53

the legates of the pope were also present, whom they were about to expel by imperial order. And having stayed there a little while because of the expulsion of the legates and for certain other reasons, leaving from there I took the road leading towards Albanon. And so, having passed Servia and gone by Kastoria and having passed along the regions around Achrida, I arrived near Albanon, and from there, with the notables of the country, I took Dyrrachion. And having remained there for eight days, I departed, having arranged and set in order everything along the way as seemed proper to me, and likewise the affairs of Dyrrachion. Setting out from Dyrrachion, then, and passing through the lands of Chounavia and crossing the mountain which they call Kake Petra, I went into the region of Mat and from there I arrived near Debre. Having met with all those along the way, those in the cities and those in the local military camps and those administering public affairs, passing through Kitzabis I came to Prilep. This journey, then, from Thessaloniki all the way to Prilep itself I made in three months' time in the winter season; for it was December when I set out from Berroia, and the end of February found me at Prilep.

68 When I arrived there, then, a very terrible rumor burst upon my ears. The substance of the rumor was this: that Constantine Chabaron, who had received the governorship of Albanon from the emperor, was captured by the despot Michael through the schemes of his sister-in-law Maria, who had formerly had a husband with the surname Sphrantzes, but was then a widow; for she, having pursued Chabaron with guile and having enticed his mind with love letters—for he happened to be rather frivolous in such matters, even if he was otherwise a good soldier—he had become captured in her snares. From this, Michael had set out into open revolt. I, then, staying near Prilep, had been informed about the drama that had occurred. With what haste I could, then, I had sent a letter to Michael Laskaris, making clear to him through it the things that had happened, and I wrote for him to come to Pelagonia, so that, when I too had arrived there and both of us had come together, we might take counsel about the matters at hand for us; we came together, then, both of us in Pelagonia and with us Xyleas the skouterios. For we supposed him to be a military man or at least loyal to the Romans; for indeed Emperor Theodore also had a high opinion of him, that he boasted military experience and possessed the utmost goodwill towards him and the affairs of the Romans. When, then, we came together, we took counsel thus: that Michael Laskaris should take the whole army under him, both the Roman and the Scythian, and withdraw from the lands around Berroia—for he was making his camp there—and set out for Pelagonia and encamp there, likewise also Xyleas the skouterios, that he should take the entire military contingent under him—for that one was counted as more numerous—and join with Michael Laskaris, and unitedly encamp in the regions of Pelagonia. For the place was opportune for the battle against the despot Michael and against the Serbs, since we learned that these too had made agreements with Michael. Those men, then, having promised to carry out what had been decided, I left behind, and I, with my fitting retinue, occupied Achrida, to see if I might be able to set right the affairs of the Albanians. I took the precaution of sending ahead to Albanon Isaac Nestor, the epi tes basilikes trapezes, giving him a customary mandate containing the assumption of governorship. For it had also been decreed for me that I have the authority to do such things, to replace those active and administering public affairs and commanding armies and holding the governorship of lands as I might wish. I chose, therefore

53

ὑπῆρχον καὶ οἱ τοῦ πάπα πρέσβεις, οὓς ἀπεκβαλεῖν βασιλικῷ προσ τάγματι ἔμελλον. κἀκεῖσε μικρὸν προσκαρτερήσας διὰ τὴν τῶν πρέσβεων ἀπεκβολὴν καὶ δι' ἑτέρας τινὰς ὑποθέσεις, ἐκεῖθεν ἐξιὼν τῆς πρὸς τὸ Ἄλβανον φερούσης ἡπτόμην. καὶ δὴ τὰ Σέρβια παρελθὼν καὶ παραμείψας τὴν Καστορίαν καὶ τὰ ἀμφὶ τὴν Ἀχρίδαν παραγγείλας ἀφικόμην περὶ τὸ Ἄλβανον, κἀκ τούτου μετὰ τῶν τῆς χώρας ἐκκρίτων κατείληφα τὸ ∆υρράχιον. κἀκεῖσε διακαρτερήσας ἡμέρας ὀκτὼ ἐξῄειν, πάντα τὰ καθ' ὁδὸν οἰκονομήσας καὶ καταρτίσας ὡς ἔμοιγε δέον ἐδόκει, κατὰ ταῦτα δὲ καὶ τὰ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου. ἐξορ μήσας γοῦν τοῦ ∆υρραχίου καὶ διελθὼν τὰ τῆς Χουναβίας καὶ τὸ ὄρος ὑπερβὰς ὃ δὴ Κακὴν Πέτραν κατονομάζουσιν, εἰς τὰ περὶ τὴν Μάτην ἀπῄειν κἀντεῦθεν περὶ τὴν ∆έβρην ἀφῖγμαι. πᾶσι δὲ τοῖς καθ' ὁδὸν ξυντυχών, τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὰ ἄστη καὶ τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὰ τοπικὰ στρατόπεδα καὶ τοῖς τὰ δημόσια διενεργουμένοις πράγματα, διὰ τῆς Κυτζάβεως πα ριὼν ἐπὶ τὸν Πρίλαπον ἐγενόμην. ταύτην γοῦν τὴν πορείαν τὴν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης μέχρι καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πριλάπου διὰ τριῶν πεποίηκα τῶν μηνῶν χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ· ∆εκέβριος γὰρ ἦν ὁπότε τῆς Βερροίας ἐξώρμων, καὶ τὸ Φεβρουαρίου τέλος ἐπὶ τὸν Πρίλαπον εἶχέ με.

68 Ἐκεῖσε γοῦν ἀφιγμένου μου φήμη πάμπαν δεινὴ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἐπεισέφρησε. τὰ δὲ τῆς φήμης, ὅτιπερ ὁ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ Ἀλβάνου πρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως λαβὼν ὁ Χα βάρων Κωνσταντῖνος πρὸς τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ ἑάλω μη χαναῖς τῆς γυναικαδέλφης αὐτοῦ Μαρίας, ἥτις προεῖχε μὲν ἄνδρα Σφραντζῆν τοὐπίκλην, τότε δὲ ὑπῆρχε χήρα· δόλοις γὰρ αὕτη τὸν Χαβάρωνα μετελθοῦσα καὶ γράμμασιν ἐρωτι κοῖς δελεάσασα τούτου τὸ φρόνημα-κουφότερος γὰρ οὗ τος περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα τυγχάνων ἦν, εἰ καὶ ἄλλως καλὸς ἐτύγχανε στρατιώτης-ταῖς πάγαις ταύτης ἁλώσιμος ἐγε γόνει. τοὐντεῦθεν εἰς ἀποστασίαν φανερὰν ὁ Μιχαὴλ ἐξωρμήκει. ἔγωγε μὲν οὖν διάγων περὶ τὸν Πρίλαπον περὶ τοῦ γεγενημένου δράματος ἐπεπύσμην. ὡς εἶχον γοῦν σπουδῆς πρὸς τὸν Λάσκαριν Μιχαὴλ ἐπιστολὴν ἐπεπόμφειν, τὰ ξυμ βεβηκότα τούτῳ διὰ ταύτης δηλοποιῶν, καὶ περὶ τὴν Πελα γονίαν ἀφῖχθαι τοῦτον γεγράφηκα, ὡς ἂν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀφιγ μένος ἐκεῖσε καὶ ἄμφω εἰς ἓν γεγονότες περὶ τῶν ἀνὰ χεῖρας ἡμῖν πραγμάτων τὴν ξυμβουλὴν ποιησαίμεθα· ξυν ήλθομεν γοῦν καὶ ἄμφω ἐν τῇ Πελαγονίᾳ καὶ μεθ' ἡμῶν καὶ ὁ Ξυλέας σκουτέριος. ὑπελαμβάνομεν γὰρ αὐτὸν ἄν θρωπον στρατιωτικὸν εἶναι ἢ κἂν ῥωμαιόφρονα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Θεόδωρος πολλὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ εἶχε ὑπόληψιν, στρατιωτικήν τε αὐτὸν αὐχεῖν ἐμπειρίαν καὶ περὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων εὔνοιαν κεκτῆσθαι τὴν ἀκροτάτην. Ἐπεὶ γοῦν ξυνῄειμεν, ἐβουλευσάμεθα οὑτωσί, τὸν μὲν Λάσκαριν Μιχαὴλ λαβεῖν τὸ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὅλον στρατόπεδον, τό τε Ῥωμαϊκὸν καὶ τὸ Σκυθικόν, καὶ ἀποχωρῆσαι τῶν περὶ τὴν Βέρροιαν χώρων-ἐκεῖσε γὰρ ἐποιεῖτο τὰς σκηνάς-καὶ περὶ τὴν Πελαγονίαν ὁρμῆσαι κἀκεῖσε στρατοπεδεῦσαι, ὡσαύ τως καὶ ὁ Ξυλέας σκουτέριος ἵνα λάβῃ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἅπαν στρατιωτικὸν σύνταγμα-ἐκεῖνο γὰρ μᾶλλον εἰς πλῆθος ἠρίθμητο-καὶ συνέλθοι τῷ Λάσκαρι Μιχαήλ, καὶ ἡνω μένως ἐν τοῖς τῆς Πελαγονίας μέρεσι στρατοπεδεύσασθαι. ἐν ἐπικαίρῳ γὰρ ἦν ὁ τόπος περὶ τὴν τοῦ δεσπότου Μι χαὴλ μάχην καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν Σέρβων, ὡς ἐπυθόμεθα ὅτι καὶ οὗτοι συμφώνους λόγους πρὸς τὸν Μιχαὴλ ἐπεποίηντο. ἐκείνους μὲν οὖν ἐκπληρῶσαι τὰ βεβουλευμένα ὑπεσχημένους κατέλιπον, ἐγὼ δὲ μετὰ τῆς προσηκούσης ὑπηρεσίας μου τὴν Ἀχρίδα κατέλαβον, εἴ πως ἂν δυνηθείην τὰ τῶν Ἀλβανιτῶν διορθώσασθαι. προύλαβον δὲ ἐξαποστεῖλαι περὶ τὸ Ἄλβανον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς τραπέζης Ἰσαάκιον τὸν Νεστόγγον, ἔνταλμα δοὺς αὐτῷ κατ' ἔθος περιλαμβάνον τὴν τῆς ἡγεμονίας περίληψιν. ὥριστό μοι καὶ γὰρ ἐπ' ἀδείας ἔχειν με τοιαῦτα ποιεῖν, ἐνεργοῦντας καὶ δημόσια διαπραττο μένους καὶ στρατευμάτων προϊσταμένους καὶ χωρῶν ἡγεμο νίαν κεκτημένους ἀνταλλάττειν ὡς ἂν βουλοίμην. εἱλόμην οὖν