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leading him out, he went down from the walls, on the one hand promising Saïsan to encourage the settlers more to resist more bravely, but on the other hand threatening them and advising them to give in and open the gates to the Turks, if they did not wish to become a victim of a barbarian hand, since many forces were already arriving even from Khorosan itself. They, partly terrified by the multitude of the barbarians, and partly persuaded by the advice of Pouchéas, yielded entrance to the Turks. And seizing the sultan Saïsan, they deprived him of his eyes; and since they were at a loss for a useful instrument for this, the candlestick given to Saïsan by the emperor served the purpose. And then one could see the receptacle of light become the cause of darkness and blinding. Still seeing a little bit of light, when he reached Iconium, being led by the hand, he confided this to his nurse, and she to his wife. And so the report, having reached the very ears of Mas'ud, disturbed the soul of the barbarian. He, filled with rage, commanded Elegmos (he was one of the notable satraps) to strangle him with a bowstring. Such was the end that the affairs of sultan Saïsan came to, out of his folly in not being persuaded by the emperor's counsels. The emperor, however, kept to the road leading to the capital, having preserved the battle-line in the same good order throughout.

15.7.1 But anyone hearing of a battle-line and phalanxes, but of captives and booty, but of a general and commanders, might think he was hearing of the sort of things that every historian and poet mentions in his writings. But this battle-line appeared new and strange to all, and of a kind that no one had ever seen or recorded for posterity. For when he kept to the road to Iconium, he marched in ordered formation and made the movement of the column rhythmic with a flute. You would say, seeing the whole phalanx, that while moving it remained motionless, and while standing still it marched. For in the close-locked shields and the cohesion of the battle-line it resembled unshakable mountains, but in its movements the entire phalanx seemed to move like one great living creature, moved and advancing by a single soul. And when he reached Philomelion, having rescued from all quarters those under the hand of the barbarians, as has been said above somewhere, having driven into the middle of the battle-line the captives and the women and children themselves and all the booty, he returned marching slowly and made the movement, as it were, slow and ant-like. 15.7.2 And since many of the women were pregnant, and many were afflicted with sickness, whenever a woman was in a hurry to give birth, at that moment a trumpet, sounding at a signal from the emperor, made everyone stand still, and the whole column immediately halted there. And when he learned she had given birth, another sound, not the usual one but one summoning to motion, sounded and urged the march upon all. If anyone died, the same things happened again and the emperor would come to the dying person and priests were summoned to sing the final hymns and to give the holy elements to the dying. And so when all the rites for the dead had been lawfully performed, not until the deceased was enshrouded and buried would he permit the battle-line to move even a little. And when it was necessary for him to take a meal, calling over the women and men, as many as were weary with sickness or old age, he set before them the greater part of the food and urged his fellow diners to do the same. And the table was a kind of divine feast, with no instruments present, nor flutes, nor drums, nor indeed any music at all to disturb. Providing for himself with such things, therefore, when he reached Damalion (and it was evening), he did not wish his entry into the city to be splendid, nor to display a royal

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ἐξαγαγὼν κάτεισι τῶν τειχῶν, τῷ μὲν Σαϊσὰν ὑποσχόμενος θαρσῦναι μᾶλλον τοὺς ἐποίκους ἐφ' ᾧ γενναιότερον ἀνθίστασθαι, ἀπειλούμε νος δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτοῖς καὶ ξυμβουλεύων ἐνδοῦναι καὶ τὰς πύλας ἀναπετάσαι τοῖς Τούρκοις, εἰ μὴ βούλοιντο βαρβα ρικῆς χειρὸς παρανάλωμα γενέσθαι, πολλῶν δυνάμεων ἤδη καταλαμβανουσῶν καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ Χοροσάν. Οἱ δὲ τὸ μέν τι διὰ τὸ τῶν βαρβάρων πλῆθος ἐκδειματούμενοι, τὸ δέ τι καὶ ταῖς τοῦ Πουχέα ξυμβουλαῖς πεισθέντες παραχωροῦσι τῆς εἰσόδου τοῖς Τούρκοις. Καὶ συλλαβόντες τὸν Σαϊσὰν σουλ τάνον ἀποστεροῦσι τῶν ὀμμάτων· ὀργάνου δὲ πρὸς τοῦτο χρησιμεύοντος ἀπορούντων τὸ δοθὲν τῷ Σαϊσὰν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος μανουάλιον ἐχρημάτισε. Καὶ ἦν ἰδεῖν τηνι καῦτα τὸ δοχεῖον φωτὸς σκότους καὶ ἀμαυρώσεως γεγονὸς αἴτιον. Αὐγὴν δέ τινα μικρὰν ἔτι ὑποβλέπων, ἐπὰν τὸ Ἰκό νιον χειραγωγούμενος κατέλαβε, τεθάρρηκε τοῦτο τῇ τιθῇ κἀκείνη δὲ τῇ αὐτοῦ ὁμευνέτιδι. Καὶ οὕτω μέχρις αὐτῶν ἀκοῶν τοῦ Μασοὺτ ὁ λόγος ἐφθακὼς ἐξετάραξε τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ βαρβάρου. Ὁ δὲ θυμοῦ πλησθεὶς τῷ Ἐλεγμῷ (σατράπης δὲ οὗτος τῶν ἐπιφανῶν) ἐπέσκηψε διὰ νευρᾶς τοῦτον ἀπάγξαι. Τοιοῦτον τέλος τὰ τοῦ Σαϊσὰν σουλτάνου ἔσχεν ἐξ ἀβουλίας μὴ πεισθέντος ταῖς τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος παραι νέσεσιν. Ὁ δὲ αὐτοκράτωρ τῆς πρὸς τὴν βασιλεύουσαν φερούσης εἴχετο τὴν παράταξιν διόλου ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς συντηρήσας εὐταξίας.

15.7.1 Ἀλλὰ παράταξιν καὶ φάλαγγάς τις ἀκούων, ἀλλὰ δορυαλώτους καὶ λάφυρα, ἀλλὰ στρατηγὸν καὶ ξυνταγματάρ χας, νομίζοι ἂν ἐκείνων ἀκούειν ὁποίων ἅπας ἱστορικὸς καὶ ποιητὴς ξυγγράφων μέμνηται. Ἀλλ' αὕτη ἡ παράταξις καινή τις καὶ παράδοξος ἅπασι κατεφαίνετο, καὶ ὁποίαν οὐδείς πω οὔτε τεθέαται οὔθ' ἱστορήσας τοῖς ἐς ὕστερον παρεπέμψατο. Ἐπὰν γὰρ τῆς πρὸς τὸ Ἰκόνιον εἴχετο, συντεταγμένως τε ἐπορεύετο καὶ εὔρυθμον αὐλῷ τὴν κίνη σιν τοῦ συντάγματος ἐπεποίητο. Εἶπες ἂν τὴν φάλαγγα πᾶσαν ἰδὼν καὶ κινουμένην ἀκίνητον μένειν καὶ ἱσταμένην πορεύεσθαι. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ συνασπισμῷ καὶ τῇ ἀλληλουχίᾳ τῆς παρατάξεως τοῖς ἀσαλεύτοις ὄρεσιν ἐῴκει, ταῖς δὲ μεταβάσεσι κινεῖσθαι ὥσπερ ζῷον μέγιστον ἓν ἡ σύμπασα φάλαγξ ὑπὸ μιᾶς κινουμένη καὶ μεταβαίνουσα ψυχῆς. Ἐπὰν δὲ τὸ Φιλομήλιον κατέλαβεν ἁπανταχόθεν τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρα τῶν βαρβάρων ἀναρρυσάμενος, καθά που καὶ ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, μέσον τῆς παρατάξεως εἰσελάσας τούς τε δορυ αλώτους καὶ αὐτὰς δὴ γυναῖκας καὶ τέκνα καὶ τὴν λείαν ἅπασαν ὑπαναστρέφων ἠρέμα τε ἐπορεύετο καὶ οἷον σχο λαίαν τε καὶ μυρμηκίζουσαν τὴν κίνησιν ἐπεποίητο. 15.7.2 Ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ πολλαὶ τῶν γυναικῶν ἐγκύμονες ἦσαν, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ νόσοις συνεσχέθησαν, ὁπηνίκα τις πρὸς τὸ τεκεῖν ἠπείγετο γυνή, σάλπιγξ τηνικαῦτα ἠχοῦσα νεύματι τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀτρεμεῖς πάντας ἐποίει, καὶ ἅπαν τὸ σύνταγμα ἐκεῖ παραχρῆμα εἱστήκει. Ὅταν δὲ τεκοῦσαν μεμαθήκοι, ἄλλος ἦχος οὐ συνήθης καὶ τῆς κινήσεως προ κλητικὸς ἠχήσας τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ἅπασιν ἐπώτρυνεν. Εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἐθανάτα, τὰ αὐτὰ αὖθις ἐγίνετο καὶ ὁ αὐτοκράτωρ πρὸς τὸν θνήσκοντα παρεγίνετο καὶ ἱερεῖς προσεκαλοῦντο τοὺς ἐπιτελευτίους ᾄσοντες ὕμνους καὶ τῶν ἁγιασμάτων μεταδώσοντες τῷ θνήσκοντι. Καὶ οὕτω τῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς τελευτῶσι πάντων νομίμως τελεσθέντων, οὐδὲ μέχρις ἂν ὁ θνήσκων ἐνσοριασθεὶς ἐτάφη, οὐδὲ βραχὺ τὴν παράταξιν συνεχώρει κινεῖσθαι. Ὁπηνίκα δὲ ἀριστῆσαι τούτῳ ἐδέησε, γυναῖκάς τε καὶ ἄνδρας, ὁπόσοι νόσοις ἢ γήρᾳ κεκμηκότες ἦσαν, μετακαλούμενος τὰ πλείω τῶν ἐδεσμάτων αὐτοῖς παρετίθει καὶ τοὺς συνδειπνοῦντας αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖν παρεκελεύετο. Καὶ ἦν ἡ τράπεζα πανδαισία τις θεϊκὴ οὐκ ὀργάνων παρόντων οὐδὲ αὐλῶν οὐδὲ τυμπάνων οὐδὲ τὸ παράπαν μουσικῆς τινος ἐνοχλούσης. Τοιούτοις οὖν ἑαυτὸν ἐφοδιάζων, ἐπὰν τὸ ∆αμάλιον κατέλαβεν (ἑσπέρα δὲ ἦν), οὐ λαμπρὰ μὲν αὐτῷ τὰ εἰς τὴν πόλιν γεγονέναι εἰσιτήρια ἐβούλετο οὐδὲ βασιλικὴν ἐπιδείξασθαι