To the Zoodotos monastery. 21.13 And in the 42nd year on the 7th of January I went again as an envoy both to Antonio, the lord of Athens, and to the emir and to the emperor. 21.14 In which January on its 29th day, at the 3rd hour of the night, he set fire to the most beautiful and divine church in Blachernai, in the name of the Mother of God, in Constantinople, which we heard about while departing from there at the river called Meston on the 1st of February, at the hour after Vespers of the despotic feast of the Presentation. And we considered it a falsehood, since the one who had said it was not known; and having passed 5 stations ahead and hearing nothing about this, at our station in Rhaidestos we learned this accurately, how and when it happened, which was strange.

22.1 And at the beginning of the summer of the 43rd year died 22.1 the lord of Athens and Thebes, lord Antonio Dellagioles, and at the request of his wife I was sent with a sworn holder of the silver seal and many soldiers, in order to take Athens and give her another place in the Morea, of such size and kind as seemed best to me; but with Turahan having forestalled me and blockaded Thebes, which he also took after some days, I returned unsuccessful from the Hexamilion, having received this order. 22.2 And with my despot and lord being at Stylaria and awaiting the Venetian merchant galleys, so that he might embark and depart for the City, behold, I too arrived unsuccessful. And I too embarked and we departed; and having arrived at Euripos, it seemed good and I was sent to Turahan, who was in Thebes, and I made clear to him the service concerning Athens. 22.3 And he assured me with an oath that because of the acquaintance and love for the despot and you, I would have gladly and willingly conceded, so that this might be done, if I had known anything before leaving my house and coming here, since I did this not at all by the order of the great lord; and being in my house, I had many covers, but now I have no cover anymore. And having been treated kindly and honorably by him, and with him bringing his sons to pay homage to me, and having consigned them to me and to my lord, of whom one was the now great and mighty Amaris, I returned from there also unsuccessful. 22.4 And since those in Euripos had already raised the bridge, we unwillingly remained on the rocks outside the bridge; therefore we passed such a night from the cold, it was the 29th of August, from hunger, from the hardness of the rocks, and from fear of both thieves and those from the army of Turahan on account of the strange horses, which we had borrowed from those in the castle, that it became a proverb for misfortune for those who were with me then for time to come. 22.5 Therefore, having boarded the galleys the next day, on the 23rd of the month of September of the 44th year we arrived in Constantinople. 22.6 And on the 25th of March of the same year there came to the City also Zoe, the daughter of the great duke Paraspondylos, with a royal galley, which was sent with Manuel Palaiologos, to bring her; whom indeed after some days the despot lord Demetrios blessed. 22.7 With which galley there came to the City also the despot lord Theodore, so that he might be in the city and be successor, as the second brother, to the empire. Which the emperor accepted unwillingly, since he loved and wanted my lord Constantine, as he often informed me with an oath as in a mystery, as the account will show as it proceeds. 22.8 But since it turned out thus, he was eager to settle the other three brothers in the Morea. So my lord again, the despot lord Constantine with his brother lord Thomas the despot, for the first archon of his household, Raoul Michael Ises, was in the city with us, were eager that the two of them together with

Ζωοδότου μονῇ. 21.13 Καὶ τῷ μβ-ῳ ἔτει Ἰαννουαρίου ζ-ῃ πάλιν ἀπῆλθον ἀποκρισιά ριος εἴς τε τὸν Ἀντώνιον καὶ αὐθέντην τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, καὶ εἰς τὸν ἀμη-ρᾶν καὶ εἰς τὸν βασιλέα. 21.14 Ἐν ᾧ δὴ Ἰαννουαρίῳ τῇ κθ-ῃ αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς ᾥρᾳ γ-ῃ ἐπυρπόλησε τὸν ἐν Βλαχέρναις εἰς ὄνομα τῆς θεομήτορος περικαλλῆ καὶ θεῖον ναὸν εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν, ὅπερ ἀκηκόαμεν ἐκεῖσε ἀπερχόμενοι εἰς τὸν ποταμὸν τὸν Μεστὸν ὀνομαζόμενον τῇ α-ῃ Φευρουαρίου, ὥρᾳ μετὰ ἑσπε ρινὸν τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἑορτῆς τῆς Ὑπαπαντῆς. Καὶ ἐλογισάμεθα αὐτὸ ψεῦδος, ἐπεὶ ὁ εἰρηκὼς οὐκ ἐγνώσθη· καὶ διελθόντες εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν μονὰς εʹ καὶ οὐδὲν περὶ τούτου ἀκούσαντες, τῇ εἰς τὸν Ῥαιδεστὸν -ῃ μονῇ ἡμῶν ἐμάθομεν τοῦτο ἀκριβῶς, ὅπως καὶ ὅποτε ἐγένετο, ὅπερ πα ράδοξον.

22.1 Καὶ εἰς τὰς ἀρχὰς τοῦ θέρους τοῦ μγ-ου ἔτους ἀπέθανε καὶ 22.1 ὁ Ἀθηνῶν καὶ Θηβῶν αὐθέντης κὺρ Ἀντώνιος Ντελαντζιόλης καὶ ζη-τήσει τῆς ἐκείνου γυναικὸς ἐστάλην ἐγὼ μετὰ ἐνόρκου ἀργυροβούλου καὶ πολλῶν στρατιωτῶν, ἵνα παραλάβω τὴν Ἀθήναν καὶ ἄλλον εἰς τὸν Μορέαν αὐτῇ δώσω τόπον, ὁπόσον καὶ ὁποῖον φαίνηταί μοι· προλαβόν τος δὲ τοῦ Τουραχάνη καὶ τὴν Θήβαν ἀποκλείσαντος, ἣν καὶ ἀπῆρε με τά τινας ἡμέρας, ἄπρακτος ἐγύρισα ἀπὸ τὸ Ἑξαμίλιον, τοῦτο παρεγγε λίαν ἔχοντος μου. 22.2 Εἰς δὲ τὰ Στυλάρια εὑρισκομένου τοῦ δεσπότου καὶ αὐθεντός μου καὶ τὰ τῆς πραγματείας κάτεργα Βενετικὰ ἐκδεχομένου, ἵνα ἐμβὰς εἰς τὴν Πόλιν ἀπέλθῃ, ἰδοὺ κἀγὼ ἄπρακτος ἔφθασα. Καὶ ἐμβὰς κἀγὼ ἀπερχόμε θα· καὶ εἰς τὴν Εὔριπον φθάσαντες, ἐφάνη καλὸν καὶ ἐστάλην εἰς τὸν Τουραχάνην, εἰς τὴν Θήβαν εὑρισκόμενον καὶ τὴν δουλείαν τὴν περὶ τῆς Ἀθήνας ἐδηλοποίησα αὐτῷ. 22.3 Καὶ ἐπληροφόρησέ μοι μεθ' ὅρκου, ὅτι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν δεσπό την καὶ σὲ ἐγνωριμίαν καὶ ἀγάπην, καλῶς καὶ προθύμως ἤθελα παρα χωρήσει, ἵνα πραχθῇ τοῦτο, ἂν εἶχα ἐξεύρειν τι πρὸ τοῦ ἐξελθεῖν με ἀπὸ τὸ ὁσπίτιόν μου καὶ ἐλθεῖν ἐνταῦθα, ἐπεὶ ὁρισμῷ τοῦ μεγάλου αὐθεντὸς οὐδὲν ἐποίησα τοῦτο· καὶ εὑρισκομένου εἰς τὸ ὁσπίτιόν μου, εἶχον πολλὰ σκε πάσματα, νῦν δὲ πλέον σκέπασμά τι οὐκ ἔχω. Φιλοφρονηθεὶς δὲ φιλοτί μως παρ' ἐκείνου καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ φέροντος εἰς προσκύνησίν μου, καὶ παραδοὺς αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν αὐθέντην μου, ἐξ ὧν εἷς ἦν καὶ ὁ νῦν πολὺς καὶ μέγας Ἀμάρης, ἐπανέστρεψα κἀκεῖθεν ἄπρακτος. 22.4 Καὶ ἐπεὶ προλαβόντες οἱ ἐν τῷ Εὐρίπῳ ἐσήκωσαν τὸ γεοφύριν, καὶ ἀκουσίως ἐμείναμεν εἰς τὰς ἔξω τοῦ γεοφυρίου πέτρας· διεβιβάσαμεν οὖν τοιαύτην νύκταν ἀπό τε κρύους, κθ-ῃ ἦν τοῦ Αὐγούστου, ἀπό τε πείνας, ἀπό τε ξηρότητος τῶν πετρῶν, ἀπό τε φόβου καὶ κλεπτῶν τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ φωσάτου τοῦ Τουραχάνη διὰ τὰ ξένα ἄλογα, ἃ ἀπὸ τοὺς ἐν τῷ κάστρῳ ἐδανεισάμεθα, ὅτι παροιμία ἐγένετο ἐπὶ κακῷ τοῖς μετ' ἐμοῦ τότε οὖσιν εἰς τὸν μετέπειτα χρόνον. 22.5 Ἀναβάντες οὖν εἰς τὰ κάτεργα ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον, τῇ κγ-ῃ τοῦ Σεπ τεβρίου μηνὸς τοῦ μδ-ου ἔτους εἰς τὴν Κωνσταντινούπολιν ἐφθάσαμεν. 22.6 Καὶ τῇ κε-ῃ Μαρτίου τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Πόλιν καὶ ἡ τοῦ Παρασπονδύλου μεγάλου δουκὸς θυγατέρα Ζωὴ μετὰ κατέργου βα σιλικοῦ, ὁποῦ ἐστάλη μετὰ Παλαιολόγον τὸν Μανουήλ, ἵνα φέρωσιν αὐτήν· ἣν δὴ καὶ μετά τινας ἡμέρας εὐλογήθη αὐτὴν ὁ δεσπότης κὺρ ∆ημήτριος. 22.7 Μεθ' οὗ δὴ κατέργου ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Πόλιν καὶ ὁ δεσπότης κὺρ Θεόδωρος, ἵνα ἐκεῖνος εἰς τὴν πόλιν εὑρίσκεται καὶ διάδοχος, ὡς δεύτερος ἀδελφός, τῆς βασιλείας. Ὃ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἔστεργε μὲν ἀκουσίως, ἐπεὶ τὸν κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνον τὸν αὐθέντην μου, πολλάκις με ἐπληροφόρησε καὶ ἐνόρκως ὡς ἐν μυστηρίῳ, ἠγάπα καὶ ἤθελεν, ὡς καὶ ὁ λόγος προιὼν δηλώσει. 22.8 Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὕτως παρηκολούθησεν, ἐσπούδαζεν, ἵνα εἰς τὸν Μορέαν τοὺς τρῖς ἄλλου ἀδελφοὺς ἐγκατοικίσῃ. Ὁ γοῦν αὐθέντης μου πάλιν ὁ δεσπότης κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνος μετὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ κυροῦ Θωμᾶ τοῦ δεσπότου, ἦν γὰρ εἰς τὴν πόλιν μεθ' ἡμῶν ὁ πρῶτος ἄρχων τοῦ ὀσπι τίου ἐκείνου Ῥαοὺλ Μιχαὴλ ὁ Ἰσῆς, ἐσπούδαζον, ἵνα οἱ δύο μὲν σὺν