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approaching; since he had previously attacked the people in Peritheorion, and was then forcing them to receive him, they did not receive him, but closed the gates to him, pointing out the barbarians and ordering him to go into battle with them, so that for the victors the city would be the prize for their valor. But lest they seem to be completely deserting him, for they were afraid that if he escaped the danger, he would punish their treachery bitterly; for he was inexorable in his anger, and cruelly and inhumanly killed those who offended him, and for both small and great crimes he condemned them to the penalty of death, they received his nephew, Raikos by name, who had only fifty 2.532 soldiers, so that if he were victorious, the reception of his nephew would be an excuse against his anger; but if he were defeated and killed, they, being few in number, would be no obstacle to doing whatever seemed advantageous. Momitzilos drew up his army at the fortification in front of the city, thinking he would hold out and that having the fortification would contribute not a little. The Persians, then, when the first to arrive attacked, pushed back the army of Momitzilos, which numbered about five hundred thousand, and they demolished the fortification, and the greater part of the army was scattered for plunder, and they overran and plundered everything on the same day as far as Mygdonia. But the emperor, coming behind with Amour and the rest of the army, saw that the army with Momitzilos was not defeated, but had only given way to the barbarians; for he saw it drawn up in good order and with discipline; wherefore it seemed that the struggle still remained. And he drew up the army, both of the Romans and of the barbarians, in three divisions; and Amour held the right wing with the Persians, so that, being archers, they might shoot the enemy and fall upon their exposed parts. And John Asanes, the brother of the Empress Irene, held the left with the Roman cataphracts, who were accustomed to fighting with lances. And the emperor himself held the center, having the picked troops of both the Romans and the Persians. 2.533 And Momitzilos, himself likewise drawn up in opposition, went toward the battle. And when they came to blows, a fierce battle was joined, and the armies held out against each other for a long time. Nevertheless, the army of Momitzilos was being defeated and many of them were falling. As they were being pushed toward the walls of the city, since there was no way out or counter-attack for the horses, with little space left between the enemy and the walls, and since those in Peritheorion were not expected to let them in, he himself first dismounted from his horse, then all the others too, and they abandoned them to the enemy. And they fought on foot, contending spiritedly, and held out for a very long time, partly on account of their courage, and partly because the city prevented them from being encircled, and many fell fighting. So as long as he survived, they neither gave up their daring, nor did they surrender their arms. But when he himself also fell in the battle, the survivors immediately surrendered their arms, and were enslaved by the Romans and Persians, with no one being able to escape. And what they say of great misfortunes, that not even a fire-bearer was left, this very thing happened also to the army of Momitzilos. For some fell in the battle, and others were captured. But those in Peritheorion, standing on the walls, neither defended Momitzilos, nor did they themselves attack, but only sat on the walls as spectators of the contests. But the emperor wept at the disaster, not only because of the reversal of fortune, that the man who a little before 2.534 thought great things of himself, and seemed to be someone invincible and skilled in strategy, in the turn of a moment, lay dishonored, trampled underfoot by the enemy, but also because the fallen, being so many and having demonstrated such valor and bravery, were Romans, whom the civil war, the cause of many tears, had consumed. Thus, then, Momitzilos both flourished in a short time and seemed to have advanced to great fortune, and just as quickly he faded and fell. And after the battle, the emperor arrived at Xantheia, where the house and wife of Momitzilos were. But the people of Xantheia

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ἐπιοῦσα· ἐπεὶ δὲ πρότερόν τε ἐπέκειτο τοῖς ἐν Περιθεωρίῳ, καὶ τότε ἠνάγκαζεν εἰσδέχεσθαι, ἐκεῖνον μὲν οὐκ ἐδέχοντο, ἀλλ' ἀπέκλεισαν αὐτῷ τὰς πύλας, τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπιδεικνύντες καὶ κελεύοντες εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἰέναι, ὡς τοῖς νικῶσιν ἆθλον τὴν πόλιν ἐσομένην τῆς ἀνδραγαθίας. ἵνα δὲ μὴ δοκοῖεν παντάπασιν αὐτοῦ ἀφίστασθαι, ἐδεδοίκεσαν γὰρ, μὴ τὸν κίνδυνον διαδιδράσκων, πικρῶς κολάζῃ τῆς προδοσίας· ἦν γὰρ ἀπαραίτητος πρὸς ὀργὰς, καὶ ὠμῶς καὶ ἀπανθρώπως ἀποκτείνων τοὺς προσκρούοντας, καὶ ἐπὶ μικροῖς καὶ μείζοσιν ἐγκλήμασι θάνατον τὴν ζημίαν καταψηφιζόμενος, τὸν ἀδελφιδοῦν Ῥάϊκον ὄνομα εἰσεδέξαντο, πεντήκοντα μόνον 2.532 στρατιώτας ἔχοντα, ἵν' εἰ μὲν νικῴη, παραίτησις πρὸς ὀργὴν εἴη ὁ ἀδελφιδοὺς εἰσδεδεγμένος· εἰ δὲ ἡττώμενος διαφθείροιτο, μηδὲν εἶεν κώλυμα ἐκεῖνοι ὀλίγοι ὄντες πρὸς τὸ πράττειν, ἅττα ἂν δοκῇ συμφέρειν. Μομιτζίλος δὲ πρὸς τὸ τείχισμα τὸ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως παρέταττε τὴν στρατιὰν, οἰόμενος ἀντισχήσειν καὶ τὸ τείχισμα ἔχων οὐκ ὀλίγα συναιρόμενον. Πέρσαι μὲν οὖν, ἐπεὶ προσέβαλον οἱ πρώτως φθάσαντες, ὤσαντες τὸ Μομιτζίλου στράτευμα περὶ πεντακοσίους χιλίους ὄντας, τό, τε τείχισμα καθῄρουν, καὶ διεσκεδάννυτο ἐπὶ λεηλασίαν τῆς στρατιᾶς τὸ πλεῖον, καὶ πάντα κατέδραμον αὐθημερὸν καὶ ἐληΐσαντο ἄχρι Μυγδονίας. βασιλεὺς δὲ κατόπιν μετὰ Ἀμοὺρ καὶ τῆς ἄλλης στρατιᾶς ἐρχόμενος, συνεώρα τὸ μετὰ Μομιτζίλου στράτευμα οὐχ ἡττημένον, ἀλλὰ μόνης ὁδοῦ παραχωρῆσαν τοῖς βαρβάροις· ἑώρα γὰρ εὐτάκτως καὶ μετὰ κόσμου τεταγμένον· διόπερ καὶ ἐδόκει ὁ ἀγὼν ἔτι ὑπολείπεσθαι. καὶ συνέταττε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων καὶ βαρβάρων ἐπὶ τάγμασι τρισί· καὶ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας Ἀμοὺρ εἶχε μετὰ τῶν Περσῶν, ἵνα βάλλοιεν τοὺς πολεμίους τοξόται ὄντες καὶ προσπίπτοντες ἐπὶ τὰ γυμνά. τὸ δὲ ἀριστερὸν Ἀσάνης εἶχεν Ἰωάννης, ὁ τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης ἀδελφὸς, μετὰ Ῥωμαίων καταφράκτων, κοντοῖς εἰωθότων μάχεσθαι. τὸ μέσον δὲ αὐτὸς ἐπεῖχεν ὁ βασιλεὺς, τῶν τε Ῥωμαίων τοὺς λογάδας ἔχων καὶ Περσῶν. 2.533 Μομιτζίλος δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁμοίως ἀντιτεταγμένος ᾔει πρὸς τὴν μάχην. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἦσαν ἐς τὰς χεῖρας, μάχη μὲν ἀνήπτετο σφοδρὰ, καὶ ἀντέσχον τὰ στρατόπεδα ἐπιπολὺ ἀλλήλοις. ὅμως ἡττᾶτο τὸ Μομιτζίλου καὶ ἔπιπτον πολλοὶ αὐτῶν. ὠθουμένων δὲ πρὸς τὰ τείχη τῆς πόλεως, ἐπεὶ διέξοδος καὶ ἀντεπεξαγωγὴ οὐκ ἦν τοῖς ἵπποις, ὀλίγου τοῦ χωρίου ὑπολελειμμένου μεταξὺ τῶν πολεμίων καὶ τῶν τειχῶν, οἵ τε ἐν Περιθεωρίῳ ἦσαν οὐ προσδόκιμοι εἰσδέξεσθαι, πρῶτος αὐτὸς ἀπέβαινε τοῦ ἵππου, εἶτα καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ἅπαντες, καὶ προεῖντο τοῖς πολεμίοις. οἱ δ' ἐμάχοντο πεζοὶ, ἀγωνιζόμενοι ἐκθύμως, καὶ ἀντεῖχον ἐπιπλεῖστον, τοῦτο μὲν διὰ τὴν εὐψυχίαν, τοῦτο δ' ὅτι καὶ ἡ πόλις αὐτοὺς ἐκώλυε μὴ κυκλωθῆναι, καὶ ἔπιπτον πολλοὶ μαχόμενοι. μέχρι μὲν οὖν ἐκεῖνος περιῆν, οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ὑφίεσαν τῆς τόλμης, οὐδὲ ὅπλα παρεδίδουν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔπιπτε καὶ αὐτὸς κατὰ τὴν μάχην, οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εὐθὺς παρέδοσαν τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ ἠνδραποδίσθησαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων καὶ Περσῶν, διαδρᾶναι δυνηθέντος μηδενός. καὶ ὅ φασιν ἐπὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἀτυχημάτων, ὡς οὐδὲ πυρφόρος ὑπολέλειπτο, τοῦτ' αὐτὸ συνέβη καὶ τῷ Μομιτζίλου στρατοπέδῳ. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἔπεσον κατὰ τὴν μάχην, οἱ δ' ἑάλωσαν. οἱ δὲ ἐν Περιθεωρίῳ ἑστῶτες ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν, οὔτ' ἠμύνοντο ὑπὲρ τοῦ Μομιτζίλου, οὔτ' ἐπέκειντο καὶ αὐτοὶ, ἀλλὰ μόνον θεαταὶ τῶν ἀγώνων ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν ἐκάθηντο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐδάκρυσεν ἐπὶ τῇ συμφορᾷ, οὐ μόνον διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν μεταβολὴν, ὅτι ὁ πρότερον 2.534 ὀλίγῳ μεγάλα περὶ ἑαυτοῦ οἰόμενος, καὶ ἀήττητός τις εἶναι δοκῶν καὶ δεινὸς περὶ στρατηγίας, ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ, ἄτιμος ἔκειτο συμπατούμενος ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ οἱ πεσόντες, ὄντες τοσοῦτοι καὶ τοιαύτην ἐπιδεδειγμένοι ἀρετὴν καὶ ἀνδραγαθίαν, Ῥωμαῖοι ἦσαν, οὓς ὁ πολλῶν δακρύων αἴτιος ἐμφύλιος πόλεμος παρανάλωσεν. οὕτω μὲν οὖν ὁ Μομιτζίλος ἤνθησέ τε ἐν ὀλίγῳ καὶ ἐπὶ μέγα ἔδοξε τύχης προελθεῖν, καὶ τάχιον ἀπήνθηκε καὶ κατεῤῥύη. βασιλεὺς δὲ μετὰ τὴν μάχην, εἰς Ξάνθειαν ἀφῖκτο, ἔνθα ἡ οἰκία Μομιτζίλου ἦν καὶ ἡ γυνή. Ξανθιεῖς δὲ