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arrived, it is not right for us to be dejected, nor, having resorted to factions and disagreements, to betray ourselves like slaves to the enemy, 2.285 but being of one mind, to give oaths to the empress and to one another, that truly no one, neither through the promise of many good things, nor through the threat of many terrible things, will plot against either the empress and her children or one another; but to defend ourselves against the enemy in every way, being of one mind and keeping our loyalty to the emperor uncorrupted and pure. And to send men to him with all speed, who will inform him that we have resolved to do and endure all things for him and his dearest ones and his wife, to the very end, so that he might be pleased to hear such things about us and might know great gratitude to us for our loyalty to him. For one must not think that he has some small concern for us, but that he struggles with many thoughts, suspecting, as is likely, that we might shrink from the struggles.” Such things Comitopulus said. And immediately after him, Batatzes praised what had been said and, as it was lacking in nothing, neither in intelligence nor in good counsel, he himself also approved and urged on the oaths. But Irene the empress and her brother Asanes, believing the advice of Comitopulus to have been moved by God, so that it might be an encouragement to all for the struggles that these suspected men appeared to have such loyalty toward the emperor, having breathed a sigh of relief from their many cares and approving the counsel, since it seemed good to all the others as well, they ordered the oaths 2.286 to be administered; and they were administered, with the empress's brother swearing first. And while these things were being done, someone named Bratilus arrived from the emperor, who did not have letters, but a piece of wax stamped with the emperor’s ring for the sake of credibility. And first, standing before her, he greeted the empress, and then the others on behalf of the emperor, and he related the events at Gynaikokastron, not in the way they had happened, but very understatedly and as he thought would not cause great alarm. For he said he had been sent by the emperor for this purpose. Then he also added this, that since no small disturbance had occurred in the emperor's army and the *protostrator* and others had deserted because they were unable to bear the loss at home, the emperor, having learned that Kralis was staying nearby, went to him on account of their old friendship. And that he, having received him gladly and with much friendliness and good will, had provided a large and good army by way of alliance, he thought that he was now on his way and would arrive shortly; and that he himself had been sent ahead to report what had happened, so that you would not be alarmed by hearing a distorted version with much embellishment. And he asked them not to delay, but, having provided letters declaring how they were, to send him back again to the emperor. For he had great concern for them, and considered it of the utmost importance to learn something about them. And he said that he had also received letters from the emperor, 2.287 the contents of which he also related; but since he encountered many people on the journey, fearing he might be caught and that he himself on account of them might come to experience many evils and the mission be prevented, he had destroyed the letters, and kept only the seal for the sake of credibility, being able to escape those searching in the hollows of his mouth. So, saying such things, he was believed, and he provided much comfort and relieved much of their despair. For they knew that he was not clever at composing fabrications before, on account of his simple-mindedness. But things were not as he reported. But when the desertion around the emperor took place at Gynaikokastron and there was terrible confusion and disorder in the army, since he himself was present, assigned to this task along with several others like him, so that if the emperor should ever need to send a message secretly, he might deliver it, going unnoticed because of his humble appearance, approaching the emperor, he begged him, since he was unable to write due to the inopportune moment, to provide a seal from his ring, so that he might be believed when reporting to those in Didymoteichon about the events that had occurred; but having thought

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ἀφιγμένου, οὐ δίκαιον ἡμᾶς καταπεσεῖν, οὐδὲ πρὸς στάσεις καὶ διαφορὰς χωρήσαντας, ἀνδραπόδων δίκην σφᾶς αὐ 2.285 τοὺς τοῖς πολεμίοις καταπροδοῦναι, ἀλλὰ συμφρονήσαντας, ὅρκους δοῦναι βασιλίδι καὶ ἀλλήλοις, ἦ μὴν μηδένα μήτε δι' ἀγαθῶν πολλῶν ἐπαγγελίαν, μήτε δι' ἐπαγωγὴν πολλῶν δεινῶν, ἢ βασιλίδι καὶ παισὶν ἢ ἀλλήλοις ἐπιβουλεύσειν· ἀλλ' ἀμύνεσθαι τρόπῳ παντὶ τοὺς πολεμίους μίαν γνώμην ἔχοντας καὶ τὴν πίστιν ἄδολον καὶ καθαρὰν φυλάττειν βασιλεῖ. πέμπειν δὲ καὶ τὴν ταχίστην πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἄνδρας, οἳ διδάξουσιν, ὡς ἡμεῖς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνου καὶ φιλτάτων καὶ τῆς γυναικὸς πάντα καὶ πράττειν καὶ ὑπομένειν ἐγνώκαμεν ἄχρι παντὸς, ἵν' αὐτός τε ἥδοιτο τοιαῦτα περὶ ἡμῶν ἀκούων καὶ ἡμῖν πολλὴν εἰδείη χάριν τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας. οὐδὲ γὰρ μικράν τινα οἴεσθαι ἐκεῖνον τὴν περὶ ἡμῶν φροντίδα ἔχειν χρὴ, ἀλλὰ πολλοῖς παλαίειν λογισμοῖς ὑποπτεύοντα, ὥσπερ εἰκὸς, μὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀποκνήσωμεν.» τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Κομιτόπουλος εἶπεν. εὐθὺς δὲ μετ' ἐκεῖνον ὁ Βατάτζης ἐπῄνει τε τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ ὡς μηδενὸς ἐνδέοντα, μήτε πρὸς σύνεσιν, μήτε πρὸς εὐβουλίαν, ἐπεψηφίζετο καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ ἐπέσπευδε τοὺς ὅρκους. Εἰρήνη δὲ ἡ βασιλὶς καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἀσάνης τὴν Κομιτοπούλου παραίνεσιν νομίσαντες θεόθεν κεκινῆσθαι, ἵν' εἴη πᾶσι παράκλησις πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας τὸ τοὺς ὑποπτευομένους τουτουσὶν οὕτως ἔχοντας εὐνοίας φαίνεσθαι πρὸς βασιλέα, τῶν πολλῶν ἀναπνεύσαντες φροντίδων καὶ ἐπιψηφισάμενοι τὴν βουλὴν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἐδόκει, τοὺς 2.286 ὅρκους ἐκέλευον τελεῖσθαι· καὶ ἐτελοῦντο, πρώτου τοῦ τῆς βασιλίδος ἀδελφοῦ ὀμωμοκότος. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτα ἐτελεῖτο, ἥκει τις ἐκ βασιλέως Μπρατίλος ὄνομα, ὃς γράμματα μὲν οὐκ εἶχε, κηρὸν δὲ ἐσφραγισμένον τῷ δακτυλίῳ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀξιοπιστίας ἕνεκα. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν προσηγόρευε βασιλίδα παραστὰς, ἔπειτα καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐκ βασιλέως, διηγεῖτό τε τὰ περὶ Γυναικόκαστρον, οὐχ ὃν ἐγένετο τρόπον, ἀλλ' ὑφειμένως μάλιστα καὶ ὡς ἂν ᾤετο οὐ σφόδρα θορυβήσειν. πρὸς τοῦτο γὰρ ἔφασκε παρὰ βασιλέως ἐκπεμφθῆναι. ἔπειτα καὶ τοῦτο προσετίθει, ὡς ταραχῆς οὐ μικρᾶς περὶ τὴν βασιλέως στρατιὰν γεγενημένης καὶ πρωτοστράτορός τε καὶ ἄλλων ἀποστάντων διὰ τὸ μὴ τὴν οἴκοι ζημίαν φέρειν δύνασθαι, περὶ Κράλη πυθόμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς ὡς διατρίβοι ἐγγὺς, γένοιτο πρὸς αὐτὸν κατὰ φιλίαν παλαιάν. ἐκείνου δὲ ἀσμένως ὑποδεξαμένου καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς φιλοφροσύνης καὶ εὐνοίας καὶ στρατιὰν πολλήν τε καὶ ἀγαθὴν παρεσχημένου κατὰ συμμαχίαν, νῦν πρὸς ὁδοιπορίαν εἶναι οἴεσθαι καὶ ἀφίξεσθαι μετὰ μικρόν· αὐτὸν δὲ πεμφθῆναι πρότερον ἀπαγγελοῦντα τὰ γεγενημένα, ὡς ἂν μὴ διεφθαρμένως πυθόμενοι καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς προσθήκης θορυβῆσθε. ἠξίου τε μὴ μέλλειν, ἀλλὰ παρασχομένους γράμματα περὶ αὐτῶν ὅπως ἔχουσι δηλοῦντα, αὖθις εἰς βασιλέα ἀποπέμπειν. πολλὴν γὰρ αὐτῷ περὶ αὐτῶν φροντίδα εἶναι, καὶ τοῦ παντὸς τιμᾶσθαι τὸ πυθέσθαι τι περὶ αὐτῶν. ἔφασκε δὲ καὶ παρὰ βασιλέως γράμματα 2.287 λαβεῖν, ἃ καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπε περιέχοντα· πρὸς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν δὲ πολλῶν συντυγχανόντων, δείσας μὴ ἁλῷ καὶ αὐτός τε δι' ἐκεῖνα εἰς πεῖραν ἔλθῃ πολλῶν κακῶν καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις κωλυθῇ, τὰ γράμματα ἀφανίσαι, τὴν σφραγῖδα δὲ μόνην ἀξιοπιστίας ἕνεκα φυλάξαι, δυναμένην ἐπὶ τὰ κοῖλα τοῦ στόματος τοὺς ἐρευνῶντας διαδιδράσκειν. ὁ μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα λέγων ἐπιστεύετο, καὶ πολλὴν παρείχετο παραψυχὴν καὶ τὸ πολὺ τῆς ἀθυμίας ἐπεκούφιζεν. ᾔδεισαν γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐδὲ πρότερον εὐφυῶς ἔχοντα διὰ κουφότητα περὶ τὸ πλάσματα συντιθέναι. τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἦσαν, ὡς ἀπήγγελλεν. ἀλλ' ἡνίκα ἐν Γυναικοκάστρῳ ἡ περὶ βασιλέα ἐγίνετο ἀποστασία καὶ σύγχυσις δεινὴ καὶ ἀταξία ἦν περὶ τὴν στρατιὰν, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς παρῆν εἰς τοῦτο τεταγμένος σὺν πλείοσιν ἑτέροις τοιούτοις, ἵν' εἴ που δέοιτο βασιλεὺς ἀγγελίαν κρύφα πέμπειν, αὐτὸς διακομίζοι διὰ τὴν εὐτέλειαν λανθάνων, προσελθὼν ἐδεῖτο βασιλέως, ἐπεὶ μὴ γράφειν δύναιτο διὰ τὴν ἀκαιρίαν, σφραγῖδα παρέχειν ἐκ τοῦ δακτυλίου, ἵν' ᾖ πιστεύεσθαι ἀπαγγέλλοντι τοῖς ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων· νομίσας δὲ