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to be content, to have love for one another, to turn away from self-rule, to embrace community, to be anxious for nothing concerning life, to use all foods, having nothing profane, to live with very many wives and to assign to these the provision of necessities, so that at once the race might multiply and they might also have what they needed, to acquire none of the permanent possessions, nor to remain in built houses, but to move about and migrate for what is useful, and if someone should be in need of food, either to hunt using an arrow or, by pricking their horse, to sip blood, and if someone should need more solid food, enclosing the blood in a sheep's intestine, to place it under the saddlecloth, so that from there having been slightly congealed by the heat from thence, to serve it as a meal, and if someone happening upon a rag somewhere should find one, to sew it onto his cloak, even of whatever sort it might be, and even if the cloak should not need it—and the purpose, so that by doing this even without need, when forced to do it out of need, they would not be ashamed to patch the old things with new, and thus they themselves live in all comfort, having lance and saddlecloth and garment and life itself from their womenfolk, while they themselves, by making war, possess the things of others, without much ado. These are the commands of the lawgiver Tzingiskan—for I have now recalled the name—holding them securely, they practice both truth in their words and justice in their deeds, the one befitting freedom of soul, the other uprightness of mind, so that one is not deceived by what he might hear another say, and one is not plotted against in what another might do to him. But the emperor at that time, having made a marriage-alliance with Nogai, their ruler, did not cease sending many things, both for use as clothing and for a variety of foods, and in addition, generously giving whole jars of fragrant wines. And he, having learned about food and drink, was pleased to receive them and also accepted gold and silver in drinking cups; but as for the elaborate things for either headdresses or for garments—for the emperor was also generous in sending these—touching them with his hands, he would ask the one who brought them if the headdress was useful 449 for the head by making it free from toil and pain, if the pearl sewn on it could ward off lightning, if the stone helped against the crash of thunder, so that the wearer would not be thunderstruck, if the costly garments again contributed to the ease of his limbs. If they said no, he would cast it aside, or even having put it on for a short while, just enough to honor the friendship, taking it off immediately, he would change into his usual dogskin or sheepskin and wearing it would glory more than in the costly robes. He did likewise also with the headdresses, preferring things necessary for use over superfluous ones, even if they were costly. But if that one, making it up, said that the item brought some sort of benefit, of any kind and in any way, to the wearer, he immediately believed it and wore it, paying attention not to the stones or the pearls, but to the benefit. Therefore, having this man ready to overrun Constantine's territory and to plunder his land, if that man should attack the emperor's, he not only held firmly to Mesembria and Anchialus, but also Sozopolis and Agathopolis and Kanstritzion and some other fortresses, which the emperor's men had repaired and acquired for the emperor, and he held them firmly in his hands, not yielding even the shadow of a fortress. For he had once held Mesembria even by right, having received it from Mytzes.

5. Concerning Mytzes and how he gave Mesembria to the emperor. This Mytzes, so that I may resume and narrate more clearly, was the son-in-law of Asan through his daughter, and co-brother-in-law of Theodore Laskaris. This was the Asan who, it is said, both joined with John Doukas the emperor and with him overran the western regions, having proofs of every fine quality. So when that one died and this man, being a Bulgarian, succeeded to the rule of the Bulgarians, it happened that he offended

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ἀρκεῖσθαι, τὸ φιλάλληλον ἔχειν, τὸ αὐτόνομον ἀποστρέφεσθαι, τὸ κοινωνικὸν ἀσπάζεσθαι, τὸ μηδὲν περὶ βίου σπεύδειν, τὸ πάσαις χρᾶσθαι τροφαῖς, μηδὲν τῶν βεβήλων ἔχοντας, τὸ γυναιξὶ ξυνοικεῖν πλείσταις καὶ ταύταις προσανατιθέναι τὸν τῶν ἀναγκαίων προσπορισμόν, ὡς ἅμα μὲν τὸ γένος πληθύ νεσθαι, ἅμα δ' ἔχειν καὶ ὧν δέοιντο, τὸ μηδὲν τῶν καθ' ὑπόστασιν κτημάτων προσκτᾶσθαι, μηδ' ἐμμένειν κτίσμασιν οἴκων, ἀλλὰ μεταβαίνειν καὶ μετα φοιτᾶν πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον, κἂν χρεία τροφῆς εἴη τῳ, ἢ ὀϊστῷ χρωμένους θηρᾶν ἢ καί, τὸν ἵππον ἐκκεντοῦντας, ἐκροφᾶν αἵματος, εἰ δέ τῳ καὶ στεγανωτέρας προσδέοι τροφῆς, ἐγκάτῳ οἰὸς τὸ αἷμα συγκλείοντας, ὑπὸ τὴν ἐφεστρίδα τιθέναι, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν μικρὸν συσταθὲν ἐκ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν θερμότητος, δεῖπνον προστίθεσθαι, κἄν τί που ῥάκος ἐντυχών τις εὕροι, ἐπιρράπτειν τῇ ἀμπεχόνῃ, κἂν οἷον ἐκεῖνο καὶ ᾖ, κἂν ἡ ἀμπεχόνη μὴ δέοιτοὁ δὲ σκοπός, ὡς ἂν καὶ ἄνευ χρείας τοῦτο ποιοῦντες, ἐπὶ τῆς χρείας ποιεῖν ἀναγκαζόμενοι, μὴ αἰσχύνοιντο τοῖς παλαιοῖς τὰ νέα προσεπεμβάλλοντες, καὶ οὕτως αὐτοὺς μὲν ἐν ἀνέσει παντοίᾳ ζῆν, σάριτταν καὶ ἐφεστρίδα καὶ ἔνδυμα καὶ αὐτὴν ζωὴν παρὰ τῶν τῆς γυναικωνίτιδος ἔχοντας, αὐτοὺς δὲ πολεμοῦντας τὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἔχειν, μηδὲν πολυπραγμονήσαντας. Ταῦτα τὰ τοῦ νομοθέτου Τζιγκίσκανινῦν γὰρ ἀνεμνήσθην τοὔνομαπαραγγέλματα ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ ἔχοντες, ἀλήθειάν τε ἐν λόγοις ἀσκοῦσι καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν πράξεσι, τὸ μὲν ἐλευθερίᾳ προσῆκον ψυχῆς, τὸ δ' εὐθύτητι γνώμης, ὡς ἀνεξαπάτητον μὲν εἶναι οἷς ἂν ἀκούοι τις ἑτέρου λέγοντος, ἀνεπιβούλευτον δὲ οἷς πράττοι ἂν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἕτερος. Ἀλλὰ Νογᾶν μὲν κηδεύσας ὁ βασιλεὺς τηνικάδε, τὸν ἐκείνων ἄρχοντα, πέμπων οὐκ ἀνίει πλεῖστα, ὅσα τε πρὸς ἐνδυμάτων χρῆσιν καὶ ὅσα πρὸς τροφῶν ποικιλίαν, πρὸς δὲ καὶ ἀνθοσμιῶν οἴνων ὅλας πιθάκνας φιλοτιμούμε νος. Ὁ δὲ τὰ μὲν εἰς βρῶσιν καὶ πόσιν μαθὼν ἠγάπα λαμβάνων καὶ χρυσὸν δὲ καὶ ἄργυρον ἐν ἐκπώμασι προσεδέχετο· τὰ δὲ ποικίλα ἢ πρὸς καλύπτρας ἢ πρὸς ἐνδύματαἐφιλοτιμεῖτο γὰρ καὶ ταῦτα προσαποστέλλων ὁ βασι λεύςἁφώμενος ταῖς χερσίν, ἀνηρώτα τὸν διακομισάμενον εἰ χρησιμεύοι 449 πρὸς κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ἄπονον εἶναι καὶ ἀνάλγητον ἡ καλύπτρα, εἰ ὁ ἐπανεσπαρμένος μάργαρος ἀμύνειν ἔχοι ταύτῃ τὰς ἀστραπάς, εἰ εἰς βροντῶν κτύπους, ὥστε μὴ ἐμβρόντητον γίνεσθαι τὸν φοροῦντα, ὁ λίθος συναίροιτο, εἰ τὰ πολυτελῆ αὖθις ἐνδύματα εἰς ἀπονίαν μελῶν συλλαμβάνοι. Εἰ μὲν οὐκ ἔλεγον, παρερρίπτει, ἢ καὶ ἐνδυθεὶς ἐπ' ὀλίγον, ὅσον τὰς φιλίας ἀφο σιώσασθαι, ἀπεκδυόμενος παραυτίκα, μετελάμβανε κυνῆν ἢ προβατῆν τὴν συνήθη καὶ φορῶν ἐκυδροῦτο πλέον ἢ ὅσον ταῖς πολυτελέσι στολαῖς. Ὡσαύτως καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς καλύπτραις ἐποίει, τὰ πρὸς χρῆσιν ἀναγκαῖα τῶν περιττῶν, κἂν ἦν τῶν πολυτελῶν, ἀνθαιρούμενος. Εἰ δ' ἐκεῖνος πλαττόμενος ὄνησιν φέρειν ἔλεγε τῷ φοροῦντι τὸ κτέρας τὴν οἱανοῦν τε καὶ ὁπουδήποτε, εὐθὺς πιστεύων ἐφόρει, οὐ λίθοις οὐδὲ μαργάροις, ἀλλ' ὠφελείᾳ προσέχων. Τοῦτον τοιγαροῦν ἔχων ὁ βασιλεὺς ἕτοιμον τοῦ Κωνσταντίνου καταδρα μεῖσθαι καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου σκυλεύειν χώραν, εἰ τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ἐκεῖνος ἐπίοι, οὐ Μεσεμβρείας μόνον στερρῶς ἀντείχετο καὶ τῆς Ἀγχιάλου, ἀλλὰ καὶ Σωζόπολιν καὶ Ἀγαθούπολιν καὶ Κανστρίτζιον καὶ ἄλλ' ἄττα φρούρια, ἅπερ οἱ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπισκευασάμενοι προσεκτῶντο τῷ βασιλεῖ, καὶ λίαν ἐν χεροῖν εἶχε, μηδὲ φρουρίου σκιὰν προϊέμενος. Μεσέμβρειαν γὰρ καὶ ἐκ δικαίου πάλαι ποτ' εἶχε, λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ Μυτζῆ.

εʹ. Τὰ περὶ τοῦ Μυτζῆ καὶ ὅπως δέδωκε βασιλεῖ τὴν Μεσέμβρειαν. Ὁ δὲ Μυτζῆς οὗτος, ἵν' ἐπαναλαβὼν εὐμαθέστερον διηγήσωμαι, γαμβρὸς μὲν ἧν ἐπὶ θυγατρὶ τῷ Ἀσάν, σύγγαμβρος δὲ Θεοδώρου τοῦ Λάσκαρι. Ἀσὰν δ' οὗτος ἦν ὃν λόγος καὶ Ἰωάννῃ συνελθεῖν τῷ ∆ούκᾳ καὶ βασιλεῖ καί γε σὺν ἐκείνῳ τὰ κατὰ δύσιν ἐπιδραμεῖν, φιλοκαλίας πάσης ἔχοντα δείγματα. Ὡς γοῦν ἐκεῖνος ἐτελεύτα καὶ οὗτος τὴν ἀρχὴν διεδέχετο τῶν Βουλγάρων, Βούλγαρος ὤν, συνέβαινε μέν οἱ προσκρούειν