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.
are found with the emperor in the city, but these two lords in the Morea. 22.9 For this very reason, in June of the same year, the despot lord Constantine crossed from the City to the Morea as a fugitive with a galiot, and I was sent by him to the emir for this very service, that they might hold him in high esteem. And I departed and managed the assigned tasks well; and by land I reached the Morea. 22.10 And I found the brothers and lords in the turmoil of a great battle. For behind my lord and master Constantine, lord Theodore also, having been sent with a galley, was fighting his two brothers, as armies had been gathered on both sides and a partial war had broken out between them. 22.11 In the 45th year, when ambassadors were also sent by the emperor—they were the good and noble hieromonk Dionysios, who had also served as metropolitan of Sardis, and George Disypatos—they partially calmed the fighting. Finally, when other ambassadors of the emperor arrived again—Gregory, a hieromonk and spiritual father, who later served as patriarch of Constantinople, and again this same George Disypatos—they reconciled them, so that my master, the despot lord Constantine, should depart and be in the City, while the despots lord Theodore and lord Thomas should be in the Morea. 22.12 And on the 5th of September of the 40th year, we crossed from Patras by land to Euripos, with my master, I say, and we boarded a Venetian galley from the castle of Euripos at Karystos. On this galley was also Markos, who was once a canon in Patras when we departed from there, but had become a legate from Pope Eugenius, his kinsman, and an ambassador from him to the emperor. And on the 24th of the same month of September we were safely brought to the City.
23.1 And on the 27th of November of the same year, the emperor lord John crossed over with the patriarch and the despot lord Demetrios and many lords of the senate and of the church and almost all the metropolitans and bishops for the council that was planned, would that it had not been. 23.2 And I do not say this because of the dogmas of the church, for these have been given to others to judge; but for me, the paternal succession of my faith is sufficient, and that I have never heard from anyone of that party that ours is bad, but good and ancient, and theirs is not bad, but good. 23.3 And let me say, by way of example, that for many years I have traveled with certain people along the Mese Odos of the city, the broad and spacious one, by which we used to arrive at Hagia Sophia. Then after some time another road was found by some people, also leading there, as they say; and they urge me, 'Come also by this road which we have found; for even if this road you take is good and ancient and known to us from the beginning along with you, and well-trodden, yet this one, which we have now found, is also good.' And I, hearing from some that it is good, and from others that it is not good, why should I not say: 'With peace and love, go well to Hagia Sophia, from wherever you wish; but I again wish to travel by the road, by which I also traveled with you for a very long time and which is testified as good both by you and by my ancestors and is well-trodden.' 23.4 It was not for this reason, therefore, that I said 'would that it had not been'—for I would have wished that the union of the churches had happened well and that I had lost one of my eyes—but because this service of the council was also one, first, and great cause for the attack of the impious against the City to occur, and from this, in turn, the siege and the captivity and such and so great a disaster for us. 23.5 And listen to true words, as I put forward Truth itself as my witness. The emperor of blessed memory said to his son, the emperor lord John, one to one, with only me standing by
τῷ βασιλεῖ εὑρίσκωνται εἰς τὴν πόλιν, οὗτοι δὲ οἱ δύο αὐθένται εἰς τὸν Μορέαν. 22.9 ∆ιὰ ταύτην δὴ τὴν αἰτίαν καὶ τὸν Ἰούνιον τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους διέβη ἀπὸ τῆς Πόλεως εἰς τὸν Μορέαν ὁ δεσπότης κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνος ὡς φυγὰς μετὰ γαλιώτου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐστάλην παρ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἀμηρᾶν διὰ ταύτην δὴ τὴν δουλείαν, ἵνα αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτὸν ἔχωσι. Καὶ ἀπῆλθον καὶ καλῶς ᾠκονόμησα τὰ ἀνατεθειμένα· καὶ διὰ τῆς στερεᾶς εἰς τὸν Μορέαν ἔφ θασα. 22.10 Εὗρον δὲ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ αὐθέντας ἔχοντας ὄχλησιν μάχης με γάλης. Καὶ γὰρ ὄπισθεν τοῦ κυριοῦ Κωνσταντίνου καὶ αὐθεντός μου στα λεὶς μετὰ κατέργου καὶ ὁ κὺρ Θεόδωρος ἐμάχετο τοῖς δυσὶν ἀδελφοῖς αὑτοῦ, ὡς καὶ φωσάτων συναχθέντων ἐπ' ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς μέρεσι καὶ πο λέμου μερικοῦ μέσον αὐτῶν γεγονότος. 22.11 Τῷ με-ῳ ἔτει καὶ ἀποκρισιαρίων ἀποσταλέντων παρὰ τοῦ βασι λέως, ἦσαν δὲ ὁ καλὸς κἀγαθὸς ∆ιονύσιος ἱερομόναχος, ὁ χρηματί σας καὶ μητροπολίτης Σάρδεων, καὶ ∆ισύπατος Γεώργιος, τὴν μάχην ἀπὸ μέρους κατεπράϋναν. Τέλος δὲ πάλιν ἄλλων ἐλθόντων ἀποκρισιαρίων τοῦ βασιλέως, Γρηγορίου ἱερομονάχου καὶ πνευματικοῦ, τοῦ χρηματί σαντος ὕστερον καὶ πατριάρχου Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, καὶ αὐτοῦ δὴ πά λιν Γεωργίου τοῦ ∆ισυπάτου, συνεβίβασαν, ἵνα ὁ μὲν αὐθέντης μου δε σπότης κὺρ Κωνσταντῖνος ἀπέλθῃ καὶ ἔνι εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ὁ δὲ κὺρ Θεό δωρος καὶ κὺρ Θωμᾶς οἱ δεσπόται εἰς τὸν Μορέαν. 22.12 Καὶ τῇ ε-ῃ Σεπτεβρίου τοῦ μ-ου ἔτους διέβημεν ἀπὸ τὴς Πάτρας διὰ τῆς στερεᾶς εἰς τὸν Εὔριπον μετὰ τοῦ αὐθεντός μου λέγω, καὶ ἐσέ βημεν εἰς κάτεργον Βενέτικον ἀπὸ τὸ καστέλλιον τῆς Εὐρίπου τὴν Κά ρυστον. Ἐν ᾧ δὴ κατέργῳ ἦν καὶ ὅ ποτε μὲν ἐν τῇ Πάτρᾳ κανόνικος Μάρκος, ὅταν ἀπήλθομεν κατ' αὐτῆς, γεγονὼς δὲ λεγάτος παρὰ τοῦ πάπα Εὐγενίου τοῦ συγγενοῦς αὐτοῦ καὶ παρ' ἐκείνου καὶ ἀποκρισιάριος εἰς τὸν βασιλέα. Καὶ τῇ κδ-ῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μηνὸς Σεπτεβρίου ἀπεσώθημεν εἰς τὴν Πόλιν.
23.1 Καὶ τῇ κζ-ῃ Νοεμβρίου τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔτους διέβη ὁ βασιλεὺς κὺρ Ἰωάννης μετὰ τοῦ πατριάρχου καὶ τοῦ δεσπότου κυροῦ ∆ημητρίου καὶ πολλῶν ἀρχόντων τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ πάντων σχεδὸν τῶν μητροπολιτῶν καὶ ἐπισκόπων διὰ τὴν μελετηθεῖσαν, ὡς μὴ ὤφελε, σύνοδον. 23.2 Καὶ οὐ λέγω τοῦτο διὰ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας δόγματα, ταῦτα γὰρ παρ' ἄλλοις ἐδόθησαν κρίνεσθαι ἐμοὶ δ' ἀρκεῖ ἡ πατρική μου διαδοχὴ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ ὅτι οὐδέποτε παρά τινος τῶν τοῦ μέρους ἐκείνου ἤκουσα, ὅτι τὸ ἡμῶν κακόν, ἀλλὰ καλὸν καὶ ἀρχαῖον, καὶ τὸ ἐκείνων οὐ κακόν, ἀλλὰ καλόν. 23.3 Καὶ νὰ εἴπω, ὡς ἐν παραδείγματι, ὅτι τὴν Μέσην ὁδὸν τῆς πόλεως, τὴν πλατείαν καὶ εὐρύχωρον, διέρχομαι πολλοὺς χρόνους μετά τινων, δι' ἧς ἐκαταντῶμεν εἰς τὴν Ἁγίαν Σοφίαν. Εἶτα μετά τινας καιροὺς εὑρέθη παρά τινων καὶ ἄλλη ὁδὸς καταντῶσα, ὡς λέγουσι, καὶ αὕτη ἐκεῖ· καὶ νά με παροτρύνωσιν, ὅτι ἐλθὲ καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ ταύτης ἧς εὕρομεν· καὶ γάρ, εἰ καὶ ἔστιν αὕτη, ὁποῦ ἀπέρχῃ, καλὴ καὶ ἀρχαία καὶ ἡμῖν ἀρχῆ θεν σὺν ὑμῖν γνωστὴ καὶ διερχομένη, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὕτη, ἣν εὕρομεν νῦν, καλή ἐστιν. Ἐγὼ δὲ νὰ ἀκούω παρὰ μὲν τῶν, ὅτι καλή ἐστι, παρὰ δὲ τῶν, ὅτι οὐ καλή, διὰ τὶ νὰ μηδὲν εἴπω· Μετ' εἰρήνης καὶ ἀγάπης ἀπέρ χεσθε καλῶς εἰς τὴν Ἁγίαν Σοφίαν, ὁπόθεν βούλεσθε· ἐγὼ δὲ πάλιν θέ λω διέρχεσθαι διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ, ἣν καὶ μεθ' ὑμῶν πολύν τινα χρόνον διηρ χόμην καὶ καλὴν αὐτὴν καὶ παρ' ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν προγόνων μου μαρτυρου μένην καὶ διερχομένην. 23.4 Οὐ διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν εἶπον τὸ ὡς μὴ ὤφελεν, ἤθελα γὰρ νὰ εἶχε γενεῖν καλῶς ἑνώσει τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν καὶ νά με ἔλιπεν ὁ εἷς τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ὅτι ἦν καὶ αὕτη ἡ τῆς συνόδου δουλεία αἰτία μία καὶ πρώτη καὶ μεγάλη εἰς τὸ νὰ γένηται ἡ κατὰ τῆς Πόλεως τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἔφοδος καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτην πάλιν ἡ πολιορκία καὶ ἡ αἰχμαλω σία καὶ τοιαύτη καὶ τοσαύτη συμφορὰ ἡμῶν. 23.5 Καὶ ἀκούσατε λόγους ἀληθεῖς, τὴν αὐτοαλήθειαν προβαλομένου μου μάρτυρα. Εἶπεν ὁ ἀοίδιμος βασιλεὺς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὑτοῦ, τὸν βα σιλέα κὺρ Ἰωάννην, μόνος πρὸς μόνον, ἱσταμένου καὶ ἐμοῦ μόνου