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and the arrival of the emperor. But he, seized then by great fear, left that place around the middle watch of the night with his kinsmen and departed. When day was already dawning, Kamytzes arrived and did not find Poucheas, nor any Turk at all; but finding the town—I mean Kedrea—full of spoils, he paid no attention to any of these things, but was vexed just as hunters who have lost the prey in their hands, and, unable to bear it, he immediately turned his reins and departed towards Polybotos. And falling upon them suddenly, he killed barbarians beyond number, and recovering all the booty and the captives, he encamped in those parts, awaiting the arrival of the emperor. Stypeiotes, having seized Poimanenon and done the same things, returned to the emperor. 15.4.2 And the emperor arrived at Kedrea around sunset. And some soldiers immediately came to him and said that there was an innumerable multitude of barbarians in the towns of the long-sung Bourtzes, situated somewhere nearby. But the emperor had no sooner heard the report than he was prepared for action. And at once, having set in order a force sufficient for battle under Bardas by name, a descendant of that Bourtzes, along with George Lebounes and a Scythian called Pitikas in the Scythian tongue, he sent them out against them, instructing, that when they arrived there, they should send out foragers against the neighboring market-towns and ravage them all, and relocating the natives themselves there, bring them to him. 15.4.3 So they immediately took to the road before them, but the emperor, holding to his former plan, was hastening to reach Polybotos and to make a dash as far as Ikonion. While he was considering these things and was about to begin the work at once, he was assured that the barbarians and even the sultan Solyman himself, having learned of his approach, had burned all the fields and plains of Asia, so that there was no food at all for either men or horses. And from the upper regions another attack of barbarians was being proclaimed, and this winged rumor ran through all of Asia. On the one hand, he feared that in marching to Ikonion the entire army would become a victim of famine due to the lack of fodder; on the other, he was vexed, suspecting the presence of the expected barbarians there. 15.4.4 Therefore he devised a plan both prudent and bold, to ask God whether he should hold to the road to Ikonion or march out against the barbarians around Philomelion. Having therefore written his query about these matters on two slips of paper and placed them upon the holy table, he offered up the hymn all night long and made earnest entreaties to God. And around dawn, the priest entered and took up one of the slips that had been placed there and, opening it in the presence of all, he read out to the emperor that he was advised to take the road to Philomelion. 15.4.5 But this was what concerned the emperor; but Bardas Bourtzes, while on the aforementioned road, seeing a large army hastening to unite with Monolykos by way of the bridge of Zompes, immediately armed himself, engaged them around the plain of Amorion, and defeated them decisively. But other Turks coming down from the eastern part and hastening toward Monolykos, coming upon the camp of Bourtzes before he had arrived, took away the pack animals they chanced upon and the soldiers' equipment. But Bourtzes, returning victorious [from there] and bringing with him much booty, met one of those coming from that direction and, learning how the Turks had taken everything in his camp and all the booty and had departed, he considered what he should do. But as the barbarians were making their way swiftly, he himself also wished

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καὶ τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἔλευσιν. Ὁ δὲ φόβῳ τηνικαῦτα πολλῷ συσχε θεὶς περὶ μέσας φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελθὼν μετὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων ᾤχετο. Αὐγαζούσης δὲ ἤδη τῆς ἡμέρας καταλαβὼν ὁ Καμύτζης τὸν μὲν Πουχέαν οὐχ εὗρεν, ἀλλ' οὐδέ τινα τὸ παράπαν Τοῦρκον· πλῆρες δὲ λαφύρων τὸ πολίχνιον, τὴν Κεδρέαν φημί, εὑρηκὼς πρὸς οὐδὲν τούτων ἀπένευσεν, ἀλλ' ἠνιᾶτο καθάπερ οἱ θηραταὶ τὴν ἐν χεροῖν ἄγραν ἀπολωλεκότες, καὶ μὴ ἀνασχόμενος εὐθὺς τὰς ἡνίας στρέψας κατὰ τοῦ Πολυβότου ἄπεισι. Καὶ ἀθρόον τούτοις ἐπεισπεσὼν κτείνει μὲν βαρβάρους ὑπὲρ ἀριθμόν, ἅπασαν δὲ τὴν λείαν καὶ τοὺς δορυαλώτους ἀναλαβόμενος περὶ τὰ κεῖθι μέρη αὐλίζεται τὴν τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀπεκδεχόμενος ἔλευσιν. Τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ ὁ Στυπειώτης τὸ Ποιμανηνὸν κατα λαβὼν δράσας πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπανέστρεψε. 15.4.2 Κατα λαμβάνει δὲ καὶ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ τὴν Κεδρέαν περὶ ἡλίου δυσμάς. Καὶ προσεληλυθότες παραχρῆμα αὐτῷ στρατιῶταί τινες ἔφασαν, πληθὺν ἀμέτρητον εἶναι βαρβάρων εἰς τὰ τοῦ πάλαι ᾀδομένου Βούρτζη πολίχνια ἀγχοῦ που διακεί μενα. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ αὐτίκα τε ἠκηκόει τοῦ λόγου καὶ πρὸς ἔργον ἡτοίμαστο. Καὶ παραυτίκα τὸν ἐκείνου τοῦ Βούρτζη ἀπόγονον Βάρδαν τὴν κλῆσιν μετὰ Γεωργίου τοῦ Λεβούνη καὶ Σκύθην Πιτικὰν σκυθικῶς καλούμενον μετὰ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοὺς εἰς ἀξιόμαχον παραστήσας δύναμιν, κατ' ἐκείνων ἐξέπεμψεν ἐπισκήψας, ἐπὰν ἐκεῖσε παραγένωνται, προνομεῖς ἀποστεῖλαι κατὰ τῶν παρακειμένων κωμοπόλεων καὶ ἁπάσας δῃώσασθαι, καὶ αὐτοὺς δὴ τοὺς αὐτόχθονας ἐκεῖσε μετοικίσαντας κομίσαι οἱ. 15.4.3 Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν εὐθὺς τῆς προκειμένης ὁδοῦ εἴχοντο, ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ ἐχόμενος τοῦ προτέρου σκοποῦ τὸ Πολύβοτον καταλαβεῖν ἠπείγετο καὶ μέχρις Ἰκονίου ἀποδραμεῖν. Ταῦτα διαλογιζό μενος καὶ ἔργου ἀπάρτι ἅπτεσθαι μέλλων, ἐπεὶ τοὺς βαρ βάρους καὶ αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν Σολυμᾶν σουλτάνον, τὴν αὐτοῦ ἔφοδον μεμαθηκότας, ἐβεβαιοῦτο ἐμπρῆσαι τὰς ἀρούρας τῆς Ἀσίας ἁπάσας καὶ τὰς πεδιάδας, ὡς μήτε τοῖς ἀνθρώ ποις μήτε τοῖς ἵπποις τροφὴν τὸ παράπαν παρεῖναι· ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνωτέρων μερῶν ἄλλη βαρβάρων ἔφοδος διεκηρυ κεύετο καὶ ἡ φήμη αὕτη ὑπόπτερος ἅπασαν διέτρεχε τὴν Ἀσίαν. Τὸ μὲν ἐδεδίει μὴ ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἰκόνιον ἀπέρχεσθαι ἅπαν τὸ στράτευμα λιμοῦ παρανάλωμα διὰ τὴν σπάνιν τῶν χορτασμάτων γένηται, τὸ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐλπιζομένους ἐκεῖ βαρβάρους ὑφορώμενος ἤχθετο. 15.4.4 Βουλὴν οὖν βουλεύε ται συνετήν τε καὶ τολμηράν, Θεὸν ἐπερωτῆσαι εἰ χρὴ τῆς πρὸς τὸ Ἰκόνιον ἔχεσθαι ἢ κατὰ τῶν περὶ τὸ Φιλομήλιν ἐξορμῆσαι βαρβάρων. Ἐν δυσὶ γοῦν χαρτίοις περὶ τούτων ἐπερωτήσας καὶ ἄνωθεν τῆς ἱερᾶς καταθέμενος ταῦτα τρα πέζης, παννύχιον τὸν ὕμνον καὶ ἐκτενεῖς τῷ Θεῷ προσέ φερε τὰς ἐντεύξεις. Κατὰ δὲ τὸ περίορθρον εἰσελθὼν ὁ ἱερεὺς καὶ θάτερον τῶν τεθέντων χαρτίων ἀναλαβόμενος καί, παρρησίᾳ λύσας ἁπάντων, ὑπανεγίνωσκε τῷ αὐτοκρά τορι τῆς πρὸς τὸ Φιλομήλιν ἀνθέξεσθαι ὁδοῦ παρακελευό μενον. 15.4.5 Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοκράτορα· ὁ δέ γε Βάρδας ὁ Βούρτζης, ἐν τῷ ἔχεσθαι τῆς ἤδη ῥηθείσης ὁδοῦ, στράτευμα πολὺ θεασάμενος ἑνωθῆναι μετὰ τοῦ Μονολύκου διὰ τῆς γεφύρας τοῦ Ζόμπη ἐπειγόμενον, παρευθὺ ὁπλισάμενος συμμίγνυται τούτοις περὶ τὴν τοῦ Ἀμορίου πεδιάδα καὶ νικᾷ κατὰ κράτος. Ἕτεροι δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνατολικοῦ μέρους Τοῦρκοι κατερχόμενοι καὶ ὡς πρὸς τὸν Μονόλυκον σπεύδοντες, παρατυχόντες τῇ τοῦ Βούρτζη παρεμβολῇ ἐκείνου μήπω φθάσαντος, ἀφαιροῦνται τὰ παρα τυχόντα ὑποζύγια καὶ τὰς παρασκευὰς τῶν στρατιωτῶν. Ὁ δὲ Βούρτζης [ἐκεῖθεν] νικητὴς ὑποστρέφων καὶ πολλὴν συνεπιφερόμενος λείαν, συνηντηκώς τινι τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχο μένων καί, μεμαθηκὼς ὅπως οἱ Τοῦρκοι ἅπαντα τὰ ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν λείαν πᾶσαν ἀναλαβόμενοι ᾤχοντο, διεσκοπεῖτο τί ἂν χρὴ ποιεῖν. Ὀξέως δὲ τὸν δρόμον τῶν βαρβάρων ποιουμένων, ἤθελε μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς