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for he was then lacking so many things, as we have said, but by strategy and stratagems he made an attempt on the city. And since Serres had long been a very great city, but the Bulgarian John had besieged and destroyed it along with the other Macedonian cities, it happened to be like a village at that time, with only the acropolis being walled and prepared to receive a war; whose guard was a Bulgarian man, Dragotas by name, who had his home in Melenikon. Since, therefore, the lower city of Serres was unwalled—for the broken parts were perhaps fenced around with stones only, without mortar and not raised to a height—the emperor, gathering together those who served the soldiers for pay, whom the common tongue also calls *Tzouloukones*, incited them to seize it, since they were also lacking in necessities; and they were moved on their own to procure their needs. And seeing the place was easy to attack, taking their bows, and also their swords, and having improvised some planks as shields and holding these before them, shouting the war-cry they advance against the place with a shout, and in not many hours they were inside. So they plunder what was found there. But those inside, as many as had not managed to run up to the acropolis, went out as suppliants to the emperor. And when Dragotas, who held the city, saw the lower town captured, being a Bulgarian man and least of all trained to defend a city for a long time, and having also learned of the death of his master, by good fortune, not holding out for long, he sends an embassy to the emperor. And the city at once acclaimed the emperor, and Dragotas put on a purple cloak interwoven with gold and received a multitude of gold staters. He therefore made splendid promises to the emperor concerning Melenikon, which were moreover exceedingly true.

44 So Dragotas, having received all these things from the emperor and being put forth as a bait, departed. And when he arrived at Melenikon, he makes everything clear to the inhabitants and stirs them up to betray the city to the emperor, not saying these things openly, but secretly conferring with the majority about this. And since Nicholas Litoboes, who was managing the leadership of the city, was very ill and pinned to his bed by pains in his feet, everyone was free to do what they wished for themselves. And since Nicholas Manglabites was one of the more distinguished among the inhabitants of Melenikon, an energetic man and skilled at adapting to the vicissitudes of the times, having detected and learned Dragotas's plans, that he would be able to accomplish what he had promised the emperor, having won over the greater part of the populace, he ceased speaking in secret and openly proposed to all what was advantageous, saying that "it fell to us to endure hardship beforehand under the rule of the son of Kaliman, and it was hoped that he would grow to manhood and that from him we would in turn receive rewards for our suffering when he came of age, when one would be able to distinguish a good man from a bad. But since by a wicked fate we have been deprived of this one, and another infant is set before us for the rule of the Bulgarians, we would appear worse than any fool, if we should give ourselves over again to other misfortunes, choosing to continue our whole life without a master, from which many and greater evils arise. But since the emperor of the Romans has drawn near to us, it is necessary to entrust ourselves to him, to a faithful master who knows a man both bad and good, and who has had a claim among us for a long time. For our land belongs to the rule of the Romans—for the Bulgarians, having acted rather aggressively in these matters, have become masters of Melenikon—and we all originate from Philippopolis, Romans pure in race. Besides, the emperor of the Romans has a true claim among us, even if we belonged to the Bulgarians; for his son

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γὰρ ηὐμοίρει τότε τοσούτων, κα θὼς εἰρήκαμεν, στρατηγίᾳ δὲ καὶ μεθοδεύμασιν ἀπεπειρᾶτο τοῦ ἄστεος. ἐπεὶ δ' αἱ Σέρραι πάλαι μὲν ὑπῆρχε πόλις μεγίστη, ὁ δὲ Βούλγαρος Ἰωάννης μετὰ τῶν λοιπῶν Μακε δονικῶν πόλεων καὶ ταύτην πολιορκήσας κατήρειψεν, ὡς κώμη τότε ἐτύγχανε, τῆς ἀκροπόλεως μόνης περιτετει χισμένης καὶ ηὐτρεπισμένης δέξασθαι πόλεμον· ἧς φύλαξ ἦν ἀνὴρ Βούλγαρος ∆ραγωτᾶς τὴν κλῆσιν, ἐς Μελενίκον τὰς οἰκήσεις ποιούμενος. ἐπεὶ γοῦν ἡ κάτω πόλις Σερ ρῶν ἀτείχιστος ἦν-λίθοις γὰρ καὶ μόνοις ἀσβέστου δίχα καὶ μὴ ἀνηγμένοις εἰς ὕψος τὰ τεθραυσμένα τάχα περιεφράγνυτο-τοὺς ἐπὶ μισθῷ τοῖς στρατιώταις δου λεύοντας, οὓς καὶ Τζουλούκωνας ἡ χυδαία γλῶττα κατονο μάζει, συναθροίσας ὁ βασιλεὺς κρατῆσαι ταύτης ἠρέθιζεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐσπάνιζον· οἳ καὶ οἴκοθεν ἐκινοῦντο πρὸς τὸ εὐπορῆσαι τῶν χρειωδῶν. ὁρῶντες δὲ καὶ τὴν χώραν εὐεπίβατον, τὰ τόξα λαβόντες, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰς σπάθας, καί τινας σανίδας ἐξαυτοσχεδιάσαντες ὡς ἀσπίδας καὶ ταύ τας προβεβλημένοι, τὸ ἀρεϊκὸν ἀλαλάξαντες χωροῦσι κατὰ τῆς χώρας αὐτοβοεί, καὶ ἐν οὐ πολλαῖς ὥραις ἐντὸς ἐγέ νοντο. σκυλεύουσι γοῦν τὰ παρευρεθέντα. οἱ δέ γε ἐντός, ὅσοι μὴ ἐπεφθάκεισαν εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀναδραμεῖν, ἱκέται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐξῄεσαν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ κρατῶν τοῦ ἄστεος ∆ραγωτᾶς τὴν κάτω χώραν εἶδεν ἁλοῦσαν, ἀνὴρ Βούλγαρος καὶ ἥκιστα πεπαιδευμένος ἄστυ χρονίως διαφυλάττειν, μα θὼν δὲ καὶ τὸν τοῦ δεσπότου αὐτοῦ θάνατον, τύχῃ ἀγαθῇ οὐ διὰ μακροῦ καρτερήσας διαπρεσβεύεται πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄστυ εὐθὺς τὸν βασιλέα ἐφήμιζεν, ἁλουργὸν δὲ χλαῖναν ὁ ∆ραγωτᾶς χρυσίῳ συνυφασμένην ἐνεδέδυτο καὶ στατήρων πλῆθος χρυσῶν ἐδέδεκτο. ὑποσχέσεις γοῦν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Μελενίκου λαμπρὰς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐποιεῖτο, μᾶλλον καὶ ὑπεράγαν ἀληθεῖς.

44 Πάντα γοῦν ταῦτα πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως λαβὼν ὁ ∆ραγωτᾶς καὶ ὡς δέλεαρ ὑποβεβλημένος ἀπῄει. ἐπεὶ δὲ φθάσοι ἐς Μελενίκον, πάντα προῦπτα τοῖς ἐποίκοις ποιεῖται καὶ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς διεγείρει προδοῦναι τὸ ἄστυ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐν τῷ φανερῷ μὲν οὐ ταῦτα λέγων, κρύφα δὲ τοῖς πλείστοις περὶ τούτου κοινολογούμενος. ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν διέπων τοῦ ἄστεος ὁ Λιτοβόης Νικόλαος κατάνοσος ἦν καὶ τῇ κλίνῃ ταῖς τῶν ποδῶν ἀλγηδόσι προσπεπατταλευμένος, ἐλευθέρως εἶχον οἱ πάντες διαπράττεσθαι σφίσι τὰ βουλητά. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὁ Μαγκλαβίτης Νικόλαος εἷς ἦν τῶν ἐπιφανε στέρων ἐν τοῖς τοῦ Μελενίκου οἰκήτορσιν, ἀνὴρ δραστήριος καὶ δεινὸς καιρικαῖς περιπετείαις συμμεταβάλλεσθαι, τὰ τοῦ ∆ραγωτᾶ φωράσας καὶ γνούς, ὡς δυνηθείη ἂν τὰ ὑπεσχη μένα τῷ βασιλεῖ διαπράξασθαι, τοῦ πλήθους τὸ πλεῖον ὑπαγαγών, τοῦ κρύφα λέγειν ἀποστὰς ἐς τὸ φανερὸν τοῖς πᾶσιν ὑπέθετο τὰ συνοίσοντα, εἰρηκὼς ὡς «ἡμῖν μὲν ἐγέ νετο προσταλαιπωρῆσαι τῇ τοῦ παιδὸς τοῦ Καλιμάνου ἀρχῇ, καὶ ἦν πρὸς ἐλπίδος ἀνδρωθῆναί τε τοῦτον καὶ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῆς κακοπαθείας ἀντιλαβεῖν εἰς ἡλικίαν ἐλθόντος, ὅτε διακρῖναι δύναιτ' ἄν τις ἀπὸ φαύλου ἄνδρα καλόν. ἐπεὶ δὲ τούτου κακούργῳ τύχῃ ἡμάρτομεν, πρόκει ται δὲ ἡμῖν βρεφύλλιον ἄλλο εἰς τὴν τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχήν, παντὸς ἂν ἀνοηταίνοντος χείρους φανείημεν, εἰ πάλιν πρὸς δυσπραγίας ἄλλας αὐτοὺς ἐπιδοίημεν, ἀδέσποτοι τὸν πάντα βίον διατελεῖν αἱρούμενοι, ὑφ' οὗ πολλά τε καὶ μείζω τὰ δεινὰ φύεται. ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς ἡμῖν ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων προσήγγισε, δεῖ αὐτῷ ἑαυτοὺς ἐγχειρίσασθαι, δεσπότῃ πιστῷ καὶ εἰδότι ἄνδρα ἠδὲ κακὸν ἠδὲ καὶ ἐσθλόν, καὶ δίκαιον ἐν ἡμῖν ἔκπαλαι σχόντι. ὅ τε γὰρ ἡμέτερος χῶρος τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων προσήκει ἀρχῇ-πλεονεκτικώτερον γὰρ οἱ Βούλ γαροι τοῖς πράγμασι χρησάμενοι καὶ τοῦ Μελενίκου γεγένην ται ἐγκρατεῖς-ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες καὶ ἐκ Φιλιππουπόλεως ὁρμώμεθα, καθαροὶ τὸ γένος Ῥωμαῖοι. ἄλλως τε καὶ ὁ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν δικαιοῦται, καὶ εἰ Βουλγάροις προσήκοιμεν· ὁ γὰρ υἱὸς τούτου