Georgius Pachymeres, Chronicle II

It was therefore prudent, in my opinion, for nothing to be stirred up concerning these matters. But nevertheless, for the time being, those who urged him on were also to blame; for, wishing to defend himself against his accusers and to escape the charge of heresy, he was justly suspected of heresy, into which he had unwittingly fallen. They therefore had one purpose in mind, to make John submit to Joseph, and to persuade him to seek forgiveness from him for having dared to ascend the throne while Joseph was still alive and not accepting the terms of peace, to the point of withdrawing because of this, whereas John not only accepted the patriarchate but also tried to show in his writings that his action was irreproachable. Wherefore, they daily convened a full synod, (10) and by frequent ringing of the church bells, they brought together mixed crowds and multitudes, to incite 34 their passions, if anyone could be persuaded that they had acted impiously, against those whom they suspected of having turned them from the right path, and they demanded very vehemently that John be sent down to be judged. At any rate, when frequent messages were sent to him that he should appear to give an account of what he had written, and when they displayed these writings to the crowds, he, fearing the irrational impulse of the masses, hesitated for a long time and postponed his arrival to them; for the danger would be manifest if the crowd were persuaded that he had acted impiously, so that they would not remain in their established manner but would turn with all their passions against the one responsible. But the Grand Logothete, having rather severely suppressed the agitation of the crowd, on the grounds that whoever acted disorderly against John would be considered to have sinned against the emperor himself, and having assured him that his preparations were safe, thus persuaded him to come. And indeed, when he arrived, they gave him the last place and forced him to make his defense from there while seated. But he, knowing that any time was more suitable for a defense than that one, attributed the reason for his writing to circumstances which he acknowledged did not exist at that time, 35 and to matters that demanded these writings, circumstances different from how they presently stood, and when these had changed, it was necessary for the writings to become inactive as well. For the compelling reasons for which they had been written were the cause, since no one had acted on their own initiative. Therefore, to raise arguments when the matters about which they were spoken were absent, just as it is inopportune for those who ask, so it is futile for those who defend themselves. And it was necessary for the synod alone to decide whether the one whom they had called to the high priesthood, neither knowing nor indeed deeming it worthy, who had been inactive for a time after those matters were resolved and the legitimate shepherd was recalled, is worthy, and they themselves judge, to still hold the honor which he had from the beginning by their own vote and summons. But when he said this, it was a nail in the heart for the many, and "Where indeed," they said, "will you serve as high priest while the legitimate high priest is still present, a man who is required to set forth a written declaration on faith and to certify by necessity the orthodoxy of his reverence?" They, therefore, having thus gravely circumvented his demand, otherwise receiving him kindly, lead him to Joseph and persuade him to propitiate 36 him with repentance as one supposedly ill-disposed, then also drawing up a written declaration for the confession of orthodoxy and the rejection of anything that had been said amiss, and finally even the resignation of the priesthood itself, they give it to him to sign, and so, after paying him the customary courtesies, they send him away. When Joseph later learned of this, he judged the coercion of an orthodox man into resignation to be unjust as it was not canonical.

(11) A short time in between, and they persuade the emperor to confine him to Prousa, with whom they had for the time being also been at odds. But the emperor, having assigned him a sufficient food allowance, handed him over to those who would take him away to Prousa, and made use of the others, finding leisure from other matters, if they should propose anything, and indeed he gladly heard them as they mediated, and fulfilled many of the necessary things of which they reminded him. And he confirmed their opinions both with heartfelt resolve and with writings, of which the greatest and first was that the deceased should never be deemed worthy of honorable mention, nor of psalmody, nor of burial. They, therefore,

σῶφρον ἦν οὖν κατ' ἐμὴν γνώμην μηδὲν περὶ τούτων κινεῖσθαι. ἀλλ' ὅμως τέως καὶ οἱ ἐκεῖνον ἐποτρύνοντες αἴτιοι· βουλόμενος γὰρ τοῖς αἰτιω μένοις ἀπολογεῖσθαι καὶ ἔγκλημα φεύγειν αἱρέσεως ἔλαθεν αἱρέσει δόξας δικαίως περιπαρείς. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν ἓν εἶχον κατὰ σκοπόν, τὸ καθυποκλῖναι τὸν Ἰωάννην τῷ Ἰωσήφ, καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου πείθειν ζητεῖν συγγνώμην οἷς ὅτι ζῶντος ἐκείνου ἐπιβῆναι τοῦ θρόνου τολμήσειε, καὶ τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης μὴ καταδεχομένου, ὡς καὶ ὑποχωρεῖν διὰ ταύ την, ἐκεῖνος μὴ ὅτι γε μόνον τὴν πατριαρχείαν καταδέχοιτο, ἀλλὰ καὶ γραφαῖς πειρῷτο δεικνύναι τὴν πρᾶξιν ἀνεπιτίμητον. ὅθεν καὶ ὁσημέραι σύνοδον μὲν ἐντελῆ καθίστων, (10) κρότοις δὲ συχνοῖς τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας κωδώνων ξύγκλυδας ξυμφοροῦντες καὶ πλήθη, εἴ πού τις ὡς ἠσέβησαν πείθοι, παρακινησείοντα τὰς 34 ὁρμὰς καθ' ὧν ἄρα τοῦ ὀρθοῦ παρακινησάντων σφᾶς ὑποπτεύ σειαν, καὶ μάλα θερμῶς ἠξίουν τὸν Ἰωάννην καταπέμπεσθαι κριθησόμενον. συχνῶν γοῦν διαμηνυμάτων πρὸς ἐκεῖνον γινο μένων ἐφ' ᾧ παραγίνοιτο λόγον δώσων τῶν γεγραμμένων, καὶ μάλ' ἐκείνων ἐπιδεικνυμένων τοῖς πλήθεσιν, ἐκεῖνος τὸ ἄλογον τῆς ὁρμῆς τῶν πολλῶν δεδιὼς ἐπὶ πολύ τε ὤκνει καὶ ἀνεβάλλετο τὴν ὡς ἐκείνους ἄφιξιν· δήλην γὰρ εἶναι τὴν παρακινδύνευσιν, εἰ πλῆθος ἀσεβῆσαι πεισθείη, ὥστε μὴ μένειν ἐπὶ τοῦ καθεστη κότος τρόπου ἀλλ' ὅλαις ὁρμαῖς ἐπὶ τὸν αἴτιον τρέπεσθαι. ἀλλ' ὁ μέγας λογοθέτης ἐμβριθέστερον τὴν τοῦ πλήθους παρακίνησιν καταστείλας, ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν βασιλέα τοῦ ἐπ' ἐκεῖνον ἀτακτήσον τος δόξοντος ἁμαρτεῖν, καί οἱ δηλώσας τὴν εὐτρέπισιν ἀσφαλῆ, οὕτω πείθει παραγενέσθαι. καὶ δὴ τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον ἐλθόντι δόντες ἐκεῖθεν ἀπολογεῖσθαι καθήμενον κατηνάγκαζον. ἐκεῖνος δὲ πάντα μᾶλλον εἰδὼς ἀπολογίας καιρὸν ἢ ἐκεῖνον, τὴν τοῦ γρά φειν αἰτίαν ἐπὶ καιροῖς ἐτίθει, οὓς οὐκ εἶναι τότε διωμολόγει, 35 καὶ πράγμασι ζητοῦσι καὶ ταῦτα, ἄλλως ἢ ὡς τὸ παρὸν ἔχουσιν, ὧν μετακινηθέντων ἀνάγκην εἶναι καὶ τὰ γραφόμενα προσαργεῖν. αἰτίας γὰρ εἶναι τὰς ἀναγκαίας, δι' ἃς καὶ γεγράφεσαν, μηδενὸς αὐτόθεν ὁρμήσαντος. τὸ γοῦν κινεῖν λόγους τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπόντων ἐφ' οἷς ἐλέχθησαν, ὥσπερ τοῖς ἐρωτῶσιν ἔχειν τὸ παρα καίριον, οὕτω τοῖς ἀπολογουμένοις τὸ μάταιον. ἀναγκαῖον δ' εἶ ναι καὶ μόνον τὴν σύνοδον ἀποφαίνεσθαι εἰ ὃν εἰς ἀρχιερωσύνην προσεκαλέσαντο μήτε μὴν εἰδότα μήτε μὴν ἀξιοῦντα, ἀργήσαντα τέως λυθέντων ἐκείνων καὶ τοῦ γνησίου ἀνακληθέντος ποιμένος, ἄξιόν ἐστι, καὶ αὐτοὶ κρίνουσι, τὴν τιμὴν καὶ ἔτι ἐκεῖνον κατέ χειν ἣν ἔσχεν ἀρχῆθεν ψηφιζομένων καὶ προσκαλούντων αὐτῶν. τὸ δ' ἦν ἄρα εἰπόντος ἐκείνου τοῖς πολλοῖς ἧλος κατὰ καρδίας, καὶ "ποῦ γε ἄρα" φασίν "ἀρχιερατεύσεις γνησίου τέως παρόν τος ἀρχιερέως, ἀνὴρ καὶ λίβελλον ἐπὶ πίστει δίκαιος ἐκτίθεσθαι καὶ πληροφορεῖν ἐξ ἀνάγκης τὸ ὀρθὸν τοῦ σεβάσματος;" οἱ μὲν οὖν οὕτω παρακρουσάμενοι τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐμβριθῶς, εὐμενῶς ἄλ λως λαβόντες αὐτόν, ἄγουσι παρὰ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ καὶ μετανοίᾳ ἐξι 36 λεοῦσθαι ὡς δῆθεν δυσμεναίνοντα πείθουσιν, εἶτα καὶ λίβελλον ἐκτιθέντες εἰς ὁμολογίαν μὲν τοῦ ὀρθοῦ ἀποβολὴν δὲ τῶν εἴ τι καὶ παρεξελέχθη, καὶ αὐτῆς δὴ τέλος τῆς ἱερωσύνης παραίτησιν, ὑπογράφειν διδοῦσι, καὶ οὕτω τὰ εἰκότα φιλοφρονησάμενοι ἀπο πέμπουσιν. ὅπερ μαθὼν ὕστερον Ἰωσὴφ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ παραιτήσει βίαν ὀρθοσεβοῦντος ὡς οὐ κανονικὴν ἄδικον ἔκρινεν.

(11) ὀλί γον τὸ μεταξύ, καὶ βασιλέα πείθουσιν εἰς Προῦσαν περιορίζειν ᾧ τέως καὶ διελύοντο. ἀλλ' ὁ βασιλεὺς τάξας αὐτῷ καὶ τὸ σιτηρέ σιον αὔταρκες, ἐκεῖνον μὲν τοῖς ἀπάξουσιν ἐπὶ Προύσης ἐκδίδω σιν, αὐτοῖς δ' ἐχρῆτο τῶν ἄλλων ἐνευκαιρήσας, εἴ τι ἄρα προ τείνειαν, καί γε ἡδέως μὲν ἤκουε μεσιτευόντων, πολλὰ δ' ἐξε πλήρου τῶν ἀναγκαίων ὑπομιμνησκόντων. ἐβεβαίου δὲ καὶ τὰς γνώμας λεγόντων καὶ προθέσει καρδίας καὶ γράμμασιν, ὧν τὸ μεῖζον καὶ πρῶτον μὴ ἄν ποτ' εὐφήμου μνήμης, μὴ ψαλμῳδίας, μὴ ταφῆς ἀξιωθῆναι τὸν ἀποιχόμενον. Οἱ μὲν οὖν