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having a common cause and oaths with the emir who was in it, to partake of some comfort and a bath and to wash off the gore from the war. But he was insistent and beseeching them to shake off such a thought and not to trust at all in the oath of men of another faith and another race, who were persuaded that it was pious if they should become the cause of death for many Christians. But when he spoke and had no one listening, but all, having become of one mind, considered the entry unavoidable, he himself also set out and entered with them, having first prayed much and protested, and having ordered them to be on their guard at all times and to keep their weapons in their hands. Therefore, when the Franks entered, and having scorned the orders of the general, they were engaged in baths and drinking and feasting. But the emir Aponasar, having taken counsel with Samouch and the Saracens in the city, and having 2.619 ordered the innkeepers, when the signal was given, to seize their guests and bind them, or if this seemed impossible, to slaughter them, for the time being remained quiet, but when the Franks had had enough of pleasure and had turned to sleep, giving the signal, he attacked. And some of the Franks were immediately slaughtered, others were seized, and some, by throwing themselves from the wall, were able to save themselves outside. And Hervevius was also captured and, having been fettered, was kept under guard. And the emir, having accomplished these things, sent a message to the emperor as if he were well-disposed towards him and had destroyed those who were plotting against his affairs and had seized their leader. And so the affairs concerning the Frangopoulos came to pass in this way. But the generals of the East, having been sent away by the emperor, as was said before, decided to make a second attempt, and so approaching the protosynkellos Leo Strabospondylos, who was then administering public affairs, they put him forward as a mediator to the emperor, and they begged not to be overlooked in favor of others nor to be dishonorably rejected, bringing forward other just claims, and finally adding that it was not right for the citizens to enjoy the imperial honors, who had neither stood on the battlements nor ever fought against enemies, while they themselves, who from childhood fought in the front lines and kept watch so that these others might sleep without fear, should be overlooked and fall short of the imperial generosity. But he, being harsh and difficult to approach, not only did not 2.620 receive the offered supplication kindly, but also sent the supplicants away with insults, disparaging not a few things and each of the men. But they, having now been treated insolently a second time, shaking off all hope, were convulsed and sawn through with anger. And at first, as each one happened to be, muttering in their conversations, they reviled the emperor, and they urged each one not to bear each insolent act meekly, but they incited them to rise up for a just vengeance. Then, having gathered together in the great church, and having given and received oaths not to be silent nor to endure, but to punish those who had insulted them, with bonds, as they say, of adamant they secured the plot. And it seemed good to Kekaumenos to also add Bryennios as a fellow conspirator, as he was appointed to command a great number of people from the Macedonian tagmata and was likely to be a great part of the undertaking. And when he too, an attempt having been made on him, quickly obeyed, they then considered whom to proclaim emperor as their plan proceeded to action. And it seemed to all the conspirators without exception that as he surpassed the others in age and manliness and experience, Kekaumenos was worthy of this. But he, eager to shake the burden off himself, with a brief speech put an end to the lengthy discussions; for rising up immediately he proclaimed the magistros Isaac Komnenos emperor of the Romans, and he induced the others to do the same thing. And so having bound one another,

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κοινοπραγίαν ἔχοντες καὶ ὅρκους μετὰ τοῦ ἀμη ρεύοντος ἐν αὐτῇ, εὐπαθείας τέ τινος καὶ λουτροῦ μετασχεῖν καὶ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου ἀποπλύνασθαι λύθρον. ὁ δὲ πολὺς ἦν ἐγκεί μενος καὶ καθικετεύων τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀποτινάξασθαι λογισμὸν καὶ μὴ πάνυ τι πιστεύειν ὅρκῳ ἀλλοπίστων καὶ ἀλλοφύλων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ εὐσεβεῖν ἀναπεπεισμένων εἰ θανάτου πολλοῖς Χριστιανοῖς αἴτιοι γένοιντο. ὡς δὲ λέγων οὐδένα τὸν προσέχοντα εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ πάντες μιᾶς γενόμενοι γνώμης ἀπαραίτητον τὴν εἴσοδον ἐλογίζοντο, ἄρας καὶ αὐτὸς εἴσεισι σὺν αὐτοῖς, πολλὰ πρότερον θεοκλυτήσας καὶ διαμαρτυράμενος καὶ παραγγείλας διὰ παντὸς προσέχειν καὶ ἐν χεροῖν κατέχειν τὰ ὅπλα. εἰσελθόντες οὖν οἱ Φράγγοι, καὶ τῶν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ παραγγελμάτων καταφρονήσαντες, ἐν λουτροῖς καὶ πότοις καὶ εὐωχίαις ἦσαν. ὁ δὲ ἀμηρᾶς Ἀπονάσαρ ἅμα τῷ Σα μοὺχ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει Σαρακηνοῖς βουλευσάμενος, καὶ παραγ 2.619 γείλας τοῖς ξενοδόχοις, ὅτε τὸ σύνθημα δοθῇ, κατέχειν τοὺς ἐπι ξενωθέντας καὶ δεσμεῖν ἢ τούτου φαινομένου ἀδυνάτου ἀποσφάτ τειν, τέως μὲν ἠρέμει, ἐπεὶ δὲ ἅλις εἶχε τοῖς Φράγγοις ἡ ἡδυπά θεια καὶ πρὸς ὕπνους ἐτράπησαν, δοὺς τὸ σύνθημα ἐπιτίθεται. καὶ οἱ μὲν τῶν Φράγγων εὐθὺς ἀποσφάττονται, οἱ δὲ κατεσχέθη σαν, τινὲς δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους ῥιπτοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ἔξω διασω θῆναι ἴσχυσαν. ἑάλω δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἐρβέβιος καὶ πεδηθεὶς ἐφυλάτ τετο. ὁ δὲ ἀμηρᾶς διαπραξάμενος ταῦτα διακηρυκεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὡς τάχα εὔνους [ὢν] αὐτῷ καθεστὼς καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβου λεύοντας τοῖς αὐτοῦ πράγμασι διαφθείρας καὶ τὸν τούτων ἀρχηγὸν κατασχών. καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸν Φραγγόπωλον συνηνέχθη ὧδε. Οἱ δὲ τῆς ἑῴας στρατηγοὶ ἀποπεμφθέντες, ὡς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δευτέραν ἔγνωσαν πεῖραν προσαγα γεῖν, καὶ δὴ τῷ πρωτοσυγκέλλῳ Λέοντι τῷ Στραβοσπονδύλῳ προσελθόντες τὰ κοινὰ διοικοῦντι τῷ τότε μεσίτην ἐς τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον προυβάλλοντο, καὶ μὴ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους περιοφθῆναι ἱκέτευον μηδ' ἀτίμως ἀπορριφῆναι, καὶ ἄλλα προβαλλόμενοι δί καια, τελευταῖον δὲ ἐπαγαγόντες μηδ' ἄξιον εἶναι τοὺς μὲν πολί τας τῶν βασιλικῶν εὐμοιρῆσαι τιμῶν, μήτε παρ' ἔπαλξιν στάν τας μήτε πρὸς πολεμίους διαγωνισαμένους ποτέ, αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἐκ παίδων προπολεμοῦντας καὶ ἀγρυπνοῦντας, ἵν' ἀδεῶς οὗτοι καθεύδοιεν, παροραθῆναι καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς φιλοτιμίας διεκπε σεῖν. ἀλλ' οὗτος στρυφνὸς ὢν καὶ δυσπρόσιτος οὐ μόνον οὐκ 2.620 ἐδέξατο ἠπίως τὴν προσαγομένην ἱκεσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθ' ὕβρεων ἀπεπέμψατο τοὺς ἱκέτας, ἐκφαυλίσας οὐκ ὀλίγα καὶ ἐς ἕκαστον τῶν ἀνδρῶν. οἱ δὲ καὶ δεύτερον ἤδη παρῳνημένοι, πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα ἀποσεισάμενοι ἐσφάδαζον καὶ διεπρίοντο τῷ θυμῷ. καὶ κατ' ἀρχὰς μέν, ὥς πῃ ἕκαστος ἔτυχεν, ἐν ταῖς ὁμιλίαις ὑποτονθορύ ζοντες ἐλοιδοροῦντο τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ μὴ πράως ἐνεγκεῖν ἕκαστον παρεκάλουν ἑκάστην παροινίαν, ἀλλὰ διαναστῆναι παρώρμουν πρὸς δικαίαν ἐκδίκησιν. ἔπειτα καὶ ὑφ' ἓν ἐν τῇ μεγάλῃ γενόμενοι ἐκκλησίᾳ, καὶ ὅρκους δόντες καὶ λαβόντες μὴ σιωπῆσαι μηδ' ἀνασχέσθαι ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐνυβρίσαντας τιμωρήσασθαι, δεσμοῖς, ὅ φασιν, ἀδαμαντίνοις ἠσφαλίσαντο τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. τῷ δὲ Κεκαυ μένῳ ἐδόκει καὶ τὸν Βρυέννιον προσλαβέσθαι συνωμότην, λαοῦ τε πολλοῦ ἄρχειν τεταγμένον τῶν Μακεδονικῶν ταγμάτων καὶ μέγα μέρος ἔσεσθαι μέλλοντα τοῦ σπουδάσματος. ὡς δὲ καὶ οὗτος πείρας αὐτῷ προσενεχθείσης ταχέως ὑπήκουσε, λοιπὸν τίνα διε σκοποῦντο εἰς ἔργον προχωροῦντος αὐτῶν τοῦ βουλεύματος ἀνει πεῖν βασιλέα. καὶ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς ἐφαίνετο τοῖς συνωμόταις ὡς καὶ γήρᾳ καὶ ἀνδρίᾳ καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ τῶν ἄλλων προύχων ὁ Κεκαυ μένος ἄξιος εἰς τοῦτο. ὁ δὲ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ βάρος ἀποσείσασθαι σπεύδων συντόμῳ λόγῳ διέλυσε τὰς πολυλογίας· ἀναστὰς γὰρ εὐθέως βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων ἀνεῖπε τὸν μάγιστρον Ἰσαάκιον τὸν Κομνηνόν, τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ ποιῆσαι καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς παρεσκεύασεν. οὕτω δὲ καταδεσμήσαντες ἀλλήλους,