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Therefore Maria, being pregnant with the offspring from the barbarian, was brought along with her son Michael to the emperor—for he was visiting Adrianople for the second time—and was given to the appropriate guards; but Asan with Eirene, not together, but she after Asan, when the emperor came to the city, openly entered Ternovon and were proclaimed rulers. Among the most prominent men was also Terteres, to whom indeed the Bulgarian people paid great heed and he was held in high esteem among them. The emperor wished to connect him to Asan by kinship and to honor him with dignities; for the ambition creeping from him towards the throne was great, since it was also clear that while he was a general he was aspiring to greater things. But his wife was an obstacle to these plans; for for him to be honored while having her, connecting him in no way by kinship to Asan, was rather like taking a great deal of fuel for igniting suspicions. For this reason he proposed to make him a despot, if, after separating from his wife, he would be joined in marriage to the sister of Asan. These things were done, and the wife of Terteres, brought to the emperor, was given to the prison at Nicaea with her son Osphentisthlabos, while the sister of Asan was joined to Terteres and they were honored with the dignity of the despotate.

9. How Asan departed from Ternovon. Thus, Asan from this point seemingly had great support, and a short time measured out for him the rule of the Bulgarians. But since they were quickly stirred to revolt—for the Bulgarian people are prone to faithlessness, and one can trust the breezes of the winds more than their good will—and it was clear from many signs that they were in the throes of apostasy, and Terteres rekindled their spirits, already secretly aspiring to the throne, and, though in other respects he was openly under suspicion, was concealed only by his kinship with Asan, as if he would not betray one to whom 569 he was connected by marriage, Asan, perceiving the agitation and fearing lest they should preemptively break out in violence and the dangers be inescapable for him, planned to make his escape honorably and with profit, which indeed it was possible to gain. For the royal treasures of the Bulgarians, which they especially had, having taken them from the Romans, when they were defeated long ago, while the emperor Isaac was commanding, and they lay stored up more for boasting than for use, these things and whatever other easily transportable cargo there was, having secretly put them in sacks and thrown them out of the city by night, they themselves, feigning to be those going out somewhere outside the city for relaxation and pleasure, fled at full speed straight for the great city. And first arriving at Mesembria with royal pomp and luxury, so that they might not be discovered fleeing, they thus took to the sea and sailed to the city. And indeed when they landed at the Monastery of the Archistrategos at Anaplous, the emperor for some days would not receive them, being in all sorts of anger about their flight and judging the entire loss of so many toils and expenses in a short time to be because of their cowardice and unmanliness. But since what was done could not be undone, it was granted to them, having entered the city, to appear before the emperor, while Terteres, with the Bulgarians also willing, took possession of the deserted throne. And in a short time he was heard to be ascending the throne and at the same time, being crowned like an emperor, he was in control of affairs. But this is enough on these matters; we will speak of what followed hereafter.

10. How accusations were concocted against the patriarch Bekkos. Now when four years had passed for John in administering the affairs of the patriarchate, in the month of Lenaeon of the seventh indiction, terrible accusations were stitched together against him by some of the clergy, which were false and altogether empty, but not difficult for the emperor to accept. For it was of the greatest concern to him to slacken the intensity of the patriarch's zeal, and especially holding against him the things recently done, about which it was spoken above; for these and many other things that happened kindled 571 the emperor's anger, but he did not have a way to

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οὖν Μαρία, ἔμφορτος οὖσα τῷ ἀπὸ τοῦ βαρβάρου κυοφορήματι, ἅμα παιδὶ Μιχαὴλ πρὸς βασιλέαἐπεδήμει γὰρ τῇ Ἀδριανοῦ τὸ δεύτερονἤγετο καὶ φυλακαῖς ταῖς προσηκούσαις ἐδίδοτο· Ἀσὰν δὲ σὺν Εἰρήνῃ, οὐχ ἅμα, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸν Ἀσὰν ἐκείνη, βασιλέως πρὸς πόλιν ἐλθόντος, ἀνέδην ἐπέβαινον τῆς Τερνόβου καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐφημίζοντο. Ἦν δ' ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα τῶν προὐχόντων καὶ Τερτερῆς, ᾧ δὴ καὶ μεγάλως τὸ Βουλγαρικὸν προσεῖχε καὶ παρ' ἐκείνοις ἐμεγαλίζετο. Τοῦτον ἠβούλετο μὲν βασιλεὺς τῷ Ἀσὰν κατὰ γένος συνείρειν καὶ τιμᾶν ἀξιώμασι· τὸ γὰρ ὑφέρπον ἀπ' ἐκείνου πρὸς βασιλείαν πολὺ ἦν, ἐπεὶ καὶ στρατηγῶν δῆλος ἦν τοῦ μείζονος ἐφιέμενος. Ἐμποδὼν δ' ἦν τοῖς βουλευομένοις ἡ σύζυγος· τὸ γὰρ ταύτην ἔχοντα τιμᾶσθαι, μηδὲν τῷ Ἀσὰν κατὰ γένος συνάπτοντα, λαμβάνοντος μᾶλλον ἦν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑπονοουμένων ἄναψιν πλεῖστον ὅσον ἐμπύρευμα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ δεσπότην προτείνει ποιεῖν, εἰ, τῆς γυναικὸς ἀποστάς, τῇ τοῦ Ἀσὰν αὐταδέλφῃ εἰς γάμον συνάπτοιτο. Γέγονε ταῦτα, καὶ ἡ μὲν τοῦ Τερτερῆ σύζυγος, ἀχθεῖσα πρὸς βασιλέα, τῇ κατὰ Νίκαιαν ἐδίδοτο φυλακῇ σὺν υἱῷ Ὀσφεντισθλάβῳ, ἡ δὲ τοῦ Ἀσὰν αὐταδέλφη τῷ Τερτερῇ συνηρμόζετο καὶ τῷ τῆς δεσποτείας ἀξιώματι ἐσεμνύνοντο.

θʹ. Ὅπως Ἀσὰν ἐκ Τερνόβου ἀπεχώρησεν. Εἶχε μὲν οὖν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ δοκεῖν τὰ μεγάλα πρὸς συνεργίαν Ἀσάν, καὶ χρόνος ὀλίγος αὐτῷ παρεμέτρει τὴν τῶν Βουλγάρων ἀρχήν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ταχέως παρακεκίνηντοπρὸς γὰρ ἀπιστίαν τὸ Βουλγαρικὸν ἕτοιμον, καὶ αὔραις ἔστι πιστεύειν ἀνέμων μᾶλλον ἢ σφῶν εὐνοίαιςκαὶ τὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας δῆλοι ἦσαν ἐκ πολλῶν ὠδίνοντες, ἀνεζωπύρει δὲ τούτοις τὰς γνώμας καὶ Τερτερῆς, κρυφηδὸν βασιλειῶν ἤδη, καί, τἆλλα φανερὸς ὢν εἰς τὴν ὑποψίαν, μόνῳ τῷ πρὸς τὸν Ἀσὰν κήδει συνεκαλύπτετο, ὡς μὴ προδώσων δῆθεν ᾧ 569 κατὰ γένος συνήπτετο, συνιδὼν τὴν παρακίνησιν ὁ Ἀσὰν καὶ δείσας μὴ προλαβόντες ἐκρήξαιεν τὸ δεινὸν καὶ οὐ φευκτὰ ἔσοιτό οἱ τὰ τοῦ κινδύνου, τὴν φυγὴν εὐσχημόνως ποιεῖσθαι προὐνόει καὶ μετὰ κέρδους, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἐνεχώρει κερδαίνειν. Τὰ γὰρ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν Βουλγάρων πράγματα, ἃ δὴ καὶ μάλιστ' εἶχον ἐκ Ῥωμαίων λαβόντες, ἡσσημένων τὸ πάλαι, στρατηγοῦντος τοῦ βασιλέως Ἰσαακίου, καί γ' ἐνέκειντο τεθησαυρισμένα κατ' αὔχημα μᾶλλον ἢ κατὰ χρείαν, ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ὅσον ἦν ἄλλο φόρτος εὐκόμιστος ἐν ἀφανεῖ περισχόντες σάκκοις καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἐκβαλόντες νυκτός, αὐτοί, τοὺς εἰς ἄνεσιν καὶ τρυφὴν τῶν ἔξω που τῆς πόλεως ἐξιόντας σχηματισάμενοι, ἀνὰ κράτος εὐθὺ τῆς μεγαλοπόλεως ἔφευγον. Καὶ πρῶτον εἰς Μεσέμβρειαν ὑπὸ βασιλικῷ κόμπῳ καὶ τρυφῇ φθάσαντες, ὡς μὴ φωραθεῖεν φεύγοντες, οὕτω θαλάσσῃ χρῶνται καὶ πλῷ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν. Καὶ δὴ καταχθέντας τῇ κατὰ τὸν Ἀνάπλουν τοῦ Ἀρχιστρατήγου μονῇ ἐφ' ἡμέραις ὁ κρατῶν οὐκ ἐδέχετο, ἐν ὀργῇ παντοίᾳ τὴν ἀποφυγὴν ποιούμενος καὶ τὸ πᾶν δειλίᾳ καὶ κακανδρίᾳ ἐκείνων κρίνων πολλῶν πόνων καὶ ἐξόδων ἀπώλειαν ἐν βραχεῖ. Ὡς δ' οὐκ ἦν τὸ γεγο νὸς ἀναλύεσθαι, ἐκείνοις μὲν ἐκχωρεῖται, τὴν πόλιν εἰσελθόντας, τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐμφανίζεσθαι, ὁ δέ γε Τερτερῆς ἐρήμης βασιλείας, θελόντων καὶ τῶν Βουλγάρων, ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἅμ' ἠκούετο βασιλείας ἐπιβαίνων καὶ ἅμα, ταινιούμενος κατὰ βασιλέας, ἐγκρατὴς τῶν πραγμάτων ἦν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν ἐς τοσοῦτον, τὰ δ' ἐντεῦθεν ἐσαῦθις ἐροῦμεν.

ιʹ. Ὅπως κατηγορίαι συνεσκευάσθησαν κατὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου Βέκκου. Ἤδη δὲ χρόνων παρῳχηκότων τεττάρων τῷ Ἰωάννῃ τὰ τῆς πατριαρχίας διαφέροντι, κατὰ μῆνα ληναιῶνα τῆς ἑβδόμης ἰνδικτιῶνος, δειναὶ κατηγορίαι τούτῳ παρά τινων τῶν τοῦ κλήρου συρράπτονται, ψευδεῖς μὲν καὶ διακενῆς τὸ παράπαν, οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ δυσχερεῖς τῷ κρατοῦντι δέχεσθαι. Ἦν γὰρ ἐκείνῳ διὰ σπουδῆς ὅτι πλείστης ὑποχαλᾶν τὸν τόνον τοῦ ζήλου τῷ πατριάρχῃ, καὶ μᾶλλον τά οἱ πραχθέντα ἐξ ὑπογύου ἔχοντα, περὶ ὧν ἀνω τέρω ἐρρέθη· ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ ἄλλ' ἄττα πλεῖστα ἐπισυμβαίνοντα ἀνῆπτε 571 μὲν τὴν βασιλέως ὀργήν, οὐ μὴν δ' εἶχεν ὅπως τῆς