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having rewarded them royally with gifts, and saying that the marriage alliance which had taken place was to his liking, then he himself also sent with them as ambassadors to the king of the Mysians and his kinsman-by-marriage, Andronikos Palaiologos the grand stratopedarch and John Aplesphares, to confirm the peace. And the Romans and the Mysians continued under truce for a long time. And he commanded the army to be disbanded, each to his own home, and by letters he informed his grandfather 1.188 and emperor of what had happened. But these things came to pass in this manner. But the Scythian people from the far north, being almost countless in number and the most powerful of the nations everywhere, in former times, invading the land of the Romans annually, inflicted the greatest evils, enslaving everything they came upon. But the emperors of the Romans, perceiving that they were unable to contend with them in battle, by courting their satraps with gifts and acts of friendship, reaped the benefit of not being destroyed by them. But most of all, taking wives for themselves from the imperial houses civilized them and disposed them friendly towards the Romans; for such a thing was highly coveted by them because they believed the emperor of the Romans to be the successor of Alexander, king of the Macedonians and Persians. And indeed, the emperors of the Romans, knowing this, would raise in the palace maidens distinguished in appearance, not only those who were well-born but also from obscure families, as their own daughters, and whenever necessary, betroth them to the Scythian satraps. And being courted by such devices and methods, for many years they did not invade the land of the Romans. But in the year in which Michael, the second emperor of the Romans of the Palaiologoi, had died, a Scythian army, having overrun Mysia, came upon a certain part of it and the land of the Odrysians as far as Adrianople and did not do much damage, since the army was small in number. But in the following year, while the new emperor was encamped around Byzantium because of the war against his grandfather, 1.189 a not insignificant Scythian army, having invaded the land of the Romans, overran all of Thrace, but did not do much damage because the rulers of the cities throughout Thrace, foreseeing the attack, had gathered the people scattered throughout the country into the cities. But at the start of the seventh indiction, twelve myriads from the Scythians invaded the land of the Romans. And they were commanded by commanders of ten thousand and commanders of a thousand according to their number, and two generals with supreme command, Taitach and Toglou Torgan. The Scythians, therefore, lingered for a very long time in this invasion; for on the fortieth day after it, being situated in the middle of Thrace, they were ravaging it; and they took a multitude of captives and other innumerable booty, and did the greatest harm to the emperor's land. But the new emperor was not able to gather the entire army under the Romans, for they were scattered among the cities, each guarding their own, but having gathered as many as he could, he went about searching, if somewhere he might encounter some part of the Scythian army, so that he might defend against them as much as was possible. For fifteen days, then, he did the same thing continuously; but accomplishing none of what he wished, having come to Adrianople, he left the greater part of the army there because the city was well-supplied with provisions, and he himself, taking a few of the army along with the grand domestic, went towards Didymoteichon. And between Adrianople and it, in a certain place called Promousoulos, 1.190 they came upon a Scythian army, leading many captives and other booty. And the place being such, the Scythian army was visible to the Romans, but the Roman army was not to them. Therefore, after the emperor had deliberated with the grand domestic, it seemed best to attack them, even if they were thought to have three times or even more soldiers than their own; but they were not three, but even ten times as many. For there were others camped near them, whom the Hebros river made invisible, lying beside it, who would come to their aid when the engagement occurred. And so it having been decided, and to the

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δώροις ἀμειψάμενος βασιλικῶς, καὶ τὴν γεγενημένην ἐπιγαμίαν κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ γεγενῆσθαι εἰπὼν, εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸν Μυσῶν βασιλέα καὶ κηδεστὴν τὸν Παλαιολόγον Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν μέγαν στρατοπεδάρχην καὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ἀπλησφάρην πρέσβεις ἅμα συνεξέπεμψεν αὐτοῖς βεβαιώσοντας τὴν εἰρήνην. καὶ διῆγον ἔνσπονδοι οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ οἱ Μυσοὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ. τήν τε στρατιὰν ἐκέλευσεν ἐπ' οἴκου ἕκαστον διαλυθῆναι, καὶ τῷ πάππῳ 1.188 καὶ βασιλεῖ διὰ γραμμάτων τὰ γεγενημένα ἐδήλου. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν τοῦτον συνηνέχθη τὸν τρόπον. τὸ δὲ ἐξ Ὑπερβορέων Σκυθικὸν πλήθει τε ἀναρίθμητον σχεδὸν ὂν καὶ δυνατώτατον τῶν ἑκασταχοῦ ἐθνῶν, ἐν μὲν τοῖς παλαιοτέροις χρόνοις ἐτησίως εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων εἰσβάλλον, τὰ μέγιστα ἐκάκου, τὸ προστυχὸν ἐξανδραποδιζόμενον ἅπαν. συνιδόντες δὲ οἱ βασιλεῖς Ῥωμαίων, ὡς μάχῃ πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαγωνίζεσθαι ἀδύνατοι εἶεν, δώροις καὶ φιλοφροσύναις τοὺς αὐτῶν θεραπεύοντες σατράπας, τὸ μὴ ὑπ' αὐτῶν διαφθείρεσθαι ἐκαρποῦντο. μάλιστα δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐξημέρου καὶ φιλίως διετίθει πρὸς Ῥωμαίους τὸ ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν οἴκων γυναῖκας ἄγεσθαι ἑαυτοῖς· περιμάχητον γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὸ τοιοῦτο διὰ τὸ τὸν βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Μακεδόνων καὶ Περσῶν βασιλέως οἴεσθαι διάδοχον εἶναι. ὃ δὴ καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεῖς εἰδότες, παρθένους τὴν ὄψιν διαπρεπεῖς, οὐκ εὖ γεγονυίας μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ ἀσήμων γενῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις ἐκτρέφοντες, ὡς θυγατέρας ἑαυτῶν, ὁπότε δέοι, τοῖς Σκυθῶν σατράπαις κατηγγύων. καὶ διὰ τοιούτων ἐπινοιῶν καὶ τρόπων θεραπευόμενοι ἐπὶ πολλοῖς ἔτεσιν οὐκ ἐσέβαλον εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων. τοῦ δὲ ἔτους, οὗ Μιχαὴλ ὁ Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς τῶν Παλαιολόγων ὁ δεύτερος ἐτεθνήκει, τὴν Μυσίαν Σκυθικὴ καταδραμόντες στρατιὰ, μέρος τι αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν Ὀδρυσῶν ἄχρι Ἀδριανουπόλεως ἐπῆλθε καὶ ἐζημίωσεν οὐ πολὺ, ἅτε καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς εὐαριθμήτου οὔσης. τοῦ δὲ ἐπιόντος ἔτους, τοῦ νέου βασιλέως διὰ τὸν πρὸς τὸν πάππον πόλεμον περὶ Βυζάντιον ἐστρα 1.189 τοπεδευμένου, Σκυθικὴ στρατιὰ οὐκ ὀλίγη ἐς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐσβαλοῦσα, πᾶσαν μὲν ἐπέδραμε τὴν Θρᾴκην, ἐζημίωσε δὲ οὐ πολλὰ διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῶν κατὰ Θρᾴκην πόλεων τὴν ἔφοδον προγνόντας, τοὺς κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἐσκεδασμένους ἀνθρώπους συστεῖλαι εἰς τὰς πόλεις. ἑβδόμης δὲ ἰνδικτιῶνος ἱσταμένης, ἐκ τῶν Σκυθῶν δυοκαίδεκα μυριάδες ἐσέβαλλον εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων. ἐστρατήγουν δὲ αὐτῶν μυρίαρχοί τε καὶ χιλίαρχοι κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν, καὶ αὐτοκράτορες στρατηγοὶ δύο, Ταιτὰχ καὶ Τογλοὺ Τοργάν. ἐχρόνισαν μὲν οὖν οἱ Σκύθαι μάλιστα ἐν τῇ ἐσβολῇ ταύτῃ· τεσσαρακοστῇ γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ μετ' αὐτὴν ἐν μέσῃ καθήμενοι τῇ Θρᾴκῃ, αὐτὴν ἐδῄουν· καὶ πλῆθός τε ἀνδραπόδων εἷλον καὶ λείαν ἑτέραν οὐκ ἀριθμητὴν, καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἐκάκωσαν τὴν βασιλέως γῆν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ νέος τὴν μὲν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίους ἅπασαν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη συναθροῖσαι στρατιὰν, διεσκεδασμένοι γὰρ κατὰ πόλεις ἐφύλαττον ἕκαστος τὴν αὐτῶν, ὅσους δὲ ἐνῆν μάλιστα συναθροίσας, ἀνιχνεύων περιῄει, εἴπου μέρει τινὶ τῆς Σκυθικῆς στρατιᾶς ἐντυχὼν, ὅσον ἂν ἐξῇ ἀμύναιτο αὐτούς. ἐπὶ πεντεκαίδεκα μὲν οὖν ἡμέραις τὸ αὐτὸ ἐποίει συνεχῶς· μηδὲν δὲ ὧν ἠβούλετο ἀνύων, εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν ἐλθὼν, τὸ μὲν πολὺ κατέλιπεν ἐκεῖ τῆς στρατιᾶς διὰ τὸ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τὴν πόλιν εὐπορεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς ὀλίγους ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ παραλαβὼν, τὴν ἐς ∆ιδυμότειχον ᾔει. μεταξὺ δὲ τῆς τε Ἀδριανοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐν χωρίῳ τινὶ Προμουσούλου προσαγορευομένῳ, 1.190 στρατιᾷ περιέτυχον Σκυθικῇ, ἀνδράποδά τε καὶ λοιπὴν λείαν ἀγούσῃ πολλήν. οὕτω δὲ τοῦ τόπου παρασχόντος, τοῖς μὲν Ῥωμαίοις ἡ τῶν Σκυθῶν στρατιὰ ἦν καταφανὴς, οὐκέτι δὲ καὶ ἡ Ῥωμαίων αὐτοῖς. βουλευσαμένῳ δὴ τῷ βασιλεῖ ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ, ἐδόκει ἐπιχειρεῖν αὐτοῖς, εἰ καὶ τριπλασίους ἢ καὶ πλείους τῶν σφετέρων ἐνομίζοντο στρατιωτῶν· ἦσαν δὲ οὐ τρὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ δεκάκις τόσοι. ἦσαν γὰρ ἐγγὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἕτεροι ἐστρατοπεδευμένοι, οὓς ἀφανεῖς ὁ Ἕβρος ἐποίει κειμένους παρ' αὐτῷ, οἳ προσεβοήθουν, γενομένης τῆς συμβολῆς. οὕτω δὲ δόξαν, καὶ τοῖς