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two thousand five hundred, two hundred camels, three hundred mules, and five hundred donkeys; herds of swine numbering up to fifty thousand, and seventy thousand sheep; and of produce an unbelievable and utterly incalculable amount. Having been deprived of all these things in a short time, he uttered nothing ignoble or fainthearted; but this alone vexed him, that it was expended for no useful purpose for the common good. For he himself asserted that he had so intended, as to spend everything for the benefit of the Romans. And in Byzantium, the emperor's kinsman by marriage, Andronikos Asanes, having been appointed general of the army and having taken up the war against his son-in-law, set out from there and went around the cities of Thrace, with everyone eagerly receiving him and contributing what they could to the war. But the emperor Kantakouzenos was well-supplied with a large and good army; but it was impossible to campaign because of the season, as the army had no refuge from the rains and the snow, since all places were now hostile. Therefore, when the weather 2.186 was fine, they would overrun the neighboring cities and do them harm, while the army from Byzantium took refuge in the cities and was not even able to look them in the face. But when the former were forced to withdraw by the winter, the Byzantines, taking courage again, would attack the cities that seemed hostile. And the whole country, as if being ravaged by enemies, was depopulated into the cities and there was no terrible thing it did not suffer, and Thrace, which had been densely inhabited, was in no long time rendered a Scythian wasteland, and the strength of the Romans was being expended and destroyed by itself. Nor indeed were the barbarians idle, but knowing that the Roman army was divided and in revolt against itself, crossing over from Asia with both horse and foot, they did the greatest harm, with no one resisting. And in a short time they rendered all the coastal areas empty of people, enslaving everyone except those who inhabited cities or forts. And later, when those were used up, they proceeded also to the interior. The Romans, however, thus spent the winter marching against one another and doing as much harm as possible. But the army from Byzantium never dared to march against Didymoteichon while the emperor was present. However, the men from Tzernomianon, a certain fortress situated not far from Didymoteichon, did no small harm by plundering. For they almost never ceased going around the walls at night and plundering 2.187 whomever they might encounter. And they escaped notice not only because of their small number, but also because of their experience. For they were very well practiced in raiding. But the soldiers in Didymoteichon, having laid an ambush, when they came again to plunder as was their custom, being more numerous than those who usually came, rose up from the ambush and killed not a few of them. But the emperor Kantakouzenos was intending to march against Byzantium at the beginning of spring and to try if he could subject it to himself; nevertheless, during the winter, by secretly sending messages and negotiating with the rulers in Adrianople, he persuaded them to hand over the city. And when a day had been agreed upon, on which he was to attack, taking the existing army and pretending that he was going to march against other cities of Thrace to besiege them, so that the attack on Adrianople might not be reported by any of those who had chosen the empress's side, he encamped by the Hebros, as if intending to cross on the following day. And sending also to Pinkernes his nephew, who was guarding Pamphilos with a thousand soldiers and the acropolis with another hundred hoplites and light-armed archers, he ordered him to leave the garrison in the acropolis and three hundred of the cavalry force to guard the lower city, and taking the rest, to come to him; and he also made clear the reason for which he was being summoned. But he, thinking that the garrison in the acropolis alone would suffice to hold the city, took all the horsemen and came to the emperor. And on the same night, since the north wind blew more fiercely, at daybreak the river began to freeze 2.188 over and a little later it all appeared frozen. But the ice did not have so much solidity as to

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πεντακόσιαι πρὸς δισχιλίαις, κάμηλοι διακόσιαι, ἡμίονοι τριακόσιαι, ὄνοι δὲ πεντακόσιοι· συβώσιά τε ἐς πέντε μυριάδας ἔχοντα συῶν, καὶ προβάτων μυριάδες ἑπτά· καρπῶν δὲ ἄπιστόν τι χρῆμα καὶ δυσαρίθμητον κομιδῇ. ὧν ἁπάντων ἐν χρόνῳ ἀποστερηθεὶς βραχεῖ, οὐδὲν ἀγεννὲς ἢ μικρόψυχον ἐφθέγξατο· ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἠνία μόνον, ὅτι εἰς οὐδὲν χρήσιμον ἀνάλωτο τῷ κοινῷ. αὐτὸς γὰρ ἰσχυρίζετο οὕτω διανενοῆσθαι, ὡς πάντα ἀναλώσων τῆς Ῥωμαίων ὠφελείας ἕνεκα. ἐν Βυζαντίῳ δὲ τοῦ στρατεύματος ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως κηδεστὴς Ἀνδρόνικος ὁ Ἀσάνης στρατηγὸς ἀποδειχθεὶς καὶ τὸν πρὸς τὸν γαμβρὸν πόλεμον ἀναδεξάμενος, ἄρας ἐκεῖθεν, τὰς κατὰ Θρᾴκην περιῄει πόλεις, πάντων προθύμως ὑποδεχομένων καὶ συναιρομένων πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον τὰ δυνατά. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς πολλῆς μὲν καὶ ἀγαθῆς εὐπόρει στρατιᾶς· στρατεύεσθαι δὲ ἀμήχανον ἦν διὰ τὴν ὥραν, καταφυγὴν τῆς στρατιᾶς πρὸς τοὺς ὑετοὺς καὶ τὴν χιόνα οὐκ ἐχούσης, ἐκπεπολεμωμένων ἤδη πάντων. ὅθεν, εὐδίας μὲν 2.186 οὔσης, τὰς παρακειμένας κατέτρεχον πόλεις καὶ κακῶς ἐποίουν, τῆς ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατιᾶς πρὸς τὰς πόλεις καταδυομένης καὶ οὐδ' ἀντιβλέπειν οὔσης δυνατῆς. ἐπεὶ δ' ἀναχωροῖεν ὑπὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος ἐκβιαζόμενοι ἐκεῖνοι, αὖθις οἱ Βυζάντιοι ἀναθαρσοῦντες ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐπέκειντο, αἳ πολέμιοι ἐδόκουν. καὶ ἡ χώρα πᾶσα ὥσπερ ὑπὸ πολεμίων δῃουμένη, μετανίστατό τε εἰς τὰς πόλεις καὶ οὐδὲν ἦν ὅ, τι οὐκ ἔπασχε δεινὸν, καὶ σκυθικὴ ἐρημία ἡ κατακράτος οἰκουμένη Θρᾴκη ἀπεδείκνυτο οὐκ ἐν μακρῷ, καὶ ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἰσχὺς ὑφ' ἑαυτῆς ἐδαπανᾶτο καὶ διεφθείρετο. οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ οἱ βάρβαροι ἠμέλουν, ἀλλ' εἰδότες, ὡς ἡ Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰ διῄρηται καὶ στασιάζει πρὸς ἑαυτὴν, ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας περαιούμενοι καὶ ἵπποις καὶ πεζῇ, τὰ μέγιστα ἐκάκουν, οὐδενὸς ἀνθισταμένου. καὶ τὰ παράλια πάντα ἐν βραχεῖ κενὰ ἀνθρώπων ἀπεδείκνυσαν, πάντας ἐξανδραποδιζόμενοι, πλὴν ὅσοι πόλεις ἢ φρούρια κατῴκουν. ὕστερον δὲ ἐκείνων ἀναλωθέντων, καὶ πρὸς τὴν μεσόγειαν ἐχώρησαν. οἱ μέντοι Ῥωμαῖοι οὕτω τοῦ χειμῶνος διετέλεσαν ἀλλήλοις ἀντεπεξιόντες καὶ βλάπτοντες ὅσα δυνατά. ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ δὲ ἡ ἐκ Βυζαντίου στρατιὰ οὐδέποτε ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιστρατεῦσαι, παρόντος βασιλέως. οἱ μέντοι ἐκ Τζερνομιάνου φρουρίου τινὸς οὐ πόῤῥω ∆ιδυμοτείχου κατῳκισμένου, οὐ φαῦλά τινα λῃστεύοντες ἐκάκουν. σχεδὸν γὰρ οὐ διέλιπον ἀεὶ νυκτὸς τὰ τείχη περιιόντες καὶ λῃστεύον 2.187 τες, οἷς ἂν ἐντύχοιεν. ἐλάνθανον δὲ οὐ δι' ὀλιγότητα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἐμπειρίαν. ἦσαν γὰρ περὶ λῃστείας κάλλιστα ἐξησκημένοι. προλοχήσαντες δὲ οἱ ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ στρατιῶται, ἐπεὶ κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς εἰς λῃστείαν αὖθις ἧκον πλείονες ὄντες τῶν ἐπιέναι εἰωθότων, οὐκ ὀλίγους ἀπέκτειναν αὐτῶν τοῦ λόχου ἀναστάντες. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς διενοεῖτο μὲν ὡς ἅμα ἦρι Βυζαντίῳ ἐπιστρατεύσων καὶ πειρασόμενος, εἰ δύναιτο ἑαυτῷ ὑποποιεῖν· ὅμως τοῦ χειμῶνος τοῖς ἐν Ἀδριανουπόλει ἄρχουσι προσπέμπων κρύφα καὶ διαλεγόμενος, ἔπεισε τὴν πόλιν ἐγχειρίζειν. καὶ ἐπεὶ συντέθειτο ἡμέρα, καθ' ἣν ἔδει ἐπελθεῖν, τὴν οὖσαν στρατιὰν παραλαβὼν καὶ προσποιησάμενος ἐφ' ἑτέρας τῆς Θρᾴκης βαδιεῖσθαι πόλεις, ὡς πολιορκήσων, ἵνα μὴ ὑπό του τῶν τὰ βασιλίδος ᾑρημένων πρὸς τὴν Ἀδριανοῦ ἡ ἔφοδος μηνυθῇ, παρὰ τὸν Ἕβρον ἐστρατοπέδευσεν, ὡς περαιωσόμενος εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν. πέμψας δὲ καὶ πρὸς Πιγκέρνην τὸν ἀνεψιὸν, τὸ Πάμφιλον ἅμα χιλίοις φρουροῦντα στρατιώταις τήν τε ἀκρόπολιν ἑτέροις ὁπλίταις καὶ ψιλοῖς τοξόταις ἑκατὸν, ἐκέλευε τὴν ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει φρουρὰν καταλιπόντα καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς τῆς ἱππικῆς τριακοσίους, ὥστε φρουρεῖν τὴν κάτω πόλιν, τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀναλαβόντα, ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐδήλου δὲ καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν, ἧς ἕνεκα καλοῖτο. ὁ δ' ἡγησάμενος τὴν ἐν τῇ ἀκροπόλει μόνην φρουρὰν ἀρκέσειν πρὸς κατάσχεσιν τῆς πόλεως, τοὺς ἱππέας ἅπαντας παραλαβὼν, ἧκεν ὡς βασιλέα. τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ νυκτὸς τοῦ βορέα πνεύσαντος δριμύτερον, ἅμ' ἡμέρᾳ κρυστα 2.188 λοῦσθαι ἤρχετο ὁ ποταμὸς καὶ ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἅπας διεφαίνετο κρυσταλωθείς. οὔτε δὲ τοσοῦτον εἶχε στεῤῥότητος ὁ πάγος, ὥστε