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who favored Comnenus 2.629 urging them to abandon him, a tyrannical man and a rebel, and to go over to the emperor, and not for the desire and ambition of one man to enter into so great a danger as to suffer after a short while not only the loss of army and property, but also to risk losing the very sweetest light of the eyes, while the others in turn advised them to abandon the emperor, having only the name of emperor, but otherwise a rotten, old, and useless man, ruled by eunuchs, and to attach themselves to Comnenus, a man valiant in arms, brilliant, and distinguished by his previous generalship, on whom the whole strength of the Romans, like lines from a circle, had converged toward him as to a certain point, with equal and unvarying will. But in saying these things they did not persuade one another. And this was done on purpose, as the leaders of each army sent some of their trusted men to parley beforehand with the soldiers of the opposing army and as far as possible to win over those who could be persuaded. But when they had made the attempt for some time and no one paid attention to what was said, and Comnenus ordered the wood-gathering and foraging to be done with the greatest caution and not to stray far from the encampment, then indeed those around the domesticus, and especially the Macedonians, thinking this restraint to be a sign of suspicion and cowardice, decided it was necessary to fight. Being persuaded by them, even against their will, they encamped at the place called Petroe, not very far 2.630 from the enemy camp, but about fifteen stades away. And so with the forces having come very near to each other, and urging their generals to lead them out and not hold them back, Comnenus was persuaded and led out his own phalanxes and drew them up for battle, having appointed Cecaumenus to command the left wing, with Romanus Sclerus holding the right, and he himself was stationed in the center. The domesticus, along with Aaron, was also persuaded, and leading out his own army, he drew it up opposite the enemy. So the commander of the right wing was Basil Tarchaniotes, who was then general of the west and the most distinguished of all the Macedonians, being most outstanding in family, wisdom, and experience; and the left was entrusted to the magistros Aaron, having as generals Lycantes and Pnyemios and Randolph the patrician, the Frank. The battle line having been formed in this way at a certain place called Hades by the locals, when the signal for war was given and the forces crashed against each other, Aaron turned the right flank and pursued it as far as the stockade, taking Romanus Sclerus prisoner; and perhaps he would have carried off a clear victory, if he had not been overly cautious and refrained from plundering the camp, with Comnenus already shaken and looking to flee to Nicaea. But Cecaumenus, 2.631 having routed the part opposite him completely, did not cease the pursuit, but reaching the stockade itself, he broke through it, and getting inside, he plundered the tents and, cutting them to pieces with his swords, threw them to the ground. When this was seen by those far off (for the camp was situated on a place with a clear view), it instilled courage in those around Comnenus, but cowardice in those around Aaron; for seeing the stockade plundered, some shouted in triumph, while others rushed to flight. And many people from the emperor's side fell, especially the Macedonians, not only from the soldiers but also many generals, Maurocatacalon, Pnyemios, Katzamountes and not a few others. And many more were captured than were killed.

In this battle they say that when the men around the emperor were routed, Randolph the Frank, wandering in the midst of both the fleeing and the pursuing, was seeking

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φρονοῦντες τὸν Κομνηνὸν 2.629 καταλιπεῖν παρακαλοῦντες, τύραννον ἄνδρα καὶ ἀποστάτην, καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωρῆσαι, καὶ μὴ δι' ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ὄρεξιν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐς τοσοῦτον κίνδυνον ἐλθεῖν ὥστε μετὰ μικρὸν μὴ μόνον ἔκπτωσιν στρατιᾶς καὶ περιουσίας ὑποστῆναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ γλυκύτατον ἀποβαλεῖν κινδυνεῦσαι τῶν ὀμμάτων φέγγος, ἐκείνων δὲ πάλιν καταλιπεῖν παραινούντων τὸν βασιλέα, ὄνομα μόνον ἔχοντα βασιλέως, τἆλλα ἄνδρα σαπρὸν καὶ κρονόληρον καὶ ἀχρεῖον, ὑπὸ εὐνούχων ἀρχόμενον, καὶ προσρυῆναι τῷ Κομνηνῷ, ἀνδρὶ κατὰ χεῖρα γενναίῳ καὶ λαμπρῷ καὶ διαφανεῖ τοῖς προηγησαμένοις στρατηγήμασιν, ἐφ' ᾧ πᾶσα η τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἰσχὺς ὥσπερ ἐκ κύκλου γραμμαὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὡς εἴς τι σημεῖον νενεύκασιν ἐν ἴσῳ καὶ ἀπαραλλάκτῳ βουλήματι. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγοντες οὐκ ἔπειθον ἀλλήλους. τοῦτο δὲ ἐγίνετο ἐξεπίτηδες, τῶν ἀρχηγῶν ἑκατέρων τῶν στρατευμάτων πεμπόντων τινὰς τῶν ἐπιτηδείων εἰς τὸ προ διαλέγεσθαι τοῖς τοῦ ἀντιπάλου στρατεύματος στρατιώταις καὶ καθόσον οἷόν τε τοὺς πειθομένους ἐφέλκεσθαι. ὡς δὲ ἐπὶ χρόνον τινὰ τὴν διάπειραν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ οὐδεὶς προσεῖχε τοῖς λεγομένοις τὸν νοῦν, μετὰ πλείστης δὲ φειδοῦς καὶ ὁ Κομνηνὸς τὰς ξυλείας καὶ τὰς χορτολογίας ποιεῖσθαι παρηγγύα καὶ μὴ πόρρω τῆς στρα τοπεδείας ἀφίστασθαι, τότε δὴ οἱ περὶ τὸν δομέστικον, καὶ μᾶλ λον οἱ Μακεδόνες, ὑπόπτωσιν καὶ δειλίαν εἶναι τὴν ὑποστολὴν οἰηθέντες πολεμητέον εἶναι ἐδόκουν. οἷς καὶ ἄκοντες πεισθέντες στρατοπεδεύονται κατὰ τὸν λεγόμενον Πετρόην, οὐ πάνυ πόρρω 2.630 κείμενον τῆς ἐναντίας παρεμβολῆς, ἀλλ' ὅσον ἀπὸ σταδίων πεντε καίδεκα. οὕτω δὲ τῶν δυνάμεων ἔγγιστα γενομένων ἀλλήλαις, καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς βιαζομένων ἐξάγειν καὶ μὴ κωλύειν, ἀναπεί θεται μὲν ὁ Κομνηνὸς καὶ τὰς οἰκείας ἐκβάλλει φάλαγγας καὶ πρὸς παράταξιν ἵστησι, τοῦ μὲν εὐωνύμου κέρατος κατάρχειν προ χειρίσας τὸν Κεκαυμένον, τὸ δεξιὸν ἔχοντος Ῥωμανοῦ τοῦ Σκλη ροῦ, αὐτὸς δὲ ἐν μέσοις ἐτάττετο, ἀναπείθεται δὲ καὶ ὁ δομέστι κος σὺν τῷ Ἀαρών, καὶ τὸν οἰκεῖον ἐξαγαγὼν λαὸν ἀντιμέτωπον ἵστησι τοῖς ἐναντίοις. τοῦ μὲν οὖν δεξιοῦ κέρως ἄρχων ἦν Βασί λειος ὁ Ταρχανιώτης, στρατηλάτης τότε τυγχάνων τῆς δύσεως καὶ πάντων τῶν Μακεδόνων ὢν ἐξοχώτατος ὡς καὶ γένει καὶ φρο νήσει καὶ ἐμπειρίᾳ διαπρεπέστατος· τὸ δὲ εὐώνυμον ἐγκεχείριστο ὁ μάγιστρος Ἀαρών, ἔχων στρατηγοὺς τὸν Λυκάνθην καὶ τὸν Πνυέμιον καὶ Ῥανδοῦλφον πατρίκιον τὸν Φράγγον. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον γενομένης τῆς παρατάξεως κατά τινα τόπον Ἅιδην παρὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ὀνομαζόμενον, ὡς ἐδόθη τὸ τοῦ πολέμου σύνθημα καὶ προσέρραξαν ἀλλήλαις αἱ δυνάμεις, τρέπεται μὲν ὁ Ἀαρὼν τὸ δεξιὸν μέρος καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ διώκει τοῦ χάρακος, κατασχὼν ζωγρίαν καὶ Ῥωμανὸν τὸν Σκληρόν· καὶ τάχα ἂν ἀπηνέγκατο καθαρὰν τὴν νίκην, εἰ μὴ λίαν ἐγένετο εὐλαβὴς καὶ τοῦ σκυλεῦσαι ἀπέσχετο τὴν παρεμβολήν, ἤδη καὶ τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ κατασεισθέν τος καὶ φυγεῖν εἰς Νίκαιαν ἀποβλέποντος. ὁ δὲ Κεκαυμένος τὸ 2.631 κατ' αὐτὸν τρεψάμενος ἀκριβῶς οὐκ ἐπέσχε τὴν δίωξιν, ἀλλ' ἄχρις αὐτοῦ τοῦ χάρακος φθάσας αὐτόν τε ῥήγνυσι, καὶ εἴσω γενόμενος καὶ τὰς σκηνὰς διαρπάσας καὶ τοῖς ξίφεσι ταύτας κατα τεμὼν εἰς γῆν ἔρριψεν. ὅπερ θεαθὲν τοῖς πόρρω (ἔκειτο γὰρ ἡ παρεμβολὴ ἐπὶ τόπου δίαρμα ἔχοντος) θάρσος μὲν ἐνέβαλε τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Κομνηνόν, δειλίαν δὲ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀαρών· σεσυλημέ νον γὰρ ἰδόντες τὸν χάρακα οἱ μὲν ἀνηλάλαξαν, οἱ δὲ πρὸς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν. καὶ πίπτει μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ μέρους τοῦ βασιλέως λαὸς πολύς, κατ' ἐξαίρετον δὲ Μακεδόνες, οὐ μόνον ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατιω τῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ στρατηγοὶ πολλοί, ὁ Μαυροκατακαλών, ὁ Πνυέμιος, ὁ Κατζαμούντης καὶ ἄλλοι οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ἑάλωσαν δὲ καὶ πολλῷ πλείους τῶν ἀναιρεθέντων.

Ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ φασὶν ὅτι τῶν περὶ τὸν βασιλέα τραπέν των Ῥανδοῦλφος ὁ Φράγγος ἐς μέσους περιπλανώμενος τούς τε φεύγοντας καὶ τοὺς διώκοντας ἐζήτει