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They ordered Kamaris to follow them, so that he might know where the emperor's camp was; and the other to go away to Byzantium to report to the others what had been done. And coming to the river Melas, where the rest of the army along with the protostrator was encamped, they communicated to him the matters concerning those contriving the capture of Byzantium, and whatever they had learned about the Mysians and about the encampment at Logoi, adding also the reasons. And since it seemed good to him also, breaking camp from there, they encamped at Logoi. And on the next day it was reported to them that a Mysian force of about three thousand horse had come to Byzantium in alliance with the elder emperor; and Ivanes the Rus leads them. This, then, disturbed the young emperor not a little. And as he, along with the grand domestic and the protostrator, examined what had persuaded the Mysian king to disregard the treaties and oaths with him, being the husband of his sister, and to ally with the elder emperor, they suspected that the agreements and the alliance that had been made were not genuine, but that the Mysian, realizing that the elder emperor, partly from hatred for his grandson, and partly from fear that the Romans with him might be corrupted by him and plot against him, would more easily accept a Mysian guard in the palace, thinking that as foreigners and allies they would be more loyal to him, had sent the army, on the pretext, to be sure, of ma 1.296 fighting us on his behalf, but in truth, that they might, if they could, seize the palace by entering in small groups; then he himself would also come with his entire army, and would make the Byzantines subject and thus would next attack the rest of the Roman dominion. And they took as proof the fact that he was also bringing in Scythians as allies, for fear that they might not help them at Byzantium, if something of the sort were to happen. Such things they themselves suspected from their reasonings concerning the alliance. And they were true, as it was later possible to learn accurately. A certain one of the Roman deserters with him suggested the plan to the Mysian king and promised him that he himself would also accomplish the deed. For which reason he was also chosen as an envoy for the alliance. But for the sake of a test the emperor, sending to Ivanes, ordered him to withdraw from Roman territory; for while there were treaties between him and the Mysian king, his brother-in-law, he had entered Roman territory with an army. If, then, he had come to help him, he should withdraw to his own land; for he had no need of him; but if to make war, he should expect him as for a battle. The emperor, then, said such things, testing Ivanes. For it did not seem expedient at that time to take up war against the Mysians. But Ivanes assured the emperor with written oaths that neither had his master broken the treaties, but remained true to the treaties with him, nor had he himself and the army come here against him. And after reading the oaths, the emperor was more confirmed that what he himself suspected about the 1.297 alliance of the Mysians was true. And immediately sending George Pepagomenos to the emperor his grandfather, he begged him not to suspect his words as those of an enemy, but to be persuaded by what was advantageous for both the Romans and himself, who was advising him. And as for the Mysians who had come as allies, to use them as he might wish for the war against him, but inside the palace neither to receive many Mysians at once, nor armed; but if ever they did enter, they should be few and in succession, so that they might not seem to be insulted being allies, and without weapons, and especially at the hour of breakfast to keep a greater watch. Moreover, also to install within the palace a formidable army of Romans, and to keep himself and the city under every guard. For he suspected from the facts that it had been ordered to the Mysian army by their king to seize the palace by treachery, if they could, and that for this reason he himself with his entire army and Scythian allies was encamped on the borders of his and the Roman dominion, so that if what had been commanded to Ivanes succeeded, in a short time

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Κάμαριν μὲν ἐκέλευον ἕπεσθαι αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἂν εἰδέναι ἔχῃ τὸ στρατόπεδον βασιλέως ὅπη εἴη· τὸν δ' ἕτερον εἰς Βυζάντιον ὡς καὶ τοῖς ἑτέροις τὰ πεπραγμένα ἀπαγγελοῦντα ἀπιέναι. ἐλθόντες δὲ παρὰ τὸν Μέλανα ποταμὸν, ἔνθα καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ στρατιὰ ἅμα πρωτοστράτορι ἐστρατοπεδευμένη ἦν, τά τε περὶ τῶν πραττόντων τὴν ἅλωσιν αὐτῷ ἐκοινοῦντο Βυζαντίου, καὶ ὅσα πύθοιντο περὶ τῶν Μυσῶν καὶ περὶ τῆς εἰς Λόγους στρατοπεδείας, προστιθέντες καὶ τὰς αἰτίας. καὶ ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόκει καλῶς ἔχειν, ἄραντες ἐκεῖθεν, ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο ἐν Λόγους. καὶ ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν ἠγγέλθη αὐτοῖς, ὡς στράτευμα Μυσῶν περὶ τρισχιλίους ἵππους ἧκεν εἰς Βυζάντιον κατὰ συμμαχίαν τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ βασιλεῖ· ἡγεῖται δὲ αὐτῶν Ἰβάνης ὁ Ῥώς. ἐθορύβησε μὲν οὖν οὐ μετρίως τοῦτο τὸν νέον βασιλέα. ἐξετάζοντι δ' αὐτῷ ἅμα τῷ μεγάλῳ δομεστίκῳ καὶ πρωτοστράτορι ὅ, τι τὸ πεῖσαν τὸν βασιλέα Μυσῶν τὰς μὲν πρὸς αὐτὸν σπονδὰς ἠθετηκέναι καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους, ἀδελφῆς ὄντα σύνοικον, τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ δὲ βασιλεῖ συμμαχεῖν, ὑπενόουν μὴ ἀληθεῖς εἶναι τὰς γεγενημένας συνθήκας καὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν, ἀλλὰ συνιδόντα τὸν Μυσὸν, ὡς ὁ πρεσβύτερος βασιλεὺς ἅμα μὲν ἔχθει τῷ πρὸς τὸν ἔγγονον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ δέει τοῦ μὴ τοὺς συνόντας αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίων διεφθάρθαι ὑπ' ἐκείνου καὶ ἐπιβουλεύειν αὐτῷ, ῥᾷον ἂν παραδέξαιτο ἐν βασιλείοις φρουρὰν Μυσῶν, οἰόμενος οἷα ξένους καὶ συμμάχους αὐτῷ μᾶλλον εὐνοεῖν, πέμψαι τὸν στρατὸν, πρόφασιν μὲν, ὡς μα 1.296 χουμένους ἡμῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ, τῇ δ' ἀληθείᾳ, εἰ δύναιντο τῶν βασιλείων κρατῆσαι κατ' ὀλίγους εἰσελθόντες· εἶτα καὶ αὐτὸς πανστρατιᾷ ἐλθὼν, Βυζαντίους τε ποιήσεσθαι ὑποχειρίους καὶ οὕτως ἤδη καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ ἐπιθήσεσθαι Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίᾳ. καὶ τεκμήριον ἐποιοῦντο τὸ ἐπάγεσθαι καὶ Σκύθας συμμάχους δέει τοῦ μὴ βοηθεῖν αὐτοῖς ἐς Βυζάντιον, εἴ τι γένοιτο τοιοῦτον. τοιαῦτα μὲν αὐτοὶ ἐκ λογισμῶν περὶ τῆς συμμαχίας ὑπενόουν. ἦσαν δὲ καὶ ἀληθῆ, ὡς ὕστερον ἀκριβῶς ἐξεγένετο μαθεῖν. ὑπετίθει δὲ τὴν βουλὴν τῷ βασιλεῖ Μυσῶν ἐκ τῶν αὐτομόλων παρ' αὐτῷ Ῥωμαίων τις καὶ ἐπηγγέλλετο αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ ἔργον καταπράξεσθαι αὐτός. διὸ καὶ ᾑρέθη πρὸς τὴν συμμαχίαν πρεσβευτής. πείρας δὲ ἕνεκα ὁ βασιλεὺς πέμψας πρὸς Ἰβάνην, ἐκέλευεν ἀναχωρεῖν ἐκ τῆς Ῥωμαίων· σπονδῶν γὰρ οὐσῶν αὐτῷ πρὸς βασιλέα Μυσῶν τὸν γαμβρὸν, αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων παρεληλυθέναι ἔχοντα στρατιάν. εἰ μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ βοηθήσων ἥκει, εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀναχωρεῖν· μὴ δεῖσθαι γὰρ αὐτοῦ· εἰ δὲ πολεμήσων, ἐκδέχεσθαι αὐτὸν ὡς ἐπὶ μάχην. βασιλεὺς μὲν οὖν τοιαῦτα εἶπε πειρώμενος Ἰβάνη. ἐδόκει γὰρ οὐ λυσιτελεῖν ἐν τῷ τότε πόλεμον ἄρασθαι πρὸς Μυσούς. Ἰβάνης δὲ ὅρκοις ἐγγράφοις διεβεβαιοῦτο πρὸς βασιλέα, μήτε τὸν αὐτοῦ δεσπότην παρεσπονδηκέναι, ἀλλ' ἐμμένειν ταῖς σπονδαῖς ταῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν, μήτ' αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐνθάδε ἥκειν. ἀναγνοὺς δὲ τοὺς ὅρκους ὁ βασιλεὺς, μᾶλλον ἐπεῤῥώσθη πρὸς τὸ ἀληθῆ εἶναι ἃ αὐτὸς ὑπενόει περὶ τῆς 1.297 συμμαχίας τῶν Μυσῶν. καὶ αὐτίκα τὸν Πεπαγωμένον Γεώργιον πέμψας πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν πάππον, ἐδεῖτο αὐτοῦ μὴ τοὺς λόγους ὑποπτεύειν ὡς πολεμίου, ἀλλὰ πείθεσθαι καὶ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ αὐτῷ συμβουλεύοντι λυσιτελοῦντα. καὶ τοῖς κατὰ συμμαχίαν ἥκουσι Μυσοῖς πρὸς μὲν τὸν κατ' αὐτοῦ πόλεμον ὅ, τι ἂν βούλοιτο χρῆσθαι, βασιλείων δὲ ἐντὸς μήτε ἅμα πλείους δέχεσθαι Μυσῶν, μήτε ὡπλισμένους· ἀλλ' εἴ ποτε καὶ ἐσίοιεν, ὀλίγους τε καὶ κατὰ διαδοχὰς, ἵνα μὴ δοκοῖεν προπηλακίζεσθαι σύμμαχοι ὄντες, καὶ ὅπλων χωρὶς, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν ἀρίστου τῇ ὥρᾳ πλείω ποιεῖσθαι φυλακήν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ βασιλείων ἐντὸς στρατιὰν ἐγκαθιδρύσαι ἀξιόμαχον Ῥωμαίων, καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ πάσῃ ἑαυτόν τε καὶ τὴν πόλιν τηρεῖν. ὑπονοεῖν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὡς τῇ στρατιᾷ Μυσοῖς πρὸς τοῦ σφετέρου βασιλέως εἴη προστεταγμένον, τὰ βασίλεια, εἰ δύναιντο, δόλῳ κατασχεῖν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸν πανστρατιᾷ καὶ συμμάχοις ἅμα Σκύθαις ἐν μεθορίοις τῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἐστρατοπεδεῦσθαι, ὡς εἰ κατορθοῖτο ἃ προσετέτακτο Ἰβάνῃ, ἐν ὀλίγῳ