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he had gained the seat of the dignity to which he had been elevated, and having done the same to the other nobles, but willing to fulfill the wish of none, nor consenting to raise Comnenus and Cecaumenus to the dignity of *proedroi*, as they requested, but sending away everyone's petitions unfulfilled, he provoked all 2.616 of them against him. And so he was disposed towards the eastern generals. But Bryennius, having been summoned from exile and appointed to rule as general of the Cappadocians, he appointed commander-in-chief of the Macedonian tagmata and sent out against the Turks; for a certain Turk, Samouch by name, not of distinguished family, but noble and energetic in matters of war, having campaigned with the sultan when he made his second invasion against the Romans, when that one had returned to Persia, he himself remained in the area with three thousand men, and wandering in the plains and open country of greater Armenia, and making sudden raids, he was treating the Roman possessions badly and plundering them. But the emperor was not even strong enough to win this man over; for he was most inept at flattering and winning over people who had been grievously insulted and who carried a hidden resentment in their soul. For when Bryennius was earnestly beseeching that the money which the empress Theodora had taken from him be returned to him, he did not listen, but to him persistently pressing him and supplicating about this, he said only this vulgar and trite expression, "Show deeds, demand wages," and sent him away. And so Bryennius, having been thus slighted, went away, turning over terrible things in his mind and seeking an opportunity for revenge.

And he was similarly disposed towards Hervé the Frankopoulos, a man who had campaigned with Maniakes in Sicily and 2.617 set up great trophies and from that time until this appeared well-disposed to the Romans. For when he too was asking and supplicating to receive the honor of *magistros*, not only did he not deem him worthy of a word, but he also mocked and sneered at him much and sent him away. And so he was inept and unapproachable in his audiences. But Hervé, being a barbarian and unrestrained in his anger, not bearing the insult with moderation, and being unaware of the plot being prepared by the Romans, did not endure, but, being eager to avenge himself on the one who had insulted him, having requested to go home and being permitted, after bidding farewell to the emperor, he left immediately, and crossing over to the east, he went up to his house in the Armeniakon theme, at Dabarame. And having conferred with some of the Franks who were then scattered there for winter quarters, and having suborned three hundred men from among them, he departed from there, and going up into Media, he made common cause with Samouch, who was staying there, so as to make war on the Romans. And for some time the agreement remained unshaken; but when a certain clash occurred between the Franks and Turks, and from this the two peoples were plotting against each other, Samouch pretended to observe the terms agreed upon, but Hervé was always suspicious and expected a sudden attack, and he urged the Franks not to sleep carelessly but under arms. And he did this secretly, giving no inkling to Samouch, until that one, thinking he was unobserved, revealed 2.618 his plan, and one day, having armed all the Turks he had, he attacked the Franks as they were having breakfast. But they, according to the command of their general, having their horses bridled, as soon as they perceived the attack of the Turks, quickly mounted and went to meet them as they approached. And a fierce battle ensued, and after resisting for a short while, the Turks were routed. And most of them fell, but the rest were saved by reaching Chliat on foot and naked. But Hervé, having returned from the pursuit with the Franks, advised them to encamp in the camp. But the Franks insisted, forcing their way to enter the city of Chliat,

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ἐκέκτητο τοῦ ἀξιώματος ἀναχθέντα καθέδραν, τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους τῶν εὐγενῶν ποιήσας, μηδενὸς δὲ θελήσας ἐκ πληρῶσαι βούλησιν, μηδ' εἰς τὸ τῶν προέδρων ἀξίωμα τὸν Κομνηνὸν καὶ τὸν Κεκαυμένον, ὡς ᾐτοῦντο, ἀναγαγεῖν κατανεύσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάντων τὰς δεήσεις ἀπράκτους ἀποπεμψάμενος, ἅπαν 2.616 τας ἠρέθισε κατ' αὐτοῦ. καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἑῴους στρατηγοὺς διετέθη οὕτως. Τὸν δὲ Βρυέννιον τῆς ὑπερορίας μεταπεμψάμενος καὶ ἄρχειν τάξας Καππαδοκῶν στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα προχειρίζεται τῶν Μακεδονικῶν ταγμάτων καὶ κατὰ Τούρκων ἐκπέμπει· Τοῦρκος γάρ τις τὴν κλῆσιν Σαμούχ, τὸ γένος οὐκ ἐπίσημος, πρὸς δὲ τὰ πολεμικὰ γενναῖος καὶ ἐνεργός, τῷ σουλτάνῳ συστρατευσάμενος ὁπηνίκα τὴν δευτέραν εἰσβολὴν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐποιήσατο, ἐκείνου ὑποστρέψαντος ἐν Περσίδι αὐτὸς τῷ τόπῳ παρέμεινε μετὰ τρισχι λίων ἀνδρῶν, καὶ περιπλανώμενος ἐν ταῖς πεδιάσι καὶ τοῖς ὑπτίοις τόποις τῆς μεγάλης Ἀρμενίας, καὶ αἰφνιδίους ποιούμενος ἐκδρο μάς, κακῶς διετίθει τὰ Ῥωμαίων καὶ ἐληΐζετο. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ τον θεραπεῦσαι ἴσχυσεν ὁ βασιλεύς· ἦν γὰρ ἀφυέστατος εἰς τὸ θωπεῦσαι καὶ καταδημαγωγῆσαι ἀνθρώπους περιυβρισθέντας καὶ λανθάνοντα κότον ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ περιφέροντας. τοῦ γὰρ Βρυεννίου λιπαρῶς ἱκετεύοντος ἀποδοθῆναί οἱ καὶ τὰ χρήματα ὁπόσα ἀφεί λετο ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Θεοδώρα ἡ βασιλίς, οὐκ ἐπήκουσεν, ἀλλ' ἐκτενῶς δυσωποῦντα περὶ τούτου καὶ ἱκετεύοντα, τὸ δημῶδες τοῦτο καὶ κατημαξευμένον εἰπὼν μόνον "δεικνύων ἔργα ἀπαίτει μισθούς," ἀπεπέμψατο. οὕτω δὲ παροραθεὶς καὶ ὁ Βρυέννιος ἀπῄει δεινὰ στρέφων ἐν ἑαυτῷ καὶ καιρὸν ζητῶν ἐκδικήσεως.

Παραπλησίως δὲ διετέθη καὶ πρὸς Ἐρβέβιον τὸν Φραγγόπωλον, ἄνδρα συστρατευσάμενόν τε τῷ Μανιάκῃ ἐν Σικελίᾳ καὶ 2.617 μεγάλα τρόπαια στήσαντα καὶ ἀπ' ἐκείνου καὶ ἕως τούτου Ῥω μαίοις εὔνουν φαινόμενον. παρακαλοῦντα γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ ἱκε τεύοντα τῆς τῶν μαγίστρων τιμῆς τυχεῖν οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἠξίωσε λόγου, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰ χλευάσας καὶ μυκτηρίσας ἀπεπέμψατο. καὶ οὕτως ἦν ἀφυὴς καὶ δυσπρόσοδος περὶ τὰς ἐντεύξεις. ὁ δὲ Ἐρβέβιος, οἷα βάρβαρος καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν ἀκατάσχετος, οὐ μετρίως ἐνεγκὼν τὴν ὕβριν, ἀγνοῶν δὲ καὶ τὴν μελετωμένην παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων συσκευήν, οὐκ ἐκαρτέρησεν, ἀλλὰ σπουδάζων ἀμύνα σθαι τὸν ὑβριστήν, ἐξαιτησάμενος ἐπ' οἴκου πορευθῆναι καὶ ἀφε θείς, τῷ βασιλεῖ προσειπὼν τὰ ἐξιτήρια, ἐξῆλθεν εὐθύς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑῴαν περαιωθεὶς ἀνῆλθεν ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸν Ἀρμενιακὸν οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ, τῇ ∆αβαράμῃ. καὶ κοινολογησάμενός τισι τῶν Φράγγων ἐκεῖσε τότε διεσπαρμένοις οὖσιν εἰς παραχειμασίαν, καὶ τριακοσίους ἄνδρας ἐκ τούτων ὑποφθείρας, ἀπῆρεν ἐκεῖθεν, καὶ ἀνελθὼν ἐν Μηδίᾳ κοινοπραγεῖ τῷ Σαμούχ, ἐκεῖσε ἐνδιατρίβοντι, ὥστε πολεμεῖν Ῥωμαίοις. καὶ χρόνον μέν τινα ἀσάλευτος ἔμεινεν ἡ ὁμολογία· προσκρούσματος δέ τινος μεταξὺ τῶν Φράγγων γενο μένου καὶ Τούρκων, καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἐπιβουλευόντων ἀλλήλοις τῶν γενῶν, ὁ μὲν Σαμοὺχ προσεποιεῖτο τηρεῖν τὰ συντεθειμένα, ὁ δὲ Ἐρβέβιος διὰ παντὸς ἦν ἐν ὑπονοίαις καὶ αἰφνίδιον προσεδόκα ἐπίθεσιν, καὶ τοὺς Φράγγους παρεκάλει μὴ ἀνέτως ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῶν ὅπλων καθεύδειν. τοῦτο δὲ ἐποίει κρυφίως, μηδεμίαν συναίσθη σιν διδοὺς τῷ Σαμούχ, ἕως ἐκεῖνος λανθάνειν οἰηθεὶς ἀνακαλύ 2.618 πτει τὸ βούλευμα, καὶ περὶ μίαν ἡμέραν ἐξοπλίσας πάντας οὓς εἶχε Τούρκους ἐπιτίθεται ἀριστοποιουμένοις τοῖς Φράγγοις. οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὸ παράγγελμα τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τοὺς ἵππους ἐν τοῖς χαλινοῖς ἔχοντες, ὡς ᾔσθοντο τὴν ἐπέλευσιν τῶν Τούρκων, ταχεῖς τε ἔπο χοι γίνονται καὶ ἐρχομένοις τούτοις προσυπαντῶσι. καὶ γίνεται μάχη καρτερά, καὶ πρὸς μικρὸν ἀντισχόντες οἱ Τοῦρκοι τρέπον ται. καὶ πίπτουσι μὲν οἱ πλείους, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ διεσώθησαν πρὸς τὸ Χλέατ πεζοὶ καὶ γυμνοί. ὁ δὲ Ἐρβέβιος ὑποστρέψας ἀπὸ τοῦ διωγμοῦ μετὰ τῶν Φράγγων κατασκηνῶσαι ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ συνε βούλευεν. ἐνέκειντο δὲ οἱ Φράγγοι ἀναγκάζοντες εἰσελθεῖν ἐν τῇ πόλει τοῦ Χλέατ,