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he sought to take; but those of the 629 towns which he had already seized, he did not indeed let go, yet nevertheless he intended to keep these for his sons and consort. The emperor, wishing also to make the exchange in another way, put him off. And in the meantime that man, being in suspense, relaxed the shipping of grain there, and thus the Romans were supplied with corn, and what was being done was a remedy for the famine.

28. The Almogavars were always moving their forces throughout Thrace, and they attacked the fortresses in it, as also at the so-called Brysis; but against the resistance from within they could do nothing. Rather, indeed, they even suffered further losses when those men sallied out on horseback against them, and often got the upper hand by attacking fresh and fighting more strongly. From there, therefore, the men of Ferran Ximenes advanced on Bizye, having become more numerous with Persians. And the men of the great tzaousios Humbertopoulos, being more than two hundred horsemen, few as they were against many, did not dare a cavalry sally and remained shut up in the fortress. But the multitude there took on a martial spirit, and surrounding their leader, they made it clear that if he would lead them out, they 630 were ready to fight. And he, beguiled by their boldness and their numbers (for they amounted to thousands of infantry), arrayed the cavalry with archers and rode out. It would have been prudent, therefore, to hold the ridge and to risk battle more cautiously from there, aided by the difficult terrain; but since some fate was leading them on to be destroyed, leaving this, they drew up horsemen together with foot soldiers on the level plain there. And indeed, with the majority lying in ambush, a Persian trick, horsemen at first charged those who were visible. But they were not yet well seen risking a frontal attack, when the ambush became visible, and seized with cowardice they turned back in flight at full speed. And striking the infantry in countless numbers, they wretchedly slaughtered them, like flocks of sheep, so that many fell on the spot, at which time those inside the fortress, in fear, even dressed women as men and stationed them on the towers as a show of guards, until the emperor heard and, grieving deeply at the disaster, sent the necessary men 631 and strengthened the fortress. But the patriarch, having removed the bishops and the venerable members of the clergy, used the abbots of monasteries as councillors for judgements, and with these he managed ecclesiastical affairs. With them, and the monks under them, together with the presbyters and the people, he held a procession every week, urging them to tremble even for the city itself, and to stand before children and women, beseeching God. However, the prayer of the just and the sin of the people seemed to counterbalance our affairs, so that what losses they suffered, they suffered from sin, and what they had was preserved by the prayer of the just. And the signs of divine wrath were clear and were seen; but from where and by what transgressions it was kindled was quite unclear, with different people blaming different things.

29. At that time also Isaac Melik, for whom the wedding procession had been prepared at Pegae, a city by the sea, it being agreed for them that the Persians on the other side should cross over and so the marriage would be completed, taking some of the best troops of his own force, had to cross the straits of the Hellespont and in person bring over the Persians. And indeed, having obtained a ferryboat, crossing 632 over with some men he persuaded the Persians, and especially those with whom he was acquainted, to desert the Almogavars. And they, taking courage, immediately attacked their Italian leaders, and having killed them by treachery, they fought their way in retreat to the shores, intending to be ferried across by the emperor's ships. When this became known, the Almogavars, charging more furiously than they should have, attacked those fugitives. And when the battle of Eudemus began, not a few of the Italians fell, but nevertheless, although more than two hundred of the Persians fell, they themselves prevailed by force. But when the Persians again inclined towards them, not before

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ἐζήτει λαβεῖν· ἃ δὲ προύφθασε τῶν 629 πολισμάτων κατασχεῖν, οὐκ ἀπέλυε μέν, ὅμως γε μέντοι τοῖς νέοις καὶ ὁμοζύγοις διενοεῖτο ταῦτα διατηρεῖν. βασιλεὺς καὶ ἄλ λως θέλων πράττειν τὸ συνάλλαγμα ἐκεῖνον ἀνέβαλλε. καὶ ἐν τοσούτῳ ἐκεῖνος μετέωρος ὢν τὸν ἐκεῖσε σῖτον διαπλωΐζεσθαι κα θυφίει, καὶ οὕτω Ῥωμαῖοι ἐσιταρκοῦντο, καὶ φάρμακον ἦν τοῦ λιμοῦ τὸ πραττόμενον.

28. Τὰς δὲ δυνάμεις οἱ Ἀμογάβαροι ἀεὶ κατὰ Θρᾴκην ἐκίνουν, καὶ τοῖς κατ' αὐτὴν φρουρίοις προσέβαλλον, καθὼς καὶ Βρύσει τῇ λεγομένῃ· ἀλλὰ ταῖς ἔνδοθεν ἀντοχαῖς οὐκ εἶχον ὅ τι ποιοῖεν. μᾶλλον μὲν οὖν καὶ προσεζημιοῦντο ἀφιππευόντων ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐκείνων, καὶ περιγενομένων πολλάκις τῷ ἀκμῆτας προσ βάλλειν καὶ κραταιότερον διαμάχεσθαι. ἐκεῖθεν τοίνυν οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν Φαρέντα Τζιμῆν ἐπὶ Βιζύης προῆγον, ἅμα Πέρσαις πλείους γενόμενοι. καὶ οἱ ἀμφὶ τὸν μέγαν τζακούσιον τὸν Οὐμπερτόπου λον, πλείους τῶν διακοσίων ὄντες ἱππεῖς, ὀλίγοι τὴν πρὸς πολ λοὺς οὐκ ἐθάρρουν ἀφίππευσιν καὶ τῷ φρουρίῳ ἐγκεκλεισμένοι παρέμενον. ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκεῖ πλῆθος λῆμα λαμβάνει ἀρεϊκόν, καὶ περιστάντες τὸν ἄγοντα δῆλοι ἦσαν, εἰ ἐκχωροίη ἐκεῖνος, πολε 630 μησείοντες. ὁ δὲ τῷ σφῶν θράσει καὶ τῇ πολυχειρίᾳ καταγοη τευθεὶς (εἰς χιλιάδας γὰρ συνεπλήρουν τὸ πεζικὸν) τοὺς ἱππεῖς συντάξας ἅμα τόξοις ἐξήλαυνε. σῶφρον τοίνυν ἦν τὴν ῥαχίαν κατέχειν καὶ προμηθέστερον διακινδυνεύειν ἐκεῖθεν ταῖς δυσχω ρίαις βοηθουμένους· ἐπεὶ δὲ μοῖρά τις σφᾶς προσῆγεν ἀπολου μένους, ἀφέμενοι ταύτης ἐπ' ἀγχωμάλου τῆς ἐκεῖ πεδιάδος ἱπ πεῖς ἅμα πεζοῖς παρετάττοντο. καὶ δὴ τῶν πολλῶν προλοχιζόν των, τῶν Περσῶν σόφισμα, ἱππεῖς μὲν τὰ πρῶτα ἐπαράττουσι τοῖς φανεῖσιν. ἀλλ' οὔπω καλῶς ὤφθησαν κατὰ στόμα κινδυ νεύοντες, καὶ ὁ λόχος ἐμφανὴς ἦν, καὶ δειλίᾳ συσχεθέντες ἀνὰ κράτος ὑπέστρεφον φεύγοντες. καὶ μυρίῳ πλήθει προσπαίσαν τες τῶν πεζῶν ἐλεινῶς, ποιμνίων δίκην, κατέσφαττον, ὡς πε σεῖν πολλοὺς αὐθωρόν, ὅτε καὶ περὶ τῷ φρουρίῳ οἱ ἐντὸς δεί σαντες καὶ γυναῖκας αὐτὰς εἰς ἄνδρας μετασκευάσαντες κατὰ φυ λάκων δῆθεν εἰς δεῖγμα ἐπὶ πύργους ἐφίστων, μέχρις οὗ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας καὶ περιαλγήσας τῇ συμφορᾷ, πέμψας τοῖς προσήκουσι 631 τὸ φρούριον κατωχύρωσεν. ὁ δέ γε πατριάρχης, καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ τοὺς τιμίους τοῦ κλήρου ἐκποδὼν ποιησάμενος, καθηγουμέ νοις μονῶν ἐχρᾶτο συνέδροις εἰς κρίσεις, καὶ τούτοις μὲν τὰ ἐκ κλησιαστικὰ συνδιέφερεν. οἷς δή, καὶ τοῖς ὑπ' αὐτοῖς μοναχοῖς ἅμα πρεσβυτέροις καὶ τῷ λαῷ, ἑκάστης ἑβδομάδος συνελιτάνευεν, τετρεμαίνειν ἀξιῶν καὶ περὶ αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως, καὶ πρόσθε παί δων καὶ γυναικῶν ἵστασθαι δεομένους θεοῦ. δέησις μέντοι δι καίων καὶ λαοῦ ἁμαρτία ἀντιταλαντεύειν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἔδοξαν, ὡς ἃ μὲν ἐζημίωντο, ἐξ ἁμαρτίας καὶ ζημιοῦσθαι, ἃ δὲ ἦσαν, ἐκ τῆς τῶν δικαίων δεήσεως περισώζεσθαι. καὶ τὰ μὲν τῆς θείας ὀργῆς δῆλα ἦσαν καὶ ἑωρῶντο· ὁπόθεν δὲ καὶ τίσι τοῖς πλημμε λήμασιν ἐξεκαίετο, ἐπιεικῶς ἄδηλον ἦν, ἄλλων ἄλλα αἰτιωμένων.

29. Τότε καὶ Ἰσαὰκ Μελήκ, ᾧ δὴ καὶ κατὰ Πηγάς, πό λιν παραθαλάσσιον, ἡ νυμφαγωγία ηὐτρέπιστο, συγκείμενον σφίσι τοὺς πέραν Πέρσας διαπερᾶν καὶ οὕτω τοὺς γάμους διατελεῖσθαι, παραλαβών τινας τῶν τῆς αὐτοῦ δυναστείας αἱρετιστῶν, τὰ στενὰ τοῦ Ἑλλησπόντου ἔδει διαπερᾶν καὶ αὐτοπροσώπως Πέρσας δου λαγωγεῖν. μέντοι γε καὶ πορθμείου τυχών, συνάμα τισὶ διαπε 632 ραιωθεὶς πείθει Πέρσας, καὶ μᾶλλον οἷς αὐτὸς ᾠκείωτο, Ἀμο γαβάρων ἀποστατεῖν. οἳ καὶ θαρρήσαντες παραυτίκα τοῖς ἄγουσι τῶν Ἰταλῶν ἐπιτίθενται, καὶ δόλῳ κτείναντες ἀνὰ κράτος ἐπ' αἰ γιαλοὺς ἐφυγομάχουν, ὡς ταῖς τοῦ βασιλέως ναυσὶ περαιωθησό μενοι. ὃ δὴ γνωσθέν, ἐκθυμότερον ἢ ὡς ἔδει ἐλάσαντες Ἀμο γάβαροι προσβάλλουσι φυγάσιν ἐκείνοις. κἀν τῆς Εὐδήμου μά χης συστάσης πίπτουσι μὲν καὶ τῶν Ἰταλῶν οὐκ ὀλίγοι, ἀλλ' ὅ μως ὑπὲρ τοὺς διακοσίους τῶν Περσῶν πεσόντων κατὰ κράτος σφῶν αὐτοὶ περιῆσαν. ὡς δὲ καὶ αὖθις Πέρσαι πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀπέκλινον, οὐ πρότερον