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the emperor followed, campaigning against them. So the emperor made his marches along the foothills of the mountains, while the Italians were along the shores. So having spent a short time in the emperor’s coastal land—for not yet had four months passed—and having trodden a small area—for they had come from Lampsacus as far as Cenchreae—doing little or no damage—for the emperor had managed beforehand to save all the necessary provisions in the higher places—they proceeded to the city of Pegae, having captured only one fortress, which is named Keramidas, situated somewhere around the hills of Cyzicus. And they had their ships ready to return to Constantinople, and would have departed filled with shame and loss, if they had not overcome the city of Pegae by stealth. For a certain man, skilled at climbing, found a path at the very edge of the rocks, by which he brought armed Latins up to the acropolis by night. Who, suddenly falling upon the guards, both killed them and took the city. This, for a short while, cast the Romans into cowardice. For the city was full of fine and good men. But the emperor's generalship shook off the cowardice.

31-32 For this man, being skilled at devising methods in difficult circumstances both to save his own and to check the enemy, so that through both he might strengthen his own position, finds a way of fulfilling both aims. For a son was born to him by the empress Irene, on whom the name of his grandfather Theodore was also bestowed. And he was then in his eleventh year. And Asan had a little daughter by the wife he had married from Hungary, her name being Helen. So the emperor sends to him concerning the betrothal of the children, and Asan accepts the embassy.

33 And when the treaty was made, the emperor crosses over from Lampsacus with his household to Gallipoli and wars against the city, setting up siege engines, and in no long time he captures it, having saved it from the hand of the Venetians. And Asan also arrives at Gallipoli with his wife and daughter and meets with the emperor, and both arrange matters for a friendship. So Asan, taking his wife and little daughter, crosses over to Lampsacus, where the empress Irene was, and the marriage alliance of the children is fulfilled, with Patriarch Germanus performing the sacred rites. At that time also the archbishop of Trinovo, being under Constantinople, was honored with autocephaly by an imperial and synodical decree. Then the empress Irene, taking her son with his bride, stayed in the eastern regions, while the wife of Asan returned to her own lands. But the emperor John and Asan, having divided their own forces, overran the western country, as much as was subject to the Latins, and made the whole of it, so to speak, a Scythian wasteland. And they divided the land and the cities among themselves; and Gallipoli, since it had been taken even before the meeting with Asan, came under the emperor, likewise also Madytus and all the so-called Chersonese; and the emperor also took the fortress of Kissos, and set the borders as far as the river Maritsa; and he took possession of Mount Ganos and built a small town on it, where he also sent Nicholas Kotertzes to keep guard and to cause trouble for the Latins in Tzurulon; and this Tzurulon was taken not long after by the Roman forces. And Asan held under his control the lands beyond those mentioned and those stretching to the north. So they both came right up to the very walls of Constantinople, while King John sat on them and watched, and they cast great fear into the Latins, and put their affairs in an exceedingly tight spot. But when winter was approaching, after taking leave of one another, Asan went to his home, and the emperor crossed over to the east.

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ἀντιστρατηγῶν αὐτοῖς βασιλεὺς ἐπηκολούθει. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς περὶ τὰς τῶν βουνῶν ὑπωρείας ἐποιεῖτο τὰς πο ρείας, περὶ δὲ τὰς ἠιόνας οἱ Ἰταλοί. ὀλίγον οὖν χρόνον διαβιβάσαντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ βασιλέως παραιγιαλίῳ χώρᾳ-οὔπω γὰρ παρέδραμον τέσσαρες μῆνες-καὶ ὀλίγον τόπον πατή σαντες-ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Λαμψάκου μέχρι καὶ τῶν Κεγχρεῶν ἀφίκοντο-μικρὸν ἢ μηδὲν λυμήναντες-προύφθασε γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰ χρειώδη πάντα τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις τόποις δια σώσασθαι-περὶ τὸ τῶν Πηγῶν ἐχώρησαν ἄστυ, ἓν μόνον φρούριον χειρωσάμενοι, ὃ Κεραμιδᾶς ὀνομάζεται, περί που τοὺς βουνοὺς διακείμενον τῆς Κυζίκου. εἶχον δὲ καὶ τὰς ναῦς αὐτῶν ἑτοίμους εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντίνου παλινοστῆσαι, καὶ ᾤχοντο ἂν αἰσχύνης καὶ ζημίας πεπληρωμένοι, εἰ μὴ τοῦ τῶν Πηγῶν ἄστεος περιεγένοντο τῇ κλοπῇ. ἀνὴρ γάρ τις δεινὸς ἀναρριχᾶσθαι πρὸς ἀκρονυχίαν πετρῶν ὁδὸν ἐφεῦρε, δι' ἧς ὡπλισμένους Λατίνους εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν νυκτὸς ἀνεβίβασεν. οἳ καὶ τοῖς φύλαξιν αἴφνης ἐπεισπε σόντες αὐτούς τε ἐφόνευσαν καὶ εἷλον τὸ ἄστυ. τοῦτο πρὸς βραχὺ μὲν εἰς δειλίαν Ῥωμαίους ἐνέβαλε. πλήρης γὰρ ἦν ἡ πόλις ἀνδρῶν καλῶν τε καὶ ἀγαθῶν. ἀλλ' ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως στρατηγία τὴν δειλίαν ἀπετινάξατο.

31-32 Οὗτος γὰρ οἷα δεινὸς ἐφευρεῖν μεθόδους ἐν περιστάσεσι σῶσαί τε τὸ οἰκεῖον καὶ ἀναχαιτίσαι τὸ ὑπε ναντίον, ὡς ἂν δι' ἀμφοῖν τὰ οἰκεῖα κρατύνοιτο, εὑρίσκει τρόπον ἀποπληρωτικὸν τοῖν δυοῖν. ἐγεννήθη γὰρ αὐτῷ υἱὸς ἐκ τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης, ὧ καὶ κλῆσις τοῦ πάππου Θεοδώρου ἐπετέθειτο. ἑνδέκατον δέ οἱ τότε ἔτος ἠνύετο. καὶ ὁ Ἀσὰν παρὰ τῆς ἐξ Οὔγγρων γαμηθείσης αὐτῷ θυ γάτριον ἔσχεν, Ἑλένῃ αὐτῇ τοὔνομα. στέλλει οὖν πρὸς τοῦτον ὁ βασιλεὺς ὑπὲρ μνηστείας τῶν παίδων, καὶ δέχεται ὁ Ἀσὰν τὴν πρεσβείαν.

33 Ἐπεὶ δὲ αἱ σπονδαὶ γένοιντο, διαπεραιοῦται ἐκ Λαμ ψάκου μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς Καλλιούπολιν καὶ πολεμεῖ τῷ ἄστει ἑλεπόλεις στήσας, καὶ ἐν οὐ πολλῷ χρόνῳ χειροῦται τοῦτο, τῆς τῶν Βενετίκων ἀνασώσας χειρός. κατα λαμβάνει τὴν Καλλιούπολιν καὶ ὁ Ἀσὰν σὺν τῇ οἰκείᾳ γαμετῇ καὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ καὶ συνέρχεται τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ τὰ εἰς φιλίαν ἀμφότεροι διαπράττονται. ὁ οὖν Ἀσὰν τὴν αὐ τοῦ γαμετὴν καὶ τὸ θυγάτριον λαβὼν διαπεραιοῦται εἰς Λάμψακον, ἔνθα ἦν ἡ βασιλὶς Εἰρήνη, καὶ πληροῦται τὰ τοῦ κήδους τῶν παίδων τοῦ πατριάρχου Γερμανοῦ τὰ τῆς ἱεροτελεστίας τελέσαντος. τότε καὶ ὁ Τρινόβου ἀρχιερεὺς ὑπὸ τὸν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου τελῶν αὐτονομίᾳ τετίμητο, βασιλικῷ καὶ συνοδικῷ τῷ θεσπίσματι. ἔπειτα ἡ μὲν βασιλὶς Εἰρήνη τὸν υἱὸν μετὰ τῆς νύμφης λαβοῦσα τοῖς ἑῴοις διῃ τᾶτο χωρίοις, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Ἀσὰν σύζυγος ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις ὑπέστρεψεν. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης καὶ ὁ Ἀσὰν τὰς οἰκείας δυνάμεις διειληφότες, τὴν δυτικὴν κατέδραμον χώραν, ὁπόση ἦν Λατίνοις δουλεύουσα, καὶ Σκυθῶν ἐρημίαν, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, τὴν πᾶσαν εἰργάσαντο. σφίσι δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν χώραν καὶ τὰ ἄστη διεμερίσαντο· καὶ Καλλιούπολις μέν, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρὸ τῆς συνελεύσεως τοῦ Ἀσὰν ἑάλω, ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα ἐγένετο, ὁμοίως καὶ Μάδυτα καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ὀνομαζο μένη Χερρόνησος· εἷλε δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ τὸ τοῦ Κισσοῦ φρούριον, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ ποταμοῦ Μαρίτζας τὰ σύνορα ἔθετο· ἐκράτησε δὲ τοῦ ὄρους Γάνου καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐδείματο πολίχνιον, ἔνθα καὶ τὸν Κοτέρτζην Νικόλαον φυλάττειν ἐξ έπεμψε καὶ πράγματα παρέχειν Λατίνοις τοῖς ἐν τῇ Τζου ρουλῷ· τοῦτο δὲ τὸ τῆς Τζουρουλῶ οὐ μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ἑάλω δυνάμεων. ὁ δὲ Ἀσὰν τὰ ὑπεράνω τῶν εἰρημένων χώρων καὶ πρὸς βορρᾶν νεύοντα ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν ἔσχε. μέχρι μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν τειχῶν τῆς Κωνσταντίνου καὶ ἀμφότεροι κατηντήκεσαν, τοῦ ῥηγὸς Ἰωάννου ἐπ' αὐτῶν καθεζομένου καὶ καθορῶντος, καὶ πτοίαν πολλὴν τοῖς Λατίνοις ἐνέβαλον, καὶ ἐν στενῷ κο μιδῆ τὰ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἔθεντο. ἐπεὶ δ' ὁ χειμὼν ἤγγιζεν ἀλλήλοις συνταξάμενοι ὁ μὲν Ἀσὰν εἰς τὰ οἴκοι, ὁ δὲ βασι λεὺς εἰς ἕω διεπέρασεν.