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he said that the things concerning Michael had happened by some contrivance or 1.16 malicious thought, but rather thus without meddling and simply by chance. And there would have been strong credibility in such words, both from the emperor’s dignity and from his adherence to the truth throughout his whole life, if the outcomes of the events had not shown that their beginnings did not happen by chance, nor by accident, but from contrivance and unjust thought; but one must examine from the facts. 2. For it was a prevailing custom among the Romans that whenever the emperor departed this life, all the governors of the provinces were to be released from their office, and coming together in one place, to confirm their loyalty by oaths to the remaining emperor, whether there be one or even two, and then for him to entrust the offices to whomever he might choose; it was also then decreed by the emperor, after the death of his son and emperor Michael, that all those in office and all those in positions of honor, who were about to be appointed to offices, should confirm their loyalty to the emperors by oaths. Therefore the oaths were administered not according to the previously customary form. For while Michael the emperor was still among the living, if anyone was required to give an oath of loyalty to the emperors, having first enumerated the holy things by which he was swearing, he would then say that he loved the emperors, first Andronikos, who was both older in age and father of the emperors, and his wife, then after him his son 1.17 Michael together with his spouse, and third the young Andronikos, being the son of Michael, but the grandson of Andronikos; this custom having begun from the times of the first emperor Michael Palaiologos; for previously it was not permitted for oaths to be given to the son of the emperor, nor for him to be adorned with royal insignia, unless, after his father had departed this life, the power of the empire had already passed clearly to him. Therefore, as we said, while the oaths were being administered when Michael was still alive, after his death it was decreed that those swearing should make their oaths to the elder Andronikos alone and to whomever he himself should appoint emperor of the Romans, completely excluding the name of the young emperor Andronikos. This annoyed all the more sensible Romans, who already conjectured the future ruin of Roman affairs from the sedition and disagreement arising between the emperors; however, out of fear of the ruler, they all swore unwillingly as they were ordered, except for one alone, Andronikos Kantakouzenos, who was honored with the dignity of *parakoimomenos*. For this man, speaking frankly at the opportune time, said it would be a manifest rejection of God, if he did not also include the young emperor Andronikos in the oaths; for he had sworn in this manner also before. Wherefore also those appointed over the swearing of oaths, perceiving the man's objection as just, unwillingly, but nevertheless, allowed him to state the 1.18 former form of the oath; the grandfather and emperor, having learned this from them, on the one hand was aggrieved by the man's frankness, but, lest his opposition to him cause some disturbance, he himself also conceded. The young Andronikos, however, having learned these things, was indeed severely struck in his soul, understanding that the beginning of such events was aimed at his own destruction, but he bore the pain in silence, "eating his heart," according to Homer, not even wishing to seem by a word at least to act insolently towards his grandfather and emperor. He therefore thus sat in silence; But a certain one of those distinguished for their nobility, and who traced the lines of his family on his mother's side from royal blood, but on his father's side being the son of the most noble among the Cumans, who had gone over to Vatatzes the emperor when he took possession of the Roman empire, being called Sytzigan in the barbarian tongue, but being surnamed Syrgiannes from the one who received him from the holy font; the son of this Syrgiannes, Syrgiannes, approaching the young emperor by night, said, "Surely you have heard, O emperor, these new innovations, and for you, being prudent, to conjecture the end of the matter from the beginning

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περινοίας τινὸς ἢ κα 1.16 κούργου σκέψεως ἔλεγε τὰ κατὰ τὸν Μιχαὴλ γεγενῆσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπεριέργως οὕτω καὶ ἁπλῶς ἐκ τοῦ συντυχόντος. καὶ ἦν ἂν τοῖς τοιούτοις λόγοις ἰσχυρὰ πίστις τό τε τοῦ βασιλέως ἀξίωμα καὶ τὸ διὰ βίου παντὸς αὐτὸν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ προσέχειν, εἰ μὴ τὰ τῶν πραγμάτων τέλη τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀπέδειξαν ἑαυτῶν οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, οὐδ' ἐκ τοῦ συμβεβηκότος, ἀλλ' ἐκ περινοίας καὶ σκέψεως οὐ δικαίας γεγενημένας· σκεπτέον δὲ ἐκ τῶν πραγμάτων. βʹ. Ἔθους γὰρ ἐπικρατοῦντος παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις, ἐπειδὰν ἀπολίπῃ τὸν βίον ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοὺς μὲν ἐπιτρόπους τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν ἅπαντας παραλύεσθαι τῆς ἀρχῆς, εἰς ἓν δὲ συνιόντας, ὅρκοις βεβαιοῦν τὴν πίστιν τῷ ὑπολειπομένῳ βασιλεῖ, εἴ γε εἷς ἐστιν ἢ καὶ δύο, εἶτ' αὖθις, οἷς ἂν αὐτῷ δόξειε, τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐγχειρίζειν· ὥριστο καὶ τότε παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ βασιλέως τελευτὴν Μιχαὴλ, τούς τε ἐν τέλει καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἀξιώμασι πάντας, μέλλοντας καθίστασθαι πρὸς ἀρχὰς, ὅρκοις ἐμπεδοῦν τὴν πίστιν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν. ἐτελοῦντο τοίνυν οἱ ὅρκοι οὐ κατὰ τὸν πρότερον συνήθη τύπον. ἔτι γὰρ καὶ Μιχαὴλ ἐν ζῶσιν ὄντος τοῦ βασιλέως, εἴπερ ἐδέησέ τινα ὅρκῳ δοῦναι πίστιν τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, προαπαριθμησάμενος τὰ ἅγια ἐν οἷς ὤμνυεν, εἶτα στέργειν ἔλεγε καὶ βασιλέας, πρῶτον μὲν Ἀνδρόνικον τὸν καὶ πρεσβύτερον τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ πατέρα τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ γαμετὴν, εἶτα μετ' ἐκεῖνον τὸν υἱὸν 1.17 αὐτοῦ Μιχαὴλ ὁμοῦ τῇ συζύγῳ, καὶ τρίτον τὸν νέον Ἀνδρόνικον, υἱὸν μὲν ὄντα τοῦ Μιχαὴλ, υἱωνὸν δὲ Ἀνδρονίκου· τοῦ τοιούτου ἔθους ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων ἀρξαμένου τοῦ πρώτου βεβασιλευκότος Παλαιολόγου τοῦ Μιχαήλ· πρότερον γὰρ οὐκ ἐξῆν τῷ παιδὶ τοῦ βασιλέως ὅρκους ἀποδιδόναι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ παρασήμοις κεκοσμῆσθαι βασιλικοῖς, εἰ μὴ, τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ μεταστάντος τοῦ βίου, τὸ κράτος τῆς βασιλείας ἤδη καθαρῶς πρὸς αὐτὸν μεταβαίη. ὥσπερ ἔφημεν τοίνυν, ἔτι τοῦ Μιχαὴλ ζῶντος τελουμένων τῶν ὅρκων, μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν ὥριστο τοὺς ὀμνύοντας πρὸς μόνον τὸν πρεσβύτερον Ἀνδρόνικον ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ ὃν ἂν αὐτὸς βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων καταστήσῃ, τὸ τοῦ νέου βασιλέως ὄνομα Ἀνδρονίκου παντάπασιν ἐκβαλόντας. τοῦτο πάντας μὲν ἠνίασε τοὺς συνετωτέρους Ῥωμαίων, καταστοχαζομένους ἤδη τὴν μέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν πραγμάτων φθορὰν ἐκ τῆς ἀναφυομένης μεταξὺ τῶν βασιλέων στάσεως καὶ διαφορᾶς· τῷ δέει μέντοι τοῦ κρατοῦντος ἄκοντες πάντες ὤμνυον ὡς ἐκελεύοντο, πλὴν ἑνὸς μόνου τοῦ Καντακουζηνοῦ Ἀνδρονίκου, τῇ τοῦ παρακοιμωμένου τετιμημένου ἀξίᾳ· οὗτος γὰρ χρησάμενος παῤῥησίᾳ κατὰ καιρὸν, ἀθέτησιν ἔλεγεν εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ φανερὰν, εἰ μὴ καὶ τὸν νέον βασιλέα Ἀνδρόνικον συμπαραλάβοι τοῖς ὅρκοις· τοῦτον γὰρ τὸν τρόπον καὶ πρότερον ὀμωμοκέναι. διὸ καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ τῆς ὁρκωμοσίας τεταγμένοι, συνιδόντες τὴν ἔνστασιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ὡς δικαίαν, ἄκοντες μὲν, ὅμως δ' οὖν συνεχώρησαν αὐτῷ τὸν 1.18 πρότερον τύπον ἐκθέσθαι τοῦ ὅρκου· τοῦτο δὴ παρ' αὐτῶν γνωρίσας ὁ πάππος καὶ βασιλεὺς, βαρέως μὲν ἤνεγκε τὴν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς παῤῥησίαν, τοῦ δὲ μή τινα ταραχὴν ποιῆσαι τὴν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἔνστασιν, συνεχώρησε καὶ αὐτός. Ὁ μέντοι νέος Ἀνδρόνικος ταῦτα μαθὼν, ἐπλήγη μὲν σφοδρῶς τὴν ψυχὴν, τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν τοιούτων πραγμάτων εἰς αὐτοῦ καταστροφὴν ἀποβλέπουσαν ἐννοῶν, ἔφερε δὲ τὸ ἄλγος σιγῇ, θυμὸν ἔδων, καθ' Ὅμηρον, καὶ οὐδὲ λόγῳ γοῦν ἐθέλων δοκεῖν ἀπαυθαδιάζειν πρὸς τὸν πάππον καὶ βασιλέα. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν οὕτω καθῆστο σιγῇ· εἷς δέ τις τῶν ἐπ' εὐγενείᾳ λαμπρυνομένων, καὶ τὰς σειρὰς ἑλκόντων τοῦ γένους μητρόθεν μὲν ἐξ αἱμάτων βασιλικῶν, πατρὸς δὲ ὢν παῖς τοῦ παρὰ τοῖς Κομάνοις εὐγενεστάτου, οἳ προσεχώρησαν Βατάτζῃ τῷ βασιλεῖ τῆς Ῥωμαίων βασιλείας ἐπειλημμένῳ, Συτζιγὰν βαρβαρικῶς καλουμένου, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου φωτίσματος αὐτὸν ἀναδεξαμένου Συργιάννη ἐπικληθέντος· τούτου δὴ τοῦ Συργιάννη παῖς Συργιάννης νυκτὸς τῷ νέῳ βασιλεῖ προσελθὼν, «πάντως ἤκουσταί σοι, βασιλεῦ» ἔφη «τὰ καινουργήματα ταυτὶ τὰ νέα, καὶ στοχάζεσθαι τὸ τέλος τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄντι συνετῷ σοι