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to prevail; for the contest was not with an adversary for them and for so great a city.

34. But Andreas Mouriskos, whom we said in the previous accounts had been appointed vestiarios by the emperor (for so is the purveyor of expenses for those on the ships named), having long ago become prefect of the military, put in at Tenedos with two ships and was stoutly besieging the fortress there. And he was already expected to capture it, but some Genoese, happening to be passing by, conferred with them and based their whole argument on these points: that if they wished to take the fortress with their mediation, they would take it without a struggle, but if they wished to overcome completely those within, they would not get away altogether without bloodshed. And they inquired how they should proceed in the matter. And since it seemed advantageous to depart in peace, they themselves, having deliberated in common with the inhabitants of the island, saved their persons by embarking them on their own ships, and left the fortress empty. And this was greatly rumored, as if they had taken Kallipolis itself; however, the rumor amounted only to this. Meanwhile, nothing new came of the rumor concerning the Augusta Eirene, who, having now remained in Thessalonike for two years, was managing her own affairs and those of her children, pressing for marriage contracts. This was to bring in an allied force for her interests here, both from Belgrade, subject to the Romans, and another very large Triballian mercenary force. But the enemies were the same and were again doing the same things. Meanwhile there was a truce in the wars, with the imperial triremes sailing near the straits of Abydos to prevent the crossing of the Persians from the east. The Almogavars themselves, it was said, did not take them on, so that it might at least be possible for them to raid and plunder those whom they had already brought across, enslaving them as they pleased with their own host, even though many, holding the opposite shore and aiming their arrows, kept our men from the coast, if they should try to land anywhere they might happen to moor or indeed to get water. For the entire coast was continuously held by the Persians, except for the areas around Atramyttion and Phokaia, which was held by Manuel Zacharias, protected not so much by the strength of the places as by the courage in war of the Italians who were with him. For this reason, seeing the islands on both sides neglected and lying most exposed to any who dared to attack (for if they were captured, there was no escape for them from danger), these men sent to the emperor and requested that he either provide for the islands' security himself, or entrust their defense to them, remitting also the revenues from there, which they could use to equip ships to fight against their attackers; for to them the emperor Michael had for a time given the place, which was suitable for the working of alum. And so, having reached the city, they found the emperor well-disposed toward their accomplishing what they wished, even if these things were still being delayed.

35. At that time also, she who was formerly married to Smiltzes, having reached the city, as was said before, was securing the marriage alliances with the emperor. When Sventislav learned these things, since he himself was also earnestly seeking a marriage connection from the emperor, and now despairing of Eltimir as leaning toward the emperor himself (being in fact the son-in-law of the wife of Smiltzes), he sent and by agreement took back two of the finest fortresses, Yambol and Lardea—which he had previously taken from the Romans and had given as a favor to Eltimir, who was his paternal uncle—and secured them by bringing in garrisons, expecting to attempt the rest as well. For the failure of the imperial marriage connection with him spurred on his ambitions, although later, in its own time, this too came to pass. And he was appropriating the places on the grounds that they had long belonged to the Bulgarians. And the divine power seemed to be exacting from the Romans in the west as well penalties for which they were clearly not able

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περιγενέσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου σφίσι τε καὶ τοσαύτῃ πόλει ξυνέβαινε τὸν ἀγῶνα εἶναι.

34. Ἀνδρέας δὲ Μουρίσκος, ὃν καὶ βεστιάριον πρὸς βα σιλέως καταστῆναι ἐν τοῖς πρόσθεν λόγοις ἐλέγομεν (οὕτω γὰρ ὁ τῆς δαπάνης χορηγὸς τοῖς ἐπὶ τῶν νηῶν ὀνομάζεται), ὕπαρχος τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ πάλαι γενόμενος, ἐν δυσὶ ναυσὶ Τενέδῳ προσ σχὼν καρτερῶς ἐπολιόρκει τὸ ἐκεῖσε φρούριον. καὶ ἤδη μὲν οὗ τος ἐπίδοξος ὡς ἁλώσων ἦν, Γεννουῗται δὲ τυχόντες ἐκ παρόδου σφίσι τε ἐκοινολογοῦντο, καὶ τὸν ἅπαντα λόγον ἐν τούτοις ἵστων, ὡς εἰ μὲν κατασχεῖν τὸ φρούριον θέλοιεν αὐτῶν μεσολαβούντων, ἀκονιτί γε λήψαιντ' ἄν, εἰ δέ γε τῶν ἐντὸς ἐς ἅπαν περιγενέσθαι, οὐκ ἂν ἀναιμωτὶ τὸ σύνολον ἀπαλλάξειαν. καὶ ὅπῃ σφίσιν ἐπι χειρητέα ἐς τὴν πρᾶξιν εἴη, διεπυνθάνοντο. ξυμφέρον δὲ τό γε 557 μετ' εἰρήνης ἀπηλλάχθαι δόξαν, αὐτοὶ τοῖς ἐνῳκηκόσι τῇ νήσῳ ἐπίκοινα βουλευσάμενοι τὰ μὲν σώματα σφῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἰδίαις ναυ σὶν ἐπιβήσαντες περιεποιήσαντο, κενὸν δὲ τὸ φρούριον ἀφιᾶσι. καὶ μέγα τι ἐφημίσθη τοῦτο, ὡς αὐτὴν Καλλιούπολιν κατασχόν των· ἐς τόδε ὅμως καὶ μόνον ἀπεκρίθη τὸ φημιζόμενον. Οὐδὲν δὲ τέως ἐνεώχμωσε καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς Αὐγούστης φη μισθὲν Εἰρήνης, ἥτις ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἤδη χρόνοις Θεσσαλονίκῃ παρα μείνασα τὰ πρὸς αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν παίδων διῴκει, εἰς ἐπιγάμους ὁρμῶσα συμβάσεις. τὸ δ' ἦν τῶν εἰς τὰ τῇδε ἁπτομένην συμ μαχικὸν ἐπάγεσθαι ἔκ τε Βελεγράδων Ῥωμαίων κατήκοον καὶ πλεῖστον ἄλλο Τριβαλλικὸν ξενικόν. ἀλλ' οἱ αὐτοὶ ἦσαν καὶ τὰ αὐτὰ ἔπραττον πάλιν οἱ ἐναντίοι. τέως δὲ ἐκεχειρία ἦν τῶν πο λέμων, ἐξ ἐγγίονος τῶν κατ' Ἄβυδον στενῶν τῶν βασιλικῶν τριή ρεων πλεουσῶν κατὰ κωλύμην τῆς ἕωθεν τῶν Περσῶν περαιώ σεως. οὓς οὐδ' αὐτοὶ προσεποιοῦντο, ὡς ἐλέγετο, Ἀμογάβα ροι, ἵνα γοῦν δυνατὰ σφίσιν εἴη ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν οὓς φθάσαντες διεπέρασαν, κατὰ τὸ αὐτοῖς ἀρέσκον, τῇ καθ' αὑτοὺς πληθύϊ δουλαγωγουμένους, εἰ καὶ πολλοὶ τὴν περαίαν διακατέχοντες, ἰοῖς τιτυσκόμενοι, τῆς ἠϊόνος ἀπήρτων τοὺς ἡμετέρους, ἤν τί που 558 καὶ ἐγχειροῖεν ὅπῃ παρατύχοι ὁρμίζεσθαι ἢ μὴν ὑδρεύεσθαι. πᾶσαν γὰρ ἠϊόνα διηνεκῶς ξυνέβαινε Πέρσαις κατέχεσθαι, πλὴν τῶν ὅσον κατ' Ἀτραμύτιον καὶ Φώκαιαν ἦν, ὃ δὴ τῷ Μανουὴλ Ζαχαρίᾳ κατείχετο, οὐ τόσον χωρίων ἰσχύϊ ὅσον τῷ τῶν περὶ ἐκεῖνον Ἰταλῶν ὄντων εἰς πόλεμον θράσει πεφυλαγμένον. τῷ τοι καὶ ἀτημελημένας τὰς ἑκατέρωθεν νήσους ὁρῶντες οὗτοι ἐπιμα χωτάτας κειμένας τοῖς τολμησείουσι ξυμβαλεῖν (οὐδὲ γὰρ σφίσιν ἀπόδραστα ἦν τὰ ἐς κίνδυνον σφῶν ἁλωμένων) πέμψαντες βα σιλέα ἠξίουν ἢ αὐτὸν ταῖς νήσοις τὸ ἀδῄωτον προνοεῖν, ἢ αὐτοῖς ἐπαγγεῖλαι τὰ ἐς φυλακήν, ἀνέντα καὶ τὰς ἐκεῖθεν εἰσπράξεις, αἷς εἴη ἂν χρᾶσθαι ναῦς ἐξαρτυομένοις εἰς τὴν τῶν ἐπιτιθεμένων ἀνταγώνισιν· ἐκείνοις γὰρ καὶ πρὸς χρόνον ὁ βασιλεὺς Μιχαὴλ τὸν τόπον ἐδίδου πρὸς ἐργασίαν στυπτηρίας ἐπιτηδείως ἔχοντα. οἳ δὴ καὶ τὴν πόλιν καταλαβόντες βασιλέως εὐμενοῦς ἐτύγχανον ἐς ὃ πρᾶξαι σφίσι τὸ κατὰ βούλησιν, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἀναβολαῖς ἦν ἔτι.

35. Τότε καὶ ἡ πάλαι συζυγεῖσα τῷ Σμίλτζῃ καταλα βοῦσα τὴν πόλιν, ὡς ἐλέχθη τὸ πρότερον, τὰς μετὰ τοῦ βασι λέως ἐπιγαμίας κατησφαλίζετο. ἃ δὴ μαθὼν Ὀσφεντίσθλαβος, 559 ζητῶν καὶ αὐτὸς λιπαρῶς κῆδος ἐκ βασιλέως, καὶ ἤδη τὸν Ἐλτι μηρῆν ἀπογνοὺς ὡς πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ αὐτὸν ἀποκλινοῦντα, γαμ βρόν γε ὄντα Σμιλτζαίνης, πέμψας δύο φρούρια τῶν καλλίστων, Ὑάμπολιν καὶ Λαρδαίαν, ἃ δὴ Ῥωμαίους ἀφελόμενος πρότερον ἐδίδου κατὰ χάριν Ἐλτιμηρῇ θείῳ γε πρὸς πατρὸς ὄντι, δι' ὁμο λογίας καὶ αὖθις ἀναλαμβάνει καὶ φρουροῖς εἰσαχθεῖσι κατασφα λίζεται, ἐπίδοξος ὢν καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἐγχειρήσων. ἡ γὰρ ἀπο τυχία τοῦ βασιλικοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν κήδους τὰς ὁρμὰς ἐκείνῳ παρώ τρυνεν, εἰ καὶ ὕστερον καιροῖς ἰδίοις καὶ τοῦτο γεγόνει. καὶ ὡς πάλαι Βουλγάρων ὄντα τὰ χωρία ἐσφετερίζετο. ἐῴκει δὲ τὸ δαι μόνιον Ῥωμαίους καὶ κατὰ δύσιν εἰσπραττόμενον δίκας ὧν ἐμφα νῶς οὐχ οἷοί τ'