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we have sworn, he would abandon us, but that he would be present with us and defend us.” When these things were thus spoken by the emperor, the whole army, as if from one tongue, said, "We give thanks to the God of all and to the emperor, because we do not follow a master who is unjust and greedy in his ways, but rather one who forgoes what all would agree is just for the sake of peace with his own people. And God, being just and having loved righteousness, as the prophet says, will overlook neither you standing against injustice, nor us campaigning for 1.125 what is just. Therefore, since all of us are ready to die for you many times over if need be, let us no longer delay nor postpone the opportunity, but let us get to work, trusting in God.” At this, the emperor, having given fitting thanks for their goodwill and zeal towards him, dismissed the general assembly, but having deliberated privately with the grand domestic and the protostrator about the same matters, since it seemed to them also that what had been said was good and lacked nothing, they also voted in favor. On the next day, the protostrator proceeded to the city of Adrianople, to join his daughter Anna in marriage to Manuel Asan, the brother of the grand domestic's wife. 25. And the emperor, having ordered the army to prepare for the campaign, also made preparations himself. And having set other things in order and having left in Didymoteicho both his wife and Theodora Palaiologina, his aunt and the mother of the grand domestic, in place of a whole garrison—for she was indeed experienced in the administration of political affairs, possessing a stronger mind than is natural for a woman—and having ordered all the city governors and administrators of affairs to obey her in whatever she might command and having freed himself from worries about them, since the army had prepared what it needed in eight days, he set out from there and came as far as Tzurulon. And having encamped there 1.126 he remained for some days, on the one hand, because an extraordinary winter had set in, since it was the season of winter—for they were encamped in the month of December—and on the other hand, so that the remainder of the army might be gathered. But an even greater reason than these was that, since Heraclea in Thrace had revolted from the young emperor to the elder, Syrgiannes, having taken the army from Byzantium, was lying in ambush in it. It seemed best, therefore, to make an attempt on it first. But when some time had been spent there, it seemed best to all those in authority and to the leaders of the army who had gathered, to send an embassy to the elder emperor to ask for peace; and when the young emperor learned of this, since it was in accordance with his own opinion, they sent a certain man from the army named Kalochaires, entrusting the letters to him; for the embassy was by letters, and he himself only held the position of courier. The letters stated the following: “Most mighty emperor, we, being Romans from ancestors of old, consider the prosperity of the Romans our own good fortune, and likewise we account their misfortune our own unhappiness. For which reason, we make it of the greatest importance that you, our emperors, be well-disposed towards each other, and not be enemies, understanding what is true, that if you are friendly towards each other, the affairs of the empire are likely to increase, or, at the very least, not to be diminished; but if you are enemies to each other, your dominion will be destroyed 1.127 not only by the neighboring barbarians, but also by yourselves. Some time ago, therefore, when the dispute arose and the young emperor marched against you, you at once mentioned peace, and your grandson, as if he himself were the one asking, although he seemed to have the upper hand in the war, accepted it gladly, and it was immediately dissolved, as if the war had never even begun. This became a cause of pleasure and joy for us and for all your subjects, who considered that day the beginning of good fortune for the Romans. But now, seeing you, who are the more just, if anything even rashly by

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εὐορκοῦμεν, ἡμᾶς ἐγκαταλιπεῖν ἂν, ἀλλὰ συμπαρέσεσθαί τε καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀμυνεῖσθαι.» Τούτων οὕτως ὑπὸ βασιλέως εἰρημένων, ἡ στρατιὰ πάντες ὥσπερ ἀπὸ γλώττης μιᾶς «χάριτας» ἔφησαν «ὁμολογοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πάντων καὶ βασιλεῖ, ὅτι οὐκ ἀδίκῳ τινὶ καὶ πλεονεκτικῷ τὸν τρόπον ἑπόμεθα δεσπότῃ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ ἃ πάντες ἂν αὐτῷ συμφαῖεν εἶναι δίκαια ὑπὲρ τῆς πρὸς ὁμοφύλους εἰρήνης προϊεμένῳ. δίκαιος δ' ὢν ὁ θεὸς καὶ δικαιοσύνας ἠγαπηκὼς, ᾗ φησιν ὁ προφήτης, οὔτε σὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀδικίαν ἀντικαθιστάμενον, οὔθ' ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ 1.125 δικαίου περιόψεται στρατευομένους. ἡμῶν τοίνυν ἁπάντων ὑπὲρ σοῦ κἂν ἐξῇ πολλάκις ἀποθανεῖν ἑτοίμων ὄντων, μηκέτι μέλλωμεν μηδ' ἀναβαλλώμεθα τὸν καιρὸν, ἀλλ' ἐχώμεθα ἔργου θεῷ θαῤῥοῦντες.» ἐπὶ τούτοις ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς εὐνοίας ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς προθυμίας τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ εἰκότα εὐχαριστήσας, τὸν μὲν κοινὸν διέλυσε σύλλογον, ἰδίᾳ δ' ἅμα δομεστίκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ πρωτοστράτορι βουλευσάμενοι περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει καλῶς ἔχειν τὰ εἰρημένα καὶ οὐδενὸς ἐνδεῖν ἔτι, ἐπεψηφίσαντο καὶ αὐτοί. εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ὁ μὲν πρωτοστράτωρ πρὸς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ πόλιν ἐχώρει, Ἄνναν τὴν αὐτοῦ θυγατέρα τῷ Ἀσάνῃ Μανουὴλ τῆς τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου γαμετῆς ἀδελφῷ πρὸς γάμον συνάψων. κεʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἐκστρατείαν παρασκευάζεσθαι παραγγείλας τὴν στρατιὰν, ἡτοιμάζετο καὶ αὐτός. τά τε ἄλλα δὲ εὖ θέμενος καὶ ἐν τῷ ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ τήν τε γαμετὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν Παλαιολογίναν Θεοδώραν, τὴν αὐτοῦ μὲν θείαν, μητέρα δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου, ἀντὶ φρουρᾶς ἁπάσης καταλιπὼν, ἦν γὰρ δὴ καὶ πρὸς διοίκησιν ἔμπειρος πολιτικῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ φρονήσεως ἐῤῥωμενεστέρας ἢ κατὰ φύσιν γυναικείαν τυχοῦσα, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πόλεων ἄρχουσι καὶ διοικηταῖς τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῇ πείθεσθαι πᾶν ὅτι ἂν κελεύῃ προστάξας καὶ τῶν περὶ αὐτῶν φροντίδων ἀπολύσας ἑαυτὸν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ ἡμέραις ὀκτὼ παρεσκεύαστο ὧν ἐδεῖτο, ἄρας ἐκεῖθεν, ἦλθεν ἄχρι Τζουρουλόης. στρατοπεδευσάμενος δ' ἐκεῖ 1.126 ἔμεινεν ἡμέρας τινὰς, τοῦτο μὲν, ὅτι καὶ χειμὼν ἐξαίσιος ἐπεγένετο, ἐπεὶ καὶ χειμῶνος ἦν ὥρα, κατὰ μῆνα γὰρ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο ∆εκέμβριον, τοῦτο δ', ἵνα καὶ τὸ λεῖπον τῆς στρατιᾶς ἀθροισθῇ· τὸ δ' ἔτι τούτων αἰτιώτερον, ὅτι τῆς κατὰ Θρᾴκην Ἡρακλείας τοῦ νέου βασιλέως πρὸς τὸν πρεσβύτερον ἀποστάσης, ὁ Συργιάννης τὴν Βυζαντίηθεν στρατιὰν παραλαβὼν, ἐνήδρευεν ἐν αὐτῇ. ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτῆς πρῶτον ἀποπειράσαι. χρόνου δὲ αὐτοῦ τινος τριβομένου, ἔδοξε τοῖς ἐν τέλει πᾶσι καὶ τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῆς στρατιᾶς συνελθοῦσι, πρεσβείαν ὡς βασιλέα τὸν πρεσβύτερον ἀποστεῖλαι ἐξαιτήσουσαν εἰρήνην· ὃ καὶ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως πυθομένου, ἐπεὶ κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ ἦν, πέμπουσί τινα τῶν τῆς στρατιᾶς Καλοχαιρέτην ὠνομασμένον, τὰ γράμματα ἐγχειρίσαντες· ἐπεὶ διὰ γραμμάτων ἦν ἡ πρεσβεία, αὐτὸς δὲ μόνον διακομιστοῦ τάξιν ἐπεῖχεν. ἐδήλου δὲ τὰ γράμματα τοιαῦτα· «Κράτιστε βασιλεῦ, ἡμεῖς ἄνωθεν ἐκ προγόνων ὄντες Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ τὴν εὐπραγίαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἰκείαν νομίζομεν εὐδαιμονίαν, καὶ τὴν κακοπραγίαν ὡσαύτως ἐν ἰδίᾳ τιθέμεθα δυστυχίᾳ. οὗ δὴ ἕνεκα καὶ τοὺς βασιλέας ἡμῶν ὑμᾶς εὐνοεῖν ἀλλήλοις, ἀλλὰ μὴ πολεμίους εἶναι, ποιούμεθα περὶ πλείστου, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς ἐννοοῦντες, ὡς ὑμῶν μὲν φιλίως πρὸς ἀλλήλους διακειμένων, καὶ τὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐξάνειν, ἢ, τό γε δεύτερον, μὴ ἐλασσοῦσθαι εἰκός· πολεμίων δὲ ἀλλήλοις ὄντων, οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν προσοίκων βαρβάρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑφ' ὑμῶν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑμετέραν ἡγεμονίαν καταλυθή 1.127 σεσθαι. πρὸ χρόνου μὲν οὖν τινος τῆς διαφορᾶς κινηθείσης, καὶ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ἐπιστρατεύσαντός σοι, ἅμα τε ἐμνήσθης εἰρήνης, καὶ ὁ σὸς ἔγγονος, ὥσπερ ἂν αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ αἰτῶν, καίτοι δοκῶν ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πλεονεκτεῖν, προσεδέξατο ἀσμένως, καὶ διελέλυτο εὐθὺς, ὥσπερ ἂν εἰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁ πόλεμος συνέστη. ὃ δὴ ἡμῖν τε καὶ τῷ ὑμῶν ὑπηκόῳ παντὶ ἡδονῆς αἴτιον καὶ εὐθυμίας κατέστη, εὐτυχίας τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀρχὴν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην λογισαμένοις. νυνὶ δὲ ὁρῶντές σε τὸν μᾶλλον ὄντα δίκαιον, εἴ τι καὶ προπετῶς παρὰ