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he had sent out against the lands of Macedonia for the sake of profit and for some intimidation of the Romans. And they were numbered at about four thousand Scythians, as those who knew said; now some said even more, and others said even less. The Scythians, therefore, having passed by Adrianople, were taking booty from the areas around the river whose name is Rhegina and were plundering the places around Didymoteichon. But the aforesaid commanders of the army left behind in Didymoteichon, having forgotten the imperial commands, armed themselves and rushed against the Scythians. The Romans, then, as was their custom, were cataphracts with heavy armor, but the Scythians were light infantry and used bows. These therefore from afar were shooting the Romans with their arrows and wounding their horses and easily made the horsemen into foot soldiers and finally routed them. So Manuel Laskaris, having a very swift horse, which he called Chrysopodes, fled to Adrianople; but Constantine Margarites was captured and many others with him from among the appointed leaders of the army, whom the Scythians sold to the Bulgarians. The emperor, therefore, having learned about this, was vexed, and he hastened with speed to come to the region of Boulgarophygon, and having intensified his course made his movement swifter. And since the scouts also said that the Scythian army was near, where they said they were roaming about, there he also moved his entire army. And in one day he covered stages of more than four hundred stades, but he did not encounter them; for they too had learned of the emperor's swift attack, and fled as fast as their feet could carry them, and many of them, and the more distinguished of their nation, around the parts of Bizye became the work of the sword. The emperor, having failed in this attempt, pitched his tent near the river which is called Rhegina, and gathered there the whole army, which was a great multitude.

62 The ruler of the Bulgarians, therefore, since he had not been able to accomplish anything against the Romans, with the emperor having arrived with so many troops in the west and having drawn near to his own land, turned to a treaty, and decided that his father-in-law, the Russian Ouros, who was son-in-law to the king of Hungary on account of his daughter, should mediate for peace. And first he sent ambassadors to the emperor to arrange in advance for the arrival of Ouros to him to be without fear and to be honorably received by the emperor. And this was done, and Ouros came to the emperor. He was received therefore by the emperor both gladly and with fitting generosity, both he and those with him, and he made peace, swearing on behalf of both himself and his son-in-law, the ruler of the Bulgarians, that the city of Tsepaina should be released to the emperor—for this alone was held by the Bulgarians from what the emperor John had controlled—and that the emperor should have peace with the Bulgarians, and that both sides should be content with the older borders. Since, therefore, these things were thus accomplished according to the will of the ruler, Ouros, having spoken the words of departure, went away, having received imperial gifts; and these were numbering twenty thousand, with all types of horses and textiles and other things included; but the emperor remained in the place of Rhegina, awaiting the release of Tsepaina.

63 And a certain wondrous deed happened among these things at that time, worthy of memory and history. It was one of the illustrious and festive days, on which we the pious celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ; and since it was necessary for the emperor to be present for the sacred liturgy, as was the custom, the time for the midday meal was prolonged. We ourselves therefore had our midday meal, and having slept a little, we were awakened; and already the sun had drawn near to the western horizon. And it was the custom for the

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κατὰ τῶν τῆς Μακεδονίας χώρων ἐκπέπομφε κέρδους τε χάριν καὶ τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους τινὸς ἐκφοβήσεως. ἠρίθμηντο δὲ περί που τὰς τέσσαρας χιλι άδας, ὡς οἱ εἰδότες ἔφασκον Σκύθαι· τινὲς μὲν οὖν καὶ πλείους, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐλάττους ἔλεγον. οἱ μὲν οὖν Σκύθαι τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ παραμείψαντες τὰ περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν οὗ Ῥηγίνα τοὔνομα λείαν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ τὰ πέριξ τοῦ ∆ιδυ μοτείχου χωρία ἐσκύλευον. οἱ δὲ προλελεγμένοι στρατάρχαι τοῦ εἰς τὸ ∆ιδυμότειχον καταλελειμμένου στρατεύματος, τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐπιλελησμένοι προστάξεων, καθοπλισθέντες κατὰ τῶν Σκυθῶν ἐφώρμησαν. οἱ μὲν οὖν Ῥωμαῖοι, οἷα ἔθος αὐτοῖς, δυσαχθέσιν ὅπλοις κατάφρακτοι ἦσαν, οἱ δὲ Σκύ θαι κοῦφοι ὁπλῖται καὶ τόξοις χρώμενοι. μακρόθεν οὖν οὗτοι τοῖς βέλεσι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἔβαλλον καὶ τοὺς ἵππους ἐτίτρωσκον καὶ πεζοὺς τοὺς ἱππότας ῥᾳδίως ἐποίουν καὶ τέλος τρέπουσιν. ὁ μὲν οὖν Λάσκαρις Μανουὴλ ταχύτατον ἔχων τὸν ἵππον, ὃν καὶ Χρυσοπόδην ἐκάλεσε, φυγὰς εἰς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ᾤχετο· ὁ δὲ Μαργαρίτης Κωνσταντῖνος ἑάλω καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ τῶν εἰς κεφαλὰς τεταγμένων τῆς στρατιᾶς, οὓς καὶ ἀπημπόλησαν τοῖς Βουλγάροις οἱ Σκύθαι. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς τὰ περὶ τούτου μαθὼν ἠνι άθη, ἔσπευδε δὲ διὰ τάχους περὶ τὸν τοῦ Βουλγαροφύγου χῶρον ἐλθεῖν, καὶ ἐπιτείνας τὸν δρόμον ὀξυτέραν ἐποίει τὴν κίνησιν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ πευστῆρες ἔφασκον ἐγγὺς τυγ χάνειν τὸ Σκυθικὸν στράτευμα, ἔνθα ἂν αὐτοὺς περιπολεῖν ἔλεγον, ἐκεῖσε καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκίνει τὴν στρατιάν. καὶ ἡμέρας μὲν μιᾶς πλείους τῶν τετρακοσίων διεξήει σταδίων σταθ μούς, οὐκ ἐνέκυρσε δὲ τούτοις· ἐμεμαθήκεσαν γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι τὴν ταχεῖαν τοῦ βασιλέως ἔφοδον, καὶ ὡς εἶχον ποδῶν ἔφυγον, καὶ πλείους δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ περιφανέστεροι τοῦ ἔθνους περί που τὰ μέρη τῆς Βιζύης ξίφους ἔργον ἐγένοντο. ἀποτυχὼν γοῦν τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως ταύτης ὁ βασι λεὺς περὶ τὸν ποταμὸν ὃς Ῥηγίνα καλεῖται τὴν σκηνὴν ἔπηξε, καὶ πᾶσαν ἐκεῖσε συνῆξε τὴν στρατιὰν εἰς πλῆθος οὖσαν πολύ.

62 Ὁ μὲν οὖν τῶν Βουλγάρων ἄρχων, ἐπειδὴ μὴ διαπράξασθαί τι κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐδεδύνητο, τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιδεδημηκότος μετὰ τοσούτων στρατευμάτων ἐν τῇ δυσμῇ καὶ πεπλησιακότος τῇ ἑαυτοῦ, εἰς σπονδὰς ἐτράπετο, καὶ τὸν πενθερὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ῥῶσον Οὖρον, τοῦ ῥηγὸς Οὐγ γρίας ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ τελοῦντα γαμβρόν, μεσιτεῦσαι τὰ εἰς εἰρήνην βεβούλευται. καὶ πρῶτα μὲν ἔστειλε πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα προοικονομήσοντας τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν τοῦ Οὔρου ἄφιξιν ἔξω πτοίας τε εἶναι καὶ ἐντίμως πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως δεχθῆναι. καὶ γέγονε ταῦτα, καὶ ὁ Οὖρος εἰς τὸν βασιλέα ἀφίκετο. ἐδέχθη οὖν παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοκράτορος ἀσμένως τε καὶ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης φιλοτιμήσεως καὶ οὗτός τε καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην πεποίηκεν ἐπομοσάμενος δικαίῳ τε αὐτοῦ καὶ τοῦ γαμβροῦ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τῶν Βουλ γάρων ἄρχοντος, ἀπολυθῆναι μὲν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸ τῆς Τζεπαίνης ἄστυ-τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ μόνον παρὰ τῶν Βουλγάρων κατείχετο ἀφ' ὧν ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννης ἐκράτει - εἰρήνην τε πρὸς Βουλγάρους ἔχειν τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ ἑκάτερα τὰ μέρη τοῖς παλαιτέροις ὁρίοις ἀρκεῖσθαι. ἐπεὶ γοῦν οὑτωσὶ ταυτὶ κατὰ γνώμην τετέλεσται τῷ κρατοῦντι, ὁ μὲν Οὖρος τοὺς τῆς ἀποχωρήσεως εἰπὼν λόγους ἐξῄει βασιλικῶν χαρισμάτων τυχών· τὰ δ' ἦσαν εἰς εἴκοσι χιλι άδας ἀπαριθμούμενα ἁπάντων συνεισαγομένων εἰδῶν ἵππων τε καὶ ὑφασμάτων καὶ λοιπῶν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διεκαρτέρει ἐν τῷ τῆς Ῥηγίνης τόπῳ, τὴν τῆς Τζεπαίνης περιμένων ἀπόλυσιν.

63 Συμβέβηκε δέ τι ἐν τούτοις τῷ τότε πρᾶγμα θαυ μάσιον, μνήμης καὶ ἱστορίας ἄξιον. ἡμέρα ἦν τῶν ἐπι φανῶν τε καὶ ἑορτασίμων, καθ' ἣν τὴν Χριστοῦ μεταμόρ φωσιν οἱ εὐσεβεῖς ἑορτάζομεν· καὶ ἐπεὶ ἔδει καὶ ἀμφὶ τὴν ἱερὰν μυσταγωγίαν, ὡς τὸ εἰωθός, παρεῖναι τὸν βασιλέα, εἰς ἀργίαν ὁ τοῦ ἀρίστου παρετάθη καιρός. ἠριστήσαμεν οὖν καὶ αὐτοί, καὶ μικρόν τι καθευδήσαντες ἀνηγέρθημεν· ἤδη δὲ ὁ ἥλιος τῷ ὁρίζοντι προσήγγισε τῆς δυσμῆς. ἔθος δὲ ὑπῆρχε τῷ