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of the monastery, a man boasting of knowing much, but being experienced in few things. But this man, after enjoying the throne for only three months, has died. So the church was deprived of a high priest. For the emperor John, not being quick in such matters, could not easily find a worthy man offhand, or rather one who would please him; for rulers especially accept in these matters those who are agreeable, so that they may have none to oppose their wishes. So a considerable time passed by, and there was no one to lead the flock.

43 So then the emperor John, as we have said, made his way to the opposite and western land for the purpose of inspecting the countries there and the cities in them; for up to the town of Zichna, so named, being somewhere near Serres, he was master of all. At that time the ruler of the Bulgarians was Kaliman, the son of Asan, being twelve years old. So when the emperor came to the region of Kissos and, having spent the day there, on the morrow he set out on his journey, and had reached the river Hebrus, which makes its stream near the monastery called of Beros, and is called Maritsa in the rustic dialect. And when the emperor was in the middle of the river—for it was passable for horses on foot, since it happened to be the end of summer; for it was the third or fourth of waning September—a message was delivered, sealed in writing, sent from the one who held public office in Achrida, that Kaliman, the ruler of the Bulgarians, had ended his life, as some said, suffering this from a natural disease, but others said otherwise, that he was destroyed by a secretly prepared drink with a fatal purpose by those hostile to him. But whether in this way or another he departed from men, and the report was true; for it was confirmed by successive messages. The emperor, therefore, learning these things, proceeded onward, and quickly reached Philippi, having passed by Christopolis. And there he held a consultation with his chief men, whether it was necessary to attack the Bulgarians and subdue some of the places held by them, and whether it is easy for us to capture the city of Serres. Some advised the emperor against the battle with the Bulgarians; for they said he was not leading a battle-worthy army, since it was not prepared for a fight, but he was making his expedition only for the sake of inspecting his own territories. But the city of Serres, which it was necessary to attack first, is impregnable on account of being elevated above the ground, and to be surrounded by so large an army is no longer easy; and to set up siege engines against it has become among the impossible things. To attack and after an attempt to be repulsed would be a shame for the power of the Roman empire—for their reputation in such matters is very great—and to incite the Bulgarians, who are at peace, to battle is no longer advantageous. These things those who were dissuading the emperor from the undertaking advised. But Andronikos Palaiologos, whom my account has previously mentioned as grand domestic, advised the emperor rather to the contrary: "It is necessary to make an attempt on the city of Serres; and if we should conquer it, we will have gained no small advantage, and the affairs of the Bulgarians will be humbled and they would more easily accept an embassy of friendship, since their lord is also out of the way, and another infant is about to rule the Bulgarians, Michael, born to Asan from Irene, the daughter of Theodore Angelos. But if it should happen that we do not overcome the city, what is the harm brought to the Roman empire? For having made the attempt, we shall be at peace and shall again send an embassy to the Bulgarians, and they would gladly receive the embassy, being ruled by an infant, who knows nothing of the things of war. And each one loves the things of peace, aiming for rest." It seemed to the emperor that the grand domestic had advised best, and so he took the road leading to Serres as he was, and having come near them he pitched his tents and encamped against them, though not indeed with a battle-worthy army, not

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μονῆς, ἀνὴρ αὐχῶν μὲν εἰδέναι πολλά, ὀλίγων δὲ ἴδρις ὤν. ἀλλ' οὗτος τρεῖς καὶ μόνους μῆνας ἐπαπολαύσας τοῦ θρόνου τετελεύτηκεν. ἐστέρετο γοῦν ἀρχιερέως ἡ ἐκκλησία. ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάν νης ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις μὴ πρόχειρος ὢν οὐκ εὐχερῶς εἶχεν ἐκ τοῦ προχείρου τὸν ἄξιον ἐφευρεῖν, ἢ μᾶλλον τὸν ἐκείνῳ ἀρέσοντα· μάλιστα γὰρ οἱ κρατοῦντες τοὺς πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν ἐν τούτοις προσίενται, ὡς ἂν μή τινας ἔχοιεν ἀντερίζοντας τοῖς βουλήμασι. παρερρύη γοῦν χρόνος συχνός, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ διεξάγων τὸ ποίμνιον.

43 Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης, ὡς ἔφημεν, εἰς τὴν ἀντιπέραν καὶ δυτικὴν ἐποιεῖτο τὸν βάδον χάριν τοῦ τὰς ἐκεῖσε χώρας καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς κατοπτεύσασθαι ἄστη· καὶ μέχρι γὰρ τοῦ οὕτω πως ὀνομαζομένου ἄστεος Ζίχνα, ἐγγύς που ὄντος Σερρῶν, ἁπάντων ἐδέσποζεν. ἦρχε μὲν τότε Βουλγάρων ὁ τοῦ Ἀσὰν υἱὸς Καλιμᾶνος, δωδεκέτης ὤν. ἐπεὶ γοῦν περὶ τὰ μέρη τοῦ Κισσοῦ ὁ βασιλεὺς γένοιτο κἀκεῖσε διημερεύσας τὴν ἐπαύριον τῆς πορείας εἴχετο, ἐπεφθάκει δὲ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν Ἕβρον, πλησίον τῆς μονῆς τοῦ Βηρὸς ὀνομαζομένης ποιούμενον τὰς ῥοάς, Μαρίτζαν δὲ καλούμενον χωριτικῇ διαλέκτῳ. κατὰ δὲ τὸ μέσον τοῦ ποταμοῦ γενομένου τοῦ βασιλέως-ποσὶ γὰρ ἵππων ὑπῆρχε βατός, ἐπείπερ θέρους τέλος ἐτύγχανε· φθίνοντος γὰρ τρίτη ἢ καὶ τετάρτη Σεπτεβρίου ἦν-μήνυμα διακεκόμισται σεσημασμένον γραφῇ σταλείσῃ παρὰ τοῦ τὴν δημόσιον τῆς Ἀχριδῶν κρατοῦντος ἀρχήν, ὡς ὁ Καλιμᾶνος ὁ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἄρχων τὸν βίοτον ἐξεμέτρησεν, ὥς τινες μὲν ἔφασκον, φυσικῇ νόσῳ τοῦτο παθών, οἱ δ' ἄλ λως ἔλεγον, ὡς ἐναντιόφροσι τούτῳ πόματι κρύφα ἐσκευασμέ νῳ πρὸς μόρον διέφθαρται. ἀλλ' οὗτος μὲν εἴθ' οὕτως εἴτ' ἄλλως ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐγένετο, καὶ ἦν ὁ λόγος ἀληθείας ἐχόμενος· συνεχέσι γὰρ διεβεβαιοῦτο μηνύμασιν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς ταῦτα μαθὼν τοῦ πρόσω εἴχετο, καὶ τάχος φθάνει τὴν Φιλίππους, παραμείψας Χριστούπολιν. κἀκεῖσε σκέψιν ἐποιεῖτο μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ λογάδων, εἰ δεῖ προσ βαλεῖν τοῖς τῶν Βουλγάρων καὶ χειρώσασθαί τινα τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς κρατουμένων, καὶ εἰ εὐχερές ἐστιν ἁλῶναι ἡμῖν τὸ τῶν Σερρῶν ἄστυ. τινὲς μὲν ἀπηγόρευον τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν κατὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων μάχην· οὐ γὰρ ἀξιόμαχον ἔλεγον ἄγειν στρατόν, ἐπεὶ μηδὲ πρὸς μάχην ηὐτρέπιστο, ἀλλὰ κατὰ μόνην θέαν τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐποιεῖτο τὴν κίνησιν. τὸ δὲ τῶν Σερρῶν ἄστυ, ᾧ πρώτως προσβαλεῖν ἔδει, ἄμαχον μέν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ ὑπερκεῖσθαι τῆς γῆς, κυκλωθῆναι δὲ τοσούτῳ στρατεύματι οὐκέτι ῥᾷόν ἐστιν· ἑλεπόλεις δὲ στῆσαι κατ' αὐτοῦ τῶν ἀμηχάνων καθέστηκε. προσβαλεῖν δὲ καὶ μετὰ πεῖραν ἀποκρουσθῆναι αἰδὼς μὲν ὑπάρχει τῷ κράτει τῆς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς-φήμη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς τοι ούτοις πάνυ πολλὴ-καὶ τὸ πρὸς μάχην παροτρῦναι Βουλγάρους ἐφησυχάζοντας οὐκέτι συμφέρει. ταῦτα συν εβούλευον οἱ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως ἀποτρέποντες. ὁ δὲ Παλαιολόγος Ἀνδρόνικος, ὃν μέγαν δομέστικον ὁ λό γος μοι προϊστόρησε, τὰ ἐναντία μᾶλλον τῷ βασιλεῖ συν εβούλευε· «καὶ ἀποπειρᾶσθαι χρὴ τοῦ ἄστεος τῶν Σερρῶν· καὶ εἰ μὲν κρατήσαιμεν τούτου, κέρδος ἐσχήκαμεν οὐ μικρόν, καὶ μᾶλλον τὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων ταπεινωθήσονται καὶ τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης πρεσβείαν εὐχερέστερον δέξαιντο, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκ ποδὼν αὐτῶν ὁ δεσπότης, μέλλει δὲ καὶ ἄλλο βρέφος ἄρξαι τῶν Βουλγάρων, ὁ ἐκ τῆς Εἰρήνης τῆς τοῦ Ἀγγέλου Θεο δώρου τῷ Ἀσὰν γεννηθεὶς Μιχαήλ. εἰ δὲ μὴ περιγενέσθαι ἡμᾶς συμβαίη τοῦ ἄστεος, τί τὸ ζημίαν ἐπάγον τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ; λαβόντες γὰρ διάπειραν ἠρεμήσομεν καὶ πάλιν διαπρεσβεύσομεν πρὸς Βουλγάρους, κἀκεῖνοι ἀσμένως τὴν πρεσβείαν δέξαιντο ὑπὸ βρέφους ἀρχόμενοι, ὅ, τι τὰ πρὸς μάχην οὐκ οἶδεν. ἕκαστος δὲ τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης φιλεῖ, τῆς ἀναπαύσεως στοχαζόμενος.» Ἔδοξε τῷ βασιλεῖ ἄριστα βεβουλεῦσθαι τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον, καὶ δὴ τῆς πρὸς τὰς Σέρρας φερούσης ὡς εἶχεν ἥψατο, σχεδόν τ' ἐκείνων γενόμενος ἐπήξατό τε τὰς σκηνὰς καὶ κατ' αὐτῶν ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο, οὔκουν μὲν δι' ἀξιομάχου στρατοῦ, οὐ