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that it was fitting for an imperial action for the emperor to not have an army; for the winter prevented the gathering of the forces. And for the emperor to arrive in the region and not to accomplish something worthy of his name and reputation not only confirms for the enemies what has been taken away, but also the removal of what remains and a much greater increase of the opponents, as well as a not insignificant reduction of Roman affairs. These things they were saying, but all the others were advising the imperial crossing and they urged this, lest all the things in the west or the greater part of them be captured by the hands of the enemies without notice. At any rate, the counsel of the majority prevailed, and especially the emperor's eagerness and the zeal of his heart, which had been kindled for the campaign. And taking with him as many as happened to be following, an army counted as a moderate number, and those he met along the way and those who were nearer the route and able to follow with their own weapons and horses, he crosses the Hellespont and as quickly as he could reached Adrianople.

56 And having remained in this place for one day only, he went forth on the next. And one of the Bulgarian spies, having seen the emperor departing from Adrianople, came at a run to the Bulgararch—for he too was encamped near the Hebrus—and he clarified the event and announced the emperor's swift attack against him, and he swore with oaths that he had indeed seen with his own eyes the emperor crossing the bridge over the river Hebrus which is near the city. This confused those around the Bulgararch, but it did not make them depart from the place where they happened to be encamped, but they remained there until they might learn the details of the report more accurately and more clearly. But the Bulgararch's encampment had not escaped the emperor's notice either, but he had learned the place where he had his camp. So he made his journey swifter and hastened the movements of the horses, and he prayed to encounter the Bulgarian army. Thus, having this impulse, he was by some fortunate chance frustrated in his plan. For the vanguard of the Roman armies encountered those posted as a guard for the Bulgarian camp, and they made many the work of the sword, and took others captive, and with them also the one holding the command of the army; but the others took to flight and in the dead of night escaped to the Bulgarian army and recounted everything and insisted that the emperor was already near them. So each of the Bulgarians, as he was, and their commander himself, mounting his horse, made for the inner regions of the Bulgarian lands. And their faces were torn by the branches of the trees, running into these thick branches; which indeed the Bulgararch himself also suffered; and some of them used their horses for riding bare of saddle-cloths. In this way, having escaped, they fled the Roman sword. But at dawn, the emperor, reaching the place and seeing it deserted of the Bulgarian army, was grieved, but did not know what he should do. And having taken counsel, he proceeds toward Beroe, and having arrived there, he took the fortress at the first shout. For its entire wall was in ruins and had many passages through it, this too having been thrown down by the Bulgarians along with the rest of the Roman cities, even if the inhabitants seemed to have fortified it with poles and wood from wagons. At any rate, the armies had a good share of provisions, both they themselves and their horses; for the city was filled with fodder. And perhaps the emperor would have advanced even further and would have made his attack upon Haemus itself and the fortresses located in it—for he was instilling no small terror in the Bulgarians—if a most severe winter had not suddenly fallen upon them and checked him in his course; for much snow darkened the face of the earth, and for the Roman armies to linger in a foreign and hostile land did not seem good.

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στράτευμά τε μὴ ἔχειν τὸν βασιλέα προσῆκον πράξει βασιλικῇ· ὁ γὰρ χειμὼν ἐκώλυε τὴν συνάθροισιν τῶν δυνάμεων. καὶ τὸ ἐπιδημῆσαι κατὰ χώραν τὸν βα σιλέα καὶ μὴ ἄξιον τοῦ ὀνόματος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς φήμης ἐργάσασθαι οὐ τῶν ἀφῃρημένων καὶ μόνων βεβαίωσιν ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ποιεῖται ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν περιλελειμμένων ἀφαί ρεσιν αὔξην τε τῶν ὑπεναντίων πολλῷ μείζονα, ὡς καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν πραγμάτων ἐλάττωσιν οὐ σμικράν. ταῦτα μὲν ἔφασκον οὗτοι, ἄλλοι δὲ πάντες τὴν βασιλικὴν περαίωσιν συνεβούλευον καὶ ταύτην κατήπειγον, μὴ λάθοι τὰ πάντα τῶν ἐν δυσμῇ ἢ τὰ πλείω ταῖς τῶν ἐχθρῶν χερσὶν ἁλω θῆναι. ἡ τῶν πλειόνων γοῦν ἴσχυσε βουλή, μάλιστα δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ πρόθυμον καὶ ὁ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ζῆλος, ἐκκαὴς γεγονὼς πρὸς τὴν κίνησιν. καὶ προσλαβόμενος τοὺς ὅσοι συνακολουθεῖν ἔτυχον, εἰς μέτριον ἀριθμουμένους στράτευμα, καὶ τοὺς καθ' ὁδὸν ξυντυγχάνοντας καὶ τοὺς ἐγγύτερον τῆς φερούσης ὄντας καὶ δυναμένους αὐτοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ ἵπποις ἐφέψεσθαι, διαπεραιοῦται τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον καὶ ὡς εἶχε τάχους τὴν Ἀδριανούπολιν πέφθακε.

56 Μίαν δὲ καὶ μόνην ἡμέραν διακαρτερήσας ἐν ταύτῃ ἐξῆλθεν ἐς νέωτα. καί τις τῶν ἐκ Βουλγάρων κατοπτήρων τὸν βασιλέα τεθεαμένος τῆς Ἀδριανοῦ ἐξερχό μενον δρομαῖος περὶ τὸν βουλγάραρχον ἵκετο-περὶ τὸν Ἕβρον καὶ γὰρ οὗτος ἐστρατοπεδεύετο-καὶ τὸ δρᾶμα διασαφεῖ καὶ τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ἐξαγγέλλει κατ' αὐτοῦ τα χεῖαν ἔφοδον, καὶ ὅρκοις ἐβεβαιοῦτο ἦ μὴν ὀφθαλμοῖς τεθεᾶσθαι τὸν βασιλέα τὴν πρὸς τῇ πόλει τυγχάνουσαν τοῦ ποταμοῦ Ἕβρου γέφυραν διαβαίνοντα. τοῦτο συνέχεε μὲν τοὺς περὶ τὸν βουλγάραρχον, οὐ μὴν τοῦ τόπου καθ' ὃν ἔλαχον στρατοπεδεύειν ἀπέστησεν, ἀλλ' ἔμενον ἐκεῖσε μέχρις ἂν γνοῖεν τὰ τῆς φήμης ἀκριβέστερόν τε καὶ καθαρώ τερον. ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸν βασιλέα ἡ τοῦ βουλγαράρχου κατα σκήνωσις λέληθεν, ἀλλ' ἐμεμαθήκει τὸν τόπον, ὅπου δὴ τὸ στρατόπεδον εἶχε. ταχυτέραν γοῦν τὴν πορείαν ἐποιεῖτο καὶ τῶν ἵππων τὰς κινήσεις ἐπέτεινε, καὶ ηὔχετο τῷ Βουλγαρικῷ ξυντυχεῖν στρατεύματι. οὕτω γοῦν ἔχων ὁρμήματος ἔκ τινος συμβάματος ἐσφάλη τυχηρῶς τοῦ βουλεύματος. οἱ γὰρ προάγοντες τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν στρατευμάτων τοῖς εἰς φυ λακὴν προτεταγμένοις τοῦ Βουλγαρικοῦ στρατοπέδου συμ πεπτώκασι, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ξίφους ἔργον πεποίηνται, ἄλλους δὲ ζωγρίας εἷλον, σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ τὸν τὴν ἡγε μονίαν τῆς στρατείας ἔχοντα· οἱ δ' ἕτεροι φυγῇ χρησάμενοι νυκτὸς βαθείας εἰς τὸ Βουλγαρικὸν ἀπέδρασαν στράτευμα καὶ διηγοῦντο πάντα καὶ τὸ πλησίον αὐτῶν ἤδη τυγχάνειν τὸν βασιλέα διισχυρίζοντο. ὡς ἔτυχε γοῦν ἕκαστος τῶν Βουλγάρων καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ τούτων ἄρχων, ἐπιβὰς τοῦ ἵππου, περὶ τὰ ἐνδότερα τῶν Βουλγαρικῶν ἐφέρετο χώρων. κατε δρύπτοντο δὲ τούτων τοῖς τῶν δένδρων κλάδοις τὰ πρόσωπα, συνηρεφέσι τούτοις ἐμπίπτοντα· ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ βουλγά ραρχος πέπονθεν· ἔνιοι δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ γυμνοῖς ἐφεστρίδων εἰς τὴν ὀχείαν τοῖς ἵπποις ἐχρήσαντο. οὕτω γοῦν δια δράντες τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἀπέφυγον σπάθην. ἕωθεν δὲ τὸν τόπον φθάσας ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ ἔρημον στρατεύματος Βουλ γαρικοῦ κατιδὼν λελύπηται μέν, οὐκ εἶχε δ' ὅ, τι καὶ δράσειε. βουλὴν δὲ ποιησάμενος περὶ τὴν Βερόην χωρεῖ, κἀκεῖσε δὲ ἀφιγμένος αὐτοβοεὶ τὸ φρούριον εἷλεν. ἅπαν γὰρ τὸ τεῖχος αὐτοῦ κατηρείπωτο καὶ διεξόδους εἶχε πολλάς, καταβεβλημένον καὶ τοῦτο παρὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων σὺν τοῖς λοιποῖς τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν ἄστεων, εἰ καὶ κάμαξι καὶ τοῖς ἐξ ἁμαξῶν ξύλοις ἐδόκουν αὐτὸ κατοχυρώσασθαι οἱ οἰκήτορες. τροφῶν γοῦν ηὐμοίρησε τὰ στρατεύματα, αὐτοί τε καὶ οἱ τούτων ἵπποι· ἐπέπληστο γὰρ τῶν χορτασμάτων τὸ ἄστυ. καὶ τάχα ἂν καὶ προσωτέρω ἐκεχωρήκει ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ περὶ τὸν Αἷμον αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ τυγχάνοντα φρούρια τὴν ἔφοδον ἐπεποίητο-πτοίαν γὰρ οὐ σμικρὰν τοῖς Βουλ γάροις ἐνέβαλλεν-εἰ μὴ χειμὼν βαρύτατος αἴφνης ἐπεισ πεσὼν ἐκώλυσεν αὐτὸν τῆς ὁρμῆς· πολλὴ γὰρ χιὼν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς ἐπηλύγασε, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ ξένης καὶ πολε μίας τὰ Ῥωμαϊκὰ χρονίζειν στρατεύματα οὐ καλὸν ἐδόκει