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the one who was behind could not remain, since he heard that Laskaris was out of the way and that Palaiologos was established over all things, he, having as a pledge his intimacy with the one who had reigned, goes over to him, hoping to obtain an alliance with him again. But he was greatly deceived in his hopes; for the emperor, placing all the sultan's affairs second to his marriage-alliance with the Tocharoi, sent his illegitimate daughter Maria and made a marriage-alliance with the ruler of the Tocharoi, Hulagu, although, as he in the meantime had departed from life, Abaqa, his brother who was appointed to the rule, married Maria. But having the sultan in the city, which had already been captured by the Romans, he was deluding him with hopes from another quarter. But he, not ignorant of these plans, seizing the opportunity, as we said in the previous sections, flees from Ainos, and with the Tocharoi in the west, and at the same time with the ruler of the Bulgarians, Constantine, he arranges his flight through the northern regions of the Euxine. But many years later, after he was out of the way, his son Melik, having crossed the Euxine, comes to Kastamon. And having already submitted to the Tocharoi, 612 he attempted to recover for himself his paternal and grandfatherly inheritance. But Amourios stood in his way, and did not cease fighting, until this man, having been overpowered, along with his wife arrived at Herakleia on the Pontus and decided to go over to the emperor. And having arrived at the city, how from there, as the emperor was then journeying to Nymphaion, he himself, leaving his wife in the city, under the emperor's guides went on the road leading to him, and how after receiving his instructions from Adramyttion he fled, and how he managed his own affairs, was related in the previous sections. Later his wife also returned, as he requested it and the emperor allowed it. But the little daughter was left behind as a hostage. Now this child had been raised in the city for many years at the emperor's expense, just as Melik Constantine, one of the sultan's sons, had also been left among the Romans, who indeed had also been baptized and had ardently assimilated to Roman customs. And Isaac, who was also called Melik, learning of that Melik's little daughter, asked for her in marriage again. And he sought that her uncle Melik be proclaimed sultan by the emperor, and that he himself be sent there, and thus Isaac himself, having been adopted as a son by the emperor, would work for the Romans' interests 613 as much as possible. For this reason, the emperor, pleased with this joint venture with the Persian, for the time being did not approve installing Melik, the girl's uncle, as sultan, but the girl, after preparing a large dowry, he sends with him across the sea to Pegai, in order that, as he had announced, sitting down they might settle the agreements, with Melik also to be commander of the city of Pegai. But nevertheless many of the light ships were being prepared thereabouts, to transport the Persians across, if they wished. At that time, when the Italians along with the Persians were besieging the tower of Rhaidestos, intending to take it and, using it as a base, to lie in wait for matters concerning Thrace, the emperor, sending two triremes, attempted to remove from there the non-combatant population, so that only those active in war would remain. And indeed the Persians stood in the way of the emperor's men when they arrived, fighting face to face; then, learning of the emperor's providence concerning them, they yielded for the time being and seemed willingly to avoid battle. And in the meantime, the men from the triremes, hurrying, bring down from there many of the non-combatants, and having thus unburdened them, they made the besieged stronger, 614 so that they even went out and immediately pursued their attackers. And they, being troubled by these things, run through the areas up to Selymbria and beyond, and they were treating badly those who happened to be shut up in the forts in an inferior position. 23. While these things were happening, the patriarch Athanasios, lavishing as it were the acts of propitiation toward God, was making litanies two and three times a week, more burdensome

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οὐκ ἦν παραμένειν τὸν ὑστεροῦντα, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐκποδὼν ἤκουε τὸν Λάσκαριν γεγενῆσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ὅλων καταστῆναι τὸν Παλαιολόγον, ἐχέγγυον ἔχων ἐκεῖνος τὴν πρὸς τὸν βασιλεύσαντα συνήθειαν προσχωρεῖ καὶ αὖθις ἐκείνῳ τευξόμενος συμμαχίας. ἀλλὰ πολὺ τῶν ἐλπίδων ἐψεύσθη· ὁ γὰρ βασιλεὺς τοῦ πρὸς Τοχάρους κήδους δεύτερα πάντα τὰ τοῦ σουλτὰν τιθέμενος, τὸν μὲν Τοχάρων ἄρχοντα Χαλαοῦ, τὸ ἐκ σπερμάτων σκοτίων θυγάτριον τὴν Μαρίαν πέμπων, κηδεύει, εἰ καὶ τούτου ἐν τοσούτῳ ἐξ ἀνθρώπου γεγονότος ὁ Ἀπαγάς, ἀδελφὸς ὢν ἐκείνου ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τεταγμένος, τὴν Μαρίαν ἠγά γετο. τὸ δὲ σουλτὰν κατὰ πόλιν ἔχων ἤδη Ῥωμαίοις ἁλωμένην περιεβουκόλει ἀλλαχόθεν αὐτῷ τὰς ἐλπίδας. ὁ δὲ μὴ ἀγνοῶν τὰ βουλεύματα, καιροῦ δραξάμενος, ὡς ἐλέγομεν ἐν τοῖς προτέ ροις, Αἴνοθεν φεύγει, καὶ ξὺν Τοχάροις τοῖς κατὰ δύσιν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῷ τῶν Βουλγάρων ἄρχοντι Κωνσταντίνῳ, τὴν φυγαδείαν διατίθεται ἀνὰ τὰ τοῦ Εὐξείνου βόρεια. πολλοῖς δὲ χρόνοις ὕστε ρον, ἐκποδὼν γεγονότος ἐκείνου, ὁ ἐξ ἐκείνου Μελὴκ τὸν Εὔξει νον διαπεραιωθεὶς πρὸς Καστάμονα γίνεται. καὶ ἤδη Τοχάροις 612 ὑποκλιθεὶς τὴν πατρικὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ παππῴαν λῆξιν ἐπανασώσα σθαί οἱ διεπειρᾶτο. ἀλλ' Ἀμούριος ἐμποδὼν ἐγίνετο, καὶ μα χόμενος οὐκ ἀνίει, μέχρις οὗ κατισχυθεὶς ἅμα γυναικὶ ὁ τοιοῦτος παραγεγονὼς πρὸς τὴν κατὰ Πόντον Ἡράκλειαν βασιλεῖ προσχω ρεῖν ἔγνω. καὶ παραγεγονὼς κατὰ πόλιν, ὅπως τοὐντεῦθεν ἐκ δημοῦντος τοῦ βασιλέως τότε πρὸς Νύμφαιον, αὐτὸς ἀφεὶς τὴν σύζυγον κατὰ πόλιν, ὑφ' ὁδηγοῖς τοῖς τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον διήρχετο φέρουσαν, καὶ ὅπως ἐξ Ἀτραμυτίου λαβὼν τὰς βουλὰς ἀπέδρα, καὶ ὅπως τὰ καθ' αὑτὸν διῴκησεν, ἐρρέθη τὰ πρότερα. ὕστερον δὲ καὶ ἡ σύζυγος ὑποστρέφει, ἐκείνου μὲν ἀξιοῦντος, βασιλέως δ' ἐφιέντος. τὸ δὲ κόριον ὡς ὅμηρον κατα λείπεται. ἤδη μὲν οὖν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐτέθραπτο κατὰ πόλιν ἐπὶ συχνοῖς τοῖς χρόνοις ὑπὸ βασιλικῷ σιτηρεσίῳ, καθὼς ἄρα καὶ ὁ Μελὴκ Κωνσταντῖνος, τῶν τοῦ σουλτάνου υἱῶν ἅτερος, καὶ αὐ τὸς παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγκαταλέλειπτο, ὃς δὴ καὶ βαπτισθεὶς ἐκθύ μως προσετετήκει τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοῖς ἤθεσιν. αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ τοῦ Μελὴκ ἐκείνου θυγάτριον μαθὼν Ἰσαάκ, Μελὴκ φημιζόμενος καὶ αὐτός, πρὸς γάμον καὶ αὖθις ᾔτει. ἐζήτει δὲ καὶ τὸν θεῖον ταύτης Με λὴκ προβληθῆναι πρὸς βασιλέως σουλτάν, κἀκεῖσε καὶ αὐτὸν πεμφθῆναι, καὶ οὕτως υἱοποιηθέντα καὶ αὐτὸν Ἰσαὰκ βασιλεῖ τὰ 613 πρὸς Ῥωμαίων κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐνεργεῖν. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ βασι λεὺς ἐνασμενίσας τῇ κοινοπραγίᾳ τοῦ Πέρσου, τὸ μὲν σουλτὰν ἐγκαθιστᾶν τὸν Μελὴκ καὶ θεῖον τῆς κόρης οὐκ ἐδοκίμαζε τέως, τὸ γύναιον δέ, καὶ μεγάλην ἐξετοιμασάμενος προῖκα, σὺν αὐτῷ διαποντίους εἰς Πηγὰς πέμπει, ἵνα δὴ καὶ ἐπήγγελε καθημένους τὰ συμφωνούμενα καθιστάνειν σὺν τῷ καὶ τῆς πόλεως Πηγῶν τὸν Μελὴκ ἡγεῖσθαι. πλὴν δ' ἀλλὰ καὶ συχνὰ τῶν ἀκατίων ἐκεῖσέ πῃ παρεσκευάζετο, διαπερᾶν, εἰ θέλοιεν, Πέρσας. ὅτε δὴ καὶ περικαθημένων σὺν Πέρσαις τῶν Ἰταλῶν τὸν τοῦ Ῥαιδεστοῦ πύργον, διανοουμένων ἐξελεῖν καί οἱ χρωμένους ὁρμητηρίῳ τοῖς περὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην πράγμασιν ἐφεδρεύειν, βασιλεὺς πέμψας τριήρεις δύο ἐπειρᾶτο μετάγειν ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ἄχρηστον ἡλικίαν, ὡς διαμενούντων καὶ μόνων τῶν ἐνεργῶν κατὰ πόλεμον. καὶ δὴ ἐπιστᾶσι τοῖς βασιλέως ἐμποδὼν ἔστησαν Πέρσαι κατὰ στόμα διακινδυνεύοντες· εἶτα μαθόντες τὴν περὶ αὐτοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως προμήθειαν καθυφῆκαν τέως καὶ ἑκόντες φυγομαχοῦσιν ἐῴκεισαν. καταταχήσαντες δ' ἐν τοσούτῳ οἱ τῶν τριήρεων πολλοὺς τῶν ἀχρήστων ἐκεῖθεν κατάγουσι, καὶ οὕτω διαφορήσαντες εὐρωστο 614 τέρους τοὺς περικλείστους κατέστησαν, ὥστε καὶ ἐξιόντας ἐκ πο δὸς διώκειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας. οἳ καὶ δυσχρηστούμενοι ἐπὶ τούτοις τὰ μέχρι Σηλυβρίας καὶ ἐπίταδε κατατρέχουσι, καὶ κακῶς διετί θουν οἷς ἄρα καὶ ὑστεροῦν συνέβαινε φρουρίοις ἐγκατακλείεσθαι. 23. Τούτοις δὲ γενομένοις ὁ πατριαρχεύων Ἀθανάσιος ἐπιδαψιλευόμενος οἷον τὰ τῆς πρὸς θεὸν ἐξοσιώσεως, δὶς μὲν καὶ τρὶς τῆς ἑβδομάδος τὰς λιτὰς ἐποιεῖτο, βαρυτέρας