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At this time Kallistos, the patriarch of Constantinople, considering the quarrel of the emperors a terrible thing and believing it a common misfortune for the Romans, came to the emperor at Adrianople, having with him the leading bishops and monks, and begged him to end the war against the emperor his son-in-law, as it would be the cause of many evils for the Romans. But the emperor, saying that he had held the same opinion about war and peace from the beginning until now, and that he considered peace the cause of all good things and war the exact opposite, sent him to Didymoteichon to the young emperor, 3.248 so that, if he were persuaded, there would be no impediment to peace from him. And when the patriarch arrived in Didymoteichon, he found the young emperor had departed for Ainos. At the same time the army of the Triballi and of the Mysians arrived; whom the Romans sent by the emperor were leading, encamped by the Hebros, not very far from Didymoteichon, not together, but individually and separately; the Mysian camp was especially near Didymoteichon. And they had the intention on the next day, all together, to march against the fortress of Empythion and to do as much damage as possible to it, since it was held by a garrison of the emperor Kantakouzenos. It happened on the same day that the army of Persians which had been prepared as an allied force for the emperor Kantakouzenos, having crossed the Hellespont, was also encamped by the Hebros, and it likewise was unaware that it was encamped near the enemy, and was itself unnoticed. They were no fewer than ten thousand horsemen, whose general was Suleiman, the elder son of Orhan. They themselves also had the intention of arriving at Adrianople to the emperor on the next day. At dawn the Persians, having departed from their camp, were marching toward the emperor, and the Triballi and Mysians with the Romans who were leading them, bearing their arms, were proceeding against the fortress, and suddenly the two armies saw each other. The Mysians, then, immediately turned to flight, not even waiting to come to grips 3.249 with the enemy, and they escaped to Didymoteichon, professing much gratitude for the flight that saved them; but the Triballi with the Romans who were with them awaited the attacking barbarians; but having resisted for a little while against a more numerous and better foe, they were utterly defeated, and due to their inexperience with the area, and at the same time thrown into confusion by the enemy, they did not turn toward Didymoteichon—for if they had, not a few would have been saved—but having been scattered over the plain adjacent to the Hebros, all but a few perished. For having turned onto deep and bare plains that had no refuge, and using very poor horses, some were killed, others were captured, being overtaken by the barbarians. For the horses of the barbarians are completely opposite to theirs, being both very swift in running and trained for hardships. The general Kasnitzos with a few men was able to escape, while of all the others, some fell and others were captured. Of the Romans, the more distinguished men, having shown much bravery and valor in the battle, were all captured, as the barbarians surrounded them. Of the soldiers, some fell and a few were captured, but the majority escaped to Didymoteichon. Thus, the alliance of the young emperor was destroyed in this way; which greatly distressed him and ruined his affairs. But the barbarians after the victory, taking the tents of the enemy and the captives and a multitude of arms and 3.250 horses, came to the emperor at Adrianople; and after spending some days there, they then invaded Mysia by themselves and did no small amount of damage. And taking their booty, they returned to their own land. As they were returning through Thrace, since the young emperor had also returned from Ainos after the destruction of his allies, he sent ambassadors to the satrap Suleiman and attempted to reconcile him to himself, offering gifts and winning him over with friendly words, and he also sent him letters. In these, when it was necessary to mention the emperor Kantakouzenos, he did not address him as emperor, but simply as Kantakouzenos

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αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ Κάλλιστος ὁ πατριάρχης Κωνσταντινουπόλεως τὴν βασιλέων διαφορὰν ἐν δεινῷ τιθέμενος καὶ κοινὴν νομίζων Ῥωμαίων συμφορὰν, ἀρχιερέων τε καὶ μοναχῶν τοὺς λογάδας ἔχων, εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα ἧκε καὶ ἐδεῖτο καταλύειν τὸν πρὸς γαμβρὸν τὸν βασιλέα πόλεμον, ὡς πολλῶν Ῥωμαίοις αἴτιον ἐσόμενον κακῶν. βασιλεὺς δὲ ὁμοίαν ἔχειν ἐξαρχῆς ἄχρι νῦν περὶ πολέμου καὶ εἰρήνης γνώμην φάμενος, καὶ τὴν μὲν αἰτίαν ἡγεῖσθαι συμπάντων ἀγαθῶν, τὸν πόλεμον δ' ἅπαν τοὐναντίον, ἐξέπεμπεν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν νέον, 3.248 ὡς, ἢν ἐκεῖνος πείθηται, οὐδεμιᾶς ἐξ αὐτοῦ κωλύμης ἐσομένης τῇ εἰρήνῃ. καὶ γενόμενος ὁ πατριάρχης ἐν ∆ιδυμοτείχῳ, εὗρε βασιλέα τὸν νέον ἀπηρκότα εἰς τὴν Αἶνον, ἅμα δὲ παρῆσαν καὶ ἡ Τριβαλῶν στρατιὰ καὶ τῶν Μυσῶν· οὓς οἱ παρὰ βασιλέως πεμφθέντες ἄγοντες Ῥωμαῖοι ἐστρατοπέδευσαν παρὰ τὸν Ἕβρον, οὐ πόῤῥω πάνυ ∆ιδυμοτείχου, οὐχ ἅμα, ἀλλ' ἰδίᾳ καὶ χωρίς· ἦν δὲ τὸ Μυσῶν στρατόπεδον μάλιστα ἐγγὺς ∆ιδυμοτείχου. γνώμην δὲ εἶχον ὡς εἰς τὴν ὑστεραίαν σύμπαντες τῷ Ἐμπυθίου ἐπιστρατεύσοντες φρουρίῳ καὶ κακώσοντες ὡς μάλιστα φρουρᾷ ὑπὸ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως κατεχόμενον. συμβέβηκε δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας καὶ ἣ κατὰ συμμαχίαν στρατιὰ Περσῶν βασιλεῖ παρεσκεύαστο τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ, τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον διαβᾶσαν, παρὰ τὸν Ἕβρον ἐστρατοπεδεῦσθαι, καὶ αὐτὴν ἀγνοοῦσάν τε ὁμοίως, ὅτι πολεμίων ἐγγὺς στρατοπεδεύοιτο, καὶ ἀγνοουμένην. ἦσαν δὲ ἱππεῖς μυρίων οὐκ ἐλάσσους, ὧν ἐστρατήγει Σουλιμᾶν ὁ τῶν Ὀρχάνη πρεσβύτερος υἱός. γνώμην δὲ εἶχον καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡς ἐς τὴν ὑστεραίαν εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα ἀφιξόμενοι. ἅμα δὲ ἕῳ οἵ τε Πέρσαι ἀπάραντες τοῦ στρατοπέδου, ἐβάδιζον ὡς ἐπὶ βασιλέα, καὶ οἱ Τριβαλοὶ καὶ Μυσοὶ μετὰ Ῥωμαίων τῶν ἀγόντων τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον ἐχώρουν, ἀθρόον τε καὶ ἀλλήλους τὰ στρατόπεδα ἑώρων. Μυσοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐτράποντο αὐτίκα πρὸς φυγὴν, οὐδὲ εἰς χεῖρας ὑπομείναντες ἐλθεῖν 3.249 τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ διεσώζοντο εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον, τῇ φυγῇ πολλὴν ὁμολογοῦντες χάριν, ἣ διέσωσε· Τριβαλοὶ δὲ ὑπέμειναν ἐπιόντας τοὺς βαρβάρους μετὰ Ῥωμαίων τῶν συνόντων· ὀλίγα δὲ ἀντισχόντες πρὸς πλείους καὶ βελτίους, ἡττῶντο κατακράτος, ἀπειρίᾳ δὲ τῶν τόπων, ἅμα δὲ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων θορυβηθέντες, οὐ τὴν πρὸς ∆ιδυμότειχον ἐτράποντο, ἦ γὰρ ἂν οὐκ ὀλίγοι διεσώζοντο, διασκεδασθέντες δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν παρακειμένην τῷ Ἕβρῳ πεδιάδα, πλὴν ὀλίγων ἅπαντες ἀπώλοντο. ἐπὶ πεδία γὰρ τραπόμενοι βαθέα καὶ γυμνὰ καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἔχοντα καταφυγὴν καὶ ἵπποις φαυλοτάτοις χρώμενοι, οἱ μὲν ἔθνησκον, οἱ δ' ἡλίσκοντο, ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων καταλαμβανόμενοι. ἐκ διαμέτρου γὰρ οἱ τῶν βαρβάρων ἵπποι τοῖς ἐκείνων θέειν τέ εἰσι ταχύτατοι καὶ πρὸς πόνους ἐξησκημένοι. Κασνιτζὸς δὲ ὁ στρατηγὸς μετά τινων εὐαριθμήτων ἠδυνήθη διαδρᾶναι, τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων τῶν μὲν πεσόντων, τῶν δ' ἑαλωκότων. Ῥωμαίων δὲ οἱ μὲν ἐπιφανέστεροι πολλὴν ἀνδραγαθίαν καὶ ἀρετὴν κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἐπιδεδειγμένοι, πάντες ἑάλωσαν, τῶν βαρβάρων περισχόντων, στρατιωτῶν δὲ ἔπεσον μέν τινες καὶ ἑάλωσαν ὀλίγοι, οἱ πλείους δὲ διεσώθησαν εἰς ∆ιδυμότειχον. ἡ μὲν οὖν βασιλέως τοῦ νέου συμμαχία οὕτω διεφθάρη· ὃ καὶ μάλιστα ἐλύπησε καὶ διέφθειρε τὰ πράγματα αὐτοῦ. οἱ βάρβαροι δὲ μετὰ τὴν νίκην τάς τε σκηνὰς τῶν πολεμίων καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἔχοντες καὶ ὅπλων καὶ ἵπ 3.250 πων πλῆθος, ἧκον εἰς Ἀδριανοῦ πρὸς βασιλέα· καί τινας ἐκεῖ συνδιατρίψαντες ἡμέρας, ἔπειτα ἐνέβαλον εἰς τὴν Μυσίαν κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτοὶ καὶ ἐκάκωσαν οὐ μέτριά τινα, ἔχοντες δὲ τὴν λείαν ἐπανῄεσαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν. ἐπανιοῦσι δὲ διὰ τῆς Θρᾴκης, ἐπεὶ καὶ βασιλεὺς ὁ νέος ἐκ τῆς Αἴνου ἐπανῆκε μετὰ τῶν συμμάχων τὴν φθορὰν, πρέσβεις ἔπεμπε πρὸς Σουλιμὰν τὸν σατράπην καὶ καταλλάττειν ἐπεχείρει ἑαυτῷ, δῶρά τε παρέχων καὶ λόγοις ὑποποιούμενος προσηνέσιν, ἔπεμπε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ γράμματα. ἐν οἷς δεῆσαν καὶ Καντακουζηνοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιμνησθῆναι, οὐ βασιλέα προσηγόρευεν, ἀλλὰ Καντακουζηνὸν ἁπλῶς