20

watching over and bringing punishment upon those who break their oaths and dissolve the treaties, which they established with God as witness. So the Bulgarian took his daughter and departed, having made all those who followed her turn back, and crossing the Haemus he proceeded towards Trnovo, while his daughter was crying and wailing and greatly lamenting her separation from her mother-in-law, the empress Eirene, and from her husband. Then they say that Asan, taking her, set her in front of his saddle and struck her on the temple with his fingers and threatened her terribly, if she did not bear in silence, whatever he had in mind to do to her.

35 At that time the race of the Scythians, their lands having been overrun by the Tatars, as many as escaped their sword, crossed the Ister on wineskins and leapt over the Haemus with their children and wives, and against the will of the Bulgarians—for there were many thousands—they occupied the regions of Macedonia, some pasturing around the Hebrus and the plains there, others around the lower parts and the river, which the common tongue, as we have said, calls the Maritza. For it is in truth the Hebrus, making its course as far as Aenus and from there flowing out into the Aegean sea; but because other rivers also join it and make it larger, its name also changes for those who live nearby. So they plundered everything in Macedonia and in a short time made everything desolate of inhabitants, and produced a "Scythian wilderness"—to use the proverb—and they overcame by war as many towns as were easy to capture. And many were killed, and all were despoiled and taken captive and sold off in the larger cities, such as Adrianople, Didymoteichon, Bizye, Kallipolis, and whatever other place was fortified with stronger walls and secured by the multitude of its inhabitants.

36 Since, then, these things happened thus, the race of the Latins, always nursing a madness against us, and being even more ill-disposed because of the recent attack made against them by both the emperor John and Asan and the loss of their lands and towns, were seeking an opportunity to move against us, having found at that time one who was able, as they thought, to reverse their defeat. And first they win over Asan and make peace with him, and then with him also the Scythians, barbarian men, wanderers and newcomers, with some small gifts, but with rather long promises they draw them to themselves and make them collaborators in their deeds. And indeed having gathered such a great alliance from both Scythians and Bulgarians, the Italians march together against the emperor John. And since the city of Tzurulon happened to be near them, they set up their battle against it, with Asan also being present in person with so many thousands of Scythian and Bulgarian troops and Italian engines of war. The one who had received the garrison of Tzurulon from the emperor John was Nikephoros Tarchaneiotes, who at that time was at the emperor's table, but was later honored as megas domestikos; he was the son-in-law of the megas domestikos Palaiologos by his first daughter Maria. Tarchaneiotes was a fine soldier and a good general and enjoyed much assistance from God, as was recognized until the end; for indeed he seemed to many to accomplish most things by good fortune rather than by overcoming his enemies through manliness and strategy. And when they besieged the city, - the Italians had many strong engines and city-takers, powerful enough to overcome not only a city of such a size but also higher and more massive walls

20

ἐφορῶν καὶ τιμωρίαν ἐπά γων τοῖς τοὺς ὅρκους παραβαίνουσι καὶ τὰς συνθήκας, ἃς ἐπὶ θεῷ μάρτυρι συνεστήσαντο, διαλύουσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Βούλγαρος τὴν θυγατέρα λαβὼν ᾤχετο, τοὺς ἑπομένους αὐτῇ πάντας ὀπισθορμήτους ποιήσας, καὶ τὸν Αἷμον διαβὰς ἐχώρει περὶ τὸν Τρίνοβον, κλαιούσης μὲν τῆς αὐτοῦ θυγα τρὸς καὶ ὀλοφυρομένης καὶ τῆς πενθερᾶς καὶ βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης καὶ τοῦ συζύγου λίαν ἐποδυρομένης τὸν χωρισμόν. ὅτε φασὶ τὸν Ἀσὰν προσλαβόμενον αὐτὴν τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐφεστρί δος ἔμπροσθεν ἐπικαθίσαι καὶ τύψαι κατὰ κόρρης τοῖς δακτύλοις καὶ ἐπαπειλῆσαι δεινῶς, εἰ μὴ σιγῇ φέροι, ὅσα οἱ διὰ βουλῆς ἐστιν ἐπ' αὐτῇ διαπράξασθαι.

35 Κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ καὶ τὸ τῶν Σκυθῶν γένος, τῶν Τατάρων καταδραμόντων αὐτῶν, ὁπόσοι τὸ ξίφος ἐκείνων ἐξέφυγον, ἀσκοῖς τὸν Ἴστρον διαπεράσαντες καὶ τὸν Αἷμον ὑπερπηδήσαντες τέκνοις ἅμα καὶ γυναιξί, καὶ ἀκόν των Βουλγάρων-πολλαὶ γὰρ ὑπῆρχον χιλιοστύες-τοὺς τῆς Μακεδονίας χώρους κατέλαβον, οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Ἕβρον καὶ τὰ ἐκεῖσε πεδία τὰς νομὰς ποιούμενοι, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὰ κατωτέρω μέρη καὶ τὸν ποταμόν, ὃν ἡ χύδην ῥέουσα γλῶττα καθώσπερ ἔφημεν Μαρίτζαν κατονομάζει. καὶ γὰρ ἔστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς Ἕβρος μέχρι καὶ τῆς Αἴνου τὰς ἐκδρομὰς ποι ούμενος κἀκεῖθεν περὶ τὸ Αἰγαῖον ἐκρέων πέλαγος· ὅτι δὲ συμβάλλουσι τούτῳ καὶ ἕτεροι ποταμοὶ καὶ μείζω ποιοῦσιν, ἐναλλάττει τοῖς παροικοῦσι καὶ τοὔνομα. ἐλήιζον γοῦν τὰ ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ πάντα καὶ ὡς ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἔρημα τὰ πάντα τῶν οἰκητόρων ἐποίησαν, καὶ Σκυθῶν ἐρημίαν-τὸ τῆς παροιμίας εἰπεῖν-ἀπειργάσαντο, καὶ πολιχνίων δὲ ὁπόσα ὑπῆρχον εὐχείρωτα πολέμῳ περιεγένοντο. καὶ ἐφονεύοντο μὲν πολλοί, ἐσκυλεύοντο δὲ πάντες καὶ ᾐχμαλωτίζοντο καὶ ἀπεμπολοῦντο ἐν τοῖς μείζοσιν ἄστεσιν, οἷον τῇ Ἀδριανου πόλει, τῷ ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ, τῇ Βιζύῃ, τῇ Καλλιουπόλει, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο ἦν τείχεσιν ἐρυμνοτέροις ὠχυρωμένον καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν οἰκούντων ἠσφαλισμένον.

36 Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὕτω ταῦτα συνέβη, καὶ τὸ τῶν Λατί νων γένος, καθ' ἡμῶν ἀεὶ μανίαν τρέφοντες, καὶ χεῖρον δὲ διατεθέντες διὰ τὴν πρὸ μικροῦ γενομένην σφίσι παρά τε τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου καὶ τοῦ Ἀσὰν ἔφοδον καὶ τῶν χωρῶν καὶ τῶν πολιχνίων αὐτῶν στέρησιν, καιρὸν ἐζήτουν ἐπιχειρήσασθαι καθ' ἡμῶν, εὑρόντες τῷ τότε δυνάμενον, ὡς ᾤοντο, τὴν ἧτταν τούτοις ἀνακαλέσασθαι. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν τὸν Ἀσὰν ὑποποιοῦνται καὶ τούτῳ τὰ πρὸς εἰρήνην σπέν δονται, ἔπειτα δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ καὶ τοὺς Σκύθας, βαρβάρους ἄνδρας, ἀλήτας τε καὶ ἐπήλυδας, μικροῖς τισι τοῖς χαρίσμασι, μακροτέραις δέ γε ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν εἰς ἑαυτοὺς ἕλκουσι καὶ συμπράκτορας τῶν ἔργων ποιοῦσι. καὶ δὴ συμμαχίαν το σαύτην ἔκ τε Σκυθῶν καὶ Βουλγάρων συνηθροικότες οἱ Ἰταλοὶ ὁμόσε κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου χωροῦσιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ σφίσιν ἐκ τοῦ σχεδὸν τὸ τῆς Τζουρουλοῦ ἄστυ ἐτύγχανε, κατ' ἐκείνου τὴν μάχην ἱστῶσι, παρόντος αὐτοπροσώπως καὶ τοῦ Ἀσὰν μετὰ τοσούτων χιλιοστύων τῶν Σκυθικῶν καὶ τῶν Βουλγαρικῶν στρατευμάτων καὶ τῶν Ἰταλικῶν μηχανημάτων. ἦν δὲ τῆς Τζουρουλοῦ τὴν φρουρὰν παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰωάννου προσδεδεγμένος ὁ Ταρχανειώτης Νικη φόρος, ὃς ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης τοῦ βασιλέως ὑπῆρχε τότε, μέγας δὲ δομέστικος τετίμηται ὕστερον· γαμβρὸς δὲ ἦν τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου τοῦ Παλαιολόγου ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ αὐτοῦ θυγατρὶ Μαρίᾳ. ἦν δὲ ὁ Ταρχανειώτης καὶ στρατιώτης καλὸς καὶ ἀγαθὸς στρατηγὸς καὶ πολλῆς ἐπαπολαύων τῆς παρὰ θεοῦ ἀντιλήψεως, καθὼς καὶ μέχρι τέλους ἐπέγνωσται· μάλιστα καὶ γὰρ ἐδόκει τοῖς πολλοῖς εὐτυχίᾳ κατορθούμενος τὰ πολλὰ ἢ εὐανδρίᾳ καὶ στρατηγίᾳ τῶν ἐναντίων περιγε νόμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ τῷ ἄστει παρεκαθίσαντο, -μηχανήματα μὲν καὶ ἑλεπόλεις τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς ἐγεγόνεισαν πολλαί τε καὶ ἰσχυραί, ὡς μὴ μόνον τηλικοῦδε ἄστεος περιγενέσθαι ἰσχύ ουσαι ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑψηλοτέρων τειχῶν καὶ εὐμεγεθεστέρων