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The fleet left behind at the siege of the city, 2.87 having learned of the defeat of the apostate, has entirely gone over to the emperor. But the apostate had reached such a point of madness from the demons allied with him, as it seems, that he still dreamed of seizing the empire, because, being crushed on all sides and becoming small from great, he still persisted in the siege. But when he realized he was laboring in vain, he departed with his whole army to a certain plain called Diabasis, a considerable number of stadia away from the city, well-suited for both pastures and water channels, and pitched camp, and making raids from there he cut down the glories of the city's suburbs. But he appeared to those in the city not at all as before. But Michael, understanding this, having assembled a considerable army and having appointed Katakylas and Olbianos as its generals, and taking himself the Schools guarding the palace and the Hetaireiai, went out against the tyrant, wishing to decide the whole matter by a pitched battle. There indeed the tyrant also, strongly encamped, received the emperor, and when battle was joined, Thomas, wishing to outwit his opponents, at the moment of engagement ordered those around him to turn their backs, and then, when the enemy had turned to pursuit, that they should turn back from the counter-pursuit and put them to flight by the surprise of their return. And such was his command, but it seems what had been planned was not destined to be put into action. For the soldiers with him, being deprived for a long time of their wives and children 2.88 because of him and staining their hands with the blood of their kinsmen, and at the same time oppressed by the length of time (for the third year was being completed, and they seemed to be attempting impossible things, serving the madness and desire of one man), having taken the command as a godsend, when the trumpet sounded the charge and the regiments came to engage hand-to-hand, did not make their turn in feint as they had been ordered, but disorderly and without formation, having broken ranks, they scattered. And thus now a few, and then more, went over to the emperor. But Thomas, with a few men, was saved in Adrianople. But his spurious and illegitimate son Anastasius, fleeing, seized the fortress of Bizye. But the emperor, following hard on their heels, decided first to besiege Thomas. Wherefore he brought a siege against him, not striving to take him by means of engines and city-takers, on the one hand being cautious of civil war, and on the other hand not wanting the Scythians who lived near Adrianople to get experience of siege engines, but pressing to make his opponent surrender by famine and lack of provisions; and indeed having encamped against Adrianople and having crowned it with a rampart and palisades, he besieged it vigorously. But Thomas first drove every useless age group and every unsuitable animal out of the city; then, as the famine was already raging and there was no hope of salvation, some of those with him secretly stole their way out through some postern gates, while others, being let down from the walls 2.89 by night, brought themselves and surrendered to the emperor, while others fled away to the apostate's illegitimate son Anastasius in the little town of Bizye. And when the necessities had already been consumed by the besieged, and they had recourse to certain unaccustomed foods, and necessity proceeded even as far as tanned hides and pieces of leather, and being forced, they ate these, having secretly entered into negotiations with Michael, and having asked for and received forgiveness for their offenses, they bring Thomas in fetters to his enemy. And he, first performing what had long been decided by the emperors and had already become custom, and having stretched him out on the ground and having trodden on his neck with his feet, he cuts off his feet and hands, and having set him on a donkey, he makes a spectacle of him through the camp, shouting nothing else but, "Have mercy on me, O true emperor." But when the emperor asked if any others of those with him

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καταλειφθὲν ναυτικὸν ἐν τῇ πολιορκίᾳ τῆς πόλεως, 2.87 πυθόμενον τὴν ἧτταν τοῦ ἀποστάτου, προσκεχώρηκεν ἅπαν τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὁ δ' ἀποστάτης εἰς τοῦτο ἀφῖκτο μανίας παρὰ τῶν συμμαχούντων αὐτῷ, ὡς ἔοικεν, δαιμόνων, καὶ τὴν τῆς βασι λείας εἰσέτι ὠνειροπόλει κατάσχεσιν, ὅτι πάντοθεν συντριβόμενος καὶ μικρὸς ἐκ μεγάλου γινόμενος ἔτι προσελιπάρει τῇ πολιορκίᾳ. ὡς δ' ἐγνώκει μάτην πονῶν, ἄρας παντὶ τῷ στρατῷ εἴς τι πεδίον ∆ιάβασιν κατονομαζόμενον, σταδίους ἀπέχον τῆς πόλεως ἱκανούς, εὐφυῶς ἔχον πρός τε νομὰς καὶ ὑδάτων ὑπορροάς, στρατοπεδείαν ἐπήξατο, κἀκεῖθεν ποιούμενος προνομὰς τῶν τῆς πόλεως προα στείων τὰς ἀγλαΐας ἀπέκειρεν. ἐνεφανίζετο δὲ τοῖς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὡς τὸ πρότερον οὐδαμῶς. τοῦτο δὲ συνεὶς ὁ Μιχαήλ, ἀξιόλογον συστησάμενος στράτευμα καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἐπιστήσας αὐτῷ τὸν Κατάκηλαν καὶ τὸν Ὀλβιανόν, αὐτός τε τὰς φυλαττούσας ἐν τῷ παλατίῳ σχολὰς εἰληφὼς καὶ τὰς ἑταιρείας, ἔξεισι κατὰ τοῦ τυ ράννου, διὰ σταδαίας μάχης κρῖναι τὸ πᾶν βουληθείς. ἔνθα δὴ καὶ ὁ τύραννος κατεστρατοπεδευμένος εὐρώστως ὑπεδέξατο τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ συμπλοκῆς γενομένης καταστρατηγῆσαι τάχα τοὺς ἀντιπάλους βουλόμενος ὁ Θωμᾶς ἅμα τῇ συμβολῇ νῶτα δοῦναι τοῖς περὶ αὐτὸν προσέταξεν, εἶτα τῶν ἐναντίων εἰς διωγμὸν τρα πέντων ἐκ παλινδιώξεως ἐπιστραφῆναι τούτους καὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τρέψασθαι τῆς ὑποστροφῆς. καὶ ἦν μὲν αὐτῷ τοιαύτη παραγγε λία, οὐκ ἔμελλε δὲ ἄρα εἰς ἔργον ἐκβῆναι τὰ μεμελετημένα. οἱ γὰρ σὺν αὐτῷ στρατιῶται πολὺν χρόνον γυναικῶν καὶ τέκνων 2.88 στερόμενοι δι' αὐτὸν καὶ τὰς χεῖρας χραίνοντες ὁμογνίοις αἵμασιν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τῷ χρόνῳ πεπιεσμένοι (τρίτον γὰρ ἐξηνύετο ἔτος, καὶ ἀνηνύτοις ἐδόκουν ἐπιχειρεῖν ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς ἀπονοίᾳ καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ δουλεύοντες), τὸ κελευσθὲν ὡς ἕρμαιόν τι λαβόντες, τῆς σάλ πιγγος ἠχησάσης τὸ ἐνυάλιον καὶ εἰς χεῖρας συμπλοκῆς τῶν ταγμάτων ἐλθόντων, οὐ δοκήσει τὴν τροπὴν ὡς παρηγγέλθησαν ἐποιοῦντο, ἀλλ' ἀτάκτως καὶ κόσμου χωρὶς τὴν τάξιν διαλελυ κότες ἐσκεδάννυντο. καὶ οὕτως νῦν μὲν ὀλίγοι αὖθις δὲ πλείους τῷ βασιλεῖ προσχωροῦσιν. ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς σὺν ὀλίγοις τισὶν εἰς Ἀδριανούπολιν περισώζεται. ὁ δὲ τούτου παράγραπτος καὶ νόθος υἱὸς Ἀναστάσιος τὸ τῆς Βιζύης φεύγων κατέσχε φρούριον. ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐκ ποδὸς τούτοις ἑπόμενος πρῶτον ἔγνω πολιορκεῖν τὸν Θωμᾶν. ὅθεν ἐπάγει αὐτῷ πολιορκίαν, οὐ διὰ μηχανῶν καὶ ἑλεπόλεων σπουδάζων αὐτὸν καθελεῖν, ἅμα μὲν τὸν ἐμφύλιον εὐλαβούμενος πόλεμον, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοὺς προσοικοῦντας τῇ Ἀδρια νουπόλει Σκύθας μὴ ἐθέλων τῶν πολιορκητικῶν ὀργάνων πεῖραν λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ λιμῷ καὶ ἀνάγκῃ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐπειγόμενος τὸν ἀντίπαλον παραστήσασθαι· καὶ δὴ παρακαθίσας τὴν Ἀδριανού πολιν καὶ χάρακι καὶ σταυρώμασι στεφανώσας ἐνεργῶς ἐπολιόρκει. ὁ δὲ Θωμᾶς πρῶτον μὲν πᾶσαν ἄχρηστον ἡλικίαν καὶ πᾶν ζῷον ἀνεπιτήδειον τῆς πόλεως ἐξωθεῖ, ἔπειτα, ὡς ἤδη ἤκμαζεν ὁ λιμὸς καὶ σωτηρίας ἐλπὶς οὐδαμοῦ, οἱ μὲν τῶν συνόντων αὐτῷ λάθρᾳ διά τινων πυλίδων κλέπτοντες τὴν ἐξέλευσιν, οἱ δὲ διὰ τῶν τειχῶν 2.89 καθιμώμενοι νύκτωρ φέροντες ἑαυτοὺς τῷ βασιλεῖ παρεδίδοσαν, ἄλλοι δὲ πρὸς τὸν τοῦ ἀποστάτου νόθον υἱὸν Ἀναστάσιον εἰς τὸ Βιζύης πτολίεθρον ἀπεδίδρασκον. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις ἤδη τὰ ἀναγκαῖα κατεδήδοτο, ἥψαντο δὲ καί τινων ἀήθων βρω μάτων, ἐχώρει δὲ ἡ ἀνάγκη καὶ μέχρι τῶν σεσημμένων σκυτῶν καὶ τῶν καττυμάτων, καὶ τούτοις ἀναγκαζόμενοι ἐσιτοῦντο, λά θρᾳ πρὸς λόγους ἐλθόντες τῷ Μιχαήλ, καὶ τῶν ἡμαρτημένων συγχώρησιν ἐξαιτήσαντες καὶ λαβόντες, τὸν Θωμᾶν πεδήτην προσάγουσι τῷ ἐχθρῷ. ὁ δὲ τὸ δόξαν πάλαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι καὶ εἰς συνήθειαν ἤδη ἐλθὸν πρῶτον τελέσας, καὶ ἐπ' ἐδάφους ἁπλώσας αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς ποσὶ τὸν αὐχένα τούτου πατήσας, ἀκρω τηριάζει ποδῶν αὐτὸν καὶ χειρῶν, ὄνῳ τε ἐπικαθίσας θεατρίζει διὰ τοῦ στρατοπέδου, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐπιβοώμενον ἀλλ' ἢ "ἐλέησόν με, ἀληθῶς βασιλεῦ." ἐρομένου δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως εἴ τινες τῶν αὐτῷ συνόντων καὶ ἕτεροι