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it should come to pass, he departs entirely from the city, and having judged himself a worthy opponent for the Bulgarian, he draws up his forces and fights at the aforementioned place. (18) And when they came to blows with each other, the tyrant is indeed mightily defeated, and he does not inflict slaughter but suffers it from his enemies. And since there was no other way to attain safety, they find it in flight, and being scattered in a certain impassable place, they were considering how they might reassemble. But the leader of the Bulgarians, immediately taking possession of the bodies of which he became master, and having become master of much booty, returned to his own land, puffed up and exulting in his victory over him. And the remaining fleet, when it heard this, which was indeed blockading the city, goes over to the emperor and joins him. But the apostate came to such a point of boldness, strengthened, as it seems, by the demons allied with him, that although crushed and struck from all sides and having become few from many, and having never shared in a clear victory either from a battle or from the engines of war brought daily by many hands against the walls of the city, he gathered his forces again in a certain plain, thus called Diabasis, which was a sufficient number of stades distant from the city and was suitable for an encampment on account of both its vegetation and flowing waters. And from there making his raids, he both laid waste to and burned all the beautiful things before the city, 67 but in no way did he show himself to those in the city, as before. And Michael, understanding this and having assembled a considerable army, having both Olbianos and Katakylas with his own fresh and intact regiments, marches out against him; and finding him not cowering nor terrified but eagerly coming to meet him, he engaged in hand-to-hand combat, wishing to decide the whole matter. And there indeed, wishing to outgeneral the emperor, he is himself outgeneraled by his own plan and misses the entire objective. For as soon as the battle was joined, he ordered them to show their backs to the emperor, not considering the mindset of his own forces, men long deprived of their wives and children because of him and staining their hands with the gore of their brethren; who, having expected that their stay in the open country would be swift and not drawn out for so long a time, were at first obedient in all things, but when the time was now somehow extended (for the third year was being completed) and it seemed they were attempting impossible things from their daily undertakings, being slaves to the desire and desperation of one man, they then, having received the order as some godsend, did not carry it out as he wished, but as seemed good to them. For he allowed them to give way only so far as to break the emperor's battle line and then turn back again, slaughtering resolutely; but they, knowing that the emperor's army was pursuing them in order and with tactical experience, 68 and not easily broken as he had supposed, resort to a disorderly flight, and one was scattered and carried off one way and another another. But the others, now a few and then others, go over to the emperor and submit to him; but he himself with a certain few is saved at Adrianople and there he stops his flight. And his bastard and illegitimate son, Anastasius, fleeing takes possession of the town of Byze. And not by chance, I think, but by some providence, so that each of them, by drawing the emperor's siege to himself, might give the other both respite and opportunity for raiding. 19 But the emperor, following on their heels, decided first to besiege Thomas and to inflict upon him the punishment that had been prepared for him. Whence he brings a siege against him, not hastening to take him by means of engines of war or any other things, at the same time shunning civil war, and at the same time wishing the inhabitants of Scythia to be unskilled in such devices

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γένηται, ἀπαίρει μὲν ολως τῆς πόλεως, πρὸς τὸν Βούλγαρον δὲ ἀξιόμαχον κρίνας αὑτὸν κατὰ τὸν εἰρημέ- νον τόπον παρατάσσεται καὶ ἀνταγωνίζεται. (18) καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐς χεῖρας ῃεσαν κατ' ἀλλήλων, ἡττᾶται δὴ ἰσχυρῶς ὁ τύραννος, καὶ φόνον οὐ ποιεῖ μὲν πάσχει δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν. καὶ ἐπεὶ μὴ αλλως ην τῆς σωτηρίας λαβέσθαι, φυγαδείᾳ ταύτην εὑρίσκουσιν, καὶ εν τινι χώρῳ δυσβάτῳ σκεδαννύμενοι ἐσκόπουν πῶς συνάγων- ται. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχηγὸς εὐθὺς τά τε σώματα προσλαβόμενος ων ἐγένετο κύριος, καὶ λείας δὲ πολλῆς γενόμενος ἐγκρατής, πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ὑπέστρεψε, τῇ κατ' αὐτοῦ νίκῃ ἐπαι- ρόμενός τε καὶ γαυριῶν. τὸ δὲ καταλειφθὲν ναυτικὸν ὡς τοῦτο ἀκήκοεν, τοῦτο δὴ τῇ πόλει προσεδρεῦον, προσχωρεῖ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ γίνεται. ὁ δ' αυ ἀποστάτης εἰς τοσοῦτο ηκε θάρ- ρους, παρὰ τῶν αὐτῷ συμμαχούντων, ὡς εοικε, δαιμόνων ἐγκρα- τής, ωστε πάντοθεν συντριβόμενος καὶ πληττόμενος καὶ ὀλίγος ἐκ πολλῶν γενόμενος, καθαρᾶς τε νίκης ου ποτε μετεσχηκὼς ουτ' ἀπὸ παρατάξεως ουτε μὴν ἀπὸ τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν προσαγομένων διὰ πολυχειρίας μηχανημάτων κατὰ τῶν τειχῶν τῆς πόλεως, αυ- θις ἐπισυναχθεὶς κατά τι πεδίον, ∆ιάβασιν ουτω καλούμενον, σταδίους ἀπέχον τῆς πόλεως ἱκανοὺς καὶ πρὸς στρατοπεδείαν εὐ- φυὲς εκ τε τῶν φυομένων καὶ ὑδάτων ἐπιρρύτων ον, συναθροίζε- ται. κἀκεῖθεν τὰς προνομὰς ποιῶν πάντα μὲν πρὸ τῆς πόλεως 67 εκειρε κόσμον καὶ ἐπυρπόλει, ἐνεφανίζετο δὲ τοῖς κατὰ πόλιν, ὡς τὸ πρότερον, οὐδαμῶς. ο  καὶ συνεὶς ὁ Μιχαὴλ καὶ ἀξιόλογον συστήσας στρατόν, αὐτόν τε ̓Ολβιανὸν καὶ Κατάκυλαν εχων μετὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἀκμῆτας ταγμάτων καὶ ἀκεραίους, κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐκ- στρατεύει· καὶ τοῦτον οὐ κατορρωδοῦντα οὐδ' ἐκφοβούμενον ἀλλ' αὐτῷ προσυπαντῶντα μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐφευρὼν συνῆλθεν εἰς χειρῶν δύναμιν, κρῖναι τὸ πᾶν βουληθείς. ενθα δὴ καὶ καταστρατηγῆ- σαι τὸν βασιλέα βουλόμενος αὐτὸς τῇ ἑαυτοῦ καταστρατηγεῖται βουλῇ καὶ τοῦ παντὸς διαμαρτάνει σκοποῦ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ αμα τῷ συρραγῆναι τὸν πόλεμον νῶτα διδόναι τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐκέλευσεν, οὐ τὴν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεων γνώμην κατανοῶν, ἀνθρώπων εκπαλαι γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων στερουμένων δι' αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς χεῖρας τῷ ἀδελφικῷ λύθρῳ καταμιαινόντων· οι  ταχεῖαν εσεσθαι καὶ οὐκ εἰς τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐκταθῆναι τὴν αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς ὑπαίθροις διατριβὴν προσδοκήσαντες πρὸς πᾶν μὲν ησαν κατ' ἀρχὰς εὐπειθεῖς, ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ χρόνος ηδη που ἐξετέτατο (τρίτος γὰρ ἐξηνύετο) καὶ ἀνηνύτοις ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμέραν γινομένων ἐδόκουν ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἀν- δρὸς ἑνὸς ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ ἀπονοίᾳ δουλεύοντες, τηνικαῦτα τὸ κε- λευσθὲν ὡς ερμαιόν τι λαβόντες οὐχ ωσπερ ἐκεῖνος ἐβούλετο ἐξε- πλήρουν, ἀλλὰ ὡς αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει καλόν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐγκλῖναι τού- τοις εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐπέτρεπεν οσον τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως παράταξιν δια- λῦσαι καὶ αυθις ὑποστρέψαι στερρῶς φονεύοντας· οἱ δὲ κόσμῳ καὶ τακτικῇ ἐμπειρίᾳ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως στρατιὰν κατόπιν θέουσαν, 68 καὶ οὐχ ὡς ᾠήθη εὐδιαλύτως, εἰδότες ἀσχηματίστῳ χρῶνται φυγῇ, καὶ αλλος αλλῃ διεσκέδαστό τε καὶ διεφέρετο. ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν αλλοι, νῦν μὲν ὀλίγοι καὶ αυθις ετεροι, τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωροῦσι καὶ καθομολογοῦσιν αὐτῷ· αὐτὸς δὲ σὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶ πρὸς τὴν ̓Αδρια- νούπολιν σώζεται κἀκεῖσε τῆς φυγῆς ισταται. ὁ δέ γε τούτου νόθος τε καὶ παρέγγραπτος υἱὸς ̓Αναστάσιος τοῦ τῆς Βύζης φεύ- γων ἐπιλαμβάνεται πτολίσματος. καὶ οὐ κατὰ τύχην, οιμαι, κατὰ δὲ πρόνοιάν τινα, ιν' εκαστος τούτων πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑλκύων τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως προσεδρίαν τῷ ἑτέρῳ διδοῖ ανεσίν τε καὶ καιρὸν εἰς τὴν προνομήν. 19 ̓Αλλ' ο γε βασιλεὺς ἐκ ποδὸς τούτοις ἑπόμενος πρῶ- τον εγνω τὸν Θωμᾶν πολιορκεῖν καὶ τὴν προγεγενημένην εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποδοῦναι τούτῳ ποινήν. οθεν ἐπάγει αὐτῷ πολιορκίαν, οὐ διὰ μηχανημάτων η  αλλων τινῶν σπουδάζων αὐτὸν καθελεῖν, αμα μὲν τὸν ἐμφύλιον ἀποδιδράσκων πόλεμον, αμα δὲ τῷ τοὺς τὴν Σκυθίαν οἰκοῦντας τῶν τοιούτων ἀμαθήτους κατασκευῶν βούλε- σθαι