that they be faithful servants of our lord the despot. And they sought me as their head; but they heard that for this reason, and what is more, we owe it, and because of your request, he himself will be your head.

20.1 And on the 8th of the month of June, when I crossed over to Naupaktos, in order to go first to the emperor, so that he too might learn what had transpired concerning Patras, and then from there with his official to the emir. For on the 4th of the same month, on which day, having arrived, we stayed in the church of St. Andrew, behold, two Turks also crossed over from Naupaktos, one from the emir and the other from Turahan, bearing an order that we should not take Patras. They then returned with me, having received the reply that since the official with me is going to my brother the great emir, we shall do as he orders. 20.2 So, when we crossed over and stayed in Naupaktos, in the morning while it was still dark, behold, the metropolitan of Old Patras, Pandolfo Malatesta, also arrived there with a Catalan galley. For while passing by, when he learned near the islets in the middle of the strait that the castle had been given to the despot, he made for the region of Naupaktos, in order first to learn well how this had happened. It was necessary for me also to remain there the next day, in order first to report this to my lord, which is what happened; and he learned this first from me; and secondly, that I might learn, as far as possible, what the purpose of the metropolitan himself was. 20.3 And with the mediation of that Bernardo Marcello, captain of Naupaktos, we also saw one another; upon seeing him, I was amazed, because he surpassed all men in ugliness. So while he was examining what I wished to do concerning the emir, and I him, what he planned against Patras, I got from him what are called wild plums, and he from me seaweed. 20.4 Nevertheless, the metropolitan, by having given letters to the slaves for both the emir and Turahan, put a great suspicion in me, lest he was promising to give some of the castles of Patras, if he should help him take it, or a great deal of money. And my suspicion did not cease until, after toiling much and getting drunk many times, even unwillingly, I got them so drunk that I took the letters and read and copied them; and I sealed them again and left them. 20.5 When I arrived in the City, I was given as a fellow ambassador Mark Palaiologos Iagros, later protostrator, but then protovestiarios, who was appointed more to act against my mission than for it; and I know of no other reason for this, except that envy does not know how to prefer what is advantageous. And going together to the emir, we received a reply to deliver; I therefore made my response to the then first vizier and lord, Ibrahim Pasha, that I dare say nothing of this to my lord, but since that man has sent his own official to the great lord, behold, let the lord also appoint his slave to come with me and state the orders of the great lord. And he agreed to this and said: ‘You speak wisely and well.’ Iagros, however, privately mocked me for this, as being impractical and only detrimental. But I, with God's good pleasure, did this and took an official-slave; and this was the first reason that the matter concerning Patras was settled. 20.6 [And in the same month of July of the same year the despot Carlo also died in Ioannina.] 20.7 And in the 38th year, in the month of September, in Kratikoi, his own brothers the despots arranged the marriage of the lord Thomas with the daughter of prince Asan Zaccaria Centurione. 20.8 In which month, I again returned to Trikala to Turahan and completely settled the business concerning Patras. 20.9 And in the same year in the month of November, the empress, lady Theodora, being in Stameron, died, leaving great sorrow both to her husband and to us of his household, because she was

νὰ ὦσι πιστοὶ δοῦλοι τοῦ αὐθεντὸς ἡμῶν τοῦ δεσπότου. Καὶ ἐμὲ εἰς κεφαλὴν αὑτῶν ἐζήτησαν· ἤκουσαν δὲ ὅτι καὶ διὸ καὶ πλέον τούτου τὸν χρεω στοῦμεν καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑμῶν αἴτησιν θέλει εἶσθεν αὐτὸς εἰς κεφαλὴν ὑ μῶν.

20.1 Καὶ τῇ η-ῃ τοῦ Ἰουνίου μηνὸς περάσαντός μου εἰς τὸν Ναύ πακτον, ἵνα εἰς τὸν βασιλέα πρῶτον ἀπέλθω, ἵνα κἀκεῖνος τὰ εἰς τὴν Πάτραν παρακολουθήσαντα μάθῃ, εἶτ' ἀπ' ἐκεῖσε μετὰ καὶ ἄρχοντος αὐ τοῦ εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν. Καὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν δ-ην τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνός, ἐν ᾖ φθά σαντες ἐμείναμεν ἐν τῷ τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου ναῷ, ἰδοὺ καὶ ἀπὸ τὸν Ναύ πακτον ἐπέρασαν δύο Τοῦρκοι, ὁ μὲν τοῦ ἀμηρᾶ, ὁ δὲ τοῦ Τουραχάνη, λέγοντες ὁρισμόν, ὅτι τὴν Πάτραν ἵνα μὴ ἐπάρωμεν αὐτήν. Οἱ δὴ πάλιν ὑπέστρεψαν μετ' ἐμοῦ, ἀπολογίαν λαβόντες ὅτι ἐπεὶ ὁ παρὼν ἄρχων ἐμοῦ ὑπάγει εἰς τὸν ἀδελφόν μου τὸν μέγαν ἀμηρᾶν, ὡσὰν ὁρίσῃ, θέλο μεν ποιήσειν. 20.2 Ὡς οὖν περάσαντες ἐν τῷ Ναυπάκτῳ ἐμείναμεν, πρωῒ σκοτίας ἔτι οὔσης, ἰδοὺ ἐκεῖσε καὶ ὁ Παλαιῶν Πατρῶν μητροπολίτης Παντούλφω Μαλατέστας μετὰ κατεργοῦ Καταλανικοῦ ἦλθεν. ∆ιερχόμενος γὰρ ὡς ἔμαθε περὶ τὰ νησύδρια τὰ μέσον τῆς ὁδοῦ, ὅτι ἐδόθη τὸ κάστρον πρὸς τὸν δεσπότην, ἐπίασε τὴν λιβέραν τοῦ μέρους τοῦ Ναυπάκτου, ἵνα πρῶτον τοῦτο καλῶς μάθῃ, ὡς ἐγένετο. Ἐδέησεν ἐπιμεῖναι κἀμοὶ ἐκεῖσε καὶ τὴν αὔριον, ἵνα πρῶτον μηνύσω τοῦτο τῷ αὐθέντῃ μου, ὅπερ καὶ γέγονε· καὶ παρ' ἐμοῦ τοῦτο πρῶτον ἔμαθε· καὶ δεύτερον, ἵνα καὶ τὶς ὁ σκοπὸς αὐτοῦ δὴ τοῦ μητροπολίτου, τὸ δυνατόν, μάθω. 20.3 Μέσου δὲ γενομένου καὶ τοῦ Περνάρδου Μαρτζέλλου ἐκείνου καπετάνου Ναυπάκτου, εἴδομεν καὶ ἀλλήλους· ὃν ἰδὼν ἐθαύμασα, ὅτι διέ φερε πάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰς τὸ δυσειδῆ εἶναι. Ἐξετάζων οὖν ἐκεῖνος, τί βούλομαι ποιῆσαι εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν, κἀγὼ ἐκεῖνον, τί κατὰ τῆς Πάτρας, ἀπῆρα ἐγὼ παρ' ἐκείνου τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον κουκουζέλα, ἐκεῖνος δὲ παρ' ἐμοῦ βρύα. 20.4 Ὅμως δεδωκὼς ὁ μητροπολίτης τοῖς σκλάβοις χαρτία πρός τε τὸν ἀμηρᾶν καὶ τὸν Τουραχάνην, πολὺν λογισμὸν ἐνέβαλεν εἰς ἐμέ, μή ποτε ὑπισχνεῖται δοῦναι καστέλλιά τινα τῆς Πάτρας, εἴπερ αὐτὸν βοη θήσῃ, ἵνα ἐπάρῃ αὐτήν, ἢ πολλά τινα χρήματα. Καὶ οὐκ ἔπαυσεν ὁ ἐμὸς λογισμός, ἕως οὗ πολλὰ κοπιάσας καὶ μεθύσας πολλάκις καὶ ἀκουσίως, ἐμέθυσα κἀκείνους τοσοῦτον, ὅτι ἀπῆρα τοὺς τὰ χαρτία καὶ ἀνέγνωσα καὶ μετέγραψα· κἀκεῖνα πάλιν ἐβούλωσα καὶ ἀφῆκα. 20.5 Ὡς δὲ ἔφθασα εἰς τὴν Πόλιν, ἐδόθη μοι συναποκρισιάρης Μάρ κος Παλαιολόγος ὁ Ἴαγρος, ὁ ὕστερον πρωτοστράτωρ, τότε δὲ πρωτο βεστιαρίτης, πλέον ἀνατεθεὶς εἶναι κατὰ τῆς δουλείας μου ἢ ὕπερ αὐτῆς· οὐκ οἶδα δὲ ἄλλο τι αἴτιον, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ φθόνος οὐκ οἶδε προτιμᾶν τὸ συμφέρον. Ἀπελθόντες δ' ὁμοῦ εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν, ἀπήραμεν ἀπολογίαν, ἵνα δώσωμεν αὐτὴν οἷς εἶχον· ἀπολογησάμην οὖν τῷ τότε πρώτῳ βυζή ρῃ καὶ ἄρχοντι, τῷ Μπραῒμ πασίᾳ, ὅτι τοῦτο ἐγὼ τὸν αὐθέντη μου οὐ δὲν τολμῶ, ἵνα εἴπω, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἐκεῖνος ὁπωσδήποτε ἄρχοντα αὑτοῦ ἀπέσ τειλε πρὸς τὸν μέγαν αὐθέντην, ἰδοὺ ἂς ὁρίσῃ καὶ ὁ αὐθέντης σκλά βον του καὶ ἂς ἔλθῃ μετ' ἐμοῦ καὶ ἂς εἴπῃ τοὺς ὁρισμοὺς τοῦ μεγάλου αὐθεντός. Καὶ ἔστερξε τοῦτο καὶ εἶπε· Φρόνιμα καὶ καλὰ λέγετε. Τοῦ Ἰάγρου ἰδίως σκώπτοντος τοῦτο εἰς ἐμὲ ὡς ἄπρακτον καὶ μόνον ἐπι- ζήμιον. Ἐγὼ δὲ θεοῦ εὐδοκοῦντος ἔπραξα τοῦτο καὶ ἀπῆρα ἀρχοντό σκλαβον· καὶ ἦν τοῦτο πρῶτον αἴτιον τοῦ λαβεῖν διόρθωσιν τὸ περὶ τῆς Πάτρας. 20.6 [Ἔν τε δ' αὐτῷ Ἰουλίῳ μηνὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους ἀπέθανε καὶ ὁ δεσ-πότης ὁ Κάρουλος εἰς τὰ Ἰωάννινα.] 20.7 Καὶ τῷ λη-ῳ ἔτει ἐν μηνὶ Σεπτεβρίῳ εἰς τοὺς Κρατικοὺς ἔπραξαν τὸ συνοικέσιον τοῦ αὐθεντοπούλου κυροῦ Θωμᾶ οἱ αὐτάδελφοι αὐτοῦ οἱ δεσπόται μετὰ τῆς θυγατρὸς τοῦ πρίγκιπος Ἀσάνη Ζαχαρία τοῦ Κεντυ ρίωνος. 20.8 Ἐν ᾧ δὴ μηνὶ κἀγὼ πάλιν ἐπανέστρεψα εἰς τὰ Τρίκαλα πρὸς τὸν Τουραχάνην καὶ τὴν περὶ τῆς Πάτρας δουλείαν τελείως διώρθωσα. 20.9 Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐν μηνὶ Νοεμβρίῳ, ἡ βασίλισσα κυρὰ Θεοδώ ρα εἰς τὸ Στάμηρον εὑρισκομένη ἀπέθανε, καταλείψασα λύπην πολλὴν καὶ εἰς τὸν ἄνδρα αὑτῆς καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτοῦ διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὴν