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of cities being assembled. They, then, having attacked the megas doux in this way, killed him and were themselves destroyed through their folly. But the emperor's friends in Byzantium, as soon as it became apparent that the megas doux was dead, wrote letters to the emperor about what had happened and advised him, setting everything else aside, to come to Byzantium as quickly as possible, 2.546 since the prisoners were about to seize the palace of Constantine the Great, and that if he arrived very quickly, he would take possession of Byzantium from there. The letters of his friends, then, came to the emperor who was encamped in the village called Gabriel. At the same time, the same news was reported from Didymoteichon from the empress. 89. On the same day, the envoys sent to Krales returned and reported that Krales, even before they arrived, had departed from Pherae for his own home, fearing the attack of the Persians, who were reported to be advancing. And that when they had arrived where he was and delivered the embassy, he had replied that he himself knew what was right and for this reason he had also departed from the Pheraeans, whom it would be possible for the emperor to treat as his own subjects. The envoys said that the Pheraeans required much foresight, both in other respects and that the partisans of Krales be driven out; for those men will not allow the populace to remain quiet, but will persuade them to go over to Krales, if they enjoy impunity. It seemed to the emperor, therefore, that both matters required great haste and that both were of the utmost necessity, and he was divided in his thoughts; but having called an assembly of his officials, with the satrap Amour and Suliman the son of Sarchanes also present, he laid the matter before them for common deliberation and ordered each to introduce the opinion that seemed most advantageous in the present circumstances. It seemed, then, to all in common that they must go to Byzantium and 2.547 not delay; for affairs would not wait for them, if they wasted time and kept delaying. But the emperor showed that what had been said did not hold to right reasoning. For his friends had written that the prisoners, after killing the parakoimomenos, had themselves seized the palace of Constantine; but it was uncertain if they still held it even now. For if the entire city has gone over to us and they are not troubling them at all because of their goodwill towards us, what need is there for haste towards them, when they suspect no danger and we are suffering no loss through delay? But if, as before, they are again at war and the people are making assaults on the walls against them, I do not see the force by which they will secure the fortress for themselves. For they have no supply of arms, being unarmed prisoners, nor of provisions for food; for the necessities were barely and sparingly supplied to them by the guards. In addition to this, being few in number, they will not be sufficient for the size of the fortress, and the fortress itself, having been neglected for many years, will most easily betray those within; so that to me, at least, it seems impossible from all this that they will be able to hold out against so great a war. But if from somewhere they have received some assistance and, having been supplied with what they need, have held out until now, they will also be able to resist for a long time; it is not right, then, to abstain from the goods at hand for the sake of an uncertain hope. For Pherae is not an insignificant city, nor one to be 2.548 despised, but it is great and wonderful and necessary for the Roman empire to possess. For which reasons I think it necessary for the entire rest of the army to proceed to Byzantium at once, but for me, taking three thousand soldiers, to arrive at Pherae, and after spending one day with them and deeming them worthy of some provision, and then having driven out from there those who have chosen the side of Krales, to turn back again. And while the rest of the army, on account of its weight and multitude, makes more frequent encampments, we ourselves will not fall behind, being both lightly equipped and few and completing the journey more easily. And we shall both make provision for Pherae, so great a city, and we shall suffer no loss with respect to the journey to Byzantium. But if, lacking any of the necessary things, we should not get the better of Byzantium now, it will be possible hereafter to act not ignobly concerning it

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πόλεων συνειλεγμένων. ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν οὕτω τόν τε μέγαν δοῦκα ἐπιθέμενοι ἀπέκτειναν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀπώλοντο ὑπ' ἀβουλίας. οἱ δὲ ἐν Βυζαντίῳ φίλοι βασιλεῖ, ὡς ἐγένετο αὐτίκα φανερὸς τεθνηκὼς ὁ μέγας δοὺξ, γράμματα πρὸς βασιλέα ἔγραφον περὶ τῶν γεγενημένων καὶ παρῄνουν, πάντα ἐν ὑστέρῳ θέμενον τάχιστα ἥκειν πρὸς Βυζάντιον, 2.546 ὡς τῶν δεσμωτῶν τὰ Κωνσταντίνου τοῦ μεγάλου βασίλεια κατασχησόντων, καὶ εἰ τάχιστα παραγένοιτο, Βυζάντιον παραληψόμενος ἐκεῖθεν. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν φίλων γράμματα ἐν τῇ τοῦ Γαβριὴλ προσαγορευομένῃ κώμῃ ἐστρατοπεδευμένῳ ἧκον βασιλεῖ. ἅμα δὲ καὶ ἐκ ∆ιδυμοτείχου παρὰ γυναικὸς τῆς βασιλίδος ἀπηγγέλλετο τὰ ἴσα. πθʹ. Τῆς αὐτῆς δὲ ἡμέρας καὶ οἱ πρὸς Κράλην πεμφθέντες πρέσβεις ἐπανῆκον ἀπήγγελλόν τε, ὡς Κράλης μὲν καὶ πρὶν αὐτοὺς ἥκειν ἀποσταίη Φερῶν πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν, δείσας τῶν Περσῶν τὴν ἔφοδον, ὡς ἠγγέλλοντο ἐπιόντες. αὐτῶν τε ἔνθα ἦν παραγενομένων καὶ ἀπαγγειλάντων τὴν πρεσβείαν ἀποκρίνασθαι, ὡς εἰδείη καὶ αὐτὸς τὰ δίκαια καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀποσταίη καὶ Φεραίων, οἷς ἐξέσται βασιλεῖ χρῆσθαι ὡς οἰκείοις. ἔλεγον δὲ οἱ πρέσβεις, τοὺς Φεραίους δεῖσθαι πολλῆς προνοίας τῆς τε ἄλλης καὶ τοὺς τὰ Κράλη πράσσοντας ἐξελαθῆναι· οὐ γὰρ ἐάσουσιν ἐκεῖνοι τὸν ὄχλον ἠρεμεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἀναπείσουσι Κράλῃ προσχωρεῖν, ἂν ἀπολαύωσιν ἀδείας. βασιλεῖ μὲν οὖν ἐδόκει ἀμφοτέροις δεῖν σπουδῆς πολλῆς καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων ἄμφω εἶναι, καὶ ἐμερίζετο τοῖς λογισμοῖς· ἐκκλησίαν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐν τέλει ποιησάμενος, καὶ Ἀμοὺρ παρόντος τοῦ σατράπου καὶ Σουλιμὰν τοῦ Σαρχάνη παιδὸς, εἰς κοινὸν προὐτίθει τὴν βουλὴν καὶ ἐκέλευε γνώμην ἕκαστον εἰσάγειν, ἣ ἂν ἐν τοῖς παροῦσι δοκοίη λυσιτελεστέρα εἶναι. ἐδόκει μὲν οὖν πᾶσι κοινῇ πρὸς Βυζάντιον ἰτέον εἶναι καὶ 2.547 μὴ μέλλειν· οὐ γὰρ τὰ πράγματα αὐτοὺς ἀναμενοῦσιν, ἂν τρίβωσι τὸν καιρὸν καὶ διαμέλλωσι. βασιλεὺς δὲ οὐκ ὀρθῶν ἔχεσθαι λογισμῶν τὰ εἰρημένα ἀπεδείκνυ. τοὺς μὲν γὰρ φίλους γεγραφέναι, ὡς παρακοιμώμενον ἀπεκτονότες οἱ δεσμῶται τὰ Κωνσταντίνου βασίλεια αὐτοὶ κατέσχον· ἄδηλον δὲ εἶναι, εἰ κατέχουσι καὶ μέχρι νῦν. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἅπασα ἡ πόλις προσεχώρησεν ἡμῖν καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκείνοις ἐνοχλοῦσι διὰ τὴν εὔνοιαν τὴν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, τί δεῖ ταχυτῆτος πρὸς ἐκείνους, μήτ' αὐτῶν οὐδένα κίνδυνον ὑποπτευόντων καὶ ἡμῶν ζημιουμένων διὰ τὴν μέλλησιν μηδέν; εἰ δ' ὥσπερ πρότερον αὖθις πολεμοῦσι καὶ τειχομαχίας πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ δῆμος ποιοῦνται ἐπιόντες, οὐχ ὁρῶ τὴν δύναμιν, ὑφ' ἧς αὐτοὶ περιποιήσονται τὸ φρούριον. οὔτε γὰρ ὅπλων εὐποροῦσιν ἄοπλοι καὶ δεσμῶται ὄντες, οὔτε τῶν ἐπιτηδείων πρὸς τροφήν· τὰ γὰρ ἀναγκαῖα μόλις ἐχορηγοῦντο παρὰ τῶν φυλάκων γλίσχρως. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ τοῦ φρουρίου μέγεθος ἐξαρκέσουσιν ὀλίγοι ὄντες, αὐτό τε τὸ φρούριον ἠμελημένον ἐκ πολλῶν ἐτῶν ῥᾷστα προδώσει τοὺς ἐνόντας· ὥστε ἐμοίγε ἐκ πάντων ἄπορα εἶναι δοκεῖ, δυνήσεσθαι αὐτοὺς πρὸς τοσοῦτον πόλεμον ἀντισχήσειν. εἰ δ' ὁθενδήποθεν ἐπικουρίας ἀπέλαυσάν τινος καὶ εὐπορήσαντες τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἀντέσχον ἄχρι νῦν, καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ δυνήσονται ἀντικαθίστασθαι· οὐ δὴ δι' ἐλπίδα ἄδηλον τῶν ἐν χερσὶν ἀγαθῶν ἀποσχέσθαι δέον. Φεραὶ γὰρ οὐ φαύλη πόλις καὶ οἵα 2.548 καταφρονηθῆναι, ἀλλὰ μεγάλη τε καὶ θαυμασία καὶ ἀναγκαία τῇ Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῇ παρεῖναι. δι' ἃ δεῖν οἴομαι τὴν μὲν ἄλλην ἅπασαν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Βυζάντιον χωρεῖν αὐτίκα, ἐμὲ δὲ τρισχιλίους παραλαβόντα στρατιώτας ἀφικέσθαι εἰς Φερὰς, καὶ μίαν ἡμέραν ἐκείνοις συγγενόμενον καὶ προνοίας ἀξιώσαντά τινος, ἔπειτα καὶ τοὺς τὰ Κράλη ᾑρημένους ἐκεῖθεν ἐξελάσαντα, αὖθις ἀναστρέφειν. τῆς ἄλλης δὲ στρατιᾶς διὰ βαρύτητα καὶ πλῆθος πυκνοτέρας τὰς στρατοπεδείας ποιουμένης, ὑστερήσομεν οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ εὐσταλεῖς τε ὄντες καὶ ὀλίγοι καὶ ῥᾷον τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν διανύοντες. καὶ τήν τε πρόνοιαν ποιησόμεθα Φερῶν τηλικαύτης πόλεως, καὶ πρὸς τὴν εἰς Βυζάντιον ὁδοιπορίαν ζημιωσόμεθα οὐδέν. εἰ δέ τινος ἀπολειπόμενοι καὶ τῶν δεόντων, οὐ περιγενοίμεθα τοῦ Βυζαντίου νῦν, ἀλλ' εἰσαῦθις ἔξεστιν οὐκ ἀγεννεῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ