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the appointed domestic of the schools, he also an Amogavar, comes over to the emperor with fifty men; whom the emperor received and dispatched both him and those with him with the appropriate honors. So that friars were also sent as ambassadors from Rhodes to the emperor on the emperor's ships, asking that the fort 636 be ceded to them, so that they might dwell in amity and be considered in subjection to the emperor, fighting the Persians from there, and assembling for the emperor three hundred of their best captains, wherever they might be ordered.

(31) But the emperor was not persuaded by these things, but having prepared the ships again, he sends them to Rhodes, bringing what aid he could to the Rhodians. In the same month of Boedromion, on New Sunday, the prisoner Meliteniotes also dies, adhering to his original opinion just like Bekkos, asking nothing more from the emperor than that his own body be carried off and buried on one of the uninhabited islands around the city. Which also came to pass. And he is carried out to Plate and buried without ceremony. Metochites alone was left in the prison, he also yielding nothing more of what he had maintained from the beginning.

32. But the Amogavars, for the most part suffering from famine (for they did not wish to sow), and at the same time not enduring the stench from the dead, abandoned Rhaidestos and Panion and the parts of Ganos and arrived in a great multitude at the region of Kallion. Leaving there a sufficient guard, they came with full force to Ainos and Megarision, where, attacking out of necessity and need and fighting recklessly, they were nonetheless damaged by the locals. And there was a report believed 637 by some, even by those who seemed to be hearing it, that when the Maritsa river disgorges most of its water into the sea and becomes somewhat crossable on foot, they would cross over to Boleron. For which reason many, anticipating this, moved out from there and crowded into the forts, so as to have the appearance of a raid and a place which they had not yet plundered for anyone.

33. On the other hand, in the east, and particularly around Nicaea, matters were in a difficult state, with Atman stirring up trouble there, and especially because the emperor's sister Maria, who was called Despoina of the Mougoulioi, having come to Nicaea, behaved arrogantly toward Atman, and was clearly threatening to lodge complaints with Charbandas. And this happened, and three myriads, as the report went, were sent out to the eastern parts of Persia. And the news reached the emperor, and the emperor sending word took great care of them with frequent and magnificent honors. But these things made Atman no more sluggish or, as it were, more cautious in his actions, but rather spurred him on even more, so that attacking Nicaea, he would tear out 638 the vineyards and destroy the crops, and finally attack Trikokkia, the fortress of the Nicaeans, and having besieged it with all the host of Persians around him, he suffered much from them, as they were furious warriors and especially skilled archers from the beginning, but finally, by filling up the ditches, in which they trusted, with stakes and stones and trees and earth, he forced them to surrender, and worked a great slaughter, and gave pledges for himself, as it seemed, against the attack of the Tocharoi, if they should come. It was the height of summer, and about ten of the emperor's ships were sent out to Thasos with Maroules, the general of the army. For the most disloyal nephew of Manuel Zacharias, who was most loyal to the empire, had previously arrived at the island with two ships, and attacking in the manner of a pirate, he takes the fort. And having rebuilt it, he used it as a strong fortress, and held it through his own men while absent. And for these reasons the emperor sent out the general of the army with ships, entrusting to them first the siege of the island, in order that they might take the fort, but he also commanded them to keep a close watch on Ainos on account of the 639

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τοῦ κα ταστάντος δομεστίκου τῶν σχολῶν, Ἀμογαβάρου καὶ τούτου, προσχωρεῖ βασιλεῖ σὺν πεντήκοντα· ὃν καὶ προσδεξάμενος ὁ αὐ τοκράτωρ τοῖς προσήκουσιν αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ ἔστελλεν. ὡς καὶ πρέσβεις ἐκ Ῥόδου ἐξαποστεῖλαι πρὸς βασιλέα φρερίους ἐπὶ τῶν βασιλέως νηῶν, ἀξιοῦντας ἐκχωρηθῆναι σφίσι τὸ φρού 636 ριον, ὡς μετ' ἀγάπης οἰκεῖν καὶ εἰς ὑποταγὴν τοῦ βασιλέως λο γίζεσθαι, μαχομένους ἐκεῖθεν Πέρσαις, καὶ βασιλεῖ τριακοσίους τῶν ἀρίστων πολεμάρχων συγκροτοῦντας, ὅπου ἄρα καὶ προστα χθεῖεν.

(31) οὐ μὴν δὲ καὶ βασιλεὺς ταῦτα τούτοις ἐπείθετο, ἀλλὰ προσετοιμάσας καὶ αὖθις τὰς νῆας ἐπὶ Ῥόδου πέμπει τὰ δυνατὰ προσαρήγων Ῥοδίοις. Τοῦ δ' αὐτοῦ μηνὸς Βοηδρομιῶνος κατὰ τὴν καινὴν κυ ριακὴν καὶ ὁ φυλακίτης Μελιτηνιώτης θνήσκει, τῇ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπιμένων γνώμῃ ὥσπερ καὶ ὁ Βέκκος, μηδὲν πλέον πρὸς βασι λέως ἀξιώσας ἢ τὸ ἐπί τινι τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀοικήτων νήσων ἀπαχθὲν τὸ ἴδιον σκῆνος ταφῆναι. ὃ καὶ γέγονε. καὶ εἰς τὴν Πλάτην ἐκκομίζεται καὶ εἰκαίως θάπτεται. μόνος δὲ τῇ φυλακῇ ὁ Μετοχίτης ἐγκαταλέλειπτο, μηδὲν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐνδιδοὺς ἔτι ὧν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐξείχετο.

32. Ἀμογάβαροι δὲ τὰ πολλὰ τῷ λιμῷ προσταλαιπω ροῦντες (οὐδὲ γὰρ σπείρειν ἤθελον), ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν θνησκόντων δυσωδίας μὴ ἀνεχόμενοι, Ῥαιδεστὸν καὶ Πανία καὶ τὰ τοῦ Γάνου καταλιπόντες παμπληθεὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Καλλίου γίνονται. ἐκεῖ τοὺς ἐς φυλακὴν αὐτάρκη λιπόντες ὅλῳ ῥυτῆρι ἐπὶ Αἶνον καὶ Μεγαρίσιον γίνονται, ὅπου καὶ ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ ἐν δείας προσβάλλοντες καὶ ῥιψοκινδύνως μαχόμενοι οὐδὲν ἧττον παρὰ τῶν προσχώρων ἐζημιοῦντο. καὶ πύστις ἦν πιστευομένη 637 ἐνίοις, καὶ τοῖς δοκοῦσι τῶν ἀκουόντων, ὡς τοῦ ποταμοῦ τῆς Μαρίτζης τὸ πολὺ τοῦ ὕδατος πρὸς θάλασσαν ἀποπτύσοντος καὶ βατοῦ ποσῶς γενομένου ποσὶ πρὸς Βολερὸν διαπεραιωθήσονται. ὅθεν καὶ πολλοὶ προφθάνοντες ἐξῴκουν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τοῖς φρου ρίοις ἐγκατεβύοντο, ὡς προνομῆς τύπον ἔχειν καὶ ὃν τόπον οὔπω τινὶ προενόμευσαν.

33. Ἑτέρωθεν κατ' ἀνατολήν, καὶ μᾶλλον περὶ τὴν Νίκαιαν, δυσφόρως εἶχον τὰ πράγματα, τοῦ Ἀτμὰν κλονοῦντος τὰ τῇδε, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι ἡ αὐταδέλφη τοῦ βασιλέως Μαρία καὶ τῶν Μουγουλίων οὕτω πως δέσποινα ὀνομαζομένη ἐπιστᾶσα Νι καίᾳ ἐξ ὑπερτέρου φρονήματος τῷ Ἀτμὰν προσεφέρετο, καὶ εἰς τὸν Χαρμπαντᾶν ἐπεγκαλεῖν δήλη ἦν ἀπειλοῦσα. καὶ γέγονε ταῦτα, καὶ μυριάδες τρεῖς, ὡς ἡ πύστις εἶχε, περί που τὰ ἑῷα μέρη Περσίδος ἐξεπέμποντο. καὶ πρὸς βασιλέα τὰ μήνυτρα ἔφθα νον, καὶ βασιλεὺς πέμπων ἐπολυώρει σφᾶς συχνοῖς καὶ μεγαλο πρεπέσι φιλοτιμήμασιν. οὐδὲν δὲ ταῦτα νωθέστερον τὸν Ἀτμὰν ἐποίουν καὶ περὶ τὰς πράξεις ὡσανεὶ προμηθέστερον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον παρώτρυνον, ὥστε καὶ Νικαίᾳ προσβάλλοντα ἐκσπᾶν 638 μὲν ἀμπελῶνας, ἀφανίζειν δὲ λήϊα, καὶ τέλος προσβαλεῖν Τρι κοκκίᾳ τῷ τῶν Νικαιέων ἐπιτειχίσματι, καὶ περικαθίσαντα σὺν πλήθει παντὶ τῷ περὶ αὐτὸν τῶν Περσῶν πολλὰ μὲν παθεῖν ἐξ ἐκείνων ἀρειμανίων ὄντων καὶ μᾶλλον ῥυτήρων τόξων ἀρχῆθεν, τέλος δὲ τοὺς τάφρους, οἷς ἐθάρρουν, σταυροῖς ἀναχώσαντα καὶ πέτραις καὶ δένδροις καὶ χώμασιν αὐτοὺς παραστήσασθαι, καὶ φόνον μὲν πολὺν ἐξεργάσασθαι, ἑαυτῷ δὲ τὰ πιστὰ δοῦναι, ὥς γε ἐῴκει, πρὸς τὴν τῶν Τοχάρων, εἰ ἐπιστῶσιν, ἐπίθεσιν. Θέρους δὲ ἦν ἀκμή, καὶ αἱ μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως νῆες περί που δέκα μετὰ τοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ Μαρούλη πρὸς Θάσον ἐξα πεστέλλοντο. καὶ γὰρ ἐπιστὰς τῇ νήσῳ δυσὶ ναυσὶ πρότερον ὁ τοῦ Μανουὴλ Ζαχαρίου πιστοτάτου τῇ βασιλείᾳ θείου ἀνεψιὸς ἀπιστότατος, καὶ πειρατοῦ τρόπον ἐπιχειρήσας, αἱρεῖ τὸ φρού ριον. ὃ δὴ καὶ ἀνακτίσας ὡς ἐχυρῷ ἐχρᾶτο φρουρίῳ, καὶ ἀπὼν διὰ τῶν οἰκείων κατεῖχε. καὶ διὰ ταῦτα βασιλεὺς ἐξαποστείλας τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοῦ σὺν ναυσί, προηγούμενον μὲν αὐτοῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν νῆσον προσεδρίαν ἐπανετίθετο, ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ τὸ φρούριον παραστήσαιντο, ἐπέσκηπτε δὲ πολυωρεῖν καὶ πρὸς Αἶνον διὰ τοὺς 639