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the emperor persisted in the region of Ostrovos and was disheartened because he had not managed to accomplish anything worthy. The army was also indignant; for the season was winter, and they were short of necessities. But the emperor had remedied this; for he transported the necessities from Veria to the camp with mules and camels. While the emperor was thus disposed, unexpectedly there came to the emperor the refugee Glabas from Kastoria, and subsequently Theodore Petraliphas, the son-in-law of Demetrios Tornikes Komnenos, who had co-administered public affairs for Emperor John, being much loved and honored by him; for he called him brother in his letters. But he had passed from among men before his time. Therefore, there was no administrator of public affairs recognized by honor and the name of an office, but the emperor used for his service common and anonymous secretaries, Joseph Mesopotamites and Nikephoros Alyates who served him, and for more eloquent letters and those worthy of serious attention, John Makrotos and me. Now, the aforementioned Petraliphas, being the brother-in-law of Michael, when he came to the emperor, filled both the emperor himself and the armies with great cheer; for immediately Kastoria and all the country around it came over to the emperor, and the Deaboleis, both the lesser and the greater, became the emperor's. And Goulamos from Albanon, since he was operating around Kastoria with parts of the army from Albanon, having as his wife the niece of Empress Eirene, the daughter of her first cousin, enticed by the emperor's gentle words and letters of promise, came over to the emperor. The emperor, therefore, receiving all such men kindly, honored them fittingly. Learning these things, the despot Michael, and seeing his own affairs to be in great straits, while those of the emperor were proceeding favorably, sent an embassy to the emperor through the metropolitan of Naupaktos, Xeros, and his brother-in-law Malisenos and Lampetes, who, having come to terms with the emperor, made an agreement. And Michael released to the emperor the city of Prilep, and Velesos, and the fortress in Albanon, Kroas, and written oaths were issued by the emperor, and ambassadors were sent to him, Phokas of Philadelphia and the primikerios of the court Isaakios Doukas, whom they also called Mourtzouphlos, and Michael Hyaleas, and I myself. We therefore went to Michael, and found him in Larissa, and we fulfilled the treaties. And taking his son Nikephoros, whom the emperor had honored as despot on account of his granddaughter, and also Michael's uncle, the prisoner Theodore Angelos, we returned to the emperor who was encamped at Vodena. And thus these things had happened, and to such a conclusion the matters had come. Therefore, having wintered at Vodena, the emperor, in the spring season, after he had celebrated the day of the resurrection, leaving his armies somewhere and having appointed as their commanders the protovestiarios Alexios Raoul, who was the emperor's son-in-law by his niece, and Michael Komnenos Palaiologos, he arrived with a moderate force to inspect the lands recently acquired by him. And he went to Ochrid, and visited Deabolis and from there Kastoria. And in the autumn season, having prepared his armies, he took the road leading to the east.

50

Having passed by Thessalonica then and crossed Bisaltia, he pitched his tent at Philippi for a reason, as it seemed to him, of no small importance. For Nicholas Manglavites from Melenikon had made an accusation to the emperor against Michael Palaiologos, the aforementioned son of the megas domestikos, when he was at Vodena; but since it was not the time for an inquiry into such matters, but for a campaign and battle,

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βασιλεὺς προσεκαρτέρει τοῖς τοῦ Ὀστροβοῦ τόποις καὶ ἐβαρυθύμει ἐφ' ᾧ μὴ πέφθακεν ἄξιόν τι ἐργάσασθαι. ἠγανάκτει δὲ καὶ τὸ στράτευμα· ὁ καιρὸς γὰρ ἦν χειμέριος, ἐσπάνιζον δὲ καὶ τῶν χρειωδῶν. ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ τοιοῦτον τεθεράπευκεν· ἀπὸ Βερροίας γὰρ ἡμιόνοις καὶ καμήλοις τὰ χρειώδη διεκόμιζεν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ. οὑτωσὶ δὲ διατεθειμένου τοῦ βασιλέως παρ' ἐλπίδας ἐπιφοιτᾷ τῷ βασιλεῖ πρόσφυξ ὁ ἀπὸ Καστορίας Γλαβᾶς καὶ συνεχῶς ὁ Πετραλίφας Θεόδωρος ὁ ἐπὶ θυ γατρὶ γαμβρὸς τοῦ Τορνίκη ∆ημητρίου τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ, ὃς τὰ κοινὰ συνδιέπων ἦν τῷ βασιλεῖ Ἰωάννῃ, πάνυ παρ' αὐτοῦ φιλούμενος καὶ τιμώμενος· ἀδελφὸν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς γράμμασιν ἀπεκάλει. ἐξ ἀνθρώπων δὲ πρὸ καιροῦ γέγονεν. οἰκονόμος οὖν τῶν κοινῶν οὐκ ἦν ἐν τιμῇ καὶ ὀφφικίου ὀνόματι γνωριζόμενος, τοῖς τυχοῦσι δὲ ἐχρῆτο εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ γραμματικοῖς ἀνωνύμοις, τῷ Μεσποταμίτῃ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τῷ ἐξυπηρετήσαντι αὐτῷ Νικηφόρῳ τῷ Ἀλυάτῃ, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐλλογιμωτέροις γράμμασι καὶ ἀξίοις σπουδῆς τῷ Μακρωτῷ Ἰωάννῃ καὶ ἐμοί. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ῥηθεὶς Πετραλίφας τοῦ Μιχαὴλ γυναικάδελ φος ὤν, ἐπεὶ προσέλθοι τῷ βασιλεῖ, πολλῆς εὐθυμίας αὐ τόν τε τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τὰ στρατεύματα ἔπλησεν· εὐθὺς γὰρ ἡ Καστορία καὶ ἡ περὶ αὐτὴν ἅπασα χώρα προσερρύη τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ αἱ ∆εαβόλεις δέ, ἥ τε μικρὰ καὶ μεγάλη, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐγένοντο. καὶ ὁ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἀλβάνου δὲ Γουλάμος, ἐπεὶ πρὸς τὰ τῆς Καστορίας συνδιῆγε μετὰ τοῦ ἐξ Ἀλβά νου στρατοῦ μέρη, σύζυγον ἔχων τῆς βασιλίδος Εἰρήνης αὐ τανεψιὰν πρωτεξαδέλφης αὐτῆς θυγατέρα, λόγοις μειλιχίοις καὶ γράμμασιν ὑποσχέσεων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως θελχθεὶς προσῄει τῷ βασιλεῖ. φιλοφρόνως γοῦν τοὺς τοιούτους πάν τας ὁ βασιλεὺς δεξάμενος πρεπόντως ἐφιλοτιμήσατο. ταῦτα γνοὺς Μιχαὴλ ὁ δεσπότης καὶ ἐν στενῷ κομιδῇ βλέπων τὰ περὶ αὐτὸν τυγχάνοντα πράγματα, κατὰ ῥοῦν δὲ χωροῦντα τῷ βασιλεῖ, πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐστείλατο διά τε τοῦ μητροπολίτου Ναυπάκτου τοῦ Ξηροῦ καὶ τοῦ ἐπ' ἀδελφῇ γαμβροῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Μαλιασηνοῦ καὶ τοῦ Λαμπέτη, οἳ καὶ εἰς λόγους συνελθόντες τῷ βασιλεῖ ξυμβιβάσεις πεποίηνται. καὶ ἀπέλυσε μὲν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ὁ Μιχαὴλ τὸ ἄστυ τὸν Πρίλαπον καὶ τὸν Βελεσσὸν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ Ἀλβάνῳ φρούριον τὰς Κρόας, καὶ προέβησαν πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως ἔγγραφοι ὅρκοι, καὶ ἀπεστάλησαν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ πρέσβεις, ὅ τε Φιλαδελφείας Φωκᾶς καὶ ὁ τῆς αὐλῆς πριμ μικήριος Ἰσαάκιος ὁ ∆ούκας, ὃν καὶ Μούρτζουφλον ἀπε κάλουν, καὶ ὁ Ὑαλέας Μιχαὴλ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγώ. ἀπῄειμεν οὖν πρὸς τὸν Μιχαήλ, καὶ εὕρομεν τοῦτον ἐν τῇ Λαρίσσῃ, καὶ πεπληρώκαμεν τὰς σπονδάς. καὶ λαβόντες τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Νικηφόρον, ὃν καὶ δεσπότην ὁ βασιλεὺς διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐγγόνην τετίμηκεν, ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ τὸν τοῦ Μιχαὴλ θεῖον τὸν Ἄγγελον Θεόδωρον δεσμώτην, πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἐπανεζεύξαμεν ἐν τοῖς Βοδηνοῖς σκηνούμενον. καὶ οὕτω μὲν ἐγεγόνει ταῦτα, καὶ εἰς τοιοῦτον τέλος κατηντήκει τὰ πράγματα. παραχειμάσας οὖν ἐν τοῖς Βοδηνοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἦρος ὥρᾳ, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὴν ἀναστάσιμον ἑωρτάκει ἡμέραν, τὰ στρατόπεδα αὐτοῦ που καταλελοιπὼς καὶ εἰς ἡγεμόνας αὐ τῶν τάξας τόν τε πρωτοβεστιάριον Ἀλέξιον τὸν Ῥαούλ, γαμβρὸν ὄντα ἐπ' ἀδελφόπαιδι τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ τὸν Κομνηνὸν Μιχαὴλ τὸν Παλαιολόγον, μετὰ μετρίου στρατεύ ματος εἰς θέαν τῶν προσφάτως ἐπιγεγενημένων τούτῳ χώ ρων ἀφίκετο. καὶ ἀπῆλθε μὲν εἰς Ἀχρίδα, ἐπιδεδημήκει δὲ εἰς ∆εάβολιν κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Καστορίαν. καὶ τῇ τῆς ὀπώρας ὥρᾳ συσκευασάμενος τὰ στρατεύματα τῆς εἰς ἕω φερούσης ἐφήψατο.

50 Παραμείψας γοῦν τὴν Θεσσαλονίκην καὶ τὴν Βισαλτίαν διαβάς, ἐς Φιλίππους ἐπήξατο τὴν σκηνὴν λόγου πέρι, ὡς ἐδόκει τούτῳ, οὐχὶ σμικροῦ. ὁ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ Μελενίκου Μαγκλαβίτης Νικόλαος κατεῖπε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τοῦ Παλαιολόγου Μιχαὴλ τοῦ προρρηθέντος υἱοῦ τοῦ με γάλου δομεστίκου, ὅτε ἦν ἐν τοῖς Βοδηνοῖς· ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἦν καιρὸς τοιούτων πραγμάτων ἐρεύνης ἀλλ' ἐκστρατείας καὶ μάχης,