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The emperor held continuous discussions with Kouleon and Kousinos. But he won over Kouleon, as being more intelligent, I think, and able to follow the arguments of truth, and made him a very tame sheep of our fold. But Kousinos and Pholos became wild, and although hammered like iron by the frequent conversations with the emperor, they nevertheless remained iron-like and turned away and were not tractable with him. And for this reason, as they were the most blasphemous of all the Manichaeans and clearly driven to brilliant madness, he threw them into the so-called Elephantine prison and, supplying all their needs lavishly, left them to die by their own evil practices alone.

15.t.1 ALEXIAD 15

15.1.1 But such were the emperor's deeds concerning Philippopolis and the Manichaeans; but from there another barbarian confusion was being stirred up against him. For the Sultan Soliman was planning to ravage Asia again and was summoning forces from Khorosan and Chaleb, if he might somehow stand nobly against the emperor. But when the entire plan of Sultan Soliman was reported to him by someone, he considered marching against him as far as Iconium and joining in a most vigorous war with him. For there the sultanate had been assigned to Kilij Arslan. Therefore he summoned forces of foreigners and a large mercenary force and sent for his own army from all quarters. So while both generals were making their preparations against each other, in the meantime the usual pain in his feet befell the emperor. And forces were indeed converging from all sides, but in dribs and drabs and not all at once, because their homelands were far away; but the pain prevented him not only from undertaking the proposed objective, but even from walking at all. And being bedridden, he was vexed not so much by the excruciating pain in his feet as by the postponement of the action against the barbarians. These things did not escape the notice of the barbarian Kilij Arslan; therefore, feeling secure for the present, he plundered all of Asia, making seven raids against the Christians. 15.1.2 For never before had that pain afflicted the emperor for so long; for whereas before the disease had attacked him at long intervals, at that time it did not occur periodically, but was continuous and gave successive paroxysms. But this affliction seemed to Kilij Arslan and his followers a pretext for illness, not really an illness, but hesitation and indolence outwardly clothed as gout. And from this they often made many jokes, both in their drunkenness and in their drinking bouts; like natural-born orators, the barbarians would make character sketches of the emperor's foot pain, and the pain in his feet became the pretext for comedies. For they would play the parts of doctors and those attending the emperor, and bringing the king himself, indeed, into the middle and placing him on a couch, they would think to make sport. And at these games, great laughter arose among the barbarians. 15.1.3 However, these things did not escape the emperor's notice, and from this he was roused to battle against them, his anger boiling over all the more. Not much time passed and, being relieved of the pain, he set out on the proposed journey. And having crossed over to Damalis, and sailed across the strait between Kibotos and Aigialoi, and having reached Kibotos, from there he departed to Lopadion, awaiting the arrival of the regiments

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διατάξεις πρὸς τοὺς ἀμφὶ τὸν Κου λέοντά τε καὶ Κούσινον ἐγίνοντο τῷ αὐτοκράτορι συνεχεῖς. Ἀλλὰ τὸν μὲν Κουλέοντα εἷλεν ὡς συνετώτερον, οἶμαι, καὶ δυνάμενον παρακολουθῆσαι λόγοις ἀληθείας, καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας μάνδρας πεποίηκε πρόβατον ἡμερώτατον. Ὁ δέ γε Κούσινος καὶ ὁ Φῶλος ἐξαγριαίνοντες καὶ βαλλόμενοι μὲν καθάπερ σίδηρος ταῖς συχναῖς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ὁμιλίαις, ὅμως μέντοι σιδήρεοι μένοντες ἐξετράποντό τε καὶ οὐκ εὐαγώγως εἶχον αὐτῷ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὡς πάντων Μανιχαίων βλασφημοτάτους καὶ καθαρῶς εἰς λαμπρὰν μελαγχολίαν ἐλαύνοντας εἰς τὴν οὑτωσὶ λεγομένην Ἐλεφαντίνην φρουρὰν ἐμβαλὼν καὶ τὰ πρὸς χρείαν ἅπαντα δαψιλῶς χορηγῶν μόναις ταῖς ἑαυτῶν κακοπραγίαις ἀφῆκεν ἀποθανεῖν.

15.t.1 ΑΛΕΞΙΑΣ ΙΕʹ

15.1.1 Ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν καὶ τοὺς Μανιχαίους ἔργα τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος· ἄλλος δ' ἐκεῖθεν αὖθις βάρβαρος ἐξαρτύεται κατ' αὐτοῦ κυκεών. Ἐβου λεύετο γὰρ ὁ Σολυμᾶς σουλτὰν τὴν Ἀσίαν αὖθις δῃώσασθαι κἀκ τοῦ Χοροσᾶ καὶ τοῦ Χάλεπ δυνάμεις μετεκαλεῖτο, εἴ που γενναίως παρὰ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα ἀντικαταστῆναι σχοίη. Ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτῷ τὸ πᾶν τῆς τοῦ Σολυμᾶ σουλτὰν βουλῆς πρός τινος διεμηνύθη, ἐσκόπει καὶ αὐτὸν μέχρι τοῦ Ἰκονίου στρατεῦσαι καὶ καρτερώτατον τὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ συναρράξαι πόλεμον. Κεῖθι γὰρ τὸ σουλτανίκιον τῷ Κλιτζιασθλὰν ἀπομεμέριστο. ∆υνάμεις τοίνυν ἐξ ἀλλο δαπῶν καὶ μισθοφορικὸν μετεκαλεῖτο πολὺ καὶ τὸ ἴδιον στράτευμα πανταχόθεν μετεπέμπετο. Κατ' ἀλλήλων οὖν ἀμφοτέρων τῶν στρατηγῶν τὴν μελέτην ποιουμένων ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τὸ σύνηθες ἄλγημα τῶν ποδῶν συνέβη τῷ αὐτοκρά τορι. Καὶ δυνάμεις ἁπανταχόθεν μὲν συνέρρεον, ἀλλὰ κατὰ στράγγα καὶ οὐκ ἀθρόον διὰ τὸ πόρρω που τὰς σφῶν εἶναι πατρίδας· ἡ δέ γε ὀδύνη ἀπεῖργε τοῦτον οὐ τοῦ προκει μένου μόνον ἅψασθαι σκοποῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ βαδίζειν ἁπλῶς. Καὶ κλινήρης ὢν ἤχθετο οὐ τοσοῦτον διὰ τὴν τῶν ποδῶν περιωδυνίαν ὁπόσον διὰ τὴν ἀναβολὴν τοῦ κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἔργου. Οὐκ ἐλάνθανε ταῦτα τὸν βάρβαρον Κλιτζιασθλάν· ἔνθεν τοι καὶ ἀμεριμνήσας τὸ παρὸν τὴν Ἀσίαν ἅπασαν ἐλῄζετο ἑπτάκις κατὰ τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἐκδρομὰς ποιησάμενος. 15.1.2 Καὶ γὰρ οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ τοσοῦ τον τὸ ἄλγος ἐκεῖνο τὸν αὐτοκράτορα κατέσχεν· ἐκ διαστη μάτων γὰρ μακρῶν πρὸ τοῦ ἐπερχομένη τούτῳ ἡ νόσος οὐ περιοδικῶς τὸ τηνικάδε ἀπήντησεν, ἀλλὰ συνεχὴς ἦν καὶ ἐπαλλήλους τοὺς παροξυσμοὺς ἐδίδου. Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο τὸ πάθος πρόσχημα ἐδόκει τοῖς περὶ τὸν Κλιτζιασθλὰν νοσή ματος, οὐ μέντοι νόσημα, ἀλλ' ὄκνος καὶ ῥᾳθυμία ἔξωθεν περιβεβλημένη τὴν ποδαλγίαν. Κἀντεῦθεν πολλὰ πολλάκις ἀπέσκωπτον κἀν ταῖς μέθαις κἀν τοῖς πότοις· καθάπερ αὐτοφυεῖς ῥήτορες ἠθοποιίας τῆς τῶν ποδῶν ὀδύνης τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος οἱ βάρβαροι ἐποιοῦντο, καὶ κωμῳδίας ἐγίνετο πρόφασις ἡ τῶν ποδῶν ἀλγηδών. Πρόσωπα γὰρ ἰατρῶν τε καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα διαπονουμένων ὑπεκρίνοντο καὶ αὐτὸν δῆτα τὸν βασιλέα εἰς τὸ μέσον παράγοντες καὶ ἀναθέμενοι ἐπὶ κλίνης προσπαίζειν ᾤοντο. Καὶ ἐπὶ ταύταις ταῖς παιδιαῖς γέλως τοῖς βαρβάροις ἐπῆρτο πολύς. 15.1.3 Οὐ μὴν ἐλάνθανε ταῦτα τὸν αὐτοκράτορα, κἀντεῦθεν ἠρεθί ζετο πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν μάχην μᾶλλον παφλάζων τὰ τοῦ θυμοῦ. Οὐ πολὺ τὸ ἐν μέσῳ καὶ κουφισθεὶς τῆς ὀδύνης τῆς προκειμένης ὁδοιπορίας εἴχετο. Τήν τε ∆άμαλιν διαπεράσας, καὶ τὸν ἀναμεταξὺ Κιβωτοῦ καὶ Αἰγιαλῶν διαπλῳσάμενος πορθμόν, καὶ τὴν Κιβωτὸν καταλαβὼν ἐκεῖ θεν εἰς τὸ Λοπάδιον ἄπεισι, τὴν τῶν ταγμάτων ἐκδεχόμενος ἄφιξιν