18

days, and the nation of the Tacharioi, having advanced against the Muslims and joined battle against them, was victorious. And word reaches the emperor. But he, having ordered silence, proceeds to make agreements with the John within, taking as an envoy in these matters John's father, Theodore Angelos. And so, when forty days were completed, the treaties were made and the oaths went forth. For he cast off the red sandals and the pearl-adorned pyramid, upon which also sat a crimson stone, these being imperial symbols. But he was honored by the emperor with the rank of Despot and appeared loyal to the emperor. Having accomplished these things, the emperor returns to the east, leaving the emperor a despot and his subject, having bound him with the customary oaths and having welcomed him with twenty gifts, and having treated with kindness all those under him with money. And he had left with him also the emperor Theodore.

41 So the emperor John had taken possession of the east. Then, having passed the winter season in Nymphaion, as was his custom, he departed from there and went toward Lampsakos, and the following year he proceeds toward Pegai. And he experienced a very great winter on the way, which began, indeed, when the emperor encamped on the land. And for two days he was distressed by its severity and by the most violent fall of snow, until he arrived at the city of Pegai. Many died on the way, and up to three hundred, as they said, were buried by the snow, being unable to withstand the force of the wind. Indeed, no one who saw it said that they knew such a winter. But the emperor, having spent the day in the city of Pegai, until the worst of the winter should abate, departed from there and went away to Nymphaion. When, therefore, the army of the Muslims was destroyed by the Tacharioi, their sultan was Iathatines, son of Azatines, a bad ruler born from a good one; for he delighted in drinking-bouts and licentiousness and strange and improper unions, and he was always with paltry men who no longer knew reason or human nature at all. And so he experienced a Tacharian battle and was defeated. Therefore he sends envoys to the emperor John, asking to receive counsel, so that he might turn back the adversary and be a little relieved, saying this was a saving thing for both of them. For with the race of the Muslims having been destroyed by the Tacharioi, the attack against the lands of the Romans becomes easy, easy for the enemy. So the emperor John receives the embassy and they both came together, both the emperor and the sultan, at Tripolis, where the Maeander flows. Then they parted. And the Tacharioi also became quiet.

42 But John Angelos, the despot of Thessaloniki, paid his debt to fate, and his brother Demetrios, having sent word, received the rank of despot from the emperor. But he became profligate and consorted with married women. He, when the husband of the adulteress entered, wishing to escape through a window, fell and was wounded in the buttock. And having been nursed for a sufficient number of days, he was healed, but he limped on one of his feet. But he did not enjoy his rule for long. For the emperor, seizing the opportunity ** with the patriarch Germanos having departed from this life and a certain monk Methodios, abbot of the Hyacinthos monastery, having become patriarch and having died after three months and the church being then vacant.

43 And the emperor made his way to the opposite side as far as the city of Zichna. Now at that time, the ruler of the Bulgarians was Kaliman, the son of Asan, being twelve years old. And so, when the emperor was in the region of Kissos, having spent the day, he kept to his journey. And he had arrived at the Hebros, which makes its course near the monastery of Beros, and is called the Maritza, and there he receives a public report from the one holding Achridous, that Kaliman had measured out his life. And quickly he proceeded forward and reaches Philippi, and there he was considering whether he should attack

18

ἡμέραι, καὶ τὸ τῶν Ταχαρίων ἔθνος κατὰ τῶν Μουσουλμάνων χωρῆσαν καὶ πόλεμον κατ' αὐτῶν συρρῆξαν νενίκηκε. καὶ ὁ λόγος φθάνει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. ὁ δὲ σιωπὴν παραγγείλας εἰς συμβάσεις μετὰ τοῦ ἐντὸς Ἰωάννου χωρεῖ, πρέσβιν ἐν τούτοις λαβὼν τὸν πατέρα Ἰωάννου τὸν Ἄγγελον Θεόδωρον. πληρουμένων γοῦν ἡμερῶν τεσσαρά κοντα ἐγένοντο αἱ σπονδαὶ καὶ οἱ ὅρκοι προέβησαν. τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐρυθρὰ πέδιλα ἀπεβάλλετο καὶ τὴν περιμάργαρον πυραμίδα, εἰς ἣν καὶ λίθος ὑπερκάθηται κόκκινος, βασιλικὰ ταῦτα σύμβολα. τετίμηται δὲ πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως τῷ δεσπο τικῷ ἀξιώματι καὶ εὔνους ἀνεφάνη τῷ βασιλεῖ. ταῦτα δια πραξάμενος ὁ βασιλεὺς παλινοστεῖ πρὸς τὴν ἕω, καταλιπὼν δεσπότην τὸν βασιλέα καὶ ὑποχείριον, ὅρκοις συνδήσας τοῖς εἰωθόσι καὶ δώροις εἰκόσι δεξιωσάμενος, καὶ πάντας τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκεῖνον φιλοφρονησάμενος χρήμασι. καταλελοίπει δὲ μετ' αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα Θεόδωρον.

41 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης κατειλήφει τὴν ἕω. τὴν γοῦν χειμερινὴν τότε παραμείψας ὥραν ἐν τῷ Νυμφαίῳ, ὡς ἔθος ἦν αὐτῷ, ἀπάρας ἐκεῖθεν περὶ τὴν Λάμψακον ᾔει, καὶ τὸ ἐπιὸν ἔτος περὶ Πηγὰς χωρεῖ. μεγίστου δὲ χειμῶνος πεπείραται καθ' ὁδόν, ἀρξαμένου μέν, ἐπὰν ὁ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐσκήνωσεν. ἡμέρας δὲ δύο τῇ δρι μύτητι τούτου καὶ τῇ σφοδροτάτῃ φορᾷ τῆς χιόνος τεταλαι πώρηκε, μέχρις ἂν κατηντήκει ἐς τὸ τῶν Πηγῶν ἄστυ. πολλοὶ δὲ καθ' ὁδὸν ἐτεθνήκεισαν, καὶ μέχρι τριακοσίων, ὡς ἔφασκον, ὑπὸ τῆς χιόνος κατεχώσθησαν, μὴ δυνάμενοι ἀντωπῆσαι τῇ τοῦ πνεύματος φορᾷ. οὐδεὶς γοῦν τῶν ἰδόν των ἔλεγε γινώσκειν τοιοῦτον χειμῶνα. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν τῷ τῶν Πηγῶν ἄστει διημερεύσας, μέχρις ἂν τὸ πολὺ τοῦ χειμῶνος λωφήσῃ, ἐξιὼν δ' ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὸ Νύμφαιον ἀπῄει. Ὡς οὖν ἡ τῶν Μουσουλμάνων παρὰ τῶν Ταχαρίων κατα λέλυται στρατιά, σουλτάνος δὲ ἦρχεν αὐτῶν Ἰαθατίνης, υἱὸς Ἀζατίνη, φαῦλος ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ ἀρχὸς γεγονώς· πότοις γὰρ ἔχαιρε καὶ ἀσελγείαις καὶ κοίταις ἀλλοκότοις τε καὶ ἀτόποις, καὶ συνῆν ἀεὶ ἀνθρωπίσκοις οὐκέτι λόγον εἰδόσιν οὐδ' ἀν θρωπίνην φύσιν τὸ συνόλον. πεπείραται γοῦν μάχης Τα χαρικῆς καὶ ἥττηται. πρέσβεις οὖν ἐκπέμπει πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα Ἰωάννην, βουλῆς ἀξιῶν τυχεῖν, ὡς ἀποτρέψαιτο τὸν ἀντίπαλον καὶ μικρὸν κουφισθείη, σωτηριῶδες τοῦτο φάσκων τυγχάνον ἀμφοῖν. τοῦ γὰρ γένους τῶν Μουσουλ μάνων παρὰ τῶν Ταχαρίων ἀπολωλότος, ἄνετος, ἄνετος γίνεται τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἡ κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν χωρῶν ἔφοδος. ὁ γοῦν βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης ἀποδέχεται τὴν πρεσβείαν καὶ συνηλθέ την ἄμφω, ὅ τε βασιλεὺς καὶ ὁ σουλτάν, ἐν Τριπόλει, ὅπου ὁ Μαίανδρος ῥεῖ. εἶτα διελύθησαν. ἠρέμησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ Ταχάριοι.

42 Ὁ δὲ Ἱωάννης ὁ Ἄγγελος ὁ δεσπότης Θεσσαλονίκηςτῷ χρεὼν ἐλειτούργησε, καὶ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ∆ημήτριος πέμψας τὸ δεσποτικὸν ἐκ βασιλέως εἰλήφει ἀξίωμα. ἐγένετο δὲ ἐξώλης καὶ περὶ ταῖς ὑπὸ ζυγὸν ἐφοίτα. ὃς ἐκ θυρίδος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τῆς μοιχευομένης ἐπεισελθόντος βουληθεὶς ἀπο δράσαι καὶ πεσὼν τὸν γλουτὸν ἐπλήγη. ἱκανὰς δὲ ἡμέρας νοσηλευθεὶς ἰάθη μέν, ὑπέσκαζε δὲ τῶν ποδῶν θάτερον. ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς μακρὸν ἀπώνατο τῆς ἀρχῆς. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς ἀδείας δραξάμενος ** τοῦ πατριάρχου Γερμανοῦ τῶν τῇδε ἀπάραντος καὶ Μεθοδίου τινὸς μοναχοῦ ἡγουμένου τῆς Ὑακίνθου πατριάρχου γεγονότος καὶ μετὰ τρεῖς μῆνας τετε λευτηκότος καὶ τότε τῆς ἐκκλησίας χηρευούσης.

43 Ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς εἰς τὴν ἀντίπεραν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν βάδον ἕως τοῦ Ζίχνα ἄστεος. ἦρχε μὲν οὖν τότε Βουλγάρων ὁ τοῦ Ἀσὰν υἱὸς Καλλιμάνος δωδεκέτης ὤν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν περὶ τὰ μέρη τοῦ Κισσοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς γένοιτο, διημερεύσας τῆς πορείας εἴχετο. καὶ πεφθάκει περὶ τὸν Ἕβρον τὸν πλησίον τῆς μονῆς τοῦ Βηρὸς ποιούμενον τὰς ῥοάς, Μαρίτζαν δὲ καλούμενον, καὶ ἐκεῖ δέχεται ἀναφορὰν παρὰ τοῦ τῆς Ἀχρι δοῦ δημοσίαν κρατοῦντος, ὡς ὁ Καλλιμάνος τὸν βιοτὸν ἐξεμέτρησε. καὶ τάχος τοῦ πρόσω εἴχετο καὶ φθάνει τὴν Φιλίππους, κἀκεῖσε σκέψιν ἐποιεῖτο, εἰ δεῖ προσβαλεῖν