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having formed it and having driven all the prisoners of war into the middle <σὺν> with women and children, he went along the same path by which road he had passed through, and at whatever places he approached, he marched with all safety. And seeing it, you would have said that some living, towered city was marching according to that aforementioned new formation. 15.5.1 And as he was advancing further, no barbarians appeared, but Monolykos followed along the army on both sides in ambushes with a sufficient force. But when he was passing through the plain between both Polybotos and that already-mentioned lake, a certain detachment of the barbarian contingent, all lightly armed and daring skirmishers, having laid an ambush on both sides of the camp, suddenly appeared to them from the high ground. And at first the chief satrap Monolykos, seeing that new battle-array, being both an old man and experienced in many wars and divisions, was astounded and marveled at that new arrangement of the formation and sought to know the commander. He conjectured it was the emperor Alexios and that there was no other leader of the divisions and of that new battle-array. And he wished to attack, but he could not; but nevertheless he ordered them to raise the war cry. And contriving to give the Romans the impression of a large army, he allowed them to run not with locked shields, but separately and in disorder, just as we described their battle-array above, so that from this, by the unexpectedness of the sight and by the running of the horses, having made their hearing resound, they might strike terror into the Roman forces. 15.5.2 But the emperor, proceeding like a tower standing out from the line of battle or a pillar of fire or some divine and heavenly vision, was encouraging their phalanxes and ordered them to march in the same formation and urged them to be brave and added that, not looking to his own safety had he undertaken such great toil, but for the good repute <ἕνεκα> and glory of the Romans, and that in addition to this he was most ready to die for all. Therefore, all taking courage, each kept his own position, making their march very leisurely, so much so that they seemed to the barbarians not even to be moving. Therefore, attacking the Roman army for the whole day and having accomplished nothing, having been able neither to break the Roman formation at all nor in part, they ran back again to the ridges unsuccessful, and then having lit many torches throughout the whole night they howled like wolves, and at times they even scoffed at the Romans; for there were also some half-barbarians among them who spoke Greek. And as the day was dawning, Monolykos, contriving the same things, ordered the Turks to do them. 15.5.3 After these things sultan Kilij Arslan himself also arrived and seeing the good order of the camp he marveled, but scoffed as a young man to an old man at Monolykos for what reason he had postponed the battle with the emperor. But he said: “I, he said, being an old man or a coward, have until now postponed hand-to-hand combat with him. But if you are courageous, come then and try for yourself; the event will teach you.” Therefore immediately he himself attacked those in the rear, and to other <δὲ> satraps he assigned the attack against the emperor's front, and to others he entrusted the fight against the other flank of the battle-array. So Nikephoros Bryennios Caesar, who commanded the right wing, perceiving the battle in the rear, was indeed restless to defend those behind, but did not wish to show any sign of inexperience or youth, but held back his raging anger against the barbarians and was zealous to make his march in good order in the same formation. 15.5.4 And as the barbarians were fighting fiercely, the one holding the left wing, my dearest of brothers the porphyrogennetos Andronikos, having turned his reins a violent one with the

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διατυπωσάμενος καὶ μέσον τοὺς δορυαλώ τους ἅπαντας <σὺν> γυναιξὶ καὶ παιδίοις εἰσελάσας, τὴν αὐτὴν ἀτραπὸν διῄει δι' ἧς διεληλύθει ὁδοῦ, καὶ ἐφ' οἷς ἂν προσεπέλασε τόποις, μετ' ἀσφαλείας ἁπάσης ἐπορεύετο. Καὶ εἶπες ἂν ἰδὼν πόλιν τινὰ ἔμψυχον πεπυργωμένην πορεύεσθαι κατὰ τὴν εἰρημένην ἐκείνην καινουμένην σύνταξιν. 15.5.1 Ὡς δὲ προσωτέρω προῄει, βάρβαροι μέν τινες οὐκ ἐφαίνοντο, παρείπετο δὲ ὁ Μονόλυκος ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ἐν λόχοις τῷ στρατεύματι μετὰ ἀποχρώσης δυνάμεως. Ἐπὰν δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀναμεταξὺ πεδιάδος τοῦ τε Πολυβότου καὶ τῆς ἤδη ῥηθείσης ἐκείνης λίμνης διῄει, ἀπόμοιρά τις τοῦ βαρ βαρικοῦ τάγματος, αὐτόσκευοι πάντες καὶ ψιλοὶ τολμητίαι, ἑκατέρωθεν λοχήσαντες τοῦ στρατοπέδου, ἀθρόον ἀπὸ τῶν μετεώρων αὐτοῖς ἀνεφάνησαν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν πρῶτα τὴν καινὴν ἐκείνην παράταξιν ὁ ἀρχισατράπης Μονόλυκος θεασάμενος, γέρων τε ὢν καὶ πολλῶν ἐν πείρᾳ πολέμων τε καὶ ταγμάτων, ἐξεπλάγη τεθαυμακὼς τὴν καινὴν ἐκείνην διασκευὴν τοῦ συντάγματος καὶ τὸν ξυνταγματάρχην ἐπε ζήτει ἐγνωκέναι. Τὸν αὐτοκράτορα Ἀλέξιον ἐστοχάζετο καὶ οὐχ ἕτερον ἡγεμόνα τῶν ταγμάτων εἶναι καὶ τῆς καινῆς ἐκείνης παρατάξεως. Καὶ ἤθελε μὲν προσβαλεῖν, οὐκ εἶχε δέ· ἀλλ' ὅμως τὸ ἐνυάλιον ἀλαλάξαι ἐκέλευσε. Πολλοῦ δὲ στρατεύματος φαντασίαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις παρασχεῖν μηχα νώμενος, μὴ συνασπίζειν, ἀλλὰ διῃρημένως καὶ ἀτάκτως, καθάπερ ἄνωθεν τὴν παράταξιν αὐτῶν διεγράψαμεν, θέειν ἐπέτρεψεν, ἵν' ἐντεῦθεν τῷ ἀπροσδοκήτῳ τῆς θέας καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἵππων δρόμοις κατάκροτον αὐτοῖς πεποιηκότες τὴν ἀκοὴν τὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις καταπλήξαιεν. 15.5.2 Ὁ δέ γε αὐτοκράτωρ, καθαπερεὶ πύργος προὔχων τῆς παρατάξεως προϊὼν ἢ στῦλος πυρὸς ἢ θεία τις καὶ οὐρανία ὄψις, τὰς φάλαγγας αὐτῶν ἀνερρώννυε καὶ ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ βαδίζειν σχήματος ἐκέλευε καὶ θαρρεῖν παρεκελεύετο καὶ προσετίθει, μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίαν ἀποβλέπων τὸν τοσοῦτον ἀναδέξασθαι μόχθον, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων εὐκλείας <ἕνεκα> καὶ δόξης καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἑτοιμότατον εἶναι ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἀποθανεῖν. Ἅπαντες οὖν τεθαρρηκότες ἕκαστος τὸν ἴδιον ἐφύλαττε τόπον, πάνυ τὴν πορείαν ἀνει μένως ποιούμενοι, τοσοῦτον ὡς μηδὲ κινεῖν δοκεῖσθαι τοῖς βαρβάροις. ∆ι' ὅλης οὖν τῆς ἡμέρας προσβάλλοντες τῷ ῥωμαϊκῷ στρατεύματι καὶ μηδὲν ἠνυκότες μηθ' ὅλως μήτε ἐκ μέρους διασπᾶσαι τὸ ῥωμαϊκὸν σύνταγμα δυνηθέντες, αὖθις πρὸς τὰς ἀκρολοφίας ἀνέτρεχον ἄπρακτοι, καὶ πυρ σοὺς τηνικαῦτα πλείονας ἀνάψαντες δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς ὠρύοντο καθάπερ λύκοι, ἔστι δ' οὗ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀπέσκωπτον· ἦσαν γὰρ καί τινες ἐν αὐτοῖς μιξοβάρβαροι ἑλληνίζοντες. Αὐγαζούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας τὰ αὐτὰ μηχανώ μενος ὁ Μονόλυκος τοῖς Τούρκοις ἐπέταττε ποιεῖν. 15.5.3 Ἐπὶ τούτοις καταλαβὼν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κλιτζιασθλὰν σουλτά νος καὶ θεασάμενος τὴν τοῦ στρατοπέδου εὐταξίαν ἐθαύ μασε μέν, ἀπέσκωψε δὲ οἷα νέος πρὸς γέροντα τὸν Μονό λυκον ὅτου χάριν τὴν μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀνεβάλετο μάχην. Ὁ δέ· «Ἐγὼ μέν, ἔφη, ὡς γέρων ἢ δειλὸς ἀγχέμαχον τὴν μετ' αὐτοῦ συμπλοκὴν ἀνεβαλόμην μέχρι τοῦδε. Εἰ δὲ σὺ θαρρῶν ἦσθα, ἄγε δὴ πειράθητι καὶ αὐτός· τὸ πρᾶγμα διδάξει.» Εὐθὺς οὖν αὐτὸς μὲν τοῖς περὶ τὴν οὐραγίαν οὖσι προσέβαλεν, ἑτέροις <δὲ> σατράπαις τὴν κατὰ πρόσωπον τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος προσβολὴν ἐπέταξε καὶ ἄλλοις τὴν καθ' ἑ τέραν πλευρὰν τῆς παρατάξεως μάχην ἀνέθετο. Ὁ γοῦν τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας ἐπέχων Νικηφόρος ὁ Βρυέννιος καῖσαρ, τῆς κατὰ τὴν οὐραγίαν μάχης αἰσθόμενος, ἐσφάδαζε μὲν ἀμύνειν τοῖς ὄπισθεν, οὐκ ἤθελε δὲ ἀπειρίας ἢ νεότητος ἐνδείξασθαί τι, ἀλλ' ἐπεῖχε καίτοι λυττῶντα τὸν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων θυμὸν καὶ σὺν εὐταξίᾳ ἐπὶ ταὐτοῦ σχήματος τὴν πορείαν ποιεῖσθαι ἐσπούδαζε. 15.5.4 Καρτερῶς δὲ τῶν βαρβάρων μαχομένων ὁ τὸ ἀριστερὸν κέρας ἐπέχων ὁ φίλτατός μοι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὁ πορφυρογέννητος Ἀνδρόνικος τὰς ἡνίας στρέψας σφοδρὰν μετὰ τῆς