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taking up the whole army, they went on the pretext of going to Thessalonica, as if to secure it, it not yet having been captured, so that they might not seem to be fleeing, having abandoned Pherae and the other cities of Macedonia; but in truth, that each might go wherever his wife and children were. But when, having departed from Pherae, they were on their way, as many as had campaigned with them from Thessalonica, when they learned it had been captured, they deserted them and went over to the emperor; and the Berrhoeans, having learned what had happened in Bodena, did the same as those from Thessalonica; and the army of Mysians, subject to the Romans, that was campaigning with them, now even revolted openly. For, coming upon the many cattle of the protovestiarios, they plundered them in his very presence and appropriated them for themselves. And when he tried to recover what had been plundered, 1.276 not only did they not obey, but they even took a horse from one of his baggage-carriers, teaching by deed that if he were not content, they would proceed even against him. And the entire rest of the army and the powerful men present from the western cities, since the emperor's affairs had now become clear, abandoning the generals, all came to him. But the protovestiarios, fearing to go to Achrida, for there he had placed his wife and children, when he marched against the emperor with the army, along with the despot and the others; being about one hundred and fifty, went to Kralj, the ruler of the Triballi. And the Pheraeans, as many as were from Byzantium, following the despot and the other generals, when they were left behind there as the others were retreating, seizing everything, plundered their possessions, and brought them in chains to the emperor. And when the emperor had decided to go to Edessa, departing from Thessalonica, he came to it on the second day. And the Edessenes, coming out in a body, did obeisance to the emperor and handed over the city. So the emperor managed other affairs as seemed best to him; but as for all the money that was there belonging to the despot and the other generals, he ordered the women to keep whatever was their own private property, and to wrong no one, but whatever belonged to the men was to be reported to him, so that he himself might decide concerning it. So the other women had reported their own property and that of their husbands, but the queen, the wife of the despot, fearing that the money might be taken away, made known a few of the things she possessed, but 1.277 deposited the greater part with a certain monk to keep. And it remained hidden for a time; then, after some time, when the monk was discovered by those in charge of those places, various things were plundered at different times. But when the matter of the money was reported to the emperor, the emperor ordered the women to have both their own property and that of their husbands, so that they might also provide for their husbands abroad; and that they themselves be brought from Bodena to Thessalonica, and from there to Didymoteichon, so that they might live there with the empress. And what had been ordered was carried out. 55. And on the next day, setting out from Edessa, he came to Kastoria; and Angelos, its governor, received him gladly, and handed over the city. For indeed he had been awaiting his arrival ever since his commands and letters from the great domestic had been sent to him from Thessalonica, and he held the city under guard for his sake. But while traveling the road to Kastoria, both Boesilas the despot of the Mysians, and Bryennios the great droungarios, and Exotrochos the great hetaireiarches, having selected them along with two thousand cavalry soldiers, he ordered them to go to Achrida, to see if they could somehow arrive before the protovestiarios and enter it. And having marched swiftly, since they arrived a day earlier, the Achridenes received them, opening the gates; for everything was already defecting to the new emperor, with no one forcing them; but the protovestiarios, since he was late, learning that Achrida had been captured, 1.278 despairing of his hopes of salvation, deserted with the others to Kralj. And they tried to persuade him to take up war against the emperor, to see if they could somehow through him fight back after the defeat. And persuaded by them, he came as far as the borders of

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στρατιὰν ὅση ἦν ἀναλαβόντες, προσχήματι μὲν ᾔεσαν ὡς ἐπὶ Θεσσαλονίκην, ὡς οὔπω ἑαλωκυῖαν περιποιήσοντες, ἵνα μὴ δοκοῖεν ἐκλιπόντες Φερὰς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τῆς Μακεδονίας πόλεις φεύγειν· τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, ὡς ἕκαστος χωρήσοντες οἷ ἂν αἵ τε γυναῖκες καὶ τὰ τέκνα ᾖ. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐξελθόντες ἀπὸ Φερῶν εἴχοντο ὁδοῦ ὅσοι τε ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης συνεστρατεύοντο αὐτοῖς, ἐπεὶ ἐπύθοντο ἑαλωκυῖαν, ἀποστάντες αὐτῶν, ἐχώρησαν πρὸς βασιλέα· καὶ οἱ Βεῤῥοιῶται τὰ ἐν Βοδηνοῖς πυθόμενοι συμβάντα, ταὐτὰ τοῖς ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἐποίουν· τό, τε συστρατευόμενον αὐτοῖς ὑπήκοον Ῥωμαίοις στράτευμα Μυσῶν ἤδη καὶ ἐνεωτέρισε φανερῶς. ἐντυχόντες γὰρ τοῦ πρωτοβεστιαρίου βοσκήμασι πολλοῖς, διήρπασαν αὐτὰ, αὐτοῦ παρόντος καὶ προσεποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς. ἐπιχειροῦντι δὲ ἀνασώζειν τὰ διαρπασθέντα, 1.276 οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἐπείθοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν σκευοφόρων αὐτοῦ τινα ἀφείλοντο τὸν ἵππον, ἔργῳ διδάσκοντες ὡς εἰ μὴ ἀγαπῴη, χωρήσοντες καὶ κατ' αὐτοῦ. ἥ τε λοιπὴ ἅπασα στρατιὰ καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῶν ἑσπερίων πόλεων παρόντες δυνατοὶ, τῶν βασιλέως πραγμάτων ἤδη φανερῶν γεγενημένων, ἐκλιπόντες τοὺς στρατηγοὺς, πάντες ἦλθον ὡς αὐτόν. δείσας δὲ ὁ πρωτοβεστιάριος εἰς Ἀχρίδα ἐλθεῖν, ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἦν καταθέμενος τὴν γυναῖκα καὶ τὰ τέκνα, ὅτε κατὰ βασιλέως ἅμα τῷ στρατεύματι ἐχώρει, ἅμα δεσπότῃ καὶ τοῖς· λοιποῖς, εἰς πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ὄντες, ἐχώρησαν πρὸς Κράλην τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν Τριβαλῶν. Φεραῖοι δὲ, ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐκ Βυζαντίου δεσπότῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἑπόμενοι στρατηγοῖς, ἐπεὶ ἐλείποντο ἐκεῖ ἀναχωρούντων, πάντα συσχόντες, τὰ ὄντα μὲν διήρπασαν αὐτοῖς, αὐτοὺς δὲ ὑπὸ δεσμοῖς ἤγαγον ὡς βασιλέα. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐδέδοκτο τὴν ἐπὶ Ἔδεσσαν ἰέναι, ἐξελθὼν Θεσσαλονίκης, δευτεραῖος ἦλθεν εἰς αὐτά. οἱ Ἐδεσσηνοὶ δὲ ἐξελθόντες πανδημεὶ, προσεκύνησάν τε βασιλέα καὶ τὸ πόλισμα παρέδοσαν. τὰ μὲν οὖν ἄλλα ᾗ αὐτῷ ἐδόκει διῴκει ὁ βασιλεύς· ὅσα δὲ ἦν αὐτόθι χρήματα δεσπότῃ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις στρατηγοῖς, ἃ μὲν ἂν ᾖ ἴδια ταῖς γυναιξὶ, ταῦτ' ἔχειν προσέταξεν αὐτὰς, καὶ μηδένα ἀδικεῖν, ἃ δ' ἂν ᾖ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, αὐτῷ μηνυθῆναι, ὡς ἂν αὐτὸς διαγνῷ περὶ αὐτῶν. αἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλαι τὰ ἴδια μεμηνύκεσαν καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, βασίλισσα δὲ ἡ τοῦ δεσπότου γαμετὴ, δείσασα μὴ τὰ χρήματα ἀφαιρεθείη, ὀλίγα μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἐνόντων ἐποίησε φανερὰ, τὰ 1.277 πλείω δὲ μοναχῷ τινι παρακατέθετο φυλάττειν. καὶ διέλαθόν γε ἄχρι καιροῦ· ἔπειτα φωραθέντος τοῦ μοναχοῦ μετὰ χρόνον τινὰ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιτροπευόντων ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς χωρίοις, ἄλλοτε ἄλλα διηρπάσθη. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἀνηνέχθη τῷ βασιλεῖ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων, τά τε ἴδια καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν προσέταξεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἔχειν τὰς γυναῖκας, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσι χορηγεῖν ἐπὶ τῆς ξένης· αὐτὰς δὲ ἐκ Βοδηνῶν ἀχθῆναι εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον, ἵν' ἐκεῖ συνδιάγοιεν τῇ βασιλίδι. καὶ ἐπληροῦτο τὰ κεκελευσμένα. νεʹ. Εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν δὲ ἀπάρας ἐξ Ἐδέσσης, ἦλθεν εἰς Καστορίαν· καὶ εἰσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ὁ ταύτης ἐπιτροπεύων Ἄγγελος χαίρων, καὶ παρέδωκε τὴν πόλιν. ἦν γὰρ δὴ καὶ πρότερον τὴν ἄφιξιν προσδεχόμενος αὐτοῦ, ἐξ ὅτου πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης προστάγματά τε ἐκείνου καὶ τοῦ μεγάλου δομεστίκου γράμματα ἐπέμφθη, καὶ τὴν πόλιν εἶχεν ἐν φυλακῇ ἕνεκα αὐτοῦ. μεταξὺ δὲ τὴν πρὸς Καστορίαν ὁδεύων ὁδὸν, τόν τε Βοησίλαν τῶν Μυσῶν δεσπότην καὶ Βρυέννιον τὸν μέγαν δρουγγάριον καὶ Ἐξώτροχον τὸν μέγαν ἑταιρειάρχην ἅμα δισχιλίοις ἱππεῦσι στρατιώταις ἀπολεξάμενος, τὴν πρὸς Ἀχρίδα ἐκέλευσεν ἰέναι, εἴ πως δυνηθεῖεν τὸν πρωτοβεστιάριον φθάσαντες παρελθεῖν εἰς αὐτήν. καὶ βαδίσαντας συντόνως, ἐπεὶ προτεραίᾳ ἦλθον, εἰσεδέξαντο αὐτοὺς οἱ Ἀχριδηνοὶ ἀνοίξαντες τὰς πύλας· ἤδη γὰρ ἅπαντα ἀφίσταντο πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν νέον, καὶ ἀναγκάζοντος μηδενός· πρωτοβεστιάριος δὲ ἐπεὶ ὑστέρησε, πυθόμενος ἑαλωκυῖαν τὴν Ἀχρίδα, 1.278 τὰς σωζούσας ἐλπίδας ἀπογνοὺς, ηὐτομόλησε μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων εἰς Κράλην. καὶ ἐπεχείρουν πείθειν αὐτὸν, πόλεμον ἄρασθαι πρὸς βασιλέα, εἴ πως δι' αὐτοῦ δυνηθεῖεν ἀναμαχέσασθαι τὴν ἧτταν. καὶ πεισθεὶς αὐτοῖς, ἦλθεν ἄχρι μεθορίων τῆς