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John Katabolenos was brought before the emperor, being one of the servants of the empress. whom he sent to Byzantium at once, deprived of nothing which he had, and he demanded again that the war be ended and that the Romans not endure irreparable calamities on account of their rivalry with one another. But the patriarch and the others chose to make war no less than before. 2.475 9. The emperor also took by surrender the great Karyes, a certain fortress. While he was staying there, the protokynegos Batatzes also came over to him with not a few of his kinsmen; and he brought to the emperor both Polyboton, a Thracian city held by his kinsmen, and the fortress Teristasis, which he himself had previously fortified at his own expense while the emperor Andronikos was still alive. And he said that, especially at the beginning of the war, thinking that the emperor had been ungrateful and was unjustly plotting against his children and trying to take away their rule, he had revolted from him because of this perceived injustice and had fought with all his might. But as time was being wasted and the Romans were perishing ingloriously because of the war, seeing that the emperor was zealous for things that would benefit the Romans in common and the emperor's children, while for the parakoimomenos and the others who held the leadership of the Romans, there was no other purpose than to destroy all those men and rule, caring little or not at all for the emperor's son and for the safety of the others, and realizing from what was happening that those men were committing injustice and corrupting the rule of the Romans by the wickedness of their ways, he had revolted from them and come over to the emperor, even though he had great reasons for goodwill towards them. For he had married his son to the patriarch's daughter, and had given his own daughter in marriage to the son of the megas doux. But even though he had such ties of kinship and 2.476 affinity with them, he had loathed their ways and preferred to stay with the emperor. The emperor gladly received him and acknowledged thanks both for his words and for his judgment; and rewarding him for his goodwill and for having come over, he granted him the rank of megas stratopedarches, and to the others among his kinsmen he granted honors and annual revenues, each according to his worth. Then, going with him to Teristasis, he took it over as he handed it over, and the towns and fortresses around it submitted. But Kallipolis and Hexamillion held out and thought they should rather endure any siege than submit to the emperor. And while he was still staying near the Chersonese, Suleiman, one of the satraps in Asia, having crossed over to the Chersonese with an army, met with the emperor at Aigos Potamoi, and provided horses and weapons as gifts and a not inconsiderable army to be his ally. And having been treated kindly by the emperor himself, he returned to Asia. The emperor then attacked and subdued the towns that had not yet submitted, and coming to Myriophyton, he lodged for the night in a large, two-story house. And it was his custom, both because of the shortness of the day—for it was winter—and the necessity of being on horseback until night, for there was nowhere to dismount from the horses and take breakfast, since all of Thrace except the cities had become uninhabited due to the war, 2.477 to breakfast right at the beginning of the day and so pass the whole day. But those around him, compelling him to do so according to custom, he did not wish to, saying that he needed food, but was eager to depart just as he was, spontaneously; and at once they mounted their horses at his command and went to another town not far from Myriophyton, called Chora, which had not yet submitted. And the emperor sent a message addressing the citizens and advising them to submit. But they, instead of a greeting, said that he had come to a bad end. And that they would defend themselves most eagerly from the walls, if he should attack. When the envoy accused them of answering foolishly and insolently to the emperor who was addressing them, they said that they had another emperor, and held him of no account, and at once they poured out many insults against him. And while still engaged in the insults

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Καταβοληνὸς Ἰωάννης πρὸς βασιλέα ἤχθη, τῶν οἰκετῶν τῆς βασιλίδος ὤν. ὃν ἔπεμπεν εἰς Βυζάντιον αὐτίκα, μηδενὸς, ὧν εἶχεν, ἀποστερηθέντα, ἠξίου τε αὖθις καταλύεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ μὴ διὰ τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτῶν φιλονεικίαν τὰ ἀνήκεστα δεινὰ Ῥωμαίους ὑπομένειν. πατριάρχης δὲ καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἢ πρότερον, ᾑροῦντο πολεμεῖν. 2.475 οʹ. Βασιλεὺς δὲ καὶ τὴν μεγάλην εἷλε Καρύαν φρούριόν τι ὁμολογίᾳ. ἔνθα διατρίβοντι καὶ πρωτοκυνηγὸς ὁ Βατάτζης προσεχώρησε μετὰ τῶν συγγενῶν ὄντων οὐκ ὀλίγων· καὶ τό τε Πολύβοτον, πόλιν Θρᾳκικὴν ὑπὸ τῶν συγγενῶν κατεχομένην, προσῆγε βασιλεῖ, καὶ Τηρίστασιν τὸ φρούριον, ὃ πρότερον αὐτὸς ἔτι βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου περιόντος οἰκείοις ἀναλώμασιν ἐτείχισεν. ἔφασκέ τε, ὡς ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς τοῦ πολέμου μάλιστα, νομίσας περὶ βασιλέα ἠγνωμονηκέναι καὶ τοῖς ἐκείνου παισὶν ἀδίκως ἐπιβουλεύειν καὶ παραιρεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀποστῆναί τε αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν νομιζομένην ἀδικίαν καὶ πολεμεῖν ἁπάσῃ δυνάμει. τοῦ χρόνου δὲ τριβομένου καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀπολλυμένων ἀκλεῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου, ὁρῶν ὡς βασιλεῖ μὲν τά τε Ῥωμαίοις κοινῇ συνοίσοντα καὶ τοῖς βασιλέως σπουδάζεται παισὶ, παρακοιμωμένῳ δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς ἄγουσι τῶν Ῥωμαίων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, οὐδέν ἐστι προὔργου, ἢ πάντας διαφθείραντας ἐκείνους ἄρχειν, βασιλέως δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς ὀλίγα ἢ οὐδὲν φροντίζοντας, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων σωτηρίας, συνιδών τε ἐκ τῶν γινομένων ὡς ἐκεῖνοι ἀδικοῖεν καὶ διαφθείροιεν φαυλότητι τρόπων τὴν ἀρχὴν Ῥωμαίων, ἀποστῆναί τε ἐκείνων καὶ προσχωρῆσαι βασιλεῖ, καίτοι γε μεγάλας ἀφορμὰς ἔχων τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς εὐνοίας. τῷ τε γὰρ υἱῷ συνῴκισε τὴν πατριάρχου θυγατέρα, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ τῷ μεγάλου δουκὸς υἱῷ ἐξέδωκε πρὸς γάμον. ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτως ἔχων συγγενείας πρὸς 2.476 αὐτοὺς καὶ οἰκειότητος, βδελύξασθαί τε τοὺς τρόπους καὶ τὴν παρὰ βασιλεῖ διατριβὴν ἑλέσθαι μᾶλλον. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀσμένως τε ἐδέξατο καὶ τῶν τε λόγων καὶ τῆς κρίσεως χάριν ὡμολόγει· καὶ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ τοῦ προσκεχωρηκέναι ἀμειβόμενος, αὐτῷ μὲν τὴν μεγάλου στρατοπεδάρχου παρείχετο ἀξίαν, τοῖς ἄλλοις δὲ τῶν συγγενῶν ἑκάστῳ ἀναλόγως καὶ τιμὰς παρείχετο καὶ προσόδους ἐτησίους. εἶτα σὺν ἐκείνῳ εἰς Τηρίστασιν ἐλθὼν, ἐκείνην τε παρελάμβανεν ἐκείνου παραδιδόντος, καὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν πολίχνια καὶ τὰ φρούρια προσεχώρουν. Καλλιούπολις δὲ καὶ Ἐξαμίλιον ἀντεῖχον καὶ πᾶσαν δεῖν ᾤοντο μᾶλλον ὑπομένειν πολιορκίαν, ἢ προσχωρεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ. ἔτι δὲ αὐτῷ περὶ Χεῤῥόνησον διατρίβοντι Σουλιμὰν, τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν σατραπῶν εἷς, εἰς Χεῤῥόνησον μετὰ στρατιᾶς περαιωθεὶς, συνεγένετο τῷ βασιλεῖ ἐν Αἰγὸς ποταμοῖς, καὶ ἵππους τε παρείχετο καὶ ὅπλα δῶρα καὶ στρατιὰν οὐκ ὀλίγην συμμαχεῖν. φιλοφρονηθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ βασιλέως καὶ αὐτὸς, ἀνέστρεφεν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν. βασιλεὺς δὲ τὰ μήπω προσχωρήσαντα πολίχνια ἐπῄει καὶ κατεδουλοῦτο, καὶ πρὸς Μυριόφυτον ἐλθὼν ηὐλίσατο τὴν νύκτα ἐν οἰκίᾳ μεγάλῃ διωρόφῳ. εἴθιστο δὲ διά τε τὴν βραχύτητα τῆς ἡμέρας· χειμὼν γὰρ ἦν· καὶ τὸ ἀνάγκην ἔχειν ἄχρι νυκτὸς ἔφιππον εἶναι, οὐ γὰρ ἦν ὅποι τῶν ἵππων ἀποβάντας ἄριστον αἱρεῖσθαι, τῆς Θρᾴκης ἁπάσης ὑπὸ τοῦ πολέμου ἀοικήτου γενομένης πλὴν τῶν πόλεων, ἀρχομέ 2.477 νης εὐθὺς ἡμέρας ἀριστᾷν καὶ οὕτω διημερεύειν. οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἔθος ἀναγκάζοντες ποιεῖν, οὐκ ἠθέλησε, δεῖσθαι μὲν τροφῆς εἰπὼν, ἀναχωρεῖν δὲ ἐπείγεσθαι οὕτως αὐτομάτως· αὐτίκα τε ἐπέβησαν τῶν ἵππων, κελεύσαντος ἐκείνου, καὶ πρὸς ἑτέραν πολίχνην οὐ πολὺ διέχουσαν Μυριοφύτου, Χώραν προσαγορευομένην, ἦλθον, ἔτι μήπω προσχωρήσασαν. πέμψας τε ὁ βασιλεὺς προσηγόρευε τοὺς πολίτας καὶ παρῄνει προσχωρεῖν. οἱ δ' ἀντὶ προσηγορίας κακῶς ἥκειν ἔφασαν αὐτόν. αὐτοὺς δὲ ἀμυνεῖσθαι προθυμότατα, ἂν ἐπίῃ, ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν. τοῦ πρεσβευομένου δὲ κατηγοροῦντος, ὅτι ἀνοήτως καὶ θρασέως ἀποκρίνοιντο βασιλεῖ προσαγορεύοντι, ἕτερον ἔφασαν ἐκεῖνοι βασιλέα ἔχειν, αὐτὸν δὲ ἐν οὐδένων ἄγειν μοίρᾳ, καὶ ὕβρεις αὐτίκα κατέχεον αὐτοῦ πολλάς. ἔτι δὲ περὶ τὰς ὕβρεις