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to leave the young emperor behind in safety, while he himself, leading Romans and barbarians together, would invade the enemy's territory. Therefore, having arranged matters concerning the mainland army well, as it seemed, he then put to sea in the triremes. And as a secondary task on his journey, he made an attempt on the walls of the coastal city of Eion in Thrace, which is now called Anaktoropolis, which a certain Alexios ruled, hailing from Bithynia from a certain village called Belikome; who during the time of the war had served as a mercenary for no short time for the megas doux Apokaukos, commanding a pirate monoreme, 3.115 but later after his death, he too, like others, because of the anarchy, turned to rebellion, and having seized it, he not only secured this Eion for himself, but he also harassed Christopolis as much as he could, and was a nuisance to the Thasians and Lemnians, wishing to subject everything to himself and to cut it off from the Roman dominion. For these reasons, the emperor, sailing down, attacked Eion, and engaged in siege warfare for two or three days, and he was bested by the walls, as Alexios’ men defended them strongly; however, whatever boats there were, and the pirate monoremes, which he himself used for piracy, he destroyed all of them with fire. And while he was still spending time in those parts, it was reported that the Persian army arriving as an ally had turned back. It seemed then to many that the Persians had been persuaded by some Romans to turn back out of enmity towards the new emperor, so that the Roman empire might not be strengthened. But this was not so, and those who suspected so were entirely mistaken about the truth. For Orhan, after the army had crossed into Thrace and was proceeding on the way to the west, having sent a letter in secret to his son Suliman, ordered him to turn back; for the most powerful of the neighboring Persians were advancing against him, and it was necessary for the army to be present and to defend against the attackers. He ordered him, however, not to make the reason for the withdrawal known to the Romans, so that the emperor would not be angry with him, but to fabricate some reasons and turn 3.116 back. Suliman did as his father had commanded him, and having invented some non-existent excuses, he withdrew from the crossing of the Hebrus toward Mysia on a plundering raid, and having driven a multitude of both cattle and human captives, he crossed over to Asia. But Matthew, the emperor's son, since with the Roman army alone he was not able to go to Thessalonica through enemy territory, with ever-flowing rivers running in between and not offering an easy crossing, and with the Triballi lying in ambush, being more powerful than the Roman army he himself was leading, he too turned back and disbanded the army; and he made known to the emperor his father the reason for the hindrance. The emperor was indeed vexed at what had happened, but having nothing more advantageous to turn to, he proceeded toward Thessalonica, having set sail from Eion, and that night he anchored near Amphipolis, which was held by the Triballi. Its governor was Braianes, who was a very great friend to the emperor from his sojourn with them; to whom, having boarded a small boat at night, the emperor came secretly to Amphipolis and conversed. And he arranged matters with him well, promising the emperor to do everything according to his will, and he promised to confer with the emperor's other friends, so that at the proper time they might appear useful to the emperor, and he reported that twenty-two Persian ships were anchored around the Strymon, having arrived for plunder. So the emperor, having discussed such things during the night, 3.117 withdrew again to the triremes, taking great care not to be seen having conversed with the Triballian. And at dawn he sent to the Persians and called them to an alliance; and they came without any delay. Leading these with the triremes, he arrived at Thessalonica, and he found the people and the Zealots in sedition against the aristocrats, and the city in a generally bad state both from the enemies without and the conspirators within. And upon his appearance he immediately dispelled all the terrible things, and the whole city was in celebration, and with much acclamation they received the emperors.

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βασιλέα τὸν νέον καταλείψοντι ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ, αὐτὸς δὲ Ῥωμαίους, ἅμα καὶ βαρβάρους ἄγων, εἰς τὴν πολεμίαν ἐμβαλεῖν. τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν ἠπειρῶτιν στρατιὰν εὖ διαθέμενος, ὡς ἐδόκει, ἔπειτα ἀνήγετο ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσιν. ὁδοῦ δὲ πάρεργον καὶ τῆς Ἠϊόνος πόλεως παραλίου κατὰ τὴν Θρᾴκην, ἣ νῦν Ἀνακτορόπολις καλεῖται, τῶν τειχῶν ἀπεπειρᾶτο, ἧς ἦρχεν Ἀλέξιός τις ἐκ Βιθυνίας ὡρμημένος ἐκ κώμης τινὸς Βελικώμης προσαγορευομένης· ὃς κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον Ἀποκαύκῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ δουκὶ ἐμισθοφόρησεν οὐκ ὀλίγον χρόνον μονήρους ἄρχων λῃστρικῆς, 3.115 ὕστερον δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν τοῖς ἄλλοις ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτὸς διὰ τὴν ἀναρχίαν ἐπὶ νεωτερισμοὺς χωρήσας, οὐ τὴν Ἠϊόνα μόνον δὴ ταύτην ἑαυτῷ περιεποίησε κρατήσας, ἀλλὰ καὶ Χριστούπολιν ἐκάκου, ὅσα δυνατὰ, καὶ Θασίοις καὶ Λημνίοις λυπηρὸς ἦν, πάντα ὑφ' ἑαυτῷ βουλόμενος ποιεῖσθαι καὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας ἀποτέμνειν. δι' ἃ ὁ βασιλεὺς καταπλέων ἐπέθετο τῇ Ἠϊόνι, καὶ τειχομαχίας ἐπὶ δύο καὶ τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐποιήσατο, καὶ τῶν μὲν τειχῶν ἥττων ὤφθη, τῶν περὶ Ἀλέξιον ἀμυνομένων κραταιῶς· πλοῖα μέντοι, ὅσα ἦν, καὶ μονήρεις πειρατικὰς, ἃς αὐτὸς ἐχρῆτο πρὸς λῃστείας, πάντα ἀνάλωσε πυρί. ἔτι δὲ αὐτῷ περὶ ἐκεῖνα διατρίβοντι τὰ μέρη ἠγγέλλετο, ὡς ἡ κατὰ συμμαχίαν ἀφικνουμένη ἀναστρέψειε στρατιὰ Περσῶν. ἐδόκει μὲν οὖν τότε τοῖς πολλοῖς ὑπό τινων Ῥωμαίων τοὺς Πέρσας ἀναπεπεῖσθαι ἀναστρέφειν ἔχθει τῷ πρὸς τὸν νέον βασιλέα, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἡ Ῥωμαίων αὔξοιτο ἀρχή. τὸ δὲ οὐ τοιοῦτον ἦν, ἀλλὰ παντάπασιν ἡμάρτανον οἱ ὑποπτεύοντες τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὀρχάνης γὰρ μετὰ τὸ τὴν στρατιὰν εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην περαιωθεῖσαν τῆς εἰς ἑσπέραν ἔχεσθαι ὁδοῦ γράμματα τῷ υἱῷ Σουλιμὰν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτῳ πέμψας, ἐκέλευεν ἀναστρέφειν· ἐπιέναι γὰρ αὐτῷ τῶν ὁμόρων Περσῶν τοὺς δυνατωτάτους, καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν παρεῖναι δέον καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι τοῖς ἐπιοῦσιν. ἐκέλευε μέντοι μὴ κατάδηλον Ῥωμαίοις τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἀναχωρήσεως ποιεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ὁ βασιλεὺς αὐτῷ ὀργίζοιτο, ἀλλὰ πλασάμενόν τινας αἰτίας ἀνα 3.116 στρέφειν. ἃ Σουλιμὰν ἐποίει ᾗ αὐτῷ ὁ πατὴρ προσέταττε, καί τινα πλασάμενος μὴ ὄντα, ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τὸν Ἕβρον πόρου πρὸς τὴν Μυσίαν ἐπὶ λεηλασίαν ἀπεχώρει, καὶ πλῆθος ὁμοῦ βοσκημάτων καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐλάσας αἰχμαλώτων ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπεραιοῦτο. Ματθαῖος δὲ ὁ τοῦ βασιλέως υἱὸς ἐπεὶ μὴ τῇ Ῥωμαίων μόνῃ στρατιᾷ δυνατὸς ἦν τὴν πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ἀπιέναι διὰ πολεμίας, ποταμῶν τε ἀεννάων διιόντων ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ καὶ οὐ ῥᾴδιον τὸν πόρον παρεχομένων, καὶ Τριβαλῶν ἐνεδρευόντων, ὄντων δυνατωτέρων, ἢ καθ' ἣν ἦγεν αὐτὸς Ῥωμαίων στρατιὰν, ἀνέστρεφε καὶ αὐτὸς καὶ διέλυε τὸ στράτευμα· βασιλεῖ τε τῷ πατρὶ ἐδήλου τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς κωλύμης. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἠγανάκτει μὲν πρὸς τὰ συμβάντα, πρός τι δὲ λυσιτελέστερον οὐκ ἔχων τρέπεσθαι, ἐχώρει τὴν εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην, ἐκ τῆς Ἠϊόνος ἄρας, καὶ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ὡρμίσατο ἐπ' ἀγκυρῶν Ἀμφιπόλεως ἐγγὺς ὑπὸ Τριβαλῶν κατεχομένης. ἧς ἐπετρόπευε Μπραϊάνης, βασιλεῖ ἐς τὰ μάλιστα φίλος ὢν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς αὐτοὺς διατριβῆς· πρὸς ὃν ἀκατίου ἐπιβὰς νυκτὸς, ἀφίκετο εἰς Ἀμφίπολιν ὁ βασιλεὺς κρύφα καὶ διειλέχθη. ὁ δὲ τά τε πρὸς αὐτὸν εὖ διέθετο βασιλεῖ ἐπαγγειλάμενος πάντα ποιήσειν κατὰ γνώμην, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις βασιλέως φίλοις ὑπέσχετο διαλεχθήσεσθαι, ἵν' ἐν καιρῷ προσήκοντι χρήσιμοι ὀφθεῖεν βασιλεῖ, ἀπήγγελλέ τε, ὡς περὶ Στρυμμόνα νῆες ὁρμίζονται δύο καὶ εἴκοσι Περσικαὶ ἐπὶ λεηλασίᾳ ἀφιγμέναι. ὁ μὲν οὖν βασιλεὺς τοιαῦτα ἐπὶ νυκτὸς 3.117 διαλεχθεὶς, πάλιν εἰς τὰς τριήρεις ἀπεχώρει, πρόνοιαν πολλὴν ποιούμενος τοῦ μὴ φανερὸς εἶναι διειλεγμένος τῷ Τριβαλῷ. ἅμα δὲ ἕῳ ἔπεμπεν ἐπὶ τοὺς Πέρσας καὶ ἐκάλει ἐπὶ συμμαχίαν· οἱ δὲ παρῆσαν οὐδὲν μελλήσαντες. οὓς ἄγων μετὰ τῶν τριηρέων ἀφῖκτο εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην, εὗρε δὲ τὸν δῆμον καὶ τοὺς Ζηλωτὰς πρὸς τοὺς ἀρίστους διαστασιάζοντας, καὶ κοινῇ κακῶς τὴν πόλιν ἔκ τε τῶν ἔξωθεν πολεμίων καὶ τῶν ἔνδον ἐπιβούλων ἔχουσαν. πάντα δὲ εὐθὺς διέλυε τὰ δεινὰ ἐπιφανεὶς, καὶ ἡ πᾶσα πόλις ἐν ἑορταῖς ἦσαν, καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς εὐφημίας ὑπεδέχοντο τοὺς βασιλέας.