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that he was again stirring up civil war among the Romans, so that 3.160 he would be able to hold the cities, while they were occupied with one another. And he advised him to be on guard against the plot. For it was not about small matters, but a plot concerning the empire itself, and the harm would be not to him alone, but also to the other Romans; and yet that man would falsely state the opposite of the truth, claiming that he would eagerly form an alliance for the purpose of recovering the paternal rule that had been taken away, and of taking vengeance on the one who had wronged him, while it was uncertain whether he not only would not restore the rule, as he promises, but would also plot against his life. He should not be persuaded by these things, knowing nothing for certain, as everything was being contrived by deceit, so that he himself might more easily take away what was securely held. But if, neglecting his advice, he were to trust him, he would then realize the harm, when there would be no benefit either for himself or for others from knowing. For not even to the first-formed did it prove beneficial, after they were cast out of paradise, to know that they had been deceived by the serpent. Having given such and some other further advice and taken his leave, he sailed away, leaving Andronikos Asan his kinsman-by-marriage with the young emperor. But Kralj, a little after the emperor had departed from Thessalonike, sacked Edessa, capturing it by the treachery of some who had chosen his side. For he had arranged with them that, having constructed ladders, he would come to assault the wall, and they, raising a signal on the walls where they were standing, he should come to them with the ladders. And with them providing security and defending themselves more against those 3.161 inside, the capture would be easy. And this is what happened according to the agreement. For when they had arranged for the assault on the wall, the signal was raised from the walls by the traitors, and Kralj, having the ladders, advanced toward them; and having found security, they went up onto the walls, and falling upon them immediately began to tear them down, until they made them passable even for horses; for they were not of a sufficient height. But Lyzikos, the governor of the city, perceiving the treachery, advanced against them with his men, but accomplished nothing, since the walls had already been torn down; but turning back he hastened to the acropolis. And the two hundred guards left behind by the emperor from Byzantium, when they perceived that the city had been taken, also withdrew to the acropolis. And Kralj, since he held the city, advanced against them while they were still in confusion from the rout. And as they were forming up for battle, Lyzikos was wounded in the thigh by an arrow, while defending himself from the tower. For the acropolis was in disrepair. And immediately the garrison surrendered their arms, receiving pledges that they would suffer no fatal harm. And when the acropolis was taken, Kralj released the garrison and Makrodoukas the commander according to the oaths, taking away only their weapons, but he ordered Lyzikos's beard to be plucked out in his presence, not only because he had resisted then, but also because, while the emperor Andronikos was still alive, he had become the cause of great misfortunes for him in Kastoria. Then he ordered him to be bound and led to 3.162 Skopje, to pay the penalty there for his audacious deeds. But he, from his neglected wound and his other misfortune, died while being led away. And Kralj gave the city over to the soldiers to plunder; and they both sacked it and set fire to the houses; and he drove out the greater and better part of the inhabitants, mostly naked in the dead of winter, as January was just beginning, and they were scattered throughout Berroia and the other cities. The destitute, having fled to the remaining houses, was left there utterly helpless. And he himself, since a terrible winter had set in, left a garrison in the acropolis and withdrew to his own home. And it was said that because of the winter a great many soldiers and baggage animals had died in the camp. But the emperor, having returned to Byzantium, learned about Alexander, king of the Mysians, that he was greatly vexed on account of the unexpected raid of the barbarians, which had done the greatest harm to his land. And he suspected that the barbarians had not attacked on their own initiative, but of the emperor

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ἐκεῖνον, αὖθις τὸν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόλεμον κινεῖν Ῥωμαίων, ἵν' αὐτῷ 3.160 ἐξῇ τὰς πόλεις ἔχειν, ἐκείνων ἀσχολουμένων πρὸς ἀλλήλους. καὶ συνεβούλευε φυλάττεσθαι τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶναι περὶ μικρῶν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῆς ἐπιβουλεύειν, καὶ τὴν βλάβην οὐκ αὐτῷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔσεσθαι Ῥωμαίοις· καίτοι γε ἐκεῖνον τῶν ὄντων τὰ ἐναντία καταψεύσεσθαι, φάσκοντα προθύμως συμμαχήσειν ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν πατρῴαν ἀνασώζεσθαι ἀρχὴν ἀφῃρημένην, καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι τὸν ἠδικηκότα, ἄδηλον ὂν, εἰ μὴ μόνον οὐκ ἀποδώσει τὴν ἀρχὴν, ὥσπερ ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐπιβουλεύσει. τούτων δὲ αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι μηδὲν σαφῶς εἰδότα, ὡς ἀπάτῃ πάντα συσκευάζεται, ἵνα μᾶλλον ἀφέληται αὐτὸς τὴν οὖσαν ἀσφαλῶς. εἰ δ' ἀμελήσας τῶν παραινέσεων πείθοιτο αὐτῷ, τότε εἴσεται τὴν βλάβην, ὅτε μήτ' αὐτῷ μηδὲν, μήτε τοῖς ἄλλοις ὄφελος ἐκ τοῦ εἰδέναι ἔσται. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ τοῖς πρωτοπλάστοις συνήνεγκε τοῦ παραδείσου ἐκβληθεῖσι τὸ εἰδέναι, ὡς ἠπάτηνται τῷ ὄφει. τοιαῦτα καὶ ἕτερ' ἄττα πλείω παραινέσας καὶ συνταξάμενος, ἀπέπλει, Ἀσάνην Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν κηδεστὴν μετὰ βασιλέως τοῦ νέου καταλιπών. Κράλης δὲ ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἢ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπῇρεν ἐκ Θεσσαλονίκης, Ἔδεσσαν ἐπόρθησεν, ἑλών τινων προδοσίᾳ τῶν τἀκείνου ᾑρημένων. συντέθειτο γὰρ αὐτοῖς κλίμακας κατασκευασάμενον, ἐπὶ τειχομαχίαν ἥκειν, αὐτοὺς δὲ σημεῖον ἄραντας ἐπὶ τῶν τειχῶν, ἐφ' ὧν ἑστᾶσιν, ἥκειν ἐπ' ἐκείνους μετὰ τῶν κλιμάκων. ἄδειαν δὲ ἐκείνων παρεχομένων καὶ ἀμυνομένων τοὺς 3.161 ἔνδον μᾶλλον, ῥᾳδίαν ἔσεσθαι τὴν ἅλωσιν. ὅπερ δὴ καὶ ἐγίνετο κατὰ τὸ σύνθημα. καταστάντων γὰρ εἰς τὴν τειχομαχίαν, τοῖς τε προδιδοῦσιν ἤρετο τὸ σημεῖον ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν, καὶ ὁ Κράλης τὰς κλίμακας ἔχων, ἐχώρει πρὸς ἐκείνους· ἀδείας δὲ τυχόντες, ἀνέβαινον ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη, καὶ καθῄρουν αὐτίκα προσπεσόντες, ἕως ἐποίησαν καὶ ἵπποις βάσιμα· ἦν γὰρ οὐδὲ ὕψους ἔχοντα ἱκανῶς. Λυζικὸς δὲ ὁ τῆς πόλεως ἄρχων, αἰσθόμενος τὴν προδοσίαν, ἐχώρει μὲν ἐπ' ἐκείνους ἔχων τοὺς περὶ αὐτὸν, ἤνυε δὲ οὐδὲν, καθῃρημένων ἤδη τῶν τειχῶν· ἀλλ' ἀναστρέψας ἔσπευδεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄκραν. καὶ οἱ ἐκ Βυζαντίου παρὰ βασιλέως καταλελειμμένοι διακόσιοι φρουροὶ, ὡς ᾐσθάνοντο τὴν πόλιν ἑαλωκυῖαν, ἀνεχώρουν καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄκραν. Κράλης δὲ ἐπεὶ τὴν πόλιν εἶχεν, ἐχώρει ἐπ' ἐκείνους τεθορυβημένους ἔτι ἀπὸ τῆς τροπῆς. καθισταμένων τε πρὸς μάχην, ὁ Λυζικὸς ἐτέτρωτο βέλει τὸν μηρὸν, ἀμυνόμενος ἀπὸ τοῦ πύργου. ἦν γὰρ ἀνεπισκεύαστος ἡ ἄκρα. καὶ αὐτίκα ἡ φρουρὰ τὰ ὅπλα παρεδίδουν, πίστεις λαβόντες ἐπὶ τῷ μηδὲν ἀνήκεστον παθεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἄκρα εἴχετο, τὴν μὲν φρουρὰν καὶ Μακροδούκαν τὸν ἄρχοντα ἀπέλυεν ὁ Κράλης κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους, τὰ ὅπλα μόνον ἀφελόμενος, Λυζικοῦ δὲ τὸ γένειον ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τίλλεσθαι ἐκέλευεν, οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ἀντιστῆναι τότε, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ βασιλέως Ἀνδρονίκου περιόντος, ἐν Καστορίᾳ μεγάλων αἴτιος αὐτῷ κατέστη συμφορῶν. ἔπειτα ἐκέλευε δεθέντα ἄγεσθαι τὴν ἐπὶ 3.162 Σκοπιὰν, ὡς ἐκεῖ τῶν τολμημάτων δίκας δώσοντα. ὁ δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ τραύματος ἀμεληθέντος καὶ τῆς ἄλλης δυσπραγίας ἐτελεύτησε μεταξὺ ἀγόμενος. Κράλης δὲ ἐφῆκε τὴν πόλιν τοῖς στρατιώταις διαρπάζειν· καὶ ἐπόρθησάν τε καὶ ἐνέπρησαν τὰς οἰκίας· τῶν οἰκητόρων δὲ τὸ μὲν πλεῖστον καὶ ἄριστον ἐξήλασε γυμνὸν μάλιστα ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ χειμῶνος, Ἰανουαρίου ἄρτι ἱσταμένου, καὶ διεσκεδάσθησαν κατὰ Βέῤῥοιαν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις. ὁ δὲ ἄπορος παντάπασι καταλέλειπτο ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὰς ὑπολειπομένας καταφυγὼν οἰκίας. αὐτὸς δὲ ἐπεὶ καὶ χειμὼν ἐπεγένετο ἐξαίσιος, φρουρὰν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καταλιπὼν, πρὸς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀνεχώρει. ἐλέγετο δὲ ὑπὸ χειμῶνος στρατιώτας τε καὶ τῶν σκευοφόρων ὑποζυγίων πλεῖστα τῷ στρατοπέδῳ ἐναποθανεῖν. βασιλεὺς δὲ εἰς Βυζάντιον ἐπανελθὼν ἐπυνθάνετο περὶ τοῦ Μυσῶν βασιλέως Ἀλεξάνδρου, ὅτι πλεῖστα ἀνιῷτο διὰ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἔφοδον ἀπροσδόκητον γεγενημένην καὶ μέγιστα κακώσασαν τὴν γῆν αὐτοῦ. ὑπώπτευε δὲ οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐπελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ βασιλέως