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to the enemy. And for a certain time they held back, and prolonged the open engagement, and struggled to steal the victory. But Bardas out-generaled the enemy, having prepared a great feast as if he were about to feast his own army, and thus deceiving the enemy. For supposing that he would not begin a battle on that day, they too turned to feasting; but Skleros, when he learned this (for he had his troops prepared for war), suddenly gave the signal for battle with the trumpet and falls upon the enemy as they were taking their breakfast. And they, as each one happened to be, taking up whatever weapon came to hand, received the attackers, not being dismayed by the surprise. And for a certain time they defended themselves robustly; then Bardas, making outflanking movements and threatening to now enclose the enemy, and also letting loose the mercenaries against their rear, puts them to flight and works great slaughter, with the Doux of Antioch, Bourtzes, being the first to give way, whether through cowardice or malice; for both were said. And he seized the entire camp along with the baggage, and from it he acquired boundless wealth. From there he comes again to the so-called Tzamandos; Tzamandos is a city situated on a steep rock, populous and weighed down with wealth. which he took with the consent of the locals and gathered no little wealth. This victory shook many of those loyal to the emperor and forced them to desert to Skleros; for Bourtzes is the first to desert to Skleros, as is the patrikios Andronikos and doux Lydos with his sons. And the men of Attaleia, putting the emperor's admiral, Michael Kourtikes, in chains, go over with the entire fleet to the one sent by Skleros to be general of the Kibyrrhaiotai. When these things were reported to the emperor and the parakoimomenos, a council was proposed and it was decided that one of those close to the emperor, having received a command equal to a tyrant's and unaccountable, and having authority both to promote with honors and to enrich with gifts those who came over, should proceed against the tyrant. The opinion was approved, and Leo, the emperor's protovestiarios, is sent, having taken as his counselor a certain John, a patrikios, a distinguished man and renowned for his skill in speaking, having received authority from the emperor to do without hesitation all that is permitted to an emperor. Having gone out, therefore, and come to Kotyaeion in Phrygia and having united with the stratopedarches Peter, he pitched his camp there, while Bardas happened to be encamped at Dipotamos; Dipotamos is an imperial estate, which the locals call Mesanakta. Therefore, he secretly tried with promises of gifts and promotions in rank to entice the rebels and draw them to himself and make them loyal to the emperor, but he was unwittingly strengthening the opposition, who considered the appeal a sign of weakness. Wherefore, despairing, he departed from Kotyaeion and, marching past Skleros by night, proceeded towards the east. This action greatly terrified those around Skleros, who feared not only for their money and possessions but also for their very lives. Therefore many, renouncing the rebellion, flocked to the protovestiarios, so that the rebel force was in danger of being dispersed like dust. Fearing that this might happen, Skleros sends out the magistros Michael Bourtzes, who had recently, as we said, gone over to him, and Romanos Taronites the patrikios with a force of light-armed troops, ordering them to stand in the way of the protovestiarios, to attack on the march, and to prevent his sallies as best they could, but to refrain from a general engagement as far as possible. But when Bourtzes and his men approached the imperial army, they were forced, even against their will, to fight contrary to the order of Skleros, for the following reason.

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ἐναντίοις. καὶ μέχρι μέν τινος ἀνεδύοντο, καὶ παρεῖλκον τὴν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς συμπλοκήν, καὶ κλέψαι τὴν νίκην διηγωνίζοντο. κατεστρατήγησε δὲ τοὺς ἐναντίους ὁ Βάρδας, δεῖ πνα πολλὰ παρασκευασάμενος ὡς τάχα τὸν οἰκεῖον ἑστιάσων στρα τόν, καὶ οὕτω τοὺς πολεμίους ἐξαπατήσας. ὑπολαβόντες γὰρ κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν μὴ κατάρξασθαι μάχης αὐτόν, καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς εὐωχίαν ἐτράποντο· ὁ δὲ Σκληρὸς ὡς ἔγνω τοῦτο, (εἶχε γὰρ καὶ πρὸς πόλεμον παρεσκευασμένα τὰ στρατεύματα) αἰφνί διον τῇ σάλπιγγι σημήνας τὸ ἐνυάλιον ἐμπίπτει τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀρι στοποιουμένοις. οἱ δέ, ὡς ἔτυχεν ἕκαστος, τὸ παρατυχὸν ἀνα λαμβάνοντες ὅπλον τοὺς προσιόντας ἐδέχοντο, μὴ τῷ αἰφνιδίῳ καταπλαγέντες. καὶ ἐπὶ χρόνον μέν τινα εὐρώστως ἠμύνοντο· εἶτα ὑπερκερώσεις ποιησάμενος ὁ Βάρδας καὶ ἔνδον ἤδη συναπο λαμβάνειν τοὺς πολεμίους φοβῶν, ἐπαφεὶς δὲ καὶ κατὰ νῶτα τοὺς μισθοφόρους, τρέπει τε εἰς φυγὴν καὶ πολὺν ἐργάζεται φόνον, τοῦ δουκὸς Ἀντιοχείας τοῦ Βούρτζη πρῶτον ἐκκλίναντος, εἴτε διὰ δειλίαν εἴτε διὰ κακουργίαν· ἐλέγετο γὰρ ἀμφότερα. κατέσχε δὲ καὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ἅπαν σὺν τῇ ἀποσκευῇ, καὶ πλοῦτον ἐντεῦ θεν περιεβάλετο ἄπειρον. ἐκεῖθεν αὖθις ἐπὶ τὸ λεγόμενον ἔρχεται Τζαμανδόν· πόλις δὲ ἡ Τζαμανδὸς ἐν ἀποκρήμνῳ πέτρᾳ κειμένη, πολυάνθρωπος καὶ πλούτῳ περιβριθής. ἥντινα παρ' ἑκόντων λαβὼν τῶν ἐντοπίων πλοῦτον συνέλεξεν οὐκ ὀλίγον. αὕτη ἡ νίκη πολλοὺς τῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ προσκειμένων κατέσεισε καὶ αὐτομολῆσαι πρὸς τὸν Σκληρὸν ἠνάγκασεν· ὅ τε γὰρ Βούρτζης πρῶτος αὐτο 2.424 μολεῖ τῷ Σκληρῷ καὶ ὁ πατρίκιος Ἀνδρόνικος καὶ δοὺξ ὁ Λυδὸς σὺν τοῖς υἱέσι. καὶ Ἀτταλεῖς δεσμὰ περιθέντες τῷ ναυάρχῳ τοῦ βασιλέως τῷ Κουρτίκῃ Μιχαὴλ προσχωροῦσι μετὰ παντὸς τοῦ στόλου, στρατηγεῖν παρὰ τοῦ Σκληροῦ πεμφθέντι τῶν Κιβυρ ραιωτῶν. Ὧν ἀγγελθέντων τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τῷ παρακοιμωμένῳ, βου λῆς προτεθείσης ἔδοξε τῶν τῷ βασιλεῖ ᾠκειωμένων τινὰ ἰσοτύραν νον εἰληφότα ἀρχὴν καὶ ἀνεύθυνον, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα τιμαῖς τε προβιβάζειν καὶ δώροις καταπλουτίζειν τοὺς προσχωροῦντας, χω ρῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου. ἤρεσεν ἡ γνώμη, καὶ πέμπεται Λέων ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως πρωτοβεστιάριος, σύμβουλον εἰληφὼς καὶ Ἰωάν νην τινὰ πατρίκιον, ἄνδρα ἐπίσημον καὶ ἐπὶ λόγων ἕξει βεβοημέ νον, ἐξουσίαν ἐκ βασιλέως δεξάμενος πάντα ἀδιστάκτως ποιεῖν ὅσα ἔξεστι βασιλεῖ. ἐξελθὼν οὖν καὶ κατὰ τὸ τῆς Φρυγίας γενό μενος Κοτυάειον καὶ τῷ στρατοπεδάρχῃ ἑνωθεὶς Πέτρῳ ἐκεῖσε τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐπήξατο, κατεσκηνωμένου τοῦ Βάρδα τυγχάνοντος ἐν τῷ ∆ιποτάμῳ· χωρίον δὲ βασιλικὸν τὸ ∆ιπόταμον, ὃ Μεσάνακτα κατονομάζουσιν οἱ ἐγχώριοι. λάθρᾳ οὖν ὑποσχέσεσι δωρεῶν καὶ τιμῶν προβιβασμοῖς ἐπειρᾶτο διασύρειν τοὺς ἀποστάτας καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐπισπᾶσθαι καὶ εὔνους τιθέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐλάνθανε δὲ μᾶλλον ἐπιρρωννὺς τὸ ἀντίπαλον, ἀσθενείας σημεῖον λογιζόμενον τὴν παράκλησιν. ὅθεν καὶ ἀπογνούς, ἄρας ἐκ Κοτυαείου καὶ τὸν Σκληρὸν νυκτὸς παρελάσας ἐχώρει πρὸς τὴν ἀνατολήν. τοῦτο τὸ 2.425 ἔργον λίαν τοὺς περὶ τὸν Σκληρὸν ἐδειμάτωσε, δεδιότας οὐ περὶ χρημάτων καὶ κτημάτων μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν τιμιωτάτων αὐτῶν. πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐξομνύμενοι τὴν ἀποστασίαν τῷ πρωτο βεστιαρίῳ προσέρρεον, ὡς κινδυνεύειν κονιορτοῦ δίκην διαλυθῆναι τὸ ἀποστατικόν. ὅπερ ἵνα μὴ γένηται φοβηθεὶς ὁ Σκληρὸς τὸν μάγιστρον Μιχαὴλ τὸν Βούρτζην, ἄρτι, ὡς εἴπομεν, προσκεχω ρηκότα αὐτῷ, καὶ Ῥωμανὸν πατρίκιον τὸν Ταρωνίτην μετ' εὐζώ νου ἐκπέμπει στρατιᾶς, ἐμποδὼν ἵστασθαι τῷ πρωτοβεστιαρίῳ κελεύσας, ἐπιτιθεμένους ἐξ ἐφόδου, καὶ τὰς ἐκδρομὰς κωλύειν ὡς δύναμις, συμπλοκῆς δὲ καθολικῆς κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν φείδε σθαι. πλησιάσαντες δὲ τῷ βασιλικῷ στρατεύματι οἱ περὶ τὸν Βούρτζην ἠναγκάσθησαν καὶ ἄκοντες πολεμῆσαι παρὰ τὴν τοῦ Σκληροῦ παραγγελίαν, ἀπὸ τοιαύτης αἰτίας.