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He himself gave up campaigning against him, for he knew that he would accomplish nothing worthy of mention, nor would he himself be a worthy match against such an antagonist, but having appointed as generals his son-in-law Andronikos Palaiologos and Thomas Palaiologos over the army from Byzantium and Thrace, which was not small, he ordered them to follow and harm him, if they could do anything, taking care rather that they themselves not suffer harm. But he himself, so as not to seem to sit idle while holding supreme command, was fitting out a fleet of seventy ships, as if to wage war from the sea. And the expense for the triremes for him was the emperor's money, which was hidden in Byzantium. And yet everyone condemned his great foolishness, that he himself should prepare to oppose a land army from the sea and should spend so much money for no necessary purpose. But it turned out the opposite of what one reasoning from the circumstances would have thought. For he did very great harm to the affairs of the emperor Kantakouzenos, having arrived in Thessalonica not by his own foresight, but by chance. These things, then, will be told later. 37. But the emperor Kantakouzenos, since he was not able to take Peritheorion, thought it necessary to arrive at Thessalonica as quickly as possible, and decided he must first announce his arrival to the protostrator. But knowing that Syrges, having sent soldiers, was guarding the roads so that no one secretly 2.226 might bring him messages from anyone, he devised the following counter-stratagem against his villainy. He ordered one of two soldiers to be stripped, have his elbows bound behind him, and be led as a prisoner, and the other to lead him. And if they should encounter those guarding the roads, the one leading was to say that having lost his horse, he did not find it, but the bridle was with this man here; and when he demanded the horse too, he would not give it back, but would insist that he had found only the bridle by the road. For which reason indeed, having bound him, he was leading him to the emperor's uncle, so that being tortured by him, he might give back the horse as well. And he ordered the prisoner too to agree to the same things with the one leading him. And in this way, having passed the guards, each was then to depart to where he had been ordered. So they acted according to what had been commanded and, having eluded those assigned to guard the roads, they came to the protostrator in Thessalonica. But the emperor, as much as was possible, having deemed the small coastal town now called Polystylon, but in Hellenic times named Abdera, which had been built by him previously and at that time had not revolted because of its ancient good will, worthy of much forethought, and having supplied them with grain and soldiers for aid, he himself, with the rest of the army, having passed through the fortress by Christoupolis, encamped at Philippi. Then, when, having departed from there, he held to the road, he met both the one sent by him to the protostrator previously 2.227 and another of his servants, who were carrying a letter from the protostrator, which announced that he should not come to him now, since he was not able to hand over Thessalonica; but that he should first win over Hrelja and his force, and then come to him. And at once, as things were not turning out according to his plan, terrible suspicions entered the emperor's mind, but nevertheless he judged it more necessary to proceed onward. And having come near Drama, he encamped at a certain village called Kodoniane. But the protostrator, for other reasons, shuddered at the Zealots in Thessalonica and handled matters rather weakly, being in doubt, and did not dare to openly strip for the contests; but then especially his wife, writing from Byzantium, was disturbing him, saying that the rulers there, having learned that he was in communication with Kantakouzenos, had made the most terrible threats against her and her children and household, if he did not cease doing such evil; which things she begged him to guard against, lest he become the cause of incurable evils for them. For which reasons he also forbade the arrival to the emperor, using the alliance with Hrelja as a pretext, so that in the intervening time he might consider what was most advantageous for himself. But while the

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αὐτὸς ἀντιστρατεύεσθαι ἐκείνῳ ἀπεγίνωσκεν, ᾔδει γὰρ λόγου ἄξιον διαπραξόμενος οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ πρὸς τοιοῦτον ἀνταγωνιστὴν ἀξιόχρεως ἐσόμενος αὐτὸς, τῇ δὲ ἐκ Βυζαντίου καὶ Θρᾴκης στρατιᾷ οὐκ ὀλίγῃ οὔσῃ Ἀνδρόνικόν τε Παλαιολόγον τὸν γαμβρὸν καὶ Θωμᾶν τὸν Παλαιολόγον ἐπιστήσας στρατηγοὺς, ἐκέλευεν ἐκείνῳ ἑπομένους βλάπτειν, εἴ τι δύναιντο, φυλαττομένους μᾶλλον, μὴ κακῶς αὐτοὶ παθεῖν. αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν ἀργὸς καθῆσθαι τῶν ὅλων ἔχων τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἑβδομήκοντα νεῶν στόλον ἐξηρτύετο, ὡς ἐκ θαλάσσης πολεμήσων. δαπάνη δὲ ἦν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὰς τριήρεις τὰ βασιλέως χρήματα, ἃ ἐκρύπτετο ἐν Βυζαντίῳ. καίτοι γε αὐτοῦ πάντες πολλὴν κατεγίνωσκον ἀβελτηρίαν, εἰ πρὸς ἠπειρῶτιν στρατιὰν ἐκ θαλάττης αὐτὸς ἀντιτάττεσθαι παρασκευάζοιτο καὶ χρήματα τοσαῦτα οὐκ εἰς δέον ἀναλίσκοι. τὸ δ' ἀπέβαινεν ἐναντίως, ἢ ἄν τις ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων στοχαζόμενος ᾠήθη. πλεῖστα γὰρ ἔβλαψε τὰ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως πράγματα, εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην οὐκ ἐκ προνοίας ἰδίας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τύχην ἀφιγμένος. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὕστερον εἰρήσεται. λζʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁ Καντακουζηνὸς ἐπεὶ Περιθεώριον ἑλεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη, ἀναγκαῖον δὴ ἡγεῖτο πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην τὴν ταχίστην ἀφικέσθαι, δεῖν ἔγνω πρότερον πρωτοστράτορι μηνύειν τὴν ἐπιδημίαν. εἰδὼς δὲ, ὡς Συργὴς στρατιώτας πέμψας φυλάττει τὰς ὁδοὺς τοῦ μὴ λαθόντα τινὰ ἀγγελίας 2.226 ἔκ τινος αὐτῷ κομίζειν, τοιοῦτόν τι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου πονηρίαν ἀντιτεχνᾶται. τῶν στρατιωτῶν δυσὶ τὸν μὲν ἐκέλευεν ἀποδυθέντα καὶ περιαγκωνίσαντα ἑαυτὸν ἄγεσθαι δεσμώτην, τὸν ἕτερον δὲ ἄγειν. εἰ δὲ οἱ τὰς ὁδοὺς τηροῦντες περιτύχοιεν, τὸν ἄγοντα φάσκειν, ὡς τὸν ἵππον ἀπολωλεκὼς, τὸν μὲν οὐχ εὕροι, τὸν χαλινὸν δὲ παρὰ τἀνδρὶ τουτωΐ· ἀπαιτοῦντα δὲ καὶ τὸν ἵππον, μὴ ἀποδιδόναι, ἀλλὰ τὸν χαλινὸν μόνον εὑρηκέναι παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν διισχυρίζεσθαι. οὗ δὴ χάριν δήσαντα, ἄγειν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέως θεῖον, ὅπως παρ' ἐκείνου βασανιζόμενος ἀποδοίη καὶ τὸν ἵππον. ἐκέλευε δὲ καὶ τὸν δεσμώτην τῷ ἄγοντι τὰ ἴσα συνομολογεῖν. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον παρελθόντας τοὺς φυλάσσοντας, ἔπειτα ἕκαστον οἷ προσετέτακτο ἀποχωρεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐποίουν κατὰ τὰ κεκελευσμένα καὶ διαλαθόντες τοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τεταγμένους τῶν ὁδῶν, ἧκον πρὸς πρωτοστράτορα ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ. βασιλεὺς δὲ, ὡς μάλιστα ἐνῆν, τὸ νῦν μὲν Πολύστυλον, ἐν τοῖς Ἑλληνικοῖς δὲ χρόνοις Ἄβδηραν ὠνομασμένον, πολίχνιον παράλιον ὂν, ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τε ᾠκοδομημένον πρότερον καὶ τότε διὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν εὔνοιαν οὐκ ἀποστὰν, πολλῆς προνοίας ἀξιώσας, σῖτόν τε αὐτοῖς ἐπιχορηγήσας καὶ στρατιώτας πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν, αὐτὸς τὴν ἄλλην ἔχων στρατιὰν, τὸ παρὰ τὴν Χριστούπολιν τείχισμα διελθὼν, ἐστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν Φιλίπποις. ἔπειτα ὡς ἐκεῖθεν ἀναστὰς εἴχετο τῆς ὁδοῦ, συντυγχάνει τῷ τε παρ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς πρωτοστράτορα ἀπεσταλμένῳ 2.227 πρότερον καὶ ἑτέρῳ τῶν ἐκείνου οἰκετῶν, οἳ γράμματα ἐκ πρωτοστράτορος παρεῖχον, ἃ ἐμήνυε, μὴ νῦν ἥκειν παρ' αὐτὸν, ὡς Θεσσαλονίκην οὐ δυνάμενον παραδιδόναι· ἀλλὰ Χρέλην πρότερον καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου δύναμιν προσεταιρίζεσθαι, ἔπειτα ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν. βασιλεῖ δὲ εὐθὺς μὲν, ὡς οὐ κατὰ γνώμην τὰ πράγματα ἀπήντα, δεινὰ εἰσῄει ὑποπτεύειν, ὅμως δὲ ἀναγκαίως πρόσω χωρεῖν ἔκρινε μᾶλλον δεῖν. καὶ περὶ τὴν ∆ράμαν ἐλθὼν, ἐστρατοπέδευσε πρός τινα κώμην Κωδωνιανὴν προσαγορευομένην. πρωτοστράτωρ δὲ καὶ ἄλλως μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ Ζηλωτὰς ὑπέφριττε καὶ μαλακώτερον ἥπτετο τῶν πραγμάτων ἀμφίβολος ὢν καὶ οὐκ ἐτόλμα καθαρῶς πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀποδύεσθαι· τότε δὲ μάλιστα ἐκ Βυζαντίου πέμπουσα ἐθορύβει ἡ γυνὴ, φάσκουσα, ὡς τοῖς ἐνταῦθα ἄρχουσιν, ὅτι Καντακουζηνῷ διαλέγοιτο πεπυσμένοις, δεινότατα αὐτῇ τε καὶ παισὶ καὶ οἰκείοις ἀπειληθείη, εἰ μὴ παύοιτο τοιαῦτα κακουργῶν· ἃ φυλάττεσθαι ἐδεῖτο, μὴ κακῶν αὐτοῖς ἀνηκέστων αἴτιος καταστῇ. ὧν ἕνεκα καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ἄφιξιν ἀπηγόρευε τῷ βασιλεῖ, τὴν Χρέλη προφασιζόμενος ἑταιρείαν, ὡς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ τὰ μάλιστα λυσιτελοῦντα ἑαυτῷ σκεψόμενος. ἐν ᾧ δὲ ὁ