Histories

 To keep, but to change their name, no longer being called by their ancestral name, and the emperors of byzantium prided themselves on calling themselv

 That these, having descended into lower asia, to phrygia, lydia and cappadocia, made the things in this country subject to them. and now one can see,

 In a short time he showed them to be prosperous, and so many of the nomads who came to him warred with him and together carried on the war against the

 Leaving a poor one, died in prousa. we know that this man of this race both established other things as best as possible, and established his rule in

 Turning back from asia, they went on foot to the chersonese, again having in mind to cross into asia by whatever means they could. and having somehow

 The city then. there when the news came to the king of the hellenes, that nicaea was being besieged and that those in the city, unless someone came to

 And amurath. suleiman, the son of orkhan, having thus taken over the kingdom, immediately went against the hellenes and made war, and carrying off as

 Abandoned it and fled, and was in retreat. and under him the affairs of the greeks were expected to reach the ultimate danger, being overturned by the

 And seeing that the enemy had no guards, and that they were for the most part by the tearos river—since it provides the finest and most healthful wate

 Among the nations of the inhabited world, whether, having been separated from the portion of the illyrians, it inhabited this land, or, as some say, f

 He sent the younger manuel to the peloponnese as ruler of mystras, and the elder he made king over the greeks. and john, the son of andronikos, when h

 Each to his own. that having sent envoys there they should request a truce, and come to terms with him, on the condition that they would follow him wh

 The bank of the ravine, having come as close as possible to the camp of the enemies, so that he might be heard most easily, and calling each man by na

 The people of the city were treating him with vexation, or as was necessary, as things were, he departed as quickly as possible by sea, having in mind

 Of orchanes, as has been previously shown by me. and now so much might be said as a sufficient reminder. for when john took possession of the empire,

 Having hired horses, arrived at prousa to king amurates. 1.49 after these things, he campaigned against the triballians and against eleazar, the leade

 And under his hand and to the children of the rulers as moderately as possible. and he was most ready to honor each man and to address them, and most

 And having captured certain towns, he enslaved their populations, and sending an army he plundered the land of the albanians as far as the coastal reg

 The emperors of the hellenes concerning the empire of byzantium, 1.58 manuel undertook to pay a tribute of thirty thousand gold coins, and to lead him

 Having crossed into europe, sending troops as far as macedonia, he was ravaging the country towards the ionian sea and the albanians there, and having

 From the pyrenees mountain, whence the tartessus also flows to the western ocean. and upper germany is, as far as it proceeds, extending to colonia an

 Some say that they were anciently the getae, and that, living near haemus and being hard-pressed by the scythians, they withdrew to this land, which t

 Sigismund, having been in extreme danger, and having narrowly escaped capture, embarking on a trireme on the river 1.71 was sailing to byzantium to th

 The country not to be passable for the enemies, nor easy to be subdued. and following, he showed forth deeds worthy of mention, both fighting, if some

 Each his own ways. later, however, as the following summer came, since the emperor of byzantium did not present himself at the gates and it was report

 To iberia, and on the north to germany, and on the west to the ocean and the britannic isles and it extends from the alps outside of italy as far as

 Becoming good. and orlando, the general, besieged by thirst, to have died, and rinaldo, having succeeded him in the war, to have left it to the kings

 To be turned, a certain woman, not unattractive in appearance, saying that god spoke to her, led the celts who followed and obeyed her. the woman, by

 At least for eleven. therefore, ebbing by night and by day, it floods again, returning. and when the moon is in the middle of the sky, until the horiz

 The archbishop of sparta, and they, coming together, took counsel among themselves, and they banded together with one another, and they made an agreem

 And of the scythians even now still a very great multitude, having been scattered in many places throughout europe, it is possible to see. and indeed

 By doing so you will both gratify him, and the race in asia and in europe will be grateful to you for this. and if they have done anything contrary to

 Both on behalf of the city of melitene on the euphrates and on behalf of the rulers who were staying with us. so then king temeres marched against pa

 He was a horse-breeder, and meeting and conversing with those who pastured their herds in those very regions, he made an agreement with them, that by

 The foreigners, if they happened to arrive at the camp in need of grain. so that at a nod from the great king the whole army would indeed be set in mo

 They sin against us in any way whatsoever. but if you would grant this sin to me as i am asking, may even more good things than these come to you. sa

 Arabia, alleging that it was allied with the cadusii, who were being warred upon by him, he campaigned. and twice he fought with the army of the arabs

 To the lawgivers previously sent forth by god to the inhabited world. and they consider circumcision above all things to be a purification for them, i

 Having captured several cities, he proceeded toward samarkand. but he learned that the scythians, having set out from the tanais, had overrun his coun

 Of the house of kings, and his name was hacı giray. when they were entrusted to this king, having arrived in this country, they drove towards the iste

 Those of the libyans who crossed over this way, and of the prussians against both the samatians and the nomadic scythians, who were settled 1.124 in a

 1.127 of the mingrelians and sarmatians, and lead1.127ing as many slaves as possible to the bosphorus, taking them to the city of kaffa and to the so-

 Forces, and they fought, and when a fierce battle took place, the scythians gained no advantage. afterwards, as the scythians pushed forward and engag

 Thinking but as many as are the most numerous armenians throughout this country, are indeed monothelites and jacobites and very many are manichaeans.

 He made both truces and peace, and it befell him that the turkish rulers from lower asia came to him, and the matters concerning melitene. they had la

 To present himself at the gates of temir. and if he did these things, he would be a friend and ally of king temir but if he did not, king temir would

 These things, as he was in the land of the armenians campaigning against temir, he was deliberating how indeed he might best fight the battle. and hav

 To the soldiers, which will be a gain to us and not be lost. and if it comes to us, we shall have many times more in profit and if to the persian, it

 And very many towns were deserted, with the horsemen of temir running everywhere through the land of bayezid. and concerning bayezid, it happened thus

 To mock the children and wives of kings, and you act insolently towards your natural masters. to him saying such things, he made his words a laughing

 Of the land within the ganges and the indus, and having subdued the country there, he established his palace in that very city and it happened then t

 He subdued samarkand. not much later, using the king of the nine as an ally and making his capital in the prosperous assyrian city of tabriz, he conti

 In this way to his brother, and having routed him destroyed much of his army in the battle, and indeed capturing jesus alive, he killed him, after he

 They followed him as he rode out. thus indeed were the affairs of musa çelebi concerning the two continents, having contended most nobly of all those

 Manuel, the emperor's son, lacking in neither knowledge nor wisdom, seemed at that time both capable of leading in war and was held in high esteem. be

 They joined together and fought. after not long, the army from asia was routed and had rushed into flight. mehmed chordinos indeed was saved by fleein

 However to the camp. and when the troops perceived him mutilated, they fled and went to his brother. thereupon he himself, without hesitating, fled at

 If the enemies, having taken away their country, pursued any of the men, arriving there he would dwell. and the 1.175 city having become great in a sh

 They sent embassies. and those in the city being at a loss, and not having any course of action, said they were ready to obey the genoese, and 1.178 t

 They had suffered incurable things from the beast but they accomplished nothing. this mariangelos, the first of this house, but a briton by birth, ar

 A senate called the 'called upon,' about three hundred in number. they elect these men and the other magistrates in the great council, having chosen t

 Emperors, whenever they go out to war, and privately each year the ten triremes, which they send out every year as far as the ionian and to the aegean

 Naval force. these men were proceeding against proconnesus, with their ships on the high seas. but the peloponnesian ship had been left behind, as it

 Of the war against mehmet. 1.192 the greeks, then, held these men in custody for a considerable time, and after this they led them to lemnos and to im

 The greater part of elis and indeed pylos and no small part of the country of messene, as far as driving on to laconia. however, the peloponnesian gre

 Still yielding to peace. but after this the rulers of naples, setting out from the island of corcyra (for the kings of parthenope then held the island

 The city of thebes for he left corinth to his brother-in-law theodore, the emperor's brother. and the city of athens, having previously taken it from

 A suitable brother. and after this, summoning the peloponnesians to the isthmus, he both fortified the isthmus and, having established a garrison ther

 To make them king, (for with triremes they were preventing the crossing of amurates to europe, and blocking the propontis and the hellespont to the cr

 To be, nor that he would ever deprive them in the future. having then persuaded the greeks, therefore, he marched forward into europe, and everything

 With it being moored, he makes an agreement with the master of the ship to ferry both himself and the janissaries 2.7 and his court officials and the

 Having chosen them, he has them here as sons of good men. and the gates, to speak concisely, are so arranged and two generals are appointed by the su

 Therefore the greeks sent envoys to amurates and begged him but he sent them away and did not accept their request. after this, since nothing came of

 Hellas, a great and prosperous city, was taken by amurad. he allowed, however, his neighboring subjects to inhabit this city. 2.15 but he, returning h

 Of him, and having sent their leading men, both others and the wealthy loukas notaras, he made a treaty. so the emperor of the hellenes, when peace wa

 Sending [forces], he was ravaging the country. and then indeed, when the leader of the triballians learned that the king was advancing against him, he

 We learned that he had previously come to the king's gates and induced the king to allow him to dispose of the country as he saw fit. these things had

 Flowing in it, it empties into the ister. this king of the illyrians, then, since his country was being ravaged by isam, and since having gathered an

 Their leader. for bayezid, son of murad, having driven this man's father from the country, and myrxa, leader of the kaninoi, and many other rulers of

 With the spring it seemed good to march out. but after the counsel of sabatines the eunuch, a man of much experience in his wars, he both entrusted th

 He both deposed and routed the general, winning a most glorious victory, from which indeed the affairs of the paeonians returned to their former state

 In the beginning, his affairs were thus but amurates after these things sent triremes against the land of colchis, both to ravage the country and to

 This city, then, has often fallen into calamities, the families of the city being led into irreparable evils against one another, and bringing their o

 He did not cease at all, until the leader of milan died. but this king of the aragonese, ruling over valencia and aragon and the islands of sardinia a

 To give him a handkerchief, with this the king was to show his favor for the liaison. but we pass over these things, having been said to this extent,

 For those inhabiting the land of navarre, bringing him from tarragon, because he had married the king's daughter, they established him as king for the

 Waging war. and the libyan king of granada pays tribute to the king of the iberians, whenever he makes a truce but often he marches out, besieges the

 They were driving towards the camp and as for the figs, 2.55 splitting each one open, they inserted a single gold coin inside, and put them together

 He urged the tyrants of asia to revolt. murad son of mehmed set out and marched against him, and he sent orders to turahan, the governor of thessaly,

 They were unable to mount the wall, as the greeks defended it stoutly. there, since nothing was going their way, they separated and sailed away to ita

 Doing it. and take care to get rid of this woman no longer live with her. but send away the young man too. and when he learned this, he was astonish

 Might be weighed in the balance. they elect rulers of the city's affairs and one called among them a standard-bearer, for a term of three months, to w

 A synod for them in italy, and to mark, the archbishop of ephesus, who did not at all accept the dogma of the latins from the beginning, and to schola

 Were present with him when he died. so after his death they sent for francesco, surnamed sforza, and having appointed him general they entrusted to hi

 About six thousand horsemen and won a conspicuous victory. not much later, marching upon the city, where he had also previously stayed, and acting, he

 The one part they give to the child for the rule, and the other again to the other child, so that no dispute might arise among them, is left for the p

 His emperor, and he came to byzantium, and not much later he himself and his wife's brother were captured by the emperor of the hellenes, john. and wh

 I will present them, so that neither they nor the rest of those toward the west will ever wish to come against you. 2.84 thus spoke chasimes, the son

 Especially, as they had resolved to defend themselves. and they guarded the entrance, as they were able, defending as best they could. and the paeonia

 Having sent to asia, and he entrusted the rule of thessaly to another man to govern. and turahan was thus put in prison but george, the leader of the

 A small town, however, the one situated in the region of the city of phanarion on pindus, and receives a ruler from the emperor. the part extending do

 Sending messengers to the emperor, he incited him to campaign against the peloponnese. but these things happened much later at that time it had been

 To march against europe, taking with them both the dacians and dracul, the son of myrxes, so that being present for the war he might both join in with

 Should announce to amurates either peace. for if he were at peace with amurates, it would be necessary for him, as amurates marched through the pontus

 Camp. for it was the custom of this race, after the nomadic scythians indeed most of all of whom we know, when fleeing to regroup easily and return ag

 For since you are a king, it would be right for you to engage with a king. the speech persuaded the young man who heard these things, desiring as he

 Having seized both, he killed them immediately. this man, then, was brought home, and not much later they chose him as general and overseer of their a

 Wherever he might be in the country, was present at thebes, when neres also came to him, leading an army from athens. and coming 2.113 to pagae he enc

 Having sufficient provisions, others mules, others both together, and others also horses, so that the baggage animals of the army were doubled. and be

 The thousand, to march through the interior, while he himself marched through sicyon straight for achaea. arriving at sicyon, the city, on the day the

 He was besieging, and was striking the wall with cannons, and cast down no small part of it. and after this he attacked with the janissaries with the

 Their city of krujë. and here, having led out the women and children, 2.124 he placed them in the cities of the venetians, but he left the men in the

 And arianites, having in mind to join them as they advanced further into europe for so it had been prearranged with them as well. but when amurates,

 Nothing to me, for as soon as it was roused from sleep, the hare went off fleeing when it sensed the noise, and though the dogs pursued for a short wh

 Of the enemies. and now it seems so. for you see how the king's porte stood, in no way eager for battle, nor are they willing to risk themselves, as t

 2.135 you act without deceit and treachery, and you are friends for the future. and if you should render any favor to the emperor by accomplishing wha

 The turks to the river called morava, along the bank, and he himself, having packed up, rode away home. but john, as if fleeing, was withdrawing towar

 Acropolis. but he persuaded both the commander of the acropolis and the garrison to attack the governor with him and to seize the city. but when one o

 As he was passing to the throne he killed him, stopping his breath with water. a saraptares, his wine-pourer, killed him, and his name was ..., who di

 He was making them subject. so these things went thus far. 2.147 laonikos' demonstration of histories viii. in the following summer, mehmed, son of mu

 The number of baggage animals in the king's army happened to be double their number for it is customary for baggage animals to be brought into the ar

 They set up four of the king's towers and battlements, raised on timbers, intending to immediately set them on fire. the mines, however, did not advan

 Of the emperor, bringing wheat. when he learned this, he quickly manned both the triremes and the boats, and sent them against the ships which were al

 But whomever i perceive loitering in the tents and not fighting at the wall, not even if he should fly away like the birds would it be sufficient for

 And these men, then, thus, as a great many perished for no reason, hastening to get ahead of one another, fell into that spectacle, and the gates were

 He was led away, he was sold in galatia, and embarking on a ship he escaped to the peloponnesus. if, then, the sultan had recognized him, that he was

 These things are not to be endured, that the emperor should take away our children, having nothing with which he might blame us at present, since he h

 Serving him with money, and once when he saw him disturbed by the rumor, sending more money he ordered him to be of good courage and not to listen to

 Having clashed with raoul, the ruler's general, he was captured and had his two eyes put out by the ruler. having thus accused these men, as amurad wa

 Marching along with the turks against bordonia, a fortified country, into which the albanians, having placed their children and women, had built both

 The ister. having arrived there, all his troops overran the country of the triballians, and they stripped the land of its horses, plundering it, while

 Belgrade with a large army) and he himself, having also filled the best ships, as many as were available to him in buda, went down the river 2.180 as

 Of them. but the others, as they rushed to the wall and saw the paeonians there also on the battlements, they forced the paeonians and, running over,

 And by the plague, which befell the paeonians in their camp and pressed them very hard, so that they could not even breathe for some considerable time

 That chedrechabareos the vice-prefect died from drinking hemlock. but having betrothed the daughter of the king of the celts, he did not manage to hav

 Matters, urging them to contribute to the war against the barbarians. 2.191 these things, however, had been done by the pontiff pius, who was competin

 He sent him away to his own province. this man, however, upon returning to his own country, awaited the attack of the king's army, and held the countr

 These things appointed him chief of the gates. so when he had driven out zagan, his own brother-in-law, from his position of honor, this man became ev

 He might campaign. the governors, prefects, and soldiers of the cities, therefore, bring this tenth, in addition to the tribute, so-called the bostina

 Might overtake, and he would stand to resist and prevent them from harming his own country as they advanced. this man, taking command of the army of e

 A small town, neither enslaving them nor committing any other unseemly act, he sent them with their wives and children to byzantium to settle. and of

 To the king, that we know his soul 2.208 is the noblest of all the kings of the ottomans who have come before, and that his power is the greatest in t

 Five hundred staters, and to the leader, on condition that he surrender aigion and patras and the surrounding country to us. if not, let them know tha

 The wealth of the acropolis and your own things, and to depart, leaving the acropolis to the sultan. having heard these things, the young man asked f

 To defend themselves. yunus shouted these things, and taking the cavalry, he ran upon the greeks. the last ones received the first, but afterwards, a

 Of david of trebizond, paying the tribute and keeping the treaty. for the kings of colchis are said to have formerly been kings of byzantium, of the h

 And of the emperor, he was passing through with the army, wanting to attack by sea against the zychian, wherever he might be found for the zychian ar

 The lordship and of korion and kakhetion and typhlision, these cities being near to samachion, with turks inhabiting it and holding it apart from the

 He besieged it for a short time, but being hard-pressed he withdrew, and went up again to the sultan, in need of reinforcements. and it happened also

 By the difficulty of the place, they prepared to defend themselves against those coming to make war on them, the king's army. the newcomers, therefore

 These women, however, when they came out of the city, they took and drove to the camp. but the king, learning how everything concerning epidaurus had

 Of his towns. for when the greeks perceived that the king had subjugated the interior and destroyed as many men 2.234 as possible of the cities, each

 Descending into the camp, they mingled with the turks. but the emperor, having gathered those of the gates and the cavalry who were present, sent them

 The following summer, when spring had arrived, mehmed marched against the ruler of kastamonu and sinope, accusing him because he was a friend to uzun

 He was withdrawing from the city, being transported to europe to the land, which the emperor had provided for him. there, when the emperor took over t

 Khasanes my son has sent, being well-disposed indeed to your affairs, and neither being vexed by your good fortune, nor refusing to do you a favor, fo

 To demetrius, the greek ruler of the peloponnese, he granted both prosperity and islands and the prosperous city of ainos, and being in a secure posit

 To the king, making it clear, that one of the king’s sons or his nephew, as has been said, should come to the despoina, who was the wife of uzun hasan

 Of the king, so that he might strengthen his rule for him, and so that he would not have troubles if the leading men of dacia changed their minds agai

 However, sending everywhere, he ordered him to bring the army well-equipped, and all the couriers to follow him on this campaign. and the king's heral

 Black bogdan was coming to close quarters as if to invade the land of the dacians, but he was prevented by one part of the army, which was stationed t

 The arriving turks remained, where each was encamped, established. and the king's heralds, since vlad was about to attack 2.260 immediately, going abo

 He ordered the troops to be with him night and day. advancing thus with his army in formation, he arrived further into dacia at the city, in which vla

 Showing themselves, they crossed the istrus with great haste. and the sultan, having ordered ali, son of michael, to follow behind the army, when he h

 To campaign against lesbos. but the ruler of lesbos, dominicus, or kyriakos in greek, being the younger brother, conspired against, arrested, and depo

 He ordered the war preparations to be transported by sea to the island, and he himself, arriving at a certain plain, crossed over to the island. he hi

 A form, to cut the body in two. therefore, placing the cut at the diaphragm, whereby it happens that for this reason the one being executed is kept fr

 And the bridge at skopje on the axios river and a palace in adrianople, beyond the tearos, where it flows into the hebros and a small town in asia ne

 To the king's herald, that the tribute was ready and had been prepared, but that he was not eager, by sending the money to the king, to be deprived of

 He crossed the illyrian river, which was navigable. the infantry army by ships, which he ordered to be built there. he let loose the horses 2.282 into

 It is situated in a certain marshy place. and great marshes beside it, stretching for a great distance, make it strong and not passable. at that time,

 Having killed his father and many of his army, behaving unlawfully toward his father and contrary to justice. he therefore also sent frequent embassie

 The venetians were angered by the king's officers being brought against them and being harsh to their subjects, but they nevertheless abided by the tr

 And by slandering the governors he contrives things advantageous to himself, and pretending great things little by little, suddenly, if he could, to f

 Reporting. and immediately after, it seemed best to send envoys to the great high priest, and likewise to send envoys to the paeonians immediately, be

 They died in the war, and others were also captured by the turks. these things, however, we blame you for at present. we promise to take revenge very

 Sailing to aegina. when he arrived at aegina, he again ordered him to ferry him over to euboea. and having landed in attica, from there he came to the

 Machumutes to thessaly. and he, 2.303 having considered the letters, packing up from there, was marching forward and having marched near boeotia, a m

 The king's power has been removed from the way, and the power of the venetians themselves has been gathered to the utmost. for if they were not able t

to march against Europe, taking with them both the Dacians and Dracul, the son of Myrxes, so that being present for the war he might both join in with zeal and assist, providing about ten thousand horsemen. They summoned George, the ruler of the Triballi, to this war, that he might share the risk with them; but he was not persuaded, saying 2.98 that they were doing unlawful things, both breaking treaties and beginning injustices, and he thought he would resolve the charge against him with money, because he would not march with the king of the Paeonians. He warned the king not to march, as the Turks were very powerful, and not easily or readily thus subdued by the Paeonians. For he saw that the preparation was not sufficient to occupy Europe, as there were very many Turks in it, who had been tested much in wars and made most of their living from this. and he reminded them that this race, having reached desperation, everywhere displays a valor worthy of mention, and that this race recovers itself wondrously compared to other races. Ladislaus then, the king of the Paeonians, crossing the Ister from Erdelj and ferrying his army across, arrived in the emperor's country, and encamped there along the coast of the Euxine, in the land of Dobrotik the Mysian, against both Kaliakra and Varna. And coming there they besieged the cities. And Varna, when it was besieged, surrendered by agreement, but Kaliakra was taken when the Paeonians attacked and scaled the wall. Having sacked and enslaved it, they marched straight for the land of Byzantium and Orestias. And while they were occupied with these things, Amurates son of Mechmetes, marching against Karaman, ravaged the country, and after plundering the baggage animals, he besieged the acropolis of Iconium. Karaman then, having fled to the heights of the country, stayed there, so that if anyone came against him, defending himself from the heights, he 2.99 held out. And he sent an embassy to Amurates, promising to give hostages, and to send his son to his gates, and to pay double the annual tribute which he had paid before. So while Karaman was proposing these things, and begging to make a treaty with the emperor, at that point a message arrived from the ruler of the Triballi, that the Paeonians were advancing and crossing the Ister. And then indeed he accepted the proposals of Karaman and made a treaty, and having taken hostages and his son, he led away his army. He learned, then, that the Hellespont was being held by the Italian and western ships. There, being at a loss as to what he should do in the present circumstances for the crossing, he nevertheless led his army in haste to the Hellespont, intending to drive away the triremes with his cannons, if they sailed up and tried to prevent him. For this is by far the narrowest part of the Propontis, and there is a tower in Asia called Hieron, so that nowhere else do the two continents come together separated by so short a distance. When he led the army there to cross, both the European and the Asian, he no longer found the triremes there; for very strong winds did not allow the triremes to sail into the Propontis, and a strong gale came down for many days, forcing the ships to be unable to sail up against the wind in any way. But Amurates, since the triremes were no longer there, crossed over in peace, both he and his entire army. And when he had crossed, he sent a messenger to the emperor of Byzantium, 2.100 to tell him that he was crossing safely and was marching straight against his enemy, and to bid him pray for the best for him in his wars. 2.101 LAONIKOS' DEMONSTRATION OF HISTORIES 7. The emperor of the Hellenes, when he learned what the messenger said, was vexed, as was likely, that he had crossed over in this way, so that they did not prevent the crossing without a fight, but that he crossed peacefully and ferried his army over at the same time, and he bore it heavily, and was deliberating how he should deal with the present situation, and whether war

στρατεύεσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην, ξυμπαραλαμβάνοντες ∆ᾶκάς τε καὶ ∆ρακούλην τὸν Μύρξεω παῖδα, ὡς παρών τε ἐς τὸν πόλεμον συμπροθυμοῖτό τε καὶ συνεπιλάβοιτο, παρέχων ἱππέας ἀμφὶ τοὺς μυρίους. Γεώργιον δὲ τὸν Τριβαλλῶν ἡγεμόνα παρεκάλουν μὲν ἐς τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον, συνδιαφέρειν τε αὐτὸν ἅμα ἐκείνοις· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐπείθετο, φάμε 2.98 νος ἀθέμιτα ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτούς, τάς τε σπονδὰς λύοντας καὶ ἀδικίας ὑπάρχοντας, χρήμασί τε ἐνόμισε διαλύσειν αὐτῷ τὴν αἰτίαν, ὅτι οὐ στρατεύοιτο τῷ Παιόνων βασιλεῖ. προηγόρευε δὲ τῷ τε βασιλεῖ μὴ στρατεύεσθαι, ὡς Τούρκων μέγα δυναμένων, καὶ οὐκ εὐπετῶς ῥᾴδιον οὕτω χειρωθῆναι ὑπὸ Παιόνων. ἑώρα γὰρ τὴν παρασκευὴν οὐχ ἱκανὴν εἶναι, ὥστε τὴν Εὐρώπην κατασχεῖν, παμπόλλων ἐν αὐτῇ ὄντων Τούρκων, καὶ ἐν πολέμοις πολλὰ πειραθέντων, καὶ τὸ πλέον τοῦ βίου σφίσιν ἐντεῦθεν ποιουμένων. ἀρετήν τε τὸ γένος τοῦτο ἐς ἀπόγνωσιν ἀφικέσθαι ἀξίαν λόγου ἐνδεικνύμενον ἁπανταχοῦ, καὶ ἀναλαμβάνειν τε σφᾶς τὸ γένος τοῦτο ὑπεμίμνησκε δαιμονίως παρὰ τὰ ἄλλα γένη. Λαδισλάος μὲν οὖν ὁ τῶν Παιόνων βασιλεύς, ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἐρδελίου διαβὰς τὸν Ἴστρον καὶ τὸν στρατὸν διαπορθμεύσας, ἀφίκετο ἐς τὴν βασιλέως χώραν, καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐστρατοπεδεύετο κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Εὐξείνου παραλίαν, ∆οβροτίκεω τοῦ Μυσοῦ χώραν, ἐπὶ Καλλιάκρην τε καὶ ἐπὶ Βάρνην. καὶ ἐλθόντες ἐνταῦθα τάς τε πόλεις ἐπολιόρκουν. καὶ ἡ μὲν Βάρνη ὡς ἐπολιορκεῖτο, προσεχώρησε καθ' ὁμολογίαν, ἡ δὲ Καλλιάκρη ἑάλω τε προσβαλόντων τῶν Παιόνων καὶ ἀναβάντων ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος. ἐξελόντες δὴ καὶ ἐξανδραποδισάμενοι ἤλαυνον εὐθὺ τῆς Βυζαντίου χώρας καὶ Ὀρεστιάδος. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀμφὶ ταῦτα εἶχον, Ἀμουράτης δὲ ὁ Μεχμέτεω ἐλάσας ἐπὶ Καραμᾶνον τήν τε χώραν ἐδῄου, καὶ τὰ ὑποζύγια ληϊσάμενος ἐπολιόρκει τὴν τοῦ Ἰκονίου ἀκρόπολιν. Καραμᾶνος μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα τῆς χώρας ἀποφυγὼν διέτριβεν αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἤν τις ἐπ' αὐτόν, ἀπὸ τῶν ἄκρων ἀμυνούμενος διε 2.99 καρτέρει. καὶ ἐπρεσβεύετο πρὸς τὸν Ἀμουράτην, ὑποσχόμενος διδόναι τε ὁμήρους, καὶ τὸν παῖδα ἐς τὰς θύρας αὐτοῦ ἐπιπέμπειν, καὶ φόρον ἀπάγειν τοῦ ἔτους διπλάσιον, οὗ ἀπέφερε πρότερον. ταῦτα δὴ οὖν προτείνοντος τοῦ Καραμάνου, καὶ δεομένου σπένδεσθαι αὐτοῦ τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐνταῦθα ἀφίκετο ἀγγελία παρὰ τοῦ Τριβαλλῶν ἡγεμόνος, ὡς οἱ Παίονες ἐπελαύνοντες διαβαίνουσι τὸν Ἴστρον. καὶ τότε δὴ τοὺς λόγους ἐδέχετο τοῦ Καραμάνου καὶ σπονδὰς ἐποιεῖτο, λαβὼν δὲ ὁμήρους καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ ἀπήγαγε τὸν στρατόν. τὸν μὲν οὖν Ἑλλήσποντον ἐπυνθάνετο κατέχεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν νεῶν τῶν Ἰταλικῶν καὶ ἑσπερίων. ἐνταῦθα ἐν ἀπόρῳ ἐχόμενος, ὅ τι χρήσαιτο τῷ παρόντι ἐς διάβασιν, τὸν στρατὸν ὅμως ἦγε σπουδῇ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον, ὡς τάς τε τριήρεις, ἢν ἐπιπλέουσαι διακωλύωσι, τοῖς τηλεβόλοις ἀπελασόμενος. ἔστι γὰρ τοῦτο τῆς Προποντίδος στενώτατον ἐπιεικῶς, καὶ πύργος ἔνεστιν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ Ἱερὸν καλούμενος, ὥστε μηδαμοῦ ἑτέρωθι ἐς τοσοῦτον βραχὺ ξυνιέναι τὼ ἠπείρω διαστῆσαι. ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἐπῆγε τὸν στρατὸν διαβησόμενος, τὸν τῆς Εὐρώπης τε καὶ Ἀσιανόν, τὰς μὲν τριήρεις οὐκέτι κατέλαβεν ἐνταῦθα· ἄνεμοι γὰρ ἰσχυροὶ πάνυ οὐκ εἴων τὰς τριήρεις ἐς τὴν Προποντίδα ἐσπλέειν, καὶ πνεῦμά τε ἰσχυρὸν κατῄει ἐπὶ συχνὰς ἡμέρας, βιαζόμενον τὰς ναῦς μηδαμῇ ἀναπλεῦσαι ἐναντία τοῦ πνεύματος. Ἀμουράτης δέ, ὡς αἱ τριήρεις οὐκέτι παρῆσαν αὐτοῦ, καθ' ἡσυχίαν διέβαινεν αὐτός τε καὶ ὁ στρατὸς ἅπας. ἐπεὶ δὲ διεβεβήκει, ἄγγελον ἔπεμψε παρὰ τὸν Βυζαντίου βασιλέα, 2.100 ἐροῦντα αὐτῷ, ὡς διαβαίνοι σῶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν αὐτοῦ ἰθὺ ἐλαύνοι, καὶ εὔχεσθαι παραγγέλλειν ὡς κάλλιστα αὐτῷ τὰ ἐς τοὺς πολέμους. 2.101 ΛΑΟΝΙΚΟΥ ΑΠΟ∆ΕΙΞΙΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΩΝ Ζ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ Ἑλλήνων ὡς ἐπύθετο τὰ παρὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ἤχθετο μὲν οἷα εἰκός, διαβεβηκότος οὕτω, ὥστε μὴ διακωλῦσαι τὴν διάβασιν ἀμαχητί, ἀλλ' ἡσυχῇ διαβάντα τόν τε στρατὸν αὐτοῦ ἅμα διαπορθμεῦσαι, καὶ ἔφερε μὲν χαλεπῶς, ἐβουλεύετο δέ, ὅπως τῷ παρόντι χρήσοιτο, καὶ εἴτε πόλεμον