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persuaded the fickle westerners to incline again. For these reasons, the emperor ordered the despot John, who had hastily taken the fossata, to carry on the war against him; and since those from the Sicilian royal authority had also appropriated many parts of the Illyrian lands and of New Epirus, he sends those who would oppose them there as well. And so, having entrusted the Scythian affair to the caesar Alexios along with not many others, he first set out for Thrace, to arrange the matters concerning Orestias as well as he could, putting those other matters in second place. For the Bulgarian matter would not rest, and especially because of the enmity and hatred toward the emperor, the husband Constantine of the first of the daughters of Theodore Laskaris and the empress Eirene, whom the account also showed as king of the Bulgars, was being very ardently incited to harm the country, as if in retaliation for what her brother John was suffering. At any rate, it had been ordered by the emperor for the caesar, upon reaching the parts of Thrace, both to approach the city in passing and to brandish his sword threateningly at the Italians, but not, however, to do anything at all; for he did not have sufficient troops. So when the caesar crossed over and reached Kallipolis, he decided, before approaching the lower regions, to go toward Selymbria and, having approached the city from the western parts—for there was no hindrance, since all there were subject to the emperor—to reconnoiter this city as it was 193 then and learn how matters were with those inside, and also to see the volunteers, whom the account has already described, and to discuss his plans concerning the city. Therefore, having come and pitched camp in the suburbs, he secretly summoned the leaders among them and entrusted his plans to them, holding out to them greater hopes, if they should cooperate. And when they said that the time was right, as they would attack at the opportune moment—for all the Italian fleet that was in the city was proceeding to Daphnousia to capture the island, and was sitting there enduring hardship for very many days, and otherwise the population in the city was a mob inexperienced in war—when they said these things and gave pledges that they would cooperate—for the rest would be of one mind with them in this—the caesar immediately, when he looked at their words and saw their eagerness, as they were ready to assist, took courage for the assault; but when he looked again at the difficulty of the enterprise and the danger of the matter, whether he himself would in an instant subdue such a city with so few men and as a side-task, a city which even many forces had not been able to take, he hesitated and postponed. Nevertheless, taking their words, he laid out the plan for common deliberation. And since his nephew Alexios pressed and urged him on, and one of the volunteers, surnamed Koutritzakes, with courage, explaining how it might be done, undertook the task—for fate is inescapable for cities just as for living beings—he too regained his courage and was buoyed up to prevail. Whence also the others learned and agreed to readily accomplish the ambush with him, he himself at other times would go about and survey the place as was fitting, but at that time, guarding against suspicion, being out of the way, paying attention to what was suggested, being well-acquainted with the places, he conferred and considered how their plan might be carried out best and with haste, lest, if some raised a counter-cry, the secret plot might be discovered. 195

27. How the city was taken. So when the whole plan was settled, the time was also set; for they decided that it would be advantageous to carry out the plot by night and suddenly, when they were not expecting it. And it was their concern, having mounted the wall silently by ladders, to cast down from above those assigned to guard it and to open the Gate of the Pēgē, inserting wedges, having first demolished the wall made only of stones that was fitted to it, and for the caesar, leading the soldiers by night, to invade readily through the opened

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δυτικῶν εὐρίπιστον ἔπειθεν ἀποκλίνειν αὖθις. ∆ιὰ ταῦτα τὸν μὲν δεσπότην ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰωάννην, σπουδῇ τὰ φοσσάτα λαβόντα, προσέταττε τὸν πόλεμον πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐκφέρειν· ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς Σικελικῆς ῥηγικῆς ἐξουσίας πολλὰ τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν καὶ τῆς Νέας Ἠπείρου προσεσφετερίσαντο, πέμπει κἀκεῖσε τοὺς ἀντιταξομένους. Καὶ δή, τῷ καίσαρι Ἀλεξίῳ τὸ Σκυθικὸν παραδοὺς σὺν οὐ πολλοῖς ἄλλοις, πρῶτον πρὸς Θρᾴκην ἐξώρμα, τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ὀρεστιάδα καλῶς ὡς εἶχε διαθησόμενον, ἐν δευτέρῳ κἀκεῖνα τιθέμενος. Τὸ γὰρ Βουλγαρικὸν οὐκ ἤθελεν ἠρεμεῖν, καὶ μᾶλλον κατ' ἔχθραν καὶ μῖσος τὸ πρὸς βασιλέα, τῆς πρώτης τῶν θυγα τέρων τοῦ Λάσκαρι Θεοδώρου καὶ βασιλέως Εἰρήνης τὸν σύζυγον Κων σταντῖνον, ὃν καὶ βασιλέα Βουλγάρων ὁ λόγος ἐδείκνυ, μάλα θερμῶς ἐξοτρυ νούσης κακοῦν τὴν χώραν, ἀντίποινα δῆθεν ὧν ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰωάννης ἔπασχε. Τῷ γοῦν καίσαρι προστεταγμένον ἦν πρὸς βασιλέως, ἐπιστάντι τοῖς τῆς Θρᾴκης μέρεσι, καὶ τῇ πόλει προσσχεῖν ἐκ παρόδου καὶ ἐπισεῖσαι μὲν ἀπειλοῦντα τὸ ξίφος τοῖς Ἰταλοῖς, μὴ μὴν δὲ καὶ ὁτιοῦν πράττειν· οὐ γὰρ ἱκανῶς εἶχε τῶν στρατευμάτων. Ὡς γοῦν τὴν Καλλίου ὁ καῖσαρ περαιωθεὶς κατέλαβεν, ἔγνω, πρότερον ἢ τοῖς κατωτέρω προσσχεῖν, κατὰ Σηλυβρίαν γενέσθαι καί, τῇ πόλει ἐκ τῶν δυτικῶν μερῶν προσεγγίσανταμηδὲ γὰρ εἶναι κωλύμην, ἁπάντων τῶν ἐκεῖ ὑποτεταγμένων τῷ βασιλεῖ, κατοπτεῦσαι μὲν καὶ ταύτην ὡς εἶχε 193 τότε καὶ μαθεῖν τὰ τῶν ἐντὸς πῶς ἔχοιεν, ἰδεῖν δὲ καὶ τοὺς θεληματαρίους, οὓς καὶ ὁ λόγος προέγραψε, καὶ ὁμιλῆσαι τά οἱ δοκοῦντα περὶ τῆς πόλεως. Ἐλθὼν οὖν καὶ σκηνήσας ἐν τοῖς παραπολίοις, προσεκαλεῖτο κρυφηδὸν τοὺς δοκοῦντας ἐκείνων καί γε κατεπίστευε σφίσι τὰ κατὰ νοῦν, ὑποτείνων κἀκεί νοις ἐλπίδας, εἰ συνεργοῖεν, τὰς μείζους. Τῶν δὲ καιρὸν ἔχειν εἰπόντων, ὡς ἐγκαίρως ἐπιθησομένωντὸ γὰρ τῶν Ἰταλῶν πλώϊμον ὅσον ἦν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐπὶ ∆αφνουσίας, ὡς ἁλῶσον τὴν νῆσον, χωρεῖν καί γ' ἐπὶ πλείσταις ἡμέραις προσταλαιπωρεῖσθαι καθήμενον, ὄχλον δ' ἄλλως εἶναι τὸ κατὰ πόλιν καὶ πολέμων ἀπείρατον, ταῦτ' εἰπόντων καὶ τὰ πιστὰ διδόντων ὡς συνεργήσουσινὁμονοήσειν γὰρ σφίσι καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ὁ καῖσαρ αὐτίκα, ὅτε μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπ' ἐκείνων λόγους ἀπεῖδε καὶ τὴν προθυμίαν ἑώρα ὡς ἑτοίμως ἐχόντων προσβοηθεῖν, ἐθάρρει τὴν προσβολήν· ὅτε δὲ πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως δυσχερὲς αὖθις ἀπέβλεπε καὶ τὸ κινδυνῶδες τοῦ πράγματος, εἰ οὕτως μετ' ὀλίγων καὶ ἐκ παρέργου πόλιν τοιαύτην, ἣν καὶ πολλαὶ δυνάμεις οὐχ ἑλεῖν ἠδυνήθησαν, αὐτὸς ἐν ἀκαρεῖ παραστήσεται, κατώκνει καὶ ἀνεβάλλετο. Ὅμως καὶ τοὺς λόγους λαμβάνων ἐν κοινῷ τὸ πρακτέον ἐτίθει. Κἀπειδὴ ὁ ἀνεψιὸς ἐκείνου Ἀλέξιος ἐπέκειτο προσβιάζων καί τις τῶν θεληματαρίων, Κουτριτζάκης τοὐπίκλην, μετὰ θάρρους, ὅπως πραχθείη λέγων, τὸ ἔργον ὑφίστατοτὸ γὰρ εἱμαρμένον ἄφυκτον ὥσπερ ἐμψύχοις οὕτω καὶ πόλεσιν, ἀναθαρρεῖ τε κἀκεῖνος καὶ πρὸς τὸ κρατῆσαι μετέωρος ἦν. Ὅθεν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων μαθόντων τε καὶ συμφωνησάντων ἑτοίμως συγκαταπρᾶξαί οἱ τὸν λόχον, αὐτὸς μὲν ἄλλοτε μὲν περιῄει καὶ τὸν τόπον ὡς εἰκὸς κατεσκέπτετο, τότε δέ, τὴν ὑποψίαν διαφυλαττόμενος, ἐκποδὼν ὤν, τοῖς ὑποβαλλομένοις προσέχων, εὖ εἰδὼς τῶν τόπων, συνῄει καὶ προεσκέπτετο ὅπως ἄριστα γένοιτο καὶ μετὰ σπουδῆς τὸ μελετώμενον σφίσι, μήπως καί, ἀνταλαλαξάντων τινῶν, τὸ ἐν κρυπτῷ φωραθείη. 195

κζʹ. Ὅπως ἡ πόλις ἑάλω. Ὡς γοῦν ἔστη τὸ πᾶν τῆς βουλῆς, καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐτάττετο· νυκτὸς γὰρ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν συνοίσειν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου, μὴ προσδοκώντων, ἔγνωσαν. Κἀκείνοις μὲν μέλον ἦν, ἐπαναβεβηκότας τὸ τεῖχος διὰ κλιμάκων ἀψοφητί, τοὺς φυλάττειν τε τεταγμένους καταρριπτεῖν ἄνωθεν καὶ τὴν τῆς Πηγῆς πύλην ἀνοίγειν, σφῆνας ἐμβαλόντας, τὸν ἐκ λίθων μόνων προσαρμόζοντα ταύτῃ τοῖχον κατερηριφότας πρότερον, τῷ δὲ καίσαρι, τοὺς στρατιώτας διὰ νυκτὸς ἐφελκόμενον, ἑτοίμως εἰσβάλλειν καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀνοιχθεῖσαν