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encamped at Bizye; but they did not seem sufficient for resistance. However, when the Bulgarians appeared around Sozopolis, the emperor sent out along with 446 many others Bossilas the Bulgarian, the youngest brother of Smiltzes and Radoslav; who, indeed, having arrived quickly and cast no small fear into the enemy, immediately put the attackers to flight. And as they were crossing the river Scaphidas in such disorder, a misfortune befell them, and the bridge collapsed, and from then on the river and the sword divided the wretched ones, and no ordinary slaughter occurred. This spurred on the Bulgarians, and although it was their custom to release the captured without bloodshed, except, however, for the distinguished and the great, so that only those who resisted in the war happened to fall, they, having attacked Adrianople and plundered the spoils, when our men had failed due to the instability of fortune and the fickle nature of Ares, did not hesitate to kill many. Wherefore the emperor, being greatly distressed, since it was necessary to assemble sufficient forces to advance on Adrianople, hastily gathered many experienced soldiers from the east, but they were destitute of their possessions and in need. At any rate, being eager to satisfy them as far as possible, he sent to the city many of 447 his own vessels, as many as were wrought of gold and silver, with the Augusta Maria also urging this (for most were from her dowry, which she had brought from home), ordering them to be struck into coin. This was done very quickly, and having prepared an army of a thousand men, he marched out with them against Adrianople with great confidence. And leaving the Augusta there, having first supplicated the Theotokos, he invaded warlike on the twenty-third of Poseideon along the outer ridge, which they also call Romania, and renewing the old proverb, he made the land from Rheachoube and into Stilvnon as far as Kopsis the spoils of the Mysians, and he blockaded Eltimir. And again, having done the same things and ravaged the enemy's territory for days, he returned to Orestias. When these things were heard from the letters of the emperor's brother Theodore to the Augusta Maria, the homonymy of Rheachoube caused a disturbance for the emperor. For knowing Stilvnon and Kopsis from reports, and since, when asking about Rheachoube, he heard that it lay near the borders of Ternovos to the south, a day's journey away, he supposed what was written to be a complete joke, and could neither bring together into one the things so far 448 apart, and he supposed it was indeed a reckless daring, if this was done, and a necessary danger for those who entered, as was likely. But it was, in fact, as was heard shortly after, another Rheachoubis with the same name, which people, using a diminutive, called Rheachovitza. And so the disturbance ceased, and the certainty of the letters was understood. And Poseideon was not yet over, and complete reports, clear messages from him when he returned later, strongly confirmed that the Bulgarians were weary.

29. In the same year also the ruler of the Laz and son of the emperor's sister, Alexios, priding himself on his despotic rank and holding the city of Trebizond, came into conflict with the Genoese for the following reason. It was the custom from ancient times for the Genoese dwelling in the country to share the profits which they handled from the so-called *commercium* in Roman terms with the rulers of the country. But when they grew in the city and were magnified by exemptions, so that even the land opposite Byzantium was granted to them for a settlement at once secure and magnificent in its buildings, they from that point disdained the inspection of cargoes there, and bore the duties grievously, if, though honored with exemptions by the emperor 449, they should be subject to other local rulers. Therefore, feeling wronged by this, they sent envoys from their common council to Alexios, proposing certain demands, and when he did not agree to them at all, to withdraw from the country in full force and

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προσκαθήμενον τῇ Βι ζύῃ· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐδόκουν αὐτάρκεις πρὸς ἀνταγώνισιν. ὅμως φα νέντων Βουλγάρων περὶ Σωζόπολιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκπέμπει συνάμα 446 πλείστοις τὸν ἐκ Βουλγάρων Βοσσίλαν, τὸν Σμίλτζου καὶ Ῥαδο σθλάβου ὕστατον ἀδελφόν· ὃς δὴ καὶ διὰ ταχέων ἐπιστάς, καὶ φόβον ἐμβαλὼν οὐ μικρὸν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, εἰς φυγὴν παραυτίκα τρέπει τοὺς ἐπιόντας. καὶ τὸν Σκαφιδᾶν ποταμὸν περαιουμένοις οὕτως ἀκόσμως δυστύχημα συναντᾷ, καὶ ἡ γέφυρα καταπίπτει, καὶ ποταμὸς ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ξίφος τοὺς ἀθλίους διεμεριζέτην, καὶ φόνος οὐχ ὁ τυχὼν γίνεται. τοῦτο Βουλγάρους ὀτρύνει, καὶ σφίσι σύνηθες ὂν ἀναιμωτὶ τοὺς ἑαλωκότας ἀπολύειν, χωρὶς μέν τοι τῶν ἐπιφανῶν καὶ μεγάλων, ὡς μόνους συμβαίνειν πίπτειν τοὺς ἀνθισταμένους κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἀνδρια νοῦ προσβαλόντες καὶ τὰ λάφυρα διαρπάζοντες, σφαλέντων τῶν ἡμετέρων τύχης ἀστασίᾳ καὶ τῷ ἀλλοπροσάλλῳ τοῦ Ἄρεος, πολ λοὺς οὐκ ἀπώκνουν φονεύειν. ὅθεν καὶ βασιλεὺς ὑπερπαθήσας, ἐπεὶ ἔδει καὶ ἱκανὰς συγκροτεῖν δυνάμεις ἐφίστασθαι μέλλοντι τῇ Ἀνδριανοῦ, πολλοὺς μέν τινας ἐκ τῆς ἕω συνηπείγετο ἐμπειροπο λέμους, ἀλλὰ γυμνοὶ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἦσαν οὗτοι καὶ ἐνδεεῖς. τούτους γοῦν ἱκανοῦν ἐκ τῶν δυνατῶν προθυμούμενος, τὰ πολλὰ 447 τῶν ἰδίων σκευῶν, ὅσα χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου ἦσαν ἐξειργασμένα, συνοτρυνούσης εἰς τοῦτο καὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης Μαρίας (τὰ γὰρ πλεῖστα ἐκ τῶν αὐτῆς ἦσαν προικώων, ὧν οἴκοθεν ἐπεφέρετο) πέμπει πρὸς πόλιν, εἰς νόμισμα ταῦτα κοπῆναι προστάσσων. ὃ δὴ γεγονὸς τὴν ταχίστην, καὶ στρατὸν εἰς χιλιοστύας ἐξετοι μασάμενος, ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀνδριανοῦ σὺν πολλῷ τῷ θάρρει σφίσι συν εξορμᾷ. καὶ τὴν Αὐγούσταν ἐκεῖ καταλιπών, πρότερον τὴν θεοτόκον ποτνιασάμενος, κατὰ τὸν ἔξω ζυγόν, ὃν καὶ Ῥωμανίαν λέγουσιν, εἰκοστῇ τρίτῃ Ποσειδεῶνος ἀρεϊκῶς εἰσβάλλει, καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ Ῥεαχούβεως καὶ ἐς Στίλβνον μέχρι καὶ Κόψεως, τὴν πα λαιὰν παροιμίαν ἀνανεούμενος, λείαν Μυσῶν ἀπεργάζεται, καὶ τὸν Ἐλτιμηρῆν ἀποκλείει. αὖθις δὲ τὰ ὅμοια δράσας καὶ ἐφ' ἡμέραις τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων καταδραμὼν πρὸς Ὀρεστιάδα ἐπανα ζεύγνυσι. ταῦτ' ἀκουσθέντα ἐκ τῶν πρὸς τὴν Αὐγούσταν Μα ρίαν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως Θεοδώρου γραμμάτων, ἡ ὁμω νυμία τῆς Ῥεαχούβεως θόρυβον ἐμποιεῖ βασιλεῖ. τὸν γὰρ Στίλ βνον εἰδὼς ἐκ φημῶν καὶ τὴν Κόψιν, ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ τῆς Ῥεαχού βεως ἐρωτῶν ἐγγὺς τῶν ὁρίων Τερνόβου ταύτην ἤκουε κεῖσθαι ἐκ μεσημβρίας, ἡμερησίαν ὁδὸν διέχουσαν, χλεύην ὅλως ὑπελάμ βανε τὰ γραφόμενα, καὶ οὔτε συμβαλεῖν εἶχεν εἰς ἓν τὰ πόρρω 448 διεστῶτα, καὶ τόλμαν ὄντως εἰκαίαν, εἰ τοῦτ' ἐπράχθη, καὶ κίνδυνον ἀναγκαῖον τοῖς εἰσελθοῦσιν ὡς τὸ εἰκὸς ὑπελάμβανεν. ἦν δὲ ἄρα, ὃ καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παρασχεδὸν ἠκούετο, ἑτέρα τις ὁμωνυ μουμένη Ῥεάχουβις, ἣν καὶ ὑποκοριζόμενοι ἄνθρωποι Ῥεαχοβίτζαν ἐκάλουν. καὶ οὕτω θόρυβος μὲν ἐπέπαυτο, τὸ δ' ἀσφα λὲς τῶν γραμμάτων κατελαμβάνετο. οὔπω δὲ καὶ Ποσειδεὼν ἐπληροῦτο, καὶ ἐντελεῖς φῆμαι, μήνυτρα καθαρὰ ἐκ τῶν ὑστέ ρων ἐπαναζεύξαντος, λίαν διεβεβαίουν ὡς οἱ Βούλγαροι ἔκαμον.

29. Τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ ἔτους καὶ ὁ τῶν Λαζῶν ἀρχηγὸς καὶ τῆς βασιλέως αὐταδέλφης παῖς Ἀλέξιος, τῇ δεσποτικῇ σεμνυνό μενος μοίρᾳ καὶ τὸ Τραπεζήϊον ἄστυ κατέχων, Γεννουΐταις γί νεται διὰ μάχης ἐξ αἰτίας τοιᾶσδε. Γεννουΐταις ἦν σύνηθες ἐξ ἀρχαίου κατοικοῦσι τὴν χώραν ἀπομερίζειν τὰ κέρδη ὧν μετεχεί ριζον ἐκ κομμερκίου λεγομένου Ῥωμαϊκῶς τοῖς τῆς χώρας ἄρχου σιν. ἐπεὶ δ' ηὐξάνοντο κατὰ πόλιν καὶ ταῖς ἀτελείαις ἐμεγαλύ νοντο, ὥστε καὶ τὴν ἀντιπεραίαν τῆς Βυζαντίδος ἀποχαρισθῆναι σφίσιν εἰς οἰκισμὸν ἅμα μὲν ἀσφαλῆ ἅμα δὲ καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῆ τοῖς οἰκοδομήμασιν, ἠδόξουν ἐντεῦθεν τὴν ἐκεῖ τῶν φορτίων ἀναψη λάφησιν, καὶ βαρέως ἔφερον τὰς εὐθύνας, εἰ παρὰ βασιλέως 449 ἀτελείαις τιμώμενοι τοπαρχοῦσιν ἄλλοις καθυποκλίνοιντο. ὑβριο παθοῦντες τοίνυν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκ τοῦ κοινοῦ σφῶν συνεδρίου πρέσβεις πρὸς τὸν Ἀλέξιον πέμπουσιν, ἀπαιτήσεις τινὰς προτεινόμενοι, αἷς ἐκείνου μηδ' ὅλως συντιθεμένου ἀναχωρεῖν τῆς χώρας παμ πληθεί τε καὶ