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made the attack against the barbarians with his own phalanx. He, having reached the very flower of his age, possessing prudent courage, a skillful hand, and extraordinary wisdom in wars, departed before his time and, as no one would have expected, left us and was gone. O youth and prime of body and light leaps upon horses, where have you vanished? The suffering over this forces me to sing a dirge, but the law of history again restrains me from that. And one must wonder why someone does not even now, as in olden times, they say, become either a stone or a bird or a tree or one of the inanimate things, changing his nature into such things under the weight of great evils, whether this is a myth or a true account. And perhaps it would be better to change one’s nature into things that feel nothing than to receive so great a sense of evil. For if this were possible, the terrible things that have happened would perhaps have shown me to be a stone. 15.6.1 When Nicephorus saw that the battle had already become hand-to-hand and was terrified of defeat, he turned his whole reins with his own contingent and hurried to give aid. And then the barbarians turned their backs and, along with the sultan Klitziasthlan himself, fled at full speed and hurried toward the hilltops. Many, then, fell fighting at that time, but most were also captured. And when all those who had been saved were scattered, the sultan himself, having despaired of any hope of safety, fleeing with only his cupbearer near a certain sacred precinct established on the hilltop, around which towering cypresses stood in a row, was cornered by his pursuers, three Scythians and the son of Ouzas, and went up. And having turned aside a little to the one side, since he was not even known to his pursuers, he himself was saved, but his cupbearer, seized by the Scythians, was brought to the emperor as some great gift. The emperor, therefore, having overcome his enemies in such a victory, rejoiced, but was vexed that the sultan too had not fallen into his hands and been captured, but, by a hair's breadth, that proverbial saying, he was saved. 15.6.2 When evening had already come, he encamped on the spot, but the surviving barbarians, having gone up again onto the hilltops, lit very many torches and throughout the whole night barked around the Romans like dogs. A certain Scythian, having deserted from the Roman army and approached the sultan, said: "Do not attempt battle with the emperor when it is day; for it will not turn out well for you. But since he pitched his tents closely packed together because the plain was not large enough, let light-armed archers descend the foothills throughout the whole night and send frequent arrows against them, and they will inflict no ordinary harm on the Roman army." 15.6.3 Then also a certain man of mixed barbarian race, having eluded the Turks, again went from there to the emperor, reporting all that the Scythian had suggested upon approaching the sultan, and he clearly related all that had been planned against the Roman army. Having learned these things, the emperor divided the army in two, ordering those inside the camp to stay awake and be vigilant, but the rest to arm themselves and, going out from the camp, to meet the Turks coming against them and to undertake the battle with them. And the barbarians, surrounding the army all around throughout the whole night, making many sallies around the foothills of the mountains, shot many arrows against the army. But the Romans, acting according to the emperor's instructions, protected themselves by not breaking their formation. As day was dawning, they all proceeded in the same formation, and having driven the booty and all the baggage and the captives themselves with their women and children again into the middle of the formation, they marched toward Ampoun. War then

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ἰδίας φάλαγγος τὴν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπέλευσιν ἐποιήσατο. Ὃς εἰς τὸ χαριέστατον αὐτὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐληλυθώς, τόλμαν δὲ συνετὴν καὶ χεῖρα δεξιὰν καὶ φρόνησιν περιττὴν ἐν πολέμοις ἔχων πρὸ καιροῦ ᾤχετο καί, ὡς οὐκ ἄν τις ἤλπισεν, ἐξ ἡμῶν ἀπῆλθε καὶ κατέδυ. Ὦ νεότης καὶ ἀκμὴ σώματος καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων ἅλματα κοῦφα ποῦ ποτε κατερρεύσατε; Μονῳδεῖν με τὸ ἐπὶ τούτῳ πάθος ἐκβιά ζεται, ἀλλ' ὁ τῆς ἱστορίας νόμος ἐκεῖθεν αὖθις ἀπείργει. Θαυμάζειν δὲ ἔστι πῶς οὐ γίνεταί τις καὶ νῦν καθά περ καὶ πάλαι, φησίν, ἢ λίθος ἢ ὄρνις ἢ δένδρον ἤ τι τῶν ἀψύχων ὑπὸ μεγάλων κακῶν εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα τὴν φύσιν ἀμείβων, εἴτε μῦθος τοῦτό ἐστιν εἴτε λόγος ἀληθής. Καὶ τάχα κρεῖττον ἂν εἴη πρὸς τὰ μηδὲν αἰσθανόμενα μεταμεί βειν τὴν φύσιν ἢ τοσαύτην αἴσθησιν δέχεσθαι τοῦ κακοῦ. Εἰ γὰρ τοῦτ' ἦν, τάχ' ἄν με λίθον ἀπέδειξε τὰ συμπεσόντα δεινά. 15.6.1 Τὴν δὲ μάχην ἀγχέμαχον ἤδη γεγονυῖαν ὁ Νικηφό ρος θεασάμενος καὶ πτοηθεὶς τὴν ἧτταν, μετὰ τῆς ἰδίας παρατάξεως ὅλας ἡνίας στρέψας ἀμύνειν ἠπείγετο. Καὶ τηνικαῦτα οἱ βάρβαροι νῶτα δεδωκότες καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ δὴ τῷ Κλιτζιασθλὰν σουλτὰν ἀνὰ κράτος φεύγοντες πρὸς τὰς ἀκρολοφίας ἠπείγοντο. Πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν τηνικαῦτα πεπτώ κασι πολεμοῦντες, οἱ πλείους δὲ καὶ ἑάλωσαν. Τῶν δὲ σωθέντων ἁπάντων διασπαρέντων καὶ αὐτὸς δὴ ὁ σουλτάνος, ἀπεγνωκὼς τὰς σῳζούσας ἐλπίδας, μετὰ τοῦ οἰνοχοοῦντος αὐτῷ μόνου φεύγων περί τι τέμενος κατὰ τὴν ἀκρολοφίαν ἱδρυμένον, οὗ κυκλόθεν οὐρανομήκεις κυπάριττοι στοιχηδὸν ἑστήκεσαν, ὑπὸ τῶν διωκόντων αὐτὸν τριῶν Σκυθῶν καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ Οὐζᾶ στενοχωρηθεὶς ἀνελήλυθε. Καὶ μικρὸν ἐπὶ θάτερον παρεκκλίνας, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ γνώριμος τοῖς διώκου σιν ἦν, αὐτὸς μὲν σέσωστο, ὁ δέ γε οἰνοχόος παρὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν κατασχεθεὶς τῷ αὐτοκράτορι ὡς μέγα τι δῶρον προσενήνεκται. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ νίκῃ καταγωνισάμενος τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἔχαιρεν, ἠνιᾶτο δὲ ὅτι μὴ καὶ ὁ σουλτάνος εἰς χεῖρας ἐμπεσὼν κατεσχέθη, ἀλλὰ παρὰ μικροῦ, τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πεπαροιμιασμένον, ἐρρύσθη. 15.6.2 Ἑσπέρας δὲ ἤδη καταλαβούσης αὐτοῦ κατὰ τόπον αὐλίζε ται, οἱ δὲ περισωθέντες τῶν βαρβάρων, αὖθις κατὰ τὰς ἀκρολοφίας ἀνελθόντες, πυρσούς τε παμπόλλους ἀνῆψαν καὶ δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὡς κύνες περιυ λάκτουν. Σκύθης δέ τις ἀποδράσας ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρα τεύματος καὶ προσεληλυθὼς τῷ σουλτὰν ἔφη· «Τὴν μετὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μάχην ἡμέρας οὔσης μηδαμῶς ἐπιχεί ρει· οὐ γάρ σοι πρὸς καλὸν ἐσεῖται. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀποχρώ σης τῆς πεδιάδος συνεσφιγμένως τὰς σκηνὰς ἐπήξατο, δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς τοὺς πρόποδας τῶν βουνῶν κατιόντες ψιλοὶ τοξόται καὶ συχνὰ τὰ βέλη κατ' αὐτῶν πεμπέτωσαν καὶ οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ζημίαν τῷ ῥωμαϊκῷ στρατεύματι ὑφέξουσι.» 15.6.3 Τηνικαῦτα δὲ καὶ μιξοβάρβαρός τις ἐκεῖθεν αὖθις λαθὼν τοὺς Τούρκους πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα φοιτᾷ, ἀπαγγέλλων ὁπόσα ὁ Σκύθης τῷ σουλτάνῳ προσελθὼν ὑπέθετο, καὶ τὰ βεβουλευ μένα ἅπαντα κατὰ τοῦ ῥωμαϊκοῦ στρατεύματος σαφῶς διηγή σατο. Ταῦτα μεμαθηκὼς ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ διχῆ διελὼν τὸ στρά τευμα, τοὺς μὲν εἴσω τῆς παρεμβολῆς ὄντας ἐγρηγορέναι καὶ νήφειν προσέταξε, τοὺς δέ γε λοιποὺς ὁπλίσασθαί τε καὶ ἔξωθεν τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐξελθόντας προϋπαντῆσαι τοῖς κατ' αὐτῶν ἐρχομένοις Τούρκοις καὶ τὴν μετ' αὐτῶν ἀναδέ ξασθαι μάχην. Οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι δι' ὅλης νυκτὸς γυρόθεν περιζώσαντες τὸ στράτευμα, πολλὰς ἐκδρομὰς περὶ τοὺς πρόποδας τῶν βουνῶν ποιούμενοι, συχνοὺς ὀϊστοὺς κατὰ τοῦ στρατεύματος ἔβαλλον. Οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι, κατὰ τὰς ὑπο θήκας τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ποιοῦντες, ἐφύλαττον ἑαυτοὺς μὴ διασπῶντες τὴν παράταξιν. Ὑπαυγαζούσης δὲ τῆς ἡμέ ρας ἅπαντες ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σχήματος ᾔεσαν, καὶ τὴν λείαν καὶ τὰς σκευὰς ἁπάσας καὶ αὐτοὺς δὴ τοὺς δορυαλώτους μετά τε γυναικῶν καὶ παιδίων ἐς τὸ μέσον τῆς παρατά ξεως αὖθις ἐλάσαντες, τὴν πρὸς Ἀμποῦν ὥδευον. Πόλε μος δὲ τηνικαῦτα