Theophanes the Confessor, Chronography

For he was so shut off even from those outside, not only if someone were from nearby, but not even if he happened to have chosen his side from those further away. And Thomas, dreading that this man should suddenly become great, and wishing to create fear among his own men, did not move his camp from the city, taking this very precaution, and taking care not to be pursued from behind; but taking some few men, and as many as he knew to be worthy of the battle against Gregory, he went out against him, and gets the better of him, and catching him as he fled, he slays him. And again with speed he comes to the forces besieging the city, and sending letters he announces his own news everywhere, that he had been victorious, which was not so, and ordering the fleet wintering in Greece to set sail quickly, so that he might again attack the sea-forces 64 with parts of a stronger force. But those ships, numbering three hundred and fifty, both warships, biremes, and supply ships together, come to anchor at the harbor of Byrida in Thrace, sailing with a fair wind. And the imperial fire-bearing fleet, attacking them there while they were unaware, captures many of the ships with their crews, and burns others with a most mighty hand, with very few escaping the disaster and making a great effort to put in at the gulf of Blachernae, so that they might be together with the land army; which also happened. So affairs at sea were governed and directed in this way. But on land there were always some partial skirmishes and killings, with now Michael, now his son Theophilus sallying out against them with Olbianus and Katakylas, both giving and at times receiving critical blows; however, no brilliant and vigorous contests from a set battle and of equal force took place, since Michael was indeed much inferior and not able to be arrayed against his swift and cavalry force. 17 While they were thus engaged, Mortagon, the king of the Bulgarians, (for the rumor had spread throughout the world, announcing that the king of the Romans was being besieged) secretly sending some men to the king, promised to send an alliance of his own accord and agreed 65 to give him sufficient aid. But Michael, whether in truth respecting and pitying the multitude of his countrymen, or else sparing his money (for out of parsimony he happened to keep his hands far more under his control than other kings), deemed his proposal worthy of acceptance, but he refused his aid, and he made it known that he would not wish for his help, unless something should happen on the part of the apostate. But Mortagon, who anyway delighted in wars and loved to reap the spoils from them, and also seeking to confirm and make stronger the thirty-year treaty made with him by his predecessor Leo, prepared his army against the tyrant, and indeed, having entered openly within the borders of the Romans, he encamped at the place called Kedouktos. But these things were heard of, and it was not possible for them to escape the apostate’s notice; he was shaken, as was likely, and struck in his mind, but coming to himself again, he armed the army against him. And since, being divided in two, he seemed to be altogether weak and vulnerable (for the queen of cities, being besieged, required not a small but a very considerable army, especially since Michael was now gathering no mean forces and was able to stand at his heels, and was often able to bring destruction upon them; and the force of the Bulgarians required not some small division and army, but a large and no ordinary battle-line),-lest therefore, being divided in two like some raging torrent, he might seem weaker than he was to his 66 enemies and easy to overcome

τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἀπεκέκλειστο καὶ τῶν εξωθεν, οὐδ' εἰ τῶν ἐγγὺς μόνον τις, ἀλλ' οὐδ' εἰ τῶν πορρωτέρω τὰ αὐτοῦ ᾑρημένος ἐτύγχανε. καὶ ὁ Θω- μᾶς τὸ μὴ πολὺν ἐξαίφνης τοῦτον γενέσθαι κατορρωδῶν, καὶ φόβον ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ποιῆσαι βουλόμενος, τὴν μὲν στρατοπεδείαν τῆς πόλεως οὐκ ἐξεκίνησε, ταὐτὸ τοῦτο προμηθούμενος, καὶ προ- νοῶν τὸ μὴ διωχθῆναι ἐξόπισθεν· ὀλίγους δέ τινας, καὶ οσους ῃδει ἀξιοχρέους τῆς πρὸς τὸν Γρηγόριον μάχης οντας, παραλα- βὼν ἐξῄει πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ περιγίνεται τούτου, καὶ φεύγοντα καταλαβὼν ἀναιρεῖ. καὶ αυθις διὰ ταχέων πρὸς τὰς δυνάμεις τὰς προσεδρευούσας τῇ πόλει γίνεται, καὶ γράμμασιν ἐπιστέλλων τὰ ἑαυτοῦ περιαγγέλλει ἁπανταχοῦ, ὡς ειη τε νενικηκώς, οπερ οὐκ ην, καὶ τὸ προσχωριάζον κατὰ τὴν ̔Ελλάδα ναυτικὸν ταχέως κελεύων ἀναχθῆναι, ὡς αυθις τοῖς κατὰ θάλασσαν προσβάλλοι 64 μετὰ στερροτέρας δυνάμεως μέρεσιν. ἀλλ' ἐκεῖναι μὲν εἰς ἀριθμὸν τελοῦσαι πεντήκοντα πρὸς ταῖς τριακοσίαις πολεμιστηρίοις αμα διήρεσι καὶ σιταγωγοῖς τῷ τῶν Βυρίδων κατὰ Θρᾴκην λιμένι ἐγ- καθορμίζονται, ἐξ οὐρίας πλέουσαι. καὶ ὁ βασιλικὸς δὲ πυρφό- ρος στόλος τούτοις μηδὲν ἐγνωκόσιν ἐκεῖσε ἐπιτεθεὶς πολλὰς μὲν αὐτάνδρους αἱρεῖ τῶν νηῶν, τινὰς δὲ καὶ πυρπολεῖ δυνατωτάτῃ χειρί, ὀλίγων παντελῶς εξω γενομένων τοῦ πάθους καὶ πρὸς τὸν τῶν Βλαχερνῶν κόλπον καταίρειν λόγον ποιουμένων πολύν, ὡς αν ειεν ὁμοῦ τῇ κατὰ γῆν στρατιᾷ· ο  καὶ γέγονεν. τὰ μὲν ουν κατὰ θάλατταν τοῦτον ἐκυβερνᾶτο καὶ ηὐθύνετο τὸν τρόπον. κατὰ γῆν δὲ ἀεί πως ἀκροβολισμοί τινες ἐκ μέρους καὶ φόνοι ἐγέ- νοντο, νῦν μὲν τοῦ Μιχαὴλ νῦν δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Θεοφίλου αὐ- τοῖς ἐπεξιόντος μετὰ ̓Ολβιανοῦ καὶ Κατάκυλα, καὶ πληγὰς εσθ' οτε καιρίας διδόντος τε καὶ λαμβάνοντος· οὐ μὴν ἀγῶνές τινες λαμπροὶ καὶ νεανικοὶ ἐκ παρατάξεως καὶ τῆς ἰσορρόπου δυνάμεως εσχον τὸ κῦρος, ατε δὴ πολλῷ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ἐλαττουμένου καὶ μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ευζωνόν τε καὶ ἱππικὴν στρατιὰν ἀντιτάσσεσθαι δυναμένου. 17 ̓Εν τούτοις ουν οντων αὐτῶν, Μορτάγων ὁ τῶν Βουλ- γάρων βασιλεὺς (καὶ γὰρ εφθασεν ἡ φήμη κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην τὸν βασιλέα τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων πολιορκούμενον διαγγέλλουσα) λάθρα τινὰς ἐς βασιλέα πέμψας ἐξαποστεῖλαι αὐτομάτῳ γνώμῃ συμμα- χίαν καθυπισχνεῖτο καὶ βοήθειαν αὐτῷ τὴν ἀρκοῦσαν διδόναι καθ- 65 ωμολόγει. ἀλλ' ο γε Μιχαήλ, ειτε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ τῶν ὁμοφύλων πλῆθος καταιδούμενός τε καὶ ἐλεῶν, ειτε καὶ χρημάτων φειδόμε- νος (ἐτύγχανε γὰρ ἐπὶ πολὺ τὰς χεῖρας τῶν αλλων βασιλέων ὑφ' ἑαυτὸν εχων ἐκ φειδωλίας), τὴν μὲν γνώμην ἠξίου ἀποδοχῆς τού- του, παρῃτεῖτο δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν, καὶ οὐκ ει τι γένοιτο παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστάτου, βούλεσθαι τὴν ἐπικουρίαν αὐτῷ κατεμήνυεν. ἀλλ' ο γε Μορτάγων καὶ αλλως πολέμοις χαίρων καὶ τὰς ἐκ τού- των λείας καρποῦσθαι φιλῶν, καὶ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν δὲ τριακοντού- τεις σπονδὰς γεγενημένας παρὰ τοῦ προκατασχόντος Λέοντος ἐπι- βεβαιῶσαι καὶ ἰσχυροτέρας ποιῆσαι ζητῶν, τὴν κατὰ τοῦ τυράν- νου στρατιὰν εὐτρέπιζεν, καὶ δὴ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ορων εντοσθε μετὰ παρρησίας γενόμενος κατὰ τὸν Κηδούκτου χῶρον ουτω καλούμε- νον ἐστρατοπέδευσεν. ἠκούοντο δέ, καὶ λαθεῖν ταῦτα τὸν ἀπο- στάτην οὐκ ην· περιεδονήθη μὲν ὡς εἰκός, καὶ τὰς φρένας κατε- κτυπήθη, ἐν αὑτῷ δὲ πάλιν γενόμενος τὴν κατ' αὐτοῦ στρατιὰν ἐξώπλιζεν. καὶ ἐπεὶ εἰς δύο καταμεριζόμενος ἐδόκει παντελῶς ἀσθενής τε ειναι καὶ ευπτωτος (η τε γὰρ τῶν πόλεων βασιλεύουσα οὐκ εὐαριθμήτου ἀλλὰ πλείστου ἀξιολόγου στρατοῦ ἐδέετο πολιορ- κουμένη, ηδη καὶ τοῦ Μιχαὴλ δυνάμεις οὐκ ἀγεννεῖς συλλέγοντος καὶ κατὰ πόδας ιστασθαι δυναμένου, καὶ πολλάκις ολεθρον ἐπα- γαγεῖν αὐτοῖς δυνηθέντος· καὶ ἡ τῶν Βουλγάρων δὲ δύναμις οὐ μικρᾶς τινὸς τάξεως καὶ στρατιᾶς, πολλῆς δὲ καὶ οὐ τῆς τυχούσης ἐδέετο παρατάξεως),-μὴ ουν εἰς δύο τινὰ διαιρούμενος κατά τινα λάβρον χειμάρρουν ἀσθενέστερος παρ' ο  ην δόξῃ τε τοῖς 66 ἐχθροῖς καὶ εὐχείρωτος