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But, when asked about the rule, it is said that he spoke simply, that if it is owed to someone by God to rule, the one called is blameless; for which reason he was also reproached, as it were, by the emperor, for if being such a person he set his mind on such things, he was given to the prison in chains. Then, therefore, having learned and, as was likely, having become afraid, if he remained he would be in danger, he considered it terrible and very pitiable, but to desert again to foreigners he judged to be saving, but blameworthy. For the time being, of the two perceived evils, with fear added, he chose the lesser. And so, having taken precautions from many, as he could, for secrecy, and taking with him some of his own household and having crossed the Sangarius river, he hastened at full speed straight to Persia and went over to the sultan 45. And he received him gladly and honored him with fitting things. For the time being, even in the foreign land, having been drawn up in battle with them under royal banners, he fought bravely against the enemies of the sultan, thereby propitiating the emperor, if he should hear of it anywhere. Then, repenting as it were and choosing to turn back, he approached the one who at that time was of Iconium and used him as a mediator to the emperor, if somehow, with that man having given pledges in writing that he would truly restrain his anger completely, it might be possible for him to return again. And when the hierarch had drawn up the embassy in writing, the emperor assented to the pardon, and with imperial letters for security against suffering anything irreparable out of anger, he returned; and he willingly received him humbled, and embraced him as he approached and confessed that he was conscious of having made an unpardonable mistake, pardoned him, and held him in his former honor.

10. How Palaiologos, having returned and been received, is sent as general in the western regions. Since Epidamnos in the west had been taken by our men, the event was announced, and there was need there of a high priest, and of a commander and a contingent of soldiers, Chalkoutzes being proclaimed high priest, who also held the honor of great skeuophylax in the great church, he sent him out with this man to command the forces there, ordering him to cooperate in what seemed best both with the other leaders there, and especially with the priest. So when they quickly entered Thessaly and were now about to cross the Vardar river, the commander crossed first with the troops, 47 and found things there in confusion and leaning towards disbelief, at which time Manuel, the obscure bastard son of the despot Michael, happening to be there with a considerable army and engaging in battle, at first, closing with the commander, pushed him with his spear and threw him, but then, when he stood up and mounted his horse, he was struck a mortal blow by him, not receiving an equal one in return.

11. How Chadinos is sent to bring him back in iron chains. But when the Dyrrachian had turned back towards Thessalonica on account of the confusion, and he too, as was likely, was laboring so that the opposition might be checked, a rumor ran ahead announcing that Chadinos, the count of the imperial horses, was just about to reach Thessalonica, for no other reason than to seize Palaiologos and bring him as a prisoner to the emperor; and he—for he happened to be staying in Thessalonica at that time—hearing what was rumored, was terribly distressed and was turning it over in his mind what on earth the emperor could have decided, that he was not bringing him back as he had sent him, but having sent him forth with honor, he now wished to compel him to return with dishonor and, the one whom he had deemed worthy of pardon through letters and seemed so completely to have forgotten what had been done as to deem him worthy of the greatest command, this man, taking back the agreements, he condemned as for confessed acts of treason. Nevertheless, not having anywhere to turn his thoughts and his steps, he decided to take refuge in God; he communicated his thoughts to the Dyrrachian and begged him to join in supplication to the divine. Straightway, therefore—for the matter also seemed God-pleasing from the outset—a supplication was sung at the monastery of Akapnios at night from evening,

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ἀλλά, περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐρωτηθέντα, ἁπλοϊκῶς φάναι λέγεται ὡς, εἰ κεχρεώστηταί τῳ πρὸς Θεοῦ τὸ ἄρξαι, ἀνυπαίτιος ὁ καλούμενος· οὗ δὴ χάριν καὶ νεμεσηθεὶς οἷον παρὰ τοῦ κρατοῦντος, εἰ τοιοῦτος ὢν τοιούτοις μετεωρίζει τὸν νοῦν, τῇ φυλακῇ δίδοται δέσμιος. Τότε τοίνυν μαθὼν καὶ ὡς εἰκὸς δείσας, εἰ μένων μὲν κινδυνεύοι, δεινὸν ἡγεῖτο καὶ λίαν ἐλεεινόν, τὸ δ' αὐτομολεῖν αὖθις πρὸς ἀλλοτρίους σωτήριον μέν, ἀλλ' ἐπίμωμον ἔκρινε. Τέως δὲ δυοῖν νομιζομένοιν κακοῖν, τοῦ φόβου προστεθέντος, αἱρεῖται τοὔλαττον. Καὶ δὴ ἐκ πολλῶν, ὡς εἶχε, προμηθευ σάμενος τὸ ἀφώρατον, παραλαβὼν καί τινας τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τὸν ποταμὸν περαιωθεὶς Σάγγαριν, τὴν εὐθὺ Περσίδος ἀνὰ κράτος ἵεται καὶ τῷ σουλτὰν 45 προσχωρεῖ. Ὁ δ' ἀσμένως δέχεται τοῦτον καὶ τιμᾷ τοῖς προσήκουσι. Τέως δέ γε κἀν τῇ ἀλλοδαπῇ σημαίαις βασιλικαῖς παραταξάμενος σὺν ἐκείνοις, κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν τοῦ σουλτὰν ἀριστεύει, τὸν βασιλέα, εἴ που ἀκούσοι, ἐντεῦθεν ἐκμειλισσόμενος. Εἶτα μεταμεληθεὶς οἷον καὶ παλινδρομεῖν προαιρούμενος, τῷ τηνικάδε Ἰκονίου προσέρχεται καί οἱ μεσίτῃ χρᾶται πρὸς βασιλέα, εἴ πως, τὰ πιστὰ γράμμασι δόντος ἐκείνου ἦ μὴν τὴν ὀργὴν καθαρῶς ἀνασχεῖν, αὐτῷ καὶ πάλιν ἐπανελθεῖν γένοιτο. Τοῦ δ' ἱεράρχου γράμμασι σχεδιάσαντος τὴν πρεσβείαν, ὁ κρατῶν κατένευσε τὴν συμπάθειαν, καὶ βασιλικαῖς συλλαβαῖς ἐπ' ἀσφαλείᾳ τοῦ μή τι παθεῖν ἀνήκεστον ἐξ ὀργῆς ἐπάνεισιν· ὁ δὲ καὶ δέχεται τοῦτον πρόφρων ταπεινωθέντα καὶ ἀγκαλίζεται προσιόντα καὶ ὁμολογοῦντα ὡς ἑαυτῷ σύνοιδε πταίσας ἀσύγγνω στα συμπαθεῖ, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς προτέρας ἔχων τιμῆς.

ιʹ. Ὅπως ἐπανελθὼν ὁ Παλαιολόγος καὶ δεχθεὶς στέλλεται στρατηγὸς ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν δύσιν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τῆς κατὰ δύσιν Ἐπιδάμνου κατειλημμένης πρὸς τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἠγγέλλετο τὸ συμβάν, καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖσε ἔδει μὲν ἀρχιερέως, ἔδει δ' ἡγεμόνος καὶ στρατιώτιδος τάξεως, ἀρχιερέως ἐπικηρυχθέντος τοῦ Χαλκούτζη, ὃς καὶ τὴν τοῦ μεγάλου σκευοφύλακος ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἐκκλησίας εἶχε τιμήν, τούτῳ συνεκπέμπει κἀκεῖνον ἡγεμονεύσοντα τῶν ἐκεῖ, προστάξας συμπράτ τειν τὸ δόξαν καὶ ἄλλοις μὲν ἀρχηγοῖς τοῖς ἐκεῖ, μάλιστα δέ γε τῷ ἱερεῖ. Ὡς γοῦν Θετταλίας διὰ ταχέων ἐπέβησαν καὶ ἤδη πρὸς τῷ περαιοῦσθαι τὸν ποταμὸν Βαρδάριον ἦσαν, περαιοῦται μὲν ὁ ἡγεμὼν σὺν ταῖς τάξεσι πρότερον, 47 εὑρίσκει δὲ τὰ τῇδε συγκεχυμένα καὶ πρὸς ἀπιστίαν κλίναντα, ὅτε καὶ ὁ τοῦ δεσπότου Μιχαὴλ ἐκ νοθείας σκότιος παῖς Μανουήλ, τυχὼν ἐκεῖσε σὺν ἱκανῷ στρατεύματι καὶ συμπλακεὶς τῷ πολέμῳ, τὰ πρῶτα μέν, ὁμόσε χωρήσας τῷ ἡγεμόνι, τῷ κοντῷ συνωθεῖ καὶ ῥιπτεῖ, ἔπειτα δέ, συστάντος καὶ ἐπικαθεσθέντος τῷ ἵππῳ, παρ' ἐκείνου καιρίαν βάλλεται, μὴ λαβὼν ἴσην.

ιαʹ. Ὅπως ἀποστέλλεται Χαδηνὸς ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν σιδηρόδετον. Ἀλλὰ τοῦ ∆υρραχίου πρὸς Θεσσαλονίκην ὑποστραφέντος διὰ τὴν σύγχυσιν κἀκείνου ὡς εἰκὸς διαπονουμένου, ἐφ' ᾧ συσταλείη τὸ ἀνθιστάμενον, φήμη προτρέχει τὸν τῶν βασιλικῶν ἵππων κόμητα Χαδηνὸν ὅσον οὐκ ἤδη καταλαμβάνειν Θεσσαλονίκην ἀγγέλλουσα, οὐκ ἄλλου χάριν ἢ τοῦ τὸν Παλαιολόγον καθέξοντα ὡς βασιλέα δέσμιον ἐνεγκεῖν· καὶ ὅςἔφθασε γὰρ διατρίβων ἐν Θεσσαλονίκῃ τῷ τηνικάδε, ἀκούσας τὸ φημιζόμενον, δεινὰ ἐποίει καὶ στρέφων ἦν ἐπὶ λογισμῶν τί ποτε ἄρα τῷ βασιλεῖ δόξαν, ὡς ἑαυτὸν οὐχ ὡς ἔπεμψεν ἐπανάγει, ἀλλὰ τιμῇ προπέμψας ἐπανελθεῖν ἀναγκά ζειν θέλει μετ' ἀτιμίας καί, ὃν συμπαθείας ἠξίου διὰ γραμμάτων καὶ οὕτω καθαρῶς ἀμνημονεῖν ἐῴκει τῶν πεπραγμένων, ὡς καὶ ἡγεμονίας ἀξιοῦν μεγίστης, τοῦτον, τὰς συνθήκας ἀναλαμβάνων, ὡς ἐφ' ὁμολογουμέναις καθοσιώσεσι κατακρίνει. Ὅμως οὐκ ἔχων ὅποι τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ τῶν ὁδῶν τράποιτο, ἐπὶ Θεὸν καταφεύγειν ἔγνω· κοινοῦταί τε τῷ ∆υρραχίου τὰ κατὰ γνώμην καί οἱ τῆς πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἱκετείας συνάρασθαι δέεται. Εὐθὺς τοίνυνἐδόκει γὰρ αὐτόθεν καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα θεοφιλέςἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἀκαπνίου μονῆς ὑμνολογεῖται παράκλησις νυκτὸς ἀφ' ἑσπέρας,