449

A short while after his arrival, the emperor Cantacuzenus, having gathered a general assembly of the Thessalonians, spoke to the Romans both about the war that had occurred against him, saying that he had not provided the causes, but those who had slandered him, and about the Zealots among them, saying that previously they had not stirred up the war against him out of goodwill for the young emperor, but in order to plunder the property of the wealthy, being for the most part poor themselves; and now, being no less bribed by the Triballians, they betrayed not only the emperor, on whose behalf they claimed to be fighting, but also the entire city for the sake of their own profit, and he demonstrated from many things that from the beginning they were ill-disposed not only to the young emperor but also to all the Romans and the citizens; and he ordered the most prominent men to be arrested, whom he also led to Byzantium upon his return. And he ordered the others to be expelled from the city; and he drove out the 3.118 Triballians from the forts around the city, some fleeing even before the engagement, and others by battles, by sending an army; and in a short time he rendered the country clear of enemies. For before the emperor arrived, the Triballians had divided among themselves all the country outside the gates. 18. Meanwhile, four triremes arrived from Venice to the emperor at Thessalonica, bringing an ambassador from their notables, Jacobo Bragadino; who promised great things to the emperor from the council and people of Venice, if he would join them in war against the Latins from Genoa. For a very great dispute had arisen between them; and they requested that upon his return to Byzantium he undertake war against them with them. For they suspected from the previous war that the emperor was hostilely disposed toward the Latins in Genoa. But the emperor refused the alliance, saying that his concern was with the Kral, who had taken away not a few cities and much land of the Roman empire while they were occupied with civil war against one another. But when they promised that they would arrange matters concerning the Kral well for him; for he had become a member of their council and was under necessity to obey them; not even so was he persuaded, but having given gifts and treated them kindly, he sent them away. The barbarians who campaigned with the fleet not only plundered the coastal regions of Macedonia, before it came under the emperor, but also crossing over into Bottiaea 3.119 they were plundering and ravaging everything; in which they enslaved many others, and also the son of a certain man called Marzelatus, a leader of some herdsmen, who were pasturing a herd of cattle of the Triballians around Berroia; and he was known to the emperor, being formerly one of the nomads under his command; and having more confidence in him, he came to the emperor at Thessalonica, and begged for his son, groveling at the emperor's feet. But the emperor, as if moved by something, took the man aside and spoke with him alone, saying that, if he wished to free his son from the barbarians, he should cooperate in the capture of Berroia, doing nothing other than placing a ladder against the walls at night. And the barbarian undertook the attempt eagerly, and promised to cooperate in great matters. And he said that the attempt would be very easy for him. For the most powerful of the Triballians in Berroia, along with some others pasturing cattle, were encamped at night between the two walls of the city, and there was no guard over them, so that it would be easy, having persuaded his companions, to act according to the emperor's will. So the barbarian, having made this agreement with the emperor, departed, with the latter promising to free his son from the Persians, if he would do what he could towards the capture of Berroia. And the emperor prepared to go to Berroia by night, and he ordered the admirals to equip the triremes and, bringing the barbarians, to come at a signal to 3.120 a certain perennial river flowing not very far from Berroia, and wait for the emperor. And he himself, leading the army from Thessalonica, and not a few of those following from Byzantium,

449

μικρὸν δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐπιδημίαν Καντακουζηνὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκκλησίαν πάνδημον ἐκ τῶν Θεσσαλονικέων συναθροίσας, περί τε τοῦ συμβεβηκότος πρὸς αὐτὸν πολέμου τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις διειλέχθη, ὡς οὐκ αὐτοῦ παρασχομένου τὰς αἰτίας, ἀλλὰ τῶν σεσυκοφαντηκότων, καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς Ζηλωτῶν, ὡς οὔτε πρότερον τῆς εἰς βασιλέα τὸν νέον ἕνεκα εὐνοίας τὸν πόλεμον κινοῖεν πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ διαρπάζειν τὰ τῶν ἐχόντων, ἄποροι ὄντες αὐτοὶ ὡς τὰ πολλά· καὶ νῦν οὐδὲν ἧττον παρὰ Τριβαλῶν χρηματιζόμενοι, οὐ βασιλέα μόνον, ὑπὲρ οὗ ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἰσχυρίζοντο, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν προὐδίδοσαν ἰδίας ὠφελείας ἕνεκα, καὶ ἀπεδείκνυεν ἐκ πολλῶν οὐ βασιλεῖ τῷ νέῳ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις καὶ τοῖς πολίταις δύσνους ἐξαρχῆς· καὶ ἐκέλευε συλλαμβάνεσθαι τοὺς μάλιστα ἐν λόγῳ, οὓς καὶ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἤγαγεν ἐπανελθών. τοὺς δ' ἄλλους τῆς πόλεως ἐκέλευεν ἐξωθεῖσθαι· τούς τε 3.118 Τριβαλοὺς τῶν περὶ τὴν πόλιν φρουρίων ἐξήλαυνε, τοὺς μὲν δραπετεύοντας καὶ πρὸ τῆς συμβολῆς, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ μάχαις, πέμπων στρατιάν· καὶ ἐν ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ καθαρὰν ἀπεδείκνυ τὴν χώραν πολεμίων. ἦσαν γὰρ πρὶν βασιλέα ἥκειν πᾶσαν τὴν ἔξω πυλῶν χώραν οἱ Τριβαλοὶ διανενεμημένοι. ιηʹ. Ἐν τούτῳ δὲ ἐκ Βενετίας πρὸς βασιλέα τέτταρες ἀφίκοντο τριήρεις εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην, ἄγουσαι πρεσβευτὴν τῶν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιφανῶν Ἰάκωβον Μπραγαδῖνον· ὃς μεγάλα ἐπηγγέλλετο βασιλεῖ ἐκ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου Βενετίας, εἰ αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ Γεννούας Λατίνους συμπολεμοίη. κεκίνητο γὰρ αὐτοῖς διαφορὰ μεγίστη· ἐδέοντό τε εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανελθόντα πόλεμον αἱρεῖσθαι πρὸς ἐκείνους μετ' αὐτῶν. ὑπώπτευον γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ προτέρου πολέμου ἀπεχθῶς βασιλέα πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Γεννούᾳ Λατίνους διακεῖσθαι. βασιλεὺς δὲ ἀπηγόρευεν αὐτοῖς τὴν συμμαχίαν, πρὸς Κράλην εἶναι φάμενος αὐτῷ τὸν λόγον, ὃς πόλεις τε οὐκ ὀλίγας καὶ γῆν ἀφείλετο πολλὴν τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίας, αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐμφυλίου πολέμου πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἠσχολημένων. τῶν δὲ ἐπαγγελλομένων, εὖ διαθήσειν αὐτῷ τὰ κατὰ Κράλην· γεγενῆσθαι γὰρ ἕνα τῆς αὐτῶν βουλῆς καὶ ἔχειν ἀνάγκην πείθεσθαι αὐτοῖς· ἐπείθετο οὐδ' οὕτως, ἀλλὰ δῶρα παρασχὼν καὶ φιλοφρονησάμενος, ἀπέπεμψεν. οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ οἱ ταῖς ναυσὶ συστρατευόμενοι οὐ μόνον τὰ κατὰ Μακεδονίαν παράλια διήρπαζον, πρὶν γενέσθαι ὑπὸ βασιλέα, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Βοτιαίαν 3.119 περαιούμενοι, πάντα ἐληΐζοντο καὶ ἐκάκουν· ἐν ᾗ ἄλλους τε ἠνδραποδίσαντο πολλοὺς, καί τινος υἱὸν Μαρζελάτου προσαγορευομένου νομέων τινῶν ἐξάρχοντος, οἳ βοῶν ἔνεμον ἀγέλην τῶν κατὰ τὴν Βέῤῥοιαν Τριβαλῶν· ἦν δὲ γνώριμος τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἐκ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῷ τελούντων νομάδων τὸ ἀρχαῖον ὤν· ᾧ καὶ μᾶλλον πεπεισμένος, πρὸς βασιλέα εἰς Θεσσαλονίκην ἧκε, καὶ ἐδεῖτο περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ, πρὸ τῶν ποδῶν τοῦ βασιλέως κυλινδούμενος. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος κεκινημένος, τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ διελέγετο μόνον παραλαβὼν, ὡς, εἰ βούλοιτο ἀπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων τὸν υἱὸν ἐλευθεροῦν, πρὸς τὴν Βεῤῥοίας αἵρεσιν συμπράττειν, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἢ νυκτὸς μόνον κλίμακα τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐπιθέντα. ὁ βάρβαρος δὲ τήν τε ἐπιχείρησιν ὑπήρχετο προθύμως, καὶ τὰ μεγάλα ἐπηγγέλλετο συμπράξειν. ἔφασκε δὲ καὶ ῥᾳδίαν μάλιστα αὐτῷ ἔσεσθαι τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν. τῶν γὰρ ἐν Βεῤῥοίᾳ δυνατωτάτων Τριβαλῶν μετά τινων ἑτέρων νέμων βοῦς, μεταξὺ τῶν δύο τειχῶν αὐλίζεσθαι τῆς πόλεως τὴν νύκτα, καὶ μηδεμίαν κατ' αὐτοὺς εἶναι φυλακὴν, ὥστ' εἶναι ῥᾴδιον τοὺς ἑταίρους πείσαντα, πράττειν βασιλεῖ τὰ κατὰ γνώμην. ὁ μὲν οὖν βάρβαρος οὕτω συνθέμενος πρὸς βασιλέα, ἀπεχώρει, ἐκείνου ἐπαγγειλαμένου τὸν υἱὸν ἀπὸ τῶν Περσῶν ἐλευθεροῦν, εἰ συμπράξειε τὰ δυνατὰ πρὸς τὸ Βέῤῥοιαν ἁλῶναι. καὶ βασιλεὺς δὲ παρεσκευάζετο, ὡς εἰς Βέῤῥοιαν ἀφιξόμενος νυκτὸς, καὶ τὰς μὲν τριήρεις ἐκέλευε τοὺς ναυάρχους ἐφοπλίσαντας, ἄγοντας καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἐπί 3.120 τινα ποταμὸν τῶν ἀεννάων οὐ πάνυ πόῤῥω ῥέοντα Βεῤῥοίας, ἐκ συνθήματος ἐλθεῖν καὶ περιμένειν βασιλέα. αὐτὸς δὲ τήν τε ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης ἄγων στρατιὰν, καὶ τῶν ἐκ Βυζαντίου ἑπομένων οὐκ ὀλίγους,