532

to engage with one of the renowned men. But when he learned that Nikephoros Botaneiates was passing through, leaving the others he went toward him, shouting from afar and urging him to wait, revealing his name and why he was calling him. When Botaneiates realized this, he stopped his course, and when Randolph drew near, he engaged him, and the former struck Randolph's shield with his sword and cut it in two, but Randolph struck him on the helmet, and the sword, slipping, 2.632 did no harm; wherefore others, running to Botaneiates, captured the man alive and brought him to Comnenus. And one of the generals from Comnenus' side fell, Leo of Antioch, and some soldiers. When the defeat occurred and those who had survived the rout and the war came to the emperor along with the Domestic and Aaron, he himself had despaired of the situation and was already expected to abandon everything and seek refuge and safety; but those around him did not allow him to do this, but urged him to stay and die nobly, if need be, for the empire. Therefore, to raise an army again and to proceed to a second battle was considered troublesome and disadvantageous, but he thought he would prevail if he could win the goodwill of the citizens; for which reason he both attended to them and held them with gifts and honors. But Comnenus, having shattered and scattered the opposing forces, setting out from Nicaea, comes to Nicomedia on the third day. And when he was there, ambassadors from the emperor also arrived, the proedros Constantine Leichoudes, the proedros Theodore Alopos, Constantine Psellos, the consul of the philosophers. For these three men, seeming to excel the men of that day in wisdom and power of speech, and Psellos incomparably so, were chosen for the embassy; and the emperor expected to accomplish great things 2.633 through their eloquence and grace. The embassy promised that if Comnenus laid down his arms, he himself would be adopted by the emperor and proclaimed Caesar, and for all those who had followed him, an amnesty for wrongs and a pardon for their offenses. But as they spoke, no one paid attention to them, and returning to the emperor and having received another embassy, they returned, and they found Comnenus coming to the place Rheae. The embassy declared that Comnenus should be proclaimed emperor after being adopted, and that for all those who had campaigned with him, the honors from Comnenus should be confirmed by imperial letters. When the promise from the emperor was announced, Comnenus himself and all the leaders with him acclaimed it, and they demanded that the promises be confirmed by a chrysobull document, but Kekaumenos alone was displeased with everything and insisted that the old man should abandon the empire and withdraw, saying that it was not right for this man, who had already been deposed and renounced by most dreadful oaths, to be permitted to rule the Romans again; for he said this would both move the wrath of God because of the perjury, and that the laying down of arms would not be advantageous for them; for he himself, having been adopted, would be done away with by poisons and would be gone quickly, and each of those who had cooperated with him would have his eyes gouged out. It is said that the ambassadors also acted beyond their commission, one after another at different times 2.634 secretly approaching Kekaumenos, they urged him to hold to his opposition and not to give in at all. And that he did this, those who knew well also affirmed, men not of a kind to lie, and informing Comnenus himself under oath that the entire city populace was passionately on his side, and that if only he approached the city, they would drive out the old man and receive him with celebrations and hymns. And these things are said to have happened at the military camp. But the old man was tightening the goodwill of the citizens towards himself both with gifts and money and with promotions in rank and with such things by which he is charmed and

532

συμπλακῆναί τινι τῶν ὀνο μαστῶν. ἐπεὶ δὲ μάθοι ὡς Νικηφόρος δίεισιν ὁ Βοτανειάτης, τοὺς ἄλλους καταλιπὼν ἀπῄει πρὸς ἐκεῖνον, πόρρωθεν κράζων καὶ μένειν παρεγγυώμενος, δηλῶν καὶ τοὔνομα ὅστις εἴη καὶ ἐφ' ᾧ προσκαλεῖται. ὅπερ γνοὺς ὁ Βοτανειάτης ἵστησι τὸν δρόμον, καὶ ἐγγίσαντι τῷ Ῥανδούλφῳ προσμίγνυται, καὶ παίει μὲν ἐκεῖνος τῷ ξίφει τὴν ἀσπίδα τοῦ Ῥανδούλφου καὶ τέμνει διχῇ, παίει δὲ ὁ Ῥανδοῦλφος αὐτὸν κατὰ τῆς κόρυθος, διολισθῆσαν δὲ τὸ ξίφος 2.632 οὐκ ἔβλαψε· διὸ καὶ συνδραμόντες πρὸς τὸν Βοτανειάτην ἕτεροι χειροῦνται ζωγρίαν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ ἐς τὸν Κομνηνὸν ἀπάγουσιν. ἔπεσον δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ στρατηγὸς εἷς, Λέων ὁ Ἀν τίοχος, καὶ στρατιῶται τινές. Γενομένης δὲ τῆς ἥττης καὶ τῶν ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς καὶ τοῦ πο λέμου διασωθέντων ἐς τὸν βασιλέα ἐλθόντων ἅμα τῷ δομεστίκῳ καὶ τῷ Ἀαρών, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀπεγνώκει τὰ πράγματα καὶ ἤδη προσ δόκιμος ἦν τῶν πάντων ἀφέμενος καταφυγὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν ζητεῖν· ἀλλ' οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν οὐ συνεχώρησαν τοῦτο ποιῆσαι, ἀλλὰ μένειν παρεκάλουν καὶ τελευτᾶν εὐγενῶς, εἰ δεήσει, περὶ τῆς βασιλείας. πάλιν μὲν οὖν στρατολογεῖν καὶ πρὸς δευτέρας ἀντιπαρατάξεις χω ρεῖν ὀχληρὸν καὶ ἀσύμφορον ἐνομίζετο, ᾤετο δὲ περιέσεσθαι, εἰ τὴν τῶν πολιτῶν εὔνοιαν ἐπισπάσοι· ὅθεν καὶ τούτους περιεῖπε καὶ δώροις συνεῖχε καὶ φιλοτιμήμασιν. ὁ δὲ Κομνηνὸς τὰ ἐναντία θραύσας στρατεύματα καὶ διασκεδάσας, ἀπαναστὰς ἐκ Νικαίας τριταῖος εἰς Νικομήδειαν ἔρχεται. ἐκεῖσε δὲ αὐτῷ γενομένῳ φθά νουσι καὶ πρεσβευταὶ βασιλέως, ὁ πρόεδρος Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Λει χούδης, ὁ πρόεδρος Θεόδωρος ὁ Ἀλωπός, Κωνσταντῖνος ὁ Ψελ λὸς ὁ τῶν φιλοσόφων ὕπατος. οὗτοι γὰρ οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες ἐπὶ σο φίᾳ καὶ λόγου δυνάμει τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην ἀνθρώπων διαφέρειν δοκοῦντες, καὶ ἀσυγκρίτως ὁ Ψελλός, ἐξελέγησαν εἰς τὸ πρεσβεῦσαι· καὶ προσεδόκησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς μεγάλα καταπρά 2.633 ξασθαι διὰ τῆς ἐκείνων εὐστομίας καὶ χάριτος. ὑπισχνεῖτο δὲ ἡ πρεσβεία καταθέμενον τὰ ὅπλα τὸν Κομνηνὸν αὐτὸν μὲν υἱοθετη θῆναι παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ Καίσαρα ἀναρρηθῆναι, πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς συναπαχθεῖσιν αὐτῷ ἀμνηστίαν κακῶν καὶ ἄφεσιν τῶν πε πλημμελημένων. ὡς δὲ λέγουσιν οὐδεὶς προσέσχεν αὐτοῖς, ἐπαν ελθόντες δ' ὡς βασιλέα καὶ ἑτέραν πρεσβείαν εἰληφότες ἐπανέρχον ται, καὶ καταλαμβάνουσιν ἐρχόμενον τὸν Κομνηνὸν εἰς τὸ χωρίον τὰς Ῥέας. ἐδήλου δὲ ἡ πρεσβεία ἀναγορευθῆναι μὲν τὸν Κομνη νὸν βασιλέα υἱοθετηθέντα, πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς συστρατευσαμένοις αὐτῷ βεβαιωθῆναι τὰς παρὰ τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ τιμὰς γράμμασι βασιλικοῖς. ἀγγελθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐκ βασιλέως ὑποσχέσεως αὐτὸς μὲν ὁ Κομνη νὸς καὶ πάντες οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ ἄρχοντες ἐπευφήμησαν, καὶ τὰς ὑπο σχέσεις χρυσοβουλλείῳ γραφῇ βεβαιωθῆναι ἠξίουν, μόνος δὲ ὁ Κεκαυμένος ἀπηρέσκετο πρὸς πάντα καὶ καταλιπεῖν ἐνέκειτο τὸν γέροντα τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ ὑποχωρῆσαι, μὴ εἶναι ἄξιον λέγων τοῦτον μὲν ἤδη καθαιρεθέντα καὶ ἀποκηρυχθέντα ὅρκοις φρικω δεστάτοις αὖθις συγχωρηθῆναι βασιλεύειν Ῥωμαίων· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ θεοῦ ὀργὴν ἔλεγε κινήσειν διὰ τὴν ἐπιορκίαν, καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι συμφέρουσαν τὴν τῶν ὅπλων κατάθεσιν· αὐτός τε γὰρ υἱοθετηθεὶς φαρμάκοις κατεργασθεὶς οἰχήσεται θᾶττον, καὶ ἕκα στος τῶν συμπραξάντων αὐτῷ τὼ ὀφθαλμὼ διορυγήσεται. λέγε ται δὲ ὅτι καὶ οἱ πρεσβευταὶ παραπρεσβεύσαντες, ἄλλοτε ἄλλος 2.634 λάθρᾳ τῷ Κεκαυμένῳ προσιόντες, παρεκάλουν ἔχεσθαι τῆς ἐν στάσεως καὶ μηδ' ὅλως ἐνδοῦναι. τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι καὶ οἱ καλῶς εἰδότες ἐπληροφόρουν, ἄνδρες οὐχ οἷοί τε ψεύδεσθαι, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν Κομνηνὸν πληροφοροῦντες ἐνωμότως ὡς ἅπαν τὸ ἀστικὸν πλῆθος περικαῶς εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχει, καὶ ὡς εἰ μόνον ἐγγίσει τῇ πόλει, τὸν γέροντα ἐξωθήσαντες μετ' ἐπινικίων καὶ ὕμνων αὐτὸν προσδέξονται. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν γενέσθαι λέγεται ἐπὶ στρα τοπέδου. Ὁ δὲ γέρων συνέσφιγγε μὲν εἰς αὐτὸν τῶν πολιτῶν εὔνοιαν καὶ δωρεαῖς καὶ χρήμασι καὶ ἀξιωμάτων ὑπεροχαῖς καὶ τοῖς τοιού τοις οἷς θέλγεται καὶ