα καὶ εἰς εἰρήνην ἀπεῖδε βαθεῖαν καὶ ἀπὸ .... μέχρι πέρατος αἰῶνος εἰρήνην ἤγομεν. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ συγκατέδυ τῷ βασιλεῖ πάντα τὰ λῴονα, καὶ κενόσπουδος αὐτῷ ἡ σπουδὴ μετὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ παρέ λευσιν γέγονεν ἀβελτηρίᾳ τῶν διαδεξαμένων τὰ σκῆπτρα.

14.4.1 Οἱ δὲ τοῦ φραγγικοῦ στόλου ἡγεμόνες διὰ τῶν περισωθέντων ἀπὸ τῶν

πέντε δρομάδων νηῶν τὰ περὶ τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στόλου, ὡς εἴρηται, βεβαιωθέντες, καὶ ὅτι ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸν στόλον εὐτρεπίσας τὴν αὐτῶν ἔφοδον περὶ τὴν Χερρόνησον περιμένων ἐνδιατρίβει, τοῦ προτέρου σκοποῦ ἀπέστησαν μηδ' ὅλως τοῖς μέρεσι τῆς Ῥωμανίας πλησιάσαι θελήσαντες. Παραχειμάσας οὖν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Καλλιούπολιν μετὰ τῆς βασιλίδος (συνείπετο γὰρ αὐτῷ διὰ τὴν τῶν ποδῶν ὀδύνην, ὡς πολλάκις ἱστόρηται) καὶ τὸν καιρὸν καθ' ὃν ὁ τῶν Λατίνων εἴωθεν ἀποπλεῖν στόλος παραφυλαξάμενος εἰς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν ὑπέ στρεψεν. Οὐ πολὺς παρίππευκε χρόνος καὶ Τούρκων ἔφοδος καταγγέλλεται ἐξ ἁπασῶν τῶν τῆς ἀνατολῆς χωρῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χορασὰν ὡς εἰς πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας συμποσουμένων. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πρὸς βραχὺ ῥᾳστώνης μετειλή χει τὸν ἅπαντα τῆς αὐτοκρατορίας αὐτοῦ χρόνον ἄλλων καὶ ἄλλων ἐπιφυομένων πολεμίων διηνεκῶς. Μετακαλεῖται τοίνυν ἁπανταχόθεν τὸ ὁπλιτικὸν ἅπαν, καὶ τοῦ καιροῦ στοχασάμενος, καθ' ὃν σύνηθες τοῖς βαρβάροις τὰς κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκδρομὰς ποιεῖσθαι, τὸν ἀναμεταξὺ Βυζαντίου καὶ ∆αμάλεως διαπερᾷ πορθμόν. 14.4.2 Καὶ οὐδὲ ἡ ἐπελθοῦσα τούτῳ τῶν ποδῶν περιωδυνία ἀπεῖρξε τοῦ ἔργου. Ἥτις οὔτε τινὶ τῶν προγόνων ξυμβέβηκέ ποτε, ἵνα τις ἐκ σπερματικῶν λόγων καὶ ἐς αὐτὸν κατιοῦσαν νομίζοι τὴν νόσον, οὔτε ἐκ διαίτης ἁβρᾶς, ὁποῖα τοῖς διαρρέουσι τὸν βίον καὶ φιληδόνοις συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν. Ἀλλ' ὅπως αὐτῷ ἡ διάθεσις τῶν ποδῶν ἐπηρέαζεν ἐγὼ διηγήσο μαι. Ἐσφαίριζέ ποτε γυμναζόμενος συσφαιρίζοντα καὶ τὸν Τατίκιον ἔχων, περὶ οὗ πολλάκις διείλεγμαι. Ὃς καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἵππου παρασυρεὶς ἐμπίπτει τῷ βασιλεῖ· κἀντεῦθεν ἀλγήσας τὴν κεφαλίδα τοῦ γόνυος καὶ αὐτὸν ὅλον τὸν πόδα διὰ τὸ ἀκροβαρὲς τῆς καταφορᾶς, οὐκ ἐνεδείξατο μὲν ἀλγῆσαι φερεπονώτατος ὤν, ὅμως μέντοι μικρᾶς τινος τυχὼν ἐπιμελείας καὶ κατ' ὀλίγον ἐς τὸ ἀνώδυνον ἐλθὼν τῶν συνηθῶν διατριβῶν εἴχετο. Αὕτη μὲν πρώτη αἰτία τῆς τῶν ποδῶν ἀλγηδόνος τοῦ βασιλέως· αἱ γὰρ ὀδύναι τῶν τόπων εἰς ἑαυτὰς τὰ ῥεύματα ἐφειλκύσαντο. 14.4.3 ∆ευτέρα δὲ καὶ ἐναργεστέρα καὶ τῆς ὅλης ὀδύνης μήτηρ τοιαύτη τις ἦν. Τίς οὐκ οἶδε τὰ ἄπειρα τῶν Κελτῶν ἐκεῖνα πλήθη τῶν τὴν βασιλίδα πόλιν κατειληφότων, ὁπότε τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἁπανταχόθεν ἀπαναστάντες πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὥρμησαν; Τότε γὰρ οὗτος εἰς πέλαγος ἀχανὲς φροντίδων ἐμπεπτωκώς, ἐκ πολλοῦ συνιδὼν αὐτοὺς τὴν Ῥωμαίων βασιλείαν ὀνει ρώττοντας, ὑπὲρ τὴν ἄμμον δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄστρα τὴν αὐτῶν πληθὺν ὁρῶν, τὰς δὲ ῥωμαϊκὰς ἁπάσας δυνάμεις οὐδὲ πρὸς πολλοστημόριον τούτων ἐξισουμένας, εἰ καὶ εἰς ἓν συναφθεῖεν, πολλῴ γε μᾶλλον διεσπαρμένων τῶν πλειόνων ὄντων καὶ τῶν μὲν τὰ περὶ τὴν Σερβίαν τέμπη καὶ ∆αλμα τίαν ἐπιτηρούντων, τῶν δὲ τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἴστρον ὡς τὰς τῶν Κομάνων καὶ ∆ακῶν ἐφόδους φυλαττομένων, πολλῶν δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ∆υρραχίου φρουρὰν ἐμπιστευομένων ὡς μὴ ὑπὸ τῶν Κελτῶν καὶ αὖθις ἁλῴη, ταῦτα συνορῶν ὁ αὐτο κράτωρ ὅλος γίνεται τῶν Κελτῶν τἆλλα πάντα ἐν δευτέρῳ θέμενος. 14.4.4 Καὶ τὸ μὲν πέριξ ὑποκινούμενον βαρβαρι κὸν καὶ μήπω ἐς φῶς ἐκρῆξαν τὴν ἔχθραν ἀξιώμασιν ἀνεῖργε καὶ δωρεαῖς, τῶν δὲ Κελτῶν τὴν ἔφεσιν παντοίαις μεθοδείαις ἀναστέλλων καὶ τῶν οἴκοι τὴν στάσιν οὐχ ἧττον, ὅτι μὴ καὶ μᾶλλον ὑφορώμενος παντοίως φυλάτ τεσθαι ἔσπευδεν ἐντέχνως τούτων ἀπείργων τὰ βουλεύ ματα. Ἀλλὰ τίς τῶν ἐπεισπεσόντων αὐτῷ κακῶν τὸν κυκεῶνα ἀπαγγεῖλαι δυνήσεται; Παντοῖος