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A little later a second man also came and announced the same things, and not even he seemed trustworthy enough to be believed; and a third came after them, saying that he was truly dead and that he himself had seen him being carried up from the cliff to Kopsis on a litter, dead, in order to receive holy rites; and this one was believed because he was a Roman and provided his eyewitness account as clear proof. Therefore, for these reasons, it seemed 1.177 to the emperor that he should not fight against Michael. For the Roman army was not then a match for the enemies, partly because they were encamped in the mountains and were surrounded by deep ravines, having many archers capable of inflicting the greatest damage in the difficult terrain; and partly because no small part of the Roman army that was supposed to be present for the battle was missing. For those stationed under Voesilas, being about three thousand, were not expected to arrive because of Voesilas' death, and in the battles for the walls around Philippopolis many became wounded—for not more than three died—and each went home to be healed; and a considerable number were left with Bryennios for the guarding of Stenimachos and the other cities. For all these reasons, it seemed more advantageous to the emperor to turn back without fighting; he therefore returned to Adrianople, taking it badly that he had not been able to punish the enemies. But after the eighth day, a letter arrived for the emperor from Voesilas saying that he was alive; having eaten mushrooms, with the parts around his heart having become necrotic, he was overcome by a stupor and deep unconsciousness for three days, so that he seemed to have already departed from life, but after these days, when those around him used theriac and the so-called antidotes from the physicians, they barely brought him back to his senses. 37. Such were the hindrances for the new emperor to 1.178 not contend against Michael, the king of the Mysians, and his allies. And Michael himself brought the besieged cities to surrender by agreement, since they had despaired of aid from the Roman emperor; and to Philippopolis he sent another army at full strength to garrison it, and a general; and he summoned Ivan and the besieged soldiers along with their own generals, intending to reward them for their toils and for the courage which they had displayed during the siege. And the general of the army that was sent, when he was near Philippopolis, sent to Ivan and made known both their arrival and the reason they had come. And Ivan, together with the commanders of the army under him, and taking as many guards as there were, went out to meet those who were coming, and he spent the night outside with them, intending to hand over the city to them on the next day. And during that same night Bryennios also came and set an ambush at Philippopolis, intending at dawn to plunder the city's flocks. But having learned that Ivan and the garrisoning army along with their own generals were going out to meet their replacements, he arose and came near the walls. And the inhabitants of the city, thinking it was the opportune time to free themselves from the Mysians, opened the gates and received Bryennios together with the Roman army. And what the emperor was not able to accomplish through the long siege and the many and continuous battles for the walls, this Bryennios, with God's help, achieved without effort, and recovered Philippopolis 1.179 for the Romans. And Ivan, learning at dawn of the capture of the city, and the others, departed for home. After this Michael, the king of the Mysians, pressed Voesilas, who held Kopsis and four other fortresses, vehemently, and besieged him by sending an army. For a year and more, therefore, Voesilas held out strongly against the war, with the emperor helping with money and with cavalry and infantry. But after this, because of the continuous attacks and because the means of living were cut off from all sides, seeing those under him aligning their opinions with Michael, he abandoned them and came to the emperor. And they themselves

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μικρὸν δὲ καὶ δεύτερος ἐλθὼν ἀπήγγειλε τὰ ἴσα, καὶ οὐδ' αὐτὸς ἀξιόχρεως εἰς πίστιν ἐδόκει· τρίτος δὲ μετ' ἐκείνους ἐλθὼν, ὅτι τε ἐτεθνήκει ἔλεγεν ὄντως καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτὸν ἴδοι ἀπὸ τοῦ κρημνοῦ εἰς Κόψιν ἀναγόμενον ἐπὶ κλίνης τεθνηκότα ἐπὶ τῷ τυχεῖν ὁσίας· καὶ ἐπεπίστευτο οὗτος ὅτι τε Ῥωμαῖος ἦν καὶ ἀπόδειξιν ἐναργῆ παρείχετο τὴν ὄψιν. ἐδό 1.177 κει δὴ οὖν διὰ ταῦτα τῷ βασιλεῖ οὐ μαχητέα εἶναι πρὸς Μιχαήλ. οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀξιόμαχος τοῖς πολεμίοις τότε ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰ, ἅμα μὲν διὰ τὸ τοῖς ὀρεινοῖς ἐνστρατοπεδεύειν αὐτοὺς καὶ φάραγγας βαθείας περιβεβλῆσθαι, τοξείαν ἔχοντας πολλὴν μέγιστα βλάπτειν ἐν ταῖς δυσχωρίαις δυναμένην· ἅμα δ' ὅτι καὶ τῆς παρεῖναι πρὸς τὴν μάχην στρατιᾶς Ῥωμαίων ὀφειλούσης ἀπελείπετο οὐκ ὀλίγη. οἵ τε γὰρ ὑπὸ Βοησίλαν τεταγμένοι περὶ τρισχιλίους ὄντες, διὰ τὴν Βοησίλα τελευτὴν οὐκ ἦσαν προσδόκιμοι παραγενήσεσθαι, καὶ ἐν ταῖς κατὰ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν τειχομαχίαις πολλοὶ γενόμενοι τραυματίαι, ἀπέθανον γὰρ οὐ πλείους τῶν τριῶν, οἴκαδε ἕκαστος ἀπῆλθον θεραπευθησόμενοι· καὶ παρὰ Βρυεννίῳ διὰ τὴν Στενιμάχου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων φυλακὴν κατελείποντο ἱκανοί. δι' ἃ δὴ πάντα λυσιτελεῖν μᾶλλον ἐδόκει τῷ βασιλεῖ μὴ μαχεσάμενον ἀναστρέφειν· ἐπανῆκεν οὖν εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν βαρέως ἐνεγκὼν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξεγένετο αὐτῷ τιμωρήσασθαι τοὺς πολεμίους. μετὰ δὲ ὀγδόην ἡμέραν ἀφίκετο πρὸς βασιλέα γράμματα Βοησίλα λέγοντα ὅτι ζῇ· μύκητας δὲ φαγὼν, τῶν περὶ τὴν καρδίαν μορίων νεκρωθέντων, κάρῳ κατασχεθῆναι καὶ ἀναισθησίᾳ βαθείᾳ ἐφ' ἡμέραις τρισὶν, ὡς δοκεῖν ἤδη ἀπηλλάχθαι τοῦ ζῇν, μετὰ δὲ ταύτας τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν θηριακῇ καὶ τοῖς παρὰ τῶν ἰατρῶν λεγομένοις ἀντιδότοις χρησαμένων, μόλις εἰς αἴσθησιν ἐπαναγαγεῖν. λζʹ. Τοιαῦτα μὲν ἐγένετο κωλύματα τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ τοῦ 1.178 μὴ πρὸς Μιχαὴλ τὸν Μυσῶν βασιλέα διαγωνίσασθαι καὶ τοὺς συμμάχους. αὐτὸς δὲ Μιχαὴλ τὰς μὲν πολιορκουμένας πόλεις παρεστήσατο ὁμολογίᾳ τὴν ἐκ βασιλέως Ῥωμαίων ἀπηγορευκυίας ἐπικουρίαν· πρὸς δὲ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν στρατιάν τε ἀκμάζουσαν ἑτέραν ὥστε φρουρεῖν αὐτὴν ἀπέστειλε καὶ στρατηγόν· τὸν δὲ Ἰβάνην καὶ τοὺς πολιορκηθέντας στρατιώτας ἅμα τοῖς σφετέροις στρατηγοῖς μετεκαλεῖτο ὡς ἀμειψόμενος τῶν πόνων ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς ἀνδρίας, ἣν ἐν τῷ πολιορκεῖσθαι ἐπεδείξαντο. ὁ δὲ τῆς πεμφθείσης στρατιᾶς στρατηγὸς ἐπειδὴ ἐγγὺς Φιλιππουπόλεως ἦν, πέμψας πρὸς Ἰβάνην, τήν τε ἄφιξιν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐφ' ὅ,τι ἥκοιεν ἐδήλου. Ἰβάνης δὲ ἅμα τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ἄρχουσι τῆς στρατιᾶς, καὶ τοὺς φρουροὺς ὅσοι ἦσαν παραλαβὼν, εἰς ὑπάντησιν ἐξῆλθε τῶν ἐρχομένων, καὶ διενυκτέρευσεν ἔξω μετ' αὐτῶν ὡς ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν αὐτοῖς τὴν πόλιν παραδώσων. ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν νύκτα καὶ ὁ Βρυέννιος εἰς Φιλιππούπολιν ἐνήδρευσεν ἐλθὼν, ὡς ἅμα ἕῳ τὰ τῆς πόλεως βοσκήματα διαρπάσων. πυθόμενος δὲ, ὡς ὁ Ἰβάνης καὶ ἡ φρουροῦσα στρατιὰ ἅμα τοῖς σφετέροις στρατηγοῖς εἰς ὑπάντησιν ἐξῄεσαν τῶν διαδεξομένων, ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν ἐγγὺς τειχῶν. οἱ δὲ κατοικοῦντες τὴν πόλιν νομίσαντες καιρὸν εἶναι τῶν Μυσῶν ἑαυτοὺς ἐλευθεροῦν, ἀνοίξαντες τὰς πύλας, τὸν Βρυέννιον ἅμα τῇ Ῥωμαίων εἰσεδέξαντο στρατιᾷ. καὶ ὃ βασιλεὺς διὰ τῆς χρονίου πολιορκίας καὶ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ συνεχῶν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη καταπράξασθαι τειχομαχιῶν, τοῦτο Βρυέννιος, θεοῦ συναιρομένου, κατώρθωσεν ἀπόνως, καὶ τὴν Φιλιππούπολιν ἀνε 1.179 σώσατο Ῥωμαίοις. ὁ δὲ Ἰβάνης ἅμα ἕῳ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς πόλεως πυθόμενος καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι, ἀνεχώρησαν ἐπ' οἴκου. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο Μιχαὴλ ὁ τῶν Μυσῶν βασιλεὺς τῷ Βοησίλᾳ τῆς τε Κόψεως καὶ ἑτέρων τεττάρων κρατοῦντι φρουρίων ἐπέκειτο σφοδρῶς, καὶ ἐπολιόρκει πέμπων στρατιάν. μέχρι μὲν οὖν ἐνιαυτοῦ καὶ περαιτέρω ὁ Βοησίλας πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἀντεῖχεν ἰσχυρῶς, καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως βοηθοῦντος καὶ χρήμασι καὶ ἵππῳ καὶ πεζῇ στρατιᾷ. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐφόδους καὶ τὸ πανταχόθεν ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι τὰς πρὸς τὸ ζῇν ἀφορμὰς τοὺς ὑπ' αὐτὸν ὁρῶν τῷ Μιχαὴλ ταῖς γνώμαις προστιθεμένους, καταλιπὼν αὐτοὺς, ἀφίκετο πρὸς βασιλέα. οἱ δὲ ἑαυτούς