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For it would be proof of his own consciousness of the deed to kill this man, in order to escape the accusations. They, therefore, departed thus, fearing the threat, but Skaranos was nevertheless saved from death. But the emperor, having brought him forward, asked if what Amzas accused him of was true. And he confessed that he had been persuaded by many promises and gifts from the grand duke to kill him, and had come for this purpose; for he was noble in spirit and warlike and surpassed others in strength. The emperor, therefore, ordered him to be guarded, as he would make a more extensive inquiry about him on the next day; but at night, he ordered the most trusted of his servants to lead him out of the camp and release him; and the emperor generously rewarded Amzas for revealing the plot. And as he was preparing to march against Bizye again, it seemed necessary to first send an embassy to them, and he advised them to submit willingly and not wait for compulsion; for then he would owe thanks not to them, but to necessity for their subjugation. For even before, when he had marched against them, because they answered prudently, he quickly withdrew, giving them an opportunity to take counsel for themselves about what was necessary; and now if they submitted willingly, the country would suffer no harm. But if they were still stubborn, they should not attribute to him the bringing on of evils. But when the Bizyans received the 2.490 embassy, they gathered an assembly and deliberated on what they should do. And it seemed best to all by common vote to submit to the emperor, who was being unjustly warred against and driven from the rule of the Romans, and was able to do harm; and they ordered George Palaiologos, their ruler, if he did not wish to approach the emperor with them, to depart for Byzantium with all his baggage. And he, having acknowledged much thanks for their good sense, departed, not wishing to approach the emperor, and the metropolitan followed him, fearing the patriarch. But the Bizyans, having selected two of their nobles and as many others from the people and the church, sent ambassadors to the emperor and surrendered the city; and they said that they themselves had previously been deceived by their rulers, to accuse him of senselessness and to charge him with plotting and betraying the emperor's children. But since, as time went on, they were shown to be slanderers and to have done the greatest injustices, while he was being wronged and plotted against and heard nothing reasonable, then also seeing the common destruction, which had almost destroyed all the Romans, and hearing that he was always asking for peace, while they chose the war which was the cause of so many evils, they considered the things being done to be terrible and were eager, if there was any power in them, to find some solution to the evils. But since this was not within their power, they pitied all the others for the misfor 2.491 tune, but they themselves, deliberating on what was advantageous for them, made a decree to submit willingly and to surrender the city and not to pay the penalty themselves for the folly of others. Such things did the Bizyans convey as ambassadors. But the emperor, having praised their good counsel and having given gifts to the ambassadors, came to the city, having the ambassadors following him, and all the people with the nobles came out to meet him. And when he came near the gates, he first ordered them to acclaim the empress Anna, and after her the emperor her son, and third after them himself and the empress Irene his wife, and the acclamation was performed as ordered. And he did in like manner in the other cities also; and during the sacred liturgies he likewise ordered the commemoration of the emperors to be made. Immediately, therefore, the not-few towns around Bizye also submitted, and the emperor appointed governors for all of them and administered them as seemed best to him. And he appointed his wife's brother, Manuel Asan, as ruler of Bizye. For he had a certain ancient connection with the city. For his father-in-law, the protostrator, having his house there from the beginning, and very many and great possessions

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ἀπόδειξις γὰρ ἂν εἴη τοῦ ἑαυτῷ τὴν πρᾶξιν συνειδέναι τὸ τοῦτον ἀνελεῖν, ἵνα διαφύγῃ τοὺς ἐλέγχους. οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτως ἀνεχώρουν δείσαντες τὴν ἀπειλὴν, Σκαράνος δὲ ὅμως ἐῤῥύετο τοῦ θανάτου. παραστησάμενος δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἠρώτα εἰ εἴη ἀληθῆ, ὅσα Ἀμζᾶς αὐτοῦ κατηγοροίη. ὁ δὲ συνωμολόγει, πολλαῖς ὑποσχέσεσι καὶ δωρεαῖς ὑπὸ μεγάλου δουκὸς παραπεπεῖσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἥκειν· ἦν γὰρ γενναῖός τε τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ πολεμικὸς καὶ τὴν ῥώμην τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπερέχων. τὸν μὲν οὖν ἐκέλευεν ὁ βασιλεὺς φυλάττεσθαι, ὡς ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν πλείω ποιησόμενος ἐξέτασιν περὶ αὐτοῦ· νυκτὸς δὲ ἐκέλευε τῶν οἰκετῶν τοῖς πιστοτάτοις τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐξαγαγόντας ἀπολύειν· Ἀμζᾶν δὲ φιλοτίμως ἠμείψατο ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς μηνύσεως τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς. παρασκευαζομένῳ δὲ αὖθις Βιζύῃ ἐπιστρατεύειν ἐδόκει δεῖν πρότερον πρεσβείαν ποιεῖσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καὶ παρῄνει ἑκουσίως προσχωρεῖν καὶ μὴ τὴν ἀνάγκην περιμένειν· τότε γὰρ οὐκ αὐτοῖς, τῇ ἀνάγκῃ δὲ τὴν χάριν εἰδήσειν τῆς αὐτῶν καταδουλώσεως. καὶ πρότερον γὰρ ἐπιστρατεύσας, ὅτι σωφρόνως ἀπεκρίναντο, ταχέως ἀπεχώρησε, καιρὸν αὐτοῖς παρέχων τοῦ τὰ δέοντα συμβουλεύσασθαι ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν· καὶ νῦν εἰ προσχωροῖεν ἑκουσίως, οὐδεμίαν ὑποστήσεται κάκωσιν ἡ χώρα. εἰ δ' ἀγνωμονοῖεν ἔτι, τὴν ἐπαγωγὴν αὐτῷ μὴ προσλογίζεσθαι τῶν κακῶν. Βιζύϊοι δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐδέξαντο τὴν 2.490 πρεσβείαν, ἐκκλησίαν συναθροίσαντες ἐβουλεύοντο ὅ,τι δέοι πράττειν. καὶ ἐδόκει πᾶσι ψήφῳ κοινῇ προσχωρεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἀδίκως τε πολεμουμένῳ καὶ ἀπελαυνομένῳ τῶν Ῥωμαίων τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ δυναμένῳ βλάπτειν· καὶ Παλαιολόγον Γεώργιον τὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐκέλευον, εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο σὺν αὐτοῖς προσιέναι βασιλεῖ, πᾶσαν ἔχοντα τὴν ἀποσκευὴν εἰς Βυζάντιον ἀποχωρεῖν. κἀκεῖνος αὐτοῖς πολλὴν ὁμολογήσας τῆς εὐγνωμοσύνης χάριν, ἀπεχώρει μὴ βουλόμενος προσιέναι βασιλεῖ, συνείπετο δὲ καὶ ὁ μητροπολίτης δείσας πατριάρχην. Βιζύϊοι δὲ δύο τε τῶν ἀρίστων ἀπολεξάμενοι καὶ τοῦ δήμου καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοσούτους ἑτέρους, πρὸς βασιλέα πρέσβεις ἔπεμπον καὶ τὴν πόλιν παρεδίδουν· ἔφασαν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ πρότερον μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐξηπατημένοι, ἀγνωμοσύνην τε αὐτοῦ κατηγορεῖν καὶ ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ προδοσίαν ἐγκαλεῖν τῶν βασιλέως παίδων. ἐπεὶ δὲ τοῦ χρόνου τριβομένου, ἐκεῖνοι συκοφαντοῦντες ἀπεδείκνυντο καὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἠδικηκότες, αὐτὸς δὲ ἀδικούμενος καὶ ἐπιβουλευόμενος καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιεικὲς ἀκούων, ἔπειτα καὶ τὴν κοινὴν ὁρῶντες πανωλεθρίαν, ἣ ὀλίγου δεῖν Ῥωμαίους ἅπαντας διέφθειρεν, ἀκούοντές τε καὶ αὐτὸν ἀεὶ δεόμενον περὶ εἰρήνης, ἐκείνους δὲ αἱρουμένους τὸν τοσούτων αἴτιον πόλεμον κακῶν, δεινὰ μὲν ἡγεῖσθαι τὰ πραττόμενα καὶ προθυμεῖσθαι, εἴ τις δύναμις ἐνῆν, λύσιν τινὰ ἐξευρίσκειν τῶν κακῶν. ἐπεὶ δ' αὐτοῖς τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν ἐφικτῷ, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἅπαντας τῆς συμφο 2.491 ρᾶς οἰκτείρειν, αὐτοὺς δὲ τὰ λυσιτελῆ βουλευομένους ἑαυτοῖς, ψήφισμα ποιήσασθαι προσχωρεῖν ἑκόντας καὶ τὴν πόλιν παραδιδόναι καὶ μὴ τῆς ἑτέρων ἀνοίας ἀποτίνειν αὐτοὺς δίκας. τοιαῦτα μὲν οἱ Βιζύϊοι ἐπρέσβευον. βασιλεὺς δὲ τῆς εὐβουλίας ἐπαινέσας, τοῖς τε πρέσβεσι δῶρα παρασχὼν, ἦλθε πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, ἑπομένους ἔχων καὶ τοὺς πρέσβεις, καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἅπας μετὰ τῶν ἀρίστων ἐξῆλθεν ὑπαντήσων. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο ἐγγὺς πυλῶν, πρῶτα μὲν ἐκέλευεν Ἄνναν τὴν βασιλίδα εὐφημεῖν, καὶ μετ' ἐκείνην βασιλέα τὸν υἱὸν, τρίτους δὲ μετ' ἐκείνους αὐτόν τε καὶ Εἰρήνην βασιλίδα τὴν γυναῖκα, καὶ ἐτελεῖτο ἡ εὐφημία κατὰ τὰ κεκελευσμένα. τὸν ἴσον δὲ τρόπον κἀν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσιν ἐποίει· καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἱερὰς μυσταγωγίας ὁμοίως τὴν τῶν βασιλέων μνήμην ἐκέλευε ποιεῖσθαι. εὐθὺς μὲν οὖν προσεχώρουν καὶ τὰ περὶ Βιζύην πολίχνια ὄντα οὐκ ὀλίγα, καὶ πᾶσιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐφίστη ἡγεμόνας καὶ διῴκει, ᾗ αὐτῷ ἐδόκει ἄριστα. Βιζύης δὲ ἄρχοντα κατέστησε τὸν γυναικὸς ἀδελφὸν Ἀσάνην τὸν Μανουήλ. ἦν γάρ τινα καὶ οἰκειότητα πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἀρχαίαν ἔχων. πρωτοστράτωρ γὰρ ὁ τούτου πενθερὸς ἐκεῖ τὴν οἰκίαν ἔχων ἐξαρχῆς κτήσεις τε πλείστας καὶ μεγάλας