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An oath among the Thessalonians has more force than other oaths—»The Campanus is such a man as the Spartenus is, and he is so disposed toward you just as is the Spartenus, whom you have known to love you more than all other men.» Thus the Spartenus skillfully dispelled the villainy that was about to be discovered. The emperor John, then, having set his armies in motion, marched straight for Thessalonica and encamped around it. For he was not able to besiege it—for he did not have sufficient forces for this—but he sent embassies and sought for Demetrius to come out to him, as had been sworn to him, and also to establish a market outside of Thessalonica, so that the armies might be able to buy their necessaries. But he, employing treacherous advisors, was not permitted to do any such thing. But after very few days had passed, while a small part of the army was stationed near the small gate by the sea so-named, in order that no one from the city might unexpectedly come out and do some harm to those of the army, suddenly from it arose a shout that the gate had been opened by some of those within. And the guarding force followed the shout, and the entire army, having armed itself, advanced with the ruler and in an instant Thessalonica held all the emperor’s men within. The emperor stood by the gate of the city that looks to the east. And Demetrius’s sister Irene, the wife of Asan of the Bulgarians, came and knelt and entreated that her brother not suffer the loss of his eyes. But Demetrius had already gone up into the acropolis. Having received sworn guarantees from the emperor that he would not lose his eyes, she went away to her brother and brought him out to the emperor. He was of the age of a youth, having recently entered it and not yet having a beard growing, but he was handsome in appearance and stature. And the emperor honored her, as if assuming her humility. For when she dismounted from her horse, then the emperor also, dismounting from his own vehicle, stood on foot with her. Thus then the city of Thessalonica came under the emperor John, or rather, under the Romans; for those holding it were hostile to the Romans.

46 And the emperor, after remaining for very few days in Thessalonica—for the winter season was pressing him; for it happened to be the month of December—leaving in it the grand domestic Andronicus Comnenus Palaeologus, whom we have often mentioned, who held the first rank of those appointed in military commands, a most prudent and most gentle man and one who knew well both how to arm for battle and to direct the people both in times of war and peace, returned victorious to the east, admired by all and celebrated for so swift and great a victory, not only by his own people but also by foreigners; for the achievement and the succession of triumphs seemed beyond the natural order, and to have been accomplished more by the providence of God than by strategic methods. And he left as a guard for both Melenicus and Serres and the regions around them the first son of the aforementioned grand domestic, Michael Comnenus, whom after some years the empire of the Romans gained for its good fortune and glory, and he sent another elsewhere for the security of the lands and cities, and over them all the grand domestic, so that all might obey what was said and commanded by him. The emperor therefore, having crossed over to the parts of the east, continued on, and kept Demetrius, whom he had removed from the rule of the Thessalonians, imprisoned in the fortress of Lentiana. But the grand domestic, having survived a short time and having distinguished himself well in his office, falling ill and having his hair shorn, his life

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ὅρκος παρὰ Θεσσα λονικεῦσι πλέον τῶν ἄλλων ἰσχύει ὅρκων-»τοιοῦτός ἐστιν ὁ Καμπανὸς ὁποῖός ἐστιν ὁ Σπαρτηνός, καὶ οὕτω διάκειται περί σε καθά γε δὴ καὶ ὁ Σπαρτηνός, ὃν ἁπάντων ἀνθρώ πων πλέον σε φιλοῦντα ἐπέγνωκας.» οὕτως ὁ Σπαρτηνὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν φωραθῆναι ῥᾳδιουγρίαν οἰκονομικῶς διεσκέδασεν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης ἀπάρας τὰ στρατεύματα ἐπὶ τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην ἐξ ὀρθοῦ χωρεῖ καὶ περὶ ταύτην ἐστρατοπεδεύσατο. πολιορκῆσαι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ- οὐ γὰρ ἀρκούσας εἶχε τὰς ἐπὶ τούτῳ δυνάμεις-πρεσβείας δὲ ἐποίει καὶ ἐζήτει ἐξελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν ∆ημήτριον, καθὼς ἦν ὀμωμοσμένον αὐτῷ, ἔτι δὲ ποιῆσαι καὶ ἀγορὰν ἔξω τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν ὠνεῖσθαι τὰ χρειώδη τὰ στρατεύματα. ὁ δὲ τοῖς ἐπιβούλοις συμβούλοις χρώμενος οὐδέν τι τῶν τοιούτων ποιῆσαι παρεχωρεῖτο. πάνυ δὲ ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν παραδραμουσῶν, ὀλίγου τινὸς στρατεύματος πλησίον ἱσταμένου τῆς μικρᾶς πύλης τῆς παρὰ τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐπονομαζο μένης διὰ τὸ μὴ ἀπροόπτως ἐξελθεῖν τινας τῶν τῆς πόλεως καί τινας λυμαίνεσθαι τῶν ἐκ τοῦ στρατοῦ, ἐξαπίνης ἐκ ταύτης ἐγεγόνει βοή, ὡς ἤνοικται ἡ πύλη παρά τινων τῶν ἐντός. καὶ τῇ βοῇ συνείπετο ἡ παραφυλάττουσα δύναμις, καὶ σύμπαν τε τὸ στράτευμα ὁπλισθὲν μετὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἐφοίτα καὶ ἐν ἀκαρεῖ πάντας εἶχεν ἡ Θεσσαλονίκη τοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐντός. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἔστη παρὰ τὴν πρὸς ἀνατολὰς βλέπουσαν πύ λην τῆς πόλεως. καὶ ἡ τοῦ ∆ημητρίου ἀδελφὴ Εἰρήνη, τοῦ Βουλγάρων Ἀσὰν γαμετή, παρέστη γονυπετοῦσα καὶ ποτνιωμένη, μὴ παθεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῆς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν στέ ρησιν. ὁ δὲ ∆ημήτριος ἔφθη εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν ἀναβάς. ἐγγύας δὲ ἐνωμότους πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως λαβοῦσα, ὡς οὐκ ἀπολέσει οὗτος τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἀπῄει τε παρὰ τὸν ἀδελφὸν καὶ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τοῦτον ἐξήγαγεν. ἦν δὲ φέρων οὗτος τὴν ἡλικίαν τοῦ μείρακος, προσεχῶς εἰς αὐτὴν παραγγείλας καὶ μήπω χνοάζων τὸ γένειον, ὡραῖος δὲ τὸ εἶδος καὶ τὴν φυήν. τετίμηκε δὲ ταύτην ὁ βασιλεύς, οἷα ἐκείνης σχηματι ζόμενος τὴν ταπείνωσιν. ὡς γὰρ ἀπέβη αὕτη τοῦ ἵππου, τηνικαῦτα καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τοῦ οἰκείου ὀχήματος ἀποβὰς πεζὸς ἕστηκε σὺν αὐτῇ. ἡ μὲν οὖν πόλις Θεσσαλονίκη οὕτως ὑπὸ τὸν βασιλέα γέγονεν Ἰωάννην, μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους· οἱ γὰρ αὐτὴν κρατοῦντες ἐναντιόφρονες Ῥωμαίοις ἐτέλουν.

46 Ὀλίγας δὲ πάνυ ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ Θεσσαλονίκῃ προσ καρτερήσας ὁ βασιλεύς- κατήπειγε γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ τοῦ χειμῶνος καιρός· ∆εκέβριος γὰρ ἐτύγχανε μήν-ἀφεὶς ἐν αὐτῇ τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον τὸν Κομνηνὸν Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν Παλαιολόγον, οὗ πολλάκις ἐμνήσθημεν, τὰ πρῶτα φέροντα τῶν ἐν στρατηγίαις τεταγμένων, ἄνδρα συνετώτατον καὶ πραότατον καὶ εὖ εἰδότα καὶ μάχῃ ὁπλίσαι καὶ διευθῦναι λαὸν καὶ ἐν πολεμικοῖς καὶ εἰρηνικοῖς τοῖς καιροῖς, νικητὴς ἐπανέζευξεν εἰς τὴν ἕω, θαυμαζόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων καὶ κλεϊζόμενος τῆς ταχινῆς οὕτω καὶ μεγίστης νίκης, οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν οἰκείων μόνων ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων· ὑπὲρ φυσικὴν γὰρ τάξιν ἔδοξε τὸ κατόρθωμα καὶ τῶν τροπαίων τὸ ἀλλεπάλληλον, καὶ θεοῦ μᾶλλον προνοίᾳ ἢ στρατηγικαῖς μεθόδοις ταυτὶ διαπράξασθαι. καταλέλοιπε δὲ καὶ εἴς τε τοῦ Μελενίκου καὶ τῶν Σερρῶν καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτὰς φυλα κὴν τὸν τοῦ εἰρημένου μεγάλου δομεστίκου πρῶτον υἱὸν τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαήλ, ὃν μετὰ χρόνους τινὰς ἡ τῶν Ῥω μαίων βασιλεία πεπλούτηκεν εἰς εὐτυχίαν ταύτης καὶ εὐδο ξίαν, ἄλλον τε ἀλλαχοῦ ἐπαφῆκεν εἰς ἀσφάλειαν τῶν χωρῶν τε καὶ πόλεων, ἐπάνω δὲ πάντων τὸν μέγαν δομέστικον, ὡς ἂν ὑπείκοιντο πάντες αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις τε καὶ προσταττομένοις. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς εἰς τὰ τῆς ἕω μέρη διαπεράσας διῆγε, καὶ τὸν ∆ημήτριον, ὃν τῆς Θεσσαλονικέων ἀρχῆς καθεῖλεν, ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ καθείρξας τῶν Λεντιανῶν ἐτήρει. ὁ δὲ μέγας δομέστικος ὀλίγον ἐπι βιοὺς χρόνον καὶ καλῶς διαπρέψας ἐν τῇ τούτου ἀρχῇ, νοσήσας καὶ τὴν τρίχα ἀποκαρεὶς τὸ βιοῦν