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and Emperor Theodore had been related by marriage to the emperor of the Bulgarians, Asan, and now the daughter of Emperor Asan, the wife of such an emperor, is both called and is empress of the Romans. For the sake of all these things, therefore, leaving behind most of what is being said, one must go to him and bow our necks to the yoke of servitude; for the yoke of prudent and old emperors is good, and much lighter than that of those who are still youths.” Having said these things, he persuaded all to belong to the emperor without effort and without much trouble. And so, having sent certain envoys from their fellow inhabitants, perhaps secretly, but more likely known to the majority, they made agreements with the emperor. A golden bull, then, having been drawn up by the emperor containing what had been requested for them and given to the envoys of Melenikon, was ordered to be sent to the inhabitants. And not long after, they all gathered together with one accord, as many of the leading men, as many of those enrolled in military service, and as many as were otherwise superior among the inhabitants, and came to the emperor, who was encamped around a place called Balabisda, well-dressed and honored men, and worthy of respect and honor from their appearance alone, being over five hundred in number; whom I myself said upon seeing: “What battle delivered them to us? Or how many phalanxes of horsemen overcame so many? But with the better one, even things nearly unattemptable are easiest, and from this it is clear how true is the saying of the apostle Paul, ‘it is not of him who runs, nor of him who pursues, but of God who shows mercy.’” Therefore one must not altogether praise or indeed blame the general. For some, having struggled much with zeal and intensity, dealing more actively with the present circumstances, accomplished little or nothing, and some were even greatly tripped up; but others, having been blessed with good fortune, proceeding to their tasks without practice, became the authors of great victories, such as what then happened also to Emperor John. For he had become lord of many cities and many lands in an instant, with no war having occurred, nor anyone having fallen in battle, nor blood having been shed, nor sword having danced over a body; but gently and calmly, as if it were some patrimony belonging to him from his father, he took control of all these things without a fight. For Stenimachos and Tsepaina, and all the towns and villages lying alongside the Rhodope mountain, became subject to him, and the Hebros river was the boundary for him and the Bulgarians. And from the northern part, Stoubion and Chotobos, certain strong fortresses, and the region of Belebusdion were under the emperor, and Skopia and Belesos; and as far as Prilep and the regions of Pelagonia, Neustapolis and Prosakos, all became subject to the emperor. And on these terms treaties were made by the Bulgarians with the emperor, that he should be content with these alone and not advance further. And these things happened in this way, and I myself was serving in epistolary matters, composing an imperial letter for each of the captured cities and lands; for this is an ancient custom for the emperors of the Romans, to make their own achievements clear to those afar through letters and to stir up pleasure, in which they too partake through these deeds.

45 When, therefore, these things had been accomplished by the emperor, having become the cause of great pleasure to him, and no less also to all the Romans who saw a certain increase of power and expansion of the empire, it was indeed the emperor’s wish to think of returning and to march back to the east—for indeed the season demanded this; for the month of October had passed, and November was passing somewhere around its middle— but a certain good and very useful report checked his impulse. For Thessalonica, as we have previously related, recognized the son of Theodore, Demetrios, and

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καὶ βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρος τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Βουλγάρων τῷ Ἀσὰν κεκήδευτο, καὶ νῦν ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ Ἀσὰν θυγάτηρ ἡ σύζυγος τοῦ τοιούτου βασιλέως δέσποινα Ῥωμαίων ὀνομά ζεταί τε καὶ ἐστί. τούτων οὖν ἁπάντων χάριν τὰ πολλὰ τῶν λεγομένων καταλιπόντας ἐπ' αὐτῷ χρὴ ἰέναι καὶ τοὺς αὐχένας ὑποκλῖναι τῷ τῆς δουλείας ζυγῷ· χρηστὸς γὰρ ὁ ζυγὸς τῶν φρονίμων βασιλέων καὶ γηραιῶν, καὶ πολλῷ κου φότερος τῶν ἔτι διατελούντων ἐν μείραξι.» Ταῦτ' εἰρηκὼς πέπεικε πάντας ἀπονητὶ καὶ πολλῶν ἄτερ πραγμάτων γενέσθαι τοῦ βασιλέως. καὶ δὴ πρέσβεις τινὰς τῶν συνεποίκων στείλαντες, τάχα μὲν κρύφα, μᾶλλον δὲ γι νωσκομένους τοῖς πλείοσι, συμβιβάσεις μετὰ τοῦ βασιλέως πεποίηνται. χρυσόβουλλος γοῦν τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν ᾐτημένων σφίσι περιληπτικὸς γεγενημένος καὶ δεδομένος τοῖς πρέσβεσι τοῖς τοῦ Μελενίκου ἀποσταλῆναι προσετάχθη οἰκήτορσι. καὶ οἳ μετ' οὐ πολὺ ὁμοθυμαδὸν πάντες συνειλεγμένοι, ὅσοι τε τῶν προυχόντων, ὅσοι τῶν ἐν στρατείᾳ κατειλεγμένων καὶ ὅσοι κρείττους ἄλλως τῶν οἰκητόρων, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκοντο, σκηνούμενον περὶ τόπον Βαλαβίσδαν οὕτω πως ἐπονομα ζόμενον, ἄνδρες εὐσταλεῖς τε καὶ ἔντιμοι κἀκ μόνης θέας αἰδοῦς καὶ τιμῆς ἄξιοι, ὑπὲρ πεντακοσίους τυγχάνοντες· οὓς αὐτὸς εἰρήκειν ἰδών· «ποία ὁπλομαχία ἡμῖν αὐτοὺς παρεστήσατο; ἢ πόσαι φάλαγγες ἱππέων τῶν τοσούτων περιεγένοντο; ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ κρείττονι ῥᾷστα καὶ τὰ μικροῦ δεῖν ἀνεπιχείρητα, κἀντεῦθεν δῆλον ὡς ἀληθές ἐστι τὸ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ Παύλῳ εἰρημένον, «οὐ τοῦ τρέχοντος οὐδὲ τοῦ διώκοντος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ εὐδοκοῦντος θεοῦ.» τῷ τοι καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν οὐ δεῖ πάμπαν ἐπαινεῖν οὔτε μὴν ψέγειν. πολλὰ γάρ τινες διαγωνισάμενοι σπουδαίως τε καὶ συντόνως, δρα στικώτερον τοῖς παροῦσι χρησάμενοι, μικρὸν ἢ οὐδὲν κατωρ θώσαντο, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ ἐσφάλλοντο πλεῖστα· ἕτεροι δὲ δεξιᾶς ηὐμοιρηκότες τύχης, ἀμελετήτως περὶ τὰ ἔργα χωροῦντες μεγάλων τροπαίων ἐγένοντο αὐτουργοί, οἷόν τι ξυνέβη τῷ τότε καὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰωάννῃ. πολλῶν γὰρ ἄστεων καὶ χώ ρων πολλῶν ἐγεγόνει δεσπότης ἐν ἀκαρεῖ, μή τινος πολέμου γεγενημένου μηδέ τινος πεσόντος ἐν μάχῃ μηδὲ χυθέντος αἵματος μηδὲ ξίφους κατορχησαμένου σώματος· ἀλλ' ἡμέρως καὶ γαληνῶς ὥσπερ τινὸς κλήρου πατρόθεν τούτῳ προσήκον τος ἀνιδιτὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἁπάντων κατῆρξε. Στενίμαχος γὰρ καὶ Τζέπαινα, καὶ ὅσα ἦν τῷ τῆς Ῥοδόπης ὄρει παρα κείμενα πολίχνιά τε καὶ κωμοπόλεις, ὑπόφορα τούτῳ γεγέ νηνται, καὶ ὅρος αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς Βουλγάροις Ἕβρος ἦν ποταμός. ἐκ δὲ τοῦ πρὸς βορρᾶν μέρους Στούμπιόν τε καὶ Χοτοβὸς ὀχυρὰ ἄττα φρούρια καὶ χῶρος ὁ Βελεβουσδίου ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἦν, Σκόπιά τε καὶ Βελεσός· καὶ μέχρι Πριλάπου καὶ τῶν Πελαγονίας χωρίων, Νευστάπολίς τε καὶ Πρόσακος, τὰ πάντα ὑπῆρξε τῷ βασιλεῖ ὑποχείρια. καὶ σπονδαὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις τῶν Βουλγάρων τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐγεγόνεισαν, τοῖς τοιούτοις καὶ μόνοις ἀρκεῖσθαι τοῦτον καὶ μὴ περαι τέρω κατεπεμβαίνειν. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως ἔσχον τὸν τρό πον, ἐγὼ δὲ αὐτὸς ἐν τοῖς ἐπιστολιμαίοις τῶν λόγων ὑπούρ γουν, ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἁλισκομένων ἄστεών τε καὶ χωρῶν καὶ γραφὴν ἐγχαράττων βασιλικήν· ἔθος γὰρ τοῦτο παλαιὸν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι Ῥωμαίων, δῆλα τοῖς μακρόθεν διὰ γραμμά των ποιεῖν τὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν κατορθώματα καὶ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ἐπεγείρειν, ἧς δὴ καὶ οὗτοι διὰ τῶν ἔργων μεταλαγχάνουσιν.

45 Ἐπεὶ γοῦν οὕτω ταῦτα διεπράχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ, πολ λῆς μὲν ἡδονῆς αἴτια τούτῳ γεγενημένα, οὐχ ἧττον δὲ καὶ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις αὔξησίν τινα κατιδοῦσι τοῦ κράτους καὶ πλατυσμὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἦν μὲν πρὸς βουλήσεως τῷ βασιλεῖ μνήσασθαι νόστου καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἕω ἐπαναζεῦξαι-καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ καιρὸς τοῦτο ἀπῄτει· μὴν γὰρ παρερρύη Ὀκτώβριος, καὶ περί που τὰ μέσα τούτου διήρχετο ὁ Νοέμβριος- ἀλλά τις λόγος χρηστὸς καὶ πάνυ ὠφέλιμος ἐνεπόδιζε τὴν ὁρμήν. ἡ γὰρ Θεσσαλονίκη, καθώσπερ προϊστορήσαμεν, τὸν τοῦ Θεοδώρου υἱὸν τὸν ∆ημήτριον ἐγνώριζέ τε