John Cantacuzenus, Histories

to escape, it would be well, and I myself welcome your fellowship, and I choose to share the danger with you; but if, having condemned the timidity and cowardice of the former counsel, you have decided to hold fast safely to the second, and since I am not persuaded, you yourselves do not consider what I wish to be advantageous for you, I for my part would never choose to be a partner with you in such deeds, but it is possible for you, preserving your own safety, to choose what you think is advantageous for you. And I confess great thanks to God, that because of your goodwill toward me nothing unpleasant has yet befallen you even now, nor has anything about which we deliberated become manifest to anyone except you. And I, as I may be able, and as God may grant, will steer through the danger on my own behalf. I know, therefore, that if it should happen that I fall fighting, you will much lament me as I lie there, and you will often weep again and again for your friend, if indeed we have shown any friendship toward you worthy of memory. But if you should wish to approach me again while I am still alive, let our parting now be in no way an obstacle to you; for you will find me always being the same and disposed friendly toward you just as now. Do not think 1.50 that I am either without grief at our separation, or that I am pushing you away at once as if you were worthy of nothing. For from the time I began to speak about such things, thinking of my separation from you, I feel many pains; and I know that after this I will feel more and stronger ones; but it is necessary to bear it, since the circumstances are incompatible; if then, as I said, you are willing to hold to the former reasoning, to take thought for our safety, and to plan nothing unseemly against the emperor, you will have me also as a partner in your actions; but if it seems otherwise to you, nothing else is left than, after praying for many good things for your friendship toward me, to do on my own what seems to me to be advantageous.” When the emperor had said such things, for a long time they looked at one another, marveling at how his mind was set on noble things, so as to yield nothing of his respect for the emperor and his grandfather, although he was requiting him with many griefs. Then the protostrator answered thus: “O emperor, considering what is advantageous both for you and for ourselves, we have spoken what we thought profitable. And what we have spoken concerning the emperor, we planned not with this sole aim that he should suffer some evil, but so that, after openly entering into the war, no expectation of something terrible might be left for you; for this is our greatest concern. But since, as we have heard, you count your own salvation and safety as secondary to the safety 1.51 and honor of the emperor and your grandfather, it falls to us to marvel at your magnanimity and justice, and to be persuaded by what you wish, and to consider these things both just and advantageous, which also seem good to you. And if we previously differed at all in our words, it was not because we were planning opposite things to one another, but so that nothing of what was necessary might escape unexamined. Therefore, since our uncertainty has ceased and we have come together to one mind, nothing else remains than to leave our speeches and to proceed to do what has been decided.” And when Syrgiannes said that he had spoken in accordance with his mind and added this, that “for your respect and care for the emperor and your grandfather, O emperor, many graces will be laid up for you with the great and heavenly king, and either he will change the minds of those who plot against you, or, when they have set out to do harm, he himself will fight for us,” and when the emperor confessed great thanks to them for their goodwill and obedience toward him, they considered whether they should flee or not. And seeing that the coming day always produced some greater evil, and that the anger against the emperor's grandfather and the emperor was growing ever more, inferring from the fact that they communicated to him not even a bare word; and fearing lest, if something unexpected should suddenly happen, they might not be able even to escape that, it seemed best now, since they had the opportunity and an abundance of security, to depart from Byzantium.

διαδιδράσκειν, εὖ ἂν ἔχοι, καὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν αὐτὸς ἀσπάζομαι τὴν ὑμετέραν, καὶ συγκινδυνεύειν ὑμῖν αἱροῦμαι· εἰ δὲ τῆς προτέρας ἀτολμίαν καὶ ἀνανδρίαν καταγνόντες βουλῆς, ἐμμένειν ἀσφαλῶς κεκρίκατε τοῖς δευτέροις, μὴ πειθομένου δ' ἐμοῦ, οὐδ' αὐτοὶ λυσιτελεῖν ἑαυτοῖς ἅπερ ἐγὼ βούλομαι ἡγεῖσθε, ἐγὼ μὲν τῶν τοιούτων ἔργων κοινωνεῖν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἂν ἑλοίμην ποτὲ, ὑμᾶς δὲ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἀσφαλὲς ἔξεστι περισώζοντας, ἃ συμφέρειν ὑμῖν οἴεσθε ἑλέσθαι. χάριν δὲ πολλὴν ὁμολογῶ τῷ θεῷ, ὅτι τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ εὐνοίας οὐδὲν οὐδέ πω καὶ νῦν ὑμῖν ἀπήντηκε τῶν δυσχερῶν, οὐδὲ περὶ ὧν ἐβουλευσάμεθα κατάδηλον οὐδὲν γέγονεν οὐδενὶ πλὴν ὑμῶν. ἐγὼ δὲ ὡς ἂν οἷός τε ὦ, καὶ ὡς ἂν ὁ θεὸς διδῷ, τὸν ὑπὲρ ἐμαυτοῦ κίνδυνον διακυβερνήσω. οἶδα μὲν οὖν ὡς, ἂν συμβῇ μαχόμενόν με πεσεῖν, πολλὰ μὲν ἐπιθρηνήσετε κειμένῳ, πολλὰ δὲ πολλάκις ἀνακλαύσεσθε τὸν φίλον, εἰ δή τι καὶ μνήμης ἄξιον ἐνεδειξάμεθα φιλίας εἰς ὑμᾶς. εἰ δ' ἔτι περιόντι πάλιν ἐθελήσετε προσελθεῖν, μηδαμῶς ὑμῖν ἐμπόδιον τὸ νῦν ἡμᾶς χωρίζεσθαι καταστήτω· εὑρήσετε γὰρ ἀεὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὄντα καὶ φιλικῶς ὥσπερ καὶ νῦν διακείμενον πρὸς ὑμᾶς. μὴ νομίσητε 1.50 δὲ ἐμὲ μήτε ἀλύπως ἐπὶ τῷ χωρισμῷ ὑμῶν διακεῖσθαι, μήθ' ὡς τοῦ μηδενὸς ἀξίους ὑμᾶς οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ παραυτίκα ἀπωθεῖσθαι. ἐξ ὅτου γὰρ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἠρξάμην λέγειν, πολλῶν τὴν διάστασιν ὑμῶν ἐννοῶν αἰσθάνομαι τῶν ἀλγηδόνων· οἶδα δ' ἐν τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ πλειόνων αἰσθησόμενος καὶ σφοδροτέρων· φέρειν δὲ ἀνάγκη, τῶν πραγμάτων ἀσυμβάτως ἐχόντων· εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὥσπερ εἶπον, ἐθελήσετε τῶν προτέρων ἐχομένους λογισμῶν, ὑπὲρ μὲν τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας φροντίσαι, μηδὲν δὲ κατὰ βασιλέως βουλεύσασθαι τῶν ἀπεικότων, καὶ ἐμὲ κοινωνὸν ἕξετε τῶν πραττομένων· εἰ δ' ἑτέρως ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λοιπὸν, ἢ πολλὰ τῆς εἰς ἐμὲ φιλίας ἐπευξάμενον ἀγαθὰ, καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἅ μοι δοκῶ συμφέροντα πράττειν.» Τοιαῦτα καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰπόντος, ἐπὶ πολὺ μὲν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἑώρων, τὸ τῆς γνώμης θαυμάζοντες ἐπὶ τὰ καλὰ βεβηκὸς, ὡς μηδὲν τῆς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ πάππον αἰδοῦς ὑφεῖναι, καίτοι πολλοῖς αὐτὸν τοῖς λυποῦσιν ἀμειβομένου. εἶθ' ὁ πρωτοστράτωρ ἀπεκρίνατο τοιαῦτα· «ἡμῖν, ὦ βασιλεῦ, τὸ συμφέρον σοί τε καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς σκοποῦσιν, ἃ λυσιτελεῖν ἐδοκοῦμεν, ἐφθεγξάμεθα. ἃ δὲ περὶ βασιλέως ἐφθεγξάμεθα, οὐκ αὐτὸ τοῦτο μόνον ὅπως κακόν τι πάθοι σκοποῦντες ἐβουλευσάμεθα, ἀλλ' ὅπως μὴ μετὰ τὸ φανερῶς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον καταστῆναι, τὶς ὑπολείποιτο μετὰ σοῦ προσδοκία δεινοῦ· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμῖν περὶ πλείστου σκοπεῖται. ἐπεὶ δ' ὡς ἠκούσαμεν τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα 1.51 καὶ πάππον ἀσφαλείας τε καὶ τιμῆς τὴν οἰκείαν σωτηρίαν καὶ ἀσφάλειαν ἐν δευτέρῳ λογίζῃ, θαυμάζειν μὲν ἔπεισι τῆς μεγαλοψυχίας καὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης, πείθεσθαι δὲ οἷς ἂν ἐθέλῃς, καὶ ταῦτα νομίζειν καὶ δίκαια καὶ συμφέροντα, ἅπερ ἂν καὶ σοὶ συνδοκῇ. εἰ δέ τι καὶ πρότερον διηνέχθημεν περὶ τοὺς λόγους, οὐκ ἀλλήλοις ἐναντία βουλευόμενοι, ἀλλ' ὅπως μηδὲν τῶν δεόντων ἀνεξέταστον διαφύγῃ. τοιγαροῦν ἐπεὶ τῆς ἀμφιβολίας παυσαμένης εἰς ἓν συνήλθομεν ταῖς γνώμαις, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λείπεται ἢ τοὺς λόγους καταλιπόντας, χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ πράττειν τὰ δεδογμένα.» Καὶ Συργιάννη κατὰ γνώμην αὐτῷ εἰπόντος εἰρῆσθαι καὶ τοῦτο προσθέντος, ὡς «τῆς εἰς τὸν βασιλέα καὶ πάππον αἰδοῦς καὶ κηδεμονίας, ὦ βασιλεῦ, πολλαί σοι παρὰ τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ οὐρανίῳ βασιλεῖ κείσονται χάριτες, καὶ ἢ μεταβαλεῖ τὰς γνώμας τῶν ἐπιβουλευόντων, ἢ, κακοῦν ὡρμημένων, αὐτὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν πολεμήσει,» τοῦ τε βασιλέως τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν εὐνοίας καὶ εὐπειθείας πολλὴν ὁμολογήσαντος χάριν αὐτοῖς, εἰ φευκτέα ἢ μὴ, ἐσκόπουν. ὁρῶντες δὲ ἀεὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν μεῖζόν τι φύουσαν κακὸν, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ βασιλέως τοῦ πάππου καὶ βασιλέως θυμοὺς ἐπὶ μᾶλλον αὐξομένους, ἐκ τοῦ μηδαμοῦ τεκμαιρόμενοι μηδὲ λόγου τινὸς ψιλοῦ τούτῳ μεταδιδόναι· καὶ δεδοικότες μή τινος τῶν ἀδοκήτων ἐκ τοῦ αἰφνιδίου συμβάντος, οὐδ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο διαδρᾶναι δυνηθεῖεν, ἐδόκει νῦν ὡς καιρὸν ἔχουσι καὶ ἀδείας εὐποροῦσιν, ἀφίστασθαι τοῦ Βυζαντίου.