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there was a two-day truce, although something else was being brought to the city, and day by day the people and animals inside the city multiplied, so that the surplus animals were given to be slaughtered and sold in the market. But the abbot, having arrived and for days handling the matters of the embassy, accomplished nothing further, nor did he return unsuccessful, as Romfort demanded many reckless things and indeed things that could not be done. For he wished to sell places, people, and fortresses to the emperor for large sums of money, and he even demanded their wages as well. But if not, he was hastening to take and hold other lands, and to attack opponents in whatever way he could, and he insisted he would fight to the end. Farenta Tzimes near Ma 626 dytus also reported these things in his dispatches; for this man was gentler than Romfort in Roman affairs. That one, together with the Turks and his own men, and indeed also with the Romans who had revolted from the east, who were making themselves like the Almogavars by the cut of their hair and beard, before the abbot had properly given his replies, drew up his army and marched right up to the city with a din of horns. And from there one could see those outside and even those living in Pera moving their goods, as, being pressed night and day through the city gates, they and all sorts of animals passed through with difficulty, and many were lying in the city streets, having abandoned their work. Then the patriarch daily performed litanies lavishly within the city, while the emperor, at a loss about the reports that no little slaughter had been done to those who happened to be too late to reach the city, (for the forces had failed) either had to entrust justice to God and seek from Him vengeance for the blood unjustly shed, 627 but nevertheless he did not neglect to do what was possible for him in the present situation. For he frequently sent word to the Doukas and Grand Hetaeriarch by virtue of his office, instructing him to follow the wretches' tracks quietly, since it was not possible to oppose their entire force face to face. Whence he, often attacking from hiding, would damage the rearguard; and from Tzurulon those inside, taking courage, attacked Raidestos more manfully and did ill to those there, in addition to taking considerable booty. And when this happened, as it became clear to the enemy, they, taking what they chanced upon, began to march back. But neither did the Turks in the east of Pera get away well, but they often attacked and did much harm to those going out for the grape harvest, so that even those in Hieron were forced, since the enemy once secretly got inside (even if they went out again in fear), being insufficient in number to hold the fortress, to buy truces with payments of stipulated taxes. And against those behaving fiercely around Melea and the many who had gathered there, the local fighting force fell upon them and gained the upper hand, so that on almost the same 628 day the ruler received good news from both sides. And these things seemed to be the fruit of those frequent litanies of the patriarch, and from then on it was possible for the farmers to go out for the sowing of the crops, even though on the one hand there was the expectation of the enemy and the fear from them, and on the other hand the prohibition against sowing, as the emperor's council had so decided, so as not to sow for the enemy for the next year, made their own impulses nobler, and they were not discouraged from going out openly. For these reasons the work of the plow was at a standstill, and a most severe famine threatened our people, although it was expected that this would lay heavy hands on the enemy as well, since they too were not sowing. But Sventislav thirsted for peace, and wished to arrange a marriage alliance with the emperor, and for these matters he put forward the former patriarch John (for he too had been captured there by the people of Sozopolis) as a mediator to the emperor concerning his requests. But the emperor, although he kept putting it off, was nevertheless overcome by necessity, and sending men, he resolved to make peace according to his wishes. For he one of the daughters of the emperor Michael

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διημερεύ σει ἀνακωχὴ ἦν, εἰ καὶ ἄλλο τι ἐσκευαγώγει πρὸς πόλιν, καὶ ὁση μέραι λαὸς καὶ ζῶα ἐντὸς τοῦ ἄστεος ἐπληθύνετο, ὡς καὶ τὰ περιττὰ τῶν ζώων σφαγῇ καὶ μακέλλῳ δίδοσθαι. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀββᾶς ἐπιστάς, καὶ ἐφ' ἡμέραις τὰ τῆς πρεσβείας μεταχειρίζων, οὐδὲν ἤνυσε πλέον, οὔτε ἄπρακτος ὑποστρέφει, πολλά τε καὶ ἀτάσθαλα καί γε μὴ οἷά τ' ἂν γενέσθαι ἀπαιτοῦντος τοῦ Ῥομο φόρτου. ἐβούλετο γὰρ καὶ τόπους καὶ σώματα καὶ φρούρια ἀπεμ πολεῖν πρὸς βασιλέα μεγάλων χρημάτων, καί γε προσαπῄτει καὶ τὰς μισθοφορίας. εἰ δ' οὖν, ἄλλας χώρας σπεύδει λαβόντα κα τέχειν, καὶ ἄλλον ἐπιβάλλεσθαι ὃν ἂν δύναιτο τρόπον ἀντιπάλων, καὶ ἐς τέλος διαμάχεσθαι διετείνετο. ταῦτα καὶ ὁ κατὰ τὸ Μά 626 δυτον Φαρέντα Τζιμῆς πέμπων ἀπέλεγεν· εἰ γὰρ ἡμερώτερον οὗτος παρὰ τὸν Ῥομοφόρτον τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασιν. ἐκεῖνος ἅμα Τούρκοις καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις, ἔτι δὴ καὶ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἀποστα τήσασιν ἐξ ἀνατολῆς, οἳ δὴ καὶ κουρᾷ τριχῶν καὶ γενείου Ἀμο γαβάροις ἐξοικειοῦντο, οὔπω καλῶς τὰς ἀποκρίσεις τοῦ ἀββᾶ δόντος, διατάξας τὴν στρατείαν κρότῳ κερῶν μέχρι καὶ τῆς πό λεως ἤλαυνε. καὶ ἦν ἐντεῦθεν βλέπειν σκευαγωγοῦντας τοὺς ἔξω καὶ αὐτοὺς δὴ τοὺς ἐν περαίᾳ κατῳκημένους, ὡς νύκτα καὶ ἡμέ ραν ἀνὰ τὰς τῆς πόλεως πύλας συνθλιβομένους δυσχερῶς διεκ παίειν αὐτοὺς καὶ ζῶα παντοῖα, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνὰ τὰς τῆς πόλεως κεῖσθαι ῥύμας ἀφεμένους τῶν ἔργων. τότε ὁ μὲν πατριαρχεύων ὁσημέραι τὰς λιτανείας ἐντὸς τῆς πόλεως ἐπεδαψιλεύετο, βασι λεὺς δ' ἐπαμηχανῶν τοῖς φημιζομένοις, ὅτι καὶ οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐπέ πρακτο φόνος, οἷς ὑστερεῖν συνέβαινε τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἅπτε σθαι, (αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις ἐπιλελοίπασιν) ἢ θεῷ τὴν δίκην ἀνατι θέναι καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου ζητεῖν τὴν τοῦ ἐκκεχυμένου ἀδίκως ἐκδίκη 627 σιν αἵματος ὅμως δὲ καὶ τὰ δυνατά οἱ πρὸς τὸ παρεστὸς οὐκ ἠμέ λει ποιεῖν. τῷ γὰρ ∆ούκᾳ καὶ μεγάλῳ ἑταιρειάρχῃ ἐξ ἀξιώματος συχνότερον πέμπων ἐπέσκηπτε κατ' ἴχνος ἠρέμα τοῖς ἀλάστορσιν ἕπεσθαι, ἐπεὶ οὐ δυνατὰ ἦν κατὰ πρόσωπον παντὶ τῷ συστήματι ἀντιτάττεσθαι. ὅθεν καὶ οὗτος μὲν ἐμπίπτων πολλάκις ἐξ ἀφα νοῦς τὸ οὐραγοῦν ἐζημίου, ἐκ δὲ Τζουρουλοῦ οἱ ἐντὸς ἀναθαρ σήσαντες ἀνδρικώτερον προσβάλλουσι Ῥαιδεστῷ καὶ κακῶς τοὺς ἐκεῖ δρῶσι, πρὸς τῷ καὶ λείαν ἱκανὴν περιβαλέσθαι. ὃ δὴ καὶ γεγονὸς δῆλον, ὡς ἔδειξε, τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὸ τυχὸν λαβόντες ὀπισθόπουν τὴν πορείαν πεποίηντο. οὐ μὴν δ' ἀλλὰ οὐδ' οἱ καθ' ἕω τῆς περαίας Τοῦρκοι καλῶς ἀπηλλάττοντο, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις προσέβαλλον καὶ πολλοὺς κακῶς ἐποίουν εἰς τρυγητὸν ἐξιόντας, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ Ἱερῷ ἀναγκαζομένους, ἐπεί ποτε καὶ ἐντὸς ἐκεῖνοι λαθόντες ἐγένοντο, εἰ καὶ αὖθις φοβηθέντες ἐξῄεσαν, οὐχ ἱκανοὶ τὸ πλῆθος ὄντες κατέχειν τὸ φρούριον, κα ταβολαῖς τεταγμένων τελῶν τὰς σπονδὰς ὠνεῖσθαι. τοῖς δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Μηλέαν τραχυνομένοις καὶ πολλοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ συστᾶσι τὸ ἐκεῖ μάχιμον ἐμπίπτει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτερήματος γίνεται, ὡς τῆς 628 αὐτῆς σχεδὸν ἡμέρας φήμας ἀγαθὰς τὸν κρατοῦντα καὶ ἀμφοτέ ρωθεν δέξασθαι. ἔδοξε δὲ ταῦτα τῶν συχνῶν ἐκείνων λιτανειῶν τοῦ πατριαρχεύοντος κάρπωμα, καὶ ἦν ἐντεῦθεν τοῖς γεωργοῦσιν ἐξιέναι κατὰ σπορὰν τῶν καρπίμων, εἰ καὶ αὖθις ἔνθεν μὲν ἡ τῶν ἐχθρῶν προσδοκία καὶ ὁ ἐκεῖθεν φόβος, ἐντεῦθεν δὲ καὶ τὸ κεκωλῦσθαι σπείρειν, οὕτω τῆς περὶ τὸν βασιλέα δοκιμασάσης βουλῆς ὡς μὴ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐς νέωτα σπείρειν, ἀριστοτέρας τὰς ὁρμὰς σφῶν ἐποίει, καὶ οὐκ ἀπεθάρρουν τοὐμφανὲς τὴν ἐξέλευ σιν. διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοῦ ἀρότου ἠπράκτουν, καὶ λιμὸς ὁ βα ρύτατος ἠπειλεῖτο τοῖς ἡμετέροις, κἂν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς βαρείας χεῖ ρας ἐφεῖναι τούτων προσεδοκᾶτο, μηδὲ τούτοις σπείρουσι. πλὴν Ὀσφεντίσθλαβος μὲν τῆς εἰρήνης ἐδίψα, καὶ κῆδος πρὸς βασιλέα συντιθέναι ἤθελεν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸν πατριαρχεύσαντα Ἰωάν νην (ἐκεῖ γὰρ κἀκεῖνος συνεάλω Σωζοπολίταις) μεσίτην πρὸς βα σιλέα περὶ τῶν ζητουμένων προυβάλετο. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὑπερτιθέ μενος ὅμως τῆς ἀνάγκης ἡττᾶτο, καὶ πέμπων τὴν εἰρήνην ποιεῖν κατὰ τὸ αὐτῷ βουλητὸν ἐδοκίμαζεν. ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἓν τῶν θυγα τρίων τοῦ βασιλέως Μιχαὴλ