Weak and near to death, and the kingdom and its affairs i have given to you and do as you wish.
On the 28th he died and was buried in the monastery of the holy apostles jason and sosipater.
Having died, he rejoices in the heavens, but has left us grieving his loss.
John to Italy and Hungary, having made his brother, the young lord kyr Konstantinos, despot and leaving him in the City in his place. 12.4 On the 22nd of the month of February of the same year, we made a sworn treaty of friendship with the amir Murad, the envoys who went being Loukas Notaras, who later became megas doux, Manuel Melachrenos, and myself, for these reasons: that Melachrenos went ahead to the amir and made it known that he wished the friendship to be made; and Notaras, that he might conclude it well as far as possible, as he was useful and good; and I, as a representative of the holy despoina, a relative of this very amir through his mother, and because, if it were necessary, I should also write in cipher both to the holy emperor and to his son the emperor, who was in Hungary.
13.1 And at the end of the month of October of the 33rd year, the emperor kyr John returned to the City from the region of the Danube river called Kellion, after galleys had gone there from the City. 13.2 For he had sent ahead from Hungary a man of a different tongue and different race, to come by land with a message in cipher. When he arrived, he sought to see the emperor, because he had something of importance. How could this happen, for such a man to see an ailing emperor—for he was bedridden—and alone with him alone? So after many words had been expended, finally two of my cell-mates and companions were sent to the man and said to him: 'Either tell what you want to the one present,' pointing to me, 'or depart wherever you wish.' 13.3 Then taking me aside privately, he gave me the paper in cipher and also revealed to me from where and when he had departed. When I had deciphered the message and went to read it, I announced that I was seeking a favor, since it was about to report pleasant things, there where the holy despoina and her daughter-in-law were sitting, the despot being absent at the hunt. And having read the paper, that he was well and faring well also in the parts around Greater Wallachia and that galleys should go to the place called Kellion, to take and bring him, they rejoiced greatly. 13.4 And after a short while the holy emperor ordered his *rochator*: 'Give to Sphrantzes the caftan, the lead-colored camlet, the one with heavy lining that he is wearing; and let him also have the chest that he asked of me.' For there was in my hands a most beautiful and large chest, having many fine items, which were distributed, some to his sons, and others for the sake of his holy soul. And finally I asked for the chest and he ordered for me, 'This belonged to my lord, the emperor my father, and I had in it, with his blessing, many good things and many more than those you have seen, and I wish in turn to give it to the emperor my son, so that he too may have his own things in it with my blessing.' But then he ordered again that I should have it; and I had it with his holy blessing, filled with all the useful and precious things of this vain life. And the holy despoina orders and they bring me a fine damask camlet, and the young despoina informs me that my certain garment, when he is about to take a wife, will be from her.
14.1 On the 21st of the month of July of the same year died the of blessed memory, renowned and pious emperor kyr Manuel, who two days before had been renamed the monk Matthew through the divine and angelic habit; and he was buried on the same day in the venerable imperial and most beautiful monastery of the Pantokrator with such mourning and concourse as had never happened for any of the others. And all the days of his life were 77 years and 25 days. 14.2 And in the 34th year, in the month of August, the despoina kyra Sophia crossed over, fleeing to her own country. 14.3 And in the 35th year, on the 29th of August, they brought with galleys from Trebizond kyra Maria Komnene, daughter of kyr Alexios, emperor of Trebizond, the
Ἰωάννης εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν καὶ Οὐγγαρίαν, ποήσας δεσπότην τὸν ἀ-δελφὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν αὐθεντόπουλον κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνον καὶ καταλείψας αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν Πόλιν ἀντ' αὐτοῦ. 12.4 Τῇ δὲ κβ-ᾳ τοῦ Φευρουαρίου μηνὸς τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους ἐποιήσαμεν ὁρκωμοτικὰ ἀγάπην μετὰ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ τοῦ Μουράτη ἀποκρισιρίων ἀπελ θόντων Λουκᾶ τοῦ Νοταρᾶ τοῦ γεγονότος ὕστερον καὶ μεγάλου δουκός, τοῦ Μελαχρηνοῦ Μανουὴλ καὶ ἐμοῦ δι' αἰτίας ταύτας, ὅτι ὁ μὲν Μελα χρηνὸς προαπῆλθεν εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν καὶ ἐγνώρισεν, ὅτι θέλει γενέσθαι τὴν ἀγάπην· ὁ δὲ Νοταρᾶς, ἴνα τελέσῃ αὐτὴν καλῶς κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ὡς χρήσιμος καὶ καλός· ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἀπὸ τὴν ἁγίαν δέσποιναν συγγενίδα αὐ τοῦ δὴ τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ ἀπὸ τὴν μάναν του καὶ ὅτι, ἂν δεήσῃ, νὰ γράψω καὶ δι' ὑφειλτῶν εἴς τε τὸν ἅγιον βασιλέα καὶ εἰς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν βασι λέα εἰς τὴν Οὐγγαρίαν εὑρισκόμενον.
13.1 Καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ Ὀκτωβρίου μηνὸς τοῦ λγ-ου ἔτους ἐπανῆλθε καὶ εἰς τὴν Πόλιν ἀπὸ τοῦ μέρους τοῦ εἰς τὸν ∆ανούβιον πο ταμὸν Κελλίου ὀνομαζομένου ὁ βασιλεὺς κὺρ Ἰωάννης, ἀπελθόντων κα τέργων ἀπὸ τῆς Πόλεως ἐκεῖσε. 13.2 Προέπεμψε γὰρ ἀπὸ τὴν Οὐγγαρίαν ἄνθρωπον ἀλλόγλωσσον καὶ ἀλλογενῆ, τοῦ ἐλθεῖν διὰ τῆς στερεᾶς μετὰ πιττακίου ὑφειλτοῦ. Οὗπερ ἐλθόν τος ἐζήτει νὰ ἴδῃ τὸν βασιλέα, ὅτι ἔχει τι τῶν ἀναγκαίων. Τοῦτο πῶς ἤθελε γενεῖν, ἄνθρωπος τοιοῦτος νὰ ἴδῃ βασιλέα ἀσθενῆ, κατάκοιτος γὰρ ἦν, καὶ μόνος πρὸς μόνον; Πολλῶν οὖν λόγων δαπανηθέντων, τέλος ἐστά λησαν πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον δύο τῶν κελλιωτῶν καὶ συντρόφων μου καὶ εἶπον τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ· Ἢ τῷ παρόντι εἰπὲ τὸ θέλεις, δείξαντες ἐμέ, ἢ ἄπελθε, ἔνθα θέλεις. 13.3 Τότε παραλαβών με ἰδίως, δέδωκέ μοι χαρτὶ τὸ ὑφειλτὸν καὶ ἐδήλωσέ μοι καὶ ὅθεν καὶ ὁπότε ἐξῆλθεν. Ὡς διώρθωσα τὸ ὑφειλτὸν καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἀναγνῶναι τοῦτο, ἀνέφερον, ὅτι ζητῶ εὐεργεσίαν, ἐπεὶ χα ριέντα μέλλει ἀναφέρειν, ἐκεῖσε καὶ τῆς ἁγίας δεσποίνης καθεζομένης καὶ τῆς νύμφης αὐτῆς, τοῦ δεσπότου λείποντος εἰς τὸ κυνήγιον. Καὶ ἀναγνοὺς τὸ χαρτί, ὅτι καὶ ὑγιαίνει καὶ ἀπέρχεται καλῶς καὶ εἰς τὰ περὶ τὴν Μεγάλην Βλαχίαν καὶ νὰ ἀπέλθωσιν εἰς τὸ Κελλὶν ὀνομαζόμενον τόπον κάτεργα, ἵνα ἐπάρωσι καὶ φέρωσιν αὐτόν, ἐχάρησαν μεγάλως. 13.4 Καὶ μετὰ μικρὸν ὁρίζει ὁ ἅγιος βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸν ῥοχάριν αὐ τοῦ· ∆ὸς πρὸς τὸν Σφραντζῆν τὸ καβάδι, τὸν μολυβὸν χαμουχᾶν, τὸν μετὰ βαρεοκοιλίας ἐνδεδυμένον· καὶ ἂς ἔχῃ καὶ τὸ σεντοῦκιν, ὅπερ μοι ἐζή τησεν. Ἦν γὰρ εἰς τὰς χεῖράς μου σεντοῦκιν κάλλιστον καὶ μέγα, ἔχον πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ εἴδη, ἅπερ διεδόθησαν τὰ μὲν τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ, τὰ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁγίας ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ τέλος ἐζήτησα ἐγὼ τὸ σεντοῦκιν καὶ ὥρισέ μοι, ὅτι αὐτὸ ἦτον τοῦ αὐθεντός μου, τοῦ βασιλέως τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ εἶχα ἐν αὐτῷ μετὰ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐκείνου πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλείω τῶν ὧν εἶδες, καὶ θέλω πάλιν νὰ τὸ δώσω καὶ ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν υἱόν μου, ἵνα ἐν αὐτῷ ἔχῃ καὶ ἐκεῖνος μετὰ τῆς εὐχῆς μου τὰ ἑαυ τοῦ. Τότε δὲ πάλιν ὥρισεν, ἵνα τὸ ἔχω· καὶ εἶχον αὐτὸ μετὰ τῆς ἁγίας εὐχῆς ἐκείνου γεμάτον ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν χρησίμων καὶ τιμίων τοῦ βίου τούτου τοῦ ματαίου. Ἡ δὲ ἁγία δέσποινα ὁρίζει καὶ φέρουσί με χαμου χᾶν καλὸν προύσινον, ἡ δὲ νέα δέσποινα μηνύει με, ὅτι τὸ δεῖνά μου ῥοῦχον, ὅταν μέλλῃ λαβεῖν γυναῖκα, θέλει εἶσθεν ἐκείνης.
14.1 Τῇ δὲ κα-ῃ τοῦ Ἰουλίου μηνὸς τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους τέθνηκεν ὁ ἐν μακαρίᾳ τῃ λήξει γενόμενος ἀοίδιμος καὶ εὐσεβὴς βασιλεὺς κὺρ Μανουήλ, ὁ διὰ θείου καὶ ἀγγελικοῦ σχήματος μετονομασθεὶς πρὸ ἡ μερῶν δύο Ματθαῖος μοναχός· καὶ ἐτάφη τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐν τῇ σεβασμίᾳ βασιλικῇ καὶ περικαλλεῖ μονῇ τοῦ Παντοκράτορος μετὰ πένθους καὶ συν δρομῆς, οἵας οὐ γέγονε πώποτε εἴς τινα τῶν ἄλλων. Ἦσαν δὲ πᾶσαι αἱ τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ ἡμέραι ἔτη οζʹ καὶ ἡμέραι κεʹ. 14.2 Καὶ τῷ λδ-ῳ ἔτει μηνὶ Αὐγούστῳ διέβη φυγοῦσα εἰς τὴν αὑτῆς πατρίδα ἡ δέσποινα κυρὰ Σοφία. 14.3 Καὶ τῷ λε-ῳ ἔτει τοῦ Αὐγούστου κθ-ῃ ἔφερον μετὰ κατέργων ἀπὸ τὴν Τραπεζοῦντα κυρὰν Μαρίαν τὴν Κομνενήν, θυγατέρα κυροῦ Ἀλεξίου βασιλέως Τραπεζοῦντος τοῦ